Harry Redknapp has always struck me as football’s answer to Derek Trotter.
It’s not just the Cockney accent, and the cheeky-chappy, wheeler-dealer attitude.
He is very much football’s version of the self-made man, he worked his way up from the lower leagues with Bournemouth, made an unfashionable West Ham fashionable again and then did the same with Portsmouth (if ever Pompey were fashionable before).
‘Arry has always been very much his own man, wanting things his way – he made no secret of the fact that the reason he left Portsmouth the first time was the power-sharing relationship with Director of Football Velimir Zajec and shocked everyone by joining South Coast rivals Southampton (before, of course, heading back along the M27 some 12 months later to perform a Messianic survival act at Fratton Park).
Now the East End boy made good has been given the chance he always wanted, a ‘big club’ opportunity with Tottenham Hotspur.
Exactly what defines a big club, the difference between a Portsmouth and a Spurs, is hard to define these days (indeed, if you looked at the Premier League table the difference between the two was exactly 11 points – in Pompey’s favour!).
But Redknapp has talked of the ‘history’ and the status of Spurs.
It is an undeniable fact that certain clubs will always be ‘bigger’ than others, regardless of league position or even, to a degree, financial muscle.
Indeed there are some who still claim League Two side Leeds United are a ‘big club’.
Quite why ‘Arry decided to jump ship to Tottenham when he was so adverse to moving to
Newcastle, the last big club to come knocking back in January, isn’t totally clear.
It is likely to have something to do with the fact he has been promised total control at Spurs, something Magpies owner Michael Ashley was unable to offer.
It must also something to do with the fact he has taken Pompey as far as they can go, having led them to an FA Cup win at Wembley, and is walking into a win-win situation at Spurs with a squad far better than the club’s league position suggests.
There may also have been an economic incentives for the notoriously shrewd Redknapp to move back to the club where he trained as an 11 and 12-year-old, but I feel the main reason is that he finally has been offered the chance of a job normally reserved for renowned, ‘fashionable’ managers.
After years of making his name as a kind of bargain basement operator, capable of getting the best out of threadbare resources, he has finally been accepted to the managerial top table, where he will get the resources to match.
It is like Del Boy finally making his millions and being accepted at the local country club.
Of course in Only Fools and Horses Del Boy and Rodney do actually make their fortune but the dream soon turns sour.
Even before they lose all their money through dodgy investments, there is a sense that Del Boy was actually happier when chasing his dream than after he finally realised it.
Let’s hope for ‘Arry’s sake life at a big club lives up to his expectations and he doesn’t regret his move to the big time.
Monday 27 October 2008
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Fabio benefits as Rooney and Walcott blossom
There is nothing quite so valuable in football as the gift of timing.
Fabio Capello is being hailed as the saviour of English football, the man who has turned round our ailing team, but how much of that is down to sheer bloody luck?
Steve McClaren may have had has failings but it can also be said, while he was blessed with talented players during his time at the England helm, certain factors went against him.
When you look at the England team's attacking thrust in the past few games, much of it has come from the rejuvenated Wayne Rooney and the maturing Theo Walcott.
As the two continued their fine form in Europe last night, it made me think back a couple of years to McClaren's tenure when Rooney was struggling for goals in the national side and Walcott was hardly getting any playing time at Arsenal.
Emile Heskey, too, has undergone a renaissance to coincide with the Capello era and Frank Lampard - England fans player of the year in 2004 and 2005 before becoming the target of the boo boys in the late Eriksson years and under McClaren - also appears to be enjoying international football again.
Of course the other argument is that Capello is the reason behind these dramatic turnarounds and maybe in Lampard's case - when you look at the way he played at club level during McClaren's tenure - the argument that the Italian is finally getting the best out of him at international level is persuasive.
But it is club football where the other upward spirals of the other three have stemmed from.
When McClaren was in charge Rooney was a more of a team player who went through a succession of goal droughts for club and country and was as likely to track back and concede a penalty for England as score in a competitive game.
Walcott was experiencing the kind of growing pains that many teenagers experience as he showed only fleeting signs of his talent in his few first team opportunities.
