I often assume that people are smarter than that. But soon I find myself engaging in discussions that waste everyone’s time. This week I will try to count how many people try to talk about the awfulness that is Blackpool, when just last week they were going to surprise everyone by staying up, that is, shortly after pundits were painting the Tangerine-colored warriors as perhaps the worst team ever to grace the Premier League.

And then we had Allen Hopkins on Twitter today declaring that Arsenal have the best English player for the next ten years in Theo Walcott. Yes, after a performance against Blackpool.

The moral: We don’t always have to draw conclusions from every action. Sometimes you just have to let it be, people. Take the beating at face value. I hope you enjoyed today’s beatings as much as I did. That is all.

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The Classless One

Following Inter Milan’s 3-2 aggregate win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final at Camp Nou, Jose Mourinho said the following:

“This is the best loss of my life. It is a shame I couldn’t play: I would have been awful on the pitch but I would have shed blood as my players did”.

Judging by his classless romp around the football pitch, it is increasingly evident that Jose Mourinho suffers from an inferiority complex.  I fully understand that the Special One’s teams thrive off of an ‘Us against the World’ mentality, however after the battle has been waged and won, it is imperative that the victors not needlessly shame the losers.  Never have I seen anyone, particularly a coach, so blatantly go out of his way to taunt the opposition after a victory.  What is he overcompensating for? His statement above leads me to believe that he wishes he were a professional footballer.  Why else would he run around the pitch as if he played and say such things?

He increasingly sounds like a war-obsessed politician that has never served his country.  It is usually these types that talk tough as if they have been there before.  “When the moment of leaving everything on the pitch arrives, you don’t leave the skill, you leave the blood” he said.  Not to dampen Inter’s magnificent win, which was well deserved, but the manager needs to take a step back and carry himself in a more respectable manner.  I suspect that if he had experienced top-flight football, he would know better than to behave so boorishly.  Perhaps that is why Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola could lose with such grace.  After all, these are two men have played and coached at the highest level.  They have won and they have lost.  They know what it takes and they wouldn’t dare rub their victories in on those who fall short.

The Bad Salesman

Owen Coyle says he won’t stop Gary Cahill from leaving if a bigger team comes along looking to buy the player.  Coyle might as well have hung a ‘For Sale’ sign around the defender’s neck.  That is not to say that he doesn’t rate the player, he obviously does, but it looks as if Bolton would rather cash in on this prized commodity so they can buy a few younger players to sell at a later date.  Could Coyle possibly be trying to tempt Arsene Wenger?   It is no secret that Arsenal is in need of a good central defender.  Perhaps a swap; Arsenal buy Cahill and in exchange Bolton keep Jack Wilshire on loan for another year?

The Great Anfield Historian from Manchester

Life is riddled with hard choices.  For Liverpool, it may soon be the most difficult of choices.  Do they roll over and lose to Chelsea, or do they soldier on and try to gain a point from the encounter?  Either way you cut it, it will surely hurt.  If Liverpool beat or tie Chelsea, they will all but certainly be helping United top Chelsea in the race for the Premier League crown.  That wouldn’t be so bad, if it weren’t for the fact that this coronation would be the 19th for United, one better than Liverpool.  No longer will Liverpool fans be able to fall back to that old reliable refrain, that they have more titles than everyone else.  Should they lose, they will all but certainly be eliminated from contention for the last Champions League spot.  Such a fate may mean that they have to sell players such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.  What does a team in turmoil do?

Now Alex Ferguson chimes in with the following jewel to stoke Liverpool’s fire (that is if they have any fire left):

“I am confident they will do their maximum,” he said. “Great clubs don’t throw their history and traditions away for one game. They have been in 11 European finals. They have won 18 titles. That is a fantastic history. You don’t throw that away. The fans know that too. Do you think the fans want to go home saying their players capitulated and they didn’t try and thinking it wouldn’t happen again?”

I wonder if he would say Liverpool is a great club after the match?  Never have such nice words come out of the Scotsman’s mouth about Liverpool.  I wonder why?  Don’t worry Fergie; I’m sure the Liverpudlians are moved by your kind words.  This will be a game to watch.

