tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24720939394632566542024-03-13T03:56:38.482-07:00Yap About FootballThe Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-57376682382528583042012-06-25T14:38:00.000-07:002012-06-25T14:46:32.114-07:00Where to from here for Ireland?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">On the 18<sup>th</sup>
June 2012 on a balmy evening in Poznan Cuneyt Cakir blows his whistle to end
the Euro 2012 group C match between Italy and Ireland. Italy have won 2-0. This
is Ireland’s final game at the championships. The record is played three, lost three,
goals scored one, goals conceded nine. How did it come to this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">The cynics
may say that Ireland were fortunate to end up in a somewhat soft qualifying
group for these championships where Russia were the only realistic opponents
for the top spot.When the quest for automatic qualification failed they were
again blessed to draw Estonia in the play offs. It could also be argued though that Ireland's main rival for
second spot in qualifying group B, Slovakia, performed very credibly at the
last World Cup. They qualified for the knock stages in South Africa at the
expense of the then reigning world champions Italy. Their campaign at the World Cup was ended at the second round, but it took the challenge of the eventual
finalists, The Netherlands, to send the Slovakians home. In Marek Hamsik
Slovakia also possess one of the most promising talents in European football
and one of the driving forces of Napoli’s resurgence as a force in Italian
football.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">As for
Estonia’s less than glamorous billing in the play off. It must not be forgotten
that the Estonians out qualified Serbia and Slovenia to reach the play offs. A
qualification campaign that included a highly credible 3-1 victory in Belgrade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">A lot of chickens
came home to roost for Ireland at this tournament. The first factor being the fitness
of John O’Shea and Shay Given. In the lead up to the opening game against Croatia
there was considerable speculation as to the fitness of these two stalwarts of
the Irish rearguard. A big decision needed to be made, it looks now the like
the wrong one was made on both counts. This was a situation that needed to be
managed. Such a situation that Giovanni Trapattoni is charged with managing.
What resulted was Shay Given turning in three performances that could easily
see him ranked as the worst keeper at the tournament. John O’Shea was well
below par for the first two games and his ninety minutes against Italy are
possibly his poorest performance in an Irish shirt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">Another
factor is having our captain playing his club football in the MLS. His brief
stint at Villa Park aside it is now clear that Robbie Keane’s usual sharpness
is being blunted by playing against some defenders that would struggle to get
into most Championship squads. Also it is difficult to understand how after
seeing Keane train and play for four years that a manager could possibly think
that he is suited to playing up front on his own, This tactic against Spain was
always doomed to fail and in conjunction with employing Simon Cox as a third
midfielder it was like sending in a middle weight in against a heavy weight
boxer and then tying one if his hands behind his back. To continue the boxing
analogy the Ireland Spain game was like watching a good friend receive an absolute
pummelling in the ring and for someone to hide the towel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">The final factor
is the system Ireland play and most importantly how the previous warnings as to
this system’s limitations were ignored. It now seems clear that Ireland’s
current system has a glass ceiling when it comes to achieving results. In
certain circumstances or against certain teams it will produce the goods.
However as the home qualifier against Russia in October 2010 demonstrated a
good side can use a third man in centre midfield and pass Ireland off the field.
In truth Russia gave Ireland a mauling that night in the Aviva and the 2-3
final score masks the gulf that existed between the two sides. Ireland were
well beaten, lessons could have been learned, they weren’t. A brief flirtation
with and extra man in midfield was attempted in the friendly against Uruguay
when James McCarthy was played in the ‘No. 10’ slot. Trapattoni didn’t seem
happy with how the experiment went and it wasn’t tried again. Not until the
Spain game at the European Championships when Simon Cox battled manfully in
what was a ‘square peg in a round hole’ solution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IE">So where to
from here for Ireland? Well in practical terms it’s off to Belgrade for a
friendly on the 15<sup>th</sup> August then in September the World Cup
qualifying journey begins. After the ill-fated Euro 2012 campaign Trapattoni
hinted that Ireland could switch to a 4-3-3 formation. 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 doesn’t
really matter if the players aren’t encouraged to pass the ball and retain
possession. In the game against Italy in Poznan whenever Ireland lost possession
they seemed to gradually retreat to twenty five yards from their own goal and
attempt to set up the defensive line from there. The space between five yards
outside the Italian penalty area to twenty five yards from the Irish goal line
is almost immediately conceded. If Ireland did regain possession more often
than not the ball finds its way to the full backs and they send it long into the
Italian half in the hope for scraps from knock downs. This is what needs to
change. The midfield area needs to stop being a ‘no mans land’ for Irish
players with the ball at their feet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-39838009014470483052011-12-06T06:58:00.000-08:002011-12-06T09:04:43.887-08:00The true value of a player - The story of Andy Carroll and Shane Long<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just before the Premier League January transfer window of 2011 closed Liverpool paid Newcastle United £35 million for striker Andy Carroll.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">At that time Carroll had only a half a season top flight experience behind him but Liverpool were still prepared to fork out a fee that would make Carroll the eight most expensive player in the history of the game. When the transfer went through Carroll was already carrying an injury, this meant he only made 7 league appearances for the remainder of the 2010-11 season where he pitched in with 2 league goals.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">In August of 2011 West Bromwich Albion signed Reading striker Shane Long for an undisclosed fee which was believed to be in the region of £4.5 million.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the start of the 2011-12 season Long was 24 years old and Carroll was 22. Six months previous Carroll was sold for nearly 8 times the transfer fee Long commanded so one would assume that Carroll is a vastly superior player and Liverpool should in theory get 8 times more performance form their purchase.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">When you analyse their respective performance in this season’s Premier League the truth is a little different. Since the start of this season Carroll has played 728 minutes of football for Liverpool while scoring 2 league goals, this is a return of a goal for every 364 minutes on the pitch. In the same period Long has managed to play 982 minutes for West Brom with a return of 5 league goals, this is a goal for every 196.4 minutes on the pitch.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The varying plight of each club doesn’t put Carroll’s performance in any better light. Liverpool are doing better than West Brom and scoring more goals. They currently lie in 7<sup>th</sup> position in the Premier League while West Brom are further down the table sitting in 14<sup>th</sup> spot. West Brom have a haul of 13 goals this campaign so far while Liverpool have fared a little better scoring 17 times. This shows that Shane Long has so far accounted for 38.5% of his sides’ league goals while Andy Carroll has only shared the burden by scoring 11.8% of Liverpool’s league goals so far.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It would not be entirely fair to judge either player just on their so far short stay at their new clubs, they both have a long way to go on their respective contracts and in their careers. The figures though are telling.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So the question is why is there such a disparity in the transfer money paid for both players? If Andy Carroll had a glittering career previous to joining Liverpool the astronomical fee paid for him would be more understandable. However in his last full season in the Championship (2009-10) he scored 17 times for Newcastle and ended up joint 6<sup>th</sup> top scorer in that division. In Shane Long’s last full season in the same division (2010-11) he tallied 21 goals for Reading finishing joint 2<sup>nd</sup> top scorer.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Carroll did burst into the limelight during the first half of the 2010-11 Premier League season when he bagged 11 goals in 19 games for the then newly promoted Newcastle. Much hype was created by this performance, Newcastle had an "Old Style" English centre forward and he was banging in the goals for the Toon Army. Alan Shearer had a successor at last, all was looking rosy in the North East of England and all going well the English national side itself may also have a new saviour.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is however very hard to believe that this 11 goal haul and the accompanying hype could inflate his transfer fee to the figure Liverpool eventually paid. There is little evidence apart from this half season performance that he should stand out from the crowd or that he could be considered the eight most expensive player in the history of football.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It should be mentioned though that Andy Carroll does qualify for the Premier League ‘home grown’ quota, where eight of the first team squad must have trained with an English or Welsh club for 3 years before their 21<sup>st</sup> birthday. Long misses out on that rule by 6 months. Qualifying for this quota will undoubtedly put a premium on player’s value but it cannot explain the fee stumped up for Carroll.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> When Liverpool bought Carroll they had just received £50 million from Chelsea for Fernando Torres and Newcastle United, like the rest of the world, knew this. However it would make very poor business practice if Liverpool merely paid the price they did for Carroll because Newcastle knew they had money burning a hole in their pocket. It would be fair to say that Kenny Dalglish needed to replace Torres for the remainder of the season at the very least, but as is mentioned above Andy Carroll was injured and not fit to play when the deal went through.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also off the field Long looks to be a far more stable bet than Carroll, and is unlikely to attract all the negative attention that has so far blighted the big forward’s career.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So are West Brom the best run business in the Premier League and has Roy Hodgson got the best eye for a bargain? Or are Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish the exact opposite of how things are run at The Hawthorns? The truth is probably somewhere in between these two assertions. So far though Shane Long has proved to have been a good bit of business for West Brom. The same cannot be said for Andy Carroll.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; width: 456px;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Andy Carroll</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shane Long</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Price Paid at Last Transfer<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">£35,000,000<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">£4,500,000<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Age<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">22<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">24<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PL Minutes on Field in 2011/12<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">728<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">982<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PL Goals Scored in 2011/12<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Minutes on the field per PL Goal<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">364<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">196.4<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Overall Team PL Goals so far in 2011/12<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">17<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">13<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">% of Teams PL Goals Scored<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">11.8%<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">38.5%<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 213.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="285"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Goals in Last Full Season in C'ship<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 63.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="85"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">17<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 64.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="86"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">21<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
