Last week it was mooted that there was some big news set to come out of Arsenal, and it has materialised in the form of a takeover bid from Stan Kroenke. Whilst given the history of Hicks and Gillette at Liverpool, American owners are immediately mentally repelled, this particular move can only really be a positive change at the club.
The majority of Arsenal fans only tend to care about two things; the first being the safeguarding of the future of the club, and secondly the connection between the board and the playing staff. Arsene Wenger has said repeatedly that he would resign if Alisher Usmanov took control, and consequently the positive of this move is that the Russian will have no chance of gaining the power he craves. Kroenke has a good track record in sport, and will provide the sustainability that the previous board desired, whilst keeping both the backroom and playing staff fundamentally intact. Kroenke is a by-word for stability.
The link between the playing side of things and the board is where Arsenal have been lacking over the past few years. Wenger has single-handedly been charged with building the bridge between the two, and whilst Ivan Gazidis has helped affairs somewhat, there has always been a need for greater clarity and direction from the top. In the last six years or so, has anyone really known how much money is in the bank? Does anyone really know what the ambitions of the manager are in comparison to the board? These are the crucial questions, and they should be resolved by Kroenke’s arrival.
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No-one is asking for Arsenal to change the habit of a life-time and air their every thought in the public arena. The problem has been, however, that Arsenal fans, a majority anyway, feel a little peeved and rightly so. There is absolutely no information about transfer budgets or anything else related to the team emanating from the board when they pay some of the highest rates for season tickets in the country. There is an issue of respect – if the board want people to buy season tickets, it is only right that they inform them of the direction into which the club is headed. Kroenke shall be under pressure to do that, and if he follows his previous habits, he will.
This will place the pressure on Wenger firmly back onto the pitch and outside of the boardroom. No longer will the manager feel obliged to utilise his economical training, and he will be given clear information about what he has to spend, whilst players shall not be forced upon him in the manner of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea. The pressure to win trophies will be higher than ever, but this move should facilitate that happening with more regularity in the future. Kroenke should be welcomed with open arms for he intends not to pile Arsenal with debt, but to merely attempt to bring back success whilst keeping to a sustainable business model, something which should be lauded.
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Read more of Tony’s articles at Gunnersphere.com
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There have been any number of excellent free transfers or ‘Bosmans’ made over the years. Whether it’s Henrik Larsson moving from Celtic to Barcelona, Sol Campbell from Tottenham to Arsenal or Esteban Cambiasso moving from Real Madrid to Inter Milan, it’s clear that you don’t always have to pay over the odds for talented players. Sometimes you just need to sit things out, wait for the opportune moment and strike when the time’s right. With the summer transfer window fast approaching and a number of big names approaching the end of their contracts, the time may well be right for a bit of poaching. We here at Thisisfutbol.com have collated the seven best footballers available on a free transfer this summer. It’s all just further evidence that the best things in life are free.
Miroslav Klose
Yes, he may be gaining in age, but he’s one of small group of footballers who have at least 50 international goals to their name – that’s genuine pedigree for you. The German international has been a vital part of Bayern Munich’s side for the last three years but his contract is set to end in the summer and there are sure to be a host of teams from the Premier League and Europe looking to earn his signature. Despite his prominence in Germany Miroslav has found himself edged out of Bayern’s side thanks to a string of frustrating injuries and the rise and rise of Croatian striker Ivica Olic.
In total, Klose has made 144 appearances for Bayern Munich and netted 52 goals. Whilst that’s not a bad return, it pales in comparison to his International record. Since 2001, Klose has made 108 appearances for Germany and scored 61 goals. That’s more than one goal every two games. Any side that is looking to take him on will surely hope that he can emulate for them the success he’s had with his international side.
Despite injuries problems, Klose remains one of the best finishers in the game. He may be gaining in years, but that hasn’t affected his status as a natural goal-scorer. It’s little surprise then, that Tottenham have been keeping tabs on the German international, given their need for a quick fix upfront. The likes of Everton and Arsenal have all registered their interest and there’s every chance we’ll finally see Klose join the Premier League next season.
NEXTTaye Taiwo
Taiwo is an impressive left-back currently plying his trade for Marseille. Given the fact that he’s a full-back, you can already imagine what clubs have registered their interest in acquiring the player. Both Liverpool and Arsenal are thought to be keen, but rather surprisingly it’s AC Milan who are closest to acquiring the Nigerian’s services. In fact, if Italian sports magazine Il Corriere dello Sport is to believed, AC Milan have already reached an agreement with Marsielle and the left-back will join the Rossoneri in the summer.
