FOR as long as anyone can remember, all football managers have been fearing the vote of confidence, which often sees them lose their job soon after.
So you have to wonder if Adam Pearson pulled off a masterstroke when he refused to give manager Phil Brown any assurances over his long-term future when he returned as Hull’s chairman.
In a refreshingly honest approach, Pearson said Brown would be in charge of the next game against Stoke but that he hasn’t got a job for life. Since then Hull are unbeaten in three games, with two wins and one draw, and all of a sudden they look like they might have what it takes to stay up for another season.
Showing posts with label football blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football blog. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Time to use video technology and punish cheats properly after hand of Henry
IN THE aftermath of Thierry Henry’s handball against the Republic of Ireland there should be two pressing points for FIFA to consider – introducing video technology in games and finding a way to sufficiently punish cheating.
Everyone who saw the TV replays could see Henry blatantly and deliberately control the ball with his hand (twice) before crossing for William Gallas to score. And no doubt the fourth official also saw it on the replay.
Which begs the question, why can’t they do something useful rather than trying to make sure the managers are inside the lines of their technical areas? If the linesman saw Henry handle the ball he could tell the referee and the goal would have been disallowed so why don’t the fourth officials have the same powers when they’ve got the advantage of being able to see a replay? For something that is so clear cut and when so much is at stake?
It’s been done before on the biggest stage possible – the last World Cup final in 2006, ironically involving France against Italy. In extra-time, Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi and the incident was missed by the three officials on the pitch but fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo saw it on the replay told referee Horacio Elizondo, who sent the Frenchman off.
It didn’t matter how the decision was made, the important thing was that the right decision was made. If the fourth official was not used, Zidane might well have scored in the penalty shootout and France instead of Italy could have unjustly been crowned world champions.
That moment promised to be a revolution in football but I’ve not seen anything like it since. While it would be dangerous to question every decision using technology, as most contact decisions are debatable anyway, if the fourth official has got conclusive evidence to change the decision as in Henry and Zidane’s case, I see no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to tell the referee what they’ve seen.
While the handball decision cannot be changed and a replay would only open up a can of worms, FIFA can still punish Henry. Football is a long way behind other sports such as Formula One and rugby in terms of dealing out sufficient punishment for cheats.
If Henry was banned for five international games, thus missing some, if not all of France’s World Cup, it would surely make other professional footballers think twice about going to such extreme lengths to win. Similar punishments for players that blatantly dive to win a penalty when no contact has been made should be put in place.
As an admirer of Henry’s supreme talent of course it would be a shame if he was to play no part in what will almost certainly be his last World Cup. But surely it would be a much bigger shame if cheating was allowed to continue as just part and parcel of the game.
Everyone who saw the TV replays could see Henry blatantly and deliberately control the ball with his hand (twice) before crossing for William Gallas to score. And no doubt the fourth official also saw it on the replay.
Which begs the question, why can’t they do something useful rather than trying to make sure the managers are inside the lines of their technical areas? If the linesman saw Henry handle the ball he could tell the referee and the goal would have been disallowed so why don’t the fourth officials have the same powers when they’ve got the advantage of being able to see a replay? For something that is so clear cut and when so much is at stake?
It’s been done before on the biggest stage possible – the last World Cup final in 2006, ironically involving France against Italy. In extra-time, Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi and the incident was missed by the three officials on the pitch but fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo saw it on the replay told referee Horacio Elizondo, who sent the Frenchman off.
It didn’t matter how the decision was made, the important thing was that the right decision was made. If the fourth official was not used, Zidane might well have scored in the penalty shootout and France instead of Italy could have unjustly been crowned world champions.
That moment promised to be a revolution in football but I’ve not seen anything like it since. While it would be dangerous to question every decision using technology, as most contact decisions are debatable anyway, if the fourth official has got conclusive evidence to change the decision as in Henry and Zidane’s case, I see no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to tell the referee what they’ve seen.
While the handball decision cannot be changed and a replay would only open up a can of worms, FIFA can still punish Henry. Football is a long way behind other sports such as Formula One and rugby in terms of dealing out sufficient punishment for cheats.
If Henry was banned for five international games, thus missing some, if not all of France’s World Cup, it would surely make other professional footballers think twice about going to such extreme lengths to win. Similar punishments for players that blatantly dive to win a penalty when no contact has been made should be put in place.
