Jonathan Wilson on Victor Piturca the Romania national team coach.
The Canadian Soccer Association faces a massive law suit from the man that was to be their CEO ….or was it COO…or Executive Director. What the piece does not allude to it whether or not the CSA may have a case against the individual or individuals who may have exceeded the limits of their authority in offering Mr. Nykamp the position. A mess that will get worse before it gets better.
Mark your day-timer – November 25 is the draw for the rest of the World Cup qualifying groups.
After international action it is back to domestic competition and there are some cracking games in prospect. Scotland has the first Old Firm derby of the year with what has become normal – an early kick off time. Celtic is struggling with a number of their players – in particular full backs – on the hobble.
Gordon Strachan will likely have to play someone out of position at right back and at the moment former Hibs defender – and normally a centre back – Gary Caldwell appears to be favourite to fill the hole. Caldwell is just returning from injury and so Walter Smith might be looking to pick on Caldwell in the early going.
Celtic’s defense has not travelled well for some time and you have to go back to October 1 of last season (at Falkirk) to find the last time that Celtic maintained a clean sheet away from Parkhead in a SPL match. As far as goals are concerned the responsibility is likely to fall to Aussie Scott McDonald who has five SPL goals already as well as the winner against Milan. McDonald was signed from Motherwell in the summer after scoring 41 SPL goals in the previous three seasons.
Rangers US international DaMarcus Beasley picked up an ankle knock against Switzerland in midweek and is a doubtful starter. Rangers won the final two confrontations of last season 2-0 and 1-0 and with home advantage they are likely to be the bookies favourites.
Villarreal has beaten Barcelona four of the last five times that the Catalan side has visited El Madrigal on league business. They get a chance to extend that fine record this weekend but they can also expect to face a rampant Barcelona side. Barcelona are looking for a fifth consecutive win in La Liga and a seventh straight in all competitions. Lionel Messi has been on target in all the wins and he currently leads all scorers with six goals. Giuseppe Rossi with five goals in seven games has settled in beautifully at Villarreal but after picking up an injury while on duty with Italy’s under-21 side he will miss this one.
Even though Roma (one win in three) and Napoli (two losses) have suffered some setbacks in the last few weeks their match in Serie A is still one that stands out. Francesco Totti notched goals 156 and 157 in a 3-0 win at Parma two weeks ago. That puts him 14th in the Serie A all-time scorers list and just one behind the legendary Luigi Riva and Roberto Mancini.
Napoli’s record away to Roma is poor with only 8 wins in 60 visits but the rivalry is intense. So intense that the game will be restricted to season ticket holders only. Roberto Sosa of Napoli got himself involved in a bit of training field punch-up this week but it is unlikely to affect his starting spot on the bench. It is role that he has proved very effective in to date with three goals from four substitute appearances.
MLS regular season concludes this weekend with some things settled (Chivas, Houston, Dallas, DC United, NER and NYRB in the play offs; Toronto, RSL, the Crew out of the play offs) and much still to be decided (final positions at the top of the western conference with Chivas hosting Houston; the final two play-off positions).
At the time of writing David Beckham has been ruled fit to for the match against the Red Bulls but he has started the match on the bench – in other words he has been ruled fit to sit on the bench but not fit enough to start a game! It sounds as if the Galaxy has not learned a lesson from the first go round of his he fit to play or not. (At the time of posting it is 1-1 at half time).
Avoiding defeat against the Red Bulls will mean that the final game between the Galaxy and the Chicago Fire will help decide who will grab the last two play-off spots. Kansas City (away to Dallas) and Colorado (at home to rivals Rea Salt Lake) are also very much in contention and there are a good number of possible permutations. The best idea is to go the MLS website and I am sure that the possibilities will be laid out for all to see.
And finally to the Premiership. We started with a look at the Old Firm derby in Scotland and the first Merseyside derby of the season also goes this weekend. Liverpool lost this fixture last season 3-0 in a game that consisted of a catalogue of errors for them.
Andy Johnson grabbed a pair last season and Australian Tim Cahill chipped in with a single. The midfielder has yet to make an appearance this season for Everton and his 22 goals in 83 appearances have been missed. Cahill is back training after reinjuring his foot in the pre-season and could make the squad. However, if he is to appear it will almost certainly be off the bench.
Despite last season’s set back and the fact that Liverpool failed to score against Everton last season the red side of Merseyside has a very good record at Goodison having lost only three times on their last 12 Premiership visits. One “record” might last the day. Both clubs enter the game having collected the lowest number of yellow cards in the Premiership to date – Everton (8) and Liverpool (10). The last two Merseyside derbies have been relatively tame with only seven yellow cards handed out. In the four prior derbies there were 23 yellows and five cards.
Bolton arrives at Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal. Archie Knox has been handed temporary control after Sammy Lee left by mutual agreement (“mutual agreement?” you are fired –OK). Conventional wisdom has it that Bolton are a bogey side for Arsenal. However, Bolton have never been beaten Arsenal in a home Premier League fixture. Old boy Nicolas Anelka certainly enjoys scoring against Arsenal in the Premiership but his goals have not produced much in the way of wins.
Anelka – who is doubtful for the match – has scored six times in 8 appearances against Arsenal but only finished on the winning side once. Another game was drawn and the other six lost.
Manchester United and Aston Villa are both looking to extend impressive league streaks. Villa have won their last four home games in the Premiership while United have won six straight all without conceding a goal. But Manchester United is the last team Villa wants to face considering their record against them.
