Posts Tagged ‘premier league’

1FITG apologises

Posted: March 18, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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Following an apology in The Times today for publishing a story about the Dream Football League which turned out to have been, how shall I put this, dreamt up, 1FITG has been similarly moved to apologise for its own wholesale absence of journalistic standards.

When we get it wrong, we admit it.

So, it’s time for us to set the record straight.

We stand by all our writing staff at 1FITG. Our sub-editors and editors are the best in the world.

Our fact checkers are obsessed with detail. We wouldn’t be seen anywhere near a dodgy story.

However, we made one or two minor errors in our exclusive report last week, when we announced the imminent launch of a British Territories League. It transpires that:

- There is no plan to tap into the riches of the English expatriate community by taking the Premier League to such locations as the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar and the Pitcairn Islands in the premier league summer break.
- Our headline ‘Bermuda Tri-amble: ageing Premier League stars set for overseas windfall’ was misleading in suggesting that the British Territories League was a done deal.
- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has not, in fact, formally complained to FIFA, or threatened to send troops to accession the Falkland Islands should the stars of the Premier League set foot on them.
- Our robustly checked, single source for our story, ‘El Fabrico’, who over months we’ve got to know well down the pub and said he was a close personal friend of Diego Maradona, is not fully trustworthy.

In our defence, we’d like to add that to criticise our handling of this story is to misunderstand how top football journalism works.

It is perfectly normal to take at face value the improbable claims of people from football’s fringes whose only interest is clearly in making money. Aside from this story, everything we have ever printed on 1FITG is 100% true, such as “Pep Guardiola signs for English club” or “exclusive: player’s agent just phoned me and said something that isn’t self-evidently untrue”.

We could have simply ignored the fact we got this implausible story completely and utterly wrong. The fact that we didn’t only shows how dedicated we are to accuracy, and the trustworthiness of our football journalism.

Rest assured, only a top quality outlet of football journalism like 1FITG could get it this wrong.

Season of the long knives leaves managers watching their backs

Posted: February 19, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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When Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio fell on his sword, he brought the number of managerial changes in the top four divisions in England to 41 for the season. Given that we’ve still another two and half months of the season to run, it looks inevitable that over half of the 92 league will have changed their manager by May. 

Mark Robins tries to remember which club he's at this week

Whilst we’re all caught up following our own clubs, we can perhaps miss the scale of the carnage across the wider football landscape. And when you start looking in to it, the rate of managerial attrition is staggering.

A quick study of the League Manager’s Association website shows that barely half – 48 – of current managers have been in their jobs for 12 months or less. Nigel Clough is currently the 10th longest serving manager just by making it through to his fourth season in charge of the Rams.

While the fact managers are being given less time is not a new observation, I would never have guessed the turnover would have been as high as this. Clearly, as the pressure for results has increased so the patience for them has declined.

But while you might assume that this demand would be most sharply felt in the Premier League – where the rewards for success and failure are so acute – it’s actually in the Football League who the bulk of the casualties have taken place. Of the 40 managerial changes this season, just 3 have been in the Premier League (QPR, Southampton and Chelsea).

That means if you support one of the remaining 72 football league clubs, there’s a 50% chance you’ve already changed your manager this season (even with the revolving doors at Blackburn and Blackpool partially skewing the average).

But the statistics tell us something interesting about the changing expectations in the Football League. Clubs no longer seem willing to accept their current status – whether that’s in League 1 or 2 – even if history tells us that is where many of them have spent the majority of their existence.

It now takes substantially less to push a chairman to remove their manager. The giant-killing of Liverpool wasn’t enough to save Paul Dickov, and Keith Curle was axed after a year in charge despite being safe and secure in mid-table. Chairmen are expecting more – and for it to be delivered quicker.

In this intensified climate you have to wonder whether certain managers would have survived in the past. Leicester fans were calling for Martin O’Neill to go only months his appointment – the board stuck with him and he went on to become one of their most successful managers. It took Neil Warnock 6 years at Bramall Lane to get Sheffield United promoted to the Premiership, during which there were numerous opportunities for him to be moved on.

Chairmen it seems want managers who can wave a magic wand and turn their ugly lower division frog into a handsome Premier League prince. And if they can’t cast that spell immediately they can start looking for another job. It’s an approach that’s unproductive and unsustainable and desperately needs to change.

Written by James Albion

1FITG mid-season review: Liverpool

Posted: February 12, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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With less than a third of the season left to run, we’re reaching a key period for a number of clubs that still harbour some sort of ambition for the end of the season. In the first of a series of pieces where we’ve asked some of our writers for their thoughts on their team’s season so far, Trebor A gives us his reaction to Brendan Rodgers’s first season at Anfield.

1. So what are your thoughts on Liverpool’s season so far?

The season has been ok so far, in truth. An unconvincing tricky start in the league set off some alarm bells. The team looked unsure, of how to play under Rodgers. That has now changed, and the players are playing with greater fluidity, and composure. You can see that the team is evolving. The cup performances could have been better. I still can’t believe we lost to Oldham. However, doing well in cup competitions didn’t exactly help Kenny much last season.

