Not surprisingly Monday’s furour about the Luzhniki Stadium pitch appears to have died away as we now hear that it is going to be just fine. From the equivalent of a neglected public park pitch to no problem in 48 hours – a miracle indeed.
Perhaps the field condition was more a product of a journalist or two who found themselves in Moscow on Monday with nothing to write about until the teams arrived later in the day.
Now comfortable in the knowledge that billions of dollars of talent will not disappear down a sink hole in Moscow I can now safely turn my attention to the game this afternoon.
The problem is that with less than five hours to kick off and I am no closer to deciding who I think is the going to be the 2008 Champions of Europe. I have had a sneaking su####ion about Chelsea since the draw for the last sixteen was made but on the other hand I treat Manchester United in a final as I do the Old Firm – never bet against them.
So in an attempt to come to a decision of Chelsea or Manchester United here are the advantages that each side brings with them to the battle.
Chelsea 1. Didier Drogba – even more so than Ronaldo, Drogba has an unerring ability to lay low for most of a match but to still step up and decide the outcome. His strength and pace makes it impossible to ignore him.
2. Michael Ballack – Player of the Year in England if it was based on the last eight weeks. His positional play has been excellent and when not arguing with Drogba over free kicks the timing of his runs into the penalty box are reminiscent of former United great Bryan Robson.
3. Frank Lampard – criticized for the apparent high number of deflected goals he should be praised for adhering to old adage that if you don’t shoot you don’t score. What’s more when Lampard gets within 30 yards of goal watch how many defenders try to shut him down – no wonder he gets goals from deflections as well as creating gaps for the other Chelsea players to take advantage of.
4. Aerial power – Ballack, Carvalho, Drogba, Terry are all excellent in the air and every set piece for Chelsea will present and real and present danger to United.
5. No other English team has enjoyed a better record against Manchester United than Chelsea and that holds true even before the arrival of Roman Abramovich’s interest free loan.
Manchester United 1. Ronaldo – if United can get him the ball early in the game and he can settle into a rhythm then he can be the match-winner. Cole has played well against him in the past so it will be interesting to see which wing Fergie starts him on.
2. Rio Ferdinand – simply the best defender in England over the last season.
3. Patrice Evra – With a license to get forward that Chelsea appears to be unwilling to give to their full backs the Frenchman can exploit the spaces that the normally narrow Chelsea formation provides.
4. Edwin van der Saar – the Dutchman’s kicking skills have been identified as a weakness by many but it is his ability to find players with quick long throws that might be more pivotal.
5. Mobility – The constant movement used by United means that an opposition defense cannot drop concentration for a moment.
Line Ups Michael Essien at right back appears to be the way that Chelsea will go with Malouda or Kalou a tactical decision and Cole or Bridge a fitness decision.
The speculation on the United line up is whether or not Ferguson buttresses his midfield with Owen Hargreaves. Bringing Hargreaves in would in my opinion be a clear signal that Ferguson would be happy to accept a saw-off in midfield and rely on his wide players and Rooney to win it for him.
A more aggressive strategy - and gamble - would be to start Tevez and Rooney in attack with Tevez being asked to hassle and upset Makelele as he sits just in front of the Chelsea back four. The downside of starting Tevez is that it takes away an option to change the game by way of the substitutes bench.
Craigy_f - (Are you) feeling a tad more confident after beating the Ukraine? What’s your take on Lampard being booed? Are there any other instances like that which you can recall? Do you pay attention to stats in football? Do you read any print media on football?
Bobby – I will not feel confident until there are enough points to finish in the top two. However, the win against Ukraine does guarantee that Scotland will go into the Italy game with a chance of qualifying. As for Lampard being booed – I can’t understand how supposed fans can boo one of their own players.
The same thing happened to Gary McAllister playing for Scotland. A few decades ago it wasn’t unusual for Old Firm players to get bad treatment from the other side of the divide. In terms of the stats question is yes. I do most of my daily reading electronically.
D Powell22 - Has anyone heard of any clubs that are interested in Jozy Altidore? I know he is turning 18 at the end of this year. Is he going to play for a European team next?
Bobby – With his physique and talent I can guarantee that there are a lot of European teams watching him. However, I don’t think it is a slam dunk that he will be off to Europe next year. I also don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing either.
Therealrico - Derek Rae feels South American needs to revamp their WC qualification process. While I do think that Fifa's rankings are fairly BS, I think that the WC and Euro Cup qualifiers need to be revamped using the Fifa rankings. For example all the minnows of Europe or South America I think should have to play a pre qualifier. With countries like the Faroe Islands, San Marino, and so forth having to play in a qualifier to determine who get to go to the next level. Similar to what they do in the champs leagues with teams from places like Wales. This would put less strain on countries like France, or Italy, who have players playing way too many games as it is. What do you guys think?
Bobby – I think the upside of the present South American qualification system has been missed. First of all they are playing games while European countries are either playing WC or Euro qualifiers. In fact South American countries are playing fewer games than European countries as they don’t play a qualifying tournament for the Copa America.
South American countries will play 18-20 games; European countries will play a minimum of 24 games between the two qualifying tournaments. That’s an average of 33% fewer games played by South American countries if you exclude the possibility of a play-off round.
Since South America went to the 18 game qualifying round the gap between top and bottom has narrowed considerably. For example you referenced the minnows of COMNEBOL - who would these minnows be? I can’t think of one South American country that wouldn’t finish in the top four in CONCACAF. You also have to consider that the 18 game format guarantees as far as it is humanly possible that the best 4 (or 5) countries from South America reach the WC finals.
Before the 18 game format it was a case of only 4 or 6 games which significantly increased the chances that a good team would pay a hefty price for an off day.
Finally do you really think if there were less WC qualifying games that the clubs would not simply pick up the slack?
