Reading sit bottom of the Premier League but the air of calmness around the club is thanks to the controlled and rational leadership of manager Brian McDermott. Last season the blue and white hoops struggled before going on a very impressive run, surging up the table and taking the Championship title. This time round, however, McDermott's men are unlikely to go on a second half blitz like last year and need to change their game plan if they want to stay up.
Monday night's 2-5 loss to Arsenal was a case in point. Completely overrun for an hour, it was only when McDermott subbed Noel Hunt and Pavel Pogrebnyak for Adam Le Fondre and Hal Robsun-Kanu, in the process moving from the the 4-4-2 which was stretched and penetrated at will by Arsenal's midfield and switching to a 4-4-1-1 that offer more cover in the middle and closed down Arsenal's three central midfielders.
There is a danger that Reading, one win from 17 league games and only nine points on the board, start chasing games, desperate for wins rather than accumulating as many points as and when they can. While it is refreshing to see a team struggling at the bottom of the table show no fear for more illustrious opponents, it also shows naivety from the manager.
Perhaps the 7-5 league cup exit to Arsenal at the end of October clouded McDermott's judgement, but a team who have conceded 36 goals - the most in the Premiership this season - should focus less on taking the game to the opposition and more on solidifying the defence and midfield. Only when Reading changed their system, and moving from a zonal midfield marking scheme that was torn to shreds to a man for man setup, could Reading take advantage of Arsenal's complacency.
Some games will be six pointers, must wins - they need to win at least one of their games in the period after Christmas and before New Years against Swansea and West Ham - but some they will do well to get one point, like the next fixture at the Etihad against Man City. At the start of the season, a narrow defeat would have been acceptable but now points are urgently needed, now they need results, and with a defence as porous as his McDermott might think attack is the best form of defence.
That mentality means you have to believe your opponents have more to fear than yourselves, that you cannot show them too much respect otherwise it will effect your game, and with a team like Reading, in the situation they are in, that could spell disaster.
Tuesday 18 December 2012
Friday 14 December 2012
Today's Quickie - Old Man Wenger needs to become Grumpy
"I cannot fault the effort of our team, I believe we gave it absolutely everything for 120 minutes."
So said Arsene Wenger after his side's Capital One Cup exit to League Two Bradford City on penalties on Tuesday night.
If this had been the Arsenal of old you would have thought Wenger had put out a team of inexperienced youngsters who disappointingly lost. When the likes of Fabregas, Walcott and Alex Song have used the competition as a step in their development the hope would be that even the youngsters would be able to compete with the workmen of the fourth division. However, Wenger put out a side that was almost the strongest he could. For a side of internationals earning millions, to give everything and still be outfought by a team whose weekly wage budget is a quarter of what Theo Walcott is asking a week, is shameful.
They are not being helped by their manager taking all the pressure of them. There were raised voices in the dressing room but after some of the performances recently it's clear that a bit of a bollocking is not having the desired effect. Wenger needs to call out his team in public - it is the only way to rid the side of the malaise they constantly find themselves in.
As I wrote here, Wenger's lack of ambition is a root cause of Arsenal's current woes. Another reason for the Gunners troubles has been Wenger's detached behaviour. Once known for his prickly press interviews after the classic Arsenal-Man Utd games, his myopia whenever a decision went against his side, and his willingness to engage in mind games, albeit with a laid back attitude, Wenger now appears tired of such events.
As his side has lost aggression so has Wenger. He looks old, weary, and the growing discontent from the terraces has only added to his woes.
Wenger has become too nice, and unfortunately in the modern footballing world 'nice' is no use. Whether motivating the team or yourself, battles need to picked, wars need to be fought, in the mind if not on the pitch, and right now Wenger looks an ageing general who no longer has fire in his heart.
In his old age Wenger has become placid, an affable wine drinker rather than a bitter old drunk. Perhaps if he became a Grumpy Old Man his Arsenal side would have more success.
So said Arsene Wenger after his side's Capital One Cup exit to League Two Bradford City on penalties on Tuesday night.
If this had been the Arsenal of old you would have thought Wenger had put out a team of inexperienced youngsters who disappointingly lost. When the likes of Fabregas, Walcott and Alex Song have used the competition as a step in their development the hope would be that even the youngsters would be able to compete with the workmen of the fourth division. However, Wenger put out a side that was almost the strongest he could. For a side of internationals earning millions, to give everything and still be outfought by a team whose weekly wage budget is a quarter of what Theo Walcott is asking a week, is shameful.
They are not being helped by their manager taking all the pressure of them. There were raised voices in the dressing room but after some of the performances recently it's clear that a bit of a bollocking is not having the desired effect. Wenger needs to call out his team in public - it is the only way to rid the side of the malaise they constantly find themselves in.
As I wrote here, Wenger's lack of ambition is a root cause of Arsenal's current woes. Another reason for the Gunners troubles has been Wenger's detached behaviour. Once known for his prickly press interviews after the classic Arsenal-Man Utd games, his myopia whenever a decision went against his side, and his willingness to engage in mind games, albeit with a laid back attitude, Wenger now appears tired of such events.
As his side has lost aggression so has Wenger. He looks old, weary, and the growing discontent from the terraces has only added to his woes.
Wenger has become too nice, and unfortunately in the modern footballing world 'nice' is no use. Whether motivating the team or yourself, battles need to picked, wars need to be fought, in the mind if not on the pitch, and right now Wenger looks an ageing general who no longer has fire in his heart.
In his old age Wenger has become placid, an affable wine drinker rather than a bitter old drunk. Perhaps if he became a Grumpy Old Man his Arsenal side would have more success.
