Henry Winter reminisces about Heriot Watt University's Celtic Supporters Club annual Tommy Burns Night.
The legend and tragedy of Hughie Ferguson who scored the winning goal for Cardiff in the 1927 final.
We may argue about them until we are blue in the face but the reality is that the referee’s decision is final.
The Aussies are going to bid the right to host the 2009 and 10 the FIFA Club World Cup. I would have thought that a US proposal would be a natural for this tournament.
MF – Ronaldo (Manchester United) MF – Mascherano (Liverpool) MF – Barry (Aston Villa) MF – Downing (Middlesbrough)
FW – Cruz FW – Berbatov
Best Three’s – 60s and beyond Manchester United • Best • Law • Keane
Chelsea • Zola • Cooke • Osgood
Liverpool • Dalglish • Callaghan • Barnes
Arsenal • Bergkamp • Pires • Henry
Spurs • Ardiles • Hoddle • Gilzean
Everton • Lineker • Young • Ball (Alan not Michael)
Manchester City • Bell • Kinkladze • Lee
Rangers • Baxter • Gascoigne • McCoist
Celtic • Jimmy Johnstone • Henrik Larsson • Danny McGrain
Serie A Predictions Revisited (Actual – Prediction)
Inter 1-1 Staggered to another title rather than cruised.
Roma 2-4 Refused to give up despite a squad that lacked the depth of others and pushed Inter to the last round.
Juventus 3-3 A surprise for many that Juventus managed to finish so high. Fiorentina 4-5 There is a lot to admire about Cesare Prandelli’s charges as the coach showed again an ability to extract maximum effort and results from the squad he is given. Looked as if they had blown a Champions League but Milan’s round 37 loss to Napoli opened a door that looked to have been bolted shut.
Milan 5-2 A stumbling start – particularly at home – put Milan behind the eight ball. A late season run seemed to have almost guaranteed Champions League football next season until a crucial 3-1 loss to Napoli. It will be an interesting summer as Milan must now rebuild.
Sampdoria 6-8 While Antonio Cassano provided the spark an impressive home record (only two losses) saw Samp finish in a very credible spot in Serie A.
Udinese 7-7 Eleven points and three positions better than last season. If Udinese can keep this team together and hold on to coach Pasquale Marino (former Catania) next season may bring further improvement.
Napoli 8-15 A tremendous return to Serie A for the Neapolitans who beat Milan, Inter, Udinese, Juventus, Fiorentina and Sampdoria at the Stadio San Paolo. Of the teams that finished above them only Roma left with anything to show for their efforts.
Atalanta 9-12 Little difference from last season – two fewer points and one position lower than a year ago.
Genoa 10-16 The third of the promoted sides and none finished lower than 10th. Only four consecutive losses at season’s end clouded a fantastic performance from Genoa.
Palermo 11-9 Poor away form and a failure to win more than two consecutive games saw Palermo drop back a top six position last season.
Lazio 12-6 A team that has punched above their weight for the last few seasons but limited resources caught up with them this season.
Siena 13-20 The frequent coaching changes in Italy are often a source of mirth but Siena was another team that turned their fortunes around after making a change in the front office. Up until the firing of Andrea Mandorlini in mid-November Siena had picked a single win and nine points from a possible thirty six on offer. Former coach Mario Beretta who had been cut loose last summer after just escaping relation by beating Lazio in the last game of the season returned and with thirty-five over the remaining twenty-six games Siena were safe with games in hand. Seventeen draws made Siena this season’s Serie A draw specialists.
Cagliari 14-18 The Sardinian side looked dead and buried but the appointment of Coach Davide Ballardini just before the New Year saw a spectacular turnaround in fortune. Thirty-two of their forty-two points were earned post- Ballardini and only suffered two losses in their last eleven league games. Home form was key with twenty-four points out of a possible thirty-three coming with the new coach in charge.
Torino 15-17 Turin’s other team finished on the same points as last season but that was enough to move up two places. In 2006/07 Torino only scored 27 goals – this season 36 so it has been slightly more interesting for the fans, particularly at home. Despite a home record of only five home wins, seven draws and another seven losses only two of the games were decided by more than one goal and both in Torino’s favour.
