Simple Game

Euro fever

2012-06-08T11:10:00.001-07:00

Dimitris Salpingidis changed the game for Greece

I’ve well and truly been taken down by European Championship fever.

You know you’ve got it bad when Poland vs Greece – a fixture you wouldn’t usually pay any attention to whatsoever- takes on Champions League final-like significance. When your non-football loving friends ask you how you’re spending your Friday night you look at them as if it’s the stupidest question on the planet.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been starved of football for two weeks. Suddenly questions like, ‘Will Polish striker Robert Lewandowski justify being linked to Manchester United?’ Or, ‘Is the Greek defence – which conceded just five goals in qualifying – good enough to help them repeat their shock win in 2004’, have taken upmost precedent in my mind.

Football – or to be more specific – a major international tournament can do this to you. Spotting the ‘next big thing’ is too tempting, ensuring you do your best to watch every minute of every game, even it means sneaking out of work half an hour early to make sure you make the 5pm kick off times.

Most eyes were on Lewandowski during the opening game of the Championships. He certainly looks the part. His movement and touch make it clear to see how he’s scored 30 goals for his club, German champions Borussia Dortmund this season. His goal against Greece showed a striking instinct but the game also highlighted, like most strikers, he relies heavily on service. He is not the sort of striker to fathom something out of nothing and the 23-year-old went missing for long periods when his side needed him most. One thing is for certain the hosts will need him at his best if they are to progress to the quarter-finals.

Perhaps the power of the Euros is best summed up by the fact that Dimitris Salpingidis is now a household name. Before the match the PAOK forward was an unknown, now he could be a possible transfer target for half the Premier League after changing the game following his introduction at half-time to see the Greeks come from behind to draw 1-1.

I’d better get off and prepare for Russia vs Czech Republic. Why? To see if Russia’s Alan Dzagoev is the real deal and whether Andrey Arshavin has really rediscovered his Arsenal form of his first season. Why else?

Ruud hails time at United

2012-04-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has described his time at Old Trafford as like ‘living a dream’.

For the Dutchman, goalscoring wasn’t just a habit it was a necessity. Van Nistelrooy struck 150 goals in five seasons for United making him the club’s 11^th all-time top scorer.

However, it wasn’t just his awesome record in front of goal that endeared him to United fans. The sheer passion with which he celebrated each time he hit the back of the net struck a chord with Red Devils fan across the world.

Now plying his trade for Spanish Primera League side Malaga, after spells with Real Madrid and Hamburg, Van Nistelrooy still looks back on his time at the Theatre of Dreams with fondness.

“It was a fantastic five years,” he told Inside United. “It was crazy, all the games we played in the league and in the Champions League. As a football player, playing for United at Old Trafford, it was something crazy and it felt like a dream at the time. Now, looking back, it is even more special because it was really successful and exceptional.”

Having won Premier League, FA Cup and Carling Cup titles at United it is perhaps no surprise Van Nistelrooy enjoyed his time at the club but he does admit to one regret.

“My relationship with the fans was really special,” he added. “From the first day I signed it was there and it just gives you that extra 10 to 20 per cent on the pitch home and away. My relationship with the fans was special and that’s why leaving in the way I did was, and still is, a real shame for me because I couldn’t really say goodbye to them. It was my only regret that it went like that and it’s a real shame that it happened, particularly for the fans as I saw the players and the people at the club before I left but I never got a chance to properly say goodbye to the fans.”

Despite being in the twilight of his career Van Nistelrooy is still doing what he does best – scoring goals. The 35-year-old has scored twice in his last three games to keep mega-rich Malaga well and truly in the hunt for a Champions League place. Unsurprisingly Van Nistelrooy is making the most of every kick at this late stage of his career.

“Malaga is the perfect place for me to be at the moment,” he said. “I am enjoying every moment here and I am enjoying the project (Malaga were bought by a member of the Qatari Royal family in 2010, with plans to bring UCL football to the Spanish club), the club and the young squad that we have, so yes, I am enjoying every moment of it.”

For the full interview buy a copy of this month’s Inside United magazine.

Spent force?

2012-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Fast-forward to Saturday 1 September 2012. Having failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League the previous season, the transfer window has slammed shut with Arsenal’s captain and talisman Robin Van Persie hot footing it to Barcelona, after a drawn out transfer saga that has lasted much of the summer, leaving the Gunners with little or no time to sign a replacement.

Back to the present day and Arsenal still possess an outside chance of finishing fourth. But Van Persie, with just one more year left on his contract, is more likely to fancy his chances of winning silverware at the Nou Camp or fellow admirers Manchester City after eight, mostly pot-less, years at the Emirates.

If, and it is still an ‘if’, Van Persie leaves it will no doubt fuel Gunners fans to ring up any radio phone-in show that will listen to label the move as further proof of the club’s falling stock in English football. But would the North London club be as worse off as first feared without the deadly Dutchman?

In Jack Wilshere they have a player in which to mould a team around. The loss of Wilshere, to injury for the whole season, has arguably hit the team harder than the sales of both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last summer. The young midfielder has proven he is more than comfortable playing at the highest level, having not looked out of place amongst pass-masters Xavi and Andres Iniesta as Arsenal beat Barcelona 2-1 in the last-16 of last season’s Champions League. Wilshere has also made his mark on the international stage, so much so that experts are still, optimistically, hopeful that the 20-year-old will play some part in this summer’s European Championships.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another who has shown, in just a handful of first-team appearances, that he is the real deal. The former Southampton trainee is reminiscent of a young Wayne Rooney, not just in his broad physique, but also for the way that he tramples over more experienced opponents’ reputations with little or no regard. Not too much should be read into the forward’s brace against an inexperienced Blackburn backline at the weekend but his performance against Manchester United’s Patrice Evra seven days previously prove that the Englishman is ready for regular first-team football.

