Next week is crunch time for many countries hoping to be at next year’s World Cup finals.
With nine months to go before the tournament kicks off in South Africa, who are the real contenders for the crown?
Will it be the same old names? Or will a dark horse sneak through the pack and surprise everyone?
Some major names are unlikely to be in Africa. Portugal are struggling to qualify, while Sweden also face early elimination.
It is therefore, a distinct possibility that we may not get to see either Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic at next year’s showpiece event.
Spain appear to be most people’s favourites at this point, and rightly so.
The Liberians have the best pool of players and have won every one of their qualifying matches. This sequence included a victory in Turkey, a notoriously tough place to go and win.
They have a dazzling array of talent including Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper and a defence including two Champions league winners and Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid.
The midfielders are small but wonderful at keeping possession. Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso, Fabregas, Silva and Senna are all world class players.
Coach Vincent Del Bosque can afford to leave two of those players out. He really has an embarrassment of riches in that area.
The Spaniards also have decent options out wide. Liverpool’s Albert Riera has a terrific left foot and a fine turn of pace. He has really improved over the last year. His presence offers them another dimension.
David Villa and Fernando Torres are a duo of strikers unrivalled in world football. But, what would happen if one of them got injured?
Are the substitute strikers even approaching the same level? I would say no.
I believe here are question marks over the defence as well. Carles Puyol is not the player he was three years ago and does get caught for pace on many occasions. Gerard Pique, meanwhile, still lacks experience on the international stage.
The midfield is supreme when in possession, but what about when the team faces a physical outfit, like for example, the USA? They can be rattled, as we saw in the summer.
The Spaniards are the bookies favourites, but are beatable in my view.. They haven’t got that invincible feel that say, France had, at the turn of the century.
England have been superb in qualifying and have an excellent coach in Fabio Capello. He seems to be getting the best out of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney and has moulded them into a tough outfit.
The 1966 winners concede more goals than they did under Sven Goran Eriksson, but they also score more.
Question marks still remain over the goalkeeper and the right back position. Although Glen Johnson offers so much going forward, it does enable Capello to play Lampard, Gerrard and Barry in a narrow formation if needs be.
Much has been said about Jermaine Defoe’s form. But he will not be a starter.
Emile Heskey or Carlton Cole will partner Rooney.
These players provide the Manchester United forward with the space he requires because they are prepared to do his dirty work. Defoe is not selfless enough for that role and he can only really be an impact substitute.
England should certainly get to the last four. It will be winter in South Africa, so the heat cannot be an excuse like it has been in previous World Cups.
I just worry what Capello’s frame of mind will be like if England meet Italy. That would be a fascinating scenario if it happened.
Italy and Germany can never be written off when it comes to major championships, and will qualify.
Both teams lack the superstars of years gone by, but both have experienced coaches and terrific team work.
Danielle De Rossi of AS Roma is a quality player for Italy, and has the ability to be a real star of the tournament. However the Italians are an ageing side and I believe this will be their downfall.
Michael Ballack remains Germany’s key man. It may well be his swan song, so he will want to go out on a real high.
One of those two giants will probably get to the semi finals, but I would be very surprised if both teams made it that far.
Of the South Americans, Brazil will always be a threat. But do they have the players this time around?
The five times winners currently lack any truly world class strikers.
In recent World Cups they have had Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Adriano to call on. But now they have no one even close to that standard.
Robinho and Kaka are the players on whom their hopes rest. But they are both inconsistent. Can they perform at their best for seven games in 30 days?
Gilberto Silva, Ze Roberto and Lucio are all veterans now, but Danny Alves is a fantastic option at wing back if Dunga decides to use him. I believe the Barcelona star could also be a star of the tournament.
Brazil will always be dangerous, mainly due to the fact that are ‘Brazil’.
I personally don’t think Argentina are contenders for the crown.
I don’t believe Diego Maradona is an astute enough manager, and like England, Argentina always go into the World Cup as one of the favourites and so often fail to deliver.
Since the two time winners lost the 1990 final, they have not gone beyond the quarter finals. In fact they even went out in the group stages in 2002.
Lionel Messi is obviously their main star, but I don’t think he can win the tournament on his own.
The Argentines have hardly set the world alight in the qualifiers, and their record playing at high altitude, as they may do in South Africa, is appalling.
I do not see the Netherlands as contenders either. They are terrific going forward, but have a particularly weak defence, which will get exposed at the highest level.
Dirk Kuyt is a decent player, but if he is Holland’s first choice central striker, I think this demonstrates their lack of strength in depth.
Russia have been a sleeping giant way too long, but they have continued where they left off in Euro 2008, when I thought they were the next best team after Spain.
Guus Hiddink’s side have a terrific balance of technique and pace, and seem to have a good team spirit. They are also frightening quick on the counter attack.
Hiddink has to take a lot of credit for this, and with players such as Andrei Arshavin, Yuri Zhirkov and Roman Pavlyuchenko (chronically under-used at Tottenham last season), they are a good bet to get to the last eight at least.
However, a word of advice for the gambler’s among you. Please note Hiddink’s losing record in semi finals. I predict the Russians will not go beyond that stage.
My dark horses for 2010 are Serbia.
They have an excellent defence marshaled by Nemanja Vidic, and have quality in midfield, led by the outstanding Inter playmaker Dejan Stankovic.
As with all former Yugoslav teams, they are supremely gifted technically. Many of the team have also grown up together and the spirit is excellent.
If the Serbs can win at home to France next week, and I think they will, they have all but assured qualification. Watch out for them next year!
Of the African teams, the Ivory Coast have the experience of the last World Cup to draw on. I think if the draw favours them, they are a good bet for the last eight.
The West Africans are a strong and technically gifted team and they also possess world class players in Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba.
Whether the Ivory Coast, like all the African teams, have the discipline to go all the way is still debatable. But no one will look forward to playing such a powerful outfit.
As things stand, I would make Spain slight favourites, closely followed by Brazil, England and Russia.
Injuries to key players can make all the difference so it’s difficult to make solid predictions at this stage.
But it should be an exciting end to the qualifying stages and I predict a few twists and turns to come..
The countdown continues. 285 days to go.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
JUMPING ON THE PROVERBIAL....
It comes as no surprise that the bandwagon jumping has already begun.
I like many other fans, just wish that journalists and analysts alike would not over-react to early season results.
This first week has been no different in the Premiership.
First Chelsea were under close scrutiny for an un-inspiring and ultimately lucky victory over Hull. Then it was Liverpool’s turn following a poor performance at Spurs.
Now suddenly after two games, Spurs are title contenders with some analysts and Manchester United will be struggling to get into the top four.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are now definite contenders with many critics to claim the title. And this after only one league game and one Champions League victory.
Let me ask one question? Instead of just looking at the results, why do analysts not observe what actually happened and assess the bigger picture?
The most important assessment I can make at this stage is that there are 36 games to go.
Chelsea are now the clear Premiership favourites with the bookies. But at half time on Saturday they were getting heavily criticised in many quarters. How football can change so quickly.
It is obvious that Carlo Ancelotti is still not sure of the right system to use, and is still getting accustomed to a new league.
His west London side have been terrific in the second half of both of their games, but very poor in the first half.
Ancelotti will be well aware that better teams than Hull and Sunderland could have killed them off before half time.
Liverpool are suddenly a good team again after thrashing Stoke, but are heavily missing Xavi Alonso according to many people in the press.
But let’s just assess this in more detail.
Xavi Alonso played away to Tottenham and at home to Stoke last season. Liverpool took one point from those two games, scoring one goal in the process.
This season they have scored five goals and taken three points.
Liverpool may well miss the Spaniard in the games to come, but analysts really should check their information before making such rash, pre-conceived judgments.
Another thing that has been scrutinized is Liverpool’s performance at White Hart Lane.
In an attacking sense they were poor, but defensively they also had a day to forget.
Martin Skrtel and Jamie Carragher were involved in a nasty collision in the first half and the Slovakian central defender could not actually move his head to one side for the rest of the game.
Carragher also seemed to be feeling the affects of the injury for the rest of the game, and this clearly restricted his performance.
This is not making excuses, it’s a fact and Tottenham took advantage of that.
Harry Redknapp’s side deserved the win over Liverpool, and the 5-1 thrashing away to Hull City was impressive too.
However, the North London club are not title contenders.
They have four very good strikers, but the defence and goalkeeper are not strong enough to win the league.
Ledley King can only play one game a week, and the full backs are not top class, let alone the replacements.
Wilson Palacios is a terrific player. But if he got injured, Tottenham have no replacement anywhere near as effective.
I do think Tottenham can challenge for a top four place, but ultimately I believe even that is beyond them. However, I expect a top six finish.
Manchester United were poor at Burnley and not particularly impressive at home to Birmingham.
But the Champions are notoriously slow starters and to write them off now would be foolish.
However, the loss of Christiano Ronaldo cannot be underestimated, and with him they may well have got a result at Burnley.
But like Alonso, the Portuguese star wanted to leave, so there is no use in the Red Devils dwelling on his departure.
United’s lack of creativity elsewhere in midfield has to be a worry though. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Alex Ferguson spent before the transfer window is closed.
Last, but not least there is Arsenal.
The Gunners had a terrific opening day win, but Everton were in tatters.
How many times do Arsenal score from two set pieces in one match? Very rarely I would say.
Joleon Lescott obviously had his mind on other things, and Everton will surely not play as badly as that again this season.
The fifth goal especially, where Cesc Fabregas ran the half the field without a challenge was scandalous defending, and Arsenal will not get that amount of room in most games.
Arsenal’s true worth can be judged on that game, although their confidence will be sky high, and that’s the really positive factor to take from that game.
I still believe that Arsene Wenger’s side are capable of losing when you least expect it and that will be their downfall.
Football wouldn’t be the great game we all love, if people didn’t over-react or make outrageous statements.
But former players especially do have a habit of making statements without really looking at the facts.
Let’s just see what the table looks like at the beginning of October, then we really can begin to make outrageous predictions.
I like many other fans, just wish that journalists and analysts alike would not over-react to early season results.
This first week has been no different in the Premiership.
First Chelsea were under close scrutiny for an un-inspiring and ultimately lucky victory over Hull. Then it was Liverpool’s turn following a poor performance at Spurs.
Now suddenly after two games, Spurs are title contenders with some analysts and Manchester United will be struggling to get into the top four.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are now definite contenders with many critics to claim the title. And this after only one league game and one Champions League victory.
Let me ask one question? Instead of just looking at the results, why do analysts not observe what actually happened and assess the bigger picture?
The most important assessment I can make at this stage is that there are 36 games to go.
Chelsea are now the clear Premiership favourites with the bookies. But at half time on Saturday they were getting heavily criticised in many quarters. How football can change so quickly.
It is obvious that Carlo Ancelotti is still not sure of the right system to use, and is still getting accustomed to a new league.
His west London side have been terrific in the second half of both of their games, but very poor in the first half.
