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Jon's Blog
May 2007 Archive
It is not often English sportsmen come along who don't correspond to a rigid mould. It is not often extremely talented English sportsmen push on to be better. It may be argued that KP is not English although ICC rules and 25 tests attest he is far more than the 3 Lions on his shoulder. However his last 2 innings before he got out just playing around have shown a dominance over admittedly ordinary bowling of potentially the best English batter of my lifetime. KP is 27 in June and it will be interesting if he goes beyond the easy glory and improves again unlike the likes of Beckham, Owen, Flintoff, Vaughan and a host of others who touched world class and then settled for easy adulation or did not want it enough.
Indeed the player Pietersen has to beat is the great Geoffrey Boycott. A remorseless grinder who divided opinion into love and hate more effectively than anyone. What they do have in common though is that grain of character in a world of remorselessly bland people. Both to this point worked at their game and did so more than they were asked by others. Both seem to pretty much call a spade a spade.
Pietersen is also now the highest scoring English man after 25 tests, 10 against the only team who count Australia and Shane Warne, and 2nd in that category to only one man - The Don [Bradman] and 2nd to the Don is 2nd to the greatest which ain't bad. Without playing for his average as his loss of wicket the last two innings shows and without Bangladesh and Zimbabwe on his record KP averages over 50 - 10 tests v Australia. He could get even better but maybe with the easy praise and lack of critique in England that is too much to hope, but let's hope anyway.
Sun 27th May Sidebottom Shows The TWSI Way
In our write up of Duncan and Freddie's disastrous boys drinking club outing to Australia we opined England had 14 or 15 test cricketers and could rest and drop people using more of a squad system to over come there being too much test cricket and the problems of under cooked super stars grabbing bits of rest rather than longer down periods. Well Ryan Sidebottom shows maybe we have more good solid cricketers to be 11th man in a team. He came into the team as much because he is a mate of the now far too powerful, we fear, Captain Ego Maniac. He takes 6 wickets in a day with nothing more than accurate seam up. We have also seen match winning bowling from Mahmoud and Udal within living memory and total and complete dross from a regular "fixture" like Harmison. Indeed not so long ago injuries had Kirtley, Bicknell and others whose names escape me come in and take 5 wicket hauls.
When you are punting out 14 to 16 tests a year then why not? The current celebrity focus on the fitness of players who don't stay fit like Vaughan Flintoff and Harmison is a pathetic indulgence. It also must send a poor message to the rest of the fringe players smacking of an elitism that the evidence of the last 2 years since the Ashes does not back up. Indeed that elitism seems based on one's ability in the bar as much as the ruling cliques of earlier supposedly less professional decades where cricket was played with far more intensity than the current West Indies v England series.
My main caveat is this that probably under seaming conditions as at Headingly where getting it in the right place is crucial and devastating England may have loads of seamers not suited to a long day at the Adelaide Oval or Karachi with no wickets falling and nothing in the pitch. Nonetheless if we can rotate and rest players for longer periods than a couple of games or weeks throughout the summer in England and then play more warm up matches on tour that also makes sense. Plus it gets away from being less precious about our so called best XI.
Sat 26th May Vaughan Puts Strauss In The Drop Zone
Over his last 16 matches Strauss has averaged 38 but that has to be tempered by the fact people do average more now. That he makes consistent starts, or so it seems, but has not made big runs very often. It is actually similar or slight better than Vaughan was till yesterday. His last 7 tests have yielded no centuries and a 28 average.
What I would like to know is if he gets dropped does that make him still deputy captain! i.e. is captain now treated like bowler or wickie or batter? OK that is a cheap shot to illustrate the mess England now make of simple decisions. It gives an idea of how we are squandering the talent pool we have.
Sat 26th May Vaughan Credit To Him But Prima Donna DEFINITELY
First up credit to Vaughan to score a century with so little batting and having been out is terrific. However the reasons not to play him are still valid and sometimes the wrong decision works out. The fact is rushing unfit players back to their reserved spot has not worked for England. Indeed the Ego himself said yesterday "The team needs consistency, that's when England have been at their best and it starts with the captain staying fit." - so why should the 'captain' not prove he can stay fit and England play with a captain who can provide consistency?
I actually think consistency is over rated in selection. When teams start winning consistency of selection and team spirit generally take care of themselves. However I cannot accept selecting a captain and have him as and when he is deemed fit makes any sense. Also as he showed yesterday in crawling to 3 surely Vaughan cannot again be imposed on the one day team?
All his nonsense about the captaincy reminds me of the other likely dead end return, medium/long term, David Beckham who treated the arm band as some sort of honour that was his to retain. It is an unhealthy self obsession of British sportsmen and women. The saddest part of which is that not many people close to them seek to disabuse them of their lofty self obsession.
Fri 25th May Benitez Prima Donna DEFINITELY
Now Liverpool will have to find even more money for even more players to feed the ego of Rafa Benitez. Losing the so called Champions League Final has ruined his plans for last year in that it looks an empty season where they went backwards as a premiership force. Even Arsenal can point to improvement and direction of travel.
If I was the Liverpool board I'd want to know the following before giving him any money: Steven Gerrard how does a supposed player they could sell for 30 million get away with 7 goals and 2 assists with a lousy 32% on target strike rate from a season?: If the title is the target why is it that last 3 years they have been almost out of the race by the end of August?: His team's boring and negative tactics that make them as interesting to watch as Eastenders: the players he has bought seriously Zenden, Pennant and Kuyt and a host of nonentities with Iberian names who have disappeared or are completely forgetable.
Liverpool seem to have no youth coming through or that a man who thinks only of his now will be prepared to try. They can spend what 40 million on a striker and winger but they have ageing centre halves, a midfield that generally speaking can only be balanced for one off games, a chronic inability to play away from home and a star player who by his own admission cannot handle being on a favoured team and hence does not switch into gear until the pressure is off.
Without organic growth and with loads of premiership clubs busting with money it is unclear how far Liverpool can grow even with a budget of a 100 million. It is equally unclear to me how he can balance a side when he, like me, does not fancy Gerrard as a central midfielder and does not have the wide players or centre forward to play 4321 (as he sort of did in the CL final). To get the players for that would cost pretty much all his money. He also needs a new younger centre half to play game in game out at the intensity to win a championship that reduced Chelsea and United to walking pace at the end.
If I was a Liverpool fan and the manager was working for the club I would want some organic growth and a stable way of playing before spending massive money (not reacting to every opponents strengths like a relegation candidate). Yes, teams ideally need plan B, but Liverpool have Plan B-Z with no real over riding A which is most important. Adding more players to that mix does not seem the best way forward. At least with a clear plan and playing style he could add players who suit it. Rather than hoping all his disparate bits come together to be more than a cup side. Ranieri with CL but no charm or likeability? Mourinho without the jokes and occasional rationalisation?
Frankly Rafa is threatening what he cannot surely mean. Will he sacrifice total control at Liverpool to be a coach at Madrid? Or fight the politics that has reduced even Mourinho to mere defiance at Chelsea. Bollocks call his bluff demand improvement before massive investment. There will be no bargains this summer.
