A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

Indian Boxing has been on a dream run at international events off late. And now there is an exciting development that will ensure that this dream run doesn’t come to a grinding halt. India has been awarded a franchisee for the World Series of Boxing (WSB) scheduled to start in September next year. This league for amateurs which is based on professional lines will do a world of good for the sport in India. While the boxing aficionados can look forward to a feast of world class boxing, simple fans like me can get ready to cheer ourselves hoarse.

India’s new hockey coach, Jose Brasa, keeps shouting ‘Upar Dekho’ or ‘look up’ at the top of his lungs as he watches the Indian players go about their dribbling practise.

The Spaniard’s logic is simple and yet it could go a long way in curing a chronic ailment, not just for Indian Hockey but for Indian sport as general – that of players in team sports being selfish and more inclined to show boat rather than being satisfied as a simple cog in the wheel.

Brasa rightly believes that a player who is not looking up will never know where his team mates are and therefore can never make a good pass – as a result he will either over-dribble or make a bad pass. We have seen Indian player do both on a regular basis and concede possession. Now Jose Brasa has identified the root of the problem and has a simple and effective cure.

If the Indian players end up embracing ‘Upar Dekho’ whole-heartedly, it could well change the fortunes of Indian hockey . It will set a new precedent in Indian sport and ‘Upar Dekho’ could gain cult status as a rallying cry whenever an Indian player or team starts to act selfish.

Here’s a toast to the Spaniard who coaches in Hindi

Upar Dekho, Upar Dekho, Upar Dekho,

Another step towards being the best in the world

Poll- Which Indian Sportsperson are you most excited about? (Choose upto 5)

Results - Saina Nehwal - Badminton (48.0%, 43 Votes)
Yuki Bhambri - Tennis (22.0%, 20 Votes)
Somdev Dev Varman - Tennis (21.0%, 19 Votes)
Jeev Milkha Singh - Golf (20.0%, 18 Votes)
Sunil Chhteri - Football (20.0%, 18 Votes)
Abhinav Bindra - Shooting (19.0%, 17 Votes)
Sania Mirza - Tennis (19.0%, 17 Votes)
Koneru Humpy - Chess (19.0%, 17 Votes)
Akhil Kumar - Boxing (19.0%, 17 Votes)

Disclaimer – This poll was limited to non-cricket sports only.

As I write this, Saina Nehwal has broken new ground yet again, winning the Super Series title in Indonesia. With this win she has finally managed to break through the ‘Great Wall of China’ at Super Series Events. The wall of top Chinese players had stopped her from progressing beyond the semi-finals till date, leaving behind a trail of closely contested three setters. Now that Saina has broken through the Chinese hoodoo at the Super Series, we can expect more wins and glory for her and more joy for us – the fans who have voted her as the future of Indian Sport by a landslide.

The best part is that Saina is just 19 years old and has already given us a lifetime of great moments. She continues to get better and move up the world rankings. She is unrelenting in her desire to be the best player in the world and unfazed by the challenges that lie in her path. The world is her oyster and if the poll results are anything to go by, a lot of Indian sports fans including yours truly, are already licking their chops at the prospect of all the sporting joy that Saina Nehwal is going to bring to their lives over the next 10 years.

The race to be the second most exciting sportsperson in India is a dead heat between 3 tennis players, a golfer, a boxer, a shooter, a chess player and a footballer, although technically speaking, Yuki Bhambhri is alone in second place. It augurs well for Indian sports that so many sportspersons from different sports are doing well and each of them has a decent number of followers who are looking forward to their every move.

Now there is more good news for these sports fans. They can watch the videos of their favourite Indian sportspersons on www.SportPass.tv. This is a new sports video website which aggregates the most locally relevant sports videos from all over the world.

Now you don’t need to bother about media apathy towards the achievements of these sportspersons. If they are not showing you the action, you can catch it on SportPass.tv

More glory to Indian Sports

A lot of people seem to think so, including Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

But if being the winner of the maximum number of grand slam titles was the criterion of all time greatness, then Margret Court Smith should be the greatest women’s player of all time. And we all know that she is not even guaranteed a position in the top five.

If being the winner of the maximum number of grand slam titles coupled with the distinction of having completed a career grand slam puts Federer above the likes of Sampras and Laver, then why wasn’t Roy Emerson anointed as the greatest player of all time when he held the same distinction; he happened to complete the career grand slam twice and held the distinction of having won the maximum number of titles for a long time.

