United are back on top of the Premier League following last night's one-nil win over Arsenal. Park Ji-Sung scored the only goal of what was a hard fought contest on a slippery Old Trafford playing surface. Arsene Wenger criticised the pitch in his post-match press conference, stating the poor playing surface affected both teams; the Arsenal manager also said that United deserved credit for their defensive performance.
Park scored four minutes before the break from a deflected cross from Nani on the right; the South Korean deserves much credit for what was a very cute flicked header, one which gave Szczesny no chance. It's fair to state that until that point in the game, Park had given the ball away every time he'd touched it.
Park didn't have a great game, but neither did Nani on the opposite flank, Wenger was right to have a moan about the state of the slippery playing surface, because both teams made a lot of mistakes. At times it wasn't pretty and Arsenal had the lions share of possession in the second period, but it was United who created the goal-scoring opportunities.
It wasn't a night for the purist and at times United lumped the ball up in the air too often, but ironically, such a punt ended in a goal.
For their part, Arsenal pushed and probed, but most of their attacking moves broke down on the edge of the United penalty area and when the ball was actually delivered into the box it was Vidic who headed to safety.
Vidic was at his towering best, he barely put a foot wrong all night. United's Serbian captain was by some distance the man of the match. If United can keep on defending as they did against Arsenal then they won't be too far away come the end of the season.
However, from a United perspective from an attacking point of view, what we saw against Arsenal was in many ways very unsatisfactory; all too often Wayne Rooney was left isolated and United were left relying on the long ball.
The second-half was crying out for the introduction of Dimitar Berbatov, who not that surprisingly had been left on the bench; Ferguson prefers to start with a 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 formation against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea - but as we saw last night - this tactic has its limitations. But, it was United who created all the chances and so Arsenal can have few complaints.
Rooney's dreadful second-half penalty was simply that, dreadful. It was one of the worst attempts at taking a penalty this season, he didn't look where he was putting the ball, he simply blasted it.
United won and deservedly so, but it's doubtful the same tactics will work so well when the leaders travel to Stamford Bridge next Sunday.
Finally, the Chilean Miners have been guests of Manchester United over the last 48 hours: The big rumour sweeping the city is that they have been advising Carlos Tevez on how to keep your spirits up when you're stuck in a sh*t-hole.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Same old story: Too much talking ahead of Arsenal clash...
United are preparing for Monday night's clash with top of the table Arsenal; the pressure has been building steadily as usually happens ahead a visit to Old Trafford.
There has been no shortage of talking in the run-up what is often a bad tempered affair; we've read comments attributed to Patrice Evra, telling Arsenal that they are not good enough to win the title; we've also heard Samir Nasri stating that United have lost the Old Trafford fear factor. All this in the same week that United have threatened to ban any season ticket holder who is caught abusing Arsene Wenger by singing songs accusing him of being a paedophile.
For his part, Ferguson, has for once, tempered his comments; given United want to put an end to the anti Wegner chant, the manager obviously did not want to be viewed as the one who stoked the fire.
The fans love a bit of knockout about via the media ahead of these big games, but does it really add anything to the actually game itself? In years gone by rival managers have read out the comments from the other dressing room in their pre-match team-talk, but it's actually doubtful Wenger or Ferguson have had to use that tactic given their respective abilities.
The bad feeling that exists between both clubs and their supporters is very real and sometimes it leads to violence on the streets; Wenger, Ferguson, Evra and Nasri and Co never see this ugly side of football, but they are in part are responsible because they talk too much about such rivalries. To coin a phrase, they should allow their football to do the talking on the pitch.
There has been no shortage of talking in the run-up what is often a bad tempered affair; we've read comments attributed to Patrice Evra, telling Arsenal that they are not good enough to win the title; we've also heard Samir Nasri stating that United have lost the Old Trafford fear factor. All this in the same week that United have threatened to ban any season ticket holder who is caught abusing Arsene Wenger by singing songs accusing him of being a paedophile.
For his part, Ferguson, has for once, tempered his comments; given United want to put an end to the anti Wegner chant, the manager obviously did not want to be viewed as the one who stoked the fire.
The fans love a bit of knockout about via the media ahead of these big games, but does it really add anything to the actually game itself? In years gone by rival managers have read out the comments from the other dressing room in their pre-match team-talk, but it's actually doubtful Wenger or Ferguson have had to use that tactic given their respective abilities.
The bad feeling that exists between both clubs and their supporters is very real and sometimes it leads to violence on the streets; Wenger, Ferguson, Evra and Nasri and Co never see this ugly side of football, but they are in part are responsible because they talk too much about such rivalries. To coin a phrase, they should allow their football to do the talking on the pitch.
Tevez set to quit City: His transfer to the "Bitters" was never just about money..
This blog slaughtered Manchester United and Ferguson for their bungled attempts at retaining the services of Carlos Tevez, who, as we all know, moved on to Manchester City in what turned out to be a very acrimonious transfer.
In the days and weeks that followed the Argentine's move to the club's bitter rivals back in 2009, somewhat predictably, news of the striker's defection to City provoked a mixed reaction from some United supporters "..he wasn't that good anyway", or "..he wasn't worth £25m" and finally "...he's just a greedy b*stard". Ferguson himself didn't help when hinting that Tevez was little more than a trier.