For starters Villa have lost 21 times to Manchester United in the Premier League and that is more than to any other club. United have won their last nine Premiership matches against Villa and they have kept the Midlands club off the score sheet on the last five occasions. It gets worse. In their last 11 Premiership visits to Villa Park United have won 8, drawn three, scored 15 and conceded only two.
Stop Press - The European Union has agreed on a treaty that includes an exemption for sport in relation to the general economic principles under which the EU operates. It does not go as far as Sepp Blatter wanted - "autonomy" - but it accepts the "specific nature of sport."
This is going to become very important in years to come and is a major blow to the G14 clubs. It leaves to door open for FIFA/UEFA to sit down with European bureaucrats and politicians and to suggest solutions to problems facing soccer in Europe without being limited to conformance with the economic rules of the EU.
In theory, it could even lead to salary caps - I stress in theory. The EU has not given up their power to ultimately regulate sport but there is an acknowledgement that sport is different than business and that solutions, rules and regulations that run counter to their general economic rules, might be applicable and helpful to sport.
FIFA/UEFA, after finally wakening up to the EU reality, has managed to catch G14 offside and the G14 has now been largely isolated. Up to now the EU rulings have generally been favourable to the big clubs; that is now going to change.
Except some G14 bluster but this might be their swansong. In will take a few years for this to fully play out but in years to come we will be refering to the treaty in the same may that we refer to the Bosman ruling.
Neophyte - Question for all the Arsenal supporters and for Bobby, why did Arsenal not keep Baptista? Do they think Adebayor is better than the "Beast"?
Bobby – Arsenal didn’t keep Baptista because apart from a couple of Carling Cup performances he didn’t play very well. Adebayor is quicker than Baptista, better in the air and is younger. Baptista is more versatile than Adebayor though.
Milanfan - Just wondering what you thought about Milan’s lack of acquisitions this summer. It’s strange that they are so complacent when they were pretty mediocre in Serie A last season, that is compared to the two seasons ago, last season they went down hill and I think that they will continue to decline a bit with their aging team. They have a great starting 11 but whole bench of players that don't really add anything.
Galliani came out and stated he will acquire one of 6 superstar players. Its seems that the names pretty much won't leave their clubs. Which one do you see coming or which one do you think would be the best addition to the Milan squad? Will they go down hill with the squad they have versus other teams in Serie A and Europe getting stronger?
Bobby – Is this the same Milan that won the Champions League last season as they went downhill? I’ll wait to see who they sign before dropping in my two cents worth. There is still a long way to go before the transfer window closes.
henry14 - q1. Martin O’Neill is highly rated and has an open cheque book from Lerner, what do you think will happen if Villa do not improve, because last year they were boos when they were awful and what do you make of a coach with that money signing Harewood? Q2 One pundit said that people are over hyping Man United signings, and he said so far the only signing that could improve them immediately is Hargreaves, Nana and Anderson will take two more years to be anywhere near very good Prem players. What is your take to such a quote? Q3 Drogba has had two or so years saying, he wants to quit Chelsea and he wants them to match his ambition, and it pops up here and then do you see Drogba at Chelsea in the next two years given his desire to play in another league? Q4 What do you make of Wigan signing of Sibierski and Bramble etc, should Wigan fans fear? Q5 Who is the best Prem player ever or rather since its inception? q6 Alan Curbishley came out to take a swipe at Fergie that he claimed Tevez had won West Ham relegation battle was that tongue in cheek and what do you make of the comments? q7 In one word will Tevez be a United player come August 31
Bobby – A1 – A loaded question and one that is largely unanswerable. What is the definition of not improve? Does that mean the same league position as last season? Does it anticipate a full squad all season or injury ravaged? I have a question back to you – what do you make of a coach who would sign Chris Sutton when he was virtually a laughing stock at Chelsea? O'Neill's strength is getting the best out of players and he likes big strong forwards. Harewood fits the mold. A2 – It sounds like a fairly good assessment to me. A3 – If he has been saying for two years then why is he still at Chelsea? Actions speak louder than words and I really think you have to be careful reading things into “interviews”. As for Chelsea matching his ambition I can only think he must have his eye on the position of All-Gallatic Emperor. Who in their right mind would claim that Chelsea is a team without ambition- give me a break. A4 – Relegation. A5 – Best in terms of what? Influence, scoring, defending, entertainment, success. Best is not an objective term. A6 – Managers say a lot of things when microphones are stuffed in front of them. In the bigger picture what they say almost always means very little. A7 – Maybe.
Henry14 - What is your opinion on Sven’s signing, l do not like the man very much but he has brought cheap and quality players.
Bobby – I wouldn’t underestimate Sven at the club level given his record in other leagues but I am not expecting Manchester City to be an entertaining side this season. Bianchi is a high risk signing.
Icemonkey - What's your take on Senderos and Walcott? I would be more than willing to give Walcott a chance, but I think that Senderos must Goooooooooooooo. Maybe we could loan him to an Italian side where he would get regular playing time, maybe that would help him. If not, he should have no future with a top-four club in any league.
Bobby – Two young players that we have yet to see the best of. I would be surprised if Wenger loaned Senderos out. If he thinks he has a future at Arsenal then he will keep him and work with him daily. If not, he will let him go.
With the under-20 World Cup going on Speakers' Corner will be an abbreviated version for the next two weeks.
The big news from the Guardian this morning is Arsenal signing Eduardo da Silva. A player who scored for Croatia against England in Euro qualifying but has never cropped up in any of the speculation that I have seen. Does he fit the identikit picture that was posted on the blog after Henry signed for Barcelona - I will let you decide.