Talk about Bad Timing

Roberto Mancini has reportedly told Carlos Tevez that Tevez can leave the club if he is still unhappy with the manager’s training methods.  The player allegedly isn’t fond of the Italian’s two a day training regimen during weeks when the team doesn’t have a midweek game.  Far be it for me to side with a well-paid player, but could the timing of Mancini’s rebuttal have been any worse?  City is in the midst of a tight race for the last Champions League spot, with only three games left.  Instead of creating an unneeded diversion from the task at hand, I think the manager should have bit his tongue and voiced his stance when the season was over.  It would be a shame if the team didn’t achieve the lofty expectations set at the start of  the season started and Mancini found himself on the unemployment line at season’s end.   I say tell Carlos off, just don’t do it until he has gotten you to the promised land.  If he could keep West Ham afloat, he can get Manchester City to the CL.

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Baseball Tops Football in Global Review of Sports Salaries

According to the Annual Review of Global Sports Salaries 2010 by the Sporting Intelligence, the New York Yankees are the highest paid team in all of sport.  That’s surprising considering the global appeal of football around the globe.  Only four football teams (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United) were included in the top 30, with the first three clubs cracking the top ten.   On a league wide basis, the English Premier League, generally considered the richest football league in the world, was ranked fourth behind the NBA, IPL (Indian Premiere League – cricket), and MLB.

(Via The Telegraph)

Renewed Allegations of Match-Fixing in Italy

Two weeks ago, bookmakers suspended bets on the Chievo – Catania match after spotting irregular betting volumes, with over £2 Million worth of bets placed on a draw, particularly a score line of 1-1.  Concern centered around the massive number of bets placed from Asia and the fact that many of the bets were placed as far ahead as five days before the match.  As if that weren’t bad enough, a dubious penalty was awarded in the second half, thereby ensuring a 1-1 draw. Fresh off the suspicions of that Serie A match, new allegations are forthcoming about similar betting concerns in several Serie B matches.  Oh well, so what’s new in Italian football?

(Via The Independent)

Ghanaian Creates “First Soccer Board Game”

FRINDO SOCCER, developed by Ghanaian John Y. Frimpong, is purported to be the first soccer board game ever made.  It is a board game that requires two or more players and it is meant to arouse young people’s interest in soccer.  The game claims to challenge “the mental alertness and faculties” of those who dare play it, while leading “them to understand and appreciate tactical moves and inter-positional changes as in the actual game situation on the field.”  I’m sure this is just marketing-speak for “this is a cool game”, but I hope the game is a lot more fun than it sounds.

(Via Ghana News)

Silly Raymond

In response to the recurrence of French International William Gallas’ calf injury, France National Team coach Raymond Domenech lashed out at his Arsenal counterpart by saying the following:

“It’s outrageous and irresponsible to have played him so early after the injury. It’s scandalous. He had better be fit for the World Cup.”

This is from the same guy that used to play a worn down Thierry Henry for long stretches in meaningless friendly matches.  Besides, I’m not sure exactly what is scandalous about an employer making use of an employee.  After all, Arsenal do pay the player’s wages.  If Domenech wants to talk about scandals, France going to the World Cup instead of Ireland is scandalous.

(Via The Guardian)

World Cup 2010 Theme Song Battle Heats Up

It seems that the race to pen the official FIFA World Cup 2010 theme song has intensified in recent weeks.  It was first thought that that Akon and K’NAAN were the early favorites.  However, it now appears that other international stars are joining the queue.  Hip-Hop duo NERD and Shakira are two of the rumored new contestants for the coveted FIFA World Cup songwriter spot.  I sure hope whoever wins the honor doesn’t simply promote themselves at the expense of this monumental moment in South African and African football history. Since it is the first World Cup on African soil, it would be cool to uplift the continent through the creation of a meaningful song.

