With next summer’s Ashes series on the horizon it would be easy to react to Australia’s series deciding defeat to South Africa by going on about the terminal decline of the Aussie team.
As ever though, there are two sides to the story and before we get too cock-a-hoop (to use an Aussie term) about the woes of Ponting’s side, it would be worth taking a moment to consider the strength of their opposition.
South Africa came into the present series having won of nine out of 13 tests this year and lost just two (one was against England in a dead rubber and the other was in India in a drawn series – better than England or Australia managed).
They are a formidable unit led by one of the most forceful characters in world cricket in Graeme Smith, who just happens to be about the finest opening batsman as well.
Jacques Kallis has long ranked amongst the finest run-makers in test cricket, while the likes of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers have also developed into world class batsmen.
Add to that an inspired effort by JP Duminy in only his second test at the MCG and you can see why the Aussies had problems bowling the Proteas out.
But it was with the ball where the South Africans really outclassed Australia, with Dale Steyn – arguably the best pace bowler in the world this year – ably supported by Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and the swing of Kallis.
Paul Harris has also proved an uncomplicated and underrated bowler, almost in the Ashley Giles mould, and has chipped in with wickets at vital moments.
It is not just this array of individual talent but also a collective strength engendered by Smith that has created a potent unit that operates with a kind of ruthless efficiency normally associated with their current opponents.
If South Africa win the final test at the SCG they will overhaul the Aussies at the top of the test rankings and they do look like a team worthy of inheriting that mantle.
The Australians might be showing signs of fallibility but it has taken two great sides at the peak of their powers to expose their weaknesses.
Their other defeat lately of course coming from an Indian side who have just proved to England how strong they are, particularly on their own pitches.
Yes, the current Australian side is as weak as it has been for the past 15 years but they have set some pretty high standards and are by no means a ramshackle outfit.
You just need to look at the way they could have one both of the past two tests against this top South African side were it not for a brief dip in standards during a couple of key sessions.
So before we get too confident about the summer of 2009, let’s make sure our own house is in order first.
Tuesday 30 December 2008
Thursday 18 December 2008
Big Sam gets to play it again
It was a case of once bitten, twice shy as the Blackburn Rovers board appointed a managerial successor to Paul Ince.
They had gambled and lost on a bright young manager so they were always going to look for a safe pair of hands.
And they don’t come much safer than Sam Allardyce, an experienced campaigner at Premiership level whose Bolton side was once the model for every club that strove for mid-table consistency.
While I am sure ‘Big Sam’ has every chance of halting Blackburn’s woeful run of form and steering the team away from the relegation precipice, I can’t help but feel a sense of sadness over Ince’s brutal deposition.
It is not so much Ince himself who I am concerned for, more the type of manager he represents.
Sure, there are accusations he has been fast-tracked from the lower leagues on the basis of his reputation as a player and his managerial CV, however impressive, was short.
But he had, albeit briefly, had success at a less glamorous level and, in my book, earned a shot at the big time.
He was an up and coming man who may take time to get to grip with management at the elite level but had fresh ideas and wanted to take the club forward.
The fact is Blackburn took him on knowing there was a risk of failure, but instead of backing their judgement in Ince’s long term vision they took an easy get out clause and opted for someone to offer stability as soon as things got tough.
There were several factors that also didn’t help Ince, the team he was managing was still very much Mark Hughes’ team with most of the players either signed by or building their reputations under the current Manchester City boss.
How much the decline in performance of a number of those Hughes players – Morten Gamst Pedersen, Ryan Nelson and Chris Samba to name a few – is down to natural career cycles or form and how much is down to Hughes’ superior motivation only the players themselves will know.
One man who is unlikely to be on Ince’s Christmas card list though – and the lists of other under pressure managers such as Tony Mowbray – is Harry Redknapp.
‘Arry’s success at Spurs is in danger of being held up as a vindication by other boards of the method of sacking the current campaigner and hiring a wily old campaigner.