As an admirer of Henry’s supreme talent of course it would be a shame if he was to play no part in what will almost certainly be his last World Cup. But surely it would be a much bigger shame if cheating was allowed to continue as just part and parcel of the game.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Man City will be crunch clash for Benitez's Liverpool future
EVERY game seems to be make or break for Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez at the moment.
He was supposedly on the brink before the 2-0 win over Manchester United and after the 3-1 defeat at Fulham on Saturday the pressure is back on again.
While a defeat at Lyon on Wednesday would mean Liverpool’s Champions League and Premiership hopes would be effectively over already, I cannot see Benitez going – just yet anyway.
The real crunch game for the Spaniard’s immediate future will come on November 21 when they take on Man City at Anfield.
Traditionally, Liverpool are not a sacking club and would prefer to review things at the end of the season, not to mention the huge compensation package they would have to pay Benitez. Changing managers now won’t suddenly make them title contenders this season and they will have a much better pick next summer when a new manager can come in and start from scratch.
However, lose to City and their hands might be forced early. After the disastrous start to the season, Liverpool’s targets have to be revised and qualification for the lucrative Champions League next season will now be their top priority.
There is no doubt that City offer the biggest threat to the ‘Big Four’ monopoly and a win at Anfield would have Liverpool’s owners fearing the worst.
The idea of missing out on the Champions League and the financial benefits that come with it is unthinkable for a club like Liverpool. If that is put under serious risk, Benitez will surely pay the price before it’s too late.
He was supposedly on the brink before the 2-0 win over Manchester United and after the 3-1 defeat at Fulham on Saturday the pressure is back on again.
While a defeat at Lyon on Wednesday would mean Liverpool’s Champions League and Premiership hopes would be effectively over already, I cannot see Benitez going – just yet anyway.
The real crunch game for the Spaniard’s immediate future will come on November 21 when they take on Man City at Anfield.
Traditionally, Liverpool are not a sacking club and would prefer to review things at the end of the season, not to mention the huge compensation package they would have to pay Benitez. Changing managers now won’t suddenly make them title contenders this season and they will have a much better pick next summer when a new manager can come in and start from scratch.
However, lose to City and their hands might be forced early. After the disastrous start to the season, Liverpool’s targets have to be revised and qualification for the lucrative Champions League next season will now be their top priority.
There is no doubt that City offer the biggest threat to the ‘Big Four’ monopoly and a win at Anfield would have Liverpool’s owners fearing the worst.
The idea of missing out on the Champions League and the financial benefits that come with it is unthinkable for a club like Liverpool. If that is put under serious risk, Benitez will surely pay the price before it’s too late.
Friday, 9 October 2009
Football is a cruel business
THE departures of League One bosses John Barnes and Peter Taylor from Tranmere Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers respectively is a reminder of the harsh world of football.
I always find it a bit of a mystery why a manager considered good enough at the start of the season is no longer good enough with less than a quarter of the season gone.
It’s hard to make a strong case for Barnes after Tranmere’s disastrous start to the season but the surprising thing there is that he was given the job in the first place.
Taylor left Wycombe by mutual consent, though everyone knows these matters are never “mutual”, no matter how clubs want to dress it up - they’re either black or white with no grey areas. I get the impression Taylor was sacked and, looking in from the outside, I feel he got a bit of a raw deal.
Wycombe have yo-yoed between League One and League Two for years and if they’re realistic a 20th place finish this season would be an achievement and a sign of progression. After leading Wycombe to promotion last season, surely Taylor would have been the best candidate to try and achieve that.
I always find it a bit of a mystery why a manager considered good enough at the start of the season is no longer good enough with less than a quarter of the season gone.
It’s hard to make a strong case for Barnes after Tranmere’s disastrous start to the season but the surprising thing there is that he was given the job in the first place.
Taylor left Wycombe by mutual consent, though everyone knows these matters are never “mutual”, no matter how clubs want to dress it up - they’re either black or white with no grey areas. I get the impression Taylor was sacked and, looking in from the outside, I feel he got a bit of a raw deal.