Jonathan Wilson wrote a piece on da Silva and his impact on Croatia's Euro 2008 drive a month ago.
The Freedom of Information Act has been used to find out why Jock Stein never received a knighthood in the UK when Celtic won the European Cup forty years ago.
A list of Premiership players who are out of contract and available for "free" - free that is if you don't include millions in wages. Can you make a decent team out of this lot?
We will start off with the FA Cup Final. Manchester United look to complete a fourth domestic double and to hoist the FA Cup for a record extending 12th time. For Chelsea it is a chance to be the first team since Liverpool in 2001 to do the domestic cup double. In addition the FA Cup represents the only trophy that Jose Mourinho has not won during his time at Porto and Chelsea.
This is only the third time that the top two teams have competed in the final. Ninety-four years ago Aston Villa beat Sunderland and in 1986 Liverpool beat Everton. It’s interesting that with the continual talk of the top teams not taking the FA Cup seriously that for the 12th straight season the Cup will be won by one of the big four. You have to go back to 1991 to find the last time that Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal did not make it to the deciding game. The last team outside of London, Merseyside or Manchester to actually win the trophy was Coventry in 1987 when they beat Spurs 3-2 after extra time.
Mourinho and SAF have locked horns nine times and Jose has the superior record with four wins, one loss and three draws. However, you can make a good case that the one loss was the turning point in United’s battle with Chelsea. It was back in November 2005 when a Darren Fletcher goal won the game for United. From that point on United has had a better Premiership record than Chelsea.
It could be a very special day for the evergreen Ryan Giggs. He could become the first player to win five FA Cup winners' medals in 116 years - that is to say it was last done 116 years ago not that Giggs has been playing for 116 years! He could also match Phil Neal’s record of winning seventeen major honours.
After last weekend’s slip-up by Schalke, Stuttgart is in the driving seat. A win against Energie Cottbus will assure them of their third Bundesliga title. A draw would leave the door ajar for Schalke but it would require a win by at least four goals for the Ruhr club to overtake the present leaders. They play Arminia Bielefeld who are one of the Bundesliga's form teams at the moment. Schalke’s return of 15 points out a possible 30 has not been good enough. Stuttgart is on a 7 game winning streak and their last loss was to Schalke 1-0 on March 17.
Stuttgart Coach Armin Veh replaced Trapattoni last February but it was an inau####ious start with only nine points in the final ten games of last season. Veh signed a bunch of foreign players over the summer such as Ricardo Osario and Pavel Pardo (both Mexicans), Brazilian Antonio Da Silva, Swede Alex Farnerud and Swiss striker Marco Streller. Even then the season started poorly with two losses and a draw in their first three home games. Since then Stuttgart has gone unbeaten at home with 11 wins and 2 draws. Next week Stuttgart plays Nurnberg in the German Cup Final.
Real Madrid is sitting top of La Liga for the first time since October 2005 and plays away to Recreativo de Huelva. Recreativo has performed remarkably well this season with Florent Sinama-Pongolle scoring 11 goals and securing a permanent move from Liverpool to the southern Spanish club.
Recreativo has only one loss at home since Christmas (4-0 to Barcelona) while Real Madrid have 7 wins, 2 draws and only 1 loss in their last 10 matches. During that time Ruud Van Nistelrooy has scored at a goal-a-game pace and is currently the leagues leading scorer with 21 goals.
Four words Barcelona don’t want to hear as their season threatens to implode – Atletico Madrid, Fernando Torres. Atletico have won three and drawn two of the last five games against Barca and Torres has scored six goals. This game is a test of character for Barcelona. If they lose this one and Real Madrid win there would be a sense of the inevitable about Madrid first La Liga title since 2003. Barcelona have only won twice in their last 11 away games and have only shut out the opposition four times on the road this season.
Atletico have lost three times at home but are unbeaten since December 10. There have not been a lot of goals to enjoy at the Vicente Calderon with Atletico scoring 18 and conceding 11. In 13 of the 17 home matches Atletico have scored one goal or less while Espanyol are the only visiting team to score more than one.
Fresh from retaining the UEFA Cup Sevilla travels to La Coruna where the home defense has proven to be a tough nut to crack. Deportivo La Coruna have the best defensive home record in La Liga with only 9 goals conceded in 17 games and 11 shut outs. However, it comes at cost of goals scored with only 16 goals potted at the Riazor.
Sevilla are unbeaten in their last three La Liga trips to La Coruna with two draws and one win but they not won away from home since Jan 28 against Levante. That means six games without an away win.
In MLS there is a rematch of the 2006 Championship game. Houston Dynamo won that one in a penalty shoot-out but they have made a stuttering start to the new season. Houston have won two, drawn one and lost three so far. The latest defeat came against Toronto FC on Wednesday night at a cold, wet – and we found out today – “collapsing” BMO Field.
Houston enjoyed the majority of the possession on Wednesday but they had a look of a team that did not know what to do once they got within 30 yards of the Toronto goal. On the other hand New England Revolution have flown out of the gate with four wins, two draws and a single loss. Taylor Twellman is red hot with six goals and Andy Dorman (a player who is a joy to watch at times) has three. There have only been two goals scored (one for and the other against) in three games at Robertson Stadium this season so far but I think we will see some more on Saturday.
RINGO - FA Cup Final Trivia. How many times has a non-English team played in the final? How many times has the final been played outside London? On the two occasions Charlton Athletic played in the final, something unusual happened ,what?
