A WEEK IN FOOTBALL PART 2 – FIGHT FOR PREMIER LEAGUE SURVIVAL BLOWN WIDE OPEN
Yesterday in my column for Stretty News, I took a look at the wonderfully close and intriguing battle for the title and Champions League places currently raging at the top of the Premier League table. Equally enrapturing this season though has been the tussle for survival. Tight all season; in the past couple of weeks the fight to remain in England’s premier competition had looked to be a little clearer. Certainly relegation candidates Swansea, West Brom, Norwich and Aston Villa kept losing, but so did Sunderland, Fulham and Cardiff, the three clubs currently in the drop zone. As long as those three continued to lose, there seemed little chance of anything changing. This week though, the whole situation was blown wide open. Wins for Cardiff and Fulham have made survival anyone’s to win or lose, a couple of great escapes could well be on.
Take a closer look at those seven candidates by reading the full article at the link below:
http://strettynews.com/a-week-in-football-part-2-fight-for-premier-league-survival-blown-wide-open/
Is diving really that big of a deal considering that football still has the likes of Nicholas Anelka celebrating goals with the racist quenelle gesture?
In it’s winter recap for Stretty News, footballtalklife had a look at the issue of diving in football which so often has dominated headlines in recent years, and in particular, over the busy Premier League period. With Luis Suarez’ controversial, penalty winning tumble helping Liverpool earn a draw against Villa, the debate is sure to be reignited and once again take up newspaper inches. What this blog would like to question is whether diving is really an issue that warrants this level of attention. To clarify, footballtalklife is against diving; it is cheating and players who dive should be punished. However, diving is often labelled as amongst the worst issues effecting the beautiful game today, which is surely a complete exaggeration. Although distasteful, at the end of the day, diving is no worse than a handball, or a cynical challenge to prevent a goal scoring opportunity; culprits should be either given a yellow card, or if unseen by the referee, dealt with retrospectively. However, what diving does not warrant, is to receive this level of discussion. A Google search of ‘diving in football’ throws up almost 110 million results, a search of ‘racism in football’ returns half this amount. Whilst of course one can’t read to deeply into this fact, what it is indicative of is that the footballing world perhaps doesn’t quite have its priorities straight. This becomes obvious through even just a cursory recap of the events of the busy Premier League winter period.
Unfortunately, as well as excellent, exciting football, the winter period was overshadowed by two topics, one that has been wearingly over discussed, and another that has been worrying downplayed. The first topic is of course diving, with Chelsea and Manchester United players particularly in the spotlight. It seems everyone has had their say on the matter, with numerous managers condemning the practice, and even Sepp Blatter weighing in and encouraging referees to issue harsher punishments. The issue that was underplayed was racism in the game, most notably Nicholas Anelka’s use of the quenelle in celebrating a goal. Now, diving is of course deplorable, it involves deceiving officials and cheating fans. However, what is worth remembering and perhaps sometimes gets forgotten is that every foul is also cheating, hence why they are punished. Of course the intentional deceit involved in diving makes it a worse offence than a simple foul, but no worse than many other acts that occur in nearly every game, every week. Fouling a player and then falsely accusing a player of diving, perhaps preying on a reputation is cheating, and involves just as much deceit as diving. Sneakily pulling a shirt, or obstructing a player’s run is also cheating, especially when combined with intentional attempts to block the referees views of such incidences.
So often these actions go completely ignored, or are simply tolerated, yet diving is demonised. Dives are replayed over and over across highlight shows and web forums, deplored as if it is the worst sin on earth. Of course diving should not be tolerated, of course it should be punished severely, post-game if necessary, but so should so many other incidents that are no less cheating than diving is. What is particularly ridiculous about the level of anger towards diving is that so often the most vocal critics of the act are managers who encourage their teams to systematically cheat in a different way. The likes of Tony Pulis so often accuse players of play acting, yet set their sides up to systematically cheat: encouraging fouling of key players, holding and pinching players from set pieces, obstructing opposition runs from set pieces, obstructing the referee’s view of these actions and falsely accuse players of diving. So often these tactics are ignored, yet far beyond one individual choosing to cheat in a single instance, sides such as Stoke under Pulis had an entire team philosophy that involves encouraging, training and practicing cheating. Furthermore, the hyperbolic discussions that surround diving distract from much more serious concerns in the games, with Anelka’s use of the quenelle a case and point. Anelka’s actions caused a little thoroughfare, but were defended by himself, his manager and his club, quickly falling out of the media as everyone returned to discussing whether Adnan Januzaj fell down just a bit too easy.
The quenelle is a gesture created by comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala and effectively means “up yours”. As well as being a comedian, Dieudonné is a vocal anti-Zionist, who is opposed to the existence of a Jewish national state such as Israel. Given anti-Zionism’s lack of relevance in domestic French politics, and the gestures obvious similarities with an inverted Nazi salute, Dieudonné’s claims to not harbour anti-Semitic sentiments are very much questionable. Regardless of Dieudonné’s intentions, the quenelle has become an anti-Semitic symbol and has coincided with a rise in anti-Semitic acts in France. Those in defence of Anelka’s actions have largely centred around pleas of ignorance, that Anelka did not know the gesture would cause offence or have anti-Semitic connotations. Such claims do not hold up to too much scrutiny. Anelka has admitted that he used the gesture in support of his friend Dieudonné, who is having his act repressed by the French government due to perceived anti-Semitic content. Through this admission, Anelka is also admitting that he knows the quenelle has caused much offence to many people, in particular to Jewish communities and that it has anti-Semitic connotations. An FA investigation is rumbling on, and a ban will most likely follow, maybe a fine, however, the ban will most likely be less than five games, and the fine unlikely to be more than even a week’s salary. It seems that once again, an incidence of racism in the Premier League will go under punished by the FA and ignored or even defended by the player’s club. Given that the footballing world is currently patting itself on the back for accepting Thomas Hitzlsperger for coming out as gay, now may be a time instead to take a look at why the former Aston Villa player didn’t feel comfortable being open during his career, and why there are almost no openly homosexual footballers currently playing. The real problem with discrimination in football is complacency, people no longer really believe issues such as racism and homophobia still exist in the sport, but they do, and it is every player, manager, official and fan’s responsibility to kick it out.
