twofootedtackle

TFT Podcast Ep 40

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:06:00 +0000

At half time on Sunday, Aston Villa supporters were in bits. 2-0 down away to Reading in the FA Cup quarter final, opposing fans at the Madejski were gleefully gloating, telling the travelling Villans that they "might as well go home". I was in that crowd of Villa fans, cursing the team's lethargy and watching our season drift away over the horizon. On the back of Wembley defeat in the Carling Cup final, it was difficult to take.

Our guest this week, 7500 to Holte blogger Kirsten Schlewitz was in the same situation, and neither of us predicted what was to come in the second 45 minutes.

After a presumably hefty dressing down at half time, Villa came roaring back into contention with a quick goal from Ashley Young. John Carew followed up with an emphatic hat-trick to book Villa's second Wembley excursion of the season. They'll play Chelsea on the second weekend in April, and were joined in the semi final draw by Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.

Pompey made the last four thanks to a 2-0 victory over high-flying Birmingham City, a defeat made all the more difficult to swallow for Alex McLeish by a Liam Ridgewell header which clearly crossed the goal line but was not spotted by the assistant referee. Chelsea's 2-0 win over Stoke City was delivered by two Englishmen, Frank Lampard and John Terry. Terry's celebration - in which he rolled up his sleeve and tapped his captain's armband - has been the subject of controversy this week and I think it shows a lack of class regardless of whether it was aimed at Fabio Capello or was intended as a thank you to the Chelsea fans.

In the other quarter final, Spurs and Fulham couldn't muster a goal between them and will have to replay for a place at Wembley against Avram Grant's side. That reward is something of a poison chalice, but should Spurs make it through Portsmouth will be without Jamie O'Hara. His form has been central to everything positive at Fratton Park this season but he would be ineligible to play against his parent club.

In the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester United took full advantage of Chelsea's cup distraction by picking up wins which dropped Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers deep into relegation trouble. Nicklas Bendtner, whose cause I've been championing lately, had a real shocker against the Clarets. In this week's show, Gary Andrews revisits my confident wager that Bendtner would score against Porto in the Champions League. As you'll know by now, he fired in a hat-trick as the Gunners demolished their Portuguese opposition 5-0.

We discuss this week's Champions League matches, make accurate predictions about last night's games (well, one of us does) and look ahead to Manchester United's tie with AC Milan and Real Madrid's game against Lyon. Time will tell on our predictions there, and there will be more about those games in next week's Champions League roundup.

Also on the agenda this week are the merits of trust ownership in the English game and a tribute to Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander, who sadly passed away at the age of 53 after the Silkmen's match at Notts County last week.

The show is now available on iTunes and the CSRN media player, or you can listen below.

Please leave your comments below, follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook and send your questions and comments to twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com - we also want audio contributions to the show, so feel free to get in touch about that.

Have a great week.

You can listen to this week's episode below:
Download link (mp3, 37mb, 66 mins)

Rent-a-Quote Redknapp and the gloomy future of the British manager

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:10:00 +0000

One of the many downsides of having to take the day off work with a banging headache is sodding Sky Sports News. For all my prejudice, I still tune in when there's absolutely nothing else on. And today they took a break every hour from their sickening, blatant pro-technology agenda to turn their attention to Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp and his latest moral quest.

In the aftermath of Tottenham's goalless FA Cup draw with Fulham, self-satisfied Telegraph hack Henry Winter reported on Redknapp's comments about the bleak outlook for home grown managers in the Premier League. What at first sounds like nothing more than one gobshite writing about the views of another actually has some value in this case. Or rather, the debate has some value.

In my opinion Redknapp is in no position to go swanning about trying to clean up football's many problems, and gets far too easy a ride from the media. And this is a perfect example of why; journalists love a newsworthy quote, and Redknapp knows it.

His point in this case is, as usual, buried within fatuous nonsense and weak comparisons with a bygone age. But he makes a bold statement here: "Every club will have a foreign owner eventually and you'll get less British managers." It would take a far stauncher Redknapp critic than me to disagree with that, and it is a prediction worth making.

On the face of it, I'd like to not agree with Redknapp's assumption that British managers will become extinct in the Premier League's future. It doesn't add up to me. The league will always be made up of an elite few and bulked out with regular, earthy clubs. That means British managers will always have a place and many will thrive.

When asked about Redknapp's prediction, Sunderland boss Steve Bruce pointed out that British managers are - more often than not - in charge at promoted Championship clubs. In theory, then, the Premier League is annually replenished with two or three British managers and they might even be successful and remain.

In the Premier League today, 13 managers out of 20 are British. That immediately makes Redknapp's diatribe seem outlandish but the first part of his comment resonates. Will all 20 clubs be foreign-owned? English football's attraction to foreign investors will return post-recession, and the number of foreign-owned clubs will presumably increase.

But I am confident that Redknapp is wide of the mark here, even if I think he certainly has a point. For 20 out of 20 clubs to be owned by foreigners in any given season it would require foreign ownership to some depth in the Championship. I still think that's rather unlikely, but Redknapp's point stands. 16 or 17 foreign-owned clubs would still justify his concern.

However, one thing doesn't necessarily lead to another. British managers will always get opportunities in the top flight, even if there is more pressure on them to make the most of them and do so quickly. As mentioned, promoted managers are often British and, if they do well, they will continue in post regardless of the nationality of a club's owner.

And there's nothing to say foreign businessmen won't appoint British bosses. Although Doug Ellis' signature was on Martin O'Neill's first Aston Villa contract, he was Randy Lerner's man. Daniel Levy may not be a foreigner but his club has a history of appointing them, which was reversed when Redknapp succeeded Juande Ramos.

Either way, does it really matter? I'll leave you with the thoughts of one Roy Keane: if a manager is good enough, he'll get the opportunities he deserves. I think that's a message I can subscribe to.

(Pic via Vired)

Prediction League: Week 24 - Predictions

ismiseian@gmail.com (Ian) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Portsmouth vs. Birmingham
Chris: Portsmouth
Ian: Birmingham
Gary: Birmingham

Fulham vs. Tottenham
Chris: Draw
Ian: Fulham
Gary: Fulham

Arsenal vs. Burnley
Chris: Arsenal
Ian: Arsenal
Gary: Arsenal

West Ham vs. Bolton
Chris: West Ham
Ian: West Ham
Gary: Draw

Wolves vs. Man United
Chris: Man United
Ian: Man United
Gary: Man United

Reading vs. Aston Villa
Chris: Aston Villa
Ian: Aston Villa
Gary: Aston Villa

Chelsea vs. Stoke
Chris: Chelsea
Ian: Chelsea
Gary: Draw

Everton vs. Hull
Chris: Everton
Ian: Everton
Gary: Everton

Wigan vs. Liverpool
Chris: Liverpool
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Liverpool

Apologies for the late post, internet problems, but all predictions are genuine.