Federer’s case is also weakened by the standard of competition in his era. His only contemporary who will qualify as an all time great is Rafael Nadal. The likes of Sampras, Laver and Borg had to compete against a larger group of well accomplished adversaries.
And the clincher against Federer is his haplessness against Rafael Nadal. No other claimant to the title of ‘greatest player of all time’ has been subject to such humiliation at the hands of a fellow player as has Federer against Nadal. Sampras and Laver had positive records against all their peers.

This fallibility becomes all the more important in judging Roger’s greatness because Nadal is the only great player whose career overlaps significantly with that of Federer.

The title of best men’s tennis player of all time is still open to debate. Roger has a strong case but his imperfections are significant enough to delay his coronation.

To be a BIG Club Man City first need a BIG Manager. Like one of these guys

When Jose Mourinho went to Inter, the likes of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard were ready to go join him.

When Luis Felipe Scolari came to Stamford Bridge, Deco and Bosingwa followed

As soon as Carlo Ancelotti became manager of Chelsea, rumours of Kaka and Pirlo joining the Blues started doing the rounds

In Mark Hughes’ reign at Man City, the only player willing to come to Eastlands purely because of the manager has been Roque Santa Cruz.

See the difference.

Forget tactical acumen and man management skills, Mark Hughes is light years away from the likes of Mourinho, Scolari and Ancelotti, when it comes to having the persona and the resume to attract big name players to come and play for them.

In the case of Man City this becomes an even bigger handicap because they are a second rung club – not big enough in their own right for the big names - a club which for all its riches has managed to sign just a single world-class player; and that guy supposedly thought he was joining Man United and often appears to be disenchanted at the club. The club has suffered the humiliation of having its overtures for the likes of Kaka and Buffon turned down in spite of tabling bids which would have dwarfed previous transfer records. And that too in today’s recessionary times.

You can argue that Mourinho, Scolari and Ancelotti can attract these players only because they have coached them previously and the superstars are very comfortable playing for them again. But that is exactly the point that we are trying to make.

Big time players want to move to a club primarily for two reasons – either because of the club’s name or because of the star power of the other players playing for the club. Man City have neither. They are the poor cousins of Man United, have never won anything and I don’t know any super stars who are dying to rub shoulders with the likes of Stephen Ireland and Richard Dunne.

They cannot change their history or their stature overnight. And they don’t even have European football to offer.

As for raising the quality of their players, that is exactly what City are trying to do in the first place -they are caught in a classic catch-22 situation. Until, they get the first lot of quality players, other big names are not going to join.

That brings us back to our original argument now that we have exhausted all the other options.

The most sure shot way of getting the first lot of superstars is to target the ones who are willing to move with their manager. And the easiest way of doing that is by getting a manager who has managed a clutch of big name players. Once City have their manager and their first set of big names, the others will automatically follow. They will be assured in the knowledge that this club is now on the move in the right direction.

Additionally having a big name manager helps in keeping the inflated egos of the superstars in check. Do we have any evidence to believe that Mark Hughes can handle the tantrums and mood swings of players like Didier Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Especially after having seen Robinho toy with him on a regular basis.

That leaves us with one last question.

How hard will it be to get a world class manager?

Not too hard at all.

There are scores of great managers around. In addition to big bucks, which is quite an incentive in itself, City also offer any manager a fresh challenge, a complete free hand to run things and an opportunity to build a world beating club. Great managers have fallen for far less.

It is difficult to understand the reluctance of the Abu Dhabi Sheikhs in parting with Mark Hughes. Even from a purely footballing standpoint, he has fared worse than his predecessor Sven – Goran Eriksson and that too with a far bigger budget.

Time is running out fast. Ideally City should have moved into the top 6 in the 2008-09 premiership season and put on a good show in the Europa League to establish their credentials as a club growing in stature. That would have helped in attracting big time talent. Now they are hopelessly running from one agent to another, chequebook in hand. They will end up signing a bunch of mediocre names or some talented malcontents, much like their efforts in the January transfer window. With Florentino Perez back at Real Madrid and Chelsea looking to start afresh under Ancelotti, the bidding war for big names is going to be hotly contested.

Man City with Mark Hughes doesn’t have a chance to compete with these big boys.

That is unless they decide to get a big boy of their own.

Time to look at all the sup-plots from the 2009 Champions League final

It’s a little late to be doing this and it hurts as I remember the match but I needed to write this. So let’s quickly get this over with.

