With (apparently) England coach Fabio Capello courting the services of Everton's Spanish born and bred (but uncapped) midfield player Mikel Arteta, the issue of nationality and citizenship in sport is once more in the news. The FA in particular have been very coy about not making a decision one or the other over whether Arteta may have a future as an England international, and they are practically giving Capello yet another way to hang himself. There is no doubt that a player of Arteta's quality would add something to squad in the middle of the park - he would give much needed composure to England's midfield, he was the most fouled player in the Premier League last season (suggesting he is a skillful individual) and he is an excellent passer of the ball, especially from deep in the mould of Xabi Alonso. Which is a crucial point - the chances of him making an impression on the Spanish international set-up at the age of 28 are slim, especially with the likes of Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas ahead of him in the pecking order.
He has played in Britain for eight years after moving to Rangers from Barcelona (apart from a six month hiatus at Real Sociedad) and qualified to claim British citizenship through residency in January having played for Everton for five years. The FA haven't been forthcoming in making a decision, because it is a Catch22 situation. He would definitely improve the squad in the short-term, but it is likely to be an unpopular decision with the fans and players alike, especially if Arteta's inclusion comes at the expense of a promising young English player, such as Jack Wilshere. Arteta has not ruled out playing for England - he said this week, 'I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one has contacted me. But if they do, it's something I'll consider very seriously.' So Arteta, along with the FA, is leaving the decision squarely on Capello's shoulders - but it needs to be resolved sooner rather than later, one way or the other.
This is an issue which has been far more prescient in cricket and rugby over the years, as all the home nations have been quick to use the tenuous citizenship rules and 'grandmother' law to recruit talented South African and Antipodean players to their national set-ups. But there seems to be little complaint from the fans and other players if this approach noticeably improves the team. Maybe that's because it's easier to identify with people from these countries - they all speak English as a first language, and are all former British colonies. It may not be so easy to integrate a Spaniard into the dressing room.
Look at the current England cricket team - captain Andrew Strauss was born in Johannesburg, as were Matt Prior and Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan is Irish, Kevin Pietersen was born in Natal, Owais Shah in Pakistan and Jonathon Trott in Cape Town. But this has no effect on the team - the players improve the quality than if 'just' English born players were able to be included, and doesn't impinge at all on team spirit as all of these perceived foreigners have been around the county scene for quite some time, and are familiar faces to the other players.
The same can be said about the home nations rugby teams as well. England have Kiwis Riki Flutey and Shontayne Hape in the centre, and Hape's compatriots and fellow rugby league converts Lesley Vainikolo and Henry Paul were both capped by England. Maybe attitudes are different in these sports, or cricket and rugby have been so used to this being the case as it has been happening for so long.
Arteta's lack of English heritage would make him an easy target if things weren't going well - a ready made scapegoat, in much the way Jamaican born John Barnes was, shockingly and racially, for both Liverpool and England fans. But while this is a depressing factor of the modern game, I do think it is important .to have a sense of national identity when playing for your national team. Arteta (and his compatriot Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal goalkeeper who doesn't have a hope in hell of playing for the Spanish national team) wouldn't even be thinking about England if they could get near the Spanish set-up. So England would be the booby prize then.
This could all be academic anyway - Scottish manager Craig Levein is unsure whether Arteta would qualify to play for England, due to an eligibility agreement signed by the home nations last year. 'The way I see it, the Home Nations have an agreement. You have to have a family bloodline or completed five years education in the country in question before qualifying.' Arteta doesn't come close to meeting either of these directives, and, according to Levein, 'it is more than a gentleman's agreement.' Capello and England could always challenge this, but this would surely just open up a whole new can of worms. What would that be saying about the quality (or lack of it) of young English players coming through the system, if England are fighting so hard to ensure someone can play for England who is not actually English, and just lives in the country (only because he plays for an English football club.) He's hardly going to be able to identify with what it means to quintessentially British.
In fairness, they rules are not as lax as they once were. Half a century ago, great players like Ferenc Puskas (Hungary and Spain) and Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina and Spain) played full international football for two different countries. And Levein knows how hypocritical it would be to criticise a country for using residency and citizenship rules to summon the best players available to play for that national team - he played with many players during his international career who were essentially English, and qualified through the 'grandmother' rule and just this week he has called up Blackpool keeper Matt Gilks for the first time, who has one Scottish grandmother. Both Irish nations and Wales have been quick to scour birth certificates and records. London hard man and current Hollywood star Vinny Jones even captained Wales, and former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino won 88 caps for the country, and scored 19 goals. Only it turned out he wasn't Irish. He found out early in his international career that his mother was adopted, so he was not a blood relative of his grandfather, who he had thought qualified him to play for Ireland. But he kept this quiet until long after he retired and released his autobiography. As Cascarino said, 'I was a fraud, a fake Irishman.' About as Irish as Arteta is English then!
Let's give the last word to Levein: 'from my point of view, it isn't my job to decide who's Scottish. It's my job to win football matches.' Maybe Capello should follow that mantra and cross the bridge if (or when) he comes to it.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Casey fails to make the cut as brotherly love reigns supreme
Casey fails to make the cut (with no pun intended)
The dye was cast, the decision was made. All that was left to do was for legendary European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomery to do was to inform those concerned whether they would be competing in the 38th edition of the event at Celtic Manor at the start of October. And after making his three chosen wild cards (Edoardo Molinari, Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald) aware of their selection, it was left to Monty to make one of the hardest phone call he will ever to have made - to inform Paul Casey that he had missed out on one of the three spots.
In reality, though, Casey had only himself to blame by passing up the opportunity for valuable ranking points in the penultimate event on the European Tour, the Czech Open, last week. Instead, he opted to compete in the FedEx Cup in America, with the increased price money and lustre being the perceived draw. How that decision backfired on Casey, who was made to pay the ultimate price for his arrogant attitude and laid-back approach to Ryder Cup matters, as, having been knocked out of the automatic places by his decision to miss the event in Prague, was hit by the ultimate sucker-punch as Molinari's superb win in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last weekend convinced Monty that the Italian deserved to be given his Ryder Cup debut.
This also sets a Ryder Cup first - following his shock triumph, the older Molinari will be joining his brother, Francesco, in being the first European set of brothers to play in the event. And boy does he deserve his place, following a fairytale rise up the rankings. The careers of Molinari and Casey have taken different trajectories. Just over a year ago Casey won the PGA Championship at Wentworth, elevating him to a career high third in the world rankings. In contrast, Molinari was ranked 653rd in the world at the time, and was scratching around the tour just playing for his card. But his fortunes started looking up by winning Italy their first World Cup in China last November, and he has become a regular on the tour this season. But his win at Gleneagles was still only his second on the European Tour (his other being last month at the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond) and his best finish in a major is just tied for 27th, at this year's Open.
In that respect, it certainly a brave choice by Montgomery, especially considering how close he himself is to Casey. The Englishman was a guest at the captain's wedding two years ago, and they were teammates in Montgomery's last two Ryder Cup appearances as a player, in 2004 and 2006, both of which ended up as wins for the European side (Casey even struck a hole-in-one on his Saturday afternoon fourballs.) But Molinari is the player in form, with his two wins in the past couple of months. He has a fiery, flamboyant temperament which could be ideal in the specialised atmosphere of the Ryder Cup, and he has a ready-made partner for both the foursomes and fourballs - not only is Francesco his brother, they are best friends and do everything together. But most importantly, he has a team spirit which Casey seems to lack (or has lost since his elevation up the world rankings swelled his ego). Currently at eight in the rankings, he is the highest ranked player who will not be turning up at Celtic Manor, as the seven above him are either European or American, and have long since secured their places in their respective teams. As Casey was teetering on the edge of the final qualifying places prior to the Czech Open last week, competing with the likes of the Molinari's and veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez, he clearly thought Monty would pick him regardless of his final finishing position in the race. But following Molinari's superb finish at Gleneagles, where three consecutive birdies from the 16th gave him a one shot win over Australian Brett Rumford. Completing a family affair, Francesco finished tied for third two shots further back.
Not surprisingly, Monty preferred to accentuate the positives rather than dwell on those who missed out: 'I don't think I've seen a finish of that quality under that pressure by anyone before,' on Molinari's win. The kind of commitment to the cause the Scot wanted to see from Casey was definitely displayed by Jimenez, who had originally decided to skip the event to attend his nephew's wedding. But with his place in jeopardy, he turned up and finished tied for third, which was more than enough to clinch one of the final two places up for grabs, along with Sweden's Peter Hansson. If Monty hopes Molinari will be the bright spark needed in the European camp, then he has gone for two tried and trusted competitors as his other two picks. Harrington is the only British golfer to win a Major in over a decade - three in fact, with his back-to-back Open wins in 2007 and 2008, and his US PGA win in the same year as the latter. Although he is hideously out of form, with that US PGA win being his last title in any way, shape or form, the captain clearly feels having him in the side for his experience will be an asset given the inexperience of the team. The affable Irishman is one of only two players (along with Lee Westwood, who has one of the best Ryder Cup records of anyone, either side of the pond, ever), to have appeared in more than three editions.
Donald, on the other hand, has a superb Ryder Cup record from his two appearances, in 2004 and 2006. But despite being given the call by his captain, Donald started the inevitable questioning of the system, which he feels places too great an emphasis on the European Tour. Donald, along with Casey, Harrington and Justin Rose (who also missed out on being a wild card selection) all played in the FedEx Cup, and spend large chunks of their season on the PGA Tour in the States. 'I understand they want to protect the European Tour but at the same time the top players are going to want to play against the best players in the world, so they shouldn't be penalised for that. Maybe so, but although golf is essentially an individual pursuit, playing in the Ryder Cup should be one of the pinnacles of a players' career, but some players have clearly placed their priorities elsewhere. But if the playing side of the team lacks experiences (with six debutants being the Molinari brothers, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Ross Fisher and Hansson), that is certainly not the case away from the greens and fairways. The news that Sergio Garcia will be Monty's fourth vice-captain means that between them, and the other three vice-captains (Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn), they have a staggering 23 Ryder Cup appearances between them. McGinley especially will be aware how the event can make a hero out of an individual, as his putt to half his singles match against Jim Furyk was the match winning putt, and he consequently ended up in the water at the Belfry. And such was Garcia's desire to be involved, following a horrible slump in the last year which has seen the Spaniard career out of the world's top 50 and taken a self-imposed sabbatical from the game, that he begged Monty to include him in some capacity. Now that's commitment, and at just 30, there is surely more to come from such a talented golfer.
Hopefully Caseyand Rose will take heed of their rejection should the Ryder Cup mean to them what it means to the likes of Jimenez and Garcia. But Montgomery's counterpart Corey Pavin has an altogether tougher decision to make when the American wild card picks are announced at the start of next week (he has the 'luxury' of four as opposed to Monty's three.) Namely, whether to include the great Tiger Woods as one of those four picks. It is certainly a tricky one, as America themselves have a young team laden with rookies (half of the automatic qualifiers in Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kucher) so could use Tiger's experience, and he is still world number one despite his travails. On the flip side, he hasn't been in great form since his self-imposed exile from the game and his Ryder Cup record is shoddy for someone of his ability. He has often appeared to be a divisive influence in the US camp, and his brilliance is better suited for the pursuit of individual glory. I wouldn't like to make that call, but whoever they are up against, the stage is set for the Molinari to steal the show, and prove themselves to be the perfect double act.
The dye was cast, the decision was made. All that was left to do was for legendary European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomery to do was to inform those concerned whether they would be competing in the 38th edition of the event at Celtic Manor at the start of October. And after making his three chosen wild cards (Edoardo Molinari, Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald) aware of their selection, it was left to Monty to make one of the hardest phone call he will ever to have made - to inform Paul Casey that he had missed out on one of the three spots.
In reality, though, Casey had only himself to blame by passing up the opportunity for valuable ranking points in the penultimate event on the European Tour, the Czech Open, last week. Instead, he opted to compete in the FedEx Cup in America, with the increased price money and lustre being the perceived draw. How that decision backfired on Casey, who was made to pay the ultimate price for his arrogant attitude and laid-back approach to Ryder Cup matters, as, having been knocked out of the automatic places by his decision to miss the event in Prague, was hit by the ultimate sucker-punch as Molinari's superb win in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last weekend convinced Monty that the Italian deserved to be given his Ryder Cup debut.
This also sets a Ryder Cup first - following his shock triumph, the older Molinari will be joining his brother, Francesco, in being the first European set of brothers to play in the event. And boy does he deserve his place, following a fairytale rise up the rankings. The careers of Molinari and Casey have taken different trajectories. Just over a year ago Casey won the PGA Championship at Wentworth, elevating him to a career high third in the world rankings. In contrast, Molinari was ranked 653rd in the world at the time, and was scratching around the tour just playing for his card. But his fortunes started looking up by winning Italy their first World Cup in China last November, and he has become a regular on the tour this season. But his win at Gleneagles was still only his second on the European Tour (his other being last month at the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond) and his best finish in a major is just tied for 27th, at this year's Open.
In that respect, it certainly a brave choice by Montgomery, especially considering how close he himself is to Casey. The Englishman was a guest at the captain's wedding two years ago, and they were teammates in Montgomery's last two Ryder Cup appearances as a player, in 2004 and 2006, both of which ended up as wins for the European side (Casey even struck a hole-in-one on his Saturday afternoon fourballs.) But Molinari is the player in form, with his two wins in the past couple of months. He has a fiery, flamboyant temperament which could be ideal in the specialised atmosphere of the Ryder Cup, and he has a ready-made partner for both the foursomes and fourballs - not only is Francesco his brother, they are best friends and do everything together. But most importantly, he has a team spirit which Casey seems to lack (or has lost since his elevation up the world rankings swelled his ego). Currently at eight in the rankings, he is the highest ranked player who will not be turning up at Celtic Manor, as the seven above him are either European or American, and have long since secured their places in their respective teams. As Casey was teetering on the edge of the final qualifying places prior to the Czech Open last week, competing with the likes of the Molinari's and veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez, he clearly thought Monty would pick him regardless of his final finishing position in the race. But following Molinari's superb finish at Gleneagles, where three consecutive birdies from the 16th gave him a one shot win over Australian Brett Rumford. Completing a family affair, Francesco finished tied for third two shots further back.
Not surprisingly, Monty preferred to accentuate the positives rather than dwell on those who missed out: 'I don't think I've seen a finish of that quality under that pressure by anyone before,' on Molinari's win. The kind of commitment to the cause the Scot wanted to see from Casey was definitely displayed by Jimenez, who had originally decided to skip the event to attend his nephew's wedding. But with his place in jeopardy, he turned up and finished tied for third, which was more than enough to clinch one of the final two places up for grabs, along with Sweden's Peter Hansson. If Monty hopes Molinari will be the bright spark needed in the European camp, then he has gone for two tried and trusted competitors as his other two picks. Harrington is the only British golfer to win a Major in over a decade - three in fact, with his back-to-back Open wins in 2007 and 2008, and his US PGA win in the same year as the latter. Although he is hideously out of form, with that US PGA win being his last title in any way, shape or form, the captain clearly feels having him in the side for his experience will be an asset given the inexperience of the team. The affable Irishman is one of only two players (along with Lee Westwood, who has one of the best Ryder Cup records of anyone, either side of the pond, ever), to have appeared in more than three editions.
Donald, on the other hand, has a superb Ryder Cup record from his two appearances, in 2004 and 2006. But despite being given the call by his captain, Donald started the inevitable questioning of the system, which he feels places too great an emphasis on the European Tour. Donald, along with Casey, Harrington and Justin Rose (who also missed out on being a wild card selection) all played in the FedEx Cup, and spend large chunks of their season on the PGA Tour in the States. 'I understand they want to protect the European Tour but at the same time the top players are going to want to play against the best players in the world, so they shouldn't be penalised for that. Maybe so, but although golf is essentially an individual pursuit, playing in the Ryder Cup should be one of the pinnacles of a players' career, but some players have clearly placed their priorities elsewhere. But if the playing side of the team lacks experiences (with six debutants being the Molinari brothers, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Ross Fisher and Hansson), that is certainly not the case away from the greens and fairways. The news that Sergio Garcia will be Monty's fourth vice-captain means that between them, and the other three vice-captains (Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn), they have a staggering 23 Ryder Cup appearances between them. McGinley especially will be aware how the event can make a hero out of an individual, as his putt to half his singles match against Jim Furyk was the match winning putt, and he consequently ended up in the water at the Belfry. And such was Garcia's desire to be involved, following a horrible slump in the last year which has seen the Spaniard career out of the world's top 50 and taken a self-imposed sabbatical from the game, that he begged Monty to include him in some capacity. Now that's commitment, and at just 30, there is surely more to come from such a talented golfer.
Hopefully Caseyand Rose will take heed of their rejection should the Ryder Cup mean to them what it means to the likes of Jimenez and Garcia. But Montgomery's counterpart Corey Pavin has an altogether tougher decision to make when the American wild card picks are announced at the start of next week (he has the 'luxury' of four as opposed to Monty's three.) Namely, whether to include the great Tiger Woods as one of those four picks. It is certainly a tricky one, as America themselves have a young team laden with rookies (half of the automatic qualifiers in Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kucher) so could use Tiger's experience, and he is still world number one despite his travails. On the flip side, he hasn't been in great form since his self-imposed exile from the game and his Ryder Cup record is shoddy for someone of his ability. He has often appeared to be a divisive influence in the US camp, and his brilliance is better suited for the pursuit of individual glory. I wouldn't like to make that call, but whoever they are up against, the stage is set for the Molinari to steal the show, and prove themselves to be the perfect double act.
Close the window behind you
One of the most exciting days of the domestic football season is upon us - the first transfer window of the season slams shut at 6 o'clock tonight, and we can be sure to have a whirlwind of frenzied activity up until that point, with rumour and counter-rumour, and this player being spotted at this airport/train station/training ground as team's show increasing desperation to strengthen their squad for the last time before January as the ultimate deadline draws close. Early rumours on the BBC's live text (which only adds to the tall stories) include - 'my sister was on a flight from Johannesburg to London last night and Siphiwe Tshabalala was on board,' and 'my sister, who works at Watford Gap service station, spotted Kevin Davies talking to a West Ham representative.' This is the day when everyone seems to know someone, everyone seems to be connected.