Nicklas Bendtner: a dirty secret

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0000

That's right, a dirty secret. And I'm not talking about a dirty secret of Nicklas Bendtner's, I'm talking about a dirty secret of mine. I think that in different circumstances, the Arsenal striker would have a much better reputation. In other words, he's not as bad as we all think he is.

Some caveats. Bendtner is a div. He is arrogant beyond his means, and he backs that up with the attitude to match. Above all of the things I'll discuss in this post, he must learn some humility and develop a better grasp on his own limits. His opinion of himself to date simply isn't realistic, and getting a grip on that will be his first step to redemption.

But I've been giving the Danish striker some thought lately and I think he's a very decent player. This blog post has been a few weeks in the writing, and began way back when I accepted a wager with my podcast co-host Gary after bullishly insisting that Bendtner would score at least once during Arsenal's two-legged Champions League tie with Porto.

He didn't score in the away leg that week, but he has been in the goals since, with three in three for club and country. He scored as Arsenal defeated Sunderland at home on 20th February and headed home the crucial equaliser in the Gunners' 3-1 victory over Stoke City on Sunday - and a bloody good header it was too. Last night, he scored Denmark's only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Austria.

Despite this good little purple patch, Bendtner will remain the butt of jokes and the target of criticism. So what is it about him that makes him so easy to dislike?

For starters, he clearly thinks he belongs in the 'big four' and hasn't quite lived up to that with what he's achieved on the pitch. He demanded a late change to his squad number so he could take number...er...52. And we've all seen his pants.

But there are also playing factors. Bendtner is lambasted for failing to turn a good number of chances into any kind of scoring record. He's scored just three Premier League goals this season, supplemented by one in the Champions League against Standard Liege and one against Liverpool in the League Cup. And it's not just about the quality of opposition; Bendtner's scoring record in the Championship for Birmingham was better, but hardly breathtaking.

Two international goals in two games earned Denmark two points against Portugal and Albania in September, but they were Bendtner's only previous international goals. So it's understandable that Arsenal supporters get frustrated with him, and his attitude doesn't help his reputation outside North London.

But I think big things will come from Nicklas Bendtner if he learns to wind his neck in. He's got a great deal of quality and that shows in the goals he does score. He's good in the air and great on the deck, and many of the chances he squanders are created by him, usually quite brilliantly. Just imagine how good his record could be if his finishing clicks into place as he gets older.

I'm not saying Bendtner is a perfect player waiting to burst out of mediocrity, or that he will become a world-beater with one or two tweaks to his game or outlook. What I am saying is that I'd love him at my club because I think he does an awful lot exceptionally well and would offer a huge improvement in quality for teams who don't already have contributions from the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Denilson et al.

Bendtner might not stand out at Arsenal, but he most certainly would at another club. And perversely, if he were to be the focal point of a Europa League standard club rather than a bit-part player at a Champions League club, I actually think his development would benefit and he'd score more goals by virtue of an improved scoring rate and more playing time.

I think I might be in a minority of one this time. Anyone with me?

TFT Podcast Ep 39

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:19:00 +0000

This week, English football has been taking a long, hard look at itself. On the field, Arsenal's 19-year-old midfielder Aaron Ramsey suffered a double leg break thanks to a tackle from Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross. And in the courts, AFC Bournemouth were slapped with a winding-up petition, Chester City have two days to appeal against their expulsion from the Conference, and Portsmouth's voluntary administration has been challenged by HMRC.

Ramsey's injury at the Britannia brought into sharp relief the debate about the tactics employed by teams playing against Arsenal. Their style of play means that they dominate the ball, frustrating their opponents. Physicality is the counter-tactic of choice and Arsene Wenger is highly critical of such an approach. But he should focus on the issues, on the bad tackles which have injured Ramsey, Eduardo and Abou Diaby. By tying those into a general tactical diatribe, the Frenchman is winning little sympathy.

Ramsey, however, is enjoying the best wishes of everyone in football. For a young player of such ability to suffer this kind of injury is heartbreaking, as the reaction of the Arsenal players demonstrated. Here's to a speedy recovery.

But debate is debate, and therefore the discussion has focused on Shawcross rather than the Welshman since his dismissal on Saturday. We've been reminded of tackles which the defender, currently on England duty for the first time, has been guilty of in the past. We've been told it was out of character. The conflicting arguments about an individual player have taken away from the argument we should be having about the frequency of shocking tackles in England. And no, they're not always against Arsenal, a team as guilty of them as any other.

In this week's show, we are joined by Arsenal supporter Graham Sibley from The Onion Bag and Some People Are On The Pitch, and his opinion on Shawcross is less sympathetic than mine.

We also talk through the game's financial meltdown, touching on the possibility of Phoenix clubs not just at Chester but also at Portsmouth, a Premier League club which has effectively been given two weeks to live. Just down the coast, Bournemouth are in a similar situation and I argue that the Cherries would not be replaced in the town if they went out of business.

We round up all the Premier League action from the weekend, discuss Fabio Capello's England squad for tonight's friendly against Egypt - hot on the heels of the Pharaohs' Africa Cup of Nations triumph - and review the Carling Cup final between Aston Villa and Manchester United.

We also talk to Sam Goode of Access Sport International about the Omnicom Haiti Fundraiser. As an employee of one of the works teams involved, I'll be playing alongside ex-Spurs stars Micky Hazard and Graham Roberts, former Chelsea man Kerry Dixon, Soccer AM presenter Max Rushden and actors Ralf Little and Shaun Dooley.

All proceeds will be DOUBLED and given to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, so come along. The game will take place at Dulwich Hamlet Football Club [map] in South London this Thursday at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and you can buy one and get all the details here. Please make the effort to come down and watch me humiliating myself if you can - it's for an important cause and I'll need your support.

The show is now available on iTunes and the CSRN media player, or you can listen below.

Please leave your comments below, follow us on Twitter, be our fan on Facebook and send your questions and comments to twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com - we also want audio contributions to the show, so feel free to get in touch about that.

Have a great week.

You can listen to this week's episode below:
Download link (mp3, 37mb, 54 mins)

Prediction League: Week 23 - Round-Up

ismiseian@gmail.com (Ian) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:39:00 +0000

This week I've been doing a bit of learning HTML so I thought it would be a clever idea to incorporate it into the Prediction League instead of writing a small essay on each week's games. Just to explain, green is for a correct result and red is for a wrong one. Enjoy.

Birmingham 1-0 Wigan
Chris: Birmingham
Ian: Birmingham
Gary: Birmingham

Bolton 1-0 Wolves
Chris: Bolton
Ian: Bolton
Gary: Draw

Burnley 1-2 Portsmouth
Chris: Draw
Ian: Burnley
Gary: Burnley

Chelsea 2-4 Man City
Chris: Chelsea
Ian: Chelsea
Gary: Chelsea

Stoke 1-3 Arsenal
Chris: Draw
Ian: Draw
Gary: Stoke

Aston Villa 1-2 Man United
Chris: Aston Villa
Ian: Aston Villa
Gary: Aston Villa

Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn
Chris: Liverpool
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Draw

Sunderland 0-0 Fulham
Chris: Draw
Ian: Fulham
Gary: Draw

Tottenham 2-1 Everton
Chris: Draw
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Draw

Finally we have a change in the Prediction League table for the first time in week, and guess what, it has been coming. Gary drops down into third place while I move up to second, but as always Mr. twofootedtackle stays top of the pile.