This season is a different story. Sir Alex Ferguson has castigated Rooney for being too selfless and has worked hard to focus his huge energy into the role of attacking playmaker and goal threat – cue a Ronaldo-esque run of scoring from the former Everton man.
Walcott is no longer a bit part player at Arsenal and is having an impact on big games from the start not just from the bench.
And Heskey finally seems happy in his role as foil, particularly with the all-action Amr Zaki's arrival at Wigan, and team player that is so respected by boss Steve Bruce.
Yes Capello has had to fit these players together and you can't argue with his results, but spare a thought for our dear old wally with a brolly who must be looking on Rooney and Walcott's form with green-eyed envy.
Fabio Capello is being hailed as the saviour of English football, the man who has turned round our ailing team, but how much of that is down to sheer bloody luck?
Steve McClaren may have had has failings but it can also be said, while he was blessed with talented players during his time at the England helm, certain factors went against him.
When you look at the England team's attacking thrust in the past few games, much of it has come from the rejuvenated Wayne Rooney and the maturing Theo Walcott.
As the two continued their fine form in Europe last night, it made me think back a couple of years to McClaren's tenure when Rooney was struggling for goals in the national side and Walcott was hardly getting any playing time at Arsenal.
Emile Heskey, too, has undergone a renaissance to coincide with the Capello era and Frank Lampard - England fans player of the year in 2004 and 2005 before becoming the target of the boo boys in the late Eriksson years and under McClaren - also appears to be enjoying international football again.
Of course the other argument is that Capello is the reason behind these dramatic turnarounds and maybe in Lampard's case - when you look at the way he played at club level during McClaren's tenure - the argument that the Italian is finally getting the best out of him at international level is persuasive.
But it is club football where the other upward spirals of the other three have stemmed from.
When McClaren was in charge Rooney was a more of a team player who went through a succession of goal droughts for club and country and was as likely to track back and concede a penalty for England as score in a competitive game.
Walcott was experiencing the kind of growing pains that many teenagers experience as he showed only fleeting signs of his talent in his few first team opportunities.
This season is a different story. Sir Alex Ferguson has castigated Rooney for being too selfless and has worked hard to focus his huge energy into the role of attacking playmaker and goal threat – cue a Ronaldo-esque run of scoring from the former Everton man.
Walcott is no longer a bit part player at Arsenal and is having an impact on big games from the start not just from the bench.
And Heskey finally seems happy in his role as foil, particularly with the all-action Amr Zaki's arrival at Wigan, and team player that is so respected by boss Steve Bruce.
Yes Capello has had to fit these players together and you can't argue with his results, but spare a thought for our dear old wally with a brolly who must be looking on Rooney and Walcott's form with green-eyed envy.
Monday 20 October 2008
Little Master shows his class
Whatever the final outcome of the current test between India and Australia in Mohali, it will be one that lives long in the memory of Indian cricket fans.
India are well placed to win, with Australia five wickets down in the final innings and still requiring 375 for victory going into the final day, but don't expect the Aussies to simply accept defeat.
Even if Sachin Tendulkar would want to focus on the victory of his team, this match will inevitably be remembered for the moment the ‘Little Master’ passed Brian Lara’s record to become the most prolific test batsman in test cricket of all time.
With Ricky Ponting among the first to congratulate Tendulkar as he reached the landmark, you sensed it was one of those rare moments when the whole of cricket unites to celebrate a singular talent.
Tendulkar’s genius and talent was glaringly obvious from a ridiculously young age – at the age of just 14 he and another future India test batsmen Vinod Kambli reduced a young bowler to tears as they put on a then world record 664 partnership in a school game and he also made his first test hundred at the age of just 17.
But having a gift is one thing, it is the ability to deliver quality performances over a sustained period of time at the highest level that marks out the greatest sportsmen and women.
Being a child prodigy did not make it easy for Tendulkar, trying to and gage the scale of his popularity and the pressure on his shoulders is almost impossible but it is fair to say he has repeatedly gone out to bat with a greater weight of expectation than any other cricketer of any generation.
Yet time and time again he has produced the goods - 152 tests and 417 one-day internationals have yielded more than 28,000 runs at international level and an astonishing 81 centuries.
