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Capello Is The New Sven
Sven wasn't that bad but he was undone by a lack of Plan B and a blind spot for certain players. Now I'm not suggesting that Capello will not have a plan b and I'm actually hoping he has a plan c and d just in case however has he developed a Svenis blind spot?
I'm writing this on the day that Theo Walcott is rumoured to start the game tonight. This is surprising to most of us as he came to the table stating if your not in form your not in a white (or red) shirt yet wee Theo has looked nothing short of a rubbish footballer all year and yet is a shoe in for a starting role.
He is not the only one either I have watched Stewart Downing in pretty much every game he's played since his return and he really is the most average player in the premiership, no pace, no skill, no goals not much at all. In the time since his return Ashley Young has looked lively scoring and setting up goals and looked twice the player Stewie did in the Bitter Cup Final. Ashley is the form player at Villa above Milner even who despite the media love in has dropped off a bit in recent weeks.
Then there's Gareth Barry having his normal post xmas slump, a perma benched Crouch all given a space in the squad.
So Capello was full of s*%t wasn't he? I wouldn't be surprised if Jemaine Jenas is our great hope when were 1-0 down in the quarter final with 10 minutes to go.
Philip (The link between all of the above players (except Ashley) is they have all had one good game for England) Thompson
A Deloitte Man On The Deloitte Report
A few of my own observations from the results of the Deloitte football league, which shows the top 20 clubs in the world by revenue.
- Many people in this country scoff when the English league is described as the best in the world, citing the fact that it is boring due to the fact that it is only really contested between 3 and 4 teams. However, the money league, coupled with the results of the last few seasons, highlights that the Premier League is in fact highly competitive (even if it is just between these teams) when compared with its much lauded European rivals. The Spanish league has the top 2 in the league, and nobody else.
That means that the 2nd richest team in the league has revenues of more than 3.5 times those of the 3rd.
At least in England, there are 4 clubs within reaching distance of each other, and the gap between the likes of Spurs, Man City and even Newcastle is not quite as big.
- However, equality of money does not necessarily guarantee a tightly contested league. Look at 2 examples at either end of the spectrum - Italy has Juve, Inter and AC Milan all very close in revenues, with Roma not that far behind. However, Inter have dominated the league for years and their rivals don't look like getting too close particularly soon. On the other hand, Bayern Munich absolutely dominate the German money table, with revenues at least twice as high as their rivals. However, last season saw Wolfsburg win, and this season has Bayer Leverkusen doing very well. Both these clubs are not on the list, but 5 other German teams are.
- As noted, there are now 5 German clubs on the list, compared to only 2 Spanish and 4 Italian. If Germany can grab the coveted 3rd place in the UEFA coefficients, meaning that they will get a 4th Champions League place rather than Italy, then this may lead to bigger names being attracted, teams getting more support globally and revenues growing and growing. The German league is known for being open, attacking, well supported and attacking, and has a very bright looking future.
- With only clubs from England, Italy, Spain and France on the list, the days of teams like Celtic/Rangers, Benfica/Porto, Ajax/PSV, Red Star Belgrade and Steaua Bucharest having a shout in the European Cup look long, long gone.
George (Works for Deloitte, but nothing to do with the report)
To everyone else, George's mail was indeed sent from a Deloitte account. To George, was this your application to write the report next year? - Mailbox Compiler
Campaigning (Again) For Better Language
I remember a few months back, possibly as long as a year (I am showing my mailbox age here) there was a long and heated debate regarding swearing in football in the mail box, "how dare these players swear at referees, what a bad example" , "swearing shows passion! It's a passionate game", "it's for the working classes, how you gonna change them" blah blah blah, arguments for, arguments against, with various other sports such as rugby, basketball, American football, cricket etc given as examples of sports equally as passionate, and where the participants come from arguably 'as rough' back grounds (your telling me it's more difficult for a kid from Bootle to stop swearing than a kid from Compton?!?! - anyway, I digress!)
So after reading an article regarding a Serie B game, where a coach and a player was suspended for one game for swearing, I would like to re-open this can of worms and get the readers opinions, of this new anti-swearing campaign that has been launched in Italian football. If the Italians can do it, why can't we? Do we want it to happen? Maybe now is the time for the top players to start leading by example...? I don't know, hence the question!
Over to you my fellow mailbox brethren!
Jon, Essex
Eduardo: Exactly The Same Player He Ever Was
Over the past few days I've already heard enough about Ramsey's injury but there's one comment I keep hearing that has really irked me.
The suggestion that Eduardo hasn't been the same since he broke his leg, I've heard the comment repeated by numerous sources and it just seems to be accepted as gospel when in reality it's a completely unsubstantiated claim.
