Johnny Silk Sport

Stop Pirlo, stop Italy?

2014-06-10T03:19:00.002-07:00

Stopping Italy's fulcrum, Andrea Pirlo, has to be the priority for this Saturday's game against the Azzurri.

But how? Some suggest Wayne Rooney can do a job and though England's talisman has the dedication, whether he has the energy levels of a couple of years ago remains open to question.

Therefore, Roy Hodgson should take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book. Unfortunately, the England manager cannot call upon Park Ji Sung, or a like for like replacement. The South Korean's honourable mention is due to the effective job he did on Pirlo in a 2010 Champions League tie.

The Italian midfield maestro recently commented that Park was "the first nuclear powered South Korean in history" in reference to the shadowing job that he did on Pirlo.

Hodgson should take note of what Ferguson did last year when using Danny Welbeck in such a role against Xabi Alonso. Welbeck was instrumental in stopping the Madrid man from dictating play in much the same way as Pirlo likes to do. Furthermore, Welbeck's form is good, as has been demonstrated throughout the recent friendlies.

This then leaves the Rooney conundrum. Where does he play or do you even drop him entirely? Let's dismiss the latter, at least for now. He has bags of experience and still offers a goal threat, but with Welbeck operating centrally, should he be deployed to 'sit on' Pirlo, Rooney will have to move out wide.

This then leaves Hodgson with one more selection dilemma. Who to play on the other flank: Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana or James Milner.

A couple of weeks ago Lallana was at the front of the queue but his recent form could see him miss out. Sterling missed England's last friendly through suspension and could also, with his pace, be an effective substitute against tired Italian legs.

For these reasons, the prospect of James Milner starting has to be strong. And then when you add Glen Johnson's recent struggles at full back, some protection may be necessary and noone in the squad can offer that in the same way that the Manchester City wide man can.

This line up may seem a little on the cautious side, but there are still goals in this team. Rooney, Sturridge and even Welbeck, despite his destroying role, can still provide an attacking threat, and his scoring record for England is excellent.

Should England emerge with a point or more from this game, this should strengthen their chances of progressing and Italy may just feel the same. A long scoring draw may be on the cards for two nations who are notoriously slow starters.

My team: Hart; Johnson Cahill Jagielka Baines; Gerrard Henderson; Milner Welbeck Rooney; Sturridge

Federer Nadal semi final could dictate who is the greatest

2014-01-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

Respect: Rafa or Roger?

So nowadays Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are contesting semi finals, rather than finals, but this could perhaps be more significant than any of the previous encounters when it comes to where each will be placed in the pantheon of the greats.

With Novak Djokovic out following his surprise defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka, the winner of tomorrow's clash will be the clear favourite to take this year's Australian Open title on Sunday.

Should Federer claim his first Grand Slam in almost two years, his longest spell without one, he would gain his 18th career Slam, a seemingly unassailable lead over Nadal, who has 13, especially given the Spaniard's injury record.

However, should Rafa prevail the pendulum would swing in his direction, being just three behind his great rival and almost five years younger than the Swiss.

Both have won all four slams at one point in their career and though Rafa has the distinct advantage when it comes to their head to head record, 22-10, Federer will often have an edge in any argument over a pint given his overall number of Grand Slam titles won.

Perhaps this is a little premature as no one can tell quite what the future will hold in this unpredictable sport (who would have anticipated Djokovic breaking the aforementioned's duopoly) but this match could just give us a definitive answer to who is the sport's greatest ever player.

Farewell Fergie: thanks for the memories

2013-05-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

One early November morning in 1986 I was sitting down having breakfast at the Beechwood, the hotel that my mother would look after every year for three weeks whilst the owners went on holiday to Australia, when I discovered, via the radio, that the team I supported would be having a new manager.

Following an embarrassing League Cup defeat at Southampton, the previous incumbent, Ron Atkinson, had been sacked and the club were about to embark on the most successful period in its history. Well, I say about to, we had to wait a few years for things to click into place but when they did, boy did they!

I remember the bad times during those early years, particularly the home cup defeat to Nottingham Forest in 1989. Even more painful was the that the league seemed even further away than it had done during Atkinson's tenure. This prompted the infamous message towards the end of 1989 that simply said:

At least Pete Molyneux accepts he was a little premature in unfurling this banner.

The first significant step towards success came at the County Ground, again Forest were the opponents, but this time with a very different result. Thanks to a Mark Robins header from an often forgotten sumptuous Mark Hughes pass (a part of Sparky's game that is frequently overlooked). We were on our way to Wembley. And what a road that was, including some memorable games against Oldham in the semis and Palace in the final.

Then came Rotterdam a year later and Barcelona were overcome in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, largely thanks to the inept goalkeeping of Carles Busquets, standing in for the injured Andoni Zubizararreta. Another slice of luck, admittedly, but Hughes took full advantage to win us our first European trophy since 1968.

Everything was beginning to look good until the culmination of the 1991/92 season. A 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on 26 April 1992 was, and still is, the most painful defeat in all my time as a United fan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfehJzVT7-w). Why oh why?! We'd blown it. Fergie still remembers the shouts of "fuck you" from the home dressing room and the most galling moment of all for a young Ryan Giggs: outside the ground a Liverpool fan asked for his autograph and then laughed as he tore it up in front of the Welshman's face.

The tears flowed and flowed as I went to bed that night. Once again, the title seemed as far away as ever. It is funny to think that back then I genuinely wasn't sure if I would ever see us win the league.

The next twist was to come once again whilst I was staying at the Beechwood Hotel, in November 1992. When I picked up one of the resident's newspapers to discover the signing of Eric Cantona for a mere £1.2 million.

This was the catalyst.

The first league title was secured following the Frenchman's arrival and then came the next objective. The European Cup. That was the thing with Fergie, once one goal had been achieved, there was always the next one.

A steep learning curve in Europe was to follow but, in 1999, the holy grail was achieved in spectacular style, in 'Fergie time'. "And Solskjaer has won it," screamed Clive Tyldsley incredulously as the Norwegian prodded home to complete a remarkable injury time turnaround.

More domestic success followed but then came the dark years, between 2003 and 2007, when more questions surfaced over whether Fergie was still up to it. He's lost the plot, he's over the hill, the critics claimed.

As a result, winning the title in 2007 was one of the sweetest.

Winning the Champions League in 2008 was monumental and one of the things that sticks in my head the most, as I stood there in the Luzhniki Stadium on that rainy night, is the image of Sir Bobby Charlton leading us up the steps to collect the trophy, 50 years after he survived the Munich air crash, unlike several of his less fortunate teammates. Once again I began to well up.

If there is anything that illustrates the difference between United and the beaten finalists it was seeing Peter Kenyon lead Chelsea up the steps to collect their runners up medals. United chose a legend who embodied the club like no other, Chelsea chose a Chief Executive and supposed lifelong Man United fan. Fake.

No more success on Europe's biggest stage. A couple of finals where we were well beaten by Barcelona and then there was this year's campaign.

Little did I know back in March when the pain of defeat at the hands of Real Madrid meant I had to go for a long walk, late at night, to try and clear my head. That shock and disappointment pales in comparison to the news of Ferguson's imminent departure. Once again tears were apparent. Especially during his speech at Old Trafford last Sunday, but I wasn't alone in doing this. Emotional.

It was hardly surprising that Ferguson's retirement has provoked such strong emotions. This man, after all, has been responsible for some of the best moments of my life, from the Nou Camp to Moscow, from the Stadio Delle Alpi to Old Trafford. This man has caused me to travel the continent at great expense. But it has been worth it. Every single penny. Thank you Sir Alex.

Manchester United will hope to come up smelling of roses

2013-02-13T09:22:00.001-08:00

Real Madrid - Manchester United: they don't come much bigger than this

Oh, how I love the smell of the city prior to hosting a Champions League clash of mammoth proportions.

OK so it is only the last 16 but I have not been this excited about a Champions League tie in years. Maybe not since the final in 2009. Sure, Manchester United made the final again in 2011 but noone truly believed they would prevail against Barcelona that night and those fears were realised as Messi, Iniesta, Xavi et al pummelled the Red Devils.

