Setanta takes the “For Sale” sign down.

Andrew Jennings on Peter Hargitay, a "strategic adviser" to England's 2018 World Cup bid.

Simon Kuper sits down to chat with Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.

An excellent Monday morning column from Martin Samuel.

Gabriele Marcotti says that 442 is so yesterday and he is not discussing the magazine.

Here is a listing of the January 2008 transfer moves. Hard to find one player who could be regarded as a instant success.


Nigel Reed says that Laurent Robert “has to recapture the desire, the passion and the hunger that distinguishes great players from good players.” Recapture? Great player? Laurent Robert? We will see.

This is the same Laurent Robert who Sir Bobby Robson described as "the most difficult player I have ever worked with in my career".
Although Robert apparently saw things differently - “I had four years with Newcastle, one in the Champions League, the others in the Uefa Cup as we finished in the top five,” the 32-year-old said. “Some people may speak bad about me, but I am no troublemaker. If you speak with Bobby Robson, I never had a problem with him.” That from the Times in January.

At best we might get a short glimpse of some of his better past performances - a few decent free kicks, a couple of blistering goals – then the problems will surface.


A while ago I put a link up to a website created by Bill Turianski. Bill’s specialty is sports maps with a lot of them focused on soccer. There is some wonderful stuff here.


David James on making it to Wembley for another FA Cup Final.

With the exception of West Ham and Portsmouth who play on Tuesday, the other Premiership sides have five games left. Five teams have already gained more points than they finished last season with.

The most improved at the moment is Manchester City with 49 points to last season's 42. On the other side of the ledger three teams have already guaranteed that even with 15 points still to be played for they will finish with less points than last season.

The worst of the worst - Bolton. Last season they finished with 56 points and so far they have only garnered 26. Down an incredible 30 points so far.

Thierry_Henry - From your point of view, do you think Setanta Sport which charges $15/m in Canada will have any success? I think the Premier League might be squeezing its loyal subscribers out. I don't think there are many people in Canada who are soccer crazy enough to pay that kind of money.

If it was hockey, yes. but soccer... I doubt. It's only the die hard or professional analysts like you who will pay for it. I had a few friends from Africa who used to wake up every morning to watch the EPL, but now they don't really bother...btw 300,000 subscribers in china on pay tv. wow. that is not even enough. how much do they pay per month? $15?

Bobby – It is interesting question especially given the news this week that Setanta may be sold. First of all I have been surprised how many people that I come across who I would have expected to subscribe to Setanta but have not.

Their reasons are diverse but price is an obvious issue and a lot are quite happy with a couple of game each weekend on Sportsnet and The Score. The market for seven or eight games a weekend is very limited. I don’t know the Setanta subscription numbers in Canada but I would be very surprised if it was in excess of 30,000.

Admittedly at $15 a month that is a fair chunk of revenue but that is not what the company would pocket. It is probably more like $8 or $9 a month after paying money to the cable and satellite delivery systems. The bad news for fans is that I would reckon that $15 a month is the thin edge of the wedge.

Whoever buys Setanta (and they will certainly be sold) will be faced with actually having to make a profit. The only way to do that is either cut costs, increase prices or increase audience. Guess which is the easiest?

Setanta has been happy to rack up losses while acquiring programming assets and offering discounted subscription fees particularly in the UK. The company line is that Setanta will break even this year or next but there are some legitimate doubts that this might actually happen.

The larger problem is that Setanta has forced programming costs up in the markets where they compete and have in turn fueled the expectation that these markets will generate ever higher rights fees.

If they are not sold and turned profitable in a year or so, a loss making Setanta will be back at the table and having to pay even more for the Premiership. From the weekly viewing figures I have seen Setanta Canada has not served to increase the viewing figures for the Premiership in Canada.

Last season audiences of 90,000 plus were very normal for Sportsnet Saturday morning games. Just two weekends ago the audience for the Saturday and Sunday games did not exceed 65,000. Sportsnet garnered 104,000 for that horrible Everton-Reading game on Saturday which was a very decent number but Chelsea vs. Liverpool only attracted 77,000.

The news last week that the Score was cutting back on their soccer coverage that had only been beefed up in August to support their one game each week is probably another sign that the Premiership although popular is still a niche market. .

Ringo - Do you know of any viewing figures for FSC/FSWC?

