The Observer looks back to some Premiership predictions from August of last year. Next Monday I will repost the predictions article that was posted nine months ago. This gives you a week to finetune your excuses and for some of you to complete the hole that you should be hiding in.
The latest on Marvin Andrews the Trinidad and Tobago defender who stunned doctors two years by playing on when the professionals felt it was impossible.
Twenty-five years on Tom English looks back on Sir Alex Ferguson’s first European trophy.
The other half of Avram Grant (so to speak) and a bit more.
Simon Kuper on the terrorism threat that hangs over this summer’s European Championships.
A small piece on Manchester United’s financial situation that I have not seen (up to Saturday evening) any place else.
I can only guess that the timing of this story (and the others being carried in other papers) and the Champions League semi-final is just a coincidence.
Here is one for craigy_f. After his posts over the last couple of weeks I now know what the “f” stands for.
An interesting article on the much-traveled Christian Vieri.
Simon Kuper with a bit of a different look at Barcelona.
Redfan2000 -What's your take on the midfield for England? You lauded Jenas in the weekend blog, so how about explaining your thinking regards the competition with, Barry, Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Hargreaves et al, all vying for a CM slot? Could Jenas run the right wing??
What do you think of Downing as an attacking winger and his defensive qualities going the other way?
Re the Inter debate, do you think they are truly a great side or just very consistent, unlike those around them and elsewhere? Never mind Rafa's position, do you think Grant will start next season as Manager at Chelsea? Who do you think RA would/could replace him with??
Bobby – I think you can see a significant improvement in Jenas since Ramos took over. He is more composed, chooses his moments to go forward and is much more disciplined. He has a very good turn of pace – something that Ramos likes – and I am betting that Capello does as well.
There is a feeling that Capello will opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and so in the long run Jenas probably has two bites at the cherry. If he continues to improve under Ramos then Capello may be willing to slot him into one of two defensive midfield positions.
The conventional wisdom has Hargreaves as having a lock on one of the positions but I am not so sure. Hargreaves is an aggressive defender playing in front of the United back four and offers virtually nothing in terms of building an attack or controlling the tempo oBLEEPame.
That is where Barry has a big edge and I think Jenas will eventually be slotted into the second position beside him. In front of them maybe Bentley-Gerrard-Cole. Downing is a natural left footer but overall Joe Cole is a far better player and a better option.
Bentley is a more natural wide player than Jenas and I think Jenas’ more valuable in the middle of the park. For Inter to be regarded as a great side they are going to have to win the Champions League rather than just winning their domestic championship a few times in a row.
Re: Avram Grant, I’m still surprised he was hired to begin with. As for a replacement who knows. It is more a product of who is available at the time rather than who is the best candidate. Naming replacements is a hypothetical exercise means nothing.
CIAO - I'm curious, do you have any comparative data on injury statistics of the leagues (i.e. Serie A, PL, Bundesliga and La Liga). To me, it seems obvious that such career ending injuries seem to occur more in the PL vs. the other top leagues.
Henry14 - What should Eduardo have done yesterday? Should he have not gone for the ball because he thinks (as many others may do) there's a real danger my leg will be broken here. The ridiculous assertion that Eduardo was too fast and therefore that means that’s ok is beyond belief.
To avoid serious injury yesterday someone had to decide differently. Taylor could have decided to not go flying in or Eduardo could have pulled out going for the ball. You have a choice. Which one do you want to influence to make a different decision? For me it is clear. A greater ban in the event of causing a serious injury would make the tackler and the club thinks twice and we would not have had the injury we had.
What’s your take on the way tackling and aggressiveness on less technically play is taken in England?
Gregz - What did U make of the Eduardo injury. (I missed the show).
Bobby – I will try to deal with all the Eduardo/Taylor questions in one response so there may not be a direct match to each specific question. First off on a historical basis the game is far cleaner than it was in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
That comment is made in the context of all leagues, not just in England. You name me a decent soccer playing nation from that era and I guarantee that we can find thugs from each and every one of them. The same goes for today. Just because one style is more physical than another does not make it more or less illegal.
I would suggest that the real dirty players are the ones that you don’t see rather than the ones you do.
Anyone trying to make this a nationality argument is disingenuous at best.
I am not aware of comparative stats on career ending injuries in the PL vs. Other leagues but I doubt that it would statistically significant if it was. It may seem that way because we hear more about the PL than others.
I don’t have anything to back up this assertion but I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of career ending injuries are not caused by fouls but from normal play and physical contact.
So is someone going to suggest that anyone causing an injury with a fair tackle should be suspended as well – according to some comments that would apparently stop bad injuries.
The most intelligent comments about the incident have come from Eduardo – the victim.
I wonder how many of you saw the incident and immediately thought it was brutal tackle?
Taylor flying into the tackle – pure hyperbole. Taylor was slow, he was late and he caught Eduardo. A fraction of a second either way and Eduardo rolls off the tackle or Taylor brings him down, a free kick is given and Eduardo plays on as players do countless times each game.
With a game played at the pace of the modern game it is impossible not to have some mistimed tackles and unfortunately bad injuries are going to happen now and again. Bad injuries have happened for years and they will happen for years to come and you are not going to find that they are restricted to one league, one nationality or even bad tackles.