Tonight, however, represents a possible step towards redemption and a tantalising prospect at a fourth European Cup. Of course, there would still be the Catalan obstacle but this United side are significantly better than the one well beaten two years ago at Wembley. In addition, the belief that a victory over Madrid would provide could help them go on to lift the cup with the big ears once more.

As for the game itself, a nil nil would represent a good result to take back to Manchester, despite all the fears that a lack of an away goal would provide. More often than not, the away team ends up going through after such a result, though the memories of Monaco '98 and Madrid in 2000, where United ended up with a goalless draw, still bring back a feeling of dread as United crashed out.

However, given the porous defences on show a nil nil draw is about as likely as an imminent end to the financial crisis here in Spain.

2-1 to Los Blancos is this observer's prediction, which would still give Sir Alex Ferguson something to cling onto ahead of the return at Old Trafford next month.

Ferguson's line up is even harder to predict than the score but here goes. De Gea, Rafael Rio Evans Evra, Jones Carrick Cleverley, Valencia Van Persie Rooney.

This is not the most attacking of line ups which is the norm for United in Europe against heavyweight opposition. This formation could even morph into a 4-4-2 with Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones moving out to the wide midfield slots. The clearest advantage to this line up would be, effectively, three players being available to help quell the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo (Jones and Cleverley abley abetted by Valencia). Furthermore, Rooney maybe designated with the job of pressurising Alonso, when in possession, in a way not too dissimilar to the job Mario Goetze unselfishly performed in Dortmund's impressive results against Real.

The trouble is, these tactics will neglect the threat offered by Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria. Furthermore, they will inevitably negate any attacking threat that United have of their own, though the possibility of pinching a goal always remain when matchwinners like Robin van Persie and Rooney himself remain on the pitch.

No doubt Jose Mourinho will have some tricks up his sleeve but it is the selction of his opposite number that is of greater intrigue.

Such negative tactics or not, nothing can quell the sense of anticipation I have in the pit of my stomach right now.

Best goal ever? You're having a laugh

2012-11-16T15:24:00.001-08:00

Steven Gerrard says it is the best goal he has even seen 'live'. Alan Shearer went one step further and said it was the best of all time. It even left motormouth commentator Alan Green speechless.

What a load of guff. Zlatan himself said that he has scored better and that his first on the night, the first in the newly opened stadium in Stockholm, was more pleasurable for historical reasons.

Personally, I was not blown away by it one iota. At the end of the day, it was an overhead kick into an open goal in a meaningless friendly against mediocre opposition following a goalkeeping error.

Compare that with Diego Maradona's solo effort against England in a World Cup quarter-final or Marco van Basten's incredible volley in the final of Euro 2008 and Ibrahimovic's strike pales into insignificance.

Maradona's and van Basten's goals not only took the breath away but were big goals on big occasions that helped their national sides win major tournaments.

The Gazza phenomenon

2012-09-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Paul Gascoigne has turned down an invitation to attend tonight's Europa League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio, two of his former clubs, at White Hart Lane.

Gazza's troubled career could be encapsulated with that memorable FA Cup run Spurs had in 1991. The highs against Arsenal and Oxford United, with some mesmerising goals, were offset by the low in the final where he ruptured his knee ligaments against Nottingham Forest due to an overly exuberant tackle on Gary Charles. He was never the same player again.

Nevertheless, during his time at Lazio there were some celebratory moments, not least scoring a late equalizer in the Rome derby, which endeared him to the Lazio fans forevermore.

Talking of which, even the Roma fans were fascinated by 'Gazzamania'. James Richardson, who presented Channel 4's Football Italia throughout the 90s, spent some time with the troubled midfielder during his time in Rome and recalled a story where Roma fans were chanting his name as he drove his car through the busy streets of Rome.

"Gazza was seen as a phenomenon during his time in Italy. The viewing public saw him as something from a different planet, not just in footballing terms, but in his behaviour. The fact that Roma fans were singing his name and banging the windows of his car, joyously, shows this. For Roma fans to be so positive about a Lazio player is quite unique."

The England midfielder's talent was certainly unique and he was undoubtedly the greatest footballer England has produced for a generation or more. The fact that this talent was never truly realised is one of great disappointment. For the watching public and for Gazza himself.

The Premier League as I see it

2012-09-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

If Arsenal can keep their players fit they will comfortably qualify for the Champions League, and may even be closer to the top than many people expect. Cazorla looks like an excellent signing.

Kagawa looks like a decent signing for United, too, but it epitomises the Glazer era as Hazard is the real deal and I suspect he will have a similar effect on the Premier League as Henry or Ronaldo. Not so much in terms of goalscoring, though I still expect him to score 20 plus goals a season, but his overall effect in that he will be rated as the league's top performer year in year out. He is who wUmited should've signed this summer. With him and Van Persie they could've made a realistic challenge for the Champions League. As it is, Fergie's men are still a fair bit behind Real and Barca but, as Chelsea proved, it is a cup competition so you never know.

I think the signing of Maicon is sound business on City's behalf, though a centre half like Agger would've been even more help as I still see Lescott as their weak link in an otherwise impressive line up.

Talking of weak links, I see Di Matteo as Chelsea's. I think he's a good manager but is he capable of winning a Premier League? I have my doubts. Plus, Chelsea have an impressive squad up until you look at their striking options. If Torres gets injured, and he has a tendency to do so, they will struggle.

Tottenham should end up fifth with Everton nearby but neither will be troubling the top four.

As for the bottom of the table, I fear for Norwich, second season syndrome and all that, aligned with the loss of their manager, Paul Lambert.

Reading will struggle too, unlike the other promoted sides who have invested heavily.

The final relegation place is much more difficult to predict but I am going to go for one really left-field: Stoke. Just not sure how much longer Tony Pulis's magic can continue to work at the Britannia Stadium.

A belated set of predictions, I realise, but I am just putting it out there.

1st: Manchester City
2nd: Manchester United
3rd: Chelsea
4th: Arsenal
5th: Tottenham Hotspur
6th: Everton
7th: Liverpool
8th: Newcastle United
9th: Sunderland
10th: Aston Villa
11th: Fulham
12th: Wigan Athletic
13th: Queens Park Rangers
14th: West Bromwich Albion
15th: Swansea
16th: West Ham United
17th: Southampton
18th: Stoke City
19th: Norwich City
20th: Reading

Disclaimer: from tenth downwards is a bit of a lottery

Federer in 7th heaven as Murray falls short once again

2012-07-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer claimed his 7th Wimbledon title to disappoint Andy Murray and the raucous home support. Federer has now equalled Pete Sampras's record total of wins at SW19.

Despite a strong start from the Scot, winning the first set, new world number one Federer proved to be too strong for Murray, and has now won a remarkable 17 Grand Slam titles.

It all started perfectly for Murray. He held serve comfortably in the opening game before striking an early break to the Federer serve, albeit aided by an unusually nervous start from his opponent.

Federer responded like a multi-slam winner, breaking back immediately but the Swiss was surprisingly wayward throughout that first set with an extremely high amount of unforced errors. There was something almost strangely inevitable about what followed. And Murray duly broke the Federer serve once more in the tenth game of the set to take an early advantage in this epic match.

The man from Basel was subdued and wayward throughout the opening exchanges and he failed to convince for large parts of the second set but then as the set inexorably headed towards a tie break Federer struck, cobra-like. In the flash of a second Federer broke, decisively to win the set 7-5. The momentum had swung and the rain started to pour.

Just in time, many thought, for Murray to have a breather and collect his thoughts. It seemed like perfect timing for Murray. In that sense it probably was as something was needed to stem the tide.

Yet as the roof closed and the players returned it was Federer that seemed to have increased his powers and then came 'that' game. Both players held relatively comfortably until Federer led 3-2. An unbelievable backhand from Federer gave him two break points but Murray responded brilliantly to take the game to deuce. Nine more deuces followed with some sumptuous shots from Federer, before the Swiss finally broke, after nearly 20 minutes of play. Murray crucially slipping as he was lobbed just prior to being broken at the sixth time of asking. Unbelievable.