Djnima - 1. Do you think management is the problem at Spurs? I think Jol should go. However Spurs seem to have a problem more with defending rather than management. They rely too much on King and he is always injured. 2. Pls post a new pic on the website without your glasses. 3. Have you seen Fifa 08? Are you into video games? 4. Where do you see Mourinho popping up this season? AC? Inter?
Bobby –1. What is your definition of management? If you are talking about the board then the answer is yes. 2. I don’t have one. 3. No, and no. Jeremy is the guy you want for video games. I’m from a different generation. I'd do just about anything before playing video games. 4. You might not see him popping up any place if all the bigger sides play reasonably well until spring.
Ringo - I say bring back pitches like the old Baseball Ground, Derby. Two months into the season and not a blade of grass left and ankle deep mud. Now THAT was football! I`m planning on watching tomorrow`s Georgia/Scotland game, but I`m not sure which team to root for, could you help me out?
Bobby – Was it at the Baseball ground that Brian Clough perfected his love of over watering? The pitch always seemed to be a mud bath. If I was you, I would support the team with the most surnames beginning with the initial M.
CIAO - What do make of Donadoni as Italy's coach so far?
Bobby – Inconclusive. Italy’s position is a product of a poor start right after the WC last summer. I don’t think you can blame Donadoni for that. However, if Italy fail to qualify then the excuses will count for nothing and he will be gone.
MeanSucka - What do you think of John Terry's sudden knee injury ahead of the Russia match? I'm sure it will give more fuel to the whole "plastic pitch" fire, no? I can't believe some people are comparing Field Turf - which is relatively new to the Astroturf fields of the 80's and 70's. That's pretty bad journalism, isn't it?
Bobby – Terry’s knee was a problem before he got any place close to a “plastic pitch”. Blaming his knee locking on the Moscow pitch? You might as well every other injury on grass surfaces. Newer artificial surfaces versus what we had 20 years ago was the point I made on Monday’s show - it is not an apples to apples comparison.
CIAO -Do you think any of the clubs fighting for CL glory need to bring in any additional players? Are any of the Ajax player cup tied? Do you think Huntelaar will make his long awaited move to a bigger club in January?
Bobby – It very tough to find players that are not cup tied so any “winter” signings tend to play in domestic leagues and allow the players they have replaced to be rested for the European games. Ajax players – if they played – are cup-tied. There were a few posters that were telling me a few months ago that Huntelaar was sure to go to a big club last summer – it did not happen and it may not happen in January either.
Gegz - Don't you think that Ever Banega should be included in the Argentina line-up as he may be the long-term replacement for Riquelme? And don't you think at times Tevez tends to overdo it a bit?
Bobby – I don’t see Banega as a long term replacement for Riquelme – he has a very different style. Having Riquelme in the side dictates that Argentina plays through him – otherwise he doesn’t bring very much to the team.
Banega brings a bit of everything with him - more like a Redondo. Tevez’s strength is his desire and his ability to run at defenders – he would not be the same player if you asked him to do anything different.
Craig_f -The plonker and his mate on Fox are talking about Premier League games outside England, either in the US or Asia. Kind of a mirror of what the NFL is doing with the Giants Dolphins at Wembley.
Bobby – I have no idea why anyone would suggest taking Premier league games outside of England. There is no business case to be made for a move like that. The NFL does it because they need to try and develop an overseas market for their product. That is not a problem for the Premiership. It sounds as if someone may have come up with an answer before making sure that they understand the problem. And to top it off I can only imagine the sanctioning and jurisdictional issues that something like that would create.
I will put up a midweek European Championship qualifying post on Wednesday morning.
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.
Henry14 - I do not know if its your company policy Bobby that you are not supposed to say that MLS is poor, because if you read nick ' article you would have thought MLS is like the Prem. l do not see Becks in the near future, because in my opinion the MLS is more of a league that is based on passion and euphoria rather than quality. The defending and general play is generally appalling; the league is just not good enough as fantasy manager with Juan Pablo Angel will testify.
Bobby – In the twenty years I have been involved in the media end of things no one has told to say or not say anything so if there is such a policy it hasn’t been brought to my attention. As far as only watching “quality” football then you must be a connoisseur compared to me. I can enjoy watching the game played at all levels.
Venti_vidi_vici - What is your take on the goings on at Stamford Bridge? What will Chelsea look like in three months time, will they sign anybody important, who will leave? Reportedly during a strategic meeting last week to discuss summer transfer targets etc., Abramovich apparently drastically cut spending, removed himself from day-to-day operations of the club, Lampard and Terry still don't have a new contract, and Mourinho wasn't even in the meeting. I guess just like a spoiled kid, his new expensive toy isn't as much fun anymore, and is amazingly making a mess of a very fine football club.
Bobby – Chelsea is a bit of a freak show at the moment. With all the speculation and rumour mongering I would not be surprised to find out that Elvis has been spotted at Stamford Bridge. Let’s just wait and see.
djnima - I just have one question and one question only this week. Who do you think deserves to win La Liga this year? and please don't say whoever has the most points and head to head records. Also, when is Rupert Murdoch going to give you your own show?
Bobby – It is probably one of these seasons when no team deserves it because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla have all suffered through some pretty poor results. I picked Real Madrid at the start of the season and I will stick with that pick. As for a show – between the two shows a week and the blog I am busy enough as it is. But I will be asking for blog ideas, preference etc in the next few days.
Venti_vidi_vici - Where does Milan rank in terms of all time great football clubs? Over the past half century they have been incredibly successful - are they possibly the greatest ever? What is the key to their success over the past twenty years? Berlusconi? In the past twenty years they have reached eight UCL finals, next best is a Serie B team with four, and their five titles are two better than anyone. Their players always seem to love the club, they've always had a lot of Italian players in the team, and they seem to get the best out of their players, and make their players into champions?