2. How are you feeling about your chances in the Europa League this season – is it a cup Liverpool should be actively trying to win and will Rodgers prioritise it?

I’m feeling fairly optimistic about the Europa League. We have progressed well, whilst managing to give young players like Suso, Wisdom and Sterling some much-needed European experience. Liverpool have never won the Europa League – so I would like to see us make history this season. There are some big clubs still left in it i.e. Ajax, Tottenham, Napoli, Chelsea and Benfica. Which will certainly make winning it tough. Will Rodgers prioritise it? I don’t think he has much choice – put simply, this is the only competition Liverpool can now win this season.

3. Would you agree that Gerrard has been below par this season?

English: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool F.C. footballer

Steven Gerrard – still got it. Or, used to have it, but has replaced it in his aged state with something else also useful

No, I couldn’t disagree more. Gerrard, like the whole team, started the season slowly. He looked a bit lethargic. This was understandable, considering his involvement in last summer Euros. He has been excellent for a couple of months now though. What people do not seem to understand is that Gerrard is 32 years of age. He can’t run for 90 minutes from box to box anymore. Gerrard is a different player now – more reserved, but still able to produce moments of brilliance. 7 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League testifies to that. He’s the only premier league midfielder to have played every minute of every game this season as well. That is a remarkable feat, taking his age, and past injury record, into consideration.

4. Has Rodgers fundamentally changed the style of play at Liverpool. Do you feel you can progress into the top 4 in the future playing the brand of football that Rodgers is trying to play?

Rodgers and his love of buzz words, calls his football ideals a ‘philosophy’. When in truth it is fundamentally ‘passing football’. Not exactly re-inventing the wheel, is it? However, in fairness to Rodgers, there has been some change. A lot this has been off the pitch i.e. backroom staff, training methods, scouting network etc. Even the formation has changed from last season. Due to this, the teams results have somewhat fluctuated. The football hasn’t always been sparkling or scintillating, and I still can’t help but fret every time the ball is passed around in our own defence. Rodgers is militant about the constant need to keep possession and controlling the game. It can appear to be counter-productive at times. Yet I can sense the players are starting to become more and more comfortable with this. Overall, the style of play has been progressive. Will this brand of football get Liverpool back into the top 4? Hopefully the results will start to match the quality of football. Only then can progress be achieved. I know it might seem a bit cliché, but I can’t help thinking of this team as a ‘work in progress’.

5. Predicted finish in the Premier League this season?

Last summer, before the season started, I said finishing 5th in the Premier League and winning the Europa League should be Liverpool’s target. Nothing in that regard has changed. Obviously, I would love to see Liverpool finish 4th. While that is not improbable, it is possibly a tad unrealistic. So, 5th and winning a European competition – that’ll do for me.

Heskey does little to soothe Wellington woes

Posted: February 3, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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It is fair to say that football is not New Zealand’s sport of choice. Indeed, if you happen to hear the word being bandied about at all in a Kiwi pub or workplace, it’s more than likely being used in reference to that other game – you know, the one that New Zealand tends to be just a little bit good at.

It’s not, therefore, the most accommodating country for a football-mad Englishman to reside in. From the requirement to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night if you want to catch any live Premier League action to the absence of any professional team in its most populous city Auckland, football in NZ can be a lonely desert of an obsession for those that dare to follow it.

If, then, the opportunity arises to watch a real live game with proper players who actually get paid to get their boots muddy every weekend, it’s not one you turn down in a hurry.

The game in question was an Australian A-League fixture pitting home side Wellington Phoenix (NZ’s only professional club) vs Newcastle Jets of New South Wales. If the latter name is ringing any bells, it’s probably because you read in some deep-buried summer news article about the club’s marquee signing of the Leicester-born behemoth that is Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey.

As an England fan, I’ve always had my fair share of misgivings about Heskey, even if he does have one of the finest middle names in football. How many times have St George’s flags sunk in quiet despair at the announcement of Heskey’s name on an England team sheet? How long did the nation suffer the ignominy of having to watch us field a striker so hapless at that murky business of scoring goals?

And yet, for all the poverty of his goal scoring record for both his country and all three of the Premier League clubs he represented after leaving Liverpool in 2004, it was always difficult to dislike Heskey either as man or player. On the pitch, he was a brutally effective ball-winning colossus who seemed to bring out the best in his more technically gifted strike partners. Michael Owen loved to play alongside him; even Wayne Rooney became more productive in his shadow. And off the field, he has always come across as shy, honest, humble even – basically, everything that John Terry isn’t.

So when a weekend trip to Wellington happened to coincide with Heskey and team’s visit to the Westpac Stadium, how could I refuse a look in?
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There was inevitably something rather surreal about the experience of watching a football match in blistering sunshine as the English game struggles through another bitter winter on the other side of the world. And being accustomed to heaving grounds and ticket touts, it felt a bit wrong to be able to waltz up to a queue-free ticket office only fifteen minutes before kick-off and join a crowd of little more than six thousand in a stadium built for six times that number.