Federer began to open up his famous forehand, though it was still littered with unforced errors, and Murray just could not live with his opponent as a two sets to one lead became inevitable.

Murray struggled to hold on from here and when the new world number one broke mid-way through the fourth set all seemed set for Federer.

Yet Murray had one last chance. At 15-30 on the Federer serve Murray opened a forehand of his own, only to get too excited and go long. With that any last chance of glory was gone and Federer closed out for victory as Murray had nothing left in the tank.

A grand slam still seems possible for Murray, but maybe this was his best chance at Wimbledon gone. Federer showed shines of the great play of yesteryear at times here, but he was there for the taking, particularly the unforced errors gifting Murray an early lead.

Still there are question marks over the mental toughness of Murray, particularly when the going got tough. There were the petulant remarks aimed in no particular direction as the match slipped away that you never seemed to see from the top players.

When the players return here in a few weeks for the upcoming Olympics, Federer will now be looking for a gold medal to complete his remarkable collection, whilst Murray will have to wipe away the tears, re-group and respond. Good luck with that.

We are going home

2012-06-26T06:49:00.001-07:00

Kiev's Olympic Stadium: the scene of England's crime

It was a massacre in all but the score line and even the most ardent of England fans couldn't deny the better team won.

Nevertheless, as the penalty shoot out began it didn’t prevent a wave of optimism when Riccardo Montolivo missed his penalty for Italy, giving England the advantage that they soon squandered after tame efforts from Ashley Young and the normally reliable Ashley Cole.

The English section of the stadium was something akin to a morgue after the defeat. Many of which were younger fans, the older ones now almost getting used to such failures. The younger ones just staring into the abyss like so many of the more senior supporters have done in Turin, Wembley, Shizouka and Gelsenkirchen.

As for the game itself, oh how we missed Jack Wilshere. Our inability to keep the ball has been well documented and the silky passing of the young Arsenal midfielder would have been essential if we'd had any hopes of having a major impact on this tournament.

Even the evergreen Paul Scholes would have been a more welcome addition to the pitch than the underwhelming introduction of Jordan Henderson.

As majestic as Italy’s Andrea Pirlo was, this tweet from Michael Owen shortly after England’s exit summed up the absence of Scholes: ‘Pirlo was awesome but we have a player of a similar age and equally as good. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there. #Scholes.’

Some may have viewed him coming out of retirement as regressive step but do you think the Italians would readily discard Pirlo, or the Spanish Xavi, in such a hurry? I think not.

Anyway, back to the England fans, who behaved impeccably throughout Sunday night’s game, thoughts were already turning towards Brazil. The endless optimism of an England fan is both reprehensible and admirable in equal measure.

We just hope we have more ball retainers than ball hoofers next time out. Joe Hart’s endless long balls towards Andy Carroll became a familiar theme during the heartbreaking defeat to Italy.

But where there are young midfield starlets like Wilshere and Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley there is hope. My goodness we need it. We are going home, we are going we going home (but we’ll be back). See you in Brazil in 2014, providing we qualify of course.

Step by step

2012-06-21T05:41:00.003-07:00

Euro 2012: it does exactly what it says on the tin

In the hours before kick off against Ukraine, the England fans, just like eight days before when we played France, congregated around the Golden Lion pub. The pub is situated in the city centre with a giant Lenin statue adjacent. What the Russian revolutionary would have made of it all is anyone’s guess.

The most intriguing aspect was certainly the few Ukrainians, some making their regular walk home from work that they may have been doing for a decade or more, daring not look in the direction of the English supporters for fear of reprisal.

Then there were others that would just come and watch, almost like children on their first day at the zoo. There are obvious comparisons but I will let you draw your own.

The atmosphere both in and outside the stadium was a good one, though the home support was less fervent once England scored.

And the away support? Well behaved, respecting the Ukrainian national anthem, which I know should be a given, but is often flouted at Wembley.

There is one thing to add that intrigues me about England fans: what is all this about ‘England til I tie’? As if an England fan is going to suddenly wake up tomorrow and discover he’s Icelandic.

Anyway, it is a pity that both host nations have exited the competition at the group stage. Talking of the group stage, this is now at an end and despite England’s best efforts, the tournament has yet to garner a goalless draw. Perhaps Italy are the ideal opponents for the Three Lions to break that record.

This tournament has rightly been heralded as one of the best for many a year. However, it might be a good idea to wait until it is over before bestowing such an honour as tournaments are generally defined by its knockout stages and there will be plenty of opportunities for Greece, England and Italy to yet turn this competition into a forgettable stinker.

Now it is back to Kiev for England’s quarter final but when and how have yet to be decided. It would be great to hold fire in Donetsk until Saturday night’s quarter final between France and Spain that is here at the Donbass Arena.

However, the Ukrainian transport network is doing its best to conspire against me. There is only one train to the capital on Sunday morning and that is fully booked. There are murmurings that many locals, call them touts if you will, have bought up all the tickets and trying to sell them off for a huge profit. If so, there is something that the authorities should do about this. This is extremely unlikely as they have slightly bigger fish to fry. Namely the £2.5 billion in state funds opposition leaders claim was illegally awarded for no-bid contracts for Euro 2012. Confused? Read more on this topic from the experts:

Talking of off the pitch misdemeanours: when is someone going to get a grip at UEFA? I know it has been mentioned aplenty but the moral outrage to the pitiful fines dished out for racism compared with the £80,000 fine for Nicolas Bendtner flashing his sponsored pants is fully justified.

An open letter to Roy Keane

2012-06-18T02:19:00.005-07:00

Dear Roy,

I'd like to take you to task on your recent criticism of the Irish national team in the Sun so here goes.

Perhaps the margin of defeat against Spain was lamentable, yet what cannot be denied is the lack of quality, which you highlight yourself at the beginning of your piece. I think this was more to blame than either effort or the coach which seems to be your main bone of contention.

When I look back on the Irish team of the late 80s, early 90s and perhaps even in 2002, there was a lot more quality on offer than I realised at the time. Bonner, Given, Irwin, Kelly, Staunton, Lawrenson, McGrath, you yourself Roy, Houghton, Aldridge, Robbie Keane, O'Leary, Kevin Sheedy (who I wasn't going to include then recalled that sweet left foot which was most evident against England at italia 90), Moran, Whelan, Beglin and many more. These players should be reaching the knockout stages of major tournaments. St Ledger, Long and Cox should not.

Secondly, your dig at Keith Andrews for saying that Ireland will play for pride in their last game is harsh. What is he supposed to say with a microphone shoved in his face following the thrashing by Spain (they're not the first or the last to receive such a beating from arguably the best international side of all time).

Nevertheless, you are always a great read/listen which cannot always be said of some of your peers. Chris Waddle, Alan Shearer, Mark Bright and Robbie Savage spring to mind. The latter who's opinion is solely based on his friendship, or lack of, with the individual he's analysing (ie Roberto Mancini, Mark Hughes).

This criticism could never be aimed in your direction so keep the forthright opinions coming. A football world without these comments would be a very dull one indeed.

Yours sincerely,

John Silk

To read Roy Keane's article in full go to http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/euro2012/4377157/Euro-2012-Roy-Keane-says-Republic-of-Ireland-should-dump-em-all.html

Footnotes from Ukraine

2012-06-18T02:02:00.002-07:00

Tasty: when in Kiev...

Whilst Ukraine have been a welcoming host (I even received two bags of crisps on the street for free yesterday in Kiev, any country that bears gifts as nice as this gets my vote) there is one thing sorely lacking when compared to previous tournaments: the lack of variety of travelling support in each host city.

In Tokyo, stood at central station, the place was buzzing with supporters from all over the world. From Ireland to Argentina, from Germany to Cameroon, it was a fantastic place to be as the hub of the World Cup with 16 nations based in Japan, many of which playing in the country’s capital at some stage during the tournament.