There’s little doubting Taiwo’s ability and I’m sure he’s got the chutzpah to make it in both the Premier League and Serie A. He’s known for being an attacking left-back, for shooting (and often scoring) from range and for being a set-piece specialist. He was part of the Nigerian team that reached the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship finals only to lose 2-1 against Argentina. He was deemed the tournament’s third best player behind the likes of John Obi Mikel and Lionel Messi, so he’s been keeping with good company.
He’s won many fans since joining Marseille in 2005 and has racked up 173 appearances with the club. It now looks as though his time is up and he’s set to move to fresh pastures. Though it looks likely he’ll end up at AC Milan, there may still be a chance that a Premier League team will look to acquire his services. Given that they would only have to stump up cash for his wages, don’t be surprised if they do.
NEXTSylvain Marveaux
Marveaux is a marvel not merely for his ability, but also for his utility. He can play in any number of positions in the midfield, but he’s been primarily utilised by his club Rennes as a left-sided midfielder. Unfortunately for Rennes, their contract with the winger runs out at the end of the season and the club are now resigned to losing the services of the talented 24-year-old.
Sylvain has been developing fast over the last couple of seasons – particularly under the tutorage of Rennes manager Frederic Antonetti. In the 2009/10 season Marveaux made 38 appearances and scored 12 goals – not bad figures at all for a winger. These performances brought with them a lot of attention from the Premier League, with both United and Chelsea showing plenty of interest in the French winger last summer.
He’s struggled this season with injuries, but when he has played he’s demonstrated once more why he’s in such high demand throughout Europe. It’s believed that Liverpool are the Premier League outfit closest to winning Marveaux’s signature and he could well be a wonderful signing for the Reds, should he stay fit.
NEXTAndrea Pirlo
It may feel as though Italian international Andrea Pirlo has been around forever, but he’s not as old as you may think. The playmaker is a mere 31-years-old and has plenty to offer any team that comes in with an offer for his services. It’s somewhat surprising then, that thus far there has been little noise from the Premier League concerning the possible acquisition of Pirlo when his contract with AC Milan ends in the summer. The team thought to be closest to acquiring his services at the moment is Juventus, but it’s still anybody’s guess where the Italian will end up.
By now we know what Pirlo has to offer: peerless creativity, a widJoe range of passing as well as a mastery over deadball situations. He is the ultimate playmaker and would improve any team that he joined. Furthermore, Pirlo has a huge amount of experience and has won a stupendous amount of silverware. He played a vital role in Italy winning the 2006 World Cup, and has won two Champions Leagues with AC Milan, two UEFA Super Cups and the 2004 Serie A title.
The man is a born winner. Pirlo may have struggled this season with injury, but it’s clear that he’s still got what it takes to perform at the top level. Clubs in the Premier League would be foolish to ignore his presence in the transfer window this summer. If he could be persuaded to leave Italy, it would be wonderful to see him in the Premier League.
NEXTPhilippe Mexes
Another player who appears to be on his way to AC Milan is French centre-half Phillipe Mexes. The 29-year-old is currently a Roma player, but with his contract set to expire, it’s believed that he would favour a move to Milan. He’s spent seven years at the Stadio Olimpico and still speaks in fond terms of the club, but has also told the Italian Press: “I don’t think I will be staying at Roma, I will be going elsewhere… AC Milan? There has been a lot of talk about such a move and I will probably go there.”
Why more interest hasn’t been shown by Premier League clubs in acquiring Mexes is beyond me. He’s a genuinely top quality defender, with an expert reading of the game and a great sense of positioning. There aren’t many players of this calibre available for free and he ought to be snapped up as soon as possible. I’m surprised that Arsenal haven’t registered any interest in Mexes, given their French connection and their defensive troubles this season.
If you’re looking for experience, look no further. Mexes made 133 appearances for French side Auxerre and 183 appearances for Roma. Although Mexes has never really been a regular for his national side, he does have 22 international caps for France and has been receiving more playing time under Laurent Blanc’s new regime. If AC Milan haven’t agreed terms already, I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of European clubs attempt to woo the Frenchman in the summer.