Bobby –One of all time great teams – absolutely. The greatest ever? An argument as fruitless as trying choosing the greatest ever heavyweight. Weren’t Milan in Serie B a while back as well?
MeanSucka – I saw someone on Sky Sports (Alan Mullery, a former England player from the 60's) talking about Beckham not getting the proper training to stay on England's team past this week's call-up. In the process he called MLS a Mickey Mouse league and said it's only slightly better than the Conference - a sentiment echoed in the Lovejoy column. That's a little harsh, I thought. What do you think - how does MLS compare to England's divisions?
I would like to think that MLS is on the level of the Championship or at least League One, especially considering results of some of our players overseas and our team internationally.
And speaking of MLS, I tend to think sometimes that it is not as good defensively as it should be. I continue to see flat footed defenders giving goal scorers ample opportunities to finish. Do you think defense is a problem in this league?
Bobby – Your average former-player-now-pundit in Britain doesn’t know the difference between his arse and a hole in the road when it comes to anything outside of English football. The major short coming of the MLS is the lack of depth and that will take some time to rectify. There are some very good North American based players in the MLS (proven by the number that have moved overseas) but there are a number who would struggle to get a game in League Two. But there again you could look at Jay Demerit who was playing A League and started regularly in the Premiership so there are examples of it working both ways.
It is interesting that when Capello arrived at Real Madrid he was appalled at the shape the team was in physically which would seem to indicate that Beckham wasn’t getting the kind of training in Spain either. No doubt Mullery believes that only good English coaches can get English players fit.
Given the choice between watching a league with good defenders and bad forwards and bad defenders and good forwards which would you prefer?
Atleti female - I've heard a lot of good things about an Arsenal player called Francisco Merida Perez (aka 'Fran Merida). Some are dubbing him Arsenal's new wonderkid. What have you read about him? Do you think he is in the same level of ability as other wonderkids, such as Jonathan dos Santos and Bojan Krkic?
Bobby – Until you mentioned him I had heard nothing about him. I am a bit leery of wunderkids – is it just me or are there more of them around? – so I prefer to just wait and see. The Champions magazine this month had a piece that linked players with past stars i.e. the new Pele, the new Maradona etc.
Meansucka - What do you make of this FIFA ruling that games may no longer be played at altitude above 8200 feet? I read that one of the Brazilian club teams were upset that they had to play in Bolivia with freezing rain at altitude. But to me - it seems home field advantage is the reason you play a home and away leg to begin with and if they eliminate altitude, why not also look at air quality, temperature, or other factors? Why has this become a problem now?
Bobby – To answer in reverse I think it has become an issue as more clubs and countries have been or have been threatening to take games to higher elevations in order to get an even greater advantage. While FIFA claim it is far medical reasons it is more likely down to lobbying by Brazil and Argentina. Having said that I could see how playing at some of these elevations could be dangerous. However, you do make a good point about air quality. In Mexico City it is the combination of altitude and air quality that makes it so challenging.
Carneade - What would you change in soccer to improve the game? I'm not talking so much about the rules of the game itself (even though I do think that the goal size and the pitch width should be increased), I'm referring to max number of players in rosters, domestic and international schedules, number of games per year, national teams, refs and instant replay etc.
Bobby – I think FIFA’s desire to have leagues maxxed at 16 teams is a good one. How you ensure that the clubs don’t fill the vacant dates with other stuff is another issue. I would also find a way to curtail the World Cup and European Championship qualifying schedules – it would be an easy fix. I would also like to see the Gold Cup and Copa America consolidated into a true Cup of the Americas.
Henry14 - Can anyone tell me why Carragher is seen as a great defender, because for me he is highly overrated. He plays for an extremely defensive minded team and he is not usually exposed, l do not think he is as good as Gallas, Toure, Rio, Vidic, Carvalho, Terry, so why do pundits rave about this guy?
Bobby – Because he is a great central defender. He reads the game well, makes few mistakes and is a great tackler. Apart from that I can understand why you wouldn’t rate him.
Henry 14 - Have you ever considered having a Bobby McMahon weekly podcast, because surely you have a lot of friends who are journalist or football experts and talk about football thoughts. The two hours you have a week do not exhaust all burning soccer issues, because you are one of the best and rationale football pundits l have met rather than a lot of so called Liverpool biased pundits we have all over the world.
Bobby – Thank you for the kind words. Hold that suggestion as I will be asking for some input in the next days in terms of the blog.
CIAO - Do you think Buffon will leave Juventus? Also have you heard whether or not Inter are ready to split with Julio Cesar and Toldo? If so, and Buffon doesn't transfer who would they get -Amelia?
Bobby – It is strange that after spending a season in Serie B that Buffon would leave but I have heard that there is a strong possibility that he will move. I have not heard anything on the Toldo / Cesar front but you would expect that neither of them is particularly happy with the situation. Your suggestion of Amelia moving from Livorno to Juventus is an interesting one and one that would make a lot of sense. He is young for a goalkeeper and if he stays at Livorno then Champions League football is a pipe-dream. Probably a good time for a move and I would expect him to stay in Italy rather than moving to another country.
Gunner 44 - 1. Race between Man U and Chelsea will come down to the wire. Arsenal might play the biggest part in deciding who gets to lift that title with that game just before Chelsea faces Man U.
2. Race for Player of the Year will come down to what Drogba and C. Ronaldo do in these last games. Right now Ronaldo has the upper hand.
3. Arsenal better wake up or they will be competing for 4th with The Coldspurs again, who will finish 5 above Bolton.
4. Relegation battle might also come down to the last games also. Charlton have a chance of surviving but I don's see West Ham surviving.
What do you think of these 4 issues?