While I know the financial stakes are so big now boards will always err on the side of caution, I feel we will never produce another generation of really top managers unless the younger ones are given full backing and time to build their own teams and do things their own way.
They had gambled and lost on a bright young manager so they were always going to look for a safe pair of hands.
And they don’t come much safer than Sam Allardyce, an experienced campaigner at Premiership level whose Bolton side was once the model for every club that strove for mid-table consistency.
While I am sure ‘Big Sam’ has every chance of halting Blackburn’s woeful run of form and steering the team away from the relegation precipice, I can’t help but feel a sense of sadness over Ince’s brutal deposition.
It is not so much Ince himself who I am concerned for, more the type of manager he represents.
Sure, there are accusations he has been fast-tracked from the lower leagues on the basis of his reputation as a player and his managerial CV, however impressive, was short.
But he had, albeit briefly, had success at a less glamorous level and, in my book, earned a shot at the big time.
He was an up and coming man who may take time to get to grip with management at the elite level but had fresh ideas and wanted to take the club forward.
The fact is Blackburn took him on knowing there was a risk of failure, but instead of backing their judgement in Ince’s long term vision they took an easy get out clause and opted for someone to offer stability as soon as things got tough.
There were several factors that also didn’t help Ince, the team he was managing was still very much Mark Hughes’ team with most of the players either signed by or building their reputations under the current Manchester City boss.
How much the decline in performance of a number of those Hughes players – Morten Gamst Pedersen, Ryan Nelson and Chris Samba to name a few – is down to natural career cycles or form and how much is down to Hughes’ superior motivation only the players themselves will know.
One man who is unlikely to be on Ince’s Christmas card list though – and the lists of other under pressure managers such as Tony Mowbray – is Harry Redknapp.
‘Arry’s success at Spurs is in danger of being held up as a vindication by other boards of the method of sacking the current campaigner and hiring a wily old campaigner.
While I know the financial stakes are so big now boards will always err on the side of caution, I feel we will never produce another generation of really top managers unless the younger ones are given full backing and time to build their own teams and do things their own way.
City circling as Diarra gets shot at the big time
Unless a lot of people have got the wrong end of a very convincing stick, Lassana Diarra will be on the way to Real Madrid when the transfer window opens in January.
It will be the fourth move of the 23-year-old’s brief career but more significantly, if the kind of transfer fees being suggested are accurate, it could be the first of several moves in the coming months to be influenced by what I am calling the ‘Manchester City effect’.
Now I must preface this by saying I think Diarra is a fine young player with bags of ability who may well prove to be a success at the Bernabeu.
But talk of £20 million plus for a young holding midfield player who only signed for his current club for a reported £5.5 million less than 12 months ago sounds to me like a very good piece of business for Tony Adams’ club.
With rumours of tight financial at Portsmouth, surely they would normally have settled for a fee of around £15 million or even a little less.
But things have changed since the Saudis arrived in the blue half of Manchester and their immense wealth is already having a bearing on transfer dealings, even ones they are not directly involved in.
Portsmouth knew that City were also sniffing around Diarra, or, at least, media reports meant they were as far as Real Madrid were concerned, and with the daunting prospect of entering into a bidding war with the oil-rich Arabs, the Spanish side would have to bid big to secure the player’s services.
Otherwise the South coast club could just bat the offer back and wait for City to come in with a more lucrative offer.
Things took a similar turn when Roman Abramovich rolled into Chelsea, with other clubs priced out of deals for the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Essien, while rivals such as Manchester United and Liverpool were forced to spend big to keep up.
Nobody knows exactly how rich Manchester City now are, possibly not even Sheikh Mansour himself, but it is generally accepted that they have the resources to take finances into another stratosphere.
It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, tries to keep up.
It will be the fourth move of the 23-year-old’s brief career but more significantly, if the kind of transfer fees being suggested are accurate, it could be the first of several moves in the coming months to be influenced by what I am calling the ‘Manchester City effect’.
Now I must preface this by saying I think Diarra is a fine young player with bags of ability who may well prove to be a success at the Bernabeu.