As for a player going into a game worrying about a broken leg - he should not playing the game.
Gregz -Do U see Wenger parting ways with Van Persie because of his constant injury problems. What do you make of Carlos Vela? Better as a winger or striker?
Bobby – I guess your definition of constant injury problems are a bit different than mine. He’s been at Arsenal four seasons and the first year he was almost exclusively on the bench.
He injured himself scoring against Manchester United last season and then he’s been injured this season – is that constant?
Maybe someone can explain to me the upside of releasing a player who has yet to hit his prime and has the potential to be one Europe’s best goal scorers? My latest view of Vela was at the Under-20s last summer and he was not very impressive. On last summer’s showing he is nowhere close to being ready to step up.
Frenchking2012 - What do you think of Walcott? Could he do a Ljungberg after Pires (Arsenal best player in the 2001-2002 season) was injured by Dabizas. I remember Freddie scoring 6 or 7 goals in 8 or 9 games and he was the one whose run and later shot gifted Wiltord with an open goal at Old Trafford.
Walcott score 2 great goals Saturday and for once was dribbling rather well. I think he needs to step up because the Bendtner - Ade duo doesn’t work, and we won’t have RVP back for the Milan game (maybe as a late sub if we are down 1-0 in the 75th minute).
Bobby – Not a hope. Ljungberg was an experienced club and international in 2001/02, Walcott is still a young boy. The expectations of how quickly Walcott will mature are way over the top.
Flashman - When it comes to assessing ar5ena1 games, you dig in like you were Cronkite covering a moonshot. Very thorough. So why no coverage of William Gallas snapping a head valve and kicking the advertising boards and stomping off and throwing hisself down at midfield and having a right old sulk? The UK media have ripped him soundly and clamoured for the club to get rid of him. Why no coverage?
That said, you could have drawn attention to Spurs' Pascal Chimbonda chewing up clock time with his selfishly slow walk-off after being subbed at Wembley.
Bobby – If you can persuade our producers to give us a three hour show then I am hopeful that we could fit everything in. As it is I get told to wrap it up when I am going over and so I have to do what I am told. Sometimes bits get in and sometimes they don’t.
As for the media clamouring for Arsenal to get rid of Gallas - clamouring? Really?
Alberta_Man_United_Fan - What is it with the officiating in the Prem lately? Missed offside calls, ref's missing incidents were one player puts his hands on the face of an opponent who responds, only to get turfed?
I am amazed at the appearance of bias from some game officials in the calls that are and are not made! Kicking at a players heal when I played resulted in a card, not a lecture! (Arsenal-ManU).Then this past weekend Man City had a player sent off for doing that same thing.
As a youth coach and official I tell all the kids, if it is in the rule book it will be enforced! The best way to stay out of the book is to play a clean game. Professional referees do none of us minor coaches any favors by selectively enforcing the rule book.
Immediately after the Arsenal-Man United game I witnessed three such kicking incidences in the games that I officiated in. When did the standards drop for officials?
Bobby – I can’t disagree with you on the incidents that you bring up. However, I would not limit the comments to the Premiership.
Zuco2 - What do you think about Reading football club? Last season, they had a perfect year finishing in the top 10 and narrowly missing a UEFA cup spot. This season, they are winless in 11 games. They are in the relegation zone and they have one of the worst goal difference records in the Prem. What is wrong with them??????? Have any idea???
Bobby – At the risk of stating the obvious they can’t score goals and have let in far too many – a recipe for relegation trouble normally. Second seasons in a higher division are traditionally difficult.
It is interesting that last season a number of fans pointed out that Wigan had made too many changes to the team that had done very well during its first season in the Premiership and hence their problems.
Steve Coppell made few changes and that has not worked out either. Lita, Doyle, Long and Kitson have to start scoring goals and scoring early in games as well. The two goals in the last seven games have both been last minute consolation goals and they have yet score a goal in the first fifteen minutes of a Premiership game this season.
On the bright side they do not have a particularly difficult run in over the final eleven matches and frankly if they can’t get enough points from a softish schedule then they deserve to go down.
Tony Cascarino on players who have played for Sir Alex Ferguson and gone on to management.
Wednesday marked the 150th anniversary of the founding in Sheffield of the world’s first football team. Three years later another team was formed and likely 30 seconds later there was the first disagreement over a referee’s decision.
The new Canadian Soccer Association President hopes to turn the situation around in few months. He may hope that but his first public statement makes it sound like the CSA has another leader who believes that rearranging the deck chairs will save the ship. A few years is a more realistic estimate and that is only with a charismatic leader who can speak to a grander vision. The new President apparently has a medical background; next step a priest?
Two contrasting performances in Europe in midweek provide the backdrop to Arsenal’s visit to Anfield. No matter how poor the opposition may or may not have been on Tuesday, the bottom line was that Arsenal put on a classic display of speed and precision passing that is rarely seen.
Theo Walcott has attracted a lot of attention on account of his display against Slavia Prague (and as substitute last week versus Bolton) and Cesc Fabregas has been rightfully singled out for the start he has made to the season. But Alexandre Hleb also deserves mention. Wenger initially played him on the right side of midfield but from time to time he has been used in what might be considered the “Bergkamp” role – playing just behind the striker. On song he is a marvelous player to watch.
