Sometimes football just refuses to follow the script.
At Dean Court yesterday Bournemouth’s match against Wycombe Wanderers was supposed to be all about one man as club hero and record appearance holder Steve Fletcher returned to the club a season and a half after being let go.
But it was Fletcher’s young strike partner Brett Pitman stole the show, with a delicious free-kick and a fine all-round performance as the Cherries beat League Two’s top side 3-1.
Pitman has come in for his fair share of criticism from Cherries supporters and has been written off on numerous occasions.
An apparent lack of workrate at times, inconsistency and rumours of off-field excesses has had the Cherries faithful on his back and he seemed to alienate them permanently a few weeks ago when he was sent off minutes after coming on for a wild challenge as Bournemouth were dumped out of the FA Cup by minnows Blyth Spartans.
What has never been in doubt is Pitman’s potential and Eddie Howe was prepared to offer the olive branch to the 20-year-old when he was appointed caretaker manager, probably influenced by the striker’s youth team mentor Joe Roach, now his assistant.
The lad is a natural goalscorer, as his prolific record at reserve and youth team level proves, and I feel those who wrote him off completely were far too quick to judge.
We sometimes become too obsessed with the idea of a footballer who has fallen completely off the rails but sometimes we have to take players for what they really are, young men who are growing up.
Pitman has been in and around the first team for around two years now and, although he has made over 100 appearances for the club, he is still a youngster.
Yes he will make mistakes on and off the pitch but what is important is that he learns from those mistakes and never loses sight of how lucky he is to have such talent.
Having Joe Roach around the first team will hopefully help Pitman’s confidence and I believe playing alongside Steve Fletcher will also help his game.
There was a lot of debate around the return of ‘Big Fletch’, of course he is a cult hero and will always be cheered on by the fans, but he is 36 now and it remains to be seen whether he has the fitness and mobility to play week in, week out at this level.
He is also something of an Emile Heskey figure in that people will always point to his poor goal scoring record.
What is never in doubt is his commitment and he does do a job for the team, he is a handful for defenders and allows someone like Pitman to make runs, knowing Fletcher is likely to win the flick on.
There is still a lot of work to be done for both Eddie Howe, for whom Saturday was his first win as boss in his first game after getting the job permanently, and Pitman, but there were positive signs and hopefully the Wycombe win will be the start of something.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Kaka signing once in a blue moon
The astronomical figures being reported during Manchester City’s pursuit of Brazilian playmaker Kaka suggest the concept of the priceless footballer is set to be severely tested.
We have often heard managers claim a player is not for sale at any price, but never before have the player’s suitors been armed with the unlimited funds of an oil-rich emirate.
If ever there was a player who falls into the ‘priceless’ bracket it was Kaka.
He is one of the world’s very best players, capable of moments of genius few are able to produce and, despite all the other big name stars on show at AC Milan, the team is built around his unique talents.
But City’s Arab owners are apparently prepared to offer the kind of sum that would make anyone listen, around £100 million may just make Carlo Ancelotti think twice about rebuilding his team in a different way.
The other stumbling block is to persuade Kaka they can match the ambitions of one of the world’s greatest talents and wages of half a million pounds a week would go some way to showing how serious they are.
Signing him is going to be hard enough but, while I would love to see a player of Kaka’s genius in the Premier League, moulding Kaka into the team is going to be a further challenge for Mark Hughes.
While I’m not suggesting for one second that City will be a weaker side with Kaka in the line up, trophies and the kind of glory the Brazilian must be chasing are not reliant on one man alone but a team or even a squad.
How the other players in City’s squad react to the inclusion of a player on drastically higher wages and who cost so much is going to be interesting, particularly as the team will have to be built around Kaka.
Some players have the natural humility to accept their limited talents and their value, and as a result will be satisfied with a water-carrying role.
Others may relish the chance of lining up alongside such a gifted player and see it as a chance to improve their game and prove they are not such a long way off themselves.
Look at the way Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips have prospered since Robinho’s arrival at Eastlands.
