http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/ en Copyright 2009 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:35:14 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss ESPN pundits Kevin Keegan and Danny Murphy made great pains to remind the watching audience of Liverpool fans' propensity to never boo a manager and also the tradition the club has of never sacking managers. It is often said that Don Welsh, back in 1956, is the only Reds boss to have been fired by the club. That however, does not take into account the enforced departures of Graeme Souness, Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier. Souness was roundly booed and perhaps rightly so. He eventually walked after making the grave mistake of selling the story of a heart-bypass operation to The Sun newspaper, the publication that infamously sullied those who were killed and injured at Hillsborough. Performances on the pitch hardly helped his cause and he was replaced by Evans, the final graduate of Bill Shankly's "Boot Room". Evans' team played a brand of entertaining football the club have rarely been associated with since yet failed to deliver anything but a League Cup. ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/11/rafa_must_deliver_to_keep_the.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/11/rafa_must_deliver_to_keep_the.php Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:35:14 +0000 Fernando Torres' ultimately decisive strike in Manchester United's defeat at Liverpool has further sharpened the pencils of those wishing to proclaim the waning of Rio Ferdinand. Last week saw the man himself declare that he needed a run of ten games to pull himself back to the required levels of performance and fitness. However, the signs are that Sir Alex Ferguson's patience is fraying. "He has one game back and picks up another injury when he really needs games," said Ferguson last month. This week saw him move on his concerns a little further. "He has to get good form. That's an important issue for the coach to pick the right team," he said on Monday. "In defence you've maybe got more options than other positions. He'll need to get his form right." Meanwhile, Ferguson has made great recent play of his admiration for Jonny Evans, the young Ulsterman who has stepped in frequently when Ferdinand has been laid low by a series of inter-related back and muscle injuries. Ferdinand could do with reading the runes. His friend Wes Brown, another current alternative, once received the Ferguson public seal of approval after the controversial sale of Jaap Stam. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/10/it_all_goes_to_make_up_rio_fer.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/10/it_all_goes_to_make_up_rio_fer.php Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:39:13 +0000 Craig Bellamy has never been one of the game's sympathetic characters. He is a grandmaster at stealing PR disasters from the jaws of personal victory - see that fist-fight in Sierra Leone when visiting his own charity foundation last summer - and last Sunday followed the usual pattern. Written off as a bit-part of the Manchester City project, he proved his playing mettle by scoring two exceptionally taken goals and then besmirched himself by lamping an intruder clearly already under the control of Manchester United's security goons. But that was not the only ugliness on show. His dubious - considering the opposition - aeroplane-style goal celebration featured his wing-span on show and with it one of the modern footballer's most prevalent pecadilloes; the all-over arm tattoo. Where once, during his Newcastle days, it bore the legend "Cameron", the name of one of his three children, his right arm is now completely engraved in an Indian ink tribute to medieval Welsh rebel Owain Glyndwr. It bears resemblance to the gargoyles you can find on any church from that era and must raise the odd eyebrow in the Carrington showers from those not versed in the story of 1402's Battle of Pilleth. Cameron still gets a billing on his dad's arm, he just has to compete these days. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/09/tattooed_millionaires.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/09/tattooed_millionaires.php Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:21:37 +0000 During those weeks of the season when we're concentrating on domestic action you'll be able to catch our regular "Premier League Heroes" feature. This week, however, sees international football take centre-stage as World Cup qualifying nears its business end. One team with hopes just alive of being in South Africa next summer are Ukraine, in Group 6, behind runaway leaders England. When they face Andorra on Saturday, they may well call on the talents of a man who must surely rank as a Premier League zero; Andriy Shevchenko, who last Friday ended his time at Chelsea, an association that finished with much more a whimper than a bang. Contract paid up, "Sheva" rejoined Dynamo Kiev, the club where he once made his name, paying glowing tribute to Roman Abramovich as he went, his exit a mere footnote on a day of constantly breaking transfer news. He left for no fee where it once took £30m paid to AC Milan to secure his services in the summer of 2006 and augment a Blues team that were looking for three titles in a row. Most, including myself, considered his addition another nail in the rest of the Premier League's coffins. I recall watching his debut for Chelsea in the Community Shield that August. A well-taken strike against Liverpool caused me and a pal to drink up and leave a Toulouse watering hole in resignation that this would be another season of domination for Jose Mourinho's team. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/09/shevchenko_premier_league_zero.