Arsenal’s record at Anfield in the Premiership has been poor with Liverpool picking up 9 wins and 3 draws in 15 matches. Both teams are unbeaten in the Premiership this season but Liverpool’s four draws against Arsenal’s one has them trailing the league leaders by six points after nine games.
A home loss would not be the end of Liverpool’s title hopes but it would certainly heap more pressure on the shoulders of Rafa Benitez - the bookies cut the odds on him being fired from 33-1 to 14-1 on the back of the loss to Besiktas this week. The fact that Liverpool needs the win and Arsenal are bound to hit a back game sooner or later makes me think that the gap between the two will be down to three points after this one is finished.
Manchester City leaves the friendly confines of the City of Manchester Stadium and travels south to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. City currently sits third in the Premiership with 18 of 22 points coming at home. A 100% home record contrasts starkly with four points from four away games. On top of that recent history is heavily in Chelsea’s favour.
City has only scored once in the last ten Premiership meetings (an Anelka penalty winner was only defeat suffered by Chelsea in the 2004/05 season) while on the last five league visits to Stamford Bridge City have lost four games and conceded 11 goals.
But, there again, City have not had too many players of the quality of Elano available to them over that time. Much has been made of Chelsea’s mini-revival under Avram Grant and if it is to continue then Elano will have to be controlled. The Brazilian has been involved in 9 of City’s 15 goals this season.
Short Corners – Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last four league visits to Old Trafford – 3 draws and a win. Last week’s win for Portsmouth over Wigan meant four straight Premiership wins – a first for Pompey. Martin Jol was in charge at WHL for a week short of 3 years. His Premiership record in that time was 113 games, 47 wins, 30 draws and 36 losses with estimated net spending of around $70M. Newcastle visits Reading hoping that the home team’s defense is still in a giving mood. Newcastle are currently sitting 8th but in nine games the only team they have played that is currently above them is Manchester City. Can someone please explain to me why Bolton has hired Gary Megson? If you’re drowning surely the last thing you need is a concrete block.
MLS play-offs started on Thursday night and continue this weekend. The New England Revolution faces the New York Red Bulls with neither team having finished the season in grand style. Between the two teams they combined for only three wins in their last 12 matches. Both teams have struggled away from home this season with the Revolution without a win since August 19 while the Red Bulls only won three away games and they all came before mid-July.
Conversely both teams have relied on solid home records with the Red Bulls averaging 2 points a game with New England just a shade below that mark. In terms of goals NYRBs look to Angel and Altidore. They finished the regular season as the leagues top scoring duo with 28 goals between them (19 and 9). However, Taylor Twellman (15 goals) and Pat Noonan (7 goals) of New England are no slouches. If New England has a concern then it might be down to a scoring drought from the supporting cast. Andy Dorman’s last goal was in mid-July (the only goal of the game against Red Bulls) while Sharlie Joseph and Adam Cristman are not far behind having gone 13 and 11 games without a goal.
In Italy the game of the weekend is Milan at home against Roma. Both teams won in midweek in the Champions League and will be looking to build on that success. Roma have three draws and a loss in their last five Serie A matches and trail league leaders Inter by five points.
It’s doubtful that the schedulers could have come up with a more difficult fixture list for Roma if they had tried. Roma started with Juventus on the second last weekend of September and since then have played Fiorentina, Inter, Parma and Napoli. After Milan the Rome derby against Lazio beckons on October 31.
But for any neutral fan it has been a treat. Over the five games there have been 24 goals with scoring split evenly 12 for Roma and 12 for the opposition. Roma started the season with three clean sheets but are now in the position that only three teams in Serie A have conceded more goals.
Milan have had their own struggles with only two wins in eight games and a general malaise in their league performances. Last season they could look to an eight points deduction that left them adrift but there is no such excuse this season.The results between these two sides have gone back and forward over the last few seasons. But, with the exception of one match, the encounters have been close with eight of the last nine Serie A games being decided by no more than a goal.
Djnima - 1. I was wondering if you would ever consider being a guest on World Soccer Daily. I’m interested to hear a discussion between yourself and Steve Cohen. I listen to WSD everyday. Are there any other football podcasts you listen to or would recommend?
Bobby – 1. I have been on WSD a number of times but not in the last year. If I have the time I listen to the Guardian Unlimited podcast but not regularly. I'm a big fan of James Richardson - the right balance of humour and substance.
Ummufan - Considering the Dida incident and other obvious dives do you think FIFA or an FA will take this on and start awarding retroactive fines/cards for the behavior? Expanding the question further what if any role will replay have in the game?
Bobby – UEFA have taken it on and the other bodies can if they want to. The Scottish FA has already gone out on a limb to state that they would be looking at cases of simulation and imposing punishments only to be knocked back by FIFA.
I’m guessing that the new SFA Chief Gordon Smith will not give up so easily and he will wait for a glaring piece of cheating and use it to shame FIFA into acceptance. I will be shocked if the word replay appears anywhere in the UEFA judgment. Celtic will be heavily fined and may have a ground closing suspended sentence imposed but a replay – I can’t see it.