Add Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain to an already strong spine of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, centre-backs Thomas Vermaelen and the ever improving Laurent Koscienlny and the outstanding Alexandre Song and you have the makings of a strong team capable of, at least, qualifying for a top four place.

Of course if Van Persie does leave the capital the Gunners will need to replace his goals. Oxlade-Chamberlain will chip in with his fair share but with Theo Walcott showing no signs of growing out of his infuriatingly inconsistent form Wenger knows Van Persie will have to be replaced. A target man such as Fernando Llorente would fit the bill perfectly while Porto’s Hulk could be another option and both wouldn’t have to break the bank – a fact that will most please Wenger.

Granted, Wenger will need to strengthen in key areas if they are to end their six-year wait for a trophy but the Gunners have more than enough in their ranks to be a force once more even if Van Persie decides the grass is greener in Catalonia or Manchester. The bigger question will be whether Wenger is given even more time to construct another great side or if the disgruntled voices of a possible Van Persie sale will persuade him to try his hand at managing elsewhere…. the Bernabeu perhaps?

Patience is a virtue

2012-01-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

It’s a sad state of affairs when a youngster with just three first team games to his name won’t sign a contract for anything less than a reported £30k a week.

It’s even worse when you consider the club - Manchester United - and the manager – Sir Alex Ferguson – has one of the best reputations for bringing through youngsters in the last 20 years. In simple terms arguably only Barcelona have a better record at producing players for the first team. However, all of that doesn’t seem good enough for 18-year-old Ravel Morrison.

Morrison denies making such - to use Ferguson’s own words - ‘unrealistic’ claims insisting, via his private Twitter account, that any offer, let alone one for 30k a week, is yet to be forthcoming.

Newspapers claim that United have offered the troublesome teenager a meagre £12k a week but for a club that has stood by Morrison through some dark times surely the attacking midfielder should be asking ‘where do I sign’ rather than questioning the amount on the table.

Contract issues aside if Morrison is to be as good as people in the know will have you believe it should only be a matter of time before he begins to stamp his authority on the first team. After all the likes of Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney had all established themselves at United and Everton respectively by the time they had reached Morrison’s age. If Morrison is to live up to his billing – and that is a big ‘IF’ – and be considered in the same class as the likes of Giggs and Rooney he will surely be paid what he deserves sooner rather than later. However, it seems patience is a virtue that is lost on the younger generation.

If Morrison is to be believed and no contract has even been tabled it begs the question as to whether United are using the ‘contract negotiations’ as a smokescreen and washing their hands of the youngster once and for all.

Despite his lack of first team football Red Devils fans got more than a glimpse of the England youth international in United’s recent Carling Cup exit against Crystal Palace. Morrison came off the bench at half-time with the score at 0-0 and despite the odd flick here and there did little to influence the outcome of the game during the second period and subsequent extra time. Harsh? Maybe but would a young, upcoming Giggs, Scholes or Rooney have made a positive impact on the same game? Almost certainly.

Morrison’s chances of making it at United now look slim to none but what is almost certain is that the youngster will end up making millions out of the game, probably moving from one club to another with each new manager believing they can be the one to curb his off-pitch antics. The saddest thing is that Morrison will probably deem that a success when he could have earned something far more valuable by becoming a hero at Old Trafford.

Selection Madness

2010-05-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

While Paul Scholes may have turned down Fabio Capello’s last ditch attempt to get the Manchester United wizard to come out of international retirement ahead of the World Cup some of the games top names have not even had the satisfaction of even being asked.

National team managers of the 32 teams competing in South Africa this summer have been busy scratching their heads with the unenviable task of sorting the definites from the maybes to the no hopers as each selects their preliminary squads for the showcase event.

However there appears to be some glaring omissions…..

2006 runners-up France will be heading south without Karim Benzema or Patrick Vieira while Brazil – many peoples clear favourites for the tournament – have a squad that looks, in all honesty, distinctly average after Dunga decided to leave Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho and Adriano at home in favour of strikers Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Villarreal), Robinho (Man City/Santos) and Grafite (Wolfsburg) – all talented but not likely to put the fear of god into defenders like a Romario, Rivaldo or Ronaldo.

Holland must be confident the likes of red-hot Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt can magic some goals up from somewhere after leaving experienced frontman Ruud Van Nistelrooy at home. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid man has 34 goals in 64 international appearances while Babel and Kuyt have a combined tally of errrrrrr…….17 strikes in 86 games. We’re sure Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk has his reasons.

Many have ridiculed Argentina’s chances this summer with the erratic Diego Maradona at the helm. El Diego used over 100 players in qualifying with Argentina scraping through by the skin of their teeth. However any side that possesses the attacking quality of Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero cannot be written off….. that was until Maradona tried his best to mess things up again when he named his provisional squad.

Included in the squad were household names such as Ariel Garce, Juan Manuel Insaurralde, Clemente Rodriguez and keeper Diego Pozo (don’t worry I haven’t heard of any of them either) while Inter duo Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago were left out.

To think that Zanetti and Cambiasso have been key components of Jose Mourinho’s Inter side that are still on for an historic treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League this season makes Maradona’s decision even more laughable.

However there is some good news to come out of all this selection madness…..it surely increases England’s chances of winning the trophy for the first time since 1966 with or without the ginger magician – although Spain may have something to say about that!!!

2010-04-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

Britain has never been renowned for consistently exporting players around the world. In fact ever since Ian Rush allegedly described his struggles at Juventus in the late 1980s as ‘like living in a foreign country’ overseas clubs have steered well clear of British talent – until now.

