tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88497353643016617982024-03-05T05:45:41.374+00:00Get the Mott and BuckettTidying up world football.Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-71562674260401851622017-01-22T15:32:00.000+00:002017-01-23T08:32:25.581+00:00The curse of Benitez: An un-defendable seven years. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvljgN8VaLtYaLwI9udyYc7e3lv_-rfeVAFQjcHsQa6PI6C4Yls7reUey0MXWKvrj04iRg9hYwRKhojlUoYkAx7YPWmRaWYVWX36cnvF66R1YqgdvXzrAb4IRLADRvbXwDM3Qg_GIoXlac/s1600/Klopp+and+Benitez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvljgN8VaLtYaLwI9udyYc7e3lv_-rfeVAFQjcHsQa6PI6C4Yls7reUey0MXWKvrj04iRg9hYwRKhojlUoYkAx7YPWmRaWYVWX36cnvF66R1YqgdvXzrAb4IRLADRvbXwDM3Qg_GIoXlac/s400/Klopp+and+Benitez.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yesterday’s
loss to Swansea had a sense of the inevitable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For over the
course of a season, more often than not, footballing equilibrium is restored
through sobering moments like this. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was inside
the Emirates Stadium in August when Liverpool blew Arsenal away with four
fantastic goals, yet proceeded to give three away themselves in the same 90
minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There have
also been less glamorous, goal filled, victories over the league’s lesser teams,
all without keeping a cleansheet. Hull, Crystal Palace, Watford and Stoke have
all been on the receiving end of four plus Liverpool goals, yet have all
managed to score. <o:p></o:p></div>
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However, whether
it is Arsenal or Hull, home or away, three points is three points. There are no
additional prizes given for not conceding. Such shortcomings can be easily overlooked
by fans and coaches alike.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What cannot
be overlooked are results against Burnley (2-0), Bournemouth (4-3), West Ham
(2-2), Sunderland (2-2) and now rock bottom Swansea (2-3). Games in which, excluding
Burnley, Liverpool should have scored enough goals to take all three points. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This
inability to win games in which Liverpool have scored 2 or 3 is why Chelsea
have the chance of going 10 points clear of them today. So far this season Chelsea
have conceded 15 times, Klopp’s side have picked the ball out of the net nearly
twice as much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But this
defensive weakness is nothing new.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In every
season since Rafael Benitez left the club in 2010, Liverpool have conceded 40+
goals per season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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During his six
seasons with the club, Benitez’s sides’ conceded 41, 25, 27, 28, 27 and 35 in
the Premier League, a total of 183. In the six campaigns following his departure,
up until the end of last season, Liverpool conceded 275 goals, finishing inside
the top four only once.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Premier
League has undoubtedly changed since Benitez took Liverpool to 5<sup>th</sup>,
3<sup>rd</sup>, 3<sup>rd</sup>, 4<sup>th</sup>, 2<sup>nd</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup>.
The club too has changed, saying goodbye
to defensive stalwarts including Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia and to a much lesser
extent Martin Skrtel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But what has
really been done to address the issue of conceding too many goals?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Under
Rodgers and Klopp Liverpool have prioritised attacking. Alongside Dalglish
before them, they’ve recruited some excellent forward players including Suarez,
Sturridge, Sterling, Lallana, Firmino and Mane. These names are the best of a
mixed bag which also included Balotelli, Carroll and Benteke.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Their defensive
purchases have been far less encouraging, including Kolo Toure, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto
Moreno, Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lovren has
come to typify the consistent inconsistency of Liverpool’s defence since
Benitez’s departure. Excellent last week against Man Utd, woeful yesterday
against Swansea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fact
that James Milner has been converted to a left back is a damning indictment of Moreno.
Klavan is a cheap reserve, too often call upon, similar to Toure before him. Sakho possesses the physical attributes to be
a first class defender but lacks the mentality required to dominate a defence.
His off the field issues as costly as his lapses in concentration on it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Only Nathaniel
Clyne and Joel Matip have made reliable contributions to Liverpool’s defence since
their purchase, both with the potential to be top Premier League players. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Goalkeeping
has also been a major problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Neither
Simon Mignolet or Loris Karius have come close to replacing Pepe Reina. The
goalkeeping saga at Liverpool has rumbled on since his departure in 2013.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The sum
total of transfer fees paid for these defenders and goalkeepers (Clyne, Karius,
Klavan, Lovren, Matip, Mignolet, Moreno, Sakho, Toure) by Rodgers and Klopp is
£80.4m.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the
same transfer windows these two managers also spent £184.25m on Iago Aspas,
Mario Balotelli, Christian Benteke, Fabio Borini, Roberto Firmino, Adam
Lallana, Sadio Mane, Lazar Markovic and Divok Origi. <o:p></o:p></div>
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£104m more
than they spent on attempting to fix the side’s obvious defensive frailties.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Perhaps this
is obvious. Attackers are generally more expensive than defenders. They are the prized assets of football teams. They
are the players which excite fans when transfer windows open.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
comparison also includes an anomaly, the best defender brought in to the club
cost nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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However, as
a general look at the efforts of these two managers to bring about real
defensive change at Liverpool it doesn’t make for positive reading. Only one of
the four most expensive defensive purchases, Nathaniel Clyne, is deemed good
enough by most.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why have
these managers not spent more on recruiting defenders and goalkeepers of a
suitable standard? And why have their purchases, more often than not, proved to
be no better than their predecessors?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t have
the answers to these questions, but as Rafa once said “These are the facts”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There is no
doubt that Liverpool have made strides under Jurgen Klopp. A finish inside the
top four this season would mark a distinct improvement; only their second top
four finish since 2009. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are
clearly positives to be taken. Liverpool can be hugely entertaining, they are
yet to be beaten by one of the top six this season, but they remain plagued by
issues which have haunted them since the departure of Benitez seven years ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the
last ten seasons, the average number of goals conceded by the title winners has been 32 goals. Klopp’s side are five goals shy of this total after only 22 games
this season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If Klopp is
to take Liverpool to that illusive 19<sup>th</sup> league title, whenever it
may be, he must do what Rodgers could not and stop Liverpool conceding so
often.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>
</o:p></div>
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Yesterday’s
result was a brutal reminder of that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-41353405699683146292012-02-24T17:58:00.000+00:002012-02-24T17:58:04.307+00:00On The Brink: The Young Pretender.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPNxdZNZJRMl-uDfqkpE_VZOc9RfUWKX6kZewIYHeSvSNdFBO5IJ7Ekm-rI1woEHcILh3dr7eiJxTEvKeYg8uvo0mniEQOIuV6YRjUAGsV8UlkvWkYiUUwZMQRkZJvFjpV85Kvp2HxToV/s1600/AVB2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPNxdZNZJRMl-uDfqkpE_VZOc9RfUWKX6kZewIYHeSvSNdFBO5IJ7Ekm-rI1woEHcILh3dr7eiJxTEvKeYg8uvo0mniEQOIuV6YRjUAGsV8UlkvWkYiUUwZMQRkZJvFjpV85Kvp2HxToV/s400/AVB2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napoli: Another headache for AVB.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Similarly to <a href="http://getthemottandbuckett.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-brink-old-master.html">‘The Old Master’</a>, things looked very different for Andre Villas-Boas one year ago. On the 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> March 2011 I described his <a href="http://getthemottandbuckett.blogspot.com/2011/03/real-championship-manager-life-and.html">unbelievable success story with table-topping Porto</a> and how the Portuguese was destined for stardom. As predicted, Villas-Boas moved on to a bigger stage with Chelsea, following once again in the footsteps of the Special One.</strong> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, the fairy tale move has not yet panned out. Struggling in the league, knocked out of the Carling Cup, held to a fifth-round FA Cup replay by Birmingham City, and comprehensively defeated in the first round of their Champions League last sixteen tie with Napoli, Villas-Boas is widely tipped as the next Premier League manager to leave his post, winning only two of the last eight games.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The recent run of bad results, including the throwing away of a 3-0 lead at home to Manchester United, is the reoccurrence of his side’s December form, a month in which they picked up nine of the possible eighteen points available, ending the yuletide in fifth place. The first time they have finished a calendar year outside the top four since 2001. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Villas-Boas’ team selection and transfer policy have indicated one thing since his arrival almost nine months ago; he is looking to usher in a new era at Stamford Bridge. The side selected to face Napoli last Tuesday was absent of players who have previously been pivotal to Chelsea success. Captain John Terry was sidelined through default, but the dropping of Lampard, Essien, Mikel, Kalou, and Cole was very much by design. As was the January sale of Nicolas Anelka. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whilst Salamon Kalou, 26, and John Obi Mikel, 24, still have time on their side. The average age of Terry, Lampard, Essien and the departed Anelka, is a grand total of 31- the nine signings since his arrival have an average age of a decade younger, the eldest being 28 year old Raul Meireles. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Similarly to his north London rival Wenger, Villas-Boas’ has tied his hopes to youth. The folly of which has been all too evident in crucial games so far this season. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Senior players within the squad are rumoured to be circling the manager, and regular visits from Abramovich to the training ground signal a collapse of confidence from the owner. As each day passes, further revelations appear to surface surrounding the relationship between Villas-Boas’ and his employer. Most recently The Telegraph detailed how the former Porto boss was asked to explain his team selection versus Napoli to Abramovich via technical director Michael Emenalo. The questioning of the manager reiterates the owner’s worries, whilst the lack of direct communication appears to detail a strained relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Villas-Boas is not the first manager to become embroiled in an internal battle at Chelsea. Senior players have been warranted with encouraging the expulsion of the club’s managers before- Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari both suffered at the hands of Drogba, Lampard and Terry during the Abramovich reign. The owner continues to take the opinion of his stars most seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, one thing that the owner takes more seriously than the views of his players is the Champions League, the one trophy which has eluded him since he bought the club for £140m in 2003. If Villas-Boas can make it to the return tie at Stamford Bridge, his side play Bolton, West Brom, and Stoke in the league, as well as the FA Cup replay with Birmingham City, before facing Napoli once again, he will have the opportunity of turning the tie and indeed his side’s season around. A loss before the second-leg on March 14<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and he may not be so lucky. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Former Valencia and Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez is rumoured to be in line to replace Villas-Boas should his side suffer a defeat in the coming weeks. The Spaniard’s experience is seen as the ideal antidote to AVB’s alleged naivety and many believe Benitez to be the man to reignite the faltering Fernando Torres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The striker has found himself dropped in recent weeks following a period of backing from the manager and Abramovich is keen to see a return on the £50m paid for the forward prior to Villas-Boas’ arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Unlike the signing of Torres, believed to be a direct action of the owner rather than former manager Carlo Ancelotti, the inclusion of Juan Mata and Gary Cahill by AVB to the squad has been widely lauded by fans. The £20m paid for Romelu Lukaku however has been the subject of increasing criticism- like Romeu, De Bruyne, Courtois and Bamford- the manager believes the fees will be justified in years to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If Villas-Boas is to oversee the growth of such players he must hope that those who take to the field in the coming weeks, whether old or new, can come together and provide the results necessary to climb back in to the top four and progress in both the FA Cup and Champions League. If they do not Abramovich will surely sack his sixth manager in nine years.</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buckett.</span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-77008751567291345702012-02-24T13:38:00.004+00:002012-02-24T17:58:36.448+00:00On The Brink: The Old Master.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikx-Q03u6BQ-qiaMjEnoQAl_ty8tq0psEsXShyBMS6simUCw3jgAO0La8JTl4efp6Zukq45ktGjFJYLeYH4i7eec6sboMx-ORY1rZI3W9fwQEUgED0QuzoOGVv5MZ4PHalX-3DRZZxVmLI/s1600/Spotlight+on+Wenger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikx-Q03u6BQ-qiaMjEnoQAl_ty8tq0psEsXShyBMS6simUCw3jgAO0La8JTl4efp6Zukq45ktGjFJYLeYH4i7eec6sboMx-ORY1rZI3W9fwQEUgED0QuzoOGVv5MZ4PHalX-3DRZZxVmLI/s400/Spotlight+on+Wenger.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spotlight is on Wenger</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>One year ago Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal closed the gap at the top of the Premier League table to within one point of Manchester United. Four days later they would narrowly miss out on their first trophy since 2005, going on to be knocked out of the Champions League and dramatically fade away in the title race, winning only two of their eleven remaining league games.</strong> <o:p></o:p> </span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A fourth placed finish and sixth season without a trophy spelled the end of the Fabregas-to-Barcelona saga as the talismanic Catalonian returned to his hometown club. Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy also left the club heading north to Manchester City.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The months between February and August 2011 were some of the most painful of Arsene Wenger’s reign. A Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham City was quickly followed by Champions League exit and a slide from grace at the top of the table. The misery surrounding the transfer of the club’s two best players, and lack of adequate replacement, was cemented with an 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford. The BBC’s Chief football writer, Phil McNulty, said of the result “It was a performance, or lack of one, that proved the folly of his [Wenger’s] summer of transfer inaction”. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although improvements have been visible, the players brought in to the replace Fabregas, Nasri, and Clichy, have so far failed to match the early promise of last season’s squad, crashing out of both the Carling and FA Cup, embarrassed in the San Siro and embroiled in a four way battle for the remaining Champions League position. Wenger’s position as Supreme Leader of Arsenal has never been so strained.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since his appointment sixteen years ago, the former Nancy-Lorraine, Monaco, and Nagoya Grampus Eight manager has won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups with Arsenal, as well as various runners-up medals, including a UEFA Cup and Champions League. Simply, the Frenchman represents the most successful modern period of Arsenal Football Club.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, the six, and more likely, seven seasons which have followed the club’s 2005 FA Cup win represent a period of stagnation for supporters. A period they believed would build them a team capable of challenging for major honours once again. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Following the dispersal of Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ it was widely appreciated by fans that he was to oversee a period of renewal within his squad as youth replaced the ageing experts. Eight years on from the extraordinary achievements of Lehmann, Campbell, Toure, Cole, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp and Henry, and following the departure of Fabregas- Wojciech Szczesny, Kierna Gibbs, Francis Coquelin , Jacks Wilshere, Johan Djourou, Henri Lansbury, and Emmanuel Frimpong, are the remainder of Arsene’s in-house youth experiment. An experiment which has seemingly produced too few players capable of walking in the shoes of the aforementioned giants. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With many of his young pretenders failing to make the grade, Wenger has continually dipped in and out of the transfer market to bolster his squad with the quality necessary to pose a title challenge, as they did for much of last season. Since 2004 he has signed a total of 46 players, and although this includes success stories such as Samir Nasri, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna for a combined fee of £31.8m (Robin Van Persie was signed in 2003 for £2.75m), it has been a chequered task. Good players have been bought, such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Eduardo, Alexander Song, Aaron Ramsey, Lauren Koscielny and most recently Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. But many more have severely underwhelmed, Jose Antonio Reyes, Phillipe Senderos, Tomas Rosicky, Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott have never lived up to expectations, whilst Alexander Hleb, Abou Diaby, and Maroune Chamakh, have all suffered similarly. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Up until August 2011 much of Arsenal’s shortcomings were masked by Wenger’s greatest success since the league title of 2004; Cesc Fabregas. The young man, acquired for nothing, became the centre piece which his manager built his side around. The degree to which Fabregas carried the team around him was subject to much debate in the years up to his exit; following the defeat at Old Trafford it was rife.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The tale end collapse of the 2010-11 season, teamed with the exit of Fabregas and Nasri led fans to call for a new rebuilding phase. One supported by the £70.7m acquired by the club through transfers that summer. Wenger did indeed go back into the transfer market. Everton’s Mikel Arteta, Ivorian international Gervinho, and Southampton youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were seen as adequate midfield replacement for the departed, whilst Andre Santos and Per Mertasacker bolstered a defence which had crumbled in the close of the title race months earlier. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In total Wenger spent £53m in 2011. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, once again, Wenger’s activity in the transfer market appears to have fallen short. The lack of quality supplied so far this season by his new signings, with the exclusion of Oxlade-Chamberlain, has amplified the glaring hole left by Fabregas. The long-term injury of Jack Wilshere, Wenger’s best hope of replacing Fabregas, has also added to the underperformance of players such as Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Following the 4-0 defeat to AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League, former Arsenal manager George Graham described Wenger’s side as “a team in crisis” whilst Emmanuel Petit declared it the “worst moment of Arsene’s career with Arsenal”. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The pressure is undoubtedly mounting on Wenger. His supporters suggest that injuries and the departure of Fabregas were matters beyond his control and as such a fourth placed finish is all that can be expected. His critics call into question his handling of the squad; the youth which he put so much hope in has fallen short, as have many of the signings which he believed were capable of carrying the club forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Frenchman still represents the club’s greatest successes; the problem appears to be that there aren’t many more on the horizon.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buckett.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-5694925120617473302011-10-15T00:30:00.002+01:002011-10-15T00:39:38.853+01:00Roo can fill the void? And is Wayne's exclusion the answer to England's woes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBewigA_F55aWT46Mo_pIEcRBpN1irD5BeswAm9uoCF4VXqRiHej-R0PKNkljApe4-rL2UMFbar3n7UMkmZw35Z3RgFqEIwf0CKdP_GaWxIQZDqbnKfyUM9H4Udqvc_lnPMkqWUM0wIoK/s1600/Rooney+Montenegro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBewigA_F55aWT46Mo_pIEcRBpN1irD5BeswAm9uoCF4VXqRiHej-R0PKNkljApe4-rL2UMFbar3n7UMkmZw35Z3RgFqEIwf0CKdP_GaWxIQZDqbnKfyUM9H4Udqvc_lnPMkqWUM0wIoK/s400/Rooney+Montenegro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Following an un-aggravated assault in Montenegro, Wayne Rooney will miss England’s first three games of Euro 2012 next summer, leaving Fabio Capello with eight months to ponder who can replace the United hit-man and lead his side through the group stages in Poland and Ukraine. </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With a clear lack of creativity at his disposal, Capello will surely be tempted to take his banned front man in reserve, should England qualify from the group stage. But the Italian will know Rooney’s record, 0 goals in his last two major tournaments and 3 goals in his last sixteen international games. Whilst he may provide a spark that few other English players are capable of, a top goal-scorer he has not proven to be. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is perhaps due to the style of play under Fabio Capello. At United Rooney is able to play a centre-forward role safe in the knowledge that his team mates will afford him the opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net. When on England duty we continually see him becoming frustrated at the lack of goal scoring opportunities, dropping deeper and deeper to become involved in the play. This often creates a 4-6-0 formation, and whilst Roma have shown that such a formation is not untenable, unlike Spain or Germany, England do not have the players to conquer such a free flowing formation. Should Rooney be playing the deep lying attacking role of the 4-6-0 surrounded by Villa, Silva, and Xavi or Muller, Khedira, and Ozil, I suspect he would score goals, but he isn’t. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So like David Beckham ruling himself out of last year’s World Cup through injury, Rooney being unavailable may be a blessing in disguise for the manager, at least in terms of providing a shape to the side capable of scoring goals. England scored three in South Africa. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1voKulJfgwgjB7zQXlBOkZ7wjjiyFiPraJ8Z5E04ftOgpDFRLwm8fnjjHpNHJsBLzWj3xT5s1ll9-GjJLk5DWQkXHEOPgRhc4MmwDLA5EhCNQ6fCE61E_Nd1JIcc2_yXBALm-axRXGQ-F/s1600/Darren+Bent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1voKulJfgwgjB7zQXlBOkZ7wjjiyFiPraJ8Z5E04ftOgpDFRLwm8fnjjHpNHJsBLzWj3xT5s1ll9-GjJLk5DWQkXHEOPgRhc4MmwDLA5EhCNQ6fCE61E_Nd1JIcc2_yXBALm-axRXGQ-F/s320/Darren+Bent.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next best thing?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To compete next summer, England need a partnership, and for the last example of that, we need to look back a whole decade to the time surrounding the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Michael Owen and Emile Heskey were the last successful English striking partnership; the big man-little man combination that provided relative success in an England team including the likes of Danny Mills, Trevor Sinclair and Nicky Butt. There’s no question that playing consistently on both the domestic and international front together aided the pairing, but with several international friendlies between now and next summer, including Spain next month, Capello has an opportunity to piece together something that would outlast him with England.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So who’s in the running?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Darren Bent</b> is without question a goal scorer. His 36 goals in 63 appearances for Sunderland and 11 in 23 at current club Aston Villa is testament to that. His 4 goals in 11 for England show that when given a chance, he scores goals. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bent’s Villa teammate, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gabriel Agbonlahor </b>has made a flying start to the season scoring 4 in 7 for his club so far this season. His international career has largely been halted in the years surpassing his under-21 call ups, with only 3 full caps to his name. However, his direct power, pace, and versatility is something offered by no other English centre forward. Should his excellent form continue, he will surely be in with a chance of making the trip next summer. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Had an achilles injury not prevented his selection, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bobby Zamora </b>was a favourite to be included in Capello’s World Cup squad last year. However, only two senior squad call ups have been afforded to the Fulham striker, and if he is to stake a claim for his inclusion, he’ll need to hope for a chance in the upcoming friendlies. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jermain Defoe </b>was the only centre forward to score for England in South Africa last summer, and in the 46 appearances for his country he’s netted 15 times. His longevity, arguably the reason he’s had the nod on Darren Bent in recent years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Like Defoe, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Peter Crouch </b>has made over 40 appearances for England, however his goal per game ratio stands at better than a goal every other game, one of the best in the modern era. However, after being dropped from the squad to face Switzerland in June after initially being included, rumours surfaced that the robot dancing goal machine would not play for the manager again. Should he forgive Capello and find the form worthy of a recall at new club Stoke, Capello will know that Crouch’s form; both physical and goal scoring will have the potential to pose a threat to any defence in the Ukraine and Poland.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg9VH_DzdAjApLhLUgfsY-giMu8GxdWLYzs_FIlR7QmpruocerYKDfj8eFoiIkP6TteEIgJ6oqotNMybMUO9Yo3LAr8d_Mz0KYvmBywcHlt-DmqI2PjGNZuIKJWF-FyDr856e-jrzJqLQ/s1600/Andy+Carroll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg9VH_DzdAjApLhLUgfsY-giMu8GxdWLYzs_FIlR7QmpruocerYKDfj8eFoiIkP6TteEIgJ6oqotNMybMUO9Yo3LAr8d_Mz0KYvmBywcHlt-DmqI2PjGNZuIKJWF-FyDr856e-jrzJqLQ/s320/Andy+Carroll.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Alan Shearer?</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And then there’s the new boys; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Andy Carroll </b>is the most expensive British player in history, with a total of only 3 caps for his country. There’s no doubt the Geordie hit man has a potentially bright international future ahead of him, but injury has plagued the start of his Liverpool career and subsequently lead to a lack of international involvement. Carroll will need to continue in the vein of goal scoring kicked off last weekend at Goodison Park if he is to lead the English line next year. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Danny Welbeck </b>is another young player whom Capello has high hopes for. Persuaded to turn his back on his parent’s native Ghana, the twenty year old is thought to be the young player the England manager is pinning his highest hopes on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far this season Welbeck has outshone Rooney, Hernandez and Berbatov in United’s forward line bagging 5 goals in 8 appearances, earning him his first competitive appearance away in Montenegro earlier this month, his second senior cap.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Daniel Sturridge</b>, the centre forward who came to prominence during a loan spell at Bolton last season, scoring 8 goals in 12 appearances for the Trotters. This season has been no different for the Birmingham born forward, like Welbeck, upstaging his fellow centre forwards Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba with 3 goals in 3 appearances. Sturridge is the only player listed to have not made a full England appearance, something that will surely change in the coming months. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Capello clearly has options. The classic big man-little man combination personified by the Owen and Heskey partnership of a decade ago has the potential to be reignited. Andy Carroll<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Peter Crouch <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>both have the physical attributes to provide the battering ram needed for a smaller nippier player to succeed. Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe offer proven goal scoring ability, whilst Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge provide a rawer, untamed talent. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Should the England manager opt for a striker-centre forward pair, Bobby Zamora and Gabriel Agbonlahor will feel their chances have increased, both players preferring to play off an advanced striker; Darren Bent’s ideal role. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whatever Capello decides, one thing is for certain, for the first three games at least, it won’t involve Wayne Rooney. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Buckett.</span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-13830075001821389042011-10-14T15:35:00.000+01:002011-10-14T15:35:58.490+01:00Bilbao and Bielsa: tradition vs revolution<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBQhiAiK_6u94yCl5v5r6WPygqUq3LnVvOTbsfka5FcGRMG15hS2BmfCLJnJLSXKcil5fsQRuN7fMYC8qVEEy8I6zxTkPw6kF9Vmuxwas20FNgBfumXyeSxfb72FeeYhmKRapF31_3JYG/s1600/GYI0060915699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBQhiAiK_6u94yCl5v5r6WPygqUq3LnVvOTbsfka5FcGRMG15hS2BmfCLJnJLSXKcil5fsQRuN7fMYC8qVEEy8I6zxTkPw6kF9Vmuxwas20FNgBfumXyeSxfb72FeeYhmKRapF31_3JYG/s400/GYI0060915699.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b>After yesterday's article looked at the Basque-only policy at Athletic Bilbao, today Get the Mott and Buckett focus on the arduous task faced by new manager Marcelo Bielsa, as he tries to implement his own philosophy on one of Spain's most traditional clubs. </b></div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The fascination when Marcelo Bielsa took the Athletic Bilbao job was always the extent to which he could shape the team to his philosophy. After all, this is a side that finished sixth last season; stripping it apart and starting again is far from necessary. Not that Athletic, with its Basque-only policy, is a club to which the usual rules of the transfer market apply; Bielsa is, to a large degree, stuck with what he's got.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">More than that, Athletic is a club with a clearly defined style of its own. The bowler-hatted figure of Fred Pentland, the Englishman who coached them through the glory years of the 20s and early 30s, still looms over the club, as an exhibition in the museum at San Mames makes clear. He first instituted a direct approach, favouring a robust, "English-style" centre-forward, a tradition that endures in the shape of Fernando Llorente, a remarkable combination of finesse and muscularity.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">That preference for vertical football – put simply, getting the ball forward quickly without necessarily resorting to aimless long balls – means there is a potential complementarity between the philosophies of Athletic and Bielsa, but it is not an exact match, and to an extent the football they play this season will always be a compromise between the two schools.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bielsa's game, with both the Argentinian and Chilean national sides, was largely based on 3-3-1-3. He has tried that with Athletic, but in the past two games, which brought both his first home win (2-0 in the Europa League against PSG a fortnight ago) and his first win in La Liga (2-1 at Real Sociedad 12 days ago), he preferred a 4-2-3-1, in which Oscar de Marcos broke forward from deep positions and the highly exciting 18-year-old Iker Muniain dropped deep from the attacking trident.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">There were spells against PSG, especially in the first half, in which Athletic were genuinely thrilling, when they seemed to produce a spectacular version of Bielsa's famed "vertical football". The ball was shifted rapidly from front to back, Javi Martínez and Muniain usually acting as the conduits, and had the delivery of the right-winger Markel Susaeta been better, Athletic could have had four or five before half-time.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As it was, they had to settle for two, both of them goals that encapsulated the Bielsa model. The first, in particular, was a thing of beauty: Javi Martínez played a typical low ball forward – a precise pass of maybe 30 yards; Muniain dummied, pivoted and sprinted on; Susaeta helped the ball on and Muniain crossed to the back post where the left-winger Igor Gabilondo hooked a volley into the top corner. The second also stemmed from the rapid transfer of the ball from front to back. This time it was the overlapping left-back Jon Aurtenetxe who crossed, and Susaeta turned in a half-volley at the back post.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Athletic's pressing, as you would expect from a Bielsa side, was exemplary in effort, if perhaps not yet in execution. There was one moment in the first half when Fernando Amorebieta, one of Athletic's centre-backs, paused with the ball, perhaps 20 yards inside his own half. The deeply disappointing Javier Pastore dawdled a few yards from him, as though nothing could be further from his mind than closing him down. When the ball was played forward, Llorente was caught offside. As Siaka Tiéné, the PSG left-back, knocked the ball into the centre for Sylvain Armand to take the free-kick, Llorente was on him immediately, instinctively pressing even as he realised the free-kick had not yet been taken.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The sending-off of Momo Sissoko seven minutes into the second half rather killed the game but, while Athletic were well worth the win, the weaknesses of the Bielsa method were also apparent. Hard-pressing is a gamble; if it breaks down, or if an opponent despite being under pressure can measure a pass over the top, the space behind a Bielsa defence can be exploited by a rapid forward. It happened twice in the first half: after 28 minutes when Clement Chantome's long diagonal pass turned the Athletic defence only for Mevlut Erdinc to snatch at his shot, and again two minutes later, when Athletic's goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz was lucky not to be sent off after charging from his area and handling as a simple ball over the top left Erdinc through again.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In the Basque Derby a few days later against Sociedad, Bielsa recalled the club captain, Carlos Gurpegui, to midfield, leaving out Borja Ekiza and pushing Javi Martínez, who captained Spain's Under-21 side to the European Championship in the summer, to centre-back. Bielsa has a habit of playing midfielders in defence, which makes sense in as much as their positioning often takes them high up the pitch into areas usually occupied by midfielders. The problem comes when the opposing side gets on top and Bielsa's team is forced to defend, and that was evident in San Sebastian.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What was especially significant was Matinez's positioning early on, as he kept breaking forward and running up against Sociedad's two holders in their 4-2-3-1, Asier Illarramendi and McDonald Mariga. The vulnerability of a 4-2-3-1 is often in that channel in front of the full-backs and to the side of the holders; Athletic exploited that as early as the second minute, Susaeta finding space there and sliding a pass through for Martinez, whose initial shot was saved, Muniain's follow-up being deflected against a post. When they probed there again, 11 minutes before half-time, Martinez overloading on that side and then crossing, they found the opener, Llorente turning superbly and prodding a deft finish past Claudio Bravo.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">One of the features of a side that presses high up the pitch is that its goalkeeper must also be prepared to leave his line and often his box, sweeping up. Iraizoz did that against PSG effectively if fortuitously, but it does leave him susceptible to long-range lobs. As Johan Cruyff pointed out when he instituted the sweeper-keeper idea at Ajax, if the opposition are reduced to shooting from 60-70 yards, then you know you're on top. The problem is that, every now and again, those long-range efforts go in, as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY3E8SZ7qEs">Inigo Martínez did after 61 minutes</a>.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It followed a slightly odd series of events: Javi Martínez went down after an aerial clash and required treatment, but Iraizoz seemingly missed touch as he tried to put the ball out of play.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Sociedad put it out, Javi Martínez was attended to, and Athletic threw the ball back to Sociedad. They then seemed to stop, almost as if they thought Sociedad would then return the ball to Iraizoz, although there was no reason for them to do so. As a result, no pressure was applied to Inigo Martínez – showing exactly why pressing is a twofold process: not only must the line be high but the man in possession must be hounded precisely so he can't measure that kind of shot.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">While the manner of the goal was freakish, it had been coming, Sociedad having spent the first quarter of an hour of the second half hammering on the door. Antoine Griezmann then hit a post before, quite unexpectedly, Llorente gave Athletic the winner, applying a jabbed volley to Amorebieta's long diagonal. Bielsa insisted the win was "just", but given Sociedad, as well as hitting the woodwork twice, could also have had a late penalty for handball, that was perhaps stretching things a little.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What is true, though, is that there are recent signs that a happy synthesis is beginning to develop between his ideas and the side he inherited. It will, of course, take time: nobody can adapt to Bielsa's idiosyncrasy overnight, and he himself has admitted to errors in his first couple of months in the job.</div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What is notable is the support he has had from fans and club, and the comparison to the reaction to Gian Piero Gasperini's radicalism at Internazionale. Bielsa's decision to turn down the Inter job in the summer looks increasingly wise, while his reign in Bilbao is becoming increasingly interesting.</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-60693855682156811242011-10-14T01:14:00.001+01:002011-10-14T01:19:31.840+01:00Athletic Bilbao: Basque-ing in glory.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFm2rLWN3ybUlHDxVGRzdlezsrqiw0-flBkUpXoeai_x3hGSQ7fn5mmJPbNHbLaZB47sBQ3p2fI4y91XhVtX2IntKRzzt4rqB104y4JweGESig_NgcEaqO-sS2NPLTyLsmkDO01866nrP/s1600/Llorente.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFm2rLWN3ybUlHDxVGRzdlezsrqiw0-flBkUpXoeai_x3hGSQ7fn5mmJPbNHbLaZB47sBQ3p2fI4y91XhVtX2IntKRzzt4rqB104y4JweGESig_NgcEaqO-sS2NPLTyLsmkDO01866nrP/s400/Llorente.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Big Basque: </strong>Club legend Fernando Llorente</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>This Saturday, the two most successful teams in English footballing history meet at Anfield for the 12.45 kick off. </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Record league title holders, Manchester United will make the forty-four mile trip with one player born in the club’s <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>local area; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Danny Welbeck. The home team Liverpool will field a maximum of five players from the local area; Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly and Jon Flanagan. The latter three with a combined total of only thirty-eight first team appearances. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Two days later and over seven hundred miles away, Athletic Bilbao will play hosts to Osasuna in La Liga’s Monday night fixture. Guests Osasuna will have six local players to choose from, and a further eighteen Spaniards. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Meanwhile, home side Bilbao will have a squad made exclusively of players born in, descended from, or raised in the Basque region of Spain and southern France, a tradition continued throughout their long history. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Football was introduced to Bilbao in the late 19<sup>th</sup> century through British steel workers, and latterly through Basque students returning from Britain having experience the beautiful game on their travels. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following the club’s inception in the first ever La Liga in 1928, Athletic Club Bilbao is the only other club aside from Real Madrid and Barcelona to have never left the top flight of Spanish football, winning the league on eight occasions, and all with a population only slightly larger than that of Greater Manchester.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, having not won the league since 1984, and until last season remaining outside of the top six since 2004, what, if anything is to be taken from the Bilbao example?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It’s important to note that Spanish football, much like the nation itself, is much more politicised than the English game. Split into seventeen autonomous communities, these districts consider themselves in many respects independent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An early Bilbao saying <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación’</i> essentially meaning ‘No need for imports’ typifies this view. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In response to the appraisal of Bilbao raising Basque talent through the youth team, many would suggest that the likes of Manchester United have done so much more effectively. However, whilst the likes of the Neville brothers and Paul Scholes provide high profile examples of successful local talent, the advantage of casting the net much wider is clear to see with such examples as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and more recently Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley. This of course does not include the separate matter of poaching young players from abroad, Federico Macheda for example.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The argument here is clearly not one to debate whether the likes of Manchester United or Liverpool would have encountered such success as they have done with only ‘local lads’, they wouldn’t have. The question is, would they have been able to maintain their position in the top flight of English football? Once again, the answer appears to be no. Liverpool spent eight seasons out of the First Division as recently as the sixties, and United spent the first forty years of the old-style football league, dipping in and out of divisions One and Two, all with players sourced from around the United Kingdom and further afield. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since then, both United and Liverpool have gone on to be endlessly more successful than Athletic Bilbao, but that’s not the point. In an age when the only answer to footballing success appears to be throwing as much money at the problem as possible, it’s refreshing to see a side doing things differently, traditionally, and when considered, extraordinarily successfully.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Buckett.</span> </div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-58685239291495999542011-08-26T21:56:00.000+01:002011-08-26T21:56:36.020+01:002011/12 Ligue 1 Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE92ZMiqbngRlisZxKtynsILKPGVkV8gZjFIHxOuJkX6qkp7t1LJhcH2e9K2yOI0uQx3WjgqVehcYvnk2fmzjaKQ36dAZ3tzrYLb16G3wIkHFShpr1OcN-5elH4n6jhXW-R4OFPctzAPI6/s1600/283858_10150726238770529_763285528_19689198_3124063_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE92ZMiqbngRlisZxKtynsILKPGVkV8gZjFIHxOuJkX6qkp7t1LJhcH2e9K2yOI0uQx3WjgqVehcYvnk2fmzjaKQ36dAZ3tzrYLb16G3wIkHFShpr1OcN-5elH4n6jhXW-R4OFPctzAPI6/s400/283858_10150726238770529_763285528_19689198_3124063_n.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br />
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<strong>The best stories in France go all the way to the top, and this one is no different. Paris St Germain, newly under the ownership of Qatari Sports Investments, this summer appointed Leonardo as sports director and in one month spent €83m on eight players, including €42m on Javier Pastore, the Argentinian playmaker coveted by Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona.</strong><br />
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Seeing off the likes of Valencia for the striker Kevin Gameiro (€11m), Liverpool for Blaise Matuidi (€10m) and Marseille for Jeremy Menez (€8m) is one thing, but the Pastore deal is a marquee signing and shatters the previous French transfer record of €22.5m, spent by Lyon on Yoann Gourcuff. Le Parisien suggests Dimitar Berbatov is open to the idea of joining PSG, while Santos's Ganso is still on the radar, which raises the question of how all three may gel in the same dressing room, let alone the team. France Football called the spending spree the July revolution. Le Parisien claimed "PSG has truly entered a new dimension" while L'Equipe's asked of Pastore: "Is he worth €42m?"<br />
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Just as fascinating as the implications on the pitch are the machinations off it, particularly the role of the France president, Nicolas Sarkozy, in helping the QSI deal happen. Liberation described Sarkozy, a PSG fan, as "the Qatari team's 12th man" and alleged that he had to be talked out of firing the sports minister, Chantal Jouanno, for saying she wished PSG's new owners had been French.<br />
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So Foot investigated the increasing business relationships between France and Qatar, and reported that 10 days after Sarkozy hosted a lunch between the QSI head, Sheikh Tamim al-Thani, and Michel Platini last November, the Uefa president – an outspoken critic of billionaire owners – voted for Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.<br />
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This is the backdrop to what promises to be the most exciting Ligue 1 season for years, with PSG now credible challengers to the vibrant new champions Lille, a regrouped and hungry Marseille, and a Lyon side coming to terms with a new philosophy. PSG's signings, up to now, have been impressive: Gameiro is a proven scorer in this league (22 goals last season), while Matuidi and Ménez represent quality, if inexperienced, replacements for the departed Claude Makelele and Ludovic Giuly.<br />
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The other new faces – Milan Bisevac, Momo Sissoko and the goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (tough on Nicolas Douchez, who drops to the bench within weeks of joining) are all on bigger salaries, worryingly, than the rest of the squad. "We want to do something long term and not buy 10 Messis straight away. That's not how you build a team," Leonardo said. Crucially, PSG have kept the centre-back Mamadou Sakho from the clutches of Arsenal. Sakho, 21, once captained the side at the age of 17 and is club captain this season.<br />
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QSI has targeted Champions League qualification for next season – as PSG finished fourth last term, that should be doable – the Ligue 1 title in 2013, and a tilt at winning the Champions League by 2015. What's unlikely is that the coach, Antoine Kombouare, who has steadied a very rocky ship in recent seasons, will be around to see all that. "Why should I worry about my job?" the coach told journalists. "If we win, I stay, and if we lose, I don't. I know how these things work."<br />
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"When the Qataris invest, they want to be obeyed," Alain Perrin, Lyon's former double-winning coach now in charge at the Qatari side Al-Khor, has warned. "But I don't see Kombouare staying very long." Perrin's predecessor at Al-Khor, Bertrand Marchand, agreed: "It's their trademark to appoint a big name. In Qatar, the coach is the star of the team." Carlo Ancelotti has already been linked to the job and Arsène Wenger remains a long-term target.<br />
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At least the fixture list has been kind to PSG: only three of their first 12 games are against sides that finished in the top half last season. That's more than can be said for Marseille, last season's runners-up, who play four of the top six in the opening six weeks. No wonder Marseille figures past and present have been queueing up for a pop at PSG. "You can't go out and buy a style of play, a culture and an identity," the former president Bernard Tapie said (and he would know). The Marseille sports director, Jose Anigo, said: "When you spend almost €100m, you have to win the title." "They should be renamed the <em>Galactiques de Paris</em>," according to the new president, Vincent Labrune.<br />
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For once, l'OM should be grateful that they have been able to conduct their summer business in relative serenity. Labrune's appointment has helped the coach, Didier Deschamps, win, temporarily at least, his power battle with Anigo and l'OM have bought the France captain, Alou Diarra (for a bargain €5m from Bordeaux), the talented young defender Nicolas Nkoulou and the Lorient pair of Jeremy Morel and Morgan Amalfitano. Mathieu Valbuena is likely to replace Lucho González as the No10, while Diarra playing just in front of Souleymane Diawara and Stephane Mbia will give the team a formidable physical presence.<br />
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But will Marseille be able to overhaul Lille? Last season's champions sold their spine this summer, with Adil Rami, Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho all moving on, but were quick to replace them. Marko Basa, Benoît Pedretti and Dimitri Payet have come in – at a net profit of €5.5m – while the squad has been boosted for the Champions League with the arrivals of Laurent Bonnart, Vincent Enyeama, Ronny Rodelin and Nicolas Fauvergue. Lille's recruitment is normally spot on – last season's back five cost them nothing to put together – but they were also lucky to avoid any injuries last year: only 14 players made more than five starts all season.<br />
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The key to this season rests on the winger and French player of the year Eden Hazard staying fit, and Moussa Sow proving that last season, when he was top scorer with 25 goals, was no one-off – even though it was the first time in seven seasons in France that he hit double figures. "PSG may have the money but as champions we will be the team to beat," the coach, Rudi Garcia, warned.<br />
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What of the others? It's an age of austerity at Lyon, whose president, Jean-Michel Aulas, promoted Remi Garde from youth academy director to first-team coach, and promised "to play the youth card"; in other words, spend no money. As yet, the club's failure to sell Michel Bastos to Juventus (€15m asking-price) and Aly Cissokho to Liverpool (€10m) has prevented any funds coming in. Garde needs Gourcuff to rediscover his form if they are to challenge the top three.<br />
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<div sizcache="0" sizset="75">Hot on their heels are Sochaux, looking to improve on a surprising fifth-place finish last season, and Rennes and Toulouse, who have both spent smartly: Chris Mavinga, Benoît Costil and Jonathan Pitroipa should all do well at the former, while big things are expected of Emmanuel Rivière (€6m) at Toulouse.</div><div sizcache="0" sizset="75"><br />
</div><div sizcache="0" sizset="75"><br />
</div><strong>Ajaccio: </strong>It took Ajaccio five years to get out of Ligue 2. To avoid a speedy return, the club has signed the Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and the strikers Frédéric Sammaritano and Ilan, briefly of West Ham. <br />
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<div sizcache="0" sizset="78"><strong>Auxerre: </strong>The club starts a new era without Ireneusz Jelen and Benoît Pedretti, not to mention the coach, Jean Fernandez. With surprise pick Laurent Fournier as the new coach, a season of consolidation is in store. </div><div sizcache="0" sizset="78"><br />
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</div><strong>Bordeaux: </strong>Last season was disastrous under the unpopular Jean Tigana, who has been replaced by Francis Gillot. Bordeaux sold their captain, Alou Diarra, to Marseille, and Gillot's tough task is to lead the 2009 champions back into Europe. <br />
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<strong>Brest:</strong> The coach, Alex Dupont, nicknamed Sir Alex after Ferguson, won friends after Brest started last season very well. By the end, they only just stayed up, and pre-season has been disrupted by the striker Nolan Roux's public pleas to leave. <br />
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<strong>Caen:</strong> The club hit the financial jackpot by selling the highly rated striker Youssef El-Arabi (17 league goals last season) to the Saudi side Al-Hilal for €7.5m and in M'Baye Niang, 16, they have a potential star in the making. He will play up front alongside new signing Pierre-Alain Frau. <br />
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<strong>Dijon: </strong>Their first time in Ligue 1, Dijon have Florent Malouda as a shareholder, and his younger brother Lesley, as well as Didier Drogba's brother Freddy, in the squad. New signings Cédric Varrault, Daisuke Matsui and Grégory Thil add L1 experience. <br />
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<strong>Evian: </strong>Another Ligue 1 debutant, the Danone-sponsored club wanted to play home matches in nearby Geneva, but the federation forbade it. Sidney Govou, back from Panathinaikos after 11 years at Lyon, is their big summer signing. <br />
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<strong>Lille: </strong>Worthy champions last season, Rudi Garcia's attacking side have been overshadowed by Paris St Germain and Marseille's transfer-market moves. Keeping Eden Hazard is a masterstroke, but Lille's final position could depend on their Champions League campaign. <br />
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<strong>Lorient: </strong>Canny Christian Gourcuff, the longest-serving coach in L1, has replaced the creative pair of Morgan Amalfitano (Marseille) and Kevin Gameiro (PSG) with Mathieu Coutadeur and Jérémie Aliadière, who is already injured. "It's going to be tough," Gourcuff says. <br />
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<strong>Lyon: </strong>A new strategy is in place for the president, Jean-Michel Aulas, which involves spending hardly any money and hoping the new coach, Rémi Garde, can finish in the top three. It could be a tough ask. <br />
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<strong>Marseille </strong>With Didier Deschamps still in charge, Marseille are joint favourites for Ligue 1, and if André-Pierre Gignac repeats his second-season tally for Toulouse (he scored 22 league goals in 2008-09), l'OM could go one better than last season's runners-up spot. <br />
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<strong>Montpellier </strong>Already established in L1 despite only arriving two years ago, stability is their great strength. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa turned down an offer from Lille, while Emir Spahic (now at Sevilla) is the only departure. <strong> </strong><br />
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<strong>Nancy:</strong> After five years as Auxerre coach, the last season of which was in the Champions League, Jean Fernandez has replaced Pablo Correa on the bench. But after nine years of Correa in charge, it could be a tough adjustment to Fernandez's softer approach. <br />
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<strong>Nice:</strong> Neighbouring Monaco's relegation could bring more fans to Nice, who finished one point above the drop zone last year. The coach, Eric Roy, an ex-Nice player, has a good relationship with the ambitious new president, Jean-Pierre Rivère, and the club is now looking up. <br />
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<strong>PSG: </strong>The big story of the summer, in Europe as well as France. Eight new players, Leonardo as sports director, and oil-rich owners: what could possibly go wrong? A poor start could spell the end for coach Kombouare<br />
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<strong>Rennes: </strong>Stability is the watchword at Rennes and keeping Yann M'Vila for another season was a coup. Look out for the latest academy talent, Yacine Brahimi, while new signing Jonathan Pitroipa has impressed in pre-season. <br />
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<strong>St Etienne:</strong> Last season's 10th-place finish was a big improvement on recent relegation battles, but Dimitri Payet and Emmanuel Rivière, responsible for 65% of Etienne's goals last season, have been sold and Steed Malbranque and Florent Sinama-Pongolle have come in. <br />
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<strong>Sochaux: </strong>The new coach, Mecha Bazdarevic, wants to build on last season's surprise fifth-place finish, but their best chance is if they hold on to Marvin Martin, Europe's leading assist-maker last season with 17. He's a wanted man but has yet to commit for this campaign. <strong> </strong><br />
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<strong>Toulouse: </strong>Goals have been a problem since first Johan Elmander and then André-Pierre Gignac were sold, but TFC have tried to address that by spending €10m on Emmanuel Rivière and Umut Bulut. <br />