Wycombe have yo-yoed between League One and League Two for years and if they’re realistic a 20th place finish this season would be an achievement and a sign of progression. After leading Wycombe to promotion last season, surely Taylor would have been the best candidate to try and achieve that.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Man City and Hughes have a long way to go to win the sceptics over
WITH money and power always comes a certain degree of scepticism.
You only have to take a look at the way Chelsea have arguably overtaken Manchester United as the most hated club in the country amongst neutrals since Roman Ambramovich took over with his millions to see that. So the nouveau riche of Manchester City should tred carefully if they want to win people over – but they’ve not made the best of starts.
Sure there’s a lot to be admired about the way owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed has kept faith with a young British manager when others might have sacked Mark Hughes to bring in a ‘big name’ foreign manager and if City were to come out of the shadow of rivals United and break the Big Four monopoly that would be no bad thing. However, in the last few weeks, City and Hughes haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory.
First of all there was the pursuit of Joleon Lescott, which certainly rubbed Everton boss David Moyes up the wrong way. Even Chelsea, rather hypocritically, had groans about the way City tried to sign England captain John Terry.
Then there was Emmanuel Adebayor’s behaviour in the 4-2 win over Arsenal when he seemed intent on booting the boot in (quite literally) on his old club and caused a riot in the crowd and an innocent steward to get injured by celebrating his goal in front of the Gunners fans.
Then in the Manchester derby, Craig Bellamy decided to wander over to a fan who got on the pitch and give him a slap even though the stewards had the situation well under control.
Perhaps worse is the way Hughes has stood by Adebayor over his stamp on Robin Van Persie and even went as far as to suggest Bellamy could be labelled a ‘national hero’ for his actions. Of course, he didn’t take such a laissez faire approach when Man United scored the winner deep in stoppage time and a massive outburst on the officials followed.
Personally I can’t believe quite how much fuss has been made over the late goal this week, while the behaviour of Bellamy and Gary Neville, who celebrated the winner in front of the City fans, has been more or less brushed under the carpet.
Firstly, it’s not hard to see where all the stoppage time came from when you consider there were four goal celebrations in the second half before Bellamy’s equaliser which added at least another 45 seconds, and three substitutes in the 90 plus Michael Carrick’s introduction in stoppage time, all adding another 30 seconds each.
But more to the point, Hughes’ main concern should have been why a striker of Michael Owen’s goalscoring calibre was given so much time and space to score the winner.
It is also worth remembering that it was 11v11 and in all that added on time Man City had just as much chance of scoring the winner as United did.
United have been branded lucky over the years for the amount of late goals they have scored but that’s why they have been so successful. They always play to win until the final whistle – something Hughes and City might want to make a note of if they are serious about redressing the balance of power.
You only have to take a look at the way Chelsea have arguably overtaken Manchester United as the most hated club in the country amongst neutrals since Roman Ambramovich took over with his millions to see that. So the nouveau riche of Manchester City should tred carefully if they want to win people over – but they’ve not made the best of starts.
Sure there’s a lot to be admired about the way owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed has kept faith with a young British manager when others might have sacked Mark Hughes to bring in a ‘big name’ foreign manager and if City were to come out of the shadow of rivals United and break the Big Four monopoly that would be no bad thing. However, in the last few weeks, City and Hughes haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory.
First of all there was the pursuit of Joleon Lescott, which certainly rubbed Everton boss David Moyes up the wrong way. Even Chelsea, rather hypocritically, had groans about the way City tried to sign England captain John Terry.
Then there was Emmanuel Adebayor’s behaviour in the 4-2 win over Arsenal when he seemed intent on booting the boot in (quite literally) on his old club and caused a riot in the crowd and an innocent steward to get injured by celebrating his goal in front of the Gunners fans.
Then in the Manchester derby, Craig Bellamy decided to wander over to a fan who got on the pitch and give him a slap even though the stewards had the situation well under control.
Perhaps worse is the way Hughes has stood by Adebayor over his stamp on Robin Van Persie and even went as far as to suggest Bellamy could be labelled a ‘national hero’ for his actions. Of course, he didn’t take such a laissez faire approach when Man United scored the winner deep in stoppage time and a massive outburst on the officials followed.
Personally I can’t believe quite how much fuss has been made over the late goal this week, while the behaviour of Bellamy and Gary Neville, who celebrated the winner in front of the City fans, has been more or less brushed under the carpet.