Thu 24th May Benitez Tactical Genius NOT
With 2 minutes to think about it Ranieri took off a defender and threw on Juan Veron to universal derison. With 2 weeks to consider it Ferguson played an unfit Juan Veron instead of David Beckham. With 3 weeks to consider it Benitez chose to play 442 with out a holding midfielder against a Milan team playing 4312, boy was he lucky. Anyway this time so called tactical genius with weeks to decide set out to stifle Milan and played 451 with a very isolated and over matched Dirk Kuyt.
Yes unlike 2 years ago Liverpool would have been deserved winners. However despite having large portions of the game and losing to an accident of a goal how were they in fact trying to score a goal? Basically a Steven Gerrard or Riise special off a 2nd ball off a clearence by Milan (Did Kuyt win a header till Crouch came on and took people away?).
In the end one cannot help feeling that whilst his errors were not as egregious as 2 years ago were still there. He played the kind of tactics that people think far too highly of against Chelsea or Man United. Seriously how much of a tactical genius do you have to be to pick 451 against a better team? Surely he needed to be bold here against at best an equal team and use the 442 that had for a half put Chelsea on the hook.
Also as with Mourinho and Robben what is the attraction of Harry Kewell and Zenden? One is perenially injured and the other never was any good. As with Chelsea 04/05 and 05/06 the logic of the 4321 is to replace the front player and wingers as they tire. Yet Kuyt stayed on and whilst he did eventually score he was not doing much. How Bellamy did not get on to run at the tiring Milan is a mystery. Plus surely almost all evidence this year is that the limited Crouch is better than Kuyt. Kuyt as a lone battering ran appeared to be Kevin Davies lite. Losing out all over the pitch - a 2 yard header, off side with the game lost does not change any analysis.
I hate most managers who rely on one liners like "lose with your best player" or "picking those who got us here" however maybe Rafa should have used the latter in terms of Bellamy over Kewell. Rafa clearly brings discipline but his use of 5 in midfield even in the right game does not make him a tactical genius, far from it.
Thu 24th May European Football : Time To Accept Part Of The Blame
WE have defended strongly United and Spurs fans after them getting kickings from continental police. However there comes a time when English fans have to hold their hands up. If we allow ourselves to be infiltrated by criminals intent on causing dangerous over crowding and potential disaster then we cannot merely lay the blame on poor stewarding etc. Imagine if they tried to turn away thousands of young men with fake/no tickets? i.e. stewarding is not the whole answer. Having someone to blame after a disaster is also cold comfort to those who lose loved ones.
Having said that it is about time UEFA ensured proper ticket checking and proper stadiums for major finals and all European games. If the games cannot be properly policed as in Lens, Sevilla and Roma then those stadiums should also be closed. Indeed I would add that no stadium with a running track should stage any kind of top flight football - including Seria A games, sorry Roma and Lazio.
However Liverpool fans cannot ride on the heads of those who were battered by fascist police in Roma, Lens and Sevilla. Thousands turned up with drink driver style contempt for the effect they would have on their fellow fans. Complete contempt for their own and others' safety. WE as fans have to stop tolerating the casual criminals who tout or gain unlawful entry or we are as bad as them. Liverpool's supporters are already rightly acknowledged as the among worst thugs in Europe and adding a desire to create dangerous situations just because they can always blame the authorities if people die is a sick joke.
Thu 24th May Flintoff : A Weekly Soap Opera
Mickey Vaughan had better get some runs when he faces the new friendly West Indies attack or he will look a national joke. Another thing that is media space filling drivel is the contrived weekly will he won't he about Flintoff's fitness. It is tedious and tiresome and surely unsettling for the lesser players who place may or may not depend on his fitness. Lets not treat every silly test like it is the decisive one in an Ashes series. Pick the team you know to be fit on Sunday and let him bowl for Lancs then bring him back. We play 16 tests a year I think there are plenty for a fully fit Flintoff to play in if he misses the next one.
The England team and selectors should stop poodling to the media and celebrity obsession. As I have said before there is no evidence from last year England are significantly weaker with out Flintstone.
Wed 23rd May Liverpool Not Good Enough : Not Spite
Judged on Tuesday's media reports it is not just ABLs who don't think Liverpool's league position lies. It seems Rafa is going to make wholesale changes. He did last time as Liverpool's excreable league campaign led to 5th and begging to be allowed in the following year's so called Champion's League. Indeed recent winners of the CL feature only Barcelona who have won their major domestic league and the CL that year, Porto don't count as a major league winner and indeed beat Monaco who did not qualify for the year after in the final. Indeed Arsenal nearly pulled it off last year after an awful domestic campaign.
A Liverpool win will make the modern Liverpool like the Andy North of football. North won 3 USPGA tour trophies but as 2 of them were US Open's he did quite well out of it. Rafa will know that a win is essential as without it he is not even Andy North but a chancer who has spent a lot of money not to improve his team's chances in the league. 2 CL wins gives him credibility for several years. As WE said Liverpool seemingly have not tried in the league looking at their early season record no way they are trying for 90 point last 3 seasons. their away record for a club like them would befit Man City this year.
I'd still prefer a Liverpool on several grounds a) Rafa will have to cruelly disabuse another group of CL 'winners' they are any good, see "hero" Dudek! b) Milan represent a vain cretinous fascist c) Milan represent a football culture that is corrupt in more sense than the results are decided in advance d) They may be as English as Chorizo outside of Gerrard and Carragher but that is enough for me e) Gerrard is already over praised so what more can they say! He's god? No that was Robbie.....
Tue 22nd May Hargreaves : Too Much But....
Before the last world cup the idea that more than 15 million would not have bagged you both Hargreaves and Carrick is laughable. Indeed you could afford a cheaper bottle of wine at Gordon Ramsey's from the change. Now both together allowing for extras and the usual back handers say the thick end of 40 million and not less than 35 million. This is why it was completely fatuous of Ferguson to say what a long term admirer of both he was - if so he has cost his side a fortune. Indeed they could still barely have won a trophy for 3 years with Beckham and been a conservative 100 million better off and not in debt controlled by people who had no idea what shape the ball was till after they bought the team.....
Before I launch into why Hargreaves is a poor signing I should say that the fee whilst ludicrous for such a limited player may not be as bad as people think. I did not think Carrick was worth 17/18 million before the extras they keep quiet about. I say now if United feel they need that type of player and are prepared to pay extra for an Englishman then so be it (Hargreaves first visited here to play for England! He's as English as the Skydome - Rogers Centre!).