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In the aftermath of yet another disappointing exit from the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is rumored to be on the verge of making drastic changes to his team of highly paid mercenaries, I mean stars. As has become routine at this time of year, Chelsea players and coaches are on the proverbial hot seat. In fairness, the owner has let it be known that he covets one thing above all else, a Champions League trophy. Since his arrival, the Russian oligarch has thrown money at the problems facing Chelsea. He has reportedly spent upwards of £600 million in his quest for the crown, with nothing but six measly major trophies to show for it. By most accounts, Chelsea is one of Europe’s elite football teams.  However, Roman remains unsatisfied. He needs to win the Champions League quite simply because he wants Chelsea to be the best football club in Europe.

Roman’s demanding nature reminds me of George Steinbrenner.  Now far removed from active management of the club, The Boss, as he is commonly known, was a demanding and passionate figure in his day. He was so passionate about winning that he spared no expense and frequently meddled in the day-to-day operations of the team. In his pursuit for excellence, he spent lavishly on player acquisitions (to the annoyance of fellow owners) and he seemed to believe that money bought success. Indeed he was right (at least initially). However, it wouldn’t remain that way for long. Although the Yankees won four championships in his first nine years of ownership, the team failed to win another championship for fifteen years.  Many franchises would be ecstatic with four championships in twenty-four years.  But the Yankees with their deep pockets could have been more successful.

Many blame the underachievement to Steinbrenner’s meddlesome and impatient ways. George constantly feuded with managers and players, so much so that he fired twenty managers in his first twenety-three years of ownership. The team wouldn’t regain its winning ways until he was suspended from the game for several years. During that time, his baseball people were given the time and space required to rebuild the team. From that point on, the team won seven championships in thirteen years.

Roman Abramovich is more reserved than Steinbrenner, but they both share a love for meddling with team selection decisions.  Jose Mourinho’s refusal to play certain players, notably Andriy Shevchenko, was apparently one of several factors influencing Roman’s decision to relieve the Special One of his duties. I guess when you’re a successful businessman, you become accustomed to having your way. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume that both Roman and Steinbrenner expected that meddling with their sports teams would yield the same results that they had achieved in business. However, there is one big difference between success outside of the sports arena and success within it; within the sporting arena there can only be one definitive winner.  This unique aspect of sport requires owners to have patience in order to build a team capable of weathering setbacks and achieving greatness.

Over the course of the past few years, Roman has found it hard to deal with the disappointment of not winning the Champions League.  As a result, Chelsea has had six managers in his first seven years of ownership. It is safe to say that turnover at the top hasn’t proven effective in making Chelsea the Kings of Europe. It may just be time for Roman to try a different approach and take a step back. He should give Carlo Ancelotti time and space to make his mark. If there is anything to be learnt from The Boss, it is that micromanagement and impulsive decisions to fire and hire coaches won’t bring the success the Chelsea owner craves. Patience coupled with a clear delineation of roles may just do the trick.

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On the sidelines of yesterday’s Chelsea vs. Inter Milan match, Carlo Ancelotti looked like he was in the third hour of a four hour session on the fourth day of a physics conference.  His face was dead.  Expressionless.  Emotionless.  It was priceless.  My sense is that Ancelotti would make a terrible mime.

The obvious angle here is that Ancelotti’s lack of emotion was passed on to his team.  But Chelsea’s performance can hardly be said to have been emotionless.  Chelsea certainly created chances on the night.  There were a few calls that Chelsea fans will claim were clear penalties.  Crazier assertions have been made.  Penalties have been called for less.  

So who is to blame?  On paper, the team put out by Ancelotti is talented enough to beat any team in any league on any given European night.  The team is full of “on the pitch” leaders.  Ross Turnbull was hardly to blame for Eto’o’s clinical goal.  So can we just chalk this loss up to the chips not falling right for Chelsea?

I suggest there’s no one really to blame.  Teams don’t win every match.  If anything, the Chelsea players didn’t do enough on the night to win.  Period.  But the performance was certainly not atrocious.  You know what is atrocious?  Politics.