But talk of £20 million plus for a young holding midfield player who only signed for his current club for a reported £5.5 million less than 12 months ago sounds to me like a very good piece of business for Tony Adams’ club.
With rumours of tight financial at Portsmouth, surely they would normally have settled for a fee of around £15 million or even a little less.
But things have changed since the Saudis arrived in the blue half of Manchester and their immense wealth is already having a bearing on transfer dealings, even ones they are not directly involved in.
Portsmouth knew that City were also sniffing around Diarra, or, at least, media reports meant they were as far as Real Madrid were concerned, and with the daunting prospect of entering into a bidding war with the oil-rich Arabs, the Spanish side would have to bid big to secure the player’s services.
Otherwise the South coast club could just bat the offer back and wait for City to come in with a more lucrative offer.
Things took a similar turn when Roman Abramovich rolled into Chelsea, with other clubs priced out of deals for the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Essien, while rivals such as Manchester United and Liverpool were forced to spend big to keep up.
Nobody knows exactly how rich Manchester City now are, possibly not even Sheikh Mansour himself, but it is generally accepted that they have the resources to take finances into another stratosphere.
It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, tries to keep up.
Monday 15 December 2008
England succumb in face of Indian belief
There can’t be many sports where you can dominate you opponent for three whole days and still end up losing a match.
Kevin Pietersen’s England side found out just how cruel test cricket can be as they wilted in the face of a magnificent Indian run chase in Chennai.
The Indians did not just reach the fourth highest fourth inning victory total in test match history, they eased there with time and wickets to spare.
For three days and a session England were on top and it seemed only one team had a chance of winning this intriguing test match, played against the backdrop of all the security concerns following the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
But on the evening on the fourth day Virender Sehwag played an absolutely devastating innings that turned the game on its head.
Having set a target of 387, some in the Sky Sports studio were even suggesting the Indians may bat out the remaining four sessions of the game to try and salvage a draw.
Opener Sehwag had other ideas though and his 68-ball 83 was such a destructive and out-of-place knock that it reminded me of Pietersen’s own match winning effort at the Oval against Australia in 2005 that clinched the Ashes.
England were in charge of the game one moment and suddenly with a few swipes of his blade Sehwag had them looking like a rabble on its knees.
Of course, there was still a long way to go once Sehwag was out but he had played with the kind of self-belief that infects the rest of a team and knocked the stuffing out of England.
Tendulkar came in early on the fifth day and reminded everyone just what a class act he still is with an unbeaten century to see his side home with six wickets to spare.
The manner in which the Indians chased down there target suggested a new-found confidence and deep-seated belief that must largely have come from beating Australia in their last series.
For England defeat of this manner is always cruel to take and there are some positives to take onto Mohali, like the performance over the first three days particularly Andrew Strauss.
But one of the hardest accusations to face in team sports is that of a side incapable of closing out a game from winning positions.
As an England supporter the game has raised concerns over our bowling options but at the moment I prefer to take on the role of a neutral and revel in the sheer brilliance of the Indian batting display.
Kevin Pietersen’s England side found out just how cruel test cricket can be as they wilted in the face of a magnificent Indian run chase in Chennai.
The Indians did not just reach the fourth highest fourth inning victory total in test match history, they eased there with time and wickets to spare.
For three days and a session England were on top and it seemed only one team had a chance of winning this intriguing test match, played against the backdrop of all the security concerns following the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
But on the evening on the fourth day Virender Sehwag played an absolutely devastating innings that turned the game on its head.
Having set a target of 387, some in the Sky Sports studio were even suggesting the Indians may bat out the remaining four sessions of the game to try and salvage a draw.
Opener Sehwag had other ideas though and his 68-ball 83 was such a destructive and out-of-place knock that it reminded me of Pietersen’s own match winning effort at the Oval against Australia in 2005 that clinched the Ashes.
England were in charge of the game one moment and suddenly with a few swipes of his blade Sehwag had them looking like a rabble on its knees.