6 ways Wenger can make Arsenal winners again
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss away to Olympiakos might have felt like
another nail in Arsene Wenger’s coffin, but in the grand scheme of things a
hugely changed side lost little in Greece. There are plenty of reasons for
hope, if not happiness, for Arsenal fans, but it will need some tweaking, some
new tricks and a return to an old one for Arsene Wenger if the side from the
Emirates is to return to challenging and then winning trophies.
According to reports,
Wenger has around £70million to spend and Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis says it
is solely down to the manager how he spends it. With that in mind, and without
being unrealistic (there will be no chance of Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov
resolving their differences yet), we offer 6 ways Wenger can take Arsenal back
to the top.
1.
1. Get a Plan B
Arsene Wenger is a fantastic developer of talent. He can
nurture a young player and turn their potential into world class ability.
However, tactically he is not the most enigmatic. He started with a 4-4-2 when
Arsenal were still at Higbury, switched to a 4-2-3-1 when Thierry Henry left,
and since then has stuck with that formation.
There has been no invention. Nearly all his changes this
season have been like for like and while they say the hardest thing is to change
a winning team, when you are not winning the easiest thing is to switch players
and switch tactics. Wenger prefers not to.
Arsenal used to be criticised for passing, passing, passing,
dropping points whenever they came up against an organised team that put men
behind the ball. With so little flexibility in their other tactics aside from
passing (a front man with two wide forwards, ball playing central midfielders,
advanced full backs that offer the width, for example) all teams need to do is
find one way of beating them and Wenger has no in game changes to combat it.
Last weekend’s game against Swansea was a prime example – although Michu’s two
goals came late, the team from Wales had dominated in terms of chances from the
start. A better tactician would have evaluated Arsenal’s problems and made in-game
changes accordingly.
There are some gaping holes in the red and white squad, but
they do have players who could play in a different system – indeed these
players have actively voiced their preference for change. Both Theo Walcott and
Lukas Podolski have pleaded to be played in a central birth, and alongside the
improving Olivier Giroud they could give more options higher up the pitch,
causing more problems for the opposition and making Arsenal less predictable.
2.
2. Go back to the old Arsene
We all enjoyed ridiculing Wenger’s myopia whenever a
controversy arose in an Arsenal match (when it involved one of his players as
the villain), but there is another facet of Wenger the manager that has changed
over the last ten years, and that has been his strategy in the transfer market.
While no longer enjoying an unrivalled knowledge of French
football from which he signed so many of the ‘invincibles’, an analysis of
Arsenal’s transfer policy in the first half of Wenger’s reign contrasts
markedly from the second half.
The exodus of stars is well known to even the most casual
football observer. Overmars, Petit, Vieira, Henry, then Adebayor, Clichy,
Toure, Nasri, Fabregas, van Persie. Plenty of money came in to the club, and
they have the fantastic Emirates stadium as a result, but the greater cost is
now being realised.
Examine that list again, and you will see a difference
between the first four names and the latter six. Wenger used to sell players
when they were right at the peak of their careers and at the very peak of their
market value. They still had a few more years in them, but their ability was
just about to decline and their value would only decrease. Arsenal certainly
missed the likes of Petit, Vieria and Henry, but they got the most out of them
and it allowed the next generation to come through (the exception in this
period was le infant terrible, Nicolas Anelka, but time has shown that was a
pretty smart move as well).
The latter six had plenty years at the top and arguably had
room for improvement. They were not edging towards thirty, they were entering
their mid twenties, and none of them are thinking about leaving the highest
level.
Then consider the signings Wenger has made. Never the
greatest spender (arguably his biggest buys have been his worst), the Frenchman
mixed unheard of teenagers with hungry, high quality players how were not yet
fully appreciated. Vieira was at AC Milan, Petit had shone for a good Monaco
side which had included David Trezequet and a certain Thierry Henry before they
had made moves to Juventus. Freddie Ljungberg had impressed for Sweden against
England, Mark Overmars won the European Cup with Ajax, Sol Campbell was signed
on a bosman from bitter rivals Tottenham, add in Davor Suker, Sylvain Wiltord,
Robert Pires, all quality players who were winners previous or represented
their country on numerous occasions.
Include Anelka, Fabregas, Clichy, Kolo Toure and other
youngsters and Arsenal had the right mix of experience, youth, hunger, winners mentality,
and ability.
Over the last five years that policy has changed. Arsenal’s
recent big name signings have been ones either no one else really wanted or
youngsters thrown too soon into the deep end. Some, like Nasri, Santi Cazorla,
and Thomas Vermaelen, have been good signings. Others, like Chamakh, Gervinho,
Mertesacker, Rosicky, Arshavin, and Arteta to a lesser extent, have their
moments but are not up to the standard Arsenal require.
Olivier Giroud has impressed after an iffy start, but Lukas
Podolski has gone the other way, and even Cazrola and Vermaelen have started to
struggle with the burden of carrying this Arsenal side on their shoulders.
Youngsters like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gibbs, Jenkinson and
even Jack Wilshere have found themselves stretched. Whereas before they were
slowly introduced into a settled and accomplished team, now they are expected
to solve the problems their teammates have caused.
If Arsenal have £70million in the bank, spend it on top
players, winners, and not hyped youngsters who can’t deliver now, and will
eventually move elsewhere for medals. Speaking of which...
3. 3. Stop being a stepping stone
If Wenger has £70million to spend, or whatever, he should spend
all of it. Soon. Arsenal need to send out a statement that they are a club
aiming for the top, not a team trying to halt a slow slide to the bottom.