A Week In Football – Sacking Season?
As well as my own blog, I am now writing a weekly column for the lovely chaps over at Stretty News titled ‘A Week in Football’. Here is the latest edition:
Christmas time, tis the season to be jolly etcetera, but spare a thought at this wonderful time of the year for those poor Premier League manager who are struggling during this very difficult run of games. Steve Clarke got the boot on Saturday, following Di Canio and Holloway out the door on the list of Premier League managers dismissed so far this season. The decision followed 1-0 defeat at the hands of Cardiff that leaves West Brom treading water just two points above the relegation zone. Although Mourinho’s former assistant was the only manger to get the sack this weekend, there will be a few other Premier League managers nervously shuffling their feet, praying for a Christmas miracle.
Clarke has referred to unfinished business in the wake of his dismissal, and the former Baggies boss probably has every right to feel a little sorry for himself. Results have not been good enough for West Brom since the turn of the year, there is no debating that. It is hard to defend Clarke’s record as a manager so far this term, especially when compared to the lofty 8th place finish. However, these contrasting achievements really have to be placed into context. West Brom have done remarkable in the past few seasons, achieving three consecutive mid-table league finishes since their return to the Premier League following a second place Championship finish in the 2009/2010 season. However, prior to these recent successes, West Brom were a perennial yoyo club for the best part of ten years and further back than that had not featured in England’s top division since 1986.
The fact of the matter is that West Brom are not a mid-table club, at least not yet; last season’s remarkable 8th place finish was simply the pinnacle of an extended period of over achievement. Clarke’s sacking is a part of a worrying and frustrating trend in which managers are sacked for not living up to their own previous overachievements. West Brom’s expectations should be to avoid relegation, a target that the club are currently on the way to achieving. That Steve Clarke managed to guide the club beyond these targets should be a sign of optimism and faith that he is the right man to bring the club forward; instead he has been indicted for not replicating this success. The keys to West Brom’s success last season were twofold, the powerful double pivot of Mulumbu and Yacob and an ability to score more goals than any team that finished below them. Romelu Lukaku, now shining on loan at Everton, was a major factor in the Baggies’ ability to score goals last term, and was a Steve Clarke signing. Claudio Yacob is another Steve Clarke signing that is even more impressive, a free signing from Racing in Argentina; Yacob was a real risk, but a huge success.
In these two players, Clarke has made a case for possessing considerable transfer nous. It is a skill that bodes well for the possibility that if he had been given more time, Clarke may well have been able to build something at West Brom. It may well be that Clarke will not be the last manager to receive the axe over the holiday season. Fingers have been pointed at Manchester United manager David Moyes in recent weeks, with some of the more fickle Red Devils fans calling for blood. It is hardtop argue that Moyes has done a good job so far at the Theatre of Dreams, but everyone knew that it was always going to be an impossible task to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. On a six year deal, and with the backing of the majority of the Old Trafford faithful, it is highly unlikely that Moyes will be next Premier League manager to be chopped. The Scott received a reprieve this weekend, with under-fire players Welbeck and Cleverly starring in a 0-3 away win over Aston Villa.
Sam Allardyce will continue to receive flack for as long as West Ham are not scoring, having invested his entire summer transfer kitty on the notoriously injury prone Andy Carroll. Whether Big Sam can make it through to January to be given the chance to rectify this error in judgement will be down to the patience of the board, and the results achieved over the remainder of the holiday season. If there is one single candidate for next up to the chopping block then it must be Andre Villas Boas at Tottenham. Having spent in excess of £100 million over the summer, quite obviously the indifferent form shown by Spurs so far this term is not acceptable, and following another drubbing by Champions :League place rivals this weekend, questions are quite reasonably being asked of Villas Boas’ leadership. Manchester City have been irresistible at home so far this term, with only their away form standing between the Citizens and the top of the table. They hit six goals past Tottenham earlier in the season, a feat they repeated against Arsenal this weekend, heaping further pressure on Villas Boas, and once again Spurs slumped to a heavy defeat this weekend. Liverpool continued their title challenging form against Tottenham on Sunday, scoring five without return at White Hart Lane. Suarez was imperious as always, but what will really please Brendan Rodgers were the displays of Sterling and Henderson. The result leaves Tottenham five points adrift of the Champions League places, and eight points off of top placed Arsenal, to ensure that Andre Villas Boas spends the winter nervously sweating.
A Week In Football – Another one bites the dust
No Premier League season is complete without a few sackings, and Sunderland getting rid of Paulo Di Canio whilst suitably dramatic, was a little predictable. The next to go is Martin Jol. Fulham haven’t been doing at all good enough this term, despite a squad that although not brilliant, should have been competent enough to avoid relegation. His successor is former Manchester United coach René Meulensteen, appointed in the wake of 3-0 defeat that leaves Fulham wallowing in the relegation zone.