The White Jerseys

I am not implying that United lost because they played in white and not in their traditional red. But I can’t remember United winning a major final playing in white. There had been a lot of talk of United never having lost a major final but someone forgot to mention that they had actually dressed as the ‘Red’ Devils for all those finals they won. I didn’t have a good feeling as I saw them come out of the tunnel in white. I think it’s unfair to let only one side wear their home colours. If the jerseys clash then ask both to wear some other colour.

Memories of the 1994 Final

Barcelona were missing most of their defensive stalwarts and were expected to be vulnerable at the back. And then when United started in whirlwind fashion it looked as if a repeat of the 1994 final was on the cards. That was when another Barcelona side dubbed the ‘Dream Team’ had been played off the park 4-0 by AC Milan. Suddenly, the white jerseys looked like a good omen –Milan had also played in white ‘away’ jerseys on that night in 1994. Sadly, all such hopes vanished when Eto’o scored.

Memories of the 1999 Final

Even the commentators kept mentioning this. First there was an early goal like in 1999. Then United failed to mount a strong comeback finding no rhythm whatsoever. Van Der Saar, like Schmeichel in 1999, kept his side in the game preventing Barca from scoring again. And then it looked eerily similar when Xavi hit the post, just like Mehmet Scholl had done ten years ago. Then Messi scored to ensure that there were no more similarities.

A story of two tackles

United’s defensive lapse in the first goal has received less attention than it should have. First they allowed Iniesta to go on a long surging run with no one making an attempt to close him down or tackle him. The diminutive midfielder managed to thread the perfect pass to Eto’o who easily beat Vidic’s wild tackle and scored. A little while earlier, having been beaten by Ronaldo, Pique body checked the Portuguese to stop him from entering the Barca box unattended. United were supposedly the stronger defensive side but on this night Barca made the more important tackle.

Pique - from not good enough to too damn good

Unable to give him regular first team football, United let Gerard Pique go to Barcelona for almost nothing. The Catalan has since established himself as the defensive mainstay of Barca. And on this night he marshalled the makeshift defence superbly and single-handedly outshone the pair of Vidic and Ferdinand. Apart from the body check, he made a crucial block and was there to snuffle out every single one of United’s attacks. When United loan out players, they stipulate that the player cannot play against the Red Devils. If only they had made a similar agrrement then they let Pique go to Barcelona

What about Cristiano Ronaldo

How does this performance affect his plans to go to Madrid? He conclusively lost his ‘best player in the world’ battle with Messi. Going to Real Madrid gives him two guaranteed shots at renewing the rivalry every year. He might not get a chance to do that United in the near future. On the other hand, United have a good young nucleus which will return to many more finals and Ronaldo will always be the centre of their attack and of media attention. He is the crown prince of premiership football. He will have to challenge Messi for that title in Spain. And with Raul still around, he will not even be the numero uno star at Real Madrid. Alex Ferguson always learns from his defeats and will do everything possible to ensure that Ronaldo and United are not humiliated like this again. There is a very good case for him to stay back at Old Trafford

A depressing night for United

United have been embarrassed in Europe before, most recently by AC Milan in the second leg of the2007 semi-final. But this was worse. This was the biggest stage of them all – the final between two champion sides - two sides who take pride in playing attacking football of the highest quality. Other than losing the title of European Champions, United were also embarrassingly rendered as toothless and impotent as they failed to even make a match out of it.

And as Red Devils, who have been feed on a diet of beautiful one touch passing, you couldn’t even hate Barcelona for displaying something that you have long admired. And that made the experience even more frustrating – you couldn’t even vent your disappointment at your opponent. Hats off to Barcelona for having managed to do that

What were United missing?

Last year, I did an analysis of United’s European defeats and they showed some common traits, most notably an absence of mid-field toughness and lack of leadership on the pitch. The currently injured Owen Hargreaves had been signed to give steel to the mid-field and protect the back four. Anderson has been a suitable replacement on most occasions but on this night his inexperience clearly showed. As for their leader, Rio Ferdinand, he wasn’t even a patch on the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville.

And finally

The defeat takes nothing away from the fact that United had another fantastic European campaign with some memorable wins and have the side to be back in many more finals. Alex Ferguson has built a wonderful side which on most nights can compete with any side in Europe. Thanks to Fergie and his men for giving us another season full of great European nights.

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Boring to be at the same club for too long

After compiling a team of footballers who have spent their entire professional career at one club, we are now back with a side of exact opposites – players who can’t hang onto one club for too long and keep moving from club to club every now and then.

Unlike last time we will restrict this eleven to players whose major playing career happened post 1990. This way we will be able to identify the wanderlusts who managed to be on the move, long before the Bosman ruling gave them the freedom to move as and when they liked.

