There are times in life when you simply don’t fancy doing something. Could be the weekly shop, making dinner or even a shower after an evening of football. It’s what I like to refer to as an ‘Urgggg’ moment – when even the thought of it is enough to put you off, resulting in you desperately searching for a good excuse not to do it like, ‘It looks a bit cold’ or ‘I’ll do it right after X factor.’ Yesterday evening I was hit with the urgggg’s big time……
Cramped into Oxford Circus tube station, 4 to 5 people deep, sweating from the heat and my own natural panic of so many people, the thought of just turning back and not going to Welling crossed my mind. It was cold, I was tired and my room still needed sorted out – all the reasons and excuses I could ever want to be honest!
This is what the Colin of previous years would of done though, the new improved 2008 model is a bit more single minded thankfully! After waiting for the third tube I happily popped myself on and continued on my weekly adventure! Easy!
So, I guess you’re all wondering what I learnt last night? Well we covered a couple of issues. Firstly how to use your assistant referees and what they are responsible for. Secondly, how to position yourself on the field of play so that you can see as much as possible, keep up with play and predict how play will run. All really interesting and has got me thinking on a couple of ideas which I will hopefully develop over the next few weeks and put into words!
Just as a little side note – Portsmouth versues AC Milan tonight!!!!!! One to remember as I don’t think it will be happening again any time soon. For some reason I fancy the blues to sneak a win here by the odd goal. Let’s say 2-1 with Distin scoring the winner.
Thursday 27 November 2008
Thursday 20 November 2008
Referee Course - Day 1
Last week I promised to keep all my loyal readers updated on how my referring course went. Unfortunately there’s not really a lot to talk about really, I even think the creative masterminds behind Dear Deirdre would struggle to turn the evening into a tale to catch the imagination of the nation but I’ll do my best. At worst, it’s going to be short and sweet.
Being the absolute paranoid man towards being late and finding places , coupled with my natural hatred of rush hour ,I hoped on a train from Charring Cross far too early and found myself in the culturally backwater that is Welling just after 5pm. After walking through one of the most despair inducing high streets I’ve ever seen I managed, using my legendary powers of map reading, to find the location of my course, in a church just off the main high street.
Satisfied that the church was the correct location I retired to have a quiet beverage in the local drinking parlour to mix with the locals and partake in general merriment. This was thoroughly enjoyable for 2 minutes before I decided that the book in my bag offered considerably more entertainment.
As the hour dawned nearer I went back to the Church only to find its hall occupied by the brownies! After finding out that the start time of 7 for the course was wrong and that the brownies had the hall tell 8 I retired back to the warmth of the pub, cursing the slackness of the FA and the evil masterminds behind the brownies....
Having received a phone call from the guy giving the course, apologising for his boss getting the times royally wrong, I made my way back to the church hall to start the course just after 8. All seemed good with the instructor Owen, telling us all about what a ref needs to do to before a match starts, such as inspect the pitch, equipment (balls, goalposts, corner flags etc ) and players themselves. Did you know the importance of socks pulled up over shin guards? – helps them stay in place, even under a challenge hopefully.
So overall? Enjoyable evening, with some good information and hopefully it will continue in this vain. I’ve got plenty of reading material to mull over so I should be tucking into that during the weekend. I’m guessing I’ll never watch Match of the day in the same light again though.
Being the absolute paranoid man towards being late and finding places , coupled with my natural hatred of rush hour ,I hoped on a train from Charring Cross far too early and found myself in the culturally backwater that is Welling just after 5pm. After walking through one of the most despair inducing high streets I’ve ever seen I managed, using my legendary powers of map reading, to find the location of my course, in a church just off the main high street.
Satisfied that the church was the correct location I retired to have a quiet beverage in the local drinking parlour to mix with the locals and partake in general merriment. This was thoroughly enjoyable for 2 minutes before I decided that the book in my bag offered considerably more entertainment.
As the hour dawned nearer I went back to the Church only to find its hall occupied by the brownies! After finding out that the start time of 7 for the course was wrong and that the brownies had the hall tell 8 I retired back to the warmth of the pub, cursing the slackness of the FA and the evil masterminds behind the brownies....
Having received a phone call from the guy giving the course, apologising for his boss getting the times royally wrong, I made my way back to the church hall to start the course just after 8. All seemed good with the instructor Owen, telling us all about what a ref needs to do to before a match starts, such as inspect the pitch, equipment (balls, goalposts, corner flags etc ) and players themselves. Did you know the importance of socks pulled up over shin guards? – helps them stay in place, even under a challenge hopefully.