In Poland and Ukraine, though, this is not the case. The size of the two host nations, aligned with varying transport issues (there’s no bullet train here) there is not the same international feel. Sweden, for example, are based solely in Kiev, whilst Spain remain in Gdansk, for the time being at least.

I understand the logistics, I just miss the lack of an international feel when the cities are dominated by just one or two nation's fans.

A dog: this funny thing has no business being here, aside from the fact he is a cute dog, which is enough in itself

Anyway, moan over and I am returning to my crisps as my trip takes another dramatic twist (there have been more twists and turns than a twisty-turny thing so far). I have decided to become a culture vulture, taking in a monastery and some of the amazing views on offer near Kiev’s famous arc.

Irish pub: at O'Brien's with fellow Norfolk boy (also in red) who goes simply by the name of Calvin

It is not long, however, before I revert to type to visit the Irish bar to watch football before drinking myself silly whilst singing to Oasis songs in a downstairs bar called Dockers which gets a seal of approval in terms of ambience, but a seal of disapproval on the ever increasing price of drinks throughout the evening.

Now for the long train journey to Donetsk from Kiev which will pass by much more quickly as it will be dominated by some much needed sleep.

Don't look back in anger: Oasis being sung at the Dockers bar in Kiev

Onwards and upwards

2012-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well Friday night almost encapsulated everything about being an England fan, except if it had, the ending would have been far more miserable.

It could have been very different, however. As the storm clouds came over the Olympic Stadium in Kiev shortly before kick off, the fear was that we were going to suffer from the same deluge that had recently hit Donetsk, forcing the match between Ukraine and France to be abandoned, albeit for just one hour.

Roy Hodgson and the English support had more than the weather on their mind mid-way through the second half as Olof Mellberg scored a brace to put the Swedes into an improbable lead. But then Theo Walcott sprang from the bench to rescue the Three Lions and condemn Sweden to elimination as we now look optimistically towards playing Ukraine on Tuesday.

‘You're going home with the Irish’ was sang in the direction of the 20,000 Swedish supporters, outnumbering their English counterparts by almost three to one. This was not a feeling we are used to. Normally it is us who are the dominant force within the stadium. Even in Portugal in 2004, in their own stadium, we had more fans than our opponents. But here it was a sea of yellow and blue. That's the trouble: even the Ukrainians within the crowd seemed to be on the side of our opponents.

A fan's eye view: nervous times for the England faithful

It all used to be so different. Not since the cost of these trips became so extortionate that only the affluent Scandinavians can travel in their droves. And even they are restricted to a budgeted style camping arrangement.

Though there is the argument that the England team are so short in quality these days that I even brought my boots in the hope of a late call up, this could only partially explain the lack of numbers.

There is a feeling among the team’s support that we are more than happy to be here and a little resentful towards some sectors of the British media regarding the over-hyped violent nature of the host nations. This has not been in evidence whilst we have been here and long may it continue. ‘We’re not going home, we’re not going home, we’re not going, we’re not going, we’re not going home’… not til Tuesday at least.

Euro surprise

2012-06-15T02:57:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was my first visit to the fan zone in Kiev and I wasn't disappointed. The camaraderie between the English and the Swedish supporters was excellent and I anticipate that relationship staying the same for tonight's game. It was certainly embellished by the Swedish band on show singing some Oasis classics. What ever happened to Abba?

What followed did come as a slight surprise as a middle aged woman came to me offering sex. When I declined she then said it was for money, perhaps expecting me to change my mind. I did not and I suggested she should head towards the Swedish contingent offering her services as they have more money than the English. She took heed of my advice and headed in their direction.

One disappointing footnote has to be aimed in the direction of the Official England Supporters bar where they are trying to exploit fans by charging relatively extortionate prices, three times that of just about anywhere else in the city, including the fan zone which it neighbours.

Mixed fortunes

2012-06-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Support: The fans in full voice against France

Taking an elongated route through Istanbul, I thought I would not meet so many England fans en route to the Ukraine. How wrong I was.

They packed out the sports bar at the airport, as they watched Ireland get beaten by Croatia.

The flight was, to put it positively, boisterous. To put it negatively, though, some of the fans’ abuse of the flight attendants was shameful.

England fans tend to reach both extremes. Having photos taken with the police as they exchange pleasantries and gifts brings a smile to the face. Seeing fans shout sexual and racial abuse towards anyone who gets in their way undoes all the good work of the majority.

After all the build up surrounding racial prejudice in the Ukraine, it came as a surprise to hear the first chants of this nature coming from an English contingent on the flight over from Istanbul.

Anyway, on the day of the game things were much calmer throughout the industrial town of Donetsk as most of the support decided to chill out in the shade provided by the huge tents in and around the fan zone.

The rest congregated at the Golden Lion pub where they mixed well with the French supporters who had braved the conditions to enter into the zone where they knew the England fans would hang out. ‘Where were you in World War II’ chants were shouted across the bar whilst the French riposte of ‘Ooh ah, Cantona’ bemused this observer.

As the crowd left the English pub the first sign of trouble reared its ugly head as half a dozen Russian fans (The Russian border is just 100 kilometres away), wearing CCCP t-shirts, charged through where the England fans were walking and attacked an equally small group of supporters, proceeding to kick and punch some whilst they struggled on the ground. The incident was over in a matter of minutes and no one, thankfully, appeared seriously injured but there was the disturbing sight of policemen stood watching as the events unfolded.

The stadium was conveniently located just fifteen minutes on foot from the town centre and once inside the Donbass arena the English contingent soon found their voice. It was great to hear their support of the new England manager with frequent chants of ‘Roy Hodgson’s barmy army’ but the chalk and cheese element returned with other songs about ten German bombers and ‘We’re going home in a coffin’, in reference to Sol Campbell’s comments.

The game passed by fairly peacefully. Of course there was a delirious response to England’s goal, before realism returned when Samir Nasri equalised for the French.

And this in itself paraphrased everything you need to know about English football fans. Delirium followed by realism. Optimism followed by pessimism. Good humoured followed by poor taste. Welcome to Euro 2012.

John Terry does it again

2012-05-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought John Terry couldn't be any more ridiculous the story of last week emerged. No, I don't mean his stupid dismissal in the Camp Nou that nearly cost his team so dearly but the proposal that, should Chelsea be successful in the final against Bayer, he should be allowed to lift the trophy.

How arrogant. How stupid. If Bayern need any extra motivation in front of their home crowd they should pin up on the wall a report of how Chelsea are discussing who they would like to lift the trophy.

If nothing else, their marketing/communications team, yet again, have dropped a clanger that is only rivalled by their decision to elect Peter Kenyon to lead up the team up the steps in Moscow in their only other Champions League appearance. The decision to elect a former employee of Manchester United, let alone a supposed devoted fan of the Red Devils, to take Chelsea to collect their medals following a penalty shoot out defeat was made more embarrassing by his opposite number: Sir Bobby Charlton. Old Trafford legend and Munich air crash disaster survivor on the 50th anniversary of the aforementioned tragedy against charlatan and soon to be dismissed employee. No contest.

For Peter Kenyon, read John Terry. I don't recall there being such a debate about Roy Keane's enforced absence from the 1999 final. The Irishman would have dismissed it out of hand straight away, and rightly so. He has even admitted some embarrassment at receiving a medal, never mind lifting the trophy. In addition, his contribution in getting United to that final was in stark contrast to Terry's. The Chelsea centre back was deservedly sent off for a moment's stupidity whilst Keane was on the receiving end of a rather unfortunate yellow card, his second of the competition, ruling him out of the showpiece event. Keane then dragged his team into the final with one of the most selfless performances seen from a United player, scoring the goal that got his team back into the game to boot.

If John Terry has an ounce of dignity left in him, he will refuse the option to lift the trophy and hand over the task to stand in captain Frank Lampard. The fact that he has yet to put out a statement to say so suggests he is at least deliberating the possibility. I guess it is too much to expect of a guy that drives over people's feet in car parks, uses disabled car parking spaces at Tesco's and undermines managers at every available opportunity (even stabbing Jose Mourinho in the back).