Fulham have been woeful this season; not enough goals going forward, and none of their usual resilience at the back. It is an unusual situation. In previous seasons, Fulham have been very solid, Hengeland and Aaron Hughes have until this term been the most underrated central defence partnership in the league, and Stekelenburg and Amorebieta appeared to be good additions. 24 goals conceded in just 13 games tells a different story. The picture is no better up front either, with less than a goal a game scored. Bryan Ruiz was one of Fulham’s standout players last time out, but has been an ineffective passenger this season. He joins the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Adel Taraabt in what is a growing group of Fulham players full of talent, but chronically underperforming, a fact pointed out by captain Scott Parker after Saturday defeat at Upton Park: “The manager takes all the flak but the players need to take massive responsibility…Are we willing to stand up and be counted when things get tough?” Parker believes that they can, that a turnaround is on its way, but thus far, the answer is no, Fulham’s players have not stood up and been counted.
Jol has probably been a little unfortunate. The Dutchman inherited a good squad, and bought wisely, investing in talented, proven, experienced players. However, it has not clicked, and just as Jol cannot take all the blame for Fulham’s slump in the last year, neither can the players. Fulham have traditionally overachieved for years now, and the decline under Jol has been dramatic. Jol was always going to be on thin ice this year, since the new owner Shahid Khan took over the club in the summer. New owners are always going to want their own man in charge, and it can be difficult for the inherited manager to prove that he is the right man for the job. Khan’s new man is René Meulensteen, a risk given his relative lack of experience in the hot seat.
Hailed as an excellent coach by all involved at Manchester United, and apparently key in the signing of Robin van Persie, Meulensteen was always going to make the step up at some point. After joining Hiddink as Assisant Manager at Anzhi Makhachkala, he filled the former Chelsea boss’ boots just two games into the current 2013/14 Russian season. His tenure lasted just 16 days. Meulensteen was quite unfortunate in Russia, and became a victim of billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov’s decision to cut costs and make more of a return to Anzhi’s roots in Dagestan. A key part of Kerimov’s vision was former Soviet Union head coach Gadzhi Gadzhiyev. Meulensteen became collateral damage. His lack of experience isn’t his fault, but it could count against Meulensteen in his efforts to save Fulham from relegation this term, how successful he can be at this level, only time will tell.
Should Celtic join the English Premier League?
This is a shortened version of a previous article, just focusing on Celtic, and whether the Scottish club should join the English Premier League:
One of the longest raging debates in British football has been over suggestions that Celtic and Rangers join the English Premier League. The arguments for and against this are multiple and complicated, but highly simplified, the debate seems to surround on the impact it would have on Scottish football, and the impact it would have on the clubs themselves. Given recent performances, it is perhaps easy to forget that not so long ago, Scotland were good, very good. Souness, Hansen, Dalglish and many more, all excellent players, so what happened? Why is Scottish football at an all-time low? Well, it is no secret that the Scottish Premiership is a forgone conclusion before it even starts; following Rangers administration and relegation, there is no one left to challenge Celtic for the title. It is a stale league, which as such receives relatively low television income, and has seen Scotland decline as a European power; gone are the days of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen upsetting the big boys.
One of the side effects of the complete inequality of the Scottish Premiership has been clubs spending beyond their means to bring in mediocre foreign players in a desperate attempt to rival Celtic, affecting the development of young Scottish talent. There is a strong argument to be made that Celtic, and perhaps in a few years Rangers, joining the English Premier League would be beneficial for Scottish football. Without Celtic in the picture, the playing field would be levelled, clubs would no longer have to spend beyond their means, restrictions could be placed on foreign players, and the result could be a much more competitive league, where young Scottish players can enjoy plenty of first team football and develop their game. The league would eventually grow in quality, with significant future benefit. The major concern surrounding the departure of Celtic and the effect it could have on Scottish football is financial. Celtic have passionate fans, regularly packing out the 60,000 capacity Celtic Park, and bringing significant away support. As well as ticket sales, Celtic and Rangers rake in the majority of T.V money for Scotland, the withdrawal of these funds could be critical. However, there seems to be a fairly obvious solution. Relegated Premier League clubs are set to begin £60 million in parachute payments over four years, and Championship clubs not receiving these payments, receive a yearly solidarity payment of £2.3 million. The obvious solution to recompensing Scottish football for the loss of Celtic, Rangers, and the corresponding financial loss for the Scottish FA would be some form of solidarity payment, to ensure that Scottish football survives the transition.
In terms of Celtic the club, the positives of joining the Premier League would surely outweigh the negatives. Celtic have not won a European Cup in 1967, and their greatest achievement in recent years, has been finishing as runners up in the 2003 UEFA Cup, a decade ago. Celtic have been impressing in the Champions League, most famously matching up against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona last year. However, what Celtic currently face is the prospect of having to rebuild their team every season, the stars of last season’s impressive campaign Wanyama and Hooper both left Glasgow in the summer, not for the biggest sides in Europe, but two fairly medium sized Premier League clubs, Southampton and Norwich. Wanyama and Hooper did not leave for bigger clubs, but for a bigger league; Celtic moving to the Premier League would resolve this problem. Celtic’s huge support, boosted by the increased ticket prices that can be charged in the Premier League, as well as the astronomical television revenue on offer would quickly see Celtic able to compete financially with even the biggest in the business. The main issue for Celtic fans would likely be missing out on the Champions League. Competition for Champions League places is at an all-time high in the Premier League this season, and if Celtic were to join the Premier League, there would undoubtedly be a period of transition. However, after a period of adjustment, with their pick of Scottish talent, avid, sizeable support, and the increased financial clout the Premier League would bring, competing for those top four spots would be only a matter of time for Celtic.
