Old Lady re’Juve”nated

Are we seeing the re-emergence of Italian teams on the European football stage or is this a false dawn? Are Juventus an anomaly in an aging and much maligned league or can we look at the presence of two Italian teams (who ironically both got knocked out) in the Europa League Semi finals as the green shoots of recovery?

In a game that saw Ronaldo equal Messi’s Champions League tally whilst also drawing level with arguably the greatest ever Real Madrid player, Di Stefano on 308 goals for his club, the game more importantly heralded the rebirth of a forgotten giant of the European game in Juventus. Or did it? Will the emergence of the “la Vecchia Signora” signal an onslaught of Italian dominance not seen since the 90’s or are we looking at a dying legacy.

Having had the fortune to watch Roma v Napoli at the Stadio Olympico earlier this year I was surprised at how poor the football and the quality of individuals on display were.  Granted Roma had a number of their talismanic players either suspended or injured but despite that the game lacked any presence, dynamism or interplay that warranted vocal enthusiasm.  Despite the Curva Sud chanting through the whole game, the “majority” fan support reflected in their voices the level of football being played in front of them.  The game ended with a narrow home victory and a relieved Italo Zanzi punching the air but his worry, and indeed the rest of Italy’s, was that this represented the only challenge to Juventus’ dominance in Italian football.

And a dominance it is.  Juventus have won the Scudetto for four straight season with relatively little challenge and whilst many will point to a club shrouded in a corrupt past no-one would deny that they are the sole Italian superpower on the continent today.  However this re-birth, if thats what it can be called, sees a team that has 6 starting players over the age of 30 and with the status of being the oldest team in the Champions League this term.  Now whilst Allegri is managing to marshall such aging legs through a game packed season it is only a matter of time before the likes of Buffon, Chielini, Tevez and Pirlo look to the MLS (footballs equivalent of Eastbourne) for a last foray before hanging up their boots.  Furthermore the youth prodigies like Pogba are seemingly destined for English or Spanish shores.

So what next for Juventus and Italian football? First of all there is the small matter of a European Champions League Final to enjoy and enjoy it we will.  It would be a fitting swansong to the careers of Buffon (who has never won the Champions League), Pirlo and others if the Old Lady can muster a win against the mighty Barcelona, a team that has the deadliest strike force probably ever assembled in Messi, Neymar and Suarez.  It would potentially shed a degree of spotlight on a nation that once dominated European football and that became a mecca for the greatest talents from around the globe BUT I believe that light will dwindle and the dominance of the Spanish, German and English leagues will continue.  There are no challengers to Juventus’ Italian crown – Italian league football is poor and with the disappearance of the Milan clubs that once provided hope, the likes of Roma, Napoli and Sampdoria dont look remotely ready to change the tide anytime soon.

The Old Lady is still walking tall but soon it will become hunched and incapable of supporting the Italian dream and I fear that the once golden league of football will fade and become a subject of tales of an empire that once was and may never be again.

United or Worlds Apart?

Sometimes simply throwing the iron across the living room, when you are diligently and responsibly ironing your shirt ready for the week at work, because the team you support has conceded in the 94th minute is not enough to express your emotion hence my need to write this post.  This, of course, was what happened in my household as Darren Bent calmly headed into an empty net and turned what was impossible into what was probable.

So where do I take this post? Should I rant about the fact that we dominated the game with 75% possession 31 shots, 9 on target and yet still failed to beat a team at the bottom of the league or that the inept defensive marking allowed two goals to be scored from seemingly innocuous positions? Or should I complain about the apparent tactics to collect the ball, play it out wide and cross – a strategy we employed on no fewer than 81 occasions with little if nothing to show for it.  There were so many areas that were in need of discussion that I thought I would offer up my own Q&A if not simply to rid my addled brain of the conflict that now occupies it.

Can United qualify for the Champions League and the riches that it offers?

In a word – no and nor do we deserve to.  We have been woefully inadequate across all areas of play that we simply couldn’t possibly justify a position alongside Europe’s elite.

Where do we need to strengthen the team?

I would say that in every area of the pitch our team requires a refresh and upgrade.  I know it sounds like building a website but in essence this is a team that was built in the infancy of Web 1.0 and now needs an overhaul to make it more mobile friendly (using digital terms).  Personally I would sell Smalling, Evans, Rafael, Nani, Anderson, Cleverly, Fletcher, Welbeck, Hernandez, Young and then retire Giggs, Ferdinand and Evra.  I would love to have kept Vidic but a “mutual” choice to let him move on has been agreed and so it becomes a mute point.  That leaves plenty of positions to recruit for and the possibility of blooding the up and coming youngsters.  Recruitment costs money and building the right team to attract the best players needs Champions League football.  The spiral to mid table could well begin….