Well, since then, Tevez has silenced those who questioned his worth. United fans might not like it, but the Argentine has proved to be worth every penny of the then reported £25m asking price. Tevez has scored more league goals than Rooney over the last two seasons; City are above United in the table, but hopefully that situation will change following Monday night's clash with Arsenal when they visit Old Trafford.
As for Tevez, reports claim he has handed in a transfer request, because he is homesick. City have rejected his written request and Tevez has reportedly turned down wages of £250,000 a week. As we stated on this blog at the time, his move to City was never just about the money...
Tevez left United because Ferguson didn't commit to signing the player when he has ample opportunities to do so and instead he signed Berbatov, who last season scored 12 league goals compared to 23 from Tevez. Tevez also felt under valued by his manager, he found himself on the bench on many occasions, but no matter what, he always gave 100%. Tevez never openly sulked, during his time at Old Trafford. Ironically, the Argentine has had several touch-line spats with his new manager at City.
Tevez, has proven Ferguson and those United fans who questioned his worth wrong, so much so that only a revisionist would argue otherwise.
In the days and weeks that followed the Argentine's move to the club's bitter rivals back in 2009, somewhat predictably, news of the striker's defection to City provoked a mixed reaction from some United supporters "..he wasn't that good anyway", or "..he wasn't worth £25m" and finally "...he's just a greedy b*stard". Ferguson himself didn't help when hinting that Tevez was little more than a trier.
Well, since then, Tevez has silenced those who questioned his worth. United fans might not like it, but the Argentine has proved to be worth every penny of the then reported £25m asking price. Tevez has scored more league goals than Rooney over the last two seasons; City are above United in the table, but hopefully that situation will change following Monday night's clash with Arsenal when they visit Old Trafford.
As for Tevez, reports claim he has handed in a transfer request, because he is homesick. City have rejected his written request and Tevez has reportedly turned down wages of £250,000 a week. As we stated on this blog at the time, his move to City was never just about the money...
Tevez left United because Ferguson didn't commit to signing the player when he has ample opportunities to do so and instead he signed Berbatov, who last season scored 12 league goals compared to 23 from Tevez. Tevez also felt under valued by his manager, he found himself on the bench on many occasions, but no matter what, he always gave 100%. Tevez never openly sulked, during his time at Old Trafford. Ironically, the Argentine has had several touch-line spats with his new manager at City.
Tevez, has proven Ferguson and those United fans who questioned his worth wrong, so much so that only a revisionist would argue otherwise.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: a tribute to a true Old Trafford legend
In just over a month's time Old Trafford will bid farewell to a player who has written himself into Manchester United folklore, as he returns to the club which he left some 14 years ago.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joined United from Norway's Molde FK for £1.5m in 1996 at a time when it was widely reported that a certain Alan Shearer was the main transfer target. Despite the low transfer fee, eyebrows were still raised at the thought of United buying a virtual unknown over a proven Premier League striker.
When Solskjaer arrived at Old Trafford it was expected that he would be used sparingly behind first team regulars Eric Cantona and Andy Cole in order to get him up to speed with the pace of the Premier League. But before journalists and pundits could roll out the almost cliched "one for the future" label , Solskjaer scored within minutes of his debut after coming on as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers.
Solskjaer rapidly became a fans favourite and, unexpectedly, a regular within the first team squad. His scoring prowess saw him score an impressive 18 goals in the league, a feat only beaten by Shearer and and Ian Wright during the 1996/97 season. His tally was helped by scoring four goals in twelve minutes as a second-half substitute in the 8-1 thrashing of Nottingham Forest. It was his ability to find the net as a substitute late on in games that lead to the endearing nickname of "the baby-faced assassin". Within his first season Ole had become an integral member of the League winning squad.
The following campaign saw the Norwegian striker hampered by injuries, only managing to score six league goals during the 1997/98 season. But it was the following season that was to be Solskjaer's finest.
Few would argue that Solskjaer's most memorable Manchester United moment came deep into injury time at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, in the UEFA Champions League Final of 1999.
Having scored an injury time equaliser through Teddy Sheringham, it looked as though United had forced Bayern Munich into extra time. The drama did not finish there though, as a David Beckham corner was flicked on by Sheringham and, as ever, Solskjaer was in the right place at the right time to poke home the treble-winning goal and, in doing so, write himself into United folklore.
Ironically, another defining moment in Solskjaer's United career was when he got sent off for a professional foul on Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee in 1998 at Old Trafford. Having run two-thirds of the pitch to catch him, Solskjaer felled Lee knowing that he would be given his marching orderd but, in doing so, denied Newcastle an almost certain winning goal with the game all square at 1-1. United needed at least a point at the time to keep up with Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League title. The fans immediately recognised that Solskjaer had put the team before himself, receiving universal praise from all connected with the club for his selfless act.
Its rare to write a tribute of a modern day footballer without alluding to some sort of scandal or a part of their career in which they would rather forget. Apart from injuries, of which a long-standing knee injury was to get the better of him, Solskjaer does not have a blotched record in anyway. He truly is a rare breed of footballer.
A perfectionist on the training ground, according to his former team-mate Sheringham, and allegedly donating a percentage of his wages to UNICEF shows the mark of the man and the high esteem in which he is held by all connected. David Gill perfectly summarised Solskjaer in his testimonial programme notes as a player who " no-one has a bad word to say about...he is a fantastic ambassador to this club and to this sport".
