Simply the Best?

"Football, bloody hell!" Famous words spoken by a man who may have had stronger things to say almost 10 years to the day later. It sounds stupid, almost hopeful from a United fan to say, but before that most incredible of leaps by that most incredible of 5"7 Argentinians, we may have been heading for an exact replica of the scenes we had on Sir Matt's 90th birthday this time the day after his 100th.

OK just bear with me, I know you're about to click away from the babbling United fan's blog but I'm fighting through tears here. United were well and truly hammered, as they had been that night in the Nou Camp, Barcelona had hit the woodwork, as Bayern had and Barce had failed to kill off United much like Bayern had. But Munich did not have Lionel Messi.

The thing here is that during the match, and even now, I'd be pushed to say that Messi is the best player in the world, I mean we're led to believe it's someone new every year, in fact some people spread it round every month or two. On the night we were led to believe it was Messi vs Ronaldo the show down! Messi won, but he didn't really. I'm not being biased here I just think it's difficult to believe a) it was really Messi vs Ronaldo and b) Messi himself beat Ronaldo.

The English champions were well below par, Barcelona were brilliant. Had both teams been brilliant we may have still had the same result but at least we'd have a better picture of who really was the better player. For me the man of the match, and possibly the best player in the world, was and is Andres Iniesta. Messi has flair, innovation, the ability to make the ball stick to his feet, but Iniesta has all these plus the best pass in the world and a footballing mind better than most. In any other era, and I say this whilst hearing the chorus of boos from those who remember "back in the day", Iniesta would be mentioned as a true great. These days though, we like the trickery and flair of a Messi and Ronaldo. We like the celebrity of Gerrard or Kaka. The famous names on football management games, who usually don't make it as big as their virtual selves like Rafael van der Vaart and Kim Kallstrom (thank you to the Football Manager Live boys for those examples.)

The best players are often those who sit in the background doing the hard work. In the world of Sunday league the newly crowned league champions had the top goalscorer by a mile, they also had the player of the season. This was not the same person. Even in the Sunday leagues it's often the quiet man, the left back or central midfielder doing the work, pulling the strings, making a team really tick. Goalkeepers are also undervalued a lot of the time. I have mentioned these 3 positions as coming up to the team awards I hope it's these players who pick up awards.

But maybe, after all this, I've missed the point! Maybe the little Argentinian is the world's best player, although it was Xavi who laid it up for him, that moment, that leap, that's what makes a player great. Many have said it was Eto'o's goal that changed the match, but with United's past of great comebacks it was really Messi's goal that changed the game. And that ability to change a match, in fact make history unimportant perhaps just makes Messi the best player in the world. Now I'm off to console myself with a DVD of the Champions League final of 1999, it still gives me goosebumps. Football Bloody Hell

Prepared? Only Time Will Tell

As the final whistles blew at the KC Stadium, the Stadium of Light, Villa Park and the Boleyn Ground we knew that Newcastle and Middlesbrough would be joining West Brom and the other 21 Championship sides in England's second tier of football. It's difficult to really know what to write about relegation, it is a horrible sight to see and yet some fans, such as Hull's and especially Sunderland's, could be no happier about the situation. Even Sir Alex broke out a smile as he shook Phil Brown's hand, no doubt thinking about when Alan Shearer turned him down twice all those years ago.

But as Newcastle and Boro fans try and get over that horrible feeling in the pit of their stomach, telling them there is no longer trips to Old Trafford and instead trips to Bloomfield Road await, the management and chairmen of these teams must prepare for life in the fizzy pop leagues.