Does Dalglish deserve people on his back, rather than some slack?

2012-04-07T03:30:00.001-07:00

Within the last few weeks the temperature has gone from warm to white hot in the pressure cooker at Anfield and there are a variety of people who are in the firing line.

Firstly, Damien Comolli who, it seems, is largely responsible for the player recruitment policy currently undermining Liverpool’s challenge for a top four spot, something the club’s owners demanded at the season’s start.

Their purchases over the last year or so, Luis Suarez apart, have varied from the disappointing to the disastrous.

Charlie Adam started well but has faded and has proven himself to be a decent Premier League player, though not someone who is going to dictate games in the upper echelons of the division.

Charlie Henderson has been a huge disappointment, not least as he cost almost £20 million, which for someone who had had one senior cap to his name, seemed pricey at the time. He now appears to be worth less than half that and much like Adam, appears out of his depth at this level.

Stewart Downing has not supplied the ammunition worthy of his hefty price tag which brings us to the ultimate flop of all – Andy Carroll.

At £35 million, much is expected of you. A paltry return of eight goals in 48 appearances and a languid style is not (what is expected of you). Add to that an apparent disdain for hard work and it would not be surprising if he left Anfield this summer, perhaps along with one or two other senior figures.

Yet Comolli and the players are not the only ones in the firing line. The ultimate responsibility has to lie at the feet of their manager – Kenny Dalglish.

It is still not clear who is the one calling the shots when it comes to purchases but he certainly has some kind of say in who gets to see the 'This is Anfield' sign.

What is not in any doubt is who picks the team, who is largely responsible for coaching and trying to goad the best out of them on a weekly basis. This has been Liverpool’s biggest failing this season.

Add to that King Kenny’s handling of the now infamous ‘Suarez’ affair, which in some quarters has been described as “a car-crash”, and you can see why the owners are disgruntled.

Dalglish claims you need an intelligence test if you question the progress made under his tenure, yet the fact remains his points per game ratio is not too dissimilar to that of his much-maligned predecessor, Roy Hodgson.

So why was it enough for Hodgson to receive the boot but not the current incumbent? That is an excellent question and one that John Henry and his cohorts may just answer should, as now appears certain, they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Defenders of Dalglish, and they are plenty, will point to their first trophy in six years as evidence that this ship is more HMS Victory than Titanic.

However, to say that trophy was won in fortuitous circumstances is a slight understatement. The penalty shoot out victory over Championship side Cardiff was lacklustre and was achieved in spite of two misses from the spot.

Should Liverpool continue to plummet down the table further then Dalglish’s position will become untenable.

8. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-03-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

And now?

Spanish football is in turmoil. In March 2011 six clubs threatened strike action due to a dispute with the government over free-to-air television matches, in addition to the dissatisfaction with the widespread broadcasting deal dispute. The latest vice-president of the LFP resigned as a result.

The current president, Jose Luis Astiazaran, is under pressure to quit and Javier Tebas, the former vice-president, described him as “lacking leadership”.

Though Tebas says he has enough on his plate, he is not ruling out the possibility of one day taking over from Astiazaran as the head of the LFP: “I have enough problems, this is not on my agenda. (But) It is an option. You cannot throw these options away.”

Tebas believes no other country in world football has as much political in-fighting as Spain and that he sees no end to this. He said: “There will always be conflict between the clubs and the governing body and these problems are unique to Spain.”

The problem lies mainly in that all the power lies with Barcelona and Real Madrid. The rest are nowhere. Not just the other clubs, but the governing bodies too.

Some improvements are on the way as Tebas confirmed: “Right now they (Barcelona and Real Madrid) are getting 49% of the overall money from television.” The other eighteen clubs share the remaining 51%. “But there’s an agreement in place with them (Barca and Real) to reduce that 49% share to 34%. The smaller clubs have signed this with Barcelona and Real Madrid.” Nevertheless, this new arrangement is still three years away from taking hold.

Moreover, Spanish football writer Sid Lowe is not convinced it is a done deal. He said: “It's a proposal at the moment, not yet tied as I understand it.“

The Premier League offer ‘parachute’ payments to relegated clubs as a way of softening the financial blow that comes from not being in the top division. Tebas’ latest work has been arranging a similar proposition in Spain, using the 15% of television money generated from the newly devised deal.

This, Tebas says, is vital for those clubs as without it they could go out of business. “This is important as the money will help prevent them from disappearing.”

But it is not enough. Currently in England the top clubs, like Manchester United and Chelsea, enjoy approximately an 11% share (between them) from the Premier League’s television deal with Sky, ESPN the BBC. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackpool, for example, enjoy the same percentage from that deal.

The Bundesliga operates in a similar way to the Premier League where the governing body deal with the television companies, rather than the clubs on an individual basis.

Tebas is hopeful that this will one day be the case in Spain.

However, if the status quo remains, and clubs such as Barca and Real can negotiate their own deal, then there could be big trouble for the other clubs in Spain, and we are not just talking about your Malagas and Real Sociedads. Valencia, Spain’s third most successful club since the turn of the millennium, are in dire straits due to the financial downturn and an inability to move to a new stadium.

Imagine Arsenal, England’s third most successful club, facing a similar fate and it gives Valencia’s plight some context.

Tebas would not commit to naming Valencia as a club he feared for but clearly they were at the forefront of his mind when asked about the next five years. “I’m not going to identify a particular club but there are certain clubs that could disappear.”

So, not necessarily Valencia, but a team of similar ilk could cease to exist? “Yes, yes, yes,” came the unequivocal response. “That level of team, there is the possibility it could disappear,” Tebas added.

These are harrowing words, not least because they come from someone in such an esteemed position, but also because there are so few who have such a vantage point with which to judge.

There are more clubs in administration in Spain than there are in England. Sid Lowe expanded upon this: “Over the last few years a huge number of clubs have ended up in administration. Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Real Vallecano.”

La Liga has to change, and it has to change soon, before it finds itself, and some of its member clubs, staring into the abyss.

7. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-03-17T03:47:00.000-07:00

La Liga is in fine fettle - the arguments against

There is, of course, a strong case to suggest there is no need to be concerned about the health of the Spanish league.

For a start, Javier Tebas stated that he is confident of a resolution to the television deal. Currently, Real and Barca enjoy a 49% share of the money from broadcasting, although Tebas is optimistic that their portion will diminish to 34% by the 2014/15 season.

Tebas said: “We’re working towards a similar situation to that in England.”

In England the governing body, the Premier League, deal with the money from broadcasting rights and then distribute the monies in a more even manner. “In three or four years it will be like that in Spain,” Tebas affirmed.

Mind you, Tebas would say that. No lawyer would admit to having little chance of winning his case. Acknowledging the chances of victory are slim would only hinder his argument.

The former LFP vice-president also claimed that this period of dominance from the big two is nothing new. Historically, they are Spain’s two most successful clubs with 51 La Liga titles between them.

Tebas said: “It’s been 60 years that these two clubs have been at the top in Spain so it is not just because of the television money. Even throughout these years there have been occasions when the competition has been good and that someone else (other than the big two) have been at the top.”

Their supremacy is nothing new, but the distance between them and the rest has reached an unprecedented level. Never has the gap been so wide and it is showing no signs of abating. In the 2009/10 season they both recorded a record points haul and last season was more of the same.

In addition, they both reached the last four of the Champions League and, arguably, would have met in the final had they been kept apart in the draw. Of the three major trophies on offer to the top Spanish clubs (the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and La Liga), all ended up in the hands of Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Phil Ball, author of Morbo: the story of Spanish football, argues that Tebas will succeed as the rest of Spanish football demands it and, therefore, Barca and Real will have to respond to that demand. In turn, the fans will demand it too.

He said: “I think Tebas is right. In three or four years from now the money from television will be more evenly spread.

“Barca and Madrid can argue that, given that they generate all this (TV) money anyway, that they should have that amount (49%) of the pie. (But) I don’t see how you can sustain that argument over a long period because if the league continues, if the bridge continues (to widen), then by the nature of logic the league becomes less competitive and it messes up those who are at the top of it – Barca and Madrid. In the end they have a vested interest in the league being competitive.”