Away from the pitch Ole uses his status within the game for the benefit of others. A patron of the Manchester United Supporter's Trust (formerly Shareholders United), he is also the ambassador for global charity UNICEF. In 2008 he became the youngest recipient of the First Class Knighthood in his native Norway, an accolade usually bestowed upon notable people of society in their later years.
Having scored 126 times in 366 appearances for United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has left a lasting impression on the club and its supporters.
14 years ago no-one outside of Norway would have known who Solskjaer was. They do now.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joined United from Norway's Molde FK for £1.5m in 1996 at a time when it was widely reported that a certain Alan Shearer was the main transfer target. Despite the low transfer fee, eyebrows were still raised at the thought of United buying a virtual unknown over a proven Premier League striker.
When Solskjaer arrived at Old Trafford it was expected that he would be used sparingly behind first team regulars Eric Cantona and Andy Cole in order to get him up to speed with the pace of the Premier League. But before journalists and pundits could roll out the almost cliched "one for the future" label , Solskjaer scored within minutes of his debut after coming on as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers.
Solskjaer rapidly became a fans favourite and, unexpectedly, a regular within the first team squad. His scoring prowess saw him score an impressive 18 goals in the league, a feat only beaten by Shearer and and Ian Wright during the 1996/97 season. His tally was helped by scoring four goals in twelve minutes as a second-half substitute in the 8-1 thrashing of Nottingham Forest. It was his ability to find the net as a substitute late on in games that lead to the endearing nickname of "the baby-faced assassin". Within his first season Ole had become an integral member of the League winning squad.
The following campaign saw the Norwegian striker hampered by injuries, only managing to score six league goals during the 1997/98 season. But it was the following season that was to be Solskjaer's finest.
Few would argue that Solskjaer's most memorable Manchester United moment came deep into injury time at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, in the UEFA Champions League Final of 1999.
Having scored an injury time equaliser through Teddy Sheringham, it looked as though United had forced Bayern Munich into extra time. The drama did not finish there though, as a David Beckham corner was flicked on by Sheringham and, as ever, Solskjaer was in the right place at the right time to poke home the treble-winning goal and, in doing so, write himself into United folklore.
Ironically, another defining moment in Solskjaer's United career was when he got sent off for a professional foul on Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee in 1998 at Old Trafford. Having run two-thirds of the pitch to catch him, Solskjaer felled Lee knowing that he would be given his marching orderd but, in doing so, denied Newcastle an almost certain winning goal with the game all square at 1-1. United needed at least a point at the time to keep up with Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League title. The fans immediately recognised that Solskjaer had put the team before himself, receiving universal praise from all connected with the club for his selfless act.
Its rare to write a tribute of a modern day footballer without alluding to some sort of scandal or a part of their career in which they would rather forget. Apart from injuries, of which a long-standing knee injury was to get the better of him, Solskjaer does not have a blotched record in anyway. He truly is a rare breed of footballer.
A perfectionist on the training ground, according to his former team-mate Sheringham, and allegedly donating a percentage of his wages to UNICEF shows the mark of the man and the high esteem in which he is held by all connected. David Gill perfectly summarised Solskjaer in his testimonial programme notes as a player who " no-one has a bad word to say about...he is a fantastic ambassador to this club and to this sport".
Away from the pitch Ole uses his status within the game for the benefit of others. A patron of the Manchester United Supporter's Trust (formerly Shareholders United), he is also the ambassador for global charity UNICEF. In 2008 he became the youngest recipient of the First Class Knighthood in his native Norway, an accolade usually bestowed upon notable people of society in their later years.
Having scored 126 times in 366 appearances for United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has left a lasting impression on the club and its supporters.
14 years ago no-one outside of Norway would have known who Solskjaer was. They do now.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
United v Valencia: Anderson and Rooney shine, while Berbatov and Carrick fluff their lines...
United were in action last night when Valencia visited Old Trafford for the final Champions League Group C game. Going into the game, Ferguson and his players knew no less than a point would be good enough to secure top spot; securing a point would avoid a potential meeting with Barcelona or Real Madrid, so it was vital that United did not lose.
With both clubs knowing that they had already qualified for the knockout phase prior to last night, some observers might have been expecting a damp squib, but it was anything but that as things turned out, both teams tried to win which made for a decent game on a good Old Trafford playing surface.
It finished up one apiece, but it was Valencia who took the lead. The opening goal was very much against the run of play; on 32 minutes, it was Pablo who punished United following a mistake by Michael Carrick, who lost possession near the half-way line.
Following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Carrick appears to be back in favour at the expense of Darren Fletcher. Fletcher was only a substitute when United thrashed Blackburn 7-1 in the last home game, but he played the whole 90 minutes in the shocking 4-0 Carling Cup defeat to West Ham last week and it looks like Carrick might well have dislodged the Scot for now at least anyway. However, while Carrick is undoubtedly a better passer of the ball, he still makes silly mistakes from time to time; he is one of those players who wants too much time on the ball, which is precisely what happened in the build-up to Valencia's goal.
Apart from his mistake, Carrick had a decent game, but it was Anderson who was United's star performer in central midfield. Anderson has played in United's last three games; he was good against Blackburn and Valencia, but like Fletcher, the Brazilian was totally ineffective against West Ham last week.