So overall? Enjoyable evening, with some good information and hopefully it will continue in this vain. I’ve got plenty of reading material to mull over so I should be tucking into that during the weekend. I’m guessing I’ll never watch Match of the day in the same light again though.
Sunday 16 November 2008
Small change is best for pies
Wednesday night saw Didier Drogba make a choice that will probably hamper his goal to get back into the Chelsea first team. Due to the outstanding form of Nicholas Anelka, and injury this season, Drogba has hardly featured for the new look Blue’s under Phil Scolari. Given the chance to get some much needed match time against Burnley in the Carling Cup, Drogba seemed to have taken his chance with relish, scoring a tidy finish against the Championship team.
Drogba then celebrated his goal in front of the away fans, causing a small minority to respond to this, throwing coins down towards him on the pitch. Drogba responded to this by giving a single finger gesture and then threw a coin back into the crowd. It is because of this action that Drogba has been charged with violent conduct by the FA, with a hearing planned for Tuesday. He has until Monday evening to respond to these charges.
First of all it is important to realise that both Drogba and the fans who threw the coins, are both equally wrong in their actions. We live in a supposedly civilised world and if you were walking down the street with your sister or mother you would not expect anyone to throw anything at you, you would not even consider it a possibility. My question is this then, why do some football fans, and unfortunately they probably are fans, find that once they get inside a stadium the normal rules of society don’t extend that far, that they can do what they want. A few years back the AC Milan keeper, Dida, got hit by a flare from the crowd, this year a referees assistant got hit by a coin in the head, supposedly intended for Harry Redknapp. These actions clearly need to be stamped out of football. The question is how?
An FA spokesman has said that, “The FA wants anyone found guilty of throwing missiles to face the strongest possible action. That includes life bans from attending football matches." This is a highly encouraging sign from the FA that they acknowledge that any missile from the crowd is unacceptable and that the people doing this have no right to be anywhere need a football ground. The problem is how do you police this? Surely with all the CCTV cameras and stewards in modern grounds today it must be plausible to expect some of the perpetrators of these actions to be identified? But, for whatever reason, this does not seem to happen, or at least, does not happen within the public eye. This is something that the FA, the police and the grounds need to work on together to ensure these people are identified and banned from grounds for life.
This leaves Mr Drogba carrying the can on this coming Tuesday as he was the only individual identifield that evening. Drogba has only himself to blame in this matter and his actions are inexcusable. Even in the heat of the moment one must realise that throwing a coin towards a group of people is a stupid idea at best and it is right that Drogba gets punished for this action. What is equally important is that the people who throw the coins onto the pitch are found and named and shamed as well, so that others are aware of the repercussions of such acts and will hopefully be more inclined to save their spare change for a half time pie.
Drogba then celebrated his goal in front of the away fans, causing a small minority to respond to this, throwing coins down towards him on the pitch. Drogba responded to this by giving a single finger gesture and then threw a coin back into the crowd. It is because of this action that Drogba has been charged with violent conduct by the FA, with a hearing planned for Tuesday. He has until Monday evening to respond to these charges.
First of all it is important to realise that both Drogba and the fans who threw the coins, are both equally wrong in their actions. We live in a supposedly civilised world and if you were walking down the street with your sister or mother you would not expect anyone to throw anything at you, you would not even consider it a possibility. My question is this then, why do some football fans, and unfortunately they probably are fans, find that once they get inside a stadium the normal rules of society don’t extend that far, that they can do what they want. A few years back the AC Milan keeper, Dida, got hit by a flare from the crowd, this year a referees assistant got hit by a coin in the head, supposedly intended for Harry Redknapp. These actions clearly need to be stamped out of football. The question is how?
An FA spokesman has said that, “The FA wants anyone found guilty of throwing missiles to face the strongest possible action. That includes life bans from attending football matches." This is a highly encouraging sign from the FA that they acknowledge that any missile from the crowd is unacceptable and that the people doing this have no right to be anywhere need a football ground. The problem is how do you police this? Surely with all the CCTV cameras and stewards in modern grounds today it must be plausible to expect some of the perpetrators of these actions to be identified? But, for whatever reason, this does not seem to happen, or at least, does not happen within the public eye. This is something that the FA, the police and the grounds need to work on together to ensure these people are identified and banned from grounds for life.