This level of proficiency may suggest a careful accumulator of runs with a single-minded approach but anyone who has watched the Little Master over the years would accept that he is a delight to watch, a batsman who plays his shots and executes them with a rare panache.
Tendulkar’s longevity and insatiable appetite for runs has made me think about the true meaning of sporting greatness.
In sport we get those with unrivalled genius who touch the highest peaks but only for a brief time.
This is most obvious in football, where likes of Diego Maradona, George Best and Paul Gascoigne provided some of the finest moments ever seen on a football field but their careers are almost as much tales of unfulfilled promise as they are of success.
Perhaps even more rare are those such as Pele, Bobby Moore, or – bringing us back to cricket – Tendulkar himself.
They too are capable of moments of rare brilliance but between these flashes of talent their level of performance is relentless to the point when it almost becomes boring.
Yes, maybe the Maradonas of this world are more exciting because we never know what we are going to get but surely if we are to consider the true sense of sporting ‘greatness’, it should be those who deliver brilliance on the most prolific basis.
Whatever you’re view on this few can argue that the Little Master will go down as one of the game’s all time greats.
India are well placed to win, with Australia five wickets down in the final innings and still requiring 375 for victory going into the final day, but don't expect the Aussies to simply accept defeat.
Even if Sachin Tendulkar would want to focus on the victory of his team, this match will inevitably be remembered for the moment the ‘Little Master’ passed Brian Lara’s record to become the most prolific test batsman in test cricket of all time.
With Ricky Ponting among the first to congratulate Tendulkar as he reached the landmark, you sensed it was one of those rare moments when the whole of cricket unites to celebrate a singular talent.
Tendulkar’s genius and talent was glaringly obvious from a ridiculously young age – at the age of just 14 he and another future India test batsmen Vinod Kambli reduced a young bowler to tears as they put on a then world record 664 partnership in a school game and he also made his first test hundred at the age of just 17.
But having a gift is one thing, it is the ability to deliver quality performances over a sustained period of time at the highest level that marks out the greatest sportsmen and women.
Being a child prodigy did not make it easy for Tendulkar, trying to and gage the scale of his popularity and the pressure on his shoulders is almost impossible but it is fair to say he has repeatedly gone out to bat with a greater weight of expectation than any other cricketer of any generation.
Yet time and time again he has produced the goods - 152 tests and 417 one-day internationals have yielded more than 28,000 runs at international level and an astonishing 81 centuries.
This level of proficiency may suggest a careful accumulator of runs with a single-minded approach but anyone who has watched the Little Master over the years would accept that he is a delight to watch, a batsman who plays his shots and executes them with a rare panache.
Tendulkar’s longevity and insatiable appetite for runs has made me think about the true meaning of sporting greatness.
In sport we get those with unrivalled genius who touch the highest peaks but only for a brief time.
This is most obvious in football, where likes of Diego Maradona, George Best and Paul Gascoigne provided some of the finest moments ever seen on a football field but their careers are almost as much tales of unfulfilled promise as they are of success.
Perhaps even more rare are those such as Pele, Bobby Moore, or – bringing us back to cricket – Tendulkar himself.
They too are capable of moments of rare brilliance but between these flashes of talent their level of performance is relentless to the point when it almost becomes boring.
Yes, maybe the Maradonas of this world are more exciting because we never know what we are going to get but surely if we are to consider the true sense of sporting ‘greatness’, it should be those who deliver brilliance on the most prolific basis.
Whatever you’re view on this few can argue that the Little Master will go down as one of the game’s all time greats.
Monday 13 October 2008
Boo boys give supporters a bad name
England fans did not exactly cover themselves in glory at Wembley on Saturday.
Whether they were visibly absent from the corporate seats when the second half kicked off, childishly booing Ashley Cole after a moment of human error or embarrassingly fawning over David Beckham’s every touch, the home crowd were doing their best to suggest the ‘home of football’ is not all its cracked up to be.
For a number of countries and many clubs around the world the home stadium is a fortress, where the supporters create a bear-pit atmosphere designed to intimidate visiting sides and act as a ‘twelfth man’ for their team.