Soccer is a great game because after (usually) ninety minutes, we know the winner.  We might not agree with every decision, but at the end of the day, the score is the score and we move on to the next match.  Beer will be consumed.  Argument will ensue.  But when all is said and done, there will be other topics to argue about next weekend.  Someone will be caught having adulterous relations, drinking too much, stealing toilet seats, or sending around inappropriate pictures to strangers on a cellular device.  And life will continue.

Political argument is like arguing over the Inter Milan v. Chelsea match for the next year.  I doubt many of us could stomach that conversation.  So who’s playing next?

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With so much drama in the Premiership, I couldn’t resist pontificating on this weekend’s games.  So here we go …

The Battle of The Former BFFs

Lost in the melodrama about the “handshake that wasn’t” were the kids.  How must the kids be dealing with another case of Football Stars Behaving Badly?  If the photo above is anything to go by, tomorrow’s knuckleheads are gonna be all right. Judging by the bemused look on this little guy’s face, he is enjoying every second of his time at the epicenter of Terry v. Bridge.  After all, he did what JT couldn’t.  He got a handshake from Wayne.

Arsenal v. Stoke Rugby Match

In the aftermath of the Aaron Ramsey leg fracture, it appears that many have missed the point.  The issue isn’t the intent, but rather the result of an action. The fact that one didn’t intend to cause harm, does not excuse one’s actions.  That’s why there’s a crime called manslaughter.  In fairness, on the issue of overly-aggressive or reckless tackles, the blame does not lie solely with the players.  Managers who instruct players to kick opposition players off the pitch and commentators who justify the approach bear some of the blame.  It is highly irresponsible to encourage a mentality that can and has increasingly resulted in such horrific injuries.  Surely the line between being physical and reckless shouldn’t be so thin.  The suggestion that Arsenal needs to toughen up a bit has merit.  However, I wouldn’t want to see teams in the Premiership go the way of teams in the NHL where having an enforcer is a prerequisite.  Hockey is an overtly physical sport, football isn’t.

By the way, was it just me or did the referee swallow his whistle during the game?  As the game went on, it seemed that the players honed in on the fact that the referee was off-duty.  The game more closely resembled a rugby match than a football match.  The referee was as culpable as anyone due to his unwillingness to keep the game under control and his reluctance to penalize players for obvious fouls.  He only issued a red card to Shawcross after realizing the extent of Ramsey’s injury.  Had he been doing his job, he could have settled things down prior to Ramsey’s injury.

Light at the End of the Fratton Park Tunnel

In the midst of all the financial mayhem, can you believe that Portsmouth can make it to the FA Cup Final for the second time in three years with avictory over Birmingham in the semi-finals?  Go figure.  It was good to see Pompey show some character and pull out an impressive victory over Burnley this past weekend.  The Pompey players could have packed it in a long time ago.

Grumpy Old Men

It appears that Rafa Benitez is feeling better.  That much was evident in the post match press conference,when he resumed his war of words with Big Sam.  Rafa needs to work on his sarcasm because he missed the mark a bit when he said that Barcelona are considering adopting Blackburn’s style of play.  Come on, Rafa.  Who do you think you are?  Ozzie Guillen?  It takes years of baby steps to get on that level of idiosyncratic banter.  I realize that some things may be lost in translation, English being his second or third language and all, but Rafa needs to get on with it and focus on the bigger picture, a top four finish.

Stubborn ‘Arry

Russia and Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has been considered surplus requirements by ‘Arry Rednapp for most of the season.  You would think ‘Arry would have been keen to off-load the player as he did with Robbie Keane.  No not a chance.  The Big Sour Puss refused to let the player go in the January transfer window because clubs wouldn’t meet his ridiculous valuation for an unused player. Good thing ‘Arry stuck to his guns.  Apparently, nowadays the Russian is very much wanted, or something close to that.   According to ‘Arry, “He’s got a future here while he’s playing well and scoring goals.”  ‘Arry sure knows how to make a guy feel wanted.  Pavlyuchenko has five goals in his last three starts (and six goals in his last four games).  ‘Arry better be thanking his lucky stars that Pavlyuchenko has kept his head in the game.  Note to ‘Arry: Lose the ego and let bygones be bygones.  If Tottenham are to mount a serious challenge for a top four finish, he should allow the boy to continue his fine run of form.  If not, please let let him go in the summer.