This leaves Mr Drogba carrying the can on this coming Tuesday as he was the only individual identifield that evening. Drogba has only himself to blame in this matter and his actions are inexcusable. Even in the heat of the moment one must realise that throwing a coin towards a group of people is a stupid idea at best and it is right that Drogba gets punished for this action. What is equally important is that the people who throw the coins onto the pitch are found and named and shamed as well, so that others are aware of the repercussions of such acts and will hopefully be more inclined to save their spare change for a half time pie.
Tuesday 11 November 2008
I'm going to try and be a referee!
Wanker, cu*t, bastard... these are some of the delightful phrases that get hurled at the bastion of justice on the pitch, the man in black, the referee. A thankless task that gets harder and harder every year with every mistake, every error, highlighted beyond comprehension on TV and radio. In comfy studios around the country so called pundits analyse football matches to death and often it is the participation of the ref in the game that forms one of the main taking points. Rarely praised, open to criticism, even hatred, the task of the referee to uphold the laws of the game is a hard one indeed.
Which is why I start on a course to be a ref next week.....
Why on earth do I want to become a referee then? What part of me wants to run the gauntlet of abuse they receive each and every match? Why do I want people who I will never meet potentially hate and loath me like no other? These are questions that I’ve asked myself recently and to be honest I have no real answer to them, they’re not even real considerations to me.
I guess part of it for me is the chance to fully understand the laws of the game. So many times have I watched a match and tried to get my head round the current version of the offside trap or trying to work out why someone got sent off for dangerous play – what on earth constitutes dangerous play these days? Is it just missing a tackle, clattering someone from behind or just the old fashion elbow to the head? Have you ever wondered what is the official definition of dissent and if it’s actually worth a yellow card? All these questions and more lurk in the dark and murky corners of my head, my instinctive lust for knowledge on every aspect of the game drives me to obtain as much as I possibly can.
Having never been blessed with athletic prowess or much confidence as a child, football pretty much passed me by in my school days. No one ever wanted the fat kid on their side, especially if his idea of an attacking run was nipping off to the tuck shop when the ball was down the other end! My own personal love of the game was born the day we got Sky Sports into our home and I was exposed to the Premier league in all its pomp and glory. Soon to follow was a trip to Wembley to see England and then regularly seeing games at Fratton Park, home of the mighty Portsmouth. At the time Portsmouth were a poor side in the old division 1 but I was well and truly hooked, giving up countless hours to radio and TV coverage, computer games, magazines, anything that I could get my hands on really. I grew in love with the game and to this very day that love holds still strong.
Seeing if I can become a referee is a chance for me to try and be counted and give something of myself to help the enjoyment of others. All I think of is the beauty of the game and the need for the man in the middle to keep it beautiful. It’s a responsibility I do not take lightly and one that I’m not even sure if I can do. Still, I look forward to the challenge of it and seeing what can happen. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can update you all on my experiences and maybe see you the other side of it all if it all works out well – who knows? My first lesson is next week so will update my blog from week to week with what happens and how I feel. Hopefully it will be an eye opener for us all.
Colin
Which is why I start on a course to be a ref next week.....
Why on earth do I want to become a referee then? What part of me wants to run the gauntlet of abuse they receive each and every match? Why do I want people who I will never meet potentially hate and loath me like no other? These are questions that I’ve asked myself recently and to be honest I have no real answer to them, they’re not even real considerations to me.
I guess part of it for me is the chance to fully understand the laws of the game. So many times have I watched a match and tried to get my head round the current version of the offside trap or trying to work out why someone got sent off for dangerous play – what on earth constitutes dangerous play these days? Is it just missing a tackle, clattering someone from behind or just the old fashion elbow to the head? Have you ever wondered what is the official definition of dissent and if it’s actually worth a yellow card? All these questions and more lurk in the dark and murky corners of my head, my instinctive lust for knowledge on every aspect of the game drives me to obtain as much as I possibly can.
Having never been blessed with athletic prowess or much confidence as a child, football pretty much passed me by in my school days. No one ever wanted the fat kid on their side, especially if his idea of an attacking run was nipping off to the tuck shop when the ball was down the other end! My own personal love of the game was born the day we got Sky Sports into our home and I was exposed to the Premier league in all its pomp and glory. Soon to follow was a trip to Wembley to see England and then regularly seeing games at Fratton Park, home of the mighty Portsmouth. At the time Portsmouth were a poor side in the old division 1 but I was well and truly hooked, giving up countless hours to radio and TV coverage, computer games, magazines, anything that I could get my hands on really. I grew in love with the game and to this very day that love holds still strong.