Bobby –1. It is going to come down to more than Chelsea beating or losing to Arsenal. Although the gap is currently six points United have a much better goal difference which is the equivalent of an extra point. For the Arsenal game to mean something then United has to drop points somewhere.
2. Ronaldo gets my vote at the moment.
3. Arsenal cannot afford to be complacent but I cannot see them finishing lower than fourth. They have Bolton and Spurs coming up on April 14 and 21.
4. I agree, it looks as if West Ham have dug to deep a hole. All they can do is to focus on getting some points and hope somehow that the other results go their way.
Foxcube - I find the BBC (Lineker)/FA row fascinating. Would you add some comments? Plus what do you think of the new deal?
Bobby – 1. As someone wrote – only the FA can take a good story (a record TV deal) and turn it into a bad story. I think the BBC is trying to save face while the FA should have just said nothing. As for the new deal it only applies to the UK so in the short term it won’t affect us on this side of the pond.
oldcoach - Is it just me or do others view England's quest for a second WC as the greatest, longest running soap opera in sports? I know that Scotland must be enjoying it. Fergie defended McClaren but then added he wished they were playing Scotland next. From an objective point of view, do you think McClaren has what it takes? If not, would you run off McClaren now and give it to Venables for the Estonia game?
Should Man U be concerned about Rooney's form?
Bobby – Scotland has nothing to enjoy unfortunately. Not qualifying for the knock out stage of the World Cup in 8 attempts is an atrocious record. The FA will not get rid of McClaren because it would call into question their collective judgment to an even greater degree than it is at the moment. I thought at the time McClaren was a bad choice and that opinion remains. If the FA wanted to appoint Venables they could have done it on a couple of occasions since he resigned in 1996 but his past is still a factor. If United and Rooney were struggling then I think it would be a worry but as it is they are still getting good results and Rooney is bound to come good.
AlexMorph - Who is 1. your pick, 2. who you think will win PFA young player of the year. At first I might have thought Ces was a shoe in, except for a couple things. First, I thought it was a 21- award when infect it's 23-. Second, in yesterday's game it was said that Cesc has 0 goals in 56 goal attempts, a rather poor return for an offensive midfielder. His contribution in assists and overall play is not to be denied, but his competition is greater than it seems.......Martins, Rooney, Doyle, even Kalou for what little he plays, all having pretty big impacts on their teams this year.
Bobby – You have not included Ronaldo as an option. If he doesn’t win the Player of the Year he could still win the Young Player of the Year Award. If he doesn’t win the big one then he will get the Young Player, if he does then Fabregas will likely win.
Henry 14 – Q1 Do you know how many goals Baptista score from open play from his 38 in 50 appearances, l would want to believe 95% were set plays? Q2 - Now that Tevez seems to have settled in the Prem do you change your mind to see one of the big four going for him Q3 - l am a big Lampard fan, l feel for the past three season he has been the outstanding midfielder in the Prem bar none, and still feel this season as no exception how would you solve the Gerrard Lampard conundrum
Q4 - l saw that you are showing UEFA cup why don't you do the same with CL
Q5 - As an Arsenal fan l am worried about Tottenham's form and since we have to go to the lane do you see them nicking fourth place
Bobby – Q1, I can’t say for sure but I don’t remember seeing an inordinate number of his goals for Sevilla coming from free kicks or penalties. Q2 – No. Q3 – If the feeling is that they can’t play together then one of them just has to be dropped. It is pointless simply hoping that they will gel. If you go back to the days of Alf Ramsey then you can find numerous examples of players who were regarded as better players being overlooked in favour of lesser players because the coach believed that it was more important for a player to fit into the team. If it was me I would be playing Gerrard and leaving Lampard on the bench. Q4 – ESPN hold the English language rights in North America. Q5 – I don’t think Arsenal will finish lower than 4th and 3rd is still a very real possibility.
Foxcube - Regarding the booing fans, I don't think there is anything wrong with booing itself since I believe fans are bigger than clubs and teams and players so they are entitled to their actions. Have the England fans not suffered enough?
Bobby – McIlvanney’s piece was not about fans booing it was about obscene behaviour.
RINGO - Do you think the rise of Gretna FC, from the English northern league to the SPL (almost), is the greatest footballing fairytale?
Bobby – It is a great story but you also have to place it into a context. It is doubtful if Gretna would have achieved what they have so far if it was not for the largesse of multi-millionaire philanthropist Brooks Mileson – the "Roman Abramovich of the Borders". Wigan is also a great story but would they have done it without Dave Whelan and his investment? That's why I think Wimbledon takes pride of place. Their run to the FA Cup Final and win over Liverpool should really be made into a movie but I am not sure who would play the part of Vinnie Jones!
atleti_female - I wonder why the English media don't rate Totti. Any ideas anyone?
Bobby – Although Serie A was shown for a number of years in the UK it only attracted a niche viewership. I think it is simply a case that many of his UK critics have never taken the time to watch him. I have mates back home that have hardly see hm play.
Gongatore - How silly is it that people are calling for Wenger's head? Why would he leave Arsenal? IMHO he has done a fantastic job (this year, they have slipped, it happens to the best sides) and arguably one of the architects of why the EPL has become an exciting league.
How do you rate Mexes? Panucci? Taddei?
Bobby – Mexes - the French Rio Ferdinand. Panucci - the Italian Philip Neville. I should probably add that Mexes obviously has a lot of talent but he seems short on application. I can’t really explain my opinion of Panucci.
I like watching Taddei. He has been a great acquisition for Roma over the last couple of seasons.
henry14 - Do you agree that Arsenal should look beyond Ljungberg and he also should look beyond Arsenal?