Bobby – Neither channel subscribe to ratings and so I don’t know if there are any reliable numbers out there. I’m guessing that FSWC is probably around 750,000 subscribers in Canada while I believe that FSC in the US is around 30m.

However, there is always going to be a large discrepancy between subscribers and regular viewership.

Craigy_f - Did you watch the Udinese V Juventus game? Did it live up to your billing? Did any other game surpass it?

Bobby – I did not watch it . It wasn’t televised in Canada. I watched Inter-Catania, Roma-Reggina and a good portion of Milan-Siena. None of them very inspiring.

Redfan2000 - What's your opinion on Inter Milan? Can Rafa's redmen overcome the blue of Milan do you think? Who is your favourite for this year's Champions League and UEFA Cups? If you were Rafa where would you strengthen?

Bobby – I picked Inter to win the CL at the start of the season but it was not a choice made with any great confidence. I think the glass jaw might come into it. Certainly Liverpool can beat Inter but if I had to pick this one I would stick with Inter.

Out of the last 32 I don’t think I could name 20 of the teams left in the UEFA Cup without checking uefa.com. I will have a look when it gets down to the last 8.

As for strengthening Liverpool? Definitely on the flanks – both fullbacks and two wide players. I know a lot of fans want Babel through the middle and it is probably his best spot. His crossing is not good enough.
Harry Kewell – I think it is time to cut bait.
Jermaine Pennant – not good enough.
Yossi Benayoun – gets a pass mark but looks more comfortable coming infield rather than staying wide.

As for the centre of midfield I would say the question (as long as Rafa is around) has changed from who plays with Gerrard to who plays with Mascherano. I thought that Mascherano on Sunday against Chelsea was the only player worth watching.

Neophyte - Did you see the Barcelona v. Sevilla match? La Liga still captures my respect. I love the style and pace I see there. Did you happen to see Capel? I believe he is only 19 yrs. old. He looked incredible. I have seen quite a youth movement in Spain more so than any other league (except maybe Holland). Am I correct or are there just as many U-20's in the Premiership that I'm just not aware of?

Bobby – I did see that game. Capel played well for Spain at the under-20s last summer and I am pretty confident in saying that he played at Emirates against Arsenal earlier this season in the Champions League. T

here are not too many under-20 players in the Premiership. If you take a look at the England under-21 and under-19 squads you will see very few names that are recognizable.


Djnima - Do you think Schuster deserves the credit for Real Madrid's success?

Bobby – Did I miss something? I didn’t realize that Real Madrid had won a trophy this season under Bernd Schuster. I didn’t realize that success for Real Madrid was now defined by leading the league, getting to the knock out round of the Champions League and getting knock out of the Copa del Rey. A bit too early for assigning credit I think.

Davard - Last week you posted an interesting article by a journalist regarding playing into his late 30's in a recreational capacity, and the subsequent physical toll.

Since I have seen you post about still playing the game today, I am curious what your experience has been relating to your overall fitness and football abilities, and overall knowledge/instincts as you transitioned from 20's, to 30's, 40's and onward.

Being in my 30's, and still loving playing the game, just curious to see what I have to look forward to. :)

Bobby – I guess I would sum it up with “I wish I knew then what I know now.” I was taught that running – and particularly up and down sand dunes during pre season – got you fit and maintained it.

Looking back on it that sort of training may have worked when you were 17-22 but at a certain point it makes you very one paced – especially if you did not have a lot of quickness to begin with.

I have learned over the last couple of seasons how important the core of your body is and how it contributes to fitness and balance. Working with weights has made a ton of difference to me as well as working on flexibility - although I still have Scottish hamstrings!!

There was point around four years ago that I would pull a hamstring bending over to tie a shoe lace. Fifty year old+ hamstrings are always going to be problematic but I have experienced a significant improvement since changing my fitness approach.

Overall I think I am in better physical shape than I was a decade ago and it comes down to having a better understanding of what helps you stay in shape and what doesn’t really work. There is no way I can turn up in April without preparing for it and expect not to get injured.

Back in the more serious playing days I could take October to December off but I came to the conclusion that I could not take any months off and I have to keep at it throughout the year. Over time your body will deteriorate but you definitely have a choice about how quickly it will happen. The good news is that you never stop learning and experience helps.

Craigy-F 1. Would you attend a Premier League game in the US or Canada? 2. Do you always watch football with the same mindset? 3. Anyone in football you would refuse to interview? 4. Are you a left footer or a right footer? 5. What's the most trouble you've gone through to see a game?