Seeing if I can become a referee is a chance for me to try and be counted and give something of myself to help the enjoyment of others. All I think of is the beauty of the game and the need for the man in the middle to keep it beautiful. It’s a responsibility I do not take lightly and one that I’m not even sure if I can do. Still, I look forward to the challenge of it and seeing what can happen. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can update you all on my experiences and maybe see you the other side of it all if it all works out well – who knows? My first lesson is next week so will update my blog from week to week with what happens and how I feel. Hopefully it will be an eye opener for us all.
Colin
Wednesday 1 October 2008
The perials of Success: The Champions League
Last night saw another crushing demonstration of the quality that exists within the English Premier League, as Manchester United and Arsenal registered their first wins in this season’s champion’s league. Arsenal toyed with Porto and seemed to almost toy with them, like a cat playing with a crippled bird that it knows can’t get away. You almost felt sorry for them as Arsenal’s young guns played them off the pitch. Europe take heed, this season looks like it will be another one where the English teams thrive in the competition.
Across on mainland Europe United put in a professional display, seeing off the Danes of AaB Aalborg 3-0. It almost seems that when an English team takes to the Champions league it’s felt that whoever is put in front of them will be simply rolled over, unless it’s a team from Spain or Italy. Unfortunately the likes of the French, Germans, Portuguese and the Dutch are simply no longer able to compete with the billion dollar operations behind the teams of the Premier league and as more International businessmen invest their disposable incomes into English teams the situation will only worsen.
At the moment if you win your domestic league you not only get the prestige and money of being Champions of your nation but you also get a chance to partake in the money spinning, dream weaving fiasco that is the Champions league. Thus if your Champions of Denmark then you generate a pull to players within your own league and due to the money that can be made from winning competitions, or even making it to the Champions league, you can attract and afford the best that is available to you. This gives the reigning champions a potential advantage in retaining their own domestic crown and thus, getting back into Europe.
This situation seems to be happening almost everywhere. Think of the last time you saw a Dutch team that was not PSV or Ajax doing well in the Champions league? I bet you can’t. Look on wikipedia and you’ll still not be able to come up with anything. The simple truth is that their continuous involvement in Europe, coupled with their domestic dominance, puts them financially above their peers in their own country and more likely to win their league or qualify for Europe.
Let’s take this concept and apply it to the biggest, most lucrative league in the world, the English Premier League. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and United have been milking the benefits of qualifying for Europe on a yearly basis for many a year now. Each club can generate massive revenue from match day gates or, like Chelsea, have an owner who spends money for fun. It is the dominance of the big four at home and now abroad that is of major concern to me.
It’s almost taken for granted now that the English teams will make it to the knock out stages of the Champions league and to be honest, with the quality of player in their squads, let alone their starting 11, it would be a footballing and financial nightmare if they did not qualify. Each team boasts of some of the best players in the world and more and more seem to come to England to get their slice of the plentiful pie that is on offer. Money talks and a footballers career is short so who wouldn’t want to play over here? Unfortunately it means that a large percentage of world class footballers end up in England and not elsewhere in Europe. Take Nani for example or even Ronaldo. Both left Sporting Lisbon at young ages for big money, just imagine the potential success Lisbon may have had if both were kept and developed...Instead they were cashed in on.
The Champions league is almost becoming boring now as you know the familiar names and faces from Europe will qualify for it and the English clubs will inevitably do well in it. The magic that existed within the game is going as money takes a firmer grip on it and the same teams start to dominate the scene. You might say this is fair enough and is just reward for the efforts of the clubs at the top of the European tree but it just means the competition loses in the end. People will lose interest if it’s always Man United versus AC Milan or Arsenal versus Barcelona in the final. The competition is a victim of its own rewards handed out to the giants of the game, creating a bubble that is hard to pop or even break into. For many years the Scottish game has been mocked for its 2 horse nature but within a few years I feel the Champions league will be in a similar situation, just with a few more horses....
Across on mainland Europe United put in a professional display, seeing off the Danes of AaB Aalborg 3-0. It almost seems that when an English team takes to the Champions league it’s felt that whoever is put in front of them will be simply rolled over, unless it’s a team from Spain or Italy. Unfortunately the likes of the French, Germans, Portuguese and the Dutch are simply no longer able to compete with the billion dollar operations behind the teams of the Premier league and as more International businessmen invest their disposable incomes into English teams the situation will only worsen.