Ancelotti will be well aware that better teams than Hull and Sunderland could have killed them off before half time.
Liverpool are suddenly a good team again after thrashing Stoke, but are heavily missing Xavi Alonso according to many people in the press.
But let’s just assess this in more detail.
Xavi Alonso played away to Tottenham and at home to Stoke last season. Liverpool took one point from those two games, scoring one goal in the process.
This season they have scored five goals and taken three points.
Liverpool may well miss the Spaniard in the games to come, but analysts really should check their information before making such rash, pre-conceived judgments.
Another thing that has been scrutinized is Liverpool’s performance at White Hart Lane.
In an attacking sense they were poor, but defensively they also had a day to forget.
Martin Skrtel and Jamie Carragher were involved in a nasty collision in the first half and the Slovakian central defender could not actually move his head to one side for the rest of the game.
Carragher also seemed to be feeling the affects of the injury for the rest of the game, and this clearly restricted his performance.
This is not making excuses, it’s a fact and Tottenham took advantage of that.
Harry Redknapp’s side deserved the win over Liverpool, and the 5-1 thrashing away to Hull City was impressive too.
However, the North London club are not title contenders.
They have four very good strikers, but the defence and goalkeeper are not strong enough to win the league.
Ledley King can only play one game a week, and the full backs are not top class, let alone the replacements.
Wilson Palacios is a terrific player. But if he got injured, Tottenham have no replacement anywhere near as effective.
I do think Tottenham can challenge for a top four place, but ultimately I believe even that is beyond them. However, I expect a top six finish.
Manchester United were poor at Burnley and not particularly impressive at home to Birmingham.
But the Champions are notoriously slow starters and to write them off now would be foolish.
However, the loss of Christiano Ronaldo cannot be underestimated, and with him they may well have got a result at Burnley.
But like Alonso, the Portuguese star wanted to leave, so there is no use in the Red Devils dwelling on his departure.
United’s lack of creativity elsewhere in midfield has to be a worry though. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Alex Ferguson spent before the transfer window is closed.
Last, but not least there is Arsenal.
The Gunners had a terrific opening day win, but Everton were in tatters.
How many times do Arsenal score from two set pieces in one match? Very rarely I would say.
Joleon Lescott obviously had his mind on other things, and Everton will surely not play as badly as that again this season.
The fifth goal especially, where Cesc Fabregas ran the half the field without a challenge was scandalous defending, and Arsenal will not get that amount of room in most games.
Arsenal’s true worth can be judged on that game, although their confidence will be sky high, and that’s the really positive factor to take from that game.
I still believe that Arsene Wenger’s side are capable of losing when you least expect it and that will be their downfall.
Football wouldn’t be the great game we all love, if people didn’t over-react or make outrageous statements.
But former players especially do have a habit of making statements without really looking at the facts.
Let’s just see what the table looks like at the beginning of October, then we really can begin to make outrageous predictions.
Friday, August 14, 2009
A THREE HORSE RACE
I don’t think I am alone in believing that it’s going to be an exciting title race this year.
Heard this all before?
In my view there is nothing to choose between Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Only seven points separated the three teams last year, but United showed the consistency when it really mattered.
They fundamentally claimed the title with a fantastic run of results in the winter months.
So let’s dissect the three teams.
Manchester United:
The Champions are certainly weaker.
Nobody can tell me that losing Ronaldo is a positive thing.
Granted, he is outspoken, has a horrible attitude at times and even seems to annoy his team mates on the field of play.
But, he has scored 66 league goals in three seasons and has been the match-winner on so many occasions.
Last season, when the Madiera born winger was not in good form for long patches, he still chipped in with 18 league goals, including some crucial goals in the run in.
Now of course, a lot depends on whether Wayne Rooney can step up to the plate in a far more expressive, central role. And he will now be their main threat.
It will also be interesting to see how Dimitar Berbatov performs. The Bulgarian is inconsistent, but can also be truly majestic.
Without Carlos Tevez breathing down his neck for a starting role, maybe Berbatov will become the player will he all know he can be.
The other intriguing prospect at Old Trafford is how Michael Owen fares. Can Sir Alex Ferguson get the best out of him? Or is he a spent force.
I personally think Owen will chip in with 15 goals plus, but as it always seems to be with Owen, he seems incapable of staying fit for more than several weeks.
Elsewhere, United’s midfield is certainly the weakest of the top three.
Darren Fletcher has improved so much but is still not in the very top bracket of world midfielders.
Scholes and Giggs can surely not to be more than bit part players this season.
And, while Anderson is a great talent, his development seems to have gone backwards in the last year.
Jung Si Park is an aimable workhorse, but for me was out of his depth in the Champions League final.
However, the Korean does often come in handy in the Premership due to his persistence and battling qualities, and will be valuable in tricky away games against lesser teams.
The defence is very strong, but there remains a question mark over the goalkeeping position.
Edwin Van der Sar is ageing and a little injury prone these days. While, Ben Foster still has a lot to prove. His kicking certainly needs vast improvement.
You can never write off Ferguson’s team, but this might well be a season of transition for the 11 times Premiership winners.
Liverpool:
Rafael Benitez certainly has a love-hate relationship with the media and probably his players too. But sometimes I believe the Spaniard gets unjust criticism.
The team he has built is unrecognisable to the one he inherited. It is a huge force in Europe and the team finished 26 points better off in 2009, than the team he took over from in 2004. That is progress in any one’s book.
Pundits have often referred to Liverpool as a ‘two man team’ but that is ludicrous. And the facts need to be stated clearly.
The Merseysiders finished with 86 points last season. But Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres only started 14 of the 38 league games in tandom.
When they did play together, predominantly in the last three months of the season, the team were unstoppable, but to say there are not other top class players at the club is insulting to players such as Javier Mascherano, Albert Riera, Pep Reina and Jamie Carrager.
Liverpool really clicked towards the end of last season. The Anfield club took 31 points out of the last 33 avaliable, and scored an incredible 34 goals.
If last year's runners up can start in the same vein this campaign, they have to be serious contenders.
Much has been made of Xavi Alonso’s departure. But I think Liverpool got a good deal.
He is 28 in November and the Reds have made a 200 % profit on a player they bought five years ago, and during a recession.
As good as his passing is, and when it’s good it’s really good. I have also seen the Spaniard give it away on numerous occasions as well.
Alonso is also very slow for a top class midfielder and doesn’t score enough goals for a player who strikes the ball as well as he does.
It should also be remembered that Liverpool’s best performance of last season did not include the Basque born player. He missed the 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Alonso will be missed at Anfield, but Alberto Aquilani is an Italian international, a crisp passer of the ball and scores more goals than Alonso. He is also two years younger.
However, the former Roma trainee appears to be quite prone to knocks, so there are question marks over his fitness.
Javier Mascherano is a vital cog in the Anfield machine. The club have managed to stave off interest from other clubs and he offers so much protection in front of the back four.
Liverpool miss the Argentine so much when he is not there. The 3-1 reverse at home to Chelsea in the Champions League last season being one such example.
One player that excites many Liverpool supporters is Yossi Benayoun.
The former West Ham man was one of the best players in the country during the last two months of last season. He chips in with vital goals and is also a very lively substitute.
The Israeli will be hoping for more starts, and with Aquilani not expected to be fit until October he may get plenty of them in the early months of the campaign.
Glen Johnson still has a lot to prove. He is very talented going forward has so much ability.
But the England right back’s defensive discipline is still a cause for concern, and 17 million pounds is an awful lot of money. Arbeloa was an excellent player and Johnson has a lot of pressure on him to fill thos boots.
Benitez can hopefully improve the former Chelsea man as a defender without nullifying his talent going forward. This can also be a major plus for England.
It’s a big if, but if Gerrard and Torres play in 80% of Liverpool’s games together, they are my tip for the title.
Chelsea:
I do sense a touch of de ja vu in the build up to this season.
Many people are building up Carlo Ancelotti as a master. But this also happened with Phil Scolari and look what happened there.
Once again, the Italian lacks Premiership experience. But, on the fip side he has vast experience in a European League and speaks better English.
I do feel there is a possibility it could all backfire for Abramovich, and the fact that Chelsea keep having to start from scratch season after season much be wearing for the players.
Ancelotti was at Milan for over seven years but only won one Scudetto in that time. But Roman Abramovich’s dream is to win the Champions League, and the 49 year old Italian certainly has an record to marvel at in that competition. Two victories and another final (in which they led 3-0) is a superb record.
So maybe the team could be a better bet in Europe.
However, with the players at their disposal Chelsea should certainly be in the mix in the league come the end of the season.
For all Scholari’s problems, the team did miss Michael Essien for five months of last season. He is their most important player and has so much power and ability.
I just hope Ancelotti plays him further forward because I think he is wasted in a defensive role. Hiddink used him more effectively, allowing him freedom to break forward when gaps appeared.
Zhirkov was one of the stars on Euro 2008 and is an excellent signing who will offer both defensive security and attacking zest.
While, like Benayoun, Florent Malouda was a star towards the end of last season, and if he continues that form, he will be a real handful.
As I have stated before, the Chelsea side is an ageing one, and have been for a couple of years now.
Nine of their starting eleven will be 29 or over come 2010 and I think this could play an important role later in the season.
Ancelotti, however, is not there to build a team. He is there to continue an on going project and it will be fascinating to see how he does.
His AC Milan team won the Champions League with a team of ageing players, but failed to challenge for the title.
Whether that will be good enough for Abramovich remains to be seen.
I do think that Chelsea’s priority is the Champions League, and a lot depends on whether Didier Drogba can stay focused and injury free.
It also appears like Nicola Anelka is finally the player we all believed he could be. While Frank Lampard will always be a threat, especially in the big games.
But I think a question mark remains over Petr Cech.
Again the Czech international should have saved Nani’s shot in the Community shield, but let the shot slip past him.
Towards the end of last season, the keeper had an horrendous time, and just seems to have lost his confidence.
If he can return to being the player he was four years ago, he will make a huge difference, and that might just be the difference that win’s Chelsea the title.
It's going to be a thrilling season and I believe the winning points total will be lower than in previous campaigns. I also think the race will go to the wire.
For what it’s worth. Here is my predicted final league table:
1 Liverpool (if Torres and Gerrard play 80% of the games)
2 Chelsea
3 Manchester United
4 Everton
5 Arsenal (but Arshavin to win player of the year)
6 Tottenham
7 Aston Villa
8 Manchester City
9 Sunderland
10 West Ham
11 Fulham
12 Blackburn
13 Bolton
14 Burnley
15 Stoke
16 Birmingham
17 Wigan
18 Wolves
19 Hull
20 Portsmouth
Heard this all before?
In my view there is nothing to choose between Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Only seven points separated the three teams last year, but United showed the consistency when it really mattered.
They fundamentally claimed the title with a fantastic run of results in the winter months.
So let’s dissect the three teams.
Manchester United:
The Champions are certainly weaker.
