Someone emailed me to ask whether I'm in favour of groundsharing. I have some problems with it but I think it makes sense generally. It'll never happen but there we are - my thoughts here.
The view from Soccernet here.
RCM
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
It was 50 years ago today...
For those Liverpool fans moaning about the current situation on the pitch, it might be worthwhile to glance back at history.
Fifty years ago, the team was in the bottom half of the 2nd Divison in England, Anfield was crumbling, Melwood was a joke and the players were, from all accounts laughable (bar a few notable exceptions). The team was still playing in red shirts and white shorts. The one strength of the club was its backroom staff - Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett (the beginnings of the Boot Room). They were the definition of a sleeping giant - 12 years earlier they had won the league but were kicking about in Division 2. Two of the giants of the time were Liverpool's traditional rivals of Manchester United and Everton. The troubles that the club are going through at present are mere mosquito bites in comparison to the gunshot wounds it had at the time.
A new manager arrived and the club and transformed it forever. His first changes were to training - bringing in diet assessment, five-a-side games, skills training and this led to changes in how the team played. The system was based around pass and movement and one-two touch football. Throughout, he tried to build a sense of ''This Is Liverpool'' by making the team pitch up at Anfield and then go by bus to Melwood to increase camaraderie and after each training session the team ate team meals.
Over the course, this new manager started to harvest Britain for talent. From Dundee United, Ron Yeats. From Motherwell, Ian St. John. From Preston North End, Gordon Milne and Peter Thompson. Through the youth ranks came the likes of Chris Lawler, Bobby Graham, Tommy Smith and Ian Callaghan.
The club were promoted in 1961-62 and won the First Division in 1963/4. In 1964/5 the club won the FA Cup and the First Division went to Anfield again in 1965/6.
His second great team saw Clemence and Keegan arrive from Scunthorpe, John Toshack from Cardiff City, Larry Lloyd from Bristol Rovers, Emlyn Hughes from Blackpool and a number of fine youth players Jimmy Case and Phil Thompson. He won the league for a third time in 1973 (and won the UEFA Cup in the same year) and the FA Cup the following year.
Of course, it was 50 years ago today that Bill Shankly became manager of Liverpool FC. Yes, Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and Joe Fagan all carried on the legacy of his, and Paisley won everything under the sun (two or three times...) but Shankly made Liverpool what it is.
For all the teary eyed sentiment that surrounds the club, for all the looking back through red-tinted glasses at the glorious years of the past when we seemed to have the League title on permanent display, there is something special about the club and that something is the legacy left by Shankly. He invented the club as it is now. As with so many legends it is not the trophies in the cabinet or the memorable performances, though they are impressive, it is those intangible things that make the story - it was his unquenchable fervour, his desire to stomp all over the world, his need to bend the wills of many to his own to march the club onwards. He was much more than a manager and his status at the club shows that.
He was known for sitting endlessly at his typewriter replying to fans who had taken the time to write to him. He was known to phone fans during the week to discuss the previous weekends game. The stories about him buying tickets for fans are endless. He understood that the fans are everything to a club and seemed to have a connection with them - indeed, the most famous picture of him has a story behind it (the one at the top of this post). After winning the league, during a lap of honour, a fan threw a scarf towards Shankly. It missed and a policeman threw it to one side. Shankly jumped to the scarf, put it on and said to the policeman 'Don't do that. That might be someone's life'.
Like many others of the working class managers who went on to dominate football for a time, he understood why people watched football, why people loved football, why people obsessed about because he was one of them. Busby another, Clough another still and, today, Ferguson. They were obsessives about the game and see thousands of others like them in the stands.
Outside of Liverpool, he is remembered for his one-liners, his jokes (about Everton, about his failed signing of Lou Macari) and his wise-cracks. This is more than a little unfair. The man is loved by a knowledgeable footballing populous above other greats not because he is the best manager to do the business at Anfield but because as well as those listed above he was a fantastic talent spotter (he spotted Keegan, Toshack, Law, Yeats, St. John et al), he was an early innovator when it came to understanding psychology, he was an innovator in training techniques and his Boot Room technique would be hailed as good management practice these days in a corporation - getting knowledgeable people into a room and talking through the major strategic issues of the day (over endless cups of tea, apparently)
Shankly was an overt Socialist but, more than this, had a clear and obvious moral code that he instilled throughout the club - everyone was part of the greater entity, everyone played their part. As he said 'The Socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way i see football, the way I see life'. His beliefs seem to emanate from the dugout all the way to the Kop and back again.
Like all great managers he made sure people want to work for them. Talents like Paisley, Fagan and co could easily have gone on to manage elsewhere but all pulled together to stay with Shankly at Liverpool and (in the future, Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans). The Boot Room was crucial to Liverpool's success throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many players stayed for a long time under him and it was his reforms that took Liverpool from a crumbling stadium and the 2nd Division to the cusp of being the best team in the world.