Bobby –1. I doubt it very much. A choice between Birmingham and Wigan and DC United and Toronto FC – I would give my money to MLS.

2. I’m not sure what you mean by mindset. I watch a game hoping that I will be entertained and in some cases astonished at the ability of some players. However, my expectations do change depending on who is playing.

3. Never really thought about it.

4. Where I come from that is a religious question but I am assuming that is not what you mean. Right footed…very right footed although I have always been comfortable playing on the left side.

5. Three memories. Trying to find a game that was on during a cold snap in Scotland. Each game we decided to go to got postponed with two of them while we were on the road or actually outside the park.

The fifth choice was a junior game that we finally got to with half an hour played.

Second memory – having to go to bed very early on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights in order to be allowed to go with my Dad to see Dundee in the European Cup on Wednesdays. For a seven year old that is tough bargain especially because no one at school believed me about getting to go the matches.

The last one involved an incredible amount of weaseling, trading and logistics in order to get to Athens, Georgia to see the 1996 Olympic Final between Nigeria and Argentina. I was working at the Olympics in Atlanta and needed to rearrange a work schedule, get a ticket and arrange a ride to and from Athens.

The only way to get to Athens was with someone who wanted to see the Gymnastics final (?) and had to be in Athens at something like 8:00 a.m. in the morning. He game was not until 3:45 p.m.

It all worked out in the end but there are people who still think I was crazy for passing up on the Mens 4X100 metre final the same day.

But Nigeria won 3-2, the game was a classic and it turned out to be a fantastic day.

Oranjespur 1- What I'm getting at is no team seriously wanting to contend for titles and cups can afford to accommodate a CB that can only play once every 3 games. I'm sure you could give examples but I just don't understand why Tottenham took so long on this issue to find a solid (um er Woodgates health record solid? hmmm) replacement for King.

2- What do you make of Hoddle's Academy setting base in Spain? It seems to me that the FA should try something similar and base it in England. I think Hoddle is on to something here and although the EPL may not see direct benefits from it but the Championship and SPL could.

3- What do you make of Sir Alex finding time to flyout right after the game to South Africa this weekend especially after all the noise he was making about EPL not respecting the 50th anniversary of the crash?

Bobby –1. I guess they thought they had got a temp replacement when they signed Rocha and then again when Kaboul last summer.

2. The FA has had trouble getting an academy for great young players going so I would not hold out hope that they could plan two. I’m guessing that the idea of going to Spain is mostly due to a better climate for outdoor practice.

3. Astounded that something like that would be planned mid season. Another sign that money now trumps game preparation at Old Trafford perhaps?

Henry14 - Q1 Was the impact of the African Cup of nations as adverse as pundits anticipated in terms of points lost or gained during the period in the Prem?

Q 2 What do you think caused Man Utd to lose 5 points during last two games?

Q 3 What is your reaction to the theory that Ronaldo has a Henry disease, that is bottles in big pressure fixtures?

Q 4 What have you seen as a football expert to be Adebayor's improvement this season?

Bobby –1. I am sure that fans of specific teams will be able to points lost because of players that took part in the tournament but I am not sure that many others will be much attention to them.

2. Facing teams that were motivated, brave, well prepared and organized. The statistics would also show that United without Rooney this season are susceptible – missing for all four United league losses I believe.

3. I never bought into the Henry conventional wisdom. However, if Ronaldo hopes to be recognized as the best in the world then he is going to have to turn in performances that make the difference between winning major trophies and finishing second. Kaka has done it, now Ronaldo has to match it.

4. Not an expert, just a guy with a good memory and a few opinions. He looks like a player who enjoys pressure and the limelight without being overbearing or a diva. He is very willing to use his physique to a far greater extent than before and Wenger has shown great confidence in him.



Jeremy St Louis off on assignment to Barcelona and will hopefully be blogging while in Spain. He left this blog before he left.

And finally a group called the Canadian Soccer Federation has recently issued a plan that proposes to significantly change the way the game operates in Canada. After years of the Canadian Soccer Association issuing documents and promises but with little or nothing in the way of delivering on their good intentions the CSF overs up an alternative vision for a professionally run organization.

As well as an outline of their vision for the game the CSF has also gained access to a document prepared by Deloitte & Touche in 2005 that laid out an alternative form of governance for the CSA.
The CSA never released this document to the soccer public. You can find and read the document at CSF website.