But there will no doubt be some who will resent Kaka’s privileged position and inflated earnings, it is only human nature.
They may also fear that their place in the team could be jeopardised at a stroke if Sheikh Mansour goes after more stellar signings, which – it has been suggested – could be a prerequisite for the capture of Kaka.
Manager Mark Hughes will have to master these feelings and the transfers which the Welshman himself seem to be actually involved in suggest he does realise the importance of building a team rather than just splashing out on big names.
They may not be as glamorous and not involve game-changing money, but the signing of Wayne Bridge and the potential capture of the industrious Scott Parker could be, in a very different way, almost as important as Kaka.
To prove this they only need to look across to the other side of Manchester.
United – currently the nation’s most successful club – have based their success not just on the talents of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but also a rock solid defence that has just recorded ten successive shut outs and a host of committed squad players.
We have often heard managers claim a player is not for sale at any price, but never before have the player’s suitors been armed with the unlimited funds of an oil-rich emirate.
If ever there was a player who falls into the ‘priceless’ bracket it was Kaka.
He is one of the world’s very best players, capable of moments of genius few are able to produce and, despite all the other big name stars on show at AC Milan, the team is built around his unique talents.
But City’s Arab owners are apparently prepared to offer the kind of sum that would make anyone listen, around £100 million may just make Carlo Ancelotti think twice about rebuilding his team in a different way.
The other stumbling block is to persuade Kaka they can match the ambitions of one of the world’s greatest talents and wages of half a million pounds a week would go some way to showing how serious they are.
Signing him is going to be hard enough but, while I would love to see a player of Kaka’s genius in the Premier League, moulding Kaka into the team is going to be a further challenge for Mark Hughes.
While I’m not suggesting for one second that City will be a weaker side with Kaka in the line up, trophies and the kind of glory the Brazilian must be chasing are not reliant on one man alone but a team or even a squad.
How the other players in City’s squad react to the inclusion of a player on drastically higher wages and who cost so much is going to be interesting, particularly as the team will have to be built around Kaka.
Some players have the natural humility to accept their limited talents and their value, and as a result will be satisfied with a water-carrying role.
Others may relish the chance of lining up alongside such a gifted player and see it as a chance to improve their game and prove they are not such a long way off themselves.
Look at the way Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips have prospered since Robinho’s arrival at Eastlands.
But there will no doubt be some who will resent Kaka’s privileged position and inflated earnings, it is only human nature.
They may also fear that their place in the team could be jeopardised at a stroke if Sheikh Mansour goes after more stellar signings, which – it has been suggested – could be a prerequisite for the capture of Kaka.
Manager Mark Hughes will have to master these feelings and the transfers which the Welshman himself seem to be actually involved in suggest he does realise the importance of building a team rather than just splashing out on big names.
They may not be as glamorous and not involve game-changing money, but the signing of Wayne Bridge and the potential capture of the industrious Scott Parker could be, in a very different way, almost as important as Kaka.
To prove this they only need to look across to the other side of Manchester.
United – currently the nation’s most successful club – have based their success not just on the talents of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but also a rock solid defence that has just recorded ten successive shut outs and a host of committed squad players.
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Fergie lets players do the talking
During Sir Alex Ferguson’s 22-year managerial reign at Old Trafford he has claimed almost as many victims with his notorious mind games as he has won trophies.
Ferguson simply revels as the pressure of a title race increases and loves nothing more than to see other bosses struggle to cope.
This week it seems Rafael Benitez was the latest to have his feather’s ruffled by the Glaswegian but for all the heated accusations flying about the back pages over the last few days, Ferguson
let his team make the most emphatic statement of all against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
With Liverpool having stumbled to a 0-0 draw with Stoke the previous evening, United seized the title initiative to win 3-0 in a game which will also raise serious questions about the West Londoners’ table-topping ambitions.
In truth United were far from breathtaking but they were solid at the back and clinical up front and managed to make Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side look very ordinary.
