Every team has its off days when things don’t go to plan and players under perform, but one thing fans find hard to accept is when a side gives the impression they lack commitment.
It was hard to single out any one Bournemouth player who had a particularly bad game in Saturday’s match at Port Vale, but the whole team effort seemed flat all afternoon.
There seemed to be a lack of passion and, I don’t want to accuse the players of simply not trying, but there must be a reason we were second to practically every single 50-50 ball throughout the 90 minutes.
Only Marvin Bartley, a combative midfielder signed from non-league Hampton and Richmond last summer, appeared to be really scrapping in his typical bullish fashion but his efforts were somewhat wasted as he was played out of position on the right wing.
The fact that we aren’t playing well isn’t the most worrying thing, it’s that we seem incapable of battling through and grinding out results.
The best sides - the ones that finish highest in the league over the course of a season - are not just those who dazzle at their best, but those who are able to pick up points whether they are at their best or well below par.
Arsenal, for example, are unrivalled when they are playing well and few sides can live with them, but the reason they have not been in the reckoning when the major prizes have been dished out in recent years is their inability to put away weaker teams when their measured game is off the boil.
Chelsea, on the other hand, barely played well at all last season, but they managed to win ugly and as a result they pushed Manchester United all the way.
United were brilliant at times, but both domestically and in Europe their solid defence got them through some testing times – such as their Champions League encounter with Barcelona when they were comfortably outplayed by the Catalans over both legs but managed to stick in their and Paul Scholes’ sweet strike won the tie.
Now I’m not comparing Bournemouth to Arsenal, or United and Chelsea for that matter, but my point is we need to learn to convert patchy performances into results.
On Saturday, despite being outplayed for the best part of an hour, we managed to draw level and maybe another team would have fought out a draw, but minutes later poor defending saw us concede two quick goals and we lost 3-1.
Our opening fixture against Gillingham was another poor performance but we went ahead against the run of play and should have closed the game out but contrived to concede a late equaliser.
After the game there were some people, obviously with the patience levels of West Ham fans, calling for boss Kevin Bond to go.
For me though the problem was not tactical but in the players’ attitude, I know the manager has to take some responsibility for motivating the players but these are professional footballers and shouldn’t need to be specially fired up to give 100 per cent.
Away fans who make the effort to go to games deserve more than the Cherries gave us on Saturday, even if there were only 141 of us who had made the trip.
I spent £28 on the coach up there and £19 on the match ticket and after leaving home at 7am I didn’t get home till after 11pm.
I’m not asking for sympathy – I knew what I was potentially letting myself in for – but the least fans can ask for when they travel to away games is for their team to give it their all.
Last season it seemed the points deduction administered by the football league for our financial failings created a siege mentality within the squad and the players gave a little bit extra.
This year though, the 17-point deduction seems to have resulted in a defeatist attitude with players’ heads dropping the minute something goes against them.
It’s going to be a long old season and I’m sure I’ll clock up a few more miles watching Bournemouth, I just hope they put up more of a fight in the future.
Sunday 31 August 2008
Friday 29 August 2008
Rafa playing with fire as he relies on late show
They say some things never change and as we embark on this new season it seems Liverpool's customary Champions League luck has yet to desert them.
Rafael Benitez's side squeezed past a plucky Standard Liege side in qualifying in a manner that hardly surprises us any more.
Dirk Kuyt struck at the end of extra time after two legs in which the Scousers’ goalie Pepe Reina was comfortably his side's better player.
Quite how a side who finished fourth in their domestic league and then scraped into the main draw by the thinnest of margins is then a top seed in for the first group phase is beyond me.
The seeds were selected by the mystical 'UEFA coefficient' and take into account performances in the competition over the last five years.
Yes, Liverpool's record is good but surely there should be some disadvantage to forcing your way in through the back door.
To be fair Benitez's opponents could have been easier than PSV Eindhoven, Marseille and Atletico Madrid, but they could have been a lot worse.
One player who will sit up and take notice of the draw is Liverpool's adopted son Fernando Torres, who faces an emotional return to the club where he learned his trade and was hero-worshiped.
I expect the Reds to qualify, but I doubt they will make it easy as they have so often left it late in previous years.
This habit is starting to rub off in their domestic performances as well - their two wins this season have come courtesy of late goals by (guess who?) Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
The problem for Benitez is he knows this luck must run out and if he continues to rely on moments of magic from his stars he will eventually be found wanting.
He has assembled a good squad but the side has no settled way of playing and struggle to dominate matches.
This is perhaps a reflection on Rafa's infamous tinkering with his starting line-up.
He needs to work out his first eleven and get them playing with width so 'wide' players like Kuyt, Babel and Benayoun aren't always cutting inside and cramming up the space where Gerrard and Robbie Keane like to operate.
If he gets this sorted, Benitez may even see his team's domestic results improve as well.
Chelsea may have been accused of being lucky last season as they scrapped their way to a series of 1-0 wins in poor performances last season.
But, as anyone who has been in football will tell you, fortune has a funny way of catching up with you and it may not be a coincidence that the Blues fell agonisingly short on three fronts last term.
Rafael Benitez's side squeezed past a plucky Standard Liege side in qualifying in a manner that hardly surprises us any more.
Dirk Kuyt struck at the end of extra time after two legs in which the Scousers’ goalie Pepe Reina was comfortably his side's better player.
Quite how a side who finished fourth in their domestic league and then scraped into the main draw by the thinnest of margins is then a top seed in for the first group phase is beyond me.
The seeds were selected by the mystical 'UEFA coefficient' and take into account performances in the competition over the last five years.
Yes, Liverpool's record is good but surely there should be some disadvantage to forcing your way in through the back door.