Of course, there was still a long way to go once Sehwag was out but he had played with the kind of self-belief that infects the rest of a team and knocked the stuffing out of England.
Tendulkar came in early on the fifth day and reminded everyone just what a class act he still is with an unbeaten century to see his side home with six wickets to spare.
The manner in which the Indians chased down there target suggested a new-found confidence and deep-seated belief that must largely have come from beating Australia in their last series.
For England defeat of this manner is always cruel to take and there are some positives to take onto Mohali, like the performance over the first three days particularly Andrew Strauss.
But one of the hardest accusations to face in team sports is that of a side incapable of closing out a game from winning positions.
As an England supporter the game has raised concerns over our bowling options but at the moment I prefer to take on the role of a neutral and revel in the sheer brilliance of the Indian batting display.
A-Hoy there!
Chris Hoy was crowned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year last night and is a thoroughly deserved winner.
He would not have been my personal choice for the award, I would have plumped for Lewis Hamilton, but – like many of the shortlisted candidates – he has done more than enough to win the prize and would have blown the competition away if his achievements were in many previous years.
As the magnanimous Hoy himself alluded to, the last year has produced several really top performances with a number of sportsmen and women reaching the very top of their field.
It is a refreshing change to see the contenders made up of world champions and gold medalists rather than valiant losers.
So well done to all of the nominees and if I were to pick my favourite for the 2009 award 12 months in advance I would opt for another Scotsman who was on the shortlist but never really in the running last night.
I have not always been full of praise for Andy Murray, but in recent months he has shown that he has developed the maturity and mentality to add to his undoubted talent and has every chance of becoming a grand slam champion next year.
Surely becoming the first British male grand slam winner since Fred Perry in 1936 would be enough to secure the coveted trophy.
He would not have been my personal choice for the award, I would have plumped for Lewis Hamilton, but – like many of the shortlisted candidates – he has done more than enough to win the prize and would have blown the competition away if his achievements were in many previous years.
As the magnanimous Hoy himself alluded to, the last year has produced several really top performances with a number of sportsmen and women reaching the very top of their field.
It is a refreshing change to see the contenders made up of world champions and gold medalists rather than valiant losers.
So well done to all of the nominees and if I were to pick my favourite for the 2009 award 12 months in advance I would opt for another Scotsman who was on the shortlist but never really in the running last night.
I have not always been full of praise for Andy Murray, but in recent months he has shown that he has developed the maturity and mentality to add to his undoubted talent and has every chance of becoming a grand slam champion next year.
Surely becoming the first British male grand slam winner since Fred Perry in 1936 would be enough to secure the coveted trophy.
Tuesday 9 December 2008
Dazza's fairytale finish
Football sometimes produces moments that feel almost too good to be true.
On Saturday Darren Anderton enjoyed one of those ‘Roy of the Rovers’ moments that left him a final reminder of just how dramatic the game can be.
The former England international smashed home a last-gasp winner for Bournemouth in his last professional game before hanging up his boots.
It was the kind of fairytale finish that if suggested for a film would be dismissed as too unrealistic.
The final act of heroism served as a fitting reward for a thoroughly professional player who has given great service to the game throughout his career and, mercifully, to Bournemouth over the last couple of years.
It was Anderton’s moment and he was rightly the focus of attention on Saturday.
But Bournemouth as a team must move on without him now and it must be acknowledged that, Anderton’s rescue act withstanding, it was another very ordinary home performance from the South coast outfit.
We seem to have trouble breaking sides down when they obviously travel to Dean Court with the obvious intention of being solid and playing for a point.
We seem to have no problems scoring goals away from home (indeed, two 3-3 draws in our last two away games suggest conceding goals is our main problem on our travels) as teams come out and attack us and leave space in behind, but we seem unable to prise open organised defences who sit deep when we play on our own turf.
There is simply not enough invention and Anderton’s arrival from the bench only really served to highlight the lack of quality, especially in the final third, from the rest of the squad.
Dazza was a true gent and will be sorely missed by the wider footballing community and I fear the Cherries will feel his absence more than they would like to make out.