It was fitting that Anderson scored United's equalising goal against Valencia, because he was the man of the match. In two of United's last three games, the Brazilian has shown signs that just maybe he could have a long-term future at the club, but consistency is the key.
United face Arsenal at Old Trafford next Monday and you can be 100% sure that Ferguson is wrestling with the question of who should start against the Gunners in central midfield. Last season you could have put money on the United manager starting with 4-3-3, with Rooney playing atop on his own, but following his recent fall from favour, things are not so cut and dried.
Dimitar Berbatov has been blowing hot and cold this season; he was superb against Liverpool when he scored that fabulous hat-trick a few weeks ago, he was brilliant against Blackburn when he bagged five great goals, but last night his touch totally deserted him - in fact, the Bulgarian had something of a stinker by his standards.
So Ferguson has to now decide not only who should start in central midfield against Arsenal, but also, who should start up front.
Don't be surprised if Berbatov finds himself on the bench again next Monday and Rooney starts up front on his own. Rooney played against Blackburn and Valencia; he looked very good in both games, he was very unlucky not to score against the Spaniards last night when his curling right foot drive rebounded off the cross bar in the opening period. Rooney rarely gives the ball away cheaply and passing around the opposition penalty area is exemplary, but of course the goals have to start to flow and that is another issue for Ferguson to mull over.
Arsenal are very strong in midfield and that is why Ferguson may well consider starting with just one striker.
Rio Ferdinand has given the United manager another headache, due to a slight hamstring strain, but at this point, reports suggest he will be fit to face the Gunners next week.
The da Silva twins played the whole 90 minutes last night and both did quite well, but Fabio needs to learn when to overlap his winger and when to hold back, because there was a couple of occasions when he went beyond Park and United lost possession - there is a very strong danger that against a better side United would be punished.
The only other talking point worth mention is the performance of Ben Amos, United's third 'keeper had a pretty good game against Valencia, but his kicking did give the home fans palpitations on a couple of occasions.
Bring on the Gunners.
With both clubs knowing that they had already qualified for the knockout phase prior to last night, some observers might have been expecting a damp squib, but it was anything but that as things turned out, both teams tried to win which made for a decent game on a good Old Trafford playing surface.
It finished up one apiece, but it was Valencia who took the lead. The opening goal was very much against the run of play; on 32 minutes, it was Pablo who punished United following a mistake by Michael Carrick, who lost possession near the half-way line.
Following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Carrick appears to be back in favour at the expense of Darren Fletcher. Fletcher was only a substitute when United thrashed Blackburn 7-1 in the last home game, but he played the whole 90 minutes in the shocking 4-0 Carling Cup defeat to West Ham last week and it looks like Carrick might well have dislodged the Scot for now at least anyway. However, while Carrick is undoubtedly a better passer of the ball, he still makes silly mistakes from time to time; he is one of those players who wants too much time on the ball, which is precisely what happened in the build-up to Valencia's goal.
Apart from his mistake, Carrick had a decent game, but it was Anderson who was United's star performer in central midfield. Anderson has played in United's last three games; he was good against Blackburn and Valencia, but like Fletcher, the Brazilian was totally ineffective against West Ham last week.
It was fitting that Anderson scored United's equalising goal against Valencia, because he was the man of the match. In two of United's last three games, the Brazilian has shown signs that just maybe he could have a long-term future at the club, but consistency is the key.
United face Arsenal at Old Trafford next Monday and you can be 100% sure that Ferguson is wrestling with the question of who should start against the Gunners in central midfield. Last season you could have put money on the United manager starting with 4-3-3, with Rooney playing atop on his own, but following his recent fall from favour, things are not so cut and dried.
Dimitar Berbatov has been blowing hot and cold this season; he was superb against Liverpool when he scored that fabulous hat-trick a few weeks ago, he was brilliant against Blackburn when he bagged five great goals, but last night his touch totally deserted him - in fact, the Bulgarian had something of a stinker by his standards.
So Ferguson has to now decide not only who should start in central midfield against Arsenal, but also, who should start up front.
Don't be surprised if Berbatov finds himself on the bench again next Monday and Rooney starts up front on his own. Rooney played against Blackburn and Valencia; he looked very good in both games, he was very unlucky not to score against the Spaniards last night when his curling right foot drive rebounded off the cross bar in the opening period. Rooney rarely gives the ball away cheaply and passing around the opposition penalty area is exemplary, but of course the goals have to start to flow and that is another issue for Ferguson to mull over.
Arsenal are very strong in midfield and that is why Ferguson may well consider starting with just one striker.
Rio Ferdinand has given the United manager another headache, due to a slight hamstring strain, but at this point, reports suggest he will be fit to face the Gunners next week.
The da Silva twins played the whole 90 minutes last night and both did quite well, but Fabio needs to learn when to overlap his winger and when to hold back, because there was a couple of occasions when he went beyond Park and United lost possession - there is a very strong danger that against a better side United would be punished.
The only other talking point worth mention is the performance of Ben Amos, United's third 'keeper had a pretty good game against Valencia, but his kicking did give the home fans palpitations on a couple of occasions.
Bring on the Gunners.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Boris Johnson has taken revenge on ‘Don Corleone’ Blatter
Further to my earlier post on the failed England World Cup Bid and the revelation, by Martin Samuels, of the agreement, by our politicians, to allow the laws of this country to be circumnavigated by the FIFA mafia.