But despite the enduring appeal of the excitement of deadline day, you will still find it difficult to find anyone involved with football who think it's a good idea. Manager's don't generally think it's a good idea - unless you're one of the really big boys - you could lose one of your stars with minutes left of the transfer window, and won't be able to replace them until January. That's why deadline day is sometimes about who will stay at their club rather than leave - and this is definitely the case at West Ham today, who will be worried about the future of their two key players Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, with the likes of Spurs and Liverpool sniffing around. The big-wigs at boardroom level will share this point of view, to hold off the inevitable backlash from disgruntled fans. There are two sets of people who will lick their lips every time deadline day draws near - players and agents. As if player power had not spiralled out of control enough with the Bosman ruling and the increased money players can earn in the game, the transfer window has only served to add to this. Players can now hold their clubs to ransom if they are not happy - Javier Mascherano as good as went on strike to engineer a transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona, and then Charles N'Zogbia practically did the same at Wigan. Although N'Zogbia didn't really care where he went, and typifies most of what is wrong with the modern game. Having failed to agree personal terms with Birmingham, he clearly has a higher value of his own worth than anyone else, and maybe he would be prepared to 'do a Winston Bogarde' - sit on the bench, or in the reserves, while he gets paid what he thinks he deserves? Lastly, Brett Pitman, of League One Borunemouth (League Two last season) failed to agree personal terms with Premier League Blackpool. Credit must go to former chairman Karl Oyston and manager Ian Holloway for not being held to ransom, but what is the world coming to when the lure of playing at the top level isn't enough? Unfortunately, behind every petulant football player, there is likely to be a greedy agent, who will be angling to get a better deal for their client. And to paraphrase that, a bigger cut for themselves.
Since it's inception by FIFA in the 2002/03 season, there have been non-stop dissenters ever since. Former Reading and Bristol City manager Steve Coppell (one of the brighter, more insightful men in football), stated, 'the transfer window breed panic and encourages scurrilous transfer activity. I can't see the logic in it. It breeds a fire-sale mentality, causes unrest through the media and causes clubs to buy too many players. The old system we had was far better.' Coppell puts it much better than I ever could as someone on the inside, and this gives an insight into the sweats and hot-flushes managers and chairman alike will experience as the deadline draws closer. There have also been suggestions that the transfer window impinges on human rights and freedom of trade, but that is a legal rather than a football matter, so that can be left to the lawyers!
The transfer window does give an incline about where the season will lead and what the next nine months will hold in store for us. The players who clubs have signed previously, and are linked with on this transfer deadline day, give away where managers see where their priorities lie and where they have problem areas. For example, Arsenal signed a centre-back, Laurent Koscielney from Lorient! Liverpool, on the other hand, having seemingly shored up the left back position with the signing of Paul Konchesky from manager Roy Hodgson's former club Fulham, are on the trail for a striker to support Fernando Torres - candidates today include Cole, Fernando Llorente (Atletico Bilbao), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich) and Darren Bent (Sunderland). And Liverpool's cross-city rivals Everton are also in the market for a striker with just Jermaine Beckford on a free transfer brought in to strengthen the ranks, with Wolfsburg striker Grafite being mooted as a potential loan signing. That would certainly be popular with all the journalists in Fleet Street. And this knowledge runs the rumour mill into overdrive - will Arsenal solve their goalkeeping crisis by singing Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris? Will Stoke inject some flare into their team with Dutch winger Royston Drenthe? Will Birmingham do the same with Chilean World Cup star Jean Beausejour?
If manager's are canny, they will have got their business done before this chaotic day. But not everyone has the resources of Manchester City, who have bought six top quality players for a combined £125 million. Not bad if you can do it, but the likes of the newly promoted trio, Blackpool, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion have barely had a penny to rub between them, and will look to be active today to increase their chances of survival. But such is the limited time-frame available on this dramatic day, that clubs like to sign a replacement before letting one of their key players go - and this in itself sparks another round of rumours. Sunderland are on the verge of signing Ghanaian World Cup star Asamoah Gyan. But is this a move to improve the squad or replace the out-going Darren Bent. Similarly, Liverpool signed two players (Raul Meireles from Porto and Christian Poulson from Juventus) before Mascherano's transfer to Spain went through, and Fulham want to sign a replacement for Mark Schwarzer (possibly Shay Given) before allowing the Australian to join Arsenal. The phrase merry-go-around springs to mind!
The chances are, though, that only the tiniest proportion of these transfers will go through, and there will be some surprises on the cards (such as the £6 million transfer of young Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson from Reading to Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim). And the Championship could look even more star-studded by the end of today - with Craig Bellamy going home to Cardiff, David James winding down his career at Bristol City and Edgar Davids come out of retirement at Crystal Palace, Spurs striker Robbie Keane could be making it a quartet if rumours of his possible loan move to Nottingham Forest prove true. And former England striker Darius Vassell moving to Notts County would be another bizarre move to say the least.
But the excitement is why the fans love it, even though it's not necessarily the best for most clubs. Ir's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. The last deadline day, in January of this year, passed without major incidence. But who can forget the transfer window on August 31, 2008. On that historic day, multi-billionaire Abu Dhabi oil tycoons took over Manchester City, and with mere minutes to go, the huge transfers of Robinho to Man City and Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United in a breathless finish.
To add another spanner to the works, the new Premier League squad rules only complicates matters. This is one thing which could add up to 'the breathless finish' we all crave. With all clubs having to name a 25 mans squad to choose from in the top flight (including eight home-grown, not necessarily English, players), anyone who thinks they might miss the cut for their respective clubs (injury-prone players like Owen Hargreaves and Jonathon Woodgate) could hanker for a loan move to improve their prospects of first team football. The one thing anyone who follows football should expect is the unexpected. No one is going to understand that more than former Southampton manager Alan Pardew. The Saints won 4-0 away from home at the weekend, only to dispense of his services two days later, to become the fourth football league club to part company with their boss before the end of August. So while I'm not suggesting we'll see Ian Holloway pull off a sensational loan coup by persuading Robinho to move to Bloomfield Road for the season, there are sure to be some shocks come six.
But despite the enduring appeal of the excitement of deadline day, you will still find it difficult to find anyone involved with football who think it's a good idea. Manager's don't generally think it's a good idea - unless you're one of the really big boys - you could lose one of your stars with minutes left of the transfer window, and won't be able to replace them until January. That's why deadline day is sometimes about who will stay at their club rather than leave - and this is definitely the case at West Ham today, who will be worried about the future of their two key players Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, with the likes of Spurs and Liverpool sniffing around. The big-wigs at boardroom level will share this point of view, to hold off the inevitable backlash from disgruntled fans. There are two sets of people who will lick their lips every time deadline day draws near - players and agents. As if player power had not spiralled out of control enough with the Bosman ruling and the increased money players can earn in the game, the transfer window has only served to add to this. Players can now hold their clubs to ransom if they are not happy - Javier Mascherano as good as went on strike to engineer a transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona, and then Charles N'Zogbia practically did the same at Wigan. Although N'Zogbia didn't really care where he went, and typifies most of what is wrong with the modern game. Having failed to agree personal terms with Birmingham, he clearly has a higher value of his own worth than anyone else, and maybe he would be prepared to 'do a Winston Bogarde' - sit on the bench, or in the reserves, while he gets paid what he thinks he deserves? Lastly, Brett Pitman, of League One Borunemouth (League Two last season) failed to agree personal terms with Premier League Blackpool. Credit must go to former chairman Karl Oyston and manager Ian Holloway for not being held to ransom, but what is the world coming to when the lure of playing at the top level isn't enough? Unfortunately, behind every petulant football player, there is likely to be a greedy agent, who will be angling to get a better deal for their client. And to paraphrase that, a bigger cut for themselves.
Since it's inception by FIFA in the 2002/03 season, there have been non-stop dissenters ever since. Former Reading and Bristol City manager Steve Coppell (one of the brighter, more insightful men in football), stated, 'the transfer window breed panic and encourages scurrilous transfer activity. I can't see the logic in it. It breeds a fire-sale mentality, causes unrest through the media and causes clubs to buy too many players. The old system we had was far better.' Coppell puts it much better than I ever could as someone on the inside, and this gives an insight into the sweats and hot-flushes managers and chairman alike will experience as the deadline draws closer. There have also been suggestions that the transfer window impinges on human rights and freedom of trade, but that is a legal rather than a football matter, so that can be left to the lawyers!
The transfer window does give an incline about where the season will lead and what the next nine months will hold in store for us. The players who clubs have signed previously, and are linked with on this transfer deadline day, give away where managers see where their priorities lie and where they have problem areas. For example, Arsenal signed a centre-back, Laurent Koscielney from Lorient! Liverpool, on the other hand, having seemingly shored up the left back position with the signing of Paul Konchesky from manager Roy Hodgson's former club Fulham, are on the trail for a striker to support Fernando Torres - candidates today include Cole, Fernando Llorente (Atletico Bilbao), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich) and Darren Bent (Sunderland). And Liverpool's cross-city rivals Everton are also in the market for a striker with just Jermaine Beckford on a free transfer brought in to strengthen the ranks, with Wolfsburg striker Grafite being mooted as a potential loan signing. That would certainly be popular with all the journalists in Fleet Street. And this knowledge runs the rumour mill into overdrive - will Arsenal solve their goalkeeping crisis by singing Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris? Will Stoke inject some flare into their team with Dutch winger Royston Drenthe? Will Birmingham do the same with Chilean World Cup star Jean Beausejour?
If manager's are canny, they will have got their business done before this chaotic day. But not everyone has the resources of Manchester City, who have bought six top quality players for a combined £125 million. Not bad if you can do it, but the likes of the newly promoted trio, Blackpool, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion have barely had a penny to rub between them, and will look to be active today to increase their chances of survival. But such is the limited time-frame available on this dramatic day, that clubs like to sign a replacement before letting one of their key players go - and this in itself sparks another round of rumours. Sunderland are on the verge of signing Ghanaian World Cup star Asamoah Gyan. But is this a move to improve the squad or replace the out-going Darren Bent. Similarly, Liverpool signed two players (Raul Meireles from Porto and Christian Poulson from Juventus) before Mascherano's transfer to Spain went through, and Fulham want to sign a replacement for Mark Schwarzer (possibly Shay Given) before allowing the Australian to join Arsenal. The phrase merry-go-around springs to mind!
The chances are, though, that only the tiniest proportion of these transfers will go through, and there will be some surprises on the cards (such as the £6 million transfer of young Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson from Reading to Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim). And the Championship could look even more star-studded by the end of today - with Craig Bellamy going home to Cardiff, David James winding down his career at Bristol City and Edgar Davids come out of retirement at Crystal Palace, Spurs striker Robbie Keane could be making it a quartet if rumours of his possible loan move to Nottingham Forest prove true. And former England striker Darius Vassell moving to Notts County would be another bizarre move to say the least.
But the excitement is why the fans love it, even though it's not necessarily the best for most clubs. Ir's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. The last deadline day, in January of this year, passed without major incidence. But who can forget the transfer window on August 31, 2008. On that historic day, multi-billionaire Abu Dhabi oil tycoons took over Manchester City, and with mere minutes to go, the huge transfers of Robinho to Man City and Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United in a breathless finish.
To add another spanner to the works, the new Premier League squad rules only complicates matters. This is one thing which could add up to 'the breathless finish' we all crave. With all clubs having to name a 25 mans squad to choose from in the top flight (including eight home-grown, not necessarily English, players), anyone who thinks they might miss the cut for their respective clubs (injury-prone players like Owen Hargreaves and Jonathon Woodgate) could hanker for a loan move to improve their prospects of first team football. The one thing anyone who follows football should expect is the unexpected. No one is going to understand that more than former Southampton manager Alan Pardew. The Saints won 4-0 away from home at the weekend, only to dispense of his services two days later, to become the fourth football league club to part company with their boss before the end of August. So while I'm not suggesting we'll see Ian Holloway pull off a sensational loan coup by persuading Robinho to move to Bloomfield Road for the season, there are sure to be some shocks come six.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Capello continues to underwhelm as the 'old guard' return
er a three week break, Formula One returned with a vengeance. Lewis Hamilton drove superbly from start to finish at Spa to win the Belgian Grand Prix and retake the lead at the top of the drivers championship with six races remaining. In another incident packed race, world champion Jenson Button crashed out in controversial fashion after a collision with world champion contender Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull, which saw Vettel salvage his race without being able to force his way into the points. This result potentially ends the title challenge for both drivers, with Vettel 31 points behind Hamilton and Button a further four points back from his team-mate.
In such an extraordinary season, it was not a surprise that the weekend at Spa lived up to expectations after the three week break for the drivers and teams to improve and modify their cars. And it was McClaren (and Hamilton in particular) who benefited most from the seance, as the 2008 champion drove a controlled race without letting the carnage around him phase him. He overtook previous championship Mark Webber on the first corner and never looked back, turning a four point deficit into a three point lead in the process.
But the main talking point surrounded the coming together between Button and Vettel which could prove crucial in the final reckoning. After a season littered with controversy over team disagreements and team orders, at least this incident surrounded a genuine (and entirely accidental) coming together on the race track between two opponents, but Button's anger was entirely understandable in the circumstances. As so often with sport, the weather played a part in proceedings, and Vettel isn't the first driver to have skidded in wet conditions. On the 15th lap, Vettel tried to overtake Button after gaining a run on him. He skidded on the wet track as the rain poured down, and careered into the Briton. That was the end of his race for Button (and possibly the end of his title defence) but somehow Vettel was able to recover and drive his car across the pit lane, where a quick wing change preceded his return to the track.
The immediate stewards enquiry which followed, which resulted in a drive through penalty for the German for causing an avoidable collision, will have been of no consolation to Button, who was well aware of the consequences of his unfortunate turn of events: 'all I felt was a really big bang in the sidepod and I lost control immediately. I don't know what he was playing at really. From the point of view of the championship it is a massive blow.' To be blunt, that is stating the obvious, and even with 25 points for a race win, with just six races left it looks a tall order for the chasing pack of Vettel, Button and Alonso to make up the ground on Hamilton and Webber.
If Hamilton is going to be the hero when the curtain falls on the F1 season is Abu Dhabi in November, then the villain may well end up being Vettel. Driver for driver, he has been the quickest on the track this season, to the extent that his own team principle Christian Horner deemed to declare him Red Bull's number one driver (a statement his team-mate Webber did not agree with wholeheartedly. As the BBC's Andrew Benson said in retrospect, 'Spa was yet another example of Vettel's propensity to make criticial - and very costly - errors. Very succinctly put, and such has been the calamitous nature of the Germans's season, that rather than leading the championship (as he really should be given his qualifying performances) he is not even in the picture with half a dozen races left. Hamilton, on the other hand, has done remarkably well considering McClaren have found themselves trailing in the wake of the superior Red Bull so often. He ranks his win this weekend, in the rapidly changing conditions, as one of his best, saying afterwards, 'a race like this can be a lottery, and I'm so happy to come out on top. It almost feels like it is my first win it's phenomenal!' If he comes out on top in six races time, his achievement will surely rank as a greater one than his championship win in 2008, where he pipped Massa's Ferrari to the title on the final lap of the final race of the season.
The disagreement between Button and Vettel was, however, yet another example of the darker side of the sport. This season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory - the changes in the scoring system and the presence of three competitive teams (Red Bull, McClaren and Ferrari) have definitely contributed to this. But with the stakes so high, it is inevitable teams (and individuals, such as Michael Schumacher, who endangered the life of his former team-mate Rubens Barichello over the small matter of one point) are going to go to any lengths to win for the teams, but more importantly themselves. The three top teams have certainly seen examples of this in the past six months, with none of the so called 'team-mates' living up to that name as Webber and Vettel at Red Bull, the Brits in the McClaren paddock and Alonso and Felipe Massa for Ferrari have punctuated the season with almost constant bickering over supposed team orders, and their ranking in the team. on the plus side, most of the races this season have been incident packed - but whether that is good for the integrity of the sport is another question entirely.
One of the best performances in Spa was seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who fought his way through the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix having qualified on the back row in 21st place, he will have been relatively pleased with his seventh place finish which yielded a respectable six points. But this hardly adds up to the title challenge he boasted about when he made his return to the sport after a three year absence (not including his time as a replacement for the injured Massa at Ferrari last season. Schumacher's resilient effort at Spa still left him no-where near the championship challenge he promised when he signed up for Mercedes, as he sits in tenth place with 44 points, one behind his compatriot Adrian Sutil. When he signed up for Mercedes in January, although he was pleased that his team-mate Nico Rosberg was going to be given equality with him, he stated in no uncertain terms 'I expect to challenge for the title.'
But at 41 years old, it is perhaps no surprise that he has failed to even come close to fulfilling this promise. With the likes of Hamilton, Button and Alonso still thoroughbreds in comparison, and quality starlets like Rosberg and Robert Kubica coming through the ranks to be consistent performers, it was always likely to be a tall order. Formula One is a young man's game, and so this season has proved. The only reason for Schumacher to return to the sport at his age must be the need to compete at the highest level in the rarefied atmosphere F1 creates. He doesn't need to gain anything financially after all he achieved in his career, and with his consultancy role he had at Ferrari as well as numerous endorsement and sponsorship deals with sports and leisure companies alike. If anything, his lacklustre return to the sport have affected his marketability. It can't be for the glory - he is the most successful driver in F1 history, with 91 wins to his name as well as 144 podium finishes, and having won two championships more than his nearest challenger Juan Manuel Fangio. But rather than retire gracefully, he has returned to a high pressure sport, both physically and mentally, and has put his neck on the line with nothing left to prove - and the guillotine has dropped emphatically.
What is it that makes the greatest not know when to give up, and keep pushing for one last big day? Schumacher is not the first to aim for such lofty ambition, and, to coin an (admittedly rather cliched) phrase, try to bank cheques his body couldn't cash. Lance Armstrong had a similar fate befall him this year and last to an extent, in an even more strenuous sport. He returned to cycling after a four year absence last year, at the ripe old age of 37, and followed up a third place finish in his Tour de France comeback with a disappointing 23rd place before packing away his bike for good. After the adversity the Texan overcame to win his seven Tour wins, he definitely had nothing left to prove. Completing an illustrious trio is the great Muhammad Ali, Losing the fight of the century to Joe Frazier and later to Ken Norton in the halycon era of heavyweight boxing was one thing - but losing three of his last four fight, two to Leon Spinks and Trevor Berbick (at the ages of 36 and 39 respectively), was a quite ignominious way for the greatest man to ever don gloves to bow out. Surely it makes sense to quit while you're ahead, with a reputation untainted by respective failure. That is what every top sportsman craves - the tight to quit on their terms. But there seems to be a personality confliction shared by many individual sportsmen, where they can hog the glory but also shoulder the burden of failure.