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</span></div><o:p></o:p></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-23956282672928633152011-11-09T05:43:00.001-08:002011-11-09T07:40:11.759-08:00Trapattoni gets good return from available resources<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">On Friday evening in Tallinn the Republic of Ireland will be 180 minutes from qualifying for their first major tournament since 2002 and only their second ever appearance at the European Championships.</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u2:p></u2:p>Regardless of whether qualification is achieved or not the performance of manager Giovanni Trapattoni will be the subject of much debate. If we qualify some may argue that it was done the hard way and quite possibly another manager could have the job done by now and not needed the lottery of the playoffs. Two points were dropped away in Zilina when Ireland escaped with a draw when the game was there for the taking. The home performances against Russia and Slovakia drew much criticism also. Against the Russians Ireland were torn apart on a home pitch in a fashion rarely seen. The visitors were so far ahead of the Irish side that night that their 3-0 advantage on 50 minutes was kind to the home side. The fact that the game finished 3-2 merely puts a nice gloss on the records, Ireland were annihilated that night. The midfield were constantly outnumbered which allowed the Russians to pass their way to goal time and time again. Many questioned why changes weren’t made earlier in that game to redress the numerical imbalance in the engine room.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>The home game against Slovakia was another let down for Irish supporters. The night promised much, a home win and we could have conceivably topped the group. Ireland displayed in Zilina that we have players that are more than a match for Slovakia, so three points at home should be well within our compass. What followed was one of the worst home performances seen for years, and only for a heroic block by Sean St. Ledger Slovakia could have plundered the Aviva for all three points. Few would have said that they did not deserve them.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>If we don’t qualify the knives will surely be out for the Italian manager.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>Trapattoni could argue that a place in the playoffs is a decent return for the players at his disposal, and his much criticised tactics are designed around the players he feels are worth their place in his first eleven.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>It is worth comparing the squad that qualified for our first appearance at the European Championships in 1988 to the current crop. Of the players picked by Jack Charlton for those qualifiers seven were in the squads of the top two finishers in the top division of English football in the summer of 1988. Jim Beglin, Mark Lawrenson, Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton and John Aldridge were on the books of the champions Liverpool. Aldridge was their top scorer in that title season. Kevin Moran and Paul McGrath were with second place Manchester United. In addition to this Frank Stapleton had left Manchester United for Ajax in 1987 and Kevin Sheedy was plying his trade with Everton who finished fourth in England that summer.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>The late eighties were during the period when English clubs were banned from European competition so the English game was not awash with continental and South American stars as it is today. However it was only four years previous to 1988 when Liverpool were crowned champions of Europe. So that illustrates that the league, even with its exile from European competition, still contained some of the top sides on the continent. In today’s terms this would be the equivalent of seven of our squad playing for the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>Darron Gibson is on the books at Manchester Untied but he is very much a fringe player at Old Trafford and has also fallen down the pecking order with the national squad. </span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>In 1987 Liam Brady returned from his seven year stay in Italy. This was when the Italian league had a two foreigner rule for each squad so only the finest players were imported into Serie A.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>Trapattoni can only dream of the resources available to Jack Charlton in 1988. Our current squad are found in the middle to lower reaches of the English top division. Of the team that will probably take to the field on Friday night two, Keith Andrews and Sean St. Ledger, play in the second tier of English football. The mainstays of the current squad are more likely to be involved in the relegation fight in the English Premier league rather than the title chase. Our captain plays in the MLS, a league which is realistically a retirement home for European stars or a staging post for U.S. and Mexican players looking to attract the eye of suitors from European clubs. However that move can be dressed up it is highly likely that if we qualify that Ireland will be the only side at Euro 2012 whose captain plays in the U.S. league.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>The current squad contains some talented players and some excellent prospects for the future, Aiden McGeady being an example of this. Many of our better players, Keane, Duff, Given and Dunne, are in the autumn of their career. Although Richard Dunne’s recent performances would suggest that he is in the form of his life. Trapattoni is certainly no miracle worker and despite the erratic results that were a feature of the closing stages of the Euro 2012 Group B Qualifiers the Irish players are certainly good enough to finish where they did, and are full value for their place in the playoffs. There are certainly other managers who could also have steered Ireland to a playoff spot but there are many more that would have floundered and it would have been another campaign of “what ifs”.</span><u3:p></u3:p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p><u2:p></u2:p>Too often he is accused of not getting the most out the players available to him and imposing a defensive straightjacket on players. The players that Trapattoni does not pick is another stick that is issued to beat the Italian. At the start of his tenure there was an outcry for Andy Reid to be employed as a lynchpin of our midfield. The subsequent decline in Reid’s club fortunes may hint that the correct call may have been made here by the Italian. Other names suggested that would improve the team have been James McCarthy, Wes Hoolohan and more recently Leon Best. There is also he who should not be mentioned.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p>Too much time is spent musing over the players that he could or should call up without a thorough evaluation of how they would really improve the side, Stephen Ward being a recent example of this.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u4:p></u4:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p></u5:p>Many Irish fans will quite rightly expect the national side to progress past Estonia and book a place at Euro 2012. If that does happen Trapattoni should get the praise he deserves. Some level of realism needs to be engaged when evaluating the players he has available to him. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
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</div></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-3244009932425778952011-09-06T16:08:00.001-07:002011-09-06T16:12:59.257-07:00Trapattoni’s destination trumps the journey<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Two games left, two points behind the group leaders and one point clear of second place. Ireland’s passage to a play-off spot is now in their own hands. If that scenario was presented to Giovanni Trapattoni and most Irish football fans last September when Ireland started out on this qualification campaign it may not be a stretch of the imagination to guess that they would have grabbed it with both hands. Added to our second spot in the group table we also have arguably the easiest run in of the four sides still in the mix for the top two spots. Although Armenia’s win in Zilina may have to change some peoples assessment of how easy our fixture against Vardan Minasyan’s side will or will not be on October 11<sup>th</sup> in the Aviva Stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">As one former political leader was often heard say “we are where we are”, but most Irish football fans will be wondering which is more important, the destination or the journey. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">In this case the destination is far less gruesome than the journey that took us to this point. The journey of the last two games in particular made very hard viewing for many.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Heading into the game against Slovakia last Friday night the optimism was palpable. There was a feeling that we had let the visitors off the hook in the reverse fixture in October of last year. The game finished one all but Ireland missed a penalty through Robbie Keane, and Keane was again guilty of squandering a glorious chance in the closing stages of that game to take all three points. Quite reasonably Ireland felt hard done by to leave Zilina with only one point. There was an air of unfinished business about Friday’s fixture. Unfortunately what transpired over the ninety minutes took most of the home support by surprise, and for all the wrong reasons. The game finished scoreless, which would have been a disappointment with the performance aside, but it was that performance that left so many deeply disenchanted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">So many of our regular performers were way below par. Kevin Doyle, who is usually a guaranteed seven out of ten performer at the very least, had one his worst games in a green shirt, in addition he appeared frustrated and annoyed. Aiden McGeady, John O’Shea and the midfield duo of Glen Whelan and Keith Andrews were way below the standard required on the night. Individual failings are one thing but the lack of collective design or game plan was galling. One a night where we should have been taking the game to the opposition our midfield showed no desire to take the ball from the back four and direct affairs. For all that was wrong on the night the hosts could have still won the day. It was through Damien Duff, a player who led on a night when few followed, that Ireland could have won all three points. On 74 minutes Duff sent a beautiful cross in with his left foot to Robbie Keane who was lurking at the back post. The Slovakian defence were caught flat footed, the ball dropped invitingly to Keane who is no more than eight yards out. Keane only had to direct the ball either side of the Slovakian goalkeeper Mucha with his head. What followed only drew howls of derision from the home support in the Aviva, howls that would have made a sailor blush. The visitors themselves could also have taken the win if it wasn’t for a heroic block by Sean St. Ledger. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">For Tuesday’s game in Moscow there were some fanciful predictions that Ireland could win the game, that our away performances have been far superior than our efforts at home under Trapattoni and that had to be a factor. What followed on the night was an onslaught on Shay Given's goal. The Aston Villa custodian reminded all that he is a world class keeper, if reminding was indeed necessary. Even better than Given on the night was Richard Dunne. The centre half turned in one of the finest defensive performances in an Irish shirt for years. It was a performance of the magnitude that it should quite rightly be spoken in the same terms as Paul McGrath's in the Giants Stadium some seventeen years ago. Worthy of a mention too is Darren O’Dea. The defender who is currently on loan at Leeds Utd was out of necessity thrown in at the deep end and into the lion’s den that was the Luzhniki Stadium. O’Dea was shoulder to shoulder with Dunne in repelling what seemed to be an irresistible Russian attacking force which was skilfully orchestrated by Andrey Arshavin.