The qualification cut-off for this list is having atleast a 6 club career including loan spells. This list is far bigger than the list of one-club players and hence we will include a reserve for each position as well.

Here we go

Have contributed 8 players to this list

Forwards

Ronaldo (Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Internazionale, Real Madrid, Milan, Corinthians) – Fans of any club hate a player who switches loyalties to join a bitter derby rival. There is a select group of players who have done this. But having played for two sets of bitter rivals, Ronaldo belongs to an extremely exclusive list. Leaving Barcelona even before the season got over and ditching Inter immediately after recovering from a two year injury (Inter paid his wages and medical bills during this time) are some of the not-so-proud highlights of his career. I wouldn’t bet against him adding to his list of 7 clubs by the time he is done with his career.

Christian Vieri (Prato,Torino,Pisa, Ravenna, Venezia, Atalanta, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Lazio, Internazionale, Milan,Monaco,Atalanta,Fiorentina, Atalanta) – Don’t know anyone who can beat the 15 club resume of Bobo Vieri. It’s interesting to see that his strike partner in this eleven, Ronaldo, was also his cohort at Inter Milan – a club which has one of the highest rates of player turn-over. He is currently without a club and was paid by the goal at his last stop at Atalanta. He isn’t done moving though. Reports abound of an alleged move to LA Galaxy.

Reserve

Nicolas Anelka (Paris Saint-Germain,Arsenal,Real Madrid,Paris Saint-Germain,Liverpool (loan),Manchester City,Fenerbahçe,Bolton Wanderers,Chelsea) – nicknamed ‘the Sulk’ for good reason, he can be relied upon to put in a transfer request the moment something goes against his wishes. Once the most sought after striker in Europe, he has also had to endure the lows of Istanbul and Bolton, many thanks to his grumpy temperament. But he is also a gifted goal-scorer and big clubs keep coming back for him.

Midfielders

Rivaldo (Santa Cruz,Mogi Mirim,Corinthians,Palmeiras,Deportivo La Coruña, Barcelona, Milan, Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Bunyodkor) – 11 clubs old, Rivaldo seems to be on a mission – to continue playing for as long as he can, for any club which is willing to take a chance with him. He is surely the only FIFA World Player of the Year who will play in the Uzbek League. Always keen to be the centre of attention and of the attack, he will have to continue to move to lesser clubs as his physical powers wane. Maybe, he will end up leading the Mohun Bagan attack in India at the age of 50.

Juan Veron (Estudiantes, Boca Juniors, Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Manchester United, Chelsea, Internazionale (loan), Estudiantes) – His is a story of two halves. In the first part he was outstanding; raising his stock and market value at every stop. His peak came when he lead Lazio to the Serie A title and then moved to Man United in what was then the most expensive transfer in British football. In the second part of his career, he was far less successful and his transfers involved much smaller amounts of money.

Paul Ince (West Ham United, Manchester United,Internazionale,Liverpool,Middlesbrough,Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town, Macclesfield) - He started at West Ham, a club he supported as a boy, and could have had a long stint with them but unfortunately the club got relegated. He then became a star at Man United, but in spite of being a crowd favourite, couldn’t last long enough to become an Old Trafford legend thanks to a stormy relationship with Alex Ferguson. Also one of the few players to play for both United and hated rivals Liverpool

Edgar Davids (Ajax, Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona (loan), Internazionale, Hotspur, Ajax) – A product of the Ajax youth system, he was part of their brilliant sides in the mid 90’s. Sadly Ajax didn’t have the money to hold on to their talented young players and like many others before and after him, Davids moved to a bigger and richer European giant. As for his other moves, they were often caused by an outspoken temperament and once by a failed drugs test.

Diego Simeone (Vélez Sársfield, Pisa, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, Internazionale, Lazio, Atlético Madrid, Racing Club) – His is a very surprising case. He is one of the most durable and consistent footballers of all time - A very low-key player who made a living out of doing the simple things well. He was by no means the kind of player clubs chase with big transfer fees or the disgruntled misfit who finds trouble everywhere. Therefore, an 8 club career is begging for inclusion.

Reserve

Denilson (São Paulo FC, Real Betis, Flamengo (loan), Bordeaux, Al-Nasr, FC Dallas, Palmeiras, Itumbiara) – His dazzling dribbling skills have left many an observer blinded. Many have been besotted enough to sign him for a fortune, like Real Betis did for a world record transfer fee in 1998. But soon they realize that he is more a circus artist and less a footballer, incapable of making meaningful contributions to the teams cause. That coupled with his high wages have often made him a liability. But someone keeps falling for his bag of tricks. If the rumoured move to Perth Glory goes through, he will become one of the few players to play in 5 continents.