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<strong>Valenciennes:</strong> Another coaching change, with Daniel Sanchez replacing the Sociedad-bound Philippe Montanier, but the big boost for VA, who begin life in their new stadium this season, was the top scorer, Grégory Pujol, signing a new deal. They also want Slobodan Rajkovic (Chelsea) and Ryo Miyaichi (Arsenal) on loan. Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-83721440415929110062011-08-26T21:10:00.000+01:002011-08-26T21:10:13.155+01:002011/12 Serie A Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTxlzE3A5wMfpqBY9-McZ4kcTwEefpoQGHiMxqJ9B5rknL8MsldUhkpihMG9INahhmNZ1b883lmktyYMkb9W1yf0a63Tic8HQSIhsz8-m-jz2y1oPqM7n6n7yiMDt4XqlC5ilHTho-_DU/s1600/283377_10150725974285529_763285528_19684596_3635323_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTxlzE3A5wMfpqBY9-McZ4kcTwEefpoQGHiMxqJ9B5rknL8MsldUhkpihMG9INahhmNZ1b883lmktyYMkb9W1yf0a63Tic8HQSIhsz8-m-jz2y1oPqM7n6n7yiMDt4XqlC5ilHTho-_DU/s400/283377_10150725974285529_763285528_19684596_3635323_n.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br />
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<strong>Another European league, another dose of strike action. It's become an almost yearly ritual, but much like their Iberian neighbours, it looks like this strike will actually affect the start of the Italian football season. A deep-rooted disagreement between the league and the Italian Players' Union (AIC) is the catalyst for this strike, and doesn't look like being resolved any time soon. </strong><br />
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There are two main sticking points that neither side can seem to agree on: firstly, clubs forcing players to move in the last year of their contracts, and thus, making want away players train away from the first team. (See Goran Pandev's travails at Lazio two seasons ago.) And secondly, clubs wanting their highest earners to pay a new solidarity tax in a time of financial prudence. <br />
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AIC President, Damiano Tomassi has said: "We have stated it in previous days and we reiterate it again today: without the signature of the collective contract the players will not go out on the pitch on Saturday and Sunday. Once the contract is signed, the players will be ready to play. Now we will await (FIGC president Giancarlo) Abete's decision." The problem is, Abete doesn't seem to want to make a decision. The waiting continues, but don't hold your breath on football being played this weekend. <br />
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Clubs may be waxing lyrical over financial prudence to current players, but it seems this summer they've forgotten their austerity measures when it comes to enticing new ones. Leverkusen's Arturo Vidal has moved to Juventus for €11m, Napoli have had to part with €15m for Gokhan Inler and Roma, under their new American owners, have so far spent over €75m. <br />
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The Milan-centric dominance of the past decade still hasn't waned, but it certainly looked like it was on the rocks last season. Udinese were looking like the most refreshing team in Europe; Inler, Alexis Sanchez, Kwadwo Asamoah and Tony of Christmas were a revelation. Napoli, under the talismanic Edison Cavani, challenged all the way up till April. And Lazio ended the season looking like something of their former selves; Hernanes finally living up to the expectations he'd set himself at Sao Paulo. <br />
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Of course, the two superstars of last season have gone: Javier Pastore for a French record €45m to PSG and Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona, but things are still looking bright in the peninsula. The dull, slow, low-scoring cliches of Italian football are slowly being shaken off, and this season looks like being one of the most exciting in years. Just don't mention the UEFA co-efficent.<br />
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<strong>Atalanta: </strong>After a brief season's absence, Atalnata are back. The club from Bergamo though have had a truly nightmare summer. Caught up in the betting scandal that has engulfed Italy over the past couple of months, they go into the season with -6 points and their legendary midfielder Christian Doni banned for life. Fans though have come out in force, snapping up 18,000 season tickets already. And coach Stefano Colantuono has strengthened significantly, bringing in Argentinean striker Maximiliano Moralez from Velez Sarsfield and defender Andrea Masiello from Bari. Will fight relegation all season, but could surprise a few people.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Doni will be missed, if only for his off-field presence. But even with all the off-field problems, promising 19-year-old striker Manolo Gabbadini will brighten the Nerazzuri's hopes."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I fancy a flutter."<br />
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<strong>Bologna F.C 1909: </strong>Marco Di Vaio has stayed. That's pretty much all you need to know as to how well Bologna will do this season. Di Vaio<em> is </em>Bologna, scoring 19 of their 35 goals last season, and going unpaid for much of the year. He will be joined upfront by new signings Alessandro Diamanti, formerly of West Ham and one-time under-21 starlet Roberto Acquafresca. 17 new players have been brought to the Stadio Renato Dell'Ara in all, with 14 going in the opposite direction. To says it's a squad overhaul is an understatement, but expect much the same results as last time. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Acquafresca really has something to prove after not making much of a mark at Inter Milan. His goal-record for the Azzurini shows he has real class though."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"A mid-table finish and a good cup run would be the ideal scenario for them."<br />
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<strong>Cagliari Calcio: </strong>Both of last season's top-goalscorers have gone: Matri to Juventus and on-loan Acquafresca to Bologna, and that could prove costly to the Rossiblu. No one of considerable note has come in to fill that goalscoring void, with Andrea Cossu the only player likely to threaten. In goal, Federico Marchetti has left for Lazio, and midfield dynamo Andrea Lazzari has gone to Fiorentina. The squad looks threadbare and will struggle. New head coach, Massimo Ficcadenti certainly has a job on his hands. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Chairman Massimo Cellino should never have sacked Roberto Donadoni in my opinion."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"David Suazo." He's the main reason for Donadoni's sacking.<br />
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<strong>Catania Calcio: </strong>Diego Simeone has been replaced by Vincenzo Montella as manager and will look to get rid of most of the 14! Yes 14, Argentinians Simeone brought to the club last season. One player who has left though is defender Matias Silvestre. Not only was he the side's most reliable defender, he was also their second top-goalscorer and will inevitably be a huge loss. And just to add salt into already ravishing wounds, he's moved to their biggest rivals, Palermo. Catania have finished the last three seasons in 13th place, expect a similar position this time around.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"In 10 years, Catania have gone through an astonishing 21 coaches. Including, weirdly, John Toshack for an eight month period in 2002."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I'm sure Montella will be given all the time in the world to achieve his goals."<br />
<strong>Also don't say: </strong>"I fancy Catania to finish in any position other than 13th."<br />
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<strong>AC Cesena: </strong>Last season's darlings. Many expected their first season back in the top-flight to be a brief stint, but four games in they were sitting top of the table with wins against AC Milan and Bari already under their belts. That level of competitiveness, unfortunately, couldn't be maintained, but a fantastic last two months of the season saw them avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth. The Seahorses, then, really made a name for themselves last year, and will hope this season continues in the same vein. They may have lost Stephen Appiah and Davide Santon, but Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini: two of last year's star players, are still there. Add to that the introductions of Andrea Candreva from Udinese and former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu, and things are looking up. New manager Marco Giampaolo knows he's in a job, but if the Stadio Dino Manuzzi continues to be the fortress it was last season, there's no reason they can't stay up. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"This is a big season for Adrian Mutu. He needs to put that snorting-cocaine-off-a-prostitute-thing behind him and show the same class he produced for the first six months at Chelsea."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"The Seahorses? Dear me."<br />
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<strong>Chievo Verona: </strong>The club with the best nickname in world football will be hoping they can put a stop to what is becoming an almost inevitability: a great start to the season, followed by a malaise post-Christmas. Boukary Drame has been drafted in from Sochaux to help stabilise one of last season's leakiest defences, and Domenico Franco has moved for free from Salernitana. A respectable mid-table is realistically all they can hope for.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"That nickname? The Flying Donkeys!"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>Just don't mention cake.<br />
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<strong>ACF Fiorentina: </strong>It's been an unsettling summer in Florence. One by one, club stalwarts have slowly left for pastures new. Sebastian Frey, Adrian Mutu, Mario Santana, Marco Donadel and Gianluca Commotto have all moved on, with very little coming back the other way. Andrea Lazzari has been brought in from Cagliari and Gianni Munari will add some class from Palermo, but none of these new signings have Florentines rushing to buy season tickets. Perhaps the main plus for La Viola is the return of Stevan Jovetic, the 20-year-old Montenegran who tore Liverpool a new one in the Champions League two years ago. His knee injury at the start of last season completely decimated his and Fiorentina's campaign last time out, so with him back, things are looking up. Manager Sinisa Mijhalovic still hasn't endeared himself to fans at the Artemio Franchi and a good start to this campaign will be vital.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Khouma Babacar is slowly starting to look like the real deal up front. At only 18 he's certainly got time on his side, but his pace and sheer presence means he could be a handful for plenty of sides this year."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Mijhalovic? He's the one who's good mates with Paddy Vieira, right?"<br />
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<strong>Genoa C.F.C: </strong>Italy's English club finished a disappointing tenth last time out. Major investment in the summer heralded a false dawn, as big-name players like Rafinha, Eduardo and Hernan Crespo just didn't perform, at all. This season, a mass migration of players leaves new coach Alberto Malesani at the crossraods of a dilemma: there will be huge expectation to contend with, but a glut of new players to incorporate. Chiefly amongst those new signings are Sebastian Frey from Fiorentina, Milan's next-young-thing Alexander Merkel and Cesare Bovo on-loan from Palermo. Like almost all of these 'projects', it could go either way: Europa League qualification, or teetering on the bring of relegation. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Genoa are Italy's oldest professional club, and were first founded by Englishman James Richardson Spensley. The C.F.C at the end of their name stands for Cricket and Football Club."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Well at least there'll be a Genoa Derby to look forward to this season."<br />
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<strong>Inter Milan: </strong>It was supposed to be a summer of quiet reflection for the Nerazzuri, a few months to re-group and begin to wrestle back the Scudetto from their city neighbours. Things haven't quite worked out that way though for new boss Gian Piero Gaperini. The constant rumours of whether Samuel Eto'o will be moving have finally been laid to rest; he's off to Russian side Anzhi. And the need to replace him is the most pressing matter facing the former Genoa coach. Whispers of a swoop for Diego Forlan have surfaced, but until things have been set in stone, fans of Inter will be extremly nervous of their teams fortunes for this coming campaign. It looks as if Sneijder will be staying another season as well, but will his head be elsewhere? Ricky Alvarez has signed from Velez Sarsfield, but other than that no other signings have been made. Those halcyon days of the treble are looking like a long and distant memory. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"It will be interesting to see if Gasperini uses his preferred 3-4-3 formation with this Inter side."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Can we have Mourinho back?"<br />
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<strong>Juventus: </strong>Italy's most successful club endured a torrid time last season under Luigi Delneri. An abismal Europa League campaign and inconsistency in Serie A meant the board had no other option but to get rid of Delneri, and replace him with former Juve captain Antonio Conte - he of the mid-nineties Champions League winning side. Since Conte's appointment it seems to have been one long party for Juve: Del Piero is signing for one more year, Andrea Pirlo and Mirko Vucininc have signed from AC and Roma respectively and the new stadium, which everyone has been hankering for for at least 10 years, has finally arrived. If Conte can get everyone firing like they should, a title challenge is certainly within their grasp. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Milos Krasic was an utter revelation last season and will need to play out of his skin again this time around for Juve to challenge for the title."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I think that new away kit is fantastic."<br />
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<strong>S.S. Lazio: </strong>Rome's other club have had a busy summer, and for the first time in over a decade, fans of the Biancolesti seem genuinely excited about the prospect of an impending season. A final position of fifth last time may seem high, but when you consider Lazio were top at Christmas, it was a tad disappointing. To help move the club on that next step, coach Edy Reja has brought in Federico Marchetti in goal, Lorik Cana from Galatasaray to sure up the defence and a new strike partnership of Djibril Cisse and Miroslav Klose. Fernnando Muslera and Stephan Lichtsteiner will be missed, but a Champions League is certainly on the cards. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Hernanes was solid last season but certainly didn't live up to the hype surrounding him. Now his first season is out of the way, he needs to take the bull by the horns and really become the linchpin of this Lazio side."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Have they got rid of that bloody eagle yet?"<br />
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<strong>U.S. Lecce: </strong><em>The </em>perennial yo-yo club, Lecce finished 17th last season and only survived relegation on the last day. This year they have a new man in charge: former Pescara boss Eusebio di Francesco, and will look, again, to scrap for survival. Fringe players from the bigger clubs have been drafted in on-loan to share the load, namely: Rodeny Strasser from Milan and Julio Sergio, Roma's veteran goalkeeper, but I can't see it working this time. They need to stop performing miracles against the top teams, like they did last season (2-1 win against Milan; 2-0 win against Napoli) and start beating the teams around them. Unfortunately, that looks like a task too far. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Di Francesco's Pescara played a fast-paced counter-attacking style last season, but to do the same with this Lecce side will be tough. He will need to be pragmatic to get the best out of this bunch."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Zdenek Zeman won't save them this time I'm afraid."<br />
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<strong>AC Milan: </strong>Last season's champions, and probably this season's champions aswell. Andrea Pirlo has gone after ten years loyal service, and has been replaced by Anfield hero Alberto Aquilani. Phillipe Mexes and Taye Taiwo have been brought in to add some verve to an ageing back line, but the reason for the Rossoneri's hope this season is the permanent capture of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Last year's top-goalscorer, and general figurehead for the side; Zibra has to play well for Milan to win the scudetto. He probably will. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"With Pirlo gone, Gattuso ageing and Kevin Prince-Boateng being rubbish, they probably need one more central midfield to challenge at home and abroad. Ricardo Montolivio would do nicely."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I could swear I saw a photo of Pato at one of Berlusconi's Bunga Bunga parties?"<br />
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<strong>S.S.C. Napoli: </strong>It seems Italy's most fervently supported team have finally stepped out of that Maradona-shaped shadow that was stalking them for 20 years. Not since the days of the little maestro have Neopolitans had so much to shout about. A third place finish last season, some of the most dramatic games of recent memory, and a new hero to drool over. Luckily for them, Edison Cavani has decided to stay despite admiring glances from Real Madrid. It was his 26 league goals last season that propelled them up the league, but help from Marek Hamsik and Ezquiel Lavezzi didn't go a miss. Both the aforementioned have decided to stick around for another season and try to compete on both fronts, home and abroad. Aswell as keeping all their key players, Walter Mazzarri has also added intelligently to the squad. Gokhan Inler comes in from Udinese and both Marco Donadel and Mario Santana join from Fiorentina. It will be tough on this novice squad combining the Champions League with a Scudetto challenge, but if anyone can do it, Napoli can.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Christian Maggio is the absolute heartbeat of this side. With him alongside Inler in the centre of midfield, really anything is possible."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Won't it be nice seeing Maradona cheer on his old side at the San Paolo."<br />
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<strong>Novara Calcio: </strong>Welcomed back to the top-table for the first time in 55 years, the team from Piedmont looked like a champions-elect last season in Serie B. That was until April, when they had an end of season wobble and had to settle for a play-off spot. That mental fragility may come back to haunt them this season, and of all the newly-promoted teams, look least likely to stay up. Coach Attilo Tesser has seen the club go from Serie C to Serie A in two consecutive seasons, and that meteoric rise has been one of <em>the</em> great stories in Italian football. A new forward line of Jeda, Takayuki Morimoto and Ricardo Meggiorini will score goals, but it's at the other end where Novara will struggle. Relegation looms large, but it'll be fun whilst it lasts.<br />
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<strong>Do say</strong>: "Did you know? Novara's Stadio Silvio Piola is the only professional ground in Italy with an artificial pitch."<br />
<strong>Don't say</strong>: "The last time Novara were in the top-flight, they ended the campaign with only 14 points."<br />
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<strong>U.S. Citta di Palermo: </strong>An entirely mixed campaign last time out saw them challenge for the title all the way until March, get knocked out of the Europa League at the group stage and come runners-up in their first ever Coppa Italia final. This time around, mad-cap chairman Maurizio Zamparini has installed ex-Chievo boss Stefano Piolo at the helm, with the vague hope of him repeating that wonderous work he's done at the Flying Donkeys. Obviously, the main news over the summer is the departure of Javier Pastore to PSG and by replacing him with Israeli international Eran Zahavi, don't expect much headway in the hunt for that Champions League spot.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Long-haired lothario Federico Balzaretti is quickly becoming one of Europe's best full-backs."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"So, Zamparini, where exactly has all that Pastore money gone?"<br />
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<strong>Parma F.C:</strong> A mid-table finish last year doesn't exactly tell I Gialloblu's whole story. Flirting with relegation right up until the last few weeks, the change of manager mid-term really did turn the campaign around for them: former Bologna tactican Franco Colomba coming in midway through March to save the day. Colomba's added front and back to try and avoid a repeat of last season. Jaime Valdes joins from Sporting Lisbon. Fabio Borini, fresh from his exploits at Norwich and Swansea also joins, as well as Football Manger favourite Fabiano Santcroce (he's the best centre-back in the world by 2016. Believe me.) Safe mid-table is what will become of Parma<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"It's a shame Amauri has rejoined Juventus after last season's loan spell. He was instrumental in their rise back up the table, scoring nine goals in 11 games post-Christmas."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Playmaker Sebastian Giovinco is officially the world's smallest footballer, measuring in at 3' and a brick."<br />
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<strong>A.S Roma: </strong>It's been rather busy in the Eternal city this summer. Under new American ownership, Roma have transformed themselves into a money-spending monster, and are looking increasingly like championship contenders week-by-week. In come Bojan Krkic, Gabriel Heinze, Erik Lamela, Martin Stekeleburg and Loic Nego. But perhaps more importantly for I Giallorossi, Daniele De Rossi stays. Former Barcelona legend Luis Enrique has been brought in to add a touch of tiki-taka class to proceedings, and if he finds a settle XI that fire on all cylinders from the start, things could look interesting come May.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"It's been a tough couple of years for Roma: Spalletti stuttered, Ranieri failed to manage the egos properly and Montella was far too pally with the senior players. Perhaps an outside influence like Luis Enrique is exactly what they need?"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>Any awful American cliches. They won't take kindly to that in Rome Mr. Chairman. <br />
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<strong>A.C. Siena: </strong>All has been quiet in Tuscany so far this summer. Former manager Antonio Conte left for Juventus back in June, and new man Guiseppe Sannino was in charge within the week. It seems that's how they like to do things at Siena: quietly, properly and all in good time. Many of the experienced faces that took them up have stayed, but they've also added quality where it's been needed. Gaetano D'Agostino has arrived from Fiorentina and is really, the only big name in the entire squad. That said, who needs big names when you can shut out teams for 90 minutes? There no-nonsense style will keep them up this season. <br />
<strong>Do say: </strong>"I've been to Siena. It's lovely. There's a shop in the town centre that sells retro Kappa tracksuit tops for a pittance. You should go."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>There ground, the Stadio Artemio Franchi holds 15,000? Who do they think they are? Wigan?"<br />
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<strong>Udinese Calcio: </strong>Easily the best footballing side in Italy last season, Udinese could probably lay claim to being the most exciting side in Europe as well. The way they demolished fellow Champions League-chasers Palermo in February was phenomenal (it finished 7-0, by the way.) But will they do it again this season? The answer: probably not. Losing Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona was a huge blow, but losing Gokhan Inler to Napoli was an even bigger one. He was the pendulum through which all Udinese's play swung last season, and not having him this year will be the most painful of blows. He's been replaced with Abdoulwhaid Sissoko, formerly of Troyes in France, and he will have to step up fairly quickly to get La Zebrette rolling again. Unfortunately, I think last season may have been a one-off.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Manager Fransesco Guidolin is a huge Anglophile, saying that when he leaves Udinese he'd love to manage a fallen English giant, 'someone like Nottingham Forest or Southampton."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah looks a lot like fellow midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who looks a lot like defender Pablo Armero who looks a lot like midfielder Thierry Doubai."<br />
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Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-64176663427579880312011-08-25T21:57:00.000+01:002011-08-25T21:57:17.796+01:002011/12 La Liga Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyl-fWZR6K3gAMVSW5lADUOr-a2hMUl0yUKkubEoeMx1LwnQuOPqSpkmb8geyrpTzR5Xb0QYeHerdwV3iXjVVOv_LCT2FhDfB4QCk8nrB3yA1oHg5eYDGN1_4IZ2tPb_HZwjZNPY-dXUl/s1600/alexis-sanchez-barca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyl-fWZR6K3gAMVSW5lADUOr-a2hMUl0yUKkubEoeMx1LwnQuOPqSpkmb8geyrpTzR5Xb0QYeHerdwV3iXjVVOv_LCT2FhDfB4QCk8nrB3yA1oHg5eYDGN1_4IZ2tPb_HZwjZNPY-dXUl/s400/alexis-sanchez-barca.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<strong>You can tell the season is about to start in Spain when it's not actually starting at all. A week after the campaign should have begun, clubs are still on strike over more than €50m of unpaid wages. According to the AFE (players' union) president, Jose Luis Rubiales, more than 200 players have been affected over the past two years by the non-payment of wages. </strong><br />
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Of course, strikes are nothing new in the giddy world of Spanish football. There have been opening weekends when, just days before, no one knew who was playing when. A few years ago, Sevilla were the only team in the league that didn't have a TV deal so they retaliated by banning all cameras from all their games. Real Sociedad got round the problem of their fans not knowing the score when they played Sevilla by recovering the old tradition of letting off fireworks over the Bay of Biscay every time a goal was scored. Trouble was, no one knew <em>which</em> goal had been scored.<br />
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Last season there were two proposed strikes; there was even one led by the clubs themselves in a clumsy and frankly baseless protest at the law that protects one game a week on free to air. On both occasions the show went on. This one, however, is different: <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=spanish+football+strike&hl=en&sa=X&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4ADSA_enGB364&tbm=isch&prmd=ivnsu&tbnid=UDxO0k7Ph9rW-M:&imgrefurl=http://partenaire.euronews.net/2011/08/11/la-liga-hit-by-strike-action/&docid=5dU3iC-XWNukEM&w=606&h=341&ei=CTVWTsyYIcyq8QO7yuigDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=678&vpy=98&dur=2605&hovh=168&hovw=299&tx=208&ty=79&page=1&tbnh=94&tbnw=167&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&biw=1024&bih=536">a photo of 100 players</a>, with Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol at the helm, shows how serious they are. <br />
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There is huge uncertainty. But then again the only certainty in the Spanish league is uncertainty. The strike has happened but the threat of it is nothing new and it is a consequence of deep, structural problems that have been growing by the year – much like the gap between Madrid and Barcelona and the rest. This season there will be games at 6, 8, and 10 on Saturdays, 12, 4, 6, 8, and 10 (yes, 10 at night) on Sundays, and 9 on Mondays. But don't bother asking when they will be and certainly don't bother trying to arrange a trip to see them … no one will know that until eight days before.<br />
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There is one certainty though: Barcelona and Real Madrid will be the top two. What, though, about the other 18 teams? Well here's what:<br />
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<strong>Athletic Bilbao: </strong>So much for loyalty. Athletic coach Joaquín Caparros was criticised for talking to other clubs in the summer rather than committing to Athletic. Then he did, but president Fernando Macua lost the elections and Caparros was out of a job. His replacement is Marcelo Bielsa and Athletic's style is about to undergo a dramatic change; more technical, more complex, shorter. They have the players, too, with Ander Herrera joining Iker Muniaín, Javi Martínez, Fernando Llorente and Andoni Iraola. A European place is likely; maybe even more. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Marcelo Bielsa worked wonders with Chile last summer at the World Cup. I hope he employs that infamous 3-5-2 here too."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"What they need is a few more foreign imports."<br />
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<strong>Athletico Madrid: </strong>Sergio Aguero has gone, David de Gea has gone and Diego Forlan is going. At Atletico Madrid people are always leaving – except the two men that really should leave. They have though made some interesting signings led by Falcao and Arda Turan. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Falcao was one of <em>the </em>top strikers in Europe last season, and is a more than adequate replacement for Forlan."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"That Cerezo is doing a cracking job as president."<br />