Bobby – I think Arsenal have looked beyond Ljunberg this year basically because they have had to because of his injuries. He is reputed to be on a wage of around $130,000 a week until 2009 so I am not sure that there are too many teams lining up to sign him. He is so reliant on his quick feet and late darting runs in behind defenders but he is not up to it – at present. Given that he will soon be turning 30 then it is a fair question whether or not he will ever regain that sharpness on a regular basis.
And now for this week’s questions. LosAngelesChelseaFan - Here’s another article that I thought made interesting reading. Terry Venables on training camps instead of friendlies. Do you have a view on it?
J3sUsD - I like to get your views on this past week’s friendlies especially the games between England and Spain and Mexico vs. United States. Were these meaningful results or were they just empty results?
Gongatore - What are the most important elements to take away from these two friendlies of last week? AND if you feel it appropriate.... Why can't the soccer media in this country address the real issues?
Bobby – I think Venables makes a very valid point and I think you will see more international managers opting for a get together rather than a “friendly”. (I would make the clubs a lot happier as well.) There is so much attention paid – even to friendlies - that you have to ask yourself what is really gained? The purpose of a friendly should be to allow a certain amount of experimentation by the manager and a chance to blood younger players. Now it is a case that every game has to be won or a crisis ensues. How stupid is it that the media and fans call for a manager’s head because a friendly is lost? Logically the only thing that really counts is results in major competitions and friendly’s should only be a means to an end. As for addressing the real issues – what are the real issues?
Henry14 - My first question is do you think the era of the goal poacher has gone, like the Ruuds and Inzaghi. If you look at the last ten years the best strikers have been all-round, like Henry, Sheva, Eto'o and Ronaldo. They could adapt to the different positions in games and give more to the team and you look at Fergie getting rid of Ruud while even Drogba and Eto'o now who are really good seem not to be out and out goal poachers. The other thing is l read about Harry Rednapp being linked with Spurs do you really see that happening and can you see Jol being sacked?
Bobby – I can see the point you are trying to make but you what about other examples?Emile Heskey has been regarded by a number of managers as a good all-round player – would you pick him over Ruud Van Nistelrooy? There will always be a place for goal poachers although most people will agree with you that Ronaldo is all-round.
The pressure is mounting on Martin Jol – increased expectations going into this season – but I think it would be foolish to fire him. As for ‘Arry taking over – I can’t see that happening. Harry seems quite particular about who he works with and who is calling the shots. I don’t think he would be comfortable at White Hart Lane.
spike24 - What do you think of Glen Little of Reading? He flies under the radar, almost nobody talks about him, yet he consistently makes the best left backs in the Premiership look completely foolish. He is an absolute magician with the ball. His ability to get down the line and fire in great crosses defies logic given his utter lack of pace, yet you never hear him mentioned. Any thoughts?
Bobby- I would agree that he has an utter lack of pace! But he doesn’t seem to give the ball away to often and plays his position well. I’m not sure I would place him in the magician class though.
Rodog - Here is a trivia question that I hope will last 24 hours. I grew up in Great Britain. I came to the US and played college soccer in the late 1980's- early 1990's. I am currently playing in the SPL (for the second time). I have played in the EPL. I recently earned my 50th cap (now 52) for my country. Who am I? Where am I currently playing? And what US college/university did I play for?
Bobby – Very good question. I have the answer (I think) but I will wait to see if anyone else can answer before the 24 hours are up.
Kirbym - What do you think are the chances of Tevez sticking with West Ham? I see that though he finds the English managing approach a bit cold, he says he is comfortable at WH (of course, I did read that in The Sun). Despite their struggles, this team is not a Watford--they're a talented side that has underperformed horribly. Should they avoid relegation, I can see them finishing much higher next season once they've regrouped mentally. Sordid implications of the third-party deal aside, I can see WH as being an attractive team for Tevez, more so than Mascharano. And it would be nice to see a fantastic player plying his trade somewhere other than the big 4.
Bobby – I read that the Actim Index currently ranks Tevez as the worst player in the Premiership. However, he seemed to give WH some jump in the second half against Watford and hammers fans can only hope that if he gets one goal he will get many.
AlexMorph - Not to kick a dead horse here, but with every article about England I keep reading the exact same thing: Lampard should be dropped for a more suitable partner to Gerrard. Admittedly, Lampard's form for England hasn't been great (and that could be the reason, who knows), but with his club form nearly impeccable clearly superior and his work rate at least equal, does all the criticism being laid on him make sense? Do you agree that dropping Lampard for someone else would actually change things? And why, if either, should Lampard be the one dropped?
Bobby – The manager’s job is to put out the best functioning side. In the case of Lampard and Gerrard I don’t think either of them has consistently shown club form on the international stage so either or both should be on the chopping block. As stated elsewhere friendly games should be the forum for trying different formations but McClaren felt that he couldn’t afford to try something different against Spain – of course others will point out that McClaren only experiments in competitive games!
Gregz - What do you think about Alexandre Hleb and Mathieu Flamini? Are they good players that bring diversity to the Arsenal team or is it that they look good under Wenger's system.
Bobby – I watched Hleb play for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga before he moved to Arsenal and he is a terrific player. He plays on the edge and needs to be right on his game, otherwise he can look awful. I regard Flamini as the modern day Gilles Grimandi. Many wonder how he makes the team but Wenger has a lot of faith in him. Remember how well he played at left back last season when Cole and Clichy were out injured? His versatility does provide the manager with a number of options as we saw on Sunday when he came on for Justin Hoyte.
Henry14 - How do you feel the Reyes and Baptist issue will be resolved, it appears Madrid do not want to buy him and Baptista seems to be settling and l for one personally would choose Baptista, what do you see happening. One more thing l feel Ronaldo is saying to Madrid and Barca come and get me and l feel he might go next season.