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The game somehow finished scoreless. Quite rightly Dick Advocaat and his Russian charges will feel very hard done by, but finished scoreless it did and Ireland left with a point.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Going into the last two games of this campaign it’s probably fair to say that Slovakia may not be as good as many may had thought, and equally Armenia could well be better than many had thought. Ireland’s draw in Moscow gave Giovanni Trapattoni’s side their seventh consecutive clean sheet, an Irish record. A commendable feat indeed, but it is at the other end that the boys in green will need improve things if they are going to achieve qualification for Euro 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-64943364749296197312011-06-06T16:37:00.001-07:002011-06-06T17:00:39.652-07:00Ireland’s destiny in their own hands<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">With just Tuesday’s friendly in Liege against Italy to negotiate before their Summer break, Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland squad can feel satisfied with their weekend’s work. With six games played and four left to contest in their campaign in Group B of qualifying for the 2012 European Championships the Irish squad know that their passage to Poland and the Ukraine is entirely in their own hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">That said two of the four remaining games are against their rivals for qualification, with Slovakia visiting Dublin on September 2<sup>nd</sup> and then Ireland’s visit to Moscow four days later. Qualification chances are helped by the fact that Russia visit Slovakia on October 7<sup>th</sup>, so at least one of the sides that night will drop points. That means a return of four out of a possible six points during September should guarantee at least second place for the Republic of Ireland. Second place would most probably mean the unhappy hunting ground of the play offs. Of course beat both Slovakia and Russia and Ireland will qualify automatically as group winners, that is barring a disaster against either Andorra or Armenia. Slovakia’s victory in Moscow in September of last year and Russia’s unconvincing performance against Armenia in St. Petersburg at the weekend illustrate that victory on Russian soil for this Irish side is not beyond the realms of belief.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The Irish win in the Macedonian capital on Saturday was thanks to two Robbie Keane goals. Both goals were somewhat fortuitous, the first on eight minutes via a significant deflection, while the second nine minutes before the break was thanks to some atrocious defending by Boban Grncarov. Keane’s anticipation for the second was highly commendable, the Irish record scorer was already in full flight before Grncarov stubbed his pass back into the turf. That anticipation was followed up by a fine finish when Keane slotted the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The game in Skopje was played in the reconstructed Philip II Arena. A fine modern arena that is in complete contrast to the dimly lit dirt tracks that lead up to the stadium. Trying to find the correct entrance on Saturday left the travelling Irish fans longing for the sometimes over regulated colour coded ticketing and turnstile system used for the Aviva Stadium. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">At times the contest in this revamped stadium on Saturday seemed like a battle of the two defences, as to which one would prove the most inept. In the end both defences let their guard down all too often but the difference was that the Irish attack punished their hosts rearguard while the Macedonians let Ireland off the hook more than once. The penalty miss by Ivan Trickovski was more mercy than the Irish defence deserved. The Macedonians could well have had another penalty earlier in the half when John O’Shea hauled down Goran Pandev. Had Florian Meyer pointed to the spot on that occasion it could have been double disaster for Ireland as he would have been well within his rights show O’Shea a red card.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">After Ireland’s previous bad experiences and poor fortune in Skopje they should make no apologies for the few slices of fortune that allowed them to leave with all three points.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">One of Ireland’s better performers on Saturday night was Aiden McGeady, at times he was carrying the threat to the hosts alone. His forays down the left wing were a constant worry for Macedonia. He usually faced two if not three defenders when he ball came to his feet, an illustration of the concern he caused in the home defence. If Slovakia assign the same level of cover to McGeady when they visit Dublin in September an overlapping full back could cause serious damage to the visiting defence. That is of course if Trapattoni allows his full backs cross the half way line. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">McGeady and his overlapping full back aside Ireland could well have a much stronger side facing the Slovakians than took to the field in Skopje at the weekend. Due to return from suspension and injury are the key men of Dunne, Doyle and Duff. These considerations added to the fact that Ireland let Slovakia off the hook with a draw in Zilina back in October mean that Trapattoni’s men should feel confident of taking all three points. Three points that would tee them up for their formidable task of the visit to Moscow on September 6<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-IE">Follow me on Twitter @shanegunning</span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-64123483190457544562011-03-31T13:30:00.001-07:002011-04-01T02:31:36.630-07:00Manchester United in Pole Position to Claim Premier League Title<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Five points clear with eight games remaining. That is the enviable position Manchester United find themselves in as the Premier League gears up for action this weekend following the recent International break. Granted second place Arsenal do have a game in hand but Manchester United must be clear favourites at this point to capture the 2010–2011 Premier League title.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">The crucial ties for Alex Ferguson’s side will be the May 1<sup>st</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>visit to London to play Arsenal followed by Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford seven days later. Before United can contemplate those heavyweight clashes they must first visit Upton Park to play West Ham United this Saturday. West Ham themselves are in desperate need of points as they only have their noses just out the relegation zone by virtue of a superior goal difference to Wolverhampton Wanderers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">West Ham are in fine form and have lost only one of their last seven Premier League matches. They are hoping to welcome back striker Frederic Piquionne from injury to bolster their attack. One forward they will certainly have available for selection after a spell on the physio’s bench is Robbie Keane, who is on-loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Keane’s confidence should be high as he found the net last Saturday for the Republic of Ireland in their 2-1 Euro 2012 qualifier win against Macedonia in Dublin.<o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">The return of Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic from injury will come as a welcome boost to Alex Ferguson as he knows Upton Park can be a tricky place to visit. United’s last visit there resulted in an embarrassing 4-0 reverse last November in the Carling Cup quarter final. This though is the business end of the Premier League and is a very different setting to the Carling Cup on a Winter’s evening. Anything other than an away win really is unthinkable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal can welcome back from injury key man Cesc Fabregas for Saturdays game against Blackburn Rovers at The Emirates Stadium. Theo Walcott, Alex Song and Abu Diaby also return. Wenger must have sweated a little as he waited to hear the full extent of Robin Van Persie’s injury he picked up playing for The Netherlands during mid week. Van Persie opened the scoring for The Netherlands in that tie but had to be withdrawn on 46 minutes with an injury. This now appears to be a minor knock and he should fit for selection.<o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Despite Blackburn being five spots above the relegation zone in thirteenth place they are very worryingly for them only one point above safety. Given their perilous position Blackburn would crave anything form this weekend’s tie. Arsenal though are hot on the heels of Manchester United for the big prize and will surely pick up all three points.<o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Third place Chelsea, four points behind Arsenal, are now almost certainly out of the race for the title. They face a very tricky visit to Stoke on Saturday. Stoke are in high spirits and will be looking forward to their FA Cup semi final against Bolton Wanderers on 17<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>April. That distraction aside Stoke will fancy their chances against their visitors this weekend and should expect at least a point from the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span mso-bidi-font-family:calibri;color:black'="" new="" roman'","serif";="" style="font-family: ";" times="">At the other end of the table the clubs currently in the relegation zone Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City and bottom club Wigan Athletic face Newcastle, Bolton and Tottenham respectively. Of the clubs in trouble Wolves are probably best placed to pick up something from these games. However the recent international break was very costly for Wolves as star forward Kevin Doyle picked up and injury playing for the Republic of Ireland. Doyle could be out of action for eight weeks.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> With just three points separating Wigan in bottom spot and Blackburn in 13<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>the race to avoid the drop is even closer than the race for glory at the opposite end of the table.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-53565605766695064692011-03-29T16:07:00.001-07:002011-03-31T05:34:20.568-07:00Ireland fail to get the best out of McCarthy<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">After 65 minutes of Tuesdays international friendly against World Cup semi –finalists Uruguay at the Aviva Stadium James McCarthy was withdrawn from the action. It had been a frustrating night for McCarthy who was deployed as an advanced midfielder playing behind front man Shane Long.</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">All too often McCarthy dropped into space showing for the ball, palms open and pointing to his feet. McCarthy wasn’t in the mood to hide, he wanted to get on the ball. Unfortunately his showing for the ball was usually in vain, as more often than not the ball was launched long towards Long. McCarthy had to spin without the ball and play the lottery of trying to guess where the knock down would drop, that’s if the defender didn’t win the challenge with the Reading front man. Instead of linking the defence with attack or wide men with the distribution that he is well capable of, McCarthy had to chase lost causes or hope for the scraps that may drop from Long’s tussles with the Uruguayan defence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">When the Wigan midfielder did get on the ball he had a positive impact on proceedings. Epitomised with winning a penalty on 48 minutes. This followed some great work by Shane Long to get to the by line and feed the ball across the area to the on rushing McCarthy. Fahey dispatched the penalty beyond the Uruguayan goal keeper Muslera. This pulled one back for the hosts to make it 3-2 to Uruguay and would prove to be the last goal of the game. Although how Andy Keogh missed with a header from two yards with the goal at his mercy on 80 minutes is anyone’s guess. This would have given Ireland a draw that they would have probably been fortunate to get.