While Englishmen such as David Beckham, Matt Derbyshire and Darius Vassell light up the top leagues in Italy, Greece and Turkey respectively delve a little deeper and you discover that more and more British youngsters are trying their luck abroad.

Most have suffered similar experiences. Having been rejected by Premier League clubs a large number of players, not content with slipping down the Football League ladder, are now looking to broaden their horizons overseas.

But while the 1980s saw British talent join the elite leagues in Italy, Spain and Germany nowadays youngsters from these shores are making waves in the likes of Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

“I just fancied a change,” says ex-Chelsea youngster Sam Tillen, now in his third year with Icelandic side Fram Reykjavik.

“I was only 22 and I was a bit disillusioned and I wanted to try something different and I am extremely glad that I did. It is a great place to live and things have gone really well.”

Having joined Brentford, then in League One, in 2005 Tillen quickly fell out of love with the game in England: “In my first year at the club we should have got promotion and we missed out on the last day and we got beat in the play-offs, then in the second year Martin Allen, our manager, left and I ended up having six managers in the next 18 months and that’s when I decided to leave.”

Despite league crowds averaging just over 1000 and the Icelandic league boasting no more then 12 foreigners - including Tillen and his younger brother Joe, who has joined him at Fram - the left–back insists the standard of football is similar to what he was used to at Griffin Park.

“The standard of football is good compared to the lower leagues in England,” he added. “They play more football over here and I would say the top four or five teams could play in League One and definitely League Two and the top half of teams are of a very good standard.”

24-year-old defender Mark Howard went down a different route. Despite having a year still to run on his contract with Manchester United the centre-half took the plunge and joined his former reserve team boss Rene Meulensteen at Brondby in Denmark in summer 2006.

Experience

“My reserve team manager Rene Meulensteen had just left to become the manager of Brondby and one day I got a phone call in the summer and he said ‘would you like to come over?’ I didn’t really fancy it but I went there for two days to train and I liked it. The guys all spoke English which was a bonus so I came home and had a good think about it and felt I may as well give it a go and I signed a three-year contract.

“I spoke to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he said I would enjoy it and that Copenhagen was a nice place to live and the football would be good.

“I was a regular at 20 playing all the time. When you play all the time you learn different things. At first I got a stupid red card and I was young and naïve but you learn so quickly and you gain so much experience as well.”

However Meulensteen lasted just six months in Denmark before returning to Old Trafford with Brondby sitting seventh in the league. But rather than curse his misfortune and return to England Howard knuckled down and began to make a name for himself in Scandinavia.

“(Meulensteen) left in December and it was difficult, I was thinking ‘what do I do now?’ He recalled.

“I spoke to the new management and they told me they would be happy for me to stay and they didn’t want me to leave. In a way it was a release of pressure because I was the guy that Meulensteen brought in and now I had nothing to lose and things went really well from there.”

A Player of the Year award in 2007 was proof of his progression but after contract negotiations turned sour Howard soon discovered the harsher side to football abroad.

“I had been at Brondby for two years and we were in talks to sign a new deal in my last year but things went on and I didn’t agree with the sports chief and things turned sour,” he pointed out.

“I was Player of the Year in 2007 I didn’t agree on the contract and the sport chief at the time was the chairman’s son. I was playing all the time I established myself but I ended up signing for AGF.”

Calum Angus is another Englishman who has recently experienced the down side to forging a football career abroad. The 23-year-old was offered the chance to join Swedish top flight side GAIS last summer after spending four years playing and gaining a degree at Saint Louis University in America following his release from Portsmouth.

Having established himself in the first-team last season Angus broke a bone in his foot during pre-season (the Swedish campaign runs from March to October) keeping him sidelined for three months.

Injury

“This is the only time I have struggled out here. I broke a bone in my foot and I have been out for three months. Pre-season is really long, it goes on for months and I am still a couple of weeks from training properly.” he stated.

“That’s the one thing I have really struggled with while being away from home, I’m over here to play football so if I’m not able to do that it’s really depressing.

“I have been really homesick and every opportunity I have to go home I have taken it but it is mainly due to me not playing.”

Despite his recent struggles Angus admits he is in no rush to come home: “The hardest thing is not being close to home and the family. Don’t get me wrong I like it over here but that would be the only reason why I would come back. But I wouldn’t come back and play in League One or League Two if I was to come back it would have to be in as high a league as possible.”

Howard, who has also just recovered from ankle surgery himself, agrees and insists he would only consider returning to England if the right club came in for him.

“I suppose it would have to be the right team because in the Premier League and the Championship and the other leagues everyone is firing their managers. It’s weird over here everything is a little more stable with the structure and everything.

“Obviously I am going to come home at some point but I am in no rush. I have just signed with AGF and if everyone is fit we have a great team.”

Meanwhile Tillen has already come to the conclusion that he has played his last game in England’s lower leagues.

“I have no regrets about coming here,” he declared. “I don’t miss England at all my girlfriend has come over with me and that obviously helps having someone there with me all the time.

“The only way I would come back is if a Championship club or Premier League club came in for me and that’s not going to happen, I don’t want to play in the lower leagues again I just didn’t enjoy it really.”

Perhaps the biggest perk of plying your trade abroad is the chance to play in European competition. To date Howard has featured nine times in the Europa League but Tillen was left somewhat disappointed with his foray into European football.

“I think playing in European competition is the best thing, playing in League One or League Two you have got no chance of playing in Europe but ironically the first game we played was against a Welsh team TNS,” he stated.

“We could have gone ended up anywhere and I end up going back to Wales.”