Nevertheless, I was happy to be sitting watching a live football game for the first time in what felt like an eternity, even if the standard of play was comparable to third division or fourth division back home. And that I got to witness that rarest of spectacles – an Emile Heskey goal to draw the game level after the Phoenix took an early lead through Louis Fenton – certainly provided some extra spice.

That Heskey stood out as his team’s best player – despite putting in what was, in many ways, a typical performance of missed chances and balls knocked down to no one in particular – was a fair indication of this league’s quality. But we shouldn’t be churlish about an emerging football market that is very much on the up. With Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero drawing in the crowds over in Sydney and Heskey providing plenty of interest for the Antipodes’ hefty British ex-pat population at least, the A-League is improving with every season.

For New Zealand’s sole representative club, things look a little grimmer. On the morning of the game, an impassioned article appeared in Wellington’s Dominion Post beseeching the locals to turn out and support the Phoenix at Sunday’s game. Attendances have not been stellar in recent months, averaging little over 7,000, and there has even been the suggestion of the team having to abandon the Westpac for a much smaller ground in the suburb of Newton that seats only a 1,000 and has no floodlights or car park. By any club’s standards, such a move would be a huge blow.

An upturn in fortunes on the pitch would certainly help matters. Despite their best efforts, the Phoenix were unable to find another goal after Heskey’s downward header – his only real chance in a game where he often looked exasperated at the poor final balls lofted in his general direction by his team mates – brought the game level, leaving them rock bottom of the ten team table after 18 games.

Hope continues to be placed in Paul Ifill, the Phoenix’s own marquee signing of 3 years ago and former winger with Crystal Palace and Sheffield United. Still only 33, Ifill has enjoyed prolific form in front of goal during his stint with the club, notching up 30 strikes in 80 games. And he was lively against the Jets, creating chances from out wide and getting into threatening positions in the box on a number of occasions. The real signs of promise, though, came from 18 year old Tyler Boyd, a home-grown left winger who showed enough pace and trickery down the left to suggest he could be a Phoenix star of the future – unless, as is always the worry for clubs such as this, someone bigger comes in to poach him.

While the Phoenix supporters left the ground no doubt disgruntled by their team’s latest failure to win, I walked out into the early evening sunshine a happy man. Whatever the quality of the game, nothing beats the thrill of live football and in a country where 90% of sports conversations revolve around the dreaded All Blacks, you have to be grateful for small mercies.

Written by Jonny Barker

 

Adkins sacking breaks Southampton fans hearts, but don’t call Cortese a fool

Posted: January 20, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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Nicola Cortese: You can call him many things, but a fool isn't one

Nicola Cortese: You can call him many things, but a fool isn’t one

The sense of loss Southampton fans have felt these past few days is as strong as the rest of the football community is imagining.

Not only was Nigel Adkins the clubs saviour, taking the club from League One to Premier League in consecutive seasons, the fans have also lost a man they loved for his positive attitude and all-round good guy personality. His relationship with the fans made them feel as much a part of the team and as worthy of a pat on the back as the players.

And now, just like that, he’s gone.

But for all the football community’s shock and disbelief that the club’s chairman, Nicola Cortese, could be so foolish, there has been very little in depth understanding of the development of the club over the past few years. There’s a lot more to this staggering progress than the success of one manager, and Saints fans know this.

The media have quoted Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier describing the chairman as a “laughing stock” (a line too juicy for most to avoid). Yet they’re overlooking that this is the same Le Tissier who was beaten in a bid for the club by this very same chairman (and the bad blood has escalated since).

Cortese, an ex-banker, persuaded his millionaire friend Markus Liebber, to purchase the club after he spotted their dormant potential: Premier League ground, phenomenal youth system, and sitting in League One.

Liebber ageed to invest, but only on the condition that Cortese ran the show. The plan was to create a Barcelona style set up that could rule the world: with 50% of the team graduating from the youth team, and playing attacking, progressive, football. No lack of ambition from a club in the lower leagues.

Alan Pardew was recruited with clear objectives: we’ll give you millions to spend, you give us promotion. He did well, but ultimately didn’t fulfil his part of the bargain and was unceremoniously dumped.

Adkins came on board and met the challenge: back to back promotions (although with apparent discontent from the chairman that it didn’t come with any league trophies). In normal football folklore, fairytale stuff. But in the world of Cortese, just another step towards his ultimate goal.

In interviews after Southampton beat Coventry to secure promotion to the Premier League, an oddly reflective Adkins talked as if this was the end of the road rather than the beginning. This was a man who new what was at stake.

Before the amusing titled ‘el sackico’ game against QPR, a feisty Adkins told the media he was up for the challenge and the man for the job. But his message sounded more like it was intended for the chairman than the readers.

Now in the Premier League, after a tough start, the team and Adkins showed growing potential (not many teams come back from two goals down to draw at Stamford Bridge). But if viewed through the eyes of Cortese’s and his targets (people sniggered when he talked about qualifying for the Champions League, but he means it) potential isn’t enough.