In practical terms, adjustments would obviously have to be made to the structure of both nations’ leagues. However, the timing could be right to make these changes. With the relegation of Rangers, Scottish football has already made changes to its league system recently; there is no firmly established system, better to adjust now, than years down the road. In terms of English football, the timing could also be right. Greg Dyke has recently taken over as the new Chairman of The Football Association and has made noises about change. Choosing to ignore many of England’s more systematic problems, Dyke has focused on the number of foreign players in the English game, with talk of a minimum quota of English, or even English under-21 players being bandied about; the introduction of Celtic to the Premier League could be the opportunity Dyke and The Football Association need to implement new regulations. With Rangers romping along in the Scottish League One, a fairly simple and practical way of bringing these to Scottish giants into the English game could be to expand the Premier League to 22 teams, one of these being Celtic, and the other a one off additional promoted side from the Championship. This could then see Rangers join the Championship, with England’s second tier remaining at 24 clubs.
Are single nation leagues holding football back?
Every country has a domestic league, generally speaking anyway. That’s the way of the footballing world right? Clubs from a single nation compete in seasons of varying times and lengths, only meeting teams of other nations if they are part of the privileged few that qualify for whatever prestigious continental competitions may be on offer. An interesting question is why? Why have such enclosed leagues? With the world so globalised in so many ways, why is it that playing teams from neighbouring countries is not a weekly occurrence. It happens in American sports, with Canadian and Mexican cities often having franchises in ‘soccer’ and ice hockey, and even talk of a London based NFL side playing out of Wembley.
When professional association football was still a fledgling sport, it made sense to limit competition to a domestic or even regional remit; with little money in the game in its early stages, things such as travelling costs were real issues. However, these basic, practical costs are no longer significant issues within the game; Europe’s top leagues are now worth billions of pounds, and in England, even clubs outside of the Premier League attend international friendlies in preseason. In a world connected by train tracks and budget air travel, the cost of travelling to fixtures really isn’t a significant reason for clubs to not compete beyond their immediate domestic surroundings.
In the past couple of years, there has been some talk of the creation of a European Super League, featuring only the best sides in Europe. The logic behind this suggestion, apart from the obvious financial rewards, is that competition breeds quality, so unless the world’s best clubs are meeting on a regular basis, they will stagnate. Fundamentally, this logic is true, competition does increase quality, but the proposal of a European Super League would only further isolate Europe’s top clubs from the rest. The desire for a European Super League has more to do with undermining UEFA’s power, and the huge television revenues that the Champions League garners, than forwarding football. Florentino Pérez has been a vocal advocate for a European Super Cup, being openly critical of the Champions League for what he perceives as too many minnows in the completion, preventing the big teams from meeting on a regular basis: “we have to agree a new European Super League which guarantees that the best always play the best – something that does not happen in the Champions League.”
It is a reasonable argument, in the past 15 editions; the Champions League has been dominated by a select number of clubs Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have divided 11 of the 15 trophies between them. Some of the smaller countries represented rarely even make it to the group stages, let alone trouble any of the tournament’s perennial favourites. Even traditionally strong footballing nations such as Holland and France no longer interrupt the grasp that the Spanish, English, Italian and German giants have on the competition, it has been a little under 20 years since Ajax last won the a European Cup and even longer since Marseille won the trophy in somewhat controversial and acrimonious circumstances. Only Mourinho’s Porto have upset the status quo in recent years, long gone are the times when the likes of Steaua București, Hamburg, Nottingham Forrest, Red Star Belgrade and Celtic, were challenging for, and winning Europe’s top prize.
However, a European Super League would only exasperate this gap between the best and the rest. Surely much more desirable would be a more level playing field? More clubs competing at a higher standard, all challenging for honours is certainly a more appetising prospect than an isolated league of stagnating elites, and would certainly be better for football as a sport. The answer to this could well lie in an increase of multi-nation leagues. Particularly with smaller countries that can boast only one or two clubs of any real size, it makes sense to consolidate leagues with similar neighbouring countries. Such consolidations would breed greater competition, which on its own leads to an increase in overall quality, but is also likely to lead to more T.V money, and a more popular league. Players are more likely to sign for, and may be less tempted to leave clubs which play in a more competitive, more popular and ultimately wealthier league.
These are not wild, unsubstantiated assertions either; there is evidence that supports the claim that a multi-nation league can improve overall quality. In a previous article, this blog took a look at the great Yugoslavian side of the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Yugoslavia had wonderful team heading into the 1992 Euros, and could have gone on to become one of the world’s greatest sides but was prematurely torn apart through the horrific wars that erupted as Yugoslavia tore itself apart. One reason why Yugoslavia had such a fantastic team was that they were able to call upon the footballing talents of Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Montenegro. However, this is not the sole reason; another huge contributory factor was the strength of the Yugoslav First League.
The last six league titles in Serbia and Croatia have been won by FK Partizan and Dinamo Zagreb respectively, Red Star Belgrade and Hadjuk Split the runners up more times than not. These duopolies are not conducive to breeding quality. What the Yugoslav First League did was not only bring the Belgrade and Zagreb giants together, but also Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, the Macedonian club Vardar, and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Sarajevo sides. By having a multi-nation league, these small, bordering countries with only one or two clubs challenging for titles, to a flourishing competitive league with six to eight teams battling it out for the championship. The facts speak for themselves; Yugoslavian teams participated in four European finals prior to the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, including a victory for Red Star in 1991, since the league splintered, clubs from none of the successor countries have had any real impact on European competition.