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/09/shevchenko_premier_league_zero.php Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:08:39 +0000 The Sun's "Scum" being the prime sample of media outrage at the goings on at Upton Park on Tuesday night. That a man was stabbed in the chest reflected a seriousness to the situation, so too the tears of Jack Collison as he left the field at the end of West Ham's extra-time win over Millwall. Collison bravely decided to play in the match after losing his father to a motorcycle accident on Sunday, the day after Hammers defender Calum Davenport had suffered a knife attack that seems likely to end his footballing career. West Ham, a troubled place as it is, could really have done without the embarassment brought to their club by the actions of a section of knuckle-dragging fans during, before and after their Carling Cup match with Millwall. Once the two teams were pulled from the hat for a second round tie many had predicted trouble between two sets of rival fans who have a long-running emnity and, to adopt the tiresome vernacular of the hooligan, have not had the chance for a "tear up" since 2005. This one was always likely to "go off" and while certain media wail and gnash teeth about what happened, questions must be asked over what has made the ructions of Tuesday night acceptable to a sizeable minority of idiots. ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/08/back_to_the_70s_hooliganism_is.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/08/back_to_the_70s_hooliganism_is.php Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:29:57 +0000 contretemps with a group of angry LA Galaxy fans has seen the ailing of his Stateside move brought into sharper focus. Two games into his return to soccer in the USA and his fraying temper has been on public show. Hollywood scripts are not supposed to end this way. While his post-match comments following a row in which he “called out” a fan were dipped in his usual PR sheen, the signs are that only a title-winning campaign can save his West Coast reputation once he departs the Galaxy - as he surely will in November. On leaving the USA, he will likely join The Jam, Robbie Williams and many a British actor in failing to replicate the popularity Stateside that he enjoys in his home country. In a town where style over substance is often the message, Beckham’s failure to deliver on-field success while Major League Soccer dwindles has still made him a target for anger and ridicule.]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/07/panned_in_the_usa.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/07/panned_in_the_usa.php Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:22:37 +0000 Sun newspaper that the Londoner now feels "betrayed and unwanted" by Chelsea. How so? "It's unbelievable - even though he's the club captain and one of the Blues' most important players, senior management at the club haven't once tried to talk to him. ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/07/time_for_terry_to_play_his_han.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/07/time_for_terry_to_play_his_han.php Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:33:24 +0000 The Carlos Tevez conundrum has continued in the firing of the latest in a series of parting shots at Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. Tevez’s latest complaint is his omission from United's starting line-up in the Champions League Final they lost to Barcelona in May. "You cannot argue with Alex Ferguson," said the striker who is free to join who he wants from July 1. "He is like the president of England. It is impossible, you always lose. "But he made a mistake to leave me on the bench. That was the only final the team had lost since I had been at Manchester United." He may believe he has a case, though in fact United actually only won the other two finals in which Tevez featured on penalties. And United's problem in Rome was not a lack of forward players, it was a lack of midfield quality. Tevez could perhaps have replaced one of close pal Ji-Sung Park or Ryan Giggs yet it was the onslaught of Xavi and Iniesta’s passing that proved United’s undoing. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/no_way_to_say_goodbye.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/no_way_to_say_goodbye.php Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:20:35 +0000 "Michael Owen: In Person". Its publishers sent us a copy in the autumn of 2000 and we rejoiced in the chance to hear how "football's hottest property lets you into his private world and reveals all". Mike tells us his favourite dish is "steak and chips". That's as opposed to his favourite ever meal, "salmon and broccoli", and his favourite film and book, "Cool Running (sic)" and Roald Dahl's The BFG, "it was read to us by a schoolteacher". That's as deep as it goes, the rest being proof positive that Owen was an early adopter of the barren platitudes associated with a modern sportsman. That book's blurb describes him as a "world football superstar and a household name". Nine years on, Owen's current management company, Wasserman Media Group, has composed an infamous 32-page brochure to find a home for an out-of-contract 29-year-old striker. It has been pulled apart in the British media for its descriptions of Owen's "brand values" as "resilient", "charismatic", "young" and the rather strange "technical". ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/there_could_hull_to_pay_for_ow.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/there_could_hull_to_pay_for_ow.php Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:43:55 +0000 At least this didn’t carry on for the whole summer. When Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United went all quiet in the face of a series of public utterances from Real Madrid’s various honchos, it became obvious that this time it was going to happen. At £80m, few would argue that Ronaldo has not been sold for a fair price. Where that cash is spent is the leading question for United fans, most of whom had long steeled themselves to the loss of the Portuguese forward. Ronaldo’s on-field demeanour and habit of painting a different picture to Iberian microphones than he had to English reporters endeared him to few as time went on. Rationalisation is already being voiced. They will miss his talents, his ability to conjure up moments that turn a game. Season 2008-9 was regarded as below par for Ronaldo, as compared to the previous two seasons, yet two goals against Aston Villa gave Federico Macheda the platform to arrive on and it was a 40-yard strike on Portuguese home soil that took United past FC Porto. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/parting_is_not_such_sweet_sorr.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/parting_is_not_such_sweet_sorr.php Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:54:09 +0000 The silly season is upon us. Transfers are the name of the game in the absence of meaningful football so expect to see plenty of coverage here on Soccernet. The Gareth Barry saga of last summer was not repeated. In fact, this time it was over before it had begun. And he ended up at Manchester City...so much for Champions League football. Liverpool meanwhile have had to reset their targets. And maybe keep hold of Xabi Alonso. So, it's Kaka that looks likely to be the big story. Until the Cristiano Ronaldo roadshow gets underway, that is. Expect both to roll on for some time yet. Real Madrid are back as key players and the hapless Ramon Calderon has been replaced by Florentino Perez as club president. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/the_boys_of_summer.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/06/the_boys_of_summer.php Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:16:17 +0000 Sunday will see the Premier League finished, with potential for Geordie tears heavily on the agenda. While the more circumspect supporters of Newcastle United are steadying themselves for the worst yet also considering that relegation might just be for the best, much of the nation readies itself for comedic images of Toony tears. Rent-a-gob Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher perhaps best summed up the feelings of a sizeable group when he said: "I hope Newcastle go down. There's no better sight than seeing fat, topless Geordies crying." Harsh but fair? It’s certainly unfair on a number of the club's fans; those who do not expose themselves in such an uncouth fashion and actually show signs of having a grip on reality. A minority of the club's current players can also escape with pride hurt but intact. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/05/sympathy_in_short_supply_for_g.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/05/sympathy_in_short_supply_for_g.php Thu, 21 May 2009 16:19:15 +0000 Apologies for a lack of blogging in recent weeks. I've been seconded on a project, of which you will maybe hear more soon. During my absence, another area has been looking neglected, forlorn and lost. That's football on England's north-east coast. I spent the weekend watching the fortunes of Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Sunderland and Hull City. The best that I can say of any of them is that Hull gave it a go. It was not nearly enough because they are severely lacking in quality. A nervy Aston Villa may have suffered some heart tremors towards the end but Hull would not have scored in a month of Sundays. Further up the coast from East Yorkshire, a spineless performance from Sunderland followed a spineless performance from Newcastle followed a spineless performance from Middlesbrough. Everton were able to allay any fears following Phil Jagielka's injury by strolling to a 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light past a team barely capable of making a tackle. Sunderland were clueless. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/05/a_lack_of_eastern_promise.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/05/a_lack_of_eastern_promise.php Tue, 05 May 2009 14:45:52 +0000 "Manchester United never lose, they just run out of time," was a quote once attributed to that great sage Steve McClaren. The erstwhile former England manager and sometime Dutchman was speaking as United closed in on the treble of 1999. Hopes of a quintuple, quadruple and treble may have dimmed after those defeats to Liverpool and Fulham yet Sunday saw United able to relive some fond memories of their greatest season. Post-match, Gary Neville was able to say how "grateful" he was to a young man who was not even of primary school age a decade ago and just two years old when a Steve Bruce double against Sheffield Wednesday raised the rafters on Easter Saturday 1993 to revive a flagging and fading force. In the years since 1999, United have lost some of that fabled and feared ability to mount a late charge, especially in the last month, but Federico Macheda's wonderful strike was highly reminiscent of supersub supreme Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who just happens to be the club's reserve-team manager and specialist striking coach these days. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/04/first_cut_is_the_deepest.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/04/first_cut_is_the_deepest.php Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:12:51 +0000 They say the best music belongs to the devil. In considering Diego Maradona, it could be said that Satan also had a handle on the best footballer. Saturday's destruction of Venezuela by Argentina was described by Maradona, presiding over his first competitive game as national coach, as "a perfect game". And he should know about these things. Though one could beg to differ after Lionel Messi's unbelievably skilful run in the latter stages ended with him narrowly missing the target. The chance to hail Maradona's new charges as "five star" had gone but Messi's burst past a bewildered defence could only bring back memories of one man. That man, meanwhile, was pacing along the sideline, roaring on his charges. Of all the Maradona impressionists we've had since the great man's playing career ebbed away, Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the best. And could just be the player to make sure that Maradona doubles the membership of Franz Beckenbauer's exclusive club of captaining and coaching his country to World Cup glory. Yet Messi is no Maradona. Not even close. http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/03/the_magic_of_maradona.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/03/the_magic_of_maradona.php Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:59:45 +0000