Unfortunately since England returned to Wembley the players have grown so concerned about facing the wrath of their own fans that it is our own team that is intimidated and inhibited by the crowd.
We constantly hear England players denying the ‘fear factor’ that comes with donning the Three Lions but it is hard to find a more compelling reason to explain why so many of our current crop of players perform so much better at club level, when they have their fans’ unconditional support.
Another telling sign is the way several of the England side have moved so quickly condemn the boo boys who taunted Cole at the weekend – they are clearly worried it could be them next time round.
For some reason we treat our club players as heroes, win or lose, but when players play at international level as soon as things start going wrong they are overpaid prima donnas who don’t give one hundred per cent.
It would be interesting to see how the players would react if they were given the kind of support they receive at club level.
Many might say an experienced international such as Cole should be able to cope with the booing and the importance of ‘confidence’ is often overplayed in football.
But we must consider the impact of the negative chants not just on the Chelsea left-back but also on his teammates, who included the inexperienced Matthew Upson and the 19-year-old Theo Walcott, and the fact that it would make them scared to make a serious error.
It is an almost ironic aspect of football, and most sports for that matter, that at any level if you are thinking too hard about not making a mistake you tense up, don’t play as well and mistakes inevitably creep in.
If you are confident and relaxed you think less and play your natural game.
I know fans are entitled to their opinion and those who went to Wembley parted with their hard earned cash, but it’s time our ‘supporters’ started supporting the team and helping rather than hindering our national team.
I haven’t even mentioned the fact that England actually won the game 5-1 and, even if the performance wasn’t outstanding, that sort of result against any international side should be a cause for celebration.
I would rather fans stayed in the executive bars for the whole of the second half than watch the game and boo their own side.
Whether they were visibly absent from the corporate seats when the second half kicked off, childishly booing Ashley Cole after a moment of human error or embarrassingly fawning over David Beckham’s every touch, the home crowd were doing their best to suggest the ‘home of football’ is not all its cracked up to be.
For a number of countries and many clubs around the world the home stadium is a fortress, where the supporters create a bear-pit atmosphere designed to intimidate visiting sides and act as a ‘twelfth man’ for their team.
Unfortunately since England returned to Wembley the players have grown so concerned about facing the wrath of their own fans that it is our own team that is intimidated and inhibited by the crowd.
We constantly hear England players denying the ‘fear factor’ that comes with donning the Three Lions but it is hard to find a more compelling reason to explain why so many of our current crop of players perform so much better at club level, when they have their fans’ unconditional support.
Another telling sign is the way several of the England side have moved so quickly condemn the boo boys who taunted Cole at the weekend – they are clearly worried it could be them next time round.
For some reason we treat our club players as heroes, win or lose, but when players play at international level as soon as things start going wrong they are overpaid prima donnas who don’t give one hundred per cent.
It would be interesting to see how the players would react if they were given the kind of support they receive at club level.
Many might say an experienced international such as Cole should be able to cope with the booing and the importance of ‘confidence’ is often overplayed in football.
But we must consider the impact of the negative chants not just on the Chelsea left-back but also on his teammates, who included the inexperienced Matthew Upson and the 19-year-old Theo Walcott, and the fact that it would make them scared to make a serious error.
It is an almost ironic aspect of football, and most sports for that matter, that at any level if you are thinking too hard about not making a mistake you tense up, don’t play as well and mistakes inevitably creep in.
If you are confident and relaxed you think less and play your natural game.
I know fans are entitled to their opinion and those who went to Wembley parted with their hard earned cash, but it’s time our ‘supporters’ started supporting the team and helping rather than hindering our national team.
I haven’t even mentioned the fact that England actually won the game 5-1 and, even if the performance wasn’t outstanding, that sort of result against any international side should be a cause for celebration.
I would rather fans stayed in the executive bars for the whole of the second half than watch the game and boo their own side.
Quinn's Cherries lack finishing touch
Bournemouth put on the best display I have seen from them this season at the weekend but we still came away with a 0-0 draw in a game we really needed to win.
We absolutely dominated a Rotherham side that, if like they hadn’t been deducted 17 points like Bournemouth, would have been fourth in the table ahead of Saturday’s fixture.