Nobody can tell me that losing Ronaldo is a positive thing.
Granted, he is outspoken, has a horrible attitude at times and even seems to annoy his team mates on the field of play.
But, he has scored 66 league goals in three seasons and has been the match-winner on so many occasions.
Last season, when the Madiera born winger was not in good form for long patches, he still chipped in with 18 league goals, including some crucial goals in the run in.
Now of course, a lot depends on whether Wayne Rooney can step up to the plate in a far more expressive, central role. And he will now be their main threat.
It will also be interesting to see how Dimitar Berbatov performs. The Bulgarian is inconsistent, but can also be truly majestic.
Without Carlos Tevez breathing down his neck for a starting role, maybe Berbatov will become the player will he all know he can be.
The other intriguing prospect at Old Trafford is how Michael Owen fares. Can Sir Alex Ferguson get the best out of him? Or is he a spent force.
I personally think Owen will chip in with 15 goals plus, but as it always seems to be with Owen, he seems incapable of staying fit for more than several weeks.
Elsewhere, United’s midfield is certainly the weakest of the top three.
Darren Fletcher has improved so much but is still not in the very top bracket of world midfielders.
Scholes and Giggs can surely not to be more than bit part players this season.
And, while Anderson is a great talent, his development seems to have gone backwards in the last year.
Jung Si Park is an aimable workhorse, but for me was out of his depth in the Champions League final.
However, the Korean does often come in handy in the Premership due to his persistence and battling qualities, and will be valuable in tricky away games against lesser teams.
The defence is very strong, but there remains a question mark over the goalkeeping position.
Edwin Van der Sar is ageing and a little injury prone these days. While, Ben Foster still has a lot to prove. His kicking certainly needs vast improvement.
You can never write off Ferguson’s team, but this might well be a season of transition for the 11 times Premiership winners.
Liverpool:
Rafael Benitez certainly has a love-hate relationship with the media and probably his players too. But sometimes I believe the Spaniard gets unjust criticism.
The team he has built is unrecognisable to the one he inherited. It is a huge force in Europe and the team finished 26 points better off in 2009, than the team he took over from in 2004. That is progress in any one’s book.
Pundits have often referred to Liverpool as a ‘two man team’ but that is ludicrous. And the facts need to be stated clearly.
The Merseysiders finished with 86 points last season. But Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres only started 14 of the 38 league games in tandom.
When they did play together, predominantly in the last three months of the season, the team were unstoppable, but to say there are not other top class players at the club is insulting to players such as Javier Mascherano, Albert Riera, Pep Reina and Jamie Carrager.
Liverpool really clicked towards the end of last season. The Anfield club took 31 points out of the last 33 avaliable, and scored an incredible 34 goals.
If last year's runners up can start in the same vein this campaign, they have to be serious contenders.
Much has been made of Xavi Alonso’s departure. But I think Liverpool got a good deal.
He is 28 in November and the Reds have made a 200 % profit on a player they bought five years ago, and during a recession.
As good as his passing is, and when it’s good it’s really good. I have also seen the Spaniard give it away on numerous occasions as well.
Alonso is also very slow for a top class midfielder and doesn’t score enough goals for a player who strikes the ball as well as he does.
It should also be remembered that Liverpool’s best performance of last season did not include the Basque born player. He missed the 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Alonso will be missed at Anfield, but Alberto Aquilani is an Italian international, a crisp passer of the ball and scores more goals than Alonso. He is also two years younger.
However, the former Roma trainee appears to be quite prone to knocks, so there are question marks over his fitness.
Javier Mascherano is a vital cog in the Anfield machine. The club have managed to stave off interest from other clubs and he offers so much protection in front of the back four.
Liverpool miss the Argentine so much when he is not there. The 3-1 reverse at home to Chelsea in the Champions League last season being one such example.
One player that excites many Liverpool supporters is Yossi Benayoun.
The former West Ham man was one of the best players in the country during the last two months of last season. He chips in with vital goals and is also a very lively substitute.
The Israeli will be hoping for more starts, and with Aquilani not expected to be fit until October he may get plenty of them in the early months of the campaign.
Glen Johnson still has a lot to prove. He is very talented going forward has so much ability.
But the England right back’s defensive discipline is still a cause for concern, and 17 million pounds is an awful lot of money. Arbeloa was an excellent player and Johnson has a lot of pressure on him to fill thos boots.
Benitez can hopefully improve the former Chelsea man as a defender without nullifying his talent going forward. This can also be a major plus for England.
It’s a big if, but if Gerrard and Torres play in 80% of Liverpool’s games together, they are my tip for the title.
Chelsea:
I do sense a touch of de ja vu in the build up to this season.
Many people are building up Carlo Ancelotti as a master. But this also happened with Phil Scolari and look what happened there.
Once again, the Italian lacks Premiership experience. But, on the fip side he has vast experience in a European League and speaks better English.
I do feel there is a possibility it could all backfire for Abramovich, and the fact that Chelsea keep having to start from scratch season after season much be wearing for the players.
Ancelotti was at Milan for over seven years but only won one Scudetto in that time. But Roman Abramovich’s dream is to win the Champions League, and the 49 year old Italian certainly has an record to marvel at in that competition. Two victories and another final (in which they led 3-0) is a superb record.
So maybe the team could be a better bet in Europe.
However, with the players at their disposal Chelsea should certainly be in the mix in the league come the end of the season.
For all Scholari’s problems, the team did miss Michael Essien for five months of last season. He is their most important player and has so much power and ability.
I just hope Ancelotti plays him further forward because I think he is wasted in a defensive role. Hiddink used him more effectively, allowing him freedom to break forward when gaps appeared.
Zhirkov was one of the stars on Euro 2008 and is an excellent signing who will offer both defensive security and attacking zest.
While, like Benayoun, Florent Malouda was a star towards the end of last season, and if he continues that form, he will be a real handful.
As I have stated before, the Chelsea side is an ageing one, and have been for a couple of years now.
Nine of their starting eleven will be 29 or over come 2010 and I think this could play an important role later in the season.
Ancelotti, however, is not there to build a team. He is there to continue an on going project and it will be fascinating to see how he does.
His AC Milan team won the Champions League with a team of ageing players, but failed to challenge for the title.
Whether that will be good enough for Abramovich remains to be seen.
I do think that Chelsea’s priority is the Champions League, and a lot depends on whether Didier Drogba can stay focused and injury free.
It also appears like Nicola Anelka is finally the player we all believed he could be. While Frank Lampard will always be a threat, especially in the big games.
But I think a question mark remains over Petr Cech.
Again the Czech international should have saved Nani’s shot in the Community shield, but let the shot slip past him.
Towards the end of last season, the keeper had an horrendous time, and just seems to have lost his confidence.
If he can return to being the player he was four years ago, he will make a huge difference, and that might just be the difference that win’s Chelsea the title.
It's going to be a thrilling season and I believe the winning points total will be lower than in previous campaigns. I also think the race will go to the wire.
For what it’s worth. Here is my predicted final league table:
1 Liverpool (if Torres and Gerrard play 80% of the games)
2 Chelsea
3 Manchester United
4 Everton
5 Arsenal (but Arshavin to win player of the year)
6 Tottenham
7 Aston Villa
8 Manchester City
9 Sunderland
10 West Ham
11 Fulham
12 Blackburn
13 Bolton
14 Burnley
15 Stoke
16 Birmingham
17 Wigan
18 Wolves
19 Hull
20 Portsmouth
Friday, May 22, 2009
WENGER - Is it time to move on?
Given what Arsene Wenger has achieved, it would be difficult to imagine Arsenal without him. But I think it is a distinct possibility in the near future.
Despite what the Frenchman has done at Arsenal, the North London club were a huge club before he arrived and will be after he leaves.
Granted, Wenger transformed the way Arsenal played and also re-addressed the fitness regimes, diets and mentality of the club. But he didn’t make Arsenal an overnight success.
Under George Graham they won two league titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup between 1987 and 1994.
Graham was a dogmatic and direct coach who built his team’s foundation on sturdy defences and skilful wide players. This is quite the opposite of the contemporary Wenger teams who concede a few goals and don’t score many goals direct from crosses into the box.
Although Emmanuel Adebayor’s presence has slightly altered this style, his teams are more suited to counter attacking and playing through the middle.
I was listening to Radio Five Live last weekend and Mike Ingham made a very valid observation. He added that the double winning teams of 1998 and 2002 and the 2004 championship winning side all contained an English spine, and importantly an English defence.
The likes of David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and Martin Keown spanned both double winning teams, while in 1998 Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn were still regulars at the back.
In 2002, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Dixon, Adams and Keown, were part of a solid, powerful defence. And Campbell, Cole and Keown were also there two years later, during the Gunners unbeaten season.
Ingham asked the question, would Wenger have signed Adams, Keown, Bould, Dixon, Winterburn and even Seaman? All three of these teams also included Ray Parlour and would Wenger have signed him? He didn’t sign Jimmy Bullard, a very similar player, despite being heavily linked to him in January. Is it because he was too old? Was it because he was too expensive?
The game has possibly moved on a little, and Arsenal have two English players close to, or playing in the first team. But Theo Walcott and Keiran Gibbs are raw, and need developing. Walcott is very special, but you would hardly call either of them spine players would you?
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all have a middle spine of English players, but Arsenal do not. Are players from these shores an important aspect of a successful Premiership team?
The Arsenal spine is weak. Almunia is the weakest of the top four goalkeepers while Kolo Toure is not the same player without Sol Campbell alongside him, Cesc Fabregas is top class, but Denilson and Diaby, are they top level? Adebayor has been very disappointing this season and Van Persie, although a top player, is injury prone and picks up a lot of suspensions throughout the season.
Tomas Rosicky is an excellent player, but will he get over his injury problems? It’s also difficult to see Eduardo being the same player after his horrific injury last season.
The injuries are not Wenger’s fault, but unlike previous seasons, Wenger’s team has not pushed on from the success of last season.
I remember once thinking that Wenger was the master when it came to developing players who had previously looked like lost souls. Later he would so often nurture them into superb players once they had adjusted to the English game. Some were even world class.
Robert Pires for example, took a whole season to adjust, but then won footballer of the year. Freddie Ljungberg looked like such an average player for a good two seasons, but then became one of the best goal-scoring midfielders in Europe, and was a crucial player in the 2002 run in.
Wenger converted Thierry Henry from a winger lacking confidence at Juventus to the most lethal striker in world football. And Edu, who looked way out of his depth in his first six months at the club, was shaped into a superb all round midfielder who had tenacity, a knack of scoring important goals and had an incredible engine.
Alexander Hleb also appeared overpriced at first. But after a year or so, his superb technique, wonderful close control and ability to keep the ball in tight situations was so terrific on the eye. But he was sold, along with Flamini. They reportedly wanted to go, but why? Was it the manager? Was it wages? Or was it the club?
