Always Fitba

Iceland's playoff place is a lesson for Scotland

2013-10-16T14:16:00.000+01:00

A country of just over 300,000 inhabitants whose national football team have never qualified for an international tournament, Iceland are considered minnows of world football. However, that is changing quickly now as Lars Lagerbäck's men have made an incredible achievement in reaching the playoffs for the 2014 World Cup. Their current national team has some very experienced players, but it is the younger stars in the team who are driving them to a new level. Reaching the playoffs is spectacular for a country like Iceland, but there is even more expected from this team which is still developing.

While the Scandinavian country reach a new high, Scotland, it seems are reaching new lows. Despite beating Croatia on Tuesday night, Scotland were the first European nation to be ruled out of qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although they are moving forward under Gordon Strachan, having won three games in the preliminary group under the former Southampton and Celtic manager, but there are still plenty of problems in the team.

Changes have been plentiful for each side over the last few years, while Iceland are promoting many young players into their senior team, Scotland have in recent years been reluctant to consistently bring youth into the national squad. I've decided to take a closer look into the differences in the promotion of youth between these two small nations.

Iceland reach the playoffs

An effective way to monitor the progress of a nation’s young players is to look at how many make the jump up from the Under 21 teams to the national team. Interestingly, we can compare our two nations directly, as the Under 21 teams met way back in October 2010 in a playoff tie which Iceland won 4-2 on aggregate (2-1 in both games) to gain entry into the 2011 Under 21 European Championship. Three years is a reasonable amount of time for a player to progress from an Under 21 team to a senior team, so it’s fair to look at how many have made the jump up.

Since then, the players involved for each side have gone two totally different ways. Iceland’s players have progressed immensely in those three years. In fact, so plentiful is the talent of this generation of Iceland’s players that it is considered the greatest pool of players the nation has ever had.

Of Iceland’s starting eleven in the first-leg of the playoff tie between the two sides, only two players have not represented the senior squad as of yet – goalkeeper Arnar Pétursson and right-back Andrés Jóhannesson, the remaining nine have all made at least one senior appearance. Add to that, two of the three oncoming substitutions, Alfred Finnbogason and Gudmundur Kristjánsson, have also played for the top Iceland team and one of the unused substitutes, Birkir Bjarnason, has received a total of 25 caps and even played in all ten World Cup Qualifiers. So, out of a total of 17 players, 12 have made the step up at some point from the Under 21s to the national team. Admittedly, four of those players have only played friendlies, but even two of those have played at least five of them. That means a remarkable eight players from the Under 21 squad of Iceland in October 2010 are regular members of the senior national squad and have played a part in their World Cup Qualification campaign. In fact, Aron Gunnarsson, who also played against Scotland, is the captain, playing 38 senior matches, including nine of the recent World Cup qualifiers, the same amount as Gylfi Sigurdsson. Finnbogason and Johann Berg Gudmundsson each played eight of the ten preliminary matches, while Bjarnason appeared in all ten, Rúrik Gíslason in seven, Kolbeinn Sigthórsson in five and Eggert Jonsson in three.

These players have all played a significant part in Iceland’s remarkable achievement of reaching the playoff round, all making steady progress and many have reached a high level in their playing careers. Finnbogason has been a revelation in the Eredivisie with Heerenveen and is tipped to achieve great things having attracted attention from the Bundesliga and the Premier League. Sigurdsson has been spectacular for Tottenham Hotspur for some time now, Gudmundsson is absolutely critical for a potent and exciting AZ team, Gunnarsson is an integral member of the Cardiff City team and Sigthórsson is leading the lines for Ajax and was Iceland’s top scorer in the qualifiers.

Reaching the playoffs is a remarkable achievement, but it’s only a sign of progress, it is not the peak for this exciting Iceland team. Even if they fail to qualify, they are expected to develop even further by the time qualification for Euro 2016 kicks off. In fact, it says a lot about the quality of the team overall when a player like Finnbogason cannot claim a regular place in the first-team, with Sigthorsson and legend Eidur Gudjohnsen being chosen to lead the attack in the last two matches. Also, very talented midfielder Victor Pálsson is yet to make his debut for the Lars Lagerbäck’s side, kept out by the ever present Gunnarsson, but he is being included in squads.

Sigthorsson nets a crucial goal which secured the playoffs for Iceland

Clearly, there are some exceptional talents being produced in Iceland at the moment. Their strategy of farming young talents out across the continent has brought a lot of success to those players and, importantly, they have managed it well at national team level too.

When you compare this to the progress of the Scotland U21 team of 2010, there is a stark contrast. Only six of the players who were involved (starting XI or on the bench) in either of the two legs against Iceland have received a cap for Scotland’s senior team. Danny Wilson, Barry Bannan, Andrew Shinnie, Chris Maguire, David Goodwillie and Leigh Griffiths have all done so. However only Griffiths and Bannan played in Scotland’s disastrous World Cup Qualifying campaign, with the former playing twice and the latter three times, the rest have played only a small amount of friendlies. You have to look beyond that solitary match to find another player who took part in that U21 qualifying campaign and has since represented the senior squad. There are only two: Murray Davidson, who has played one match – a friendly, and James Forrest, one of Scotland’s brightest prospect who played in three World Cup Qualifiers.

This suggests a massive difference in the attitudes between these two nations. Iceland are adept at nurturing their young players and they are all very capable of making the step up to the senior team. Scotland, though, seem to have fallen behind in this way.

Admittedly, this is just a snapshot of two Under 21 teams, a small sample rate, so let’s compare to another of our recent direct opponents.

In February 2012, Scotland’s U21 team hosted their Dutch counterparts in a qualifying match for the next edition of the European Championship. It was an interesting and entertaining clash in Paisley which finished 0-0. At the time, I noticed that every member of the Netherlands starting XI apart from striker Nacer Barazite was an integral first-team member of an Eredivisie team. Meanwhile, Scotland’s team, although very talented with the likes of Jordan Rhodes, Johnny Russell and Gary Mackay-Steven, didn’t have players of the same calibre and quality spread throughout it.