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<strong>Real Betis: </strong>At last they're back. Arguably, the funnest team in La Liga return to the top flight. And the league kicks off with the Seville derby, which should be fantastic and has been missed. Unlike Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, the president who has finally gone. Stuck in administration, they're likely to struggle though.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"King Juan Carlos of Spain is honorary president, don't you know?"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"What they need is Javier Clemente to take over again. He'd keep them in the top flight."<br />
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<strong>Espanyol: </strong>Callejón, De La Peña, David García, and Chica have all gone and it looks like Osvaldo will be going, Kameni too. The president Daniel Sanchez Llibre has also departed after almost 15 years. Didac, who left last winter, is back though – on loan from Milan. Last year's eighth place may be possible again but looks unlikely.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Haven't they just become a parent club to Swansea City?"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Aren't they Barcelona's 'other' club?"<br />
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<strong>Getafe: </strong>Hang on a minute. Weren't these supposed to be golden days for Getafe? Taken over by Dubai-based owners Royal Emirates, the promise was of €30m a year – enough to establish Getafe as regular challengers for a European place. There were going to be big signings galore. So, Manu, Parejo, Boateng, Víctor Sánchez, Albín, Marcano and a handful of others have … erm, gone?<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Think Man City under Thaksin Shinawatra: it's just not going to end well."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"They should never have sacked Michael Laudrup in my opinion."<br />
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<strong>Granada: </strong>Udinese's Spanish branch. Granada, propped up by the Italian club where their president and ubiquitous club administrator Quique Pena worked, had 12 Udinese players on loan last season. That was enough to come up via the play-offs. Will that support be enough to stay up? Probably not.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Former Oxford City striker Ikechi Anya is on their books."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Noe Pamarot plays for them? I remember him at Spurs. Decent."<br />
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<strong>Levante: </strong>Last year's miracle. Probably the first team down this time around. They have the lowest budget in the division and have lost Luis Garcia, the motivational genius who brought them together. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"They've lost their top goalscorer from last season, Felipe Caicedo. <br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Well at least they've replaced him with a quality centre-forward like Nabil El Zhar."<br />
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<strong>Malaga: </strong>Money, money, money. Sheik Abdullah bin Naser al Thani took over last summer and brought in a new manager and new players. Halfway through the season, it wasn't working: they were going down. So they sacked the coach and brought some new players. This time it did work, with Julio Baptista leading the way. Now they have signed a load more players, from Van Nistelrooy to Monreal, from Toulalan to Joaquín and Isco to Cazorla. Cazorla cost €19m: more than Málaga's entire budget a couple of seasons ago. Suddenly their budget has shot to €150m, making it the league's third biggest, and they have spent more than €50m. But it is not just about money: there is solidity to this project that suggests that this might even work.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"They've overhauled their squad, but the players they've brought in are of a quality which says it could just work."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I guarantee they'll be in next year's Champions League"<br />
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<strong>Mallorca: </strong>"Having looked safe all season, the project seemingly secure on and off the pitch, suddenly Mallorca found themselves within a goal of going down on the final day. Michael Laudrup's team should not suffer the same fate this season but if Jonathan de Guzman gets his wish of a move to Villarreal, it will be an almighty blow. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Michael Laudrup is the Gary Megson of Spanish football: how does he continue to get work?"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"For a season in the 70's Vic Reeves managed Mallorca. No wonder he turned his back on the game for a career in comedy."<br />
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<strong>Osasuna: </strong>Osasuna were in relegation trouble right to the end of the season and finished ninth. Which kind of says it all about top-flight football in Spain. They're used to suffering, which is a good job really. Josetxo has gone but, somehow, Patxi Puñal – the man who used to cycle to training after his morning shift at the factory - is still around. Osasuna have signed Nino from Tenerife, which sounds like a good idea when you consider the 17 and 14 goals he has score in the least two years, but then it hits you: he was relegated both times.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Osasuna means 'health' in Basque. Let's hope it's not an 'ill-fated' campaign then!"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Sammy Lee played for Osasuna between 1987-1990. He did well."<br />
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<strong>Racing Santander: </strong>Remember Ali Syed? No? Really? Arriving at Racing as the saviour, going bonkers in the directors' box and promising big things? Well, now he has disappeared and refuses to answer the phone. Racing are in administration, their coach has gone and so have a load of their players – most of them a little worse off after going unpaid. The new coach is Hector Cuper, the man who if there was a competition for coming second would still come second. Sadly, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he did it again. Second bottom.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"I hope Cuper plays that high intensity pressing game he's become famed for."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Santander? My bank have branched out into football? I hope my 5% ISA isn't going to be affected."<br />
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<strong>Rayo Vallecano: </strong>Madrid's self-consciously left-wing club from the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo's players went on strike last season. Their owners - the, erm, 'controversial' Ruiz-Mateos family - were finally kicked out after 20 years. And they ended up in administration. Still they came up, eight years later. Great fun in their three-sided ground (the fourth is just a huge board covered with adverts), the thing is they are almost certain to go straight back down again. Half the team have gone and there are rumours that the coach may yet walk with four more players after administrators tried to enforce a 70% pay cut upon them.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"The club's inner-turmoil may prove to be the monkey on its back; but this young, attacking side should be fun to watch."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Bloody lefties. I hope they get what's coming to them."<br />
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<strong>Real Sociedad: </strong>The departure of coach Martín Lasarte came as a surprise – not only had he brought <em>la Real</em> up but for much of last season they over-performed. But his relationship with the club's directors had long been difficult. The new man in charge is Philippe Montanier from Valenciennes and the man who achieved three promotions in a row with Boulogne. His ability to bring through young players is a key reason for la Real turning to him – 19 of the first team squad have come up from Real Sociedad B.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"They finished second in La Liga as recently as the 02/03 season. It won't happen this season."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Sociedad abandoned their policy of signing only Basque players in 1989 when they bought John Aldridge from Liverpool. WHAT THE FUCK?"<br />
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<strong>Sevilla: </strong>Fredi is staying. The legs are creaking and he's slower than ever but Sevilla could not be happier. Kanouté is, some fans insist, the best signing the club has ever made. This summer he talked about finally walking away, six seasons two Copa del Reys and two Uefa Cups later. Such is their respect for him, Sevilla said they would let him decide and simply wait for him. One day, he announced he was staying. In a team that has desperately lacked a touch of quality of late, he may be important too. Under new management – Marcelino has joined from Racing – and with Rakitic giving a degree of control, the aim will be Champions League football.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Sevilla's style of play: width and plenty of crosses into the box, is entirely dependant on Jesus Navas. He needs to have a good season for <em>Los Rojiblancos </em>to return to the Champions League."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Kanoute needs to stop <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=kanoute+free+palestine&hl=en&sa=X&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4ADSA_enGB364&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=dbZARBH2VpFzlM:&imgrefurl=http://futbolita.com/2009/03/22/sunday-senor-fredi-kanoute/&docid=ifWs4v4n_YInsM&w=400&h=300&ei=EFBWTq-TKcKt8gPTs-WtDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=321&vpy=82&dur=4103&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=121&ty=102&page=1&tbnh=120&tbnw=159&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&biw=1024&bih=536">freeing bloody Palestine</a> and start scoring."<br />
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<strong>Sporting Gijon: </strong>They've been arguing all summer about the new kit at Sporting. And in the end the fans got their way, too. The team is a different matter: José Ángel has gone to Roma, Javi Poves decided to ditch football all together for moral and political reasons and by far their best player Diego Castro has gone to Getafe. Not one of their current players got more than 10 goals last season. It won't be easy to do so this campaign either.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Manager Manuel Preciado has the <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://u.goal.com/29800/29875_news.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.goal.com/es/news/1902/especiales/2011/01/21/2315539/especial-liga-bbva-las-siete-vidas-de-preciado&h=250&w=200&sz=9&tbnid=UNhxJEyr_quS_M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=72&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmanuel%2Bpreciado%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=manuel+preciado&docid=DMBsCKkNtj5--M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UlFWTuPDBcqChQeG6oSmDA&sqi=2&ved=0CFIQ9QEwBg&dur=2184">world's greatest moustache</a>."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Manager Manuel Preciado has the <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://u.goal.com/29800/29875_news.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.goal.com/es/news/1902/especiales/2011/01/21/2315539/especial-liga-bbva-las-siete-vidas-de-preciado&h=250&w=200&sz=9&tbnid=UNhxJEyr_quS_M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=72&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmanuel%2Bpreciado%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=manuel+preciado&docid=DMBsCKkNtj5--M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UlFWTuPDBcqChQeG6oSmDA&sqi=2&ved=0CFIQ9QEwBg&dur=2184">world's greatest moustache</a>."<br />
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<strong>Valencia: </strong>Amidst all the talk of Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga, few have noticed Valencia slowly adding to an already impressive squad – and last season they were the only team that consistently caused Barcelona problems. Joaquín and Isco have gone, but Parejo, Piatti and Canales have all joined (even though Canales won't be able to play against Real Madrid). Lille's Adil Rami, at centre-back, is a vital addition too. Coach Unai Emery never seems especially well liked at the club, but he's starting his fourth successive season.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Sergio Canales found opportunities hard to come by at Madrid last season, but this campaign could prove to be the one where he proves to the world what he his capable of."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I wish they'd hurry up with that new stadium."<br />
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<strong>Villarreal: </strong>It has been a difficult summer for Villarreal. Joan Capdevila and Santi Cazorla both departed and the impact on the squad has been genuinely tough. Financially, Villarreal are struggling after years of being one of Spain's most stable clubs and departures were inevitable. Cazorla was Villarreal's key creative player last season. The good news is that Giuseppe Rossi didn't join Barcelona and Borja Valero is still around.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Cristian Zapata is an astute signing from Udinese. He was one of Serie A's best centre-halves last season, and will hope to plug the holes in what was a leaky defence last season."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Marcos Senna is <em>still </em>captain? Jesus Christ." <br />
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<strong>Zaragoza: </strong>Zaragoza haven't got any money and are in voluntary administration having racked up debts in excess of €130m. In Spain, administration brings no footballing penalties. In fact, Zaragoza have been largely unaffected. They signed goalkeeper Roberto from Benfica for €8m. Only they paid 1% of that: the goalkeeper was instead bought by an investment fund in which Jorge Mendes and Peter Kenyon are involved. Other clubs were annoyed but suggested they would do the same, bringing the prospect of widespread third-party ownership (which is not illegal) to Spain. Five others have joined, including three from Madrid and Barcelona's B teams. Aguirre dragged them out of relegation trouble last season. It is likely to be much the same battle this time round.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Peter Kenyon's involved? Do I not like that."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Nayim, from the halfway line. Nayim, from the halfway line."<br />
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Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-35378648860921353272011-08-25T21:50:00.000+01:002011-08-25T21:50:52.595+01:002011/12 Bundesliga Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDSMZgD_IuXxy0EVMs8r7IHI_TzcQTOOVla-TWLblkiOv62Nm5K_f7YQOM5s69uwNEDY7d8i1PFOJwzk9_KPNMZ_KB6Qk_cGBIMkzhJLWlpKYgOXiNS4JLBSG0AAoiSC713H8BNfT_HB7/s1600/01sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDSMZgD_IuXxy0EVMs8r7IHI_TzcQTOOVla-TWLblkiOv62Nm5K_f7YQOM5s69uwNEDY7d8i1PFOJwzk9_KPNMZ_KB6Qk_cGBIMkzhJLWlpKYgOXiNS4JLBSG0AAoiSC713H8BNfT_HB7/s400/01sports.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<strong>All the games will be sold-out, of course. The now traditional mix of goal-gluts, managerial madness and beyond-silly off-the-pitch antics will all be present. Some of the best young players on the planet will perform sublimely week-in week-out. But the new Bundesliga season hasn't been greeted quite as euphorically as in previous years. </strong><br />
<br />
<div sizcache="0" sizset="66">Two factors are chiefly responsible for this relatively sober comeback of Germany's favourite pastime. First, the sheer number of big club crises and axed managers in 2010-11 have exhausted the league. As a result of all that disorder, the clubs were forced to ring in the changes early. New managers (Jupp Heynckes, Bayern; Robin Dutt, Leverkusen; Marcus Sorg, SC Freiburg; Stale Solbakken, Koln; Holger Stanislawski, Hoffenheim;) were hired well before the summer started and the key, most expensive transfers (Manuel Neuer, €22m to Bayern, André Schürrle, €8m to Leverkusen) were front-loaded.</div><div sizcache="0" sizset="66"><br />
</div><div sizcache="0" sizset="66">The second reason has all to do with the herd effect. German football seems to have collectively followed Dortmund's lead, both in terms of their youth policy and their moderate expenditure. Borussia's triumph with the youngest ever squad has given sporting directors across the board the confidence – or an excuse – to promote shedloads of teenager to the first team, in the hope that more Mario Gotzes or Schurrles will emerge. So just when you thought that the fallen giants would invest heavily to remind yesteryear's army of roaring "Gräue Mäuse" ("grey mice" aka unfashionable clubs) of their true position in the food chain and fight for that newly available fourth Champions League spot, they've all been reading from one of Gordon Brown's old chancellor speeches, stressing prudence, prudence, prudence.</div><div sizcache="0" sizset="66"><br />
</div>No one has spent any significant money in net terms. Ten clubs have even made a profit this summer, among them Dortmund, who brilliantly succeeded in keeping almost their whole squad together despite plenty of predictions to the contrary. The new, characteristically smart additions of Moritz Leitner (Augsburg), Ilkay Gündogan (Nürnberg) and Ivan Perisic (Bruge) will provide much-need depth to Jürgen Klopp's squad but their wage bill has only moderately increased from €35m to €40m in the process. It could easily be cut back again, if they miss out on the Champions League next season. "We need to be very conservative and humble," said their president Hans-Joachim Watzke.<br />
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Financially, it's all been so sensible that it almost hurts. Thank God then for Bayern, who followed up their by now customary trophy-less odd year with a customary spending spree. Their gross outlay of €44m (€39m net) accounts for nearly a third of the Bundesliga's gross spend (€137m; €100m net). Neuer will be worth his inflated fee if he stays around for a decade or so and the right-back Rafinha (Genoa) was a no-brainer at €5.5m but whether Jérôme Boateng really is the answer to a decade worth of problems at centre-back remains to be seen. Upstairs, by the way, the president Uli Hoeness has become closer involved again in an effort to support manager Jupp Heynckes while Karl-Heinz "Che" Rummenigge is busy plotting a coup against Sepp Blatter.<br />
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However, a lack of big-spending and big-names seems to matter less in a league that has taken to producing young talent in alarming quantities. As someone, somewhere, once said: In an age of universally overvalued players, making them yourself ain't half bad an idea.<br />
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<strong>Augsburg: </strong>Manager Jos Luhukay has lost his number one striker from last year, Michael Thurk, and that doesn't bode well for the forthcoming campaign. Thurk was the linchpin of the side that won promotion from 2.Bundesliga last year, and to lose him because of a training-ground bust up is potentially disastrous. The story of the club's rise is a nice one, but I can't see them hanging around for long.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"10 years ago Augsburg were in the Fourth Division of German football: haven't they done well?"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>Anything bad about them. That would be awfully mean. <br />
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<strong>Bayer Leverkusen: </strong>Runners-up last year, Leverkusen will be looking to go one better this season with the help of new boss Robin Dutt. The <em>Werkself </em>haven't helped themselves though with the sale of Arturo Vidal to Juventus; he was last year's shining light, and they will be looking to youngster Andre Schurrle to fill the gap. Champions League is realistically the best they can hope for.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Schurrle........What a player!"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Love the fact they play without a shirt sponsor - classy."<br />
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<strong>Bayern Munich: </strong>After last season's shambles, Bayern will be looking to reclaim what they feel is rightly theirs: the Bundeliga title. The addition of Manuel Neuer is a huge plus (even if the fans can't stand the sight of him) and will need to do well if the Bavarians are to have a decent chance of winning the <em>Salad Bowl</em>. Oh, and the Champions League final is at the Allianz this season as well. No pressure then Jupp.<br />
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<strong>Do say</strong>: "Rafinha as right-back enables Philipp Lahm to play as an inverted left-back, where he's much better."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I'm sure the board will give Jupp Heynckes all the time in the world to succeed."<br />
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<strong>Borussia Dortmund: </strong>Nurin Sahin may have been sold to Madrid, and father-figure Dede may have been released, but Dortmund have kept onto almost all of last year's championship-winning squad. They're the best supported team in Europe and in Mario Gotze have the best young player anywhere in the world, so they must be confident of repeating last year's feat. The one sticking point however could be the Champions League. It was evident last year that their extremely young squad struggle towards the run-in, only just scraping home. So could the added pressure of Europe be too much for Die Schwarzgelben? <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"I'd be very interested to see whether their high-pressing game works in Europe."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"When is Mario Gotze moving to Arsenal?"<br />
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<strong>Borussia Monchengladbach: </strong>They fought off relegation all last season, and this year promises to be much the same. Michael Bradley is back from Aston Villa to provide some drive in the midfield, and last year's star-man Marco Reus has fortunately stuck around to help out. Goals are a problem -Joshua King has come on-loan from Man. United to help solve that dilemma- and letting them in is also an issue. It's going to be a long season for Die Fohlen.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Winger Marco Reus must surely realise that he's far too good for this team."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Am I the only who finds manager Lucien Favre's praise for 'polyvalent' players a little unsettling?"<br />
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<strong>SC Freiburg: </strong>New manager Marcus Song will be hoping to continue the club's recent upward trajectory. Solid professionals like Heiko Butscher, Cedric Makiadi and Jan Rosenthal have stayed, and along with new signings Beg Ferati and Garra Dembele, the squad looks capable of going places. Keeping striker Papiss Cisse will be the club's main priority before the window closes, and if that's the case, Europe may be on the horizon.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Why on earth did no bigger club come in for Papiss Cisse? He's like a good Darren Bent"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"What does manager Marcus Sorg know about building a squad?" (He's got a degree in structural physics, actually)<br />
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<strong>Hamburger SV: </strong>Disappointingly 8th last season, new coach Michael Oenning has a proper task on his hands. Gone are David Rosenthal, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joris Mathijsen, Piotr Trochowski and Ze Roberto. And in come the entirety of Chelsea's reserves. New director of football Frank Arnesen has been instrumental in bringing in a host of youngsters from west London: Hamburgers however are not impressed. The Europa League looks like a distant oasis. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Long gone are the days of Van der Vaart, Olic and Ze Roberto. This Hamburg side are going to struggle. No doubt."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Michael Mancienne". He was crap at Wolves for Christ's sake.<br />
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<strong>Hannover 96: </strong>It seems a little crass to contribute Hannover's miracle season last time out to the death of their goalkeeper Robert Enke nearly 12 months ago: but that is almost certainly the case. Playing in a frenzy of sadness and community, Hannover ended the season a remarkable fourth. Something that just shouldn't have happened looking at their squad. Over the summer, no one has left, and only Christian Pander has come in to bolster ranks. Fourth probably won't happen again this time, but wouldn't it be nice if it did?<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"I hope Didier Ya Konan gets to play the drums again soon."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Maybe it's a good job they didn't get into the Champions League – just think about the coefficient!"<br />
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<strong>Hertha BSC Berlin: </strong>Promoted back to where, really, they belong. Hertha Berlin are ready to light up the Bundesliga just like they did in 09/10. Unfortunately, this time, Liverpool legend Andriy Voronin isn't there to bang in the goals; that's been left to Adrian Ramos. Goals, it seems, won't be a problem for the capital club, it's at the opposite end where it could get nasty. A back-four of Christian Lell, Levan Kobiashvili, Roman Hubnik and Maik Franz is not striking fear in to any attack, anywhere. And as a result, this Berlin are almost certainly going down. It should be fun though. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Staying up with this squad would be a miracle."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"What they really need is a good sporting director - like Dieter Hoeness, for example."<br />
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<strong>TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: </strong>And to think<strong> </strong>it had all started so well. Two years ago, in their first Bundesliga season ever, tiny Hoffenheim were breaking new ground. Backed by software mogul Dietmar Hopp, this village side with no real history were top of the first division at Christmas. Vedad Ibisevic, their top-goalscorer, then tore his cruciate ligament, and all hope was lost. They finished seventh that year, and have been on a slow decline ever since. Demba Ba has gone. Luis Gustavo has gone. David Alaba has gone back to Bayern, and it's just not looking good at all this season. Relegation won't happen, but neither will Europe: as was promised.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Billionaire Dietmar Hopp is obviously so afraid of the Financial Fair Play regulations that he's ensured the team will finish nowhere near Europe."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"This friendly, sugar daddy-backed club epitomises the Bundesliga's enlightened business model."<br />
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<strong>1. FC Kaiserslautern: </strong>A fantastic first season back in the top-flight last year saw them finish seventh. Don't expect that to happen again this year. Inexperience and lack of quality summer signings mean the dreaded 'second season syndrome' looks more than plausible. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Did you know? Israeli players Itay Shechter and Gil Vermouth signed their contracts after the club served them some kosher food."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>The name of Kaiser's sporting director in polite company. <br />
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<strong>1. FC Koln: </strong>The<em> Billy Goats </em>can expect another middling season, slowing plodding along the Bundesliga doing nothing to offend or excite any fan, neutral or otherwise. Lukas Podolski and Milivoje Novakovic will link once again up-front, but the general consensus in Germany is that this side have just become too predictable. Expect, quite shockingly, another mid-table finish. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Lukas Podolski should really think twice about getting on the wrong side of coach Sol Solbakken, a guy who was once - true fact - clinically dead for eight minutes."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I can feel a spot in Europe coming on."<br />
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<strong>Mainz 05: </strong>Last year's revelation. A squad with an average age of 23 that stormed the first half of the season, but then tired towards the end of the campaign. They eventually finished fifth, but their style and pace were admired Europe over. Unfortunately, this year, they've lost Lewis Holtby, Andre Schurrle and Christian Fuchs to league rivals, but the genius that brought them together, Thoma Tuchel is still around. Losing in the Europa League qualifiers could prove to be a blessing in disguise. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"For Mainz, it will be about mid-table but for their manager Tuchel, it's about putting himself in the shop window this year"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"I bet they'll be great in the Europa League this season."<br />
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<strong>1. FC Nurnberg: </strong>Another team who had a revelatory campaign last time out; defying the 'second season syndrome' adage. They should do well again this time, but stalwart and all-round purveyor of old-fashioned football, Andreas Wolf, will be a miss after his sale to Werder Bremen. Timm Klose from FC Thun will be an adequate replacement and Tomas Pekhart, formerly of Sparta Prague, should score goals. Don't expect miracles, but they shouldn't go down.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Mehmet Ekici will be a big miss. His creativity on the flanks was <em>the </em>big plus from last season, and his move to Bremen is more than deserved."<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Defender Andreas Wolf will be sorely missed in terms of his cultured distribution and lovely build-up play."<br />