On Saturday Darren Anderton enjoyed one of those ‘Roy of the Rovers’ moments that left him a final reminder of just how dramatic the game can be.
The former England international smashed home a last-gasp winner for Bournemouth in his last professional game before hanging up his boots.
It was the kind of fairytale finish that if suggested for a film would be dismissed as too unrealistic.
The final act of heroism served as a fitting reward for a thoroughly professional player who has given great service to the game throughout his career and, mercifully, to Bournemouth over the last couple of years.
It was Anderton’s moment and he was rightly the focus of attention on Saturday.
But Bournemouth as a team must move on without him now and it must be acknowledged that, Anderton’s rescue act withstanding, it was another very ordinary home performance from the South coast outfit.
We seem to have trouble breaking sides down when they obviously travel to Dean Court with the obvious intention of being solid and playing for a point.
We seem to have no problems scoring goals away from home (indeed, two 3-3 draws in our last two away games suggest conceding goals is our main problem on our travels) as teams come out and attack us and leave space in behind, but we seem unable to prise open organised defences who sit deep when we play on our own turf.
There is simply not enough invention and Anderton’s arrival from the bench only really served to highlight the lack of quality, especially in the final third, from the rest of the squad.
Dazza was a true gent and will be sorely missed by the wider footballing community and I fear the Cherries will feel his absence more than they would like to make out.
Friday 5 December 2008
Sicknote signs off
I didn't know quite what to make of Darren Anderton's arrival at Bournemouth when he signed for the Dorset club a little over two years ago.
At the time I was still reeling from the news of manager Sean O'Driscoll's defection to Doncaster and it was hard to tell exactly what the former England international's motivation was.
It couldn't have been for the money, noone signs for us for a pay day, but we all knew Dazza lived in the area and there were fears that he might just come down and cruise through a final year of football while enjoying the short commute.
The response was emphatic, from his first start at Dean Court when he smashed in a long-range free kick against Scunthorpe, Anderton was a consummate professional who was totally committed to the Cherries' cause.
The former Portsmouth, Spurs, Birmingham and Wolves man even reached new heights in his first season with Bournemouth, claiming his career first hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Leyton Orient, and was instrumental in our survival.
His vision and the quality of his passing were simply at a different level as the former winger revelled in his reincarnation as a ball-playing holding midfielder.
He underlined his commitment to the club by extending his stay for another year but, as was so often the case during his peak years with Spurs and England, injuries began to take their toll again.
He played a limited role as the Cherries struggled early on and, although he played his part in their brave survival bid following a ten-point deduction for going into administration, could not prevent them sliding into the bottom tier of the football league.
Faced with the prospect of a season in League Two with a club starting the campaign on minus 17 points, few would have blamed Anderton for walking away in the off season.
But Anderton again took the professional approach and faced the challenge head on and at the start of the campaign he seemed to be playing with a commitment to match that of his international days.
However, as the team struggled with the rough and tumble nature of the basement division, Dazza cut an increasingly frustrated figure.
He seemed to let his head drop whenever we went a goal down, an away game against Shrewsbury a couple of months ago was a prime example, and his rants over misplaced passes from teammates became more and more demonstrative.
He still showed moments of pure class that you knew noone else on the pitch was capable of but, at this level and in our situation, the stomach for the fight is just as important as quality.
Anderton, completely understandably, had lost his fight and - rather than go through the motions for the rest of the season - he has opted to do the decent thing and call time on a great career, freeing up his wages for our cash-strapped club.
As a Bournemouth fan of over 10 years I rarely witness players of his quality and the fact he showed total commitment just about until the end spoke volumes for his professionalism.
Anderton was a genuine star name and perhaps the width of a post away from a true national hero (had his shot gone in in the Euro '96 semi-final v Germany).
I will always be grateful that he shunned a lucrative contract in the States or somewhere and chose to end his playing days in the unforgiving atmosphere of lower league football.