1. Chris – 107 points
2. Ian – 100 points
3. Gary – 99 points

Great Programme Photography: Tony Pulis

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Tony Pulis enjoys a round of golf, via Gillingham FC matchday programme, 1997/98.

Neil Warnock appointed as QPR manager

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:38:00 +0000

No sooner had Flavio Briatore sloped away from the mess he left at South Africa Road than new chairman Ishan Saksena made a better decision than the Formula 1 ban-dodger managed in his entire time at Queens Park Rangers. Caretaker manager Mick Harford's reign was short-lived and a new manager brought in to right the club. And he's one of those characters who polarises opinion on many axes.

Neil Warnock is a man almost beyond parody. Throughout his managerial career he has spoken his mind, and behind the smoke and mirrors of football people in the game just don't like dirty laundry being done in public. Being one of a kind, Warnock is always a headline-maker and so we have this view of him as an aggressive, one-dimensional northerner with a vicious streak and a potty mouth.

That's a harsh judgement on his character, created jointly by the media, his rivals and the man himself.

Neil Warnock has a lot of redeeming features. He is a football man through and through, and his old-school love of the traditional game is endearing even if his chosen style of play isn't. One-dimensional he is not; Warnock's teams always enjoy a measure of success. Sheffield United returned to the Premier League under his stewardship and were unfortunate to be relegated in circumstances which rocked the League itself to its very core.

Warnock was very open in his dismay at the Premier League's failure to punish West Ham United for their blatant breach of the rules by playing Carlos Tevez amid complications English football simply wasn't prepared for, and many supporters were surprised to see him return to football with Crystal Palace. In hindsight it was probably never in question.

At Selhurst Park he once again laid the foundations of success, turning around a toiling team and dragging it to the fringes of the promotion places. But the club's situation off the field hamstrung his efforts and administration was inevitable. So too was his resulting move to Queen's Park Rangers.

Is Warnock the right man for QPR? I think he's the perfect choice to kick off a new era at Loftus Road. He won't take any crap from the new owners, and he's got all the attributes Rangers need. He plays functional but effective football which only works because he is brilliant at creating a siege mentality at a club and squeezing every last drop of talent from quite limited players. He's hugely respected by his players and all of this adds up to an ideal choice for QPR.

Palace supporters in particular will be acutely aware of the qualities Warnock possesses. The team's results since the club's administration became inevitable have been impressive, and that includes those achieved after the Football League's mandatory imposition of a 10-point penalty was applied. That is what Warnock can do. He's a master at turning teams around, at getting the best from people around him. In truth that probably isn't quite enough in the top half of the Premier League, but managers like that in the Championship are like gold dust. Within two years, QPR will be in the playoffs - of that you can be sure.

It's also a fantastic opportunity for the manager. Although he was making a good fist of his work at Selhurst Park, his position was only likely to become more and more difficult. Problems beget problems when a club is in administration, and the manager's neck is always on the line. A restrictive CVA would do him no favours, and the other exit strategy for the club - a wealthy benefactor's input - so often means that a manager is out on his ear because the new owners want to bring in a friendly face.

That the QPR job came up is somewhat fortuitous for Warnock - it's a wonderful club which deserves better than it's had during Briatore's calamitous tenure. That the job was available with a new chairman in place most likely made the move irrestistable. Palace will benefit from the compensation package agreed with Saksena given their precarious position, and this is probably a good move all round. Warnock gets a great opportunity at a fantastic club, which in turn has taken on a very experienced, very capable manager. Palace will be smarting over their loss, but the money will help and this is the first of a painful but necessary series of cost-cutting personnel changes at the club.

The next chapter of the Neil Warnock story begins.

(Pic via Crystal Palace FC)

The Omnicom Haiti Fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:45:00 +0000

Disclosure: I am an employee of Porter Novelli and this post is a plug for an event organised by Porter Novelli in partnership with another of the Omnicom Group's PR agencies.

Do you want to see me embarrassing myself, hauling my beer belly around a football pitch while ex-pros and celebrities shout at me for being useless? This week, you'll have that chance.

On Thursday, I'll be playing in the Omnicom Haiti Fundraiser, a benefit match for the Haiti aid effort. Back in January, a powerful earthquake struck outside Port-au-Prince and the death toll quickly reached a tragic level. In situations like that, every little helps.

With that in mind, the Porter Novelli team wanted to add a little cash to the aid effort, and came up with the idea of a charity football match against Fleishman Hillard. Our charity is the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

I'll be playing alongside one or two celebrities as well as ex-pros like Micky Hazzard, Graham Roberts and Kerry Dixon (and maybe one or two more).

If you're in London this week, come down to join us. The price of your ticket plus any purchases or donations on the night will be doubled by Omnicom, meaning 200% of every penny you donate will be going to the charity.

Click here to buy your ticket for £5.

The details:

Kick Off: 7.30pm, Thursday 4th March 2010
Venue: Dulwich Hamlet Football Club
Champion Hill Stadium [MAP]
Edgar Kail Way, Dog Kennel Hill
SE22 8BD London
United Kingdom

Food and drink will be available on the night, along with some fun chances to win some goodies. Please click the link above and buy a ticket. It's for a great cause.

Is Wayne Rooney the best in the world?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:39:00 +0000

For me, it was the moment Wayne Rooney stopped being one of the best players in the world and became number one. That's coloured by patriotic bias, of course, but the evidence shows that the Manchester United man has carried one of the biggest clubs in Europe on his shoulders this season and has guided it to silverware and developed his own game at the same time.

After replacing Michael Owen just before half time in the Carling Cup final at Wembley, Rooney left James Collins for dead with just one step backwards and looped United's winning goal over Brad Friedel and into the top corner. From the other end of the stadium, it was clearly a wonderful header - even if it did arrive in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. And it demonstrated once and for all that Rooney's greatest asset is not his goals, his skill or his strength. It's his determined approach to self-improvement.

When combined with his natural ability, that can be devastating.

Rooney's talent has never been in doubt, but there have been questions which have permeated his career. These have now been emphatically answered and Rooney now appears to have everything one could ask for in a forward.

His goalscoring ability is there for all to see, and has been ever since he burst onto the scene at his boyhood club, Everton. He can shoot from distance as well as having an unswerving ability to create half a yard of space for himself in the penalty area. He is the master of the reverse shot inside the near post, leaving the goalkeeper flat-footed and stranded.

He also has an eye for the spectacular, as Newcastle United have found to their cost on more than one occasion. It's not all blockbusting volleys; Rooney chips a shot as well as any other player I can remember.