LosAngelesChelseaFan – Do you think Rafa has joined Sammy Lee and Martin Jol in the list of "Dead Men Walking" with his list of shocking results given the potential of his squad? It's like he dumped a bunch of grit into a well oiled engine. If I was a Liverplod fan I'd screaming for blood. (That’s actually the way that they are most of the time anyway!:))
Bobby – Not yet but it is growing closer. He has become a victim of inflated expectations based on the summer signings. You only had the read the response of Liverpool fans at the start of the season to any poster or blogger who dared suggest that Liverpool might not win the league.
As it is you can sense the movement from “blaming the media” to “blaming Benitez” growing and the manager needs a run of good results against Everton, Arsenal and Blackburn.
But when you sit back and analyze it I think there is a massive over reaction to Liverpool’s early season results. They are a point better off at this stage of the season based on a head2head comparison with last year while Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are all off last season’s pace.
Of last season’s top five only Arsenal have gained more points season to season / head2head (more analysis of that in the October 19 weekend preview). There is a long way to go and any supporter or club which is panicking at this stage, doesn’t have much of a stomach for a title race I would think.
Redfan2000 - I wonder how long it will be before Canadian sports retailers start to stock trainers suitable for soccer on hard or indoor surfaces (any surface other than grass). The game is growing amongst young people and while the stores stock shoes for tennis, basketball skate board, and the plentiful array of generic runners there is a woeful absence of training footwear for soccer in boys’ sizes. I did not even see Adidas Samba in mens' sizes, a soccer shoe that has been around for years. With a new indoor arena coming in Winnipeg what are the kids wearing and are they importing shoes anywhere you know of?
Bobby – Footwear is a very individual choice. I badly bruised the toenails on my big toes over thirty years and every season - prior to this one - I have had trouble. This season I moved to an Umbro boot which is designed for hard ground or synthetic surfaces. It has been fantastic and no toe problems. I’m not sure what name the boots are marketed under but they have “K Leather” on the side and “Kontakt” on the moulded sole. They are sold in Canada.
MeanBLEEPa - Your opinion on Mathieu Flamini from Arsenal. Do you think that, regardless of his form as of late, he freelances too much in the midfield and will be exposed when Arsenal play tougher, more technical competition - more so than, say, Gilberto in the same role. Whenever I watch Gilberto play I never feel as worried as I do when I see Flamini all over the place.
Bobby – I think Flamini has been very good this season. When I’ve seen him play he has been mobile, made tackles, covered for Fabregas and done everything that has been asked of him. I have not noticed him being all over the place. He now gives Wenger the option of resting Gilberto after his transatlantic trips and he will also have an option before and after Champions League games. I think Wenger’s bigger issue is how and when does he rest Fabregas?
Henry14 - What’s your take on Dida, how many times have we seen a player get on the pitch and touch a player and nothing happens, a Villarreal supporter came to Henry with a Barca shirt and was just taken off the field, and it happens a lot in Spain and other countries and we do not hear of fines or punishment? q2 Do you feel Liverpool are over reliant on Gerrard maybe the way Arsenal were and l once read that Liverpool had a better record under Benitez without Gerrard and can selling him at the end of the season be an option so that other players step up? q3 Who is the better payer over the last year to now Clichy or Mr. tweedy q4 What do you know of Henk Ten Cate and he gets credit for beautiful football but as far as l know beautiful football has been played at Barca since time immemorial q5 Should Avram Grant stick two fingers at the media?
Bobby – A1, topic of the week response will be on the Friday show.
A2 – No and Gerrard is not going to be sold by Liverpool at the end of this season. I’m not aware of stats that show Liverpool with a better record without Gerrard and even if that was the case the statistics would be highly suspect given that the argument would be made that the reason Gerrard was left out was due to Liverpool facing poorer opposition.
A3 – Pretty much the same. I suspect more people would opt for Clichy but I would suggest that is more likely down to higher expectations of Ashley Cole. Clichy looks very good going forward but as we saw on Sunday against Sunderland he is suspect against a big powerful forward.
A4 – He got a lot of credit from the media for his work at Barcelona but he hasn’t impressed Ajax fans during his stint in Amsterdam and they are glad to see him go. Beautiful football or not it isn’t going to happen instantaneously or anything close.
A5 – The only reason that entitles Avram Grant to stick two fingers up to the media is because he has won two games.
Craigy f - Which national team do you support? I don't actually know your nationality. Where will Steve Bruce work after he leaves Brum - apparently he won't be there when Yeung takes over in November?
Bobby – Based on this being a serious questio Canada and Scotland – fortunately the chances of split loyalty at a WC is remote to nil. Steve Bruce will return to the cadre of managers that rotate around Championships sides that bob into the Premiership now again.
Henry14 - What do you make of Mr. Evra and Carlitos' statements, although l agree with both of them to some degree , do you see another Arsenal Man Utd rivalry going on this season.
Bobby – I rarely, if ever, read interviews by players as they are generally a waste of good space and time. I read the headline – I move on.
Neophyte - You mentioned that you have your coaching badges (license in the US). How far did you go with that process? Have you ever played Futsal? Many here in my club have advocated it as the best way to teach footskill and attacking mentality in a game situation. What is your idea of this?
Bobby – I did what was then a “C” license in Canada in the early 80s. I have no idea what the equivalent is now. Back then in order to get a “B” license you had to attend a residential course. I never took it any further.