NEXTJohan Elmander
Gary Megson shelled out £8.2m for Elmander in 2008, making the Swedish striker Bolton’s record signing. Now however, with Elmander attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Juventus and Fenerbache, Bolton boss Owen Coyle has admitted that the Wanderers will struggle to keep hold of their star player. Coyle recently told The Metro: “When the season ends, we will certainly have one last go at trying to persuade him to sign a new contract… But if there is a club out there in the top bracket that can offer him the lure of Champions League football, then he will do what any player would.”
Although reports have emerged suggesting that Elmander has struggled to adapt to life at Bolton, he has been sporadically brilliant throughout his stay with the Trotters. He was particularly brilliant in the first half of this season, before Daniel Sturridge arrived at the club and took the spotlight away from him. He remains the club’s top-scorer having notched up 10 goals in the Premier League this season – not bad considering he’s been forced to play out wide to accommodate Sturridge.
Where the Swedish International will end up next season is anybody’s guess, but I highly doubt that he’ll remain with Bolton. If there’s genuine interest from the likes of Arsenal and Juventus, they’ll be able to offer Elmander increased wages and Champion’s League football. Whether or not he’s got the quality and ability to make it at a top club, however, remains to be seen.
NEXTMichael Owen
As is evident from his Twitter, Michael Owen is desperate to make his mark at Manchester United. The 31-year-old striker recently tweeted: “As I’ve already said, don’t know where, don’t know when, but there is an important goal to come from me this season – mark my words!!!,” Unfortunately the games have sailed by and Owen has been unable to make good on his promise. Sad as it is, Owen is ending his Manchester United career just as he started it: not with a bang, but with a whisper.
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Owen has had a decent goal-scoring record at every club he’s been with except for Manchester United. At Liverpool he scored 118 goals in 216 appearances. At Real Madrid he converted 13 goals in 36 appearances (many of which were as a substitute and at Newcastle United he scored 26 goals in 71 appearances. Whilst at Old Trafford, however, Owen has been held back both by injuries and a lack of form.
Now that he’s behind Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in the pecking order, there’s every chance that United will not look to renew his contract in the summer. That’s despite Owen’s claims that he “would love to play here longer but I will just have to wait and see what the club say. We’ve not held any talks yet.”He’s been linked with a move back to his old club Liverpool, but I don’t think there’s too much likelihood of that happening. The time may be right for a step-down to a mid-table team where Owen could establish himself as a first-choice striker once more and re-find his feet in the Premier League.
Read more of Harry’s articles at the excellent This is Futbol
On the verge of breaking the elite that is the ‘Top Four’, established as one of the Premier League’s top six sides and possessing a bright young side full of potential, it is hard to believe that only twelve months ago these were the attributes of an Aston Villa side under Martin O’Neill’s management. However, after a season that only secured their Premier League survival this weekend, with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal, it is safe to say it has been a long season for the Villa faithful. Can Aston Villa expect more of the same next season or will we see the prospect of European Football return to Villa Park?
Gerard Houiller, in this writer’s humble opinion, isn’t the man to do this. The Frenchman replaced O’Neill, a man who is famous for his spiky demeanour and impulsive behaviour, but it was this personality that pushed Aston Villa closer than they had ever done to repeating the success of the 80’s. The former Liverpool manager is quite the opposite to his predecessor, reserved, ‘set in his ways’ and, lets face it, a PR nightmare (seems to display more devotion to Liverpool fans than those of Aston Villa). Aston Villa’s owner should look to replace the 63 year old with a young visionary of a manager, who could reshape the club from the bottom up.
As key as a manager is to success, the players of course must carry the burden as well. One player doesn’t make the team, but perhaps two do? In the space of a year or so, Villa lost captain Gareth Barry and inspirational winger James Milner. Despite obtaining Stephen Ireland in the Milner deal (Ireland has proved nothing but a transfer flop), the current Villa side hasn’t replaced and moved forward their young and bright team that promised so much. Such talents as Marc Albrighton, Nathan Delfouneso and Barry Bannan all show glimpses of ability but as of yet cannot be relied on, which will be a major problem for the Villains next season if Ashley Young does ‘jump ship’ to Old Trafford or Anfield.