Eduardo will be aware that as he's made a full recovery he's no more pre-disposed to sustaining a broken leg than anyone else on the pitch. Pete Gill pointed to his miss against Stoke but that was one incident and there are a lot of players who would instinctively put their own safety before scoring a goal when they see a heavy challenge coming in.
If you look at his form for Croatia it's pretty good, since his injury he's played in 5 of their 7 competitive games and scored 5 goals. The reason for his poor goals return (3 in the league this season) is due largely to being used as a substitute, being played in a system that doesn't suit him and more recently being played as a left winger.
The main reason people talk about Eduardo not being the same player since his injury is due to the coincidence that he happened to score all four of his league goals that season in the two months leading up to his injury.
It's not merely coincidence that his purple patch coincided with an injury to Van Persie which meant he was starting every game because Adebayor and Bendtner were considered incompatible.
Until Eduardo scored his fist goal against Everton on December 29th 2007, he was considered a flop, he then played relatively well for 7 games and got injured.
Any suggestion that he was a prolific striker before his injury is way off the mark and his record this season is only less by one goal so there is no basis to suggest he's 'not the same player', he's exactly the same player, a slight figured 'fox in the box' who needs to be playing alongside a big man and getting a good run in the team to find some form.
Eduardo's decision to come to England has wrecked his career but the challenge by Martin Taylor isn't to blame, it's Arsene Wenger's complete refusal to accommodate a player who scored 83 goals in 123 appearances for his previous club that has caused his fall from grace.
Tom Creasey
Hmmm
I'm sure the F365mailbox and many people now want to draw a line under the Ramsey/Shawcross incident but if I may I'd like to make a point that I don't believe has been made yet.
Amid all the people (media/pundits/ex-players/anyone at Stoke) falling over themselves to defend poor, distraught Shawcross there has been, understandably, much reference to the Taylor/Eduardo incident some 2 years ago.
It has struck me in the last few days is that the Taylor tackle on Eduardo seems to have been upgraded from 'unlucky' and 'mistimed' to 'an actual bad tackle' in some sort of attempt to show what a bad leg-break tackle 'REALLY' is vs what Shawcross has done. The Taylor tackle is now being cited as a tackle that REALLY does show recklessness, excessive force, etc.
It seems like people's desire to prove Wenger wrong has proved him right, albeit 2 years too late. It looks like we'll have to wait 2 years until another Arsenal player gets his leg snapped in half before people will give the Shawcross tackle the proper label it deserves
Rich, N.London Gooner
A Big Post-Weekend Complaint
Morning Ed,
Let me start by saying I am a very distantly removed Gooner; in Australia to be exact. Normally I wouldn't take time to comment on the features that are published, because there are plenty of passionate people who do it far more eloquently than I ever could on a much more regular basis.
However, one thing that did strike me was the contrast between last weekend's Friday feature (It's Going to be a Big Weekend For) and the Monday feature (Winners & Losers). In Friday's article, Manuel Almunia was highlighted as being under scrutiny for the possibility of conceding from a single Delap throw into the box. Monday's feature had Thomas Sorenson listed as a Loser for failing to save Fabregas' spot kick, the first had let in from the last 4x penalties faced.
Having watched the match, and seen all the match statistics, I am surprised at the conclusions drawn in Monday's feature. Almunia basically conceded 1 goal from 3 shots on target (from a Delap throw), and given you highlighted that very point on Friday, I am curious how he is not an obvious Loser? Conversely, Sorenson conceded 3 goals from 12 shots on target, and given one was a penalty, that really makes it 2 conceded from 11 shots. He almost saved his 4th penalty running and was unlucky with the ball rebounded to Fabregas on the 3rd goal, so I would think he is a Winner...
I know there was a much bigger talking point from that match, but the fact you took the time to single out Sorenson and not Almunia struck me as odd. Maybe you are worried about being perceived as having a vendetta against Almunia, but as an Arsenal fan myself, I can tell you which of the 2x keepers from that match I would prefer to see between the sticks for my team week-in, week-out.
I'm not being critical, it was just something that piqued my curiosity, so I thought I would mention it.
David Beaton
It's not so much I thought Sorenson was a loser, it's just something I thought was vaguely interesting/worth of mention. He couldn't be listed as a winner since his team had lost and he didn't save the penalty so there was no option but to list him as a loser. Because of its inherent black and white framework, the W&L column is a little flawed in that respect. As for Almunia, I've considerable doubts that anyone wants to hear a repeat of a point that the column has made for a few years - Pete.
Apparently This Is Brilliant
Now often I will send in a brilliantly insightful email and it won't get published by F365. I have two burning issues I want to get off my chest and rather than face inevitable disappointment twice am going to roll both points into the same email.
Now my first point was about players being paid too much. I read Fabio's comments in the paper this morning about players being paid too much and I sighed. This was my point on a Wednesday morning, but Fabio has stolen my thunder. But here are my thoughts for what they're worth anyway.