Despite the advantages of playing overseas so few English players actually take the plunge and leave the comforts of home much to Angus’ bewilderment.

No brainer

“For me personally it is a no brainer to play in a better league abroad. There are so many players in England who are good enough to play over here. I am surprised there aren’t a lot more not just in Sweden but in Scandinavia and Germany,” he mused.

Howard agrees: “I think they are just comfy living at home with family and friends around them. I was lucky really because my family were encouraging really and my girlfriend moved over with me so everything worked out well. People are afraid to experience something different. It was a big risk but I think it has been worth it and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Football agent Brian Humphreys, who works on behalf of a number of foreign clubs, says that European teams are now distancing themselves from British talent because of how they are now perceived on the continent.

“If you take a British player abroad they don’t really want to do it, they don’t really want to travel,” he explained.

“To be honest I just think they are in a comfort zone, they have the best of everything. In general a lot of players don’t want to go to a different country. If they did, the level of football would definitely go up because the players of the European clubs are more professional.

“The European clubs know that English players don’t want to travel and a lot don’t even try and get them. I think it has always been like that.”

One thing is for certain the growing number of footballers now looking to forge a career abroad are slowly changing people’s perceptions of British footballers.

2010-04-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

On loan Stockport County striker Jabo Ibehre has refused to rule out the possibility of making his move permanent at the end of the season.

The 27-year-old is on loan from fellow League One side MK Dons until the end of the campaign and is highly thought of by Hatters manager Gary Ablett.

The burly frontman has scored twice in 10 games since arriving at Edgeley Park in January and remains upbeat about the team’s chances of survival despite County taking just one point from a possible 12 following Tuesday nights 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Oldham, leaving them 13 points adrift at the bottom.

However the club’s position has not stopped Ibehre from enjoying his football and he is determined to keep his options open come the summer.

“I take each day as it comes,” he said.

“I hope to do well and put myself in a strong position in the summer. I’m enjoying it here at the moment. I’m getting my fitness back and I would be over the moon if I could score some more goals as well, that is in the back of my mind.

“Hopefully we can get some good results.”

With takeover talks continuing to stumble County look no nearer to exiting administration but Ibehre insists that the situation has not affected the player’s performances.

“I ignore what goes on behind the scenes,” he stated.

“I am here to play football and do the best I can on the pitch. What goes on off the pitch is nothing to do with us and sometimes it is used as an excuse for players.

“We can take care of matters on the pitch but not the financial side off it so I don’t get too concerned about it.”

The former Leyton Orient ace admits he has settled well to life in the North West and added that the club had gone out of their way to make all the loanees feel welcome.

“When I was told about joining Stockport I was told I would be playing a game just a few days later so things happen quickly,” he pointed out.

“I have enjoyed it and settled down pretty quickly to be fair so I have been able to concentrate on my football.

“The club have been paying for our accommodation and they have been really good to us. I am enjoying playing football at the moment and it has been a pleasure.”

African Adventure

2010-04-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Uganda have long lived in the shadow of their more illustrious West African counterparts but the past 18 months have seen The Cranes begin to emerge from the football wilderness.

The man many hold responsible for their transformation is former Kilmarnock and Hibernian boss Bobby Williamson.

The Scot took charge in August 2008, replacing the Hearts bound Csaba Laszlo, and is slowly starting to change the mindset of players and fans alike in the East African country.

Having gained independence from Britain in 1962 Uganda have the unwanted distinction of having never qualified for a single World Cup finals while their last appearance at the African Nations Cup was way back in 1978.

Unsurprisingly Williamson was, at first, hesitant about taking the job, prior to the Scot’s arrival Uganda had failed to win away from home in seven years, but decided to take the plunge after exploring the country first hand.

“I had just left Chester City and prior to that I had been on gardening leave at Plymouth which kept me unemployed for seven months and at the end of the day people had forgotten about me,” he said.

“I knew this job was available and I got my agent on to it and I came over for an interview. Initially I turned the job down because I didn’t think I could settle here but after my flight home was delayed and I had to stay another night I decided to have a better look around. The weather was great, it was a nice climate, the people were friendly and once I thought about it I decided I would give it a go and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Despite losing his first game 3-1 to Niger - a result which saw Uganda miss out on a place at this year’s African Nations Cup to Angola on goal difference and also ending their hopes of making the World Cup in South Africa – Williamson soon began to build on the foundations laid by Laszlo by leading his youthful side to 13 wins in 14 matches with a 2-1 friendly reverse to Ghana 12 months ago their only other defeat.

“It was a big blow,” Williamson says of the Niger result. “I think these guys would have done well because I have seen other countries who have qualified who we had already beaten in friendly matches and beaten in CECAFA (Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations) matches and I think we could have graced it but it wasn’t to be and I am disappointed for the Ugandan players and the Ugandan people because I really believed we could do well in these tournaments.”

Williamson plays down his role in transforming the team’s fortunes on the pitch and insists that the players already possessed the ability and the will to learn needed in order to succeed.

High standard

“I have a big squad of local based players who are all doing well for each other and it is a joy to work with them,” he stated.

“I think they are of a very good standard. They play under difficult circumstances with the football pitches, the balls, and the equipment, everything is poor but they work hard, they don’t complain they are trying to improve which is very good.

“All they lacked was organisation on the park, where to pass to, where to run to. They all just played in their individual world but we are playing as a team now and we are organised and very hard to beat so it is all going well for the future.”

The 48-year-old Glaswegian has also captured the hearts of the locals, Williamson admits that he was “nearly carried off the park” following a recent 4-0 win over Burundi but at the same time he is all too aware that with success comes greater expectation.

“The fans have been fantastic, they are great people, they are always shouting encouragement and the players have responded to that,” he highlighted.