This would ring true in most other countries but in Spain things are a little different. Not least because the fans tolerate the dominance of the big two far more than in any other country due to what has been termed ‘second club syndrome’. This is where many Spaniards support one of Real or Barca in addition to their local club. And this devotion is evenly split which enables them to tolerate the lack of competitiveness within La Liga.

When asked to confirm the theory of ‘second club syndrome’, Grimsby fan Ball concedes: “That’s an interesting point. I had not thought of it like that because that’s definitely true. You can go to any pueblo (small town) in Spain and knock on the door and say: ‘who do you support – Barca or Real?’ and they’ll give you an answer. And the answer they give you is not always football based. It is a political, cultural answer. A lot of Spanish people won’t accept this argument but a lot of them do.”

Ball recognises that things have changed in recent years. He added: “Since the whole ‘galactico’ thing at the beginning of the century the face of Spanish football has changed. It was never like this (the gap between the big two and the rest) before. There was a feeling of democracy before but not now. You’ve got a three-tier league. There’s Barca, Real. Then there are those teams who aspire to reach the Champions League placings. Then there’s the rest.”

There is an equally strong argument that suggests it is just two tiers – Barca/Real and the rest. It is more conceivable that any of the other eighteen Primera Liga clubs reach a Champions League spot (finish in the top four) than it is that Real or Barca fail to finish in the top two. This is quite a statement. Could you imagine Norwich City or Wigan Athletic qualifying for the world’s most prestigious club competition? No? Well this illustrates just how unlikely it is that Barca or Real will finish outside the top two this coming season and for the foreseeable future.

Tebas argues that it is only the last two years. More importantly, he adds, Barcelona are dominating with an exceptional team that has been made largely through an astonishingly successful youth scheme and good management, not through spending huge amounts of money on transfer fees.

He said: “Looking at Barca, their big stars were not bought, they were made in Barcelona.”

However, this is ignoring the massive signing on fees Barca pay and a world record in the history of sport on wages.

For the first time in history a football team, or make that two football teams, have topped such a list. The average wage for a first team player at the Nou Camp is £4.94m annually, and at Madrid £4.6m. The average Yankee earns £4.2m a year. So it is not just impeccable grooming that keeps Barcelona on top.

Finally, Barcelona crushed Manchester United at Wembley this year to be crowned Kings of Europe. Surely this augments the belief that Spanish football is in rude health.

However, Pep Guardiola is constantly linked with a move to English football due to a craving for the competitive nature of the football and Mourinho regularly refers to the Premier League in wistful tones. In addition, Arsene Wenger urged Cesc Fabregas to ignore the overtures of the Spanish giants if he is a competitive footballer.

6. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-03-06T03:36:00.011-08:00

History of Spanish football and the politics behind it

“In Spain it is hard to do anything without their consent,” were the words from ex-vice president of the LFP, Javier Tebas, in a clear reference to significant political figures in the history of Spanish politics.

Affairs of the State have played a huge part throughout the history of Spanish football. As a result, this is of huge significance in understanding the background to the Spanish mindset in comparison with their Anglo-Saxon or German counterparts.

There are socio-economic and cultural reasons behind your choice of club in Spain which is largely different to England.

Phil Ball, author of Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football, explains: “You can go to any pueblo (small town) in Spain and say: who do you support – Barca or Real? And they’ll give you an answer. And the answer they give you is not really football based. It’s a political, cultural answer.

“I know you can go to a pueblo in Galicia and they’ll say ‘Madrid’. It’s sort of weird (in comparison to the UK). Whereas in Grimsby I might say my second team is West Brom and you might say: ‘why’s that?’ I don’t know. I just like the colours. There are no political reasons behind it.

Ball then gives an analogy to describe how divisive football is in Spain: “Maybe it’s like the Daily Mail and the Guardian reader on the train. There’s no way they’re going to talk to each other.

“If you say you’re from Ipswich, say, no Brit will think ‘Ipswich, bloody fascists! Those bastards! The national civil war etc.’ You just think ‘Ipswich… tractors!’“

Ball added: “As soon as someone says they are from so and so, an idea comes into a Spaniard’s head, like from Burgos etc slightly to the right etc. I was in a bar once and a similar thing happened. It was then I decided to write Morbo.”

In no other country in Western Europe are politics and football so intrinsically linked. Sure, Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Burlosconi and AC Milan have been a story involving two such subjects but this has been a more recent development. In Spain it has been like it since day one, shortly after the creation of the first club back in 1889 – Recreativo Huelva. They were born out of English copper mine workers determination to bring the beautiful game to the country they were temporarily inhabiting.

Phil Ball writes in his book, Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football (Phil Ball, Morbo, page 40, 2003):

The locals would have learned the game from the British workers who had already begun to make their way north in those early days of the mines, but who would have spent time in the port of Huelva before travelling up by horse-drawn carriage to the copper reserves.

Soon to follow were Barcelona, from Catalunya, and Athletic Bilbao, from the Basque country. The latter of which still to this day proudly claim to have always had Basque players play for them. Historically, they are Spain’s fourth most successful club an achievement all the more remarkable considering the area they select their players from consists of just three million.

The first league championship, however, was not contested until 1927, by which time various other clubs had entered the fray, including Real Madrid. As it so happens, Barca won that first championship.

When discussing the history of Spanish football the figure of Spanish dictator Bobby Franco cannot be ignored.

Franco started appearing at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real’s stadium, as much as a publicity stunt as anything, having been encouraged by his aides that it might make him more popular if he is seen to be interested, not just in the game, but the team of the capital who were enjoying a period of success at the time – Real Madrid.

When interviewed, Phil Ball explained: “Real Madrid became the team of the regime via a series of co-incidences really. Franco wasn’t particularly interested in football. Madrid started winning and so somebody suggested it would be a good idea to be seen in the Bernabeu.

“It’s like when Tony Blair pretended to be a Newcastle fan. Just a publicity stunt to earn favour.”

Much is made of Franco’s influence on Spanish football and, in particular, Real’s success.

Sir Alex Ferguson once described Madrid as ‘Franco’s club’, which explains why the Manchester United boss is despised by media and fans alike in the Spanish capital.

Real had a remarkable period of success during Franco’s time but this owed much to the ability of the players they had, including Di Stefano, as it did to any intervention from the fascist dictator.

Phil Ball elaborates: “Barca had a great side in the 1950s, yet the reason they didn’t win stuff was because that’s when Madrid had their best side. The 50s is a bit like now. They were both fantastic. It’s just that Madrid were a bit better. They had Di Stefano. What’s the difference now? Barca have got Messi. All this crap about them (Barcelona) being oppressed and not being able to function – it’s not entirely true, only partly.”

He does concede that the dictator did have an influence, even if it was, more often than not, subliminal. “I think because people under a police state don’t behave normally,” Ball said. “There’s plenty of examples of that. Under a fascist police state, it’s not a question of Franco saying ‘go and pay that referee to influence this game’. It is just that people know that if they show dis-favour towards the team of the regime (Real Madrid) then they might suddenly find they have lost their jobs, not that they’re going to get chucked in the river with cement but a police state influences, doesn’t matter where it is, people’s behaviour.”

Ball does concede, however, that the acquisition of Di Stefano, the equivalent of Messi in his day, was thanks largely to Franco’s influence.

“It’s not been proved,” Ball added. “But it does look like a pretty blatant case (that Real’s acquisition of Di Stefano was as a result of Franco’s influence). Not even Di Stefano has admitted it but yeah (his signature was as a result of corruption).”

Franco perhaps did affect things on the pitch from time to time, though as Phil Ball wrote in Morbo:

(Ball, 2003)

The director of security went into their (Barcelona’s) dressing room before the game and allegedly told the team that some of them were only playing because of the regime’s generosity in permitting them to remain in the country.