Landycakes

What a difference a week makes!  Landon Donovan is fast learning that life in the Premiership can turn on you in an instant.  Word is he tried to remove himself from playing in his last two games because he felt a bit under the weather. David Moyes played him anyway and in this week’s encounter with Tottenham, the Big Man from L.A. suffered his first set back during his loan move, a colossal miss from point blank range.  Hey Landon, welcome to the Premiership where every opportunity has enormous consequences.

While on the topic of goals during the Tottenham – Everton game, how amazing was Luka Modric’s goal?  I’m a big fan of the skillful Croat.  Watch him create space between defenders in the box and somehow get the ball up over the keeper and under the cross bar.

United v. Villa (Carling Cup)

Kudos to Manchester United for lifting another cup. Sir Alex just seems allergic to losing.  However, with that said, I must say that Villa must feel hard done.  They received a penalty for Nemanja Vidic’s hack job on Gabby Agbonlahor.  However, he should have been sent of the pitch since he was the last man.  As is often the case, United got the break and of course made the most of it.

By the way, I would be remiss if I (like everyone else) didn’t acknowledge Wayne Rooney’s form this season. Talk about stepping up to fill big shoes after the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlito Tevez. Wayne has single-handedly kept United in contention for a record fourth Premiership trophy in a row.  Heck, think about it.  A player of his calibre was asked to play a supporting role to Cristiano Ronaldo last year and did so with vigor.  This season the shackles have been removed and he is showing everyone that he is a great player in his own right.  It’s Wayne’s World at the moment and the rest of us are just lucky to be witnessing his ascension as arguably the best striker in the world.

“Michael Owen for England” Campaign

I wish people would stop the madness with the Owen for England campaign. Sure, Michael’s goal scoring record in an England shirt is unrivaled.  However, under the reign of Fabio Capello, two things seems quite evident, players will only be selected on merit and on consistency (except maybe for Theo Walcott).  The England manager is hell bent on not repeating the team selection mistakes of his predecessors who seemed to enjoy selecting inconsistent performers or injured players. Michael Owen, who has largely been used as a substitute at United, has found it difficult to remain healthy for a prolonged stretch.  He limped off the pitch again this weekend after a good outing where he scored a goal in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley.  It goes without saying that Michael will most likely be a spectator in June.

Ah, the Premier League …

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It is no secret that Arsenal Football Club (AFC) is run under a self-sustainable business model.  The club takes great pride in touting this fact, sometimes to the detriment of some of its own fans who want greater on field success in the form of silverware (AFC has gone five long, arduous years without a major trophy – cue the violin).  According to Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, it is imperative that football teams live within their means, by which he means that clubs should only spend what they make.  That is why a few years ago, after the club decided to build Emirates Stadium, Arsene embarked on an odyssey of sorts  to revolutionize how the squad was constructed.

Arsene and the AFC board put in place a plan that focused more on player development at a young age as opposed to high-priced acquisitions of older, established players.  The thought was that in order to finance a new stadium, the club would have to reign in its spending.  Thus, it made more sense to acquire young, talented players early in their development cycle.  After all, there stood a good chance that these new recruits would end up blossoming into world-class players under the structured tutelage of the Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal coaching staff.  This brazen choice lead to the departure of some of Arsenal’s older heroes such as Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry and ushered in the era of younger players like Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie.

Over the subsequent years of transition, Arsenal has been enormously successful by many standards with the exception of one.  They have finished in the top four of the English Premier League with regularity, been regular participants in the UEFA Champions League group stages and beyond, and have progressed to the late stages of several domestic cup competitions, albeit with young, inexperienced teams. One would think that most, if not all AFC fans would be pleased with such substantive results, but alas, that isn’t quite the case.  In today’s world of instant gratification and exorbitant spending, it appears that there is a growing faction of Arsenal fans who no longer subscribe to the “Arsene Knows” mantra and are increasingly frustrated by the five-year run without silverware.