Investment has proved to be the main factor in propelling clubs to success (Manchester City this season, for example) and as of yet it’s hard to gauge whether Randy Lerner is going to be that man to inject some cash into the club. £24 million on Darren Bent and £6 million on Jean Makoun is a good starting point, but should Stewart Downing and Ashley Young leave for rather substantial fees it is paramount that the money is bankrolled back into the team. If not, it could be argued that the couple of big money signings Lerner has done could just be him preventing his assets losing substantial value by getting relegated.
When all is said and done, one thing has to be remembered, better teams than this current crop of players have gone through the Premier League’s trapdoor.
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They may have missed a Champions League berth for next season but Juventus manager Luigi Delneri has been satisfied with his side’s Serie A campaign.Champions League football has been a regular commodity at Juventus in the past, but the only European action the Bianconeri will see next season is if they can overhaul a three-point gap on Roma in sixth and grab a Europa League berth.
Despite currently sitting in seventh and failing to live up to their lofty pre-season ambitions, Delneri believes this campaign has been a successful one.
“We have done some good things this season, as don’t forget we are the team with the least defeats behind Milan and Inter,” he said.
“It’s true we drew many games as well, but three draws or three wins cannot change the judgment on an overall campaign’s work. It would be banal.”
“We have completely rebuilt the squad that we started with in July and big changes do lead to big difficulties. People said I’d find it difficult to lead a group of champions, but that was not the case and I’m happy with the rapport we’ve forged.”
Juventus face 14th-placed Parma on Sunday, but will have to make do without a handful of key players.
Midfielders Milos Krasic and Claudio Marchisio are suspended, Leandro Rinaudo, Momo Sissoko, Fabio Quagliarella, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Zdenek Grygera have already been ruled out and there are major doubts over Alberto Aquilani and Armand Traore.
But Delneri remains confident his side will be able to gain the important three points.
“Having Aquilani would be important as an extra alternative to use during the game, but we’ve done everything we had to in order to face Parma with the right spark,” he said.
Real Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho has been ruled out of Portugal’s Euro 2012 qualifier with Norway on Saturday.Carvalho, 33, picked up a back injury during training earlier this week which leaves coach Paulo Bento without his best centre back for the game at the Estadio da Luz, but he said the team would be able to cover the loss.
“One option less but it does not alter anything regarding our way of playing and the game plan we have,” Bento said.
“We will not be making any types of alterations because of the fact that Ricardo cannot play.”
Even without Carvahlo, there is still plenty of class in the Portugal team, with Manchester United winger Nani and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad.
Portugal drew their Group H opener with Cyprus and lost away against Norway but they can move top of the group with a win over the unbeaten Norwegians at home on Saturday.
“They have a team which have good defence and consistency, who still have not lost at this stage in the group, and for this reason occupy first place,” Bento said.
“But tomorrow we have an opportunity to win at home, to reach first place and make them lose for the first time at this stage of the qualifiers.”
Some things in life are just impossible to predict- the English weather, how many minutes away from relegation Wigan will be at the end of the season, what accent will the latest star of Coronation Street be using.
Arguably the most difficult thing to predict is the form of a certain Luis Carlos Almeida Da Cunha – or “Nani”, as he likes to be known.
Without a doubt one of the most exciting yet frustrating players I’ve ever seen in my 20 odd years of following United.
One minute Nani can be going past defenders with aplomb and sending an unstoppable shot into the back of the net, the next he’s turning himself inside out rolling around on the floor or knocking the overprice meat and potato pie out of someone’s hand in the third tier.
There’s a strong case to be made that Nani is actually United’s most naturally gifted player, yet there’s also one to be argued that with everyone fully he’s not even worthy of a starting place. It’s all a bit bizarre how such a gifted individual is still not guaranteed a starting place and even has some fans unconvinced of his worth to the Red cause.
I’m in the school of thought that Nani should start every game. even with Antonio Valencia fully fit, the arrival of Ashley Young and the temperament and energy of Ji Sung Park , I firmly believe you need the Portuguese winger in the side.
I understand that Nani can be annoyingly greedy, that he often shoots over 350 times a game without troubling the keeper, that at times he seems to be putting in a bid for an Academy Award -or at least a Bafta, with his theatrics, but there’s simply no denying that despite his faults, he is a match winner.
Park may graft like no one else, Valencia may be the best crosser and Young may have a proven Premier League pedigree but none of them are capable of getting hold of the ball and making something out of nothing quite as well as Nani is.