Of course, there was a tragic end - he retired just as he reached the top of the hill with his second team. He hung around Melwood not knowing what to do with himself, wandered the streets of Liverpool talking to all and sundry about the game and died not terribly long afterwards.
Still, he is remembered and loved by many outside the Red half of Merseyside and adored by those within it. Thanks, Bill, for making us what we are.
RCM
Fifty years ago, the team was in the bottom half of the 2nd Divison in England, Anfield was crumbling, Melwood was a joke and the players were, from all accounts laughable (bar a few notable exceptions). The team was still playing in red shirts and white shorts. The one strength of the club was its backroom staff - Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett (the beginnings of the Boot Room). They were the definition of a sleeping giant - 12 years earlier they had won the league but were kicking about in Division 2. Two of the giants of the time were Liverpool's traditional rivals of Manchester United and Everton. The troubles that the club are going through at present are mere mosquito bites in comparison to the gunshot wounds it had at the time.
A new manager arrived and the club and transformed it forever. His first changes were to training - bringing in diet assessment, five-a-side games, skills training and this led to changes in how the team played. The system was based around pass and movement and one-two touch football. Throughout, he tried to build a sense of ''This Is Liverpool'' by making the team pitch up at Anfield and then go by bus to Melwood to increase camaraderie and after each training session the team ate team meals.
Over the course, this new manager started to harvest Britain for talent. From Dundee United, Ron Yeats. From Motherwell, Ian St. John. From Preston North End, Gordon Milne and Peter Thompson. Through the youth ranks came the likes of Chris Lawler, Bobby Graham, Tommy Smith and Ian Callaghan.
The club were promoted in 1961-62 and won the First Division in 1963/4. In 1964/5 the club won the FA Cup and the First Division went to Anfield again in 1965/6.
His second great team saw Clemence and Keegan arrive from Scunthorpe, John Toshack from Cardiff City, Larry Lloyd from Bristol Rovers, Emlyn Hughes from Blackpool and a number of fine youth players Jimmy Case and Phil Thompson. He won the league for a third time in 1973 (and won the UEFA Cup in the same year) and the FA Cup the following year.
Of course, it was 50 years ago today that Bill Shankly became manager of Liverpool FC. Yes, Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and Joe Fagan all carried on the legacy of his, and Paisley won everything under the sun (two or three times...) but Shankly made Liverpool what it is.
For all the teary eyed sentiment that surrounds the club, for all the looking back through red-tinted glasses at the glorious years of the past when we seemed to have the League title on permanent display, there is something special about the club and that something is the legacy left by Shankly. He invented the club as it is now. As with so many legends it is not the trophies in the cabinet or the memorable performances, though they are impressive, it is those intangible things that make the story - it was his unquenchable fervour, his desire to stomp all over the world, his need to bend the wills of many to his own to march the club onwards. He was much more than a manager and his status at the club shows that.
He was known for sitting endlessly at his typewriter replying to fans who had taken the time to write to him. He was known to phone fans during the week to discuss the previous weekends game. The stories about him buying tickets for fans are endless. He understood that the fans are everything to a club and seemed to have a connection with them - indeed, the most famous picture of him has a story behind it (the one at the top of this post). After winning the league, during a lap of honour, a fan threw a scarf towards Shankly. It missed and a policeman threw it to one side. Shankly jumped to the scarf, put it on and said to the policeman 'Don't do that. That might be someone's life'.
Like many others of the working class managers who went on to dominate football for a time, he understood why people watched football, why people loved football, why people obsessed about because he was one of them. Busby another, Clough another still and, today, Ferguson. They were obsessives about the game and see thousands of others like them in the stands.
Outside of Liverpool, he is remembered for his one-liners, his jokes (about Everton, about his failed signing of Lou Macari) and his wise-cracks. This is more than a little unfair. The man is loved by a knowledgeable footballing populous above other greats not because he is the best manager to do the business at Anfield but because as well as those listed above he was a fantastic talent spotter (he spotted Keegan, Toshack, Law, Yeats, St. John et al), he was an early innovator when it came to understanding psychology, he was an innovator in training techniques and his Boot Room technique would be hailed as good management practice these days in a corporation - getting knowledgeable people into a room and talking through the major strategic issues of the day (over endless cups of tea, apparently)
Shankly was an overt Socialist but, more than this, had a clear and obvious moral code that he instilled throughout the club - everyone was part of the greater entity, everyone played their part. As he said 'The Socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way i see football, the way I see life'. His beliefs seem to emanate from the dugout all the way to the Kop and back again.