I can't wait to give him his send off tomorrow and I am delighted that, for someone with a reputation as perhaps the definitive injury prone player, he is able to leave on his own terms.
At the time I was still reeling from the news of manager Sean O'Driscoll's defection to Doncaster and it was hard to tell exactly what the former England international's motivation was.
It couldn't have been for the money, noone signs for us for a pay day, but we all knew Dazza lived in the area and there were fears that he might just come down and cruise through a final year of football while enjoying the short commute.
The response was emphatic, from his first start at Dean Court when he smashed in a long-range free kick against Scunthorpe, Anderton was a consummate professional who was totally committed to the Cherries' cause.
The former Portsmouth, Spurs, Birmingham and Wolves man even reached new heights in his first season with Bournemouth, claiming his career first hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Leyton Orient, and was instrumental in our survival.
His vision and the quality of his passing were simply at a different level as the former winger revelled in his reincarnation as a ball-playing holding midfielder.
He underlined his commitment to the club by extending his stay for another year but, as was so often the case during his peak years with Spurs and England, injuries began to take their toll again.
He played a limited role as the Cherries struggled early on and, although he played his part in their brave survival bid following a ten-point deduction for going into administration, could not prevent them sliding into the bottom tier of the football league.
Faced with the prospect of a season in League Two with a club starting the campaign on minus 17 points, few would have blamed Anderton for walking away in the off season.
But Anderton again took the professional approach and faced the challenge head on and at the start of the campaign he seemed to be playing with a commitment to match that of his international days.
However, as the team struggled with the rough and tumble nature of the basement division, Dazza cut an increasingly frustrated figure.
He seemed to let his head drop whenever we went a goal down, an away game against Shrewsbury a couple of months ago was a prime example, and his rants over misplaced passes from teammates became more and more demonstrative.
He still showed moments of pure class that you knew noone else on the pitch was capable of but, at this level and in our situation, the stomach for the fight is just as important as quality.
Anderton, completely understandably, had lost his fight and - rather than go through the motions for the rest of the season - he has opted to do the decent thing and call time on a great career, freeing up his wages for our cash-strapped club.
As a Bournemouth fan of over 10 years I rarely witness players of his quality and the fact he showed total commitment just about until the end spoke volumes for his professionalism.
Anderton was a genuine star name and perhaps the width of a post away from a true national hero (had his shot gone in in the Euro '96 semi-final v Germany).
I will always be grateful that he shunned a lucrative contract in the States or somewhere and chose to end his playing days in the unforgiving atmosphere of lower league football.
I can't wait to give him his send off tomorrow and I am delighted that, for someone with a reputation as perhaps the definitive injury prone player, he is able to leave on his own terms.
Wednesday 3 December 2008
Enfant terrible Cassano accepts his failings
Antonio Cassano has always had a special talent.
That much was obvious from the moment he announced himself on the Serie A scene as a fresh-faced teenager in Wayne Rooney-esque fashion with a wonderful solo goal for Bari against Inter Milan, leaving Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci for dead to secure a 2-1 win for his home town side.
A €28-million move to Roma followed before his 19th birthday and it seemed a matter of when, rather than if, he would be mentioned alongside the greatest names in European football.
But things have not quite worked out that way for the Italian as it soon became apparent that his singular talent was matched by a unique habit for self-destruction and an uncanny knack for falling out with managers.
Seven years on from his mega-money time Cassano has felt the urge shared with so many sportsmen nowadays to make some sense of his controversial career in print.
In a recent interview with The Times columnist Gabriele Marcotti, Cassano shared some candid insights that give a flavour of what to expect from his autobiography, the title of which translates as ‘I’ll tell you everything (and if it’s hot I’ll play in the shade)’.
The book will offer his take on his bust-ups with the likes of Fabio Capello and his love of binge eating, as well as his playboy nature and how he claims to have bedded over 600 women (not bad for someone who hardly shares the model looks of his former Real Madrid colleague David Beckham).