The lustre of chasing a seemingly impossible dream must have been a big draw for the German. But as Nike's adverts famously say, 'Impossible is Nothing.' Schumacher has shown this to be painfully untrue. And if 'Impossible is Nothing,' then the future is Hamilton's, not Schumacher's.
In such an extraordinary season, it was not a surprise that the weekend at Spa lived up to expectations after the three week break for the drivers and teams to improve and modify their cars. And it was McClaren (and Hamilton in particular) who benefited most from the seance, as the 2008 champion drove a controlled race without letting the carnage around him phase him. He overtook previous championship Mark Webber on the first corner and never looked back, turning a four point deficit into a three point lead in the process.
But the main talking point surrounded the coming together between Button and Vettel which could prove crucial in the final reckoning. After a season littered with controversy over team disagreements and team orders, at least this incident surrounded a genuine (and entirely accidental) coming together on the race track between two opponents, but Button's anger was entirely understandable in the circumstances. As so often with sport, the weather played a part in proceedings, and Vettel isn't the first driver to have skidded in wet conditions. On the 15th lap, Vettel tried to overtake Button after gaining a run on him. He skidded on the wet track as the rain poured down, and careered into the Briton. That was the end of his race for Button (and possibly the end of his title defence) but somehow Vettel was able to recover and drive his car across the pit lane, where a quick wing change preceded his return to the track.
The immediate stewards enquiry which followed, which resulted in a drive through penalty for the German for causing an avoidable collision, will have been of no consolation to Button, who was well aware of the consequences of his unfortunate turn of events: 'all I felt was a really big bang in the sidepod and I lost control immediately. I don't know what he was playing at really. From the point of view of the championship it is a massive blow.' To be blunt, that is stating the obvious, and even with 25 points for a race win, with just six races left it looks a tall order for the chasing pack of Vettel, Button and Alonso to make up the ground on Hamilton and Webber.
If Hamilton is going to be the hero when the curtain falls on the F1 season is Abu Dhabi in November, then the villain may well end up being Vettel. Driver for driver, he has been the quickest on the track this season, to the extent that his own team principle Christian Horner deemed to declare him Red Bull's number one driver (a statement his team-mate Webber did not agree with wholeheartedly. As the BBC's Andrew Benson said in retrospect, 'Spa was yet another example of Vettel's propensity to make criticial - and very costly - errors. Very succinctly put, and such has been the calamitous nature of the Germans's season, that rather than leading the championship (as he really should be given his qualifying performances) he is not even in the picture with half a dozen races left. Hamilton, on the other hand, has done remarkably well considering McClaren have found themselves trailing in the wake of the superior Red Bull so often. He ranks his win this weekend, in the rapidly changing conditions, as one of his best, saying afterwards, 'a race like this can be a lottery, and I'm so happy to come out on top. It almost feels like it is my first win it's phenomenal!' If he comes out on top in six races time, his achievement will surely rank as a greater one than his championship win in 2008, where he pipped Massa's Ferrari to the title on the final lap of the final race of the season.
The disagreement between Button and Vettel was, however, yet another example of the darker side of the sport. This season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory - the changes in the scoring system and the presence of three competitive teams (Red Bull, McClaren and Ferrari) have definitely contributed to this. But with the stakes so high, it is inevitable teams (and individuals, such as Michael Schumacher, who endangered the life of his former team-mate Rubens Barichello over the small matter of one point) are going to go to any lengths to win for the teams, but more importantly themselves. The three top teams have certainly seen examples of this in the past six months, with none of the so called 'team-mates' living up to that name as Webber and Vettel at Red Bull, the Brits in the McClaren paddock and Alonso and Felipe Massa for Ferrari have punctuated the season with almost constant bickering over supposed team orders, and their ranking in the team. on the plus side, most of the races this season have been incident packed - but whether that is good for the integrity of the sport is another question entirely.
One of the best performances in Spa was seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who fought his way through the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix having qualified on the back row in 21st place, he will have been relatively pleased with his seventh place finish which yielded a respectable six points. But this hardly adds up to the title challenge he boasted about when he made his return to the sport after a three year absence (not including his time as a replacement for the injured Massa at Ferrari last season. Schumacher's resilient effort at Spa still left him no-where near the championship challenge he promised when he signed up for Mercedes, as he sits in tenth place with 44 points, one behind his compatriot Adrian Sutil. When he signed up for Mercedes in January, although he was pleased that his team-mate Nico Rosberg was going to be given equality with him, he stated in no uncertain terms 'I expect to challenge for the title.'
But at 41 years old, it is perhaps no surprise that he has failed to even come close to fulfilling this promise. With the likes of Hamilton, Button and Alonso still thoroughbreds in comparison, and quality starlets like Rosberg and Robert Kubica coming through the ranks to be consistent performers, it was always likely to be a tall order. Formula One is a young man's game, and so this season has proved. The only reason for Schumacher to return to the sport at his age must be the need to compete at the highest level in the rarefied atmosphere F1 creates. He doesn't need to gain anything financially after all he achieved in his career, and with his consultancy role he had at Ferrari as well as numerous endorsement and sponsorship deals with sports and leisure companies alike. If anything, his lacklustre return to the sport have affected his marketability. It can't be for the glory - he is the most successful driver in F1 history, with 91 wins to his name as well as 144 podium finishes, and having won two championships more than his nearest challenger Juan Manuel Fangio. But rather than retire gracefully, he has returned to a high pressure sport, both physically and mentally, and has put his neck on the line with nothing left to prove - and the guillotine has dropped emphatically.
What is it that makes the greatest not know when to give up, and keep pushing for one last big day? Schumacher is not the first to aim for such lofty ambition, and, to coin an (admittedly rather cliched) phrase, try to bank cheques his body couldn't cash. Lance Armstrong had a similar fate befall him this year and last to an extent, in an even more strenuous sport. He returned to cycling after a four year absence last year, at the ripe old age of 37, and followed up a third place finish in his Tour de France comeback with a disappointing 23rd place before packing away his bike for good. After the adversity the Texan overcame to win his seven Tour wins, he definitely had nothing left to prove. Completing an illustrious trio is the great Muhammad Ali, Losing the fight of the century to Joe Frazier and later to Ken Norton in the halycon era of heavyweight boxing was one thing - but losing three of his last four fight, two to Leon Spinks and Trevor Berbick (at the ages of 36 and 39 respectively), was a quite ignominious way for the greatest man to ever don gloves to bow out. Surely it makes sense to quit while you're ahead, with a reputation untainted by respective failure. That is what every top sportsman craves - the tight to quit on their terms. But there seems to be a personality confliction shared by many individual sportsmen, where they can hog the glory but also shoulder the burden of failure.
The lustre of chasing a seemingly impossible dream must have been a big draw for the German. But as Nike's adverts famously say, 'Impossible is Nothing.' Schumacher has shown this to be painfully untrue. And if 'Impossible is Nothing,' then the future is Hamilton's, not Schumacher's.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Formula One returns with a bang
After a three week break, Formula One returned with a vengeance. Lewis Hamilton drove superbly from start to finish at Spa to win the Belgian Grand Prix and retake the lead at the top of the drivers championship with six races remaining. In another incident packed race, world champion Jenson Button crashed out in controversial fashion after a collision with world champion contender Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull, which saw Vettel salvage his race without being able to force his way into the points. This result potentially ends the title challenge for both drivers, with Vettel 31 points behind Hamilton and Button a further four points back from his team-mate.
In such an extraordinary season, it was not a surprise that the weekend at Spa lived up to expectations after the three week break for the drivers and teams to improve and modify their cars. And it was McClaren (and Hamilton in particular) who benefited most from the seance, as the 2008 champion drove a controlled race without letting the carnage around him phase him. He overtook previous championship Mark Webber on the first corner and never looked back, turning a four point deficit into a three point lead in the process.
But the main talking point surrounded the coming together between Button and Vettel which could prove crucial in the final reckoning. After a season littered with controversy over team disagreements and team orders, at least this incident surrounded a genuine (and entirely accidental) coming together on the race track between two opponents, but Button's anger was entirely understandable in the circumstances. As so often with sport, the weather played a part in proceedings, and Vettel isn't the first driver to have skidded in wet conditions. On the 15th lap, Vettel tried to overtake Button after gaining a run on him. He skidded on the wet track as the rain poured down, and careered into the Briton. That was the end of his race for Button (and possibly the end of his title defence) but somehow Vettel was able to recover and drive his car across the pit lane, where a quick wing change preceded his return to the track.
The immediate stewards enquiry which followed, which resulted in a drive through penalty for the German for causing an avoidable collision, will have been of no consolation to Button, who was well aware of the consequences of his unfortunate turn of events: 'all I felt was a really big bang in the sidepod and I lost control immediately. I don't know what he was playing at really. From the point of view of the championship it is a massive blow.' To be blunt, that is stating the obvious, and even with 25 points for a race win, with just six races left it looks a tall order for the chasing pack of Vettel, Button and Alonso to make up the ground on Hamilton and Webber.
If Hamilton is going to be the hero when the curtain falls on the F1 season is Abu Dhabi in November, then the villain may well end up being Vettel. Driver for driver, he has been the quickest on the track this season, to the extent that his own team principle Christian Horner deemed to declare him Red Bull's number one driver (a statement his team-mate Webber did not agree with wholeheartedly. As the BBC's Andrew Benson said in retrospect, 'Spa was yet another example of Vettel's propensity to make criticial - and very costly - errors. Very succinctly put, and such has been the calamitous nature of the Germans's season, that rather than leading the championship (as he really should be given his qualifying performances) he is not even in the picture with half a dozen races left. Hamilton, on the other hand, has done remarkably well considering McClaren have found themselves trailing in the wake of the superior Red Bull so often. He ranks his win this weekend, in the rapidly changing conditions, as one of his best, saying afterwards, 'a race like this can be a lottery, and I'm so happy to come out on top. It almost feels like it is my first win it's phenomenal!' If he comes out on top in six races time, his achievement will surely rank as a greater one than his championship win in 2008, where he pipped Massa's Ferrari to the title on the final lap of the final race of the season.
The disagreement between Button and Vettel was, however, yet another example of the darker side of the sport. This season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory - the changes in the scoring system and the presence of three competitive teams (Red Bull, McClaren and Ferrari) have definitely contributed to this. But with the stakes so high, it is inevitable teams (and individuals, such as Michael Schumacher, who endangered the life of his former team-mate Rubens Barichello over the small matter of one point) are going to go to any lengths to win for the teams, but more importantly themselves. The three top teams have certainly seen examples of this in the past six months, with none of the so called 'team-mates' living up to that name as Webber and Vettel at Red Bull, the Brits in the McClaren paddock and Alonso and Felipe Massa for Ferrari have punctuated the season with almost constant bickering over supposed team orders, and their ranking in the team. on the plus side, most of the races this season have been incident packed - but whether that is good for the integrity of the sport is another question entirely.
One of the best performances in Spa was seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who fought his way through the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix having qualified on the back row in 21st place, he will have been relatively pleased with his seventh place finish which yielded a respectable six points. But this hardly adds up to the title challenge he boasted about when he made his return to the sport after a three year absence (not including his time as a replacement for the injured Massa at Ferrari last season. Schumacher's resilient effort at Spa still left him no-where near the championship challenge he promised when he signed up for Mercedes, as he sits in tenth place with 44 points, one behind his compatriot Adrian Sutil. When he signed up for Mercedes in January, although he was pleased that his team-mate Nico Rosberg was going to be given equality with him, he stated in no uncertain terms 'I expect to challenge for the title.'
But at 41 years old, it is perhaps no surprise that he has failed to even come close to fulfilling this promise. With the likes of Hamilton, Button and Alonso still thoroughbreds in comparison, and quality starlets like Rosberg and Robert Kubica coming through the ranks to be consistent performers, it was always likely to be a tall order. Formula One is a young man's game, and so this season has proved. The only reason for Schumacher to return to the sport at his age must be the need to compete at the highest level in the rarefied atmosphere F1 creates. He doesn't need to gain anything financially after all he achieved in his career, and with his consultancy role he had at Ferrari as well as numerous endorsement and sponsorship deals with sports and leisure companies alike. If anything, his lacklustre return to the sport have affected his marketability. It can't be for the glory - he is the most successful driver in F1 history, with 91 wins to his name as well as 144 podium finishes, and having won two championships more than his nearest challenger Juan Manuel Fangio. But rather than retire gracefully, he has returned to a high pressure sport, both physically and mentally, and has put his neck on the line with nothing left to prove - and the guillotine has dropped emphatically.
What is it that makes the greatest not know when to give up, and keep pushing for one last big day? Schumacher is not the first to aim for such lofty ambition, and, to coin an (admittedly rather cliched) phrase, try to bank cheques his body couldn't cash. Lance Armstrong had a similar fate befall him this year and last to an extent, in an even more strenuous sport. He returned to cycling after a four year absence last year, at the ripe old age of 37, and followed up a third place finish in his Tour de France comeback with a disappointing 23rd place before packing away his bike for good. After the adversity the Texan overcame to win his seven Tour wins, he definitely had nothing left to prove. Completing an illustrious trio is the great Muhammad Ali, Losing the fight of the century to Joe Frazier and later to Ken Norton in the halycon era of heavyweight boxing was one thing - but losing three of his last four fight, two to Leon Spinks and Trevor Berbick (at the ages of 36 and 39 respectively), was a quite ignominious way for the greatest man to ever don gloves to bow out. Surely it makes sense to quit while you're ahead, with a reputation untainted by respective failure. That is what every top sportsman craves - the tight to quit on their terms. But there seems to be a personality confliction shared by many individual sportsmen, where they can hog the glory but also shoulder the burden of failure.
The lustre of chasing a seemingly impossible dream must have been a big draw for the German. But as Nike's adverts famously say, 'Impossible is Nothing.' Schumacher has shown this to be painfully untrue. And if 'Impossible is Nothing,' then the future is Hamilton's, not Schumacher's.
In such an extraordinary season, it was not a surprise that the weekend at Spa lived up to expectations after the three week break for the drivers and teams to improve and modify their cars. And it was McClaren (and Hamilton in particular) who benefited most from the seance, as the 2008 champion drove a controlled race without letting the carnage around him phase him. He overtook previous championship Mark Webber on the first corner and never looked back, turning a four point deficit into a three point lead in the process.
But the main talking point surrounded the coming together between Button and Vettel which could prove crucial in the final reckoning. After a season littered with controversy over team disagreements and team orders, at least this incident surrounded a genuine (and entirely accidental) coming together on the race track between two opponents, but Button's anger was entirely understandable in the circumstances. As so often with sport, the weather played a part in proceedings, and Vettel isn't the first driver to have skidded in wet conditions. On the 15th lap, Vettel tried to overtake Button after gaining a run on him. He skidded on the wet track as the rain poured down, and careered into the Briton. That was the end of his race for Button (and possibly the end of his title defence) but somehow Vettel was able to recover and drive his car across the pit lane, where a quick wing change preceded his return to the track.
The immediate stewards enquiry which followed, which resulted in a drive through penalty for the German for causing an avoidable collision, will have been of no consolation to Button, who was well aware of the consequences of his unfortunate turn of events: 'all I felt was a really big bang in the sidepod and I lost control immediately. I don't know what he was playing at really. From the point of view of the championship it is a massive blow.' To be blunt, that is stating the obvious, and even with 25 points for a race win, with just six races left it looks a tall order for the chasing pack of Vettel, Button and Alonso to make up the ground on Hamilton and Webber.
If Hamilton is going to be the hero when the curtain falls on the F1 season is Abu Dhabi in November, then the villain may well end up being Vettel. Driver for driver, he has been the quickest on the track this season, to the extent that his own team principle Christian Horner deemed to declare him Red Bull's number one driver (a statement his team-mate Webber did not agree with wholeheartedly. As the BBC's Andrew Benson said in retrospect, 'Spa was yet another example of Vettel's propensity to make criticial - and very costly - errors. Very succinctly put, and such has been the calamitous nature of the Germans's season, that rather than leading the championship (as he really should be given his qualifying performances) he is not even in the picture with half a dozen races left. Hamilton, on the other hand, has done remarkably well considering McClaren have found themselves trailing in the wake of the superior Red Bull so often. He ranks his win this weekend, in the rapidly changing conditions, as one of his best, saying afterwards, 'a race like this can be a lottery, and I'm so happy to come out on top. It almost feels like it is my first win it's phenomenal!' If he comes out on top in six races time, his achievement will surely rank as a greater one than his championship win in 2008, where he pipped Massa's Ferrari to the title on the final lap of the final race of the season.
The disagreement between Button and Vettel was, however, yet another example of the darker side of the sport. This season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory - the changes in the scoring system and the presence of three competitive teams (Red Bull, McClaren and Ferrari) have definitely contributed to this. But with the stakes so high, it is inevitable teams (and individuals, such as Michael Schumacher, who endangered the life of his former team-mate Rubens Barichello over the small matter of one point) are going to go to any lengths to win for the teams, but more importantly themselves. The three top teams have certainly seen examples of this in the past six months, with none of the so called 'team-mates' living up to that name as Webber and Vettel at Red Bull, the Brits in the McClaren paddock and Alonso and Felipe Massa for Ferrari have punctuated the season with almost constant bickering over supposed team orders, and their ranking in the team. on the plus side, most of the races this season have been incident packed - but whether that is good for the integrity of the sport is another question entirely.
One of the best performances in Spa was seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who fought his way through the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix having qualified on the back row in 21st place, he will have been relatively pleased with his seventh place finish which yielded a respectable six points. But this hardly adds up to the title challenge he boasted about when he made his return to the sport after a three year absence (not including his time as a replacement for the injured Massa at Ferrari last season. Schumacher's resilient effort at Spa still left him no-where near the championship challenge he promised when he signed up for Mercedes, as he sits in tenth place with 44 points, one behind his compatriot Adrian Sutil. When he signed up for Mercedes in January, although he was pleased that his team-mate Nico Rosberg was going to be given equality with him, he stated in no uncertain terms 'I expect to challenge for the title.'