Reggina 16-13 Last May it took a win against Milan in round 38 to ensure another season in Serie A for Reggina; this time they made sure of another Serie A season in round 37. Thirteen points from a possible last 18 did the trick.
Catania 17-19 As they did last season it took Catania until the last round of play to escape demotion. They finished tied with Parma with the worst away record (7 points and no wins) but a respectable thirty points at home (one one fewer than Milan) was pivotal to their top-flight survival.
Empoli 18-10 Fifty-four points and seventh position last season; relegation this season and an attack that scored only 29 times must bear the responsibility.
Parma 19-14 No escape this season after sailing close to the relegation rocks for a few seasons. Winless away from home and defence not let in more goals than any other brought a long-avoided demotion to Serie B.
Livorno 20-11 Last season’s 11th place finish was slightly deceiving in that Livorno was only four points out of the last relegation spot. This season only four points in their last twelve games had Livorno in a death-spiral that they could not escape from.
atleti_female - I've been thinking about going to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada this summer. The thought of seeing some of the sport's upcoming stars would definitely make it worth the trek up from NYC. I imagine that U-20 version will be less crowded than the regular World Cup-- is this a correct assumption? (Mind you, I don't see this as a negative, but as a possibility of getting good seats in the games.)
Also, at this stage of the competition, are there any youngsters that have caught your eye-- or, that have been talked about by other analysts?
Bobby - I think that the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada this summer is going to be a terrific tournament. The last announced ticket sales for the six host cities was around 300,000, but many of the sales so far have been cut-price deals to youth players and the soccer fraternity. The 24 team tournament will be held in Ottawa, Toronto, Montréal, (east) and Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria (west) in July. The final will be in Toronto.
The draw for the tournament will be made in Toronto, on March 3 and is being televised live in Canada, on CBC television (the rights holder in Canada). The teams to watch - no great insight here - will be Brazil, Argentina, and Spain. As for other teams to look out for I would pick Mexico (they won the under 17 World Cup two years ago), and the Czech Republic (they have produced some very good age-group teams in the last decade). Nigeria has done well at age-group level as well and they are joined by three other African countries Congo, Gambia and Zambia who would be regarded as more unknowns, but potentially very entertaining and exciting.
I don't see the European teams being particularly strong given that they have a “competing” format for the under 21’s. Germany, France, Italy, none of these countries have qualified which I think will be a shock to some people who might be interested in buying tickets but do not necessarily follow the game closely.
The USA should be competitive as it normally is at this level and Canada should definitely make it into the last 16 with a top eight spot a realistic expectation. It is difficult to say who the players are to watch out for because there is no guarantee that they will be “available”.
He can only hope that the likes of Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Carlos Vela (Mexico and Arsenal) Giovanni Dos Santos (Mexico and Barcelona) make appearances. There is also a kid Bojan Krkic (still only 16) who may make the Spanish squad - another Barcelona player.
Just as an aside, North Korea and South Korea have both qualified and will be separated at the group stage. But what are the odds that North Korea will be drawn together with the USA?
Henry14 – I have to say l do not see Mascherano taking Sissoko's place he will be used as a squad player and the size of his contract appears to me to be more of Benitez accepting that he has taken a gamble. l have to make a brief comment on Tottenham. Martin Jol spend $82m in the transfer window on Zokora, Berbatov, Ghaly, Mido, Ekkoto, and Malbranque and it teams like this that make me appreciate Mourinho, because clearly they are underperforming. Martin Jol seems not to know his first choice midfield paring.
Managers are usually fined when they bad mouth referees do you know what happens to referees when they make bad calls like the Ronaldo and Yakubu tumbles, because l just feel the referees are inconsistent, the next minute they follow the book the other they are trying to use their head, like the Viduka case. And lastly what did you make of the La Liga round this week; in my opinion l just feel La Liga is not cutting it this year.
Bobby - A fully fit and fully functioning Javier Mascherano is a far better player than Mohamed Sisokko, in my opinion. Did Martin Jol spend the money or was it Damien Comolli (Arsenal’s former European scout) the Spurs Sporting Director?
I can't question Berbatov's performances this year, as I think he's been outstanding. I would agree that Spurs have not got their midfield figured out and they still lack balance and need somebody who is naturally left footed. Lennon and Malbranque played far too wide against Manchester United and left Huddleston and Zokora exposed. It didn't help either that the Spurs defense played very deep. The defense really misses Ledley King.