At the moment if you win your domestic league you not only get the prestige and money of being Champions of your nation but you also get a chance to partake in the money spinning, dream weaving fiasco that is the Champions league. Thus if your Champions of Denmark then you generate a pull to players within your own league and due to the money that can be made from winning competitions, or even making it to the Champions league, you can attract and afford the best that is available to you. This gives the reigning champions a potential advantage in retaining their own domestic crown and thus, getting back into Europe.
This situation seems to be happening almost everywhere. Think of the last time you saw a Dutch team that was not PSV or Ajax doing well in the Champions league? I bet you can’t. Look on wikipedia and you’ll still not be able to come up with anything. The simple truth is that their continuous involvement in Europe, coupled with their domestic dominance, puts them financially above their peers in their own country and more likely to win their league or qualify for Europe.
Let’s take this concept and apply it to the biggest, most lucrative league in the world, the English Premier League. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and United have been milking the benefits of qualifying for Europe on a yearly basis for many a year now. Each club can generate massive revenue from match day gates or, like Chelsea, have an owner who spends money for fun. It is the dominance of the big four at home and now abroad that is of major concern to me.
It’s almost taken for granted now that the English teams will make it to the knock out stages of the Champions league and to be honest, with the quality of player in their squads, let alone their starting 11, it would be a footballing and financial nightmare if they did not qualify. Each team boasts of some of the best players in the world and more and more seem to come to England to get their slice of the plentiful pie that is on offer. Money talks and a footballers career is short so who wouldn’t want to play over here? Unfortunately it means that a large percentage of world class footballers end up in England and not elsewhere in Europe. Take Nani for example or even Ronaldo. Both left Sporting Lisbon at young ages for big money, just imagine the potential success Lisbon may have had if both were kept and developed...Instead they were cashed in on.
The Champions league is almost becoming boring now as you know the familiar names and faces from Europe will qualify for it and the English clubs will inevitably do well in it. The magic that existed within the game is going as money takes a firmer grip on it and the same teams start to dominate the scene. You might say this is fair enough and is just reward for the efforts of the clubs at the top of the European tree but it just means the competition loses in the end. People will lose interest if it’s always Man United versus AC Milan or Arsenal versus Barcelona in the final. The competition is a victim of its own rewards handed out to the giants of the game, creating a bubble that is hard to pop or even break into. For many years the Scottish game has been mocked for its 2 horse nature but within a few years I feel the Champions league will be in a similar situation, just with a few more horses....
Saturday 13 September 2008
A few Premiership predictions for today.
Liverpool V Man United.
For some reason I quite fancy Liverpool to sneak this one, partially due to the fact that United have beaten them at home far too many times recently, so they’ve got to come good sooner rather than later, plus I think Sir Alex will try and accommodate Berbatov into his team and I have a gut feeling it just won’t work today. By the looks of it Gerrard and Torres will be involved in some shape or form and they will be the difference makers here.
Verdict
Liverpool 2 – 1 Man United
Portsmouth V Middlesbrough
After a slow start Portsmouth’s season kick started into life with a good 3-0 win away at Everton. Boro have started well with two wins and a highly credible display at Anfield but I just feel that this is the kind of open game that the Portsmouth team and fans will love to play in. Pompy to win this.
Verdict
Portsmouth 3 – 1 Middlesbrough
West Brom V West Ham
This is a tricky one to call with West Brom still seeking there first win back in the big time. They’re going to be really motivated for this game, especially with Zola taking his place in the opposition dug out for the first time. West Ham will be buzzing with his appointment and I expect a really great game of football at the Hawthorns this afternoon. I’m sensing a lot of goals and think West Brom will get something from this.
Verdict
West Brom 3 – West Ham 2
Newcastle United – V Hull City
Even with all that’s been happening at St James Park this week Newcastle still have far to much at home for Hull to deal with. Things might be difficult if the fans get distracted and turn their attention to Mike Ashley but I can’t see them doing this over supporting their own team. Hull were woefull against Wigan and made simple defensive mistakes that the likes of Owen will pounce on. Nothing but a conclusive home win here.
Verdict
Newcastle United 3 – Hull City 0
For some reason I quite fancy Liverpool to sneak this one, partially due to the fact that United have beaten them at home far too many times recently, so they’ve got to come good sooner rather than later, plus I think Sir Alex will try and accommodate Berbatov into his team and I have a gut feeling it just won’t work today. By the looks of it Gerrard and Torres will be involved in some shape or form and they will be the difference makers here.