Leroy Fer and Adam Maher both played in three World Cup Qualifying matches and Bruno Martins Indi appeared in eight, meanwhile Marco van Ginkel has played in friendlies and Lerin Duarte and Jeroen Zoet have both been included in squads but are yet to receive their first cap.

Louis van Gaal has done remarkably well to bring these young players and many more in the shape of Kevin Strootman, Ricardo van Rhijn, Daley Blind, Memphis Depay, Jetro Willems, Stefan de Vrij and Jasper Cillessen up through the Dutch youth teams recently to contribute to their qualifying campaign.

Again, the nurturing has been critical.

Of the entire Scotland U21 squad that night, only Jordan Rhodes featured in Scotland’s campaign – playing in an impressive six matches.

There is such a huge difference between Scotland and countries like Iceland and Holland when it comes to promoting youngsters into the most senior national team. Of course, there are several possible reasons for this.

Rhodes has gone from U21 and is now becoming key for the senior Scotland team

Iceland’s generation is superb, of course, but perhaps this success is all just a freak accident, a one-off, the culmination of a group of exceptional talents which will never repeat itself. That, though, seems unlikely. The current crop of U21 players are all also very highly rated and are currently second in their qualifying group for Euro 2015, having just surrendered pole-position to France in a narrow 3-4 defeat. Also, this is something they have been building towards for a long time, seeing many players depart at a young age to gain experience on the continent, while their entire structure and philosophy was reformed 13 years go. For more on that, read this fantastic article by Graham Ruthven from March 2012: http://sport.stv.tv/blog/301436-scotland-should-look-to-iceland-to-arrest-talent-freeze/

Perhaps Scotland just isn’t consistently producing players who can form to make an impressive squad, but this too seems unreasonable. We always seem to have a bright U21 team, in fact looking at the players involved in all three of the matches I have reviewed, we had some particularly exciting youngsters. Forrest, Mackay-Steven, Wotherspoon, Rhodes, Russell, Maguire, Goodwillie, Griffiths and Bannan were all very highly rated, some of them are still tipped to go on and achieve great things. But the problem is that they aren’t being given a chance at the highest level. A big part of the problem does indeed seem to be in the jump up from the youth to the senior squads. Whether this is down to the attitudes of our players, the level of coaching at that level or a combination of the two plus our apparent distrust of youth is difficult to analyse.

Iceland and Holland have both at least given their players a chance, but in comparing the groups in this article, we can see that Scotland just haven’t done so. Even in order to give his young players a chance in the senior squad, Van Gaal had to dispose of some big name players in the Oranje, taking somewhat of a risk.

Is this down to the fact that Scotland just don’t care about Under 21 level? If that’s the case then it is a particularly damaging attitude to have. Italy, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Iceland, France and Norway are just a few teams who have placed a lot of trust in their Under 21 teams and there are some very talented players in each of those squads who are developing well and have the potential to go on and serve their national teams well. Regardless, it seems unlikely to me that Scotland don’t take it seriously enough – we do seem to fill our Under 21 teams with the most talented players we can.

That there are so few players who move up from the youth teams to the senior team at national level is, to me, a serious cause of concern. The reasons for it are hard, if not impossible, to prove. Coaching, attitudes, trust, or even just the fact that we aren’t producing good enough players are all potential reasons, but my aim here is not to simply say why Scotland, just to show how far we seem to have fallen behind other countries when it comes to bringing players into the senior team.

Iceland and the Netherlands both benefited immensely from promoting players from their Under 21 teams to the senior squads and giving these young players a chance. Iceland's achievement is particularly impressive, but as I said, there's even more expected from this generation and it can continue through the next generation of highly rated players coming through at the moment. In this writer's opinion, that attitude and belief is something which Scotland simply must adopt. It seems Scotland is moving forward under Gordon Strachan, but the promotion of youth is very important for the future of the national team.

If you'd like to discuss this further, find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterMcVitie

A review of Erik Pieters' 2012-13 campaign

2013-06-02T00:36:00.001+01:00

Reports have emerged that new Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has picked his first big-named transfer target. That top priority is PSV left-back Erik Pieters.

You may not know much about Erik Pieters, or you may think he's a good defender (he's decent, aye) and a player worthy of Stoke City (he is), but his 2012-13 season was probably the most bizarre and utterly chaotic one I have seen for some time, even though it only lasted two (partial) games. It's like a dark comedy, only in footballing terms. Quite sad really, but when you look back and think about it, it's quite funny (as I say, in a dark way, I take no joy from his pain).

Allow me to review the former Utrecht player's 2012-13 campaign:

First of all, we must go back one season and note that he played just 16 Eredivisie matches in the entire campaign due to injury. The second metatarsal injury struck in April 2012 and kept him out of action for nine months, thus ruling him out for the opening half of the 2012-13 term.

Pieters recovered and returned in January, making the starting XI for the first game of 2013 as his side faced (then) relegation candidates Zwolle. It was great to see him back in a PSV jersey. I for one was delighted to see him return.

Deep in the second-half of the match, PSV were 3-1 down and chasing the game, but their free-scoring form earlier in the season and Zwolle's sometimes erratic defending meant the match was still to be played for. But PSV's hopes of getting back into the game were soon dashed with just over 20 minutes left as Erik Pieters burst in with a tackle and was subsequently sent off.

This was devastating for PSV, but it got much worse for Pieters. Distraught at being dismissed in his first match for nine months, the 24-year-old stormed down the tunnel, but stopped to take his anger out on a door. He punched the door so hard that he smashed the window in it and his arm went right through it. It cut him so badly that had to get rushed to hospital while his team saw out the rest of the game, which they lost 3-1.