Are we tactically inept?

I have never thought that we were a team of tactical geniuses even under Ferguson.  There is no Mourinho thinking that currently or ever has been employed so to critique the team for a sudden ineptness tactically I think is a little unfair.  Ferguson used to win games because he refused to lose and this simply notion was the embodiment of every player that came through under him.  There was always a belief that right until the final whistle went the team were capable of scoring.  This wasnt down to astute tactics or a comprehensive knowledge of the opposition but down to sheer belief and determination.  This has been lost and in the absence of any sound strategies United are suffering from a lack of direction and team leadership.

Is Moyes the man to steer this ship?

A colleague said to me this morning that if they had found out that Moyes had been sacked as Manager then he “wouldn’t have minded” – a feeling that many United fans share at this moment in time.  United are not by nature a sacking club but I disagree with peoples views that “Ferguson was given time so why shouldn’t Moyes”.  Ferguson didnt have the caliber of team that Moyes supposedly inherited and he certainly didnt take over a team that had won more domestic trophies than any other team – and by some way.   But how do you follow the greatest ever Premier League manager.  How do you follow a man that transformed an ailing giant into a global success story, that boasted global player brands such as Cantona, Beckham, Ronaldo, Rooney and Van Nistelrooy? In short you cant – but you can certainly be doing a better job than is currently being displayed.  I will give Moyes time – time to shape his own team and define his own destiny.  But if fortunes haven’t changed by Christmas 2014 then I will be one of many who will be saying there is need for a change as we will in truth be worlds apart!

The Tiger is out of the Woods

Number 77!

Yes its been a while since I last posted anything of any real significance…well in fact anything at all and what with the Lance Armstrong debacle (still a huge fan – another article – another day) and the Oscar Pistorious  drama it probably appears that in truth my writing should have started earlier in the year.  However it was last weekend’s confirmation of a sporting  return that prompted me to put fingers to keys.

It is rare that true sporting greats avoid controversy and the copybook is blotted with legends that have failed to contain themselves privately and live up to the Hero type status that their sporting feats deserve – OJ Simpson, Mike Tyson, Lance Armstrong, Ryan Giggs are but a few that have suffered.  However it is the re-emergence of arguably the greatest golfer of all time that for me is particularly pleasing.  I am not condoning his actions as quite frankly I don’t really care – I merely applaud his return to the top of the golfing elite and thereby cementing his status as a legend.

The 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational victory was Tiger’s 77nd on the PGA Tour (2nd in the all time stats to Ben Hogan) and his 3rd in only 5 events this year.  This has naturally caused many commentators to announce his return with only a few sceptics believing that this shouldn’t be confirmed until a 15th major has been added to the trophy cabinet.  However 2012 wasn’t that shabby a year for Tiger either with him returning to the winners circle for the first time in over 2 years and walking away at the end of the season as the Number 2 on the PGA tour money list and the number 2 in the World Rankings.

So is Tiger out of the woods? Why were so many keen to say he was a spent force? Do we really care what happens in the private lives of our sporting heroes.  My take on these questions are as follows:-

I dont believe Tiger was ever really that lost – yes he had a traumatic time with the events that surrounded his surrender of the clean cut perfect image.  Yes he struggled with subsequent injuries to his leg but aside from that Tiger was rebuilding his life and starting again – reinventing his persona, his swing and the team that surrounds him.  He parted ways with Hank Haney, he split from Steve Williams (who acted like an utter buffoon)  and he started the arduous task of re-engineering his career to take on the fresh challenges that would ultimately lie before him whilst beneath an ever growing spotlight.  Now with Sean Foley (coach) and Joe Lacava (former caddy for Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson) on the bag Tiger is beginning to dominate the golfing stage.  The controversial ad from Nike pretty much summed it up but nevertheless “it does”.

Winning Takes Care of Everything

As to whether its right for our glorious media to consider Tiger a spent force; well that’s a comment I don’t think really needs explaining.  Our sporting media are notoriously guilty of shooting down any star that rises to the top – not the most intelligent of species, the writers of today see nothing in decimating a sporting icon before they have even collected the winners cheque. Look at Rory McIlroy – even now that Tiger has started to prowl again are the self proclaimed journalists questioning the ability of a young golfer who swept all before him last year.  I think the view I share on my last point re private lives, is not one commonly held amongst my piers and friends.  Personally I admire a sports person for (a) their ability within their chosen sport (b) their dedication towards becoming the best they can be at that discipline (c) the focus they have whilst in the “arena” and (d) the sacrifices they make in order to realise sporting greatness.  These are qualities that every child and adult can learn from and aspire to be.  I don’t ask my children to model their lives on that of a sports persons – I dont ask them to embrace their hero’s morality – I simply ask them to understand what it takes to succeed and to acknowledge that being the best you can be takes work, effort and focus – it isn’t something that is given to you.  So when people say that “Tiger was an inspiration to aspiring athletes” and that this has been “tarnished” as a result of his private life antics then I consider them stupid enough not to embrace these character traits in the first place.  Tiger is still an exceptional athlete.  Tiger is still a focused and dedicated athlete.  Tiger still makes sacrifices every day.  His legacy still exists so embrace it.