Verdict
Liverpool 2 – 1 Man United
Portsmouth V Middlesbrough
After a slow start Portsmouth’s season kick started into life with a good 3-0 win away at Everton. Boro have started well with two wins and a highly credible display at Anfield but I just feel that this is the kind of open game that the Portsmouth team and fans will love to play in. Pompy to win this.
Verdict
Portsmouth 3 – 1 Middlesbrough
West Brom V West Ham
This is a tricky one to call with West Brom still seeking there first win back in the big time. They’re going to be really motivated for this game, especially with Zola taking his place in the opposition dug out for the first time. West Ham will be buzzing with his appointment and I expect a really great game of football at the Hawthorns this afternoon. I’m sensing a lot of goals and think West Brom will get something from this.
Verdict
West Brom 3 – West Ham 2
Newcastle United – V Hull City
Even with all that’s been happening at St James Park this week Newcastle still have far to much at home for Hull to deal with. Things might be difficult if the fans get distracted and turn their attention to Mike Ashley but I can’t see them doing this over supporting their own team. Hull were woefull against Wigan and made simple defensive mistakes that the likes of Owen will pounce on. Nothing but a conclusive home win here.
Verdict
Newcastle United 3 – Hull City 0
Sunday 31 August 2008
Quick rant about Scottish football
I’ve always taken a sadistic pleasure in knocking the SPL ever since I met Jonathan, who has the pleasure of supporting Glasgow Celtic. Celtic are a team rich in tradition and history but also a team, in recent times, rich in the embarrassments and miseries that fuel the banter of football fans around the world. Telfer, Dublin and Virgo, Doctor Jo and Jon Barnes, the night that saw, “Super Cally go ballistic,,” have presented me with enough ammunition to survive at least 5 relegations in my eyes. Maybe six if I’m lucky.......
To put it another way, I held the SPL in a very low light but was willing to sample it firsthand recently in a trip to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, to see if my short sighted opinion was in any way truthful.
With both alternative solutions, Hibs and Dundee United, playing away from home it was the Jam Tarts of Hearts that got the nod for my first Scottish football experience. Things did not start well with the far from enjoyable 35 minute queue to get tickets. For some reason I thought we would be presented with the familiar turnstiles of my youth but was dismayed by the snaking line coming from the ticket office. Bad times indeed.
Once in Tynecastle though I noticed how intimate the stadium was and how close we were to the action. We had somehow managed to get tickets in the singing section of the stadium and found ourselves smiling as the Hearts faithful belted out hit after hit during the match.
The match itself was a shocker in many respects. Hearts were clearly the better of their opponents, St Mirren, even before the sending off of Spaniard Tonet. Hearts had so much of the ball but failed to create any clear cut chances or use the ball effectively. To be honest some of the passing was poor but the crowd seemed far from annoyed with this, almost as if it was part and parcel of the game and was to be expected. It took a moment of speculative magic from the young striker Mole to give us and the Hearts fans the deserved reward for a first half full of energy and commitment but lacking in genuine quality.
The second half saw Hearts nearly throw away the game to their opponents, even letting them back into a match that by all rights should have been dead and buried by 60 minutes. St Mirren grabbed a scrappy equaliser but eventually Hearts possession paid off and two penalties, with one scored, giving the home team a thoroughly deserved win.
The football was far from magic at times but was played with passion, commitment and fairness, qualities often missing from the spectacle that is the English Premier League. I would definitely go again, but maybe not for £24!
To put it another way, I held the SPL in a very low light but was willing to sample it firsthand recently in a trip to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, to see if my short sighted opinion was in any way truthful.
With both alternative solutions, Hibs and Dundee United, playing away from home it was the Jam Tarts of Hearts that got the nod for my first Scottish football experience. Things did not start well with the far from enjoyable 35 minute queue to get tickets. For some reason I thought we would be presented with the familiar turnstiles of my youth but was dismayed by the snaking line coming from the ticket office. Bad times indeed.
Once in Tynecastle though I noticed how intimate the stadium was and how close we were to the action. We had somehow managed to get tickets in the singing section of the stadium and found ourselves smiling as the Hearts faithful belted out hit after hit during the match.
The match itself was a shocker in many respects. Hearts were clearly the better of their opponents, St Mirren, even before the sending off of Spaniard Tonet. Hearts had so much of the ball but failed to create any clear cut chances or use the ball effectively. To be honest some of the passing was poor but the crowd seemed far from annoyed with this, almost as if it was part and parcel of the game and was to be expected. It took a moment of speculative magic from the young striker Mole to give us and the Hearts fans the deserved reward for a first half full of energy and commitment but lacking in genuine quality.