Never mess with the manager

Defenders

Juan Pablo Sorin (Argentinos Juniors, Juventus, River Plate, Cruzeiro, Lazio, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Cruzeiro, Villarreal, Hamburger, Cruzeiro) – Sorin has played in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. Had he played for a premiership side, and he has had opportunities to do so, then he would have had the unique distinction of having played in all the top leagues of the world. But he is just 33 and we can’t rule out another move from South America to Europe, the defender having done that 3 times previously. The maximum number of games that he’s played for a single club is 78 for River Plate.

Christian Panucci (Genoa, Milan, Real Madrid, Internazionale, Chelsea (loan), Monaco (loan), Roma) - After being on the move for most of his career, Panucci has kind of settled down at Roma, spending almost 8 years at the club. Or so it seemed, till a selection tiff with the manager led to Panucci announcing his decision to leave the club. While no buyer was found in the January 2009 transfer window, things could be a lot different once his contract expires in June 2009. An eighth club look well on the cards.

Jaap Stam (FC Zwolle, Cambuur Leeuwarden, Willem II, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan, Ajax) – When he moved to United, he became the most expensive defender in history. He soon became the defensive cornerstone of a side which won trophies galore. Sadly, thanks to an ill-advised and ill-timed tell-all autobiography, Stam incurred the wrath of Alex Ferguson and was sold to Lazio, cutting short what could have been a long rewarding career at Old Trafford. He never quite enjoyed the same kind of success after that, adding 3 more clubs to his resume before retiring in 2007.

Laurent Blanc (Montpellier, Napoli, Nîmes, Saint Etienne, Auxerre, Barcelona, Marseille, Internazionale, Manchester United) – Guess who was signed as a quick replacement when Ferguson let go of Stam in the middle of the season. The answer is Laurent Blanc and the fact that he was ready and available for a middle of the season move, kind of tells the story of the player’s career. After an 8 year stint at his first club, he never settled anywhere, playing for 8 clubs in 12 seasons. And mostly these moves were not caused by lack of success or a failure to adapt. He just found new suitors all the time and was always willing to accept their offers. Case in point being Guy Roux at Auxerre, Johan Cryuff at Barcelona and Rolland Courbis at Marseille.

Reserve

Dan Petrescu (Steaua Bucureşti, FC Olt Scorniceşti (loan), Foggia, Genoa, Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford City, Southampton, FC Naţional)- Had a successful 5 year stint with Chelsea and is still loved by the fans who remember him as one of the best players in the club’s history. Unfortunately for both parties, the player fell out with manager Gianluca Vialli and had no option but to leave the club. Other than that and his time with his first club Steaua, Petrescu’s career has been a litany of one season stints.

Goalkeeper

Fabien Barthez (Toulouse, Olympique Marseille, Monaco, Manchester United, Olympique Marseille, Nantes) - Generally goalkeepers are not given to a lot of movement, especially the good ones. A former ‘Worlds Best Goalkeeper of the Year’, Fabien Barthez is an exception to that rule. One of the many players on this list who was let go by Alex Ferguson. However, in his case it was purely because of a propensity for committing major blunders. His unpredictable behavior also contributed to a few moves.

Reserve

Kasey Keller ( Portland Timbers, Millwall,Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton (loan), Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fulham , Seattle Sounders FC )- His has been a case of being good but not very good. He has almost always failed to establish himself as the club’s long-term first- choice goalkeeper - Except when playing for a lowly one like Millwall which let him go when they got relegated. Often has been stuck as a back up and clubs have frequently not extended or renewed his contract.

United's contingent of life time employees

One club men – football players who spend their entire professional careers with one club are an extremely rare breed.

There are a number of reasons which cause players to change clubs. A lot of younger players start out at small clubs and move to bigger clubs which are more befitting of their talent. Similarly, many older players move to lesser clubs to prolong their careers as their physical prowess starts to ebb away. Players have ambitions to play in different leagues and at different clubs, often leading to movement. Sometimes a player just doesn’t get along with the manager or doesn’t fit well in the playing system.

The Bosman ruling of 1995 opened the flood gates to free movement of players. Clubs could no longer hold onto players against their will. They were literally free to go wherever and whenever they wanted. This led to a quantum jump in player activity. And therefore, a one club man became an even rarer species in the post-Bosman era.