Bobby – I can’t see Reyes returning to London. Reyes is very talented but plays in spurts and he never looked comfortable in the Premiership. Baptista is a player that provides a couple of options. When he moved to Sevilla from Brazil he was a defensive midfield player. On Sunday when Djourou went off, Silva dropped back to central defense and Baptista dropped back into midfield. Overall Baptista looks to be a better Premiership fit than Reyes.
Djnima – I wanted to hear your thoughts on your fellow Fox Football Pundit Nick "get the beers in" Webster.
I do admit that his prediction does look set to come true, but who knows who else Fergie can bring to the team in January. I hope for the leagues sake that it does go down to the wire. I think Chelsea need to reinforce the back four and bringing Cech back will help. I do think Utd were unlucky to come away with a result. They don't seem to "go for the jugular" as Fergie puts it. Thoughts?
Bobby - I think I would like to comment on it from my perspective rather than providing my thoughts Nick’s article. First of all, I picked Chelsea to win the Premiership this season and I still think come May they will be the champions. However, the shine has been removed from Chelsea this season-this is not the team we have seen the last two years. A pattern has evolved whereby Chelsea get behind in a game or are having trouble breaking down the opposition -- Newcastle as an example – then Essien moves to wingback, they throw on another forward or two and they finish up getting a result.
Chelsea is allowing the opposition to score first to a far greater extent than we have seen before. They have also all lost to Middlesbrough and Spurs after taking the lead. If they don't get themselves sorted out they will drop more points. By now teams should know what to expect in terms of the Essien move and you should see teams adjust their tactics accordingly. Clearly Mourinho has been unable to sort out the predicament of Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard essentially occupying the same position. It is a bit like the Lampard/Gerrard problem that England suffers with. Chelsea has relied on a few players to bale them out this season- Drogba perhaps being the most prominent.
Henry14 - Gone are the days that you would look at the league fixture as an arsenal fan and predict a win on Saturday l noticed something that l never thought would happen. A new all time low was recorded in the gunners’ team. Surely the young team has made the standards of the arsenal team fall. l could not believe that drawing with Portsmouth is now seen as symbol of character, something that was unheard of a few seasons ago. Arsenal built their reputation on thrashing all the teams they have drawn with at home. Half the season have gone one has come to a conclusion that surely some of the players are highly overrated. l watched the Portsmouth game twice and suddenly saw that they is no longer any pride in pulling the Arsenal jersey. RVP, Clichy, Eboue, Hleb, Toure, Djouru have all been a disgrace this season. l could not believe that we can not have a two match winning streak. These players has been living in the glory of Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Vieira, Ashley Cole, Sol, Lauren to such an extent that they are happy to have the ego that comes with it but not the performance. These players have not stepped up and to show how their ego affects them after a performance like that some of them go to the media and claims their can still win the league which is disrespectful to the fans. They are young but so are 11 of the 20 teams in the Premiership and if they are not careful they are staring at UEFA cup football in the face and an empty stadium. The reality that Wenger hides from is that he should sign two or three good experienced players in midfield and attack.
Do you think there is any better country at producing strikers like Italy, if you look at their goal scoring chart over the seasons it is amazing. And what do you think about Sheffield United.
Bobby - Henry14, I am beginning to get bit concerned that you are going to do yourself a mischief jumping on and off the Arsenal wagon. You're upset about drawing with Portsmouth, but go back to the “Invincible Year” and did Arsenal not draw with the newly promoted Portsmouth that season? Young players do not become better players by not playing them. In your words signing “two of three good experienced players in midfield attack” assumes that these players are automatically better than what Arsenal presently has.
As for Italian strikers, I can think of a few countries that are better at producing goal scorers. Brazil and Argentina come quickly to mind. You will have to explain to me what is amazing about the Italian goal scoring charts over the seasons.
Neil Warnock has Sheffield United working very hard and it has paid off with some vital goals in the last few weeks. However, I cannot see them doing anything else but battling relegation all season although I fancy their chances of eventually surviving.
Jeffers77 - What do you think are the chances that Tottenham will win a trophy this year? They’ve been in great form lately, looks like they are coming together very well as a team. They’ll have to win some big games obviously to have a chance at winning something, but I think they could pull it off this year.
Bobby - Martin Jol has been talking up the UEFA Cup so that may be his number one target. But if you look at the last 32 of the UEFA Cup I think you can see is going be extremely difficult tournament to win.
Dwight4007 - Arsene Wenger has been having some emotional control issues lately. Given his fantastic success over the past 10 years, is he displacing some frustration over the play of his young team onto opposing managers and match officials?
Bobby - Probably.
Bigdavedisaster - With Keane's injury do you think he is done at White Hart Lane? I hope not because I believe that Spurs increased level of play cannot be credited to the matching of Berbatov and Defoe but rather to the play of Huddlestone who just gets better with every match.
Bobby - Perhaps with his injury it might make it more likely that Keane will not leave come the January transfer window. It certainly looks like Huddlestone is the heir apparent to Michael Carrick. He seems to be improving rapidly and certainly looks the part.
Realmadridccfan – 1. What do you think of the FIFA rankings that FIFA re-jigged after the World Cup? They make no sense at all! How does the United States end up 30th at this ranking, Canada 82nd, Trinidad & Tobago 91st, Guinea 23rd and Cuba 46th? This new formula that FIFA has come up with is pretty dumb.
2. Out of all the EPL managers right now, which club get's their money's worth in terms of getting the most out of their players and the financial resources (or lack their of) that the club has?
3. Who do you think is the most under-rated and over-rated goalkeeper in Spain's La Liga right now?
Bobby–1. I pay no attention to the FIFA rankings – absolute worthless ####. 2. It is going to vary from week to week, and I think you can only make that call come the end of season. However, Bolton has to be ranked highly on a value for money to points basis. 3. There are more avid watchers of La Liga than me who are better qualified to comment on the goalkeepers. However, I would throw in the name of Roberto Abbondanzieri (Getafe) as someone who perhaps doesn’t get enough credit; on the other side I think Carlos Kameni (Espanyol) is often more style than substance.