I read, in the Mail on Sunday, that Boris Johnson has taken revenge on ‘Don Corleone’ Blatter and the other FIFA delegates who destroyed England’s bid to host the World Cup by kicking them out of London’s Dorchester hotel for the 2012 Olympic Games.
“FIFA president Mr Blatter and his team had been invited to stay in exclusive £1,000-a-night suites at the five-star hotel for more than a week during the Olympics.
This was part “of the charm offensive” designed to woo FIFA in the run-up to Thursday’s 2018 World Cup vote.But London Mayor Mr Johnson, the official host of the Olympics, has withdrawn the offer to demonstrate his fury at the way FIFA threw out England’s bid”
Forget ‘charm offensive’. We are accusing almost everyone and anyone of corruption. But was this not corruption, pure and simple? How on earth can anyone linked with our bid now claim that we are morally superior? We were in the business of ‘buying’ votes! We did not, obviously, offer enough!
We do need, as a matter of urgency, to take a look at ourselves. Let us have a full and frank Enquiry, chaired by an independent person with absolutely no links to football in particular or sport in general, into our bidding process from beginning to end.
Asking every member of the process from the President to the office cleaner, Who was approached in an effort to assist our bid and what was offered and what FIFA demanded. If, as it appears, Lord Triesmann was correct and members of our bid believed that the process was 'bent' WHY did we not withdraw then?
Let us remember that the good name of our country, England, is at stake and a lot of public money was used in this wasted exercise. The Enquiry should then make recommendations for the future direction of the Football Association of England.
BUT there is a real need for a thorough clean sweep of the Football Association well before we can call for the sewers of FIFA to be well and truly cleaned!
Strapworld.
But London Mayor Mr Johnson, the official host of the Olympics, has withdrawn the offer to demonstrate his fury at the way FIFA threw out England’s bid.
I read, in the Mail on Sunday, that Boris Johnson has taken revenge on ‘Don Corleone’ Blatter and the other FIFA delegates who destroyed England’s bid to host the World Cup by kicking them out of London’s Dorchester hotel for the 2012 Olympic Games.
“FIFA president Mr Blatter and his team had been invited to stay in exclusive £1,000-a-night suites at the five-star hotel for more than a week during the Olympics.
This was part “of the charm offensive” designed to woo FIFA in the run-up to Thursday’s 2018 World Cup vote.But London Mayor Mr Johnson, the official host of the Olympics, has withdrawn the offer to demonstrate his fury at the way FIFA threw out England’s bid”
Forget ‘charm offensive’. We are accusing almost everyone and anyone of corruption. But was this not corruption, pure and simple? How on earth can anyone linked with our bid now claim that we are morally superior? We were in the business of ‘buying’ votes! We did not, obviously, offer enough!
We do need, as a matter of urgency, to take a look at ourselves. Let us have a full and frank Enquiry, chaired by an independent person with absolutely no links to football in particular or sport in general, into our bidding process from beginning to end.
Asking every member of the process from the President to the office cleaner, Who was approached in an effort to assist our bid and what was offered and what FIFA demanded. If, as it appears, Lord Triesmann was correct and members of our bid believed that the process was 'bent' WHY did we not withdraw then?
Let us remember that the good name of our country, England, is at stake and a lot of public money was used in this wasted exercise. The Enquiry should then make recommendations for the future direction of the Football Association of England.
BUT there is a real need for a thorough clean sweep of the Football Association well before we can call for the sewers of FIFA to be well and truly cleaned!
Strapworld.
But London Mayor Mr Johnson, the official host of the Olympics, has withdrawn the offer to demonstrate his fury at the way FIFA threw out England’s bid.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Football - a truly ugly game!
The angst in the English press and media this morning over the failed attempt to host the football world cup in 2018 is truly something to behold. .
Football has become such a money besmirched horror story controlled by a discredited and corrupt FIFA. Panorama, The Sunday Times and Lord Triesmann have all been proved right, although the issue of their timing has infuriated many people.
Our press are intrusive, but I would far rather have an investigative and intrusive press revealing corruption and criminal practices, than live in a country where journalists are murdered for writing the truth! Or a country which bans alcohol and Christianity yet expects football supporters to attend the world cup there! I can see the headlines already when Dutch, German and United Kingdom supporters are flung into jail for drinking alcohol! Or supporters dying from severe sunburns.
Just, for one minute, consider Qatar. It has 38 cities in Qatar although most of the population live in Doha, the capital. The bid reflects this. There are stadiums to be upgraded in Al-Khor, Doha, Al Wakrah and Al Rayyan plus stadiums to be built in Lusail, Doha, Ash Shamal, Doha, Umm Salal, Doha and Doha. Lusail, where an 86,000-capacity stadium will be built, is 10 miles away, as is Umm Salal. Al Khor, Al Wakrah and Umm Salal all of which have small populations of approximately 31,000. The official population of Ash Shamal is given as 5,400, less than Westward Ho! in Devon!! This place is getting a stadium with a capacity of 45,330!!
Then consider that Australia with its superb sporting traditions and stadia received just one vote! It is quite ridiculous.
The whole process is riddled with corruption. And countries which bid for this discredited tournament agreed to bending their laws to assist this corruption. As the excellent Martin Samuels of the Daily Mail points out “All you need to know about the men who made this decision is that FIFA requested, as a condition if England had mounted a successful bid, exclusion from a range of UK laws including one governing Banks and Foreign Exchange Operations. FIFA had asked for 'the unrestricted import and export of all foreign currencies to and from the UK' and, worse, they got it.”