“You have to remember it has been 30 years since they have qualified for a major tournament, I have inspired them and the expectation is getting higher.

“We never won an away match for seven years until we went to Sudan last year and we beat them and then we beat Tanzania away and drew with Burundi. We won five out of the six games and drew the other one last year so the mentality is changing. We believe now that we can go away and win football matches. After the draw with Burundi people were actually complaining that we should have won the game but that’s just people’s nature.”

Frustratingly for Williamson despite the national team making giant strides forward on the field off it locals are still more interested in the English Premier League rather than their own domestic Ugandan Super League.

“My biggest bugbear is that the local people would rather watch the English Premier League than the local football over here and that disappoints me,” he pointed out.

“We get the English games on television over here on Saturday night. People in England don’t realise how passionate these guys are about the Premier League’s top sides. They run about the place when a team scores and they have never been to England let alone a live match in England. It is maniacal.

Entertained

“I enjoy the local league, there is talent there but it is not very well supported and not many people turn out to watch it. I do believe they could be entertained if they went along and they would enjoy it. It is difficult, even the press don’t write too much about the local football and it is difficult to find the scores or when a game is actually taking place. They would rather talk about the Manchester United’s, Arsenals and Chelsea’s as well.”

“I am working towards trying to change that but it is very, very difficult.”

Despite suffering heartache in the World Cup qualifiers Williamson insists he is in it for the long haul and has already sat down with FUFA (Federation of Uganda Football Association) over extending his stay.

“We are talking with FUFA just now but it is a long process. I am enjoying working with these players they are very responsive and respectful and they want to be successful and they make my job easier,” he added.

“It has certainly been different. It has broadened my horizons, I have seen a lot of Africa now and it has been fantastic for me. I have no designs to go anywhere else, I would like to continue here but we will have to see.

“It would need to be a very good offer from a club to make me leave this climate and working conditions. I don’t even know if I want to go back into the day-to-day running of club football. I don’t miss much of it at all really I am too engrossed in what I am trying to achieve here.”

With his squad boasting a relatively young average age of 26 Williamson certainly has the time to mould a side that can one day compete with the giants of African football.

Glossop Away Days

2010-03-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your local football team is playing an away match some 40 miles away? Well if you are one of a number of hard core Glossop North End supporters the answer is to go and support your team, as was the case when The Hillmen travelled to Bacup Borough for a VodKat Premier League match in late February.

On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon with the strong wind getting stronger the players are out on the pitch warming up. So far the crowd is non-existent as both sets of players go through their pre-match rituals. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised as areas of the ground have already been cornered off to hint that maybe a large crowd isn’t expected.

As the players descend back into the small changing rooms for their final preparations and a fight for the tape the crowd slowly begins to grow. Surprisingly the majority of fans slipping through the turnstiles are wearing the Glossop colours of blue and red.

Glossop’s away following comes as an even bigger surprise after inspection of the club’s away form this season which can, at best, be described as patchy with just five wins from 13 games in the league. As the crowd await the two teams Glossop

Assistant Manager Terry Hinks is clearing away the bibs and cones from the warm-up and tries to put his finger on the problem. “At the start of the season we played quite a few away games which we lost and our confidence got lower. Funnily enough I think the away form improved when we started to play more home games which we won and from there the confidence grew and we took this into away games.”

Three wins from their last four league away games would appear to support Hink’s view.

Glossop Director Adrian Priestly was one of the people who made the trip and explains why he made the effort: “First and foremost I would say I am a supporter before a director. When the team play at home I have a lot of responsibility and chores. I have to watch when the balls fly out of the ground things like that so when I go away I can enjoy it a lot more and I love the away games.”

Adrian moved to Glossop in 1980 and his affiliation with the club began very soon after: “The day after we moved in I went to find Glossop North End Football Club. I watched on and off as at this point as I still had my season ticket with Man City but about 10 or 11 years ago I was asked to be a Director. I got involved with various fund raising committees and was asked by the then Chairman do I want to become a Director.”

Support

As the players line-up in the tunnel the managers take their respective places in the dug-outs. As assistant manager Hinks takes his seat he doesn’t seem surprised with the Glossop following. “We had a great turn-out a few weeks ago away at St Helens and the support through-out that game was fantastic. It boosts me and Steve (Young, Manager) when we see our away fans outnumber the home section so the effect it has on the players must be top drawer.”
As the game kicks off it seems the adverse weather conditions have caused many locals to stay away with the official attendance standing at 57. As Adrian explains, the blustery conditions nearly made him think twice about even getting out of his car.

“It’s definitely a bit bleak, not so much the football the fact that the weather was perishing.” He laughs. “We looked at the temperature and it read 12 degrees outside when we got out of the car but when we got into the stand it must have dropped considerably the wind was whipping down off the moors, we were absolutely freezing.”

If the conditions were causing havoc in the stands they were causing mayhem on the pitch. After a sloppy start from the visitors, as they struggled to keep their footing
on an incredibly soft pitch the home side took an early lead. The travelling fans were soon rewarded for their efforts and as the whistle went for half time North End had a
2-1 lead.

As the clouds above grew greyer making the moors surrounding the ground even more daunting the game remained a tight affair. It wasn’t until the 74th minute that the travelling fans could rest easy as Glossop striker Kieran Lugsden put the visitors 3-1 up. That was the way it stayed and as the referee blew his final whistle the Glossop players applauded the travelling fans efforts as they trudged off a by now extremely heavy pitch.

Deserved drink

Before heading off to his local ‘The Friendship’ back in Glossop, where locals wait for updates on North End games Priestly adds his assessment of the game. “I thought it would be tough and it was but we hoped to win and we did although it was a bit harder than we thought. I thought the support was fantastic yet again as it has been all season.”