Perhaps the most controversial comments, though, are his claims that he knows he could have made it at Real Madrid if he had knuckled down and shown total commitment, but he is happy with his decision to move to Sampadoria, a mid-table Serie A team, where he plays at around 50 per cent.
He says: "The problem is that we live in a culture obsessed with success. We fool ourselves into thinking we have to do our best and make sacrifices to succeed. But why? Trophies come and go. Once you’ve retired, it will all be gone, they’ll just be numbers in an almanac.
"What is truly important is being happy now. I know I haven’t given 100 per cent physically or mentally to this game. At best, I gave 50 per cent. Maybe a tiny bit more in the good years. But so what? Thanks to my talent, I live like a king, I play football and I have a great time."
It has simply become accepted that footballers all want to get to the top of the game and win trophies with a big club, there is even a sense that they owe it to all of us less-talented individuals to push themselves as far as they can go because we would give anything to swap places with them.
But Cassano turns all this on his head. He claims he is a human with a right to be happy in himself.
He didn’t ask to be endowed with this talent and, having thought his way out of Bari’s tough back streets as a youngster, he deserves to be able to cruise along earning a living most of would only dream of.
It is a refreshing contrast to the normal drivel we are served up with from players who kiss the badge and pledge to give ‘110 per cent’.
There are many things to despise about Cassano and his attitude but you can’t fault him for honesty and if an English translation to the book is available I cannot wait to read it as I have no doubt it will prove a lot more entertaining than the usual drivel served up by modern stars and their ghost writers.
It seems we always get frustrated with players who fail to live up to their potential and imagine how disappointed they must be with themselves.
But in Cassano’s case it seems the person least concerned with his career trajectory is the former prodigy himself.
That much was obvious from the moment he announced himself on the Serie A scene as a fresh-faced teenager in Wayne Rooney-esque fashion with a wonderful solo goal for Bari against Inter Milan, leaving Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci for dead to secure a 2-1 win for his home town side.
A €28-million move to Roma followed before his 19th birthday and it seemed a matter of when, rather than if, he would be mentioned alongside the greatest names in European football.
But things have not quite worked out that way for the Italian as it soon became apparent that his singular talent was matched by a unique habit for self-destruction and an uncanny knack for falling out with managers.
Seven years on from his mega-money time Cassano has felt the urge shared with so many sportsmen nowadays to make some sense of his controversial career in print.
In a recent interview with The Times columnist Gabriele Marcotti, Cassano shared some candid insights that give a flavour of what to expect from his autobiography, the title of which translates as ‘I’ll tell you everything (and if it’s hot I’ll play in the shade)’.
The book will offer his take on his bust-ups with the likes of Fabio Capello and his love of binge eating, as well as his playboy nature and how he claims to have bedded over 600 women (not bad for someone who hardly shares the model looks of his former Real Madrid colleague David Beckham).
Perhaps the most controversial comments, though, are his claims that he knows he could have made it at Real Madrid if he had knuckled down and shown total commitment, but he is happy with his decision to move to Sampadoria, a mid-table Serie A team, where he plays at around 50 per cent.
He says: "The problem is that we live in a culture obsessed with success. We fool ourselves into thinking we have to do our best and make sacrifices to succeed. But why? Trophies come and go. Once you’ve retired, it will all be gone, they’ll just be numbers in an almanac.
"What is truly important is being happy now. I know I haven’t given 100 per cent physically or mentally to this game. At best, I gave 50 per cent. Maybe a tiny bit more in the good years. But so what? Thanks to my talent, I live like a king, I play football and I have a great time."
It has simply become accepted that footballers all want to get to the top of the game and win trophies with a big club, there is even a sense that they owe it to all of us less-talented individuals to push themselves as far as they can go because we would give anything to swap places with them.
But Cassano turns all this on his head. He claims he is a human with a right to be happy in himself.
He didn’t ask to be endowed with this talent and, having thought his way out of Bari’s tough back streets as a youngster, he deserves to be able to cruise along earning a living most of would only dream of.
It is a refreshing contrast to the normal drivel we are served up with from players who kiss the badge and pledge to give ‘110 per cent’.