The current crop of players may yet prove me and other doubters wrong, but the majority of the players from last year still remain. They haven’t pushed onto the next level. They have had injuries, but surely this is where Wenger’s highly rated and much lauded youth players should come into play and demonstrate the strength of his squad.
Last season Arsenal finished on 83 points, just four points behind Manchester United. That is one result away from the title. They also finished seven points ahead of Liverpool.
This campaign, the Gunners finished 14 points behind Liverpool and 18 points behind Manchester United, is that progress? Is that the young players getting even better? No.
The team haven’t kicked on, in fact they seem to have gone backwards. Maybe they just overachieved last year, but quite frankly in the semi final of the Champions league, they were out of their depth and could have lost by a lot more goals over the two legs. They were never in contention.
The worrying thing for Wenger is that many of the players who were injured earlier in the season were available. They were virtually at full strength across those two ties.
The majority shareholder at the Emirates, Stan Kroenke, has said he is unhappy at finishing so far behind the leaders. At the AGM it is believed that Wenger’s outstanding record in years gone by has given him breathing space. But it’s four years since they won a trophy and they have only challenged for the title once in five years. Even George Graham didn’t have such a lean spell.
Of course, these days it’s not only managers’ skills that win titles. Finances and pay structure play a huge role, and both of these factors have hindered Arsenal. The terrific Emirates stadium is great for the future and will in the long term, provide huge financial stability for the London club. But some fans are certainly becoming impatient after years of wonderful football and domestic success. They have been spoilt.
From what I’ve seen of Arsenal, they can still play some great attacking football, and the one touch play is a pleasure to watch. However, they lack a Viera, or even a Flamini to patrol in front of the back four. I’m not sure Diaby, Denilson or Song are up to this task, but I have thought this before about Wenger’s teams, so I will reserve judgment.
However, unlike the earlier years of Wenger’s reign, when he knew when to offload a player and get the maximum profit from him, Wenger’s judgement in the transfer market seems to have waned slightly.
Players such as Overmars and Petit were sold at the right time and he received excellent transfer fees for them. Nicolas Anelka was also a great bit of business, but with Viera he waited one year too long, and it appears like he has also waited one year too long to sell Adebayor. The front man has become a frustrating figure this season and was sulky and anonymous against Manchester United in the Champions League. I expected this to be the sort of high profile game he would shine in.
I bet Wenger wished he let him go last summer for 30 million pounds. He will do well to command such a fee now for the Togo striker.
You also have to question the Frenchman’s handling of Lassana Diarra. He is exactly the type of player they require now and it makes you wonder how he let him slip away. Would that have happened six or seven years ago? Again, probably no.
Despite my views on Wenger’s decision-making, I also believe Wenger has had his hands tied to a certain extent. The building of the stadium has restricted him in the transfer market, although he is also very stubborn and frugal. It must be his degree in Economics. You certainly wouldn’t find Wenger claiming for expenses.
Chelsea and Manchester United, and even Liverpool have bigger spending power. The record signings of these clubs illustrate that, and the Emirates club are in far less debt than any of the other ‘big four’. But fans demand instant success.
Wenger has given the Arsenal faithful some wonderful memories, but is it time to move on? He has not won the Champions League, something I believe hinders him in the transfer market, despite the obvious pull factor of London.
Although Andrey Arshavin was signed in January, I actually believe that many big name players are put off by the club’s lack of success in Europe, or maybe the fact that they cannot command such a high salary. But this has been the case for many years, it just appears that Wenger has lost the knack of solving this conundrum.
Wenger hasn’t just fallen behind Chelsea in recent years, but has also fallen behind Liverpool. The former Highbury club finished in the top two every year between 1998 and 2005. However, they have finished fourth in three of the last four seasons, and 2006 aside have never looked close to winning the Champions League.
It would be sad to see Wenger go, but maybe he has finally taken Arsenal as far as he can. It was interesting to see him say that Florentino Perez being voted in at Real Madrid was ‘an interesting project’. Perez is a long time admirer of Wenger and it would be an interesting proposition for the Arsenal boss.
The Strasbourg born coach has surprised us before and could well do it again. But me, like many others did not expect Arsenal to be so far off the top of the league this year. They team even had five consecutive goalless draws in January and February, something un-heard of among Wenger’s usual free flowing, prolific teams.
The speculation regarding Pat Rice’s departure from the club only adds substance to the possibility of the Frenchman ending his 13-year association with the club. He was even quoted in one newspaper recently, criticising the Arsenal fans and stating they were destroying his players’ confidence.
Whether you love or loath Wenger, you cannot deny the impact he has made. But have other managers just caught him up now? He was a revolutionary in English football, but seems to have reached a plateau.
One thing is for sure. All is not well at the Emirates, despite last week’s reports.
Despite what the Frenchman has done at Arsenal, the North London club were a huge club before he arrived and will be after he leaves.
Granted, Wenger transformed the way Arsenal played and also re-addressed the fitness regimes, diets and mentality of the club. But he didn’t make Arsenal an overnight success.
Under George Graham they won two league titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup between 1987 and 1994.
Graham was a dogmatic and direct coach who built his team’s foundation on sturdy defences and skilful wide players. This is quite the opposite of the contemporary Wenger teams who concede a few goals and don’t score many goals direct from crosses into the box.
Although Emmanuel Adebayor’s presence has slightly altered this style, his teams are more suited to counter attacking and playing through the middle.
I was listening to Radio Five Live last weekend and Mike Ingham made a very valid observation. He added that the double winning teams of 1998 and 2002 and the 2004 championship winning side all contained an English spine, and importantly an English defence.
The likes of David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and Martin Keown spanned both double winning teams, while in 1998 Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn were still regulars at the back.
In 2002, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Dixon, Adams and Keown, were part of a solid, powerful defence. And Campbell, Cole and Keown were also there two years later, during the Gunners unbeaten season.
Ingham asked the question, would Wenger have signed Adams, Keown, Bould, Dixon, Winterburn and even Seaman? All three of these teams also included Ray Parlour and would Wenger have signed him? He didn’t sign Jimmy Bullard, a very similar player, despite being heavily linked to him in January. Is it because he was too old? Was it because he was too expensive?
The game has possibly moved on a little, and Arsenal have two English players close to, or playing in the first team. But Theo Walcott and Keiran Gibbs are raw, and need developing. Walcott is very special, but you would hardly call either of them spine players would you?
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all have a middle spine of English players, but Arsenal do not. Are players from these shores an important aspect of a successful Premiership team?
The Arsenal spine is weak. Almunia is the weakest of the top four goalkeepers while Kolo Toure is not the same player without Sol Campbell alongside him, Cesc Fabregas is top class, but Denilson and Diaby, are they top level? Adebayor has been very disappointing this season and Van Persie, although a top player, is injury prone and picks up a lot of suspensions throughout the season.
Tomas Rosicky is an excellent player, but will he get over his injury problems? It’s also difficult to see Eduardo being the same player after his horrific injury last season.
The injuries are not Wenger’s fault, but unlike previous seasons, Wenger’s team has not pushed on from the success of last season.
I remember once thinking that Wenger was the master when it came to developing players who had previously looked like lost souls. Later he would so often nurture them into superb players once they had adjusted to the English game. Some were even world class.
Robert Pires for example, took a whole season to adjust, but then won footballer of the year. Freddie Ljungberg looked like such an average player for a good two seasons, but then became one of the best goal-scoring midfielders in Europe, and was a crucial player in the 2002 run in.
Wenger converted Thierry Henry from a winger lacking confidence at Juventus to the most lethal striker in world football. And Edu, who looked way out of his depth in his first six months at the club, was shaped into a superb all round midfielder who had tenacity, a knack of scoring important goals and had an incredible engine.
Alexander Hleb also appeared overpriced at first. But after a year or so, his superb technique, wonderful close control and ability to keep the ball in tight situations was so terrific on the eye. But he was sold, along with Flamini. They reportedly wanted to go, but why? Was it the manager? Was it wages? Or was it the club?
The current crop of players may yet prove me and other doubters wrong, but the majority of the players from last year still remain. They haven’t pushed onto the next level. They have had injuries, but surely this is where Wenger’s highly rated and much lauded youth players should come into play and demonstrate the strength of his squad.
Last season Arsenal finished on 83 points, just four points behind Manchester United. That is one result away from the title. They also finished seven points ahead of Liverpool.
This campaign, the Gunners finished 14 points behind Liverpool and 18 points behind Manchester United, is that progress? Is that the young players getting even better? No.
The team haven’t kicked on, in fact they seem to have gone backwards. Maybe they just overachieved last year, but quite frankly in the semi final of the Champions league, they were out of their depth and could have lost by a lot more goals over the two legs. They were never in contention.
The worrying thing for Wenger is that many of the players who were injured earlier in the season were available. They were virtually at full strength across those two ties.
The majority shareholder at the Emirates, Stan Kroenke, has said he is unhappy at finishing so far behind the leaders. At the AGM it is believed that Wenger’s outstanding record in years gone by has given him breathing space. But it’s four years since they won a trophy and they have only challenged for the title once in five years. Even George Graham didn’t have such a lean spell.
Of course, these days it’s not only managers’ skills that win titles. Finances and pay structure play a huge role, and both of these factors have hindered Arsenal. The terrific Emirates stadium is great for the future and will in the long term, provide huge financial stability for the London club. But some fans are certainly becoming impatient after years of wonderful football and domestic success. They have been spoilt.
From what I’ve seen of Arsenal, they can still play some great attacking football, and the one touch play is a pleasure to watch. However, they lack a Viera, or even a Flamini to patrol in front of the back four. I’m not sure Diaby, Denilson or Song are up to this task, but I have thought this before about Wenger’s teams, so I will reserve judgment.
However, unlike the earlier years of Wenger’s reign, when he knew when to offload a player and get the maximum profit from him, Wenger’s judgement in the transfer market seems to have waned slightly.
Players such as Overmars and Petit were sold at the right time and he received excellent transfer fees for them. Nicolas Anelka was also a great bit of business, but with Viera he waited one year too long, and it appears like he has also waited one year too long to sell Adebayor. The front man has become a frustrating figure this season and was sulky and anonymous against Manchester United in the Champions League. I expected this to be the sort of high profile game he would shine in.
I bet Wenger wished he let him go last summer for 30 million pounds. He will do well to command such a fee now for the Togo striker.
You also have to question the Frenchman’s handling of Lassana Diarra. He is exactly the type of player they require now and it makes you wonder how he let him slip away. Would that have happened six or seven years ago? Again, probably no.
Despite my views on Wenger’s decision-making, I also believe Wenger has had his hands tied to a certain extent. The building of the stadium has restricted him in the transfer market, although he is also very stubborn and frugal. It must be his degree in Economics. You certainly wouldn’t find Wenger claiming for expenses.
Chelsea and Manchester United, and even Liverpool have bigger spending power. The record signings of these clubs illustrate that, and the Emirates club are in far less debt than any of the other ‘big four’. But fans demand instant success.