And that is my take on Tiger – the man that never went anywhere – that never shirked the challenge that lay before him – the man that evaluated how he could become better and then did what he has always done – “JUST DID IT”.

Lean Green Racing Machine

I realise that there are a few blog posts written out there on this particular topic but why not just chalk up another one because quite simply this man deserves the plaudits he receives.

Fortunately for me (or unfortunately depending on whether you are a ‘glass half full’ or ‘glass half empty’ person) I was made redundant at the beginning of July which, timing wise, allowed me the honour of watching this years Tour de France.  Arguably the toughest and most fiercly competed event in the year it sees  22 teams and 198 riders race across France (and parts of Italy) passing through 21 stages and 3,430km.  The tour is usually followed by controversy where hero’s are made and villains are exposed and this year had no shortage of excitement to rival its predecessors.  It produced its first Southern Hemisphere yellow jersey winner, and former World Champion, in Cadel Evans AND the first Englishman to win the coveted maillot vert.  With Britain enjoying a golden era in both track and road cycling it was fitting that the irrespresible Mark Cavendish rose to the top and in the words of his fellow cyclist, David Millar, proved that he is “arguably the greatest sprinter of all time”.  Praise indeed.

In fairness Cavendish was incredible and in only 4 years on tour has amassed 20 stage victories placing him 6th in the all time list of stage winners, 2 behind the great Lance Armstrong and 14 behind the legendary Eddie Merckx.  If he continues to record an average of 5 stage wins each year then he will sit at the top of this grand list before he even turns 30 – an unbelievable feat and one that should rightly laud him as one of the greatest sportsmen this country has ever produced.

The greatest sprinter ever?

So why dont we already place him on that pedestal? Is it because he is deemed as arogant? Controversial? Or is it because his success is the product of his hardworking and incredible team mates?  Well whats wrong if the answer is “Yes” to all of these questions.  Is he arogant when asked “are you the best sprinter in the world today” and he replies “yes”.  What would Usain Bolt say? What would Sebastian Vettel reply with? Surely if you are then lets not be all humble and typically British sitting there praising our piers and that it was our ‘lucky day’ – lets get out there and tell them how it is.  Yes he is simply the best sprinter in the world today.  Why not be a little controversial – its a mans sport and if he can be accused of being “non conformist” because he dares to be different then ‘hell yeah’ lets stoke that fire of controversy.  And behind every great sportsman/woman there inevitably sits a strong team.  Woods had it with Butch Harmon, Steve Williams and Mark Steinberg.  Shumacher did it with Jean Todt and his fearless Ferrari mechanics.  Why cant Cavendish be supported and ‘delivered’ to the line by his incredible HTC team.  You still need to be there at the end to cross the line and bring home the bacon!!

I am a cyclist.  I am English and I will not duck controversy to say that Mark Cavendish is the best British Athlete of his generation.  Period.

Go on Punk….make my day!

Check out the new edition of Football Punk

8^th March 2010: Football Punk magazine has secured an exclusive interview and picture session with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to their relationship with sports giant Nike.  The session included an exclusive cover shoot which has resulted in a spectacular never-seen-before image in which the player is seen emerging from a purple haze of smoke.

In the interview Ronaldo gives an insight into his relationship with the players at Manchester United, his thoughts on club manager Sir Alex Ferguson, his desire to line up alongside Wayne Rooney once again, and his belief that he has yet more dazzling skill to show the world.

He also talks about Portugal’s chances in the World Cup and how he remains totally besotted with the beautiful game. There’s also an insight from Football Punk Editor-at-Large Phil Babb, who recalls playing alongside a young Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon, and clothes lining the young whipper-snapper in training when he got too big for his boots.

Red knight takes devils pawn…

“So what have the romans ever done for us” is not a cry you will hear on the terraces of Stamford Bridge . When Roman Abramovich bought the club for a record £140m in 2003 Chelsea were mainly considered as  ‘also rans’ enjoying limited success (mainly confined to cup competitions) but for a team who aspired to be considered in the same echelons as Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid, this influx of money brought with it a change in fortune and some prawn sandwiches to the west banks of London.