Wenger himself has to take a lot of the blame for Arsenal’s
diminishing status in the eyes of the footballing world. Players no longer join
to win leagues and trophies, they join to improve their game, perhaps
experience the Champions League for the first time, and enjoy good wages that
English football has to offer. If they make a good impression then great, maybe
they can get even more money with a few medals chucked in at their next club.
The talk around Ashburton Grove is not about challenging for
titles anymore, not really. It is about qualifying for the all important
Champions League. Arsenal have managed to do that on 16 consecutive occasions
but as their ambitions slip from winning, challenging, competing, to simply
qualifying, the danger is a bad result here or a bit of bad luck there and now
they are not even top 4 anymore, and the whole Emirates edifice comes crashing
down.
Of course, it would be foolhardy for Wenger to suddenly
claim they can win the Premiership now, but the downgrade of their aims has been
a slow and steady process and at some point they need to reverse the rhetoric.
A couple of stellar names, players who make supporters go ‘wow’, would really
do the trick and change the negative atmosphere around the club at the moment.
A good start might be Klass-Jan Huntelaar, but more will
need to come, including....
4.
4. Where is the midfield destroyer?
Petit, Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Flamini, Song. All players
who got stuck in. Not afraid to do the dirty stuff. Win the ball. Shield the
defence. Carry the water. However you want to put it, it’s clear that Mikel
Arteta, for all his ability, is no ball winner and certainly not a physical
presence. Jack Wilshere will get stuck in once he has a few more games under
his belt, but the rest of the midfield looks flimsy, and undoubtedly adds extra
pressure on to a fallible defence.
As mentioned before, Wenger was once well known for not
seeing the various indiscretions of his players on the pitch and Arsenal racked
up 68 red cards between September 1996 and March 2007 – over 6 a year on
average. Over the next 3 years they picked up 12 (4 a year), including six in
the Premiership in 2010/11, three last season, and one this season and in
2009/10 (Premier League only). This despite more challenges being deemed worthy
of a red card over the last five years, with one footed lunges joining the two
footed variety in earning a straight red.
Arsenal need more bite across their team, they need to press
more, put more tackles in, and generally have more physical presence on the
pitch. Opposition teams feel they can bully Arsenal off the pitch, not with
fouls and kicks (although that does happen) but just by being stronger.
5.
5. Get rid of the deadwood
According to transferleague.co.uk
Arsenal used to sell a lot more players than they bought, nearly twice as many
from 2002 to 2007. This season being an exception (although we’ve addressed the
need to bring in more players), Arsenal have bought and sold on a largely even
basis in terms of numbers, but this is not by design.
Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner, Ju-Young Park, Denilson,
Andrey Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci and Andre Santos could all be employed
elsewhere is anybody had wanted them. The merits of Lukasz Fabianski, injury
prone Abou Diaby, and the inconsistent Tomas Rosicky could also be questioned,
while Bacary Sagna and Theo Walcott’s futures are uncertain.
That is a lot of talent that is either not required or whose
future needs deciding on, and while they remain they only serve to cloud
Wenger’s thinking.
There was a time when the manager would have ruthlessly
culled those who were not good enough, safe in the knowledge that he had the
quality within the squad or players lined up to come in that would enhance the
team. Now, with problems mounting and no clear and simple solution in sight,
Wenger is stuck relying on players he knows are not good enough.
6 6.
It’s okay to ask for help
Whether it be a new coach with fresh ideas, or an active
director or chief executive to help Wenger in the transfer market, the
ex-Monaco manager needs a little help.
He has carried Arsenal football club through some great
times, into a new stadium, and his only hope seems to be that the financial
fair play rules will hurt all the other clubs, leaving his team standing at the
summit. Personally I cannot see this happening, the FFP will be a battle
between accountants and lawyers, and as the Etihad sponsorship of Manchester
City has shown the rules can be not so much bent, as smashed to a pulp.
The absence of a David Dein-like figure has coincided
spectacularly with an absence of silverware in the Arsenal trophy cabinet, and
while Ivan Gazidis talks a good game and seems a respectable man, he does not
give the appearance of having the cunning, knowledge or skill of Dein. If
nothing else, Dein helped lift some of the weight from Wenger’s shoulders.
Wenger looks increasingly tired and exhausted, and it would be no shame asking
for help in running the football club.
By following even one of those suggestions Wenger will get
Arsenal performing a lot better and help return the club to where it once was.
Can you think of anything else Wenger could do?
Monday 10 December 2012
Only the Majority can deal with a mindless minority
Topic of the day: coin throwing and crowd problems
Rio Ferdinand was lucky not to lose an eye, but he was unlucky that of all the coins, lighters, plastic bottles and whatever else the moronic football 'fan' can lay his or her hands on, one actually hit him. Earlier on in the game Wayne Rooney was pelted with items while caught in the heinous act of taking a corner, and recent racist and anti-Semitic chanting indicates a problem with football crowds that no doubt speaks of our wider society.
What can be done? Netting has been proposed to stop objects hitting players, but how tight will the netting need to be to stop coins? Will the objects rebound and hit innocent supporters? Did the nets at the Camp Nou stop a pig's head? And what will netting do to stop abuse emanating from the crowd?
The answer is to punish the majority to eradicate the minority. It's always a minority (every bad thing in life is always perpetrated by a minority despite the impression you might get from the media. Your average person is a decent, law abiding person) but this can no longer be an excuse. As the Football Ramble's Luke Moore says, when a rugby team at his school wrecked a minibus, all the sports teams were suspended. Something similar needs to happen in football.