If playing football in a gymnasium is Futsal then the answer is yes. I am very wary of simple solutions such as “play futsal and the skill level of the players will improve.” I did look at the Simon Clifford Futebol de Salão concept a few years ago but then I started traveling more on account of work and so I never followed up.
I understand the Clifford Brazilian based model is now different than the FIFA sanctioned Futsal on account of the size of the ball. The thing that did make some sense to me when I looked at the Clifford concept was the smaller ball.
FIFA’s support has more to do with protecting their commercial position (they don’t want boards because most of the world does not have access to boards) than any desire to improve the skill level of players. Any documentation churned out by FIFA to market Futsal should be treated with a huge dose of salt. Certainly from an entertainment point of view Futsal is a bust – it is like watching paint dry without the extra excitement.
I would be asking the Futsal advocates for empirical non-FIFA/national association evidence to support their claims.
Yohann - Do you think Owen will remain at Newcastle? and... do you think that benitez is currently paying the price of his ''excessive'' squad rotations? ..... I feel like Liverpool is shopping every year for a top striker. Although they raised the quality of the squad in the past 3 years, it seems the players they got on the market like Kuyt or Crouch are not really world class players. That being said, I felt like the rotations were just a way to get the maximum out of everybody... but now that Torres is there, I really wonder why the hell he would start on the bench. I really do like the Depth Liverpool has, I enjoy the way Voronin plays, but honestly, I think they are missing impact players up front despite having remarquable depth.
Bobby – If a team was wanting to sign Michael Owen then they would have done so by now. Rafa Benitez has been proven right in not bringing him back from Real Madrid. The Liverpool situation I have addressed earlier in this post.
Apad03 - I need to ask what you think of Donavan winning the Player of the Year award? Do you think is was political, do you think he deserved to win? He did after all play horribly in the World Cup. I think Dempsey and Tim Howard would have been better choices as they are playing better and on a bigger stage than Donovan.
Bobby – You will have to explain to me how the votes cast by the USA national media could be influenced by “politics”. You may believe he played badly in the World Cup but that was in 2006 – this award is for 2007 as I understand it.
Dempsey had a good year in MLS but only became a starter for Fulham at the beginning of the season – to late to influence the votes or to even have that considered. As for Tim Howard he hasn’t solidified his position as the USAs #1 goalkeeper so it is hard to justify a Player of the Year Award.
As for playing on a bigger stage – I’m not sure that comes into it. As far as I am aware – and I stand to be corrected – the award recognizes the best player based on his performances for the United States Men's National Soccer Team during the last season.
If my understanding is correct then it difficult to argue that Landon Donovan doesn’t deserve the award.
Ringo - Any opinion on the world`s second greatest sport? ,and I don`t mean Curling.
Bobby – You must mean cricket. If you actually are talking of rugby then I cannot let it pass without mentioning one of the greatest sport commentators of all time. Bill McLaren on rugby was probabaly one of the best there has ever been.
Samba 9 - In your opinion do you see Avram Grant delivering this so-called "attractive football"? Will he stand the test of time? As far as I'm concerned, this man has no pedigree and to compare himself to Arsene Wenger, when he took over at Arsenal, is laughable at the very least: they certainly are not birds of the same feather. Attractive football is in the eyes of the beholder, and I'd rather we just win whether its 1:0 or 5:0 "winning isn't everything; it's the only thing".
Secondly, which players do you see leaving Chelsea because of Mourinho's sudden departure? We know how much of a father figure Mourinho was to his players. His passion for the game and the genuine chemistry he had with most of his team translated into getting the very best out of them even under insurmountable circumstances. That is what Chelsea will miss most and that will severely affect results on the pitch unless they get another uniter. Who fits this bill; I just don't know. Finally, do you want to change you're season's predictions? I think you had Chelsea finishing first. If players do leave in January, even a Champions League spot will be huge task to ask.
Bobby –1. There is nothing in Grant’s background to indicate that he is up to the job. 2. I don’t see many players leaving Chelsea just because Mourinho has left. That kind of talk is generally knee jerk reaction from the media and there are very few examples of top-class players leaving a club on mass because the boss has been fired. 3. A prediction has to stay at prediction and isn’t something to change just because something unexpected happens. I think the doom and gloom around Chelsea is being overdone and people are forgetting that Claudio Ranieri made it into the Champions League with a team that was not as good as this Chelsea squad. The difference between Chelsea and the five placed team in the Premiership is far more than Jose Mourinho.
SynCrew -1. Did you watch Juve-Roma; if so what did you think of the match? And how well do you think this Juve team will do both short and long term? 2 I missed the Friday's FSR and was told you mentioned Jose coaching Man Utd. Can you elaborate for me please? 3 What's your favorite Mourinho quote?
Bobby – 1. I watched the game on Sunday and enjoyed it. In the short term, Juventus can certainly finish in the top four particularly given they do not have to worry about Europe this season. Beyond this season, they will have to spend some money if they want to be a force in Italy and Europe. 2. I said on Friday that I could see Jose Mourinho, taking charge at Old Trafford, one-day. 3. “There is no pressure at the top. The pressure's being second or third.”
Gabemar - A couple of years ago there was a club owner in Spain a Mr. Piterman coincidentally of Russian descent who bought Alaves. And announced that he had big dreams for the small club. He hired a manager and bought some players. The manager managed to put together a decent team who were competitive enough to avoid relegation from La Liga. But obviously to do so they played a cautious and tactically organized type of football.