There are many things to despise about Cassano and his attitude but you can’t fault him for honesty and if an English translation to the book is available I cannot wait to read it as I have no doubt it will prove a lot more entertaining than the usual drivel served up by modern stars and their ghost writers.
It seems we always get frustrated with players who fail to live up to their potential and imagine how disappointed they must be with themselves.
But in Cassano’s case it seems the person least concerned with his career trajectory is the former prodigy himself.
Freddie and co put in a spin
You don’t often believe pop stars or sportsmen who have performed in front of thousands of people when they claim doing a foxtrot on Strictly Come Dancing is ‘the scariest thing I’ve ever done’.
We get it all the time and we are in the living room going: come on Matt Dawson, surely you don’t expect us to believe that you were more nervous than when you walked out ahead of the Rugby World Cup Final?
We may sit in disbelief but there may well be a large degree of honesty in the mega-stars whimpering to Tess and Brucie.
The fact is they are outside of their comfort zone and they know they have far less control over events, leading to an increased sense of helplessness and, hence, fear.
When Mark Ramprakash walked out to bat he knew he had faced millions of deliveries in the nets and had the ability to deal with almost anything that was thrown at him, this knowledge was a kind of protective armour against nerves.
When he hit the dance floor to jive or salsa or what-have-you in front of the judges all he had was a week’s training on the routine.
This week England’s cricketers are being put under the microscope as they face the decision whether to return to India in light of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The decision is made all the tougher because it is such a public one and the kind they so rarely have to make.
Andrew Flintoff is one of those rumoured to be wavering and he is a man who has shown his courage a hundred times over with bat or ball in hand, yet he faces the prospect of being labelled a coward if he decides against going back to the sub-continent and may even have his commitment to the England cause brought into question.
Flintoff is not a politician or a diplomat and he should not be put in a position where he has to choose between his commitment to English cricket and his commitment to his young family.
If it comes to it that he is left to weigh up the pros and cons himself and make a personal decision then there should be no judgements made about his valour or his devotion to the England cause.
I have no doubt he will prove many times over in the future just what it means to him to wear the Three Lions but the fact is the, even for the most committed sportsman in the world, sport has its place and - just as I will think no less of Austin Healey as a rugby player if he messes up his pasa doble - I will think nothing less of the England players who choose to stay at home.
We get it all the time and we are in the living room going: come on Matt Dawson, surely you don’t expect us to believe that you were more nervous than when you walked out ahead of the Rugby World Cup Final?
We may sit in disbelief but there may well be a large degree of honesty in the mega-stars whimpering to Tess and Brucie.
The fact is they are outside of their comfort zone and they know they have far less control over events, leading to an increased sense of helplessness and, hence, fear.
When Mark Ramprakash walked out to bat he knew he had faced millions of deliveries in the nets and had the ability to deal with almost anything that was thrown at him, this knowledge was a kind of protective armour against nerves.
When he hit the dance floor to jive or salsa or what-have-you in front of the judges all he had was a week’s training on the routine.
This week England’s cricketers are being put under the microscope as they face the decision whether to return to India in light of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The decision is made all the tougher because it is such a public one and the kind they so rarely have to make.
Andrew Flintoff is one of those rumoured to be wavering and he is a man who has shown his courage a hundred times over with bat or ball in hand, yet he faces the prospect of being labelled a coward if he decides against going back to the sub-continent and may even have his commitment to the England cause brought into question.
Flintoff is not a politician or a diplomat and he should not be put in a position where he has to choose between his commitment to English cricket and his commitment to his young family.
If it comes to it that he is left to weigh up the pros and cons himself and make a personal decision then there should be no judgements made about his valour or his devotion to the England cause.
I have no doubt he will prove many times over in the future just what it means to him to wear the Three Lions but the fact is the, even for the most committed sportsman in the world, sport has its place and - just as I will think no less of Austin Healey as a rugby player if he messes up his pasa doble - I will think nothing less of the England players who choose to stay at home.
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