A far cry from their free-flowing performances at the start of the campaign which saw Chelsea compared to Scolari’s Brazilian sides, the Blues looked bereft of ideas up front with Didier Drogba woefully out of sorts and were crying out for an attacking wide player in the mould of Arjen Robben.
Chelsea never looked like breaking down United’s solid defence and with the reinvented Ryan Giggs revelling in his role as midfield prompter, the Reds strolled to victory.
There is still a long way to go and there will doubtless be more twists and turns between now and May, but with Ferguson at the helm United are likely to only get stronger as the final run-in approaches.
Ferguson simply revels as the pressure of a title race increases and loves nothing more than to see other bosses struggle to cope.
This week it seems Rafael Benitez was the latest to have his feather’s ruffled by the Glaswegian but for all the heated accusations flying about the back pages over the last few days, Ferguson
let his team make the most emphatic statement of all against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
With Liverpool having stumbled to a 0-0 draw with Stoke the previous evening, United seized the title initiative to win 3-0 in a game which will also raise serious questions about the West Londoners’ table-topping ambitions.
In truth United were far from breathtaking but they were solid at the back and clinical up front and managed to make Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side look very ordinary.
A far cry from their free-flowing performances at the start of the campaign which saw Chelsea compared to Scolari’s Brazilian sides, the Blues looked bereft of ideas up front with Didier Drogba woefully out of sorts and were crying out for an attacking wide player in the mould of Arjen Robben.
Chelsea never looked like breaking down United’s solid defence and with the reinvented Ryan Giggs revelling in his role as midfield prompter, the Reds strolled to victory.
There is still a long way to go and there will doubtless be more twists and turns between now and May, but with Ferguson at the helm United are likely to only get stronger as the final run-in approaches.
Sunday, 4 January 2009
Gerrard back where he belongs
Steve Gerrard played like he couldn’t wait to get back on the football pitch as he turned out against Preston yesterday less than a week after spending the night in a police spell following his arrest on suspicion of assault.
Just when everything in Liverpool’s season seemed to be going swimmingly and as the 5-1 win over Newcastle last weekend was still sinking in, Gerrard’s shock arrest after an incident at a Southport bar threatened to detabilise their most competitive title challenge in years.
But Gerrard looked at his rampaging best last night and seemed to suggest he is able to escape his off-field problems when he walks out onto the pitch, almost to the point where he probably didn’t want the game at Deepdale to end.
It is interesting how some players seem to relish the prospect of going back to the day job while their personal lives are ensconced in scandal while others wilt under the pressure and abuse from opposing fans.
When Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate were accused of attacking Sarfaz Najeib in 2000, Woodgate’s performances suffered badly during the ensuing legal process while Bowyer seemed a man galvanised and played possibly the best football of his career.
The early signs suggest Gerrard’s vital contributions to Liverpool will not be affected as he faces negative front page publicity for the first time in his career.
As I have experienced covering cases as a news reporter, the legal process can be a lengthy one and cases can drag on.
Whatever the outcome, it is likely Gerrard will be available for Liverpool for a substantial period of time while proceedings are still ongoing and Rafael Benitez must be extremely grateful that he seems to be viewing the football pitch as a place of sanctuary rather than scrutiny during these testing times.
Just when everything in Liverpool’s season seemed to be going swimmingly and as the 5-1 win over Newcastle last weekend was still sinking in, Gerrard’s shock arrest after an incident at a Southport bar threatened to detabilise their most competitive title challenge in years.
But Gerrard looked at his rampaging best last night and seemed to suggest he is able to escape his off-field problems when he walks out onto the pitch, almost to the point where he probably didn’t want the game at Deepdale to end.
It is interesting how some players seem to relish the prospect of going back to the day job while their personal lives are ensconced in scandal while others wilt under the pressure and abuse from opposing fans.
When Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate were accused of attacking Sarfaz Najeib in 2000, Woodgate’s performances suffered badly during the ensuing legal process while Bowyer seemed a man galvanised and played possibly the best football of his career.
