England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty

They will call it the 3rd test. They will be wrong! They will say that with KP out England have less chance of winning the ashes. They will be wrong!

The truth is that it is the 78th test. Or more importantly his 78th test, and then will come the 79th and finally the 80th and after that it will be over. That man of course sits, arms in the air, to the right of this paragraph, that man is Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff.

I know! Most of you care not about cricket but about football. But for those of you who don't know the man from Preston is about to retire from Test Cricket. He will no doubt be remembered as a great cricketer, as a great personality but one who never took as many wickets or scored as many runs as he probably should have. Freddie may still deliver a World Cup trophy for his nation, but if he does not then he will have led England to victory in at least one, and hopefully two, ashes series victories. Yes partially this will be through his talent, but mainly it will be through his will, through his destiny!

OK stop looking at me all funny! I've not suddenly developed a massive weird streak, well weirder any way. But does it not seem odd, in the case of Freddie and in the case of another English sportsman, that somewhere it must be written "You will capture the hearts of the nation and bring to them glory, but you will sacrifice your body and soul and injuries shall stop you from winning more.". Bit precise I know. And at this point you must be thinking the other sportsman must be a footballer, after all I couldn't have spoken this long without mentioning football. You're wrong, the other man is Jonny Wilkinson.

England's World Cup winning Fly-Half put in hours, days, weeks and months of extra training to learn how to kick the perfect kick in rugby. And so after sacrificing body and mind and, at times, getting England to the World Cup final almost single handed (or with his left boot), Wilko injured his shoulder in the final. He went onto kick that kick and so the celebrations began. The number 10 from Newcastle had brought World Cup success to England for the first time in a major sport since 1966 but the shoulder he injured would start the chain reaction that would see him barely play, not just for England, for a long time. Jonny is still playing, but no doubt he will get injured to the extent that will lead to retirement.

And what's the point of me yabbering on about these two men? One who plays with smaller and one with a more odd shape ball, than this column usually focuses on. Well my point is, these two men have put everything, and more, on the line. For what? For their country and their sport. And again the point to all this? The fact that England's football team do not have this man.

Rooney, Owen, Beckham- all these man have tried, with their will, to win England a World Cup, and all of these men have had injuries along the way. But none of these men have really made the sacrifices necessary. For one Owen and Rooney both play for the World Club champions and Beckham only threw away his chance of playing for one of Europe's best teams permanently and not on loan once Steve Mclaren had told him his chances of playing for England were over. No where is there a man willing to end his career prematurely in order to bring us the joy of being World Champions, one day, we may do it, we may even do it soon, without someone having to lose a leg or other limb. In this generation we may have to accept that we will see a rugby world cup, we will see 2 ashes wins (here's hoping) we just probably won't get the football world cup we

hope for.

Meanwhile, in the world of Sunday league football, all is well! We have a sponsor! This doesn't sound like ground breaking news I know, but it means that we get to stay a float. At the top level of football player's are getting paid more and more whilst at the bottom rung football gets more expensive. We find it difficult to find places to train, a five-a-side match costs £56 for an hour, our pitch for the season will cost £75 more than last season, all this in a recession. I must thank our sponsor Clive Anthony residential lettings for their commitment to our team.

Rising costs and falling numbers in males playing 11-a-side football in our country, it's perhaps no surprise that there isn't enough English players coming through to play in the Premiership and trying to force their way into the England football team. And with the nature of football- International stop club football, which is unlike the other two sports- perhaps it is impossible that one man will have to give up everything to win us a world cup. But England should at least produce one man who WOULD, given the opportunity, give it all up for that beautiful trophy. England Expects! Now we just have to wait!

Fantasy Football? More Stupidity that Fantasy

As the story goes Roman Abramovich flew over Stamford Bridge and decided to buy Chelsea instead of Spurs. It was great timing for Chelsea, they had just beaten Liverpool on the last day of the season to steal the last Champions League place, it apparently saved Chelsea from administration. In a manner of weeks they went from near administration to being cash rich beyond belief. The Russian bought to football his billions and set about taking Chelsea from battling for 4th place to battling for titles home and abroad.

His billions have of course brought success to Chelsea by bringing in some of the world's best players. But without doubt Chelsea's money has at times meant over buying, or certainly buying the wrong players. In fact one of the first players bought to 'The Bridge' under the Russians reign was Juan Sebastien Veron, once touted as one of the world's best players, the Argentinian had found British football difficult to contend with after his £30 million move to Manchester United. Two years later and United had recouped half their money by shipping him off to Chelsea.