Hinks agrees: “As a player when you can hear your own supporters making more noise than the home fans when you score its fantastic and it makes it like a home game for us.” Adding, “This game shows how far we’ve come. We didn’t play that well but we got a result.”

Just as the floodlights go out on the Bacup ground Hinks makes one more point. “Around Glossop everyone has been coming up to the players and myself and Steve and wishing us look and saying they have not seen the club perform this well for the past 10 years.”

Praise indeed. With an even longer trip to Silsden still to come in March on today’s evidence you would be a fool to bet against the North End faithful from turning out in their droves.

Jesper Blomqvist

2010-03-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

When Manchester United were drawn against AC Milan in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League all attention focused on David Beckham’s impending return to Old Trafford - but there was another ex-Red who had one foot in either camp.

Jesper Blomqvist only enjoyed one full season at both Milan and United but still has strong ties to both clubs.

Despite an all too brief spell at the Theatre of Dreams the now 36-year-old still managed to play an integral part as United won an astonishing treble in 1998/99 while his short, and often frustrating, spell at the San Siro still brings back fond memories.

The Swedish winger first came on the radar after almost single handedly putting Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to the sword as IFK Goteborg defeated the English champions 3-1 in the group stages of the Champions League in 1994.

Goteborg would continue to defy the odds that year and topped the group ahead of United and Barcelona and were only knocked out in the quarter-final on away goals to Bayern Munich.

“I was in the form of my life,” Blomqvist recalls.

“When you are in that kind of state you do not remember much of the games. Obviously I watched it after and I felt that I could almost dribble wherever I wanted and do whatever I wanted.

“It was a lovely feeling to finish top of the group ahead of teams such as Barcelona and Manchester United.”

Blomqvist was destined for bigger things and had his heart set on a move to Milan in 1996 despite initial interest from United.

“When I first moved to Milan I knew (Sir Alex) Ferguson had an interest but I preferred Italy because I thought AC Milan were the best team in Europe at that time so I really set my goals to get a move there,” he highlighted.

“I had a one year spell there and then they changed the coach and (Fabio) Capello came in and brought in a lot of new players and I moved to Parma.

“I played another year in Parma under (Carlo) Ancelotti and then he got fired and a new coach came in. He wanted to change the system and play another way which didn’t really suit me.

“That was when Ferguson came in the picture and in quite a short time I decided to move to Manchester.”

Blomqvist was initially wary of his decision to join United with many stating he was too light-weight for the Premier League but the left-sider was soon proving his critics wrong although he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his own performances.

“The truth was that I really wanted to stay in Italy because I liked it at Parma,” he explained.

“I was still a little wary about moving to England because I was injured when I signed. After a few weeks I still wasn’t fully aware of how good we were going to be that season, you didn’t feel it straight away where you thought ‘This is going to be the year’.

Famous faces

“We had signed Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke as well and they were so famous before they moved to United but they both became really, really great signings and we had some other players who took some really big steps that year.

“I played a lot of games but I still wasn’t too happy because I had a lot of small injury problems every now and then, I never got the chance to play for three months in a row and pick up the form I had at Goteborg for example.

“I felt like I would play well for a few weeks and then get injured and then I would have to regain my form and my mental belief.

“It was a little bit up and down but I firmly felt the year after that was going to be my best year because I had already been there one season and I started to know the club and felt much more at ease and at home.”

Having already captured the Premier League title and the FA Cup United’s season was about to culminate in the most dramatic fashion on a sunny May evening at the Nou Camp against Bayern Munich in the final of the UEFA Champions League.

With midfielders Roy Keane and Paul Scholes unavailable through suspension Blomqvist was in the unusual position of knowing he would start against the Germans. Understandably nervous the night before the clash the former Sweden international began writing positive notes about the game ahead in his hotel room.

“It was mental exercise to calm down and to get the confidence you need to play. I really felt it was a huge game,” he remembered.

“I hadn’t played for three or four weeks so I hadn’t played in the FA Cup final and I didn’t play in the last league game against Tottenham so I wasn’t sure about my own form and that created a bit of insecurity in my own game.”

Stoppage-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earned United an unforgettable 2-1 win in Barcelona but the jubilation was short lived for Blomqvist with the final proving to be his last competitive game in a United shirt.

Having picked up a knee injury during pre-season Blomqvist missed the entirety of the following 1999/00 campaign and was transferred to Everton in November 2001. Blomqvist managed 18 appearances for the Toffees before moving to Charlton a year later where his injury problems showed no signs of abating.

A short stint back home with Djurgarden materialised but the winger called time on his career in 2005 and began working as a pundit on Swedish television. However he still felt unsatisfied.

While some of his former team-mates such as Roy Keane and Roberto Donadoni seemed destined to become managers from the beginning the quiet and unassuming Blomqvist has surprised many with his chosen career path.

Despite his shy persona, Blomqvist played his entire career with his shirt sleeves nervously covering his hands, the Swede has decided to move into the cut-throat business of football management. But having played under some of the finest managers of the modern era, notably Capello, Ancelotti and Ferguson, perhaps the decision to manage should have been more expected than first thought.

“I had been working in TV in Sweden for two years before I started coaching,” Blomqvist, who is currently learning his trade in the Swedish second tier as assistant manager at Hammarby, pointed out.

“The idea of coaching began growing inside me over the last year or so. I was injured a lot and I began thinking what to do next. It woke up quite late in me, it wasn’t something I planned but it came more and more and of course you feel you have a lot of knowledge you have built up during the years in your career that you want to try and pass on.

