A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

The British Bulldog - back in control

The appointment of Fabio Capello was a telling blow to the pride of British football – a nation which once prided itself on having invented and then taught the game to the world had fallen on really bad times –so much so that they had no option but to depend on a foreigner to manage their national side. They had had a foreigner previously in Eriksson but the situation was far more desperate this time. A far cry from the days when British managers where much sought after.

The decline had already been evident in the domestic game - 3 of the top 4 clubs in the English premiership have been managed by foreigners for quite some time now. And others like Tottenham had also joined the fray. Considering the multi-cultural nature of the premiership, a fair sprinkling of foreigners is expected in the managerial ranks but suddenly no British manager seemed to be contending for the top jobs – in England or elsewhere.

The rot has been stemmed in 2008 and now the good old British manager is back in business. It started with the renaissance of Fulham under Roy Hodgson. And then Harry Redknapp showed with Tottenham that the British still knew some tricks that the Spanish (Juande Ramos) didn’t. The good showing continued with Joe Kinnear and Newcastle and although it is still early days, Blackburn already looks a different side under Big Sam Allardyce.

All of them truly epitomize what has traditionally been the strength of the British manager – their bulldog ways. They might not know the fancy tricks of modern football and lack the technical flair of continental managers but are tactically sound and know how to rally the men and rough it out. That most of the younger British managers like Roy Keane and Paul Ince were hopelessly bad is a corollary of the bulldog theory – quite obviously this style cannot be learnt in the coaching classroom – it comes with years of learning on the job. And hence the fledgling managers like Keane and Ince, who were still not fully versed in the good old British way, struggled miserably. Occasionally there will be someone like Glenn Hoddle – a Britisher but a manager with flair and technical nous. These creatures are as rare as a British footballer with full of wizardry and brilliant technical skill.

And that works for the national team too. Think of the last few successful British managers – old fogies Bobby Robson and Terry Venables.

It might not be the biggest story of 2008 in English football but this year has definitely seen a successful return of the good old- fashioned British manager.

Today the EPL is extremely popular in India and ESPN Star broadcasts half a dozen live games a week and airs numerous other related programs. And then there are a dozen football websites.

But back in 1992, we had neither. We relied on Brian Glanville’s last page articles in the The Sportstar (god bless them for that) and the occasional glimpse of recorded action in a sports program that was shown on DD at around 4.30 p.m on Sundays. I think it was called sports hour or something.

This logo was easliy identifiable in 1992

I was already a teenage football fan then and savoured these limit doses. For those of you who came later, John Brewin has written a very informative article about the 1992 premiership season. It’s a wonderful reminder of the fact that things weren’t always like they have been for the last ten odd-years. For starters there was no Big 4 of English football.

As a United fan, one of my favourite mental exercises is speculating, who the next United manager will be. I don’t want Fergie to step down or anything. On the contrary I have all the respect and admiration in the world for him – for all that he has done for the Club. It’s just that he is already 67 and someday soon he will have to go.

The speculation also stems from the reality that I have never seen a change of guard at Old Trafford in my football-watching life. United sides have always been such an embodiment of Sir Alex’s own personality and without him the club would probably be completely different from the one I dearly love. Therefore, the fact that something which I have never witnessed in my life is about happen and that the change will have far-reaching implications forces me to think about it very frequently.

How will life be without him

I and many others, I am sure, have often assumed that the next guy will be someone who has been associated with United as well as Fergie in the past. How can an outsider ever understand what it means and takes to be a Red Devil? After all, United are one of those rare big clubs which have maintained their old world spirit and identity in spite of all the corporatization of sport. And why not attempt some kind of continuity by bringing in someone who’s well indoctrinated in the ‘Ferguson way’

I want a Red Devil to take over

That the person should also have excellent managerial credentials is quite obviously an unconditional pre-requisite

There has been no shortage of suitable candidates – at least ones who have seemed suitable.