Firstly, it’s not hard to see where all the stoppage time came from when you consider there were four goal celebrations in the second half before Bellamy’s equaliser which added at least another 45 seconds, and three substitutes in the 90 plus Michael Carrick’s introduction in stoppage time, all adding another 30 seconds each.
But more to the point, Hughes’ main concern should have been why a striker of Michael Owen’s goalscoring calibre was given so much time and space to score the winner.
It is also worth remembering that it was 11v11 and in all that added on time Man City had just as much chance of scoring the winner as United did.
United have been branded lucky over the years for the amount of late goals they have scored but that’s why they have been so successful. They always play to win until the final whistle – something Hughes and City might want to make a note of if they are serious about redressing the balance of power.
Monday, 14 September 2009
Gerrard and Lampard thrive for Fab's 'new England'
THE Gerrard-Lampard debate now seems to be a thing of the past.
Fabio Capello has succeeded where previous England managers have failed by getting the best out of the two midfielders, not to mention Wayne Rooney, who has scored nine goals in eight qualifying matches.
I was one of Steven Gerrard’s critics when he was so inspirational for Liverpool yet distinctly average for England but Capello seems to have found a role for him where he has flourished. The left of midfield might not be Gerrard’s preferred position but with a license to roam inside, he’s flourished and his link-up play with Rooney and the fluidity with which they often change positions has been a particularly pleasing feature of the ‘new England’.
Lampard’s international career also seems to be resurrected under Capello. He seemed to be in decline after the 2006 World Cup but ever since the 4-1 victory in Croatia last year he’s back to his best and was as good as anyone on the pitch in the 5-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley that sealed England’s spot at the World Cup. Two goals apiece and stand-out performances from Gerrard and Lampard was the confirmation, if it was needed, that both can play a big role in the same England team.
The transformation under Capello is nothing short of incredible. From the team that looked hopeless less than two years ago in the 3-2 defeat against Croatia that ended our Euro 2008 hopes, England now go to the World Cup with possibly the best chance of winning it since 1966.
Of course, we shouldn’t get too carried away. Without expecting England to win it, I think we will be competitive and once you get past the group stages, it’s a knockout competition where anything can happen. Spain and Brazil are the favourites and look like the two sides to beat and the perfectionist Capello knows there is still work to do. Doubts still remain over the goalkeeper position, the defence has looked shaky at times and our fortunes at major tournaments are unlikely to change until we master how to score from the penalty spot.
Fabio Capello has succeeded where previous England managers have failed by getting the best out of the two midfielders, not to mention Wayne Rooney, who has scored nine goals in eight qualifying matches.
I was one of Steven Gerrard’s critics when he was so inspirational for Liverpool yet distinctly average for England but Capello seems to have found a role for him where he has flourished. The left of midfield might not be Gerrard’s preferred position but with a license to roam inside, he’s flourished and his link-up play with Rooney and the fluidity with which they often change positions has been a particularly pleasing feature of the ‘new England’.
Lampard’s international career also seems to be resurrected under Capello. He seemed to be in decline after the 2006 World Cup but ever since the 4-1 victory in Croatia last year he’s back to his best and was as good as anyone on the pitch in the 5-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley that sealed England’s spot at the World Cup. Two goals apiece and stand-out performances from Gerrard and Lampard was the confirmation, if it was needed, that both can play a big role in the same England team.
The transformation under Capello is nothing short of incredible. From the team that looked hopeless less than two years ago in the 3-2 defeat against Croatia that ended our Euro 2008 hopes, England now go to the World Cup with possibly the best chance of winning it since 1966.
Of course, we shouldn’t get too carried away. Without expecting England to win it, I think we will be competitive and once you get past the group stages, it’s a knockout competition where anything can happen. Spain and Brazil are the favourites and look like the two sides to beat and the perfectionist Capello knows there is still work to do. Doubts still remain over the goalkeeper position, the defence has looked shaky at times and our fortunes at major tournaments are unlikely to change until we master how to score from the penalty spot.
Monday, 17 August 2009
Liverpool can still win title after opening day defeat
AMONGST all the hype and knee-jerk reactions that surrounds the opening weekend of the Premier League season, it’s important not to get too carried away by early results.