Now, after the ball has been kicked away, our team is calling foul. Having been party to this disgraceful bending of laws, which would still be in place for you and me!
They are saying that the whole voting process should be open to all member countries and in an open vote. There is absolutely no chance of achieving change now. It would be classed as sour grapes by Russia and Blatter.
I will make one suggestion which we could do to stand alone, and invite other countries to support us.
Why not make all the changes to the rule book of the English Football Association that many have been proposing for years but have been resisted by Fifa? It seems to me that Fifa have wished to leave their officials with opportunities to change match results, something they may have been able to freely do in the years before present technological innovations. Other sports, where money is not the god, but rather the joy of the game itself, have accepted such technological developments and have been undoubtedly improved as a result.
Why not, alongside these changes, speak to the USA, Australia and any other country who may be attracted to a cleaner and more open International body and consider a break away organisation. Sir Stanley Rouse was the Englishman who made Fifa a respected voice. Let us endeavour to make football clean again.
Of course England will be excluded for a while from international competition, but I am sure it would not be long before other countries' football associations would take up the revised rule book whereby the best teams had equal chances of victory? And agree to an open and honest method of choosing countries to host a world cup.
Let us, at long last, look at the people who buy our clubs. Ask Parliament to bring in legislation to ensure that carpetbaggers, foreign billionaires and criminals are no longer tolerated as owners of our football clubs which mean so much to our towns and cities throughout the land.
As it is today, Football stinks. I am amazed people pay the money they do to perpetuate such inequitable rottenness. Let us take this opportunity to start the change.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all supporters clubs got behind this suggestion creating a grass root demand for a massive change in football in England.
Strapworld
Football has become such a money besmirched horror story controlled by a discredited and corrupt FIFA. Panorama, The Sunday Times and Lord Triesmann have all been proved right, although the issue of their timing has infuriated many people.
Our press are intrusive, but I would far rather have an investigative and intrusive press revealing corruption and criminal practices, than live in a country where journalists are murdered for writing the truth! Or a country which bans alcohol and Christianity yet expects football supporters to attend the world cup there! I can see the headlines already when Dutch, German and United Kingdom supporters are flung into jail for drinking alcohol! Or supporters dying from severe sunburns.
Just, for one minute, consider Qatar. It has 38 cities in Qatar although most of the population live in Doha, the capital. The bid reflects this. There are stadiums to be upgraded in Al-Khor, Doha, Al Wakrah and Al Rayyan plus stadiums to be built in Lusail, Doha, Ash Shamal, Doha, Umm Salal, Doha and Doha. Lusail, where an 86,000-capacity stadium will be built, is 10 miles away, as is Umm Salal. Al Khor, Al Wakrah and Umm Salal all of which have small populations of approximately 31,000. The official population of Ash Shamal is given as 5,400, less than Westward Ho! in Devon!! This place is getting a stadium with a capacity of 45,330!!
Then consider that Australia with its superb sporting traditions and stadia received just one vote! It is quite ridiculous.
The whole process is riddled with corruption. And countries which bid for this discredited tournament agreed to bending their laws to assist this corruption. As the excellent Martin Samuels of the Daily Mail points out “All you need to know about the men who made this decision is that FIFA requested, as a condition if England had mounted a successful bid, exclusion from a range of UK laws including one governing Banks and Foreign Exchange Operations. FIFA had asked for 'the unrestricted import and export of all foreign currencies to and from the UK' and, worse, they got it.”
Now, after the ball has been kicked away, our team is calling foul. Having been party to this disgraceful bending of laws, which would still be in place for you and me!
They are saying that the whole voting process should be open to all member countries and in an open vote. There is absolutely no chance of achieving change now. It would be classed as sour grapes by Russia and Blatter.
I will make one suggestion which we could do to stand alone, and invite other countries to support us.
Why not make all the changes to the rule book of the English Football Association that many have been proposing for years but have been resisted by Fifa? It seems to me that Fifa have wished to leave their officials with opportunities to change match results, something they may have been able to freely do in the years before present technological innovations. Other sports, where money is not the god, but rather the joy of the game itself, have accepted such technological developments and have been undoubtedly improved as a result.
Why not, alongside these changes, speak to the USA, Australia and any other country who may be attracted to a cleaner and more open International body and consider a break away organisation. Sir Stanley Rouse was the Englishman who made Fifa a respected voice. Let us endeavour to make football clean again.
Of course England will be excluded for a while from international competition, but I am sure it would not be long before other countries' football associations would take up the revised rule book whereby the best teams had equal chances of victory? And agree to an open and honest method of choosing countries to host a world cup.
Let us, at long last, look at the people who buy our clubs. Ask Parliament to bring in legislation to ensure that carpetbaggers, foreign billionaires and criminals are no longer tolerated as owners of our football clubs which mean so much to our towns and cities throughout the land.
As it is today, Football stinks. I am amazed people pay the money they do to perpetuate such inequitable rottenness. Let us take this opportunity to start the change.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all supporters clubs got behind this suggestion creating a grass root demand for a massive change in football in England.
Strapworld
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Lowly West Ham embarrass United following Blackburn Lord Mayors Show...