LosAngelesChelseaFan - I agree 100% with your Summary on Chelsea on FSWR tonight (Chelsea not as good as last year’s 4-3-3 team, Boularouz being a disaster, risky tactics, Drogba getting more space, etc.).
I really don’t get the claim by the media that Chelsea has a deep squad to get them through while others may not last. They’ve been running on fumes and 30 yard strikes recently. We had this discussion earlier but they have no right winger, they only play well when they take Geremi off the pitch, there’s no CB coverage and we all know the Ballack/Sheva issues. Terry’s injury may not be trivial and explains his pretty passive displays of the last month or so. Kalou, Mikel are high risk.
It was interesting that JM today said that he wouldn’t have played the midfield diamond if Terry had been fit. I guess they can’t just dump Sheva, and I guess Ballack will be in the picture till they have someone better or they switch formations.
Do you have any thoughts about who Chelsea could get in the transfer window? Maybe there’s a swap on the way. Have you heard any rumors? Who do you think Man U should/could get?
Bobby - The last thing Chelsea need is to sign more players. They have not successfully integrated the ones they signed in the summer saw adding more to the mix is not going to make the situation any better. I think many Manchester United fans are hoping that Fergie will sign another striker even with Larsson arriving on loan. It looks like the move for Owen Hargreaves is definitely off so it might free up some substantial money for Fernando Torres. But there again Atletico Madrid may want to keep him until the summer and make a big push for a Champions League spot.
blissStreet - I think you'd have to agree that the brown kit Tottenham wore this past weekend is even uglier than Bolton's purple one.
Bobby – I have to admit that Spurs strip out did the Bolton one. You certainly don’t come across too many brown strips and you can see why. Maybe someone can confirm or not – didn’t Coventry have some sort of brown uniform about 20 years ago?
Gunner44 - What do you think will happen to Barca now that they don't have Messi or Eto'o? Will they struggle or will it not affect them? I think Ronaldinho will now have to prove why he is in deed the best in the world coz his team desperately needs him. Also what do you think of Totti's performance so far and do think he can win something for Roma this season?
Bobby – Barcelona cannot afford more injuries their strikers and you are right Ronaldinho needs to step up. Taking a player like Eto’o cannot do anything but hurt Barcelona – the question over the next few months is whether or not they can pick up the slack. Messi missed a lot of last season anyway so I do not think he will be as big a loss.
henry14 – What do you make of Freddy Adu, l personally feel that he does not make the Man Utd grade because he did not set the less physical less faster US league on fire, do you feel he can make the grade.
Bobby – Freddy is just another young player with potential but with a lot of work and a long road ahead of him.
riocharlie - I've seen most of the Liverpool games this year and I was surprised to see Hyypia in the game. I thought Benitez would have preferred the younger more athletic Agger.
I wonder if Gerrard isn’t suffering a bit from all of matches he’s played in the past 2 yrs. He hasn’t looked good for awhile, and after the hour mark he went from the right to the center and was still missing in action.
Bobby – Hyypia certainly looked bad against Arsenal and I think you will see more of Agger in coming weeks. His style is very much like Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson and Gary Gillespie from Liverpool gone-by. He doesn’t look overly physical but he seems to read the game well and he can pass the ball. Good point on the number of games that Gerrard has played. It might also have accounted for Frank Lampard’s poor run at the start of the season.
neophyte - I do have a couple of thoughts--pass it through the truth meter and let me know what you think: I have noticed that when my (the team I coach)central midfielder (who can score and pushes like the Stevie G of old) doesn't feel confident with the back 3-4 he plays deeper and more defensively. This affects the whole team since he is the playmaker, similar to what Liverpool is doing. 2nd--If Gerrard could take a break from international duties and just rest a bit I think he would be better off. How could you do this and still play all the political games and stop the rumors etc.
Bobby – The international scene closes down until February so he wil get a rest from that. However, the holiday fixture list is just around the corner and that always takes a toll.
AlexMorph - If Liverpool doesn’t make the champs league do you see Gerrard moving on? What about Benitez? Where might they go?
Seems like Gerrard would be just what Madrid are lacking right now, or (dare I say?) Man U as a replacement for Scholes. Inter are always turning over managers, and Ancelotti must be in the pits at Milan, so maybe Benitez would go to one of those?
Bobby – No to Gerrard moving on and the same for Benitez. The Premiership performances might be poor but remember Liverpool has cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League. Capello has settled on his midfield – he will be quite happy with what he has – unless he wants to play Gerrard in Beckham’s old position but that is another discussion!!! As for Gerrard to Manchester – don’t hold your breathe. I’ve followed the English league for a long time and the only player I can remember moving between these two clubs was a player called Phil Chisnall in the mid-sixties – yes I was young at the time. He went from United to Liverpool. I remember being upset because I had just collected his card but then he went and got transfered.
Riocharlie – What’s the over/under on the number of injuries and withdrawals for Beckham to get a shot at his 100 caps?
Bobby – McClaren will take out a “help wanted” ad before he calls Becks.
henry14 - If you were Arsene Wenger how would you fit in Senderos and Djourou into the team when you have Gallas and Toure who are some of the most injury free players around, how would you cater for their improvement.
Bobby – You play them in the Carling Cup, the early rounds of the FA Cup and find opportunities in the Premiership when players might need a rest or are carrying a knock.
realmadridccfan - 1. What do you think of the new "designated player" rule by MLS? do you think it will be a good thing for MLS or do you think that it will begin the same fate as the NASL, for which they signed big name stars and within a few years folded up shop?