The author then gives an example to back up his point. “If you’re living in San Sebastian and you say you support Real Madrid, it’s complicated.” This complication comes from the fact that San Sebastian is based in the Basque country, an area heavily suppressed during the Franco regime, including the language of the locals being banned. Franco’s allegiances to the capital and Real Madrid are heavily documented, as was the responsibility of the Basque terrorist group, ETA, in the fascist dictator’s downfall.

Phil Ball documents it eloquently in Morbo as he describes, not just the way ETA brought about change, but also the feeling if enmity towards the capital and all it stands for:

(Ball, 2003)

Franco suppressed the Basque language just as fervently as Catalan and, despite bluster in the annals of Catalan resistencia history, it was the Basques who really did him harm. ETA’s violence was a lurking threat from the Sixties onwards, which occasionally came spectacularly into the open. Two years before Franco’s death, the Basque separatists killed Admiral Carrero Blanco, eliminating the man who had been most likely to carry on the old dictator’s legacy and striking a death blow to the image of invulnerability the regime had enjoyed for so long.

There was so much dynamite packed into the bomb that blew up his car in a Madrid side-street in December 1973 that the vehicle actually took off and landed on the roof of one of the overlooking buildings, an event still celebrated in Basque nationalist circles by a song which begins ‘He flew, he flew…’ It was sung regularly when Real Madrid visited either Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao during the late Seventies, the period now officially termed the transicion – meaning the transition to democracy and the election of Felipe Gonzalez’s Socialist party. Most young Basques of that generation still know the song, and the tune is so pretty that some fathers may still sing their children to sleep to it – especially on the night before a game against the old enemy.

After Franco football continued to thrive. If anything, his demise saw football gain a broader and more enhanced appeal.

5. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-03-01T03:43:00.000-08:00

The media

Though there is no clear evidence to suggest the media embellishes Barca’s and Real’s superiority, but they certainly do not do it any harm.

In recent times Madrid-based daily Marca have been known to delete players, or even adjust lines on the pitch, to illustrate refereeing bias towards arch-rivals Madrid.

Javier Tebas certainly feels as though the lesser lights get a raw deal from the media. He said: “The newspapers actually focus completely on Barcelona and Real and this is bad for the smaller teams as well. El Pais as well.”

The Guardian’s Spanish football writer Sid Lowe suggested a rational reason behind the media bias. He said: “One of the reasons the media are so biased in Spain is because it is an economic decision. It’s based on what they believe their market is.”

But it does give for uncomfortable reading at times as he confirms: “It’s very unpleasant to read sometimes but Marca and AS, who are very pro Real Madrid, are like this because they believe it helps their sales. They think it helps their sales because these two teams dominate so much and very few people want neutrality, even those who, in theory, are neutrals. For example, take a Real Zaragoza fan and, in theory, he’s not interested in partisan reporting on Madrid or Barcelona, but in practice, the chances are that when Madrid plays Barcelona he always wants the same team to win. It’s not that he likes the way one of them plays or a certain player. Therefore he’s a fan of sorts.”

4. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-02-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

Comparison with other leagues

La Liga is occasionally referred to as ‘Scotland in the sun’. This is a reference to the dominance enjoyed north of the border by Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. The Scottish league is widely recognised as bordering on the ridiculous as the Glaswegian giants play each other several times a season to decide who wins the major trophies, while the matches against Dundee United and Arbroath are treated merely as shooting practice for the nation’s top two. The league is bereft of money and even Rangers and Celtic are a long way off making the latter stages of the Champions League.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are enjoying a similar level of success over their domestic rivals. In the 2009/10 season Sevilla, who finished 4^th, were closer to the relegation places than they were to winning the league.

In the same year in England, Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth and were 16 points from the top whilst their Spanish equivalents were 36 points from the summit. To illustrate the point still further, Spurs reached the last eight of the Champions League in 2011, whilst Sevilla went out at the before the group stage even began. Spain’s top two may be strong in Europe but the rest of La Liga’s Champions League contingent are nowhere. Valencia, Spain’s other Champions League representative, limped out at the first knockout stage at the hands of Schalke.

Real Madrid enjoyed their most successful La Liga season ever, in terms of points haul, in 2009/10 and yet still finished second thanks to Barcelona achieving the same feat. No statistic highlights the gap between Barca/Real and the rest more than this. Barcelona and Madrid, under Jose Mourinho, achieved similar levels of success last season.

There was another European League, however, where the 4^th placed team were closer to relegation than the top – the Scottish Premier League.

The German league is in stark contrast to their Spanish and Scottish counterparts. The competition is far greater, epitomised by having four different league winners in the last seven years, compared to La Liga’s two.

Bundesliga correspondent, and co-founder of German fanzine Der Toedliche Pass, Claus Melchior, reasoned: “More clubs than in other leagues benefitted from the occasional foray into the Champions League. It has been the case for a long time now that no club has been able to establish itself permanently as a major force besides Bayern. Moenchengladbach were big in the late sixties through the seventies, then Hamburg had some dominant years, then Werder Bremen were Bayern's major opponent, from the mid-nineties on it was Dortmund, then Bremen again, and so on. But in every decade there's also been a “freak” champion that came more or less out of the blue, most recently Wolfsburg.”

In the 82 years since La Liga’s began there have been just nine different winners, averaging an inaugural winner every 9.11 years.

In England, during the 123 years of domestic competition, there have been 23 teams that have won the domestic league title. An average of once every 5.35 years a new name is inscribed onto the trophy.

Germany has a newly crowned winner of the Bundesliga once every 3.86 years and in France it is every 4.03 years.

Even in Italy they have a more had more league champions than in Spain, 16 in all. Averaging a new winner every 7.06 years.

So there’s no denying this is an historical problem in Spain but it is the modern day margins that are of most concern.

3. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-02-20T00:20:00.000-08:00

Financial Matters

Spain has never had more people unemployed. Currently, that figure stands at five million.

Even Latin Americans who moved to the Iberian peninsular in search of work are seemingly desperate to return home, much like the Polish exodus from English shores in the last couple of years.

Government ministers insist it has reached a peak and that it won’t get any worse but the people of Spain are not convinced.

Football mirrors these troubles.

Spanish football writer Sid Lowe wrote on the website cbc.ca in 2010:

Luis Manuel Rubiales, the new president of the Spanish players union, the AFE, explained that 85 per cent of footballers in Spain's top three divisions either get paid late or not at all. Then there's the fact that the Spanish Football Federation, the RFEF, still owes the AFE €8 million.

According to Rubiales's predecessor, €100 million are still owed to footballers in unpaid wages.
The situation, Rubiales said, is the worst it has ever been.

Spanish football is in crisis according to José María Gay, Spain's leading expert on football finance and an adviser to Uefa: "La Liga is dying."

The Osasuna president, Patxi Izco, admits: "I fear a financial meltdown."

"Football," insists another director, "is seriously ill."

Real Madrid were saved from the threat of bankruptcy a few years ago only when the municipality of Madrid agreed to pay a large sum for the land on which their training ground sat.

The fact that the Spanish government and the country’s banks have helped Real is greeted with little more than a sigh from the other clubs in Spain. Can you really imagine the outcry in England if the government helped Manchester United stay on top or Barclays, at their customers’ expense, came in to rescue Liverpool from the oblivion of relegation? How would fans of Portsmouth, Leeds United and Southampton react to such news? These last three clubs have had to bite the bullet and accept their fate as they slid down the divisions due to the enforced sale of their best players, enabling them to stay in business. Manchester United would be expected to do the same. The Spanish government, seeing a similar fate bestowed on its most famous club, bought their training ground.

In England such actions are treated with a mixture of suspicion and bemusement. In Iberia, and perhaps throughout the Latin countries, it is treated as the norm.

Sid Lowe argues that it was in the country’s interests to help Real Madrid in their time of need, though he concedes it was not without some underhand tactics.

He said: "Institutional support in Spain is relatively normal but Real Madrid would argue the support is reciprocated as they do a lot of work for the community in terms of tourism and image. They would also argue that as the club represents the community they should get support."

And what about the deal whereby Madrid sold their training ground to the local government only to get it back again? "This is the big bone of contention. Real Madrid will say that the council got a good deal in terms of what they paid but it was Florentino Perez (the club President) who enabled the deal to happen. He, with the government, re-classified the land so that it was apt for construction.

