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We're Great, Aren't We?
Can I be the first to praise F365 on the large amount of news, blogs and interesting pages to read on your website today.
Im a regular reader and this must be the most amount of 'new' stories on a single day in a while. Well done boys and girls.
A lot of us are either hacked off to be back to work or annoyed that we were roped into working over the holiday period (unfortunately I'm the latter) and this has surely taken the edge off the day.
Three Blogs, La Liga round up, Championship shopping list, an interesting mailbox (special mention to Luke Williamson) and of course Mediawatch and the Gossip column.
I know its unlikely to have this amount of new stories everyday without compromising on quality, but today you have out done yourselves.
Excellent start to 2009.
James (Downing to Arsenal anyone, anyone?) Le Beak
Good Question
Where the s**t do Spurs keep getting this cash from?
William O'Doherty
Defending ITV
All this criticism about ITV's FA Cup coverage makes me think people are living in cloud cuckoo land. The channel had to have staff to cover 24 matches, not including production teams sent out to postponed matches, and also deal with a live outside broadcast from Deepdale.
Then they had to turn it around for a highlight package to be shown that evening. It's not really a surprise that the producers showed some inflexibility - with that number of matches you have to do a lot of preparation.
You try squeezing highlights of 25 matches (including Spurs v Wigan) into a programme that's about an hour long (not including adverts) and see how easy it is.
I'm not saying it's perfect, I'm saying cut ITV Sport some slack for the third round and see if things improve in the 4th with a more manageable number of games.
Andy 'sick as a dog' McCarron
...I don't know why people are complaining. As a Man City fan, I found it absolutely brilliant!
Simon, Slightly Depressed City Fan...
And Some More, Errm, Not Defending ITV
The Gillingham vs Villa match illustrated perfectly the lack of tactical nous among the ITV pundits.
Everybody spotted that Gillingham demonstrated two big weaknesses on the day: (i) the way that the back four liked to pass the ball around to each other, and (ii) a midfield that was 100% attack minded and lacking a holding player. One of the commentators pointed out that Gillingham were missing two defenders through suspension. There was also another defensive player missing because he was cup tied, having played for Dover in the cup (great planning Gills!).
So why was it that nobody at ITV could spot that this was all linked together? With so many defenders missing, Gillingham were forced to play their most defensive midfielders in defence, meaning (i) that their defenders were unusually comfortable on the ball and (ii) that the only remaining midfilders available for selection were all attack minded.
It's not rocket science, is it?
Steve Mills
...Just a further thought on the ITV coverage of the FA Cup this weekend. Why did anyone at the broadcaster think that it would be a good idea to show an interview between their 'pitchside reporter' and the Gillingham assistant manger during the game? It was pretty painful to watch and was amusing because they kept on stopping talking to watch the bloody game (that we were supposed to be seeing!!). Don't get me started on the Championship coverage, it's just as bad (although I do get to see my beloved Blues most weeks!) Please, please, please let this season be the only one that ITV can ruin the FA Cup for us, the viewing public.
A big well done to Hartlepool, Forest and the others for their immense performances this weekend and true heartfelt guttedness for the mighty Gillingham for giving the Vile a right good scare!!
KRO, Mike Allen, Brum
An Intelligent Defence Of Footballers
Nice email from Luke Williamson today. I thought he was a tad harsh though in places, as he seems to be laying the blame for a lot of ills at the players' feet. Forgive me if I got it wrong, but in my opinion you can't compare these players to us as Luke does. Yes they earn impossible amounts of cash, and they get it from a young age, which probably contributes to a certain amount of arrogance on their part. And no, they don't face the problems 'normal' people do, like first mortgages etc etc.
But....they do face a lot of other problems we don't. I don't get accosted every time I leave the house, I don't get abused in the street if I don't want to sign my autograph, and I don't suffer torrents of foul-mouthed invective when I go to football matches. Trust me, I've seen first hand the abuse the players get if they don't have the time or inclination to sign an autograph.