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The scoring was opened on 12 minutes when Lugano slotted the ball home from close range for the South Americans. Westwood would have expected his defence to be sharper to clear the ball on this occasion when they all appeared to stand waiting for an invitation to clear their lines. Three minutes later Ireland responded when the superb Long finished with his head from a fine cross by Liam Lawrence. Twice more before half time the Irish defence would be culpable of failing to protect Westwood, the beneficiaries were Cavani on 22 minutes and Hernandez on 44 minutes. Giovanni Trapattoni and Westwood can’t have been pleased with the Irish defending over the 90 minutes tonight. The Coventry keeper could hardly have been blamed when he vented his spleen at any one in a green shirt within ear shot after Hernandez found the net. Despite conceding four goals in two games Westwood surely has enhanced his reputation tonight and against the Macedonians on Saturday. His fine double save on 69 minutes from Cavani and Hernandez illustrating Westwood’s pedigree.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">McCarthy’s withdrawal on 65 minutes for Keith Treacy was coupled with Fahey been withdrawn for Darron Gibson. These withdrawals produced a few groans of frustration from the meagre crowd in the Aviva. McCarthy may not have set the world alight while he was on the pitch but in this player there is always the potential to open a defence and any good passing movements the hosts produced were usually strung together by Fahey. This left Paul Green was the surviving starter left in the middle of midfield. Green again did not have his finest match for Ireland. He battled manfully to cover ground and close down opponents. This was rarely effective and his mistakes left his team mates on the wrong foot on more than one occasion. Green’s distribution again looked short of the standard required at this level.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Aside from his part in Cavani’s goal Fahey was impressive on the night and he will have hoped that he did enough to edge himself closer to a starting berth for the trip to Skopje in June.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Before then Ireland have two Carling Nations Cup games against Northern Ireland on the 24th May and Scotland five days later. Hopefully James McCarthy will get an opportunity in these two games to prove what he can offer to Trapattoni. Playing behind a front may not have worked as hoped tonight, but the project should not be abandoned altogether. There would appear to be little point in playing a link man between midfield and attack if he is ignored when showing for the pass. McCarthy has proved at club level he can also play in a midfield two, but given Trapattoni’s strict pecking order for positions it appears unlikely he will dislodge others given the nod in this position to date. The upcoming Nations Cup games seem ideally scheduled to see McCarthy perform in either of these positions. If he is given this opportunity it will offer a better picture of what this undoubtedly talented player can offer Giovanni Trapattoni in his quest to get Ireland over the line in the battle for qualification for Euro 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-62884674231726271832011-03-26T18:00:00.001-07:002011-03-26T18:09:37.218-07:00Midfield Central to Trapattoni’s Task<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">If the Republic of Ireland are to progress from Group B and qualify for 2012 European Championship the future composition of the middle of midfield will be central. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">This may appear obvious but five games into the qualifying campaign the Irish central midfield is still the most erratic and inconsistent area of the team. Central midfield appears to have become the soft underbelly of the Irish side. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">On a night when the Republic of Ireland can feel quite lucky to take three points from the visit of Macedonia to the Aviva Stadium, central midfield again was the big disappointment of the night. The ever present Glen Whelan was accompanied by Darron Gibson for tonights game. Neither can be fully satisfied with their performance. Gibson had a shaky start giving the ball away cheaply on far too many occasions. For a player who would cite his delivery of the ball rather than his defensive qualities as a strength, this produced many groans of frustration from the punters who paid into the Aviva tonight. Glen Whelan who is mainly picked for the cover he gives the back four didn’t exactly shine in his aspect, and like Gibson wasn’t shy about picking out a Macedonia with the odd pass or two. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">In what is the most important part of the field for any side you would feel that the current midfield partnership puts somewhat of a glass ceiling on any future achievement for the Republic of Ireland. The home side’s failure to keep the ball only served to hand possession to the Macedonians far too often tonight. Ireland in fact appeared content to sit back and let the visitors pass the ball in front of them. Macedonia may not be world beaters but they have enough competent players that were going to do something sooner or later with the amount of possession that they enjoyed. That sooner or later arrived in the 45<sup>th</sup> minute when Ivan Trickovski sent a classy finish beyond Kieren Westwood, this followed some good work by his captain Goran Pandev. Happily for the hosts though this goal was preceded by two earlier Irish strikes. After only ninety seconds Aiden McGeady cut in from the left and let fly on his preferred right foot. Macedonian goalkeeper Edin Nuredinovski won’t be happy with his part in McGeadys opener. Robbie Keane too sensed the Macedonian keeper was not having a good night as he was on his toes as Gibson struck a 21<sup>st</sup> minute free kick at the visitors goal. The strike was very central and shouldn’t have proved too troublesome but Nuredinovski spilled it and Keane was on hand to punish the visiting keeper.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">It wasn’t until the 77<sup>th</sup> minute when Giovanni Trapattoni changed things in the Irish midfield. Gibson was withdrawn for Keith Fahey. The Birminham City man seemed to have an immediate effect, passes were sticking, like Gibson he was showing for the option when his team mates needed someone to pass to, unlike Gibson though Ireland were more likely to retain possession if he was used as the option. Fahey only spent 13 minutes plus added time on the field tonight, but it is not too much of a stretch to assert that in that short space of time he provided more stability to the Irish midfield than Gibson did in the 77 minutes he spent roaming around the patchy surface of the Aviva Stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">One wonders if the James McCarthy ‘allegiance’ to-do of recent times hadn’t been whether he would have got the nod or not to take to the field in the 87<sup>th</sup>minute. In the five or so minutes he spent on the field he had a very positive effect on proceedings. It may seem like a basic requirement of a central midfielder but he could take a pass and give a pass, keep things moving and most importantly keep the ball at the feet of an Irish player.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Other results in group B earlier today certainly gave a boost to the qualification hopes of the Republic of Ireland but if that qualification is to be secured surely the middle of midfield has to addressed. After the game Trapattoni defended his system and insisted that it wouldn’t change. That is fair enough but for an allegedly ‘negative’ system Ireland have a nasty habit of conceding goals, six so far in five qualifying games. Systems aside it is players that will secure qualification. The players so far selected in the centre of midfield have done little to instil confidence that they can provide the goods to navigate this Irish side through the challenges remaining in this group. Huge challenges like the visit to Skopje and Moscow await. <o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-40363395260552739862011-03-09T16:48:00.001-08:002011-03-10T03:21:19.801-08:00Barcelona Brilliance Overshadowed by Red Card<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">In the aftermath of Tuesday’s Champions League last sixteen tie between Arsenal and Barcelona a large proportion of the analysis focussed on the second half dismissal of Robin Van Persie. The incident was replayed on the TV coverage immediately after the game to see if the moment the sound waves of the referees whistle hit the ears of Van Persie, all the while battling for his attention with the jeers and cheers of the 95,000 crowd crammed into the Nou Camp, could be determined. In the 180 minutes of the two legs Barcelona produced some irresistible football, passing moves that weaved patterns around the Arsenal players as if they were rooted to the spot. For large parts of the tie the Catalan outfit showed many why they are considered to the greatest club side currently playing the game. Surely this should have been the overriding memory of this tie.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Reducing one side to ten men surely affects the outcome of any match but this match was decided over 180 minutes, and not by a single blast of Massimo Busacca’s whistle but by the simple fact that Barcelona have superior players to Arsenal.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Let’s set one point straight, Van Persie was not sent off for kicking the ball away after he was whistled for being offside. For this offence he received a yellow card, then due to his earlier yellow – which was a monument to stupidity – the referee has no choice but to shown the Dutch man the red card. It is fair to say that Van Persie’s second yellow was harsh, some referees would have given it, others wouldn’t. It certainly was a fifty -fifty call. Van Persie argued that the noise in the Nou Camp made it impossible for him to hear the referee’s whistle, a fair point perhaps. Although Van Persie does play every other week in The Emirates Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,355. Last I checked he does not regularly incur the referee’s wrath and get awarded yellow cards for constantly kicking the ball away post whistle while playing at home. However maybe his ears have become so finely tuned to the acoustics in that London venue or perhaps 60,356 is his tipping point in the battle for the attention of his ears between the roar of the crowd and the shrill blast of a referee’s whistle. Only Van Persie will ever know if he heard the whistle, it is worth noting though that the Barcelona defender tracking his run on his left shoulder had pulled up well before the Arsenal forward shot the ball wide.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Even if that yellow card had been a total injustice it was only half the reason Van Persie had to depart proceedings prematurely. His first yellow card was for a petulant push on Dani Alves, when he clearly hadn’t calmed down following his set to with some Barcelona players moments earlier. In receiving this yellow card Van Persie displayed the temperament of a ten year old boy who had his toys taken away. Surely Arsenal who pays him his generous salary should expect more. Van Persie was quoted earlier today as branding his second yellow card ‘a joke’, surely then his first yellow card was the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">After the match Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was reported to have had an angry exchange with the Swiss referee. One would be forgiven to despair when someone charged with managing a football club cannot even manage themselves when the chips are down. Soccer, as with most other field sports, involves a referee. In these and other sports the referee is always an unknown variable, sometimes they make good decisions, sometimes they make bad decisions and sometimes they make god awful decisions. In the fullness of a season or a competition these decisions usually balance themselves out. Please see Lionel Messi’s goal wrongly disallowed for offside in the first leg of this very tie as an example. Sometimes though when trying to scapegoat a referee a short memory helps.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">It has to be said though that it helps Wenger’s cause to focus on the performance of Massimo Busacca rather than his own charges. Wenger was quoted after the game as saying that the sending off was ‘an embarrassment’, one wonders how embarrassed he was at his captain attempting a back heel outside his own penalty area in first half stoppage time, a back heel that went horribly wrong and led to Manuel Almunia picking the ball out of his net seconds later. Surely Wenger blushed a little. Another matter that should be of concern to Wenger over the performance of Busacca was Niklas Bendtner’s composure, or lack thereof, when put clean through on goal in the dying moments of the match. Had Bendtner found the net Arsenal would have been through on the away goals rule and Barcelona dumped out. Bendtner’s touch was awful, and it betrayed his standing as a Premier League striker with some 36 senior international caps, the young Dane showed that is not yet good enough to overcome the hurdle Arsenal faced in Barcelona on Tuesday night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Wenger is not alone in this regard. Following Manchester United’s recent defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League Alex Ferguson said he ‘feared the worst' when Martin Aktinson was appointed to referee the match. Maybe then Ferguson hoped for the best when Mark Clattenburg was appointed to referee the game preceding the Chelsea match as Untied travelled to Wigan. In this match Clattenburg inexplicably spared Wayne Rooney a red card when he cracked his forearm of the side of James McCarthy’s face. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Arsene Wenger may never encounter Massimo Busacca again but he will work with his squad tomorrow and for a few years to come. It is madness to worry about things that you cannot change. Things Wenger can change though are the decision making of Cesc Fabregas, the touch of Niklas Bendtner, Robin Van Persie's temper and the ball retention of his entire squad among other things.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Managers may always try to take the focus off things that may lay blame at their own door. Third party analysis of matches should resist the temptation though to follow this charge into the irrelevant, and certainly it should not lead the charge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-37145109400907823052011-02-14T15:54:00.003-08:002011-02-15T15:22:11.481-08:00Andres Iniesta - Europe's Finest<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">On Wednesday night Barcelona and Andres Iniesta visit The Emirates Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with Arsenal. Barcelona and most of the other big guns of Europe have survived to fight it out at the business end of the continents premier club competition. It is at this stage where great players usually come to the fore, great players like Iniesta.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"> It’s the 6<sup>th</sup> May 2009, Stamford Bridge, London, England and Barcelona are moments from exiting the Champions League at the Semi Final stage. The Catalans need a goal to survive and the game is deep into injury time. The ball is delivered in from the right flank by Dani Alves. John Terry can only help the ball on towards the far side of the Chelsea penalty area with his head. After poor control by Samuel Eto’o and a swing and a miss by Michael Essien the ball falls to Lionel Messi. He squares it to Andres Iniesta who has taken up a position within the ‘D’ on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area. Andres Iniesta strokes the ball with the outside of his right boot towards the top right hand corner of the Chelsea goal. Chelsea are out and three weeks later Barcelona outplay Manchester United in a Rome final to become kings of Europe. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">11<sup>th</sup> July 2010, Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa. Spain and The Netherlands are four minutes from a penalty shoot out to decide the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. The ball is worked in from the Spanish right wing by Jesus Navas towards Iniesta who is loitering a few feet outside the centre circle in the Dutch half of the field. He delivers a deft back heel to help the ball towards Cesc Fabregas to keep the move flowing. Iniesta starts to push on towards the Dutch goal. It’s only seven minutes since full back Johnny Heitinga was given his marching orders by English referee Howard Webb and the Dutch defence have yet to re-find their shape. This lack of shape finds midfield playmaker Rafael Van der Vaart making a poor attempt at clearing a Fernando Torres cross on the edge of this own penalty area. Iniesta has not stopped pushing towards the Dutch goal. Van der Vaart’s poor clearance is picked up by Fabregas who chips the ball towards Iniesta who is in an uncommon amount of space inside the penalty area. Uncommon for this Dutch side who had harried and harassed any opponent in possession of the ball anywhere near their goal, or anywhere on the pitch for that matter, throughout Wold Cup 2010. One touch to control the ball and then Andres Iniesta swings his right leg through the ball. The penalty shoot out is not needed. Spain are kings of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Prior to last summer’s World Cup many potential kingmakers were touted. Following his sparkling performances in last season’s La Liga and Champions League Lionel Messi was top of most lists. His 34 goals, fully 18 goals ahead of the next highest scoring Barca player – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, inspiring Barcelona in capturing the former. If Argentina could shake off the poor form that saw them struggle through their qualifying campaign and make a charge towards the title many hoped that Messi could make the 2010 World Cup his own. In the same way that his former Argentina coach did in the 1986 version of the competition in Mexico. Argentina did shake off the poor and inconsistent form that dogged their qualifying campaign and they did perform above many pre tournament predictions. However their World Cup was ended in spectacular style by a young and vibrant German side at the quarter final stage and Messi never managed to reach the heights required to make his performance at the 2010 World Cup anything approaching memorable. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Others predicted that Kaka would be the lynchpin of a victorious Brazilian side to ensure that the samba boys would remain the only side to capture the World Cup outside of their own continent. Despite his somewhat inconsistent form at the Santiago Bernabéu since moving to Spain in 2009 after six years at A.C. Milan, Kaka was in good shape to shine at the 2010 World Cup. Brazil were solid if not spectacular in the group stages. In the second round they faced a Chilean side that despite finishing only a point adrift of them in the South American qualifying group were not at the same level as the Brazilians. Brazil’s campaign was ended by a robust Dutch side in the next round. Kaka failed to hit the net in the four games he featured. He was somewhat unfortunate to receive a red card in the group stage game against The Ivory Coast. However after sitting out the Portugal game through suspension he did receive a yellow card upon his return against Chile. Kaka’s performance at the 2010 World Cup will not be remembered.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Other more fanciful predictions hinted that Christiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney may set the World Cup alight while leading their respective nations on a glorious campaign. In both these cases however these players supporting casts fell well below the standard required to make an impact at this level, and in the case of the latter many were left pondering a rethink of his standing in the game so inept were his performances.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Spain’s success at the World Cup was no surprise to anyone, the current European champions were many people’s tip to take the title. However many suggested that their star player would be the free scoring Fernando Torres, or it could be Barcelona’s Xavi pulling the strings from midfield. If Spain were to capture their first World Cup their alleged dodgy defence would need to be tightened up, if that was the case maybe Carles Puyol could be the hero of their campaign. Very few observers predicted the influence Andres Iniesta would have on the Spanish team as they marched to the title. That is the enigma that is Andres Iniesta, he is a creative force that has won all the game has to offer and yet he somehow manages to operate below the radar of the hype that seems to dominate the game of football today. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Andres Iniesta was born in the village of Fuentealbilla in Albacete Province, Spain in 1984. His youth career started with the local club Albacete Balompie. At the age of 12 he made the move to the Nou Camp to join Barcelona. It was Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal who gave Iniesta his first team debut in 2002 in what was a somewhat lean period for the Catalans. As the decade wore on and Iniesta and his generation started to come to the fore at the Nou Camp, Barcelona’s fortunes improved dramatically picking up four Spanish league titles, one Copa del Rey and two Champions League titles. In such exalted company at the Nou Camp it would be easy for any player to fade into the background with superstars such as Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Xavi. Until recently Thierry Henry also wore the famous red and blue and before his move to Internazionale in 2009 Samuel Eto’o was another big name in the club. However fading into the background has never affected Iniesta’s form, in fact the quiet no nonsense way he goes about his business on the field mirrors his persona off the field.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Diego Forlan did collect the Golden Ball (Player of the Tournament) at the 2010 World Cup for his commendable performances during Uruguay’s unlikely march to the semi final, however Iniesta’s influence on the tournament was seismic. He did not have the greatest of starts as Spain fell to a surprise opening defeat by Switzerland. Iniesta was omitted from the starting line up for the second game to Honduras. Iniesta was promptly restored to the first eleven for the final group game against Chile, and he scored Spain’s second goal when he delightfully passed the ball into the bottom corner as they ran out 2-1 winners. Iniesta remained a regular pick for the final four games as Spain won each 1-0, culminating with his winning goal in the July 11<sup>th</sup> final. Iniesta’s influence on each of these games was immense as he controlled the flow of possession from defence to attack. Everything he did was positive and he constantly kept the ball moving. There were times when patience was called for, especially in the semi final against Germany. Spain stuck to their principles and Iniesta and co. kept the ball moving, kept passing to feet, kept working the triangles. Their goal in that game came from a set piece and the head of Puyol but it was their passing game that kept the Germans moving in defence, working hard to attempt to cut off passing options and this passing produced the pressure that induced the Germans into conceding that corner. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">At age 26 Iniesta has possibly another 6 to 8 years at the top level of the game. On January 10th of this year the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or was announced, Iniesta was beaten into second place by his Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi. Andres Iniesta has already won the awards that count World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Domestic League and Cup. Andres Iniesta the Kingmaker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-29405751634327091772011-02-08T17:09:00.000-08:002011-02-08T17:17:44.368-08:00Clark Claims Left Back Berth<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">After 90 plus minutes of tonight’s Carling Nations Cup tie at the Aviva Stadium two questions appear to have been answered. The first is who should be Ireland’s first choice left back after Kevin Kilbane’s extended caretaker occupation of that role, the answer is Ciaran Clark. The second question is what sort of task lies ahead of Gary Speed for his three and half year contract as manager of Wales, the answer to that is mountainous.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Kilbane’s deployment at left back in recent times may have been argued as a necessity due to the paucity of alternatives. However Stephen Kelly or Kevin Foley may have been a more reliable option, granted neither are natural left backs, but then again Kilbane is not a natural defender.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Clark gave an assured if not spectacular performance tonight. It was by no means his finest ninety minutes, on the half hour he gave away an unnecessary free kick after fouling Nottingham Forest’s Robbie Earnshaw in a dangerous area of the field, against a more competent outfit Ireland and Clark may have been more comprehensively punished. The odd mistake here and there aside Trapattoni would have to have been very happy with the performance of his new left back. With the next qualifier against Macedonia in the Aviva fast approaching on the 26<sup>th</sup> March one would be very brave to bet against Clark’s inclusion in the left back slot. Granted Clark has expressed his preference for the centre half position but with the resources currently available to Giovanni Trapattoni, Clark at left back seems the most logical choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">In contrast to Clark’s performance tonight the ninety minutes turned in by the entire Welsh side will surely give Gary Speed many sleepless nights. Wales were inept beyond belief; they reflected their current FIFA ranking of 116. When Speed took over the reins in December of last year he surely knew he was up against it. Wales are rooted to the bottom of Euro 2012 Qualification Group G with three defeats to show after three outings. Their next fixture is on the same night Ireland entertain Macedonia when top seeds England visit Cardiff. With zero points from nine one could argue that things can only get better for the Welsh, but on tonight’s evidence they could get a lot worse at the end of March in the Millennium Stadium. Wales were missing some key players, Bellamy, Bale and Ramsey to name three, but realistically they would need four or five more of similar quality to approach anything near competitive in their current qualifying group. Speed is contracted to take Wales up to the end of the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. With their current seeding problem that campaign will leave Gary Speed looking a lot older than he should.