Bobby – Seeing that no one esle is playing here goes. 1) Three, Queen’s Park twice and Cardiff who actually won the Cup. 2) Nine times if you don’t include replays. 3) The ball burst in consecutive finals in ’46 and ’47. There was also a Gypsy's Curse involved in the Derby County Final but as far as I know it was not a consecutive season curse!
Henry14 - Q1 what do you make of Fergie's claim that he wants to spends in the midfield and attack, publicly, even if l am not a Man Utd fan l feel he is going to overpay because he is linked with every good finisher. Even if he spend $100m l still feel Hargreaves is not worth $40m and Berbatov is not worth $80m he is at most a $40m player, do you think it was a smart move?
Q2 What do you make of Fergie’s selection because it was awful, I felt it played into West Ham's plan and would not have been at the top of the table with that line up
Q3 l heard Graham Hunter and Ian Wright on talk sport saying Wenger has summoned the board for another meeting on his transfer budget, he claims that , he is not happy with the amount given to him and feels that another season of fighting for fourth Cesc and co might leave, do see Wenger leaving if he does not challenge for trophies next season
Q4 - Who owns Tevez it seems West Ham do not own him, it’s not a loan everything around this guy is mysterious even after the commission, can you clarify the situation.
Bobby – Q1 – And when has it been any different for Manchester United? As far back as I can remember they have been linked with high profile players. Even if Ferguson came out and said that he is not interested in signing anyone this summer no one would belief him. Q2 – I watched the game and in the first half in particular United destroyed West Ham and did everything except score. If it was a one-off result I could understand your point but West Ham did the double over United and Arsenal and didn’t concede a goal in the process. Q3 – No I don’t see Wenger leaving. Q4 – Tevez is owned by MSI and so when he is sold this summer West Ham will realize nothing from any deal.
Meansucka - The FA Cup and the La Liga race look to be great drama! Any predictions on the latter?
Bigdavedisaster - As the Champions League approaches I can’t help but look at AC Milan and wonder if they should be there? None of the other teams involved in "match fixing" were allowed to compete in Europe, even Lazio with less of a point deduction was kicked out of the lesser UEFA cup. If they cheated enough to have points deducted from there domestic league what does them making the final say about communication between UEFA and domestic leagues in this case Serie A? Did they cheat in the 2005-2006 season or not? It seems as though you here no talk of this incident anymore even though a team that had points deducted for being involved in fixing games is going for the biggest trophy in club football. I’m really not a big conspiracy guy but is this being kept quiet? And yes I am seeing someone on the grassy knoll. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
I wrote earlier in the season that I thought the Bulgo-irish striker combination would be the ticket for Spurs now my question is, Spurs have shown that they can score with the best of the EPL what do they have to do to defend with them? Is a healthy Ledley King the answer or is the problem bigger than one man?
Bobby – First off none of the other teams had enough points to qualify for Europe after the points deduction – the exception was Milan. Did they cheat? Yes they did. But just like other things in life there are degrees of cheating. For example trying to steal five yards at a throw-in isn’t likely to get you thrown out of European competition. Whether we agree with the punishment or not, the fact is that the Commission that conducted the inquiry in Italy found that although all were guilty there were degrees of cheating involved and the different points deduction reflected that. I don’t think that Milan needed to cheat or affect the results last season in anyway to finish in the top four in Serie A.
A healthy Ledley King will make a big difference and I thought that Zokora was far steadier in the second half of the season than the first. They certainly need a left back and if they managed to sign a naturally left footed player then they might just get away without a left sided midfield player. They also need Paul Robinson to pick his game up.
Rwonfootball - It's relatively easy to pick a "Player of the Year," because it goes to the best player. But who would get an MVP award if one was given?
Bobby – Good question. I think my choice would be Mikel Arteta at Everton.
Venti_Vidi_Vici - At the beginning of the season you had rebutted claims that Chelsea were not adequately staffed at the center back position after the loss of Gallas and Huth, replaced only by the Cannibal. Do you think they will be shopping for central defenders this summer, or stick with who they have?
Bobby – They still had three centre backs but as it turned out Boulahrouz was so brutally bad that he was a liability. However, it wasn’t the defense that let Chelsea down this season it was a lack of goals. They only conceded two more goals than last season while goal production in the Premiership was down by 10 goals at Stamford Bridge and 8 overall. The drop in goals at home led to a reduction of 12 points season-over-season at Stamford Bridge. The issue of centre backs was a red herring. If they do buy someone it might be a full back who can also play centre back. Maybe someone like William Gallas. How many games did Gallas and Huth play this season?
RINGO - Note to the SFL - Dump the Shire and promote Tayport! Although looking at the Tayport website, it does not look like they are still in business.
Bobby – You might have the old website. Here is the link I use. Unfortunately we will have to put this season down as a transition one.
Venti_Vidi_Vici - A couple of very promising youngsters who I don't hear mentioned much, but I think show great promise and may well be on the move this summer. What do you think?
Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor, 20 years old, played hard all year, managed 9 EPL goals, combines speed, strength and technical ability. Could partner Rooney in 2010.
Giuseppe Rossi, is doing very at Parma scoring better that a goal every two matches in a league which is very challenging for young strikers. I'm sure Sir Alex is very pleased.
Daniel Agger, has relegated veteran Hyypia to the Liverpool bench, and in the UCL semi showed experience far beyond his years. Benitez proved he too can spot talent, even though $10m isn't exactly a steal.
Around Europe looking at the top scorers, in Spain David Villa and Freddie Kanute are having great seasons. In Germany Stuttgart's Mario Gomez (21) and Bayern's Lucas Podolski (21) will be Germany's strikeforce in 2010; the latter may be on the market due to possible restructuring at the club after a quiet season. Also in Holland, Heerenveen's Alfonso Alves has scored over 30 goals.