The early signs suggest Gerrard’s vital contributions to Liverpool will not be affected as he faces negative front page publicity for the first time in his career.
As I have experienced covering cases as a news reporter, the legal process can be a lengthy one and cases can drag on.
Whatever the outcome, it is likely Gerrard will be available for Liverpool for a substantial period of time while proceedings are still ongoing and Rafael Benitez must be extremely grateful that he seems to be viewing the football pitch as a place of sanctuary rather than scrutiny during these testing times.
Steady Eddie gets his chance
CARETAKER boss Eddie Howe found just how cruel managerial life can be in his first game in charge.
The 31-year-old, who was handed the reins at Bournemouth for a tough trip to Darlington yesterday after Jimmy Quinn’s New Year’s Eve sacking, saw the Quakers bag two late goals to nick the game 2-1.
By all accounts Howe’s men had put in a brave performance and, having gone 1-0 up, deserved to come back with at least a point to show from the 630-mile round trip.
Howe has been told he will get the chance to prove himself in the hotseat and if he was any illusions as to just how difficult the task was, yesterday’s tough blow will have shattered them.
This week Quinn’s successor Kevin Bon claimed that - with the points deductions, financial restrictions and boardroom instability – even the self-styled ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho would struggle at the Dean Court helm.
Howe would be the first to admit he is no Jose and his management experience – in short, spells as reserve team coach and head of the Centre of Excellence at Bournemouth – is limited to say the least.
The fact that the former Cherries defender was a popular player will also not make him immune from criticism from the fans – as he would have seen with Quinn in recent months.
But this is a chance doesn’t come around very often as lack of finance may have forced the club to consider a rookie who would otherwise not have got a look in.
If Howe shows anything like the commitment and determination he showed as a player then he will throw his heart and soul into the club and should command the respect of the players.
The task is huge, daunting and demanding – but not impossible.
Howe needs to help the team rediscover their belief, get individuals playing in positions they are all comfortable in and aware of their roles and somehow unearth a cutting edge in attack that has been sadly lacking all season.
Having done all of that he will also need – as he discovered to his misfortune yesterday – that element of luck you sometimes need to win tight football matches.
Good luck Eddie, let’s hope you can become Bournemouth’s very own ‘Special One’.
The 31-year-old, who was handed the reins at Bournemouth for a tough trip to Darlington yesterday after Jimmy Quinn’s New Year’s Eve sacking, saw the Quakers bag two late goals to nick the game 2-1.
By all accounts Howe’s men had put in a brave performance and, having gone 1-0 up, deserved to come back with at least a point to show from the 630-mile round trip.
Howe has been told he will get the chance to prove himself in the hotseat and if he was any illusions as to just how difficult the task was, yesterday’s tough blow will have shattered them.
This week Quinn’s successor Kevin Bon claimed that - with the points deductions, financial restrictions and boardroom instability – even the self-styled ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho would struggle at the Dean Court helm.
Howe would be the first to admit he is no Jose and his management experience – in short, spells as reserve team coach and head of the Centre of Excellence at Bournemouth – is limited to say the least.
The fact that the former Cherries defender was a popular player will also not make him immune from criticism from the fans – as he would have seen with Quinn in recent months.
But this is a chance doesn’t come around very often as lack of finance may have forced the club to consider a rookie who would otherwise not have got a look in.
If Howe shows anything like the commitment and determination he showed as a player then he will throw his heart and soul into the club and should command the respect of the players.
The task is huge, daunting and demanding – but not impossible.
Howe needs to help the team rediscover their belief, get individuals playing in positions they are all comfortable in and aware of their roles and somehow unearth a cutting edge in attack that has been sadly lacking all season.
Having done all of that he will also need – as he discovered to his misfortune yesterday – that element of luck you sometimes need to win tight football matches.
Good luck Eddie, let’s hope you can become Bournemouth’s very own ‘Special One’.
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Slick South Africa set the standard
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.
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.
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.
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