The damage Pieters left in the tunnel at Zwolle

The damage was so bad that Pieters was injured from mid-January to mid-April. He returned on time to make the bench for the crucial match against Ajax which was set to decide where the title would go. PSV had been in fine form for the first half of the season, but their own poor performances as well as the resurgence of Ajax saw Frank de Boer's side come back into the title and this game would either boost PSV's chances immensely or put the title right in Ajax's hands with just a few games left.

It was an exciting encounter and it was all square at 2-2 with just less than 20 minutes left. At this point, PSV were still in the title race.

Enter Erik Pieters.

The left-back was brought on in the 73rd minute to replace Jetro Willems. Four minutes after his introduction to the game, a through ball is played towards the PSV goal from the centre circle. Pieters is the only defender there, he can chase it down and clear it or just pass to goalkeeper Boy Waterman who has rushed out to the edge of his box. But Pieters has a different idea. With Derk Boerrigter breathing down his neck, Pieters decides to try to hold off the Ajax winger, hold him back and beat him to the ball or allow his keeper to clear it.

Pieters is pretty confident.

But the pressure from the Ajax man is too much for him and Boerrigter gets around him and snatches the ball to go one-on-one with Waterman. The winger makes no mistake and buries it to make it 3-2 to Ajax, putting the league title in their hands.

In that instant, the game was done and so was the Eredivisie title race.

Pieters was left to rue his mistake, and he had plenty of time to consider it as he was never seen in the PSV first-team again as the season drew to a close. Sitting from the bench for the remaining five games of the campaign as the Eindhoven giants, who looked destined to win the title at one point, could only finish second to their fierce rivals Ajax. Even in the KNVB Beker Final against AZ, which PSV lost too, he failed to get into the first-team.

Erik Pieters' season has no highlight reel. There were no ups, only downs.

An entire campaign which consisted of only two moments. Two disastrous, but, on hindsight, pretty funny moments.

What a campaign for Erik Pieters, he'll be desperate to get away and recover from it, so perhaps a move to Stoke City will be best...

With Mark Hughes and the Potters there's no chance of anything going wrong... right?

Exclusive Finnbogason interview for Goal Nederland translated

2013-03-16T22:34:00.000+00:00

I recently interviewed Heerenveen striker Alfred Finnbogason, who has attracted the attention of Premier League clubs Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa. The interview was published in several parts on Goal.com Nederland but I have published a full feature below in English.

With 20 goals in 24 games in his first season with Heerenveen, it is no surprise to see that 24-year-old striker Alfred Finnbogason has attracted plenty of attention from several clubs in Europe and the Premier League. The Dutch side reportedly rejected an offer from a team in Russia during the January transfer window and now Everton, Aston Villa and West Ham have all been linked to the Iceland international. But Finnbogason has revealed that no offers have been made so far and he insists he is in no hurry to leave the Frisians.

“No [there hasn’t been anything concrete],” said Finnbogason. “There’s a lot of movement and speculation going on without any offers.

“It’s difficult to talk about transfer rumours when you don’t know what’s true and what isn’t, I’ll just take everything as it comes and if Heerenveen accepts [an offer] then it will be looked at and we’ll see what’s interesting and what’s best for me.”

Despite the apparent interest from abroad, the player says he could remain in Netherlands for at least another season, but suggests it won’t necessarily be with Heerenveen, as he admits offer from Dutch powerhouses Ajax and PSV would receive a lot of consideration.

“Of course, that’s a logical step when you’re doing well that the bigger clubs become involved. That’s something I would obviously consider, but at this moment it is hard to talk about rumours. I’m only focusing on finishing the season well with Heerenveen and then, in the summer when there are no games, we can talk about what the future holds.

“I want to go to a club where I can still develop as a player. I still have a lot to improve and I have a lot to give so a club who believes in me and is going in the right direction is the right club for me.

“I’m really happy here in Heerenveen, I’ve had a fantastic season. Of course if the right club comes along then I will look at everything but another season with Heerenveen will do me no harm.”

Although it is his dream to play in the Champions League in the future, the striker says promise of competing in Europe’s most prestigious club tournament is not a necessity for any clubs looking to attract his signature.

“At some point in my career it would be good to play in the Champions League but this summer I am not restricting it to clubs in the Champions League.”

The speculation building around Finnbogason is no great surprise considering his excellent performances and goalscoring record this season. But what has astonished fans and pundits in Netherlands is how quickly he has adapted to the Dutch league. With his speed, agility, remarkable positioning and expert finishing, Finnbogason has seamlessly slotted into the Heerenveen starting XI upon his arrival from Belgian club Lokeren. He immediately ingratiated himself with the supporters, scoring twice in his first home game to earn a point for his side against reigning champions Ajax. From then, on the Reykjavík-born forward has continued to impress and has now scored just less than half of Heerenveen’s league goals, a tally which has amazed even the player himself.

“I always believed in myself but I thought I might have needed some time to adapt. Fortunately, though, everything is going pretty smoothly.

“Of course it was great [to score two goals against Ajax] in my first home game. It was the perfect way to introduce myself to the league and the fans and show that I can make the difference against the big teams.”

Throughout his spells at Icelandic club Breidablik and Lokeren, as well as a loan spell with Swedish team Helsingborg, Finnbogason has always maintained an impressive goal ratio. But his current spell at Heerenveen has been his most successful in terms of personal performances and you don’t have to look too far to find a possible explanation for this significant increase in efficiency. His current coach is none other than legendary Ajax, AC Milan and Netherlands striker Marco van Basten, and Finnbogason is quick to point out the influence the European Cup and European Championship winner has had on him.

“It is a privilege to have a coach who has played at thehighest level and is one of the greatest players ever. It’s better when your coach has played in the same position as you so he knows what you’re going through and knows how to help you with everything. He teaches me a lot and helps me with every aspect of my game.”