The question is who do you drop at Nani’s expense? Has Sir Alex spent £16 million on Young just for him to keep Michael Owen warm on the bench? I doubt it. Can United really afford to leave out a player like Valencia who seems to bring out the best in Wayne Rooney and has the pace and strength of a Grand National winner? Probably not. Then there’s the big game player that is Mr Park. Dropping Park is arguably the most likely option -unless its a big game, but that still leaves no room for Nani.
With Young and Valencia on the wings Nani would seemingly be relegated to a substitute role, unless of course Ferguson moved him to a more central role.
“But wait! Nani’s always been winger!” I hear you cry, “how can we move him into the middle?”
Well thanks for asking, allow me to elucidate my hypothesis. Nani has shown time and time again, thatr despite his ability for using both feet, when it comes to his left he much prefers shooting with it than he does crossing -although I now you could argue he prefers shooting to crossing with any foot but I’m sure you get my point.
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If Nani was deployed in the centre of the park, he could still run at defenders, he could still latch onto through balls like he did last season, from a similar position- Bolton away, City at home, yet he’d also have the wide man as an option to lay the ball off to.
The other argument would be that in Wayne Rooney, United already have an attacking player that can occupy the role just behind the striker. I’m not disputing this what I’m suggesting is that United employ a formation that can accomodate both.
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By having say Chicharito up top then Rooney and Nani behind him with Darren Fletcher, Park, Anderson, or Michael Carrick, in front of the back four, then Young and Valencia on the wings United may well be able to have their cake and eat it.
I know that may seem a little gung-ho having five attacking players in the same line-up, not to mention the fact you’d also miss out on playing a certain Mr Ryan Giggs but let me ask you this, is the suggested line up all that different from what we saw at times last season? Carrick and Giggs with Rooney off Chicharito and Park and Valencia out wide was used on several occasions. Admittedly Park does a lot more grafting than Nani ever would but then again Nani’s more likely to put teams on the backfoot. giving United a ‘attack is the best form of defence’ type edge.
This is all conjecture of course, the whole experiment could be a disaster of epic proportion leading all sorts of catasrophies and the imminent disbanding of the club. Or would it? Why not give it a try against City in the charity, sorry Community Shield? If it doesnt work its not the end of the world and if it does, then maybe we can unleash it again against West Brom and really take the season by storm.
Have I gone in off the deep end or is there a small island of sense in my ocean of dribble? Feel free to comment suggest and abuse below.
Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High
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Monday was the first day we saw Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard out on the training field (pictured left) after previously being absent from pre-season training. The lengthy absence has led some to speculate that the Liverpool captain’s injury may take longer to heal than initially thought and the Sunday Mirror even suggested he could miss the first two months of the season. The fact that he is back on the training pitch though suggest such reports are wide of the mark, and even if we look at quotes from Gerrard a month ago, it seems the recovery process is still on track:
“I’ve had time to get my body right, get my body strong. I’m still four or five weeks (speaking on June 22nd) away from playing a game but I believe I’ll come back in better physical condition than I’ve ever been. I want to come back with a bang, I want to have a big season.”
There have been suggestions that he could make his first appearance of the season against Valencia at Anfield on August 6th, and that would certainly tally with the comments he made back in June.
Still, such a timetable would mean that the Reds first fixture of the season against Sunderland on 13 August maybe out of the question for Gerrard to start. With the state of the art Sports Science and Medicine department at Liverpool now, I fully trust them to get Gerrard’s recovery right. We certainly don’t want him coming back too soon and suffering another injury.
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The fact is though, unlike the lack of depth which has hindered Liverpool in the past couple of seasons, the absence of Gerrard won’t be so acutely apparent as would have been the case in previous years. Although still an essential first team play, Kenny Dalglish’s side demonstrated in the last six months of last season that they can play attractive attacking football even without our talisman.
In addition, the Reds have added Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam to an already well stocked central midfield area, which also comprises Raul Meireles and Alberto Aquilani , which means his presence for the first few games will hopefully not be sorely missed.
Still, it would be great to see Stevie back in action as soon as possible, and with an important Premier League match away at Arsenal on August 20th, we would like to see him back sooner rather than later.