The list and the conjecturing started with ‘Captain Marvel’ – Bryan Robson – one of United’s greatest players as well as a legendary captain. He made a great start to his managerial life with Middlesbrough and I remember, once, how in spite of Boro beating United 3-2 in , I hadn’t felt bad – I had thought that the future United manager was coming along well. Sadly, save for some great Cup runs with Boro and later a relegation survival with West Brom, Robson has been a failure as a manager. And he’s had enough opportunities at various clubs to eliminate any elements of bad-luck. He clearly isn’t up to it.

The next really big hope was Roy Keane – another commanding mid-field general in the mould of Robson. His successes with Sunderland and his clear-talking and honest ways seemed like a fairy-tale. Just that he lacked the eye for talent and tactical nous so important for a manager. He has exited Sunderland with his head held high but his managerial pedigree in tatters. I expect him to give it another shot. But it will take a lot of success over a considerable period of time to exorcise the ghosts of his first stint and be considered again.

Another United legend and former captain in the fray is Steve Bruce. He’s had decent success with various clubs. But the problem is that he’s had too many clubs – he’s on his sixth one in ten years of managerial life – the exact antithesis of Fergie and United. Also in spite of such a long career he is still stuck with the smaller clubs – hasn’t even moved up a notch to the second rung of the premiership. It is more likely that he will end up becoming the next Harry Redknapp and not the next Fergie.

A candidate with a less glorified United connection but better managerial record is Celtic’s Gordan Strachan. A Red Devil from 1984-89, he has managed at a top British club for more than three years now. And remember, Sir Alex also came from a successful Scottish club. But then again, times are different now. How big is Scotland’s biggest club in today’s world - possibly smaller than even the likes of Man City and Tottenham. Also his association with Fergie was long ago and I doubt if he’s a true United disciple. And he is too much of a strict disciplinarian and there are doubts about his ability to handle big name players. Will rule him out as well.

Next in consideration is Mark Hughes – another crowd favourite at Old Trafford. As a manager he got the Welsh national side to overachieve and then had a solid stint with Blackburn. He’s bought smartly in the transfer market and has handled some massive egos pretty well. His appointment as Man City boss was another sign of his growing reputation. But the Man City job with a massive war-chest to boost could be the reason why he will probably never end up as United manager. He will either use the funds well and go onto achieve greater glory with City – in which case there will be no reason to leave for United if the opportunity came , or he will be a failure – in which case his stock as manager will fall and he won’t be considered at Old Trafford. That he manages United’s bitter rivals will be just a secondary point. Mark Hughes had all the right credentials and before his appointment as City manager he was probably way out in front in this race. Sadly he has discontinued running it.

Hughes’ successor in the Blackburn job, Paul Ince is another contender. He’s had a miserable stint in the premiership after success in the lower leagues. He still has an outside chance if he can revive Blackburn and have solid run for 4-5 years. Anything else and his chances are zilch.

There is another guy with a United connections who had a shot once upon a time but he is completely out of it now.

Steve McLaren never played for United but was an assistant to Sir Alex in the treble winning side of 1999. But we all know what happened when he became manager of England and now his stock has fallen so low that he coaches a nondescript Dutch side. I would kill myself if he ever became United manager.

That sadly is the end of the list. Amongst the currently active lot, I would rate Gary Neville as the best manager material. But he’s still playing. And it will take a long time for him to establish his managerial credentials. I don’t think Sir Alex can wait that long.

That leaves us with the hard truth that a Red Devil will not be replacing Sir Alex Ferguson whenever he decides to retire.

So much for continuity and finding someone who knows the ways of United.

By the way I just remembered about Joe Paterno. He’s 82 years old and has been coaching the football team at Penn State University for the last 42 years – and quite successfully too - he won the conference championships this year. Fergie’s just 67, right. So he could be in the job for another 15 years. Now, that will give me enough time to draw up another list of managerial hopefuls from the Red Devils community.

At United we never give up.

Are they as formidable defensively as they were last year?