Unfortunately Mr. Mr. Piterman did not like this, he wanted his team to play attacking and exciting brand of football. A tug of war for the control of the team ensued and just like in Chelsea the owner won. The manager left and another manager was brought in who was more receptive to the owner ideas.
Obviously the team started to lose more games with this new approach. The owner blamed the new manager because in his mind the manager was not doing enough to win while playing attacking football.
So Mr. Mr. Piterman decided to hire himself to the staff of his club so he could sit on the bench and tell the manager what he wanted done during the game.
I still remember a game against Real when Alaves fielded an ultra attacking 4-3-3 formation. The Owner in one end of the bench and the manager at the other end. Obviously Real routed them. Alaves went down, the fans rebelled against the owner forcing him to disengage from the ownership of the club. I wonder if we'll see Mr. Abramovich on the Chelsea bench sometime before the end of the season.
Bobby – Piterman was involved with Racing Santander before Alaves. I remember writing a story about his involvement. The Spanish Football Association would not grant him a license to be on the bench so he self accredited himself as a photographer and positioned himself next to the dugout so he could shout instructions to the official coach. Unless Abramovich starts taking his coaching qualifications unbelievably quickly he will not get any place near the Chelsea bench. I wonder if he can handle a camera?
Henry14 - q1. Can people blame Benitez for not playing Torres, if they fail to beat Birmingham with Gerrard, Mascherano, Pennant and other quality players, do you think Benitez is to blame? q2. What do you make of Roman, being a tactical guru? q3. What did you make of Tevez and Rooney on their first outing together?
Bobby – 1. Fans find it difficult to understand how you can spend so much money on a player and then not start him two straight weeks against teams that Liverpool should be beating comfortably. Benitez didn’t help his case by claiming that Torres would not have helped the Liverpool cause. As for who is to blame – if it is not Benitez who is it? 2. About the same as me being a billionaire. 3. That’s like asking a couple if they are going to get married when they’ve just gone out for their first cup of coffee.
Ringo - You used to mention on the report which teams had the highest average attendances in Europe. Could you give us an update?
CIAO - 1. Regarding Arsenal's profits from each game... Are they selling out each game? 2. What do you think of Mourinho taking over at Inter considering the dive in performance in Milan? I think Moratti’s could jump the gun knowing Mourinho is available now. If not, do you think Mourinho might take the post at Spurs? 3. Knowing Arsenal have a large sum for transfers, and Wenger's tight purse, do you think he may consider splurging for a top or up and coming keeper [i.e. Marco Amelia (age 25, Livorno), Igor Akinfeev (age 21, CSKA Moscow) or Veniamin Madrykin (age 26, CSKA Moscow)]? Can you think of any other goalkeepers that might be interesting choices? I think the two keepers from CSKA should be considered by most every top side as they are doing very good in European competitions. 4. Who do you think should be the next manager at Chelsea? I think Hiddink would be able to make out the mess and put RA in his place. 5. There is a lot of talk regarding United bringing in another striker. I think this would be wrong without giving Tevez the opportunity to build on a partnership with Saha and Rooney. What do you think? 6. Today Hierro was made the Sporting Director for the RFEF. Essentially does he now oversee the direction that the national side is headed and if the current manager is fired would he be the interim caretaker? 7. I watched some highlights of Giuseppe Rossi. He seems to be very skilled and creative player. I have never watched one of his games. How do you rate him? Why didn't other big clubs didn't make a move for him?
Bobby – 1. Pretty much. 2. It is almost inconceivable that Chelsea would pay Mourinho off and then allow him to take over at Spurs. Inter Milan is a viable and very possible destination – particularly if results don’t go Inter’s way in the next few weeks. 3. Wenger will give all three keepers a chance before he dips into the transfer market. Don’t be surprised if Lehmann is back as #1 within a month. 4. Hiddink should be considered the favourite and the odds will shorten if Russia fails to make it to Euro 08. 5. I think you have been hearing talk that I haven’t been hearing. They can’t do anything until January anyway so it is a mute discussion. 6. From what I understand his position is a new one and he will take over from Aragones after Euro 08 as Spanish coach. 7. I was surprised that Fergie did not give him a look at Old Trafford this season. He is a bit on the small side but he looks to be a good player to me.
Ummufan - SAF seems to have annointed Queiroz as his successor. Is this likely to happen? Why JM as a replacement?
Bobby – I think Fergie is saying what he has to say. I don’t think it would be wise to undermine your assistant if that is his goal. Personally, I don’t see Queiroz taking over from Fergie when the Scotsman retires. Mourinho and Old Trafford seems to be a fit to me.
Craigyf -I’ve looked at the FIFA rules and still can’t see why the ref gave Juve the throw in; that was originally a Roma throw in; if Cicinho was time wasting he should have got a yellow, but he got no card. I think the ref made a monumental blunder but I’m not sure can you clarify?
Bobby – Referee’s rarely give a foul throw for stealing yards and a yellow card. A yellow card might appear if the player maintains one position and delays but rarely for creeping.
RINGO - One question about the Gabriele Marcotti piece, who is Dave Worthington? Never heard of him.
Bobby – Former Bolton scout.