Bobby – Agbonlahor qualifies to play for Nigeria and Scotland as well as England which is his first choice. He has had a very good season and finished very strongly. I can see John Carew providing a great foil for Agbonlahor. I think Rossi has done more enough to earn a chance at Old Trafford come August. His goal scoring record at Parma has been the difference between a chance of staying in Serie A and being certain to go down. Benitez broke Agger in slowly but he is clearly he is now part of the first choice centre back pairing with the largely underrated Jamie Carragher. Gomez has missed a few games through injury but he scored after coming off the bench against Bochum on Saturday. Alves is beginning to crop up in more transfer stories but I have to admit that I don’t know very much about him.
JKendrick08 - Based on performance in European competitions and overall standard of play throughout this season, how would you rank the top 10 leagues in Europe?
Bobby – The only objective measure is something like the UEFA coefficient rankings and I don’t really know if that accurately describes which might be “best”. I think trying to rank the leagues is a lesson in futility until you can define what you mean by best. Is it the most exciting, the quickest, the most goals, the largest crowds, the greatest level of parity, the best technical players, the greatest level of media hype…the list is endless. Each league has strengths and weaknesses and appeals to individual likes and so it is a very personal. Ultimately it is what ever resonates with each of us and engages us.
Thank you for your continued support of the blog. I will put a UEFA Cup Final discussion blog tomorrow morning.
Therealrico - Do you think maybe Rossi will leave for Italy? He has already made it apparent that he wants to play for Italy over the US, and maybe his style is more at home in Italy. What do you think?
Bobby – Given his goal scoring record since he arrived at Parma I can see him being in demand if he becomes available. But I cannot see SAF allowing him to leave without giving an extended run in the United team at the start of next season.
BlueBlades - Redondo ex RM and ACM, and Paulo Sousa ex Juventus. These were two excellent players who just seemed to vanish, where are they now, are they still playing or retired?
Bobby – Both excellent players and now retired. The fact that Passarella wouldn’t have him in the Argentina squad in 1998 because of the length of his hair robbed us of seeing him at his peak. It was around the same time that he went to Old Trafford with Real Madrid and was magnificent in the Champions League. I’m certain Sousa has also retired. I know that he had some injury problems but I can’t say for certain whether or not that resulted in his retirement or if he just thought it was time to pack it in. Sousa was part of Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Borussia Dortmund side that won the Champions League a decade ago.
Shaunmc - Scott Carson the Goalkeeper for Charlton, (on loan from Liverpool) came from a team called Cleator Moor Celtic. Do you have any info on this club?
Bobby – A quick internet search threw up Cleator Moor Celtic website. I have to admit that before you mentioned the team it is one that had flown under my radar. Before Liverpool Carson was with Leeds United and was part of the Peter Risdale “everything must go” sale.
RINGO - OK, Back by popular demand...my mate Verbal, anyway! Name the 2nd oldest knock-out cup competition.the oldest international competition, and the worlds oldest football club.The answers will be provided by Bobby on the next blog...if he knows them!
Bobby – OK - I'll bite! I would agree with verbal97’s answer to 1) Scottish FA Cup and 2) Copa America. The oldest surviving team is I believe Notts. County. It’s good being the first team but it must have made for a lot of squad pick up games until another team came along.
Henry14 - Do you feel United are favoured by referees? l think so because it is scandalous how they have escaped with penalties yet you see the ones they get. l understand that they are bound to get more because they attack more most of the time but some the penalties were as soft as it gets.
Bobby – All big teams get calls that smaller teams don’t get – it is not that they are consciously favoured by referees - it is human nature. It is easy to be critical of the referee for the decision on Saturday to wave off the O’Shea foul on Lee but we are benefiting from a perfect camera angle – something that the referee didn’t have, and not something I think he could be faulted for. When you look at the incident from the camera behind the Boro goal there is no way that you could say for sure that O’Shea played the man first.
Gunner44 - Why are they forming a U.K. team for the Olympics? Can't every country just rep. itself? RINGO - There will NEVER be a combined GB team, other than for the 2012 Olympics. And you will not find anyone from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales who wants one, right, Bobby?
Bobby – At the Olympics there is only a UK team. The Commonwealth Games is different – each of the four countries competes as separate teams – as does the likes of the Isle of Man and Guernsey!! In 2012 it may be a combined soccer team in name but I would be very surprised if Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales players participated. I think the whole idea of a combined team is a crock and despite what FIFA might say I don’t trust them not to use it as a future precedent. I have never understood the line that is trotted out about how every young athlete wants to compete at the Olympic Games. I never did and nobody I grew up with did either. We all wanted to play against England at Hampden or play in the Scottish Cup Final. The Olympic soccer tournament is a pretty worthless tournament – some good football is played but…- and just another competition on the calendar that is not needed. The 2012 Olympics will come right after Euro 2012 and I know which one I will be watching. On a political note, the issue of a combined team might be a mute point. Scotland has an election coming up next week and the SNP (the Scottish Independence party) looks set to win which could set up a referendum on full sovereignty in a couple of years.
spons46 - As we reach the end of this season, what would your EPL starting XI be. I hope it isn't as red devil heavy as the "Team of the year". Gunner44 - I have always wondered why the hell does the team of the year have to be dominated by players of the team that is likely to win the title. I thought the team of the year is composed of players who have been the best at their positions, kind of like it is in the C.L. and W.C. team of the year?