Without anyone realising it, Cortese had been lining up a potential replacement all along. I don’t believe Adkins would have found his sacking unexpected, he will have understood well the deal all along, but I suspect he will have hoped he’d done enough to remain until the end of the season.

Appointing a new manager at this time of the season is risky enough. Add to that the fact he doesn’t speak English and has no Premier League experience and you can’t blame outsiders for questioning the chairman‘s sanity.

However, you’re looking at a chairman with massive expectations and no sentiment, with the nerve to risk money and trust his instincts (ex-banker, remember). His modus operandi is meet the agreed target or you’re out. And that kind of mentality is where winners are born. It might not be fun working for him (if you’re lucky enough to keep hold of your job in the first place), but don’t take him for a fool.

Cortese hasn’t got much wrong up till now. In the future, the decision to ditch Adkins could well be seen as astute as the one to sack Pardew.

Written by @louisekyme

Southampton dreaming big

Posted: November 25, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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Adam Lallana: Young, talented and staying at Southampton

Nothing is more exciting than potential. Spotting talent before it blossoms, getting sucked into the dream of something big.

But with all future prospects, there’s the reality of the here and now. That’s when it gets tough – your team losing week in week out. You need to be steadfast and remember what you can see in the future, not what is stumbling before you now.

This team I’m describing my friends, is Southampton FC. Bottom but one in the league. Papers and pundits circling for a managerial sacking, written off after of a tide of defeats.

Yet, on the terraces the crowds roar week in, week out for the manager Nigel Adkins, no matter the result. All 30,000 of them believe something special is being built at St Mary’s. The Chairman’s dream: to create a squad playing beautiful football, constructed from the Southampton Youth Team.

And right now, the Saints are the youngest in the Premier League – a mix of homegrown and bought talent:

Luke Shaw, 17. Pacey left back, made his full debut only this month.
Nathanian Clyne, 21. Attacking right back. Bought from Crystal Palace, England U21 star.
Morgan Schneiderlin, 22. Silky smooth French midfielder. Core to the back to back promotion squad.
Jack Cork, 23. Tackling, ball-winning midfielder. Played in the summer for Great Britain at the Olympics.
James Ward-Prowse, 18. Product of our youth system: visionary midfielder
Adam Lallana, 24. Graduated with Walcott from the Saints youth system, but stayed with the club for through thick and thin. Tricksy, playmaker. Only recently called up for the full England Squad.
Gaston Ramirez, 21. Signed for 12 million in the summer, one of the biggest young talents in the world right now.
Ben Reeves, 21. Another youth team graduate – attacking midfielder, massive prospect.
Lloyd Isgrove, 19. Another trainee – talented winger who made first team debut in October.

We used to be a feeder club for rich clubs looking for new talent to poach – Bale, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain. But now it’s different, now we don’t need to sell.

And we try to play football like a dream: chips, passes, flicks, attacking, one touch in the spirit of Le God. Trying, failing, trying again, and slowly getting better.

So while everyone else is seeing doom and disaster, Southampton fans are imagining a team that keeps hold of its youthful talent, imagining what this talent could achieve with a few months more Premier League experience. Imagining the manager – Nigel Adkins, who had the talent to create back to back promotions, soon finding his feet in this challenging Premier League, and fulfilling the Chairman’s dream.

With a bit more experience we won’t be talking about potential anymore – we’ll be talking Champions league! You might laugh (and highly unlikely this season…ok, definitely not going to happen this season) but a club with our ambition and resources can go far – you heard it here first!

Written by Louise Kyme

The Abramovich Situation

Posted: November 22, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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English: Roman Abramovich

Abramovich might look patient, but behind those eyes lies a man ready to fire you at the drop of a hat…

The sudden, unexpected sacking of Roberto Di Matteo yesterday, and his instant replacement with Rafa Benitez as interim manager, is yet another episode in high budget soap opera taking place in West London. Or as AVB aptly commented, ‘just another day at the office’ for Chelsea. But it raises questions about just how Roman Abramovich continues to go about his running of the club – and whether the short-termism he’s displayed over the course of his tenure is really in Chelsea’s best interests.

Until 2003 Chelsea were a plucky, medium size club. We brought in exciting foreign talent and played ‘sexy football’. We were popular. Our increasingly less stuttering Italian manager and league form made us popular. We were humble, we didn’t even have a training ground, sharing fields and a clubhouse with a university campus near Hatton Cross, three stops from Heathrow on the Piccadilly line. We played in Europe with moderate success. Much like the Kings Road in the 60’s, we were cool.

Then, that fateful day when, according to the stories, Abramovich flew over Stamford Bridge after being turned down by Spurs and decided to be our new owner.

What followed as Abromovich’s legacy was a multimillion pound deluge, recruiting some of the most exciting talent from around the globe (and ruining a few careers in the process, see Wright-Phillips, Kezman, Crespo, Shevchenko etc). The stream of players in and out of SW6 was matched only by the management staff. The first casualty was the aforementioned Italian, Claudio Ranieri. The much loved replacement to Gianluca Vialli, Ranieri’s season before Abramovich took the reins boasted a 2nd placed finish in the Premier League. This impressive position that would see him fired the following year.