The former Netherlands coach heaped praise on his top scorer recently, insisting he can rely on him to make the difference for the team, even when he isn’t at his best. The European Golden Boot winner’s comments came after the recent match against NAC, in which Finnbogason scored two late goals to secure a vital three points for his side, despite his poor first-half performance and earlier penalty miss. The striker was delighted to hear the coach acknowledge his performances.

“I try to learn something from him every day and when he says something like that it really gives me a boost.

“It wasn’t a good game for us, we didn’t create one chance in the first hour and we were 1-0 down before we got a penalty. I wanted to redeem myself and the team by scoring, but I missed. [When that happens], you have to stay positive and believe that the chances will come and when they do, you have to be ready. Fortunately, two chances came to me and I managed to take them both and we stole the three points.”

Finnbogason has proved throughout the season that he can make the difference for his team in big games. He scored three goals across the two meetings with title contenders Vitesse and netted the late winner in the 2-1 win over Twente. From then on, Heerenveen have embarked on a very good run of results. They beat NAC thanks to his two late strikes, upset title contenders PSV with a 2-1 win which lead to Dick Advocaat’s men surrendering first place in the league and then came from behind to claim a 3-1 win over NEC, with the help of the star striker’s equaliser.

“We are building a bit of momentum now and [the PSV match] was a big test. The pressure was on PSV heading into it and we put more pressure on them in the game. We forced them to make errors in the first-half and got two goals. That was the perfect game for us and to hold out for the win was fantastic.”

This run of form has turned Heerenveen’s season around. Before the victory over Twente, the Frisian club were sitting in 14^th place, just one point above the relegation playoffs. Now, however, they are in a much better position as the win over NEC brings them within one point of Saturday’s victims who currently occupy the final Europa League playoff spot, a result which Finnbogason describes as “a big step" towards European football.

It’s an exciting period for Heerenveen as they get closer and closer to the European places, but for Finnbogason, the excitement is just beginning. His performances in his maiden season in Eredivisie will attract attention from clubs across the continent and there is nothing to suggest he can’t replicate that form at an even higher level next season. If he maintains this level of consistency heading into the final eight weeks, the striker will have a few serious offers to consider this summer.

Marco van Ginkel interview

2013-03-10T11:03:00.003+00:00

I recently interviewed 20-year-old Vitesse midfielder Marco van Ginkel. The interview was published on Goal.com Nederland, so I have uploaded the English version of it below:

A dynamic midfielder with a lot of potential, 20-year-old Vitessemidfielder Marco van Ginkel has a very bright future ahead of him. His side arecurrently challenging Eredivisie powerhouses PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord for theleague title and he has already featured for the Dutch national team. But theyoungster isn’t getting ahead of himself, insisting he still has a long way togo before considering a move to a bigger club.

Describing himself as a “dynamic, box-to-box midfielder”, it is no surprise to see that Van Ginkel models himself on Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. The 20-year-old revealed to Goal.com that he has admired the Kop legend and the Merseyside club for a long time.

“When I was a young kid I was always a fan of Steven Gerrard. He is a good worker but he can also play football, score nice goals and he is a real team player.”

Asked if the Reds are a side he would like to play for later in his career, Van Ginkel stays quiet on the matter, insisting that he is not looking too far into the future. “I like Liverpool. I think it’s a nice club. But there are other good clubs in other countries like Germany, Spain and England... I don’t think [I will be leaving] just now, I have two years left at Vitesse, so we will see.”

Before a move to a bigger club in Europe materialises, Van Ginkel says he is staying focused on playing for his current side and wants to further his career with the Dutch national team.

The Amersfoort-born player was given his first cap for Oranje in November 2012 in a friendly against Germany and he says he was delighted to get the call-up from coach Louis van Gaal and play the last 30 minutes of the match in the Amsterdam ArenA.

“I was very happy and very surprised when I was included in the [provisional] squad of 23 and then I was very happy to make the last 18.

“Everybody was happy at Vitesse and my family... Before the game, Van Gaal told me that I would get some minutes so I wasn’t really surprised to play, but when it happened I was very happy. I have one cap and I am very proud of it.”

The precocious youngster hopes to become a more important player for the national side as the World Cup Qualifying campaign proceeds but he admits that it will be tough for him to cement a regular spot in the squad. Competition for a place in the Oranje midfield is fierce with emerging talents such as Jordy Clasie, Adam Maher and Kevin Strootman all looking to break into the team alongside established Dutch stars like Rafael van der Vaart, Nigel de Jong and Wesley Sneijder.

Van Ginkel, though, believes he has to concentrate on his performances for his club and hope he is subsequently rewarded with more opportunities to represent his country.

“I want to play as well as I can for Vitesse and if I do that then I will be in the national team. But I don’t know, there are a lot of good players in the Dutch squad and [when I got called up] there were some players out with injuries. I will do my best and see.”

The midfielder is certainly on the right track to ensure he plays a bigger part in Netherlands’ future. He has improved consistently since his debut for Vitesse against RKC in April 2010. In his first full season, Van Ginkel was his side’s joint-top goalscorer in the league, finishing the campaign with five goals, a tally he matched the following year. He has become even more of a key player for the team this term, netting six times from midfield in 25 matches.

“I want to be important to the team, so I think I can score more in the competition and get more assists in the last nine games.”

It is certainly an exciting time for a young player like Van Ginkel to be a member of the current Vitesse side. The Arnhem club are currently fourth in the Eredivisie, occupying a Europa Leauge spot, but they are still in contention for the league title as they sit five points behind leaders PSV with nine games remaining. But Van Ginkel admits he doesn’t believe his side have a realistic chance of winning the Dutch top flight.

“I don’t think we are the best team in the league. But there are only nine games to go. I think it is possible to stay in this position and maybe PSV and Ajax will lose some points, you never know.”

Vitesse have undergone significant improvements since Merab Jordania bought over the club in August 2010. The former Dinamo Tbilisi midfielder announced that he wanted the Dutch side to win the Eredivisie by 2013 and, although Van Ginkel doesn’t believe they can do it this time around, he feels there is a chance they can make a realistic challenge next season.