Danielgregg - Let's say no internal problems existed inside Chelsea, that Mourinho and Abramovich were the best of pals and Mourinho had the freedom and authority Wenger enjoys. How long do you think Mourinho would've stayed at Chelsea even under the best of circumstances? Certainly he would've stayed longer than he did, but how much longer? I ask this because everyone assumes he would've stayed on permanently for many years had it not been for Abramovich's and Kenyon's meddling. Mourinho has always struck me as a brilliant manager who burns brightly for a short while, gets bored and frustrated and leaves. It's interesting that in the tunnel of Porto's Dragao stadium--where there are photos and tributes all over the walls of the 2004 CL-winning team--there are no photos and tributes of Mourinho. Mourinho to me does not seem to be a builder of anything that lasts.
Bobby – It’s not something we are going to find out anytime soon but there is a definitely a view that Mourinho might be more effective in the short term rather than a decade plus manager like Ferguson or Wenger. There again when you look at the length of time that Prem managers have been in their jobs then it is clear that Ferguson and Wenger are exceptions. If I am not mistaken Steve Bruce is now the third longest serving Premiership manager with 5 years services.
RINGO - On last night’s report you mentioned all the intelligent discussion on the blog, I assume that was not including Verbal....or myself.
A little piece on Brazilian Jose Altafini who scored twice in Milan’s first European Cup Final win in 1963.What the article doesn’t point out is that Altafini scored 8 of his 14 goals against Union Luxembourg in a 14-0 aggregate win. In the same round Ipswich Town, with Alf Ramsey as manager, beat Floriana of Malta 14-1 with Ray Crawford scoring seven. Milan and Ipswich were drawn together in the second round.
Technology and its increasing application in the game.
Joachim Buwembo on a “surprising” result in last weekend’s African Cup of Nations qualifying round.
Lithuania midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas has been given a two-match ban for diving.
This weekend has a number of exceptional match-ups. Over the last few seasons any time Manchester United has played Chelsea the hype has been extraordinary although on occasion the actual performance has disappointed. Even without the exit of Jose Mourinho this game was going to garner all sorts of attention but Wednesday’s dramatics will only bring to bear more story lines.
Neither side has started this season strongly. Both sit with 11 points from the first six games and goals have been difficult to come by. Manchester United has not scored more than a goal in a game and has been shut out twice. Chelsea has been kept off the score sheet in the last two Premiership matches and will likely be without their two greatest attacking threats – Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
Given the background to this game there will be a terrific temptation to read more into the result than there might actually be. A United win and Grant’s reign as manager might be counted in days rather than weeks; a Chelsea win and the knee jerk reaction will be Jose who.
Perhaps the more interesting contrast between these two teams is not on the field but in how the two organizations are managed. The Glazers have come in for a ton of criticism – mainly for burdening a debt free club with a debt-load that might sink a small country – but when you consider the shenanigans at Stamford Bridge you quickly realize that they understand how to run an organization - division of responsibility, accountability and singing of the same song sheet.
At Stamford Bridge you have a business working without a common purpose, layers of management that appear to overlap and an owner that thinks that money endows with football knowledge. What is worse are the indications that things will only get worse. This mornings English papers are suggesting that Abramovich “will take a more active role in team affairs after the departure from Chelsea of Jose Mourinho”, - (RA on the tracksuit will be next).
Central to Abramovich tightening the reins is the expectation that Avram Grant is going to suddenly turn Chelsea into an attractive footballing side. A noble goal but there is nothing in Grant’s background to show that he is capable of such a turnaround. We are more likely to get told that Chelsea is playing more attractive football rather than seeing it for ourselves.
The United - Chelsea provides Liverpool and Arsenal with an opportunity to take advantage given that one, or perhaps both, of the teams playing at Old Trafford on Sunday will drop points. Liverpool plays Birmingham, a side that was a bit of a bogey side the last time they were in the Premiership. Liverpool is without a win in the last four Premiership match-ups and in the 2004/05 season Birmingham did the double over the Merseyside club.
Liverpool will be hoping to do what they did three weeks ago when another promoted side visited Anfield. On that occasion Derby was put to the sword with Alonso and Torres contributing the first double/double by Liverpool players since April 2003 in a 6-0 win.
Arsenal hosts Derby who will be buoyed after their first Premiership win of the season last Monday over Newcastle. However, they have to find a way to blunt Arsenal’s attack. Adebayor is working his socks off; Van Persie has three goals already; da Silva is looking comfortable when Wenger slides him into the line up; Cesc Fabregas has added goal scoring to his repertoire with three game winners in the last three Premiership games. The goal threat from Fabregas in midfield should only increase the number of chances coming the way of the strikers.
Officially only three of eight MLS play off spots have been decided so far but Chivas is likely to be added to that list this weekend. Chivas is unbeaten in their last seven games and their last loss was back at the end of July against the Kansas City Wizards – the team they play on Saturday evening. Goals have come in bucket loads whenever the Wizards have left the confines of Arrowhead although not always in their favour. Over twelve away games the Wizards have scored 19 goals and conceded 23. Meanwhile Chivas has only surrendered 4 goals at home in 11 games while scoring 24.