Learn from mistakes

“You try and take little bits (from each manager) but you still have to try it out in practice and learn for yourself.

“You learn from your mistakes and it takes time too, that’s my biggest experience so far. It is hard work and it is going to take time to become a good coach.

“At the moment I am really enjoying it. Hammarby are a big club in Sweden even if it is the First Division. You soon realise that when you get into coaching and management that it is really difficult.

“There are a lot of things to work on and think about, there are so many different aspects of it and you have to be good at them all but of course it is good to gain experience.”

Having reached the highest level during his playing career Blomqvist is keen to rise to the top in management but for now he is more than happy to cut his teeth in Sweden.

“When you look at all the big coaches in the UEFA Champions League today they all started at the bottom. It is hard work. Maybe you can only find a few in the top leagues in Europe that started at the top, all the others work hard for 10 years and then you start to find the keys to solve certain situations, how you want to shape and create your team, what your philosophy about leadership and management is,” he stated.

“So it is really about experience and again that is about hard work and really taking a lot of time to gain that experience.

“I will keep trying to improve where I am now and for me it is a great challenge to work here and that is enough for me at the moment. But someday you have the dreams to be at the highest level.”

Jerez Industrial

2010-03-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Jerez Industrial CF are hardly a house hold name in Spain let alone England but the Segunda Division B side have recently hit the headlines thanks to an agreement with the Glenn Hoddle Academy.

Struggling financially and propping up Spain’s third tier Jerez approached Hoddle in January in the hope of loaning a number of the Academy’s players until the end of the season.

“Because the Academy is based in Jerez and the fact that Industrial were in a bit of disarray financially with players not getting paid and some leaving in January as a result someone from the club and a member of the local council got in touch with Glenn,” explained Academy coach and former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Nigel Spackman.

“Glenn agreed to negotiate with them about which players they wanted because the coach had actually seen some of the players train over the past year or so.

“The players are all on loan because we are not a club so they are not attached to anybody but they are there until the end of the season to try and help the club out.”

Nick Beasant, Pierre Hall, Michael Noone, Matthew Richards, Nathan Woolfe and Curtley Williams were the lucky six selected with former Academy stars Chris Fagan and David Cowley joining them on loan from Lincoln and Recreativo Huelva respectively.

The eight Brits have certainly had an impact with Jerez, now affectionately dubbed ‘Los Ingleses’, with the club having moved off the bottom of the table and currently sitting just seven points from safety.

“I got told when I came on loan that the club was struggling, they were rock bottom of the league and they weren’t winning games,” highlights 21-year-old Cowley who, following a year training at the Academy signed a two-year deal with Recreativo last summer.

“I was actually close to making my debut with Recreativo and then the manager got the sack. Obviously I have got to show the new manager what I am about and I decided to go on loan to play games in front of big crowds and gain experience of playing competitive games in Spain.

“We have been here for six games and we have won three and lost three. The games which we have lost we were unlucky. We could have been right up there but now we are right amongst it but we still have a fighting chance to make safety.”

Banter

Striker Woolfe, 21, signed for the Academy in October after his release from Bolton last summer and admits that his new Spanish team-mates and the fans have helped all the loanees feel at home.

“I think all the lads are of a good standard and the other players realise that and they have been fine with us. The banter is good, the camaraderie is good, we even have BBQs after training and we have been for meals together so they are all good lads and they have made us feel welcome,” he said.

“As for the fans they actually love us to be fair. They are all good with us and they bring down flags like an English one, a Scottish one and at the last game they brought an Irish one for Fagan so he’s not left out. Overall I think everyone is pleased with all the British lads that are here.”

Despite his club still occupying a perilous position in the drop zone Jerez Chairman Juan Manuel Delgado is delighted with the impact the eight young Brits have had at the Estadio de la Juventud – aptly translated to ‘Stadium of Youth’.

“They are all very good players,” he stated. “We are very grateful to the Glenn Hoddle Academy for the loan of these players as we need good players.

“Now when we play we get more people coming to watch our matches because our supporters like the English players and at all the matches the Union Jack is in our stands.

“Football is a universal language they all play together the Spanish players can’t speak English but they understand each other on the pitch.”

Experience

Even if Jerez do succumb to the drop this term Spackman insists the lessons learned will be invaluable if the Academy stars are to permanently get themselves back into the game.

“They played Granada last week, one of the top sides, which is a 35,000 capacity stadium, they lost 4-1 but they have the experience of playing in front of a big crowd against a team who are second in the league. It can only whet their appetite and make them work harder to want this sort of thing week in week out,” he pointed out.

“I think the lads have all coped well together. It is a growing up process as well. It’s a learning process for the lads at the Academy. Rather than training with us everyday and playing friendly games they are training everyday and competing for a place in the team at the weekend.

“If they stay up then that’s fantastic and you never know the club might want to sign some of the players or they can put themselves in the shop window because all the Spanish clubs will be sending scouts to the games as Sevilla B play in the same league along with Betis B. It can only enhance their reputation and enhance their chances of getting back into the game at an even higher level.”

Cup Magic

2007-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

England manager Steve Mclaren will tonight be sweating over whether six of his first teamers come through their respective F.A cup replays unscathed ahead of England's crucial European Championship qualifier away to Israel this Saturday.

After drawing the original games Manchester United, Middlesborough, Chelsea and Tottenham will all do battle for a second time tonight with Boro travelling to Old Trafford and Chelsea to make the short trip to White Hart Lane.

Six of Mclaren's first choice 11 look set for action tonight as captain John Terry and Frank Lampard line up against Goalkeeper Paul Robinson and winger Aaron Lennon while Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney could figure against Boro.