For a player to spend his entire career at one club, a number of things must fall in place. He must start out at a club which is just right for his level of talent. His development must be commensurate with the expectations of his club and not more or less than that. As his physical powers wane, he must add new dimensions to his game to be able to hold his own at the club. He must continue to be in the good books of successive managers and always be part of the clubs long term and short term plans. And finally, the club should have enough success to match his personal ambitions.

If even of these things don’t happen, then a move is inevitable.

It happened when Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Liverpool great Michael Owen moved to greener pastures because their clubs weren’t successful enough. It happened when one of Fergie’s fledglings – David Beckham fell out with his manager. It happened when life-long Barcelona supporter and loyalist, Pep Guardiola’s powers diminished and he wasn’t good enough for the Catalans. It happened when Leeds United were relegated and club legend Alan Smith had to mov

There are a lucky few who have managed to beat the odds and spend their entire playing careers at a single club. Today we will celebrate them by picking an all-star eleven made up entirely of such players. This list will be limited to players who played the game after the Bosman ruling; atleast the majority of their career happened after 1995. It will be a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

Here we go. A few of these players are still playing and might not be members of this exclusive club by the time they are done with their playing days. We are only considering their careers in the senior team for this exercise.

A lifetime at Real Madrid

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – Saint Iker is easily one of the best goalies of his generation. Destined for greatness at the most successful club in the world, he first made the playing eleven at 17. Has a buy-out clause of 128 million pounds and reportedly turned down an offer of 11 million pounds per season from Man City. Has won 2 Champions League and 4 Primera Liga titles with Real. He could have had serious competition from Gianluigi Buffon but the Italian was lured by a 52 million euro transfer fee- the biggest ever for a goalkeeper.

Defence

Paulo Maldini (AC Milan) – One of the all time great left backs has been part of the Milan family forever. His father Cesare also excelled at Milan and Paulo’s son Christian is already part of the club’s youth side. Debuted at 16 and is going strong at 40 – don’t think anyone has spent 24 years as a player at any club in the world. His haul of 5 Champions League and 7 Serie A titles is also unmatched. Will surely continue his association with Milan long after his playing days are over. He is surely the mascot of this ‘one club’ fraternity.

Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) – A Merseysider, he rose through the Liverpool youth ranks with Michael Owen. But while Owen was making the headlines at senior level and getting frustrated at Liverpool’s lack of success, Carragher was finding life difficult as an unsettled utility man. He finally established himself in defence and played a stellar role as Liverpool re-established themselves as European heavyweights. With his best form coinciding with club success, he was never a dissatisfied want-away like Owen. Winner of one Champions League title.

Carlos Puyol (Barcelona) – Barca is the pride of Catalonia and playing for the club is the highest honour for a Catalan. The challenge lies in being good enough to play for them regularly. Carlos Puyol has risen to the challenge with aplomb. He was part of a superbly talented group of young Spanish players at the club, but while most of the others fell by the wayside, he has continued to flourish as the leader at the back; at a club where chronic defensive problems result in a regular churn of defenders. Winner of 1 Champions League and 2 Primera Liga titles.

Gary Neville (Man United) – Joined United after leaving school and debuted in the senior side at 17. Part of the celebrated youth movement under Alex Ferguson. Much admired and respected at Old Trafford for his leadership and fighting spirit; qualities which have become increasingly relevant as his plying skills have diminished. That and a willingness to accept a reduced role, rather than trying for regular first team football elsewhere, have meant that he will wind up his playing career with United. Winner of 7 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles.

Midfield

Ryan Giggs (Man United) – United’s most capped player has been with them for 22 years now and looks good for many more. This has come thanks to his amazing transformation from a dashing left winger to a mature playmaker. While his past was all speed and breathtaking skill, his present is all guile and intelligence. Thanks to that he has continued to be a valuable squad player. Sir Alex is keen on holding on to him and uses him quite judiciously. A member of Fergie’s fledglings, he has been part of everything that United have won under the Scot – 10 Premier league titles, 3 FA Cups and 2 Champions League titles.

Paul Scholes (Man United) –Grew up as a supporter of Oldham Athletic but has been at United throughout his youth and senior career. His is another story of a player changing and flourishing in new roles as his career progressed. Once a striker, he has made a name for himself as a driving force in United’s midfield. Continues to be a vital member of United’s squad, especially on European nights when Fergie can still count on his big game temperament. He is another player whose career will be extended thanks to Fergie’s intelligent use of him. Winner of 8 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles.