The question marks have been banished unequivocably this season. So far, 2010 has been the year of the Rooney header, with his Carling Cup final winner arriving hot on the heels of an aerial double against AC Milan in the Champions League. Promisingly, these were not scrappy headers but emphatic, powerful and skilled finishes. Suddenly Wayne Rooney's head can launch guided missiles.

He's always been able to head a ball but the improvement this year has been remarkable. It's probably no coincidence that he's grown into his role up front.

It's also noticeable that Rooney's temper has improved. Winning helps, of course, but we should give the player credit for adding heading and maturity to his game. Aston Villa's defence couldn't keep up with him yesterday and that led to a number of little kicks and fouls, the like of which Rooney - and David Beckham before him - has been known to react badly to. Yesterday he simply carried on without so much as an angry look.

However, when we're talking about the world's best it's important to consider the competition. Traditionally that means the holy trinity of Kaka, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but Barcelona's incredible football throughout 2009 brought Xavi and Andres Iniesta the credit they so thoroughly deserve. Back in England, Didier Drogba should be listed alongside these names.

In my opinion Rooney has the edge. Xavi and Iniesta are part of a well-oiled machine, but I'd take Rooney over either of them. Their colleague, Messi, offers the skill and penetration for Barcelona but Rooney's goalscoring record edges him out. Kaka needs some more time to flourish in the slightly quicker style of football in Spain but even at Milan I think he was outside the world's top two.

The more natural comparisons are with Ronaldo and Drogba. The Portuguese left Manchester United in the summer and is playing well for Real Madrid. There is no greater compliment to Rooney than to say he has replaced Ronaldo more than adequately. He's scoring goals for fun, and has always contributed more to the team play and worked harder than his former team-mate.

Drogba is another player said to have it all. He's a superb finisher, fast, strong and great in the air. Like Rooney, his attitude seems to have improved and petulance has been replaced by leadership.

If I had to choose one player to join my club, Rooney would be the man. He works just that little bit harder than the Ivorian and has a better passing range and more exciting close skill. Thank god he's English.

Is Rooney the best in the world? If not, to whom would you give the crown?

(Pic via Tkey)

Prediction League: Week 23 - Predictions

ismiseian@gmail.com (Ian) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:28:00 +0000

Birmingham vs. Wigan
Chris: Birmingham
Ian: Birmingham
Gary: Birmingham

Bolton vs. Wolves
Chris: Bolton
Ian: Bolton
Gary: Draw

Burnley vs. Portsmouth
Chris: Draw
Ian: Burnley
Gary: Burnley

Chelsea vs. Man City
Chris: Chelsea
Ian: Chelsea
Gary: Chelsea

Stoke vs. Arsenal
Chris: Draw
Ian: Draw
Gary: Stoke

Aston Villa vs. Man United
Chris: Aston Villa (had to, really)
Ian: Aston Villa
Gary: Aston Villa

Liverpool vs. Blackburn
Chris: Liverpool
Ian: Liverpool
Gary: Draw

Sunderland vs. Fulham
Chris: Draw
Ian: Fulham
Gary: Draw

Tottenham vs. Everton
Chris: Draw
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Draw

Not fit. Not proper. Not helping.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:38:00 +0000

Not so long ago, it wasn't all that simple to draw any conclusions about the so-called Fit and Proper Persons Test for owners and directors in football. The Premier League and Football League both have tests of this kind, and although they have differences their primary aim is to prevent criminal, unscrupulous or penniless individuals from owning football clubs.

The main question on supporters' lips was whether the tests were being applied properly. Were they stringent enough? Were they working effectively? And did they need to be standardised across the leagues and better enforced?

The fact that Thaksin Shinawatra managed to take ownership of Manchester City highlighted the toothlessness of the Premier League's test. Granted, he'd never overseen a football club's financial demise, or taken multiple businesses to liquidation. But his human rights record was in question at the time of his takeover and that just about sums up the Premier League. Money uber Alles.

Many months down the line, the specifics of the Fit and Proper Persons Test are perversely of lessening consequence. Debate over the test has become generalised from individual clauses and requirement to arguments about the process itself.

Football bloggers and podcasters actually no longer need to study cases in depth in order to grasp idiosyncasies and exceptions. The question isn't whether the Football League and Premier League tests are being applied properly anymore - it's whether they're being applied at all.

Nothing is being done to protect our clubs. Tell Portsmouth and Notts County supporters that their catastrophic owners in late 2009 had been filtered for both means and morals. They just weren't.

At County, Munto Finance was a key piece of a complex ownership puzzle which began to fall apart when Sol Campbell jumped ship. It imploded when the club was sold to Peter Trembling for one pound and then on to Ray Trew for the same figure. Sven Goran Eriksson left, and now the County dream is over.

All that remains is a large wage bill groaning under the weight of Kasper Schmeichel, whose father Peter has some backtracking to do after his vocal belief in the Notts County project.

But what were County doing paying for Schmeichel in the first place? What the hell were Eriksson and Campbell ever doing at Meadow Lane? Munto Finance was a shady proposition from the start, and the fact that nobody really knows who exactly owned the club should have rung alarm bells.

If bloggers like Ian King, our own Gary Andrews and John Beech were asking these questions as far back as August, there must have been dissenting voices at the Football League. The test simply did not even begin to do its job and now Notts County Football Club is on its knees.

The story at Portsmouth is even more concerning. The club is on the brink thanks to a string of takeovers this season. The previous owner, Sacha Gaydamak, should himself have been the subject of Premier League assurances to fans that it was he who owned the club and not his father.

But the Fit and Proper Persons Test has failed Pompey repeatedly since. Sulaiman Al-Fahim has been exposed as a charlatan. Many people suspected or knew as much, and yet his takeover was ratified. Similarly, Ali Al Faraj was allowed to step in to clear up the Premier League's mess, and then failed to pay the staff and players on several occasions.

The club is now in the hands of Balraim Chanrai, a businessman who took up his option as a creditor to seize the club. Administration looms and, given the debts involved, winding up is a very real possibility.

So you tell me whether the Premier League's test has protected Portsmouth here. The constant, of course, is Peter Storrie, who still thinks he earns his seven-figure salary. In fact, he should never be allowed in a football stadium again after overseeing Portsmouth's collapse.

Was Pompey's ludicrous spending worth it for an FA Cup win? What price a day at Wembley?

Landon Donovan video for United Against Malaria

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Back in January we brought you Kolo Toure's video for United Against Malaria.

Landon Donovan, the American midfielder on loan from LA Galaxy to Everton, has been at it as well. It's a great cause supporter by some great players. Check 'em out at unitedagainstmalaria.org - you know you want to.

TFT Podcast Ep 38

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:54:00 +0000

Russian football is something of an enigma for many European football supporters. From the game-changing Soviet sides of decades gone by to the oil giants of the 21st century Russian Premier League, Russian clubs have an aura about them with which we're quite unfamiliar.