It was dubbed the ‘deduction derby’ or the ‘minus six pointer’ but in truth there was only one team in it and, despite my pessimistic comments every time the visitors had a set piece in our half, the Millers never looked like scoring.
It was simply a matter of Bournemouth making the breakthrough but, despite repeatedly knocking at the door, the Cherries could find no way through.
Former England international Darren Anderton was central to everything but he will be extremely disappointed by one close range miss and was desperately unlucky when another effort crashed against the inside of the post.
Rather than force players into unfamiliar positions, Jimmy Quinn has adapted a 3-5-1-1 formation to get the best out of the players at his disposal.
It means we can easily dominate teams in the middle of the park but we continue to lack a cutting edge up front.
On loan Rushden and Diamonds forward Michael Rankine was the latest to get a run out up front at the weekend and, while he looked strong and tidy enough, there was nothing to suggest he could become the prolific hitman we so desperately need.
In Brett Pitman, Rankine, Blair Sturrock, Jeff Goulding and Craig Linfield we have five strikers vying for the lone front man role and if you add long-term injury victim Alan Connell, as well as Lee Bradbury – a striker converted into a wing back - and youngster Steve Hutchings, that makes eight centre forwards at Dean Court.
For a club with a limited budget for playing staff that’s an awful lot of options but the problem is none of them look like scoring over 15 goals in a season.
There was so much encouragement to take from Saturday’s display and plenty to suggest our midfielders will chip in with goals – on another day they could have had four.
But I can’t help feeling it’s going to be a very long season unless we find a prolific goalscorer but I’m beginning to feel Quinn has pretty much tried everything he can.
It’s all very well playing decent football but we are in a position where we must convert dominance into points.
We absolutely dominated a Rotherham side that, if like they hadn’t been deducted 17 points like Bournemouth, would have been fourth in the table ahead of Saturday’s fixture.
It was dubbed the ‘deduction derby’ or the ‘minus six pointer’ but in truth there was only one team in it and, despite my pessimistic comments every time the visitors had a set piece in our half, the Millers never looked like scoring.
It was simply a matter of Bournemouth making the breakthrough but, despite repeatedly knocking at the door, the Cherries could find no way through.
Former England international Darren Anderton was central to everything but he will be extremely disappointed by one close range miss and was desperately unlucky when another effort crashed against the inside of the post.
Rather than force players into unfamiliar positions, Jimmy Quinn has adapted a 3-5-1-1 formation to get the best out of the players at his disposal.
It means we can easily dominate teams in the middle of the park but we continue to lack a cutting edge up front.
On loan Rushden and Diamonds forward Michael Rankine was the latest to get a run out up front at the weekend and, while he looked strong and tidy enough, there was nothing to suggest he could become the prolific hitman we so desperately need.
In Brett Pitman, Rankine, Blair Sturrock, Jeff Goulding and Craig Linfield we have five strikers vying for the lone front man role and if you add long-term injury victim Alan Connell, as well as Lee Bradbury – a striker converted into a wing back - and youngster Steve Hutchings, that makes eight centre forwards at Dean Court.
For a club with a limited budget for playing staff that’s an awful lot of options but the problem is none of them look like scoring over 15 goals in a season.
There was so much encouragement to take from Saturday’s display and plenty to suggest our midfielders will chip in with goals – on another day they could have had four.
But I can’t help feeling it’s going to be a very long season unless we find a prolific goalscorer but I’m beginning to feel Quinn has pretty much tried everything he can.
It’s all very well playing decent football but we are in a position where we must convert dominance into points.
Thursday 9 October 2008
British clubs prepare to get their continental heads on
The current advertising campaign for Heineken lager involves a typical stuffy British man embracing idiosyncrasies of the European way of life by getting his ‘continental head’ on.
As rugby’s Heineken Cup kicks off this weekend the weight of expectation suggests we are envisaging a similar full-blooded embrace of the European way of things by our British clubs.
The tournament has seemingly been growing in popularity year on year and this season’s edition - which will feature the likes of Dan Carter, Doug Howlett, Rocky Elsom, Vincent Clerc and Shane Williams - promises to be a very special event.
