Wait until next year

Putting off what could be done tomorrow, today

Category: football

July 31, 2009

Bobby Robson dies

Statue of Bobby Robson, by Portman Road, Ipswich

Statue of Bobby Robson, by Portman Road, Ipswich

Bobby Robson died today. It is worth noting what a remarkable career he had. With Ipswich he brought success to an unfashionable and ‘small’ club, and arguably escaped the shadow of Alf Ramsey there, indeed following the same path to become England boss. A mixed time with England (I remember him being incredibly unpopular after a dire Euro 88 and right up to the start of Italia 90), but one that ended with a semi-final appearance for England that arguably kick-started a Renaissance for English football in terms of popularity and mainstream acceptability. One of the few English managers to not only venture abroad, but to also thrive, with PSV, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Barcelona. And Newcastle’s relegation this season put into perspective just what he had achieved there.

So, professionally remarkable, but from the various articles doing the rounds he was clearly a remarkable person too. I’ll let those more qualified discuss that.

 

Photo by Chelmsfordblue

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November 17, 2008

The merits (or otherwise) of the international break

So, Gerrard and Lampard are out of the England squad and Capello is down to four of his likely first-choice eleven for Wednesday’s friendly against Germany. There is the usual controversy and debate over having friendlies mid-season, particularly with the England camp seeming to doubt Liverpool’s diagnosis of Gerrard’s injury and insisting they have a peek themselves. With so much money at stake it really isn’t any wonder that clubs are reluctant to risk their star players/investments. No matter what they say, the majority of players are going to go along with their paymaster rather than En-ger-land.

But is this the end of the world? A match of this nature seems the perfect opportunity to blood new players and give those on the fringes of the England set-up a taste of a pressured game (what with it being Germany at the Olympic Stadium) without the pressure of a competitive fixture. Young players can get a feel of being in an England squad, while those who would usually keep the bench warm get a run-out and get used to playing with one another, and those “first teamers” left. Chances are, in future competitive games these fringe players will end up playing a part due to injuries or suspensions, so the experience they gain on Wednesday can only help.

The injuries of key players (real or not, it doesn’t matter) could really be a blessing in disguise for Capello, and just might throw up a few nice surprises and difficult future selection choices for him.

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November 15, 2008

Liverpool can’t keep missing chances

Lunchtime game today – Liverpool at Bolton, and what really should have been a walk in the park for Liverpool.

Real domination in the first half, and great to watch. Possession is so important in the modern game, but I think Premiership teams often suffer from the collective English impatience when it comes to football; “Get it up there!” is far more likely to be exclaimed from the stands (touchline?) than “Keep hold of it!”. But Liverpool resisted this, as they so often do, and their first goal, Kuyt’s exquisite header, came after a good twenty passes. Bolton were outplayed and stood off – Liverpool were free to do as they pleased with the ball.

The second half saw two rather than one up front for Bolton, and they were back in the game, pushing Liverpool further back and pushing the game into a more physical realm. But as Bolton pushed, Liverpool counter-attacked, with Torres setting up Gerrard for the game-killing second.

However, this is not the whole story. Yet again Liverpool missed a host of chances. Keane, still looking for a rich vein of form, missed from a few yards. Gerrard slid in from a similar distance to miss, Torres struck the post, Lucas’ header at the death went wide. No matter how well you play you are still vulnerable at 1-0, and Bolton could well have taken advantage if Cahill’s header on the stroke of half-time had been given, or if Ricardo Gardner had shown more composure in front of goal.

Earlier this season Liverpool played badly and won, and some suggested this was a sign of a good side. I beg to differ. Such teams will eventually come unstuck. As trite as it is to say, good teams win well. Liverpool (Wednesday aside) are now looking much stronger, and the scalps of Manchester United and Chelsea are significant. But now they need to not only play well, but convert more chances. Otherwise in a tighter game, or against better opposition they may not prevail as easily as they did today.

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September 3, 2008

Curbishley leaves West Ham – Football management isn’t what it was

The Guardian sportsblog talks today about the creeping redefinition of what it means to be a Premier League manager. As I touched on yesterday re: Keegan’s departure (or not) managers are increasingly being superceded/undermined/assisted (delete as appropriate) by directors of football and the like as more owners move away from the traditional model of appointing a manager to manage the whole operation. Curbishley was not happy with his lack of control of transfers, as Keegan had been the day before. And fair enough. Surely in any industry a manager should have significant input in employing (or sacking) his staff. Also, there is little evidence that this works in English football, it generally ends in tears. It is no coincidence that two of the most established and successful managers, Wenger and Ferguson, have so much say over the direction of their clubs. Are owners following this new model because of continental influence, or because they’ve bought a club as a plaything, a real-life Championship Manager?

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September 2, 2008

More Premier League Madness: Manchester City plan to buy everyone, Keegan leaves Newcastle (or not?)

Silly season is apparently in full swing in the Premier League following the passing of the transfer deadline.

After buying Robinho for a cool £32.5 million from under the noses of Chelsea, Manchester City’s new owners, the Abu Dhabi group, plan to buy up several more big names – including making a £135 million bid for Cristiano Ronaldo in the January transfer window. After the events of yesterday, anything could happen, but the chances of Ronaldo, Torres, Fábregas, Henry and Villa all heading to Eastlands seem a little unlikely. My worry is that clubs (such as Leeds) have come unstuck from big spending, and City already appear to have been caught out once with Thaksin’s shenanigans. Too many clubs fall foul of following an impossible dream. Considering the healthy attendances City have, and with a talented manager in place, it is a shame they are heading down such a risky route when they could have built up steadily over time. But perhaps Thaksin’s departure left them with no choice but to be the Abu Dhabi group’s plaything?

Meanwhile, Kevin Keegan may have left Newcastle, or at least that’s what reports (and Keegan’s no-showing training) suggested. But then Newcastle released a statement saying he had not been dismissed and they hoped stayed with the club. You’d think, however, that he was on his way. The conflict may have, at least in part, come from Keegan having to work with a director of football, Dennis Wise, who is in charge of all transfers. This was never going to be a satisfactory working arrangement for any manager, particularly one as passionate as Keegan. Without control over players coming in or out a football manager is impotent. I’m struggling to think of such an arrangement that has worked – director of football seems such a wooly term, and conspiracy theorists would state they are only brought in to get a the current manager out.

So, a strange day in football, and more developments to follow by the looks of things.

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