To be fair Benitez's opponents could have been easier than PSV Eindhoven, Marseille and Atletico Madrid, but they could have been a lot worse.
One player who will sit up and take notice of the draw is Liverpool's adopted son Fernando Torres, who faces an emotional return to the club where he learned his trade and was hero-worshiped.
I expect the Reds to qualify, but I doubt they will make it easy as they have so often left it late in previous years.
This habit is starting to rub off in their domestic performances as well - their two wins this season have come courtesy of late goals by (guess who?) Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
The problem for Benitez is he knows this luck must run out and if he continues to rely on moments of magic from his stars he will eventually be found wanting.
He has assembled a good squad but the side has no settled way of playing and struggle to dominate matches.
This is perhaps a reflection on Rafa's infamous tinkering with his starting line-up.
He needs to work out his first eleven and get them playing with width so 'wide' players like Kuyt, Babel and Benayoun aren't always cutting inside and cramming up the space where Gerrard and Robbie Keane like to operate.
If he gets this sorted, Benitez may even see his team's domestic results improve as well.
Chelsea may have been accused of being lucky last season as they scrapped their way to a series of 1-0 wins in poor performances last season.
But, as anyone who has been in football will tell you, fortune has a funny way of catching up with you and it may not be a coincidence that the Blues fell agonisingly short on three fronts last term.
Wednesday 27 August 2008
Has Berba taken player power too far?
This summer may well be remembered as a watershed moment in modern football when the rise of player power reached new heights.
Dimitar Berbatov’s inevitable move to Manchester United is just the latest example of a player forcing a move away from his club against the wishes of his employers.
It may seem fair enough in the world outside football - if, god forbid, I was unhappy at my job, I should feel free to sound out other employers and seek a move away whether my editor was happy about it or not.
It’s about career choices, freedom of movement and basic employment rights.
But it is simply wrong to translate this same model into the world of football where millions of pounds are paid to secure a player’s services.
Clubs take huge risks on players with astronomical investments (Berbatov, it is hard to believe now, raised a few eyebrows when he signed from Bayer Leverkusen for over £10 million) to buy players that will bring success and attract fans.
Yes, players like Berbatov or Cristiano Ronaldo may have a sell on value but the fact is the clubs don’t want to sell them.
It is ironic how Real Madrid’s courtship of Ronaldo that so angered United has almost been replicated in the European Champions’ attitude towards Spurs and Berbatov.
I know players must have ambition but they also need to show a degree of loyalty and discuss with their employers when the time is right to move on, especially as they could be left with precious little time to find a replacement even with all the millions they will receive.
In both Ronaldo and Berbatov’s cases their parent clubs have as good as admitted they would reluctantly sell at the right price next summer, giving them a whole year to sound out potential replacements.
Is Berbatov really that unhappy living in London and earning tens of thousands a week playing football that he can’t wait one year out of courtesy to the club that gambled on him and introduced him to English football?
There is one school of thought that believes there is no point keeping someone at a club if they are unhappy, but I have heard more and more people (obviously not financially minded)
suggesting Spurs stick the Bulgarian in the reserves for a few months and watch him suffer.
It may not help the Spurs bank balance, or the team and it certainly won’t enhance Berbatov’s career – but it might send out an important message to all those other inflated egos out there on the limits of player power.
Dimitar Berbatov’s inevitable move to Manchester United is just the latest example of a player forcing a move away from his club against the wishes of his employers.
It may seem fair enough in the world outside football - if, god forbid, I was unhappy at my job, I should feel free to sound out other employers and seek a move away whether my editor was happy about it or not.
It’s about career choices, freedom of movement and basic employment rights.
But it is simply wrong to translate this same model into the world of football where millions of pounds are paid to secure a player’s services.
Clubs take huge risks on players with astronomical investments (Berbatov, it is hard to believe now, raised a few eyebrows when he signed from Bayer Leverkusen for over £10 million) to buy players that will bring success and attract fans.
Yes, players like Berbatov or Cristiano Ronaldo may have a sell on value but the fact is the clubs don’t want to sell them.
It is ironic how Real Madrid’s courtship of Ronaldo that so angered United has almost been replicated in the European Champions’ attitude towards Spurs and Berbatov.
I know players must have ambition but they also need to show a degree of loyalty and discuss with their employers when the time is right to move on, especially as they could be left with precious little time to find a replacement even with all the millions they will receive.
In both Ronaldo and Berbatov’s cases their parent clubs have as good as admitted they would reluctantly sell at the right price next summer, giving them a whole year to sound out potential replacements.
Is Berbatov really that unhappy living in London and earning tens of thousands a week playing football that he can’t wait one year out of courtesy to the club that gambled on him and introduced him to English football?
There is one school of thought that believes there is no point keeping someone at a club if they are unhappy, but I have heard more and more people (obviously not financially minded)
suggesting Spurs stick the Bulgarian in the reserves for a few months and watch him suffer.
It may not help the Spurs bank balance, or the team and it certainly won’t enhance Berbatov’s career – but it might send out an important message to all those other inflated egos out there on the limits of player power.
Bond forced to become a loan ranger
The strange air of optimism I felt going into the season at Dean Court is quickly ebbing away.
I know we were deducted 17 points heading into the League Two campaign, but we had kept the majority of our squad from last year together and I genuinely felt if we got off to a good start and knocked off the points deduction quickly a season of blissful midtable anonymity lay ahead.
But after taking just two points from the first three games, added to the news last year’s top scorer Jo Kuffour is likely to head to Bristol Rovers for a knock down fee of £60,000, I am beginning to feel we might be in for a worryingly more tense campaign.