And to say that they are too immature, dense, and - what pissed me off the most - don't have the same morals and beliefs that we do, is absolute tosh, perpetuates myths, and Luke should be ashamed of himself for writing that. Of course they hold the same beliefs and morals, Gerrard is 28 and married with kids - he seems to have reacted in a bar to someone giving him a hard time (although none of us know the facts). Are you saying that 'normal' people don't ever do that?
I can't remember Gerrard ever being in trouble like this before, he is Liverpool's captain, mature and responsible, not a teenage thug. That is why we defend him, because we see first hand the abuse he gets, the ridiculous and unwarranted attention of the press at Melwood over an incident which, if it happened to Joe Bloggs would not even warrant a mention.
Yes players wages are too high. But whose fault is that? Yes the players are idolised - is that their fault? The players on the whole are straight guys doing what they love, and keeping out of the limelight. Yes, some may let off steam with unfortunate consequences at times, but that's nothing that millions of others don't do every weekend in every town. It's the media who put the players in the spotlight, who focus on the timiest little thing to further their obsession with destroying people who have made something of themselves. And it's the red-top buying public who lap it up, believe every word, and demand more to fill their increasingly vacuuous and meaningless lives who give the media their cue. Without the media attention, would the morons at PNE who booed Gerrard throughout the game have had any reason to?
I'd also point out that relatively few players make the big time; just taking the Premiership it probably equates to less than 0.1% of everyone in this country who plays football. So the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Owen etc really are that good, are the best, and are therefore going to command huge salaries simply because they are at the top of the biggest sport in the world. They didn't create the situation we have now, we did, through our obsession with needing to have everything now, on a plate, this minute or else we can't be bothered, and our obsession with celebrity. Seriously, would you talk to any of the Big Brother contestants in the street if you didn't know them?
I think you get in return exactly what you give - Sky, Big Brother, footballers' salaries, the media, it's all just a reflection of us, nothing more, nothing less. At the end of the day, the Gerrards and Rooneys are simply the shelf-stacker who went on to become a duty manager. They are only different to us because we made them that way.
Steve (not expecting you to print this as I slated the media - shock horror!!!), LFC, Colchester
Solving All The World's Problems
A solution to:
- People complaining about a biased fixture list computer.
- Poorly scheduled international friendlies/matches.
- Requests for a winter break.
a) Stop having any international friendlies/matches during the season. Just hold qualification tournaments during the summers of the odd-numbered years. You can have warm-up friendlies then and you can mix up all of the international teams from across the world so you might just get the best 16/32 teams appearing there rather than a higher number of those who voted for FIFA's latest president.
b) Blow up the fixture list computer (I'm sure there won't be any shortage of volunteers). Take the position of teams the previous year with promoted teams being 18, 19, 20th. First matches are 1st v 20th, 2nd vs 19th..
Second week 1st v 19th etc. Culminating in GRAND SLAM weekend at xmas of 1st v 2nd, 3rd v 4th...19th v 20th.
Two weeks off for winter break coinciding with transfer window.
Then it starts all over again: First games in new year: 1v20, 2v19, second games: 1v19 etc until the end of season SUPER-DUPER-GRAND-SLAM-TITLE-DECIDER weekend when it's 1stv2nd, 3rdv4th...19thv20th again.
- You're more likely to get titles, europe and relegation decided on the last day of the season.
- We already know the teams in the top 6 spots will be in europe so their scheduled fixtures can be spread fairly (equal home & away).
- At xmas everyone's played each other once, we'll have a fair idea of who's doing well/badly.
- Promoted teams immediately get a go at the big boys -at the play-off final they'll know they'd be kicking off at Old Trafford/Stamford Bridge come August.
c) Play all cup games (Carling & FA) midweek.
Problem solved. Next?
Spence Gooner
This Was The 'Edited Version', Apparently
When Spurs had to sit down over the Berbatov 'saga' when the bigger boys turned up to the party, we knew, despite our pretentious and vociferous outrage that ultimately we were accepting the natural order of things. (By the way War and Peace is a saga, this was more of a soap opera for the stupified and bored. Read: soap opera).
So, instead of doing what is tantamount to a brontosaurus mouthing off to a velociraptor, Why! Oh why! Won't Boro do the same.