2. What about the new MLS-Mexican "Champions League"? Will this prove that MLS can compete with one of the top leagues in the world (or at least in the Americas?)
3. After two months of Spain's La Liga, who do you think have been the biggest surprise and disappointment are? My biggest surprise has got to be Sevilla at number two and are continuing on last year's fine form that won them the UEFA Cup. My biggest disappointment has to be Villarreal. The form that got them a UEFA Champions League spot in the 2004/05 season has disappeared.
Bobby – 1. As long as it does not become a free for all - which is what the NASL was - then I think the change will be good for MLS. 2. For a young league - and most of the MLS critics seem to ignore the fact – an opportunity to play against foreign opposition in a competitive format can only be good. However, I will be surprised if an MSL team wins the first couple of competitions. 3. Have to agree with you on Sevilla and Villarreal although Real Zaragoza (good) would run Sevilla close.
meansucka - You have to love the FA Cup with all these small clubs playing and the strange occurrences that ensue. From the coin throwing incidents to the 20 soccer balls kicked onto the pitch to the 35K pound loss accrued from playing at an empty Fratton Park. All unfortunate, to be sure. What is the strangest small club cup incident you've seen?
The MLS and USL seem to operate within both the US and Canada in contrast to football leagues in other countries. What are the implications from a governing body point of view and do you think it a wise idea overall with Vancouver and Toronto FC playing with the American teams? I know there's sometimes a debate over Celtic jumping ship and joining the Premiership.
Bobby – FA Cup and small club cup incident – nothing comes instantly to mind. The things that have stuck with me are the shocks such as Hereford knocking out Newcastle.
The Toronto playing in a US league is not as issue. There are numerous other examples around the world – Monaco in France, Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham in the English league, Berwick Rangers in Scotland. The issue of Celtic and Rangers jumping to the English league is how many Premiership clubs are going to be willing to vote themselves into the Coca Cola Championship at a cost of $50M – not many I would think.
djnima - 1. What do you think about Rooney's form lately? Didn't look that sharp against Blackburn even though he had 2 gifts.
2. What did you think about the RVN show this weekend? NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT AND IT KILLS ME! Real are only 1 game behind Barca and with the many players missing up front Real look like they have a good chance of ending the years drought. I don't know how far they can challenge into the champs league but I would love to see the New Real clash with an EPL or Italian Giant. Those are the kind of matches we live for. Thoughts???
Bobby – Rooney is an outstanding player who scored a hat trick the week before and he looked ok to me. I picked Real Madrid to win La Liga although the Champions League might be a better fit. I still think Capello will find a way to win something this season.
verbal97 - I'm surprised that nobody has brought up Mike Newell's comments. I think he's a good manager, based on overachieving (up until a month ago) with a team that should be no more than a team fighting relegation. I thought he would probably be offered a job in the premiership this upcoming summer if not sooner.
Now, he's almost definitely going to be fired, although the REAL veiled reason is his lashing at the team's directors. When (rather than if) fired, what will become of Mike Newell?
Bobby – He would have been ok if he had just sasid the assistant referee was ####.
travelcoach - Question about the fox soccer top 25 ... top 35 clubs.
I know this list is old and came out before the Revs loss this weekend and the, the ... well, whatever it was that Liverpool pulled ... but do you really see the Revs and Houston as being better teams than half the Prem?
My Manchester City seems unable to score this season; I'd love to see them play the Revolution in a friendly. But, to put either of these MLS teams above Bolton seems ... not right.
Bobby – Everyone who picks their top 25 has their own criteria. Personally, I have never picked an MLS team and don’t foresee me doing so for a few seasons yet.
koppite - This is a very frustrating Liverpool team. LFC needs a 25 - 30 goal a season striker. Bellamy, Crouch, and Kuyt will get maybe 15 each. The Reds lose the ball too easily and are too fond of passing backwards. A ball winner like Ronnie Whelan (who can also score) is badly needed. The Reds were successful when Rushie and King Kenny were ####ing in 40-50 goals a year and the midfielders McDermott, Souness, Whelan were each getting into double figures. Reina makes mistakes but so did every Liverpool keeper. Just the mistakes are amplified by lack of goals at the other end. Finally, Rafa has to understand that football is a team game, not a squad game. Gallas' goal was a prime example of a team not accustomed to playing together.
Bobby – Koppite, sorry to point this out but if Sheffield United had a 25-30 a season goal scorer they would doing alright as well. Benitez hasn’t been given the resources to go and spend $40M plus to land someone of that caliber.
Bigdavedisaster - With the transfer window approaching do you see any big players moving and are US players able to be signed by EPL sides now? I have also been having a fight with friend about which is the bigger collapse Forest or Leeds and is there any other comparable to them?
Is England boss the toughest managerial position in football from a pressure stand point?
Bobby – No European Cup winner has fallen as far as Nottingham Forest so I would say that Forest’s collapse is the greater although Leeds was more intense. Ferencvaros - one of Hungary’s most renowned clubs - was runners up to Leeds in the 1968 Fairs Cities Cup (now the UEFA Cup) and to Dynamo Kiev in the Cup Winners Cup in 1975 and is currently on the point of bankruptcy and may disappear.
Former East German clubs have not fared well. FC Magdeburg beat Milan to win the Cup Winners Cup in 1974 and are now in a German regional league. Carl Zeiss Jena were Cup Winners Cup runners up in 1981 to Dinamo Tbilisi – now in a German regional league. Lokomotive Leipzig (another runner up in the CWC this time to Ajax in 1987) went bankrupt and was dissolved a few years ago. The team was reformed as an amateur outfit and had to start at around the 10th tier in Germany. “When Saturday Comes” had an article on them about a year ago and at that time they were regarded as the team that had fallen the furthest after reaching a European final.
As for the toughest managerial position in football – I would go for the Italian national team job.