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The game tonight started out with a rather drab first half which amounted to nothing more than shadow boxing between the two sides. When Ireland did flex their muscles and push Wales back onto the ropes it was usually via the flanks with the equally impressive Damien Duff and Seamus Coleman worrying Neal Eardley and Sam Ricketts. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The second half saw the hosts step it up a gear and expose Wales and all their deficiencies. John Walters, Duff and Shane Long wasted good opportunities to put Ireland ahead, Duff and substitute Long being particularly wasteful. Wales were finally floored on the hour mark when Darron Gibson unleashed a screamer of a shot from twenty yards after picking up the ball from his midfield partner Glen Whelan. It was to get worse for Wales when Chris Gunter was inexcusably robbed of possession in his own penalty area in the 66<sup>th</sup> minute by Walters, the ball made its way to Duff and it was two nil. Wales’s Captain James Collins was incandescent with rage and promptly let the embarrassed Gunter know how he felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Collins still appeared to be glowing with rage sixteen minutes later when he unceremoniously upended Walters outside his own penalty area. The resultant free kick was superbly dispatched to the back of the net by substitute Keith Fahey. By now the rotund lady was practising her scales; she need not have waited so long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-57638010136606059372010-11-17T16:23:00.000-08:002010-11-17T16:23:50.472-08:00A Night of Frustration for Seamus Coleman<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">We’ve all had that friend, relative or co-worker who always goes against the grain, sometimes it can be annoying because it seems they are only doing whatever it is they do just to be different. They are doing it because very few others would. After a while they do it so often, to do anything else would be a massive surprise. It is a little like the disgruntled teenager who gets into an alternative rock band because they are exactly that, alternative. That is until everyone else hears about the band and through a numbers game they gradually become mainstream. At this point the disgruntled teenager must jettison the band and seek out someone else just as obscure as the original band were at the original point of discovery.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">Maybe that friend, relative or co-worker is being different just to annoy or maybe they know more than the rest of us. Maybe they realise that the majority of people haven’t a clue what they are talking about. Maybe also mainstream music is absolute rubbish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">In the lead up to last night’s friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Norway all the speculation surrounding the Irish camp was about Seamus Coleman. Originally Coleman was hotly tipped to make some kind of appearance against the Scandinavians, and following the numerous withdrawals from the squad there was speculation that Coleman may even start. This speculation had a sound base in reason; Coleman has been in fine form for Everton in the Premier League of late and has proved he can create a goal as well as score a goal. Coleman in fact scored recently against Blackpool, a club where he was out on loan last season and was a driving force in their ascent to the promised land of the Premier League. Coleman has proved his versatility at Everton by operating both in defence and midfield.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">Giovanni Trapattoni named his first eleven and there was no sign of Seamus Coleman. The back four included rare starts for Stephen Kelly, Darren O’Dea and Greg Cunningham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cunningham it must be said had a fine night and did his chances of future inclusion no harm at all. Having said that Cunningham, on loan from Manchester City at Leicester City in the Championship, is operating a full division below Coleman. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">Other possible slots for Seamus Coleman on the starting eleven were on either flank of midfield, he has had a lot of time out wide right for Everton this season. This wasn’t to be as Damien Duff was named on the left wing and Liam Lawrence got the nod in the right hand side. In a game where the result was always going to be of secondary importance it has hard to see what was to be gained by evaluating what either Duff or Lawrence could do in these positions, surely Trapattoni is well aware of both players ability at this stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">The game itself ended 2-1 to the visitors, a result that will be even more meaningless next Monday morning than it was twenty seconds after the final whistle. Ireland opened the scoring on five minutes from the spot courtesy of the very impressive Shane Long. This advantage was overturned following two sweet strikes of the ball by Morten Gamst Pedersen. The first was a glorious free kick on thirty four minutes after Stephen Kelly was unlucky to land on the ball with his hand while challenging on the edge of the hosts penalty area. A glorious strike no doubt, however Shay Given may have settled a step to close to his left hand post after setting up his wall. A mistake or evidence or rustiness? Then on eighty six minutes Pedersen found himself on the left hand side of the Irish penalty area with the defence severely stretched. He played a beautiful arcing ‘daisy cutter’ of a cross between defenders and keeper, the very grateful Huseklepp was on hand at the back post to slot the ball home.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">In between the two result changing swings of a leg by the Blackburn Rovers midfielder Trapattoni made four changes, but still no room for Coleman.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">The most puzzling would have been the introduction of Aiden McGeady at half time and Stephen Hunt on seventy four minutes, both employed on the midfield flanks. Just as Trapattoni was fully aware of the abilities starting wide men, Duff and Lawrence, absolutely nothing Hunt or McGeady could have done would have surprised the Irish supremo or anyone in the Aviva Stadium last night. One has boundless energy and displays the enthusiasm of a Jack Russell chasing a tennis ball but his touch all too often lets him down. The other can show off some lovely touches, spin away from most defenders around today but frustratingly seems to perform 98% of the task on an all too regular occurrence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">Seamus Coleman can now only hope to get his first cap in next year’s Carling Nations Cup. A tournament that despite the impending sales job and some level of hype can only be expected to rise to the level of a collection of friendlies with some silverware at the end to ensure the sponsors get a nice photo shot. A start or a significant period on the pitch against the Norwegians, ranked thirteenth in the world, would surely have provided a better test of the International credentials of Coleman than an outing against Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;">On the positive side Greg Cunningham performed admirably at full back. Shane Long again showed his worth to the Irish cause, and if Robbie Keane does not get out of White Hart Lane in January it would not be unreasonable to suggest that Ireland would get more out of a Long and Doyle partnership than any version containing Keane. Keith Fahey may have found the restrictions of playing in a Giovanni Trapattoni centre midfield a little frustrating and Darren O’Dea reminded all that his concentration can lapse for a split second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The twenty seven year old Jon Walters made his senior debut and showed he is full of endeavour and running but not a huge amount else, but then again Giovanni Trapattoni has proved he is a big fan of both endeavour and running. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-45098818512694022932010-11-07T14:08:00.000-08:002010-11-09T15:03:00.942-08:00Eleven days is a long time in a Newcastle managers tenure<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Eleven games played, seventeen points garnered, eight points off top spot. Newcastle United are now sitting proudly in fifth place in the Barclays Premier League – the Europa League qualifying spot. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">It now seems barely credible that a mere eleven days ago the Newcastle United board felt it necessary to issue a statement backing their manager Chris Hughton. That statement was issued amid growing speculation over Hughton’s future in the St. James Park managerial office. That evening Newcastle were at the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline at home to Arsenal in the last sixteen of the Carling Cup. A drubbing no doubt but Newcastle were ninth in the Premier League at the time, a very respectable position for a promoted side in late October. To many observers the negative speculation surrounding Hughton’s tenure that evening seemed harsh and premature in the extreme, now it is revealed to have been ludicrous and ill-founded. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The speculation seemed well timed to increase the pressure even more on Hughton to produce a result in the impending Tyne – Wear derby the following Sunday. One thing that is sure to raise the ire of the Toon army is a negative result against Sunderland, especially at St. James Park. If Sunderland could turn over Newcastle then Hughton could start to lose some of the supporters. Suddenly those that dismissed the speculation the previous Wednesday as nonsense may start to look for the fire that allegedly accompanies all manifestations of smoke. The speculation that could have been dismissed as smoke and mirrors may now resemble cloak and dagger, the statement of support issued by the Newcastle United board would now be categorised as ‘the dreaded vote of confidence’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Its four minutes into first half stoppage time and Shola Ameobi steps up to take a penalty, penalty converted, Newcastle United 3 Sunderland 0. Crisis, what crisis, the smoke is now drifting off into the air; whatever fire was supporting it is not even a pile of glowing embers now. The game ends in a morale boosting 5 -1 victory to the home side. Chris Hughton is the toast of Newcastle. The cloak and dagger will be put away for another day. The white hot passion and supposed unpredictability of a local derby aside, this weekend’s plundering of the Emirates for three points further illustrates Hughton’s nous as a manager and should add to his credentials among the more informed sections that follow football.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"> Chris Hughton it seems has always struggled to get due credit for his achievements in the dugout. He was twice caretaker manager at Newcastle before he was entrusted with the top job, and it wasn’t until late October and a very positive start to the Championship season of 2009 – 2010 before the Newcastle board finally out their confidence in Hughton, albeit with an eighteen month contract. Not exactly handing him the keys to the kingdom just yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Hughton started his coaching career at Tottenham Hotspur in 1993 and in his fourteen years as coach and assistant manager at White Hart Lane he saw ten managers come and go. His demise at Tottenham came when he was on board the sinking ship that was the Martin Jol regime, this despite Jol leading Tottenham to two consecutive fifth place in the Premier League. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">It was at White Hart Lane where Hughton spent the bulk of his playing career, winning two FA Cups and one UEFA Cup along the way. Hughton represented his country, the Republic of Ireland, fifty three times in an international career that spanned twelve years. He was part of the Republic side that made the breakthrough qualifying for their first tournament, Euro ‘88. A side that were the width of a post away from a European Championship semi – final. Hughton again answered his country’s call in 2003 when Brian Kerr asked him to serve as assistant during Kerr’s ultimately unsuccessful two years at the helm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">If come the end of the season Newcastle United are still in fifth position it would be a remarkable achievement. This scenario hardly seems likely but their start to this season suggest that they are most definitely of the required standard for a top half finish. Such an outcome should ensure Hughton secures a contract longer than 18 months, one that demonstrates the trust that he would surely deserve. A finish anywhere above the relegation zone is normally considered a successful outcome for any side promoted to the Premier League. Even though both Blackpool and West Brom, now sitting eleventh and ninth respectively in the table, may currently have loftier ambitions one suspects they would now gladly settle for the guarantee of a seat at the top table of English football for the season 2011 – 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Recent speculation indicates that a seventeenth place finish may not be enough for Hughton to secure a contract extension at Newcastle. This illustrates the uphill struggle that faces Hughton, and most recent managers at Newcastle. Those who follow this so called ‘sleeping giant’ expect their giant to be wide awake and smiting all comers. This unreasonable expectation leads to unreasonable pressure which leads to unreasonable decisions being made where reason is most called for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-91909503598844042402010-10-24T14:51:00.000-07:002010-10-25T03:43:16.092-07:00Ancelotti - The Really Special One<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">After nine games of the 2010 -11 Barclays Premier League Chelsea stand top of the pile, five points ahead of the chasing pack. That pack of three is made up of Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Many had predicted that the Old Trafford outfit would be Chelsea’s main competition for this season’s title, however of late events on the field at Manchester United have taken second place to the circus that has been the Wayne Rooney saga. United have suffered on the field this season also, the home game against West Brom being their low point, only one win in five on the road illustrates how much they are struggling to maintain a challenge for the title thus far.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">The new money over at Eastlands have flattered to deceive at times this season, the home victory over Chelsea on September 25<sup>th</sup> indicated that they may be ready to dine at the top table of the Premier League. However a reverse away to Sunderland at the end of August and this weekend’s home drubbing at the hands of Arsenal show they are not quite the finished article yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Arsenal, while irresistible so far in Europe appear to have the same old failings in the Premier League. The fact that West Brom plundered The Emirates for three points show they may not be ruthless enough to claim the crown of Premier League Champions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Granted there is a long way to go in this season’s title race, although Chelsea’s form this season has impressed many, and it must be form that really worries their main challengers. Their performances at Stamford Bridge has been particularly impressive; played five, won five, goals for sixteen, goals against zero. A huge amount of credit for this form must go to their manager of fifteen months, Carlo Ancelotti. Since he arrived Ancelotti he has gone about his job in a quiet, no nonsense manner. In his first season he became only the second non-British manager (the other being Arsene Wenger) to capture the league and cup double. Consistency was something Chelsea were craving in the manager’s office. Since Jose Mourinho departed in September 2007 and Ancelotti arrived in July 2009 three managers occupied the hot seat (not including Ray Wilkins). For all their riches, newly acquired global brand and superstar squad Chelsea did not have a stable regime in the manager’s office.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">When Mourinho arrived to much fan fare in June 2004 he unabashedly titled himself ‘The Special One’. No doubt Mourinho’s record as a manager to that point was impressive; two Portuguese league titles, one Portuguese Cup, one UEFA cup and the 2004 Champions League title. Compare that to Ancelotti’s lack of self anointment on his arrival in London, added to that the fact that Ancelloti’s record to that point was at least as good as if not better than Mourinho’s when he took the reins at Chelsea. The Italian had already lead AC Milan to one Italian Cup, one Seire A title, two Champions League and one FIFA World Club title. That unassuming manner has been the hallmark of Ancelotti’s reign at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho’s time at Chelsea was blighted by one omission, the Champions League. It seemed Chelsea could not attain the European crown under the Portuguese supremo and he could not attain it while at Chelsea. Mourinho captured the Champions League post Chelsea in only two years at Inter Milan, Chelsea meanwhile still have an empty spot on that particular shelf on their trophy cabinet. The stability Ancelotti has provided since he arrived seem to have Chelsea in great shape to win Europe’s top prize this season, that prize their owner Roman Ambramovich reportedly covets so much.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Recent history in the English club game suggests that a top manager does not need to have been a top player, Ferguson, Wenger and the aforementioned Mourinho all provide good examples of this. Surely though when trying to motivate a dressing room it cannot hurt to have seen and done it all yourself. In this regard Ancelotti has arguably the best record of the current crop of Premier League managers. Alex McLeish, Roberto Mancini, Steve Bruce and Mark Hughes to mention a few have had fine careers as players and all collected various domestic honours as well as success on the European Stage (Cup Winners Cup), the recently departed Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill too sparkled as a player, and was part of Brian Cloughs all conquering Nottingham Forest side, collecting two European Cups. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Ancelotti for his part was part of one of the finest sides the European game has seen, a side that included names such as Maldini, Baresi, Tassotti, Costacurta, Donadoni and their trio of Dutch men; Rijkaard, Gullit and Van Basten. During his time at AC Milan from 1987 to 1992 he won two league titles and two European Cups. Their march to the 1989 title is probably most remembered for their 4-0 annihilation of Steaua Bucharest in the final. However this performance followed on from an equally impressive 5-0 semi final second leg destruction of Real Madrid at the San Siro. A game where Ancelotti himself opened the scoring for the Rossoneri with a glorious strike in the 19<sup>th </sup>minute.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Ancelotti in his fifteen years as a manager has always had a thoughtful and considered approach to the game. It may be a tired cliché to suggest he is a ‘student of the game’, but this tag surely fits easily on Ancelotti’s shoulders. In 1997, two years after taking charge at his first managerial post at Reggiana, Ancelotti was studying for a Masters course at Coverciano (the Italian Football Federation’s Training Centre outside of Florence). While studying here Ancelotti penned a thesis ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Future of Football: More Dynamism’. </i>It appears that thirteen years later his current charges are reflecting their bosses’ views on the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-9476401165430487532010-10-17T15:02:00.000-07:002010-10-18T07:29:48.923-07:00Must Go to Moscow<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea travel to the Russian capital on Tuesday to play Spartak Moscow in a meeting of the top two in Champions League Group F. Both sides have already notched six points out of six so far in their Champions League Campaign. Tuesday’s match in the Luzhniki Stadium and the return tie in London will surely decide the top two spots in this group. Marseille will have been very disappointed with their start to their European campaign this season while Slovakia’s MSK Zilina will probably have been happy with the achievement of getting to the group stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Tuesdays match will also be the first opportunity for Irish most fans to see Aiden McGeady play ninety minutes in the red and white of Spartak. McGeady should relish the chance to test himself against the current Premier League champions. As last summer drew on it looked certain that McGeady would leave Celtic, a club he had been at since he was fifteen years old. McGeady leaving in 2010 was only a surprise in that many expected him to leave Glasgow a year or two earlier. McGeady’s relationship with Celtic’s erstwhile manager Gordon Strachan was reportedly a bumpy one and the Paisley native looked set to depart in the January of 2009. He however outlasted Strachan at Celtic Park and saw another manager come and go in Tony Mowbray. Following Mowbray’s departure in March 2010 Celtic’s league performance improved under then caretaker manager Neil Lennon in what were turbulent times for the Scottish club. McGeady was however intent on finding pastures new.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Aston Villa was seen as a likely destination for McGeady in a move that would have seen him link up again with Martin O’Neill. Internal problems at Villa Park, which eventually culminated with O’Neill’s departure, saw McGeady’s move to the Birmingham club scuppered.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Spartak Moscow invited McGeady for talks in early August and the Republic of Ireland international signed a four and a half year deal with Russian top flight side on August 13<sup>th</sup> for a fee of around £9.5 million.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">A move to Russian football was certainly unchartered waters for an Irish player, indeed travelling beyond the familiar surroundings of the English or Scottish Premier League is not something Irish Internationals seem inclined to do. Of the current Senior Squad only Cillian Sheridan of CSKA Sofia has ventured beyond the comfort zone of British league football to earn a living. In recent years there have been very few exceptions to this trend. Ian Harte joined Levante of Spain in 2004 and stayed for three years while in 2008 Steve Finnan linked up with Espanyol in what would be an injury plagued year at the Barcelona club. In 2000 Phil Babb and Alan Mahon joined Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon, Babb made 37 appearances while Mahon only managed one in Sporting’s green and white hoops. If one casts the net back a bit further to Jack Charlton era there were only sporadic examples with John Aldridge’s time at Real Sociedad, Kevin Moran’s two years at Sporting Gijon and Mick McCarthy’s stay with France’s Olympic Lyon. These examples have always been the exception to the rule with Irish players constantly relying on the leagues of England and Scotland for their Football employment, culture and education.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">This reliance has undoubtedly shaped our approach to the game. The fact that the vast majority of prospective Irish professional footballers travel to England in their mid teens makes this an inevitability. This reliance means the health of our national football side is inexorably tied to the progression and international standing of the English game. With this in mind events at last summer’s World Cup should be a cause for concern. For those who may have looked down their noses at the Bundesliga in recent years events in the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on 27<sup>th</sup> June last should be a cause for extreme concern. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">In the absence of a fully professional national league it would be reasonable to argue that it would be healthier to have Irish internationals plying their trade across the continent in four or five of the top leagues rather than 95% plus of them playing in the English Leagues. There is surely plenty to learn from the coaches of the Spanish, French, German and Italian leagues for Irish players. For that matter the coaches of the Dutch, Portuguese and Russian leagues among others could add so much to the skills and knowledge of our professional players. The Republic of Ireland national side have no doubt benefited from the English game over the years; however such a reliance on one way of playing the game, one way of thinking about the game and one way of living the game cannot give our professional players a balanced football education.