Another successful multi-nation league in recent years has been the Soviet Top League. Whilst certain Russian and Ukrainian clubs have continued to be competitive in Europe, many other clubs have settled into a period of sustained decline. This is most evident among the ‘Dynamo’s’, with Dinamo Tbilisi a prime example. Labelled the ‘Great Team’ during the 1970s and ‘80’s, the Georgian clubs have not repeated any of the European success they once experienced since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It is important to clarify at this point that this article is by no means endorsing the Soviet and Yugoslavian regimes; the way in which these clubs were brought together is deplorable. Atrocities occurred under these regimes, and particularly in Yugoslavia, football rivalries were aggravated by racial tensions, with violence on several occasions spilling onto the pitch. However, although the circumstances in which these leagues were formed is regretful, what is hard to deny is that these leagues made for stronger clubs, higher quality players, and greater competition, both in Europe and domestically.
It is doubtful that football is ever likely to see a reformation of the Yugoslav or Soviet collective leagues; there is too much water under the bridge, too deep history of tragedy. However, it does make sense for other countries to replicate the system used, albeit voluntarily. Poland and the Ukraine have proved that they can collaborate during the 2012 Euros; however, more obvious examples of nations that may benefit from partnering in collective leagues would be Holland and Belgium. Both have excellent national sides, but relatively poor domestic leagues, with clubs from neither league challenging on the European stage. The Scandinavian countries are another group for which a collective league could be both beneficial and practical. There are practical issues involved with multi-nation leagues. A lot of concern over any such proposal revolves around Champions League places, but fewer leagues need not result in fewer Champions League places, at least not at first. If for example Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland form a collective league, and each previously had one Champions League place each, then the collective Scandinavian league would have four Champions League places, at least until the league is established.
The other main practical issue is promotion and relegation, if nations are to join in a collective league; they will want fair representation in that league, not for it to become lopsided. One solution is an enclosed league, but that undermines the point of creating competition. Another solution would be to have several tiers of collected leagues, but this would turn practical issues such as travelling costs become real problems for smaller teams. Perhaps the best resolution would to have a quota of teams from each country, which always remains the same. If from the theoretical Scandinavian, there are four relegation places, whatever teams are relegated, drop down into the leagues of their respective countries. So if two Danish clubs, one Icelandic club and one Norwegian club occupy the theoretical Scandinavian League’s relegation spot, they would drop down into separate single nation second tier leagues, with the same amount of teams promoted. In this way, representation of each country remains fair, whilst maintaining the competition brought through promotion and relegation.
Interestingly, at home in England could be where we see this concept of multi-nation, collective leagues put into action. Welsh sides Swansea and Cardiff have been a part of the English football system for a long time, and are now flourishing in the Premier League. Furthermore, one of the longest raging debates in British football has been over suggestions that Celtic and Rangers join the English Premier League. The arguments for and against this are multiple and complicated, but highly simplified, the debate seems to surround on the impact it would have on Scottish football, and the impact it would have on the clubs themselves. Given recent performances, it is perhaps easy to forget that not so long ago, Scotland were good, very good. Souness, Hansen, Dalglish and many more, all excellent players, so what happened? Why is Scottish football at an all-time low? Well, it is no secret that the Scottish Premiership is a forgone conclusion before it even starts; following Rangers administration and relegation, there is no one left to challenge Celtic for the title. It is a stale league, which as such receives relatively low television income, and has seen Scotland decline as a European power; gone are the days of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen upsetting the big boys.
One of the side effects of the complete inequality of the Scottish Premiership has been clubs spending beyond their means to bring in mediocre foreign players in a desperate attempt to rival Celtic, affecting the development of young Scottish talent. There is a strong argument to be made that Celtic, and perhaps in a few years Rangers, joining the English Premier League would be beneficial for Scottish football. Without Celtic in the picture, the playing field would be levelled, clubs would no longer have to spend beyond their means, restrictions could be placed on foreign players, and the result could be a much more competitive league, where young Scottish players can enjoy plenty of first team football and develop their game. The league would eventually grow in quality, with significant future benefit. The major concern surrounding the departure of Celtic and the effect it could have on Scottish football is financial. Celtic have passionate fans, regularly packing out the 60,000 capacity Celtic Park, and bringing significant away support. As well as ticket sales, Celtic and Rangers rake in the majority of T.V money for Scotland, the withdrawal of these funds could be critical. However, there seems to be a fairly obvious solution. Relegated Premier League clubs are set to begin £60 million in parachute payments over four years, and Championship clubs not receiving these payments, receive a yearly solidarity payment of £2.3 million. The obvious solution to recompensing Scottish football for the loss of Celtic, Rangers, and the corresponding financial loss for the Scottish FA would be some form of solidarity payment, to ensure that Scottish football survives the transition.
In terms of Celtic the club, the positives of joining the Premier League would surely outweigh the negatives. Celtic have not won a European Cup in 1967, and their greatest achievement in recent years, has been finishing as runners up in the 2003 UEFA Cup, a decade ago. Celtic have been impressing in the Champions League, most famously matching up against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona last year. However, what Celtic currently face is the prospect of having to rebuild their team every season, the stars of last season’s impressive campaign Wanyama and Hooper both left Glasgow in the summer, not for the biggest sides in Europe, but two fairly medium sized Premier League clubs, Southampton and Norwich. Wanyama and Hooper did not leave for bigger clubs, but for a bigger league; Celtic moving to the Premier League would resolve this problem. Celtic’s huge support, boosted by the increased ticket prices that can be charged in the Premier League, as well as the astronomical television revenue on offer would quickly see Celtic able to compete financially with even the biggest in the business. The main issue for Celtic fans would likely be missing out on the Champions League. Competition for Champions League places is at an all-time high in the Premier League this season, and if Celtic were to join the Premier League, there would undoubtedly be a period of transition. However, after a period of adjustment, with their pick of Scottish talent, avid, sizeable support, and the increased financial clout the Premier League would bring, competing for those top four spots would be only a matter of time for Celtic.