Take the Serbia -England U21 game. Again, another mindless minority - albeit an uncomfortably large minority - spoiling it for the rest. The West Ham - Spurs game, more morons. Investigations have been launched, action already taken, but will all the culprits be caught? The Swansea 'fan' who shouted racist abuse towards Norwich's Sebastien Bassong was apprehended quickly and it is great credit to Swansea and the authorities that the villain was caught and done so speedily, but that was the exception. A large proportion of those who drag football down are not caught.
Finally, let's look at the coin throwing incident at the Etihad on sunday. There is CCTV, which was was being tracked live and can be checked after the event, but the likelihood is that there culprit, and those who through objects at Rooney earlier, will not be caught, and if so they will get a slap on the wrists, a banning order for a couple of seasons at most, and probably sneak in for City's next game.
When Police or stewards move into the crowd they receive abuse and a 'them and us' attitude. However, if the fan(s) they were looking for were affecting their fellow fans rather than just trying to antagonise the opposition, supporters may be more willing to point out the miscreants.
So how about you make the fans stay behind? Tell all the City fans they can't leave for twenty minutes, then those in the relevant blocks have to stay behind an hour until the Police have picked out the people they want. Now suddenly its not the image of this corporate conglomerate that the bad apples are tarnishing, but the day of all their fellow fans. Now you can't go home until that dickhead has been caught, and the next time you see someone throw something or start a racist chant you do something because that guy is going to directly affect your day. It is not the police that fan has to worry about but the hundreds of fans in his block, the thousands in the stadium, and if he goes to games regularly then it will become a very uncomfortable experience for him.
Away fans are often kept behind after European games (for their own safety rather than for punishment) and if it means people miss trains or get home late then so be it. It will just mean they are more likely to act by their volition to root out the trouble makers at our grounds.
Rio Ferdinand was lucky not to lose an eye, but he was unlucky that of all the coins, lighters, plastic bottles and whatever else the moronic football 'fan' can lay his or her hands on, one actually hit him. Earlier on in the game Wayne Rooney was pelted with items while caught in the heinous act of taking a corner, and recent racist and anti-Semitic chanting indicates a problem with football crowds that no doubt speaks of our wider society.
What can be done? Netting has been proposed to stop objects hitting players, but how tight will the netting need to be to stop coins? Will the objects rebound and hit innocent supporters? Did the nets at the Camp Nou stop a pig's head? And what will netting do to stop abuse emanating from the crowd?
The answer is to punish the majority to eradicate the minority. It's always a minority (every bad thing in life is always perpetrated by a minority despite the impression you might get from the media. Your average person is a decent, law abiding person) but this can no longer be an excuse. As the Football Ramble's Luke Moore says, when a rugby team at his school wrecked a minibus, all the sports teams were suspended. Something similar needs to happen in football.
Take the Serbia -England U21 game. Again, another mindless minority - albeit an uncomfortably large minority - spoiling it for the rest. The West Ham - Spurs game, more morons. Investigations have been launched, action already taken, but will all the culprits be caught? The Swansea 'fan' who shouted racist abuse towards Norwich's Sebastien Bassong was apprehended quickly and it is great credit to Swansea and the authorities that the villain was caught and done so speedily, but that was the exception. A large proportion of those who drag football down are not caught.
Finally, let's look at the coin throwing incident at the Etihad on sunday. There is CCTV, which was was being tracked live and can be checked after the event, but the likelihood is that there culprit, and those who through objects at Rooney earlier, will not be caught, and if so they will get a slap on the wrists, a banning order for a couple of seasons at most, and probably sneak in for City's next game.
When Police or stewards move into the crowd they receive abuse and a 'them and us' attitude. However, if the fan(s) they were looking for were affecting their fellow fans rather than just trying to antagonise the opposition, supporters may be more willing to point out the miscreants.
So how about you make the fans stay behind? Tell all the City fans they can't leave for twenty minutes, then those in the relevant blocks have to stay behind an hour until the Police have picked out the people they want. Now suddenly its not the image of this corporate conglomerate that the bad apples are tarnishing, but the day of all their fellow fans. Now you can't go home until that dickhead has been caught, and the next time you see someone throw something or start a racist chant you do something because that guy is going to directly affect your day. It is not the police that fan has to worry about but the hundreds of fans in his block, the thousands in the stadium, and if he goes to games regularly then it will become a very uncomfortable experience for him.
Away fans are often kept behind after European games (for their own safety rather than for punishment) and if it means people miss trains or get home late then so be it. It will just mean they are more likely to act by their volition to root out the trouble makers at our grounds.
Sunday 9 December 2012
Platini the Politician wins with Euro 2020
You have to hand it to Michel Platini. When elected to the Uefa presidency the general thinking was that the successful ex-Juventus and France player, winner of the 1984 European Championship, would make the perfect person to remove all the bureaucracy, clumsiness and cosiness from European football's governing body. Uefa would no longer be about self interest and career administrators, now it would be about football and the fans.
How wrong we were. Not only has Platini confirmed to the archetype football administrator, seen throughout the English FA, Uefa, and most visibly through Fifa, the Frenchman has shown to be more cunning, conniving, and ambitious than anyone apart from Sepp Blatter.
The announcement that Euro 2020 would take place across the continent is meant to see 'the Euros coming to the fans'. Of course it is nothing of the sort. It is hard enough trying to work out where to see your country play when confined to one nation, where first or second in the group can send you in wildly different directions, but when it involves moving to different countries at such short notice, arranging travel, accommodation, or simply knowing what currency to have with you? It is a joke.
But that is no surprise. Uefa's appreciation of the fans is a joke, and the fans are the last thing Platini is thinking about. Not sure about that statement? Then why will Euro 2024 revert back to a host nation format?