As for referees making bad calls - we can expect the perfect referee about the same time that the perfect player is created. Referees are held accountable for their performances probably to a greater extent than players are. It is interesting that you are criticizing the referee for the Ronaldo incident, but make no mention of Ronaldo's contribution. How can you criticize referees when some players go out with the full intention of cheating?
As for the comment about La Liga - I do not understand what you mean by “not cutting it”. There are 5 or 6 teams in contention for the league title, apart from the bottom two it looks like its going be a real fight for the last relegation spot and they have three teams in the last 16 of the champions league. What in your opinion would constitute cutting it?
Djnima - My first question for you is about Real Madrid. What do you think is their problem this year? They have the talent, they have a good coach. Do they just need time to gel together and hit form?
Also, would you see Wenger cashing in on Henry? I'm sure he could command a huge chunk of change. Isn't that was Wenger likes to do . . . (buy low sell high)
And my final question is about Scolari this week coming out and recommending that Ronaldo leave united for Barca. Do you consider that an irresponsible comment for a national coach to make about the player's current club? It is sure to sour relations between the national team and the club team.
Bobby – I think that Real Madrid is still suffering from the chaos of previous years and the culture shock of being managed by Fabio Capello. Capello is not an adventurous coach, and that's clearly seen by the lack of goals from Real Madrid. Not only is a team losing, but they are losing ugly! The problem is if they get rid of Capello who do they replace him with and if they do the chaos just continues.
Arsene Wenger is not going to be selling Thierry Henry in the near future.
Sometimes in newspapers we see the answer, but we never see the question. I am guessing that that's the case with Scolari.
Gunner44 - I'm also going to ask about Ronaldo on whether you think he should leave Man U? I don't see why he should move because he is been amazing this season and the Man U team has kind of revolved around him this season and he is having a fantastic season. The only reason that he might want to leave is because of social and environmental reasons like the weather just like Reyes did. It's really going to be a big loss for the EPL because as much as I hate Ronaldo, I do think he has been the most entertaining player this season.
Bobby – The Premiership cannot afford to lose players like Ronaldo even though gravity often gets the better of him. To substantiate the television rights fees, not just in England, but around the world the premiership has to be seen as the league that stars come to, rather than the league that they leave.
Foxcube – Man Utd this season have suffered very few injuries whereas other teams such as Arsenal, Newcastle had a team in the medic room at certain points. Could you shed some light on this issue? Another question regards Lippi's interview a short while ago about his possible move the Chelsea. Do you still think Mourinho is on the way despite their recent "revival"? Thanks!
Bobby – There have been seasons when Manchester United has had injuries piling up as well. Teams do need a bit of luck; it isn't just down to having the best players. Injuries tend to come and go in cycles but Newcastle seem to be in a perpetual state of injury crisis. There was some discussion about the quality of their training field a while back but I have no idea whether that was rectified or not. When you consider the amount of money that the top teams spend on players and pay them, you would think that they would be making sure that they train only on the best surfaces. Making sure that players cool down properly and prepare themselves properly is also key.
ulsterson - Do you see any validity to the idea that different skills or talents can be learned in different leagues? The EPL certainly has a different style of play than those on the continent and in South America. Some players have a very difficult time adjusting to the pace and physical nature and some English born players have difficulty outside of the EPL (Just recently read about forwards from the EPL having to be told not to track back as much in Spain or Italy) How do the different leagues around the world affect players development and do you feel the EPL style has in some way hindered the success of the English national team? Thank you and thanks from all of us for all the time you put in on this blog.
Bobby – I think you have to except that different skills and talents can be taught and learned by players in different leagues. The different leagues around the world still have their own characteristics and still represent each country's culture. Glenn Hoddle and John Collins are two players who've often commented on the difference it made to their game when they went to France to play. Sometimes it's not just the on field performance either, but things like lifestyle. Much has been made of the influence of Arsene Wenger and foreign players on home-grown player’s diets.
The EPL style does “hurt” English national team because at the international level ball possession becomes even more critical. In the premiership the ball is given away with more abandon and the emphasis is placed on winning it back.