“In my first season we finished 15^th and now we are fourth. It’s a good position to be in. The club is improving and they have just built a new training ground. I’m happy to be a part of it.

“I think [we can push on and challenge next year], but I don’t know what will happen during the summer break. I don’t know if [Wilfried] Bony will be gone and maybe some other players.”

The future of Wilfried Bony will have a significant impact on that of Vitesse. The Ivorian frontman has scored 23 goals in 22 league games this season but his desire to leave the Gelredome for a bigger club is no secret and the 24-year-old has strongly been linked with a move to England, Italy and Russia over the course of the current campaign.

Van Ginkel, though, is enjoying playing alongside the Vitesse talisman this season and says he is happy that the striker is still with the club.

“Bony is very good for us. He is scoring a lot of goals and also getting assists. We are happy that he is staying with us for the rest of the season and I think he will go in the summer. It’s a good opportunity for him to go to another team and I think he deserves it.”

As Eredivisie remains a fantastic league for nurturing young talents, several players have departed the Dutch league prematurely and failed to reach their full potential. But Van Ginkel shows no signs that he wants to flea his current side in the immediate future. The consensus in Netherlands is that the starlet will soon be playing at a very high level, and if he stays as level-headed as he seems just now, the opportunity to reach those heights will present itself in the near future.

Greenock Morton Community Trust a wonderful step in the right direction

2013-03-04T16:10:00.001+00:00

The launch of the Greenock Morton Community Trust, a social inclusion project which aims to “put the club at the heart of Inverclyde”, is, in my view, a remarkable scheme that shows the long-term ambitions for this club.

Like everywhere else in Scotland, Inverclyde has a huge number of fans who support either Rangers or Celtic, as opposed to their local team, which means smaller clubs face an uphill battle in attracting people to their matches and turning them into fans.

What more clubs in Scotland have to do is create ties with their local community and become an integral part of the area for reasons outside of football. That way, people will feel more of a connection to their local team and are more inclined to support it. Such projects as the Greenock Morton Community Trust are the perfect way to do this and, although such proactive initiatives do exist in Scotland, they are not nearly as popular or important as they should be and it is great to see Morton reach out to the local community.

The Greenock Morton Community Trust fills me with particular optimism as the idea of local clubs taking a bigger role in the local community is something that I feel benefits everyone involved and, if it becomes more popular in the country, will benefit Scotland and the national game.

This project reminds me of the football club community philosophy which overwhelmed me on my trip to Germany. Travelling through Gelsenkirchen, a working class area much like Greenock, I was astounded to see Schalke 04 flags hanging from windows and spray painted on walls all through the city and there are plenty of shops which sell Schalke 04 merchandise. The city celebrates its football club and the citizens show their devotion to it and the pride in being associated with it. Even in summer, long after the football season has finished, you cannot escape the presence of S04, but you don’t really want to. It is hard not to admire and absorb it. The feeling of tribalism, unconditional support (or Echte Liebe (Real Love), in the case of fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund) and pride is evident throughout the working class town and creates a rather enchanting atmosphere of unity amongst its quarter of a million or so residents.

Schalke 04 reaches out to the people of the mining city constantly, for instance, last season the first-team were sent down the coalmines for a day to connect with the real working class people of the area. The players had a wonderful time and it showed that, despite playing in the Champions League and fighting in the remarkably competitive Bundesliga, the club and its players will never forget their roots and will always be connected to the people that matter – the fans, the citizens of the community.

This is, in my view, the pinnacle of a club in the heart of the community. To the Schalke 04 officials and coaches I spoke to, this wasn’t a big deal and actually, they seemed confused by the fact that I was so surprised and in awe of this aspect. To them, though, it’s just common sense.

In Britain we have this idea that the people who pay in to watch the two teams battle it out on the pitch, the people who sing and shout and go crazy when the team they support puts the ball in the net, the people who purchase the merchandise, the people who keep a steady stream of revenue going into the club, whether the club sits atop the first tier or is at its lowest ebb in its entire history, are just customers. They are nothing more. They have no influence on the club, they have no real ties to it other than those they, as individuals, have created themselves from a young age. The club does not need them, and in some cases, you get the idea that it doesn’t even want them. In Germany, however, the opposite is true. The fans are the club. They can force changes within the club’s hierarchy, alter its policies, and, in the case of Schalke 04, even dictate how much a manager can spend on a single transfer (Felix Magath needed the approval of the club members before he could buy a player for more than €300,000). “The German fan wants to have the feeling that he is a part of the whole... If you tell a German supporter that he is just a customer, he is going to kill you. He has to feel connected to the club,” says Hans-Joachim Watzke, CEO of Borussia Dortmund.

Here, fans are kept at arm’s length, in Germany, fans can come and watch the first-team train and have a say in what goes on at the club. Essentially, when you say club, in reference to a British team, you think of players, directors, chairman and executives. When you say it in reference to Germany, it seems more of a family affair in that the players, coaches and the fans are all one and are all equally important.

When you look at such stark contrasts between British football and German football in the way, not only the league is run, but also the clubs, it is no wonder the game in Germany continues to develop and the teams are beginning to succeed in Europe as well as domestically.

Looking at it simply, in Britain we kid ourselves that football is a business. It’s not, it just looks like one. In Germany, that is not the case, it’s a club, it’s for the people of the community and it benefits them and the area around it.

The fans are key to the club, to use the famous cliché, they are the lifeblood of it. For the good of the game, more teams in Britain, particularly Scotland, need to embrace this, it will benefit them if they do so and it will benefit the game immensely.