Manager Kevin Bond has openly admitted in the local press that he is struggling to attract players to a club in our situation and he seems destined to rely on loan signings to flesh out our threadbare squad.
Last season’s poor start was largely down to the large number of loan players on our books as they struggled to gel and a few could have been accused of not playing more for themselves than with total commitment to the Bournemouth cause.
Bond could be accused of making the same mistake twice as he has already made five loan signings this summer but he seems to be taking a more considered method.
Rather than the scatter gun approach he adopted last term, he has had players down to look at them before signing or signed them initially on short term deals with a view to the extension.
It is also worth mentioning two of the stars of our fantastic run at the end of the last campaign were rent-a-players – Maxi Gradel, a tricky Ivorian winger from Leicester who became a cult hero, and David Forde, a goalkeeper from Cardiff.
First signs of some of Bond’s new recruits look encouraging as well.
Peterborough keeper Shwan Jalal is reportedly already looking to convert his loan into permanent deal after a series of steady performances between the posts.
Defender Joel Ward, from Portsmouth, also looks a tidy defender - even if he did appear somewhat ruffled by the physical approach taken by Aldershot’s forwards during our trip to the Recreation Ground.
He has probably yet to experience that kind of opponent at youth or reserve team level and should learn.
Perhaps our most intriguing loanee is 18-year-old Leicester centre forward Reneil ‘Ricky’ Sappleton.
Built like a young Emile Heskey, he does unfortunately share the England forward’s first touch – or lack of – but he does also possess the strength and power that made ‘Big Em’ such a prospect in his youth.
He also has a phenomenal goalscoring record at youth and reserve level and if he can adapt to live in the basement division he could go some way to fulfilling the gap created by Kuffour’s absence.
I have no doubt Bond would rather get a long term prospect on a permanent deal than these temporary solutions but it is a case of needs must at this level and let’s not forget the exploits of a certain Jermain Defoe on loan on the south coast.
I know we were deducted 17 points heading into the League Two campaign, but we had kept the majority of our squad from last year together and I genuinely felt if we got off to a good start and knocked off the points deduction quickly a season of blissful midtable anonymity lay ahead.
But after taking just two points from the first three games, added to the news last year’s top scorer Jo Kuffour is likely to head to Bristol Rovers for a knock down fee of £60,000, I am beginning to feel we might be in for a worryingly more tense campaign.
Manager Kevin Bond has openly admitted in the local press that he is struggling to attract players to a club in our situation and he seems destined to rely on loan signings to flesh out our threadbare squad.
Last season’s poor start was largely down to the large number of loan players on our books as they struggled to gel and a few could have been accused of not playing more for themselves than with total commitment to the Bournemouth cause.
Bond could be accused of making the same mistake twice as he has already made five loan signings this summer but he seems to be taking a more considered method.
Rather than the scatter gun approach he adopted last term, he has had players down to look at them before signing or signed them initially on short term deals with a view to the extension.
It is also worth mentioning two of the stars of our fantastic run at the end of the last campaign were rent-a-players – Maxi Gradel, a tricky Ivorian winger from Leicester who became a cult hero, and David Forde, a goalkeeper from Cardiff.
First signs of some of Bond’s new recruits look encouraging as well.
Peterborough keeper Shwan Jalal is reportedly already looking to convert his loan into permanent deal after a series of steady performances between the posts.
Defender Joel Ward, from Portsmouth, also looks a tidy defender - even if he did appear somewhat ruffled by the physical approach taken by Aldershot’s forwards during our trip to the Recreation Ground.
He has probably yet to experience that kind of opponent at youth or reserve team level and should learn.
Perhaps our most intriguing loanee is 18-year-old Leicester centre forward Reneil ‘Ricky’ Sappleton.
Built like a young Emile Heskey, he does unfortunately share the England forward’s first touch – or lack of – but he does also possess the strength and power that made ‘Big Em’ such a prospect in his youth.
He also has a phenomenal goalscoring record at youth and reserve level and if he can adapt to live in the basement division he could go some way to fulfilling the gap created by Kuffour’s absence.
I have no doubt Bond would rather get a long term prospect on a permanent deal than these temporary solutions but it is a case of needs must at this level and let’s not forget the exploits of a certain Jermain Defoe on loan on the south coast.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
Games are not all about the glory
As we bask in the glory of our nation's unexpected success in Beijing I hope we can find the time to spare a thought for those less fortunate figures of this Olympic Games.
It would be easy to focus all out attention on the gold rush that has given Great Britain an unusual feeling of sporting fulfilment.
But one of the sad but fascinating realities of the Olympics is that, at the very moment thousands are up in arms in jubilation, someone, somewhere is coming to terms with massive sporting disappointment.
One of the saddest sights of this year's games was yesterday in the Bird's Nest stadium when home favourite and Chinese icon Liu Xiang limped out of the 110 metre hurdles before his first leap.
This was a man under the burden of more pressure than anyone else at the games - as the home nation's standard bearer for track and field - and he was clearly prepared to go through the pain barrier for his throngs of adoring fans.
But where the mind was willing his body failed - a reminder of the thin line between Olympic success and failure and that these god-like Olympic heroes are actually human.
Paula Radcliffe also showed the guts of an Olympic champion only for the frailties of her mortal body to deny her that title.
I have run marathons myself (admittedly at a much slower pace) and I know something about the pain you have to go through just to finish when fully fit, let alone when carrying an injury.
Her disappointment was doubled by the fact that this was the second time she had been denied her Olympic dream after she was forced to pull out with dehydration 23 miles into the race in Athens four years ago.
There were also the distraught faces of our women's four and men's eight rowing crews who could not hide the fact that Olympic silver represented a failure after four years of hard work with sights set firmly on gold.