Wenger has given the Arsenal faithful some wonderful memories, but is it time to move on? He has not won the Champions League, something I believe hinders him in the transfer market, despite the obvious pull factor of London.
Although Andrey Arshavin was signed in January, I actually believe that many big name players are put off by the club’s lack of success in Europe, or maybe the fact that they cannot command such a high salary. But this has been the case for many years, it just appears that Wenger has lost the knack of solving this conundrum.
Wenger hasn’t just fallen behind Chelsea in recent years, but has also fallen behind Liverpool. The former Highbury club finished in the top two every year between 1998 and 2005. However, they have finished fourth in three of the last four seasons, and 2006 aside have never looked close to winning the Champions League.
It would be sad to see Wenger go, but maybe he has finally taken Arsenal as far as he can. It was interesting to see him say that Florentino Perez being voted in at Real Madrid was ‘an interesting project’. Perez is a long time admirer of Wenger and it would be an interesting proposition for the Arsenal boss.
The Strasbourg born coach has surprised us before and could well do it again. But me, like many others did not expect Arsenal to be so far off the top of the league this year. They team even had five consecutive goalless draws in January and February, something un-heard of among Wenger’s usual free flowing, prolific teams.
The speculation regarding Pat Rice’s departure from the club only adds substance to the possibility of the Frenchman ending his 13-year association with the club. He was even quoted in one newspaper recently, criticising the Arsenal fans and stating they were destroying his players’ confidence.
Whether you love or loath Wenger, you cannot deny the impact he has made. But have other managers just caught him up now? He was a revolutionary in English football, but seems to have reached a plateau.
One thing is for sure. All is not well at the Emirates, despite last week’s reports.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
WHO SHOULD REALLY BE THE PREMIERSHIP MANAGER OF THE YEAR?
Sir Alex Ferguson will almost certainly win the manager of the year award once again. And if the seasonal awards are based on trophies won then it is the right decision.
However, football management is so much more than winning, so everything should be analysed relatively.
I’ve followed football for over twenty years, and I have never known there to be so many contenders for manager of the year.
Along with Sir Alex, there is David Moyes at Everton, Roy Hodgson at Fulham, Gianfranco Zola at West Ham, Harry Redknapp at Spurs, Sam Allardyce at Blackburn, Tony Pullis at Stoke and even Gary Megson at Bolton. These names are all contenders in my opinion, and all deserve a mention.
At the end of most seasons, the manager of the Champions will win the award. And, as Manchester United are also in the European Cup Final, and won the League Cup, Ferguson does, of course, present a very good case.
However, every year we expect Manchester United to be challenging on all fronts.
Last year United won both the League and the European Cup, so in a perverse way it’s not really an improvement. Even their points total is going to be approximately the same as the last two seasons. Maybe the League Cup victory could be the difference.
For me, the major, decisive factor is who has improved his team so much, its almost incredible to believe?
Firstly, there is Roy Hodgson. With two games to go, his team is 14 points and ten places above last season’s final position. The Cottagers also have the fourth best defensive record, and are currently in the last EUROPA Cup position.
Hodgson has also conducted himself quietly and acted like a gentlemen.
An outside contender has to be Gianfranco Zola. He probably won’t win the award, but when you take into account the financial and internal problems at West Ham, and the players he’s had to sell, the Italian has done a terrific job. They are currently ninth, but could still finish seventh.
In recent months, the East Londoners have also been consistent and have never looked in trouble after Christmas. Zola has also moulded together a team of youngsters who play excellent possession football, and, as always he has conducted himself with dignity and humour. He is also very new to management, and has proved many doubters wrong after a difficult start to his reign at Upton Park.
The former Parma and Chelsea star demands respect from his players due to the player he was, while his gentle manner will probably mean he won’t fall out with players very often. He has a bright future…
Harry Redknapp also has to be a major contender for manager of the year. When he took over Tottenham, the team had two points from eight games. They now lie in eighth position, two points off a European place. His team have taken 46 points from 28 games since he became manager, and they also got to a cup final.
After such a poor start, Redknapp also had to build the players confidence, sand that would have taken some doing after the disastrous Ramos period. When the former West Ham and Portsmouth boss took over at White Hart Lane, he was just expected to keep his team up. He has exceeded expectations.
Some people will point at the money that Spurs have spent, but these are not really his players, and they are already up on last season’s position and total, despite such a dreadful start. He has also helped make Heurelho Gomes into a decent keeper. That, alone, deserves the award.
Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers has not been mentioned much in the media as a possible contender. However, after the difficult period of stewardship under Paul Ince, it would have taken a lot to lift those players. The Lancashire club were on a horrible losing streak and were five points adrift at the bottom when Alladyce took over in December.
Rovers have now reached the magical 40 points with two games left and are now looking at a mid table finish.
Once again, the former Bolton boss has proved himself to be a terrific boss under pressure and a motivator of players. In fact, the position that Newcastle are currently in reinforces his track record, as it showed they were in a terrible state long before he was in the North East.
It just illustrates how well Allardyce was actually doing when he was there. I bet the St James’ faithful wish they were in mid-table now.
I believe ‘Big Sam’ has not been mentioned much in the reckoning because people expected him to turn Blackburn around. But, he has achieved what he was appointed for and more. It’s just a shame he acted like such a child as Ferguson’s ally against Rafa Benitez in the recent spat. That was pathetic.
Much has been said about Tony Pullis and the football that Stoke City play, but I for one, think he deserves all the credit he gets.
You have to think back to the start of the season when there was nobody, even many of their own fans, who thought Stoke would stay up.
The Staffordshire club have been criticised for their style of football and their use of Rory Delap’s long throws. But, how many of their goals have actually come from his long throws? Pullis’ team get the ball forward quickly, but they also defend with bravery and guts and do use the full width of the pitch to full effect. It’s up to the other teams to combat this.
It must be noted that they have beaten Arsenal and drawn twice with Liverpool.
James Beattie and Matthew Ethrington have been inspired signings and the club have not only escaped relegation, they are 11 points clear of the bottom three and now lie in 12th place. They have comfortably avoided relegation and their home record and home support are fantastic.
Stoke have been an alternative and passionate addition to the Premiership, and have surprised us all. Pullis also still has many of the players who helped the team up last year. Everything he has done has gone against everyone’s predictions.
The Stoke manager would be my choice as boss of the year. He gets on with his job and doesn’t moan about decisions going against him. He has also spent the majority of his managerial career in the lower divisions, making this achievement even more impressive.
David Moyes, contrary to popular opinion, has had money to spend in recent years. Yakubu, Fellani and Lescott have all been big money signings.
However, the unfortunate thing is that Yakubu and Saha have been injured since the turn of the year, and that’s why he deserves so much credit.
Everton have stayed inside the top six without any strikers and have had to play midfielders or youth team players as centre forwards. Mikel Arteta, possibly the team’s most creative player, has been out since February, and the club have reached the FA Cup Final, despite all those injuries.
The Merseysiders have also set a club record for clean sheets, and three of their back four have been in the England squad.
Moyes has to be a major contender. He has consolidated the club’s league position, but is also in the mix for trophies.
Gary Megson is perhaps a controversial choice. He is not particularly popular, even with some Bolton fans. He is also perceived to have a lack of charisma.
However, when Megson came into the job last season, they were bottom of the Premiership. They unexpectedly escaped relegation, but he was rightly criticised for not taking Europe serious and fielding a weakened team.
This year Bolton have been a mid table team and beaten the teams in and around them regularly. They have never looked in trouble, and I personally think that they have some really dynamic players and play some decent football.
Megson deserves a mention, considering some of the stick he has received in the past.
Ferguson is bound to win it again, but as I said previously, it’s all relative.Tony Pullis did not have any sort of track record at the very highest level, but now, none of us can say that.
What is particularly interesting is that five of these managers are English. Maybe we are not such a bad bunch of managers after all and can actually manage at the highest level. If only they were given the chance more often.
However, football management is so much more than winning, so everything should be analysed relatively.
I’ve followed football for over twenty years, and I have never known there to be so many contenders for manager of the year.
Along with Sir Alex, there is David Moyes at Everton, Roy Hodgson at Fulham, Gianfranco Zola at West Ham, Harry Redknapp at Spurs, Sam Allardyce at Blackburn, Tony Pullis at Stoke and even Gary Megson at Bolton. These names are all contenders in my opinion, and all deserve a mention.
At the end of most seasons, the manager of the Champions will win the award. And, as Manchester United are also in the European Cup Final, and won the League Cup, Ferguson does, of course, present a very good case.
However, every year we expect Manchester United to be challenging on all fronts.
Last year United won both the League and the European Cup, so in a perverse way it’s not really an improvement. Even their points total is going to be approximately the same as the last two seasons. Maybe the League Cup victory could be the difference.
For me, the major, decisive factor is who has improved his team so much, its almost incredible to believe?
Firstly, there is Roy Hodgson. With two games to go, his team is 14 points and ten places above last season’s final position. The Cottagers also have the fourth best defensive record, and are currently in the last EUROPA Cup position.
Hodgson has also conducted himself quietly and acted like a gentlemen.
An outside contender has to be Gianfranco Zola. He probably won’t win the award, but when you take into account the financial and internal problems at West Ham, and the players he’s had to sell, the Italian has done a terrific job. They are currently ninth, but could still finish seventh.
In recent months, the East Londoners have also been consistent and have never looked in trouble after Christmas. Zola has also moulded together a team of youngsters who play excellent possession football, and, as always he has conducted himself with dignity and humour. He is also very new to management, and has proved many doubters wrong after a difficult start to his reign at Upton Park.
The former Parma and Chelsea star demands respect from his players due to the player he was, while his gentle manner will probably mean he won’t fall out with players very often. He has a bright future…
Harry Redknapp also has to be a major contender for manager of the year. When he took over Tottenham, the team had two points from eight games. They now lie in eighth position, two points off a European place. His team have taken 46 points from 28 games since he became manager, and they also got to a cup final.
After such a poor start, Redknapp also had to build the players confidence, sand that would have taken some doing after the disastrous Ramos period. When the former West Ham and Portsmouth boss took over at White Hart Lane, he was just expected to keep his team up. He has exceeded expectations.
Some people will point at the money that Spurs have spent, but these are not really his players, and they are already up on last season’s position and total, despite such a dreadful start. He has also helped make Heurelho Gomes into a decent keeper. That, alone, deserves the award.
Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers has not been mentioned much in the media as a possible contender. However, after the difficult period of stewardship under Paul Ince, it would have taken a lot to lift those players. The Lancashire club were on a horrible losing streak and were five points adrift at the bottom when Alladyce took over in December.
Rovers have now reached the magical 40 points with two games left and are now looking at a mid table finish.
Once again, the former Bolton boss has proved himself to be a terrific boss under pressure and a motivator of players. In fact, the position that Newcastle are currently in reinforces his track record, as it showed they were in a terrible state long before he was in the North East.
