Wait until next year

September 1, 2008

Premier League transfer deadline madness

I’ve been F5-ing my day away on The Guardian minute-by-minute report of the Premier League football transfer deadline day. There may be some exciting stories to emerge by the end of the evening, which isn’t often the case with these last-day shenanigans as managers and journalists alike scramble around trying to make something of the day, as the hours evaporate, generally with little success. But today Manchester City have been in the thick of some potentially huge stories, looking to gazump Chelsea to Robinho and steal Dimitar Berbatov from under neighbours Manchester United’s noses. The sheer audacity of it, plus the huge fees that are likely to be involved makes this a newsworthy deadline day amid the panic buying and other underwhelming transfer news.

I am not a big fan of the transfer deadline/windows in their current form. They seem to encourage these bursts of transfer activity that are often all hype and little action and seem to create a false market where clubs desperately throw money around on deals that may not be that wonderful. And the inflationary aspect of the window clearly benefits the bigger clubs, widening the gap there already is between rich and poor clubs.

While in the modern media age I’m pleased we don’t have the dull Gareth Barry and Cristiano Ronaldo sagas we had to endure this Summer all year long, I could live without the false parameters for sealing transfers. But, if we are to have transfer windows I wish they didn’t infringe on the season itself. This season so far already feels like a “phoney war”, yet to fully ignite. Transfers still going on, only to be cut off a few weeks into the season, just makes this worse. We should at least see the squads settled before the season starts if there is a time-limit on when transfers can take place.

Still, at least this window might not be an absolute dissapointment in the end, and at least the endless speculation will be over too, and we can get on with the important stuff. And for all my complaining, I’m still F5-ing…

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August 28, 2008

Reds, Arabs and Trolley Dodgers

Everybody loves a loser. As the Roger Kahn quote above states, “You may glory in a team triumphant…but you fall in love with a team in defeat”. Here are three teams I’ve fallen for over the years, each because of how they lost, rather than how they won.

Liverpool

Perhaps a strange choice, you might think, considering how successful Liverpool have been. But, while I can just remember their double-winning season of 1985-86, my first year of truly following football was 1987, when they didn’t win a thing. I remember well Liverpool losing the League Cup Final to Arsenal, despite taking an early lead from Ian Rush – it was the first time the Reds had lost when Rush scored, a record that had lasted seven years. Rush would then join Juventus. By 1988 Liverpool had won the league and could repeat their double success by beating lowly Wimbledon in the FA Cup Final. Of course, they lost in one of the most famous finals of the last 25 years. In 1989 Liverpool would lose the League Championship to Arsenal in the final minute of the final game of the season. Liverpool are by no means “losers” in the strictest sense, but these formative experiences certainly shaped my outlook on sport and made me a Liverpool supporter for life.

Dundee United

The Arabs, supposedly named after a harsh winter lead to sand being poured on the pitch to make it playable, are another love of mine. And it all falls down to one month, May 1987. In that month they lost the UEFA Cup Final 2-1 on aggregate over two legs, losing the Scottish Cup Final inbetween. To have got so far and to come away with nothing was heartbreaking, but their incredible season, including beating Barcelona home and away, led to a lifeline fascination.

Brooklyn Dodgers

From football to baseball, and a team that no longer exists. Last year on a trip to the States I caught an HBO documentary, Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush, about the Brooklyn Dodgers and was hooked. The fact their name came from “Trolley dodgers” when most teams had dynamic, heroic names, was wonderful, as was them being referred to as “Dem Bums”. This team knew how to lose, and I’m sure this was the root of the devotion their fans held, and continue to hold to this day. Between 1941 and 1953 they lost five World Series, all to their arch-rivals the Yankees, the ultimate hurt. In 1951 they collapsed completely from a 13 ½ lead to lose the National League to the New York Giants in a three-game play-off. No wonder they kept proclaiming “Wait ’til next year!”. In 1955 they finally won the World Series, but by 1957 the team was moved to Los Angeles, the greatest defeat.

I would love to hear of more classic losing teams you know, or indeed why you fell in love with your favourite teams. Thanks for reading.

PS I’m entering this in the Pro Blogger Killer Titles competition. Let’s see how I get on…

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August 26, 2008

Staying up late

When it comes to armchair viewing of sport, the finest experience has to be watching the action late into the night. Generally, my regular viewing habits, from childhood onwards, would obviously be during the day and into the evening. We watch the sport that goes on in our own country, in our own time. To stay up late as a child is exciting and exotic enough. To do so and also have the added thrill of sport was a rare treat indeed.

I remember being allowed to have the television in my room to watch England versus Argentina in the 1986 World Cup. Other times I might creep downstairs to watch the overnight sport, on one of the few occasions an event was deemed important enough to be shown live. This was better than any midnight feast.

I think this is such a powerful memory that it remains a genuine pleasure in adulthood. There is that element of nostalgia, remembering how it feel to be staying up to watch something going on halfway across the world and finding the thought of it somewhat overwhelming.

Even in the age of 24-hour sports channels and internet streaming there is still something wonderful about catching the Olympics, or a baseball game or whatever it may be, live, but at such a late hour. Really you should have gone to bed hours ago, but you can’t sleep when there is a stadium full of drama out there. Just like the comfort of late-night radio voices, it is good to know life is still going on, somewhere.

And it feels good to still be that naughty child, sneaking downstairs to turn on the television…

August 22, 2008

Nationals 13-5 Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were this afternoon swept aside in the sixth inning when a Grand Slam home run from Willie Harris set the Washington Nationals on their path to victory. At Wrigley Field the Cubs had pressed the home advantage early on, looking dominant as they went 4-0 up in four innings, including home runs from Mark DeRosa and Derrek Lee. The Nationals were living up to their record as the worst in baseball. However, soon they would be humbling the Cubs, the strongest team in the National League. The game hinged on the sixth inning. Washington clawed back two, and a change of pitcher, from Jason Marquis to Neal Cotts could not stop their momentum, with Harris’ grand slam turning the game on its head, as the Nationals went 6-4 up. Runs were traded in the seventh innings, but soon the Nationals pulled away to win 13-5, with Harris adding a two-run homer and Aaron Boone hitting a three-run double against Chad Gaudin.

August 22, 2008

Welcome

I’ve started this blog to keep my attempts at writing. We’ll see how it goes…any comments gratefully received.

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