Manchester United were in action last night in the quarter final of the Carling Cup against depleted West Ham United; the Hammers have been struggling all season, their manager Avram Grant is said to be on the verge of being sacked. Ahead of the game - and ignoring the fact that United rarely have an easy time of it when visiting the Boleyn Ground, United will have fancied their chances of progressing into the semi-finals, especially given that so many West Ham first-team regulars were missing.
As things turned out, the holders were given a sound beating - the 4-0 scoreline didn't flatter the Hammers in the slightest. As is so often the case in the much maligned competition, Ferguson elected to completely change the starting eleven, from the one which thrashed Blackburn 7-1 on Saturday.
United started the match brightly and only a finger-tip save by Robert Green and a scrambled goal-line clearance denied a certain opening goal from Hernandez; but from then on, it was all about West Ham United who went on to capitalise on the sort of schoolboy defending that was so much in evidence in the early weeks of the season.
In something of an ironic twist of fate, former United full-back Johnathan Spector enjoyed his finest game since he arrived in England. Since Spector left United, he has become something of a cast-off, a nomad of sorts and he's seemingly surplus to requirements at West Ham, because according to reports he's off to the Bundesliga. Last night, the North American was thrust into a makeshift midfield, but as things turned out, the combination of Fletcher, Giggs and Anderson were no match for West Ham's hastily thrown together engine room.
United were abject in midfield; the service to Hernandez was in point of fact none existent. Quite where, Obertan was supposed to be playing is a fair question to ask, but it doesn't actually matter, because like Fletcher, Giggs and Anderson, the Frenchman produced all too few moments to remember.
Worst of all was Bebe: Ferguson cannot and surely will not, carry on this charade, the Portuguese winger who was brought to United at relatively great expense, will never be good enough for United and the manager will soon have to admit that he's made a gross error of judgement and cut his loses. Thankfully, Bebe's embarrassment was cut short at half-time to save further blushes all round, when he was replaced by Macheda - who it has to be said, did no better.
While stating Bebe will never be good enough, it's fair to add that neither will Kuszczak, at the other end: United's Polish stopper got nowhere near any of the four goals conceded; he should have done better. Earlier this week Ferguson confirmed Edwin van der Sar's long-term replacement will be new signing, Anders Lindegaard, 26, and he isn't exactly thrilling qualified commentators such as the Great Dane, aka, Peter Schmeichel who has gone on record stating that his fellow countryman simply isn't good enough.
Goalkeeping issues aside, the single biggest area of concern within the current United squad is central midfield. Darren Fletcher didn't feature against Blackburn last weekend, and to be fair, it's easy to see why given his abject performance against West Ham. Fletcher was guilty of committing several schoolboy errors - his distribution is usually the thing that consistently lets him down - but against the Hammers, it was his positional sense and marking, plus his lack of leadership. Fletcher was caught ball-watching and found himself on the wrong side of Spector for the opening goal.
Prior to that, West Ham had what looked initially like a very good goal disallowed, for off-side, but it was the correct decision as things turned out; in the build-up, Johnathan Spector the goal scorer, had waltzed through United's midfield unmarked - on that occasion it was Anderson who guilty of doing nothing. Thankfully, referee Clattenburg and his linesman came to United's rescue.
On 37 minutes, Spector doubled the Hammers advantage following a slip in the penalty area by the unfortunate, Fabio, but in the build-up, the North American ran with the ball from deep within the United half unchallenged with Bebe trailing in his wake. Spector scored to cap-off, what was for him, a thoroughly memorable first-half performance, one which turned out to be match winning.
Quite what Ferguson said in his half-time team talk would be interesting to know: you can be sure one of the questions was "who is supposed to be picking up Spector?". And when United fans reflect upon that question today, they will no doubt be thinking about the lack of quality in central midfield: A makeshift/rookie midfield player ran riot against United's supposedly stronger players.
It's also worth asking, why £80,000 a week John O'Shea had to be shipped off to left back early in the first-half: like Fletcher, Giggs and Anderson (given his hefty price tag) O'Shea was one of the senior players on duty last night, but against West Ham, just like the other experienced players he was guilty of failing to step to the mark.
On 56 minutes, the Hammers made it three nil, on this occasion Fabio was guilty of allowing the ball to be crossed into the box too easily and Cole punished flat-footed Jonny Evans. The final humiliation came not long after; Rafael replaced his brother, only for his twin to immediately perpetrate the same offence and the end result was the same, Cole scored and once again it was a case of yet more rank bad defending.
When Fergie reviews the TV replays, he will be horrified at the number of schoolboy errors: three of the four goals conceded were very similar; Fletcher and Evans were guilty of allowing the man that they were supposed to be marking to get to the ball first - you cannot do that inside your own penalty area, because chances are the ball will end up in your own net which is exactly what happened on three occasions.
In the wake of what was a sound beating, the headlines have predictably focused on what was an unexpected thumping win for the Hammers. From United's perpspective, the introspection will have begun, and while the defending is a concern, arguably, of much of more concern was the total lack of know-how, spirit and leadership especially given that so many so called senior players were on duty. While the defending was rank bad, United's central midfield was pretty much none existent.