But at 41 years old, it is perhaps no surprise that he has failed to even come close to fulfilling this promise. With the likes of Hamilton, Button and Alonso still thoroughbreds in comparison, and quality starlets like Rosberg and Robert Kubica coming through the ranks to be consistent performers, it was always likely to be a tall order. Formula One is a young man's game, and so this season has proved. The only reason for Schumacher to return to the sport at his age must be the need to compete at the highest level in the rarefied atmosphere F1 creates. He doesn't need to gain anything financially after all he achieved in his career, and with his consultancy role he had at Ferrari as well as numerous endorsement and sponsorship deals with sports and leisure companies alike. If anything, his lacklustre return to the sport have affected his marketability. It can't be for the glory - he is the most successful driver in F1 history, with 91 wins to his name as well as 144 podium finishes, and having won two championships more than his nearest challenger Juan Manuel Fangio. But rather than retire gracefully, he has returned to a high pressure sport, both physically and mentally, and has put his neck on the line with nothing left to prove - and the guillotine has dropped emphatically.
What is it that makes the greatest not know when to give up, and keep pushing for one last big day? Schumacher is not the first to aim for such lofty ambition, and, to coin an (admittedly rather cliched) phrase, try to bank cheques his body couldn't cash. Lance Armstrong had a similar fate befall him this year and last to an extent, in an even more strenuous sport. He returned to cycling after a four year absence last year, at the ripe old age of 37, and followed up a third place finish in his Tour de France comeback with a disappointing 23rd place before packing away his bike for good. After the adversity the Texan overcame to win his seven Tour wins, he definitely had nothing left to prove. Completing an illustrious trio is the great Muhammad Ali, Losing the fight of the century to Joe Frazier and later to Ken Norton in the halycon era of heavyweight boxing was one thing - but losing three of his last four fight, two to Leon Spinks and Trevor Berbick (at the ages of 36 and 39 respectively), was a quite ignominious way for the greatest man to ever don gloves to bow out. Surely it makes sense to quit while you're ahead, with a reputation untainted by respective failure. That is what every top sportsman craves - the tight to quit on their terms. But there seems to be a personality confliction shared by many individual sportsmen, where they can hog the glory but also shoulder the burden of failure.
The lustre of chasing a seemingly impossible dream must have been a big draw for the German. But as Nike's adverts famously say, 'Impossible is Nothing.' Schumacher has shown this to be painfully untrue. And if 'Impossible is Nothing,' then the future is Hamilton's, not Schumacher's.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Football's oldest ill prepares to rear its ugly head again
This week saw the draws made for Europe's two Premier club competitions, the Champions League and the Europa League. The highlights included the prospect of Tottenham Hotspur taking on champions Inter Milan in their first outing in the tournament for almost 50 years, and yet another 'Battle of Britain', between Manchester United and Rangers. Britain''s only two representatives in the Europa League have what look like difficult groups, with Liverpool facing Napoli and Steaua Bucharest, but one of the most intriguing ties see mega-rich Manchester City take on Juventus, in a bid to prove they can mix it with the European big boys. But Man City's visit to the Stadio Olimpico in December may well raise another interesting question, and one which shows the darker side of football which still effects much of continental and Eastern Europe in an era when fans really ought to be more civilised - that of racism towards players. One of Man City's big money signings this summer, £24 million Mario Balotelili, has experienced the intolerant nature of the fans in Turin first hand.
The 20-year-old striker is Italian - he made his debut for the senior team in the first post-World Cup friendly at the start of this month, in a 1-0 defeat against the Ivory Coast. But the problem he has faced in away grounds in Italy, and in Turin in particular, is that he is black. He is certainly more Italian than one of his strike partners on his international debut, Juventus striker Amauri, who qualifies to play for Italy through residency rules. The towering striker first moved to Italy in 2000, and is on to his seventh Italian club following spells at Parma, Napoli, Piacenza, Empoli, Messina, Chievo, and most famously Palermo. He also made his international debut against the Ivory Coast, and Italy seem to be much more willing than England to use FIFA's guidelines on residency, with the likes of Argentine naturalised Italian Mauro Camoranesi being the standard-bearer, while England are reluctant to use the same rules to use the likes of Spanish players Manuel Almunia and Mikel Arteta. But that is an article for another blog.
Balotelli was born in Italy (in Palermo) and has lived all his live in the country prior to his transfer to Manchester, although both of his parents are Ghanaian (the immigrants moved to Italy before Mario was born) but he moved into foster care at the age of three. Bureaucratic problems meant he couldn't play for any Italian youth level teams until after his 18th birthday, as his adoption was never finalised so he couldn't request Italian citizenship until he reached that milestone, but he never even contemplated playing for his biological parents country. Yet many Italians seem to struggle to accept that he is Italian, and this has been most prevalent in the stands at Juventus. The problems started in the 2008/09 season, in what can be considered Balotelli's breakthrough season. Predictably, as his profile rose so do the racist abuse, and in the away fixture against Juventus, he was subjected to a torrent of racist chants, most notably the home fans taunting that 'a black Italian doesn't exist.' These chants were condemned by Juve chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, and Inter Milan supremo Massimo Moratti said he would have taken his players of if he had been present, in typically understated fashion. The repercussions were not as extreme as they could have been, with just a one game fan ban forthcoming for the Juventus supporters, and a couple of insignificant fines after the racist chanting towards Balotelli continued at Juventus, even in games where they weren't playing Inter.
In the year 2010, there should not be racism in football grounds, towards neither the players nor the fans. What makes seemingly civilised people turn into neanderthals when they walk through the turnstiles on to the terraces? Is it sheer will to win, and the desire to unsettle opponents in any way shape or form. In Eastern and Southern Europe, it is also a case of being sceptical about what you're not used. Despite the racist and bigoted nature of the comments from Juventus fans, he is the first black player to play for Italy and it will have been rare for most Italians to have come across people of colour. The same is true in Spain, who were vilified for the racist abuse subjected towards black English players Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole during an international friendly in Madrid in 2004. As a Spanish newspaper said about the incidents in the friendly with England, 'it's just a colour, and if Spain can't see that, then their football will lose all respect.' This perhaps shouldn't come as a great surprise though, as Spanish coach Luis Aragones tried to 'motivate' his player Jose Antonio Reyes to make his mark at Arsenal, by showing he was better than that 'black shit', club-mate Thierry Henry. Racism in Spanish football stretches back decades, and British export Dalian Atkinson cites racism as one of the reasons his stint at Real Sociedad lasted just the one season, in 1990/91. The most ridiculous example of racism in Spain was towards Ivorian midfielder Felix Ettien, who was treated with scepticism by his coach after signing for Levante, and every time he fell ill or was injured, he was accused of having malaria or AIDS!
One of the aspects which British football can be truly proud of is the lack of institutionalised racism in the game. It makes you ashamed to be a Liverpool fan to think a player of the ability of John Barnes suffered racist abuse at the hands of his own fans, while Ron Atkinson has found work fairly hard to come by since offering the opinion that former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly is a 'lazy nigger.'
As well as Spain and Italy, the likes of Macedonia, Germany, Poland and Russia have also become synonymous with racism from the stands, and this is something which needs to be stamped out. Football hands out such flimsy penalties, it hardly acts as a deterrent to stop repeat offending. For example, Spain were fined a paltry £55,680 for the indiscretions of their fans against England, and more stringent fines and penalties need to be imposed. Rugby must be praised for the way the authorities dealt with 'bloodgate' and football needs to take a similarly stringent stance.
Let's hope that Balotelli's return to Juventus passes without incident - but the press (and the clubs for that matter) are hardly helping matters by drawing attention to the problems he has suffered there in the past. Juventus Chief Executive Jean-Claude Blanc was quoted as saying, 'there is a chance for supporters to demonstrate the standard has been raised. Supporting your team is to support your team, and not to make remarks of a racist nature towards players of another team.' That might be easier said than done given the history and reputation of Juventus' ultras, but Man City are also wading in with positive comments, with their football administrator Brian Marwood stating, 'I'm sure Mario, like all of the players, will be relishing the opportunity. We will leave it to UEFA if anything happens but we are not anticipating any issues.' Noble statements from both parties, but surely an article of such a subject on the BBC website is just drawing unwanted attention to the issue? Let's just hope the meeting between Juve and Man City on December 16 is notable for the ability of the likes of Balotelli, Carlos Tevez, James Milner, Vincenzo Iaaquinta and Fabio Quaglirella rather than what happens (or rather doesn't happen) in the stands.
The 20-year-old striker is Italian - he made his debut for the senior team in the first post-World Cup friendly at the start of this month, in a 1-0 defeat against the Ivory Coast. But the problem he has faced in away grounds in Italy, and in Turin in particular, is that he is black. He is certainly more Italian than one of his strike partners on his international debut, Juventus striker Amauri, who qualifies to play for Italy through residency rules. The towering striker first moved to Italy in 2000, and is on to his seventh Italian club following spells at Parma, Napoli, Piacenza, Empoli, Messina, Chievo, and most famously Palermo. He also made his international debut against the Ivory Coast, and Italy seem to be much more willing than England to use FIFA's guidelines on residency, with the likes of Argentine naturalised Italian Mauro Camoranesi being the standard-bearer, while England are reluctant to use the same rules to use the likes of Spanish players Manuel Almunia and Mikel Arteta. But that is an article for another blog.
Balotelli was born in Italy (in Palermo) and has lived all his live in the country prior to his transfer to Manchester, although both of his parents are Ghanaian (the immigrants moved to Italy before Mario was born) but he moved into foster care at the age of three. Bureaucratic problems meant he couldn't play for any Italian youth level teams until after his 18th birthday, as his adoption was never finalised so he couldn't request Italian citizenship until he reached that milestone, but he never even contemplated playing for his biological parents country. Yet many Italians seem to struggle to accept that he is Italian, and this has been most prevalent in the stands at Juventus. The problems started in the 2008/09 season, in what can be considered Balotelli's breakthrough season. Predictably, as his profile rose so do the racist abuse, and in the away fixture against Juventus, he was subjected to a torrent of racist chants, most notably the home fans taunting that 'a black Italian doesn't exist.' These chants were condemned by Juve chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, and Inter Milan supremo Massimo Moratti said he would have taken his players of if he had been present, in typically understated fashion. The repercussions were not as extreme as they could have been, with just a one game fan ban forthcoming for the Juventus supporters, and a couple of insignificant fines after the racist chanting towards Balotelli continued at Juventus, even in games where they weren't playing Inter.
In the year 2010, there should not be racism in football grounds, towards neither the players nor the fans. What makes seemingly civilised people turn into neanderthals when they walk through the turnstiles on to the terraces? Is it sheer will to win, and the desire to unsettle opponents in any way shape or form. In Eastern and Southern Europe, it is also a case of being sceptical about what you're not used. Despite the racist and bigoted nature of the comments from Juventus fans, he is the first black player to play for Italy and it will have been rare for most Italians to have come across people of colour. The same is true in Spain, who were vilified for the racist abuse subjected towards black English players Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole during an international friendly in Madrid in 2004. As a Spanish newspaper said about the incidents in the friendly with England, 'it's just a colour, and if Spain can't see that, then their football will lose all respect.' This perhaps shouldn't come as a great surprise though, as Spanish coach Luis Aragones tried to 'motivate' his player Jose Antonio Reyes to make his mark at Arsenal, by showing he was better than that 'black shit', club-mate Thierry Henry. Racism in Spanish football stretches back decades, and British export Dalian Atkinson cites racism as one of the reasons his stint at Real Sociedad lasted just the one season, in 1990/91. The most ridiculous example of racism in Spain was towards Ivorian midfielder Felix Ettien, who was treated with scepticism by his coach after signing for Levante, and every time he fell ill or was injured, he was accused of having malaria or AIDS!
One of the aspects which British football can be truly proud of is the lack of institutionalised racism in the game. It makes you ashamed to be a Liverpool fan to think a player of the ability of John Barnes suffered racist abuse at the hands of his own fans, while Ron Atkinson has found work fairly hard to come by since offering the opinion that former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly is a 'lazy nigger.'
As well as Spain and Italy, the likes of Macedonia, Germany, Poland and Russia have also become synonymous with racism from the stands, and this is something which needs to be stamped out. Football hands out such flimsy penalties, it hardly acts as a deterrent to stop repeat offending. For example, Spain were fined a paltry £55,680 for the indiscretions of their fans against England, and more stringent fines and penalties need to be imposed. Rugby must be praised for the way the authorities dealt with 'bloodgate' and football needs to take a similarly stringent stance.
Let's hope that Balotelli's return to Juventus passes without incident - but the press (and the clubs for that matter) are hardly helping matters by drawing attention to the problems he has suffered there in the past. Juventus Chief Executive Jean-Claude Blanc was quoted as saying, 'there is a chance for supporters to demonstrate the standard has been raised. Supporting your team is to support your team, and not to make remarks of a racist nature towards players of another team.' That might be easier said than done given the history and reputation of Juventus' ultras, but Man City are also wading in with positive comments, with their football administrator Brian Marwood stating, 'I'm sure Mario, like all of the players, will be relishing the opportunity. We will leave it to UEFA if anything happens but we are not anticipating any issues.' Noble statements from both parties, but surely an article of such a subject on the BBC website is just drawing unwanted attention to the issue? Let's just hope the meeting between Juve and Man City on December 16 is notable for the ability of the likes of Balotelli, Carlos Tevez, James Milner, Vincenzo Iaaquinta and Fabio Quaglirella rather than what happens (or rather doesn't happen) in the stands.
Somerset look set to miss out again, but the future's bright, the future's cider.
With another rain effected draw at the County Ground against Durham, that elusive first County Championship title looks like it will remain out of reach of Somerset and their captain Marcus Trescothick. After days two and three were completely washed out, with August's erratic weather taking its toll, all that was left to do was for Trescothick to declare on 400-6 so he picked up the final batting bonus point, but there was never the prospect of a positive result which would have helped the Cidermen put pressure on Nottinghamshire at the top of the Division One table. Half centuries from Zander de Bruyn and Craig Kieswetter were never going to be enough to tip the balance of the match in Somerset's favour, and for now at least, the runners-up spot they achieved in 2001, with the likes of Andy Caddick, Richard Johnson and Tasmanian captain Jamie Cox being the mainstays, looks like being the best performance to date.
The draw against Durham left Somerset 16 points behind Notts, having played a game more with just two Championship games to go as opposed to Notts who have three games left. But it would be unwise to get to despondent, because this young team have had a marvellous season and have bright times ahead of them, especially with the wise old head of Trescothick at the helm (and the former England opener is still at the top of his game with the bat). It would take a minor miracle to dislodge Notts at the top of the table before the end of the season, and too many draws (half of their 14 games) will cost them in the final reckoning).
However, Somerset have shown good form and adaptability in all forms of the game this season. They were involved in one of the most thrilling finishes to a cricket match in any form of the game in the Twenty20 final, but unfortunately came out on the wrong end of the result - a scrambled leg bye of the last ball of the match meant they lost to Hampshire courtesy of losing one more wicker. Who knows how different the outcome could have been if Somerset's talismanic all-rounder Kai Pollard wasn't injured in the final, ruling him out of bowling a ball in Hampshire's innings. Trescothick himself said, 'we're a bit sore from losing and I think this will stick with us for a while.'
There is still the prospect of a trophy, with a semi-final berth in the Pro40 league looking a probability rather than a possibility. They lost their last game, a rain effected defeat by the Duckworth-Lewis system at Horsham to Sussex after eight straight wins, and won win from their final three group games should be enough to qualify for the last four.
So even if Somerset don't claim their first trophy since the Twenty20 win in 2005, this season should be seen as a work in progress, and something to build on. There are a number of promising young players at the club who give a good balance, no more so than Craig Kieswetter, the England one day wicket-keeper who is still only 23. The Cape Town born player has been a bit hit and miss this season with the bat, but if he shows a bit more patience and hones his talent, he definitely has a bright future ahead of him, but he needs to improve his batting on the off-side if he is going to push for the Test squad.
The player who has really got tongues wagging at the County Ground in the past season has been young wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler. He has concentrated on his batting this season while Kieswetter has donned the gloves, but took on keeping responsibilities to good effect while Kieswetter has played for England in the Twenty20 World Cup and in the subsequent one day series. His top score in the Championship this season is 144 in his fourth match against Hampshire, and his captain has been impressed by his contribution to the one day batting line-up, following his man of the match performance in the semi-final of the Twenty20 against Notts and a match winning unbeaten 64 off 37 balls in the Pro40 win over Lancashire two days later: 'the one-day format has been a real speciality for him. And he's continuing to do it which is a big help for us.' At just 19, the former Kings College student would hope to be knocking on the door for international recognition in the next few seasons.
When you factor in the likes of middle order batsman James Hildreth (perhaps still best known for his controversial running-out of Australia captain in the fourth test of the 2005 Ashes win when on the field as 12th man), but he is still only 25 and adds a great deal of stability to Somerset's batting order, and he is ranked as the seventh most valuable player in the County Championship this season: and young spinners, homegrown leg-spinner Max Waller and George Dockrell, a promising 18-year-old off-spinner imported from Ireland, then it is easy to see why Director of Cricket Brian Rose and coach Andy Hurry are so optimistic.
The likes of Trescothick, Alfonso Thomas and Zander de Bruyn will be crucial in the development of these young players, and ensuring that a promising young squad becomes a winning squad. And the most important virtue - well that will definitely be patience!
The draw against Durham left Somerset 16 points behind Notts, having played a game more with just two Championship games to go as opposed to Notts who have three games left. But it would be unwise to get to despondent, because this young team have had a marvellous season and have bright times ahead of them, especially with the wise old head of Trescothick at the helm (and the former England opener is still at the top of his game with the bat). It would take a minor miracle to dislodge Notts at the top of the table before the end of the season, and too many draws (half of their 14 games) will cost them in the final reckoning).
However, Somerset have shown good form and adaptability in all forms of the game this season. They were involved in one of the most thrilling finishes to a cricket match in any form of the game in the Twenty20 final, but unfortunately came out on the wrong end of the result - a scrambled leg bye of the last ball of the match meant they lost to Hampshire courtesy of losing one more wicker. Who knows how different the outcome could have been if Somerset's talismanic all-rounder Kai Pollard wasn't injured in the final, ruling him out of bowling a ball in Hampshire's innings. Trescothick himself said, 'we're a bit sore from losing and I think this will stick with us for a while.'
There is still the prospect of a trophy, with a semi-final berth in the Pro40 league looking a probability rather than a possibility. They lost their last game, a rain effected defeat by the Duckworth-Lewis system at Horsham to Sussex after eight straight wins, and won win from their final three group games should be enough to qualify for the last four.