In practical terms, adjustments would obviously have to be made to the structure of both nations’ leagues. However, the timing could be right to make these changes. With the relegation of Rangers, Scottish football has already made changes to its league system recently; there is no firmly established system, better to adjust now, than years down the road. In terms of English football, the timing could also be right. Greg Dyke has recently taken over as the new Chairman of The Football Association and has made noises about change. Choosing to ignore many of England’s more systematic problems, Dyke has focused on the number of foreign players in the English game, with talk of a minimum quota of English, or even English under-21 players being bandied about; the introduction of Celtic to the Premier League could be the opportunity Dyke and The Football Association need to implement new regulations. With Rangers romping along in the Scottish League One, a fairly simple and practical way of bringing these to Scottish giants into the English game could be to expand the Premier League to 22 teams, one of these being Celtic, and the other a one off additional promoted side from the Championship. This could then see Rangers join the Championship, with England’s second tier remaining at 24 clubs.
These proposals are obviously radical, and very preliminary, but with the gap between Europe’s top clubs and all the rest ever increasing, it is obvious that something needs to be done to keep football the joyfully competitive and unpredictable sport we all love.
A Week In Football: Saints still the real deal despite Arsenal clangers
As well as my own blog, I am now writing a weekly column for the lovely chaps over at Stretty News titled ‘A Week in Football’. Here is Week 15:
Since coming back from League One and the brink of extinction, Southampton have become perennial overachievers. Back to back promotions League One, to the Championship, right up to the Premier League is remarkable. Even more remarkable is how they have taken to the Premier League; newly promoted sides are supposed to struggle, but Southampton, along with the other underdog story of British football, Swansea, took to it like a swan to water. Comfortable last time out, Southampton has been downright competitive this term.
Last season the Saint’s displayed an unbelievable ability to score goals even against the best sides; Rickie Lambert in particular establishing himself as one of the best English strikers in the game. Where Southampton were somewhat weak was at the back; it took a while for the Saints to pick a first choice goalkeeper and settle on a consistent back four. The coastal side were much meaner once Mauricio Pochettino took over however, with the Argentine tempering the Saints’ fluid attacking verve with a firm philosophy of defending from the front; a marriage of Bielsa’s international sides and the gegenpressen employed by Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund. If last season was a case of improving slowly, but somewhat leaky at the back, this term Southampton have been miserly; reminiscent of a Dickensian scrooge, the Saints have conceded only seven goals in twelve games, with a defence bolstered by Dejan Lovren and shielded by Victor Wanyama.
Having been hovering around the top four all season, Southampton have been constantly dismissed with the ‘overachieving’ tag. It has been repeatedly expected and predicted that Southampton will fall away at some point this term. However, twelve games into the season, the Saints are still in the top five, level on points with Manchester City, and very much keeping up with the pack. The defeat at Arsenal should not be exaggerated in significance, or taken as too much of a sign of the Saint’s decline. The fact of the matter is, Southampton went away to the Premier League leaders, and more than matched the Gunners for most of the game. The Saints did what very few teams do, and edged Arsenal out in both possession and attempts on goals.
Where Southampton came undone was through uncharacteristic defensive hiccups. Artur Boruc has been solid since making the Southampton goal his own last term, was woeful against Arsenal. His kicking was terribly inconsistent; Boruc found a Southampton shirt with only half of his 40 kicks, and it is probably this that led the Pole to attempt his bizarre dribble that led to Giroud’s first goal. Having conceded another peculiar goal to fellow keeper Begovic against Stoke already this season, Boruc will be keen to redeem himself, but was not able to do so with Arsenal’s second goal, the Pole unable to save a penalty from Giroud’s. The penalty came from another clanger at the back for Southampton, with Jose Fonte penalised for pulling on Mertesacker’s shirt. What will be more concerning than a pair of one off, individual mistakes for Southampton is their lack of goals. The Saints have been rather dry up front this term, but with forwards of proven quality such as Lambert and Osvaldo, and service from the talented English pair Lallana and Ward-Prowse, Southampton fans can be confident that the goals will soon flow.
Whether Southampton can actually claim a European place this season remains to be seen, but that is only due to how fierce the competition at the top is so far. With Arsenal and Liverpool rejuvenated and back on form after some slow recent seasons, Chelsea, Manchester City, and in particular Manchester United and Tottenham incredibly inconsistent, and Everton and Newcastle in great form, there is only eight points between first and ninth. That didn’t change this weekend, with United, Liverpool and Everton all drawing, Chelsea, Newcastle and Arsenal winning, and a remarkable 6-0 thrashing of Spurs by Manchester City. Even if they don’t quite make it into one of the continental this time out, as Alan Shearer put it, Southampton are a great example of how to win a football club. With their wonderful, high intensity attacking game, sensible management and a secure financial footing, it is only a matter of time before Southampton make the step up to compete with the big boys of Europe.
Crucial to Southampton’s future will be their ability to retain their wonderful young prospects. The Saints have always produced excellent British talent, but whereas in the past they have been forced to sell the likes of Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott, they may now be in a position to keep that talent on the south coast. Adam Lallana is an excellent two footed attacker, who proved against Germany and Chile that he can cut it even at the highest level. The crown jewels of the Southampton academy however, are without a doubt Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse. Having burst on the Premier League scene at the tender age of 16, quickly establishing himself as not just a great prospect, but one of the league’s best left backs. Left waiting in the wings last term, Ward-Prowse was chomping at the bit this time out, having declared his intention to break into the first team in preseason, and has done just that. Unperturbed by competition from Wanyama and Schneiderlin, Ward-Prowse is now a key member of the first team.