This is why the Olympics Games is sport at its greatest, we get to see in sharp co-existence the broadest range of sporting emotions.
The failures and the disappointments are every just as much part of the sporting experience as
the whoops of victory and these sportsmen deserve a place on the Olympic stage just as much as the winners.
The awesome sights of Usain Bolt dancing over the line of the 100m and Michael Phelps tearing through the pool will be defining images of these games.
But for me the experience of Beijing will be equally summed up by Liu's sad limp down the tunnel and the distraught faces of the Chinese fans and Paula gritting her teeth as she hobbled through the closing stages of the marathon.
It would be easy to focus all out attention on the gold rush that has given Great Britain an unusual feeling of sporting fulfilment.
But one of the sad but fascinating realities of the Olympics is that, at the very moment thousands are up in arms in jubilation, someone, somewhere is coming to terms with massive sporting disappointment.
One of the saddest sights of this year's games was yesterday in the Bird's Nest stadium when home favourite and Chinese icon Liu Xiang limped out of the 110 metre hurdles before his first leap.
This was a man under the burden of more pressure than anyone else at the games - as the home nation's standard bearer for track and field - and he was clearly prepared to go through the pain barrier for his throngs of adoring fans.
But where the mind was willing his body failed - a reminder of the thin line between Olympic success and failure and that these god-like Olympic heroes are actually human.
Paula Radcliffe also showed the guts of an Olympic champion only for the frailties of her mortal body to deny her that title.
I have run marathons myself (admittedly at a much slower pace) and I know something about the pain you have to go through just to finish when fully fit, let alone when carrying an injury.
Her disappointment was doubled by the fact that this was the second time she had been denied her Olympic dream after she was forced to pull out with dehydration 23 miles into the race in Athens four years ago.
There were also the distraught faces of our women's four and men's eight rowing crews who could not hide the fact that Olympic silver represented a failure after four years of hard work with sights set firmly on gold.
This is why the Olympics Games is sport at its greatest, we get to see in sharp co-existence the broadest range of sporting emotions.
The failures and the disappointments are every just as much part of the sporting experience as
the whoops of victory and these sportsmen deserve a place on the Olympic stage just as much as the winners.
The awesome sights of Usain Bolt dancing over the line of the 100m and Michael Phelps tearing through the pool will be defining images of these games.
But for me the experience of Beijing will be equally summed up by Liu's sad limp down the tunnel and the distraught faces of the Chinese fans and Paula gritting her teeth as she hobbled through the closing stages of the marathon.
Monday 18 August 2008
Classy Blues make first impression
As statements of intent go Chelsea’s start to their Premier League campaign was as emphatic as they come.
Big Phil Scolari’s first game in charge saw the Blues demolish Harry Redknapp’s normally resilient Portsmouth side 4-0 just a week after Pompey kept Chelsea’s title rivals Manchester United goalless for 90 minutes, albeit in the glorified friendly that is the Community Shield.
It was not just the scoreline but the manner of the performance that would have had the Chelsea faithful purring as Scolari’s men produced the kind of stylish football not yet seen at Stamford Bridge in the Abramovich era.
With new signing Deco pulling the strings, the quick touch, passing football they produced almost transported me back several weeks to the style in which Spain played, and won, in this summer’s European Championships.
The former Barcelona schemer was the hub through which all Chelsea’s intricate play was filtered but it was German Michael Ballack who produced the pass of the day with an exquisite first time flick unleashing Joe Cole to set the home side on their way.
Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was the same Chelsea who had ground out results in a series of dour performances last term.
Deco’s fellow Portuguese international Jose Bosingwa was also impressive in his first outing and playing under the manager who inspired the enterprising full-back play of Cafu and Roberto Carlos as Brazil boss might just be the best thing that happened to Ashley Cole since he left Arsenal in acrimonious circumstances.
But I’m not getting carried away and, despite their stuttering start against Newcastle, I am still backing United to retain the title – even if they don’t end up signing Dimitar Berbatov.
Several bookmakers may have reacted to yesterday’s results by installing Chelsea as new title favourites but Sir Alex Ferguson is not one to rest on his laurels and his appetite for success will not have been sated by last year’s double triumph.
Much has been made of United’s lack of an out and out striker but it is his relentlessly consistent back line that was the unheralded corner stone of last year’s success and will be vital again this campaign.
Rio Ferdinand may be able to lay claim to being the best centre back in the world at the moment and his partner Nemanja Vidic is one of his biggest challengers to that title.
Wes Brown will need to repeat last year’s heroics to keep Gary Neville out the side and Patrice Evra, always a bundle of energy up and down the left flank, is constantly improving his defensive game.
This unit in front of the steady if not spectacular Edwin van der Sar was the key to the Red Devils’ success in the games against their big rivals and laid the platform for United’s more illustrious attacking stars.
We have heard endless complaints about the dominance of the ‘big for’ but Arsenal and Liverpool will be hard pressed to stop it becoming a two-horse race this season.
Liverpool are still too reliant on two players, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and Arsenal – who ran out of steam after an impressive start – will find it hard to plug the gaps left by Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb (though Samir Nasri’s eye-catching debut on Saturday will have given them hope).
One man facing an important season at Arsenal is former Southampton forward Theo Walcott.
The 19-year-old has shown flashed of his potential for a long time now and needs to start proving that he can deliver on a consistent basis – week in, week out over 90 minutes.
In perhaps a poignant message to boss Arsene Wenger, Walcott asked for the Gunners’ number 14 shirt over the summer that previously belonged to Thierry Henry, a man converted by Wenger from a reluctant winger into a world class central striker.