Today, we think of the Russian Premier League as an emerging giant. It's ranked sixth by UEFA, and gives the impression of prosperity through a proliferation of highly-paid South American players and big talk from the oligarchs who run the show.

Think about CSKA Moscow, who benefited from the talented Vagner Love's goals before he returned to Brazil. Think about how much Zenit St. Petersburg have paid to some high-profile managers. We see Russia as an affluent, burgeoning footballing nation.

Supporters of FC Moscow might disagree. After finishing sixth in the Russian Premier League - one place away from European football - the club announced this month that it would be unable to fulfil its RPL commitments in 2010 because of the cessation of investment from Sporting Projects, the marketing arm of Norilsk Nickel which was responsible for the club. Moscow have now been formally expelled from the league, replaced by Alania Vladikavkaz.

In this week's show, The Cynical Challenge author and Eastern European football enthusiast James Appell joins Chris Nee and Gary Andrews to shine some light on the rise of Rubin Kazan, the fall of FC Moscow and the fortunes of Russian clubs in Europe this season.

We also discuss the prospect of football being played in Siberia through the winter, the start of this year's Asian Champions League and Shakhtar Donetsk's Europa League tussle with Fulham.

The Carling Cup final between Manchester United and Aston Villa is on the agenda this week, and we round-up the results and fixtures in the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League as the business end of the European season approaches.

There's an Audioboo from Queens Park Rangers supporter Alex Callaghan, who gives his view on the departure of the club's controversial figurehead Flavio Briatore and Rangers' prospects without him.

We hope you enjoy this week's show, and if you do or don't please let us know in the comments below. You can subscribe to the show in iTunes (don't forget to leave us a review) or listen on the media player at CSRN.

Follow us on Twitter, "fan" us on Facebook and tell your friends. If you want to share your views on a specific story or aspect of the game via Audioboo or bog-standard MP3, drop us an email with the file attached and some background information on yourself and your "Boo".

twofootedtackle[at]googlemail[dot]com

Have a good week.

Download link (mp3, 45mb, 66 mins)

Get one over on Cristiano Ronaldo

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:36:00 +0000

Love him or hate him, Cristiano Ronaldo's one of the world's best. My friends at Castrol Football have been in touch about a unique opportunity to show the Portuguese superstar what you're made of. It's a competition named Challenge Ronaldo, and the prize is pretty impressive:

(Deep breath)
Timed event challenge against Ronaldo
Return flights to Madrid and two nights in five-star accommodation
A sightseeing tour of Madrid, presumably not on one of the millions of red buses you see going round Bath
Guided tour of the Bernabeu
Food for the duration of the trip
A signed "gift" from Ronaldo - I'm suspicious of that one

Gotta be worth answering three questions to go to Madrid and get pwned by Ronaldo, right?

Prediction League: Week 22 – Round-Up

ismiseian@gmail.com (Ian) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:32:00 +0000

Everton 3-1 Man United
The Toffees comfortably beat Manchester United at Goodison Park to add another twist to the title race. Good win from Everton, who have also beaten Chelsea and Manchester City in the last couple of Premier League games, however, not good for us; no points here.

Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland
Sunderland are in dire straits, they have now not won since that last time they beat Arsenal at the Stadium of Light back in November, a staggering 13 games. Not a comprehensive win from the Gunners but three points is three points. And one point each goes to us.

West Ham 3-0 Hull
West Ham winning 3-0 is always a shock these days, but when it comes against a side like Hull then it is not such a surprise. Back to back wins now from the Hammers as they try to wrangle themselves out of a relegation battle, points go to me and Chris.

Wolves 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea stumbled over the line against Wolves to capitalise on Manchester United’s slip up and go four points clear at the summit. As always, it is no surprise that we all predicted a Chelsea win.

Pompey 1-2 Stoke
A late goal from Stoke could have possibly hammered the final nail in Portsmouth's coffin as they came from a goal down to snatch all three points at Fratton Park. Pompey remain rooted to the foot of the league, while Stoke remain unbeaten in 2010. Only two points handed out here and they went to me and Gary.

Aston Villa 5-2 Burnley
It was always going to be a home win wasn't it? Well, going on their away form, yes. They did however shock everyone by taking the lead in the game but Villa pegged them back in the warm up to their Carling Cup final next week. Three points for the three predictors here.

Fulham 2-1 Birmingham
Another side to come from a goal down was Fulham to beat Birmingham. Despite their Europa League commitments it was a great performance from the Cottagers, great goal from Bobby Zamora also. Chris and Gary take the points here.

Man City 0-0 Liverpool
As Cheryl Cole says in the L'Oreal ad – "Dull, limp and lifeless" those are fitting words to describe this game. Points were handed out, and they went to Gary and Chris.

Wigan 0-3 Tottenham
Tottenham are winning in the race for fourth place after this 3-0 win. Great win from 'Arry's side, but it remains to be seen if they will actually finish fourth. Just one point here and that goes to me.

Blackburn 3-0 Bolton
It's safe to say none of us saw this result coming. I don’t which is more shocking Blackburn winning 3-0 or the fact they have only lost at home twice this season, such a shock that none of us predicted a home win.

We took six points each this week so it means the table remains the same, albeit with six points added on.

1.Chris – 103 points
2.Gary – 97 points
3.Ian – 96 points

Chelsea hunting Napoli wizard Marek Hamsik

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:02:00 +0000

If you haven't heard of Marek Hamsik, you soon will. The Napoli midfielder will be Slovakia's talisman as they aim to overcome Italy, Paraguay and New Zealand at World Cup 2010, and is most certainly one to watch in South Africa this summer.

After that, my hope for him to stay at the San Paolo is likely to be in vain. While Walter Mazzarri has turned around the Naples outfit's fortunes since the departure of Roberto Donadoni - taking them into the fourth Champions League spot at the time of writing, though not the time of publication - Hamsik is a man in demand and could well have some attractive options. In a sense, the Partenopei probably have to qualify for the Champions League in order to keep him.

Like striker Ezequiel Lavezzi and defender Fabiano Santacroce, Hamsik has been consistently linked with a move away from the south of Italy. England's been on the cards, much to the amusing disgust of Napoli's eccentric chairman, movie mogul Aurelio De Laurentiis.

And with Hamsik's contract negotiations yet to be concluded, the brilliant 22-year-old is on the shopping list for Roman Abramovich and Chelsea. Speaking to the wonderfully named Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, former Chelsea "transfer market observer" Carlo Iacomuzzi revealed that he has scouted Hamsik for the West London club and that more scouts have been sent to Italy to check on his progress.

According to Iacomuzzi, Abramovich is on board the Hamsik wagon and a bid will be tabled this summer, with 30 million euros being the figure mentioned.

While I believe he's worth every cent - or whatever the hell 0.01 of a euro is - it's difficult to see where he'd fit into the Chelsea system in the short term. If they do sign him, it's a sign that Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to the future and beginning the task of Chelsea's difficult impending rebuilding operation.