The first big encounter of the new Serie A season takes place in the Olympic Stadium in Rome with the undefeated home side, Roma, taking on recently promoted Juventus. After three straight wins Roma is sitting alone at the top of Serie A for the first time in four years. What is more this is the first time since 2001 that Roma have started with three straight wins and that season they went on to take the title. This is the first in a series of tough games for Roma that will see then face Fiorentina, Inter, Parma, Napoli, Milan and Lazio in succession.
Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri (could Mourinho lightning hit twice!) has injury problems and a need to bounce back after a lackluster loss last Sunday to Udinsese. Juventus defender Jean-Alain Boumsong is out for an extended spell after picking up a thigh injury while Marco Marchionni, Zdenek Grygera and Hasan Salihamidzic are also hurt. These two teams have played 146 times – Roma with 35 wins, 44 draws and Juventus 67 wins. Roma has only beaten Juventus twice in their last 12 Serie A encounters. A true derby game will see Sampdoria and Genoa go at it in the top flight for the first time in 13 seasons. Sampdoria loan signing Antonio Cassano will be missing through injury although Vincenzo Montella should see action. Montella one of the few players in history to have represented both Sampdoria and Genoa, but up to now he has never appeared in a Genoa derby.
The teams that chased Real Madrid to the finish line in Spain last season clash at the Nou Camp with a cracking game in prospect. The last time Barcelona and Seville faced each other was in March with Sevilla winning 2-1. It was a game that saw three red cards (two for Barcelona) and Sevilla coming from a goal down to win the game with goals from Alexander Kerzhakov and Dani Alves.
Kerzhakov only signed for Sevilla last January but scored 8 goals in the 17 games to the end of the 2007 season. The Russian striker was often used off the bench but there are signs that he may just establish himself with Freddy Kanoute as manager Juande Ramos’ first choice partnership. Both have scored three times for a Sevilla side that has opened this league season with consecutive 4-1 wins over Getafe and Recreativo Huelva.
On the other hand Barcelona has been slow out of the blocks with a single home win a two scoreless road draws so far. However, Henry opened his Barcelona account on Wednesday in the Champions League against Lyon and Messi also chipped in with a marker in an impressive 3-0 win over Lyon.
Reports of Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge are now extensive with the debate now centering on whether he resigned or was fired. Here are the latest articles from a couple British newspapers with their take on the shock development - the Times and the Guardian. The Daily Telegraph and the Independent currently are without a story although the Telegraph contains a link to ESPN Soccernet.
With Ballack in the mix, Lampard's role become less clear and subsequently the English midfielder became less effective. Prior to his move to Stamford Bridge Ballack has been the fulcrum of the midfield at Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and with the German national side. Two players trying to play the same role did not work as England has experienced when Steven Gerrard and Lampard were teamed together.
While the problem of Ballack and Lampard in the midfield became more obvious as the season progressed the issue of Shevchenko's role was more apparent, in fact almost from the start. In order to play Shevchenko, Mourinho had two options - the first was to opt for the former Milan man over Drogba. Although Drogba struggled at times in his first Premiership season in 2005, it was clear to all by season two that the Ivory Coast striker was a game-winner and not someone who needed to play second-fiddle to anyone.
That left Mourinho with the option of moving to a 4-4-2 formation which he fielded for most of last season. It was a system that rarely flattered Chelsea and left them generally looking disjointed and lacking the balance and pace that was on show during Mourinho's first two seasons in charge.
What's more Chelsea seemed to lose the mental edge and application that had been such an important part of their game when the won back-to-back titles. As the fear receded in other sides Chelsea was forced more frequently to come from behind to salvage a draw or to pull off a win - a position they had rarely found themselves in before.
With rumours rife of the owner and the manager not speaking the club appeared to grow more dysfunctional as last season progressed. The move to bring in Avram Grant looked to be the straw that was to break the manager’s back but a peace deal was brokered that appeared from the outside to have everyone comfortably playing in their own sandbox. However, reports that owner Abramovich was on a mission to sign Ronaldinho just before the August 31 transfer deadline, was perhaps a clue that the fix was only a band-aid solution and the cracks quickly reemerged.
Over the last two or three weeks the issues have compounded – an unsatisfactory explanation as to why Michael Ballack was left of the Champions League roster; the Shevchenko dilemma escalated as the Ukrainian striker put in good performance against Italy something not seen in a Chelsea uniform; a loss to Aston Villa and a draw with Blackburn in the Premiership; an embarrassing tie at home in front of a small crowd to Norwegian team Rosenborg; and then perhaps the final sign that Mourinho had cracked – his egg story at a press conference this week.
So what now for Mourinho? It’s not good news for incumbent managers. Knowing that Mourinho is again on the market provides any trigger happy Chairman with a ready replacement should any of the big clubs stumble in the next few weeks.
As for a replacement two names will be prominent. Fabio Capello is available and if Chelsea is looking for a proven and tested winner then Capello fits the bill to a tee. The other is Guus Hiddink, currently in charge of Russia’s national team. Abramovich is rumoured to have brokered the deal that placed Hiddink in charge and so there does appear to be a prior relationship.
That potential move does however come with complications beyond Hiddink dumping Russia and it comes in the form of Frank Arnesen, the current Sporting Director at Stamford Bridge (another chief!). Arnesen and Hiddink worked together at PSV Eindhoven a few years back until PSV management opted to dump the Dane in a power struggle that Hiddink won.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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