No, Platini is only concerned with the people that matter - namely sponsors and member associations. Basically, the people who can get him up the career ladder and into the job he craves - Fifa president.
"It is perhaps a bit of a zany idea but it is a good idea. I just bring forward ideas and then national associations have their own meetings and workshops and 52 out of 53 said 'yes'."
It's my idea, but it's not my fault. Power without responsibility, oh how we would all crave that. Obviously 52 out of 53 FAs said yes, they are only thinking about themselves. 40 of those countries never stood a chance of hosting the Euros. 10 of them could not explain politically the merit of spending millions on stadiums and infrastructure they do not really need at a time of economic austerity. And England and Germany have just had the Olympics and a World Cup (and pissed off too many people in football and in politics).
The Platini plan all gives them a slice of a bigger pie. Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Slovenia, Wales, Scotland, Norway, all these countries can hold one or two group games, perhaps a knockout stage as well. Instead of either building colossus stadiums they cannot fill, these countries can use the one or two big stadia they do have and get in on some of the action. Naturally, the hotel rates, airline tickets, and food and drink prices will shoot up for about two days so the natives can jump on the 2020 bandwagon, but it is only those 'loyal' fans who will pay, so no worries.
The English FA has already proposed Wembley as the final venue (might as well), Serbia might look to get home advantage for one of their games should they qualify, and the only country to vote against those proposals? Why, that's the only country that actually wanted to host the bloody thing - Turkey.
The sponsors are pleased too. "We see a lot of potential...many different locations means being able to showcase our brand across the continent" said an Adidas spokesman, while Carslberg said it was "an interesting idea". So we can expect even bigger sponsorship deals, which means more money to the FAs, and more money to the men in suits.
With everyone except the Turks happy, and even then the dollar signs will soon put a smile on their faces, and sponsors privately lauding Platini, his run to the Fifa hotseat/throne looks very smooth. Vote for me, I've got so many ideas that you can vote on to make us loads of money! And if his candidacy fails? He can simply go back to Uefa and expect 52 votes out of 53, and another decade screwing the fans and pleasing the suits.
How wrong we were. Not only has Platini confirmed to the archetype football administrator, seen throughout the English FA, Uefa, and most visibly through Fifa, the Frenchman has shown to be more cunning, conniving, and ambitious than anyone apart from Sepp Blatter.
The announcement that Euro 2020 would take place across the continent is meant to see 'the Euros coming to the fans'. Of course it is nothing of the sort. It is hard enough trying to work out where to see your country play when confined to one nation, where first or second in the group can send you in wildly different directions, but when it involves moving to different countries at such short notice, arranging travel, accommodation, or simply knowing what currency to have with you? It is a joke.
But that is no surprise. Uefa's appreciation of the fans is a joke, and the fans are the last thing Platini is thinking about. Not sure about that statement? Then why will Euro 2024 revert back to a host nation format?
No, Platini is only concerned with the people that matter - namely sponsors and member associations. Basically, the people who can get him up the career ladder and into the job he craves - Fifa president.
"It is perhaps a bit of a zany idea but it is a good idea. I just bring forward ideas and then national associations have their own meetings and workshops and 52 out of 53 said 'yes'."
It's my idea, but it's not my fault. Power without responsibility, oh how we would all crave that. Obviously 52 out of 53 FAs said yes, they are only thinking about themselves. 40 of those countries never stood a chance of hosting the Euros. 10 of them could not explain politically the merit of spending millions on stadiums and infrastructure they do not really need at a time of economic austerity. And England and Germany have just had the Olympics and a World Cup (and pissed off too many people in football and in politics).
The Platini plan all gives them a slice of a bigger pie. Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Slovenia, Wales, Scotland, Norway, all these countries can hold one or two group games, perhaps a knockout stage as well. Instead of either building colossus stadiums they cannot fill, these countries can use the one or two big stadia they do have and get in on some of the action. Naturally, the hotel rates, airline tickets, and food and drink prices will shoot up for about two days so the natives can jump on the 2020 bandwagon, but it is only those 'loyal' fans who will pay, so no worries.
The English FA has already proposed Wembley as the final venue (might as well), Serbia might look to get home advantage for one of their games should they qualify, and the only country to vote against those proposals? Why, that's the only country that actually wanted to host the bloody thing - Turkey.
The sponsors are pleased too. "We see a lot of potential...many different locations means being able to showcase our brand across the continent" said an Adidas spokesman, while Carslberg said it was "an interesting idea". So we can expect even bigger sponsorship deals, which means more money to the FAs, and more money to the men in suits.
With everyone except the Turks happy, and even then the dollar signs will soon put a smile on their faces, and sponsors privately lauding Platini, his run to the Fifa hotseat/throne looks very smooth. Vote for me, I've got so many ideas that you can vote on to make us loads of money! And if his candidacy fails? He can simply go back to Uefa and expect 52 votes out of 53, and another decade screwing the fans and pleasing the suits.
Friday 19 October 2012
England still faces roof fiasco of its own
Picture the scene. A big sporting event, held in a venue that cost hundreds of millions of pounds, and it is raining. It is raining hard. It looks like God has turned on a shower over the stadium. The fans are dry - well, most of them are - but the players are getting absolutely soaked. There is a roof on the stadium but that is not stopping the rain on the pitch.
This is not the farce in Poland on Tuesday. This is not the Poland National Stadium. This is August 25th, the Carnegie Challenge Cup final between Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhino. This is Wembley, and although the roof is closed, thanks to some genius the roof does not cover the pitch, and never will.