Their comic insistence that a club, smaller than many championship outfits can fend off interest from a well supported mid level club with much more going for them now, and indefinitely for one of their players is upsetting the balance.
They are causing all this bad feeling for a bit of attention I feel, like a rough drunken slapper loudly and aggressively having her two penneth over a bloke who (inevitably) dropped her like a bad habit and ruining the atmosphere in the pub for everyone else. You feel sorry for her in a way, but it's blindingly obvious why the fella wanted to move on and now she's gone and wrecked her chances of pulling anyone else.
Why can't they just graciously accept a grossly inflated fee for a wantaway player and concentrate on finding a replacement? Like I did when the wealthy guy up the road started taking out my girlfriend and I walked away with a £30 pay off and a ticket to the Billy Elliot musical for my Nana.
Great deal for everybody: I got my bit, Nana enjoyed because the loveable Northern kid had escaped the prejudices of his home town to follow his unlikely dream, and he got some very inconsistent performances out of her anyway, which is as good an analogy for the Downing deal as I can knock up in five minutes at lunch.
Damian Howells
It's The Fault Of The Rulebook
After yet another dangerous tackle at the weekend, I have started wondering why these sort of tackles appear to be becoming more commonplace.
Sliding tackles (along the ground) have been steadily outlawed, to the extent that they are now likely to get a yellow card. Could it be that in order to stay on their feet (and off the ground), players are now effectively performing mid-air "sliding" tackles instead?
Has tightening up of the rules made the game more dangerous?
John Yeldham, Gunner
Well, They're All Foreigners, Innit
I ventured into my local pub on Sunday and ordered a pint and grabbed the last available paper in order to read the football reports in respect of the F.A. Cup games played the day before. It so happened that the last available paper happened to be the Mail on Sunday (or whatever it's called ?). Being a Gooner, I automatically looked for the Arsenal v Plymouth report so I could have a read and analyse how we had played overall (to you doubters we are beginning to dig out some consistency now, whether pretty or not !).
Due to ITV's outstanding 10 seconds extended highlights of the game, I had failed to get a good idea of how Arsenal had actually played and so was hoping to obtain an update through reading a report by some journalist called 'Collins' (I think) strangely under a report sub-titled Arsenal 3:1 Plymouth. Therefore, I was dismayed to read a report that described the game as insignificant (or words to that effect) and then went on to lay into Wenger for backing Fergie for moaning about the amount of away fixtures their teams have faced after Champions League encounters; criticising Wenger for seemingly only giving token praise to Plymouth; laying in further to Wenger for praising Van Persie for maturing only to emphasise what a petulant brat he is (for apparently throwing an elbow out at somebody during the game); how Plymouth were physical but Arsenal were no angels and deserved their yellow card when it came (no doubt for their first poor challenge against ten previously unpunished by the opposition, if this season is anything to go by !); and how Arsenal are 'finished' ! Oh, by the way, there were four goals scored during the game.
No Arsenal or Plymouth fan, who wasn't at the game, would have been able to tell how their team had played from that crap !
I have read many similar 'reports' in various different papers and regarding various teams of a similar nature. Surely, if you are assigned to write a report on a game, that is what you should do ? If you want to lay into a manager or a player then do that in a separate article. Don't journalists get assessed regarding the quality of their work ?
By the way, was it a good game, anybody ?
Chris Wrightson
He Ish, How You Shay, A Poor Looosher
Just a quick email following the United v Saints game yesterday. I would like to nominate Poortvliet for the "Biggest Sore Loser" award for 2009. I know its early in the year, but what an utter t**t this man really is.
Exhibit A: "The first goal was offside," said Poortvliet. "The referee's assistant should see it because he is on the same line as the player." I will let this one slip. It was touch and go and maybe was in United's favour and unlucky for the Saints, but some you win and some you lose. Leave it there.