Like all great managers he made sure people want to work for them. Talents like Paisley, Fagan and co could easily have gone on to manage elsewhere but all pulled together to stay with Shankly at Liverpool and (in the future, Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans). The Boot Room was crucial to Liverpool's success throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many players stayed for a long time under him and it was his reforms that took Liverpool from a crumbling stadium and the 2nd Division to the cusp of being the best team in the world.
Of course, there was a tragic end - he retired just as he reached the top of the hill with his second team. He hung around Melwood not knowing what to do with himself, wandered the streets of Liverpool talking to all and sundry about the game and died not terribly long afterwards.
Still, he is remembered and loved by many outside the Red half of Merseyside and adored by those within it. Thanks, Bill, for making us what we are.
RCM
Monday, 30 November 2009
Scotland and Cantera
I've posted before about youth development on numerous occasions. My favoured model, generally, is the Dutch system - something that Steve McClaren has been eulogising about in recent weeks talking about how, at age 12, young players are expected to understand tactics, game situations and so on. (Andy Robinson has mentioned over the weekend that he wants his rugby players - 'we want players to improve their fitness, game understanding and individual skills plus leadership' - so one fears this is something that transcends Scottish sport). Others, including John Collins, prefer the Clairefontaine model.
However, as the footballing world axis shifts inexorably from the grounds of England to La Liga it is only right to focus on the ''cantera'' policy. Athletic Bilbao is probably best known for its Cantera (or quarry) as the club recruits exclusively from the Basque country. However, many Spanish clubs have Cantera and these seem to link the clubs to their local community as well as producing very gifted young players.
This, from my understanding, seems to be an extremely sophisticated version of the UK academies policy. The Barcelona Cantera, based at La Masia has an alumni list that is like a whose who of world football: Guardiola, de la Pena, Puyol, Xavi, Luis Garcia, Valdes, Pique, Iniesta, Busquets, Krkic, Olegeur, Reina, Arteta, Pedro Rodriguez, Fabregas and Messi. Elsewhere, one of Liverpool's wonderkid, Dani Pacheco came through the Barcelona system as did Arsenal's Fran Merida. (Of course, the Dutch fan in me would say there was a heavy Dutch influence at Barca... so it is possible to combine the two).
Barcelona and Real Madrid's Cantera is helped further by the presence of Real Madrid Castilla and FC Barcelona B - these are where talented youngsters are blooded. I've argued before that Rangers and Celtic should be allowed similar teams in the lower echelons of Scottish football - this would help Rangers and Celtic but it would also help the national team in the long-run.
Linked to this (and my wider point about Scottish development) is a proposal from the Sydney Morning Herald of sending former internationals to learn at La Masia and at Barcelona generally. I'd imagine they'd learn an enormous amount in a year at Barca and wish that Scottish football journalists were quite so inventive. Would it be possible for Scottish coaches to spend time with Barcelona - either at the top-level (as suggested in the SMH), at La Masia or at FC Barcelona B? Would it be worth £500,000 to get five talented young coaches that level of experience?
I'd guess the standard of Scottish football would be higher if young, talented coaches like Hughes, Levein, McGhee etc had spent time studying the game at a high level at somewhere like Barcelona.
I'd also suggest that Scotland's crippling parochialism (and, indeed, this is true of English managers) hurts - Spanish, Portugeuse, Italian and French managers seem to dot all over Europe whereas Scottish managers, Stuart Baxter aside, tend to stay in Scotland and England meaning they rarely learn other ideas about the game.
As an aside, there's no reason why clubs couldn't be encouraged to be more 'Cantera' like even if they were coaching along the Dutch model. Indeed, they seem fairly sensible ways to go forward.
Bringing a few strands together, McClaren, a man who has broke the mould by taking a job with an unfashionable club in Holland (nad doing well) has also noted that the Dutch tend to like their players to do effectively work-based learning when it comes to coaching by becoming assistant managers at big clubs. Philip Cocu is currently Assistant Manager at PSV Eindhoven - could anyone see Carragher being Assistant Manager at Liverpool at 38; or Scholes at Manchester United? I'd argue that this was unlikely because of the lack of tactical instruction players receive from young ages but, then, I would.
Admittedly, some go straight into coaching and if they do they tend to be fast-tracked the moment they hang their boots up - something Scotland (or, indeed, England) would benefit from if they ever built a national football centre or decided to set up the game from grassroots up to feed the national team.
RCM
However, as the footballing world axis shifts inexorably from the grounds of England to La Liga it is only right to focus on the ''cantera'' policy. Athletic Bilbao is probably best known for its Cantera (or quarry) as the club recruits exclusively from the Basque country. However, many Spanish clubs have Cantera and these seem to link the clubs to their local community as well as producing very gifted young players.