The second half saw Hearts nearly throw away the game to their opponents, even letting them back into a match that by all rights should have been dead and buried by 60 minutes. St Mirren grabbed a scrappy equaliser but eventually Hearts possession paid off and two penalties, with one scored, giving the home team a thoroughly deserved win.
The football was far from magic at times but was played with passion, commitment and fairness, qualities often missing from the spectacle that is the English Premier League. I would definitely go again, but maybe not for £24!
Tuesday 12 August 2008
Has the Premiership lost its spark?
Has the Premiership lost its spark?
We are but days away from the opening fixtures of 2008-2009 Premier League and I guess I should be stupidly excited about the new season by now. My team, Portsmouth, have just had their best ever season, having finished 8th and won the FA Cup, a feat no Portsmouth fan would have ever given any realistic thought too, not even after a heavy nights worth of drinking. Everything should be rosy in theory, we’ve just bought a new 11miliion striker and are playing in Europe for the first time ever, it should be the stuff of dreams but I find myself becoming more and more disillusioned about the upcoming season.
Looking at the league it is highly unlikely Portsmouth will ever finish any higher than 8th and the best we could ever dream of is 5th. The harsh truth is we can never win the league, we will never come close. Back before the days of Sky Sports and Andy Gray a good manager could put together a team and try and aim for the stars. Look what Brian Clough did at Forest and Derby County.
Clough took two teams going nowhere fast and made them into league champions and in Forests case, European Champions. Clough had money to spend but not the bottomless pits that are in existence today and had to be clever with who he bought. It was the astute nature of his signings, plus his beliefs on the way the game should be played and his tactically nous, that helped bring him his success. The stark reality of today is this will never happen again in Britain unless Roman Abramivoch fancies a challenge and throws all his money at a team of no hopers or renames them Harchester United......
The fact Portsmouth can’t win the Premier League is made worse by the fact that they won’t. I’m not a glory hound looking to bask in the pleasures of victory, far from it, and I’m not saying winning is the be all and end all, but the fact we compete, and I use that term very loosely, in a league which has been monopolised by four teams since the mid 90’s, has rendered the premier league far from competitive.
The likes of Portsmouth, Villa, Everton, Man City and Tottenham are stuck at a crossroads of where to go from here. If they want to even vaguely challenge the status quo they need to spend big to attract the type of players to do so. But in doing so they put themselves in danger, buying over inflated and over priced players commanding excessive salaries. These salaries can only really be paid if the clubs are pulling in the gates and rewards of competing in the Champions League and even the UEFA cup. Look at Leeds United. They saw the dream and they chased it but when it went wrong the effects where catastrophic and now the club is spending its second season in league 1.
The trouble is that the big four will keep on getting the best talent from home and abroad as they have the big money and the big reputations. Liverpool won nothing last season, did not even come close, but can still attract a Robbie Keane for £20million. The big clubs have the big money, generated from the cash cow of the Champions league which they have all been regularly attending since the turn of the millennium. This money gives them a huge financial advantage over the rest of the league and one that I can never see being over turned.
The future? The rich get richer and the rest fight amongst themselves for a chance to go into the intertoto cup. All that can happen is that the 2nd tier of Premier League teams becomes solidified, making the league even more stagnant. I’m sure that fans of Rotherham, Bournemouth and Luton, teams who are staring into the mouth of oblivion and face an uphill struggle to stay in the football league would undoubtedly swap positions with Portsmouth but the reality of it is at least they have something realistically to aim for and achieve this year. Finishing 6th does not press the right buttons for me.
We are but days away from the opening fixtures of 2008-2009 Premier League and I guess I should be stupidly excited about the new season by now. My team, Portsmouth, have just had their best ever season, having finished 8th and won the FA Cup, a feat no Portsmouth fan would have ever given any realistic thought too, not even after a heavy nights worth of drinking. Everything should be rosy in theory, we’ve just bought a new 11miliion striker and are playing in Europe for the first time ever, it should be the stuff of dreams but I find myself becoming more and more disillusioned about the upcoming season.
Looking at the league it is highly unlikely Portsmouth will ever finish any higher than 8th and the best we could ever dream of is 5th. The harsh truth is we can never win the league, we will never come close. Back before the days of Sky Sports and Andy Gray a good manager could put together a team and try and aim for the stars. Look what Brian Clough did at Forest and Derby County.