It is the competition that keeps club rugby commercially viable in days of TV coverage dominated by football and for two-timing fans of both the oval and round ball game like myself, bears comparison with the Champions League.
When I suggest that British clubs put on their ‘continental head’ in this tournament I am not implying English clubs suddenly ditch their defensive tendencies hewn out of fear of relegation or that Irish forward-based teams suddenly start hurling long passes across the pitch.
It is more the intensity and competitiveness that seems to creep up a notch and creates a fascinating spectacle for neutrals.
Without wishing to devalue the Guiness Premiership too much, the league season has been diluted by the play-off system.
With sides hampered by international call ups and ever-increasing injuries in the intense modern game, some teams almost seem to adopt the attitude that they can just need to hang in there for most of the year, make a late play-off surge and then prove their mettle in the knock-out matches when they can field all their big guns.
In the Heineken Cup international fixtures are not an issue and the clubs tend to put their strongest teams out every time, removing any doubt that these are big games.
The likes of Wasps and Leicester, whose league form has been patchy in recent seasons, shine in this tournament, as do Munster, they have entrenched winning mentalities that respond to the big match atmosphere.
This year’s competition has also thrown up some delicious fixtures, this weekend the Tigers take on the Ospreys, Sale visit Clermont Auvergne and England’s form team Bath travel to Toulouse –and that’s just for starters.
The Heineken is a tournament that is very much in vogue and I can’t remember experiencing a greater sense of anticipation before a club rugby tournament.
I hope it lives up to all the hype, remember – get the head right, and the rest will follow!
As rugby’s Heineken Cup kicks off this weekend the weight of expectation suggests we are envisaging a similar full-blooded embrace of the European way of things by our British clubs.
The tournament has seemingly been growing in popularity year on year and this season’s edition - which will feature the likes of Dan Carter, Doug Howlett, Rocky Elsom, Vincent Clerc and Shane Williams - promises to be a very special event.
It is the competition that keeps club rugby commercially viable in days of TV coverage dominated by football and for two-timing fans of both the oval and round ball game like myself, bears comparison with the Champions League.
When I suggest that British clubs put on their ‘continental head’ in this tournament I am not implying English clubs suddenly ditch their defensive tendencies hewn out of fear of relegation or that Irish forward-based teams suddenly start hurling long passes across the pitch.
It is more the intensity and competitiveness that seems to creep up a notch and creates a fascinating spectacle for neutrals.
Without wishing to devalue the Guiness Premiership too much, the league season has been diluted by the play-off system.
With sides hampered by international call ups and ever-increasing injuries in the intense modern game, some teams almost seem to adopt the attitude that they can just need to hang in there for most of the year, make a late play-off surge and then prove their mettle in the knock-out matches when they can field all their big guns.
In the Heineken Cup international fixtures are not an issue and the clubs tend to put their strongest teams out every time, removing any doubt that these are big games.
The likes of Wasps and Leicester, whose league form has been patchy in recent seasons, shine in this tournament, as do Munster, they have entrenched winning mentalities that respond to the big match atmosphere.
This year’s competition has also thrown up some delicious fixtures, this weekend the Tigers take on the Ospreys, Sale visit Clermont Auvergne and England’s form team Bath travel to Toulouse –and that’s just for starters.
The Heineken is a tournament that is very much in vogue and I can’t remember experiencing a greater sense of anticipation before a club rugby tournament.
I hope it lives up to all the hype, remember – get the head right, and the rest will follow!
Sunday 5 October 2008
Young Gunners provide easy target
While Arsenal fans may be enjoying the misery endured by their north London neighbours Tottenham at the moment, the elation is probably not enough to mask concerns about their own team’s performances this term.
The Gunners were given an almost dream start in terms of the fixture list and if they had any realistic ambitions of challenging for the league title this season they needed to be right up among the pace setters early on.
But Arsene Wenger’s side have been pegged back in recent weeks after dropping three points against Hull at home and then this weekend another two – depending on how you look at it, of course – against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
This current Arsenal side is of course packed with youngsters and they are not all going to perform week in, week out but this are the sort of games they simply must be picking up maximum points in if they wish to be in the title reckoning come May.