This, from my understanding, seems to be an extremely sophisticated version of the UK academies policy. The Barcelona Cantera, based at La Masia has an alumni list that is like a whose who of world football: Guardiola, de la Pena, Puyol, Xavi, Luis Garcia, Valdes, Pique, Iniesta, Busquets, Krkic, Olegeur, Reina, Arteta, Pedro Rodriguez, Fabregas and Messi. Elsewhere, one of Liverpool's wonderkid, Dani Pacheco came through the Barcelona system as did Arsenal's Fran Merida. (Of course, the Dutch fan in me would say there was a heavy Dutch influence at Barca... so it is possible to combine the two).
Barcelona and Real Madrid's Cantera is helped further by the presence of Real Madrid Castilla and FC Barcelona B - these are where talented youngsters are blooded. I've argued before that Rangers and Celtic should be allowed similar teams in the lower echelons of Scottish football - this would help Rangers and Celtic but it would also help the national team in the long-run.
Linked to this (and my wider point about Scottish development) is a proposal from the Sydney Morning Herald of sending former internationals to learn at La Masia and at Barcelona generally. I'd imagine they'd learn an enormous amount in a year at Barca and wish that Scottish football journalists were quite so inventive. Would it be possible for Scottish coaches to spend time with Barcelona - either at the top-level (as suggested in the SMH), at La Masia or at FC Barcelona B? Would it be worth £500,000 to get five talented young coaches that level of experience?
I'd guess the standard of Scottish football would be higher if young, talented coaches like Hughes, Levein, McGhee etc had spent time studying the game at a high level at somewhere like Barcelona.
I'd also suggest that Scotland's crippling parochialism (and, indeed, this is true of English managers) hurts - Spanish, Portugeuse, Italian and French managers seem to dot all over Europe whereas Scottish managers, Stuart Baxter aside, tend to stay in Scotland and England meaning they rarely learn other ideas about the game.
As an aside, there's no reason why clubs couldn't be encouraged to be more 'Cantera' like even if they were coaching along the Dutch model. Indeed, they seem fairly sensible ways to go forward.
Bringing a few strands together, McClaren, a man who has broke the mould by taking a job with an unfashionable club in Holland (nad doing well) has also noted that the Dutch tend to like their players to do effectively work-based learning when it comes to coaching by becoming assistant managers at big clubs. Philip Cocu is currently Assistant Manager at PSV Eindhoven - could anyone see Carragher being Assistant Manager at Liverpool at 38; or Scholes at Manchester United? I'd argue that this was unlikely because of the lack of tactical instruction players receive from young ages but, then, I would.
Admittedly, some go straight into coaching and if they do they tend to be fast-tracked the moment they hang their boots up - something Scotland (or, indeed, England) would benefit from if they ever built a national football centre or decided to set up the game from grassroots up to feed the national team.
RCM
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Improving the blog
Always happy to hear thoughts on how to improve the blog - any thoughts would be much appreciated! Either drop me an email or leave something in the comments.
Let me know your thoughts on content, what you like/don't like, areas I should focus on/not focus on, if the design could be improved etc.
RCM
Let me know your thoughts on content, what you like/don't like, areas I should focus on/not focus on, if the design could be improved etc.
RCM
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
The Team of the Decade - Football
A few weeks back I said my player of the decade as Zinedine Zidane and earlier today I posted my cricket team of the decade .
So, now, as Mr. Eugenides states in the comments to the cricket team, a footballing team of the decade will be much harder to put together. He is, as often is the case, correct. In every position I had an exceedingly difficult choice. Do I play 4-4-2? Do I play 4-1-4-1? Do I play 4-5-1? Do I play a False 9? Do I play a Makelele and if so, do I play Makelele? Choices, choices and all of them enviable ones.
Some caveats:
- This is my view on the best team of the decade not my favourite XI players of the decade.
- This is my view of the best XI players in a team - I'm not that bothered if they could play together perfectly. I'm not, say, dropping Zidane because then I can play a slightly more fluent system. If I needed a team to win to save my life, I’d pick Gattuso. If I had to watch a team knowing I’d never see another, well, that’s more along the lines I’ve picked this team.
- This could change on a daily basis. Ask me tomorrow and I'll disagree with my own selection it really is very difficult.
So, to our tale....
Goalkeeper
Who is in goals? There are four real choices. Gianluigi Buffon of Italy, Iker Casillas of Spain, Oliver Kahn of Germany and Edwin van der Sar of Holland. Kahn was probably the best 'keeper at the 2002 World Cup and was twice in the top three of the Ballon d'Or. Unlike Kahn, I actually like Casillas (and as it is my team that counts for quite a bit) and I think he should have won the Ballon d'Or last year - he's shone for Real Madrid for over a decade, was brilliant for Spain in their breathtaking 2008 European Championship win and is keeping, in my opinion, the best 'keeper in the Premier League out of the Spain team. Edwin van der Sar should get a mention because of his decade (and more) at the top.