Bobby – That is something I will get ready for an end of season blog. I promise mine will be current and not something I picked just after the New Year.
Neophyte - I enjoyed the article by Brooking. It has been a source of debate at our local club as to the best approach in coaching the youngsters---position and passing (argued by a man from Winchester, England) or individual footskills and 1v1, 2v2, by the senior trainer--a former professional footballer and futsal player from Sao Paulo, Brazil. You sacrifice winning at the early ages as they develop their footskills. However we are seeing the Brazilian's determination pay off in the U-12 group. The problem is you lose a lot of would-be players due to the losses and the amount of practice it takes to develop quality footskills. Question: As the American game continues to develop do you see it taking on a more South American look or a European-English look? It seems that the Yanks overseas lean towards the Anglo-countries rather than the Latin ones. But MLS seems to have an easier time getting the Latin players to come over. Your views?
Bobby – I can see the MLS taking the South American route. The climate is in favour of that style rather than the hard non-stop running style of Northern Europe. In terms of development I think the knowledgeable consensus is that teaching kids formations and tactics and any age before 12 is a waste of time. However, I see the development of passing skills as apart of overall skill development and not something that is an either or. Overall we seem to have our kids playing far too many games and not practicing enough – both organized practices and pick up games they organize themselves.
foxcube - If you were an Arsenal fan, would you stand against the possible takeover by Stan? He is not rich yet he is said to have powerful financial clout and can inject funds into transfers albeit a larger debt. Is this the number one positive for a takeover? Do you think ManU have benefited and Liverpool will benefit from their American owners? How strong do think these three big clubs would be against possible decline in income from economic downturns and awful performances on the pitch? Will the Americans invest in the clubs out of their pockets like Abramovich?
Bobby – Abramovich is an exception and no other takeover can be compared to his buyout of Chelsea. As for the other purchasers, they all see an opportunity to make money. In terms of Liverpool you have two individuals with deep pockets who are in a position to make a new stadium a realty which the old board could not do. That has to be chalked up as positive for Liverpool in that they will have an asset that generates additional revenue. It is essentially the same move that Arsenal made in building Ashburton Grove – except they were able to engineer a deal based on their financial situation at that time. In other words the financial institutions considered Arsenal to be a better financial risk than Liverpool. To have someone like Kroenke come in and buy the club might provide some short term transfer funds but the more likely scenario is that he will simply put up as little money on the table as possible and then have the club assume the debt he has incurred in buying the club. This is how the Glazers bought Manchester United. A commonly held view is businessmen – such as the Glazers – buy the club with their own money. They don’t - they buy the club with supporter’s money. The club carries the debt and it is paid off over a period of time as the club generates profits – profits generated by supporters.
Chinaski - Considering that Everton still have to play Man U and Chelsea do you believe that they can hold onto a UEFA Cup spot?
Bobby – I think they can. Reading and Spurs have easier schedules but Bolton and Portsmouth both tough runs coming up. The Everton - Portsmouth game looks to be a crucial one.
Foxcube - Milan looked flat today aside from Kaka and Gattuso to some extent. Most disappointing had to be Pirlo. (goalkeeper aside.) They were not on the same energy level. Age? Form? They wanted to keep possession but simply couldn't. What do you think of the second leg?
Bobby – I thought the turning point was when Gattuso went off injured. Gattuso’s “mini-me” Brocchi just isn’t at the same level. Gilardino was a passenger and not capable of holding the ball up when he got it. If Gattuso is fit then I think Milan can get a one-goal win. However, once again you have to admire Manchester United’s spirit. As far as both sides were considered it wasn’t exactly a defensive masterpiece today. Dida – or is it Geeda!! - looked awful on the first and third United goals while Carrick lost Kaka on the first goal. Then Evra and Heinze decided to recreate the Willie Miller-Hansen circa 1978 World Cup Scotland vs. Russia for Kaka’s second.
On a weekend when Lyon, Celtic and Inter sew up their respective league championships, PSV and Barcelona decide to make what looked to be straight forward tasks much more difficult.
A late equalizer by Utrecht against PSV means that a win for AZ Alkmaar next week against Excelsior will give AZ their first title since 1981. It could be the first time in 26 seasons that the big three of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord have failed to lift the title. Quite the triumph for Louis Van Gaal.
Robert Pires gains a measure of revenge for being substituted in last season’s Champions League Final against Barcelona after Jens (short for Jennifer I understand) Lehmann was sent off. Pires scores the first goal and Barcelona’s miserable away form continues. They still lead Seville by a point and Real Madrid by two (and Sevilla and Real Madrid have still to play each other) but you have to think that Barca’s inability to kill off the chasing pack only gives the likes of Sevilla and Real Madrid more hope and confidence.
Cristaino Ronaldo and Shunsuke Nakamura pick up player of the year awards in England and Scotland.
And finally the last word goes to Nigel Winterburn the former Arsenal full back and colour commentator for Saturday's Manchester United vs. Boro match. "Rio touches his groin and shakes his head."
Henry14 - Q1. l think an arsenal take over is really on the cards, it might not happen as early as some reports suggest but rumours that some Russian guy and a whole lot of Dubai guys will not go unchallenged. With the money the share holders want and all the stadium liabilities, l really can not see the American guy as a possible bidder, because anyone to take over Arsenal should be prepared to lose and then gain in the long run. What is your take on that? Q2 l think Ade is made to look like a villain, but l think the guys who run African soccer embezzle quite a large sum of money and to have players not paid for two years is a shame. l think the problem would occur even with England but because they take care of that it’s under control. If any civil servant can go on strike why can't footballers. l really think African football really has to change in administrations.