Goodbye 2012

2012-12-31T16:47:00.002+00:00

So 2012 is coming to an end. What a fantastic year it has been. There have been plenty of positives and some negatives throughout the year, but it was never boring. The Eredivisie never disappoints. Ajax and Feyenoord climbing up the table to take first and second. Vitesse making the Europa League qualifiers. The emergence of Van Rhijn. Ebecilio’s hat-trick against Roda. Vurnon Anita: Ajax’s puppeteer. Jan Vertonghen: Captain Fantastic. We were in awe of Heerenveen’s magic trio. We cheered for John Guidetti when he hit the net and we cried for John Guidetti when injury hit him. The return of McClaren, Advocaat, Van Basten, Van Bommel, Castaignos and Babel. Graziano Pelle (Oh this is Ladies’ Night). Siem de Jong. Sanharib Malki. Luuk de Jong’s departure. Bony smashing two past Vermeer. Van Ginkel’s development. Tadic. Chadli. Fer. Gutierrez. Derk Derk Derk Boerrigter! Jurgen Locadia’s hat-trick. Jean-Paul Boetius’s Klassieker strike. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson wiped out by injury once more. Christian Eriksen at number 9. Jacob Mulenga’s wondergoal. Lex Immers. Nacer Chadli. Narsingh. Adam Maher. Dries Mertens with his mazy runs, pinpoint crosses and exceptional goals. Heracles 3-3 ADO. Heracles 3-3 Ajax. Heracles in general! Heerenveen 4-4 Roda. VVV 2-4 Roda. Zwolle’s promotion. Jaap Stam on the bench. Jordy Clasie. Ajax beating Man City. Alfred Finnbogason. Rajiv Van La Parra. Filip Djuricic. Evander Sno: the heartbeat of NEC. We were struck down with fear when he fell to his knees. Cardiac arrest? Don’t be silly: “Nobody needs to worry about Evander Sno.” Dutch sides crashing out of the Europa League. An entire nation brought together to mourn the loss of Richard Nieuwenhuizen. Learn the lessons, but don’t ever forget: Zonder Respect Geen Voetbal. It’s all come to a dramatic close, but don’t worry! 2013 will carry the baton. It’s the Eredivisie. It’s never boring.

League reforms open up endless possibilities for Scottish football

2012-11-19T15:21:00.002+00:00

After much discussion and debate followed by numerous set-backs and break-downs over the years, the idea of restructuring the league format of Scottish football has been revived. This time, however, the talk of reforming the system has returned stronger than ever and it appears change is imminent.

As Scottish clubs and leagues themselves continue to suffer financially and look to attract fans back to matches, league reforms are only right, but supporters will feel aggrieved to see the alterations made so late when they have been campaigning for it for years. But such restructuring should only be the beginning of a period of change for the Scottish game if it is to move forward. The sport is still suffering from years of clubs spending outwith their means and, although it has become less of a problem as of late, measures must be taken to make sure such an issue end and ensure it doesn’t return.

Also, the idea of widening the top flight to 16 teams has been put forward and it is a very interesting one which provides Scottish football’s governing bodies the opportunity to either make youth systems mandatory or at least encourage clubs to begin focusing on producing their own players, much like Morton and Falkirk are doing at the moment. This is an idea which former Morton player and manager Allan McGraw feels is made available with a bigger top league, as he told me: “No matter what you do, whether it is 16 teams or six, Rangers and Celtic will be at the top and the rest will be fighting. If they made it 18 then the likes of Hearts, Hibs and Motherwell and whoever else will have the chance to bring youngsters through.

“I don’t know if they would be good in the first season but in the second season you would start to see the improvements.”

McGraw, speaking before Rangers’ relegation, makes an interesting point. More focus on youth production has become a big topic in Scotland in recent years and clubs and fans have realised its importance to the future of the game. The SFA and the Scottish Youth Football Association have, in my view, taken the correct route with their recently implemented Player Pathway scheme which focuses on technique in kids’ football and, importantly, development from a young age, as opposed to competitiveness, which at that age is just an illusion in the first place. A 16 team Premier Division will give clubs the freedom to bring more youngsters through, which can only benefit the clubs themselves, the fans, the standard of play and the national team.

A big worry, however, is that it isn’t clear how this will affect TV revenue in the near future. If there are fewer Old Firm clashes when Rangers return to the top league than there were before they left it, it may result in Sky reducing their financial investment which could prove detrimental to the league. But this, again, provides us with an opportunity. If the talk of league reform has been revived with great strength, then why can’t the idea of a league-owned TV channel?

It is a notion which has been discussed and knocked down several times, but in this age of technology is surely more of a possibility than ever before. What’s more is that the benefits of such a system have been shown elsewhere.

The system has proved beneficial to the Netherlands’ top league following the launch of Eredivisie Live, the league’s own station, in 2008. The channel was born out of the expiration of a large TV deal and the Dutch clubs have never looked back. But the Eredivisie has realised that the opportunities presented by such an idea stretch far beyond just streaming live football games on TV. Whilst a subscription to the four TV channels is available for around £10 per month, the fact that the league owns the rights has allowed them to build a wonderful multi-award winning website which brings fans closer to the game. The Sidekick section of the website offers an abundance of statistics while the game is being played live. Highlights are made available online to subscribers almost immediately after the game before they open up to non-subscribers on Monday. The pre and post-match interviews with coaches and players (as well as referees in some cases) and 90 Minutes, the Eredivisie’s answer to Match of the Day, are all available to view online anytime for free. Although the highlights and feature videos are produced by the league, they are objective and sometimes very funny. The questions asked of the coaches and players are simply startling to any audience who is used to hearing Jonathan Pearce ask Sir Alex Ferguson questions like “are you happy with that 5-0 victory, Sir Alex?” Twente coach Steve McClaren would kill for his interviewee to afford him such leeway.

But what is most striking about this set-up is that you can subscribe to the internet package, in which every single Eredivisie match is available live on your PC, tablet or mobile and it also streams live Europa League matches, the English FA and League Cups, German DFB Pokal, Coppa Italia as well as the Dutch Cup and the Jupiler League (the second tier of Dutch football). All of that is available for just over £10 per month, or you can just pay on a game-by-game basis if you are only interested in seeing the bigger matches.