However, despite his political leanings and strong opposition, my choice is Buffon. I think in twenty years time he'll be considered in the same category as Zoff, Yashin and Banks. For sustained excellence, for staying with Juve through thick and thin, for being the best 'keeper at the 2006 World Cup it has to be Gianluigi Buffon.
Right-back
At right back, four choices present themselves - Zanetti, Zambrotta, Thuram and Cafu. Three of the four are ''new generation'' full-backs - not only fine in defence but extraordinary attackers in their own right. I've always been of the opinion that Zambrotta was a poor man's Zanetti - largely because Zanetti can play in nearly any position on the pitch. Add to that Giggsy's description that Zanetti was the toughest player he's ever played against and I'm swung towards him in the battle of the Zs. However, they are third and fourth in my list.
But what of Cafu and Thuram? Cafu is arguably the best attacking full-back of all time whilst Thuram in many ways the complete defender. For those who think Thuram was past his best in this decade, he won the European Championships (2000) and was part of the World Cup runners up in 2006 where he was man of the match against Portugal in the semi-final. He even put in some very fine performances for Barcelona in the last couple of years of his career.
It is tough because I've been a fan of Thuram for most of my life (he's been around that long!) but I'll plump for Cafu for his attacking prowess.
Left-back
Left-back is slightly easier and there are three real choices. Those names Ashley Cole, Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini with an honourable mention to Philippe Lahm. I'm not going into depth on these three. Cole is a fine player and a very solid defender and, from all accounts, an arsehole, Carlos was never quite the player we all thought he was after THAT goal and Maldini is Maldini. I pick Paolo Maldini despite him playing at centre-back more often towards the end of his career.
Centre-backs
The centre-backs are equally troublesome. Who to consider? I think a few candidates stand out Ferdinand, Carvalho, Nesta, Cannavaro, Terry and Puyol. Cannavaro is the first name down for, if nothing else, his 2006. I think there are deficiencies over Puyol and I don't think Terry is a good enough all round player despite his tabloid-tub-thumping-Lionheart banter. That means it is a straight choice between Nesta and Ferdinand. Ferdinand is a curious player - he is a Rolls Royce of a defender and always threatened to be one of the true greats i.e. a defender who was not only solid as a rock but could pass like Xabi Alonso. My feelings on him are, therefore, always cast in that light (that he is a disappointment despite being world class). Nesta, on the other hand, always impresses - a World Cup Winner and a four time member of the UEFA Team of The Year. Four of my back five are Italians - I'm a sucker for tradition and Nesta it is.
The Makelele Role
The next part is the most difficult. How I configure the midfield impacts my strikeforce. There is a case for saying that the Makelele has been one of the most important players of the decade as his abilities in the 'water-carrier role' have changed how many teams play the game. I don't care - I acknowledge his excellence, I acknowledge his contribution to the game but if I had to pay to watch someone it wouldn't be Claude Makelele.
Right-wing
On the right-wing, four candidates stand out. Two are old warhorses who have been a recurring feature of class teams for well over a decade and the other two are the two best players plying their trade today: Figo, Seedorf, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Beckham should get a mention, if nothing else, for his attitude to excellence and training and his one-man mission to spread the game around the globe.
I include Seedorf mainly as a nod to continued excellence. His roll call of clubs is astonishing - Ajax, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, Inter and AC Milan. He is the only man (I think) to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs and has won it on four occasions (1995, 1998, 2003, 2007). Still, like Makelele whilst he is a wonderful player and deserves all the praise we can foist upon him he is not in the same class as the others.
Figo also is overlooked. He was a very fine player but, unlike Zidane, I think he will be remembered as a decent player rather than a great one.
So down to the ding-dong between the current two phenomenons in world football. Every single fan has their opinion on this battle and, I think, Ronaldo is the closest we have today of being a force of nature in the game. I edge towards Cristiano albeit very narrowly. It is coin-toss stuff and I'll admit I'm swayed by having seen much more of Ronaldo.
Left-wing
Two very quick mentions to Giggsy and Pires. Both worthy of consideration but I think there are two prime candidates ahead of them. It is a heart-breaking choice. Pavel Nedved, one of my all-time favourite players, and Ronaldinho, the best player I have ever seen in the flesh (admittedly, it was against Hearts... where he was brilliant).
Nedved was fantastic, great with both feet, under-rated (despite his Ballon d’Or) and played at the top or near the top for a very long time. Ronaldinho is a difficult character – between 2004 and 2006 he was the best player on the planet. However, his fall has been nearly as breathtaking as his heighs (remember that toe-poked goal against Chelsea, the lookaway passes, the Nike adverts, the elastico, dominating many games from the left wing...).