As much as I would like to sound original and predict differently, I can’t see anyone breaking into the top four, although I think the best challenge may come from Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa who showed last year scoring goals is not a problem and have invested heavily in their back four during the off season.
Spurs may have started with a disappointed result against Middlesborough and they must resolve the Berbatov situation before they can fully focus on the season ahead and should improve under Juande Ramos.
The key to their success could be making the most of the talents of Luka Modric – a player with the capability to rival Andrea Pirlo as the most adept ball playing midfielder in Europe.
Redknapp’s assistant Tony Adams will demand an improvement in Portsmouth’s defending after yesterday’s shambolic performance and Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch should provide goals against weaker opposition.
But the sad fact is these sides are all just fighting for scraps at the table and the most they can feasibly hope for is an automatic UEFA cup spot.
Big Phil Scolari’s first game in charge saw the Blues demolish Harry Redknapp’s normally resilient Portsmouth side 4-0 just a week after Pompey kept Chelsea’s title rivals Manchester United goalless for 90 minutes, albeit in the glorified friendly that is the Community Shield.
It was not just the scoreline but the manner of the performance that would have had the Chelsea faithful purring as Scolari’s men produced the kind of stylish football not yet seen at Stamford Bridge in the Abramovich era.
With new signing Deco pulling the strings, the quick touch, passing football they produced almost transported me back several weeks to the style in which Spain played, and won, in this summer’s European Championships.
The former Barcelona schemer was the hub through which all Chelsea’s intricate play was filtered but it was German Michael Ballack who produced the pass of the day with an exquisite first time flick unleashing Joe Cole to set the home side on their way.
Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was the same Chelsea who had ground out results in a series of dour performances last term.
Deco’s fellow Portuguese international Jose Bosingwa was also impressive in his first outing and playing under the manager who inspired the enterprising full-back play of Cafu and Roberto Carlos as Brazil boss might just be the best thing that happened to Ashley Cole since he left Arsenal in acrimonious circumstances.
But I’m not getting carried away and, despite their stuttering start against Newcastle, I am still backing United to retain the title – even if they don’t end up signing Dimitar Berbatov.
Several bookmakers may have reacted to yesterday’s results by installing Chelsea as new title favourites but Sir Alex Ferguson is not one to rest on his laurels and his appetite for success will not have been sated by last year’s double triumph.
Much has been made of United’s lack of an out and out striker but it is his relentlessly consistent back line that was the unheralded corner stone of last year’s success and will be vital again this campaign.
Rio Ferdinand may be able to lay claim to being the best centre back in the world at the moment and his partner Nemanja Vidic is one of his biggest challengers to that title.
Wes Brown will need to repeat last year’s heroics to keep Gary Neville out the side and Patrice Evra, always a bundle of energy up and down the left flank, is constantly improving his defensive game.
This unit in front of the steady if not spectacular Edwin van der Sar was the key to the Red Devils’ success in the games against their big rivals and laid the platform for United’s more illustrious attacking stars.
We have heard endless complaints about the dominance of the ‘big for’ but Arsenal and Liverpool will be hard pressed to stop it becoming a two-horse race this season.
Liverpool are still too reliant on two players, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and Arsenal – who ran out of steam after an impressive start – will find it hard to plug the gaps left by Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb (though Samir Nasri’s eye-catching debut on Saturday will have given them hope).
One man facing an important season at Arsenal is former Southampton forward Theo Walcott.
The 19-year-old has shown flashed of his potential for a long time now and needs to start proving that he can deliver on a consistent basis – week in, week out over 90 minutes.
In perhaps a poignant message to boss Arsene Wenger, Walcott asked for the Gunners’ number 14 shirt over the summer that previously belonged to Thierry Henry, a man converted by Wenger from a reluctant winger into a world class central striker.
As much as I would like to sound original and predict differently, I can’t see anyone breaking into the top four, although I think the best challenge may come from Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa who showed last year scoring goals is not a problem and have invested heavily in their back four during the off season.
Spurs may have started with a disappointed result against Middlesborough and they must resolve the Berbatov situation before they can fully focus on the season ahead and should improve under Juande Ramos.
The key to their success could be making the most of the talents of Luka Modric – a player with the capability to rival Andrea Pirlo as the most adept ball playing midfielder in Europe.
Redknapp’s assistant Tony Adams will demand an improvement in Portsmouth’s defending after yesterday’s shambolic performance and Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch should provide goals against weaker opposition.
But the sad fact is these sides are all just fighting for scraps at the table and the most they can feasibly hope for is an automatic UEFA cup spot.
Thursday 14 August 2008
Sprinters gear up for battle on the track
THERE is nothing quite like the Olympics to satisfy our appetite for sporting drama and heroic tales.
The dominance of Michael Phelps, the courage of Nicole Cooke and the gravity-defying grace of the Chinese gymnasts is just a selection of a whole host of stories thrown up during the opening week of the games.
But the highlight of the show, the big spectacle, is just around the corner and it will be over in less than ten seconds.
The Olympics is all about watching men and women pushing their body to its limits and there is no greater thrill than watching man running as fast as he can go in the 100 meters final.
There is no mystery to it, it’s just eight men running in a straight line as quickly as possible, but the sheer adrenaline rush and blink-and-you-miss it speed makes it the headline act of any Olympic games.
This year’s final on Saturday also has the potential to be one of the great Olympic contests as three fantastically gifted sprinters, Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay, go head to head.
We have all been awe-struck by Phelps’ destruction of his opposition and it may have inspired many, but surely the kind of rivalry in prospect for the 100m is what sport is all about.
Three genuinely world class runners who all may have been head and shoulders above the rest in another era will be competing against one another with even the experts unable to call the winner.
The trio all have their own stories to tell as well.