Hamsik is an enterprising, dynamic midfield player with a fantastic eye for goal, a wide passing range and a great engine. It's not something Chelsea are lacking currently, but with Michael Ballack aging, it's possible that Hamsik has been earmarked for his spot in the middle. A midfield unit boasting Hamsik, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien is mouthwatering.

But Chelsea won't have it all their own way. Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho is said to fancy taking the Slovakian gem to Inter. That's if he's still in Milan by then, which I'm not personally convinced about.

So, would Hamsik be a good signing for Ancelotti and Chelsea? Let us know what you think.

Referees: how to use your yellow cards correctly

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:34:00 +0000

As football viewing goes, twofootedtackle's weekend was a whirlwind of goals and controversy. My local team, Tooting & Mitcham United, snatched a point at home against local rivals and fellow playoff hopefuls Sutton United. In Italy, Inter Milan took less than 40 minutes to have two men sent off; their opponents, Sampdoria, notched a red card of their own late on. And then Aston Villa and Burnley shared seven goals between them.

The referee at Villa Park had a decent game. I haven't checked who it was - credit goes to him for being largely anonymous - but he got more decisions right than wrong when it mattered. The man in pink at San Siro was far from quiet, and Jose Mourinho's reaction to red cards for Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba was matched only by that of the Inter supporters, who managed to pull off a visually stunning 'white handkerchief' protest after Samuel Eto'o's booking for a dive in the penalty area.

Such a shame, then, that those decisions were all entirely correct. Not so the late dismissal of Samp's Giampaolo Pazzini, who picked up a second yellow card for a foul in Inter's penalty area. While his challenge had a vague air of cynicism about it, there is no way it was deserving of a booking.

The same problem occurred in England. Craig Fagan was sent off for Hull City on Saturday and his yellow card was undeserved. It was a foul, nothing more. As for Colin Hartburn of Tooting and Stoke City's Andy Wilkinson...well, they were genuinely scandalous second yellows. Hartburn cleanly won the ball but was sent off regardless. Wilkinson simply stood his ground - in fact, it was superb defending.

With referees seemingly happy to establish that every foul by a booked player deserves another yellow card, perhaps the card-happy chappies would be prepared to dish some out when they were clearly deserved? Not a chance.

At Imperial Fields, Sutton's on-loan Exeter City youngster James Norwood was booed off by Tooting supporters. Having been fortunate to escape with a yellow card for his retaliation to Hartburn's first bookable challenge, he then performed an appalling dive in the penalty area under the faintest of touches from Tooting striker Simon Parker. The referee, by now losing control of the game, waved away his protests. For some reason, no yellow card was issued.

Referees, if you want Respect, here's what you need to do. Stop giving specious second yellows for run-of-the-mill fouls, or for no fouls at all. You know when you're giving a soft yellow card so just stop. It's a man's game. The first thing football supporters want from officials is not a superhuman ability to get every decision correct, it's consistency.

The second is for referees to cut out diving. If a player dives and you don't give a free kick or penalty, book him. The rule is already there. And if you can't tell the difference between an honest challenge which grounds an attacker and an attacker's dive, you shouldn't be there in the first place.

(Pic via BBC Sport)

Serie A: Inter 0-0 Sampdoria

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:43:00 +0000

Claudio Ranieri's Roma revival means there's more pressure on Inter Milan at this stage of the Serie A season than one might have expected. They're having one or two problems turning draws into wins at the moment and the visit of high-flying Sampdoria won't have been taken lightly by Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager didn't select a single Italian in his starting line-up. By contrast, the Blucerchiati were represented by no fewer than ten home-grown players.

Chances were hard to come by until Giampaolo Pazzini unlocked the Inter defence against the run of play in the 16th minute, lifting a clever chip over Ivan Cordoba's challenge to set up Andrea Poli. Julio Cesar was equal to Poli's firm volley and held on well.

On the half hour Inter created a good opportunity to open the scoring. A searching ball found Diego Milito, whose superb knock-down was wasted thanks to Samuel Eto'o's dragged finish.

Thirty seconds later, the match took a dramatic turn. Pozzi was chasing a through ball and gaining ground fast on Walter Samuel. Already on a yellow, Samuel thrust an arm back into the face of Nicola Pozzi, preventing him from nicking the ball and earning a fully deserved straight red card.

The free kick was blocked by Ivan Cordoba, who earned a yellow for breaking from the wall and, amazingly, the 38th minute saw him dismissed for a second yellow card. Pozzi was again involved, nicking the ball away from Cordoba and drawing the foul. Again, it was the correct decision, and Inter's lack of discipline was inexplicable.

Although the referee was right to dismiss Samuel and Cordoba, he made certain of an angry reaction at the break by blowing for half time just as Eto'o was shaping up to cross the ball after receiving it from a throw-in. It was an incredible first half, and not for reasons which will have pleased Mourinho.

The second period began with both teams adapting to the unusual personnel situation. Sampdoria played the ball around, going from wing to wing as they headed towards goal. The Nerazzurri started to use the strengths of Milito, playing long and trusting the Argentine to hold the ball up and wait for support.

In the 54th minute Inter came close to reaping the benefits. Wesley Sneijder drove a free kick from fully 40 yards which flew just above the corner of Marco Storari's goal.

Seconds later, it was bad news again for Mourinho. Chasing down an overhit cross, Eto'o crumpled under a challenge from Luciano Zauri in the penalty area and was - again correctly - given a yellow card by the referee, by now unbelievably unpopular with Inter staff and fans. Mourinho was visibly fuming and the supporters embarked upon an impressive visual demonstration of their displeasure.

Complain as they might, Eto'o's booking was deserved and his furious reaction would probably have earned him a red in any other game.

But the next man to go was a Sampdoria player. Giampaolo Pazzini will argue that his second booking, picked up inside the Inter penalty area for a silly but hardly vicious foul, would not have been given in another game. In truth, the referee had become rather picky by that point and was dishing out cards for most fouls.

In the 78th minute Eto'o missed a golden opportunity to give Inter an unlikely lead. A better shot was required when through on goal, but Storari simply had to apply a firm hand to send the Cameroon striker's strike wide.

Inter's second half performance was impressive in terms of sheer determination and attacking ambition in the face of adversity, and they deserved their point. It was hardly a bad result in the circumstances, but Roma host Catania tomorrow and will relish the possibility of gaining another two points on the leaders.

For all their advantage in numbers, Samp were toothless. With two spare men, it was arguably a match in which Antonio Cassano would have provided the much-needed creative spark from the bench. A shame for Luigi Del Neri, then, that the controversial forward is "injured".

With Sampdoria failing to capitalise on an unexpected chance to pick up points in the fight for fourth, fans of Napoli, Genoa and Juventus will be thankful for his enforced absence.