Although it is very difficult, I narrowly go for Ronaldinho because his highs were higher than Nedved’s.
Central Midfield
I’ve already stated I won’t play Makelele so it would be wrong to consider the likes of Gattuso who, admittedly, is a bit more of an all-rounder than Makelele. Also looked over are the phenomenal Michael Essien and the English duo of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. I think both of them are fantastic players (Gerrard more fantastic than Lampard) but I don’t think either quite get into this team. Others that are overlooked include Keane, Gattuso and Viera because, for all the hype about them, I’m not sure they were the complete midfielders people made them out to be. Iniesta should get a mention, if nothing else, for outshining both Messi and Ronaldo in the Champions League Final.
Slightly ahead of that bunch (and a noble bunch they are) but not in the team are Deco and Ballack.
Twice a winner of the Champions League (with Porto and Barcelona), twice UEFA midfielder of the year and an absolute delight in the middle of the pitch Deco should go down in history as a very fine player. Yes, his form with Chelsea has been patchy but he is well worthy of consideration.
Like Deco we should judge Ballack on his Chelsea form. He pulled up trees whilst at Leverkusen and Bayern Munich – 42 goals for Germany from midfield show just how good he has been for the entire decade.
That said, my choice comes down to two players who are reminiscent of each other: Xavi and Andrea Pirlo. I like them both enormously but for sustained excellence I’m picking Pirlo.
The final choice is easy but hard at the same time. Kaka is a beautiful talent who can be unplayable. However, between him and Zidane it must be Zidane (I’ve outlined my thoughts on him before). I could play the two of them next to each other and drop Pirlo but I think Pirlo is probably the most under-rated player of this decade. He's won the World Cup, the Champions League twice and holds that rare distinction of being man of the match in a World Cup Final... amazingly he is only 30.
Strikers
Up front, there are a huge number of choices. One that should not be overlooked (but isn’t picked) is Miroslav Klose – when you need a goal, Klose will almost always provide one and has done so at two World Cups. That said, I’m not in the mood for an out-and-out poacher so I can discount van Nistelrooy as well.
A lot of rubbish is talked about (Fat) Ronaldo had peaked in 1998. He was exceptional at the 2002 World Cup and scored 104 goals for Real in 5 seasons between 2002 and 2007. Shevchenko, for all his laughable form at Chelsea, scored a hatful of goals at AC Milan. Torres and Villa, whilst brilliant, are surpassed by a number of names included here and Eto’o isn’t quite at the standard of the two I’ve picked.
Those two are from the two sides of El Classico. Raul has banged in goal after goal, season after season, for Real Madrid and, for much of the last decade, has been the king of Real Madrid – not bad when you consider the players that have passed through that club. Alongside him, adding fluidity to his finishing, is Ireland’s favourite son, Thierry Henry. For all the banter about him being a big game bottler, he has lit up the last ten years and it would be a shame if he was remembered for his handball against Ireland.
So my team is:
GK: G. Buffon (Italy)
RB: Cafu (Brazil)
LB: P. Maldini (Italy)
CB: F. Cannavaro (Italy)
CB: A. Nesta (Italy)
LW: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
RW: C. Ronaldo (Portugal)
CM: A. Pirlo (Italy)
CM: Z. Zidane (France)
FW: T. Henry (France)
FW: Raul (Spain)
Subs: L. Messi, Kaka, Ferdinand, Nedved, Ronaldo, Casillas
The hardest choice was between Kaka and Pirlo. I'm still umming and awwing. Indeed, as I say above, tomorrow it would be Casillas, Zanetti, Carlos, Ferdinand, Puyol, Messi, Nedved, Xavi, Kaka, Ronaldo, Eto'o....
RCM
Monday, 23 November 2009
A big hand for the Wigan Boys
Yes, it was an absolute pasting. Yes, it was astonishing especially given the half-time score. 9-1 is an astonishing scoreline at any level but particularly at the Premier League.
But you've got to applaud the Wigan players for this gesture...
RCM
But you've got to applaud the Wigan players for this gesture...
RCM
Sunday, 22 November 2009
What can Scottish rugby teach Scottish football?
Yes, yes, as everyone is saying: Let us not get carried away - it was one game, the video referee helped out somewhat, Australia managed to conspire to throw possible points away and this is not a vintage Australian XV. All true. But who cares?
Scotland beat Australia, the 3rd best team in the world according to the rankings, for the first time in 17 attempts and the first time in 27 years. It was a truly awesome defensive performance - Australia won the ball in the Scotland 22 a massive 59 times. The fact that Scotland didn't concede a try suggests that they were (a) extremely fit - it is extraordinarily difficult to be on the defensive making so few errors for so long (b) very well organised and disciplined.