While Adrian Chiles and his three stooges, along with the fourth estate, ridiculed Poles, Poland, and the Poland FA (as well as FIFA, UEFA, the referee, British Rail and the boogeyman), the England FA must be filling its pants while it waits to be put out to dry whenever the clouds gather over Wembley.
Poland's National Stadium cost £400million. Wembley cost double. Like it's counterpart, the roof cannot be closed if spectators are inside due to health and safety, but unlike it's continental cousin if there was a torrential downpour closing the roof would do nothing to help. The ground in North West London does at least have a proper drainage system, and if the surface water overwhelmed the draining one would hope we would reach a quicker decision to abandon the match than we did in Poland.
The point remains, however, that the Poland debacle was not a problem consigned to corner cutting Eastern Europeans and idiotic FA's. The FA at home are just as culpable for ill-thought out decisions and the home of football is one freak weather event away from disaster. One would hope the FA have taken the chance to plan for a downpour to avoid the embarrassment of a cancelled or delayed match, but I would not bet on it.
This is not the farce in Poland on Tuesday. This is not the Poland National Stadium. This is August 25th, the Carnegie Challenge Cup final between Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhino. This is Wembley, and although the roof is closed, thanks to some genius the roof does not cover the pitch, and never will.
While Adrian Chiles and his three stooges, along with the fourth estate, ridiculed Poles, Poland, and the Poland FA (as well as FIFA, UEFA, the referee, British Rail and the boogeyman), the England FA must be filling its pants while it waits to be put out to dry whenever the clouds gather over Wembley.
Poland's National Stadium cost £400million. Wembley cost double. Like it's counterpart, the roof cannot be closed if spectators are inside due to health and safety, but unlike it's continental cousin if there was a torrential downpour closing the roof would do nothing to help. The ground in North West London does at least have a proper drainage system, and if the surface water overwhelmed the draining one would hope we would reach a quicker decision to abandon the match than we did in Poland.
The point remains, however, that the Poland debacle was not a problem consigned to corner cutting Eastern Europeans and idiotic FA's. The FA at home are just as culpable for ill-thought out decisions and the home of football is one freak weather event away from disaster. One would hope the FA have taken the chance to plan for a downpour to avoid the embarrassment of a cancelled or delayed match, but I would not bet on it.
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Scholes operates in a different world
I read a remarkable stat about Paul Scholes's return:
"Scholes has completed almost 93% of his 813 passes that he has attempted in 12 league games, all but 3 % of which have come in the opposition half."
It's not the accuracy that amazes me - whenever someone brings up Barcelona's passing stats as they romp to victory I want to point out that for the last twenty minutes, at 4-0 up, they made 4oo 5-yard passes that an eight year old would complete 99.9% of the time - but where on the pitch Scholes makes his passes. If there is anything young players should take from the 37-year-old's game, it is how far forward he takes and passes on possession.
The return of Scholes has been called desperate and a master stroke. At first I was hesitant to pile on the plaudits because Manchester United are so strong and look to use the wings for their attacks so often that a central midfielder who simply shifts the ball sideways and on to the better players could easily be carried in most games (see Anderson, Carrick), but the fact Scholes is operating in his opponent's half shows he is contributing massively.
Leon Brittain and his Swansea team mates have been lauded for their passing style, and comments have been made about Brittain being in the top 5 for passing accuracy in Europe. But this is where statistics can be misleading - when you operate with a three man midfield, and pass from the back, you can rack up lots of short but meaningless and ineffective passes as you slowly move the opposition around. It can wear the opponent out but until you get into the final third it lacks any threat and can be very frustrating, leaving a team searching for a faster tempo.
To go back to United, Michael Carrick strikes me as someone who should look to replicate Scholes's game. It may be too late for the ex-West Ham and Tottenham midfielder, but whenever I watch him I get the feeling there is so much more to come, but the player himself is reluctant to put his mark on the game. You never hear the commentator say 'Carrick is dominating midfield'. Carrick makes too many square and backwards passes, doesn't look to create enough goal scoring opportunities, and even when he does play it simple he is a fraction slow, and attacks can stutter.
The fact Scholes has come in and done so well shows that Carrick has struggled to take up the mantle in the absence of Scholes.
It's not only United who have struggled with Scholes, England are another example of a team missing central midfielders who will command the ball in the opponent's half. Too often England moves involve the centre backs and central midfielders passing the ball in their own half, under no pressure from the opposition, before becoming desperate and pumping the ball forward.
Everyone knows about Paul Scholes and his ability on the ball, but where he picks the ball and how he passes it on, with pace, impetus and direction, is something the next generation of England playmakers would do well to copy.
"Scholes has completed almost 93% of his 813 passes that he has attempted in 12 league games, all but 3 % of which have come in the opposition half."
It's not the accuracy that amazes me - whenever someone brings up Barcelona's passing stats as they romp to victory I want to point out that for the last twenty minutes, at 4-0 up, they made 4oo 5-yard passes that an eight year old would complete 99.9% of the time - but where on the pitch Scholes makes his passes. If there is anything young players should take from the 37-year-old's game, it is how far forward he takes and passes on possession.
The return of Scholes has been called desperate and a master stroke. At first I was hesitant to pile on the plaudits because Manchester United are so strong and look to use the wings for their attacks so often that a central midfielder who simply shifts the ball sideways and on to the better players could easily be carried in most games (see Anderson, Carrick), but the fact Scholes is operating in his opponent's half shows he is contributing massively.