The pair represents arguably the best of the current fantastic crop of young English players. The reputations of the English Under-21 side has taken quite a battering following the last World Cup’s pitiful showing, but are a very underrated group of players. As well as the Southampton starlets, there is the United quartet of Powell, Keane, Zaha and Lingard, West Brom’s Berahino, and Barkley and Morrison both pulling up trees in the Premier League, at Everton and West Ham respectively. This misses out numerous of great prospects, all deserving of a mention; the future is bright not just for Southampton, but England as well.
Why a top four finish and no trophy would still be a good season for Manchester United
It’s been a tough season so far for Manchester United, one that got a little bit easier with a win over Arsenal last week, as the reigning champions finally cobbled together some form. Even with a few positive results now, Manchester United are still way behind in the title race. Everyone knew that replacing Sir Alex Ferguson would be a difficult job, but Moyes has had a tough start to life at the helm and the Old Trafford faithful are getting restless. Manchester United fans are typically a patient bunch, and Moyes will no doubt get a couple of seasons to settle in, but they have grown used to success and the prospect of a year with no silverware is inspiring murmurs of discontent. However, this was always going to be a season of transition for Manchester United, and as much as it may disgruntle fans, if the Red Devils finish this season trophyless but with a Champions League place secured, it should be considered a success.
It was hardly a vintage United side that Moyes inherited. The excellent Scholes has now retired, Giggs is not the force that he once was and even Ferdinand is no longer infallible. One could argue that a preseason clear out was needed; Andersen has been affected by a series of injuries, and Young and Nani have not delivered on the promising potential of their early United careers. Ferguson always new how to build and rebuild teams. There is little doubt had the legendary Scotsman stayed on he would have spent money on new players; after the title win in 2000-2001 season he splashed out on van Nistelrooy, and on Ronaldo after the 2002-2003 title win. Ferguson always bought on the back of success and so enjoyed continued success. When he didn’t spend, Ferguson promoted youth; after missing out on the title in 1994-95, United brought through the so called ‘class of ‘92’ and won that seasons title on the back of Scholes, Giggs, Beckham and the rest. Moyes didn’t do enough in preseason, and for that he must shoulder the blame. The weak links weren’t moved on, and only Fellaini came in. The Belgian is a fine player, but United could have done with another central midfielder and a left back at the very least.
Whether Moyes overestimated the strength of his inherited squad, lacked proper support in the transfer market once the excellent Gill was replaced by Woodward, or he underestimated his opposition, there is little doubt that in player recruitment United were left behind this summer. The on-going Rooney saga proved a distraction, and the stalling with Everton in an attempt to form a package deal for Baines and Fellaini meant that United ended up without Baines and paying over the odds for Fellaini. It wasn’t the typically calm and measured way of doing business that Manchester United are famed for, the whole ordeal seamed desperate, with United lodging bids with every playmaker going and courting players publicly. This scattergun approach hinted that perhaps Moyes didn’t know his squad well enough, a point proven in his side’s early, negative results; Nani and Young continued to start despite lacklustre performances, and Shinji Kagawa was left a peripheral figure. These issues should have been dealt with in preseason, they weren’t and United’s results suffered as a consequence.
The 1995-96 title win proved that Hansen was wrong when he claimed that “you can’t win anything with kids”, and Moyes could have gone that route. New signing Wilfried Zaha joined a host of promising young players in the United academy, but Moyes has been reluctant to blood youth in the first team. The brilliant impact of Adnan Januzaj aside, these young players haven’t had much of a chance, and this is reflective of Moyes’ time at Everton. Moyes has always had one favourite starlet to fast track, whether it be Barkley or Rooney, but others get left behind due to his reluctance to place his full faith in youth over experience. It is a shame since along with Januzaj and Zaha, United have a host of young players that have been proving on loan in the Championship that they have the ability to have an impact. At Wigan, Nick Powell has been excellent. Reared by Dario Gradi at Crewe, Powell was sensational during his time at the Alex, able to win games single handedly. His cameos were sparse but impressive last term and in his 12 appearances so far for Wigan, the attacking midfielder has notched up 5 goals and a string of excellent performances both in the Championship and the Europa League. Jesse Lingard is another. A Cheshire local, Lingard was brilliant in preseason and might have hoped he had done enough to break in to the first eleven this year. Instead Lingard has found himself on loan at Birmingham, but unperturbed he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands, winning plaudits with five goals in six appearances so far this term.
There is no question that United and Moyes should have done more in preseason, both in recruitment and in managing the squad. Now that they find themselves in the position they are in, behind their rivals, it is how United react over the rest of the season that they will be judged. Southampton have proven what success you can have when you place your faith in youth, with Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowes both key components of Bielsa disciple Pochettino’s puzzle that has seen the Saints in and amongst the Champions League spots. Moyes may be tempted to follow suit and recall the likes of Powell and Lingard in January. Until then, United fans must accept cementing a firm grip on a Champions League spot as success.
The aforementioned Southampton have a superb group of players, young starlets mixing it up with new international debutants such as Lallana and Lambert. They may fade over the course of the season, but the Saints will hope to maintain their challenge. Liverpool have been another surprise package, and arguably have one of the best attacking trios in Europe in the form of Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho. With Arsenal resurgent after several seasons without a serious title challenge, and Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City all very inconsistent, it will be a battle for United to earn a Champions League place, never mind the Premier League title. With Newcastle United and Everton also in the mix for European places, United fans need to accept that this will be a season of development, a stepping stone to future title challenges. The future is bright for United, with young stars coming through, a couple of astute buys could put the Manchester club back amongst Europe’s elite. For now, they must ensure that there are no crises this term and that United secure a top four spot.