Ranieri’s departure made way for the arrival of the world’s most sought after manager, Jose Mourinho. The swaggering portugeezer, the self proclaimed ‘Special One’ brought success to Chelsea in the form of back to back league titles plus success in both domestic cups. Unlucky exits from the Champions League were the only real black mark on Mourinho’s copy book. He was accused of playing negative football, his reliance on a stoic defence often created the victories desired by the owner. In the end, these victories weren’t enough. We didn’t play the brand of football seen at the Bernabeu or Camp Nou and this was enough for Jose and Roman to part ways.

Short spells in quick succession have followed as Abramovich’s pal Avram Grant, ‘Big’ Phil Scolari, Gus Hiddink, and the perma-arched eyebrowed Carlo Ancellotti all took the reins. Ancellotti won the double in 2010 with Chelsea scoring over 100 league goals and beating Man United in the FA cup final. While impressive to most fans, it still failed to meet Abramovich’s ever-raising bar.

With the short-termism undermining whoever was in the hot seat, player-power came to the fore. AVB was the first manager to attempt to stand up to it – standing on the balcony at the new training base to make sure the players arrived on time. It became a game for players to taunt their new young manager by hiding in their cars around the corner and screeching into the car park at the last minute. AVB snapped back selling Alex and Anelka as a way of exerting his authority. But it didn’t work and following a spate of bad results he lost his job. It’s interesting that, like his successor, AVB’s last 2 defeats were West Brom in the league and an Italian team in the Champions League.

So what went wrong for RDM?

This season started with a big loss, Didier Drogba. The Ivorian and the club deciding that his winning penalty in the Champions League final would be the last time he kicked a ball in a Chelsea strip. This left a 6 foot 2 hole in the Chelsea squad and despite heavy investment in small skilful players the squad still seems to be lacking something. Torres is not the player he was. Whether it’s the job he’s being asked to do or the weight of a £50 million price tag continuing to hang around his neck, we may never know, but he’s not got the class to lead a Premier League team right now – and potentially may never be.

Abramovich surely can’t ignore the fact that much of Chelsea’s disappointment this season has been outside of the manager’s control. What with the Terry court case and Ashley Cole’s loose tweeting, RDM has had more than most managers have had to deal with on top of his job. Despite being blamed for a lot of Chelsea’s problems over the last couple of years it’s actually the absence of the ‘Old Guard’ that’s hurt Chelsea in recent games. Before Lampard and Cole’s injuries and Terry’s ban, Chelsea sat top of the league having beaten Arsenal and Tottenham away along the way. Since the three have been absent we’ve drawn 2 and lost 2 in the league. Players that have had to take on extra responsibility as a result haven’t sufficiently filled that void – David Luiz is certainly talented, but he’s no leader to rely on in a crisis. RDM has added to these problems with his recruitment, as Chelsea have developed a squad full of creative yet irresponsible players. It’s great when it works. Against Juve, it really didn’t – Hazard up front, Azpilicueta right midfield and the Mata narrow on the left allowing the marauding Leichensteiner space didn’t exactly help.

Is Abramovich’s approach working?

Since 2003, the Roman Revolution has brought three Premier League titles, four FA cups, two League cups, two Community shields, and a Champions League title. Can any Chelsea fans argue with that? The height of our achievements in the decade before he arrived a one-nil Cup Winners Cup win in 1998. Sure, some beloved characters left SW6 with nothing more than a multimillion pound pay off. And sure Manchester United and Arsenal fans enjoy crowing about their long term managers. But would you trade all the silverware to see Ranieri sat in the home dugout at the bridge?

So what does Roman want? He wants attractive football that wins titles. He’s spent a lot of money  on this club. How can anyone deny him anything? If he creates an English football dynasty (as he aims to do0, who will remember the people he cast off on the way? On top of recent successes Chelsea have posted profit for the first time in the last fiscal year. A measly £1.4m but good to know the club is moving in the right direction. Why should Roman change his successful management style?

Rafa Benitez wasn’t a popular figure amongst Chelsea fans when he was Liverpool manager and the brand of football he plays is unlikely to please the boss but if he sures up our defence and gets Torres firing, good luck to him. But as history proves, interim manager or not, any silver gained between now and the summer is no guarantee of security under the Abramovich regime.

Written by Dan Northcote-Smith and Nick Moss (@dnsandnick)

Tackling technology – is there even still an argument?

Posted: September 20, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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Monday night’s failure by the officials to spot Victor Anichebe’s effort cross the line brought to life a debate that had been dormant since way back in….well June, as what should have been registered as a despairing attempt by John Terry ended up denying the Ukraine a clear goal.Is there anything even still to debate? Our co-editors James Albion and @josephclift give it a go…

Ghost Goal during the England vs Germany game ...

The Ghost Goal of World Cups Past…

JA: If TV replays and goal-line technology are introduced to football it will be one of the sport’s darkest days. Just imagine how dull football would be if referees could never makes mistakes?