First for Newcastle is deciding who their manager is. The choice may not be theirs to make. Shearer is yet decided on his future and yet a nagging voice in my head makes me think that relegation only makes him more likely to stay, we all thought 'the Messiah' was in a win-win situation but he'll no doubt feel some guilt towards his teams relegation. But the 'ex' TV pundit will only stay on if he gets what Kevin Keegan couldn't get, full control! Once the manager is decided then the players must decide if they'll stay or go. Damien Duff is already ready to stay and help Newcastle's promotion chase, possibly to repay them for the own goal. But whilst no club is too good for relegation Newcastle have some players who are. Bassong linked with Arsenal is certainly one, Steven Taylor, an England prospect, another. But the player with the most question marks circling his head is former England saviour Michael Owen. Owen is the club's top earner on £110,000 a week and yet he can barely put together two matches in a row, he is a former goal scoring machine and yet was too limp to grab any goal that would save Newcastle, the Owen of old is far too good for the Championship but the defunct £110,000 a week Owen we have now is barely worth the Sunday leagues.

Boro will no doubt stick by Gareth Southgate. Steve Gibson, the Middelsbrough Chairman, is different to most of his quick firing counterparts and will stand by his former captain. Stewart Downing's injury on the penultimate match of the season may be a blessing in disguise, his addition to Boro's team on the last day of the season would have made no difference to the awful performance by Boro. But his up to 6 months out may now mean possibly suitors, such as Spurs could be put off buying a player who will be untried until November, and if Boro could be battling for promotion by January they may even be able to keep him till season end. One player most certainly on his way out is the brilliant Tuncay, linked with Chelsea in January as a cheapish option, the Turk has been far above his team-mates all season. With Tuncay gone Southgate must go about finding a man to score goals, his team scored an awful 28 goals all season, to put it in context, West Brom scored 26 at home.

Both teams must be ready for a battle no matter what. The Championship is not easy to get out of, Cardiff, Sheffield United, Preston, Swansea and Reading will want to build on nearly but not quite seasons, newly promoted Leicester and Peterborough will want 2 or 3 promotions in a row respectively whilst teams like QPR, Watford, Ipswich and Crystal Palace will look to restore former glories of Premeirship days. And these teams have the advantage of knowing the league and the teams they will face, Newcastle and Middelsborough will not. It is also West Brom's advantage over their rivals, experts at promotion Tony Mowbray's side will be looking for automatic promotion and then will need to prepare for the Premiership better next time.

In the world of Sunday league football preparation is arguably less important. But for a team who are yet to work out their best 11 it is essential. Pre season will start as soon as possible and the management will sit down and discuss new signings and frendlies. But most of all as a team who threw away leads late in games over and over again last season, fitness and concentration will be high on the list. Maybe if Southgate could go back to last years pre season he'd have focused on this more- Saturday 23rd August was Boro's second match of the season leading Liverpool 1-0 away with 4 minutes remaining they lost 2-1, how different a season Liverpool and Middelsborough could of had.

Ok ok, I know, it's the end of the season so you want to know my Premier league team of the year and what not. Well the Premiership team who have impressed me most this season have more preparing to do than any other, Burnley! Well done to them and all play-off winners this weekend!

Success is Truly Sexy

May 5th 2008, yes I know it's a while ago but stick with me. Having seen his side beat QPR 2-0 and therefore capturing the Championship, Tony Mowbray declared his team would continue playing attractive, attacking football. No one could deny that it was this silky smooth attacking way of playing football, the Championship Arsenal if you will, that had won West Brom the title, 17 goals clear of the second top scorers in the league.

It inevitably led the media to question whether or not the Baggies would continue to play in the Premiership the way they had in the Championship. Mowbray quickly dispelled the questions “There's a great debate in football about whether it's all about winning or all about entertaining. There’s got to be a balance and we've got that balance right." And to his credit the ex Middlesbrough player stuck to his guns, more lovely 'pass and move football' has been played by West Brom this season than by any Sam Allardyce team ever!

Now I’ll point out Sam Allardyce got Bolton into Europe, kept them up season after season, also, contrary to popular belief, did not ruin Newcastle United or get them relegated, and this season has kept Blackburn Rovers in the Premiership. Tony Mowbray has not! Ok so this blog is not to have a go at Mowbray, nor am I here to suggest Sam Allardyce should be manager of the season, but one man who could take that title is Stoke manager Tony Pulis.