A Week In Football: The title race continues to be joyfully unpredictable, and relegation candidates scrap to not fall away
As well as my own blog, and the occasional article for The Boot Room, I am now writing a weekly column for the lovely chaps over at Stretty News titled ‘A Week in Football’. Here is Week 13:
Eight points currently separate top and ninth, in what has been the tightest title race for years. Few could have predicted that things would be this tight at the top; Arsenal were all but written off in preseason and Liverpool were seen as outsiders for a top four spot. Before the season started, the Premier League had been billed as a top up between Manchester City and Chelsea, but both have been incredibly inconsistent, the holders Manchester United have floundered, and Southampton have gate-crashed the party. Currently there is a genuine six-way battle raging for the title, and that’s not counting Southampton, who sitting third ahead of City and Spurs, cannot be dismissed. Surely this wonderfully competitive situation cannot last, but that has been said for eleven weeks, and if anything, it is only getting tighter at the top.
Newcastle United this weekend cast off any prospect that they would spend the season battling it out at the bottom with a victory against Tottenham. With a host of internationals throughout the team, Newcastle should never have spent the last year fighting it out at the bottom. In the 2011-12 season, the Tyneside club narrowly missed out on the Champions League, a competition they last graced in 2002-3 under Bobby Robson. It is where their fans expect the club to be, and although Newcastle are certainly outsiders, they mustn’t be dismissed. In Cabaye, Tiote and Sissoko, they have a midfield up there with any other Premier League, and the loan signing of the Thierry Henry-esque Loic Remy has been nothing short of inspired, the Frenchman hitting his seventh league goal of the season against Spurs. It is at the back that Newcastle came unstuck last season, but the Toon side proved that they are a much more solid proposition this term by weathering a 31 shot barrage against Spurs. When injury free, Newcastle have a decent back four, and after an extended dip in form, Tim Krul is back to his world-class best to the frustration of Andre Villas-Boas.
The other surprise package this season has been Southampton. It is easy to forget just how far Southampton have come in the last few years. Southampton’s performances since their return to the Premier League have been nothing short of remarkable. Having been a top flight side for 27 years before their 2005 relegation, and having handled the step up from the Championship with consummate ease, it is easy to forget that Southampton’s time in English football’s lower divisions. In just eight short years, Southampton have been through relegations to the Championship and then League One, administration, a takeover, numerous managerial changes and ecured back to back promotion, which all makes it even more extraordinary that Southampton now find themselves sitting third in the Premier League. It is no fluke either. The Saints really hit form against Fulham this weekend, smashing four past the usually solid Hull City. It is the first time this season that the Saints’ attackers had really hit form in the Premier League, but they had proved their quality last term and Lambert, Lallana and Rodriguez have all earned England call ups this week. Joined by the mercurial Pablo Osvaldo who struck 17 times for Roma last term, Southampton were always going to get goals. Key to their success this term has been the Saints’ frugality at the back; new signings Lovren and Wanyama have added steel to Southampton’s backline, but more important has been Pochettino’s adaption of the German tactic of gegenpressing. This high pressing line and high tempo defending from the front has been crucial to Southampton’s success, and has been ingrained in their young English stars such as Ward-Prowse and Luke Shaw; the future looks bright, especially if Southampton can continue to surprise everyone and snatch a European place.
Amongst the favourites, it has been unpredictability galore, and their thoroughly enjoyable lack of consistency continued this weekend. Chelsea narrowly avoided a first home Premier League loss for Mourinho with a controversial penalty to snatch a 2-2 draw with West Brom. Ramires took a rather dramatic tumble to rob the Baggies of a thoroughly deserved victory, but even so Steven Clarke will have been delighted at the nature of West Brom’s performance, who have now put a slow start very much behind them. Other than a disastrous first match in charge, Sunderland have undergone a genuine revival under Poyet, first beating Newcastle on the Tyne-Weir derby, and then firmly establishing themselves as Manchester City’s bogey team with a victory over the Citizens on Sunday. The Stadium of Light has been a barren ground for City in recent seasons, and despite dominating the match, City were unable to come back against Sunderland after falling behind to a Phil Bardsley goal, which although excellently finished owed much to some poor defending and uninspiring goal keeping. It gave Manchester United the opportunity to climb above their City rivals on Sunday, and the Reds now find themselves in fifth and very much back in the mix for the title, having now cobbled together enough form to see out front runners Arsenal in a resilient 1-0 display. Sunderland’s victory owed much to two United alumni; Wes Brown and John O’Shea, who were both excellent at the back against City and will be key for the Black Cats if they are to have any hope of scrapping their way to survival this term.
Sunderland were not the only relegation threatened team to show some life at the bottom either. The relegation candidates had all been in danger of being cut adrift, but Crystal Palace, Stoke City and Norwich were all able to earn points over the weekend. Stoke played out a lively draw with Swansea and are showing signs of improvement. Norwich were able to go one step further, with a win against West Ham, and the Canaries will hope that they can now look up the table rather than over their shoulders for the rest of the season. Despite a draw against Everton, it is hard to see the still manager-less Palace climbing out of trouble, and they look to be joined in free-fall by the hapless Fulham. Liverpool were able to capitalise on Arsenal’s defeat to narrow the gap between second and first to just two points, heaping pressure on Martin Jol in the process, as Suarez inspired Liverpool to a 4-0 victory. It may be agonising for fans of those teams at the top who have been so inconsistent, but no one can deny it makes great entertainment, and long may it continue.
Football, Talk, Life. 