"Perez is a construction magnate whose contacts are very strong in local government. This kind of tactic, though, is relatively normal. It has been used before and it will no doubt be used again."

Barcelona are not without their own problems on a financial front. Last summer they were late in paying the players’ wages and had to take out an emergency loan to help alleviate their difficulties in meeting their wage bill.

Sports lawyer Javier Tebas believed neither case was comparable to the troubles at the smaller clubs. "Barcelona and Real are a money making machine. They don’t have significant problems," he said. "Certain newspapers eight years ago said Real Madrid were going to go bankrupt and look at them now."

Well, with the government’s help and the aid of Madrid’s banks is it any wonder they survived?

"It was a help,” Tebas agreed, with a gesture suggesting inverted commas when he said ‘help’. "But with the help the competition can become distorted," he admitted

"The problem is not just that the big two have a greater budget than the rest," Tebas explains. "It is that all the other clubs have a lot of debt. There some smaller clubs where the interest repayments on their debts alone could pay for the salaries of Lionel Messis and Cristiano Ronaldo combined." In other words, €15 million in interest.

2. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

2012-02-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

Falling behind - Real Zaragoza, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad

Real Zaragoza

The stadium is in disarray and is located, ironically, next to a hospital. To add insult to injury, the section of said hospital happens to be 'urgencias'.

There is a pretty glum feeling around La Romareda. The graffiti adds to the sense of despair and even the main pub in Plaza de San Francisco, just down the road from the downtrodden ground and beside the university, is a subdued, dark Scottish pub rather than a vibrant Irish establishment. It is as if they tried to be different but in doing so went in the wrong direction, much like Real Zaragoza.

It was not always thus. The Blanquillos finished in the top five on a consistent basis throughout the 1960s during what has been described as a golden era for the club.

In England, the club are most associated with beating Arsenal in the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup final thanks to an outrageous lob from Nayim towards the end of extra-time. Nayim, an ex-Spurs midfield maestro, bought pleasure to his former club, as he sent their arch rivals into a state of apoplexy.

Nevertheless, the club's official name is Real Zaragoza S.A.D. The acronym stands for Sociedad Anonima Deportiva, meaning a sports corporation, and not Seasonal Affective Disorder, though some locals may disagree.

Valencia

The city celebrated the opening of their opera house in 2005 after 14 years work. The city was on a high at the time: its football team, Valencia CF, had won their second La Liga title in three seasons the year before.

On top of that they finished runners-up in two Champions League finals in a row just after the turn of the century. Things were certainly looking good, the club was in the midst of the most successful period in its history and they were set to move into a new stadium in 2009.

Unfortunately, on the field things turned sour and Valencia have never looked like repeating their success of the early part of the 21st century.

To make matters worse they are still stuck in the old, decrepit stadium that is the Mestalla as they cannot afford to finish the newer, 75,000 seated version. The club are beset with financial problems and many of their best players are regularly sold on to service their debts. £60 million came in the club's direction during the summer of 2010 thanks to the sales of David Silva and David Villa but little of this was re-invested in new players.

Atletico Madrid

Fifth highest point scorers in the history of Spanish football history, and third most successful in terms of La Liga titles, Atletico Madrid have plenty of off the field problems as they are €300 million in debt. They have even been accused of being the worst run club in Europe, as well as being described as a ‘madhouse’. Apart from that, they have little to worry about...

Real Sociedad

Situated in the picturesque coastal town of San Sebastian, Real Sociedad have had to come back from the brink of late.

Their plight has been largely attributed to Jose Luis Astiazaran, the current LFP president and former president of Sociedad.

Sid Lowe and Phil Ball have both claimed that he ran the club into the ground.

Thankfully, they appear to be over their troubles and have even inflicted a rare defeat on Barcelona in the 2009/10 season.

Sociedad won their only league title in 1981.

From the index to his captain having sex: the stumble and fall of Fabio Capello

2012-02-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

It is almost two years to the day since the now ex-England boss Fabio Capello's decline began with the ill-fated 'Capello index'. This was a weird notion where points would be awarded for the overall performance of each player, then even more bizarrely making that information public.

It is as if ever since that day things just seemed to have gone from bad to worse for the former Real Madrid boss.

He was a hugely successful manager with a CV as glowing as you could possibly want, titles in Spain and Italy, not to mention a Champions League winner. He had spells with something not too dissimilar to a who's who of European football (Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Madrid).

For the first two years it looked like the English Football Association had finally found their man. A proven winner who was continuing that rich vein of form for his new employers.

England qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with consummate ease and Don Fabio could do no wrong. Then came the index and it all began to unravel just prior to FIFA's showpiece event.

Bad preparation

After the index, there was the decision to play England at altitude in their friendlies prior to the last World Cup, as well as base them at a training camp in Rustenburg 1500 metres above sea level in South Africa and not giving the players sufficient rest from the rigours of a Premier League season.

Graeme Souness was highly critical of such preparation. He told The Sun: "Your body is demanding oxygen.

Your brain is telling your kidneys 'I need more EPO' which is a growth hormone which helps you produce more red blood cells, which enables you to push more oxygen through your body.

"So, for three or four weeks that's happening, so you're going down and down and down. After that, you start to recover."

The players looked laboured throughout the debacle in South Africa and Capello has to take some repsonsibility for that.

The wrong squad in South Africa

There was immense surprise and disappointment at the decision to omit Theo Walcott from his squad for the 2010 World Cup. Then news filtered through that he wanted to take Owen Hargreaves who had not started a game for nearly two years. Sir Alex Ferguson ridiculed the idea of taking his non-playing crippled midfieler. Capello eventually plumped for Gareth Barry, who also looked well short of fitness having not played for the last two months of the season.

The wrong goalkeeper

Then we had the lamentable situation regarding the number one jersey in South Africa. It was clear to all and sundry that the most talented goalkeeper in the squad was Joe Hart. Capello claimed he lacked experience, but it was the manager's fault for that lack of game time for not picking him prior to the tournament, particularly in the friendly against Ghana three months before the World Cup began.

The wrong formation

We had one decent striker going into that World Cup - Wayne Rooney (albeit his performances never lived up to expectations). The best thing to have done would be to have played Rooney up front with Steven Gerrard in support. From Gary Lineker to Michael Owen, it was clear to all the experts the way to go but our £6 million a year head coach could not spot it.

Capello claimed that English players only new how to play 4-4-2. The 65 year-old clearly hadn't watched much football in recent years as he would have seen English clubs dominate the Champions League with just one up top in something that could be described as anything but 4-4-2. Furthermore, Rooney had performed remarkable feats as the lone frontman, and Gerrard had had a similarly successful season playing as an attacking midfielder (behind Torres).

Captain not so fantastic

What I just do not get with this whole John Terry business is it was Capello who was angry with JT after his now infamous press conference in South Africa, undermining the Italian with his comments about standing up to the coaching staff.

It was also Capello who stripped Terry of the captaincy for a far less serious issue (sleeping with the ex-girlfriend of a former team-mate) than we are currently dealing with.

Then we see the Italian gifting him back the armband soon after the World Cup, and now apparently resigning as he did not want to see the Chelsea centre-half lose the captaincy once more.

Just to add to the confusion, Capello has always stated his amusement at the English fascination with the whole importance of who the captain is.

Finally on this whole JT story: why on earth has the trial been postponed until July anyway? Ron Gourlay, Chelsea's chief executive, informed the judge it would be impossible for all the necessary witnesses to appear in court due to work commitments. First of all that's rubbish. And even if it were true, completely irrelevant. You cannot skip a court appearance due to such frivolous reasons.

Anyway, I digress, Fabio's reputation, at least in England, is in tatters and the guy who accused him of 'killing' Gerrard a couple of years ago for playing the Liverpool man out of position has a stock that could not be any higher. Maybe Paul Gascoigne calling him 'Sir' Harry earlier this evening on Sky Sports was not so ill-placed afterall.