Leon Brittain and his Swansea team mates have been lauded for their passing style, and comments have been made about Brittain being in the top 5 for passing accuracy in Europe. But this is where statistics can be misleading - when you operate with a three man midfield, and pass from the back, you can rack up lots of short but meaningless and ineffective passes as you slowly move the opposition around. It can wear the opponent out but until you get into the final third it lacks any threat and can be very frustrating, leaving a team searching for a faster tempo.
To go back to United, Michael Carrick strikes me as someone who should look to replicate Scholes's game. It may be too late for the ex-West Ham and Tottenham midfielder, but whenever I watch him I get the feeling there is so much more to come, but the player himself is reluctant to put his mark on the game. You never hear the commentator say 'Carrick is dominating midfield'. Carrick makes too many square and backwards passes, doesn't look to create enough goal scoring opportunities, and even when he does play it simple he is a fraction slow, and attacks can stutter.
The fact Scholes has come in and done so well shows that Carrick has struggled to take up the mantle in the absence of Scholes.
It's not only United who have struggled with Scholes, England are another example of a team missing central midfielders who will command the ball in the opponent's half. Too often England moves involve the centre backs and central midfielders passing the ball in their own half, under no pressure from the opposition, before becoming desperate and pumping the ball forward.
Everyone knows about Paul Scholes and his ability on the ball, but where he picks the ball and how he passes it on, with pace, impetus and direction, is something the next generation of England playmakers would do well to copy.
Thursday 12 April 2012
Agent Doherty: The Tactics files - Norwich
File Name: More Open than Jenny Thompson's Legs
Location: White Hart Lane
Date: April 9th
Opposition: Norwich
"Top of the evening to you, G-Doc back with another insight into Tottenham tactics. Bad times down at the Lane, and let's get to the first talking point. The captain, man of the moment, that oh-so-reliable centre back who defies injury to put in performance after performance slipped up badly over Easter, but enough about me, what about my old team mate Ledley King? The King, he is no more it seems.
In isolation it would seem my old mentee struggled, but if we delve deeper into matters on the pitch you'll find more than miles of tattoos and the smell of deep heat. Tottenham's problems, like most issues teams have, stem from the performance (or lack) of the midfield. Ready to go deeper still? Good, here we go....
Like an Ikea wardrobe built by a teenager, Tottenham's midfield did not hold together. The 4-4-2 - that formation closest to Harry's heart - has turned into an adulterous harlot, enticing the manager with its form and shape and simple beauty, only to turn out to be fucked by eleven men from Norfolk. There is nothing wrong with a 4-4-2 in principal as long as everyone works together. Partnerships can be forged between winger and full back, between the two strikers, central midfielders, centre backs etc, zonal marking makes up for the overloading of numbers in key areas, and attacking plans can be effected simply.
However, these partnerships have to work in defence as well as in attack. The centre forwards have to protect the central midfielders, who have to protect the centre backs; full backs should overlap or support wingers when going forward, and wingers should help the full back double up on the opposition's wide men. This did not happen.
Too many first balls were lost, but more critically too many second balls were lost. Norwich played a similar 4-4-2 which, judging by Harry's comments after the game (about his team's openness), the Spurs manager did not realise. Losing the second ball duel indicates a lack of determination and also a lack of team work, with team mates too far away from each other, allowing the opposition to close tightly on the ball and outnumber the Spurs men.
The midfield hardly covered themselves in glory. Gareth Bale had one of those games were he thought the world owed him a living, and if he played in League One he would have got a Gazza-boot up his arse I tell you! Tracking back seemed beneath him, and he managed to float in a tear in the space-time continuum most of the time. Rather than put his nose in where others put their feet, the Welsh Wizard was another guilty party, waiting for the ball to be won by others and then laid off to him. In the 4-3-3 of recent times that is more acceptable, in a 4-4-2 the wingers have to put in a shift. I really feel for Assou-Ekotto because he has too many 1-on-1s to deal with.
On the opposite flank Aaron Lennon was less culpable, but had one of those games were he was too wide. I don't mind stretching the pitch but when the ball is going down the opposite flank and an attack is being mounted you need to get involved. As a world class defender I can tell you there is nothing better than having a speedy winger stick to the opposite touchline.
When the attack broke down he was too far away to get back, and uninterested in helping out the central midfielders. Again, in a 4-3-3 that is okay, not in this system. In both cases the wingers should have been instructed to get narrow when the team is defending.
In the centre, Jake Livermore had a good game but he is not yet ready to be Parker's replacement, and it was strange to see Sandro sitting on the bench. I can only assume he was rested. Livermore failed to press Elliot Bennett for Norwich's second goal, but rather than blame the young man I would ask what would have happened if he was constantly dragged out of the middle? A hole you big enough to fit every tractor this side of Ipswich in, that's what.
Even with Parker in the middle, Spurs can be woefully open, and this was exacebated on Monday by the abysmal performance of Luka Modric. Outmuscled, outfought, outworked, the Croatian did little to help Livermore or the defence stem the flow of Green coming at them. Often he was caught jogging back ten to fifteen yards behind the play, and his lax attitude was symptomatic of too many Spurs players.
Changes at half time and 70 minutes improved Tottenham slightly, but the team could not defend and were lucky to only concede two. Redknapp bemoaned the openness of his time but any fool, even David Pleat, could have told you that such a loose team with no clear direction would struggle against an opposition who put up even half a fight. Tottenham's recent results have not matched their performances, and this game was int he same vain, except this time Spurs should have lost by more than one goal.
The manager has to take much of the blame but not for one moment should the players think they have avoided the heat. Redknapp should know better than most that formations and tactics are not the same thing, and while he might point out to the goalless draw at Stamford Bridge or the 3-1 win against Swansea, fact is the other results in the last month prove that it isn't the formation that's the problem, it's team shape, roles given to individual players, and most troubling of all the basic lack of effort put in by too many players.