5 years later, and from almost nowhere, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (I looked it up on Wikipedia) bought Manchester City. The news shocked the footballing world. Mansour is very rich, rich beyond Abramovich. In he came and we were promised big money and big signings. On the last day of the transfer window in August 2008, as the world expected Manchester United to sign Dimitar Berbatov, City proved they meant business. News circulated that the Blues had put in a bid for the Bulgarian and that Berbatov was on his way to Manchester to have talks with City. As a United fan who never really wanted Berbatov at Old Trafford I suddenly panicked "We need to sign him" was suddenly my view. Meanwhile in London Chelsea were expected to finally wrap up the signing of Robinho, the Brazilian from Real Madrid. Chelsea were so certain of his transfer they had even accidentally had Chelsea shirts with Robinho's name on the back on sale from their website. I've no idea if any of those shirts ever got sold, if they were I'd love to get my hands on one. City had pulled the greatest trick ever. Whilst people laughed, and I'm sure Chelsea fans were amongst those laughing, at City stealing United's primary transfer target, City moved instead for a British record... £32 million for Robinho!

Nearly one year later and after a not so great season City were ready to spend their millions all over again. Everyone had been linked, from Adebayour to Andy Bishop (Bury FC's top goalscorer, ok they weren't quite linked to him but still). The two names who kept cropping up were Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz, Mark Hughes's former talisman, and United's very own crowd pleasing Argentinian, Carlos Tevez. With Tevez seemingly at loggerheads with Sir Alex and the United hierarchy a move to City looked inevitable, and alas, it was done. £25 million and a wage no doubt near £125,000 a week took Tevez to City. Santa Cruz had already signed- £18 million and a wage probably similar to that of Tevez was enough to take the ex Bayern Munich striker to City. And finally this week Emmanuel Adebayor was signed from soon to be rivals Arsenal for £25 million and a wage of reportedly £140,000 a week. Wages not included City have spent around £67 million on 3 strikers, meaning they have 9 strikers to chose from. Right so we can see City mean business, and they have the money to back up their claims.

Down in London, Chelsea have not spend the millions and millions that they did in the early years of the Chealski era, they simply can't. Firstly Abromovich has to write off the money he's lost from pay offs for his previous managers- Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari. Then there's money from the signings of flops like Andriy Shevchenko. And finally following the global recession we know Abramovich lost lots of money, up to £10 billion has been quoted. So Chelsea went after a cheap option as a striker. Chelsea have signed young Daniel Sturridge. A player who Manchester City have let go, the reason being they refused to give the 19 year old from their own youth system a £70,000 a week contract. Chelsea will have to hand over a maximum of £10 million for the youngster, though this fee could be signficantly less depending what the tribunal for his transfer fee decide. Whilst City have made it abundantly clear they will stop at nothing and spend anything to get to the silverwear and the promised land of the Champions League they have also continued to claim they will look after their youth system and continue bringing through youngsters. Youth players such as Daniel Sturridge. Now don't get me wrong £70,000 a week for a 19 year old is pretty hefty, but when you already have 8 strikers, including Santa Cruz, Tevez and Robinho, why not spend £70,000 a week for Sturridge and save yourself the extra £70,000 a week and £25 million transfer fee for Adebayour, it's madness. For one we know that FIFA would love nothing more than to enforce the 5 foreigner rule on the Premiership, good move City! Sturridge will hopefully go on to be an England player, under the coaching of Carlos Ancelotti and with help from fellow strikers Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba he may become one of the world's best. City will do great, but one day the money may dry up, and they'll look around for their youth prospects, funnily enough they may find it difficult to find them.

On a sad note, I for one, and I hope you my readers will join me in wishing John Hartson all the best in recovering from his terrible illness. Football is important to us all, it is a passion, a religion to some. But in life there is always something more important and in this case it is life itself. All the best John, get better!

I will leave you on something slightly lighter. As all football team's begin training for the new season the Sunday league's are no different. I wonder if Sir Alex, Carlos and Rafa have the same problems as us? Player's unfit because of drinking and general unfitness, players on holiday, taking a youth group on tour to Israel. On one hand our team does have someone away playing in the Jewish Olympics, I guess there's one link to professional football!

It's a Whole New Ball Game

The great return of a true legend is here.... Can you believe that "Sidler on Football" has been gone for so long. But fear not it is back.