You see, I like it when referees make mistakes. When they get it wrong it can make a football game. An utterly turgid nil-nil bore-athon can suddenly be brought alive by a referee’s decision that defies common sense.

There’d be no more journeys home sniggering at how you’d robbed the opposition blind after an utterly unjustified sending off or penalty had changed the game.

JC: For starters, bringing in video technology means you’d be spared those tedious journeys home hearing others sniggering at how they’d ‘robbed the opposition blind’ after an utterly unjustified sending off or penalty had changed the game.

If you’re a small club, potentially within a whisker of a historic result, it will come as scant consolation for them to hear that at the very least the appalling decision costing them the match ‘gives us something to talk about’. It is akin to a family member hearing about a terrible defeat, uttering the phrase: ‘well, it’s only a game’.

The days when this was an accepted part of the game in this country changed with the advent of the Premier League – instant replays becoming available en masse. Video technology should be treated the same way as the introduction of goal-keeping gloves or a type of football that doesn’t seriously injure those that persistently head it. Technology’s moved on, the game’s moved on, and frankly I’m annoyed that this conversation hasn’t moved on.

JA: But refereeing cock-ups can elevate meaningless matches to legendary status! Would anyone ever know that Reading played Watford back in 2008 if it wasn’t for the phantom goal? People will still be talking about that match in 50-years time – which simply wouldn’t be the case if a video review had corrected the mistake.

JC: Yes, and unfortunately I’m still going to be talking about the non-award of a blatant foul on Luton Shelton in the Man United box in 2007, denying a likely goal that would have kept Sheffield United up on goal-difference, for likely the next 50 years. Or the host of other similar goal-denying refereeing blunders. Nobody wants to hear me talk about this sort of stuff – especially you.

JA: The problem is goal line technology or video replays would create an anaemic utopia. One which is boring, dull and safe. One which robs us of the ‘what if……..’

What if Frank Lampard’s goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup had been given? Well, I don’t think the result would have been any different, we’d still have been handed a humiliating loss. But we’ll never know will we? I’d rather have the reassuring ambiguity of ‘what if’, rather than be forced to concede we were utterly outplayed for 90 minutes.

JC: I think there’s a solution without having to go all the way to the ‘anaemic utopia’ you describe. I’ve enjoyed the introduction of the challenge system in tennis. You have the benefit of improving the quality of decisions, with the restriction that the ‘second-look’ isn’t something that you can just use all the time. I witnessed an even better example of this in the hockey in the Olympics. Again, a limited number of challenges, with minimal disruption. How much fun would it be to see Neil Warnock witness a dodgy decision, only to realise he erroneously used his remaining challenges flippantly mere minutes before? This wouldn’t eliminate all errors – but it would be a definite improvement on the present.

JA: We’d do well to remember that England won it’s only ever international trophy courtesy of a blunder by a Russian linesman.

JC: Yes. Bloody disgraceful.

Why does everyone hate Michael Owen?

Posted: August 17, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Owen: the man we love to loathe

You’re a former European Footballer of the Year. You’re one of your country’s greatest ever goal scorers. You’ve led a trouble and scandal free life. You’re even nice to animals and children. So why do so many people hate Michael Owen?

The recent volley of abuse fired at him when he attempted to engage in a live Q&A on twitter demonstrated that his current public stock has hit rock bottom. With the latter part of his career marked more by jeering than cheering. How did he turn from a teenage sensation to a figure of derision and ridicule?

The prevailing perception of Owen is of a fading force. Yet despite this, he continues to score goals. Owen’s career record remains just shy of 1-in-2 – despite the injuries and the increasing role as a substitute. Clearly, this negative public view of the former England international can’t be about what he delivers on the pitch.

Intriguingly, Owen is little loved even at the clubs he’s served. At Liverpool, he had the misfortune to displace club legend Robbie Fowler. Never considered a true scouser, Owen burnt his bridges on the Kop by later signing for arch-rivals Manchester United.

At Newcastle he was hailed as the second coming – or possibly fourth, after Keegan and Shearer – but the initial fervour quickly fizzled out. Opinion amongst the St James Park faithful being blighted by unfortunate injuries, but also by the self-inflicted wounds of a contract clause which left Owen free to jump ship for ‘bigger’ clubs.

Had Owen fired in the goals that kept Newcastle in the Premiership in his final season, his reputation may have survived his refusal to sign a new contract. Unfortunately, Newcastle were relegated.

But this only explains the feelings of football fans in Tyneside and Merseyside and not how he became an orphan of the nation’s affections.

Part of the answer lies in his international career. After announcing himself on the international stage by hurtling through the Argentinian defence in 1998, we see again a similar pattern of promise followed by lingering disappointment. Here, Owen was unlucky in that his international career coincided with the rise of the much derided ‘golden generation’.

Whether they were really good enough or not, fans and certainly the players themselves believed the hype. Successive tournament ‘failures’ have subsequently tainted a goal scoring and tournament record which compares favourably with any England international – with the exception of the Class of ’66.