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<strong>FC Schalke 04: </strong>There's been wholesale changes at the Veltins Arena. Last season was a disaster (unless it was a Champions League night) and this time around, with Felix Magath gone, things look a shade brighter. They've bought well: Lewis Holtby is a wonderful midfielder, Christian Fuchs was a rock at Mainz last season and Ciprian Marica has proven he can score goals in the Bundesliga. The only question is how to replace Manuel Neuer? Ralf Farhmann has been brought in from Frankfurt, but he evidently isn't even in the same class as his young compatriot. Champions League though, is possible. <br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Even with Christoph Metzelder on the pitch, they might grab a Champions League spot"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"Ralf Rangnick and Raúl: obviously a match made in heaven"<br />
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<strong>VFB Stuttgart: </strong>From champions four years ago, to a lowly 12th last time. It doesn't look great for Stuttgart. All the ingredients are there on paper, it's just producing that wonderful team broth on a Saturday. Manager Bruno Labbadia, does, in German terms, have an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, but doesn't seem quite know what to do with them. A squad that comprises of Cristian Molinaro, Ibrahima Traore, Cacau and Shinji Okazaki should be challenging for honours; just don't hold your breath it being this year.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"I bet that come spring, their new Mexican defender Maza won't let any strikers pass over"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"€9m for Trasch? I thought you could only do that kind of deal in the Premier League"<br />
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<strong>Werder Bremen: </strong>Torsten Frings has finally gone - to Tornto FC of all places - but that shouldn't be anything other than a brief inconvenience. Lukas Schmitz has signed from Schalke and should fill that long-haired hole perfectly. A lot more dead weight has been shipped out, leaving a berth of talent from the youth team rubbing their hands in gleeful delight at the chance of a first team place. Manager Thomas Schaff can't mess this one up, surely?<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"Thomas Schaaf will never change these three things: a) his moustache b) his facial expression c) his commitment to a midfield diamond"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"My perfect woman needs to have tattoos, black hair and silicon" (unless you're Bremen striker Marko Arnautovic, that is.)<br />
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<strong>VFL Wolfsburg: </strong>Post-Steve McClaren, and things are looking brighter for Die Wolfe. The glory days of 08/09 may seem like a long and distant memory, but under Felix Magath they have a coach who knows how to win the title (with Wolfsburg no less). That championship-winning squad may have been largely disbanded now, but a new group are coming together to hopefully step out of that Edin Dzeko/Grafite-sized shadow. Old pros like Thomas Hitzlsperger and Hasan Salihamidzic have been in shipped in, aswell as more eager novices' like Mateusz Klich and Srdan Lakic. If Magath can get them firing, a title challenge might not be too far away.<br />
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<strong>Do say: </strong>"I wonder if Felix Magath will sign Ali Karimi again?"<br />
<strong>Don't say: </strong>"This friendly, Volkswagen-owned club really epitomises the Bundesliga's enlightened business model."Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-51689727056657236692011-05-01T13:28:00.000+01:002011-05-01T13:28:55.142+01:00Gigi Becali: football's most controversial man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc6uvc5MkB7OyxuKjvKHvLUDz0OeCjqpsCu2Dpsq0bT5gYeZ71UBJ_H7fNZ2V7H45551Inyz5S2fob3KJ3NoN3fff4yIcrdFdiXJPmeWC_h1sDg8qhjn_7q-mhXXVAeb2qk6HL_shoQ5a/s1600/GigiBecali1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc6uvc5MkB7OyxuKjvKHvLUDz0OeCjqpsCu2Dpsq0bT5gYeZ71UBJ_H7fNZ2V7H45551Inyz5S2fob3KJ3NoN3fff4yIcrdFdiXJPmeWC_h1sDg8qhjn_7q-mhXXVAeb2qk6HL_shoQ5a/s1600/GigiBecali1.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">George 'Gigi' Becali is mental. Properly bat-shit mental. Since 2003 he has been the sole owner of Romania's biggest and most successful club, Steaua Bucharest, and has been courting controversy from day one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Initially starting out as an entrepreneur, Becali's real estate business boomed in the late 90's, leading him to become Romania's richest man. At the same time he became leader of the New Generation - Christian Democratic Party, being elected a member of European Parliament in 2004. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So far, so normal for a high-rolling eastern European property magnate. But it wasn't until Gigi became involved with Steaua that he really, last days of Rome, lost it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, you could get all of this off Wikipedia - I just have - so instead of dedicating a dozen or so paragraphs to his outbursts, I am going to, below, give you all of his quotes, in all of their sweary glory. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Remember, this man is a member of the European Parliament.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Sep 2010: </strong>Steaua Coach, Illie Dumitrescu, is sacked for "being too Muslim." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Jan 2011: </strong>Becali is given a warning by the Romanian FA for cancelling a transfer because he thought the player was gay - "I'd rather dissolve the club than allow a gay to play for Steaua." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>2006: </strong>Backs a campaign to "finish off all homosexuals in Romania."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>2007: </strong>"Gays must be kept in enclosures." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Feb 2011: </strong>Becali says League president Dumitru Dragomir "must be beaten" for "humiliating" Steaua during talks over a new TV deal, and for "corrupting football". Dragomir: "Only a moron could think like him. He's illiterate."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <strong>2008:</strong> Becali said Dragomir called him "a retard": "In return, I called him a tramp. Then we had a fight."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Aug 2010</strong>: Steaua coach Victor Piturca resigns after 59 days, attacking owner Gigi Becali for changing his contract and "failing to shut up". Becali says the new coach, Ilie Dumitrescu, is "a better man ... He's doing this unpaid." Dumitrescu: "Money does not interest me. I just want respect."</div><strong>Sep 2010</strong>: Dumitrescu is sacked. Becali appoints Marius Lacatus as the "lasting solution for Steaua". Lacatus: "I could not refuse this. This is my lifelong dream."<br />
<strong>Mar 2011</strong>: Lacatus resigns. Becali: "I pick this team. It's not a democracy." Appoints Sorin Cartu as his fifth coach of the season. "I'm giving him three months. We'll see."<br />
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<strong>Apr 2011: </strong>Becali says outgoing FC Dinamo chairman Cristian Borcea's decision to divorce his wife and marry a model is "fine by God". "A man can choose. As God said: man is man and woman is whore." <br />
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<strong>Mar 2011: </strong>Becali, asked on live TV how he feels about Rapid Bucharest president Dinu Gheorghe making public reference to Becali's first job as a shepherd. "What? He is a filthy jerk. A fat bum. I'll force this Gypsy back up his mother. I'm tired of him, all his irony and jokes. He forces me to lose control! He's way out of line."<br />
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Gigi's Easter message last month: <br />
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Gigi Becali says holding a press conference last week to "clear the air" and say sorry to "everyone I offended this year" made him feel better. Making it on to Gigi's list:<br />
• Rapid Bucharest owner <strong>George Copos</strong>: "I'm sorry for what I called him. He never answers back. I don't judge him. Yes, he's cheap, but let God judge everyone, I don't have to do it." <br />
• <strong>Sexual minorities</strong>: "I apologise to them. It's their problem, their disease, not mine. You ask me if I still think it's a sin? Of course it's a sin. I always speak my mind." <br />
• <strong>Other religions</strong>: "I'm sorry to all of the religions, the cults. But I do have my views. Jehovah's Witnesses are on the way to perdition." <br />
• Plus <strong>Steaua's fans</strong>: "I'm sorry for offending them. Apart from the ones who called for me to die just before Easter. They are possessed by Satan."<br />
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Gigi's conclusion: "That feels better, I feel reborn. And it'll make Satan crazy: he hates it when a soul gets cleaner. But I didn't just do this for me. I'm an inspiration to millions."<br />
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<strong>May 2008: </strong>calls a black TV presenter an "ape". <br />
<strong>May 2008: </strong>says women "have no more value" after giving birth. <br />
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<strong>Nov 2006: </strong>Becali<strong> </strong>commissions a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper with himself as Christ, and the Steaua players as his Disciples. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Motty</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-61286975751344402142011-04-21T15:37:00.000+01:002011-04-21T15:37:30.536+01:00Mario Balotelli: an eternal love affair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXVh4Gz07xnvTWJI89Zq7g1AkznVfvsqDWT8QnKP6YTwz_Q6uHs9bmul0bQoeBCpx7CD0Dog3naHFySRIDqMiThYmzGclhHQYWlxwMp2b7Qhyphenhyphen99GiBYjMyaoNIBh_FiDKO8nwjROr_PE9/s1600/wpid-mario-balotelli1790053c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXVh4Gz07xnvTWJI89Zq7g1AkznVfvsqDWT8QnKP6YTwz_Q6uHs9bmul0bQoeBCpx7CD0Dog3naHFySRIDqMiThYmzGclhHQYWlxwMp2b7Qhyphenhyphen99GiBYjMyaoNIBh_FiDKO8nwjROr_PE9/s1600/wpid-mario-balotelli1790053c.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aggressive, petulant, stubborn, uncouth; it's quite fair to say that Mario Balotelli doesn't enjoy the best relationship with the British media. Caricatured as an uncontrollable young man lacking the requisite skills of respect and decency, Balotelli is treated like a caged animal as journalists, opponents and fans prod him with sticks before running for cover, hoping they've provoked a reaction. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The self-righteous shake their heads at his every action, labelling him as the antithesis of all that is wrong with The Modern Game. But this blog thinks it's time that someone stood up for Super Mario, and saluted his actions rather than chastising them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Football - despite what Bill Shankly might tell you - is just game. Part of the entertainment industry and designed to interest those who pay for a ticket to a game. It is nothing more. But too often this beautiful simplicity is lost in a wave of angst and violence amongst those who forget that essentially, it's 22 men and a pig's bladder. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the vast majority of footballers trained in the art of providing the media with tiresome cliches, surely any player who divides opinion with their behaviour and gives us something to talk about is worthy of praise? After all, isn't one of any footballers primary objectives to simply entertain? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Balotelli perplexes and infuriates in equal measure. The excuses offered up for his behaviour range from his difficult childhood - being abandoned by his birth mother as a newborn - to the abhorrant rascist abuse he suffered so regualrly whilst playing in Italy. While these factors undoubtedly contributed to his cold and often hostile persona, there's no need to over-analyse or attempt to explain the Italian: he's an entertainer, like Prince or Robert De Niro. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We all watch the game for its tapestry of different characters with their varying levels of ability, and it's this personalisation that makes football what it is. Can a sport devoid of personalities still be enjoybale? Imagine if all professional footballers were as straight-laced as Aaron Hughes or Peter Beardsley? The game would instantly lose its attraction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Continuing the long line of erratic geniuses that includes Maradon, Cantona and Di Canio, Balotelli is just another player who's erratic temperament has contributed to their incredible footballing talent. However, perhaps because he hasn't produced consitently excellent performances for Manchester City, Balotelli is not held in quite the same esteem as his fellow nutters. Still, at only 20-years-old, there's plenty of time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He's arrogant, egotistical and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3WzYsHTl9w">can't dress himself</a>, but so what? Mario Balotelli is an entertainer. And long may his mentalness continue. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Motty</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-62515187498039498392011-04-05T15:04:00.001+01:002011-04-06T18:35:52.564+01:00Nearly a Decade in the Sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkfisJl-QGMjhhgRw2pXdPEvuJ8cuwRKJSq-1ZN1cMXcr1BsYUGAzjF_xAT_pkemLGcACCk8NiQrtfL8cpGWkr_HpgQfNU1StUJOxDaSeAUN_omM9KIrduY1CQisq9Hde6zTHpKgODUlq/s1600/Jose-Mourinho3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkfisJl-QGMjhhgRw2pXdPEvuJ8cuwRKJSq-1ZN1cMXcr1BsYUGAzjF_xAT_pkemLGcACCk8NiQrtfL8cpGWkr_HpgQfNU1StUJOxDaSeAUN_omM9KIrduY1CQisq9Hde6zTHpKgODUlq/s1600/Jose-Mourinho3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="left">For nine years they had been trying and failing. Sir Alex Ferguson couldn't do it. Rafa Benitez couldn't do it. Harry Redknapp couldn't do it. Cesare Prandelli couldn't do it. Nor could Leonardo, Claudio Ranieri or Roberto Donadoni. Not even Big Sam could do it. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">In total, 107 coaches tried to beat a Jose Mourinho team at home. On Saturday evening, Manolo Preciado did it. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Preciado: <a href="http://gradagimnastica.com/wp-content/uploads/29875_news.jpg">the man with the greatest moustache in football</a> (apart from Warren Gass of course,) became the first man since Antonio Sousa to beat Mourinho on home soil. And only the second ever. Nine years, one month and 10 days the record had lasted. Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid had not lost in 150 games under the Portuguese maestro. He'd not been defeated in a home league game since 23 February 2002, when nine-man Porto lost 3-2 to Biera-Mar. 150 matches, 125 wins and 25 draws. 342 goals scored, 87 conceded. And then the record goes against Sporting Gijon!</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Sporting Gijon, a team who hadn't beaten Madrid at the Bernabeau for 16 years; a team who went into the weekend's game three points above the relegation zone; a team who's best player is Nacho Novo, finally became the team to end Mourinho's unbelievable record. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">It had to be a formality, surely? The start to a perfect weekend: Madrid wold beat Sporting and Barcelona would lose away to Villareal, their hardest game remaining this season. Suddenly, the gap would be down to two points with El Clasico to come later this month. Game on. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Or maybe not. It was at the exact moment when Madrid fans starting muttering and whistling at a game that had become bone-achingly dull, that Sporting scored. A wonderful move down the left-hand side; a clever dummy; a wonderful pass; a beautiful finish from Miguel de las Cuevas. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Before the game, Mourinho had insisted that one more loss and <em>Los Blancos' </em>title challenge would be over. At 1-0 down, Madrid launched themselves forward. Unfortunately for them, they came across Juan Pablo in the Sporting goal, who as AS put it "was an orange octopus with a thousand hands." They had 13 shots to Sporting's one. They had a goal disallowed and a penalty shout turned down. They also had a plethora of key players missing: Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Marcelo and Ronaldo. and yet you couldn't say the were robbed. Sporting's goal was an eight-pass move. No fluke. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Time and again, Madrid launched diagonal balls towards the head of Adebayor. Marca's match report even likened them to Stoke. And time and again it was predictable. Madrid are a side built to counter-attack, but as the season has worn on, teams have worked that out: before they attacked Madrid, now they wait. Mourinho's side have now been beaten by Osasuna and Sporting, and have drawn with Mallorca, Deportivo and Levante. That's 14 dropped points against teams that are all lower than ninth. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">As Mourinho said after the game: "If I wanted to draw 0-0, I could have." And anywhere else in Europe that would be fine. <a href="http://getthemottandbuckett.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-do-you-solve-problem-like-la-liga.html">But as I've discussed here before</a>, in Spain that is not an option given the ridiculous amount of points Barcelona are racking up. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Saturday's defeat was nine years in the waiting and had a devastating effect on Madrid's title challenge. As the final whistle went, Mourinho was off down the tunnel. Soon, however, there was a knock on the Sporting dressing-room door. As Preciado revealed: the Portuguese coach came in and congratulated all the players individually on their win. It was a touch of class after everything that had happened.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Earlier in the season, Preciado had called Mourinho "a scumbag" and suggested that the Madrid manager should be put in among Sporting's Ultras. They both got involved in a furious argument outside Sporting's ground after Madrid's 1-0 win earlier this season. And Mourinho then accused Preciado of throwing the game against Barcelona that Sporting only lost 1-0. It was petty, it was bitchy and it was getting very, very nasty. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">It probably explains why, when the final whistle blew, Preciado ran on to the pitch with his arms in the air; players spraying him with water, as if they'd won the league. He was still dripping when he spoke to the media after the game, reminding the gathering journalists what he told Mourinho in November: "if you spit upwards, it always comes down eventually."</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Nine years is an unfathomably long time to remain unbeaten at home. A record that will probably never be beaten again. But as Juanma Trueba put it: "Football is as capricious as a platinum blond and as merciless as the Mafioso that keeps her." </div><div align="left"><br />
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</div><div align="left">Motty</div><div align="left"><br />
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</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-87961523495415393992011-03-27T16:16:00.000+01:002011-03-27T16:16:09.150+01:00The passing of youth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY9pRIxicjs1od-1WFIslBe_3cbmEpRuLVDooyfGP-RfpPf6hU843VJVrcPaTACcgpqJydowkVpEgi4lEj2FM0UKxfgMayvxPJUQ_wuwMv4rNbW_WtySB3w-AiawmrPrcgAdEXl7oq9r9/s1600/varsity+jacket+1946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY9pRIxicjs1od-1WFIslBe_3cbmEpRuLVDooyfGP-RfpPf6hU843VJVrcPaTACcgpqJydowkVpEgi4lEj2FM0UKxfgMayvxPJUQ_wuwMv4rNbW_WtySB3w-AiawmrPrcgAdEXl7oq9r9/s1600/varsity+jacket+1946.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I watched England stroll to a victory over Wales, I gawped in awe at just how composed Jack Wilshere looked at the highest level. It hasn't been an isolated thought this season. From Arsenal's first game of the season away to Liverpool, via a Champions League double-header against Barcelona, and through to the present, the young midfielder has been a constant source of joy all year. So why then, as I basked in all this Wilshere-induced glory, did I have a niggling sense of annoyance planted in the back of my mind? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, for the first time ever watching a football match, I thought to myself: "he's younger than I am."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we are young, the stars of the beautiful game tower over us. They are mystical beings. Masters of the most attractive craft. Throughout childhood, we see ourselves as invincible; the world as ageless. Only as our teenage years dwindle do we start to see choices arriving on the horizon. Yet even these decisions seem far away; mere distractions that teachers and parents have conjured up to make us do a little extra school work. Rarely do the millions of children playing in parks on a Sunday morning possess the self-awareness to realise that their dreams of scoring the winning goal in a World Cup final are just a forlorn fantasy. Even the most devoted of young fans, when following the Under-17 or Under-20 World Cups, see those players as contemporaries: classmates if we'd gone to a different school. It's only when we see a new up-and-coming star that's younger than us - a Wilshere, a Josh McEachran, a Neymar - that the true physical evidence really confronts us: the dream in now over. </div><br />
Life is defined by these moments. But because sports careers peak and troft at such a young age, often the dream of on-field glory is the one fans awake from first. Most other hopes have years of possibility left. We can still travel the world, write the next great novel, achieve fame and recognition in a host of other fields. But, after that moment as a sports fan, often for the first time in life, one dream is now permanently just a dream. Seeing these young players evokes a strange sadness, or perhaps regret, of chances gone and roads not taken. <br />
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Yet for all the sadness and regret, there is joy as well. For the passage of time allows us to form a perspective on history. When we are young, we know who the best players are (or at least who are favourties are) but rarely do we appreciate the intricate details that make them special. Our older friends and relatives can tell us that a player runs faster, passes better or tackles harder than anyone they've ever seen; we can nod, pretending to agree, but because at that age we have no experience, we can't truly appreciate that statement. <br />
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Once we have perspective though, once we see a legion of greats leave the game, we begin to acknowledge the beauty of true genius. In the halcyon days of youth everything is new: we can watch 50 different tricks and 50 different ways of scoring that we've never seen before. As we age though, novelty becomes less and less. When I hear Arsene Wenger say: "Jack is the best young player we've ever produced, " I understand how much that statement means. I've watched enough Arsenal youth products come through the ranks now to understand just how special Wilshere is.<br />
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There's a physical component to all this eulogising as well. Most of us, if we've ever played football, can recall a moment of personal brilliance: <em>that </em>last-minute winner against your local rivals, the penalty you scored that all your mates say is the best they've ever seen. Yet the moment when our body does what our mind conceives is fleeting. And so we wonder how anyone can score a goal like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCwxlyN3B0E">this</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q090EJ6B7Lk">this</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdy5fKdLvL8">do this</a>. Each year though, a flock of exciting, young players give these ideas substance. And isn't that the beauty of the game we love so much? <br />
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I may be sad that I will never run an England midfield single-handedly, but I'm still happy knowing that somewhere, someone can. <br />
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Motty.Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-21728311676557718792011-03-25T14:20:00.000+00:002011-03-25T14:20:48.590+00:00My Favourite Match: Brentford 2-0 Luton Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzRe6wy3QijuXCGforl1ahu78XRi7WBFvz-YSw4ayB447xGkIFwk7stBtCOXojf45D0rl1HRFaRM_mBoC28RptN7EtEeJlRJy5FGYMazuaIJdmiiWQ2pvQmaKytCEDip5KxjONkQ_u3vc/s1600/Brentford+2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzRe6wy3QijuXCGforl1ahu78XRi7WBFvz-YSw4ayB447xGkIFwk7stBtCOXojf45D0rl1HRFaRM_mBoC28RptN7EtEeJlRJy5FGYMazuaIJdmiiWQ2pvQmaKytCEDip5KxjONkQ_u3vc/s320/Brentford+2009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If one man has the right to choose the definitive “Favourite Match” it’s author Tom Dickinson. For every time you’ve stood on a cold terrace in December, or damp stand in May, this man has done it thrice over. To find out how, or perhaps more likely why, visit </span></strong><a href="http://www.92pies.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>www.92pies.co.uk</strong></span></a><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or </span></strong><a href="http://www.twitter.com/92pies"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>www.twitter.com/92pies</strong></span></a><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Continuing our latest series then, Tom has chosen Brentford v Luton from 2009. Here’s why. </span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Looking at the favourite matches picked by the esteemed messrs Mott and Buckett it’s hard to argue with their choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those Champions League ties involving United and Liverpool epitomise what makes football the most exciting spectator sport in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Late drama, comebacks, cracking goals, world-class performers reaching career-highs and fans revelling in the glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tremendous stuff! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Which makes it slightly contradictory that for my favourite game I’ve chosen a poor-quality and irrelevant League Two match between two teams I don’t care about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But hear me out....</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">During the 2008/2009 season I had made a slightly odd life-choice to spend the year attempting to watch a game at all 92 English League clubs, writing about my experiences in my book ’92 Pies’ (PLUG ALERT – Out now!).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had many trials and tribulations over the year, travelling as far as Plymouth and Carlisle in my dodgy old Peugeot 206.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had been a wonderful yet testing experience watching that much, often shoddy, live football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For months I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it, particularly after driving for over 4 hours to reach Crewe on a Tuesday evening in February only for the game to be called off at the last minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devastating.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Anyway, the end of the season was nearly here, and it was at Brentford v Luton, my 91st match, when I realised for the first time that I was going to complete my challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Brentford had already won League Two with a game to spare, and would be presented with the trophy in front of their own fans today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>West London was braced for a day of glorious celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The contrast couldn’t be any greater with Luton; relegated a few weeks earlier with their 30-point deduction proving too difficult to come back from.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon, the last day of the Football League calendar, top versus bottom, Champions v Relegated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a match of zero-importance but maximum excitement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Griffin Park is a beautiful old ground absolutely oozing character; popping up as if from nowhere in a nice residential area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed I had heard the legend of a pub on every corner of the stadium, so obviously it was my responsibility, nay, duty to check them all out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The atmosphere was building up tremendously; the crowd of red and white shirts was growing by the minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I had ever seen a group of football fans more relaxed and content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I can honestly say that everything about watching the Bees was an absolute pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True, it was a very good day to see them, but out of the 92 grounds I went to that season I can’t think of a place with a more comfortable atmosphere than today’s at Griffin Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mixture of the edgier earthier football fan with the families, lone football nerds and drunken neutrals (like me and my pal John) was seamless. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Everything about the club was family friendly, but not in a sanitised 21st Century football club MK-Dons type of way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were even 1950s-style rattles going off throughout the match, the noise (perhaps just in my mind) resembling a bee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than 10,000 people were in today to see the 11th biggest club in London, a fantastic advertisement for the Football League.