Back in July I mentioned how football fatigue had got to me, and I said that the last match I had seen had been one of the CL semi-finals back at the start of May. I also said that I would be trying to ignore the football until the World Cup next summer, if I was allowed to do so, unless there was something at stake.
It’s only fair to admit how far I got. I watched the England-Croatia game, the final of the women’s European Championship between England and Germany, the Manchester United versus Besiktas game in the Champions’ League and the Everton versus AEK match in the Europa League.
There was something at stake in the England-Croatia game – qualification for the World Cup. However, more important than that was the fact that after four months without watching any football, I came to the game refreshed, and I finally felt a little bit of that excitement I used to feel as a child whenever England were going to be playing on the telly. The game was immense, but more than that I’m happy to have recovered just a fraction of that excitement.
There was most definitely something at stake in the other England game, and I enjoyed it as well – at least, I enjoyed it up until the point when I realised the boring, stuck-up German team and their unattractive football would prevail yet again.
The United-Besiktas game highlighted one important aspect of Premier League football. English fans claim to be the best in the world, but at the same time most of them claim that in recent years the grounds have changed and the clubs are trying to attract a different clientele. The Turkish crowd that night were without doubt the best fans I have ever seen in a football stadium, bar none. Manchester United generally play attractive football, but that night the real winners were the fans, and the match was worth watching just for that.
Everton’s demolition of the Greeks was also a joy to watch, because they played high-quality, high-energy football for the ninety minutes and never once appeared to be satisfied with the result. No diving, no pouting, no laziness. I hope they do well this season.
So it seems I was lucky in my choices – four excellent games with a lot to offer. However, I’m suspicious of such a good run. Maybe I’ll leave it for a while and come back to it in another four months. I’m sure it will be worth it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Calling time on the cheats
I like children. They are normally much more fun than their parents, although admittedly I also know plenty of parents who are good fun too.
But if a child is running riot in a restaurant it is the parents’ responsibility to correct their behaviour. If the parents are arrogant enough to neglect that responsibility, if they refuse to see that their child is behaving in a manner which is inappropriate to the circumstances, then the owner of the restaurant should step in and ask the parents to act for the benefit of all the other diners.
I have nothing against Arsenal, I think Arsène Wenger is a fantastic coach who has brought many good things to the English game, and I shared the good feeling of fans everywhere when Eduardo came back from his horrific injury.
Opinions vary on Arsenal, as they do on every other club, player and coach in the game. Some people think Gerrard is the best English player of his generation while others would describe him as one-footed and predictable. Some fans believe Drogba is a magician on the pitch while others would say he is nothing more than a thug who relies on brute strength to mask his lack of skill. For some in the game, Ferguson is the greatest ever manager and a football genius the like of whom has never been seen, whereas for some he will always be the master only of mind games and intimidation.
Horses for courses. And some observers of the game would claim that all of the above have bent the rules at one point or another.
However, diving is cheating and everybody hates a cheat. If any player dives, regardless of who they are, they should be banned from playing (for whatever amount of games is considered appropriate). And they should be banned by their own coaches, especially as any player who has to resort to diving is obviously not good enough to hold down a place. And if the coach refuses to do right by the game, then the relevant governing body should step in and ban both player and coach.
More than grass roots development and sharing the cash around, eradicating cheating from the game is the most important challenge facing football right now. If we allow managers to protect cheats, we might as well give up on the game before all the trophies are viewed with suspicion and all the kids spend their careers throwing themselves to the ground in an effort to imitate their heroes.
But if a child is running riot in a restaurant it is the parents’ responsibility to correct their behaviour. If the parents are arrogant enough to neglect that responsibility, if they refuse to see that their child is behaving in a manner which is inappropriate to the circumstances, then the owner of the restaurant should step in and ask the parents to act for the benefit of all the other diners.
I have nothing against Arsenal, I think Arsène Wenger is a fantastic coach who has brought many good things to the English game, and I shared the good feeling of fans everywhere when Eduardo came back from his horrific injury.
Opinions vary on Arsenal, as they do on every other club, player and coach in the game. Some people think Gerrard is the best English player of his generation while others would describe him as one-footed and predictable. Some fans believe Drogba is a magician on the pitch while others would say he is nothing more than a thug who relies on brute strength to mask his lack of skill. For some in the game, Ferguson is the greatest ever manager and a football genius the like of whom has never been seen, whereas for some he will always be the master only of mind games and intimidation.
Horses for courses. And some observers of the game would claim that all of the above have bent the rules at one point or another.
However, diving is cheating and everybody hates a cheat. If any player dives, regardless of who they are, they should be banned from playing (for whatever amount of games is considered appropriate). And they should be banned by their own coaches, especially as any player who has to resort to diving is obviously not good enough to hold down a place. And if the coach refuses to do right by the game, then the relevant governing body should step in and ban both player and coach.
More than grass roots development and sharing the cash around, eradicating cheating from the game is the most important challenge facing football right now. If we allow managers to protect cheats, we might as well give up on the game before all the trophies are viewed with suspicion and all the kids spend their careers throwing themselves to the ground in an effort to imitate their heroes.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
North of the border
And when that’s done, Benfica, Sporting and Porto can join La Liga, OL can join the Bundesliga and Grasshopper Club can join Serie A. Will that do you?
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