If both replays are anything like the first games then we are in for two cracking games of football. Boro manager Gareth Southgate has shown that he means business after resting Jonathon Woodgate and Mark Viduka at the weekend.

Meanwhile Sir Alex has today said he will use the fringe players in tonight's encounter and show confidence in his whole squad. Sir Alex has stated that the cup is high on his agenda as a second treble remains on the cards.

Spurs will be looking to make it second time lucky against Chelsea after leading 3-1 for long periods at the Bridge. Spurs seemed in control and only looked vulnerable when Martin Jol took off instrumental striker Berbatov and live wire winger Aaron Lennon.

It seems hard to look beyond United and Chelsea getting through but if the games are anything like the first ties then football is surely the winner although Steve Mclaren may not agree.

Wembley

2007-03-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

The home of football is finally ready, so the powers that be tell us. Multiplex the firm who have, putting it bluntly messed-up over the whole stadium fiasco have finally handed the keys for the stadium over to Mr Barwick and his fellow chums at the F.A.

The stadium has taken an astonishing SIX years to complete plunging the F.A into billions of pounds worth of debt, compare this to Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium, finished and ready to play in within a year and you get the drift.

With England underperforming in ALL THREE major tournaments during the six years the fans patience has been pushed to the brink culminating in one big public consensus of, "This better be one hell of a stadium."

Both the F.A and Multiplex seem to be making all the right noises for now, the new Wembley seems set to host the 2007 F.A Cup Final giving this years competition an extra edge. Its seems that everyone is expecting a flash finale at the new home of football.

But maybe the the bigwigs of the F.A are not telling us something, for one, the F.A have pre-booked The Millennium Stadium in case by some un-beknown reason the new Wembley is not ready yet again.

Secondly I have a little insight into what is going on behind the scenes at this present moment. The F.A have led us to believe that the finishing touches are in place, the final lick of paint getting applied as we speak. This couldn't be further from the truth.

My brother was fortunate enough to win a competition which enabled him and four of his mates to be the first people to grace the hallowed turf when he asked a man with "Supervisor" on his jacket he asked, "So mate, will the stadium be finished in time for this year." his reply...... a raucous laugh.

Read into it what you will, but better book the hotel in Cardiff, just in case.

Formation's

2007-03-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

If players at the top of the game are really that good then it begs the question do formations matter? If a player is so technically skilled then surely they should be able to play in a number of positions and any type of system. An argument against this theory would be Manchester United.

The Red's are considered alongside Arsenal as the most entertaining team to watch in the Barclays Premiership having scored more goals than any other team.

Fans are left spell bound at the sides slick passing and fast counter attacking football. Domestically United line up in the traditional 4-4-2 formation but in the Champions League it is a different story.

A few years ago Sir Alex Ferguson came out with the statement that United were too easy to figure out in Europe so he decided to change the way the team play.

Ferguson experimented with 4-5-1 or how he described 4-3-3. The system failed to make an impact and the striker at the time Ruud Van Nistelrooy cut a lonesome figure upfront on his own as the teams fluidity disappeared in an instant.

Even though the system has failed in terms of results (this being the clubs first quarter final appearance since 2003 in the Champions League) Ferguson persists on this more conservative 4-5-1 formation on the continent.

With only one position available upfront Wayne Rooney has found himself stuck out on the left or right wing tracking back whenever the opposition has the ball. Surely Sir Alex is doing his opponents a favour as one of the sides most creative players has to spend as much time in the his own half as he does in the oppositions.

Rooney clearly does not relish this role but he does it for the team. It is even more frustrating when people criticise his goal record in the competition, surely a little common sense should prevail. Rooney has only played in his favoured strikers position a handful of times in the competition.

Maybe its time for Sir Alex to listen to the fans and play with the attacking 4-4-2 style that has seen us destroy teams in the Premiership after all how can one of the most entertaining teams domestically come over all Jekyll and Hyde and become so boring in Europe.

Its a Squad Game

2007-03-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Champions League football returns to our television screens this week and my own team Manchester United host French side Lille leading 1-0 from the contraversial first leg in Lens.

Its is now the crucial part of the season where titles are decided and cups are won and where a large squad is most important.

Jose Mourinho took the squad game to new levels and used Abramovich's millions wisely to purchase two top class players for each position. An injury to Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge steps in, goalkeeper Petr Cech picks up a knock and Carlo Cudicini goes between the sticks.

Perhaps a reason why Chelsea have slipped behind Manchester United this season is because key squad players have been let go following recent success. Damien Duff, Glen Johnson, Hernan Crespo and Tiago were all allowed to leave the Bridge for relatively low fees.

Going back to my team Manchester United and we see squad players such as John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher receiving stick from many sections of United fans even though both are internationals for their respective countries.

Being a semi-professional footballer myself and being a season ticker holder at the Theatre of Dreams I fully appreciate the levels of skill and technique it takes to make it to the top of the game.

What is evident is the way the players have full confidence in each others ability to deal with any kind of pass as balls are fired into each other at rocket speeds.

The way that O'Shea and Fletcher are treated by their team mates highlights that some of the fans views are not shared by United's more illustrious stars. Both are popular members within the squad and would be welcomed in any other Premiership side.

Any barracking from the terraces does not seem to have damaged their confidence, O'Shea in particular recently scoring the winner at Anfield which surely keeps him safe from the more fickle fans......just for now.

Back to this weeks match with Lille and Sir Alex Ferguson may well utilise his squad further and we may well see the likes of Fletcher and O'Shea from the start.

So instead of having a moan and a groan when you see the number 24 shirt instead of the unmistakable number 7 of United think how good you really must be to be playing in front of 76,000 fans on a regular basis.