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The game itself was extremely forgettable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half-time came and John and I realised that we hadn’t really been watching it; instead soaking up the atmosphere, the songs, and the funny company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The substitutes were signing autographs and posing for photos when they were warming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a day for celebration.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The players were showboating, getting around the beleaguered looking Luton back four with some head tennis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“That’s why we’re champions! That’s why we’re champions!” sang the crowd, right on cue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People were barely watching the game, but rather waiting for the glory of the final whistle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was an almighty cheer however when Brentford took the lead in the 73rd minute through their centre-back Karleigh Osborne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The terrace was completely rammed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were right next to the base of the floodlight, so we could actually sit on this big concrete base amongst the supporters packed around us and still see the action well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Full-time was approaching, but there was one last bit of magic when in the 89th minute Adam Newton scored an absolute peach; a curling shot from outside the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the final nail in the coffin of Luton’s season of misery and Brentford’s season of joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The ref had re-started the game, but as soon as the clock hit the 90th minute the fans began the pitch invasion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was fantastic! John and I sprinted onto the pitch with the other hundreds and hundreds of Brentford fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The feeling was one of slightly naughty childish glee, running around celebrating, but also one of tremendous football ecstasy (despite neither of us actually being Bees fans of course).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Championeees championeeesss! Ole Ole Ole!” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Eventually a curved archway-shaped champions podium emerged, and as a suited gent from the FA handed over the League Two title to manager Andy Scott, the fireworks went off, and red and white streamers exploded into the air. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All the right boxes were being ticked now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shower of confetti? Check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Players wearing silly red afro wigs? Check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Champagne poured over the staff’s heads? Check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Players walking around the pitch with their kids on their shoulders, mingling with the fans? Check.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">John began chatting to a player who could have been the star man or could have been a reserve team member, as is our lack of knowledge of the Brentford team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it didn’t matter, for during this final pitch invasion, these men were stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the Luton fans were watching the celebrations come to an end, I caught the eyes of some looking forlorn and desperate at their last sight of the Football League.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The contrast of the two seasons, Brentford’s and Luton’s, show why football is the best sport in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can two such different emotions be caused by the same game?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With silver streamers in my hair and some stolen Griffin Park grass in my pocket I was in a state of slightly drunken wonder as we exited the ground and went into the fourth and final pub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On a personal note I had one game left to complete the 92 in one season, up at Bolton, my own club, a week later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose my car could have broken down on the way to the ground or I could have caught leprosy and been placed under house arrest, but failing either of these happening I was going to complete my challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So there you go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could have chosen the best win for my own team I have seen (Chelsea 1-2 Bolton or England 5-1 Germany), the best actual game I have ever seen (Huddersfield 3-4 Port Vale) or the best team performance I’ve ever seen (Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid) but no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favourite game is the happiest that football has ever made me feel, at a small ground in West London with a pub on every corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-3831264478916076582011-03-24T17:34:00.003+00:002011-03-25T01:41:38.767+00:00My Favourite Match: Port Talbot Town 2-1 Swansea City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4rd5RKP5nCwHk1qYAwMUCYChMAoEhF5_61PhRYbe4rNFGPmjrY7gvxwx9-Ae5w4scvcbF-nXOgC5pg1uL3iFJvRj200ROV3GUDe8LXWHsooFXUaihFJngJcnZdGf-6WCavqem3BbPzUU/s1600/Port+Talbot+v+Swansea+2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4rd5RKP5nCwHk1qYAwMUCYChMAoEhF5_61PhRYbe4rNFGPmjrY7gvxwx9-Ae5w4scvcbF-nXOgC5pg1uL3iFJvRj200ROV3GUDe8LXWHsooFXUaihFJngJcnZdGf-6WCavqem3BbPzUU/s400/Port+Talbot+v+Swansea+2007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Mark Pitman is a Welsh football journalist, regularly contributring to several blogs and publications, including In bed with Maradona and The Ball is Round, all of which can be found via his own website <a href="http://www.markpitman1.com/">http://www.markpitman1.com/</a>.</strong><strong> </strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Continuing our "My Favourite Match" series he details the 2007 FAW Premier Cup tie between Port Talbot Town and Swansea City. Enjoy. </strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When people reflect on their favourite moments and matches in football, it is easy to base judgement primarily on the result before considering the full ninety-minutes or more that had taken place. For my favourite match however, the occasion and reflective glory starts nine days before as the scene slowly sets itself for one of the Welsh Premier League’s crowning moments and a match widely regarded as the best ever for South Wales side Port Talbot Town. Sadly the FAW Premier Cup competition is now defunct but there are stirrings within FAW headquarters that the lucrative tournament may soon make a return, if the powers that be need any further justification to bringing back the competition that mixed the best of the domestic top-flight against their Welsh compatriots in the English pyramid system, then they should read on and enjoy one of it’s most romantic tales to date.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Having disposed of league rivals Haverfordwest County and Rhyl in the two previous rounds, Port Talbot Town entered a quarter-final draw that also welcomed in the English pyramid trio of Swansea City, Cardiff City, Wrexham along Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints. The quartet would be away from home in the last four, and the draw handed Port Talbot Town a lucrative South Wales derby against League One side Swansea City. With strong support for the Swans in the South Wales town a bumper crowd was expected for the match that would take place on Tuesday, 9<sup>th</sup> January 2007. While realistically thinking only of the bumper attendance and significant prize money that the draw would offer Port Talbot Town, the club also remained quietly confident that Swansea’s FA Cup run and 3<sup>rd</sup> round tie at Premier League side Sheffield United the Saturday before would offer them half a chance of claiming a huge upset.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That thought carried more weight in one way and less in another as Swansea City went to Bramall Lane and convincingly took Neil Warnock’s side apart with a 3-0 victory in one of the cup upsets of the season. Alan Hansen and company offered nothing but praise for the performance of Kenny Jackett’s side on Match of the Day that evening and as the highlights rolled, Port Talbot Town began to fear what could happen on Tuesday night. Jackett also offered a sarcastic warning in an post-match interview – “As the dressing room reminded me, the big game is on Tuesday night - we've got Port Talbot away in the Welsh Cup.” The win guaranteed a bumper crowd for Port Talbot Town that Tuesday night, but as queues formed outside the ground, the weather decided that the fixture would not take place.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If there is one thing guaranteed with Port Talbot Town, it is that games will not be called off due to a waterlogged pitch. This night however, possibly the clubs biggest night ever, would prove to be the exception to the rule. With a heavy bed of sand and even heavier investment into the playing surface, the ground boasts incredible drainage, but the visit of Swansea City would prove to be one of the very few occasions when wet weather would dictate matters and the much-anticipated fixture would have to be re-arranged.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As desperately disappointing as it was unavoidable, the match was called off an hour before kick off as torrential rain and a forecast of more to come left both Jackett and Port Talbot Town boss Wayne Davies to concede that the match would have to wait another week. The crowd dispersed and an announcement soon followed that the match would now take place on the following Monday night. One week later the crowds again arrived, milling around the surrounding streets for parking spaces and forming long queues into each turnstile. A change in the weather meant that the fixture was not in doubt and a record crowd of 2,640 prepared to witness FAW Premier Cup history in the making.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Swansea City treated the competition with respect and named a strong squad with a smattering of youth as Jackett rested a handful of his FA Cup heroes but still rewarded the crowd by naming established stars such as goalkeeper Willy Gueret, defender Alan Tate and star striker Lee Trundle in the starting line-up, in addition to some of his League One regulars on the substitutes bench should things not turn out as expected. Port Talbot Town named a number of former Swans in their starting line-up including Matthew Rees, who scored Swansea’s first league goal under Kenny Jackett, leading out his side as captain. As the two sides took to the field, Port Talbot appeared to have already made as much from the match as they could with a record crowd, but there would be a lot more to come.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Under the guidance of manager Wayne Davies, the home side were expectedly organised and cautious as Swansea City enjoyed long periods of possession in their own half. There were chances at both ends, although Port Talbot Town goalkeeper Kristian Rogers, a former Wrexham player and one-time Swansea City target, was the busier of the two. Matthew Rees came close for Port Talbot Town while former Swansea City striker Chad Bond, recently released from the Swans by Jackett, led the front-line alone but could not turn his half-chances into anything more as both sides went into half-time with the game level and goalless. A significant substitution at half-time by Swansea City showed that Wayne Davies was the happier of the two managers as Kenny Jackett brought on £300,000 signing Rory Fallon for young Joe Allen. Jackett appeared keen for the visitors to claim the victory inside ninety minutes with the introduction of the New Zealand International, but the dogged determination and exceptional stamina of Davies’s Welsh Premier League side would again prove frustrating for their high-profile opponents as the second half began.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After 58 minutes however, it seemed that Port Talbot’s battling performance would be in vain as youngster Kyle Graves scored from outside the area with a deflected shot that beat Rogers after playing a one-two with Lee Trundle. The relief was evident across the Swansea City fans, players and bench but the unfancied home side were not about to let their hard work be undone and continued to prove their worth as they pressured their opponents in midfield and substitute Martin Rose, replacing former Swan Bond on the hour mark, came close to scoring an equaliser. A fine save from Gueret followed and it seemed Swansea City would hold onto their lead.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That would all change on 74 minutes. A free-kick from Lee John in the middle of the pitch brought a well-guided header back across goal from influential midfielder Dean Johnston that would ask questions of Gueret and his fumbled attempt to catch the ball offered the challenging duo of Matthew Rees and Richard French the opportunity to score from close range. French was credited with the goal although Rees appeared to make just as much contact as the home faithful at the Burns Road End celebrated their equalising goal. The tide had turned and the match would move into extra-time. Swansea City had substantially strengthened their side with the arrivals of Adebayo Akinfenwa and Tom Butler, a two-goal hero in the win over Sheffield United, but it was Port Talbot Town who looked the fitter of the two sides in extra-time as they enjoyed more possession and even hit the top of the crossbar through midfielder Dane Williams early on in the additional thirty-minutes. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With their main three strikers in Akinfenwa, Fallon and Trundle now occupying the forward positions it was inevitable that Swansea would create chances in extra time, but for every attempt they created on goal, Port Talbot Town seemed to respond by creating two of their own. A strike into the corner of the net from outside the area by Richard French appeared to be heading for the back of the net before Gueret made another fine save, and the match was now just five minutes away from heading to penalties. With undoubted quality in the Swansea City forward line, a shoot-out did not seem the best option for Port Talbot Town, if they were to win they would have to score in open play. They did.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Enter Andrew Mumford. A 111<sup>th</sup> minute substitute for Dane Williams, Mumford was a familiar face to the Swansea City crowd as he had been named the clubs Player of the Year just a few seasons before. Released from the club by former manager Brian Flynn, Mumford was now back in his previous surroundings of the Welsh Premier League, but his performances had not even warranted him a starting place for what would be a very personal occasion for the midfielder. Within five minutes of his arrival however, Mumford had moved from squad player to the hero of the hour, as he scored an incredible winning goal against the club that had ended his Football League career.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Defender Craig Hanford is a talented player in his position and regarded for his tackling ability far more than for his creative ball-playing skills. On this night of all nights however, things would be very different, as Hanford picked up the ball outside the area before threading a perfect ball between to Swansea defenders and onto the run of Mumford. With the pass from Hanford matching his long strides into the area, Mumford hit the ball first time and into the same corner that French had seen his shot saved in minutes earlier. Gueret had saved the first effort, but he would not save this one. With four minutes left in extra-time, Port Talbot Town were ahead for the first time in the game.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Desperate defending followed for what seemed an age, but after just over 120 minutes of action referee Steve Hames brought the game to a close and with it signalled emotional celebrations from the players, management and supporters of Port Talbot Town. The side from the Welsh Premier League had beaten the FA Cup heroes of Swansea City. What was important about the victory however was the manner of it. As the game had progressed Port Talbot had become the better side, Port Talbot Town had deserved their victory. As the post-match interviews rolled, Wayne Davies echoed the above – “I think we were just a little bit too good for them”. He was right. There was also a memorable quote in the South Wales Evening Post newspaper the following week, as sports reporter Mark Orders stated in his review of the week - “A good week for Port Talbot Town – Imagine what they would do to Sheffield United.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The opening line of this reflective blog stated the following – ‘When people reflect on their favourite moments and matches in football, it is easy to base judgement primarily on the result before considering the full ninety-minutes or more that had taken place’. On this occasion the result and performance were indeed matched by so much more, and that is why it was chosen. The drama started with Swansea City defeating Premier League Sheffield United in the FA Cup just a few days before the original fixture, this was then followed by the unheard of postponement due to a waterlogged pitch at Port Talbot Town. Roll forward a week and with a record crowd in attendance, one-time Swansea City Player of the Year Andrew Mumford scores the winning goal against the club that released him, after latching onto a previously unheard of perfect pass from Craig Hanford.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But there was something else, something far more poignant and significant than the story that unfolded on the field, as the match also marked the opening of the ‘Gerald McCreesh Stand’. With a safety certificate granted on the morning of the match, the 750-seater stand would be used for the first time and also filled to capacity for what would subsequently be a fitting occasion. Named in memory of the clubs late Vice-Chairman after his untimely passing, no better script could have been written, planned or played out than the two-hours of football that would mark the opening of the memorial to the outstanding contribution he made to the football club that he loved.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">People remember certain games, people remember certain moments from games, others reminisce on football occasions and stories that take place outside of the ninety-minutes. From the build-up the week before to the emotion of the victory and the occasion, to the stories that evolved on the field to the fact that a record crowd were there to witness, the match did indeed have it all. Standing behind the goal and in the same corner as Andrew Mumford’s winning strike, the initial impact of the result over-shadowed the sub-plots and romance that would evolve form the victory, but it is the collective memory of the match and its accompanying stories that single it out from countless others. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>If this article has excited you as much as it has us, check out the extended highlights of this fantastic game <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7aX2Tp7V0Y">here. </a></strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Visit <a href="http://www.markpitman1.com/">http://www.markpitman1.com/</a> for links to all blogs, news stories, features, reports and opinion as the big Welsh football news stories break. You can also follow Mark Pitman at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/1markpitman">www.facebook.com/1markpitman</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/markpitman1">www.twitter.com/markpitman1</a>.</span></span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-21090776531599805322011-03-24T02:20:00.006+00:002011-03-24T02:36:01.668+00:00My Favourite Match: Southampton 4-3 Norwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigikF4cSaFn9KOaGedP1Poj-fdbWfK5ZxHF3rq_3JrmSLKu6T9u9XWCL6KTKMbftS5riTewoKUO269DYvz14HbeQAZvg7B9LQbb0j2pBT56GuTkmTpzjoBW-jpn6jNaojmcZHfliuVZ2hn/s1600/Crouch+and+Camara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigikF4cSaFn9KOaGedP1Poj-fdbWfK5ZxHF3rq_3JrmSLKu6T9u9XWCL6KTKMbftS5riTewoKUO269DYvz14HbeQAZvg7B9LQbb0j2pBT56GuTkmTpzjoBW-jpn6jNaojmcZHfliuVZ2hn/s320/Crouch+and+Camara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.2pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Next on our list of favourite matches, we're truly "keeping it in the family" as Rob Buckett, cousin of Sam, recalls Southampton v Norwich from the 2004-2005 season. It's better than it sounds, honest. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Inevitably seeing this game in the midst of all the other fantastic matches that will be on the blog, this gem will be under estimated. It shouldn't be. This particular season in the Premier League was arguably one of the most enthralling in terms of exciting games. Arsenal beat Everton 7-0 in typical Gunners fashion, also narrowly beating Spurs in the North London derby 5-4 at White Hart Lane. This particular weekend was to an extent somewhat overlooked as the Champion's League semi-final between Liverpool and Chelsea was to be played out the following week. But for fans of Southampton, Norwich, Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, only one thing mattered in the next few weeks. Getting points necessary for survival.</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">At the tender age of nine, I personally had never been more nervous about a football match (barring my first competitive game, a 10-1 loss to Faringdon U'10s). Neither had my Dad. The Saints had struggled all season only winning five games, compared to Norwich’s six. For the first time in my life, I was concerned for the fate of my beloved club. The amount of times my Dad and I shared words, even eye contact, were very few. Nerves seeping through, just like it does for any football fan in this situation. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Home games at St. Marys had been limited in excitement for us that season. Loosing against Mourinho’s frustratingly brilliant Chelsea, drawing to Palace, City and Arsenal brought little excitement, with the exception of David Prutton pushing over Alan Wiley in an act which can only be described as ‘Di Canioesque.’ However, seeing such players as Didier Drogba and Robin Van Persie was a treat compared to what we had been used too: Paul Telfer and Jason Dodd didn’t really compare but the mighty Saints had a decent little team, or so I thought. Kevin Phillips, Jamie Redknapp and most of all Peter Crouch. So against a Norwich team that were as poor, if not poorer than us, we expected a cracking game. And what a cracker it was.</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The game started at a high tempo with Norwich taking the lead after three minutes through the on-loan David Bentley, moments later Saints hard man Matt Oakley equalised.</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">After a shaky start, the following fifteen minutes portrayed the Southampton fans faith in their team, chanting ringing around St. Marys. On the twentieth minute their support was duly rewarded when some good interplay between Kevin Phillips and Jamie Redknapp allowed Peter Crouch the opprtunity to volley home. The support from the home crowd was visibly encouraging the Saints players to take control of the game, only for them to throw the lead away once again; Norwich playboy Darren Huckerby forcing Danny Higginbotham to put the ball into the back of his own net. Thirty-one minutes played, four goals scored, let's just all calm down. Veteran Graeme Le Saux disagreed with my sentiment minutes later, rifling an unstoppable volley into the roof off the Canaries net past Rob Green, I didn't take it personally. Pleased to have regained the lead, Saints fans headed in for their nerve replenishing pint, only for Leon McKenzie to draw his side level once again via a Dean Ashton cross. Three-three at half-time. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">For the first time in my spectating career, my half-time tea and Kit-Kat, were unenjoyable ones. What was to follow could likely define Southampton’s fate in the Premier League and as the teams arrived for the second forty-five, I was more nervous than I'd been before kick off. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Moments back in to the game and tensions grew furthermore on the South coast as Antti Niemi pulled off two world class saves from the efforts of Dean Ashton and Simon Charlton. Groans rang round St. Marys as Henri Camara replaced Graeme Le Saux. A change of shape wasn't the issue; a poor season from the Senegalese striker had left fans acclaiming him with the pace of a cheetah, but the skill of a donkey. Opportunities came and went for both sides, with neither willing to over commit. However, as the game drew to a close, just as nails were getting to an unbearable level on the finger, the aforementioned Camara rifled in a twenty-five yard strike that whistled into the bottom corner, sending his side four-three up with minutes left to play. Old 'Arry had pulled it out of the bag, and as Southampton saw the game out, the Mule had won it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If a tear didn’t fall from the long suffering eyes of a Southampton fan on that day, they should be ashamed. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Since that very day, I’ve never been to a more exciting football match, which is probably understandable as I have seen Southampton through to now League One football. To be perfectly honest I wouldn’t have it any other way providing three quarters of the attendance at the Johnstone’s Paint trophy in which we won four-one makes me proud to be a Saint. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Perhaps also worth a mention would be the surprising two-nil win against Blackpool as recently as January this year, in which Ian Holloway labelled the Southampton fans for vocally questioning his club’s Premier League credentials. We may well see who is “having a laugh laughing” at the end of this season, when both clubs could once again face each other in the Championship. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I can concede the fact that the result didn’t provide a trophy, nor a penalty shootout and neither a place in the prestigious history books, but in the circumstances it left my Dad and I in ecstasy. For the first time we believed, believed that we would hold Premier league status for at least one more year.</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-50504272948686163532011-03-20T20:48:00.001+00:002011-03-20T20:51:52.291+00:00Why do I dislike Barca so?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUxbWlL8Uc4DZE9F558YzUsFAYHmq9ed6OkryqIqfXlUEtnQX8Dif63CXUJURF5HhyeMidAJi7msZdpT2lkby73actAtnu7D6ESf2CSTBa7ilWLvakQi7nTG_FH0kT-dyBI7GvLQt4K1f/s1600/148440795_ca178e58ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUxbWlL8Uc4DZE9F558YzUsFAYHmq9ed6OkryqIqfXlUEtnQX8Dif63CXUJURF5HhyeMidAJi7msZdpT2lkby73actAtnu7D6ESf2CSTBa7ilWLvakQi7nTG_FH0kT-dyBI7GvLQt4K1f/s1600/148440795_ca178e58ab.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last summer, two major transfers were played out like soap operas within the throngs of mass media. David Villa (signed) and Cesc Fabregas (who didn't) both pledged themselves to Barcelona, leaving Valencia and Arsenal looking like a man whose girlfriend had just been pinched by an entirely charming, beret-wearing poser, who also managed to do a really good job of assuring them they should be entirely flattered by all the attention. Barcelona are experts at this. The most widely fawned-over of all clubs, theirs is a velvet-gloved type of imperialism. It is time someone took a stand against all this, and showed the world what Barcelona really are: the world's most annoying club. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mainly, it's to do with their swooning self-entitlement; not so much the idea, but the manner in which they paint themselves as '<em>mes que un club</em>'. The fact is, all football teams are 'more than a club'. Oxford United do some cracking work in the community. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even more annoying is Barcelona's unshakable conviction that they are intrinsically <em>better</em>. Never mind the fact that they are such tyrants in Spanish football that they negotiate their own television deals. They've even now neglected their one redeeming feature, and gone from Mother Theresa to Bono with the signing of a $400 million sponsorship deal with the nation of Qatar. No other football club anywhere insists with such needy, weepy fervour that you love it. This is an intense batting of eyelashes and I refuse to swoon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then there is Barcelona's cultural imperialism. This a more subtle form of home invasion, than say, a shirt-flogging friendly in the Far East. Instead, Barca style themselves as an elite product: the kind of brand-obsessed people who feel they are above buying brands. Barcelona are an iPad team, a Bang & Olufsen team; something undeniably good, but yet somehow tarnished by the accumulation of universal approval. With this in mind, it's easy to be annoyed by manager, Pep Guardiola. He's clearly bright, probably very nice, but he spoils this by looking like a smug advertising-type; the sort of person who owns a vintage, stylishly chipped wall-length mirror. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above all, I dislike their tippy-tappy, non-contact style of play; deemed, like Barcelona themselves, as intrinsically 'good'. The popularity of this style owes a lot to the fact that it looks good on TV: a televisual style, suited to the armchair fan. It is so obviously and demonstrably high end. Ohh look - a backheel. This is good football, even if you know nothing about football. Accessibly high-spec, like a bottle £50 Sauvignon Blanc. Of course, it's nice to watch, but that doesn't mean it's 'better'. </div><br />