For those seeking the smallest of crumb of comfort, the unbeaten run was always going to come to an end and so if you're going to lose, it's probably better to lose in the Carling Cup - no matter that United are the holders - the competition is little more than a distraction, albeit one in which the manager can blood untried players. But try telling that to United's 5,000 travelling fans who'd made their way to a snowy East London on what was a freezing night... those fans deserve much better.
As things turned out, the holders were given a sound beating - the 4-0 scoreline didn't flatter the Hammers in the slightest. As is so often the case in the much maligned competition, Ferguson elected to completely change the starting eleven, from the one which thrashed Blackburn 7-1 on Saturday.
United started the match brightly and only a finger-tip save by Robert Green and a scrambled goal-line clearance denied a certain opening goal from Hernandez; but from then on, it was all about West Ham United who went on to capitalise on the sort of schoolboy defending that was so much in evidence in the early weeks of the season.
In something of an ironic twist of fate, former United full-back Johnathan Spector enjoyed his finest game since he arrived in England. Since Spector left United, he has become something of a cast-off, a nomad of sorts and he's seemingly surplus to requirements at West Ham, because according to reports he's off to the Bundesliga. Last night, the North American was thrust into a makeshift midfield, but as things turned out, the combination of Fletcher, Giggs and Anderson were no match for West Ham's hastily thrown together engine room.
United were abject in midfield; the service to Hernandez was in point of fact none existent. Quite where, Obertan was supposed to be playing is a fair question to ask, but it doesn't actually matter, because like Fletcher, Giggs and Anderson, the Frenchman produced all too few moments to remember.
Worst of all was Bebe: Ferguson cannot and surely will not, carry on this charade, the Portuguese winger who was brought to United at relatively great expense, will never be good enough for United and the manager will soon have to admit that he's made a gross error of judgement and cut his loses. Thankfully, Bebe's embarrassment was cut short at half-time to save further blushes all round, when he was replaced by Macheda - who it has to be said, did no better.
While stating Bebe will never be good enough, it's fair to add that neither will Kuszczak, at the other end: United's Polish stopper got nowhere near any of the four goals conceded; he should have done better. Earlier this week Ferguson confirmed Edwin van der Sar's long-term replacement will be new signing, Anders Lindegaard, 26, and he isn't exactly thrilling qualified commentators such as the Great Dane, aka, Peter Schmeichel who has gone on record stating that his fellow countryman simply isn't good enough.
Goalkeeping issues aside, the single biggest area of concern within the current United squad is central midfield. Darren Fletcher didn't feature against Blackburn last weekend, and to be fair, it's easy to see why given his abject performance against West Ham. Fletcher was guilty of committing several schoolboy errors - his distribution is usually the thing that consistently lets him down - but against the Hammers, it was his positional sense and marking, plus his lack of leadership. Fletcher was caught ball-watching and found himself on the wrong side of Spector for the opening goal.
Prior to that, West Ham had what looked initially like a very good goal disallowed, for off-side, but it was the correct decision as things turned out; in the build-up, Johnathan Spector the goal scorer, had waltzed through United's midfield unmarked - on that occasion it was Anderson who guilty of doing nothing. Thankfully, referee Clattenburg and his linesman came to United's rescue.
On 37 minutes, Spector doubled the Hammers advantage following a slip in the penalty area by the unfortunate, Fabio, but in the build-up, the North American ran with the ball from deep within the United half unchallenged with Bebe trailing in his wake. Spector scored to cap-off, what was for him, a thoroughly memorable first-half performance, one which turned out to be match winning.
Quite what Ferguson said in his half-time team talk would be interesting to know: you can be sure one of the questions was "who is supposed to be picking up Spector?". And when United fans reflect upon that question today, they will no doubt be thinking about the lack of quality in central midfield: A makeshift/rookie midfield player ran riot against United's supposedly stronger players.
It's also worth asking, why £80,000 a week John O'Shea had to be shipped off to left back early in the first-half: like Fletcher, Giggs and Anderson (given his hefty price tag) O'Shea was one of the senior players on duty last night, but against West Ham, just like the other experienced players he was guilty of failing to step to the mark.
On 56 minutes, the Hammers made it three nil, on this occasion Fabio was guilty of allowing the ball to be crossed into the box too easily and Cole punished flat-footed Jonny Evans. The final humiliation came not long after; Rafael replaced his brother, only for his twin to immediately perpetrate the same offence and the end result was the same, Cole scored and once again it was a case of yet more rank bad defending.
When Fergie reviews the TV replays, he will be horrified at the number of schoolboy errors: three of the four goals conceded were very similar; Fletcher and Evans were guilty of allowing the man that they were supposed to be marking to get to the ball first - you cannot do that inside your own penalty area, because chances are the ball will end up in your own net which is exactly what happened on three occasions.
In the wake of what was a sound beating, the headlines have predictably focused on what was an unexpected thumping win for the Hammers. From United's perpspective, the introspection will have begun, and while the defending is a concern, arguably, of much of more concern was the total lack of know-how, spirit and leadership especially given that so many so called senior players were on duty. While the defending was rank bad, United's central midfield was pretty much none existent.
For those seeking the smallest of crumb of comfort, the unbeaten run was always going to come to an end and so if you're going to lose, it's probably better to lose in the Carling Cup - no matter that United are the holders - the competition is little more than a distraction, albeit one in which the manager can blood untried players. But try telling that to United's 5,000 travelling fans who'd made their way to a snowy East London on what was a freezing night... those fans deserve much better.
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