In the previous two seasons Manchester United have drawn with teams who ended up relegated – Reading and Newcastle – at Old Trafford in their first game before going on to win the league on both occasions. In fact in the 2007/08 season, they only picked up two points from their opening three games before racking up an impressive 87 from 38 games.
So Liverpool shouldn’t be too concerned that they lost their opener to a good Tottenham side. White Hart Lane will be a tricky place to go for any Premiership team this season, while their main title rivals, Chelsea and Man United, hardly set the world alight with one-goal victories over sides who are likely to be fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the table come May.
However, there are two key areas that need to be addressed if Liverpool are going to end their 20-year wait to win the league. Their first worry is the amount of goals they have conceded from set pieces over recent years, Sebastien Bassong’s headed winner being the latest. Surely it is time for the zonal marking system to be given the boot. Secondly, looking at their bench against Tottenham hardly inspires you with much confidence. While Liverpool’s first 11 looks strong, the depth is simply not there and two or three signings before the transfer window, with the priority being a striker, must surely be on Rafa Benitez’s mind if there is any more cash to splash.
Elsewhere, Roberto Martinez made a great start to life as a Premier League manager as his Wigan side recorded an impressive 2-0 victory at Aston Villa but weren’t we saying the same thing 12 months ago when Paul Ince’s Blackburn won 3-2 at Everton on the first day and look what happened there. Both are young and talented managers, I just hope Martinez gets more time than Ince did.
Like Ince at Blackburn, Martinez is trying to mould a side to play attractive, free-flowing football, rather than the more physical and in your face sort of approach that those particular northern sides have become renowned for. While Wigan looked very good on Saturday, they are unlikely to come up against a side as out-of-sorts as Villa were once the Premiership is in full swing and the challenge will be whether they can maintain the high standards they have now set themselves.
In the previous two seasons Manchester United have drawn with teams who ended up relegated – Reading and Newcastle – at Old Trafford in their first game before going on to win the league on both occasions. In fact in the 2007/08 season, they only picked up two points from their opening three games before racking up an impressive 87 from 38 games.
So Liverpool shouldn’t be too concerned that they lost their opener to a good Tottenham side. White Hart Lane will be a tricky place to go for any Premiership team this season, while their main title rivals, Chelsea and Man United, hardly set the world alight with one-goal victories over sides who are likely to be fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the table come May.
However, there are two key areas that need to be addressed if Liverpool are going to end their 20-year wait to win the league. Their first worry is the amount of goals they have conceded from set pieces over recent years, Sebastien Bassong’s headed winner being the latest. Surely it is time for the zonal marking system to be given the boot. Secondly, looking at their bench against Tottenham hardly inspires you with much confidence. While Liverpool’s first 11 looks strong, the depth is simply not there and two or three signings before the transfer window, with the priority being a striker, must surely be on Rafa Benitez’s mind if there is any more cash to splash.
Elsewhere, Roberto Martinez made a great start to life as a Premier League manager as his Wigan side recorded an impressive 2-0 victory at Aston Villa but weren’t we saying the same thing 12 months ago when Paul Ince’s Blackburn won 3-2 at Everton on the first day and look what happened there. Both are young and talented managers, I just hope Martinez gets more time than Ince did.
Like Ince at Blackburn, Martinez is trying to mould a side to play attractive, free-flowing football, rather than the more physical and in your face sort of approach that those particular northern sides have become renowned for. While Wigan looked very good on Saturday, they are unlikely to come up against a side as out-of-sorts as Villa were once the Premiership is in full swing and the challenge will be whether they can maintain the high standards they have now set themselves.
Arsenal fans refunded for Bendtner shirt
NICKLAS BENDTNER was wearing the number 52 shirt for Arsenal in their 6-1 win over Everton on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Apparently the Denmark striker requested it because it’s his lucky number and they changed it so close to the start of the season that those who bought the shirt with his old number 26 on the back were given refunds.
No, I can’t believe it either. With the likes of Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott, and Van Persie in their team, some Arsenal fans actually got Bendtner’s name on the back of their shirt!
Apparently the Denmark striker requested it because it’s his lucky number and they changed it so close to the start of the season that those who bought the shirt with his old number 26 on the back were given refunds.
No, I can’t believe it either. With the likes of Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott, and Van Persie in their team, some Arsenal fans actually got Bendtner’s name on the back of their shirt!
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