It just illustrates how well Allardyce was actually doing when he was there. I bet the St James’ faithful wish they were in mid-table now.
I believe ‘Big Sam’ has not been mentioned much in the reckoning because people expected him to turn Blackburn around. But, he has achieved what he was appointed for and more. It’s just a shame he acted like such a child as Ferguson’s ally against Rafa Benitez in the recent spat. That was pathetic.
Much has been said about Tony Pullis and the football that Stoke City play, but I for one, think he deserves all the credit he gets.
You have to think back to the start of the season when there was nobody, even many of their own fans, who thought Stoke would stay up.
The Staffordshire club have been criticised for their style of football and their use of Rory Delap’s long throws. But, how many of their goals have actually come from his long throws? Pullis’ team get the ball forward quickly, but they also defend with bravery and guts and do use the full width of the pitch to full effect. It’s up to the other teams to combat this.
It must be noted that they have beaten Arsenal and drawn twice with Liverpool.
James Beattie and Matthew Ethrington have been inspired signings and the club have not only escaped relegation, they are 11 points clear of the bottom three and now lie in 12th place. They have comfortably avoided relegation and their home record and home support are fantastic.
Stoke have been an alternative and passionate addition to the Premiership, and have surprised us all. Pullis also still has many of the players who helped the team up last year. Everything he has done has gone against everyone’s predictions.
The Stoke manager would be my choice as boss of the year. He gets on with his job and doesn’t moan about decisions going against him. He has also spent the majority of his managerial career in the lower divisions, making this achievement even more impressive.
David Moyes, contrary to popular opinion, has had money to spend in recent years. Yakubu, Fellani and Lescott have all been big money signings.
However, the unfortunate thing is that Yakubu and Saha have been injured since the turn of the year, and that’s why he deserves so much credit.
Everton have stayed inside the top six without any strikers and have had to play midfielders or youth team players as centre forwards. Mikel Arteta, possibly the team’s most creative player, has been out since February, and the club have reached the FA Cup Final, despite all those injuries.
The Merseysiders have also set a club record for clean sheets, and three of their back four have been in the England squad.
Moyes has to be a major contender. He has consolidated the club’s league position, but is also in the mix for trophies.
Gary Megson is perhaps a controversial choice. He is not particularly popular, even with some Bolton fans. He is also perceived to have a lack of charisma.
However, when Megson came into the job last season, they were bottom of the Premiership. They unexpectedly escaped relegation, but he was rightly criticised for not taking Europe serious and fielding a weakened team.
This year Bolton have been a mid table team and beaten the teams in and around them regularly. They have never looked in trouble, and I personally think that they have some really dynamic players and play some decent football.
Megson deserves a mention, considering some of the stick he has received in the past.
Ferguson is bound to win it again, but as I said previously, it’s all relative.Tony Pullis did not have any sort of track record at the very highest level, but now, none of us can say that.
What is particularly interesting is that five of these managers are English. Maybe we are not such a bad bunch of managers after all and can actually manage at the highest level. If only they were given the chance more often.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
He should be advertising umbrellas, but did we judge Steve McClaren too soon..?
Steve McClaren has become a bit of a laughing stock in this country, but is that really fair?
Who can forget his forlorn figure trudging off the Wembley pitch in the pouring rain, clutching an umbrella, after his last game as England manager.
However, following his unsuccessful stint as England boss, the Yorkshire man has reinvented himself in Holland this season.
Last August, I watched a very amusing clip of McClaren giving an interview to a Dutch journalist, and he was speaking English, whilst trying to imitate a foreign accent. It was cringe-worthy, but many of us do actually do this, quite naturally. I certainly do, living in China.
I couldn’t stop laughing at McClaren for producing yet another comical moment in a whole recent series of comical moments, but in all honestly, it’s unfair to judge the man’s career on his failing's as England manager.
At that time, I was just joining the flock of seagulls gathering, hoping that McClaren would fail again. But his successes in the Netherlands have certainly made many of us think again.
McClaren was a terrific coach at Derby and Manchester United, and has actually become a decent manager. He was carried off the pitch like a messiah by his players on Saturday, following FC Twente’s 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, the newly crowned Dutch Champions.
The result ensured that McClaren's team, FC Twente, would finish second in the Dutch Eredivisie. This is, without any doubt, a superb achievement.
Some insular journalists and supporters will ignorantly point out that it’s ‘only the Dutch League’, but we have to put this achievement into context.
PSV Eindhoven, Ajax and Feyenood are all historic European clubs.
Ajax have won the European Cup four times and have reached the last eight as recently as 2003. PSV reached the Champions League quarter finals only two years ago, beating Arsenal, while Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup as recently as 2002.
These clubs are so powerful across the North Sea and are the equivalent of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in the English game.
McClaren has, to use a familiar analogy, taken a club like West Ham or Manchester City (big clubs, but not superpowers) automatically into the Champions League.
The former national coach has been playing an attacking 4-3-3 system for most of the season and has, according to some reports in Holland, helped to dispel the myth that English coaches can only play one way.
If Twente beat Heereveen on May 17th and lift the Dutch Cup, it will be the most successful season in their history. What more can you ask from the man?
It might be easy to be nostalgic at the Riverside, due to their current league position, but the majority of Middlesbrough fans appreciate that McClaren did a very good job as boss.
He gave them the best times they’ve ever had.
After reaching three domestic cup final under Bryan Robson in the late 90s, McClaren took the club to another level, after being appointed in 2001. He actually started off very badly, losing his first five league games, but you always know that Steve Gibson, the Boro chairman, will give his managers time, and his decision was justified. Boro finished a solid 12th in that first season and also reached the FA Cup semi finals.
McClaren did have money to spend in his five years on Teeside, but that doesn’t always guarantee success, and he steadily built the club into a major force during the middle of the decade.
Following another mid table finish in 2003, the club celebrated the first silverware in their history in 2004 by beating Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup Final. It also took them into Europe for the first time. Many journalists seem to conveniently forget this stunning achievement.
In fact, before Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth last season, McClaren was the last English manager to win a major trophy.
The following season was, to some extent, even better. The team became a team to be reckoned with in the Premiership and was fighting for a European place all season. They became very tough to beat, especially at home, and also, at times, played some fine attacking football with players such as Viduka, Hasslebank and Zenden well nurtured by McClaren, and reproducing their best form.
The club finished seventh in 2005 and qualified for Europe in dramatic style on the last day of the season. The Leeds born manager had overseen another very successful campaign.
Another trip into Europe followed, and, having given a good account of themselves the previous season, Middlesbrough excelled beyond all expectations in 2005-06.
The Riverside club produced thrilling, classic second leg comebacks against Steua Bucharest and FC Basle. They also beat AS Roma along the way, in a match that proved McClaren could mix it tactically against strong Serie A teams.
The only major blip that year, was a Boro fan approaching McClaren’s bench during a 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa and throwing his shirt at the future England boss. The team were 17th at that point in February, but in the next match beat the Champions, Chelsea, 3-0. They eventually eased away from safety and reached the FA Cup semi finals again.
McClaren’s side eventually went on to lose the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven, but it was still a fantastic run, and had given the club’s supporters an unforgettable experience.
McClaren had had three terrific seasons with Boro, and landed the England job. However, in hindsight, he probably over achieved and wasn’t ready. Of course, this is easy to say now.
His time with the national team was a disaster, and was a reign filled with criticism and anguish.
A team including players such as Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard, Ferdinand, Joe and Ashley Cole, John Terry and Michael Owen should not be failing to qualify for a major championship. This is especially true, when the team are the top seeds in the group.
However, it is also important to be objective.
McClaren did make mistakes, and made some strange decisions. Some of them were very public, and showed a lack of experience.
He tried to stamp down his authority early, by dropping David Beckham. It famously backfired, and the Real Madrid man was recalled.
However, Fabio Capello also tried this tactic at Real Madrid, and look what he has achieved and where he is now. It’s often all about luck, as well as judgement.
Steve McClaren certainly did not have much luck as England boss. At times, so many things conspired against him, and I personally think some players let him down with their performances.
England went to Russia in the penultimate game knowing that a win would put them through to Euro 2008 with a game to spare. Rooney scored, but at 1-0 Steven Gerrard missed a chance that nine times out of ten he would have scored.
At 2-0 the game would have been all but over and England would have qualified. In acres of space, 15 yards out, coming in from the left on the half volley and on his right foot, Gerrard, with his technique and ability would normally bury such an opportunity. He didn’t and it proved to be a crucial miss.
Would Gerrard have missed that chance for Liverpool? Who knows, but it was a turning point and pretty much cost McClaren his job. Any England manager cannot legislate for his players making these errors of judgment, especially players with the quality of Gerrard.
In the last group game at home to Croatia, McClaren was desperately unlucky again. He had no first choice centre halves or full backs. Gary Neville, Terry, Ferdinand and Ashley Cole were all injured. His first choice strikers, Heskey, Rooney and Owen, were also unfit.
It is all very well saying that England deserved to go out of that group as the results were not good enough, but McClaren was without seven of his usual first eleven that night, and this has often not been mentioned. Of course it was a huge factor.
McClaren's case was also reinforced by the fact that both Russia and Croatia performed exceptionally well at the European Championships.
On the other hand, this also just increases the disappointment, and shows what McClaren might have achieved with just a little more insight.
The fact is, that England should have been good enough to qualify with ease and the campaign should not have gone to the wire. Nothing, however, is so clear and simple in football, and the England manager’s job is one of the toughest there is.
You have to respect Steve McClaren though. He has put his reputation on the line in Holland, and proved that he has talent. In all intense and purposes he’s a nice guy, who was too young for the England job. The FA just felt obliged to appoint an Englishman and he got the short straw.
But it was also an opportunity very few turn down.
He needed more experience, but he has shown he is more than capable. He has also proved himself in a foreign country, which is a testament to him and his ambition.
McClaren has now been linked with Sunderland, but shouldn’t he stay in Holland? FC Twente are already in the Champions League proper.
If he does stay, and I hope he does, maybe now he can really prove himself at the highest level of club football. Then, maybe some of us, can be left with at least a small egg on our face, and start thinking of some different umbrella scenario’s to jest about.
Who can forget his forlorn figure trudging off the Wembley pitch in the pouring rain, clutching an umbrella, after his last game as England manager.
However, following his unsuccessful stint as England boss, the Yorkshire man has reinvented himself in Holland this season.
Last August, I watched a very amusing clip of McClaren giving an interview to a Dutch journalist, and he was speaking English, whilst trying to imitate a foreign accent. It was cringe-worthy, but many of us do actually do this, quite naturally. I certainly do, living in China.
I couldn’t stop laughing at McClaren for producing yet another comical moment in a whole recent series of comical moments, but in all honestly, it’s unfair to judge the man’s career on his failing's as England manager.