So what does the victory tell us in a Scottish footballing context? Well, quite a few:
a) Firstly, sometimes it is worth looking outside our borders for a coach. Andy Robinson is a very fine coach and he was, by and large, working with the same raw materials as Frank Hadden - would a Hadden team have defended so resolutely or so ably? Yes, he was coaching in Edinburgh so was, technically, coaching in Scotland but he is the former coach of the England National Team... and there was plenty of harrumphing by some in the Scottish rugby world.
In footballing terms, whilst this is not quite like beating Brazil or Spain, it is probably a little more like beating France - something Scotland with similar players managed before Burley. Today, with or without Henry's hands, I would imagine even Domenech's tardy France would rip the Scotland squad to shreds.
b) Secondly, sometimes people are undervalued in the market. Andy Robinson is extremely experienced - he was an integral part of the England World Cup winning team in 2003 and turned Edinburgh into a force to be reckoned with in the Magners League. Yes, his time as Head Coach with England wasn't fantastic but he is still a very fine coach. Are there decent coaches out there with a good track record who are down on their luck or coaching below their level?
c) Back to point (a) as with international football, international rugby is often about tactics, discipline, organisation and motivation.
You can't go out and buy better players so you need to make the most of what you have. Some countries (like New Zealand and France) have a lot of players that are international quality. Some countries (like Scotland) have fewer players of that quality. That means having a coach who can make sure a team are well-organised, have the right tactics and can motivate their players is very important.
There are probably more world-class, or nearly world-class players, in the Scotland rugby team than there are in the Scotland football team. However, they are somewhat analagous. Both, until recently, appeared rudderless under their previous coaches (Hadden and Burley). However, with a little organisation, motivation and tactical innovation progress can be made in both cases.
So, could Scottish football find themselves an Andy Robinson?
- They need to look both inside the borders of Scotland and outwith.
- They need to be willing to be visionary and take risks. Appointing an Englishman (and a former English national team coach) was a huge deal for the SRU. Would the SFA be so brave? Would they even consider, say, Roy Hodgson?
- They may need to look at someone who has both success and recent failure on their CV
- They need to look for someone who is known to be an excellent motivator and a great tactician. These are the skills that matter especially for a team not overflowing with world-class talent.
- Finally, I'd look particularly at coaches who have experience and success of working on shoestring budgets (this is as close as a club manager will get to experiencing the lack of transfer ability at international level) and, if possible, someone who has experience of developing youth talent and taking them to the next level (as the next Scotland manager might have to do).
Now, I've made my feelings clear here. I'd like someone like Steve Nicol, John Collins or Paul Lambert (possibly with a Beenhakker overseeing them). I'd also like to see a joining-up of various SFA strands.
Admittedly, the names I've previously supported may not meet the criteria I set out above... any names scream out to anyone?
RCM
PS - an interesting an analysis here in The Independent.
Class
Highlighted by Mr. Eugenides (although possibly not on his blog)... as I say, an extremely impressive ''Fuck You'' from Patrice Evra.
RCM
RCM
Saturday, 21 November 2009
The team of the decade - cricket
Following, as so often, Massie's lead here is my cricket team of the last decade. It is different from his but not hugely so:
1) G. Smith (South Africa)
2) M. Vaughan (England)
3) R. Ponting (Australia)
4) S. Tendulkar (India)
5) B. Lara (West Indies)
6) J. Kallis (South Africa)
7) A. Gilchrist (Australia)
8) S. Pollock (South Africa)
9) S. Warne (Australia)
10) M. Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
11) G. McGrath (Australia)
I think, but then I would, that mine would beat his...
The hardest part of this team was the bowling element. There hasn't been a glut of bowlers to pick from over the last decade. McGrath, Warne and Murali walk into this team (and would probably walk into just about any team). Therefore, I've added Pollock narrowly ahead of Gillespie, Lee and Flintoff. Kallis is there... just in case.
In terms of batting, however, this was tricky. Smith is probably the outstanding opener of the decade and a fine captain to boot. Next to him, I had a number of choices: Matthew Hayden, Virender Sehway, Mahela Jayawardene, Michael Vaughan and (possibly) Andrew Strauss. I pick Vaughan for his taming of the Australian team in Australia and his captaincy of the England team in the build-up to (and including) 2005 Ashes Series.
The middle order was bursting with possibilities. Shiv Chanderpaul deserves a mention for his almost single-handed ability to keep the West Indies competitive, Mohammad Yousuf's 2006 was astonishing, Kevin Pietersen has raced to 16 test centuries and has brought a brashness to England but he isn't anywhere near the batsman who do make the line-up... Indeed, three of India's fantastic batsmen miss out. VVS Laxman, a man who played probably the most influential innings in Test history, doesn't make the team nor does Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid or Sourav 'Lord Snooty' Ganguly.