Arsenal play fantastic football on their day but they can find it difficult when sides defend deep with men behind the ball as it becomes difficult for the Gunners to penetrate with their passing game.
Wenger complained about Sunderland’s negative tactics yesterday but he has to accept that this is a reality of modern football where the stakes are so high and teams playing the likes of Arsenal cannot risk playing open expansive football.
The French manager may have his footballing ideals but he has rich resources and he should not simply demand that coaches with more mediocre players at their disposal adopt his philosophy.
They too are simply trying to get the best out of what they have.
The fact is Arsenal’s youngsters of a couple of seasons ago are now growing up – Cesc Fabregas, for example, now has over 140 league appearances under his belt - and they should have got over the tendency to become an easy target for a Premiership upset if they are to realise ambitions of challenging Manchester United and Chelsea.
The last time Arsenal won the league, the famous ‘Invincibles’ season of 2003-4, they played the same brand of altruistic football but they had a hardened core of winners with the likes of Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp as well as the irresistible Thierry Henry in his prime.
Henry’s departure may not have been felt too harshly as other attacking options have flourished in his absence, but it seems Arsenal have never totally recovered from losing the steel provided by Vieira.
We all know Arsenal are capable of matching the best of them but lesser teams will often try and bring the Gunners down to their level and what Arsenal really need is the type of player who can scrap with the best of them.
Wenger is obsess with beautiful football but he has admitted he has resources available and, if he does not want his side to be left behind by their rivals, January may be time to invest in someone to carry out the ugly side of the game.
The Gunners were given an almost dream start in terms of the fixture list and if they had any realistic ambitions of challenging for the league title this season they needed to be right up among the pace setters early on.
But Arsene Wenger’s side have been pegged back in recent weeks after dropping three points against Hull at home and then this weekend another two – depending on how you look at it, of course – against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
This current Arsenal side is of course packed with youngsters and they are not all going to perform week in, week out but this are the sort of games they simply must be picking up maximum points in if they wish to be in the title reckoning come May.
Arsenal play fantastic football on their day but they can find it difficult when sides defend deep with men behind the ball as it becomes difficult for the Gunners to penetrate with their passing game.
Wenger complained about Sunderland’s negative tactics yesterday but he has to accept that this is a reality of modern football where the stakes are so high and teams playing the likes of Arsenal cannot risk playing open expansive football.
The French manager may have his footballing ideals but he has rich resources and he should not simply demand that coaches with more mediocre players at their disposal adopt his philosophy.
They too are simply trying to get the best out of what they have.
The fact is Arsenal’s youngsters of a couple of seasons ago are now growing up – Cesc Fabregas, for example, now has over 140 league appearances under his belt - and they should have got over the tendency to become an easy target for a Premiership upset if they are to realise ambitions of challenging Manchester United and Chelsea.
The last time Arsenal won the league, the famous ‘Invincibles’ season of 2003-4, they played the same brand of altruistic football but they had a hardened core of winners with the likes of Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp as well as the irresistible Thierry Henry in his prime.
Henry’s departure may not have been felt too harshly as other attacking options have flourished in his absence, but it seems Arsenal have never totally recovered from losing the steel provided by Vieira.
We all know Arsenal are capable of matching the best of them but lesser teams will often try and bring the Gunners down to their level and what Arsenal really need is the type of player who can scrap with the best of them.
Wenger is obsess with beautiful football but he has admitted he has resources available and, if he does not want his side to be left behind by their rivals, January may be time to invest in someone to carry out the ugly side of the game.
Thursday 2 October 2008
Owen keeps his head while all about him are losing theirs
It seems every time the words ‘Newcastle United’ are mentioned nowadays, a term along the lines of ‘crisis club’ follows not long after.
Other phrases such as ‘soap opera’ and ‘turmoil’ are also common parlance when talking about the Geordie outfit.
But amid all the tumult – the managerial coming and goings, the fans protests, the takeover speculation – one thing has been remarkably consistent.
Their striker and now captain Michael Owen has continued to score goals.
When caretaker boss Chris Hughton said the off-field antics at the club were inevitably going to effect on the pitch performances, he obviously meant all aspects on the field of play apart from the England striker’s obsession for sticking the ball in the back of the net.