Prediction League: Week 22 - Predictions

ismiseian@gmail.com (Ian) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:13:00 +0000

Everton vs. Man United
Chris: Draw
Ian: Man United
Gary: Draw

Arsenal vs. Sunderland
Chris: Arsenal
Ian: Arsenal
Gary: Arsenal

West Ham vs. Hull
Chris: West Ham
Ian: West Ham
Gary: Draw

Wolves vs. Chelsea
Chris: Chelsea
Ian: Chelsea
Gary: Chelsea

Portsmouth vs. Stoke
Chris: Draw
Ian: Stoke
Gary: Stoke

Aston Villa vs. Burnley
Chris: Aston Villa
Ian: Aston Villa
Gary: Aston Villa

Fulham vs. Birmingham
Chris: Fulham
Ian: Draw
Gary: Fulham

Man City vs. Liverpool
Chris: Draw
Ian: Man City
Gary: Draw

Wigan vs. Tottenham
Chris: Draw
Ian: Tottenham
Gary: Wigan

Blackburn vs. Bolton
Chris: Bolton
Ian: Draw
Gary: Bolton

Prediction League – Week 21 – Round-Up

ismiseian@gmail.com (Ian) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:14:00 +0000

I’m very sorry for the impromptu break last week, but things were really busy and with the FA Cup taking place over the weekend I knew that I could leave the results for a week. I know there were games played mid-week last week so I'll try to be as succinct as possible by just summing up who got the points in each game.

Liverpool 1-0 Everton
Surprisingly, no points were given out in this game. Both Chris and Gary went for a draw while I hoped for an Everton win.

Bolton 0-0 Fulham
No points were given out here either as Chris and Gary went for a home win, while I went for an away win.

Burnley 2-1 West Ham
Third time lucky? Alas no. Once again all of us had conflicting predictions, so no points here either.

Hull 2-1 Man City
This prediction looked to be as safe as houses, but sadly, none of us saw Phil Brown's side claiming all three points.

Man United 5-0 Portsmouth
A perfect score in this one, as we claimed our first three points of the weekend, one for each Pompey own goal.

Stoke 3-0 Blackburn
Our second perfect score came at the fortress that is the Britannia Stadium; it was a comprehensive victory for all of us and for Stoke.

Sunderland 1-1 Wigan
I was the lone crusader in this one picking up my third point of the weekend.

Tottenham 0-0 Aston Villa
I picked up another point here after envisaging a draw between the two sides in the race for fourth place.

Birmingham 2-1 Wolves
Yet another perfect score for all three of us. Birmingham are fast becoming a safe team in regards to predictions.

Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Finally, the London derby produced a quadruple of perfect scores for us as Chelsea beat Arsenal to continue their time at the top of the table.

Chris continues his run at the summit of the Prediction League, but as I say each week the gap is narrowing. Certainly the race for second place between me and Gary is on. Let's take a look at the table:

1. Chris – 97 points
2. Gary – 91 points
3. Ian – 90 points

TFT Podcast Ep 37

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:51:00 +0000

The TFT Podcast has reached the ripe old age of 37 and to celebrate we invited our first ever guest, John Stanton, back into the studio. On the agenda this week: South London football - focusing on Crystal Palace, Wimbledon and Tooting & Mitcham United (and John's club, Fulham) - Notts County, the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League, and the Premier League's plan to introduce playoffs for the fourth CL qualifying spot.

TFT Podcast Ep 37 is now available via iTunes, by clicking this MP3 and on the media player at CSRN.

Rock and roll. Stay tuned for big news next week.

Premier League playoffs for last Champions League place?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:25:00 +0000

According to several media outlets, the Premier League "is considering a four-team play-off to decide who takes the fourth Champions League qualification slot". From what I gather, the playoffs would be very similar to the Football League's promotion playoffs. The team finishing fourth would presumably play the team finishing seventh, and fifth would play sixth.

The rationale, of course, is that the stranglehold of the traditional 'top four' - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United - is unbreakable, boring, predictable and ultimately very damaging to both the Premier League and wider English football. With the Premier League becoming dull and clubs spending themselves into oblivion, there seems to be a paradigm shift among supporters and the media. Both now appear willing to say "enough is enough" when it comes to football's impending implosion.

The aforementioned 'top four' have of course voiced their opposition to the proposal shared with them earlier this month, proving that Premier League football clubs are nothing but money-hungry, self-serving businesses. So much for the working class game.

There is precedent for this approach. In Holland, a similar concept was trialled but has now been abandoned. Cynical supporters might argue that it was brought in to rescue an ailing powerhouse, a possibility which cannot be discounted in any discussion about the Premier League's proposal. In an ideal world, the Champions League would be for champions. But that's not realistic in the modern game, so is this new proposal a hit or a miss from the Premier League?

The case for

It's important to acknowledge that the status quo is not acceptable anymore. The Premier League's rationale is, for once, sound. The traditional 'top four' have been the beneficiaries of a shambolic system which has allowed pound after pound after pound to flood their way, making them ever more powerful. Not that they've been particularly wise with their finances, but that's another post altogether. The fact of the matter is that the Champions League places in the Premier League have become a closed shop. That's why the Premier League is as dull as dishwater, and that's why so many of us are fast losing interest.

Change is no longer optional.

The potential result of opening up the last Champions League spot in the Premier League is a more exciting division - simple as that. The 'big four', especially Liverpool and Arsenal, would be drawn into battles on two fronts. At the top, the title race should be made more interesting by the necessity for four teams to fight for the top three spots. Below that, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and any number of other clubs would be trying to secure playoff spots and play their way into the Champions League through the new route. The crossfire in the title race might even - whisper it - open up third place. A more exciting Premier League is not only desirable; it's becoming essential.

And the more regularly one of the current 'big four' fails to qualify, the more unstable the cabal becomes. Again, that can only be a good thing for the competitivenss of the division. Sure, the big boys might not have budgeted for this eventuality and it could be disastrous. More fool them.

Let's not underestimate the possibilities. Liverpool, for example, dropping out one year could have more effect than we might expect. It could break the influence of 'top four'. Refereeing decisions might slowly become impartial again. Injury time might be applied correctly. "Big name" players will find it more difficult to effectively referee matches. This crap is ruining the game and anything that gives it a kick in the knackers is surely worth a try.

The introduction of playoffs also means there will be a playoff final - and what an occasion that will be! Personally, I'm not necessarily against the Premier League having a glitzy showcase match at the end of the season (as long as it doesn't decide the title winners). And for me, the argument that this is just a scheme to create another money-spinner for Wembley stadium, which we all know is desperate for cash, doesn't wash. Wembley's accounts are not really the Premier League's concern.

The case against

So, the downside. The clubs aiming to take advantage of the new system - the likes of Spurs and Villa - would face a potential dilemma. Steady building is always advisable in the top flight, but the sudden opening of a door will certainly appeal to the game's short-termism. The temptation will be profound, and the opportunity to jump in two-footed to this new space would not be one the clubs would like to miss. Manchester City, of course, probably don't need to be too concerned about this - but others most definitely do. Gambling on the future has been hugely damaging for more than a handful of clubs now, and it has to stop.