Talking of being back, I had just arrived in the hotel room in Brussels when my fellow traveller announced "I think United have signed Owen!", not sure whether to believe him or not I text my dad immediately and then tried to catch a glimmer of information on Sky News in between breaks in the Roddick vs Murray Semi-final. And behold I eventually caught sight of the sports news midway through the 2nd set, and Owen was indeed having a medical at Old Trafford. "No don't worry" I jested to the third of our travelling party "Owen's not signing for United, he's having his medical". Several hours later and Michael Owen had signed for Manchester United, oh to see the look on Liverpool fan's faces.


For true neutrals and United fans you can't help but feel pretty happy for Owen. A man who has constantly given his all for his country and who constantly tries to pick himself up from injuries that would have burried lesser men is back where he belongs, not in the Championship with the laughing stock of Newcastle United but with the Premier league champions, not that he's ever been at a club to hold that title before.



No doubt though the arrival of the man from Chester was a shock and with their Manchester rivals seemingly using money as toilet paper it surely leaves cynics questioning United's ability to spend big money for big players. Enter Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan, in the scheme of things not exactly the world's best known or most talented players. Of course the Red Devils have also lost arguably two world class players in the hard working fan's favourite, Carlos Tevez, and of course the world's most expensive football player, Cristiano Ronaldo. Suddenly United's team has lost 2 world class players worth up to 50 goals a season and gained one 'washed up' striker, an exciting winger who helped Wigan to the brink of Europe and an almost unkown young French winger, in total last season scoring a grand total of 14 goals between them in league matches. Is it possible that Sir Alex would willingly throw away that many goals from his team?



Of course it has to be noted that United are still continually linked with strikers such as Huntelaar, Fabiano and Aguero, and with still almost all of the £80 million from Ronaldo's transfer who could count out more signings coming in. But would United really spend the £20 odd million for either of the first two or the £40 million for Maradonna's son-in-law when they already have Rooney, Berbatov and Owen, along with their promising youngsters, Macheda and Wellbeck? That money would certainly be better used for a hard tackling central midfielder, with Hargreaves future uncertain, we've heard rumours from everything between him being ready to come back now to him having to retire, the Reds are short on true grit in the centre of the park, no matter how good Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher and co are.



But back to my holiday, and no I'm not going to suggest I have a comparisson with my holiday and what United need to do next season. I am though a holiday reader and figure myself a student of sport, not only in the literal sense but also by reading about many sports. Over a year ago I was reading Ed Smith's "What Sport Tells Us About Life", a great book on it's own, in it Smith talks lots about "Moneyball", a book about Baseball. Now I have no great knowledge of baseball but quite enjoy watching it so decided that Moneyball would be a good book to further my knowledge of the sport and its culture. I read some of Moneyball before departing for my holiday but whilst on holiday I read the majority of it and more to the point the juicy bits.

Moneyball tells the story of a team with very little money taking on the teams with lots and almost winning. Ok ok, stop shouting, I know this is nothing to do with United. But it's more in the science of it all that interests me. Billy Beane, the manager of the team involved in Moneyball, loses his main players on what are free transfers because they can't afford there wages once big teams come after them, and replaces them with not a like for like replacement but with several players who make up the different parts of the one he has just lost, in short- "the sum of all parts is greater than the whole". Ronaldo's goals will never be replicated by one player, and certainly not one winger but United can replicate his goals as a team. Returning to a 4-4-2 will allow Berbatov and specifically Rooney to score more goals, add in Owen's goals and more from a midfield which has often been too busy covering Ronaldo to score and you are someway towards Ronaldo's goals. Add in Valencia and Obertan's ability to run with the ball and cross and your creating more team chances than Ronaldo ever did.



One last word on Owen. I for one can't wait till the day Owen comes on as a substitute for United at Anfield. The boo's will ring out! Owen inside will smile and say to himself "they hate me, they really hate me". Owen loved Liverpool, they made him the striker he was and got him into the England squad. Liverpool, or more to the point Rafa Benitez, sold him, got rid of him! Then they didn't want him back, both on his return from Madrid and in his horrible time at Newcatle. Finally with Newcastle relegated and a Liverpool hero falling into the Championship Rafa didn't want to know, he made no approach. And so the world's best team did, and Owen signed. Liverpool fan's will talk of loyalty, of playing for the enemy, maybe Liverpool should look at the enemy within.



Meanwhile Sir Alex will continue with his scientific approach to football, replace the parts not the sum, continue winning and continue pulling the rabbit out of the hat. Elsewhere in Madrid, Ronaldo will be happy, £80 million pounds were payed for him, he'll like that, people will adore him and think of him as the saviour, he'll love that! United will replace him with a bunch of players no where near as good as him, he'll be a little baffled but he knows Sir Alex well enough to not be surprised. Batter Up!