Exhibit B: "I know the boy very well, it was a normal tackle," Poortvliet added. "I was disappointed in the game by the decisions. The boy made a tackle on the ball with one foot. He hit the ball but he sent him off, and that was wrong." This is where my anger lies mainly. How can he look at that tackle and say it was not a red card?? I was amazed at his reaction immediately after the "tackle", clearly disgusted and seeming to scream at the 4th official about an earlier tackle when Johnny Evans was booked for a bit of wrestling (I can only imagine he was suggesting Evans was just as bad). Then in the post-match reaction, a Saints player claimed he was just a young lad that "lost his head". Ok so we should let him get away with it then? It was only because Vidic isn't an injury feigning scrote like many other united players (Nani) that it didn't look so bad. If it had happened on Nani, you could expect at least seven somersaults and genuine tears. The long and short of it is, red card, end of discussion. If Vidic had done it on Paterson, Poortvliet would burst every blood vessel in his body if it didn't receive a red card.
Exhibit C: "The penalty was a cheap one," he added. "The ball hit his arm but it is normal when you are in the wall." This basically highlights why this man is clearly an idiot. Ok, SOMETIMES the ball hits a players arm if it is there covering their face. But if the player has his arm up in the air, and the ball hits his hand a good half metre to a metre above his head, then no that isn't "normal" and therefore it is a penalty. Im fairly sure even Kelvin Davis said it was a penalty.
Managers are quick to jump on referees back for not admitting their mistakes or just for displaying a weakness in general. Surely Poortvliet should receive the same criticism?
Ben R - BCFC
Scholes: Not Dirty
Jeff Jagger is wrong to use the words "dirty" and "Scholes" in the same sentence. Scholes is a hopeless tackler but hardly ever malicious and his ineptitude in that aspect of the game is more than compensated for by his sublime vision, pinpoint passing and unrivalled awareness of space. Even at the age of 34 he is a superb midfielder and will not be fully appreciated until he is gone from the game.
Russ Hawkins, Formby
Wishing Them Well
The debate over whether Given is or isn't a great keeper is noticeable for the sentiment that most Newcastle supporters seem to be expressing, that they'd rather he stayed, but understand why he wants to move and wish him good luck if he decides to go to a bigger club.
Do any other supporters feel the same about any sales (prospective or actual)? As a Chelsea fan I'll chip in with Wayne Bridge. Great left back, and one who has performed brilliantly when called upon (and until this year was arguably our best left back), but has largely sat on the bench since Ashley Cole arrived. He deserves better, and while I might prefer for him to play than Cole (for a whole number of reasons), and would much prefer for him to stay on the bench until we need him, I honestly wish him the best for his transfer to Man City.
Just to be clear about the rules here, no nominating any players that: (1) you are glad to see the back of (so I can't include Malouda, who I would wish all the best to if anybody put in a bid for him, and get a little bit too excited about whenever he's linked to anybody else); (2) think are great blokes but aren't that fussed about actually playing for your team (for example, I wished Wright-Phillips success for his transfer to City too, but knew that he wasn't really up to a regular spot in the Chelsea team - and please, I don't want a debate over the reason's for his failure or whether or not he's a great player, let's just agree that it didn't work out as we might all have hoped); or (3) are great players who you just want to see the back of (moving from Chelsea, I suspect that many Man Utd supporters would be very glad to see the back of Ronaldo, given the recent debates in the Mailbox, though I suppose they wouldn't be wishing for him to succeed at Real Madrid).
So, who has gone or been rumoured to be going, who you would love to stay but hope does well wherever they are off to and would applaud if he comes back playing for someone else?
Monkey Steve
Confessions Of A Former Footballer
Wayne Bridge: "I like to keep myself fit anyway "
Does anyone need the use of "anyway" explained?
Dave (is Prime a special footballers savings plan?)
Spurs: Just Like Milfs
Why does every player not linked with the top 4 always seem to think Spurs is a good move????
Defoe is going back and now Downing, but what have they done in recent years?
They are like Milf sites....You think it will be good to look at then it all gets very old very fast.
B Walsh
Still Better Than ITV
Just a quick note to say that for the Czech TV coverage of Southampton v. Man. Utd., the studio guests were Petr Mikolanda (remember him, West Ham fans?) and Rudi Skacel's dad. I'll bet that motley duo were still more informed and unbiased than ITV's lot...
David (witty studio banter) Szmidt, Brno, Czech Rep