At that time, I was just joining the flock of seagulls gathering, hoping that McClaren would fail again. But his successes in the Netherlands have certainly made many of us think again.
McClaren was a terrific coach at Derby and Manchester United, and has actually become a decent manager. He was carried off the pitch like a messiah by his players on Saturday, following FC Twente’s 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, the newly crowned Dutch Champions.
The result ensured that McClaren's team, FC Twente, would finish second in the Dutch Eredivisie. This is, without any doubt, a superb achievement.
Some insular journalists and supporters will ignorantly point out that it’s ‘only the Dutch League’, but we have to put this achievement into context.
PSV Eindhoven, Ajax and Feyenood are all historic European clubs.
Ajax have won the European Cup four times and have reached the last eight as recently as 2003. PSV reached the Champions League quarter finals only two years ago, beating Arsenal, while Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup as recently as 2002.
These clubs are so powerful across the North Sea and are the equivalent of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in the English game.
McClaren has, to use a familiar analogy, taken a club like West Ham or Manchester City (big clubs, but not superpowers) automatically into the Champions League.
The former national coach has been playing an attacking 4-3-3 system for most of the season and has, according to some reports in Holland, helped to dispel the myth that English coaches can only play one way.
If Twente beat Heereveen on May 17th and lift the Dutch Cup, it will be the most successful season in their history. What more can you ask from the man?
It might be easy to be nostalgic at the Riverside, due to their current league position, but the majority of Middlesbrough fans appreciate that McClaren did a very good job as boss.
He gave them the best times they’ve ever had.
After reaching three domestic cup final under Bryan Robson in the late 90s, McClaren took the club to another level, after being appointed in 2001. He actually started off very badly, losing his first five league games, but you always know that Steve Gibson, the Boro chairman, will give his managers time, and his decision was justified. Boro finished a solid 12th in that first season and also reached the FA Cup semi finals.
McClaren did have money to spend in his five years on Teeside, but that doesn’t always guarantee success, and he steadily built the club into a major force during the middle of the decade.
Following another mid table finish in 2003, the club celebrated the first silverware in their history in 2004 by beating Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup Final. It also took them into Europe for the first time. Many journalists seem to conveniently forget this stunning achievement.
In fact, before Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth last season, McClaren was the last English manager to win a major trophy.
The following season was, to some extent, even better. The team became a team to be reckoned with in the Premiership and was fighting for a European place all season. They became very tough to beat, especially at home, and also, at times, played some fine attacking football with players such as Viduka, Hasslebank and Zenden well nurtured by McClaren, and reproducing their best form.
The club finished seventh in 2005 and qualified for Europe in dramatic style on the last day of the season. The Leeds born manager had overseen another very successful campaign.
Another trip into Europe followed, and, having given a good account of themselves the previous season, Middlesbrough excelled beyond all expectations in 2005-06.
The Riverside club produced thrilling, classic second leg comebacks against Steua Bucharest and FC Basle. They also beat AS Roma along the way, in a match that proved McClaren could mix it tactically against strong Serie A teams.
The only major blip that year, was a Boro fan approaching McClaren’s bench during a 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa and throwing his shirt at the future England boss. The team were 17th at that point in February, but in the next match beat the Champions, Chelsea, 3-0. They eventually eased away from safety and reached the FA Cup semi finals again.
McClaren’s side eventually went on to lose the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven, but it was still a fantastic run, and had given the club’s supporters an unforgettable experience.
McClaren had had three terrific seasons with Boro, and landed the England job. However, in hindsight, he probably over achieved and wasn’t ready. Of course, this is easy to say now.
His time with the national team was a disaster, and was a reign filled with criticism and anguish.
A team including players such as Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard, Ferdinand, Joe and Ashley Cole, John Terry and Michael Owen should not be failing to qualify for a major championship. This is especially true, when the team are the top seeds in the group.
However, it is also important to be objective.
McClaren did make mistakes, and made some strange decisions. Some of them were very public, and showed a lack of experience.
He tried to stamp down his authority early, by dropping David Beckham. It famously backfired, and the Real Madrid man was recalled.
However, Fabio Capello also tried this tactic at Real Madrid, and look what he has achieved and where he is now. It’s often all about luck, as well as judgement.
Steve McClaren certainly did not have much luck as England boss. At times, so many things conspired against him, and I personally think some players let him down with their performances.
England went to Russia in the penultimate game knowing that a win would put them through to Euro 2008 with a game to spare. Rooney scored, but at 1-0 Steven Gerrard missed a chance that nine times out of ten he would have scored.
At 2-0 the game would have been all but over and England would have qualified. In acres of space, 15 yards out, coming in from the left on the half volley and on his right foot, Gerrard, with his technique and ability would normally bury such an opportunity. He didn’t and it proved to be a crucial miss.
Would Gerrard have missed that chance for Liverpool? Who knows, but it was a turning point and pretty much cost McClaren his job. Any England manager cannot legislate for his players making these errors of judgment, especially players with the quality of Gerrard.
In the last group game at home to Croatia, McClaren was desperately unlucky again. He had no first choice centre halves or full backs. Gary Neville, Terry, Ferdinand and Ashley Cole were all injured. His first choice strikers, Heskey, Rooney and Owen, were also unfit.
It is all very well saying that England deserved to go out of that group as the results were not good enough, but McClaren was without seven of his usual first eleven that night, and this has often not been mentioned. Of course it was a huge factor.
McClaren's case was also reinforced by the fact that both Russia and Croatia performed exceptionally well at the European Championships.
On the other hand, this also just increases the disappointment, and shows what McClaren might have achieved with just a little more insight.
The fact is, that England should have been good enough to qualify with ease and the campaign should not have gone to the wire. Nothing, however, is so clear and simple in football, and the England manager’s job is one of the toughest there is.
You have to respect Steve McClaren though. He has put his reputation on the line in Holland, and proved that he has talent. In all intense and purposes he’s a nice guy, who was too young for the England job. The FA just felt obliged to appoint an Englishman and he got the short straw.
But it was also an opportunity very few turn down.
He needed more experience, but he has shown he is more than capable. He has also proved himself in a foreign country, which is a testament to him and his ambition.
McClaren has now been linked with Sunderland, but shouldn’t he stay in Holland? FC Twente are already in the Champions League proper.
If he does stay, and I hope he does, maybe now he can really prove himself at the highest level of club football. Then, maybe some of us, can be left with at least a small egg on our face, and start thinking of some different umbrella scenario’s to jest about.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
PFA awards... Ridiculous?
The PFA awards are a complete farce in my opinion and should be scrapped.
Ryan Giggs won the PFA player of the year for the first time, and although he probably should have won it many years ago -1998/99 or 2002/03 are two years where he certainly could have, it is so obviously an award of sentiment. However, this is not the only decision this year which has made the awards look a little silly.
During the months of January and February, Manchester United put a tremendous run of results together. This resulted in six of their players being included in the PFA team of the year. However, some of these players have lost form completely since the voting was compiled at the end of February.
Two important questions have to be asked. Firstly, why are the votes compiled three months before the season is completed? Secondly, why does it take so long for the votes to be counted?
To complain about Giggs being player of the year is not the main issue. After such a dazzling career, it is amazing he has never won either this award of the Proffessional Writers’ award before. Also, his fellow professionals make the decision, so it would be unfair and churlish to moan too much. I just think the timing is unfortunate.
Surely awards are based on a performance over a whole season, not five or six months, or in Giggs’ case, five or six games.
When the voting was carried out, Manchester United were on a such a hot streak, recording clean sheet after clean sheet. The nominations are, to some extent, understandable.
However, the awards then lose their kudos for not taking place for another two months. There lies the problem. Look at the team of the year?
Edwin Van de Sar has been poor since then, and has been occasionally dropped. Nemanja Vidic looks very shaky without Rio Ferdinand, and has made high profile errors in big games. These two are excellent together, but Ferdinand has missed several games this season, and has he really been as good, over the campaign, as Fulham’s Brede Hangeland?
It’s unfortunate, because all the players who were voted in the team of the season have looked shaky since the voting was carried out, but were excellent at the time of voting.
Patrice Evra has also looked inept defensively lately, again bringing into question, why are the nominations so early and presented so late?
Consequently, the reputation of the awards has suffered. The professional writers’ awards seem to have a lot more credence.
The timing of the awards has always an issue, but especially this year.
Giggs has been a great player, and has had some excellent‘patches’ of form this season. However, before the voting was done, Manchester United had played 27 games, of which the Welshman had started eight of them. He had scored two goals and had five assists. He still contains those statistics now.
Its’ not just about statistics, of course, but, Steven Gerrard has scored 21 goals, despite being injured slightly more frequently than usual. He has also assisted in nine goals.
The Liverpool skipper must surely be a more suitable footballer of the year, mainly due to the fact that for the first five months of the season, Liverpool was probably the best team. He was, as always, their talisman, especially with Torres being absent for long spells.
Maybe Gerrard's off field problems have affected his case.
It seems that the PFA awards are being based on a five to six week period this season, and that is, to put it bluntly, a complete joke. If this is the criteria for the writers’ award as well, then Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Torres and Michael Essien must be the only contenders. They have all had a wonderful last six weeks or so.
The other names in the PFA team also have to be questioned. Frank Lampard has had a terrific season, often carrying Chelsea on his own for much of the campaign, but he is not even in the team of the year. Unfortunately the voting coincided with Chelsea’s mid season slump, and Phil Scolari’s departure.
Ashley Young was certainly in the running for player of the year until February, but he has tailed off horribly in recent weeks, and his award now looks debatable. Throughout the season, Stephen Ireland and Aaron Lennon have been far more consistent. Lennon, for example, has just got better and better, whilst Ireland has remained Manchester City’s best player.
Gabriel Ablongahor had a great start to the season, but has scored once since January, and that too makes his selection look totally out of place. In 2009 the Villa striker has had a nightmare in front of goal and his team has collapsed in the league. His nomination looks floored, again bringing the timing of voting into question.
Fernando Torres is also a strange choice in the PFA team of the year. He has been fantastic in recent weeks, but by the time voting had been counted he had only played less than a dozen league games, all be it scoring nine league goals. Is that enough playing time for him to be considered for selection?
Of course, on sheer ability, Torres should be in the team, but over the season, how about Kevin Davies? Van Persie? Even Robinho (of course not now), but up to December he was terrific. Peter Crouch has also been a shining light at Portsmouth.
Torres’ selection illustrates the floors of the awards. It also shows how inconsistent and fragmented the selection process is. It looks like a shambles now, because Nicolas Anelka is in the team of the year. This was, at the time, a correct decision as the voting is done in February and he was the top scorer in the country. However, it looks a little left field. In recent weeks, under Guus Hiddink, the Frenchman has seldom played and has not scored since February.
Finally, why is Rafael da Silva in the young player of the year catorgery? He is a great talent, but he has started 11 league games. He had started about seven or eight league games when the voting was carried out. It is ridiculous, and it brings about a major question. Do the players really make good judges?