It’s profitable, efficient, fan-friendly and great fun. What more could you ask for?

But if you do need more convincing, ponder this: USA media giant Fox have recently purchased the broadcasting rights for the Eredivisie in a deal worth $1 billion. As clubs receive a fair share of the TV revenue, this benefits all parties involved immensely.

We may have only just started talking about league reforms (again), but the possibilities from here are endless. We just have to act wisely.

Morton v Aberdeen - a fixture with a history

2012-08-21T23:09:00.000+01:00

Morton and Aberdeen are two clubs with incredible histories. A significant and very prosperous era for both teams is the late 1970s to mid 80s, it is also the period in which somewhat of a rivalry formed between the two sides.

Morton were promoted into the Scottish Premier Division in 1978 under manager Benny Rooney and his assistant Mike Jackson. After a respectable mid-table finish in their first season, they would go on to top the league in the following campaign, a massive achievement for the only part-time club in a ten-team league which included Rangers, Celtic, a fantastic Dundee United and, of course, Aberdeen.

The Dons, under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson, would go on to achieve remarkable continental and domestic success in that period. They were champions of the Premier Division three times (runner-up twice), they won the Scottish Cup four times and were runners-up in the League Cup before winning it in Fergie’s last year in charge and, of course, they lifted both the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

However, there was one team who proved to be a constant thorn in the side of Fergie’s incredible Aberdeen side – Benny Rooney’s Morton.

“Somehow we always beat Aberdeen,” Rooney says, looking back with pride. “We always made a point of beating Alex Ferguson’s side. In his autobiography he refers to Morton as ‘that team’ because he hated playing us.”

It began when the two side’s first met under their respective managers in the top flight of Scottish football in the second week of the 1978-79 campaign. Morton suffered a 2-1 defeat to Celtic in their opening match of the season before they faced Aberdeen at Pittodrie. The hosts won the first meeting 3-1, but Morton would claim six points from the next two clashes before losing 1-0 to the Aberdonians at Cappielow towards the end of the season.

Morton were one of only two sides to beat Aberdeen twice that year, the other was Ferguson’s previous club, St. Mirren.

The Dandies lost just seven league matches the following year as they marched to the title, but this time only one team would record more than one victory over them as Rooney’s side won three in a row against that of Fergie’s as the Greenockians battled at the top of the table, temporarily taking pole position.

Aberdeen finished second to Celtic in the Premier Division in the 1980-81 campaign, in which they lost just six games, and Morton and Kilmarnock, who finished eighth and ninth respectively, were the only teams to beat the Reds twice on league duty, but the Ton also managed to eliminate them from the Scottish Cup with a 1-0 win at Cappielow, a week after defeating them at Pittodrie.

It’s a period which Morton left-back Jim Holmes remembers clearly. “We just had the Indian sign over them, we beat them more than Rangers and Celtic did. In fact we beat them twice in the one week. We won up at Pittodrie in the league 1-0 when Drew Busby scored and then we beat them in the cup the next week, when Andy Ritchie scored a great individual goal. Fergie was great at his job and great at producing talent but, as I said, we just seemed to have the Indian sign over them.”

The next season was a prosperous one for the Aberdonians. They lost the league to Celtic by two points, but went on to win the Scottish Cup. Of the six defeats Aberdeen suffered that season, three came at the hands of Celtic, one by a Dundee United side which qualified for European football, whilst seventh placed Morton were responsible for the other two.

Considering the competitive nature of the league, how was it possible that part-time Morton could be the only team to enjoy such a record over Aberdeen? Well, Rooney and Jackson put it down to simple tactical decisions.

“We had wee Danny Docherty, he was small and quick - a wee dynamo - we played him man-for-man against Strachan,” reveals Rooney. “We also made a point of getting about the two centre-halves, they didn’t like having people in about them and it upset their rhythm.”

Jackson expands on that point: “We always man-marked Strachan, he was one of their main playmakers and we thought if we stopped him then it would lessen their chances of beating us and it always worked. We had enough good players of our own like Bobby Thomson, John McNeil, Andy Ritchie and Jim Tolmie who could win a game on their own for us. We stopped them playing first and foremost then let our own players take over.”

The 1982-83 season was a completely different story, however, as Morton would be relegated whilst the seemingly unstoppable Aberdeen enjoyed a spectacular season.

The Dons finished third in the league, they were even on points with Celtic with a goal difference which was worse by just two and they were just one point behind champions Dundee United. But Aberdeen recorded a phenomenal achievement as they defeated Real Madrid to lift the European Cup Winners Cup, enhancing that victory by then winning the European Super Cup.

That campaign marked the end of Morton’s voodoo over Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen. As the Greenock club were relegated and Messrs Rooney and Jackson were let go as the board looked to lessen the wage bill at the club.

But that period in which Morton were regarded as Aberdeen’s bogey team is well remembered by the fans and players of both teams. As Jim Holmes enlightens us, even Ferguson himself has remarked on his side’s inability to consistently defeat the Ton: “I remember when Fergie was a guest speaker at a social event for Allan McGraw and he said ‘it didn’t matter what we did when we came to Cappielow, we’d play two up and two wide, we’d play one up and two wide or we’d play 3 up, we just couldn’t win!’”

Women's football boosted by London 2012 Olympic success

2012-08-14T23:23:00.002+01:00

The 2012 Olympic Games were a resounding success and, although the sport we love didn’t dominate the summer tournament, football certainly benefited from the watching eyes of the world and will continue developing until it gets the recognition it deserves.

Obviously I’m not talking about men’s football.

Women’s football is currently the fastest growing sport on the planet and its superb showing in London 2012 has boosted the profile of the sport significantly.

The opening matches of the women’s edition of the Olympic tournament brought the game to Glasgow as an enthusiastic (although not capacity) Hampden crowd was treated to a thrilling spectacle between USA, ranked number one in the world, and the other pre-tournament favourites France.