Spurs face Chelsea on sunday and I would not be surprised if my old team go out there and do the business. A derby match, at Wembley, with the chance to get to a final? You bet the players will be up for that, which only goes to add to the insult of Monday's performance. You can have as easy run in as you like but if you don't match the effort of the opposition, you will not get anywhere.
I expect Redknapp to adopt the tactics he employed at the Bridge, and with good reason, but the top teams have more than just a Plan A. As I said before, when Redknapp puts some preparation in the natural skill of his team does the rest, but when he scribbles down a line up ten minutes before kick off his team will get exposed. People know they are vulnerable, fortunately they face a Chelsea team on sunday who have problems of their own.
Agent Doherty: The Tactics files - Swansea
File Name: Preparation ‘aitch
Location: White Hart Lane
Date: April 1st
Opposition: Swansea
“Alright geezers, you’re old mate Gaz ‘The Doc’ Doherty, aka the Ginger Pele, aka ‘ledge’...okay no one called me that last one but it doesn’t matter. I’m still ripping it up, this time for the mighty Wycombe Wanderers, but I had a thought about life after my playing career ends in another twelve years and decided that I should help all of you to understand the finer points of tactics at the top end of the modern game.
I’ve exploited all my contacts, used all my knowledge, and thanks to an online course in industrial espionage I found in the ads section of the Sun, got my diploma in spying. Using the carefully honed skills taught to be by my master, David Pleat, and the sunglasses and hat that came with the course, here is what I found...
As we all know, Spurs had been on a blip recently, but performances and more importantly results have picked up, and my sources tell me that it all started in the aftermath of the Stoke game a couple of weeks back. I’ve been sent pictures of Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan pulling out a chalk board from the back of the equipment cupboard, and men lining up in the penalty area, with one man stood on the corner flag. My antenna told me something was up, and I quickly recognised that they were practising set pieces. Harry had talked about a lack of ‘winners’ in the air (it’s alright Harry, I knew you were talking about yours truly. 35 career goals don’t lie) but that all changed. Since the Stoke game we have scored from two corners, and got on the end of several more. The signs were there at Stamford Bridge when Bale hit the crossbar.
Speaking of the Bridge, we saw Spurs employ a 4-3-3 system with Bale on the left and Van der Vaart on the right. The Dutchman isn’t the most mobile, but that didn’t stop me having a career that reached the highest highs and I doubt that will stop the ex-Real Madrid man either. He’s only 29, he’s got decades ahead of him.
Obviously Rafa isn’t a natural winger and not the greatest defensively, but Harry foresaw this problem, placing Sandro in a position on the right of the central three midfielders, with instructions to cover Rafa if the Dutchman went inside or forward, and to help Walker out defensively. This extra shield appeared to inspire Van der Vaart further, and his defensive contribution was much higher than normal. This laid the ground work for the Swansea game.
Against Bolton in midweek I noticed we set up in an almost identical way, the major change being Livermore in for Sandro, performing the same role. Van der Vaart looked a lot fitter, and the team created numerous chances – they just needed someone with a reputation for scoring goals to put the ball away. Unfortunately due to the terms of my loan I was not available, and anyway if Harry had called I would not have been able to answer as I had mistaken my mobile for an expired arctic roll and tried to eat it.
Swansea was the big game, and a big test. Harry has a habit of sticking to a winning formula once he has found it, and his laissez-faire style can sometimes see us under appreciate the obstacles and the qualities the opposition will bring. Swansea have a reputation for passing the ball a lot and there was a danger that while our new system had proved successful it would be undermined by not having the ball. If you don’t have the ball you can’t score, especially without the Ginger Pele in your team (although I make no guarantee which end it will go in) and I was interested to see how Harry would tailor our team to deal with the Taylors (see what I did there, damn I could have been the new Oscar Wilde. He was Irish too) Brittains, Sigurdson....Siggurdsson.....Sigsuriiidon...Sig....Allens and the rest of their ball players.
The answer was simple. He set Modric, Sandro and Parker to man mark their three counter parts in midfield, which often saw Modric as far forward as Adebayor, the full backs went tight on their wingers, and the team pressed as a group. They forced Swansea into errors and seized on them quickly. Harry had clearly done his homework, and it turned out to be A+.
There was yet another goal from a corner, although how someone as obvious as Adebayor can be unmarked six yards out is ludicrous. Would never have happened if I was in that defence. I would have thrown my head in there, broken my nose (yet again) and the blood gushing out of my nozzer would have put the striker. Experience, you see, something the Swansea boys lacked.
Then Harry tinkered, brought on Lennon, brought Rafa inside, and when the little man did finally get the ball he crossed for the third goal that finished the game off.
It was a good performance, full of energy, effort, and some good finishing. If we keep up the work, and Harry continues to identify and neutralise the opposition’s threats, as well as exploiting their weaknesses, we could end the season on a high. The players might even get a shiny medal. Won’t quite match my Norwich player of the season award in 2006, or my U18 European Championship winning medal in 1998 (seriously, look it up, I was a ledge even back then), but I’m sure the boys will be happy with them.
First up though is another tough game away to Sunderland, and another chance for Harry to show his tactical acumen. Sunderland’s dangerman, Stephane Sessengnon, likes to drift deep and wide, and it will be interesting to see whether Harry deploys a zonal or man marking system.
That about wraps up my first report, I’ve volunteered to wash the teams kit tonight, so see if you can spot me at the Lane next week and remember...you didn’t get any of this from me, right?”
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