The conclusion that I make, is that the whole awards does, in a bizarre way, equal itself out. Some strange selections have been made in terms of players like Torres, who seems to be there purely on his name alone. By February, he had hardly played. However over the season he should probably be in the team.
Van de sar, Evra and Young look like strange selections if you take the season as a whole into account. However, before March, they had all been excellent, and if the voting takes place then, what can you do?
I would like to submit an alternative team of the season, based on the whole season and on a consistency basis.
Reina (Liverpool)
Jagielka (Everton)
Vidic (Manchester United)
Hangeland (Fulham)
Johnson (Portsmouth)
Gerrard (Liverpool)
Lampard (Chelsea)
Carrick (Manchester United)
Alonso (Liverpool)
Van Persie (Arsenal)
Crouch (Portsmouth)
There may be serious argument that this team lacks width, but its on paper, not on the pitch,
Sometimes I feel players are included just because they are the best option in that position, not because they have had a great season. Ronaldo is the prime example. No one can tell me that before February, he was one of the four best midfielders in the league. Only in the last month, has he produced anywhere near his top form.
It's easy to play well in an excellent side, and when the side is winning, but that doesn’t seem to always be taken into account.
Pepe Reina has, over the season, been the most consistent goalkeeper. Yes, in the last two weeks he has been rocky, but that’s only because he is usually so consistent. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Phil Jagielka – Has been brilliant this season, anywhere across the back four.
Brede Hangeland – What a steal by Hodgson! One of the success stories of the season, and probably the main reason the Cottagers are in seventh place.
Frank Lampard – The heartbeat of Chelsea’s great start, a shining light in the slump, and brilliant again in recent weeks. I’ve not always been his biggest fan, but he has had an exceptional season.
Michael Carrick – During the mid season run, Carrick, not Giggs, dictated everything Manchester United did. His passing is so deceptively accurate.
Xavi Alonso – Liverpool were top for three months, and Alonso was probably their best player. He is till playing well now, and scored a terrific goal at Hull. The Spaniard recovered brilliantly from the summer transfer speculation.
Robin Van Persie – The Dutchman has so much ability and he also has moments of madness. However, he re-ignited Arsenal’s flagging season at Chelsea and has been consistent all season, despite the odd suspension. He is maturing now and he is my choice, mainly because it hasn’t been a great season for strikers.
Peter Crouch – Along with Glen Johnson, remained consistent throughout the dark days under Tony Adams. Has had another great season, despite playing in a much weaker side.
Again, I haven’t always been his biggest fan, but he is an un-sung hero this year.
His goals will keep Pompey up.
The lanky striker is only in there due to Torres’ injury, but deserves his place, nevertheless.
Other players that are worth a mention are Matt Taylor and Kevin Davies at Bolton, Martin Lausen and Brad Friedel at Aston Villa, Yossi Benayoun and Alvaro Arbeloa at Liverpool and Mark Schwarzer and Clint Dempsey at Fulham.
Tim Cahill and Michael Arteta have also been excellent at Everton.
For the record, I do think Vidic should have just shaded the award from Gerrard, as the votes were cast in February.
My message to the PFA is please do the voting in April, or at the end of the season. It’s not a difficult concept Mr Gordon Taylor. These controversial awards are really not necessary or valid under the current process.
Ryan Giggs won the PFA player of the year for the first time, and although he probably should have won it many years ago -1998/99 or 2002/03 are two years where he certainly could have, it is so obviously an award of sentiment. However, this is not the only decision this year which has made the awards look a little silly.
During the months of January and February, Manchester United put a tremendous run of results together. This resulted in six of their players being included in the PFA team of the year. However, some of these players have lost form completely since the voting was compiled at the end of February.
Two important questions have to be asked. Firstly, why are the votes compiled three months before the season is completed? Secondly, why does it take so long for the votes to be counted?
To complain about Giggs being player of the year is not the main issue. After such a dazzling career, it is amazing he has never won either this award of the Proffessional Writers’ award before. Also, his fellow professionals make the decision, so it would be unfair and churlish to moan too much. I just think the timing is unfortunate.
Surely awards are based on a performance over a whole season, not five or six months, or in Giggs’ case, five or six games.
When the voting was carried out, Manchester United were on a such a hot streak, recording clean sheet after clean sheet. The nominations are, to some extent, understandable.
However, the awards then lose their kudos for not taking place for another two months. There lies the problem. Look at the team of the year?
Edwin Van de Sar has been poor since then, and has been occasionally dropped. Nemanja Vidic looks very shaky without Rio Ferdinand, and has made high profile errors in big games. These two are excellent together, but Ferdinand has missed several games this season, and has he really been as good, over the campaign, as Fulham’s Brede Hangeland?
It’s unfortunate, because all the players who were voted in the team of the season have looked shaky since the voting was carried out, but were excellent at the time of voting.
Patrice Evra has also looked inept defensively lately, again bringing into question, why are the nominations so early and presented so late?
Consequently, the reputation of the awards has suffered. The professional writers’ awards seem to have a lot more credence.
The timing of the awards has always an issue, but especially this year.
Giggs has been a great player, and has had some excellent‘patches’ of form this season. However, before the voting was done, Manchester United had played 27 games, of which the Welshman had started eight of them. He had scored two goals and had five assists. He still contains those statistics now.
Its’ not just about statistics, of course, but, Steven Gerrard has scored 21 goals, despite being injured slightly more frequently than usual. He has also assisted in nine goals.
The Liverpool skipper must surely be a more suitable footballer of the year, mainly due to the fact that for the first five months of the season, Liverpool was probably the best team. He was, as always, their talisman, especially with Torres being absent for long spells.
Maybe Gerrard's off field problems have affected his case.
It seems that the PFA awards are being based on a five to six week period this season, and that is, to put it bluntly, a complete joke. If this is the criteria for the writers’ award as well, then Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Torres and Michael Essien must be the only contenders. They have all had a wonderful last six weeks or so.
The other names in the PFA team also have to be questioned. Frank Lampard has had a terrific season, often carrying Chelsea on his own for much of the campaign, but he is not even in the team of the year. Unfortunately the voting coincided with Chelsea’s mid season slump, and Phil Scolari’s departure.
Ashley Young was certainly in the running for player of the year until February, but he has tailed off horribly in recent weeks, and his award now looks debatable. Throughout the season, Stephen Ireland and Aaron Lennon have been far more consistent. Lennon, for example, has just got better and better, whilst Ireland has remained Manchester City’s best player.
Gabriel Ablongahor had a great start to the season, but has scored once since January, and that too makes his selection look totally out of place. In 2009 the Villa striker has had a nightmare in front of goal and his team has collapsed in the league. His nomination looks floored, again bringing the timing of voting into question.
Fernando Torres is also a strange choice in the PFA team of the year. He has been fantastic in recent weeks, but by the time voting had been counted he had only played less than a dozen league games, all be it scoring nine league goals. Is that enough playing time for him to be considered for selection?
Of course, on sheer ability, Torres should be in the team, but over the season, how about Kevin Davies? Van Persie? Even Robinho (of course not now), but up to December he was terrific. Peter Crouch has also been a shining light at Portsmouth.
Torres’ selection illustrates the floors of the awards. It also shows how inconsistent and fragmented the selection process is. It looks like a shambles now, because Nicolas Anelka is in the team of the year. This was, at the time, a correct decision as the voting is done in February and he was the top scorer in the country. However, it looks a little left field. In recent weeks, under Guus Hiddink, the Frenchman has seldom played and has not scored since February.
Finally, why is Rafael da Silva in the young player of the year catorgery? He is a great talent, but he has started 11 league games. He had started about seven or eight league games when the voting was carried out. It is ridiculous, and it brings about a major question. Do the players really make good judges?
The conclusion that I make, is that the whole awards does, in a bizarre way, equal itself out. Some strange selections have been made in terms of players like Torres, who seems to be there purely on his name alone. By February, he had hardly played. However over the season he should probably be in the team.
Van de sar, Evra and Young look like strange selections if you take the season as a whole into account. However, before March, they had all been excellent, and if the voting takes place then, what can you do?
I would like to submit an alternative team of the season, based on the whole season and on a consistency basis.
Reina (Liverpool)
Jagielka (Everton)
Vidic (Manchester United)
Hangeland (Fulham)
Johnson (Portsmouth)
Gerrard (Liverpool)
Lampard (Chelsea)
Carrick (Manchester United)
Alonso (Liverpool)
Van Persie (Arsenal)
Crouch (Portsmouth)
There may be serious argument that this team lacks width, but its on paper, not on the pitch,
Sometimes I feel players are included just because they are the best option in that position, not because they have had a great season. Ronaldo is the prime example. No one can tell me that before February, he was one of the four best midfielders in the league. Only in the last month, has he produced anywhere near his top form.
It's easy to play well in an excellent side, and when the side is winning, but that doesn’t seem to always be taken into account.
Pepe Reina has, over the season, been the most consistent goalkeeper. Yes, in the last two weeks he has been rocky, but that’s only because he is usually so consistent. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Phil Jagielka – Has been brilliant this season, anywhere across the back four.
Brede Hangeland – What a steal by Hodgson! One of the success stories of the season, and probably the main reason the Cottagers are in seventh place.
Frank Lampard – The heartbeat of Chelsea’s great start, a shining light in the slump, and brilliant again in recent weeks. I’ve not always been his biggest fan, but he has had an exceptional season.
Michael Carrick – During the mid season run, Carrick, not Giggs, dictated everything Manchester United did. His passing is so deceptively accurate.
Xavi Alonso – Liverpool were top for three months, and Alonso was probably their best player. He is till playing well now, and scored a terrific goal at Hull. The Spaniard recovered brilliantly from the summer transfer speculation.
Robin Van Persie – The Dutchman has so much ability and he also has moments of madness. However, he re-ignited Arsenal’s flagging season at Chelsea and has been consistent all season, despite the odd suspension. He is maturing now and he is my choice, mainly because it hasn’t been a great season for strikers.
Peter Crouch – Along with Glen Johnson, remained consistent throughout the dark days under Tony Adams. Has had another great season, despite playing in a much weaker side.
Again, I haven’t always been his biggest fan, but he is an un-sung hero this year.
His goals will keep Pompey up.
The lanky striker is only in there due to Torres’ injury, but deserves his place, nevertheless.
Other players that are worth a mention are Matt Taylor and Kevin Davies at Bolton, Martin Lausen and Brad Friedel at Aston Villa, Yossi Benayoun and Alvaro Arbeloa at Liverpool and Mark Schwarzer and Clint Dempsey at Fulham.
Tim Cahill and Michael Arteta have also been excellent at Everton.
For the record, I do think Vidic should have just shaded the award from Gerrard, as the votes were cast in February.
My message to the PFA is please do the voting in April, or at the end of the season. It’s not a difficult concept Mr Gordon Taylor. These controversial awards are really not necessary or valid under the current process.
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