Prior to the win last week against Liverpool, the squad suffered devastating back-to-back defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Chelsea, the two leading contenders for the Premiership crown.  Due to the lopsided nature of these loses, the detractors have once again been clamoring for the need for squad reinforcements if Arsenal is to truly challenge for honors this term.  To the casual observer, it may appear that these fans perhaps don’t understand or want to understand what the club is trying to do.  In fairness to these fans, the club has been pulling a bit of double speak by advocating its fiscally responsible approach, while at the same time suggesting that funds to acquire world-class players is available.  Well, which one is it?  What gives?  As if on cue, the Arsenal manager, after speaking from both sides of his mouth on this issue in the past (understandably due to negotiation constraints) came out and said that he “cannot afford to bring in big-name players” and that “football lives in an artificial world.”  Considering that the world is in the midst of a financial crisis that many compare to the Great Depression, truer words may not have been spoken.  Looking at the finances of the top four clubs in the Premiership in the 2007-08 season, an interesting picture begins to emerge.

The first thing that may strike you is the enormous amounts of debt that these clubs have amounted, particularly Chelsea and Manchester United.  The stories of massive spending binges for both clubs are well documented.  Chelsea’s billionaire Russian oligarch, I mean owner, Roman Abromovich, has hit the footballing world by storm.  Upon buying the club, he has invested over £700 M, all reportedly in the form of interest-free loans to the club.  Manchester United on the other hand, has been the victim (I use the word loosely) of an American-style corporate leveraged buy-out.  Malcolm Glazer & Co. borrowed immense sums of money to finance the purchase of the club, saddling United with an enormous £699 M debt burden.  Luckily for both clubs, they are able to finance the debt, at least for the time being. Questions have been raised as to how long they can afford to do so (especially in the case of Manchester United, since they have actual interest payments to service), but as the saying goes, “only time will tell”.  As long as United keep making the dosh, they can pay off the interest and keep the banks at bay.  As a matter of fact, United’s spending appears to have abated this year. Their only major move of the summer was the record sale of Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 M  to Real Madrid, which resulted in a modest reinvestment of approximately £20 M. Chelsea, on the other hand, don’t have a care in the world due to the vast wealth of Uncle Roman.  As long as he is in the mood to foot the bill, he can single handedly keep the party going.

AFC and Liverpool on the other hand, live a couple of stratospheres below their neighbors to the north in the Premiership table.  With the new stadium, Arsenal is able to play with the big boys a bit, however Arsenal’s situation is in stark contrast to the state of affairs at Anfield.  Think about this, Arsenal have a new stadium and a total debt load of £416 M (which is much lower than Chelsea’s and United’s debt), while Liverpool have an old stadium that needs replacing, a reduced revenue stream of £159 M to Arsenal’s £223 M, and a debt burden of £280 M.  With such a low revenue stream, Liverpool is unable to self-finance a stadium, and with such a high debt burden prior to building a stadium, it is virtually impossible for them to find financing to build one.  The recent purchase of Liverpool, much like the purchase of United, was debt-financed.  However Liverpool, unlike United, do not have the financial wherewithal to comfortably compete at the highest level.  After all, United has a much larger revenue stream, has a 70,000 plus capacity stadium, and is in better financial footing to obtain help from the finance markets, as their £500 M bond offering proves.

How then does one compete?

Luckily for Arsenal, the brain-trust was fiscally prudent and struck when the iron was hot a few year ago by figuring out the financing for Emirates Stadium.   Had they not made the decision to forgo the immediate return of instant gratification like many clubs that are saddled with massive amounts of debt with nothing to show for it, AFC would be faced with Liverpool’s problems, too much debt and not enough revenue to grow the club.

Although AFC’s plan has not born the fruits of a trophy yet, it has clearly put AFC on better financial footing for the future.  Remember Arsenal fans, Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Admire him or not, one cannot deny Arsene Wenger his due.  Since his time in London, the man has transformed the game of football and has had enormous success doing so. Only time will tell if he has lost his touch.

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