Only1cab - I know that signing a player can be an arduous process but when there is so much money involved it seems a bit unprofessional signing players five minutes before the window closes. I mean they've had a whole month. Also Tottenham are in trouble with the FA for showing the replay of Ronaldo's (alleged) dive over and over again on their big screens at half time on Sunday. I believe it was a bit irresponsible of them after the events in Italy.
Bobby – Panic buying is never a positive thing although I think you have to separate the last moment decision to try and sign a player, versus pursuing a player over a long period of time but running into roadblocks and tough negotiators. I really don't know what Tottenham did in respect to the video replays, but if they did continually replay the Ronaldo “incident” at half-time then it shows a lack of common sense in my opinion. Replaying the incident on a video board isn't going to fix anything.
On the subject of video replay - sort of - Matt Dickinson had an article in The Times about how it was a bad weekend in England for video replay enthusiasts.
Verbal97 - I'm a little confused about what's going on in Italy in terms of repercussions. This should be the straw that breaks the camel's back and if it happened in England, the UEFA and FIFA powers that be would be going nuts. A small set of English fans (ok, Liverpool fans) inadvertently caused the deaths of 39* (mostly) Juventus supporters by rushing them and causing a wall to fall down in response to the Italians throwing stuff at them. The resulting punishment was that ALL English teams were banned from Europe for 5 years and Liverpool banned an extra year. In 04/05, Roma fans threw things at the referee during a Champions' League game. Resulting punishment was 3 games in front of an empty stadium. That same season, Inter fans threw flares onto the field during the CL quarterfinal against Milan, even striking a player (Dida). The resulting punishment was 3 games in front of an empty stadium. It seems that the punishment now that a policeman has died should be extreme and severe, but from the conflicting reports I've been reading, it doesn't seem that it will be likely. So, I really have two questions. First, what, in reality, is going on? And second, why is there a double standard depending on what country these things happen in (or am I mis-perceiving this)?
Post-script I stand corrected on the numbers (I've edited my comment to reflect this)...However, it seems to me that Italy is descending down a slippery slope and it needs to be stopped, using things like Heysel as a history lesson as to what can happen down the line. That said, I stand by my double standard comment, in that if something like this happened in England today, a swift, severe punishment from UEFA would likely follow, even though the English game has been cleaned up considerably whereas Italy now is a complete disaster and not likely going to get severe penalties.
Bobby – I don't think the Italian situation at the moment comes close to what was happening in England, and in Europe in the 70s and 80s. During that time, it was week after week, year after year, it was never ending. I don't agree that if there was a similar incident in England, that UEFA would issue a severe punishment. Domestically, it doesn't fall within their jurisdiction. UEFA get involved when European club or international competition is involved.
As a postscript - my memory might be failing me on this one - but my recollection was that the FA together with the British government of the time withdrew English teams from European competition immediately after the Heysel disaster. The suspensions from the UEFA only came after. I think that is an indication of how bad the situation actually was.
You also have to consider that it was not until after the Hillsborough disaster - not caused by fans but by incompetent policing – and to some extent the Bradford fire that there was a real commitment to fixing things. The issuing of the Taylor Report was critical, and only after the report were English football grounds brought up to a modern standard.
henry14 - l am so shocked by how Tottenham are doing and the way they brought in players in the summer l thought they were going to somewhere close to challenging the top five but they seem to be a shadow of their former self. The way l see it is that the summer of last season, they bought good players in Lee and Stalteri who were quite effective and efficient to their season, this time around l think they bought for the fun of things. They lost a creative deep lying midfielder and l am shocked that they went on to add an extra striker, to have four strikers which l thought was unnecessary , at least they should have sold one, l am still shocked to why Jol bought Asseu Okkoto and Chimbonda when he had Lee and Stalteri, Full backs who do not help in winning a lot, when they could have gone looking for a central midfielder with some vision, l think the team from last year has been altered in a number of positions and l find it difficult to see them anywhere close to fifth, because l can not see them beating ordinary teams as they used to do. I have a feeling that like as you said time and time again on the big show that a lot of teams that reach that 5th place tend to get ahead of themselves and somehow fall. What so you think. I knew that Michelle was a Chelsea fan, Jeremy is a Manchester United fan. l wanted to know which teams do Mitch, Carlos and you support respectively.
bigdavedisaster - It’s not so early anymore and Spurs seem to be absolutely lost when it comes to finishing scoring chances and I believe the culmination of this was seen after the Jenas miss against Liverpool. You could feel the air come out of the entire side. What I first thought was simply pressing to hard to be in contention for that "top five" spot is not so slowly turning into a crisis of confidence. Do you think Jol needs to simply find a starting side and stick with it and hope that the goals come? And where has Keane been? He was a terror last year and a shadow this?