Those who know me will see this as a complete contradiction; for when Arsenal take to the pitch, I always see myself drawn to them. "It's beautiful to watch", I'd say; "there's nothing like them in the Premier League". But really, it's the fact they've won <em>nothing</em> playing <em>that</em> type of football that draws me in. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing something beautiful smashed in to a thousand pieces. <br />
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And perhaps that's the point: Barcelona <em>have</em> won trophies. Barcelona <em>are</em> brilliant. And Barcelona know it. <br />
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MottyAlex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-58832052690694743992011-03-20T01:59:00.001+00:002011-03-20T02:05:54.764+00:00My favourite match: Portugal 1-0 Netherlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rD7mNLDfNmLVubAO-OaZzmBVlmzqi0qd06nI-JF70zpjGqKbndbE9O45mH2QUZ07RIiSdM8J6W5VyoyLP7ht21dxTQZJaKVWhF39_8YuGVrkUYuTfA6mpBH5UP6dBHuW5DID4xs7IORW/s1600/37964.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rD7mNLDfNmLVubAO-OaZzmBVlmzqi0qd06nI-JF70zpjGqKbndbE9O45mH2QUZ07RIiSdM8J6W5VyoyLP7ht21dxTQZJaKVWhF39_8YuGVrkUYuTfA6mpBH5UP6dBHuW5DID4xs7IORW/s1600/37964.gif" /></a></div><br />
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<strong>Third in our 'My favourite match' series sees Carlos Santos - Toronto FC fanatic and founder of the <a href="http://tfcblogger.blogspot.com/">TFC Blog</a> - eulogise over the 2006 World Cup, round of 16 match between Portugal and the Netherlands. </strong><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For me, this game was one of the more memorable from the 2006 World Cup. The setting couldn’t have been more perfect. My niece’s birthday party brought together two sides of the family, fittingly Portuguese and Dutch. With a barbecue going strong and a bottomless cooler of beer, we all sat down to watch together.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the big stories prior to kick off was the dropping of Ruud Van Nistelrooy. A decision Van Basten would come to regret. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Portugal started the game with a four-four-three formation, penalty kick maestro Ricardo, in goal. Ricardo Carvalho, Fernando Meira made up the center-back partnership, with Miguel and Nuno Valente as full backs. In Midfield, Costinha, Maniche and Deco, with Figo, Ronaldo and Pauleta in front.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Similarly, it looked like the Netherlands were to play in a four-four-three shape, with Van Der Sar in goal. Boulharouz, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst and Ooijer in defence, Cocu, Sneijder and Van Bommel in midfield. Robben, Van Perise and Kuyt up front.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A methodical start by both teams, seemed to cancel one another out. However, soon enough the tone was set as Van Bommel went in studs up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s thigh. The injury sustained rendering him infective for the little time he spent on the field. This proved to be the first incident to raise the temperature as Ivanov, the Russian referee, chose to keep his card in his pocket. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Eventually the game began to open up, Arjen Robben, the flying Dutchmen, continued to be stonewalled in the final third by Miguel’s fantastic defensive work, aided by the covering Carvalho. The intense Nuremberg heat taking its toll on both sets of players, some visibly dripping with sweat inside the opening exchanges. “POR-TU-GAL” ringing from the crowd as they urged the game on. Moments later, a rush of blood earned Maniche a booking for a vengeful tackle on Van Bommel, the original foul was by Boulahrouz, but anyone would do. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the camera panned to a great sea of Orange in the stands, Van Basten could be seen standing calm and cerebral in front of his dugout. Big Phil screaming with arms waving in signals toward his players. I once read that big Phil provided each of his Brazil squad with a copy of ‘The Art of War’ in order to prepare mentally. He’d clearly read it too. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then on the 23rd minute, it happened, a piece of pure beauty and skill that would forever seal the memory of Maniche amongst fans worldwide. Deco on the right provided a laser pass to Pauleta who with back to goal, quickly layed the ball to the on rushing Maniche, who after side stepping his defenders fired a ferocious effort past Van Der Sar. The stadium erupted as Maniche ran towards the fans, screaming and thumping his chest. The Portugal fans were in ecstasy, pure nirvana. This was not the first time Maniche had scored against the Netherlands and the announcer echoed “the Netherlands must be heartily sick of Maniche”. They were. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After the restart the Portuguese fans provided a symphony of song once again, driving the team forward to attack. The Netherlands were temporarily deflated. Both teams unwilling to give an inch, the tackles started flying and the yellow cards handed out. Ronaldo unable to continue as a result of Van Bommel’s earlier challenge was subbed for Simao. Fighting back the tears, he wondered if his World Cup was over.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Soon after, Van Persie began to show his skill, turning defenders into pretzels and crossing into the box with no-one to connect. At the third time, he must have been wondering what Van Nistelrooy was doing on the bench. He’d have hammered one home. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the counter attacking football began to flow, with surging runs up field from both sides, discipline began to lapse. Some of the decisions by the referee seemed to be pure madness, Nuno Valente flew in to Arjen Robben, slamming his studs against his chest in the box. Goal Kick. Moments later the referee produced a second yellow card for Portuguese midfielder Costinha, heading into halftime with only ten men.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now a man down big Phil started the second half by pulling off Pauleta and bringing in Petit, exchanging the forward for some midfield solidarity. The Orange came out attacking and very nearly scored when Cocu blasted the ball from point blank range against the bar. As it bounced off the line and out, he couldn’t believe his luck. Once again, Ruud would have scored.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Netherlands soon began focusing their play through the middle of the park, no doubt due to the half time talk from Van Basten, and it was starting to see some success as several opportunities arose. Rafael Van Der Vaart was introduced on the fifty-sixth minute, replacing Mathijsen, increasing the pressure on the Portuguese defence. However, playing with a man less, Portugal almost capitalised on more than one occasion, playing effectively on the counter attack.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then on the fifty-eighth minutes, an altercation between Luis Figo and Van Bommel, saw the Real Madrid legend throw a head-butt, only to receive a yellow card. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon after Boulahrouz unwisely attempted some revenge, receiving his second bookable. The Orange swam the referee to no avail. Both teams now playing with ten men, Van Basten pulled off Van Bommel and introduced Heitinga, a midfielder for a defender.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Both teams continued to attack on the counter, fans chanting, fouls continued. In the seventy- third minute, tempers flared once again as Deco grabbed the ball to prevent a quick restart. Another yellow card saw the third sending off and Portugal down to nine men. As the Portuguese fans booed Ivanov, Big Phil seemed to be losing his marbles.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Moments later it looked like Kuyt would equalise, finding himself wide open in front of goal. Disappointingly he fired straight at Ricardo and the attack died out. Where was Ruud?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Further substitutions saw the introduction of Tiago and Vennegoor of Hesselink replacing Figo and Cocu respectively. Chances shortly followed at both ends of the field, only for referee Ivanov to incredibly add six minutes of stoppage time. As the one man advantage encouraged Holland to press for the equalizer, any such hope was cut short as Giovanni Van Bronckhorst leveled the deficit with another booking. Nine men each, with two minutes to play. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 276.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the final seconds of the game played out, players sent off for both teams could be seen sitting in the stands alongside one another in disbelief, in all sixteen bookings were given, a World Cup record. As the final whistle blew on one of the most dramatic games I have ever seen, Portugal progressed through to the next round where they would meet England once again.</span></span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-69688188455576194082011-03-18T03:27:00.007+00:002011-06-17T13:39:12.615+01:00My favourite match: Liverpool 3-3 A.C. Milan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LIxS6Lo_RUDD6f9gqpzgkubIAmUxL4srdz_E42j89_2MTSASrF64eDSZ2S1XaVKgI_srZm1y_x8_1yUMWmzLlKWC2z8Gz1_JzykZkOsUcdYRh3PIhrkddy56qQWaiZHNP4uaEw2P4dR2/s1600/Liverpool+Fan+2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LIxS6Lo_RUDD6f9gqpzgkubIAmUxL4srdz_E42j89_2MTSASrF64eDSZ2S1XaVKgI_srZm1y_x8_1yUMWmzLlKWC2z8Gz1_JzykZkOsUcdYRh3PIhrkddy56qQWaiZHNP4uaEw2P4dR2/s320/Liverpool+Fan+2005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Continuing our latest feature, Sam Buckett, co-founder and editor of Get the Mott and Buckett, recalls the greatest final of all time and his favourite ever match: the 2005 Champions League final, between Liverpool and A.C. Milan.</span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Born and raised in Oxfordshire, my love for Liverpool, whilst not geographically responsible, was inherent from the very beginning; full responsibility of which falls with my Dad. Although we don’t mention it now, he did once turn up to Rush Common Primary School circa. 1974 with a freshly knitted Leeds United bobble hat. However, soon after his persuasive elder brother introduced him to all conquering delights of LFC as European matches began to be televised more regularly. By the time he arrived at Fitzharrys Secondary both of the Buckett boys were firmly Red, and so have been every one since. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the season of 2004-2005 kicked off, things were looking good. I’d finally become a teenager and Liverpool had finally replaced Houllier with the exciting Rafa Benitez. Within days, a boyhood hero, Michael Owen, was shipped out and two promising signings made in Alonso and Garcia. The season ahead promised to be a good one, and having passed through puberty some time before, my full hopes for the year were vested in football rather than just balls. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, domestically, Liverpool were no more impressing than the season before, blowing hot and cold as Benitez instilled his first changes at the club. Eventually they would finish fifth, the first time since 1987 that Everton would finish higher. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But it was in Europe where the real excitement was, however similarly to the league, it didn’t start well. After a disappointing group stage, Liverpool found themself needing to beat Olympiacos in their final game by two clear goals. As much as I want to detail the ins and outs, the two brilliant substitutions, the strike, the steward embracing Benitez, and a catchphrase which until recently Andy Gray was most famous for, I shan’t. Liverpool went through 3-1, and both my Gramps and I did a little bit of wee as they did so.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On that note, I’m going to jump to the final. Between here and there we saw off Bayer Leverkusen, Juve’ and of course, Chelsea. And by the way, it did cross the line.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For twenty-one days following the victory over Chelsea, all I could think was “25<sup>th</sup> May 2005”. I’d written it over all my school books. I couldn’t sleep. Finally, Liverpool were in a European Cup final in my lifetime. I couldn’t have been more excited. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As tradition ruled, European nights were and still are spent (when at home) round my grandparents’ house, where my Granddad, Dad and I take over the lounge, served by my Nan. Usually burger and chips are on the menu, but on this occasion I was too nervous, I’d settle for a roll at half time if things were looking good I decided.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before the three of us had got comfortable there was already a shock, Harry Kewell was to start. In and out of the team with injuries, he’d failed to impress all season, but had somehow managed to convince Rafa to pick him ahead of Dietmar Haman, meaning Gerrard and Alonso would make up the central partnership with Riise and Luis Garcia either side. Most, including myself, had expected Hamann to start in the middle allowing Gerrard to play off the forward, Milan Baros. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The back four was as strong as possible, Finnan, Carragher and Hyypia with the weak link of Traore picked at left back. The decision to play John Arne Riise in front of him was made to give as much protection as possible to the Malian. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jerzy Dudek was of course between the sticks. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Opposingly, Milan seemed to have no weak links, progressing top of a tough group (Barcelona, Shakhtar and Celtic), and coasting past Man Utd, Internazionale and PSV to reach the Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul. Their line up on the evening needed no introduction: Dida, Maldini, Nesta, Stam, Cafu, Seedorf, Pirlo, Gattusso, Kaka, Crespo and Shevchenko. You’d have struggled to find a better player in any of their eleven positions, particularly in the diamond formation which so suited their four midfielders.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the teams emerged, the stadium was noticeably rocking. Of the 70,000 seats, Liverpool fans had managed to gain the overwhelming majority, walking, running, and in some cases climbing into the ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was going to feel like a home game. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gattuso though thought not, nonchalantly caressing the trophy on his way to the pitch. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the home team, Liverpool kicked off. By now excitement had merged into terror, and the heart of a young Sam Buckett strained to believe it had started. This was it. This was really it. Within seconds the ball was pumped long as Liverpool tried to expose the ageing Milan fullbacks, not to be, at least not yet. A composed Milan start earned a free-kick left of Dudek’s box, conceded by the man they planned to target, Djimi Traore. Andre Pirlo presided over the dead ball as the Rossoneri set up their first attack within the opening minute. As the ball curled in front of Liverpool’s new zonal marking system, they failed to attack the ball and Milan captain, Paolo Maldini, met it with a sweet right foot volley. Less than a minute had been played, and in what seemed like slow motion, the ball cannoned off the ground and past the helpless palm of Dudek. Disaster.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although it seems a strange thing to say, the goal almost settled my nerves. We liked to do things the hard way and surely now Milan would sit. They’re Italian after all. Well, apparently not. A mad twenty minutes passed, with chances for both sides. Both Riise and Hyypia came close for Liverpool, with Luis Garcis clearing a Hernan Crespo header off his own line. Harry Kewell was removed on the twenty-fourth minute, a thigh injury to the Aussie meant that Vladimir Smicer would get the chance to make his final appearance for the club.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If the first twenty-five minutes had been anything to go by, then there was sure to be more chances for both sides. And there was. Shevchenko had a goal disallowed for offside and squandered another opportunity moments later. At the other end, Liverpool had looked a lot less threatening, the biggest hope of an opportunity turned down by referee, Manuel Gonzalez, as Alessandro Nesta handled inside his own area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within seconds of the appeal, Kaka was carrying the ball deep into the Liverpool half, a cheeky chip on the inside of Traore left Shevchenko the easy task of squaring to strike partner Hernan Crespo, who duly delivered a second blow on the thirty-ninth minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If my nerves had been settled by the first goal, they’d been shattered by the second. Milan’s front three were overwhelming any defence Liverpool tried to stand up. The only hope now was to get to half time, regroup and try and find Robbie Fowler. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The thought of being two nil down at half time to a side with thirteen European Cup winners medals between them was a daunting one, and what happened next was devastating. As Kaka once again picked the ball up inside his own half, he played what I consider to be one of the greatest; if not the greatest pass I’ve ever seen, slicing the Liverpool back four open like a knife through butter. Once again Hernan Crespo finished the move with an equally delicious finish. “Game well and truly over” said Andy Gray.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the half time whistle was blown, moments after the third goal, Milan had not only broken the hearts of millions of Liverpool fans worldwide, they’d proceeded from the very first minute to cut it into tiny pieces and embarrass us on the biggest stage in football . As the tears began to roll down my face, I’d seen enough. I even refused my Nan’s advances of a marmite roll. I couldn’t stomach it. As the fifteen minutes passed all I could hope for was perhaps a goal, a bit of respectability. Very little was said between the three of us, two cups of tea and one can of coke drank in an atmosphere which can only be compared to that of a wake. It felt like someone had died, at thirteen I’d have probably taken that over the impossible task ahead. At nineteen, I'd still take that now. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Meanwhile in Istanbul, something special was happening. Nearly every report you read differs, but one thing is for certain, something happened in that Liverpool dressing room at half time, something that would go down in legend. One thing I’m sure about is that Steve Finnan, the Liverpool right-back was replaced by Dietmar Hamann. The Irishman was adjudged to be injured by the physio and unable to carry on, despite his protests. As he slumped into the shower, Didi was given his final instructions, and a new shape was to emerge for the second half. If they were to achieve the impossible, they’d need to go for it, forget throwing the sink, they’d literally have to remove all white goods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hamann was tasked with protecting the new back three, quelling Kaka’s creativity and allowing Gerrard and Alonso to go forward without inhibition. Milan inevitably believed they had it won. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As both teams appeared for the second fourty-five, the Liverpool anthem bellowed from around the stadium; surely more in pride than hope. It was at this moment that I was reminded by my Dad to not give up the faith, “when you walk through a storm” and all that. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As they kicked off, the new shape of the Liverpool side allowed a much freer, interlinking midfield to stretch the game as Milan sat on what would surely be more than enough to see them through. Liverpool continued to dominate as Alonso sent a thirty yard effort inches wide of the post, it wasn’t happening yet, but the belief that we could at least gain something from the match was starting to warm slightly. By now the more advanced role of Alonso was causing Milan problems, and as he played the ball wide to John Arne Riise, we had an extra man in the box. His cross was met by Steven Gerrard, and as if by sheer will, the captain forced his header into the far corner of the net, sending the Ataturk stadium, Merseyside and my Nan’s front room into raptures. As he ran back to his own half, waving hands aloft in encouragement to players and fans alike, Gerrard embodied the spirit of Liverpool.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What happened next, can only be described as impossible. Substitute Vladimir Smicer, the man making his final appearance for the club, received the ball thirty yards from goal. As the Czech pushed the ball in front of him, I knew he’d score. He hadn’t looked particularly lively; he hadn’t in fact looked that lively for the last few seasons, but as he unleashed a thunderbolt from twenty-five yards, I knew it was going in. I don’t know why, but before the ball had hit the back of the net I was celebrating. Three minutes before we we’re three goals behind, somehow we’d gone from wanting to save face to one goal behind. To say Milan looked shell-shocked is an understatement, the Italians were startled and showed little sign of regaining composure. And then, for some reason, unknown to all including himself, Jamie Carragher was unleashed in the Milan half. Perhaps he knew what was coming, his pass sent Gerrard into the box, only for Gennaro Gattuso to bring the skipper down. If I’d leapt with excitement at the first goal, I nearly put myself through the ceiling this time. Penalty. Disbelief set in, here was the chance to draw level after being three goals behind to arguably the best team in Europe. I couldn’t watch. As I peered from behind a cushion, I was pleased to see Gerrard give the ball to Alonso, the captain’s penalty activity of late had not been up to usual standards and the Spaniard had been ably replacing him for much of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seconds later I was regretting my decision as Dida provided a strong hand down to his right, the ensuing milliseconds seemed like decades as Alonso chased down the rebound, finishing high into the net at the second opportunity. Three-Three. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The commentator screamed “It’s wonderful, it’s marvellous”. It really was. As I flew around the front room, embracing any family member I could grab, I realised that I would never forget the last six minutes. The best three-hundred and sixty seconds of my life (don’t tell the missus).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To say the next thirty minutes were strange, is once again, an understatement. Both teams were in shock. Neither knew whether to press or to sit. Both had chances and both squandered the best of them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the final whistle blew, I still couldn’t quite believe that I wasn’t in the car on the way home.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So to extra time, both teams were visibly tired, leaving chances few and far between. Ragged shape on both accounts meant that at points Gerrard was playing as a right back, centre mid and playmaker, such is the man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pirlo and Tommason the only two players with any view on goal in the first fifteen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the clock ticked towards penalties Jamie Carragher made two important interceptions whilst visibly suffering from cramp, throwing himself on balls like a good soldier on a bomb. Then with seconds to go, a lofted ball into the Liverpool box was met by the head of Shevchenko, only for Polish keeper Dudek to push the chance away. As the Ukrainian’s momentum carried him forward the opportunity to place Milan’s name on the trophy presented itself as the rebound landed at his feet inches from goal. If the night hadn’t of been outrageous enough already, the save produced by Dudek was nothing short of world class. As he recovered, standing to his feet, he turned and nodded his head; “you might as well start engraving Liverpool on this trophy now” rang from the commentary box. Full time in extra time: penalties.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the players regrouped, I was confident. Even more so when I saw Carra reminding Dudek of Grobbelaar’s exploits in ’84. Milan to take first, and substitute Serginho blasted horribly high. Advantage Liverpool, and in such situations who else could you call upon than Dietmar Hamann? The German had almost singlehandedly, without scoring albeit, turned around Liverpool’s game. He finished coolly as I knew he would. Next for Milan, Andrea Pirlo. Wobbling on the line, Dudek read the Italian’s stuttering run and dived to his right to push away a soft effort. At which point I was ordered to calm down. It’s not over yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t, and as the Lord of Frogham Manor (Djibril Cisse) stood up, I understood my Dad’s cynicism. He needn’t have worried as the Frenchman sent Dida the wrong way, 2-0. Charismatic Dane, John Dahl Tomasson sent my heart racing once again as he scored for Milan at the third attempt, only for Riise to miss the following spot kick. Next up, Kaka, back then he didn’t miss from inside the box, and he made no mistakes smashing the ball past the keeper. Up rolled the Czech, as if he hadn’t done enough on his final appearance for the club, here was the opportunity to give his side the advantage going into the final two pens. Dida stayed put, and Vladi signed off with a strike into the bottom corner. One penalty left each, and if Shevchenko missed there would be no need for Gerrard to step up, the trophy would be in his hands. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Shevchenko stepped forward, he looked shocked. How could this be happening? They were celebrating as champions at half time and now he needed to score from the spot to keep his side in with a chance. Dudek shifted on the line, diving to his right as the Ukrainian dispatched the spot kick. Time stopped, for me anyway, as the Pole left an outstretching left hand in its path. Saved.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Liverpool had produced the greatest come-back since Lazarus and won the European Cup. Finally, Steven Gerrard joined the likes of Emlyn Huges, Graeme Souness and Phil Thompson. Never had it been more deserved. As my Dad drove me home, scarf out of window, tooting supporters in the street, the tears that rolled down my face only a few hours ago couldn’t have been farther from my mind. What a bloody night.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buckett</span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-7175914756132557952011-03-14T16:31:00.000+00:002011-03-14T16:31:19.177+00:00My favourite match: Juventus 2-3 Manchester United<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5RKd7iSNX8EqtacJmG725Gq9wBo-wq1g99mEDkzqqasUH_d2-q6BWCOsW4t23_7taq4OU0XaZuA3oOjtxsb-5yjMLvBmsjUT5mIfZTvh-hM8GzmkWtOPkhoWngEJ0pOAq80jRX8QaUro/s1600/1286560_jpg_20428_0_display_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5RKd7iSNX8EqtacJmG725Gq9wBo-wq1g99mEDkzqqasUH_d2-q6BWCOsW4t23_7taq4OU0XaZuA3oOjtxsb-5yjMLvBmsjUT5mIfZTvh-hM8GzmkWtOPkhoWngEJ0pOAq80jRX8QaUro/s1600/1286560_jpg_20428_0_display_image.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>In the first of a new series, Alex Mott, co-founder and editor of Get the Mott and Buckett, looks back on his favourite game: the 1999 Champions League semi-final, second leg between Juventus and Manchester United.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd flirted with Chelsea and Newcastle in previous seasons - being seven at the time, I think I'm exempt from the inevitable criticism - but it was the Treble winning United side that ignited a fire inside me that has not since gone out. I was unsure about the game before them. It never really interested me. France '98 the previous summer, just seemed like an excuse for my dad not to take me to the park. I remember watching England vs Argentina, and not being <em>that </em>bothered by David Batty's missed penalty. So why Alex Ferguson's men struck such a chord with me, I do not know. Perhaps it was the unhinged intimidation of Peter Schmeichel. Perhaps it was the bombastic runs of Denis Irwin and Gary Neville. Perhaps even it was the immaculate flowing locks of David Beckham. All of these are possible, but it was more likely the partnership between Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole that cemented my love.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd love to say, as a child, Ronaldo or Batistuta were my heroes; that the mystique of football on the continent entranced me into playing. But that would be a lie. What made me want to play the game was the telepathic connection between two men; one from Nottingham, the other, Trinidad and Tobago. Two people who had never previously met, and yet managed to strike up the greatest goalscoring partnership British football had ever seen. This game, it transpired, would prove to be its crowning glory. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first leg at Old Trafford had ended in a 1-1 draw. Ryan Giggs with a last minute goal for United, which, if truth be told, they barely deserved. A midfield triumvirate of Conte, Davids and Zidane completely out-manoeuvred United's British quartet; an away-goal was the least they merited. Advantage <em>la vecchia signora</em>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The stage was set for the second-leg. United would have to score. Juve were going for their third consecutive Champions League final. And as luck would have it, they were the masters of the 1-0 win. It would be a cagey affair; typically Italian. Or so it was thought.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The atmosphere was electric, not only at the Stadio della Alpi but in the Mott household. As far as I was concerned, this was the most nervous I'd ever been. As the flares went off in Northern Italy, I prayed for a United goal. Six minutes in: disaster. As Zidane played a short corner, his teasing cross came all the way across the six-yard box and was met at the far-post by Pippo Inzaghi. 