At the start of the season trying to be a member of the cognoscenti I said for the price of Carrick one could have got Bellamy, Barton, Mido and Nolan. All had had good 2005/6s and the only doubt on 3 of them was temperament and what role Nolan fitted. Well offer anyone that choice now! Mido has sulked his way out of another club, if some idiot will buy him, and reduced the 2nd best big man in the premiership last season to an unfit unmoving whiner this. Bellamy has been OK but is simply not good enough game in game out to be a forward for a title chaser - not enough goals either. Barton is apparently worth more but whether some lunatic will truly part with 5.5 million to have a cunt like that in his dressing room is yet to be proved. Nolan looks huge now and with Anelka arriving became part of a 3 man central midfield that got less and less effective. A big lad who came to prominence played further forward he looks without a position now. Make no mistake Bolton with their negative goal difference probably are flattered by their league position. So now I'd rather have Carrick than all of them. Shows that solid temperament must be the first consideration when buying players unless like Chelsea you are happy to waste it on the likes of Mutu, Veron, Sheva, Balls and co.
Of course as our Premiership Bad Boys XIs shows Bellamy confirmed himself a world class cunt, adding a golf club attack on a team mate to past acts of imbecility. Joey Barton of course topped that with ease, arrested for that old favourite the taxi driver assualt. Followed that with a brutal achilis rake on Man City hate figure Pedro "Punchbag" Mendes - is it ture that have a voodoo doll of Mendes and pins? Then leaving a team mate unconscious with an allegedly coward's attack and getting another visit from the Rozzers - makes me wish I was not so free with the word cunt so I had somewhere to go with Joey.
Anyway lets get the ball out on Hargreaves better continental holders are available at less than half the fee and indeed Hargreaves is not getting better at 26. In NFL terms he only plays one side of the ball. Personally it shocks me that teams pay so much for plain holders who don't make themselves available for a pass and only work when the opponents have the ball. When these players are isolated tactically as Makelele shows they become the weak point. They end up in a 442 dragging the whole team back to play the ball out of defense (see England). Hargreaves will have his uses in late situations to be a 5th defender. To mark dropped off 2nd 3rd strikers like a Kaka. I just find it hard in the turkey shoot of the premiership that a flowing team would want him game in game out. He is really a 5th defender. Then again they could buy 4 temperamentally unsound/no position players for the same money and more wages. I no longer say it is a shocking buy merely it signals less flowing football if he plays consistently. Not sure he is what they need, more as with England what they fear they need.
Of course the other irony is that SAF seems most influenced in his, team with a back 4, 2 in front (Hargreaves and Carrick) and then a front diamond you'd swear he'd had his telescope on Arsenal with Petit and Vieira and Chelsea BSB (Before Sheva and Balls).
Mon 21st May England : New Coach New Captain Same Muddled Thinking
I hope England blow through the Windies today but like many wins it will have been a triumph of talent over thinking. I am no fan of Owais Shah but why was he in at 3 and not 'Cream On Top' Bell? Of course the reason is the worst one that no 3 is pencilled in for Vaughan's massive ego and his inability to stay fit and have a meaningful knock in nearly 2 years. Why did they not declare with 15 overs left last night allowing their 2 fresh seamers to have spells when fresh twice with the ripe cherry? Laughably they feared the 0.01% chance of losing giving extra overs to the West Indies. Seriously they may have got to 400 eventually against attacking fields but on a 5th day wicket when you can out defensive fields and bowl 3 foot wide? The weather could also intervene against there being a full days play. Besides even if the chance was 10 or 20% it is about time we tried to play winning confident cricket and tested ourselves. England did not need a 400 lead and at 356 I was on the phone to a mate what are these clowns playing at.
Another thing that got me was that England were told to speed up and KP promptly used it as an excuse to give his wicket up slap stick fashion. KP does not need to slog and if anything slowed down. Someone needs to say you never ever give your wicket up to pie chuckers like Gayle. KPs wicket should become the most valuable in test cricket and he clearly has the talent to make it so. He just needs to learn like Ponting and Yousef to go beyond 100 remorselessly. If he plays just within himself for longer he could be the best. Ludicrously our reduced bowling core was allowed to bat - if the West Indies had been trying to win at that point Panesar would have received 6 balls an over aimed at his fingers and chest.
There is talk of handing more power to Graveney and his selectors which I would applaud if it were not for his supine stances againt 'Mad' Duncan and the class drunk this winter. Also in 15 years of the job he has held sway despite never making a public utterance that hinted at more than a weak, bland and conformist personality.
The fact that Andrew Struass is not the England captain is beyond belief. Could you pick Vaughan for his batting? Indeed Strauss has the fickle finger of poor form pointed at him. Could we face India with Vaughan Strauss and Flintoff in the top 6 without any form? Or Bell without any real runs without at least 200 on the board?
You cannot help feel that they have missed a trick not getting an agressive abrasive attacking coach like Moody. Someone who understands that whatever the pitch and over cast conditions winning captains generally use the word 'Bat' on winning the toss and truly believe in themselves - then again how much authority does a deputy captain (promoted from deputy deputy to an ego and a drunk to deputy dawg to the ego) and an internally appointed coach told not to be a dictator like his predecessor have? Indeed listening to Vaughan last few days we know who the new supremo is and it is his egoness or else he is hysterically delusional.
Mon 21st May Wasps : Shaun Edwards One Of The Greats
I recall as a kid reading the then seemingly all the money in the world, £35000, had been paid to a 17 year old kid to play Rugby League. This was before masses of TV money. Now he is coach to rugby union Wasps, a game he apparently had never played before playing for England schools (myth or truth?). Needless to say that Edwards is not a house hold name despite being an all time great League player because he is quiet and unassuming.
He is now headed it seems to be an all time great coach under the great McGeechan. Today Wasps gave a master class in using their resources and playing their opponents. In a world of best 11s and 15s Wasps use their bench to step up games and close them down. They used Dallaglio for 50 odd minutes before bringing on the younger and better Haskell.
I certainly wish people in football, especially, England managers would think of the game as more than select best 11 and then change when desperate later. With Mike Owen, Lennon and Jermain Defoe (arguably Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole but someone has to start) England could play to use poachers and pace later in games. Pick our boy Kevin Davies to bully and wear down teams and then when the game opens up throw on Rooney where he can run onto the ball which is what sets him on fire and makes him look world class. You don't have to agree with that to agree with the point that we should view big one off games in the same manner McGeechan and Edwards approach big games for Wasps.
Arguably Wasps are the Liverpool of Premier rugby but they play to the rules of the competitions and the fact they beat a better team like Leicester in all departments today reinforces the point I am making - whether I like the Leicester approach more or not is irrelevant.
Mon 21st May Harm-Less : Maybe He Ain't That Good
You know in sports we go with what our gut tells us. We look at people's skills, physique and style and project what we think people should be. As pointed out with Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard those that have massive high water marks and a general level of performance that is much lower are hardest to assess. Especially when Rooney and Gerrard can perform appallingly to brilliantly from half to half or match to match. At least a metronome like Lampard tends to have a form cycle.
Unlike footballers with Harmison is quite clear if you look at his record when he is able to perform. Harmison is only great when he can pitch the ball just back of a length and it hits the batter on the hands/chest/head with steepling bounce.
Yet for all their vast knowledge the Sky team did not even consider this explanation - that he may just not be that good and only true upside on hard bouncy wickets. Sure Harmison full of confidence and firing can probably bowl well on most wickets, but so say all of us. However generally speaking when was the last time he took wickets, a 5 for or even a 4 for, when not on a wicket with variable bounce and better still steep bounce like Old Trafford last year?