Bobby – Clearly Tottenham is not enjoying a great start to this season. The problem is that Jol does not have one problem but a number of them. The fact that Ledley King missed the first few games has not helped either. I do not think that signing two new full backs has been the cause – that should only have added some depth to the squad.
I think you have to look at the midfield as the source of the main problem. Carrick has not been replaced although someone such as Danny Murphy should have been able to pick up the slack. Didier Zokora will come good if he is given a bit of time to settle in. The wide positions in midfield are where Spurs have been caught short. Despite having a herd of midfield players most of them are most comfortable in central positions. Aaron Lennon’s injury has been a major blow and has meant that Spurs have lost that one player who offered them something different. On the other side of the field Spurs have the same problem as last year – no left sided midfield player. That is why Jol wanted to sign Boro’s Stewart Downing. The opposition knows that Spurs pose no consistent threat from wide positions.
As for having four forwards, I do not think you can criticize Jol for that given that all the top teams now carry four strikers. Jol will have anticipated more games than last season – remember Spurs only played 40 games last season – and needed to sign someone like Berbatov. The fact that the Bulgarian is out injured just reinforces why Spurs need four strikers. As for Robbie Keane, there is not the same spark as last season and he does not seem to getting on the ball like he did last season. Spurs will improve but it will not be a dramatic improvement - by the end of the season I expect them to be in an upper-mid-table position.
Carlos supports Braga in Portugal, for me it is Dundee and I do not know about Mitch.
djnima - My question for you has to do with Arsenal's back four. With Gallas an obvious starter and Toure in such great form, who do you think will be arsenal's starting center backs once Senderos is fit? Do you think Gallas will again resign himself to playing LB so that both Senderos and Toure can be accommodated? Also, I am thinking about picking up Rosicky for my fantasy team. Now that arsenal has an easier schedule and need points to catch up to the front pack, do you think he is a good investment? Oh and I know I asked you this earlier in the season, but who do you have in your fantasy line up right now? Thanks for all the time you put into the blog!
Bobby – In order for Arsenal to challenge for the Champions League Gallas has to be in the centre of the defense. Clichy will come back into the team at left back. Djouro and Senderos - when he returns - will get their chance but if you want a first choice back four then it will be Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy. Rosicky is improving every game and I think he is a good investment – if you have the fantasy money. My team has chopped and changed a lot and I liberally move players in and out. Going into this weekend the team is; James; Mellberg, Terry, Campbell, Djourou; Gerrard, Cahill, Arteta, Barry: Johnson, Rooney.
My boys are taking it one game at a time; they are playing against great players; we are not thinking of Europe etc etc.
AlexMorph - About Ronaldo: I certainly think that he should figure back into the Real Madrid side. Cassano has been less than inspiring so far, and I suspect it's only because of his previous relationship with Capello that he gets in the side over Robinho. That aside, do you think that Capello might finally make a stand against Raul and the Madrid faithful? It seemed that against Lyon he was playing as an attacking midfielder to scarcely any effect. Would Guti, who is inconsistent but shows the occasional moment of brilliance, not be better with Ronaldo/RVN playing in front of him?
the beautiful game – Well finally Capello has decided to drop Raul and Beckham, and you could see the huge improvement in the teams performance while they were not on the pitch, but in the 2nd half has soon has the came on the team looked like the Madrid that was their in the 3 previous league games and the CL game against Lyon. do you think Capello will stick to his guns and keep them both on the bench are will he bow to the breaighu pressure and keep playing them both more so Raul.
I as a Barca fan could love him to keep playing them as that would equal Madrid not being much of a threat to us this season because with them both in the team I must say the team looks ordinary.
Usaenglandfan - This Real talk has me thinking. Bobby, you must be asked this now and again, but what on earth has happened to Raul?? I started getting into football around the '02 WC, and from what I understood, Raul was considered one of the deadliest strikers on earth at 26. I've only really seen him in highlight videos, but WOW. What a composed, elegant finisher. And now this? Was it the dawn of the Galacticos era that killed his form? Will it ever come back? The guy's only 29 for gods sake. I'm missing something here...