Powell is the laid-back Jamaican with phenomenal ability and perfect physique but a reputation for choking on the big occasion.
His compatriot Bolt is the reluctant 100m sensation who came from nowhere and still claims to be a 200m specialist despite breaking the world record at the shorter distance.
Then there is Gay, the all-American hero on a mission to restore the reputation of his nation’s sprinters after it has been tarnished by drugs scandals in recent years.
All three of them are capable of winning and all of them in a record time – if they all turn up on the day (particularly Powell) it could just be one of those moments that we see replayed again and again - I hope I haven’t built this up too much!
It does seem slightly unfair to the likes of Phelps who repeatedly show their brilliance, but their glory could be completely overshadowed by one of these three speedsters in less than ten seconds of perfect sprinting.
The dominance of Michael Phelps, the courage of Nicole Cooke and the gravity-defying grace of the Chinese gymnasts is just a selection of a whole host of stories thrown up during the opening week of the games.
But the highlight of the show, the big spectacle, is just around the corner and it will be over in less than ten seconds.
The Olympics is all about watching men and women pushing their body to its limits and there is no greater thrill than watching man running as fast as he can go in the 100 meters final.
There is no mystery to it, it’s just eight men running in a straight line as quickly as possible, but the sheer adrenaline rush and blink-and-you-miss it speed makes it the headline act of any Olympic games.
This year’s final on Saturday also has the potential to be one of the great Olympic contests as three fantastically gifted sprinters, Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay, go head to head.
We have all been awe-struck by Phelps’ destruction of his opposition and it may have inspired many, but surely the kind of rivalry in prospect for the 100m is what sport is all about.
Three genuinely world class runners who all may have been head and shoulders above the rest in another era will be competing against one another with even the experts unable to call the winner.
The trio all have their own stories to tell as well.
Powell is the laid-back Jamaican with phenomenal ability and perfect physique but a reputation for choking on the big occasion.
His compatriot Bolt is the reluctant 100m sensation who came from nowhere and still claims to be a 200m specialist despite breaking the world record at the shorter distance.
Then there is Gay, the all-American hero on a mission to restore the reputation of his nation’s sprinters after it has been tarnished by drugs scandals in recent years.
All three of them are capable of winning and all of them in a record time – if they all turn up on the day (particularly Powell) it could just be one of those moments that we see replayed again and again - I hope I haven’t built this up too much!
It does seem slightly unfair to the likes of Phelps who repeatedly show their brilliance, but their glory could be completely overshadowed by one of these three speedsters in less than ten seconds of perfect sprinting.
Monday 11 August 2008
England gamble on KP's star quality
England cricket’s brave new world under Kevin Pietersen began with a win at the Brit Oval today with the converted South African predictably playing a starring role.
Pietersen’s first innings century was the stellar performance in a slightly low quality game and deservedly won him the man of the match award.
So far, so good for the bigwigs at Lord’s HQ.
But no one knows more than Pietersen and his predecessor Michael Vaughan that his success as a captain will come not in dead rubbers at the end of losing series, but in the greatest of sporting contests - the Ashes.
The all-action hero known as KP will not only need to be at his imperious best with the bat when the Aussies visit our shores next summer, he will also have to show a hitherto unproven tactical nous ability to motivate others to perform.
It was interesting that Vaughan’s go-to guy, his inspirational hero Andrew Flintoff, had – apart from a thumping six to win the game - a quiet test match in KP’s first outing in charge, with just one wicket in either innings and managed just 20 runs.
Captain or not, Pietersen will be no doubt inspire his adopted nation to numerous victories in the future with his sublime batting but it is when he is not firing and he has to rely on other that his leadership will be tested.
It is well documented that Vaughan’s batting was never quite the same once he maintained the captaincy mantle, as he seemed to pour so much of himself into others.
The challenge for Pietersen is to remain focused on keeping up his own high standards while at the same time helping others to improve their games.
The move from Vaughan to Pietersen is undoubtedly a change in direction for the England management.
Vaughan was ‘one of the guys’, who treated his charges as equals and went more for encouragement than chastisement.
I have no doubt Nasser Hussain played a key role in England’s 2005 Ashes victory by driving England’s competitive side up with his fiercely combative attitude.
But when Vaughan took over he created a more relaxed attitude in the England camp and the likes of Flintoff flourished with the self-belief he encouraged.
Since the Ashes the Vaughan-effect seems to have worn off somewhat, with the likes of Steve Harmison and Andrew Strauss losing form possibly because they were in too much of a comfort zone with Vaughan’s softly, softly approach.
So which direction will KP take?
No matter how vehemently he will deny it, Pietersen is not a leader among equals as he enjoys a superstar status matched only by Flintoff (whose own captaincy dreams sunk along with his pedalo in the Caribbean).
Whereas Vaughan was concerned with the legacy of his team, Pietersen is obsessed with his own personal legacy.
This doesn’t mean he is not a team player and cannot lead, because his own designs could tie in with that of his men.
What better legacy to leave than that of the man who led his country as they recaptured the Ashes against all odds.
Time will tell how the maverick reacts under the burden of responsibility, but it is important we judge Pietersen not just on how he performs while captain, but how his team perform as a unit.
Pietersen’s first innings century was the stellar performance in a slightly low quality game and deservedly won him the man of the match award.
So far, so good for the bigwigs at Lord’s HQ.
But no one knows more than Pietersen and his predecessor Michael Vaughan that his success as a captain will come not in dead rubbers at the end of losing series, but in the greatest of sporting contests - the Ashes.
The all-action hero known as KP will not only need to be at his imperious best with the bat when the Aussies visit our shores next summer, he will also have to show a hitherto unproven tactical nous ability to motivate others to perform.