Since after the Ashes Lords test according to cricinfo 11 matches 35 wickets @ 38.54 a piece with a best of 6/19. As hard as it is to accept someone who can take 6 for 19 is ordinary Harmison defines it. His average overall since being world no 1 (Oct 04 I used as the stepping off point) is 34.37. That is over 2 and a half years of cricket and does not constitute more than a 4th seamer. It is worse than Flintoff's career average. Matthew Hoggard has been 28.88 in the same period. It arguably entitles Harmison to selection over Plunkett and Mahmoud who average around 38 but then again they have upside whereas Harmison's form seems established.
The point being for me England when Hoggard and Flintoff are fit should consider: 6 batters, 4 bowlers: Dropping Harmison on wickets that do not suit, this Lords wicket is drying and he may be effective 4th innings: Favour prospects who are working at their game over a 28 year old with a questionable work ethic and a deficit of performance.
Sun 20th May Wembley : Sponge Pitch : 107 Steps :Sort It Out
Losing medals should just be given out in the dressing room. Especially at the new Wembley with its pudding pitch and 107 step walk to the Queen. A literal "take the long walk" for the losers, sorry runners up. No one wants the medals anyway so hand them out in the dressing room. Next time sort out the pitch and get rid of that humiliating walk of shame.
Sun 20th May Cricket Experts Too Clever By Half
It is funny with good cases to be made to drop or make prove their fitness with Harmison, Vaughan, Plunkett and Flintoff that most experts going into Lords were floating the boat England should go without Monty. Well as I type this he is getting some rare stick but does have 4 wickets of the 5 to fall. The great thing with Monty as Hoggard remarked after Gilchrist and spanked him for 26 or was it 28 that he came running in desperate to have another bowl at him.
Harmison as we have opined is either a slacker or just a fast bouncy/bad wicket bowler. It seems clear that Harmison is either the strongest or the weakest link with seemingly no middle ground. It is also clear unlike Panesar that Harmison should only play when he is not going to be Harm-less. Panesar should always play unless we can go back to having the 4 seamers of 2005.
Sun 20th May The Flip Side Of Wayne Rooney
We have twice written about the conundrum that is Wayne Rooney. The cup final showed the Wayne Rooney his fans see rampaging runs in an open field game that briefly went end to end and allowed Rooney space and time to run on to the ball. The first half of course was more like the vast majority of his big games where his main positive was pushing on the shoulders of the last defender. It is this latter point why I say he is not a 2nd striker and rarely convinces behind another striker - see his play when behind RvN and Larsson.
Why is the first half Rooney the one we concentrate on? ABU? No because he went nearly 30 champions league and competitive internationals without a goal and barely an assist. The point being that whilst Roma and Milan for a game corrected that remarkable drought it was still evident in his recent England games and against Milan away.
The answer if of course for England and United to set that remarkable tempo of an English league game but I am sure they would have done by now if they could. It is hard to set a tempo when the opponents don't allow it. So I still believe Rooney can play anywhere when he is getting the ball moving forward at goal but in most big games it ain't happening and he should be the front striker with license when the game opens up.
Needless to say this is not the last time I write about England's biggest star.
Sat 19th May England Cricket Weeks Of The Same Nonsense
So all the weeks of press nonsense and selection nonsense and England with their promoted deputy deputy captain, now deputy captain, go ahead and rattle up 525 with 1 newbie top scoring. So why all the pointless debate and late fitness tests on Vaughan and Flintoff? I know much of it is media filling space but the actions of the coach and selectors is still the same precious indulgence of Flintoff and Vaughan.
Indeed why not ask them to play for 2 months and stay fit so they can show they are ready to play the tough games? It is now obvious why they wanted to play to puff up their inadequate batting averages against a 2nd rate under cooked team.
Fri 18th May Joe Cole : Admirable
Joe Cole says he has always wanted to play in the cup final and in this age of phonies saying what they have been trained to I still believe him. The difference between Joe and most of the spoiled generation is that he loves the game. Not in the badge kissing phoney ways but in the genuine love of the game. At 18 when he was a great prospect I, in that supposedly knowing way, said he is a player without a position and will never make it - put that with my Lamp-Post crack when Chelsea "wasted" 11 million they did not have on the best Chelsea player ever or the other way that Rooney was the new Maradona after 1 England game!
Much as I hate to admit it what Jose Mourinho has given English football is Joe Cole the almost complete player. This has not been a one way transformation as Cole's reaction to the 'I have no place in my midfield for Joe Cole' crack was to work hard and find out what was wrong. Along with Wright Phillips he got the substituted after 24 minutes crap last year. Yet Joe's reaction is nearly always positive. Indeed he followed Lampard as England player of the year (what a poisoned chalice that is!).
Having seen Joe turn up in an old T Shirt to do the Spanish Football it is clear like the genuine football, not club, fans he loves the game. The reason football is so big is not history or circumstance it is the best game ever.
Fri 18th May Vaughan Self Serving Ego Maniac? Surely Not?
The purpose of blogging is often to satisfy our distaste at the easy heroes thrown at us who have never truly proved they are more than one hit wonders or cream on toppers or fair weather players. It is why slating Flintoff and Vaughan is so hard as they both were favourites of the Blog. Anyway Vaughan in a peak of self serving zeal without a single shred of proof said that splitting the captaincy between one day and test had not worked and should not be done.
Leaving aside this Blog's almost solo view that a 30 averaging Vaughan is not worth a place in either form of the game this is nonsense. England did best recently when they effectively had only Flintstone who was behaving so badly he was gearing up to be sacked as Vaughan's deputy. Indeed they won the Commonwealth Bank series with him looking as befuddled, bemused and out of his depth as when they were losing - it is not that big a deal. Certainly not a big enough deal to have a slow and low scoring captain anchor the team in the worst way.
Even in tests England turned a winter thumping from Pakistan with Yousef having an almost all time year (amazingly in the same year as Ponting was) under the deputy deputy captain - 3 captains. So Vaughan is clearly talking arrant nonsense. England have not been good at one day cricket with any number of captains, except bizarrely 0 in the winter where only the truly charitable would give Flintstone any credit.
Thu 17th May C'Ashley : No Apology Necessary
You wonder why Ashley Cole felt the need to apologise for a bad season. He missed a lot of games last year and Arsenal did not seem to miss him. Indeed aside from when both were injured his "marketing profile" that makes him first choice, WE assume, meant that a better player, in most aspects of the game, in Bridge got to play. I am sure real Chelsea fans hope you have an even worse season and Bridge stays fit next year.
Wed 16th May Pietersen Final Proof He Is Foreign
There have been many clues that Kevin Pietersen is not English. Things like achieving the highest points in the world rankings of an England player ever (3rd in world at present so good are Ponting and Yousef). Being the no 1 one day batter in the world and not abjectly falling apart as Harm-less did from no 1 in the bowling rankings. Now he has truly given it away by demanding that England look to be the best in the world. The Bounder.