Owen has grabbed five goals in seven appearances this term and he would be the first to admit he is only just getting back to full fitness.
But fitness – or lack of – has never been the problem for Owen, he is a born goalscorer who knows where to be and finishes when the ball comes his way.
The number of headers he scores for a man of his diminutive stature beggars belief – he literally hangs on the last shoulder at set pieces and reads the flight of the ball brilliantly.
When Fabio Capello picks his England squad this weekend for the next two World Cup qualifiers he surely cannot overlook Owen again – particularly if Wayne Rooney is an injury doubt.
Owen has a proven record alongside Emile Heskey and his record of 40 goals in 89 internationals tells its own story.
It’s funny how some footballers don’t always turn out the way they sometimes suggest they might.
Some people suggest Owen is a failure because he hasn’t lived up to the potential he promised with ‘that goal’ against Argentina as a raw teenager in World Cup 1998 (was that really ten years ago?).
He promised to become a devastating forward who picked up the ball from deep and terrorised defences with his pace, much in the way Thierry Henry did in his prime.
But injuries soon took their toll and Owen simply didn’t have the pace to be that type of player, instead he worked hard at his game to become the ultimate goal poacher in the Gary Linekar mould.
Just because he is a different player than we thought he might become, that doesn’t mean he is not a truly international class player.
It’s similar to the way Ryan Giggs has turned away from his reputation as a flying winger as he has matured and instead become a workaholic midfield schemer.
Both these players may not be as exciting to watch as they were when they are younger but they have increased their longevity no end and are both still invaluable to their respective clubs.
If there are still people who doubt Owen I think they may think again if he fails to agree a new contract with the Magpies before January 1.
Owen will then be a free agent and a host of sides will be knocking down his door because, as any coach will tell you, international class goalscorers don’t grow on trees.
Other phrases such as ‘soap opera’ and ‘turmoil’ are also common parlance when talking about the Geordie outfit.
But amid all the tumult – the managerial coming and goings, the fans protests, the takeover speculation – one thing has been remarkably consistent.
Their striker and now captain Michael Owen has continued to score goals.
When caretaker boss Chris Hughton said the off-field antics at the club were inevitably going to effect on the pitch performances, he obviously meant all aspects on the field of play apart from the England striker’s obsession for sticking the ball in the back of the net.
Owen has grabbed five goals in seven appearances this term and he would be the first to admit he is only just getting back to full fitness.
But fitness – or lack of – has never been the problem for Owen, he is a born goalscorer who knows where to be and finishes when the ball comes his way.
The number of headers he scores for a man of his diminutive stature beggars belief – he literally hangs on the last shoulder at set pieces and reads the flight of the ball brilliantly.
When Fabio Capello picks his England squad this weekend for the next two World Cup qualifiers he surely cannot overlook Owen again – particularly if Wayne Rooney is an injury doubt.
Owen has a proven record alongside Emile Heskey and his record of 40 goals in 89 internationals tells its own story.
It’s funny how some footballers don’t always turn out the way they sometimes suggest they might.
Some people suggest Owen is a failure because he hasn’t lived up to the potential he promised with ‘that goal’ against Argentina as a raw teenager in World Cup 1998 (was that really ten years ago?).
He promised to become a devastating forward who picked up the ball from deep and terrorised defences with his pace, much in the way Thierry Henry did in his prime.
But injuries soon took their toll and Owen simply didn’t have the pace to be that type of player, instead he worked hard at his game to become the ultimate goal poacher in the Gary Linekar mould.
Just because he is a different player than we thought he might become, that doesn’t mean he is not a truly international class player.
It’s similar to the way Ryan Giggs has turned away from his reputation as a flying winger as he has matured and instead become a workaholic midfield schemer.
Both these players may not be as exciting to watch as they were when they are younger but they have increased their longevity no end and are both still invaluable to their respective clubs.
If there are still people who doubt Owen I think they may think again if he fails to agree a new contract with the Magpies before January 1.
Owen will then be a free agent and a host of sides will be knocking down his door because, as any coach will tell you, international class goalscorers don’t grow on trees.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