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Some predicted we may see a mini flight of Irish players to Seire A on the back of a stamp of approval from Giovanni Trapattoni, this migration never materialised. However with the January transfer window on the horizon, given their current club difficulties Robbie Keane and Shay Given could do worse than to consider asking Trapattoni for his little black book of contacts. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If anyone is concerned that McGeady’s game may not develop due to the standard of the Russian Premier League, only five of the current Russian international squad; Zhirkov (Chelsea), Arshavin (Arsenal), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spurs), Bilyaletdinov (Everton) and Pogrebnyak (Stuttgart) play their club game outside of their native land. Anyone remember the goings on at the Aviva on Friday October 8th?</span></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-47028523648459074242010-10-13T15:30:00.000-07:002010-10-13T15:45:40.185-07:00Generosity Reaffirmed<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">It’s September 8<sup>th</sup> 2007 and I’m standing outside the </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Stadium Pasienky</span> in the Slovakian capital Bratislava. It’s about an hour before the kick off of Slovakia Vs Republic of Ireland in a Group D qualifier for the 2008 European Championships. I notice an elderly Irish man meandering his way through the throng of Irish fans waiting on the streets outside the stadium. This individual is clearly the worse for wear and more than likely indulged in a liquid lunch, liquid breakfast and probably liquid snack to get over that half three slump. He walks up to the group I’m standing in and informs us that some of the less desirable residents of Bratislava have relieved him of his match tickets and some cash to boot. I have a spare ticket so I offer it to him, he makes a pathetic offer to rummage a few Slovakian Koruna out of his pocket. I hand him the ticket and tell him to hang onto whatever cash he still has. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Acts of generosity by Irish men weren’t restricted to the streets outside the stadium that night. The national football side grasped a draw from the jaws of victory in the second minute of injury time when Marek Cech drilled them ball home for the home side, sure we wouldn’t want to spoil the locals Saturday night, what kind of guests would we be then?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">The first Slovakian goal that night was aided by more generous Irish defending. A corner kick was helped on by a header at the near post, Maros Klimpl took advantage of poor Irish organisation to head home from close range at the back post. Old habits seem to be dying hard. That game was also punctuated by a glorious strike by Kevin Doyle and Stephen Ireland cleverly finishing to make the breakthrough for the boys in green, the only catch with that goal was he was never a boy in green again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Three years on and Ireland are as generous as ever in this corner of Europe. Robbie Keane was the most giving yesterday. Early in the first half the impressive Shane Long is in possession and takes the ball to the byline on the right side of the Slovakian penalty area, a brilliant low cross by Long across the six yard box just begs for a touch to finish it off. Keane unfortunately is a yard behind the pace in his head and doesn’t read the situation, he makes a vain attempt to slide in for the touch but alas in vain. Seconds from the half time whistle with the game locked at 1-1, Richard Dunne sends a wonderful ball through for Aiden McGeady. The energetic McGeady is now in a foot race with the Slovakian keeper Mucha, McGeady gets the ball, Mucha gets McGeady, penalty kick. Keane steps up, 12 yards out, a very poor effort follows and Mucha is the toast of Zilina. Ireland were clearly on top in the first half with Keith Fahey performing particularly well. It was Fahey’s superb delivery of a free kick in the 16<sup>th</sup> minute that caused panic in the Slovakian defence, the ball is not cleared properly and Sean St Ledger pounces to slot the ball home. One nil to the visitors, not so generous now, I hope we are not losing friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Twenty minutes later Kucka heads on a Slovakian corner at the near post. Glen Whelan is sound asleep at the back post at lets Durica breeze past him to head home from close range. We should really write things down.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Buoyed on by their great escape just before half time the hosts have much better of it in the second half. Darron Gibson is now in centre midfield for Ireland, Paul Green was withdrawn on 42 minutes with a hamstring injury. Green had another underwhelming performance prior to his injury, all too often Irish passing moves ended at the feet of Green. Gibson for all he was an improvement on Green, he didn’t prove to be the crafty locksmith of defences some quarters lauded him as. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Captain Keane wasn’t finished endearing himself to the locals. On 86 minutes Kilbane plays the ball across the area, an instinctive touch from Keane takes him away from his marker, seven yards out with only the keeper to beat, three vital points are there to be taken, Keane blazes it over. Ireland have to settle for a point. If only we were two one up at home against Andorra, Keane would have been un-backable to find the target.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">The qualified criticism of Keane back in RTE-land was something to drain a little more power from the batteries in many remote controls. One wonders what would be said by the three wise men if one Christiano Ronaldo had turned in an identically inept performance as Keane in such an important fixture. I fear the ears of the man from Madeira would be an inferno for years to come. He’s a cod Bill, a cod.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">The performance in Zilina yesterday was definitely a huge performance on Friday’s debacle in the Aviva Stadium. The first half in particular was very encouraging. One could argue that if Keane had been absent through injury and not Doyle Ireland could well have plundered Zilina for three points. Centre midfield and defending set pieces continue to be a worry. Keith Fahey wouldn’t be the worst solution in the world for the former issue and you would hope that the latter will get sorted as the campaign continues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Next up is the friendly against Norway on November 17<sup>th</sup>. This should be a real chance to blood a few fringe players and try out some more options in the pivotal and problematic area that is centre midfield, oh wait, sorry I forgot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2472093939463256654.post-36220715665085772672010-10-10T12:41:00.000-07:002010-10-10T14:57:19.701-07:00Caught in our Trap<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Friday 1<sup>st</sup> October 2010 and Ryan Tubridy is chatting to a charming old Italian man on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Late Late Show.</i> Giovanni Trapattoni , along with his translator </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Manuela Spinnelli</span></span><span lang="EN-IE">, have a light hearted conversation with Ryan, a few jokes are made and chuckles are the order of the night. What a nice man. On the business side of things Trapattoni has led our senior soccer side to a 100% start in the first two games in our 2012 European Championships qualifying campaign. One of our main rivals, Russia have already dropped three points at home to Slovakia. All of a sudden this group looks very winnable. The ‘Ole Ole Brigade’ are furiously printing new membership cards, the brigade certainly seem to be plentiful in number among the audience in Montrose as every half quip in broken English is met with excited laughter. The cover is taken off the bandwagon, the bonnet is up and the oil levels are being checked. Life is good.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Friday 8<sup>th</sup> October, 49 minutes into our vital qualifier with Russia. A strike from Shirokov deflects off Richard Dunne, Shay Given is wrong footed and the ball squeezes in at the post to Givens left. Republic of Ireland 0 - Russia 3, oh dear. At this stage no one really could have begrudged Russia three goals, in fact it could have been four or five. Ireland’s central midfielders have well and truly been taken to school by their Russian counterparts. Glen Whelan and Paul Green who are both utilised by Trapattoni as defensive midfielders, however on Friday night they resembled and were equally effective as The Maginot line. They continually took up a holding position just on the Irish side of the centre circle. The Russians simply passed the ball around or through them, once the ball was goal side of the Irish centre midfield they lacked the ability or mobility to turn and chase, turn and retrieve the ball. Our Maginot boys had been figured out by the Russians, this was too easy, this could be a long night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">Arshavin, Shirokov, </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Zyryanov</span> et al</span> <span lang="EN-IE">flooded in between our midfield and defence, so many passes were on, so many options, too many for the Irish back four to deal with for ninety minutes. It was Kevin Kilbane who was sucked infield to cover one of these options on 27 minutes, the ball was whipped out wide as Kilbane’s absence opened an ocean of space. The ball was crossed in, a delightful step over was followed by a tidy finish by Dzagoev and the visitors are two up. Russia’s first goal on 11 minutes scored by Kerzhakov owed equally to inept defending by Ireland and some luck on the part of the Russians. Shay Given who now relies on the national side for competitive action made a poor effort at organising his defence to deal with the in-swinging free kick from the Russian left flank. The Donegal native compounded matters by not dealing with the ball when it came his way. Shay Given’s lack of first team action at Eastlands was not the reason Ireland shipped three goals and dropped three points at home. When Irelands defensive midfielders cannot defend and protect their back four they are largely ineffective. Playing against Russia was always going to be a challenge, when Ireland had to do it with 8 effective outfield players it was going to be near impossible. This was a long way from the summer friendly against Algeria in the R.D.S. for Paul Green. It all looked so promising back then as he gave a somewhat impressive display and even chipped in with a goal. Summer friendlies are one thing, Autumn qualifiers are the real deal. His poor touch in Yeravan may have been excused as nerves, he would settle into this role given time. His poor touch on more than one occasion in the Aviva may highlight a tougher truth, he might be out of his depth at this level. Our here to fore ‘solidity’ in midfield was now a straightjacket that was restricting our response to the Russian approach, Ireland were caught out by their own approach to the fixture.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">If Ireland been torn apart by the Russian midfield was tough to watch then the response was torture most cruel. The artillery barrage launched from within the Irish half made Jack Charlton’s approach to the game look like an intricate game of chess. The fact that this approach produced two goals highlights the visitors deficiencies in defence, and for all they are going forward they are far from classy defending their own goal area. This allied with Akinfeevs part in Shane Long’s goal should give Ireland some hope for the return fixture in Moscow. The Russian goalkeepers poor flap at Aiden McGeady’s shot gave Long something to fight for, something we scarcely deserved, a second goal. Ireland could do worse than employ a shoot on sight policy when we next encounter the CSKA Moscow custodian.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE">All is most certainly not lost. With regard to the potential of this side we will always have Paris, reproduce that display and we should have enough to top this group. Experience will tell us that these qualifying campaigns are a marathon and not a sprint. Giovanni Trapattoni’s long experience in the game should stand Ireland in good stead at this time, he has been in tighter spots in his career – tighter spots and had achieved a positive outcome. Roll on Zilina on Tuesday, Operation Restore Hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Commentary Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557802395938839461noreply@blogger.com1