For some reason this upstart does not want to rest on a win over Australia years ago and just getting drunk on hubris (and alcohol!), living the rest of his life off one series. OK you could argue that Boycott was as determined but he never batted like KP (no one does or ever has, technically he is a self created one off).
He should look at Vaughan who despite being unfit is staggered his ego was not allowed to impinge on the winter tour more than it was. Just think how well Flinstone would have done the job with 'his egoness' staring over his shoulder with plaintiff cries of "oooooohh, You should've done that, laddy".
It is dispiriting that at 26 and near the top that Pietersen unlike great British players like Flintstone, Harmison and Vaughan has decided he wants to be better.
Sarcasm aside, amazingly given how high he has flown there are obvious things KP could improve and get better and most are not technical or difficult: set out to bat decisively and not give into just playing to the crowds, esp at 158... he has been out 3 times on that score: in one day games he seemed to be more interested in his own centuries than pushing on this winter: be slightly less ambitious with some shots - he gets out caught on the boundary with a shot sometimes that no one else could get off the square - a wrisity flick down deep square leg's throat: Play better with the tail, giving singles and trying to slog every other ball is not a great way to go. WE would not like to see him be regimented too much but a small change in focus could make him up there with the greats, which sadly it seems none of his Ashes winning team mates will ever be.
Tue 15th May Premiership Needs Renewal From Hubris
4 managers gambling 20 million a year apparently not investigated. Yet what do we know that Man United faced a weakened Everton team by agreement - that weakening arguably let them back in a game they were out of. Fulham allowed 3 points by Liverpool. West Ham allowed 3 points by Man United. None of this to be investigated. Yet little old Reading suggest they may not take the joke UEFA cup seriously and UEFA arrive like a ton of bricks. Who can forget how Stuart Pearce's Man City were handed 3 points they desperately needed by his friend's weakened Boro team.
The point being without being able to prove corruption we can see the competition is fundementally already being abused at the whim of managers. This needs to change.
Seemingly like all Britons connected with sport the premiership is drunk on its success and TV contracts. Yet the building block of that success, competitive football matches played by 100% committed teams, is being undermined. Causes of corruption and financial impropriety are brushed under the carpet. Lesser teams quite clearly decide to let 3 points go against Man United and Chelsea as 80 points has gone from winning total to also ran total in the last few years.
All I can say is that there is a metaphorical wall painted somewhere with "Italy was here 15 years ago". Or maybe I can just forsee a time when Football will eat itself.
Mon 14th May England Keep Faith In The Drinkers
Once again it seems England are still in hock to old cricketers who refuse to stay fit - worse that those who even Fletcher's Man Nasser Hussain called a 'Drinking Culture' are first choice off horrific winters.
Vaughan's recent record does not merit inclusion and the other who is not as good as people make out and not fit enough for England to make the correct decision on side composition. No doubt someone will feel like a place holder for Vaughan and yet almost everyone brought in to replace an Ashes hero has done better than them.
Even the massive frame, drinker and ego Flintstone it can be noted we got our best post Ashes result without him and with the extra batter we probably need. The problem is of course Flintoff's dedicated fitness regime/ego means he has to bat 6 with 4 other bowlers - in case he breaks down. It is also why our wickie is picked in the hope he makes runs as he [AF] is clearly the weakest no 6 in any major test playing nation.
Not even Australia with a genuine all round great (unlike a highlights and lowlights merchant like Andrew Flintoff) only play 4 bowlers. Flintoff's 32 average not a batsmen it make.
I also don't like Harmison and his pathetic mentality is allowed scott free off a 60 per wicket and over a year on only being effective on variable bounce wickets without even a public warning. Not to mention Plunkett whose low life drink driving conviction and questionable habits does nothing to stop the fears this is a 'boys' club
Personally I can see how Plunkett, Hamrison and Flintoff get selected as the alternates would benefit more from bowling more in the counties, hopefully. However I do not see it as a shot across their bows that this is their last chance saloon which it should be.
Sun 13th May The Altitude Of The Moral High Ground In Cricket
Love or loathe him but Karl Marx once said something along the lines of "On flat plains mole hills may appear as mountains, such is the altitude of English Intellectualism" when describing the thought of John Stuart Mill, I could be wrong on that but it is the idea behind the mis quote I want. The brutal pragmatist and brilliant, in a snide way, election burglar John Howard has siezed the moral high ground from the ICC by pulling Australia out of its tour to Zimbabwe. He laments that he has to do it but felt compelled not to honour this butcher as England and the ICC have done. Of the players on Stuart McGill who refused to go escapes being stained by this. Almost all the current golden generation of players have this stain on their reputation.
When John Howard is shaming as that mole hill as a mountain and not just the ICC look small. The British govt forever quick under Bliar and Brown to grab the onion filled hankie for Africa did not do this allowing the scum that leads world cricket to bully a weak compliant ECB into touring. The ICC who obviously take the same pragmatic view as those moronic African leaders who just elected Zimbabwe chair of the UN Commission on Sustainable Economic Development - that would be ironic were it not tragic.
For me it at least reminds me of when Steve Harmison and Flintoff did not go - something positive to say for them after their hubris and pathetic cronyism of the winter. Maybe I am looking forward to seeing them play a bit now! Before in my more ranting drunken moments they generally got elected chair people of the who needs them club.
Sat 12th May Honest Wenger Shows Up Fraud Rafa
Talking of fig leaves below whilst Rafa for the 2nd time in 3 years plays his get out of team going backwards jail Champions League card Wenger admits 22 points off United and we stank. Indeed more of us can understand why Arsenal with a younger team and less money stank than Liverpool who just could not be bothered - seriously either Gerrard is utterly over rated or how did he after 31 games only have 5 goals and 2 assists often played wide or forward? Liverpool were not off a yard in my view (and Stevie's over rated with a high high water mark - talk about wanting it both ways us bloggers can be just like Rafa!). Like Spurs cup specialists of the 80s where poncing about 42 games a season was followed with what naively counted as a big finish at Wembley.
Rafa will no doubt be refueled with loads of dollars and try to spend them before the US currency declines to the status of washers. However what even a pile of money will get you is questionable as the new TV deals mean even more money is flowing and teams like Newcastle with maybe a new manager to impress bid up the price of even dreck.
My worry and maybe Arsene Wenger's is that his team is too lightweight and arguably the balance is between his two best players 13 assists league leader Fabregas and early season the player in the ProZone world class with, Lampard and the Ginger Prince, Gilberto Silva. His wingers Rosicky and Hleb look good in some games before Rooney for England like disappearing from others.
Apparently UEFA are worried if Reading play the kids they will devalue the UEFA cup.... Well frankly it has saved the Carling cup allowing players to get road tested by the top teams so they can be over sold to gullible clubs who think top club cast offs are much better than their own. Anyway back to the UEFA cup Reading would only de-value it if someone had a crap on the pitch during a game. There are pre season tournaments with more prestige. There are youth games with more status. Frankly if I was Reading and I had the choice I'd not enter the "Fig Leaf for Covering the Under-Achievement of Spurs" trophy. The saddest part of this year and last is that Boro and Spurs under achievers actually tried to win it, how vulgar, and yet Sevilla polishing their nails polished both off with the minimum of fuss.