Pulis has never apologised for his teams style of play, and nor should he! In fact most managers and teams have not questioned them. Absolute genius exponents of the long ball game. And with big players such as Shawcross, Higginbotham, Sidibie, Fuller, Amdy and Abdoulaye Faye, it’s no wonder they like a long ball. Add the fact that Rory Delap has his defence splitting throw in and you’ve got a cocktail for mayhem. Not many have coped, especially at Fortress Britannia where Stoke played so well their poor away record meant nothing.

On a local note, Crumpsall FC, 3 years ago the whipping boys of our league have had an extremely successful season for the 2nd year running. Double cup winners this season and 6th in the table, they’ve started to shut everyone up! And how do they play? Long ball over the top and score. Ugly football? When you watch it work, it’s really beautiful.


Finally with success being relative Stoke have shown that they’re without doubt a more successful team than this week’s opposition, Arsenal. If Arsene could learn to play ugly sometimes then the success at The Emirates would be truly sexy!

Motivation, Motivation, Motivation

A funny thing is human behaviour. How we react to a situation, how we react to each other’s reactions, and possibly most important, how we want people to react to our action.

I can only imagine how exactly Phil Brown thought Hull would react to his Boxing Day on pitch rant.

I assume Mr Benitez was unaware what happens when you poke the bear with a factual stick

And I'm pretty sure Fabio Capello didn't care how Michael Owen would react to not being picked for England!


Hull reacted brilliantly to the pundits who, before finishing sentences congratulating their promotion, had already condemned them to relegation. A win against Arsenal at the Emirates in September ranked as their number 1 scalp in an early few months of big results. Then, leading 2-0 at Anfield inside 25 minutes, the season changed. The Gerrard effect took hold; it often does on the most innocent of targets. The match finished 2-2, a great result but in context Hull had thrown away 2 points that come next week could be huge! Next up came a humiliation, in front of the home fans at the KC Stadium, at the hands of Sunderland. The Black Cats scored 3 goals in the last 12 minutes to win 4-1.

Then came the moment that Phil Brown may never forget, and one the media may never let him! 45 minutes into the Boxing Day fixtures, Hull found themselves 4-0 down against Manchester City. Ian Ashbee and the rest of the players couldn't have expected Brown's centre circle team talk as he shouted at his players and wagged his finger as if they were a bunch of extremely naughty young children. Motivation? I think not! Hull have spiraled from 6th to 17th and with one match left are still staring relegation in the face. And the early season brilliance of Geovanni has been replaced by an anonymous Brazilian who throws strops at being subbed looking a bit like Geovanni.

On the Eve of Liverpool's match against Stoke at fortress Britannia Rafael Benitez tried to motivate the FA to act against Sir Alex Ferguson and possibly try to motivate his players for a title run against the old enemy. In a shocking and calculated attack on the champions, and specifically their manager, Benitez took out a piece of paper and started quoting some "facts" about Sir Alex. It was all about the Respect campaign and how only Ferguson could get away with speaking about referees without punishment. The funny thing is Benitez may have even been correct. But it was the way he went about it, the malice, and the fact he was answering to a simple question about the chances of Liverpool cracking under the pressure of the run in. With his rant Rafa answered the question, if not the players then at least the manager could not handle the pressure. Now with the title over with a week to go Benitez will know he did motivate, shame for him it was Manchester United he motivated.


On a more local note the manager of a Sunday league team recently had a motivational word with an under performing player privately on the phone. Told him off for his lack of effort and shouting at other players. This player went on to play extremely well the next week in a charity tournament! I guess motivation is the key, you've just got to do it at the right time in the right way. If Phil Brown and Rafael Benitez can learn from history then next seasons relegation battle might not include Hull (should they survive this one) and the title run in may just be a little closer.