Then there’s the man himself. When Owen broke through as an 18 year old, he earned just as much praise for his composure off the pitch as he did on it. Confident and fluent, his interviews seemed to come from a relaxed media veteran not a footballing ingénue.

But what was at first charming, quickly become dull. Yes, he spoke coherently and didn’t ‘um’ and ‘ah’, but nothing he said was ever really that interesting. A perception heightened by an off-the-field life which failed to provide any fuel for the tabloids.

Perhaps just a private man, the end result was that Michael Owen was, well, just a little bit boring. No crime in itself, but far lesser players have been elevated to footballing legend status on the basis of an ability to deliver a pithy one-liner whilst stumbling out of Stringfellows with a former Miss World on their arms.

During Owen’s time at Manchester United all these views seem to have crystalized and become the prism through which we view events. Did he really meekly accept a bit-part substitute role in exchange for trophies – or did he just keep his frustration to himself?

When he announced this summer that he was unprepared to drop down a division, he was hardly the first player to make such a comment. Yet the vitriol which met the statement showed that different standards apply to Owen. A point echoed again in

Pointless twitter spats with journalists about his record and ambition haven’t helped. Touchy and arrogant? Or just tired and irritated at trying to defend himself from unfair accusations?

So with the new football season cranking into gear, Michael Owen is football’s lonely man. Without a club and without anyone seeming to care that the career of one of Britain’s most talented footballers is about to limp to an end.

Will this be how he’s ultimately written into our football history? I fancy that, given a bit of time and distance from his football career, the public’s attitude will soften and he’ll end up a respected and popular figure. In which case that transformation will make as much sense as the current jaundiced view towards him.

Written by James Albion

2012/13 predictions from 1FITG

Posted: August 6, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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It’s barely been three months since Martin Tyler’s spine-chilling Aguero climax, or from the historic moment John Terry appeared in full Chelsea kit in Munich, commencing a lucrative Photoshopping career.

But following the entertainingly predictable Team GB failure in the mens football, the new season is now rapidly approaching, and here at 1FITG towers, we love a good prediction. So we’ve been asking some of our contributors to tell us what they think is in store for season 2012/13, with five simple questions – a few of the usual, with some of the unexpected thrown in there.

1. The Champions question: who will win the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2

James Albion: Manchester City, Charlton, Sheffield United, Southend United.
@josephclift: Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, Rotherham United.
@giraffefarmer: Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Southend United.
Trebor A: Chelsea, Blackpool, Coventry City, Gillingham.
Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United, Fleetwood Town.
Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers, MK Dons, Rotherham United.
@Miller179: Manchester United, Leicester City, Sheffield United, Rotherham United.

2. The Ron Atkinson question: who will be the first manager to be sacked in the top four divisions?

James Albion: Neil Warnock (Leeds). Conventional wisdom says that Neil Warnock just needed time to mould Leeds in his image. However, sometimes it just doesn’t work for you at a club, and there were signs last year that Warnock may be struggling to work his alchemy at Elland Road. A slow start this year, could see Ken Bates try and salvage the season with an early managerial change.

Who’s up for the chop?

@josephclift: Andy Thorn (Coventry). I’m amazed he’s still in his job to be honest – Coventry look as though they’re a club that could have a Preston-esque year of transition in League 1, and a poor start to the season will probably see him sacked in September.

@giraffefarmer: Sean O’Driscoll (Nottingham Forest). High expectations coupled with a mediocre squad means that Forest could struggle at the start of the season. If that happens expect the patience of the new owners to wear thin very quickly, especially if they feel that a higher profile name could be attracted to the City Ground.

Trebor A: Steve Kean (Blackburn Rovers). How on earth has he managed to last this long? Could be sacked before the end of August.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Nigel Pearson (Leicester City). Continued investment at the King Power Stadium will demand results which on recent form seem unlikely to come.

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Steve Kean (Blackburn Rovers). Even though it seems he has actually improved the team, the owners aren’t going to understand the difficulty the Championship poses.

@Miller179: Chris Wilder (Oxford United). Oxford are a big club (in terms of the division0 who could be looked upon to have underachieved over the last few seasons.  If they don’t get off to a good start, the trap door could be beckoning for Wilder.

3. The Guy Whittingham question: who will be the top scorer out of the top four divisions?

James Albion: Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town). Too good for League 1 last year, I fancy him to carrying on from where he left off in the Championship.

@josephclift: Stuart Beavon (Wycombe). Beavon did extremely well in League 1 last year, really impressed me when I saw him. I’m amazed that he hasn’t been snapped up by either a League 1 or Championship team. Assuming he stays, I can’t see League 2 defences coping with him, and provided Wycombe don’t implode I can see him having a great season for them.

Who’s going to score a shedload?

@giraffefarmer: Freddy Eastwood (Southend United). Back at the club where he made his name in the Football League, he’s far too good for this level and will supply the goals for a Southend United side that is likely to dominate the league.

Trebor A: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City). What a debut season from the diminutive Argentinean. I fully expect him to avoid the dreaded second season syndrome.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town). Proven finisher – think Huddersfield will do well this year under Simon Grayson.