Bobby – Q1. All clubs are sold eventually but I don’t see Arsenal being sold in the near term. Q2 A total lack of organization has been major drawback for a lot of African countries and until it is fixed an African country will never win the World Cup.
Bigdave disaster - I’m late in writing this but your comment about Portuguese reporters "falling down" was amazing and I'm curious if you got a letter from the Portuguese associated press? or were you simply fined by FSCFA for disparaging remarks?
With the television contract now signed by the EPL and the mess in Italy do you see the EPL becoming the highest paying league in Europe? and is that why we began to here all the rumors about a weekly player salary cap?
Bobby – Carlos did threaten to send me to the stands. As far as I know the Ppremiership is the highest paid league in the soccer world. You will find some players in other leagues getting higher salaries but I doubt that the average salary would be higher.
Mistafantastic – What's your opinion of one, Landon Donovan? It frustrates me to the core that he can play as brilliantly as he did Sunday, but when he's needed most he folds up. His lack of heart & commitment to stick it out in Europe is another sore subject & NOW comes the news that he doesn't want to play in either the Gold Cup or Copa America this summer so he can stay & help the Galaxy! With all the great young talent the US has now, why must they continue to force him down our throats as the "Golden Boy" of US footy? Any opinions? Thanks!
Bobby – Donovan on his day can be a match-winner at any level. However, because he has done it in the past then many expect him to do it everytime and he is never going to be a player of that caliber. He has fantastic pace, he is a good finisher and tactically he appears to be sound. Inconsistency will be the hallmark of his career but because he is a potential game breaker he will always be a first choice for the USA. “Mercurial” might be a good description of him which is a lot better than being an “enigma.” A Scottish commentator once described former internationalist Jim Bett as an enigma and went on to say that it was just a nice way of saying that Bett had played a good game about five years before and everyone was waiting for him to have another.
Realmadridccfan - 1. What is your favourite and least favorite play by play soccer commentator right now? 2. With the Copa America this summer, what do you think are the best hopes for Mexico and the United States at this tournament? 3. Do you think that Jose Mourinho is actually done like dinner at Chelsea and move in years end to Real Madrid CF?
Bobby – 1. Favourite is Martin Tyler by a country mile. Another I enjoy listening to because he has a very understated delivery is John Helm. As for the least favourite it would have to be Ian Darke – the man must wake up each morning in mid-sentence, he never shuts-up.
2. I am assuming Mexico will send a full team and will qualify for the knock out stage. It looks as if the USA will be hampered by sending a squad without any MLS players but with up to three teams qualifying then one win can almost put you through. in passing I did hear that Argentina will be taken a squad made up completely of home based players to Copa America.
3. My money is on a Mourinho move during the summer but on the other hand I would not be surprised if he stayed either. When he moved to Chelsea he made mention of coaching in Italy one day and I think that is a more likely destination for him than Spain.
The British Sport Book Awards were announced yesterday. In the Best Autobiography category Paul McGrath, Back from the Brink was the winner. Leo McKinstry's Sir Alf won the Best Football Book.
Under 20 update from Tuesday evening - Hyundai Under 20 men's national team presented by Yahoo! Canada 1-2 Scotland. And we wonder why the European media make fun of North American soccer!!
Gordon McQueen’s chalkboard is no more sympathetic to the embattled Steve.
James Lawton has had enough and calls time on second-choice Steve.
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been kicked off the Togo national team. The last time Adebayor went head-to-head with coach Stephen Keshi the coach was fired. Keshi has returned and this time Adebayor has gone.
Gabriele Marcotti on the long road that is Euro 2008 qualifying.
It looks as if Marseille will not be sold after all.
realmadridcffan - 1. Do you know how the aggregate away rule to decide two legged ties started and what do you think of it? I kind of like it because it rewards good road play and punishes sloppy home play.
2. What did you think of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup draw? Do you see any surprises coming up for this edition of the 2007 Gold Cup?
3. What do you think has been the key to Manchester United's excellent form this year? Manchester United has actually been quite a surprise this year in the EPL, considering not that many people where picking them to be leading the premiership at this time.
Bobby – 1. In 1967/68 the away goals rule was used to decide first round ties only in the European Cup. The away goals rule was brought into full use for the 1968/69 European Cup and from there it was extended to other tournaments. Real Madrid were the first team that season to go out of the competition because of the rule – they lost to Rapid Vienna. Before that replays had been used and then a coin toss was brought in. The coin toss remained an option for a number of seasons when the away goals rule was not a factor. In one famous game Celtic and Benfica exchanged 3-0 results and Celtic won the coin toss twice – the first to decide who got to call and the second the actual deciding toss. Celtic went on the European Cup Final that season but lost to Feyenoord in extra time.
2. I like the fact that guest teams are no longer involved. If you are going to have a regional tournament then that is what it should be. Having said that I still dream that the day will come when we will be able to enjoy a full blown Copa America with CONCACAF and COMNEBOL teams involved – however, I am not holding my breath on that one. With three teams qualifying from two of the groups it reduces the chances of a surprise. A couple of countries I will be watching for. ####mp;T – can they build on their WC showing or will they go into decline ala Jamaica post 98 given that the team is quite old. The other is Panama. They’ve turned out a couple of good age group sides in the last few years and they did push the USA all the way two years ago.
3. A number of factors have combined to make it a great season for United. The four I would pick out would be the reemergence of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes – absolutely outstanding performances - and Ronaldo becoming a world class player. The other the drive and single mindedness of Alex Ferguson.