It was interesting that Vaughan’s go-to guy, his inspirational hero Andrew Flintoff, had – apart from a thumping six to win the game - a quiet test match in KP’s first outing in charge, with just one wicket in either innings and managed just 20 runs.
Captain or not, Pietersen will be no doubt inspire his adopted nation to numerous victories in the future with his sublime batting but it is when he is not firing and he has to rely on other that his leadership will be tested.
It is well documented that Vaughan’s batting was never quite the same once he maintained the captaincy mantle, as he seemed to pour so much of himself into others.
The challenge for Pietersen is to remain focused on keeping up his own high standards while at the same time helping others to improve their games.
The move from Vaughan to Pietersen is undoubtedly a change in direction for the England management.
Vaughan was ‘one of the guys’, who treated his charges as equals and went more for encouragement than chastisement.
I have no doubt Nasser Hussain played a key role in England’s 2005 Ashes victory by driving England’s competitive side up with his fiercely combative attitude.
But when Vaughan took over he created a more relaxed attitude in the England camp and the likes of Flintoff flourished with the self-belief he encouraged.
Since the Ashes the Vaughan-effect seems to have worn off somewhat, with the likes of Steve Harmison and Andrew Strauss losing form possibly because they were in too much of a comfort zone with Vaughan’s softly, softly approach.
So which direction will KP take?
No matter how vehemently he will deny it, Pietersen is not a leader among equals as he enjoys a superstar status matched only by Flintoff (whose own captaincy dreams sunk along with his pedalo in the Caribbean).
Whereas Vaughan was concerned with the legacy of his team, Pietersen is obsessed with his own personal legacy.
This doesn’t mean he is not a team player and cannot lead, because his own designs could tie in with that of his men.
What better legacy to leave than that of the man who led his country as they recaptured the Ashes against all odds.
Time will tell how the maverick reacts under the burden of responsibility, but it is important we judge Pietersen not just on how he performs while captain, but how his team perform as a unit.
Cherries Chat: Sicknote key to Bournemouth recovery
With all the turmoil going on at Dean Court over recent months Darren Anderton would have been forgiven by many for simply walking away from the game.
Here is a man who has played in the Premiership and the World Cup and brushed shoulders with the finest in the game.
He has also gained infamy for the amount of his career he spent on the sidelines with injury.
The prospect of a 17-point deduction as he samples life in bruising world of the Football League’s basement division could hardly be called enticing.
However, Dazza has shown in his time on the South coast that he has a different kind of motivation to many modern players.
He may be on a pay as you play basis, but the sums will hardly be significant in terms of his career earnings and nothing in the contract states he must charge around as if he were still in the Three Lions of England.
As the Cherries kicked off there League Two campaign on Saturday, Anderton – now reinvented as a ball-playing central midfielder – was a class act, scoring the opening goal and, along with debutant goalkeeper Shwan Jalal, was the only Bournemouth player who deserved to be on the winning side as they drew 1-1 with Gillingham.
The intelligence and quality of Anderton’s passing is simply unmatched at this level and he will be an essential figure if we are to overcome our points deduction and remain in the division.
But it is his workrate and commitment in the tackle that really shone through as he repeatedly put his ageing frame on the line to carry out the less-celebrated side of the game.
Every time he has pulled on a Cherries shirt Dazza has been a model professional in his approach to the game and only very rarely allows his frustration at less talented teammates to surface.
I would love to see more talented veterans strutting their stuff and entertaining loyal fans in the lower leagues.
At 36-years-young I’m hoping there’s plenty more of the same to come from Sicknote this season.
Here is a man who has played in the Premiership and the World Cup and brushed shoulders with the finest in the game.
He has also gained infamy for the amount of his career he spent on the sidelines with injury.
The prospect of a 17-point deduction as he samples life in bruising world of the Football League’s basement division could hardly be called enticing.
However, Dazza has shown in his time on the South coast that he has a different kind of motivation to many modern players.
He may be on a pay as you play basis, but the sums will hardly be significant in terms of his career earnings and nothing in the contract states he must charge around as if he were still in the Three Lions of England.
As the Cherries kicked off there League Two campaign on Saturday, Anderton – now reinvented as a ball-playing central midfielder – was a class act, scoring the opening goal and, along with debutant goalkeeper Shwan Jalal, was the only Bournemouth player who deserved to be on the winning side as they drew 1-1 with Gillingham.
The intelligence and quality of Anderton’s passing is simply unmatched at this level and he will be an essential figure if we are to overcome our points deduction and remain in the division.
But it is his workrate and commitment in the tackle that really shone through as he repeatedly put his ageing frame on the line to carry out the less-celebrated side of the game.
Every time he has pulled on a Cherries shirt Dazza has been a model professional in his approach to the game and only very rarely allows his frustration at less talented teammates to surface.
I would love to see more talented veterans strutting their stuff and entertaining loyal fans in the lower leagues.
At 36-years-young I’m hoping there’s plenty more of the same to come from Sicknote this season.
Monday 4 August 2008
Dominant All Blacks begin road to recovery
Going into this weekend New Zealand rugby was in crisis.
Mind you, for the All Blacks the term ‘crisis’ doesn’t carry quite the same connotations as it does in other parts of the rugby world.
After an exodus of several top players, a narrow loss to the world champions followed by defeat in a pulsating game away in Australia – which again could have gone either way – for many countries would represent a fairly decent effort.
But in New Zealand it has been received with an almost apocalyptic despair and the position of coach Graham Henry, who was given the full backing of the New Zealand Rugby Union after the Kiwi’s disappointing quarter final exit in the World Cup, was under threat.