Fri 11th May Owen : Freddie Tolls Bell For Owen
Freddie Shepherd knows all about being washed up. After another round of rumours no doubt from the publicity machine that forced Keegan to play 2 up front and the debacle of the last game at Wembley - after dropping Owen, correctly, to the bench and drawing with World Champions France with 1 up front and 'MeMeMe' on the bench from where he scored complete with stupid I proved you wrong stare at the manager (when in fact he had proved him right!). Now 'THEY' have started hawking the pint size MeMeMe player round for less than 10 million Freddie felt compelled to lower the boon. The top 4 don't want you.
Newcastle are the only game in town for pint sized poachers who want to start games. It seems to have escaped that attention of the Chester born lad that strikers who can get 20 goals a season consistently are out in favour of pace and height and team play. Of course Owen has never managed 20. This new team thing with 1 up front, how did that happen he must sob to himself? It happened because a modern team is better than 1 player. Indeed Ronaldo has topped Rooney as Lampard topped Drog and Crespo in Chelsea's title winning years.
The top clubs exist in a world where the strikers increasingly are seen as work horses first and foremost. Even the Drog given more license in a 442 has had to lumber his massive frame up and back to cover the aerial weaknesses caused by buying A Cole and not having adequate centre half cover. Indeed Arsenal may be about to call time on his egoness, Thierry. It is why Sheva was a bad signing long before he turned up weak and unfit.
As we have argued with Rooney he is a front striker and should rule out Owen's return for England. Owen no longer has the pace to push team's back and is at best a box poacher to be brought on for 20 minutes - Ole Gunnar Solskjear without dignity or self criticism. Ironically being a late poacher at Madrid kept him fit and the senseless fans of his wittered on about his goals per minutes etc. Yet his ego and his handlers forced his move including lumping ludicrous pressure on Benitez to take back a player he did not want.
Owen's 'plight' on 5 million a year is more Schadenfreude in the year of Pardew's eclipse and Leeds dismal failure. The era of Me players with huge media manipulation is over, hopefully, as the managers are now the big beasts at the top clubs in England.
Thur 10th May Sky Wrong : Get What They Wanted
Sky TV got what they wanted last night and pretty thin gruel it was. A guard of honour by mostly players who were not the defending champions for mostly players who were not the champions.... Andy Gray like the cretin in the Independent must have been grateful for a referee who to quote the Indie "Poll had done well to keep 22 on the pitch". This means equating petty time wasting and consistent foul play with the leg breaker eagles tried on Shaun Wright Phillips. Eagles was probably not aware the Phillips ended Dean Ashton's season in training or maybe in an effort to get retribution on Mikel he decided to pick on the smallest guy on the field.
Like most things in the modern media age "the Guard of Honour" is pushed by a TV team devoid of any ideas about football. Quite why an act of humiliation for his own team by Ferguson has got such play as the thing to do is beyond me. The fact that Chelsea felt bound to oblige this from media comments over the last few days and in spite of any meaning as Scott Sinclair clapped a bunch of equal nonentities on to the field is beyond me. It was PR they did it, Sky mentions it and a few journalists say we should so we will even though it will be a pathetic empty gesture with no meaning. Like the awful yellow never red refereeing lets hope it is never repeated - at least unlike the refereeing this could happen sooner rather than later. Just because it makes sense to wickle Dickie Keyes and the man with his hand up his backside does not mean it has any place on a football field.
Valdano was right to highlight the recent Liverpool Chelsea games as dire. He was also right to point out the depravity and deep desire to win of both managers. Indeed I would strongly argue Chelsea lost to an inferior team because their manager would not let them play. Indeed we argued this for why United squeaked out against Milan.
At least there is an antidote over here in the play of Manchester United notwithstanding the other night. All I would say to nauseating team first fans who merely use football to exorcise their petty confabulations is that much more like that and those teams will be playing to themselves. Valdano could have added the childish dick swinging from the two managers prior as well.
Nonetheless when you look at premiership where the top teams accumulate ludicrous points totals as other teams take games off never is the need for more playing ambition and less hierarchy worship needed. One only has to look at the skewed home and away records of Arsenal and Liverpool (comparable to Blackburn and Man City) to know that these so called top teams get easies at home as people decide not to waste effort. Chelsea and Man United I would still argue get too many games where even decent teams capitulate - Everton from 2 up against United and West Ham in between winning 6 of 8 wasted little effort in a home thumping from Chelsea.
For me the pathetic lack of ambition of Liverpool, Newcastle, Spurs, Man City and Middlesborough in clearly not trying for their best league position puts me off my pet idea of greater revenue sharing. The only solution is for Celtic and Rangers to join as their fans would not mistake shit hanging from a stick as avant garde art. They would in a matter of 3 or 4 years be able to compete.
Mon 7th May De La Hoya Floyd Not Enough To Redeem Boxing
Last night's contest between De La Hoya and Mayweather was a defensive masterpiece as both caught mostly glove. The problem was that one was 2 or 3 years past his prime and the other probably a stone lighter at fight time. It was also not a great pulse quickener although the purist would take a lot from it.
Certainly their willingness to fight better or dangerous opponents should be applauded as we see UK boxers like Hatton binge a stone a month when resting and looking to fight palookas in exciting money making fights he would truly struggle to lose. Or Joe Calzaghe who has not been willing to fight beyond the end of his road in Cardiff.
Calzaghe might find in an era where Tarver, Johnson, Jones jr, Hopkins, Taylor, Winky Wright etc at or around his weight he never fought any of them. That beating the short muscle bound Left Hook Lacy does not look like a fitting return as that one is beaten up by other boxers and wins over Brewer and Eubank on the down slope are not what kids dream of.
Boxing is very tired when the ageing De La Hoya is the Golden Boy and the ageing Barrera is the "baby faced" assassin - or else they have very ugly babies where he is from. I hope that De la Hoya might do the sport some real good as a promoter - that we might see fighters keep some of their money. Hopefully he can use his status and contacts to keep the phoney Don 'C' King out of the public perception.
Mon 7th May Lampard Pays Price For Being Available 68 Times, Every Time
It is hard to say anyone's reputation has fallen further than Lampard's in the last year. Not considered in the top 6 players by the PFA - a list that included Gerrard who when nominations would have been done would have had 5 premier goals to Lampard's 10ish and 2 assists to his 9ish. Both had played 31 games when the voting took place. A list that also included Wayne Rooney who had hurt his teams with sendings off and not even bothered to pretend to try in some of Manchester United's early games.
A lot has to do with the warping perceptions of the World Cup. In World Cup lore players who famously forsake club football often star like Baggio or Hagi but generally prove expensive to follow at club level. In some ways as Zola suffered against, on most measures, the inferior Baggio playing at Parma at the heart of his career before disappearing off the even more xenophobic Italian radar to Chelsea on his down slope. Ditto the latter stages of the Champions' League.