Henry14 - 1. What happens if Watford lose in the FA final or win it and then relegated, will they play in Europe
2. ESPN pundits seem to feel Eto'o will move where do you see him going and why?
3. What are Wenger's chances of getting N'Zogbia from Newcastle
4. What do you think were Arsenal's problems and what do you think can be the solution so that they are (up with?) United and Chelsea next season.
Bobby – 1. Either way they will compete in the UEFA Cup as long as the team they lose to – if they lose – have already qualified for either the Champions League or UEFA Cup.
2. I don’t think Eto’o will move. Take into consideration that the manager will likely leave and the new boss isn't going to want to dump Eto'o - in my opinion.
3. Arsenal have been linked with N’Zogbia for a while but I thought I read that he signed a new contract with Newcastle. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t move but it would certainly cast some doubt over a possibile transfer.
4. Arsenal are not experiencing anything that a bit more experience will not fix. I said at the start of the season that this was a transition year. Third or fourth place in the Premiership will make a relatively successful season.
Buffytvs - Re the last but one comment on Woodgate: when we did our picks before the EPL season started, I called Middlesbrough for the drop. That was before the tfr window closed, and they brought in Woodgate, who has made am enormous difference. Without him, I think they would be in deep trouble. So... this coming year, can we make the deadline for the picks AFTER the tfr window?
Bobby – I will consider a change in timing for next season’s picks. I looked up everyone’s picks and only two of 70 picked Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool as a 1-2-3 finish – no one is sitting with 1-4 right let alone 1-5. As far as relegation is concerned 6 from 70 have picked two of the three teams presently occupying the bottom three slots. No one picked all three. Interestingly only two people picked WHU to finish in the bottom three and nobody picked them as the season’s potentially biggest disappointment.
Venti Vidi Vici - Whatever happened to all the Man Utd fans/shareholders who so fiercely opposed the Glazier takeover, and I think even established a new non-league MU team?? Has the club's recent performances on and off the field temporarily shut them up, or have they given up and apologized?
Bobby – The team is growing and prospering. Here is their website. Time will tell whether they are right or wrong but from my vantage point I still cannot see how the Glazer family is going to be able to have the club service the debt level without affecting the on field product. And before someone jumps in with the Arsenal example it is something very different. United is the equivalent of consumption debt – non productive debt – while Arsenal is investment debt where an asset has been purchased that increases revenue.
Verbal 97 - Anyway, do you think that the replays for Man United and Chelsea hurt their chances in the quarterfinal matches against Roma and Valencia? It certainly isn't ideal. Also, can Man United cope without Larsson with Saha and Solksjaer injured?
Bobby – I think the replays are more likely to hurt England (game against Israel on March 24 in Euro qualifiers) than Chelsea and Manchester United. It will however be interesting to see the teams that United and Chelsea put out against Bolton and Sheffield United this weekend. United have got goals from 15 different players in the Premiership this year so I think they can overcome the problem until Saha returns at the end of this month – supposedly.
Gunner 44 - Do you think it will be smart of Barcelona to sell Eto'o, I mean the guy has been amazing for them and he has one bad season and now they want to sell him? For me this is the problem with football nowadays too many rushed decisions are been made, even Ferguson mentioned this in an article I read a couple of weeks ago that managers and players need to be given time to build themselves before they are sacked.
Bobby – I would be very surprised if Barcelona decides to sell Eto’o. I would agree that fans patience seems to be getting less and less. It seems to me that years ago supporters understood that it took time for a player to adapt to a new team. Now a player has to be an instant success even though they may be experiencing a new culture and having to learn a new language. It took Drogba two seasons to show his real stuff . How many Chelsea fans are willing to admit that they wrote him off as a bad investment during the first 18 months or so.
Gongatore - Last week you thought that if it was down to Barca selling Ronaldinho or Eto'o, you thought they would not get rid of Eto'o. That is kind of interesting. Do you think R is burned out from last season or do you really think he is losing steps and defenders read him better? Also what do you think of Roma's chances against Manu in the CL? Wouldn't it be nice to see a different side win? Let's face it Roma plays a terrific style of ball.
Bobby – If it was down to Ronaldinho or Eto’o I would sell Ronaldinho. That doesn’t mean that he is burnt out or finished just that I think Eto’o would be more difficult to replace. Ronaldinho is just about to turn 27 and he will be a great player for some years to come. Roma worry me in that they have terrific players who have largely underperformed in Europe for years - I wonder if they might be the CL surprise team this year.
Henry14 - My list of the best strikers in the world when fit are 1 Eto’o 2 Klose 3 Henry 4 Drogba 5 lmbrahimovich My top 5 defenders are 1 Cannavaro 2 Nesta 3 Chivhu 4 Calvhahlio 5 Gallas What is your list of five best strikers and defenders?
Bobby – Strikers when fit 1. Eto’o, 2. Drogba 3. Henry 4. Villa 5. Klose.
HatrickVieira - Considering the injuries at Arsenal, do you think a tactical O'Neil and an inspired Carew can silence the Gunners? Additionally, how 'bout posting your predictions for weekly EPL fixtures, I am sure we would all enjoy a comparison and don't mind your "overanalyzation".. regardless of what Jeremy thinks!
Bobby – I would be picking a draw for Aston Villa and Arsenal. With Villa’s record this season it is hardly a outrageous pick. As for ongoing predictions I explained before that I don’t want it to become a prediction blog. However, the weekend preview blog last Friday seemed to fairly well received so I will try to post someth