There is a lot of money in football. Less than there was a few years back perhaps, but still a lot of money. A huge chunk of this money is paid out to players. But if it wasn't paid to players there is a good chance it would be hoarded by the shareholders and club owners. Ticket prices are not going to go down - the money will stay in the game, it will just be in different hands.
I actually don't think it is a bad idea for the players to have the money, but rather than give it all to them immediately I think it would be better for the majority to be deferred. Perhaps give players a decent enough sum to live on throughout their playing careers, but with the bulk paid into trust at which point they access when they retire from the game.
Something like this would need to be UEFA driven (most of the money is in Europe) with all FAs signing up to this. This way the money goes to the right people rather than the faces behind the scenes (i.e. players); the players won't have enough to go crazy; they will be set up with a decent fund when they retire. Main downside I could see would be reduction in income tax to the Treasury.
My second point surrounds England. I was thinking about the fall-out if John Terry was dropped from the England squad (although I have no idea what the reaction of the England fans will be towards him tonight).
In my and everyone else's opinion Terry has not had a great 2010 on the pitch. If there was another decent centre back in the England squad he may have been dropped anyway. Now there was one centre back who is having an excellent start to 2010 and who retired himself probably because of Terry too - this is Jamie Carragher. Whilst Terry remained captain, Jamie was never going to get in the team. It's different now. If Terry did not hold a monopoly over a centre back position how much more likely would it be for Jamie to come back. In fact, drop Terry and you could gain Bridge and Jamie.
Gaz, LFC
Team GB
I've just spent a good half hour (on work time) looking at the Welsh, Scottish and Irishx2 squads to see who we would poach if we could. So far I have team GB as (based on current fitness and form);
Given
Brown Dunne Shawcross Warnock
Milner Fletcher Lampard Gerrard
Bellamy Rooney
It gives us a good keeper, a good central defender, a holding midfielder and some pace upfront so we can attack from deep. Of course, this is all hypothetical. Five separate teams make much more money than one which is why it'll never happen. Plus I couldn't stand to hear the scots saying "you can only win the world cup with our help". I don't know if I would rather not win it than only win it as team GB.
All the optimism of the qualifying campaign has now drained away and I'm left with my usual pre-tournament feelings of pessimism. Even if Lennon, Cashley, Jagielka/Johnson and Rio recover from injury. and Gerrard and Terry recover their form and Rooney stays fit and in form we would struggle. He'll pick the wrong second striker - probably Heskey who has no control of the ball and can't hit the target let alone get it past the keeper or Crouch, the tallest man on the pitch who is poor in the air with his flailing arms. It needs to be Defoe or Carlton Cole. Plus, we don't have a good keeper. David James is too old (even though he gets lots of practice at Pompey) and Jo Hart is untried.
Spain, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Wildcard (my tip is the USA). And did I say SPAIN. We won't win it so just enjoy the ride.
Chris Eames
Off With The Offside Rule
The offside rule does not need scrapping, it just needs simplifying: a player is offside if he is in the opposition half and there are less than two defending players between him and the opposition goal when the ball is played. The end. No 'interfering with play' no 'phases of play', if you infringe the above rule then bad luck, you're offside. The onus is then on the player to get onside or face conceding a free kick, instead of requiring the linesman to have ten pairs of eyes.
Matthew 'Gloucester City FC, Pride of Gloucestershire' Phillips
Gloucester
...In the late 1980s a season-long experiment was done in the English Conference where there was no offside from a freekick. Attacking teams responded by packing the goalmouth with big players and then attempting to pump the ball in at head height.
Although the Pulis household may have a well-worn video of those halcyon days, the consensus was that this was rubbish and should never be tried again. They also tried kick-ins instead of throw-ins in (I think) Jersey for a season. Having no offside from throw/kick-ins produced the same result. Even if FIFA were to try no offside, it would first involve a patch test which would in turn involve players built like Robert Huth goal-hanging while the ball was hefted up to them. And then it would be abandoned. The key difference between hockey and football here is that in hockey attacking players cannot play a ball that is above shoulder height (I know, Tony, I know).
The dictionary defines a blatter as 'a volley of clattering words', and a blatterer as 'a babbler; a blusterer'. I'm just saying.
James Syme
Indeed
Is it just me or does anyone else find that Championship/Football Manager stories invoke about the same level of eye-gougingly excruciating boredom as someone telling you about the dream they had last night ?
JD, Brisbane
And Finally...
Not strictly football related but quite funny anyway.
Here in Singapore just a couple of hundred miles from the equator, we tend to have a fairly predictable tropical climate. On morning radio today their weather forecast read:
'Today will be hot and sunny except for rain and thunderstorms'.
Someone got paid to say that, brilliant.
Steve McBain, Singapore