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) – Another fiercely proud Catalan who joined the club’s youth side in 1991 at age 11 and is already contracted to play for them till 2014. His rise as the home-grown lynchpin of Barca’s midfield is especially creditable considering the club has largely relied on foreign talent in the attacking department. Largely under-rated thanks to the presence of a galaxy of stars at the Nou Camp, he announced himself to the world at Euro 2008 where he was voted best player. Barca have always known his worth and have tied him down for good with a massive contract. Winner of 4 Primera Liga and 1 Champions League title.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – He almost followed Michael Owen out of Liverpool after a frustrating Trophy less season in 2003-04. But luckily for him, for new manager Rafa Benitez and for Liverpool Football Club, he decided to stay. Istanbul happened in 2005 and in his own words; Steven Gerrard couldn’t leave the club after a night like that. The player has since become a legend at the Kop and few players can dream of achieving the status he enjoys at the club. A long overdue league title is also within touching distance and once Liverpool win that, Steven Gerrard can have the key to the entire red half of Merseyside. Winner of 1 Champions League title.

Forwards

Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid) – A cult hero at the club, who can continue to play for Real Madrid for as long as he desires. Holds almost all the goal scoring records for the club and continues to be their leading striker at age 31 with 24 goals in the 2008-09 campaign. Has been their golden boy from the time he became their youngest debutant at age 17. The ironic part is that he started his youth career at bitter rivals Atletico and had to move to Real because the youth system was closed down by President Jesus Gil. If not for Mr Gil’s short-sightedness, Raul Gonzalez would have made this list as an Atletico player. Winner of 6 Primera Liga and 3 Champions League titles.

Francesco Totti (Roma) – A symbol of the club who was probably born to play for Roma. He was born in Rome and he and his family have been lifelong Roma supporters. His mother refused a lucrative contract from AC Milan when he was a teenager and Totti first played for the Roma senior side at 16 and became captain at 20. His trophy collection is the most meagre of all the players on this list and he could have easily moved to bigger clubs to win more titles but the option of leaving Roma is one that Totti has never considered. Will probably end up as the greatest Roma player of all time. Winner of 1 Serie A title.

We will be back shortly with a team of polar opposites – players who can’t seem to stay at one place for too long.

The batsman in the trophy has the wrong grip - compare his with Dravid's

If you look at the batsman in the IPL trophy, he looks like a right handed player playing a glorious cover drive. He is looking at the ball racing to the boundary on the off side. The semi-circle in front of him shows that arc in which the bat has swung. Now check out the grip of the batsman. The left hand is at the bottom of the handle and closer to the blade. That is how a left hander grips the bat, not a right hander. For a righty, the right hand is at the bottom of the handle. Check out Rahul Dravid’s grip as he is playing the cover drive.

Anyone who has played any level of cricket in life should be able to spot the error.

I am surprised that such a glaring mistake was made in crafting such a high-profile trophy. I am even more surprised that none of the people involved in the managing committee of the IPL noticed it. Or if they did, they probably decided to ignore it.

The commentators also seem to be turning a blind eye towards it. They talk about a batsman’s feet, hand and head position all the time and surely know the difference between a right-handed and a left- handed grip. They wax lyrical about the piece of fine art that is the IPL trophy every time it’s shown on TV but never seem to notice the abnormality of the batsman’s grip.

The error is not such a big deal. Such imperfections quite often end up enhancing the uniqueness and the value of rare objects. Therefore there should be no harm in acknowledging it.

But sadly, everyone is so busy in trying to prove that everything in the IPL is picture perfect, that they fail to notice or acknowledge this distinctive imperfection.

Sometime in the 1980’s; when I’m not sure I could even spell ‘Franchise’ let alone understand what it meant, I first heard of the Harlem Globetrotters. I was totally fascinated by the name. They couldn’t have been more aptly named- they were ‘globetrotting’ as they went all over the world playing exhibition games. Later, the emergence of Michael Jordan as a global superstar forced ‘The Sport Star’ and some Indian newspapers to occasionally mention the NBA (National Basketball Association), adding more such names to my slowly expanding brain. Over the years, I have undergone an online education in the entire ‘franchisee’ concept and learnt of many other equally fascinating team names.