1-0 on the night; 2-1 on aggregate. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As if I wasn't inconsolable enough, five minutes later, Juve made it two. Conte on the far-hand touchline made a cutting ball into the box. Inzaghi had his back to goal. Jaap Stam marshalling him tightly. Then, something that hadn't happened all season: Stam was turned. With that extra half-yard of space, Inzaghi got his shot away. It looked tame, Schmeichel would save. But an inexplicable deflection took the ball over the giant Dane. 2-0 Juventus; 3-1 on aggregate. Just as I'd found my love for football, it seemed a tiny Italian would be the one to take it away. How could it be this cruel? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Game over. I was ready to give up. Thankfully for me, Roy Keane wasn't quite ready to abandon the cause. It may have been the Cole/Yorke combo who made me want to play, but it was <em>this </em>Roy Keane performance that showed me <em>how</em>. A mere mention of Keane and Turin to United fans would make them - those who are usually stoney-faced at a funeral - go misty-eyed. On 24 minutes, a Beckham corner was met at the front-post by the Irishman, and flcked past the flapping Angelo Peruzzi. Unbelievably, United were back in the game. From then on, Keane's hypnotic passing and tireless energy dragged the Red Devils up from the abyss. Juventus looked into his eyes and saw only an absolute certainty that United would go through. They would have been less scared if Pol Pot had of walked onto the pitch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At 2-1, Keane was booked for a cynical foul on Conte. It meant he would be banned for the final. Such was the character of the man, this only spurred him on. 10 minutes later the strikers' telepathic connection come to the fore. Andy Cole on the right-hand side put in a pin-point cross towards Yorke. Mark Iuliano was caught flat-footed. The smiling Tobagan flung himself at the ball: 2-2. Astonishing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Half-time came, and at the point where my dad would normally send me to bed, even he realised this was something special. I was allowed to watch the second half. Half-past-nine on a school night; I couldn't believe my luck. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second half was a blur; a mixture of tiredness and nervousness. Fighting to keep my eyes open, Inzaghi had a goal ruled out correctly for offside. Moments later, Denis Irwin went on a mazy run down the left flank and caught Peruzzi unawares with a rasping shot. As the ball flew past the 'keeper, it looked for all the world as if the hideously underrated Irishman would score the goal to confirm United's passage to the final. It hit the post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Six minutes to go, and United were going through on away-goals. It was a tightrope perilously close to snapping. Inzaghi was still being a thorn in Stam's side. Zidane was, as always, pulling strings. A Davids' shot was saved by Schmeichel. He pumped the ball forwards. Hanging forever in the air, Iuliano tried to clear first time. The ball rolled towards Dwight Yorke, 25 yards out. With one touch he took it towards the central-defensive pairing; with the other he skipped through them. Both players falling flat on their backs. Striding towards goal, Yorke took the ball round Peruzzi, only for the 'keeper to bring him to the ground. Penalty! No. The referee had played advantage, and the onrushing Andy Cole tapped the ball into the unguarded net. 2-3 United. 3-4 on aggregate. The English champions had made it to their first European Cup final for 31 years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As Fergie sprinted along the touchline, I joined him in my living room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I could have picked any number of games as my favourite of all-time: Hungary 6-3 England for its lasting impression on football in our country; AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona for it being the best performance in a European Cup final; Brazil 4-1 Italy for the same reasons, only on the international stage. But I didn't. I chose this match because, ultimately, it's the match that made me love football. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Motty</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-42456167228579044502011-03-04T21:06:00.000+00:002011-03-04T21:21:08.936+00:00The real Championship Manager: The life and times of Andre Villas-Boas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQgQ9d056RX72HP4HjWd5ZWrzvr0d9vQU-hXAFzkThu77C8vAMO7nEqApYMDYQhbfn_zqLhixP9AWn4DMzWBwzELWT4So6DpSRMYgd1pHlQtsSNVlfQxqC7JBQwStMNJ0_732nPMfhOF3/s1600/Andre+Villas-Boas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQgQ9d056RX72HP4HjWd5ZWrzvr0d9vQU-hXAFzkThu77C8vAMO7nEqApYMDYQhbfn_zqLhixP9AWn4DMzWBwzELWT4So6DpSRMYgd1pHlQtsSNVlfQxqC7JBQwStMNJ0_732nPMfhOF3/s400/Andre+Villas-Boas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Championship Manager</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Andres Villas-Boas is possibly my favourite man on the planet. He's a man you could be. He's everything you've ever dreamed of, and so much more. He's an inspiration and best of all, you'd get on with him. He'd be impressed by your European reign with Blackpool and how you've managed to keep Van Nistelrooy scoring into 2023. He's the best friend I've never had (Sorry Motty), and here's why . . . </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Heading into this weekend’s fixture with Guimaraes, FC Porto hold an eight point lead over their nearest rivals Benfica at the top of Liga Sagres. A feat only surpassed by Borussia Dortmund in Europe’s top footballing nations. But while Dortmund have their own young-gun at the helm, forty-three year old Jurgen Klopp, Porto have someone not only younger, but someone ten years younger. Someone undeniably better looking than Jurgen Klopp, and someone who never played the game himself. Andres Villas-Boas is the first love child of the Championship Manager generation, and hopefully not the last.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But how does a 33 year old, who never played professionally, end up coaching one of his nation’s most illustrious clubs? Once you’ve read this, that last statement will sound like nothing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As with everything in life, Villas-Boas’ journey started with a little lucky. Imagine visiting your grandparents and bumping into the ‘Special One’. Mixu Paatelainen would be enough to knock most off their stride, especially outside your Nana’s. But not Villas-Boas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1994, after discovering that Bobby Robson had moved into the same apartment block as his Geordie grandmother, the seventeen year old bombarded the new Porto manager with questions and requests at any given chance. Soon enough the pair struck up a friendship, with Robson impressed by the youngster’s inquisitive nature. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumour even has it that the young man would openly question his new found friend’s tactics and offer his solutions. Cheeky.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before long Villas-Boas became part of FC Porto furniture. Attending training sessions, matches and meeting people such as recently departed school teacher, Jose Mourhino. A work experience spell with Ipswich Town and George Burley, and the achievement of his UEFA C coaching badges followed, only furthering the young man’s ambitions, and eventually he was hired by Porto’s observation team.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Robson’s impact, a domestic cup and two league titles in the space of three years signalled a huge turnaround in fortunes for the club. A turnaround which resulted in an approach from Spanish giants, Barca. Once again Robson was off to pastures new, famously taking Mourinho with him. But he knew he’d left them with someone just as valuable.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Having filled a number of roles at Porto, including coaching several of the youth teams, Villas-Boas amazingly took his first leap into international football in 2000. At the age of twenty-one he was appointed Technical Director of the British Virgin Islands, making him the youngest international manager on the planet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After less than a year, he was back at Porto, this time taking charge of the clubs under-19s. It was at this time that, if it hadn’t already, his career really took off. Mourinho’s return to the club in 2002, this time as manager, lead to the appointment of Villas-Boas as Head of Observation, the unit he first found himself employed in only a few years before. Unprecedented success followed, both domestic and European, famously attaining the clubs second European Cup and first for seventeen years. Mourinho’s achievements, like his mentors, did not go unnoticed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Of course, England and Chelsea were the destination for Mourinho. And this time, the exodus included the young pretender too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now twenty-seven, Villas Boas fulfilled much the same role as he had previously at Porto, preparing details for both the players and management on the upcoming opposition. Wayne Rooney once detailed how Fabio Capello spent half an hour discussing one throw in with Glen Johnson, if Villa-Boas had been there, by all accounts it would have taken much longer. His attention to detail and thorough attitude lead to Mourhino describing him in 2005 as his “eyes and ears”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was with these assets that between 2004-2007, Mourinho achieved two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup, and several European adventures. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The next step on his amazing journey, of course coincided with the departure of the ‘Special One’ from Chelsea, and his arrival at Internazionale nine months later. Once again he fulfilled a similar role in both scouting and pre-match preparation, compiling DVDs, documents and in the case of Marco Materazzi; nicely coloured diagrams. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, success followed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, having now reached the ripe old age of 30, Villas-Boas felt it the right time to jump into management, resigning from Inter at the beginning of the 09-10 season in search of his first managerial role. Excluding international football of course.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then, in October 2009, fifteen years after meeting Bobby Robson for the first time, Andre Villas-Boas was appointed the brand new Head Coach of Academia, his first domestic managerial role, and by no means an easy one. Of a possible twenty-four points since the beginning of the season, Academia had achieved just three, leaking goals and failing to score any themselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, eight games later, Villas-Boas had inspired a turn around. From the bottom of the league, they now found themselves in eleventh, where they would eventually finish, and becoming a difficult team to beat. The new manager had instilled not only belief in the players, but a way of managing they hadn’t seen before, with preparation paramount to any success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Success which came most prominently in a wonderful cup run, cut short in the semi-final by guess who? Porto.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One year in and Villas-Boas had saved a team from what seemed like certain relegation, inspired a cup run and began to be appreciated as neither a coach nor a scout, but a manager. All by the way, while he admitted to still relaxing by playing Championship Manager, this story just gets better. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Of course, the inevitable came true, the fairy-tale came to life, and Villas-Boas got his job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to get, in every sense of the phrase <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘their man’</i>, Porto parted company with Jesualdo Ferreira, the manager who had brought them three league titles in as many years. Leaving those without the full story, a little bewildered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now, nine months on from his appointment, no one is bewildered and the Villas-Boas story is truly blossoming. Eight points clear at the top of the league, Wikipedia reporting that he’s now surpassed Mourinho’s record of 33 matches unbeaten across all competitions (who am I to argue?), linked with a host of top European jobs, Villas-Boas’ Porto revolution, likes those of his two mentors; Robson and Mourinho, is not going unnoticed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Potential Liga Sagres and Europa League success await Porto at the end of the season. Potentially, much more than that awaits Villas-Boas.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buckett</span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-51960422927690143152011-03-03T16:46:00.000+00:002011-03-03T16:51:44.581+00:00Despite what the medals say, Ryan Giggs is not one of United's all-time greats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1mMiOuYqXZsLWCeLPe-hr0rt6iflyfCLv0caR0SD-LZlYWwb05IPuo4kcmGBGGGGJUCMijFF6BChTnp2eXCpiRq71Db6TtgHtj8C98HCvkLUujopr6ByI6g05DJk4H143vO5BGTrJi7D/s1600/ryan-giggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1mMiOuYqXZsLWCeLPe-hr0rt6iflyfCLv0caR0SD-LZlYWwb05IPuo4kcmGBGGGGJUCMijFF6BChTnp2eXCpiRq71Db6TtgHtj8C98HCvkLUujopr6ByI6g05DJk4H143vO5BGTrJi7D/s1600/ryan-giggs.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>In the week that sees the 20th anniversary of Ryan Giggs's Manchester United debut, his long and decorated career deserves to be celebrated. But his actual contribution to all those medals can still be disputed. So here at Get the Mott and Buckett we are going against the media grain and explaining why the curly-haired Welshman definitely isn't one of United's all-time greats. Just please hear us out. </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Villa Park, Birmingham. April 14th 1999. Arsenal 1, Manchester United 1. 109 minutes gone. It had been a properly epic FA Cup semi-final. Davd Beckham with a luscious strike from 30 yards in the first half. Dennis Bergkamp with another long-range effort in the second to equalise. A Roy Keane sending off. A disallowed Nicolas Anelka goal. And a missed Arsenal penalty. Into extra-time, and it looked for all the world that the 10 men of United would collapse under relentless Arsenal pressure. Then, from a misplaced Viera pass, we all know what happened next. Once touch passed Viera, passed Parlour, passed Dixon, passed Keown and then struck high into the roof of David Seaman's net. The greatest chest hair in FA Cup history; perhaps the greatest goal as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the <em>Sky </em>commentary, Andy Grey had only one response: "I'll tell you what that is Martin: that's genius". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since then, Ryan Giggs has been a model professional, a loyal servant and a decorated Old Trafford hero. But a genius? Never to <em>that </em>degree.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past week, Giggs celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Manchester United debut. Should United go on to win the Premier League title this year, it will Giggs's 12th league winners medal. A British record. He can add that to two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, four League Cups and one World Club Championship. And to top off all of this silverware, Giggs was recently named United's greatest ever player in a current magazine poll. This is perhaps unsurprising given he possess one the greatest medal collections in football history. Unsurprising, but perhaps undeserved. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It would be dangerous to confuse longevity with quality.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the start of his career, Giggs was the undoubted heir to George Best's crown. Lightning wit, unfathomable acceleration, fleetness of foot, an eye for goal and, generally, an uncatchable air of brilliance. That period between 1992-1994 were arguably Giggs's most productive in a United shirt. His goal ration of 1:3 has not been repeated by him since. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It says a lot about how brilliant he was in those first couple of years, that the season immediately afterwards - 1994/95 - his performances, and goal-scoring record of one in 29 games caused such huge media debate, (remember, before David Beckham, Ryan Giggs was<em> the</em> poster-boy of English football). Some put it down to his relationship with Dani Behr, others to his wild lifestyle. More sensible commentators put it down to a natural period of burn-out, attributable to the fact that he had played so much so young. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This dip in form coincided with a pivotal Champions League campaign for Alex Ferguson and his men. The manager attempted to take his team's adventurous, attacking style away from Old Trafford, only to see it picked apart by both Barcelona and IFK Gothenburg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was after these defeats that Ferguson realised he had to add greater sophistication to United. A calm head in European storms. Still young, and in his formative years, Giggs's career path represents this experiment more than anyone else. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just like with his team, Ferguson began a process of rounding off Giggs; adding composure to his crossing, astuteness to his acceleration.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In giving the Welshman a more rounded game, Ferguson took away his most enduring quality: unpredictability. From 1994/95 onwards, he was always too bound by team perfection. We never frequently saw him cutting loose like he had done. He had too much responsibility. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, that FA Cup wonder goal was the exception rather than the norm. But it's often forgotten that fellow winger Jesper Blomqvist made more appearances than Giggs during that glorious Treble season. His effect was never quite as glamorous as 20 years of memories seem to make out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Simply, Ferguson had to rebuild Giggs for the team, rather than build the team around Giggs. There was always someone better, more superior to be made the focal point. Between 1992-1997 it was Eric Cantona. In later periods, all of Dwight Yorke, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo passed Giggs in both importance and effect. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It also, undoubtedly, speaks volumes that the years when Giggs <em>was</em> one of United's most experienced and influential players, 2003-2006, the Red Devils won next to nothing. Nor should it be forgotten that, although he scored a penalty, Giggs wasn't named in the starting XI for the 2008 Champions League final. Througout that spell of success between 2006-2009, Giggs remained a valued squad member; but not a vital one. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, none of this is to actually criticise Ryan Giggs. He has been an outstanding ambassador, not just for Manchester United but for English football in general. A wonderful gentleman, and a credit to the club he so dearly loves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">20 years is an amazing feat, I just don't think we should confuse continuance with class. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Motty</div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-15711626074651953342011-03-02T21:12:00.000+00:002011-03-02T21:12:31.335+00:00Guns don't hurt work experience boys, left-backs do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvjx35-qRFryR1YP5chD3t-Tjwq76mEmKPFRHbZQeAYi6nkojYDedKjNfNtp_PbPLQVld90CVdYdYDj4NfdrOqgoAtO3Ulvw12479941_KoteNg1g4PpOQtr4crOp1pTtT5yk8x6L3ZZT/s1600/PA-10228990-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvjx35-qRFryR1YP5chD3t-Tjwq76mEmKPFRHbZQeAYi6nkojYDedKjNfNtp_PbPLQVld90CVdYdYDj4NfdrOqgoAtO3Ulvw12479941_KoteNg1g4PpOQtr4crOp1pTtT5yk8x6L3ZZT/s320/PA-10228990-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>When I was first told on Sunday that Ashley Cole had been caught making another man's bottom bleed, I have to say that I wasn't entirely surprised; then I realised that I'd got the wrong end of the stick, and it was actually an air-rifle that had caused the damage. A delve into the annuls of history however reveal that Cole isn't the only footballer to have caused trouble with their loaded weapon. (I can't promise that will be the last of the nob jokes).</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Diego Maradona</strong></div><br />
'<em>El Diego in being absolutely stark-raving mental shock</em>' probably wasn't a headline at the time, but it's really the only way of describing this story. In February 1994, five months before his drug-shame at the World Cup, Maradona was caught outside his Buenos Aires home firing bullets at gathering journalists. TV footage of the incident showed Maradona crouched behind a Mercedes with two other men. Four years later, he received a two year suspended sentence, "At least this exemplary case does show that there is justice for all," explained Daniel Talemoni, one of the four journalists injured by Maradona. <br />
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<br />
<strong>Darren Bent</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2004/may/13/newsstory.sport10">The England striker received a caution back in 2004</a> after a 12-year-old boy was shot in the back with a pellet gun. Bent, who was an Ipswich player at the time, was released without charge. A police spokeswoman said: "He has been given a formal caution in respect of his actions." Even back then, he was dealing in shots on target.<br />
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<br />
<strong>Javier Florez </strong><br />
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The Colombian midfielder got slightly carried away when his Atletico Junior team lost to Once Caldas in 2009. Driving away after the match, the south American shot into a group of Junior supporters who were chanting "weak, weak, weak" at him. One man was killed in the incident. Florez said that he had been "drunk and angry" when the shooting happened, before adding: "He really upset me, but I repent it with all my heart. I just hope people know how much I've suffered". He was released on a £450,000 bail and subsequently sentenced to three years' probation. <br />
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<br />
<strong>John Oster</strong><br />
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The Sunderland player shot a member of the clubs' reserve team with a pellet gun back in 2002. Mark Maley - the reserve player in question - had his career tragically cut short because of the incident. After an out-of-court settlement was reached, Oster had this to say: <br />
<blockquote>"The air rifle was just a freak incident. We were larking about in my flat on a Sunday morning and I thought the safety catch was on. It went off and it hit him in the eye. It was strange to say the least because it didn't fire straight at the best of times. I thought he was messing about and then I realised his eye was bloodshot.<br />
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"I haven't spoken to him for a while. I had a claim against me which has just gone through, so I have had to go through the process of using solicitors because he sued me; that had been going on for a few years. We settled out of court which we have just agreed. We were mates, it was a complete accident and he's not in any way bitter towards me, but the fact is that he had to finish his career because of me."</blockquote><br />
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<strong>Faustino Asprilla </strong><br />
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The former Newcastle and Colombian centre-forward was always outlandish on the pitch: overhead kicks, unpredictable goal celebrations and spats with fellow professionals. But it was a shooting incident in 2008 that really proved his penchant for the bizarre. Driving in his homeland with friends, a national security checkpoint refused to let Asprilla's vehicle continue due to the fact that they were carrying a loaded gun on board. A shoot-out ensued in which 28 machine-gun bullets were fired at security forces. No one was injured, but Asprilla was placed under house-arrest. "Seven people who were with me have not yet testified, and so I think it's a bit premature for me to be convicted," said Asprilla. "In fact, it reminds me of a movie that I once saw called Minority Report with Tom Cruise, in which people end up in jail even before you've committed the crime or even been tried." In all fairness, two years at Newcastle would reduce anyone to becoming a machine-gun-wielding-maniac. <br />
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MottyAlex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849735364301661798.post-48457260094469142412011-02-25T19:07:00.000+00:002011-02-25T19:58:41.178+00:00Do we really need the League Cup in 2011?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FevbUrOePtpqqvnu_E1NpTPbHCtrkYK2fAcXO1DbTdb1xlyKTzthnZyPG29ixHqcUZ-G8Hwdf8fJTUNygpUdWOpFTboKnkkMHtSucD8GS-_CyM9TDYyFFLB9OdkPRA74_MTU4XMAjyeh/s1600/Arsenal+v+Birmingham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FevbUrOePtpqqvnu_E1NpTPbHCtrkYK2fAcXO1DbTdb1xlyKTzthnZyPG29ixHqcUZ-G8Hwdf8fJTUNygpUdWOpFTboKnkkMHtSucD8GS-_CyM9TDYyFFLB9OdkPRA74_MTU4XMAjyeh/s400/Arsenal+v+Birmingham.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find us on twitter @gtmabfootball and on Facebook @Gtmab Blogspot</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On Sunday, Arsenal and Birmingham will walk out on to the Wembley turf to do battle for the first silverware of the season. A win for Wenger would secure the North London side’s first trophy in over five years, ending a long fruitless wait for the Gunners faithful. Victory for Birmingham, currently three points above the drop-zone, could no doubt be the boost needed to turn their season around. But are we interested? And more so, will the Arsenal fans thirst for trophies really be quenched by a Carling Cup? And would most Bluenoses not swap a victory on Sunday for 3 points back on New Year’s Day? Points which would see them sitting just off the top half of the table. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The League Cup has always played as an understudy to the F.A Cup, but whilst it provides many less giant killings than its counterpart by only allowing Football League teams to enter, hence the name, it does offer the opportunity of European competition to its winners. Something the Birmingham players will no doubt have in the back of their minds on Sunday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ten years ago, Birmingham reached the same stage of the competition, eventually losing via a marathon penalty shoot-out to Liverpool. This being the last time a second-tier side has reached the final. So with a decade past since a ‘League’ team has reached the final of the League Cup, let alone win it, it’s little wonder many are beginning to show increasing disinterest towards the competition. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ironically, the other side in this weekend’s final, are partly to blame for the demise of the tournament. For many of the last ten years in question, Arsenal have used the competition as an opportunity to rest first team players, instead making use of both their reserve and youth squads. This season has been a little different, with increasing pressure on the club to win a trophy, Wenger has more often than not fielded a strong, if not his strongest side. However, Wenger’s former approach to the competition has stuck, and many other Premier League teams, even those with very little chance of achieving any other silverware, continue to field weakened sides. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Surely then this must have opened up the competition to those in the lower divisions, and those Premier League sides taking the competition seriously? Apparently not. Of the last twenty League Cup finalists, only six have not been Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea or Tottenham. So not only are the top teams fielding weakened sides, but they’re overwhelmingly winning the competition. It can be argued that if these sides didn’t field weakened teams they would reach finals with even more regularity, maybe so, but it would certainly boost the profile of the tournament once again, and perhaps go as far as eradicating the saying “It’s only the Carling Cup”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But let’s face it, in an age when winning the European Cup is rewarded with the princely sum of around 7 Million Euros, are the top teams ever going to want to field their best side, or for that matter be able to? The increasing over-congestion of fixtures in the British season means that top sides can be expected to play with much more regularity than their European counterparts, many of whom are gifted the luxury of a winter break and not competing in a secondary cup competition. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Options then seem sparse. Perhaps the most logical would be to not invite teams involved in Europe to partake, opening up the tournament, increasing competition and incentivising a cup run. But this seems highly unlikely, the Europa League position would no doubt be withdrawn by UEFA, sponsorship would undoubtedly dwindle and ultimately, if only for the final few games, the quality of football would be watered down.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, on Sunday, for 90 minutes at least, the role of the League Cup will not be questioned. Both sets of players will want to win, but one may just have their minds somewhere else. Ultimately, I’m not sure there is a solution for the demise of this historic competition. But I hope there is.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buckett</span></div>Alex Mott & Sam Bucketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949305911114353827noreply@blogger.com0