One of the major problems is that finishing fourth - or winning the forthcoming playoffs - doesn't actually earn much. "Champions League qualification" is, in fact, anything but. It's just the right to attempt to qualify. So in reality the playoffs could (would?) see a team go through the drama of scraping into seventh on three wheels, overcoming the fourth placed team, winning a high-octane final at Wembley, and then being knocked out of the Champions League in August. What's the point? As anti-climaxes go, this one would be above average.

In fact, that scenario raises another concern. Traditionalists like myself would argue that the European Cup should be for the champions only. What on earth would be the point of a top-end mid-table club being knocked out in the CL qualifiers? Chatting to Luke from The Football Ramble last week, we touched upon UEFA's missed opportunity. The Champions League might well be a lucrative competition, but the Europa League is the UEFA Cup's dying offspring.

The solution? Bring back the UEFA Cup in its knockout format and re-introduce the Cup Winners' Cup. They were fantastic competitions and would be a far more prosperous duo than the limp-wristed and universally disrespected Europa League. The Champions League could regain some of the European Cup's integrity. I think that a well-managed UEFA Cup could cover any loss of profit incurred by streamlining the Champions League. Allowing clubs that might well have finished outside the traditional UEFA Cup slots to compete in the Champions League would be borderline stupidity.

I've also heard people questioning the motivation behind this proposal. It's a little bit "grassy knoll" but it's a valid consideration nonetheless. Isn't this just to protect the 'big four', so the argument goes, from Manchester City and their bottomless pit of money? It's the flipside of the assumed reasoning: if Liverpool or Arsenal, for example, fail to finish in the top four, this is their safety net. I like this argument, I admire it's cloak-and-dagger suspiciousness. But surely Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United aren't just opposing all this as part of their master disguise?

The TFT alternative

Truth be told, I haven't really considered the possibility of introducing playoffs into the Champions League race. As I've mentioned, I want a return to the impossible integrity of Champions meaning champions. However, this proposal has got me thinking and I think I've worked out how to take the benefit of the case for and nullify much of the case against: a one-off match. Opening the race up to one extra team would still make the league more exciting, but not allow the ludicrous possibility of a seventh-placed team playing in the Champions League.

So, fourth plays fifth at Wembley in a fight to the death. 90 minutes, extra time and penalties. One Saturday afternoon in May, one chance to upset the apple cart. I think that's a happy medium that ticks the right boxes and ignores the wrong ones.

And another alternative...

I first read about this proposal at VillaTalk.com and one of the members there proposed an even more radical alternative, but one which undoubtedly has definite merit. I'll give you the problems first. The Premier League is boring, largely because of the Champions League cabal. The Europa League is rubbish. And the League Cup, and to a certain extent the FA Cup, aren't what they used to be. So 'Gringo' has come up with the bright idea of solving all these problems in one. The end of season playoffs would feature the fourth- and fifth-placed Premier League teams and the winners of the two Cups.

The winner of that series goes on to play in the Champions League. It's not a bad idea, but my main concern would be the complications arising when one or both of those competitions are won by a top three club. Do the runners-up go in? (Millwall in the Champions League?!) If not, we're back at square one with the seventh-placed club having a shot at the big time. Give me a one-off match between fourth and fifth any day.

What do you think of this new proposal? Is there a better way? Is it even needed? Over to you...

(Pic via BBC News)

Serie A: Napoli 0-0 Inter Milan

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:29:00 +0000

Sunday evening's Serie A clash at the San Paolo saw two of Italy's top clubs battle for vital points in their respective campaigns. Inter Milan travelled south looking to strengthen their vice-like grip on the Scudetto race, while Napoli were looking to move back into the top four with a win over the Nerazzurri.

Napoli started well as the match began at hectic pace. In the tenth minute they were unlucky not to take the lead when the brilliant Slovakian midfielder Marek Hamsik received the ball on the edge of the box following Walter Gargano's free kick, bending the ball against the crossbar beyond the despairing reach of Julio Cesar.

Hamsik was involved again a few minutes later, swinging in a perfect cross for German Denis. The Argentine's thumping header came up against a Cesar-shaped brick wall thanks to an excellent reaction save from the Inter stopper.

Inter also hit the woodwork in the first half with a stinging left-footed half volley by Sulley Muntari which shook the top corner of the goal frame just before the half hour mark, but the first half belonged to the Partenopei. Juan Camilo Zuniga, one of Pierpaolo Marino's last signings, caused regular problems for Inter down the right wing.

Inter finally got a foothold in the game just before half time and began to knock the ball around crisply, drawing the whistles from the San Paolo crowd. But, like the Azzurri, they were unable to make their pressure pay and had to settle for a goalless scoreline at the break. Muntari, fortunate to have avoided a yellow card until his third foul, was incredibly lucky to make it to half time.

Inter came out all guns blazing for the second half and four minutes in they were appealing loudly for a penalty. Napoli failed to clear a cross and Diego Milito went down easily after a tug to his shirt by Gianluca Grava. A minute later Wesley Sneijder was grateful to receive only a yellow card for a nasty foul on Gargano.

Goran Pandev should have continued his impressive scoring run on the hour. Having found himself staring down Morgan De Sanctis witht the ball at his feet, he could only fire his shot straight at the goalkeeper when a yard either side would have seen the ball in the net. It was a real let off for Napoli and the first real sign that they might regret not opening the scoring in the first 45 minutes.

Napoli had an even better chance a few minutes later. Denis leapt to nod a cross back to Quagliarella on the edge of the area and the Neapolitan's volley thumped the bottom of the post. In truth, Denis' failure to finish from the rebound has to go down as an awful miss. Nevertheless, he was soon putting Cesar under pressure again and the Brazilian had to be sharp to keep Inter level.

The same move by Denis gave Napoli another chance with eleven minutes left, but Hamsik's volley screwed wide of Cesar's goal with the Azzurri in the ascendancy despite Inter's introduction of Samuel Eto'o and the increase in tempo he brought to the match.

The sides had to settle for a point each, a result which puts Inter seven points clear at the top but does few favours for the home side.

Win Jerseys for Life with Soccerpro.com

noreply@blogger.com (Chris N) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:35:00 +0000

If you like football shirts, this one's most certainly for you. I wanted to point you, the loyal and over-polite readers of twofootedtackle in the direction of a pretty kick-ass competition from our friends at Soccerpro.com.

To celebrate their World Cup 2010 range, they've launched a Jerseys for Life sweepstakes competition.

Okay, so it's not really 'for life' but getting your favourite team's shirt for free every year for the next ten years is still a rather impressive prize. And just as a sweetener, you'll get a $10 voucher (if you're in the UK, that's...well, you can work it out) just for entering - and they've got some good gear on the site so that's worthwhile.

Once again, to enter the sweepstakes you just need to visit their Facebook page via the Soccerpro website. Good luck, y'all!