In addition to being the champions in 2007-08, Man United were also the best team in the league, both, offensively and defensively. The scored the maximum goals and conceded the fewest – also ending up with the maximum number of clean sheets as well. The following table gives the goal scoring and conceding details of the top four. Man United led on all counts

2007-08 EPL Season

And now here’s the same table for the 2008-09 season so far. Numbers in brackets show the expected number had the clubs maintained last years averages. We are only 11 games into the season and the averages will change, but there is enough of an early trend to worry United fans and bring a cheer to their Chelsea counterparts

2008-09 EPL Season so far

United are still as good as last year in banging in the goals but their defense seems to be slipping. The numbers point to a clear fall in their defensive standards from last year. Their performances against Liverpool and Chelsea where they couldn’t defend one-goal leads corroborate what the numbers have to say. Last year, United were winning these games, holding on to one goal leads splendidly. Not so this year.

The other interesting thing shown by the numbers is the huge leap taken by Chelsea – both offensively and defensively. Liverpool have the same number of points, but Chelsea under Scolari have started doing what Abramovich always wanted – decimate the opposition with their attacking prowess. And at the same time they seem to have improved on their defense – supposed to be the highlight of Jose’s reign. Wonder what the great one has to say now

But more importantly, are we seeing a worrying trend for United?

What do you think?

This article was originally published on www.soccerlens.com

We are not talking about a goalkeeper here

We are talking about Irish Footballer Rory Delap, who has the most amazing throw-in ever seen in the game of football. His throws regularly travel a distance of 35 plus metres and touch speeds of 60 Km/hr. What makes them even more dangerous is their flat trajectory, making it difficult to pick the ball’s flight and thus creating havoc in the opposition defence.

Many a manager has tried and failed to counter the aerial threat of Rory’s throws. As noted by Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, these throw-ins are as effective at creating goal scoring opportunities as a corner kick or a free kick. Little wonder that 7 of the 13 goals scored by Delap’s club have come off his throw –ins

Here’s a study of his technique for those of you aspiring to become the next ‘Human Sling’

The following video about his throwing prowess begs the question.

What if Rory Delap had taken to throwing a javelin or a shot put instead of throwing a football?

Are we looking at someone who could have been an Olympic Champion thrower?

This article on goal.com is a real eye opener. I always thought that young Asians in Britain would be totally obsessed with Man Utd and Arsenal. After all these two clubs have had the most success in the modern day premiership and have played a most wonderful brand of attacking football for most part (except for the George Graham years at Highbury).

The young Asian has spent most of his growing up years watching the glory of the Red Devils and the Gunners– and the mediocrity of Liverpool – without a title in the last 18 years. There should be absolutely no reason to root for Liverpool – it was a club their fathers cheered for back in the glory days of the 70’s and 80’s. Surely these kids who have grown up in Britain (unlike their parents who were born in Asia and then came over) have a mind of their own and can make their own decisions when it comes to club loyalties.

The crest which rules the heart of the British Asian

It seems they don’t and for good reason too. It seems there was more to the Liverpool sides of the 70’s and 80’s than just football success. It had something which the British Asian identified with back then – and as a result they forged a bond with the club which went beyond success on the pitch. A relationship so deep that even the next generation could not break away from it. Utd and Arsenal might have the dazzle and the trophies but they do not have what Liverpool had in the 70’s – and hence cannot woo the young British Asian. Read the article to know more about what Liverpool had back then.

We just read how the meltdown in the financial markets has deeply affected the Premiership clubs leaving a few almost on the brink of collapse

But you know what - the folks in the blue half of Manchester are grinning from ear to ear

If you want to know why, check out the top name on this list. And we all know where the owners of Manchester City come from – Abu Dhabi

The City fans have every reason to be in love with the Sheikhs

That means that while the rest of football world will be practising financial prudence when the transfer window opens in January, Manchester City will be the only ones with pockets full of money. It will be a market where everyone will be looking to sell and City will be the only buyers around - the only club capable of paying huge transfer fees and adding more players on high salaries.

Guess in the football players’ world, all roads now lead to Manchester – the Blue half that is.