So Lampard suffers against the inferior Gerrard who can pick and choose his games. In the past whilst Lampard played 161 or so straight Stevie regularly got injured and took weeks to get full fitness back. Indeed Liverpool are often effectively out of the title race by September whereas Lampard has to hit the ground running. Another side effect is that Benitez is clearly well aware of Gerrard's proclivities and does not build the side around him. Whilst Lampard plays whatever whenever even when he looks in need of a rest as his manager trusts no one else. At present he looks worn down and not the up and down threat having carried Chelsea with the Drog in the glory less months of Nov, Dec and Jan when titles are won or attempted to be won. The problem for him and Drogba is no one else consistently stepped up bar Ricardo Carvalho and Cech. If your team is winning you can be quiet and no one will notice (see Rooney Aug->Oct).
At 29 Lampard has just set a Chelsea record with 60 appearences and add in 8 for England and consider whilst it did not work for him he played every minute of the world cup and whatever else 25 fruitless shots says, it says he worked hard.
It is now popular to crush Frank but only his age would make me wonder if Chelsea should sell or let him go. He's had a 4 year work load no one else could handle and whilst anyone who is cogniscent knows how good he is his popular image among the casual fan, sports writer and fellow pros is suffering for doing the right thing. I fear for Chelsea if Lampard becomes more cynical seeing the easy praise of Gerrard, Rooney and others who pick and choose and sit like cream on top of a bandwagon.
These huge number of appearences have almost always without substitution and one thinks: Mourinho (or hopefully another manager!) needs to rest him more: trust other players more: maybe he should ration his energy more: consider retiring from England. At 29 compared to almost anyone else he is still amazing in terms of games, minutes, passes, goals, assists and durability. What he is not is perceived well, covered by teams mates who can step up and in peak form. The golden goose is being run into the ground of dysfunction and purchasing luxury players with big names and photogenic faces. Selling better players to buy rubbish recommended by some spiv(s) and youth director.
Sun 6th May Time To End Champions League Opt Out
Liverpool's turning out of reserve teams not off a yard in recent weeks illustrates why it would be a good idea for England to have 1 less Champions league slot as at present 4 into 4 goes nicely. I know Everton ruined it a few years ago and Spurs should have but the current situation allows Liverpool to hand 3 points to teams in relegation and UEFA races. As argued yesterday I'd like to see the premiership be the competition and the 2nd tier clubs go the way of well run teams who can compete say 2 years in 5 with the big clubs. As it is the current structure allows Liverpool and worse Newcastle, Spurs, Man City, Middlesborough and others to sleep half a season and then go for their targets. Of course Newcastle and Siddy's target is mere mediocrity, something their most ardent fan would struggle to say they achieved unless low mediocre is an ambition.
Not even Barcelona and Madrid with their dwarfing revenues have it this easy year after year. Man United are on for a points record and it is still a team based on mostly players we have seen before.
Of course the real buffoon is Paul Jewell who decided not to try against Liverpool - clever boy..... They are handing out 3 points and we need 3 points. I know we'll let them win without any effort.
Sat 5th May Premiership Sues You Tube : Morons
You realise that football is a great game as it has become big business despite being populated by greedy spivs at all clubs. Moronic little men who grab the megaphone of football. The decision to sue You Tube must count as: crass: penny wise pound foolish: a sign that whilst TV keeps writing big cheques they are just riding the band wagon not steering it.
With football on its knees in many countries one would like to think the English clubs would consider trying make the premiership the world league: more revenue sharing to make the league more competitive: insisting on more professional TV coverage and better analysis than to dissect referees every week: getting Celtic and Rangers in: making the Champions' League so pointless to the real prize that it is treated like the Carling cup in the early rounds by English clubs. Instead they are just milking the current structures without any real thought or vision for growth.
Sat 5th May Rozzers Right People to Handle Barton
I always think as with coins thrown back or bottles or even players throwing punches on the field that the police waste time with stupid investigations. However in the case of a training ground beating that leaves someone left battered and unconcious it is entirely right for them to investigate. Maybe it was an even fight and maybe Barton just went too far in defending himself but the police and CPS are the correct bodies to determine that.
We wanted to like Joey Barton and view his correct damning of Lamps, Rooney, C'Ash and Stevie literary efforts as "I played shit, buy the book" as refreshing and not the pathetic hierarchy respecting reverence of the celebrity players the media do. However WE did not like his verbal assaults on his team mates which were self serving rather than leadership. Far from the popular view he and Dunne were saying the right things WE considered them 2nd rate team mates. That stuff is dealt with in the team by leaders quietly with whom it may concern.
Even the great ROY [Keane] was often only guilty of pricking bubbles and defending people like Veron by saying don't just blame them it is all of us. Barton and Dunne picked on easy targets and their comments came close to nihilism - just as Keane's ultimately fatal but amazingly accurate attack on Ferdinand was too far*.
* Just because you play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham and get paid 120,000 a week does not make you a good player.... Classic. Time for MUTV to show the interview I say.
However now Joey has returned to the brute who may not start a fight but finishes one - leaving a team mate unconcious and broken on the ground. Roy Keane would of course offer a smack in the mouth to someone's face, allegedly, but he stopped short of this kind of cheap shot brutality. Barton does not seem to know the line and fully deserves his place in our Nasty 11 with 'Gentle' Ben Thatcher and 'Genial' Craig Bellamy. Quite who wants a player like that is beyond me but he can no longer cite youth and not knowing better after his lauded anger management of a year ago. I guess you can only truly change if you want to.
I'd also add he is utterly over rated as a player. He missed a penalty last week so so much for laughing at his team mates' ineptitude. Sure managers like Pardew who took in 'Gentle' Ben are out there but seriously who would want to be his team mate? Cigars in the eye, beating team mates unconcious from behind with cheap shots, sounds like a job for Mark Hughes because who'd argue with him?
Thu 3rd May Chelsea Lose Next Season
I had always thought the allure of football was too addictive for anyone to walk away from. Sure Sugar did it but he made a mint selling satellite systems for Sky and that was his focus. Abramovich may be signalling he is giving up by apparently agreeing to let Jose Mourinho soil the game, that pays him 5+ million a year, for another tedium filled year of conspiracy and lies from Stamford Bridge.
The reason I see this as a negative for Roman is that so sour and devalued is any triumph Mourinho achieves that it renders it pointless. Maybe he will sell off valuable parts of the squad and wait for Arnesan to find the players - maybe even force the great ego to leave. For me this does not make sense unless he plans to stay away another year and has lost interest in his play thing. Hopefully this is just a tactic to get to the end of the season before canning the cunt.
Wed 2nd May Chelsea Lose Game In Dressing Room
Watching this game start one wondered if Mourinho had lost the game again in his own head getting his excuses in first. Despite Liverpool revisiting the tactical cretiniscity of the first half in Istanbul with 2 wide and Gerrard in central midfield - at least this time not with Xabi Alonso. It was a bizzare Chelsea so famous for keeping the ball could not keep it and were outnumbered all over the pitch by a 442 team.