Fortunately for Henry, Saturday’s must win game against Australia was played in the All Blacks favourite test match arena - Eden Park – where they had not been beaten for 19 matches and had not been turned over by their Antipodean rivals since 1986.
A storming 39-10 win might not have completely converted an increasingly cynical rugby-mad nation, but it went a long way to regaining some of the faith in the former Wales and Lions coach.
It was no coincidence that the return to winning ways was accompanied by the return from injury of inspirational skipper Richie McCaw.
After Schalk Burger and George Smith ran amok at the breakdown in the two preceding Tri-Nations encounters, McCaw was back to reassert his authority and Smith, so magnificent in Sydney, suddenly looked average again.
But McCaw was not the only All Black on song, Dan Carter’s high standards have never dropped and he has often been fighting a lone battle to keep his side in games this tournament.
In Auckland though, he was back to bossing a dominant side and at times he looked as if he was just teasing Australia with his sickeningly accurate kicking.
Despite the loss of talented players such as Chris Jack, Doug Howlett, Aaron Mauger and Luke McAllister, a side with two stars of the calibre of McCaw and Carter are always going to be able to compete with the world’s best.
But others needed to perform too and Ma’a Nonu, so castigated after his clumsy display in Australia, was a different player - when he does actually catch the ball his incisive lines of running and raw power are a force to be reckoned with.
The star of the show, though, was Kiwi lock Ali Williams, who may just be able to lay claim to the title of most complete rugby player in the world.
Apart from dominating the Wallabies’ lineout and adding his power in the engine room, Williams was rampant in the loose and throughout this tournament he has also showed a surprising ability with the boot (in fact, Carter apart, he has been the All Blacks’ most reliable kicker).
For so long the lesser partner to Jack, Williams has flourished since Jack turned his back on the All Blacks to play for Saracens and finally seems to be leaving his hot-headed moments behind him to become a leader on the field.
This was a win based in powerful forward play just as much as slick moves out wide and nothing summed up the performance better than the All Blacks’ second try.
From a close range lineout Williams towered above his opponents and in one deft move he took the ball and - before he had even began his descent - knocked it down perfectly into the path of the unheralded Tony Woodcock, who burst through the Aussie line for his second try in three minutes.
It was a moment that would have had New Zealand forwards coach Steve Hansen purring.
Next up for New Zealand is a trip to face South Africa in Cape Town in this bizarre tournament where for some crazy reason the sides play each other three times – meaning you play a country twice at home and once away or vice-versa.
I just cannot understand why, if they wanted to increase the number of games in the tournament, they didn’t simply invite Argentina to play a part.
Mind you, for the All Blacks the term ‘crisis’ doesn’t carry quite the same connotations as it does in other parts of the rugby world.
After an exodus of several top players, a narrow loss to the world champions followed by defeat in a pulsating game away in Australia – which again could have gone either way – for many countries would represent a fairly decent effort.
But in New Zealand it has been received with an almost apocalyptic despair and the position of coach Graham Henry, who was given the full backing of the New Zealand Rugby Union after the Kiwi’s disappointing quarter final exit in the World Cup, was under threat.
Fortunately for Henry, Saturday’s must win game against Australia was played in the All Blacks favourite test match arena - Eden Park – where they had not been beaten for 19 matches and had not been turned over by their Antipodean rivals since 1986.
A storming 39-10 win might not have completely converted an increasingly cynical rugby-mad nation, but it went a long way to regaining some of the faith in the former Wales and Lions coach.
It was no coincidence that the return to winning ways was accompanied by the return from injury of inspirational skipper Richie McCaw.
After Schalk Burger and George Smith ran amok at the breakdown in the two preceding Tri-Nations encounters, McCaw was back to reassert his authority and Smith, so magnificent in Sydney, suddenly looked average again.
But McCaw was not the only All Black on song, Dan Carter’s high standards have never dropped and he has often been fighting a lone battle to keep his side in games this tournament.
In Auckland though, he was back to bossing a dominant side and at times he looked as if he was just teasing Australia with his sickeningly accurate kicking.
Despite the loss of talented players such as Chris Jack, Doug Howlett, Aaron Mauger and Luke McAllister, a side with two stars of the calibre of McCaw and Carter are always going to be able to compete with the world’s best.
But others needed to perform too and Ma’a Nonu, so castigated after his clumsy display in Australia, was a different player - when he does actually catch the ball his incisive lines of running and raw power are a force to be reckoned with.
The star of the show, though, was Kiwi lock Ali Williams, who may just be able to lay claim to the title of most complete rugby player in the world.
Apart from dominating the Wallabies’ lineout and adding his power in the engine room, Williams was rampant in the loose and throughout this tournament he has also showed a surprising ability with the boot (in fact, Carter apart, he has been the All Blacks’ most reliable kicker).
For so long the lesser partner to Jack, Williams has flourished since Jack turned his back on the All Blacks to play for Saracens and finally seems to be leaving his hot-headed moments behind him to become a leader on the field.
This was a win based in powerful forward play just as much as slick moves out wide and nothing summed up the performance better than the All Blacks’ second try.
From a close range lineout Williams towered above his opponents and in one deft move he took the ball and - before he had even began his descent - knocked it down perfectly into the path of the unheralded Tony Woodcock, who burst through the Aussie line for his second try in three minutes.
It was a moment that would have had New Zealand forwards coach Steve Hansen purring.
Next up for New Zealand is a trip to face South Africa in Cape Town in this bizarre tournament where for some crazy reason the sides play each other three times – meaning you play a country twice at home and once away or vice-versa.
I just cannot understand why, if they wanted to increase the number of games in the tournament, they didn’t simply invite Argentina to play a part.
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