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town). Great finisher, now working under a manager that made Beckford look Prem quality. More of the same.

@Miller179: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City). The complete striker/poacher.  He has everything - pace, agility, strength, and finishing.  With the service that he will get I’m sure it will be goals galore this season.

4. The Marco Boogers question: which new signing will completely flop?

James Albion: Nuno Gomes (Blackburn). The Portugal international has a fine pedigree, but if I were a Blackburn fan I’d prepare to be underwhelmed – very underwhelmed. Having spent the bulk of his career challenging for honours at Portugese giants Benfica, the move reeks of a player whose only remaining interest is in bolstering his pension. Now 36, does Gomes really have the mettle for the rigours of a long Championship season in a cold, half-empty, Ewood Park? Well, you can guess what I think.

Who is this season’s Marco Boogers?

@josephclift: Steven Naismith (Everton). David Moyes simply doesn’t have a good overall record with strikers. He’s done well with some, but terrible with most – for every Jelavić he’s signed there’s a James Beattie or Jermaine Beckford blotting that record. Naismith was always the lesser of the pairing at Rangers, and coming off the back of a cruciate ligament injury I can’t see him doing well in his first year. Particularly if he’s stuck somewhere in midfield, which he may have to expect given Moyes’s bizarre allergy to selecting two strikers.

@giraffefarmer: Ben Burgess (Tranmere Rovers). This question was answered early this year, Ben signed for Tranmere Rovers in June 2012 and then retired from football in July 2012. A sad end for a solid pro, but definitely a flop.

Trebor A: Eden Hazard (Chelsea). The football prostitute, cavorted himself to a plethora of potential suitors. Fluttering his eyelids, and continually pursing his lips. Before announcing his decision on twitter. In a ridiculously over-hyped fashion. You would think Chelsea have signed Leo Messi. Well they haven’t. Hazard is just another player, whose 5 minute YouTube videos precede him.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Olivier Giroud (Arsenal). Can’t see him dominating Premier League centre-backs like he did in France. Plus, will Arsenal start chucking crosses into the box?

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Edin Hazard (Chelsea). Tough call this as his talent isn’t in question. His adaptability, especially in the first season, is though. A hefty price tag, and most likely having to find space on the left wing won’t help.

@Miller179: I wouldn’t say flop signing because this player has great potential,  but Edin Hazard (Chelsea).  I’m not sure if his style is suited to Chelsea - for me the way they play is too rigid and unexpressive.  I think he will have a very tough first season.  He should have gone to Man United.

5. The Titanic question: which club is going to have a nightmarish disaster of a season?

James Albion: Portsmouth. Given Pompey may not even exist at the start the season, this may actually be a poor choice. At the time of writing the club had just 3 first team players on its books. Assuming they satisfy the administrators on the 10th August, it’s hard to see how the remaining players – along with any last minute additions – will do anything other than struggle. It raises the humbling prospect of the 2008 FA Cup winners starting the 2013 season in the bottom division.

Who’s entering troubled waters?

@josephclift: It would be easy to say Portsmouth. I’m instead going for Nottingham Forest. A new manager once again, and while Sean O’Driscoll was raved about prior to 2011 it’s difficult to forget that it all ultimately went very wrong for him at Doncaster. His style of football was generally pleasing on the eye for a team with zero expectations – with the rich new owners and heightened expectations, I’m not convinced O’Driscoll’s up to the task. They’ll be looking at a top 6 finish – I reckon they’ll be midtable or worse, with potential upheaval in the new year from jittery owners concerned about their investment.

@giraffefarmer: Swansea City. Swansea lost their talented manager Brendan Rodgers over the post-season and look set to lose star players such as Joe Allen. With little clout to bring in new players or the time needed to integrate any newcomers into their (slightly overrated) sub-tiki-taka style of play, the team is likely to be weaker than last season. Couple this with second-season syndrome and Swansea will seriously struggle. If that wasn’t bad enough, potential success for rivals Cardiff this season after their cash injection means Swansea could be relegated while being leapfrogged into the Premier league by their biggest competitors – which would definitely be a nightmarish disaster of a season.

Trebor A: Aston Villa. Yeah, I know last season wasn’t exactly a vintage one, for Villa fans. The McLeish era wasn’t something to regale you about. However, I fear that everything is about to get a lot worse. A meagre budget, coupled with average players means one thing. Relegation is clearly on the horizon. England’s 2nd city will soon have no football clubs in the top-flight.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): QPR. Low caibre signings and they will be without the delivery of errant midfielder and social media expert Joey Barton.

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Coventry City. A couple of demoralising results early on – that slip can turn into a slide.

@Miller179: Liverpool. For me the Brendan Rodgers era is going to get off to a very slow start. Everyone talks about the style of play that Rodgers employs, but what people don’t realise is that this takes time – a lot of time  to get to that level. It doesn’t happen overnight. Remember Rodgers at Reading??? People won’t see the full fruits of this until next season. The first few months could be a tough slog for the Reds.

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