Bobby – It looks as if Capello is going to stick with Raul despite the fact that he has played poorly for the last two seasons. Capello is a man with very definite views and he will stick by the players he believes in – it looks as if Raul is one that he believes in. Two goals on Tuesday will not have hurt his cause. On the broader question of what has gone wrong it might be ####imple as losing a step due to injury.
neophyte - I would love to see Ruud and Ronaldo together. That is one of those combinations that you only dream about but never see in real life. Crespo is amazing. He scores goals no matter the league, venue or tournament. I would have liked to have seen him back at Milan teamed up with Kaka again. Did you see him in their last match attacking form the keepers right and just leave the defender looking for his shoes after he had just been "Crespo'd"? Amazing!
Did Reading "win" the game against Man U. or did they just survive. I don't recall any real scoring chances they produced while Man U. was all over them. What are your views on this one? (I hope Reading stays up for a while. They are exciting and counter better than most tenured Prem. clubs).
Bobby – Crespo is criticized by many for the number of times he is caught offside but it is the fact that he pushes right up on the last defender that makes him so dangerous. He may not be the quickest striker but he is brilliant at pinching a half a yard on a defender and his movement across the line is outstanding. He has averaged about a goal every two games, which puts him in the top echelon of world strikers.
While United may have dominated most of the game Reading pushed players forward when they got the chance. I remember a great chance that Kevin Doyle had in the first half but van der Sar stoned him so it was not all one-way traffic. I am taking Reading to stay up because they will score a lot of goals.
SL Red - Wouldn't you agree that Wenger's greatest dominance has been in the contemporary big money transfer game? He has made money on the inconsistent (Anelka), bought stars at a cut rate (Henry), and even taken stars away from local rivals on a free (Campbell). To win championships while keeping the transfer kiddy in plus territory is amazing.
I think someone has been telling me that Crouch will end up a squad player. Looks like its happening with the arrival of Kuyt. Not that I'm complaining.
Question - Now a month in who looks like the best signing of the season?
Bobby – Wenger’s wheeling and dealing in the transfer market is one of his strengths and a major bonus for Arsenal. He picked up Anelka as an unknown from PSG – before he became inconsistent! – and sucked Real Madrid in for a mega-transfer fee. I think it is fair to say that no manager since has got the same production out of the Incredible Sulk. I do not think Wenger has ever received due credit for the emergence of Thierry Henry. At the ’98 World Cup, for Monaco (post Wenger) and at Juventus, Henry was a speedy but limited midfield player. Wenger was willing to pay a lot of money (around $18m?) for a player that no other team was showing an interest in. Henry was no instant hit at Highbury either, as Wenger went about converting Henry back to the central striker he had been as a youngster at Monaco when Wenger was in charge. Wenger has also been aggressive in going after younger players –much to the displeasure of continental teams in Holland, France and Spain.
On the downside, he has also had a couple of failures – Francis Jeffers and Richard Wright come instantly to mind. However, I am not sure that Wenger has operated on the plus side over his ten years in charge at Arsenal. Certainly he has spent less than Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool but I not sure he has recouped it all.
Best new signing – I would have to say Andy Johnson, David James or Sol Campbell so far.
MeanSucka - I wonder if Becks relationship with Capello will accelerate his "big fish in a small pond" move to the MLS. I mean, it probably won't be the same as the Pele/Beckenbauer Cosmos, but I'm sure the Becks/Donovan Galaxy will draw some fans, no? Ronaldo would be the king of NY too, but I can see him going back to Italy.
Bobby – I said on the FSWR over two years ago – as Michelle and Jeremy sniggered – that Beckham would finish his career in MLS. Two years on it now seems almost inevitable.
gregz-How do you think Riquelme's retirement will affect Argentina's chances of winning next year's Copa America and even at WC 2010. I know they have good players but they need a man in the middle of the park to hold the team together. The only player that can fill Riquelme's shoes is Aimar and he strikes me as a person that can handle pressure from the demanding Argentine public. I fear he will retire as to evade the pressure of being the main playmaker, but I hope he will use the opportunity to stamp his class on the world stage finally after a somewhat disappointing WC 2002. Finally, who do you think is the better player Aimar or Riquelme?
