Andres Iniesta - Europe's Finest

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.
 It’s the 6th 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.
11th 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.  
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.
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 11th 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.
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.
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Clark Claims Left Back Berth

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.
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.
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 26th 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.
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.
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.
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 66th 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.
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.
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A Night of Frustration for Seamus Coleman

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.
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.
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.
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.  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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.  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.  
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Eleven days is a long time in a Newcastle managers tenure

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.
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.
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’.
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.
  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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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Ancelotti - The Really Special One

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. 
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.
The new money over at Eastlands have flattered to deceive at times this season, the home victory over Chelsea on September 25th 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 19th minute.
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 ‘The Future of Football: More Dynamism’. It appears that thirteen years later his current charges are reflecting their bosses’ views on the game.
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Must Go to Moscow

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.
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.
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.
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 13th for a fee of around £9.5 million.
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.
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 27th June last should be a cause for extreme concern.
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.
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.
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?
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Generosity Reaffirmed

It’s September 8th 2007 and I’m standing outside the Stadium Pasienky 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.
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?
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.
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 16th 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Next up is the friendly against Norway on November 17th. 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.
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