Peoples Front of Judea…..

The transformation was nothing short of incredible and with no real debt to speak of and a Russian billionaire looking to gain immediate dividends on an off the field, the blue half of the capitals western flanks was to embark on an unprecedented £100m spend in player transfers in its first year with Red Rom.   In fact in the 3 years that followed, and under the helm of the astute tactician and “chosen one” Jose Mourinho, Chelsea went on to win 2 league titles, 2 League Cups an FA Cup and an ever presence in the footballing elite that is the Champions League latter stages.

Where am I heading with this point –  well “what have the Glaziers ever done for us” .  Despite the acquisition of the club, in somewhat hostile circumstances, in 2005, the revenue model seems relatively unchanged, the stadium revenues have continued on the same curve that they had pre Glazier and talent acquisition seems to be balanced in favour of incoming revenue i.e. more players leaving for greater value than that spent.  In fact the club seems to be spiralling perilously further into debt and despite the issuing of two bonds to negate US bank capital, the interest alone is around £42m a year, an amount that would render most businesses crippled.  I am not overly worried by the state of the finances if I am honest, a stance ironically shared by United’s CEO David Gill, who recently pointed out at the SoccerEx conference that despite the Premier League owning 58% of the debt in European football, it also owns 48% of the fixed assets.  My concern lies with a disillusioned fan base,  a strange balance of income flowing out of the club for non footballing matters (loan repayments to Glaziers family) and a lack of respect shown by the Americans towards a club respected and admired around the world.

Fans double up on the Glazing…

Enter the Red Knights.  A group of businessmen first, fans second whose sole remit is to wrestle the club back from the “agressors” and place it back in the hands of the people – people who dont believe in waving their “football clubs” around in the sauna that is the billionaires playground.  At the head of this group is the CEO of corporate finance firm Seymour Pierce, Keith Harris (not the one with a his arm found in the nether regions of a stuffed bird – down Jordan) and he is indeed a man who loves the Devils.  With his credentials in the business of acquiring football clubs  (was integral to the acquisition of Aston Villa by Randy Lerner and involved in the takeovers of both Manchester City and West Ham United) the future of Manchester Uniteds counter bid is in strong hands.  The question is whether or not the Red Knights plan is in fact flawed before it starts!  The Glaziers have repeatdly reaffirmed their desire to stay for the long term evaluating the club at over £1.6bn and if debts are considered the figure likely to even tempt the current owners into some modicum of consideration is going to be closer to £2bn.

So how do the Red Knights, who have also countered by arguing that they will only pay a ‘fair price’ for the club, find £2bn? Thats alot of wealthy individuals all commited to the same dream, the same ideal, an ideal shared by the management of the club and more importantly the fans! Could the fans own the club? It may work for Ebbsfleet United but it would it work for the worlds biggest club.  Whilst I would love to believe it I can not see past  an American check mate.  Lets hope the Reds keep marching on on on!

So whats this all about then?

I love sport.  I love everything about it – the inclusion, the isolation, the team ethic, the individual harmony.  I love the highs, those adrenaline rushes it delivers when you run your first 10k and I dread the lows, the  nerves and the stomach cramps it throws at you every time your team or you take to the sporting battlefield.  I watch all sports from the ever popular global soccer leagues to the local lacross matches at my childrens school.    It is my passion and my saviour.  It has been the single biggest guiding and ever present factor in my life and for that one reason I want to write about it, I want my children to live as its friend, its competitor and its heir.

What defines sport is the uncertainty of outcome when the playing field is level and even when the odds are seamingly stacked against the underdog that outcome still remains uncertain.  Sport defines individuals and individuals define it.

Lance Armstrong: Cancer survivor, father, Sporting icon.

This blog isnt meant to be a knowledge base.  Its not designed to inspire.  It is written as an expression of my feelings and frustrations surrounding this glorious pastime, businesss and global phenomenom.  I will openly be critical of sports men and women but I want to state this now before all is said and commented on – sporting athletes are amazing.  They are single minded individuals whose pursuit of excellence is second to none.  They dedicate their lives to that solitary goal of being winners and an athlete who says they do it to compete is not an athlete but a mere participant.  Having worked in the industry as a businessmen, a representative, an aide and as a sportsman myself I can safely say that the men and women who put themselves on the line for their sports week in week out are tantamount to being super human beings.  Some are born with a gift and some have to fight death and in doing so go on to help millions through the biggest broadcasting platform around – Sport.

But … they are fallable and in many cases their kryptonite is the power of celebritydom and money and whilst I do hold them in high esteem my blog is my view on the world that is sport.  Applaud, berate or simply drum your fingers on the table I care not just read.