So even if Somerset don't claim their first trophy since the Twenty20 win in 2005, this season should be seen as a work in progress, and something to build on. There are a number of promising young players at the club who give a good balance, no more so than Craig Kieswetter, the England one day wicket-keeper who is still only 23. The Cape Town born player has been a bit hit and miss this season with the bat, but if he shows a bit more patience and hones his talent, he definitely has a bright future ahead of him, but he needs to improve his batting on the off-side if he is going to push for the Test squad.
The player who has really got tongues wagging at the County Ground in the past season has been young wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler. He has concentrated on his batting this season while Kieswetter has donned the gloves, but took on keeping responsibilities to good effect while Kieswetter has played for England in the Twenty20 World Cup and in the subsequent one day series. His top score in the Championship this season is 144 in his fourth match against Hampshire, and his captain has been impressed by his contribution to the one day batting line-up, following his man of the match performance in the semi-final of the Twenty20 against Notts and a match winning unbeaten 64 off 37 balls in the Pro40 win over Lancashire two days later: 'the one-day format has been a real speciality for him. And he's continuing to do it which is a big help for us.' At just 19, the former Kings College student would hope to be knocking on the door for international recognition in the next few seasons.
When you factor in the likes of middle order batsman James Hildreth (perhaps still best known for his controversial running-out of Australia captain in the fourth test of the 2005 Ashes win when on the field as 12th man), but he is still only 25 and adds a great deal of stability to Somerset's batting order, and he is ranked as the seventh most valuable player in the County Championship this season: and young spinners, homegrown leg-spinner Max Waller and George Dockrell, a promising 18-year-old off-spinner imported from Ireland, then it is easy to see why Director of Cricket Brian Rose and coach Andy Hurry are so optimistic.
The likes of Trescothick, Alfonso Thomas and Zander de Bruyn will be crucial in the development of these young players, and ensuring that a promising young squad becomes a winning squad. And the most important virtue - well that will definitely be patience!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Secret agents
Agents - they have long been the bane of all football managers and chairman, and they are fast becoming an even bigger pain in the behind. In the last week, Argentina captain Javier Mascherano has effectively gone on strike at Liverpool as he tries to engineer a move to Barcelona. Reports suggest that he has already agreed on a contract with the Catalan club worth £90,000 a week. Which is interesting given Liverpool and their manager Roy Hodgson persistently turning down their approaches. If this isn't tapping up, I don't know what it, and it seems increasingly common for the potential buying club to bypass the potential selling club, and go straight to play. And agents undoubtedly play a part in this, if they think they can get their client a better deal.
First of all, let's look at the history of football agents. That history is not as long as you might think. The significant influx of football agents can be in some ways linked with the Premier League 'boom' of the early 1990s. Before then, many players either had no agent or were represented by family members, such as their fathers. This, subsequently led the clubs to generally have the upper hand and try and 'fleece' the players. With bigger money involved, football players started to get savvy, and agents became common practice. Nowadays, it is fair to say they do not enjoy a good reputation. A number of high profile Panorama programmes about the less-than scrupulous methods and dealings of some football agents (Sky Andrew and Pini Zahavi to name but two) and fictional programmes such as Footballers' Wives (which depicted the clubs' agent as a chain-smoking, man-eating woman named Hazel Bailey), along with films such as Jerry Maguire and Any Given Sunday (where besides the protagonist in the former, the agents in the films are hardly the heroes) have contributed to the bad image of the profession in the media and the public.
This image is not entirely unwarranted, but for the players themselves, their agents are possibly their most important contact outside of the club they play for, in an era where many of them are unprepared for the demands of the real world. As well getting the best deal for their client, they also have to deal with the player's sponsorship and endorsement contracts and any public relations work, as well as welfare advice such as financial planning and being the firs port of call for the player's family - almost a family liaison officer.
No-one is doubting that they play a crucial role in the development of a player. But it is an entirely different question to consider whether they are good for the game. As top agent Jonathon Barnett said, 'personal terms are one of the biggest factors to hold up a transfer.' This is due to player's growing sense of self-importance (not completely justified) and agents have definitely played a part in this. When the delectable Ashley Cole sought pity in his autobiography for almost crashing his car when his agent told him he was only being offered £55,000 a week as opposed to the £60,000 he was apparently offered by his club at the time Arsenal, he was shocked when condolences didn't come raining in. And who was his agent - Mr Barnett of course.
Cole and the whole furore over his protracted move across London to Chelsea sum up all that is wrong and unseemly with modern day football. A whole 18 months before he turned up at Stamford Bridge, he was spotted in a London hotel having a meeting with Barnett, Chelsea's Chief Executive Peter Kenyon and their manager Jose Mourinho.
It is situations such as this that has introduced a new phrase to football lexicon - tapping up. This is where a player talks to a potential buying club without said club agreeing a fee for said player with the potential selling club. The Premier League fined Cole £100,000, Mourinho £200,00, Chelsea themselves £300,000, and Barnett was fined £100,000 and had his license suspended for 18 months. So there were losers in this sorry mess, but that doesn't mean this kind of practice isn't commonplace, and show the seedier side of agents' work. This might have been the case with Mascherano - how can you agree a contract with someone without a transfer being a between the two clubs, if tapping up hasn't taken place? But Liverpool can hardly take the moral high ground, having been fined by the Premier League for making an illegal approach to former German international full-back Christian Ziege while he was still at Middlesbrough. The £20,000 Liverpool were fined hardly seems worth it considering he only spent one underwhelming year on Merseyside. The most recent allegation centres around Chelsea (again) and their pursuit of rated Brazil and Santos striker Neymar. But Chelsea are not the only club to be embroiled in this kind of scandal. Over the past decade, a host of transfers have drawn scrutiny from the authorities, and said Panorama investigation showed the likes of current managers Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce in a less than exemplary light. But Chelsea's apparently illegal dealings with Neymar have thrust football's most controversial (and highest profile) agent Pini Zahavi back into the spotlight.
He is football agents answer to Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been described as 'football's one and only super agent' in the Guardian and 'football's great Sevngali' in the Financial Times. Some accolade, but for all his wealth, where ever the Israeli goes, controversy follows. A number of his transfers have been called into question by the Premier League for apparent irregularities - the players involved being as diverse as Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Fabio Rochemback, Collins Mbesuma and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The report criticised his 'initial failure to disclose his involvement in the transfers,' and there 'were questions relating to his relationship with Barry Silkman.' Silkman is the agent who Silkman effectively acted as an intermediary to - but whenever dirt flew his way, it never stuck. He was also implicated in the equally controversial third-party ownership fiasco involving Carlos Tevez, Mascherano and MSI (Media Sports Investments). A similar issue arose this summer when Chelsea were trying to negotiate the transfer of Brazilian midfield player Ramires from Benfica, when it became apparent Zahavi owned 30% of the players rights. And while he is unlikely to be welcomed at Bramall Lane anytime soon, he again escaped censure - and the allure of his lifestyle and personality make it unlikely to increase the status of people aspiring to his standing in the profession.
Following so many high profile cases of 'tapping up' and malpractice by agents, both the FIFA and the FA have tightened the regulations agents need to comply by to become licensed. But looking on the FA website, it doesn't seem that difficult to become an agent in the first place. You apply to the FA in the appropriate 'application window' and assuming you pass the enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, provide the appropriate supporting documentation (which is commonplace when applying for any kind of loan, rental agreement or job application form), sit the exam for a fee of just £250 and, assuming you pass, and after you have signed a variety of professional documents, you can call yourself an 'FA licensed agent'. Hardly the arduous process of the Oxford entrance exam, and all you need to find after passing the exam is to find an agency willing to take you on (or more crucially, an unsigned potential young star who you spot playing Sunday league football.
Agents have been in the news once more this week following a report from the BBC detailing the increase in money spent on agents in the last season. Reports in the last week have stated that a record amount of money was spent by football league clubs on football agents in the last year. The figures released by the football league show a combined total of £12.7 million was spent on agents fee last season, and an increase of £3.9 million from the 2008/09 season. This has led to calls for their to be a reduction in the amount of money paid to agents. Chairman of the Football League Greg Clarke called for an end to the 'significant leakage of money out of the game to agents'. But it is hard to know how to police such a 'problem.' As long as the stakes are so high, and the importance of agents continues in its current trend, then there is not a great deal the Football League can do. This reminds me of the scenario every time after A-level results are released - they are too easy, but nothing is ever done.
As long as their fees continue to rise, they will be treated with scrutiny. There have been a variety of factors which have contributed to the power shift from clubs to players over the past couple of decades - supply and demand, Sky Sports, the Bosman, ruling, the incoming of the Premier League - but it is undoubtedly true that players reliance on agents is one of the most important reasons. But they will never be appreciated by anyone other than their clients, such is their persona.
First of all, let's look at the history of football agents. That history is not as long as you might think. The significant influx of football agents can be in some ways linked with the Premier League 'boom' of the early 1990s. Before then, many players either had no agent or were represented by family members, such as their fathers. This, subsequently led the clubs to generally have the upper hand and try and 'fleece' the players. With bigger money involved, football players started to get savvy, and agents became common practice. Nowadays, it is fair to say they do not enjoy a good reputation. A number of high profile Panorama programmes about the less-than scrupulous methods and dealings of some football agents (Sky Andrew and Pini Zahavi to name but two) and fictional programmes such as Footballers' Wives (which depicted the clubs' agent as a chain-smoking, man-eating woman named Hazel Bailey), along with films such as Jerry Maguire and Any Given Sunday (where besides the protagonist in the former, the agents in the films are hardly the heroes) have contributed to the bad image of the profession in the media and the public.
This image is not entirely unwarranted, but for the players themselves, their agents are possibly their most important contact outside of the club they play for, in an era where many of them are unprepared for the demands of the real world. As well getting the best deal for their client, they also have to deal with the player's sponsorship and endorsement contracts and any public relations work, as well as welfare advice such as financial planning and being the firs port of call for the player's family - almost a family liaison officer.
No-one is doubting that they play a crucial role in the development of a player. But it is an entirely different question to consider whether they are good for the game. As top agent Jonathon Barnett said, 'personal terms are one of the biggest factors to hold up a transfer.' This is due to player's growing sense of self-importance (not completely justified) and agents have definitely played a part in this. When the delectable Ashley Cole sought pity in his autobiography for almost crashing his car when his agent told him he was only being offered £55,000 a week as opposed to the £60,000 he was apparently offered by his club at the time Arsenal, he was shocked when condolences didn't come raining in. And who was his agent - Mr Barnett of course.
Cole and the whole furore over his protracted move across London to Chelsea sum up all that is wrong and unseemly with modern day football. A whole 18 months before he turned up at Stamford Bridge, he was spotted in a London hotel having a meeting with Barnett, Chelsea's Chief Executive Peter Kenyon and their manager Jose Mourinho.
It is situations such as this that has introduced a new phrase to football lexicon - tapping up. This is where a player talks to a potential buying club without said club agreeing a fee for said player with the potential selling club. The Premier League fined Cole £100,000, Mourinho £200,00, Chelsea themselves £300,000, and Barnett was fined £100,000 and had his license suspended for 18 months. So there were losers in this sorry mess, but that doesn't mean this kind of practice isn't commonplace, and show the seedier side of agents' work. This might have been the case with Mascherano - how can you agree a contract with someone without a transfer being a between the two clubs, if tapping up hasn't taken place? But Liverpool can hardly take the moral high ground, having been fined by the Premier League for making an illegal approach to former German international full-back Christian Ziege while he was still at Middlesbrough. The £20,000 Liverpool were fined hardly seems worth it considering he only spent one underwhelming year on Merseyside. The most recent allegation centres around Chelsea (again) and their pursuit of rated Brazil and Santos striker Neymar. But Chelsea are not the only club to be embroiled in this kind of scandal. Over the past decade, a host of transfers have drawn scrutiny from the authorities, and said Panorama investigation showed the likes of current managers Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce in a less than exemplary light. But Chelsea's apparently illegal dealings with Neymar have thrust football's most controversial (and highest profile) agent Pini Zahavi back into the spotlight.
He is football agents answer to Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been described as 'football's one and only super agent' in the Guardian and 'football's great Sevngali' in the Financial Times. Some accolade, but for all his wealth, where ever the Israeli goes, controversy follows. A number of his transfers have been called into question by the Premier League for apparent irregularities - the players involved being as diverse as Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Fabio Rochemback, Collins Mbesuma and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The report criticised his 'initial failure to disclose his involvement in the transfers,' and there 'were questions relating to his relationship with Barry Silkman.' Silkman is the agent who Silkman effectively acted as an intermediary to - but whenever dirt flew his way, it never stuck. He was also implicated in the equally controversial third-party ownership fiasco involving Carlos Tevez, Mascherano and MSI (Media Sports Investments). A similar issue arose this summer when Chelsea were trying to negotiate the transfer of Brazilian midfield player Ramires from Benfica, when it became apparent Zahavi owned 30% of the players rights. And while he is unlikely to be welcomed at Bramall Lane anytime soon, he again escaped censure - and the allure of his lifestyle and personality make it unlikely to increase the status of people aspiring to his standing in the profession.
Following so many high profile cases of 'tapping up' and malpractice by agents, both the FIFA and the FA have tightened the regulations agents need to comply by to become licensed. But looking on the FA website, it doesn't seem that difficult to become an agent in the first place. You apply to the FA in the appropriate 'application window' and assuming you pass the enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, provide the appropriate supporting documentation (which is commonplace when applying for any kind of loan, rental agreement or job application form), sit the exam for a fee of just £250 and, assuming you pass, and after you have signed a variety of professional documents, you can call yourself an 'FA licensed agent'. Hardly the arduous process of the Oxford entrance exam, and all you need to find after passing the exam is to find an agency willing to take you on (or more crucially, an unsigned potential young star who you spot playing Sunday league football.
Agents have been in the news once more this week following a report from the BBC detailing the increase in money spent on agents in the last season. Reports in the last week have stated that a record amount of money was spent by football league clubs on football agents in the last year. The figures released by the football league show a combined total of £12.7 million was spent on agents fee last season, and an increase of £3.9 million from the 2008/09 season. This has led to calls for their to be a reduction in the amount of money paid to agents. Chairman of the Football League Greg Clarke called for an end to the 'significant leakage of money out of the game to agents'. But it is hard to know how to police such a 'problem.' As long as the stakes are so high, and the importance of agents continues in its current trend, then there is not a great deal the Football League can do. This reminds me of the scenario every time after A-level results are released - they are too easy, but nothing is ever done.
As long as their fees continue to rise, they will be treated with scrutiny. There have been a variety of factors which have contributed to the power shift from clubs to players over the past couple of decades - supply and demand, Sky Sports, the Bosman, ruling, the incoming of the Premier League - but it is undoubtedly true that players reliance on agents is one of the most important reasons. But they will never be appreciated by anyone other than their clients, such is their persona.
Bringing the World Cup to the West Country
The FIFA inspection to determine whether England are suitable hosts for the 2018 World Cup has drawn attention to the 16 potential host stadiums who could bring football home. There are the usual suspects - Wembley, Old Trafford, Anfield, Elland Road, Villa Park and Hillsborough - will be well versed in holding big matches and events, and have been there, done that and got the t-shirt.
But there is also the prospect of international, major tournament football coming to one of the most underdeveloped part of the country (in football terms at least) - the West Country. There could potentially be two most stadiums in the west, an area of the country which currently has no top flight football teams. Those cities would be Bristol and Plymouth, which are admittedly large cities. However, the most successful of the two Bristol clubs, Bristol City, were last in the top flight in 1980. For Plymouth Argyle, the situation is far bleaker. Argyle have just been relegated to League One after a six year spell in the Championship, and the club has never played in the top flight, and they've twice finished fourth in the second tier, with an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1983/84 their biggest day to date. But they fly the flag for Cornish football, and it would be great to see some success come to the club. We all love those Aviva adverts after all!
The World Cup could turn around the fortunes of these two potentially massive clubs, and perceptions of football in this part of the world. Unless you include Wiltshire club Swindon Town as a South-West club (which local TV regions places under the scope of Points West, despite Swindon being part of the Thames Valley triangle along with Reading and Oxford), who had a sole, depressing Premier League season in the 1993/94 season, then no team from the region has featured in the top flight since Bristol City's relegation two decades ago. Bristol City will be moving to the new, 30,000 all-seater Bristol City Stadium regardless of the success of England's bid, and their participation in it. Should Bristol be chosen as a World Cup venue however, then chairman Steve Lansdown will be able to increase the proposed capacity to 42,000 - more than adequate, and a perfect setting for Premier League football. The signing of former England goalkeeper David James show the potential draw of the club. Further south, Plymouth and their loyal 'Green Army' following will be thinking exactly the same thing, as should England's bid be successful, then their quaint little Home Park ground could swell to a 46,000 capacity.
The counties of Avon, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall are, and have been, synonymous with rugby and cricket. Somerset County Cricket Club dominate sport in their county, while Bristol and Bath rugby union clubs have enjoyed their fair share of success in their sport, while Exeter and Plymouth have been steady second tier rugby participants for some time. Bringing top class international football to this part of the country could open up a whole host of opportunities - in terms of job opportunities, tourism and exposure to the sport at the highest level. And in the lead up, there will be an onus on one or both clubs to reach the promised land, to make all the investments in facilities and infrastructure worthwhile. Should England get the nod on December 2 this year, it is likely the organising committee will choose at least one of the South West's nominees to make it a truly English World Cup. With such strong transport links in such a small country, it will be a benefit to spread the venues as wide as possibly - a situation which won't be replicated in Russia, a vast and backward country which spans Europe and almost the entirety of Asia. But this is an question for another day. First things first, England need to win the right to host the tournament. Then we can wait and see what effect this will have on this part of the country.
But there is also the prospect of international, major tournament football coming to one of the most underdeveloped part of the country (in football terms at least) - the West Country. There could potentially be two most stadiums in the west, an area of the country which currently has no top flight football teams. Those cities would be Bristol and Plymouth, which are admittedly large cities. However, the most successful of the two Bristol clubs, Bristol City, were last in the top flight in 1980. For Plymouth Argyle, the situation is far bleaker. Argyle have just been relegated to League One after a six year spell in the Championship, and the club has never played in the top flight, and they've twice finished fourth in the second tier, with an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1983/84 their biggest day to date. But they fly the flag for Cornish football, and it would be great to see some success come to the club. We all love those Aviva adverts after all!