USA came back from two goals down to win 4-2 against the French, with stars such as Hope Solo, regarded as the best goalkeeper in women’s football, Alex Morgan, one of the game’s top strikers, and Abby Wambach stealing the show. This would have been the first time many spectators had witnessed elite women’s football and it did not disappoint.

Before the second part of the double header, Hampden nearly played a significant part in creating a massive political disaster as it displayed the South Korea flag beside the DPR Korea squad during the announcement of the line-ups of the latter’s match against Colombia.

After a delay of more than an hour, the game kicked off between the two sides. DPR Korea and Colombia, although not of the class of the previous two teams to have occupied the field, put on a good display for the significantly smaller crowd as the North Koreans ran out 2-0 victors.

Whilst Colombia and DPR Korea were eliminated from the group, USA and France progressed to the final stages with the former clinching gold with a win over Japan in the final and the latter finishing fourth.

But the most enjoyable aspects of women’s football were evident between all four of these teams, even though there is a clear gulf in class between them.

Women’s football is much different from the male edition which dominates world sport. It is played at a much slower pace. There are very few silky skills which leave you in awe; quick, enchanting Barcelona-style passing moves are a rarity; there aren’t any players taking the game by storm in the way Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (and Tony Wallace) do; and you’ll probably see more swipes at fresh air than your used to if you were to attend a match. But what you will notice is how the females have mastered the fundamentals of the sport. That may not sound like much of an advert for fans of today’s football, which demands high speed and elaborate attacking moves that include a series of step-overs and an abundance of passes before they end with a 25-yard screamer sailing into the top corner. But seeing the basics such as great control and well-timed, expertly weighted passes executed to perfection time and again is something which no football fan can really grow weary of. It’s such basics which made us fall in love with the game in the first place. The respect for the fundamental skills on show in women’s football is something all fans can enjoy. Like the master himself, Johan Cruijff, pontificated on several occasions: "Simple football is the most beautiful, but playing simple football is the hardest thing.” But it’s simple football that women demonstrate with aplomb.

Another thing the disgruntled purists of football will enjoy is the honesty of the women playing the game. Such things as diving and arguing with the referee, which plague top flight football, aren’t a rarity – they’re non-existent. The absence of such acts is delightful and refreshing and proves that a professional game without them is a possibility.

It’s the innocence and joy with which women play the sport, and I don’t mean that in a condescending manner, it’s a sport which is just to be enjoyed. You get the idea that if it was any friendlier it would be non-competitive, but such suggestions are immediately dismissed when you witness the tears and utter disappointment of the French squad upon losing their bronze medal match to a Canada which was utterly elated to have secured third place.

The 2012 Olympics has boosted women’s football immensely because it provided the fantastic product with a stage to show the world its assets. Great Britain defeated Brazil in front of a crowd of 70,584, whilst the final between USA and Japan attracted 80,203 people to the stadium, beside that was a worldwide audience watching on TV and the internet who were inspired by what they saw.

Football is seen as a bit of a novelty when it comes to the Olympics but, whilst one could make that argument for the men’s game, the women’s football on show in this summer’s games certainly refutes that idea. The success of it obviously remains to be seen, but I am confident that women’s football will reap the benefits of an enticing and thoroughly gripping tournament, and hopefully its appearance at Hampden Park will inspire more kids, boys and girls alike, in Scotland to commit to the sport and show respect to the basics of the sport.

European Champions Spain laugh off 'boring' labels and achieve the impossible with a victory over Italy

2012-07-01T22:12:00.002+01:00

It was a masterclass like no other. It was the greatest 90 minutes many football fans will have witnessed. It was a phenomenal display of elegance and class by a record-breaking side. In one magnificent night, Spain well and truly cemented their place in history and fuelled the fire of the compelling debate of whether or not this is the greatest international side of all time, whilst simultaneously proving that of their aesthetic quality to be totally obsolete.

Vicente del Bosque’s Spain defeated Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 Final on Sunday with a fantastic performance as they became the first national team in history to win three successive European and World championships. Goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata made the difference between La Roja and an Italy side which had been unlucky to suffer detrimental injuries and be forced to play the final 30 minutes with just ten men.

Always Fitba

Iceland's playoff place is a lesson for Scotland

A review of Erik Pieters' 2012-13 campaign

Exclusive Finnbogason interview for Goal Nederland translated

Marco van Ginkel interview

Greenock Morton Community Trust a wonderful step in the right direction

Goodbye 2012

League reforms open up endless possibilities for Scottish football

Morton v Aberdeen - a fixture with a history

Women's football boosted by London 2012 Olympic success

European Champions Spain laugh off 'boring' labels and achieve the impossible with a victory over Italy

Germany into Euro 2012 semi-finals with 4-2 win over Greece

Dutch depletion down to dressing room disasters

The battle of midfield: How the difference in the two holding midfielder system won the game between Germany and Netherlands

Dutch disgrace spells the end for Bert van Marwijk

KNVB to consider Bert van Marwijk's future as Netherlands coach after Euro 2012

JfG World Review - Euro 2012 Round One

Initial reaction from Netherlands 0-1 Denmark: Arjen Robben, two holding midfielders and Bert van Marwijk contribute to Oranje downfall in Euro 2012 opener

Published Spain UEFA Euro 2012 preview

Germany Trip Part 3: Report for the German Academic Exchange Service on our trip to football clubs in Germany

JFG World Review - Episode 12: Round-Up and Euro 2012

Germany Trip Part 2: Schalke 04 training ground and interviews

Germany Trip Part 1: Borussia Monchengladbach stadium and training ground

Jumpers for Goalposts World Review

En dat is 31 - Ajax lift another Eredivisie title after an incredible second season under Frank de Boer

Tiki-taka meets Total Football as Frank de Boer's Ajax run rampant in the Eredivisie