Although it must be said that Gerrard was not at his best when fit for some parts of last season, a lot of this may have been down to his groin problems. With these hopefully sorted out, we could see a return to some blistering form for the Reds captain, and if he can contribute to a midfield, with the likes of Downing, Adam and Henderson alongside him, it could be one of the most creative in the league, creating goal chances for the £57m strike force of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez . Get fit soon Steven!
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Daniel Levy is fast becoming the marmite-man of English football. Some fans, most notably those of London rivals Chelsea, are far from happy with the way the Tottenham chairman is standing stubbornly in the way of Luka Modric’s ‘dream move’ to Andre Villas-Boas’ side, seeing his protestations as no more than petty time-wasting. Others look at his actions as standing-up rather than standing in the way. Too many times players have held clubs to ransom over transfers, and this is surely a case of it going too far.
It is hard to look at the situation at White Hart Lane and not feel utter despair for the fans as well as the management. Harry Redknapp, love him or hate him, is without a doubt one of the most open and to-the-point managers in the game. And this openness has given the Modric issue a refreshingly different angle to outsiders than with normal transfers. While moves are often left to speculation and wild rumour, Redknapp has come out and told reporters exactly what was offered, exactly what the player has told him and exactly why they have so far rejected all advances for the Croatian.
One of the main reasons for this, apart from the Tottenham manager’s no BS approach, is the fact that his chairman is unequivocal in his stance that Modric will remain at the club. This kind of support has been lacking elsewhere this summer, most notably at Arsenal where Arsene Wenger looks to be fighting a losing battle to hold onto his players.
But one thing that separates the two North London clubs in their transfer battles is the issue of the contract. Daniel Levy’s position is strengthened by the fact that Modric has a whopping 5 years to run on his 6 year contract. Compare this to the Arsenal situation, where Samir Nasri has only a year left to run, and it is clear to see why Levy is so hardened in his resistance.
The supposed ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ that Luka Modric has spoken of in a recent interview with a Croatian newspaper is the one thing that he is able to cling to in this episode, but even that looks to have been worded well enough by Levy that there is little wiggle room for Modric. If it did in fact take place, the Croatian has been quoted as saying that Levy said he would consider an offer that suited, “both parties.” It seems the recent bids have only satisfied the Modric camp, and so the Spurs chairman is well within his rights to reject the offers, as they simply don’t suit Tottenham.
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And some of this hard-line stance looks to be rubbing off on North London rivals Arsenal. Arsene Wenger has recently come out stating that he is 100% determined to keep hold of both Nasri and Cesc Fabregas despite the vocal interest from Manchester and Barcelona.
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The very fact that forcing players to adhere to the contracts that they signed is becoming the exception to the rule shows what a worrying state the game is in. In the real world there wouldn’t be any quibbling; you agree to the contract and you see it out. For some reason football has taken on an inflated sense of self-importance that has allowed it to separate itself from reality. The game needs more people like Levy to stand-up and make it known that they will no longer put up with this arrogance.
Ready to join the revolution? Or is this all coming across just a little too self-righteous? Let me know on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/_tomclose I’ll be sharpening my guillotine.
If the Premier League get the chance to test out goal-line technology, it will be the first time in a while I have used these words: Great decision. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it should be introduced to the game. We should have had it for the past 10 years and I don’t know why FIFA haven’t done it before now. It’s just common sense and this is an era when we should have clear-cut decisions, because there is no need to debate whether a ball has crossed the line. There have been so many incidents over the years – and that ridiculous Spurs goal at Old Trafford still gets to me. How was that not given?
The issue has become a joke and I’ll be very glad when it’s sorted out. Think about how long people have debated Geoff Hurst’s controversial 1966 World Cup final goal. No one knew if it had crossed the line, and it was only really given because Roger Hunt put his hand up to claim it. Hunt deserved to have his name on that goal. In fact, a few years ago he went to the funeral of the Azerbaijani linesman who awarded it. We all asked Roger if he knew the great man’s last words. Roger reckons he said: “It’s over.”
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At least the introduction of video technology will bring an end to corny jokes like that and bad decisions. I think Frank Lampard’s non-goal against Germany at last year’s World Cup was the final straw. Even Sepp Blatter couldn’t bend that one if he tried! It should have counted – end of story. It’s been proven beyond doubt that match officials make mistakes. And it’s understandable, as linos have to keep up with play and if someone scores from 20 yards, how can they reach the touchline to see in time?