A little analyses of the popular team names (and also the unpopular ones) gives some wonderful insights into the dos and do not’s of the naming process. Fundamentally, there are four key things to take care of

• The name of the team should be unique and memorable enough - so that the team can easily be identified by it. There should be no need to provide the name of the city or the league in which they play. So when you mention the Lakers, you don’t have to add that they are the team from LA which plays in the NBA. You should be like that guy in class who can be identified by his surname only and doesn’t have to give out his full name.
• The name of the team should mean something for the franchise. It could pay homage to something important from the city or honour someone attached with the franchise. Or simply capture the spirit or character of the team. The Dallas Cowboys are from Texas – home of the cowboy. The Georgia Bulldogs truly reflect the ‘bulldog‘spirit of their football team – unflinching in any kind of distress situation.
• The name of the team should never be just a glorified adjective. Like victor or champion or studs etc etc. And the additional superlative or comparative is also a strict no-no.
• Lastly, never copy a team name, even if it’s a team from another league or even if you have slightly modified the name.

Having become an amateur ‘sports team namologist’ of some kind, the coming of professional leagues in India, therefore, was a godsend for me. So far we’ve had a seven team PHL (Professional Hockey League), a six team ICL (Indian Cricket League) and an eight team IPL (Indian Professional League), where 4 teams are yet to be named at the time of writing. So here’s my two bit of ‘namology gyan’ on what’s transpired so far.

First the PHL

Sher-E-Jalandhar – an absolute smasher. The old Urdu-style name makes it even more memorable

Chennai Veerans – unique, with homage paid to the historical Tamil fighters.

Maratha Warriors – similar to the Chennai style and quite apt

Orissa Steelers – The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the heart of America’s steel industry and Orissa has the same status in India

Bangalore Hi-Fliers – the first bad one in the PHL. Falls in the glorified adjective category.

Hyderabad Sultans – a ‘historical’ mistake. Hyderabad had Nizams and not Sultans.

Chandigarh Dynamos – this one is well thought of. Simultaneously reminds us of the Punjabi farmer (the one who drives a tractor) and the truck driver – the hard-working image of a prosperous state.

Overall Verdict – Very good job and I hope the people in-charge show similar wisdom on the more important matters to make the PHL an even bigger success.

Now the ICL

Chandigarh Lions – this one’s fine not great. The people of Punjab are lion-hearted in whatever they do. But doesn’t have the same impact as the word ‘Sher’

Kolkata Tigers – Being the home of the Royal Bengal tiger, the name is suitable but not unique enough as there are tigers in every second state of India. Considering the penchant for lions and tigers, the there should have been a separate auction for the two names.

Hyderabad Heroes – What are they paying homage to? The movie ‘heroes’ of the thriving Telugu
Film industry. Serious paucity of thought from Hyderabad.

Mumbai Champs – The irony is striking. The team calls itself the champs and finishes rock-bottom. So much for egg on your face.

Delhi Jets – What are they depicting? Fighter jets, jets of water, Jet Airways. I have no clue.

Chennai Superstars – Are they trying to out-do the ‘heroes’ of Hyderabad? Our film industry is bigger than yours and our actors are bigger stars.

Overall Verdict – The names are as bad as the ground on which the ICL was played. This league needs a lot of help.

Finally the IPL

Bangalore Royal Challengers – Dr Mallaya wanted an association with one of his liquor brands. But tell me in god’s name, what is a Royal Challenger? Sounds a little too long as well.

Chennai Super Kings – If this team wins the IPL, we can make a case for the inclusion of the word ‘Super Kings’ in the Oxford dictionary. That’s because I don’t think such a word exists.

Delhi Daredevils – Has a nice ring to it but can’t see the connection. Just for their information, there‘s a team called the Washington Senators in the US.

Rajasthan Royals – This one is perfect. Think of simple things folks. Don’t you know your city well enough?

As for the remaining four, here’s a simple suggestion for the franchisee owners.

Naming a new team is a great marketing and PR opportunity. You can make a little money as well. Organize a simple competition to give the people of the city a chance to name their local team. There is enough wisdom and local knowledge in every city to come up with a great name. Additionally, involving the populace will make the franchise popular among the masses and people will start identifying with the team.

Here are the names I could come up with. I am sure you guys can do better.

Kolkata – The Kolkata Liberators. In honour of Bengal’s most well-loved son, Subhash Chandra Bose.

Hyderabad – The Hyderabad Nizams. The erstwhile rulers of Hyderabad.

Mohali – The Mohali Nihangs. A Nihang is a Sikh religious warrior.

Mumbai – The Mumbai Bulls. Celebrating the ‘Bull Run’ in the financial capital of India.

This article was written last year before the IPL teams from  Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mohali and Mumbai had been named. It was originally published in iSport.in