The World Cup could turn around the fortunes of these two potentially massive clubs, and perceptions of football in this part of the world. Unless you include Wiltshire club Swindon Town as a South-West club (which local TV regions places under the scope of Points West, despite Swindon being part of the Thames Valley triangle along with Reading and Oxford), who had a sole, depressing Premier League season in the 1993/94 season, then no team from the region has featured in the top flight since Bristol City's relegation two decades ago. Bristol City will be moving to the new, 30,000 all-seater Bristol City Stadium regardless of the success of England's bid, and their participation in it. Should Bristol be chosen as a World Cup venue however, then chairman Steve Lansdown will be able to increase the proposed capacity to 42,000 - more than adequate, and a perfect setting for Premier League football. The signing of former England goalkeeper David James show the potential draw of the club. Further south, Plymouth and their loyal 'Green Army' following will be thinking exactly the same thing, as should England's bid be successful, then their quaint little Home Park ground could swell to a 46,000 capacity.
The counties of Avon, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall are, and have been, synonymous with rugby and cricket. Somerset County Cricket Club dominate sport in their county, while Bristol and Bath rugby union clubs have enjoyed their fair share of success in their sport, while Exeter and Plymouth have been steady second tier rugby participants for some time. Bringing top class international football to this part of the country could open up a whole host of opportunities - in terms of job opportunities, tourism and exposure to the sport at the highest level. And in the lead up, there will be an onus on one or both clubs to reach the promised land, to make all the investments in facilities and infrastructure worthwhile. Should England get the nod on December 2 this year, it is likely the organising committee will choose at least one of the South West's nominees to make it a truly English World Cup. With such strong transport links in such a small country, it will be a benefit to spread the venues as wide as possibly - a situation which won't be replicated in Russia, a vast and backward country which spans Europe and almost the entirety of Asia. But this is an question for another day. First things first, England need to win the right to host the tournament. Then we can wait and see what effect this will have on this part of the country.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
How to bring shame on a game with one cut lip
Whenever the media sticks the suffix 'gate' on the end of a word, then those at the centre of the action know it can't be good. Ever since former US President Richard Nixon was implicated in the Watergate scandal, it has become a popular tool with the media to denigrate the perpetrators. And so it was the case when Harlequins Rugby Union were caught up in one of the biggest scandals to hit our sporting shores for some time. First, let's set the scene. On 12 April last year, during the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Irish outfit Leinster, Harlequins winger Tom Williams was replaced with blood gushing from his mouth. This enabled Quins director of rugby Dean Richards to bring on fly-half Nick Evans as a substitute (the Kiwi himself had left the field earlier in the game with an injury). At first sight, this seemed like a genuine ailment for Williams, with the only option being to bring on a replacement).
But, on closer inspection, there was forces far more underhand at work. The reality of situation was that Williams bit in to a blood capsule, as he knew the only way he was able to leave the field would be with a blood injury. Without Evans, Quins wouldn't have had a recognised place kicker on the field to attempt to sink a crucial penalty which could make the difference. Thankfully (for sport and fair play everywhere) Evans missed his kick, and Harlequins lost 6-5 - but that was far from the end of the saga.
This week, the doctor at the centre of the scandal, Dr Wendy Chapman, has been speaking in a hearing of the General Medical Council about the 'shame' of her role in the scandal, after Williams pushed her into cutting his lip to make the injury look authentic. After the match against Leinster, the story quickly unravelled and spiralled out of control. What started as a huge cover-up soon saw all parties involved trying to protect their own back. It started with a stoic defence of their position by Richards, after Leinster expressed doubts about the legality of their actions: 'if they don't know the rules, that's not my problem,' he said in the immediate aftermath, but it was Williams who was the original scapegoat. In July, the winger was given a 12 month ban for faking a blood injury by the English Rugby Commission, which also exonerated Richards, Chapman and team physio Steph Brennan of any wrongdoing.
Unfortunately for Quins, this sorry tale was far from over. Less than a month later, Williams spoke to The Telegraph about what actually happened on that day in April. Now far from being a rare show of penance from a professional sportsmen, the winger was trying to save his own skin as much as was possible. He got his 12 month ban cut to just four months, butt the repercussions for Quins were vast. Richards, who had recently quit his post as director of rugby, was given a three month ban from any involvement in rugby union worldwide. This will probably stop Richards from taking such a calculated, scheming gamble again (if he even returns to professional coaching again). Former physio Brennan, was banned for two years. He lost his new job as England's physio less than four months after taking up the role - it's thought that as he entered the field to 'treat' Williams, his position was untenable. After the confession from Williams, Harlequins fine was increased from £215,000 with half suspended to £258,000, to be paid in full. For a football club that would be a size able amount (when there is any kind of serious crowd trouble or racism, the sum is barely a fraction of such a figure), but for a rugby club, it was a huge dent into their income. It soon emerged that the Rugby Football Union were investigating the involvement of Richards and Brennan with other potential blood-faking incidents in recent seasons, after Williams suggested he had been the ringleader behind this particular unscrupulous tactic.
For so long rugby has held itself in such lofty esteem above it's football cousin, as the standard-bearer of fair play, both on and off the pitch. But the farcical (and cynical) events of 'bloodgate' must surely end that facade, at least for the time being. To their credit, the authorities took tough action against the perpetrators - no-one went unpunished, and it is likely anyone thinking of 'bending the rules' in a similar manner are going to think twice. Rugby's good name is being dragged through the mud. While it is pleasing that those smug individuals at the Twickenham Stoop have been brought to Justice - Williams was photographed smirking and winking to his team-mates after his fake blood injury, and Richards still failed to show any remorse by stating 'it was a farcical situation, it really was. It didn't pan out particularly well on thee day' - but for rugby in general, it was a dark, dark day.
But maybe as rugby catches up with football in terms of a professional attitude, money and celebrity (the likes of Gavin Henson and Danny Cipriani have been as likely to be in the pages of OK! or Hello as the sports pages of newspapers) there are a few more unsavoury elements which will creep into the game bestowed to the upper-classes. There may not be constant bickering to the referees or constant moaning by the players in the press. But I have never heard of an incident quite so calculating and pre-meditated as the one portrayed by Harlequins, although this is apparently not the first time fake blood has been used to give one team an advantage. A former England coach claimed that this tactic first started as far back as 2001, while Leicester coach and former England hooker Richard Cockerill admitted stitches in his finger have been ripped to fake a blood injury.
In the light of Dr Chapman's hearing at the GMC, Harlequins indiscretions are back in the spotlight. In a bid to save her own career (she was suspended, without pay, from her position as a consultant at Maidstone Hospital in Kent September, and must wait for the verdict of her fit for practice enquiry before returning to work), she has played herself as the victim. Michael Hayton, representing Chapman, defended, 'Tom Williams played a part in it. Dean Richards played a part in it. Dr Wendy Chapman did not. She was not part to the planning and the carrying out of the cheating. She had no knowledge or active participation in it.' The general consensus is that Chapman was 'collateral' and was pressured into her actions by Richards, but more pertinently, Williams as the winger began to panic about whether the authorities would believe the veracity of his story.
This whole sorry story is a damning indictment on fair play and honesty in the sport. Harlequins Chief Executive Mark Evans said in the aftermath of the punishments, 'some fans will feel it is a terrible episode which makes them ashamed of the club they loved. Unfortunately for the sport, it is more than just Harlequins which has been brought into disrepute.
But, on closer inspection, there was forces far more underhand at work. The reality of situation was that Williams bit in to a blood capsule, as he knew the only way he was able to leave the field would be with a blood injury. Without Evans, Quins wouldn't have had a recognised place kicker on the field to attempt to sink a crucial penalty which could make the difference. Thankfully (for sport and fair play everywhere) Evans missed his kick, and Harlequins lost 6-5 - but that was far from the end of the saga.
This week, the doctor at the centre of the scandal, Dr Wendy Chapman, has been speaking in a hearing of the General Medical Council about the 'shame' of her role in the scandal, after Williams pushed her into cutting his lip to make the injury look authentic. After the match against Leinster, the story quickly unravelled and spiralled out of control. What started as a huge cover-up soon saw all parties involved trying to protect their own back. It started with a stoic defence of their position by Richards, after Leinster expressed doubts about the legality of their actions: 'if they don't know the rules, that's not my problem,' he said in the immediate aftermath, but it was Williams who was the original scapegoat. In July, the winger was given a 12 month ban for faking a blood injury by the English Rugby Commission, which also exonerated Richards, Chapman and team physio Steph Brennan of any wrongdoing.
Unfortunately for Quins, this sorry tale was far from over. Less than a month later, Williams spoke to The Telegraph about what actually happened on that day in April. Now far from being a rare show of penance from a professional sportsmen, the winger was trying to save his own skin as much as was possible. He got his 12 month ban cut to just four months, butt the repercussions for Quins were vast. Richards, who had recently quit his post as director of rugby, was given a three month ban from any involvement in rugby union worldwide. This will probably stop Richards from taking such a calculated, scheming gamble again (if he even returns to professional coaching again). Former physio Brennan, was banned for two years. He lost his new job as England's physio less than four months after taking up the role - it's thought that as he entered the field to 'treat' Williams, his position was untenable. After the confession from Williams, Harlequins fine was increased from £215,000 with half suspended to £258,000, to be paid in full. For a football club that would be a size able amount (when there is any kind of serious crowd trouble or racism, the sum is barely a fraction of such a figure), but for a rugby club, it was a huge dent into their income. It soon emerged that the Rugby Football Union were investigating the involvement of Richards and Brennan with other potential blood-faking incidents in recent seasons, after Williams suggested he had been the ringleader behind this particular unscrupulous tactic.
For so long rugby has held itself in such lofty esteem above it's football cousin, as the standard-bearer of fair play, both on and off the pitch. But the farcical (and cynical) events of 'bloodgate' must surely end that facade, at least for the time being. To their credit, the authorities took tough action against the perpetrators - no-one went unpunished, and it is likely anyone thinking of 'bending the rules' in a similar manner are going to think twice. Rugby's good name is being dragged through the mud. While it is pleasing that those smug individuals at the Twickenham Stoop have been brought to Justice - Williams was photographed smirking and winking to his team-mates after his fake blood injury, and Richards still failed to show any remorse by stating 'it was a farcical situation, it really was. It didn't pan out particularly well on thee day' - but for rugby in general, it was a dark, dark day.
But maybe as rugby catches up with football in terms of a professional attitude, money and celebrity (the likes of Gavin Henson and Danny Cipriani have been as likely to be in the pages of OK! or Hello as the sports pages of newspapers) there are a few more unsavoury elements which will creep into the game bestowed to the upper-classes. There may not be constant bickering to the referees or constant moaning by the players in the press. But I have never heard of an incident quite so calculating and pre-meditated as the one portrayed by Harlequins, although this is apparently not the first time fake blood has been used to give one team an advantage. A former England coach claimed that this tactic first started as far back as 2001, while Leicester coach and former England hooker Richard Cockerill admitted stitches in his finger have been ripped to fake a blood injury.
In the light of Dr Chapman's hearing at the GMC, Harlequins indiscretions are back in the spotlight. In a bid to save her own career (she was suspended, without pay, from her position as a consultant at Maidstone Hospital in Kent September, and must wait for the verdict of her fit for practice enquiry before returning to work), she has played herself as the victim. Michael Hayton, representing Chapman, defended, 'Tom Williams played a part in it. Dean Richards played a part in it. Dr Wendy Chapman did not. She was not part to the planning and the carrying out of the cheating. She had no knowledge or active participation in it.' The general consensus is that Chapman was 'collateral' and was pressured into her actions by Richards, but more pertinently, Williams as the winger began to panic about whether the authorities would believe the veracity of his story.
This whole sorry story is a damning indictment on fair play and honesty in the sport. Harlequins Chief Executive Mark Evans said in the aftermath of the punishments, 'some fans will feel it is a terrible episode which makes them ashamed of the club they loved. Unfortunately for the sport, it is more than just Harlequins which has been brought into disrepute.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Into the home straight
Excuse the athletics pun, but that is the situation the English 2018 World Cup bis now finds itself in. A team of FIFA delegates has started a four-day visit to assess facilities in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Sunderland as the tension really hots up for those on the inside. There will also be a tour of Wembley with England coach Fabio Capello and a meeting at Downing Street with the coalition's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Yes, as with all these major sporting decisions, it will get political. But more on that later. England certainly faces stiff competition to host the world's premier football tournament. Russia are thought by many to be the favourites with their vast wealth-post Communism, which has significantly flowed off into their football structure. Just last week, Spartak Moscow spent £9.5 million on Celtic winger Aiden McGeady, and the wages will probably match the transfer fee. There is also a joint bid from Spain and Portugal, as well as bids from USA and an intriguing bid from Qatar. The prospect of taking the World Cup to the Middle East might be quite enticing to FIFA, and should Qatar be given the nod, there would certainly be money pumped into the tournament - in the last ten years, the country's national football league has enticed players such as Gabriel Batistuta, Ailton and Franck Lebouef in the last few years.
By the time the 2018 tournament is held, no matter who the host nation is, it will be over 50 years since England hosted the tournament, and we all know what happened on July 30 1966, in the final at Wembley. The opportunities presented by the World Cup could be massive. There are 16 nominated stadiums to host matches - this is just a preliminary list, which will be cut down in 2013 so those confirmed as host stadiums can start any renovations which are necessary. For the likes of Wembley, Old Trafford, Elland Road and Anfield, they have been there before, hosted major tournament matches (most recently at Euro 96) and also international matches while the new Wembley was under reconstruction. But for cities like Bristol, Plymouth and Milton Keynes, this could be a huge opportunity to bring major tournament football to parts of the country not known for their football prowess and support. It is hard to say what impact hosting the 2018 World Cup would have on the country - there would be nothing on the scale of the regeneration and legacy which will come before, during and after the 2012 Olympics in London. But it will certainly be a momentous occasion, especially for the South West. And this is a crucial point - the bid team has clearly determined to make the tournament, should England be granted it, a national tournament.
However, as those who were involved in England's ultimately failed bid for the 2006 World Cup, there is more to the process than just football, stadiums and infrastructure. We enter an intricate world of geopolitics as murky as anything any government can muster up. Their bid is undoubtedly strong - with Paul 'the pyschic' Octopus joining the ranks of official ambassadors former England captain David Beckham, current captain Rio Ferdinand, 2008 Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, musicians Noel Gallacher and Sting, and football luminaries such as Gordon Taylor (chief executive of the PFA), Hope Powell (manager of the England Women's team), Peter Kenyon (former Chief Executive of Manchester United and Chelsea), John Barnes and Fabio Capello. Oh, and Prince William! They have a host of stadiums which are already more than adequate to host World Cup matches, and some more which need some renovation and expansion.
The government are pulling out all the stops - Mr Clegg will be joined by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Sports Minister Hugh Robertson to greet the delegation at No.10, before heading to Wembley to meet Mr Capello and watch a community coaching session. As Mr Robertson said, 'winning the 2018 bid would be fantastic for football in this country. The great thing about our bid is all the infrastructure is already in place. You could technically host the World Cup tomorrow.' While this maybe stretching plausibility slightly, you get is drift. Unfortunately for the FA, there will be other FIFA criteria they need to meet. This doesn't just refer to having enough hotel accommodation, a dedicated fan park in the host cities, support of the public and local media, adeqaute transport links and a high standard of environmental and sustainability initiatives. None of these will be a problem.
Unfortunately, image is as important as substance to FIFA, and the England bid did not exactly help itself in the months leading up to the World Cup in South Africa. There was an attack on the bid from FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (not for the first time, to be fair), and the embarrassing resignations of Sir David Richards and Lord Triesman from the 2018 bid. But since the World Cup in South Africa, there has been a modicum of stability restored to the bid, and the team are ready to welcome FIFA and give as good an impression as is possible. There is a steely determination that this bid would not be derailed in the manner of its 2006 partner, after the horrific violence in Eindhoven and Charleroi at Euro 2000 left it a straight battle between Germany and South Africa.
However, the very factor which the FIFA will see as their greatest strength, could also be their biggest weakness in the face of a strong Russian effort. The FA sees their bid as a 'safe bet' - that seems to be the word which is being bandied around at the moment. After two potentially risky tournaments, in relatively poor areas of the world in South Africa and Brazil, a World Cup in England would be one FIFA would not have to worry about. They could be left to go about their business. Up until a year before the even in South Africa, there were question marks over whether they would be ready to host the World Cup. It is definitely an advantage that the majority of stadiums are already built, with just expansion in capacity needed most - Russia have estimated it will cost about £115 billion to build the stadiums needed and to improve the country's infrastructure for their proposed bid. Compared to that, England would be a 'safe bet', and as the country is undeniably football mad, there would be guaranteed a huge revenue from the event.
As with choosing any host country for any sports event though, there is a flip side. The very fact that England is a 'safe bet' could count against them. Russia are considered to be favourites by many, because they are one of football's 'new' superpowers. Although they missed out on the World Cup this summer, they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008, and club side Zenit St Petersburg became the first club post-Communism to win a European trophy when they won the UEFA Cup in 2008. And Sepp Blatter, who faces a possible presidential challenge next year, could play a key role. He is well known for his publicity gathering headlines, and having brought the World Cup to Asia and Africa for the first time, it could be an enticing prospect to tap into another new market with potential riches, Eastern Europe. The 2018 edition is likely to be held in Europe, carrying on FIFA's recent trend of rotating the continents for each tournament, meaning the 2022 tournament will probably return to Asia for the first time in 20 years. All of this politics plays a part when it comes to deciding who will host the tournament. Giving the tournament to Russia would give Blatter the opportunity to make a grand political statement, possibly his last of such kind - Russia was a pariah of world politics, let alone football, for almost half a century - and never one to be outspoken, this may well be an opportunity he is keen to push for.
Hence while it is important to perform impeccably in the next four days, with plush stadiums on show, polite and accommodating representatives and, most importantly, transport and trains running on time, this may have no bearing on FIFA's final decision. The race looks impossible to call, and there is the real possibility the race will be won by some last minute political manoeuvring. Such are the politics in FIFA's corridors of power. Getting the politics right and keeping the people who matter happy will be as important as any ambassadors, plans and charts in the next three months.