That said, bar Kallis who makes it into the team as my all-rounder, I don't think there is much debate over the Holy Trinity of Ponting, Tendulkar and Lara.
Whilst I admire Dhoni's swagger and Sangakarra's bombast, the only choice for wicket-keeper is Adam Gilchrist. He redefined the role and has changed the face of cricket.
And cricketer of the decade.. sentimental, yes, but surely Henry Olonga?
RCM
1) G. Smith (South Africa)
2) M. Vaughan (England)
3) R. Ponting (Australia)
4) S. Tendulkar (India)
5) B. Lara (West Indies)
6) J. Kallis (South Africa)
7) A. Gilchrist (Australia)
8) S. Pollock (South Africa)
9) S. Warne (Australia)
10) M. Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
11) G. McGrath (Australia)
I think, but then I would, that mine would beat his...
The hardest part of this team was the bowling element. There hasn't been a glut of bowlers to pick from over the last decade. McGrath, Warne and Murali walk into this team (and would probably walk into just about any team). Therefore, I've added Pollock narrowly ahead of Gillespie, Lee and Flintoff. Kallis is there... just in case.
In terms of batting, however, this was tricky. Smith is probably the outstanding opener of the decade and a fine captain to boot. Next to him, I had a number of choices: Matthew Hayden, Virender Sehway, Mahela Jayawardene, Michael Vaughan and (possibly) Andrew Strauss. I pick Vaughan for his taming of the Australian team in Australia and his captaincy of the England team in the build-up to (and including) 2005 Ashes Series.
The middle order was bursting with possibilities. Shiv Chanderpaul deserves a mention for his almost single-handed ability to keep the West Indies competitive, Mohammad Yousuf's 2006 was astonishing, Kevin Pietersen has raced to 16 test centuries and has brought a brashness to England but he isn't anywhere near the batsman who do make the line-up... Indeed, three of India's fantastic batsmen miss out. VVS Laxman, a man who played probably the most influential innings in Test history, doesn't make the team nor does Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid or Sourav 'Lord Snooty' Ganguly.
That said, bar Kallis who makes it into the team as my all-rounder, I don't think there is much debate over the Holy Trinity of Ponting, Tendulkar and Lara.
Whilst I admire Dhoni's swagger and Sangakarra's bombast, the only choice for wicket-keeper is Adam Gilchrist. He redefined the role and has changed the face of cricket.
And cricketer of the decade.. sentimental, yes, but surely Henry Olonga?
RCM
Some more on youth development
I agree with much of this piece. Many comments in the last week over the sacking of Burley have said something along the lines of 'it is as much the players as the manager'. Indeed, it is, for me, time to say that some of these players simply are not international quality and it is worth trying youthful faces.
Now, on topic, I've banged on at length about youth development in Scotland before and why this needs to be linked to wider reforms in Scottish football - all the way to the national team manager. I would point any of you interested in this subject to read these articles from The Herald earlier this week:
A review of a previous football think tanks views
An interview with Jim Fleeting, the SFA's Director of Development
An interview with Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health and Sport
An overview of initiatives in Scotland - although online version focuses on Celtic's link with a local school
Fleeting's interview and the Celtic link are required reading. Fleeting's point about ''physical literacy'' is telling. Furthermore, it links clearly to the questions in Robison's interview. If kids are fitter, the long-term public health ramifications are massive. Yes, we get better footballers and (hopefully) a better national team but moreover we get more fit people as adults.
I'm delighted that Player Pathways is taking off - this is crucial to development (and I hope, over time, they are linking that in with schemes such as TIPS) and should get lots more players involved in a meaningful way. Player Pathways is good because, due to small teams, players get much more contact with the ball in a given game.
On top of that, I'd hope that McLeish looks at the Celtic-St. Ninian's link-up as this helps those boys who don't make it have, at least, an academic grounding. I've long been in favour of taking this further in two ways:
a) Following the Dutch model (again): if a team decides not to take a youngster on they are obliged (I think in Holland by law) to find that player an amateur club. This (a) helps amateur clubs (b) helps players stay in the game (c) even membership of an amateur club can help these lads stay on the straight and narrow (d) there is always the chance, if the amateur club is good enough, that they will be picked up by someone else. If the SFA wanted to really radical they could either establish a Glenn Hoddle-esque Academy ,or less radically, suggest to clubs that they link with the Academy
b) Why not form links with US Universities who will offer soccer scholarships for decent players? If players leave clubs at 18, despite reforms like the Celtic-St. Ninian's link, many players will not have huge levels of academic qualifications. There may be a way to get these lads into US colleges - giving them decent training, a qualification and a different perspective on life. I genuinely don't know why this isn't happening already.
Yes, beating an old drum but it is a decent tune.
RCM
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