Modern sport has grown with TV, with millions of people watching who see things the officials can’t. You get technology in cricket, horse racing and tennis, so it must come into football too – but only for goal-line decisions. We do not want somebody appealing for a foul or penalty and holding up the game, as it would kill it.
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This reminds me of when football first started to be televised. At the time, Jimmy Hill was bringing it to the BBC, and I can remember Joe Mercer having a word with him. Joe was a terrific player from Arsenal, but he wasn’t impressed with his games being on TV and told Jimmy so. Back then, players liked to exaggerate their goals to people who hadn’t been at the game. Joe liked to tell people he had beaten five men and banged one in the top corner, even if it was just a tap in! As soon as he couldn’t embellish how great he was, he said the romance of the game was dying.
For sure, when goal-line technology is introduced, the romance will be dead. But we’ll have that one thing we all love more than anything – proper goals.
Amongst the late flurry of transfer deals being completed in the latter days of August, one capture seemed to go unnoticed and awry from the public’s insatiable gaze.
Whilst Spurs were busy attempting to quash and quell rumours of the possible departures of Luka Modric (for whom they were successful) and Peter Crouch (alas, unsuccessful), a diminutive, prodigious Spaniard was being ushered into the revolving doors of White Hart Lane.
Iago (or Yago, depending on lingua franca) Falqué is only 21, yet the attacking central midfielder has already been on the books of several European powerhouses: firstly Real Madrid, then Barcelona, and then Juventus, with a loan spell at Villarreal amongst that whilst at i Bianconeri. And now, in a small victory in their hankering for European recognition, Spurs can now be added to that roll call, for Iago, his preferred moniker, was plucked from obscurity by Harry Redknapp as someone with a bright future. But, with those previous employers in mind, it beggars the question: how and why hasn’t he accomplished that potential?
As the Spain Under-21s vanquished, in a fashion similar to their La Roja Furia senior counterparts, all before them in this summer’s Under-21 European Championships, certain names became synonymous with the ensuing inevitable praise: David de Gea, Thiago Alcantara, Juan Mata, Iker Muniain to name but a few. With Spanish football at its zenith (any Spaniard seemingly has a zero added to their transfer fee, just because of their nationality), the future’s promising for the Spanish youth; but how has Iago’s bright star faded from this galaxy?
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After starting off at Real, he was poached by their Catalonian rivals, only to not make the cut (just one appearance, in seven years, in a Barcelona B team led by Pep Guardiola), which is nothing to be disheartened about: if Barca set the bar for today’s standard, nobody could blame Falqué for failing to penetrate outer-space and proceed to vault that bar.
But he also never settled in northern Italy, as he made no appearances for Juve. He was shipped out first to Bari (again, no appearances) and then to Villarreal’s B team, where he did, eventually, enjoy a fruitful spell, albeit in their B team.
So, he clearly has potential as these luminaries of football keep picking him up; but what should Redknapp be wary of? What is it that is so hindering his progress? The answer, it could be said, is purely bad luck. Not your usual Owen Hargreaves-style injury bad luck, but just a victim of poorly-advised decisions, maybe made by him, maybe made for him. For starters, competition’s always going to be tough for those exiting the Barcelona academy of La Masia. It’s understandable, yet not apocalyptic, if the youngster doesn’t make the cut; messrs. Fabregas and Piqué seem to have recovered suitably after initially being deemed surplus to requirements.
In addition, he shouldn’t have gone to Italy. He doesn’t speak the language, he had no previous accomplishments upon which to base his claim for a place in the team, and he was in crass competition with seasoned signors.
But is Tottenham a better decision? On paper, it would appear not. Principally, Spurs are currently, whilst starving in the striking department, overrun with midfielders; at the last count, they have ten player who would probably be ahead of him in the pecking order for those two central midfield positions. Furthermore, Spurs don’t have a fabled reputation for nurturing youth. They’re not renowned for it and, preferring to import players, they don’t rely on it for success. The most recent example of Gio dos Santos is an alarming citation of what can happen to a prodigious youngster starved of first-team chances.
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Alas, the jury’s out for Iago. He may yet have some Sandro-esque luck and be granted a first-team chance due to extraneous circumstances. Or, speaking historically, he may just be a glorified bench-warmer. Whilst time will tell, there is no doubt that this was one of the more bizarre transfer deals, for all concerned.
Article courtesy of Theo Rowley from This is Futbol