By the time the 2018 tournament is held, no matter who the host nation is, it will be over 50 years since England hosted the tournament, and we all know what happened on July 30 1966, in the final at Wembley. The opportunities presented by the World Cup could be massive. There are 16 nominated stadiums to host matches - this is just a preliminary list, which will be cut down in 2013 so those confirmed as host stadiums can start any renovations which are necessary. For the likes of Wembley, Old Trafford, Elland Road and Anfield, they have been there before, hosted major tournament matches (most recently at Euro 96) and also international matches while the new Wembley was under reconstruction. But for cities like Bristol, Plymouth and Milton Keynes, this could be a huge opportunity to bring major tournament football to parts of the country not known for their football prowess and support. It is hard to say what impact hosting the 2018 World Cup would have on the country - there would be nothing on the scale of the regeneration and legacy which will come before, during and after the 2012 Olympics in London. But it will certainly be a momentous occasion, especially for the South West. And this is a crucial point - the bid team has clearly determined to make the tournament, should England be granted it, a national tournament.
However, as those who were involved in England's ultimately failed bid for the 2006 World Cup, there is more to the process than just football, stadiums and infrastructure. We enter an intricate world of geopolitics as murky as anything any government can muster up. Their bid is undoubtedly strong - with Paul 'the pyschic' Octopus joining the ranks of official ambassadors former England captain David Beckham, current captain Rio Ferdinand, 2008 Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, musicians Noel Gallacher and Sting, and football luminaries such as Gordon Taylor (chief executive of the PFA), Hope Powell (manager of the England Women's team), Peter Kenyon (former Chief Executive of Manchester United and Chelsea), John Barnes and Fabio Capello. Oh, and Prince William! They have a host of stadiums which are already more than adequate to host World Cup matches, and some more which need some renovation and expansion.
The government are pulling out all the stops - Mr Clegg will be joined by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Sports Minister Hugh Robertson to greet the delegation at No.10, before heading to Wembley to meet Mr Capello and watch a community coaching session. As Mr Robertson said, 'winning the 2018 bid would be fantastic for football in this country. The great thing about our bid is all the infrastructure is already in place. You could technically host the World Cup tomorrow.' While this maybe stretching plausibility slightly, you get is drift. Unfortunately for the FA, there will be other FIFA criteria they need to meet. This doesn't just refer to having enough hotel accommodation, a dedicated fan park in the host cities, support of the public and local media, adeqaute transport links and a high standard of environmental and sustainability initiatives. None of these will be a problem.
Unfortunately, image is as important as substance to FIFA, and the England bid did not exactly help itself in the months leading up to the World Cup in South Africa. There was an attack on the bid from FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (not for the first time, to be fair), and the embarrassing resignations of Sir David Richards and Lord Triesman from the 2018 bid. But since the World Cup in South Africa, there has been a modicum of stability restored to the bid, and the team are ready to welcome FIFA and give as good an impression as is possible. There is a steely determination that this bid would not be derailed in the manner of its 2006 partner, after the horrific violence in Eindhoven and Charleroi at Euro 2000 left it a straight battle between Germany and South Africa.
However, the very factor which the FIFA will see as their greatest strength, could also be their biggest weakness in the face of a strong Russian effort. The FA sees their bid as a 'safe bet' - that seems to be the word which is being bandied around at the moment. After two potentially risky tournaments, in relatively poor areas of the world in South Africa and Brazil, a World Cup in England would be one FIFA would not have to worry about. They could be left to go about their business. Up until a year before the even in South Africa, there were question marks over whether they would be ready to host the World Cup. It is definitely an advantage that the majority of stadiums are already built, with just expansion in capacity needed most - Russia have estimated it will cost about £115 billion to build the stadiums needed and to improve the country's infrastructure for their proposed bid. Compared to that, England would be a 'safe bet', and as the country is undeniably football mad, there would be guaranteed a huge revenue from the event.
As with choosing any host country for any sports event though, there is a flip side. The very fact that England is a 'safe bet' could count against them. Russia are considered to be favourites by many, because they are one of football's 'new' superpowers. Although they missed out on the World Cup this summer, they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008, and club side Zenit St Petersburg became the first club post-Communism to win a European trophy when they won the UEFA Cup in 2008. And Sepp Blatter, who faces a possible presidential challenge next year, could play a key role. He is well known for his publicity gathering headlines, and having brought the World Cup to Asia and Africa for the first time, it could be an enticing prospect to tap into another new market with potential riches, Eastern Europe. The 2018 edition is likely to be held in Europe, carrying on FIFA's recent trend of rotating the continents for each tournament, meaning the 2022 tournament will probably return to Asia for the first time in 20 years. All of this politics plays a part when it comes to deciding who will host the tournament. Giving the tournament to Russia would give Blatter the opportunity to make a grand political statement, possibly his last of such kind - Russia was a pariah of world politics, let alone football, for almost half a century - and never one to be outspoken, this may well be an opportunity he is keen to push for.
Hence while it is important to perform impeccably in the next four days, with plush stadiums on show, polite and accommodating representatives and, most importantly, transport and trains running on time, this may have no bearing on FIFA's final decision. The race looks impossible to call, and there is the real possibility the race will be won by some last minute political manoeuvring. Such are the politics in FIFA's corridors of power. Getting the politics right and keeping the people who matter happy will be as important as any ambassadors, plans and charts in the next three months.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Davids see the Palace - and other strange transfer dealings
As far as bizarre transfers are concerned, the move of Edgar Davids to Selhurst Park to play for Crystal Palace, two years after he last played competitive football, has to be right up there. Football history is littered with bizarre transfers. Unfortunately for Palace, these moves generally end up with one of two outcomes - either one or both parties with their tails between their legs. Just last season, former England and Arsenal stalwart Sol Campbell found himself at Sven Goran Eriksson's revolution at Notts County. He signed a five-year-deal, stating County were 'the best option for this moment of my life.' But he never even played at Meadow Lane - he made his debut on September 19 in a 2-1 defeat at Morecombe, and walked out just three days later with his contract being cancelled by mutual consent. Which is one more appearance than Faustino Asprilla made for Darlington after he'd decided to give the North-East a second try. In 2004, after agreeing to sign for the club after befriending Darlo's flamboyant chairman George Reynolds. But on the day he was due to sign the contract, he had a change of heart and fled the country.
But the greatest, most bizarre transfer of all, must be Ali Dia, the cheeky chappy who was George Weah's 'cousin.' When Southampton manager Graeme Souness got a phone call from 'George Weah' in 1996, suggesting he signed his 'cousin' Dia, who had won 30 caps for Senegal, the dour Scot must have thought all his Christmases had come at once. The reality of the situation, however, was rather different. The mysterious voice on the other end of the telephone was in fact Dia's agent, and he was no relation to the Liberian legend. He had flittered around the lower reaches of French football before signing a part-time contract with non-league Blyth Spartans, before coming up with his ingenious scheme. Souness took him on trial, and was due to play him in a reserve game to get a better look. But the game was cancelled, so he was thrown into the first team squad for a game with Leeds United. After half an hour, Saints legend Matt Le Tissier was injured, and Dia trotted on to replace him. 50 minutes later when he himself was substituted, it became clear he'd never been capped by Senegal - one newspaper described him as playing like 'bambi on ice' and he was never heard of again.
The transfers of Ronnie O'Brien and Jean Alain Boumsong to Juventus, Jay Bothroyd to Perugia and Claudio Cannigia to Dundee all spring to mind, but the most entertaining transfer of recent times was the truly strange transfer of Julien Faubert from West Ham United to Real Madrid. The French right-winger/right-back had hardly lit up East London since arriving for £6 million from Bordeaux, so it was most peculiar when Real took him to the Bernabeu, on a six-month loan deal for £1.5 million with an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the deal. This is an option new coach Manuel Pellegrini declined to take up, after Faubert missed training after he mistakenly thought he'd been given a day off, and was pictured asleep on the bench during a game with Villarreal. Talk about throwing away your big chance, and after just two appearances, he returned to Upton Park. It is perhaps slightly unfair to place Davids to the majority of these examples, but it is always strange to see players in the top echelons of football take a step down in class - it can't be about the money!
Davids, with his flamboyant dreadlocks and huge spectacles (due to his glaucoma) is one of the most recognisable players in world football.But he is also pretty handy on the pitch too. The list of Davids' former employers is a veritable roll-call of who's who in European football - Ajax (twice), AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. OK maybe the quality dips a little bit at the end, but it will still be strange to see the 37-year-old former Dutch international rock up at Doncaster and Barnsley in the Championship. He also won 74 caps for Holland, and reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. The move is made stranger still by the fact that Palace were on the verge of going out of business at the end of last season, and have only just exited administration. He was one of three signings made the day their transfer embargo was lifted - Spurs striker Jonathon Obika and Ipswich forward Pablo Counago were signed on season long loan deals.
Palace manager George Burley is certainly excited by the prospect of seeing Davids in action: 'we spoke to Edgar earlier in the week. He has been training with Ajax but now it's good to see us agree terms with him.' Despite their well documented financial problems, Davids has signed a pay-as-you-play contract rather than a long term deal. So at least he won't be paid an astronomical sum of money for sitting on the bench a la former Ajax and Holland team-mate Winston Bogarde (I'm sure most Chelsea fans still cringe at the mere mention of his name). He made nine appearances in his three years at Stamford Bridge, and despite repeated efforts to offload him, the right-back preferred to stay at Chelsea and see out his lucrative contract before retiring (which he effectively did when he signed for the club). It remains to be seen who will gain most from this venture. If Davids has some of his old fire - which he will need in the Championship, his name will mean nothing - then this could be a marriage made in heaven. If he can re-ignite the fire in his belly, and return to his tigerish former-self, he could slot in seamlessly to the Championship style of play.
But will the prospect of playing in central midfield with Danny Ambrose or Neil Danns be as enticing as lining up with former colleagues such as Clarence Seedorf and Pavel Nedved. Only time will tell, but Burley will be hoping this acts as a motivating factor rather than going the other way. Potential downsides for the Eagles? Davids has fallen out with much bigger coaches than Burley. Think Guus Hiddink, who sent Davids home from Euro 96 for saying 'Hiddink should stop putting his head up some players asses'. And former international colleague Marc Overmars returned to professional football for a season with Go Ahead Eagles, four years after last playing for Barcelona. They should serve as cautionary tales, but the gamble will be worth it if Davids adds more ability, guile and class to Palace's midfield.
But the greatest, most bizarre transfer of all, must be Ali Dia, the cheeky chappy who was George Weah's 'cousin.' When Southampton manager Graeme Souness got a phone call from 'George Weah' in 1996, suggesting he signed his 'cousin' Dia, who had won 30 caps for Senegal, the dour Scot must have thought all his Christmases had come at once. The reality of the situation, however, was rather different. The mysterious voice on the other end of the telephone was in fact Dia's agent, and he was no relation to the Liberian legend. He had flittered around the lower reaches of French football before signing a part-time contract with non-league Blyth Spartans, before coming up with his ingenious scheme. Souness took him on trial, and was due to play him in a reserve game to get a better look. But the game was cancelled, so he was thrown into the first team squad for a game with Leeds United. After half an hour, Saints legend Matt Le Tissier was injured, and Dia trotted on to replace him. 50 minutes later when he himself was substituted, it became clear he'd never been capped by Senegal - one newspaper described him as playing like 'bambi on ice' and he was never heard of again.
The transfers of Ronnie O'Brien and Jean Alain Boumsong to Juventus, Jay Bothroyd to Perugia and Claudio Cannigia to Dundee all spring to mind, but the most entertaining transfer of recent times was the truly strange transfer of Julien Faubert from West Ham United to Real Madrid. The French right-winger/right-back had hardly lit up East London since arriving for £6 million from Bordeaux, so it was most peculiar when Real took him to the Bernabeu, on a six-month loan deal for £1.5 million with an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the deal. This is an option new coach Manuel Pellegrini declined to take up, after Faubert missed training after he mistakenly thought he'd been given a day off, and was pictured asleep on the bench during a game with Villarreal. Talk about throwing away your big chance, and after just two appearances, he returned to Upton Park. It is perhaps slightly unfair to place Davids to the majority of these examples, but it is always strange to see players in the top echelons of football take a step down in class - it can't be about the money!
Davids, with his flamboyant dreadlocks and huge spectacles (due to his glaucoma) is one of the most recognisable players in world football.But he is also pretty handy on the pitch too. The list of Davids' former employers is a veritable roll-call of who's who in European football - Ajax (twice), AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. OK maybe the quality dips a little bit at the end, but it will still be strange to see the 37-year-old former Dutch international rock up at Doncaster and Barnsley in the Championship. He also won 74 caps for Holland, and reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. The move is made stranger still by the fact that Palace were on the verge of going out of business at the end of last season, and have only just exited administration. He was one of three signings made the day their transfer embargo was lifted - Spurs striker Jonathon Obika and Ipswich forward Pablo Counago were signed on season long loan deals.
Palace manager George Burley is certainly excited by the prospect of seeing Davids in action: 'we spoke to Edgar earlier in the week. He has been training with Ajax but now it's good to see us agree terms with him.' Despite their well documented financial problems, Davids has signed a pay-as-you-play contract rather than a long term deal. So at least he won't be paid an astronomical sum of money for sitting on the bench a la former Ajax and Holland team-mate Winston Bogarde (I'm sure most Chelsea fans still cringe at the mere mention of his name). He made nine appearances in his three years at Stamford Bridge, and despite repeated efforts to offload him, the right-back preferred to stay at Chelsea and see out his lucrative contract before retiring (which he effectively did when he signed for the club). It remains to be seen who will gain most from this venture. If Davids has some of his old fire - which he will need in the Championship, his name will mean nothing - then this could be a marriage made in heaven. If he can re-ignite the fire in his belly, and return to his tigerish former-self, he could slot in seamlessly to the Championship style of play.
But will the prospect of playing in central midfield with Danny Ambrose or Neil Danns be as enticing as lining up with former colleagues such as Clarence Seedorf and Pavel Nedved. Only time will tell, but Burley will be hoping this acts as a motivating factor rather than going the other way. Potential downsides for the Eagles? Davids has fallen out with much bigger coaches than Burley. Think Guus Hiddink, who sent Davids home from Euro 96 for saying 'Hiddink should stop putting his head up some players asses'. And former international colleague Marc Overmars returned to professional football for a season with Go Ahead Eagles, four years after last playing for Barcelona. They should serve as cautionary tales, but the gamble will be worth it if Davids adds more ability, guile and class to Palace's midfield.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A paucity of options in the Shire
Somerset's desperately close defeat to Hampshire in the Twenty20 final on Saturday was all the more demoralising as it may well have ended the sporting hopes for the county of Somerset for another year. This is because, as the headline says, there is a paucity of headline sport in this county, the successful cricket aside. Somerset CCC are enjoying one of their best seasons in recent memory, under the coaching of Andy Hurry and the captaincy of Marcus Trescothck. As well as the successful Twenty20 campaign, they are also odds-on to qualify for the semi-finals of the Pro40 one day league (having won all their eight matches so far) and are in contention for the first County Championship title in their history - they are on the verge of a win against Essex which would keep the Cidermen on the coat-tails of Notts and Yorkshire. The county has a rich history, and you only have to walk around the County Ground at Taunton to get a feel for the legends who have strutted their stuff out in the middle. There are th Joel Garner gates, stands dedicated to Sir Ian Botham, Sir Viv Richards and current captain Trescothick as well as the Andy Caddick pavilion. Just going around the ground there are poster tributes to the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Colin Atkinson, and in recent years overseas superstars such as Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer have all lent their support to Somerset's success.
But this shouldn't paper over the fact that for a county this size there is very little top quality sport for fans to enjoy, despite the county seemingly being sport obsessed. Cricket is clearly 'the' sport of Somerset. But the South West also prides itself on its aptitude and appetite towards rugby. However, none of the sprt at the highest level is played in Somerset. It would be very generous to count Bath as Somerset (Avon and North Somerset at best) and Exeter and Gloucester are even further afield, when it comes to the Aviva Premiership. And slightly further down the ladder, Bristol and Plymouth play in the RFU championship, but the best Somerset has to offer is Taunton Rugby Club, who play in National 2 South. This is just three promotions below the top flight to be fair to the side, and trips to likes of Canterbury, Southend and former top flight side Richmond in the coming season show the kind of level they are playing at. But it is still nothing to write home about, and the dilapidated little stadium in Bathpool, which is visible from the railway line such is it's size, also show the limitations of the club.
The football landscape is a little more rosy. Yeovil Town are the great success story of Somerset's football history. They have enjoyed a meteoric rise from non-league giant-killers to regular football league competitors and have established themselves as a genuine League One club in the last few seasons. The Glovers were famous for beating league clubs in the FA Cup (one of the most famous being the defeat of Sunderland in 1949), but in 2003, they finally reached the holy grail of League football under the stewardship of former Latvia coach Gary Johnson. But this wasn't the end of the fairytale. After narrowly missing out on the play-offs in their first football league season, the won the League Two title the following season to reach the third tier of English football. Johnson departed to Bristol City soon afterwards, but under Russell Slade (who replaced Johnson's successor Steve Thompson) he took the Huish Park club to the brink of the Championship. They lost the League One play-off final in 2007 to Blackpool, after beating giants Nottingham Forest in the semi-final. Having seen the direction Blackpool have headed in since that day at the Millennium Stadium, it is astounding how the fates of football can turn. Yeovil, on the other hand, have consolidated in League One, without ever looking like exiting the division at either end. For a club of their size, though, that is more than alright. They got a reminder of their success in tragic circumstances. Former striker Adam Stansfield, who missed the majority of their promotion season to the league with a broken leg before recovering to feature in their historic first campaign, sadly died last week after a short battle with bowel cancer,at the age of 31. A sudden and sad twist to the tale, his former manager Johnson spoke out about his own personal sadness at Stansfield's passing.
Taunton Town, on the other hand, are a mere four promotions away from the hallowed football league. They play in division one of the Southern League, so the premier division of the Southern League, Conference South and the Nationwide Conference stand in their way. They have some non-league pedigree (they won the FA Vase in 2001, which is effectively the third-highest version of the FA Cup, after the great competition itself and the FA Trophy, which is for Nationwide Conference and other higher non-league club's). But it would be a big ask for a town of the size of Taunton to have a league club, especially with a stadium capacity of 2,500 (of which only 300 are seated).