If I had been a Chelsea player or manager I would have loved this selection and got Kalou or Joe Cole to drop off into the hole. To compound this on the evidence of the first half Chelsea also seem to have lost their set piece play. Lampard cannot get into the game. Indeed the goal came from an old Chelsea move. Chelsea are just pumping long balls and Liverpool are using the subtlety. Jose psyched himself out in January and first half he has clearly done the same again.
The second started with Chelsea having more ball but not looking at all likely to score. Indeed Liverpool stretched Cech and hit the wood work with Chelsea seemingly unable to stop mediocre players like Kuyt, Zenden and Pennant troubling them.
Drogba becoming a giant parody of himself. You expect him to have a minute or two on the ground in between being a god but here it is all ponce after 62 minutes as I type. The rest of the team have learned nothing from the goal and setup for a free kick by all going deep allowing Liverpool all the time and space they could want.
Gerrard is actually having a real going day and playing with the kind of restraint and discipline he often lacks centrally. Using his size and strength to run down particularly Joe Cole and dominating the normally superior Lampard (who seems out of form the longer the season drags on). Mascherano seems to be also very strong and maybe Rafa has got it right but one cannot help feel this is Chelsea lite. Possession 60 40 Liverpool which helps making timed interceptions and looking good against isolated forwards.
Essien may be short but he is the only Chelsea player seemingly up for this. Terry not for the first time is brave but looks weak compared to the dominant player of the last 2 seasons. That only about Essien probably does a disservice to the admirable Makelele - albeit Claude does get caught in possesion dangerously at times but where are his options. So no doubt Jose Ego would argue he is a centre half short of pairing those two doughty fighters but he chose Essien there over Boulahrouz.
Much of Chelsea's play like a stereotype of Bolton at present all high balls but without any threat. Allardyce should be able to dissect this one in the studio then! Chelsea have been like England at a major tournament with out a clue how to retain possession and attack the opponents. Lots of hoiked clearances to nowhere.
What shocks me is that 87 minutes gone and Mourinho has not got the stones to change anything by using a sub and seems to be playing for miracles and penalties.
Extra time and suddenly whilst Chelsea have offered nothing the Liverpool tank looks low. Maybe time to try Robben or SWP surely. Maybe the only 11 players Jose trusts are out there but this has been dire. This may be the root of the recent failures of Sven Goren Eriksson and Duncan Fletcher.
The beginning of extra time and I wonder if people all over Europe are wondering if the English need amphetamines to stay awake through this classless dirge. They must wonder if our doctors pump our players up to be so fit to play frenetic crap like this.
Some action at last a Cech blunder and Kuyt is off side. Amazing how keepers like Cech and van Der Sar would make such errors in big games. However his failure to parry it wide is let off by a technically correct but for me poor off side. I still like the advantage to the attacking side - hey at least Liverpool tried to win rather than wear their opponents out.
Despite his faith in Robben arguably costing Chelsea 2 years ago and I would argue last year when he subbed Cole not Robben Jose still prefers the dutch man with no evidence he is back and his poor record playing unfit over Phillips.
1 period of Extra Time over surely someone will gamble or are they just keeping their penalty takers on and playing for it. Benitez gets the dice out with Bellamy. Jose sends out the little man at last for Kalou.
The game has descended into dirge seperated by free kicks and set pieces that each seem to take over a minute off the clock and yield nothing but a piss poor ball in. It does seem odd that Chelsea added width and continue to aimlessly hoof the ball up to Drogba.
Finally Essien breaks out and shows the cost if him at centre half. Indeed with the amount of chaff Cole has hit in Bridge would have been better at that game - albeit he would have been more pressed defensively.
3 minutes left and Geremi for Makelele and Fowler for Mascherano yes both managers are playing for penalties now. Just time for Kuyt to show he could not score in a Newcastle night club.
Penalties.
In the end this was the kind of game that made one wonder if once Italy and Spain sort themselves out if English teams will really dominate like this next year. Maybe because the power and fitness is hard to argue with, albeit when it cancels itself out between two nervous teams it is rubbish viewing for a purist.
Wed 2nd May Beckham : Real Made The Right Decision
There is some revision off the back of a few decent performances on David Beckham in Spain apparently. However whatever he has left and whatever he is finding after being humiliated by Capello he still is now injury prone. Credit to him for fighting back from the disgraceful treatment of Madrid and Capello but I think it has been 6 years since he was the game in game out force that was for a while my favourite player.
The thing is that what this year has shown is he needs pushing. Hence justifying SAF never said publicly how great he was and would push other players egos knowing Beckham needed to be challenged. In the end maybe he had heard it all before or maybe the easy acceptance of others like the media, for a while, or Svennis he lost his edge. As a player without pace reliant on ball striking and effort this was fatal. One year United went nearly a whole year without a goal from a corner i.e. his vaunted crossing even became a weakness. Personally he should have left United 2 years before for me. Instead he has let the agents and marketing men dictate not football. For instance I am sure Ronaldo and Fabregas would love the sun and the food of home (or closer to it) but they know which league it is all about now.
On going to Madrid he fell into the easy culture of training that saw Ronaldo grow bigger than a big person... It is only latterly challenged by Capello he picked up. Whiilst he may still be capable and will bring in the revenue his body appears to be showing the signs of those years from 21 to 26 where he blasted 14 km a game and passes, shots, crosses, goals and assists.
David Beckham is 32 today.
Tue 1st May Siddy : Soiled Goods? Soiled New Owner?
As stated below we cannot think for the life of us why anyone would want to manage yet alone own Man City other than the pathetic, stupid or desperate. After all what is a club without its own ground? Step forward the former prime minister of Thailand and others to buy a club without a ground.
It does bring up what are they buying a toy like Abramovich? A vehicle for their Ego? As unlike the recent American rivals who smell money this cannot be about money. The saddest part was that fans will be OK providing money is wasted, sorry spent, on players. It seems no one plays the long game anymore bar maybe John Madjeski and he wants out in his saner moments. Reading should be the model built from the ground up on hard working players who cost little.
Further whilst City have a stadium to play in and are not in the boat of say Portsmouth who have corrugated iron supported covering seats having your own modern ground and control over it and all its revenue is surely essential. If you've bought City and pump 50 million into players (wages likely to double that) can you afford to buy the stadium as well? Milan Mandaric left Portsmouth to drain money till it all ends for Leicester and one can only surmise his main driver was a brand new purpose built stadium. One that could even like the Madjeski stage 2 sports.
It is surely a complete exposure of fandom and the fact being a fan actually reflects a lack of care for facts and reality that so many fans support any tom, dick and harry giving money to bid up the price of what is a mediocre playing pool. Are they going to compete with Chelsea and Man United for quality youngsters? Can they hold them after one good or even adequate season when United bid a ludicrous 16 million plus for a Rooney, Carrick or a Mikel before they have proven anything? Besides the next world stars will not want to play for Siddy and are likely in the youth systems of better clubs already.
This is before we consider the questionable people now buying English football clubs. many being 2nd rate spivs who have happened into money does not make these people respectable, honourable, intelligent or worthy of more than spit.
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