Recently we identified a trend that financial organizations sponsoring English football clubs have been hardest hit by the financial crisis.

Now we have a new report from Bloomberg which gives us more insight into how most of the premiership clubs are struggling financially – thanks in large part to the great financial meltdown.

Here are the key paragraphs of the report with the significant lines highlighted for the benefit of the readers of Commonfan

The chairman of English soccer’s governing body said the country’s clubs have debt of 3 billion pounds ($5.25 billion), and conceded that a team may become a victim of the meltdown in the world’s financial markets.

“We are in a very much more volatile position, in which debt is not only a problem in terms of volume, it’s a problem because those who own the debt are themselves now often in serious problems,” Lord David Triesman, chairman of the Football Association, told reporters today at the Leaders in Football conference in London.

The four teams that finished at the top of the Premier League last season, champion Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, carry a third of the debt, Triesman said. The data are from financial firms in the City of London, he said, without giving details.Top tier teams can control their indebtedness, Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said.”This is top of clubs’ agendas and in my view they are managing it responsibly,” he told delegates attending a conference at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium.

Today, the vice chairman of West Ham United said former Landsbanki Chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson won’t be forced to sell the east London soccer club after the bailout of his bank, Iceland’s second-largest lender.

West Ham Situation

Landsbanki Islands hf, of which Gudmundsson was the majority shareholder, was seized by Iceland’s Financial Supervisory Authority because of a risk it could default.
“He’s still standing,” West Ham’s Asgeir Fridgeirsson said in an interview today. “At the moment, he’s not planning any changes.” The East London club isn’t for sale, he said. Gudmundsson, who had a $1.1 billion fortune according to Forbes magazine, bought the club with compatriot Eggert Magnusson in November 2006 for 85 million pounds ($150 million). He bought out Magnusson’s stake and is now sole owner of the Premier League club.

The Premier League is soccer’s richest, generating revenue exceeding 1.5 billion pounds in 2006-07, and matches are watched in 199 countries. Its latest television agreement is worth 2.7 billion pounds over three seasons. Much of that money has gone to players, and those pay levels need to be reassessed to protect the future of teams, Triesman said. Wages in English soccer are growing at a rate of 12 percent, and one Premier League club increased salaries by 41 percent last season, he said. Clubs were imperilling themselves by building a “debt mountain.”

‘Tangible Danger’

“This poses us with a tangible danger,” he said in a speech. “Not only is debt at high-risk levels, but we’re also in a period where transparency lies in an unmarked grave.” Clubs, like the banks, don’t explain their finances well, bringing uncertainty and a lack of trust, he said. He called on teams to be clearer about their accounts and ownership.

“Nobody in the wider world knows what the quality of the information is and nobody has real confidence in what they cannot see,” he said. The English Premier League has become a scoreboard for the global credit crisis. Newcastle players wear the logo of Northern Rock Plc, a U.K. mortgage-lender that was nationalized in February; West Ham lost XL Leisure Group Plc last month when the tour operator grounded all its flights because it ran out of money; and West Bromwich Albion was unable to land a shirt sponsor after being promoted from the second-tier championship.

We thank Vijay Raman for this report. He is now our special correspondent on matters that combine football and finance.

How’s this a for a coincidence

Northern Rock – they became the UK’s first victim of the financial meltdown exactly a year ago – also happen to be the sponsors of Newcastle United Football Club.

AIG – earlier this month they were saved from a collapse by the largesse of US federal govt – also happen to be the sponsors of Manchester United Football Club

Bradford & Bingley – they are being nationalised by the British govt as we speak – also happen to be the sponsors of the Bradford City Football Club

Now answer another question

What is common to the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Bank and HSBC – other than the fact they are all generally doing fine and have avoided the calamitous fate of the organizations mentioned above?

None of them are involved with a football club, although they sponsor a lot of sports teams and events.

Need I say more?

P.S - thanks to my friend Vijay Raman for this wonderful insight. He is a banker and a football lover based in England. No wonder he knows stuff like this