There is a Somerset-shaped chasm when in terms of top-level team sports. This may be in part due to the fact that despite Somerset being a big county, there are no citites in it. Taunton, the county town, has by the far the biggest population of around 100,000 people, but is still classed as a town. This is clearly a constraint, as all the sporting efforts of the county are geared towards the cricket team. Young players know there is more chance of getting noticed as a cricketer than in any other sport because of Somerset CCC, so that is what they concentrate on. The likes of Jos Buttler (the 19-year-old wicket-keeper batsman, who was a student at King's College in Taunton) and James Hildreth (the middle-order batsman who attended Millfield School, renowned for its sporting excellence) spring to mind, and act as a shining example for all promising cricketers. There are no such examples in other sports, and this is why the county keeps producing cricket players but nothing else. This situation is unlikely to change, but if the season ends likes it has started for Trescothick and his young team, few people are likely to care. There is always Jenson Button (Frome born and bred) but as a resident of noted tax haven Monte Carlo, it is doubtful how often he re-connects with his Somerset roots.
But this shouldn't paper over the fact that for a county this size there is very little top quality sport for fans to enjoy, despite the county seemingly being sport obsessed. Cricket is clearly 'the' sport of Somerset. But the South West also prides itself on its aptitude and appetite towards rugby. However, none of the sprt at the highest level is played in Somerset. It would be very generous to count Bath as Somerset (Avon and North Somerset at best) and Exeter and Gloucester are even further afield, when it comes to the Aviva Premiership. And slightly further down the ladder, Bristol and Plymouth play in the RFU championship, but the best Somerset has to offer is Taunton Rugby Club, who play in National 2 South. This is just three promotions below the top flight to be fair to the side, and trips to likes of Canterbury, Southend and former top flight side Richmond in the coming season show the kind of level they are playing at. But it is still nothing to write home about, and the dilapidated little stadium in Bathpool, which is visible from the railway line such is it's size, also show the limitations of the club.
The football landscape is a little more rosy. Yeovil Town are the great success story of Somerset's football history. They have enjoyed a meteoric rise from non-league giant-killers to regular football league competitors and have established themselves as a genuine League One club in the last few seasons. The Glovers were famous for beating league clubs in the FA Cup (one of the most famous being the defeat of Sunderland in 1949), but in 2003, they finally reached the holy grail of League football under the stewardship of former Latvia coach Gary Johnson. But this wasn't the end of the fairytale. After narrowly missing out on the play-offs in their first football league season, the won the League Two title the following season to reach the third tier of English football. Johnson departed to Bristol City soon afterwards, but under Russell Slade (who replaced Johnson's successor Steve Thompson) he took the Huish Park club to the brink of the Championship. They lost the League One play-off final in 2007 to Blackpool, after beating giants Nottingham Forest in the semi-final. Having seen the direction Blackpool have headed in since that day at the Millennium Stadium, it is astounding how the fates of football can turn. Yeovil, on the other hand, have consolidated in League One, without ever looking like exiting the division at either end. For a club of their size, though, that is more than alright. They got a reminder of their success in tragic circumstances. Former striker Adam Stansfield, who missed the majority of their promotion season to the league with a broken leg before recovering to feature in their historic first campaign, sadly died last week after a short battle with bowel cancer,at the age of 31. A sudden and sad twist to the tale, his former manager Johnson spoke out about his own personal sadness at Stansfield's passing.
Taunton Town, on the other hand, are a mere four promotions away from the hallowed football league. They play in division one of the Southern League, so the premier division of the Southern League, Conference South and the Nationwide Conference stand in their way. They have some non-league pedigree (they won the FA Vase in 2001, which is effectively the third-highest version of the FA Cup, after the great competition itself and the FA Trophy, which is for Nationwide Conference and other higher non-league club's). But it would be a big ask for a town of the size of Taunton to have a league club, especially with a stadium capacity of 2,500 (of which only 300 are seated).
There is a Somerset-shaped chasm when in terms of top-level team sports. This may be in part due to the fact that despite Somerset being a big county, there are no citites in it. Taunton, the county town, has by the far the biggest population of around 100,000 people, but is still classed as a town. This is clearly a constraint, as all the sporting efforts of the county are geared towards the cricket team. Young players know there is more chance of getting noticed as a cricketer than in any other sport because of Somerset CCC, so that is what they concentrate on. The likes of Jos Buttler (the 19-year-old wicket-keeper batsman, who was a student at King's College in Taunton) and James Hildreth (the middle-order batsman who attended Millfield School, renowned for its sporting excellence) spring to mind, and act as a shining example for all promising cricketers. There are no such examples in other sports, and this is why the county keeps producing cricket players but nothing else. This situation is unlikely to change, but if the season ends likes it has started for Trescothick and his young team, few people are likely to care. There is always Jenson Button (Frome born and bred) but as a resident of noted tax haven Monte Carlo, it is doubtful how often he re-connects with his Somerset roots.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Nourish don't neglect
The sporting focus this Sunday was centered on two of Britain's brightest sporting stars, Andy Murray and Rory McIlroy. Of course, when they are enjoying more than their fair share of success, they are British, but when they slip up, they are obviously Scottish and Northern Irish. But that is a different matter. There was success for Murray at the weekend (albeit not on the sport's biggest stage) although McIlroy fell just short. But his time will come, and he is clearly a prodigious talent. The 21-year-old Ulsterman fell an agonising one shot short of forcing a three way play-off with potential Ryder Cup team-mate Martin Kaymer and American outsider Bubba Watson, to finish tied for 3rd at the USPGA. A missed put for birdie on the 18th cost him his chance to win, but after tying for 10th at the US Open last year, and also finishing 3rd at the USPGA last year and achieving the same position at the Open last month, it is surely only a matter of time before he wins his first major. There is certainly time on his side, and he is a confident individual. This was portrayed in his post-round interview, where he drew the positives from his performance, and looked ahead to the challenges ahead - most notably the Ryder Cup this October: 'I came close but it just wasn't meant to be. I really tried to go out there with a positive attitude and not let anything get to me and I did a pretty good job of it. But I'll get over it and be fine.'
This attitude means the likely pressure (which will increase following his efforts at Whistling Straits) should not faze him. It is shuddering to think he is still only 21, after bursting onto the professional scene at the age of just 18. Since then, comparisons with TIger Woods have flooded in, and the great man even invited him to play in the 2007 Target World Challenge. Despite being thrilled about the recognition, McIlroy declined the invitation, as he felt there were more important challenges to take on at this stage in his fledgling career. That shows something about the character of McIlroy, and can only stand him in good stead in the years to come.
The diminutive star also proved his worth as a human being - despite his own disappointment at missing out on his first Major title, he showed genuine compassion towards his competitor Dustin Johnson. The American missed out on the chance to compete in a play-off with Kaymer and Watson after a two shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker in the last hole, having missed a chip which would have given him the win outright: 'if I was in the same situation, I might have made the same mistake. He broke the rule. He grounded the club. But I think it's a stupid rule.' So magnanimous, amazingly talented, and wise beyond his years - McIlroy clearly has a bright future ahead of him, if he is moulded by the right team in the right direction. Many young stars, in a variety of different sports have fallen off their chosen path after promising careers as juniors. Athletics' Mark Lewis-Francis is a shining example. But the difference between McIlroy and so many others is his temperament.
McIlroy's effect on the state of golf will probably be greater (and easier to quantify) than his effect in his home country. The sport has been dragged through the mud since the end of last year with the highly-publicized shenanigans of the sports' star, Tiger Woods, off the golf course. The emergence of McIlroy as a genuine Major contender could not have come at a better time. His is a game which is still developing - he is a brilliant (and accurate) striker of a ball, but his short game, on and around the greens, is improving all the time. But he is also charistmatic and looks like he should still be in school, and it is this which has convinced a host of companies to use him for sponsorship and advertising. Despite this being the third time he has finished 3rd at a Major, it is the first time he was in serious contention. And although he fell up agonisingly short, this will do him the power of good in terms of his maturity and experience. So here's to good times ahead!
His efforts last week moved him up to a career high seventh in the world rankings, and guaranteed his spot for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor at the start of October. There is bound to be pressure on a rising British sports star. This is mainly because there are so few proficient stars who we can pin our own hopes of glory on. Andy Murray is another who enjoys similar (or even greater pressure) than McIlroy, but this is not just the case in team sports. The likes of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Andrew Flintoff have felt the weight of expectation on their shoulders - some thrive, some flounder, but Murray is certainly thriving, as he proved by beating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in consecutive days to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
It may not have been a Grand Slam, but it was a Masters title, which is the next best thing. And beating Nadal and Federer in consecutive days if nothing to be sniffed at. Yet he is one of the most under-appreciated sportsmen we possess. You can hardly blame him for having an often surly attitude. He clearly identifies with his Scottish identity, but when he is enjoying success, he is British, but when it all goes pear-shaped, he is as Scottish as kilts and haggis. In all fairness, he hardly helped himself with his comments during Wimbledon in 2006, just his second appearance in the great tournament. He stated he would 'support anyone but England' in the 2006 World Cup. This led to rumours that he is anti-English, so of course when he crashed out of the tournament in the fourth round to Marcos Baghdatis, he was Scottish again. He has stated he is, 'not anti-English and never was,' and, 'the comments were made in jest,' but the stigma has stuck.
But this is no excuse for the way he has been treated by the crowd and English tennis fans on occasions. He has been branded a failure for failing to win a Grand Slam so far in this career. He has only just turned 23, and he has appeared in two Slam finals. He may have been well beaten by Federer, in the US Open in 2008, and the Australian Open earlier this year, but that should be no shame, and it is still a learning curve despite having been on the tour for five years. Federer and Nadal are two of the best players to have ever picked up a racket, and when you factor in the likes of Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro, there are a number of talented youngsters in the men's game, and there is a also great depth.
For many British tennis fans, the season lasts for as long as the four week grass court season in June and July. Unfortunately, that is also the attitude taken up by all other British tennis players. The next highest ranked British male is Alex Bogdanovic, at 219, yet the Scot is still a failure, apparently. On the woman's side of the game, Elena Baltacha, at 55 in the world, is comfortably the highest ranked British woman. There are only two more ranked within the top 200. Murray has lost in the semi-finals in the last two years at the All England Club, to Nadal and Andy Roddick, and was defeated in the quarter-final the year before, again to Nadal. This can hardly be deemed a failure, when the only time British players compete in Grand Slams is when they receive generous wild cards at Wimbledon every year. Even then, they are lucky to advance past the first round. Murray has enjoyed his success in spite of the LTA rather than because of it. He learnt his trade in Barcelona after being sent there by his mother as a 15-year-old. He has described it as a 'worthwhile sacrifice', and it is hard to say if he would have enjoyed the same success had he stayed and trained with the LTA coaches. His all round game is solid, and weaknesses are hard to spot. Earlier in his career, there were doubts about his fitness as he seemed to get burned out during long five set matches. But those fears have now been eradicated, and he is one of the fittest men on the tour. He has evolved from an 'attacking counter-puncher' (as he was described by top Tennis coach Paul Annacone, to a more offensive player as he has developed the skills on his bow.
The two men who will know exactly how Murray feels are Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman. The former was very British when he reached the final of the US Open in 1997, before losing to Pat Rafter. But when his career started spiralling, especially the failed drugs test, he was Canadian and nothing to do with us. And Henman, despite reaching six Grand Slam semi-finals, was constantly criticised for falling at the penultimate hurdle. But no British man has won a Grand Slam since the great Fred Perry in 1936, and the last man (before Murray) to even reach a final was current BBC commentator John Lloyd in the Australian Open in 1977. Hardly a prestigious roll call, and the last Brit of any success to win sex was Virginia Wade, who famously won Wimbledon in the same year her current BBC colleague missed out at Melbourne Park. So we should be thankful of having Murray, and Henman and Rusedski before them, because the LTA has failed British tennis.
The difference between Murray and McIlroy is that McIlroy is appreciated due to the density of British golfers towards the top of the world rankings, and who challenge for Majors on a regular basis. This seems to be a distorted reaction, because when Murray fails to win a Grand Slam, there is no one to fall back on. He is deemed a failure, but this probably won't bother him. Both of these young British stars will probably achieve their major breakthrough sooner rather than later. For Murray, it may come at Flushing Meadows in the next few weeks, on his favoured hard courts, or he may have to wait until next year or further down the line. But they both share some similar traits - single-mindedness, ambition, good temperament and ability. And the rest of it - they won't pay the slightest bit of attention.
This attitude means the likely pressure (which will increase following his efforts at Whistling Straits) should not faze him. It is shuddering to think he is still only 21, after bursting onto the professional scene at the age of just 18. Since then, comparisons with TIger Woods have flooded in, and the great man even invited him to play in the 2007 Target World Challenge. Despite being thrilled about the recognition, McIlroy declined the invitation, as he felt there were more important challenges to take on at this stage in his fledgling career. That shows something about the character of McIlroy, and can only stand him in good stead in the years to come.
The diminutive star also proved his worth as a human being - despite his own disappointment at missing out on his first Major title, he showed genuine compassion towards his competitor Dustin Johnson. The American missed out on the chance to compete in a play-off with Kaymer and Watson after a two shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker in the last hole, having missed a chip which would have given him the win outright: 'if I was in the same situation, I might have made the same mistake. He broke the rule. He grounded the club. But I think it's a stupid rule.' So magnanimous, amazingly talented, and wise beyond his years - McIlroy clearly has a bright future ahead of him, if he is moulded by the right team in the right direction. Many young stars, in a variety of different sports have fallen off their chosen path after promising careers as juniors. Athletics' Mark Lewis-Francis is a shining example. But the difference between McIlroy and so many others is his temperament.
McIlroy's effect on the state of golf will probably be greater (and easier to quantify) than his effect in his home country. The sport has been dragged through the mud since the end of last year with the highly-publicized shenanigans of the sports' star, Tiger Woods, off the golf course. The emergence of McIlroy as a genuine Major contender could not have come at a better time. His is a game which is still developing - he is a brilliant (and accurate) striker of a ball, but his short game, on and around the greens, is improving all the time. But he is also charistmatic and looks like he should still be in school, and it is this which has convinced a host of companies to use him for sponsorship and advertising. Despite this being the third time he has finished 3rd at a Major, it is the first time he was in serious contention. And although he fell up agonisingly short, this will do him the power of good in terms of his maturity and experience. So here's to good times ahead!
His efforts last week moved him up to a career high seventh in the world rankings, and guaranteed his spot for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor at the start of October. There is bound to be pressure on a rising British sports star. This is mainly because there are so few proficient stars who we can pin our own hopes of glory on. Andy Murray is another who enjoys similar (or even greater pressure) than McIlroy, but this is not just the case in team sports. The likes of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Andrew Flintoff have felt the weight of expectation on their shoulders - some thrive, some flounder, but Murray is certainly thriving, as he proved by beating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in consecutive days to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
It may not have been a Grand Slam, but it was a Masters title, which is the next best thing. And beating Nadal and Federer in consecutive days if nothing to be sniffed at. Yet he is one of the most under-appreciated sportsmen we possess. You can hardly blame him for having an often surly attitude. He clearly identifies with his Scottish identity, but when he is enjoying success, he is British, but when it all goes pear-shaped, he is as Scottish as kilts and haggis. In all fairness, he hardly helped himself with his comments during Wimbledon in 2006, just his second appearance in the great tournament. He stated he would 'support anyone but England' in the 2006 World Cup. This led to rumours that he is anti-English, so of course when he crashed out of the tournament in the fourth round to Marcos Baghdatis, he was Scottish again. He has stated he is, 'not anti-English and never was,' and, 'the comments were made in jest,' but the stigma has stuck.
But this is no excuse for the way he has been treated by the crowd and English tennis fans on occasions. He has been branded a failure for failing to win a Grand Slam so far in this career. He has only just turned 23, and he has appeared in two Slam finals. He may have been well beaten by Federer, in the US Open in 2008, and the Australian Open earlier this year, but that should be no shame, and it is still a learning curve despite having been on the tour for five years. Federer and Nadal are two of the best players to have ever picked up a racket, and when you factor in the likes of Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro, there are a number of talented youngsters in the men's game, and there is a also great depth.
For many British tennis fans, the season lasts for as long as the four week grass court season in June and July. Unfortunately, that is also the attitude taken up by all other British tennis players. The next highest ranked British male is Alex Bogdanovic, at 219, yet the Scot is still a failure, apparently. On the woman's side of the game, Elena Baltacha, at 55 in the world, is comfortably the highest ranked British woman. There are only two more ranked within the top 200. Murray has lost in the semi-finals in the last two years at the All England Club, to Nadal and Andy Roddick, and was defeated in the quarter-final the year before, again to Nadal. This can hardly be deemed a failure, when the only time British players compete in Grand Slams is when they receive generous wild cards at Wimbledon every year. Even then, they are lucky to advance past the first round. Murray has enjoyed his success in spite of the LTA rather than because of it. He learnt his trade in Barcelona after being sent there by his mother as a 15-year-old. He has described it as a 'worthwhile sacrifice', and it is hard to say if he would have enjoyed the same success had he stayed and trained with the LTA coaches. His all round game is solid, and weaknesses are hard to spot. Earlier in his career, there were doubts about his fitness as he seemed to get burned out during long five set matches. But those fears have now been eradicated, and he is one of the fittest men on the tour. He has evolved from an 'attacking counter-puncher' (as he was described by top Tennis coach Paul Annacone, to a more offensive player as he has developed the skills on his bow.
The two men who will know exactly how Murray feels are Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman. The former was very British when he reached the final of the US Open in 1997, before losing to Pat Rafter. But when his career started spiralling, especially the failed drugs test, he was Canadian and nothing to do with us. And Henman, despite reaching six Grand Slam semi-finals, was constantly criticised for falling at the penultimate hurdle. But no British man has won a Grand Slam since the great Fred Perry in 1936, and the last man (before Murray) to even reach a final was current BBC commentator John Lloyd in the Australian Open in 1977. Hardly a prestigious roll call, and the last Brit of any success to win sex was Virginia Wade, who famously won Wimbledon in the same year her current BBC colleague missed out at Melbourne Park. So we should be thankful of having Murray, and Henman and Rusedski before them, because the LTA has failed British tennis.
The difference between Murray and McIlroy is that McIlroy is appreciated due to the density of British golfers towards the top of the world rankings, and who challenge for Majors on a regular basis. This seems to be a distorted reaction, because when Murray fails to win a Grand Slam, there is no one to fall back on. He is deemed a failure, but this probably won't bother him. Both of these young British stars will probably achieve their major breakthrough sooner rather than later. For Murray, it may come at Flushing Meadows in the next few weeks, on his favoured hard courts, or he may have to wait until next year or further down the line. But they both share some similar traits - single-mindedness, ambition, good temperament and ability. And the rest of it - they won't pay the slightest bit of attention.
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