Clough took two teams going nowhere fast and made them into league champions and in Forests case, European Champions. Clough had money to spend but not the bottomless pits that are in existence today and had to be clever with who he bought. It was the astute nature of his signings, plus his beliefs on the way the game should be played and his tactically nous, that helped bring him his success. The stark reality of today is this will never happen again in Britain unless Roman Abramivoch fancies a challenge and throws all his money at a team of no hopers or renames them Harchester United......
The fact Portsmouth can’t win the Premier League is made worse by the fact that they won’t. I’m not a glory hound looking to bask in the pleasures of victory, far from it, and I’m not saying winning is the be all and end all, but the fact we compete, and I use that term very loosely, in a league which has been monopolised by four teams since the mid 90’s, has rendered the premier league far from competitive.
The likes of Portsmouth, Villa, Everton, Man City and Tottenham are stuck at a crossroads of where to go from here. If they want to even vaguely challenge the status quo they need to spend big to attract the type of players to do so. But in doing so they put themselves in danger, buying over inflated and over priced players commanding excessive salaries. These salaries can only really be paid if the clubs are pulling in the gates and rewards of competing in the Champions League and even the UEFA cup. Look at Leeds United. They saw the dream and they chased it but when it went wrong the effects where catastrophic and now the club is spending its second season in league 1.
The trouble is that the big four will keep on getting the best talent from home and abroad as they have the big money and the big reputations. Liverpool won nothing last season, did not even come close, but can still attract a Robbie Keane for £20million. The big clubs have the big money, generated from the cash cow of the Champions league which they have all been regularly attending since the turn of the millennium. This money gives them a huge financial advantage over the rest of the league and one that I can never see being over turned.
The future? The rich get richer and the rest fight amongst themselves for a chance to go into the intertoto cup. All that can happen is that the 2nd tier of Premier League teams becomes solidified, making the league even more stagnant. I’m sure that fans of Rotherham, Bournemouth and Luton, teams who are staring into the mouth of oblivion and face an uphill struggle to stay in the football league would undoubtedly swap positions with Portsmouth but the reality of it is at least they have something realistically to aim for and achieve this year. Finishing 6th does not press the right buttons for me.
Sunday 10 August 2008
Portsmouth V Manchester United Preview
Portsmouth V Manchester United Preview
Out of all the glorified pre-season competitions in the summer this is the one that probably captures the average football fans interest. The traditional curtain raiser between the league champions and the FA Cup winners has lately become a game of chess between the big four, with teams unwilling to lose kudos and the psychological blow of losing to one of their major rivals before the season starts. Thus we have seen dull encounter after dull encounter as the big four dance the dull dance of not wanting to lose. Not since 1996 (Manchester United V Newcastle United ) has there been a team outside of the top four in this curtain raiser. All eyes are on Portsmouth and United to put on a game that reignites are interest in the Premier League once more.
Portsmouth should hopefully make a game of it and much will be expected from the Defoe-Crouch partnership in their first official game together for the club. If this little and large partnership hit the ground running then United might just find themselves in a game. I’m hoping that Harry Redknapp puts out a team to have a go and not just enjoy a nice day out in the sunshine. If Portsmouth play then it will bring the best out of United and they’ll push themselves that bit extra to avoid losing a game they’re very much expected to win. Let’s hope we have goals as at the end of the day, goals win games and I do love goals, lots of them.
Prediction – Portsmouth 3 – United 2
Out of all the glorified pre-season competitions in the summer this is the one that probably captures the average football fans interest. The traditional curtain raiser between the league champions and the FA Cup winners has lately become a game of chess between the big four, with teams unwilling to lose kudos and the psychological blow of losing to one of their major rivals before the season starts. Thus we have seen dull encounter after dull encounter as the big four dance the dull dance of not wanting to lose. Not since 1996 (Manchester United V Newcastle United ) has there been a team outside of the top four in this curtain raiser. All eyes are on Portsmouth and United to put on a game that reignites are interest in the Premier League once more.
Portsmouth should hopefully make a game of it and much will be expected from the Defoe-Crouch partnership in their first official game together for the club. If this little and large partnership hit the ground running then United might just find themselves in a game. I’m hoping that Harry Redknapp puts out a team to have a go and not just enjoy a nice day out in the sunshine. If Portsmouth play then it will bring the best out of United and they’ll push themselves that bit extra to avoid losing a game they’re very much expected to win. Let’s hope we have goals as at the end of the day, goals win games and I do love goals, lots of them.
Prediction – Portsmouth 3 – United 2
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