Bobby –Over the years Argentina has opted for a playmaker around whom everything is built. Maradona, Veron, Ortega, Ardiles, and Sivori have occupied that role or one similar. Riquelme has been the undisputed central figure since his resurrection at Villarreal but that has not stopped him being a controversial selection with some Argentine fans.
Peckerman was obviously a Riquelme fan but I wonder if Basille is of the same persuasion. It might be a case that Riquelme has called time on his international career before it has been called on him. As for Aimar, he seems to be a player whose career has stuttered as recurring injury problems have been an ongoing blight. In comparing the two, I think Riquelme is the superior player with a greater passing range and he is much more robust.
Quest5227 - What is with Manchester United? They may be winning, but they are playing UGLY football. It is boring and predictable, and only occasionally, do they play intricate, intuitive passing plays. The midfieled don't run forward with the ball, the Center backs stay back, and there is way too much back passing. Take the example of the match against Benfica. They won, but they were not in control of the game. They were timid, boring and tentative. (except for Ronaldo) Is it time for new leadership at United? New tactics? Or is it the lack of creativity in midfield? O'Shea and Fletcher should be "last 10 minute" players IMHO, not starting for United. The lackluster transfer window activity has much to do with this. What do United do now? Any thoughts?
Bobby – I thought that Manchester United played the consummate away game in Europe – happy with a point and nicked three. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective and Benfica created few chances although they had much of the play until Saha scored.
bmax14 -Anybody see Sepp Blatter's (FIFA president)comments regarding removal of the shoot-out for WC final? He suggested a replay or gradual reduction of players with a Golden Goal, all interesting suggestions. I don't really like the replay idea as you have to wait another day to see a champion and the reduction of players seems kind of silly. I'm certainly not against PK's but I must admit it's a terrible way to lose a game, especially if you've played well enough to win. However, it's tough to match the excitement of the Pk so seeing it gone from a final would be a bit disappointing. If it was my vote, I'd either keep the current format or provide more overtime with the Golden goal coming into effect immediately (like hockey playoff OT). Allow 3 more substitutions once OT starts if need be but avoid any replay idea or reduction of players.
LosAngelesChelseaFan - Yes. I'm deeply shocked to find myself in total agreement with Septic Bladder, who said: "When it comes to the World Cup final it is passion, and when it goes to extra time it is a drama. But when it comes to penalty kicks it is a tragedy. Football is a team sport and penalties is not a team, it is the individual. He said a replay or gradually deducting players in extra time would be a better solution. "
Now is it possible that this would have the side effect of generating an additional $50m of TV and attendance receipts or am I just being cynical? Nevertheless, I strongly agree with the suggestion. I hate shootouts that only seem inject fear of failure and negative play. For me this overshadowed the last few rounds of play and the final.
Bobby – Please, no one should hold their breathe waiting for another of Sepp’s “ideas” to be implemented. It is just another one of his “50 ideas before breakfast and 51 of them are bad” as a German journalist once described Sepp’s pronouncements. Twenty years from now we will still be debating an alternative to penalty kicks. Personally, I would love to see a return to the days of replays but it just will not happen unless we are magically transported back to the 1950’s when World Cup Finals were largely supported by domestic fans attending, sport TV was in its infancy, and the threat of hooliganism and more importantly terrorism were non-existent. In other words replays were possible in a simpler age but no more. Games going on indefinitely is also an non-starter given the logistical challenges of transport, security and the inequity of a team potentially playing for three hours or more, winning and playing a team that had only played 90 minutes three or four days before. Lastly but certainly not least – TV would never go for it.
NYCDA - I know predictions made in September in the EPL amount to nothing, but based on what we've seen from Reading FC and their consistent ability to ward off the big-name clubs and come out with points, where do you see them ending when the dust settles in May? While Coca-Cola Championship medalists have suffered relegation in subsequent promotion seasons of past (i.e. last year's Sunderland and Norwich of two years past), could Europe be a realistic goal for this underrated Reading side?
Bobby – I picked them to finish 14th and I think I will stick with that placing. A place in Europe is too much to ask. Just look how long it took Bolton to get there. The only “instant” success in the last decade or so has been Ipswich and we know what happened to them the following year.
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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