The Remedy For International Football
I have had this thought rolling around my head for a couple of years now and with the upcoming European U21 tournament and constant press about who should be picked vs their club commitments etc..... I think we need to put this dispute to bed!
I propose a change to choosing the International Team squad = You can't play for the senior international team until you become completely ineligible to play for the lower age teams.
Pros:
1) Completely removes the debate of a young player being called up to the World Cup to sit on the bench (Walcott, prime example)
2) We will be able to choose the best possible squad available, giving us the best chance of actually winning an international tournament
3) Giving young English players valuable tournament experience, so they won't buckle later on the bigger stage
4) Safe in the knowledge they can't be called up to the senior team, this will give a better team morale and performance as the squad won't be constantly changing to suit the senior team's demands.
5) An opportunity for players to Succeed and Fail without the nation blaming them
6) Allowing the players to fully focus on any upcoming tournament without the niggling thought "but I might be called up"
7) This will remove the constant overhype of young English players going through a patch of form and immediately being called up to the national team only to disappoint and never cope with the expectation placed on their shoulder.
8) It will place any hot-shot teens feet firmly on the ground until he has actually achieved on a consistent basis
Cons:
1) We lose the opportunity to select the best possible squad for the senior international team
s 2) no Caps, or youngest ever records will be broken
This will surely result in a much better chance of winning any lower age tournaments, and provide a strong base for the senior squad. It might take a few years to see the benefits at the senior level but we will! I'm struggling to find that many negatives.
The mailbox is great at picking holes in stupid ideas, so....Thoughts?
Peter (Maori Manc)
Why De Gea Should Not Go
Great article on the De Gea situation and his importance to United. I have yet to see journalists evaluate what could be the reasons as to why he should not go. Here they are, David.
1 United fans love you. They will always love you. The Bernabeu treated its God (St Iker) with contempt. He was booed, vilified and hammered after years of service. Is that the people you want to bring joy to? Think about Iker Casillas. He was you many years ago. He was loyal, won them titles and was very loyal to Real Madrid. The abuse he gets is terrible. The biggest reason you step out to play football is the joy you get and give others. Rather grateful fans who will sing your name even when you are on the wane than turncoats.
2. You want to win. With Real Madrid, i doubt it. I really do. How many have they won in the last decade? How many will you win in the coming decade? I bet it will be similar with United. They have Messi. Rather join Barca than Madrid if this is your goal.
3. When you are playing as a goalkeeper, you evaluate the defence that you play behind. The new kid who joined Juventus as a striker did so because he knew he would get service from Pirlo. Real Madrid are not defensive. They never will be. They will prioritize for Galacticos.Which means you will be cleaning up crap in goal and taking the blame for some of it too.
4. You are a nice guy. The Real Madrid dressing room makes good guys seem ordinary. Would you want a dressing room with harmony where you are revered and respected or a dressing room where there are factions and egos?
5. English press is much saner than the Spanish press. Strange, but it is true. You become a circus where few people control agendas. They kicked their loyal servant St Iker very publicly while coming after you. 6 years from now, you will be kicked publicly when they are going after another you.
6. St. Iker at another club could have been Buffon. Going strong but his head was messed up. That is a function of being at Real Madrid.
7. Goalkeeper for Spain - You are their number 1. I doubt playing anywhere will change that. You are honestly one of the top 3 goalkeepers in the world. Thibaut and Neur come close but you, for me as an United fan are number 1.
David, the question to you is simple? Do you want sanity and respect all seven days of a week for a decade?
Yes, your gf loves Spain. You can settle down there once you are 40 and enjoy the next 40 being known as the best goalkeeper in the world that ever was.
Sudarsan Ravi (You will never be booed like Sterling was. If you chose to go, we will applaud you when you return. That is United for you)
More Thoughts On The Europa ft. Jim Bowen
I enjoyed Daniel Storey's article on the Europa League this morning but think it misses the key point of why clubs don't like playing in it- money.
Simply put the financial rewards provided by being in the Europa League are far outweighed by the risks. If you're Spurs or Liverpool with ambitions of cracking the top 4 (and the money contained within) then the Europa League gets in the way. If you're Swansea or West Ham then the main priority is to stay in the Premier League. We've gone too far down the road of 'Football Clubs are businesses' rather than competitive sporting organisations to go back now and thus everything is calculated from a £ perspective. The costs of dropping out of the Premier League are far to great to be risked, even for a once in a lifetime shot and European glory.
Storey mentions the strain of regular Thursday/Sunday football which is true. To do this a club needs a deep squad yet the Europa League doesn't provide the funds for a mid-table team to add the extra bodies and quality needed to compete on multiple fronts. Essentially having a real go at the competition means a heavy rise in player costs (wages and transfer fees) and a greater risk of a relegation battle neither of which really appeal to owners, managers who want to keep said owners happy or players who want to play at the top level consistently. The ones who suffer through all of this is of course the fans but we all know that in this day and age their opinions are the lowest level of consideration.
You don't need to look back too far for the ultimate Europa League/UEFA Cup worst case scenario. Ipswich Town played Icarus and flew to close to the sun, qualifying for Europe off the back of a staggering season. Yet the price paid for that one season was relegation, eventual administration and 13 years and counting of Championship football. Looking at that is it really surprising more English clubs don't want to have a crack at it?
Maybe the answer in the short term is simply for UEFA to pump more money into the competition, secure some better TV deals and really incentivise clubs to participate but I'm not sure that is healthy long term strategy.
Charlie H
...As a Liverpool fan, I'm probably not going to make many friends out of my fellow Scousers with this post but I'm posting it anyway.
Following on from Storey's piece about the Europa League, how has this competition been reduced to a level where the Captain of Swansea would rather not be a part of it? This competition realistically represents their only opportunity for European venture, essentially the greatest reward they will ever receive based on their league position (aside from cash). Please don't mistake this for a swipe at the Swans, it's not, I just find this displays a hugely misguided sense of ambition.
This leads me to my next point...Liverpool. A number of reds state perennially (myself included) that they would rather not finish inside the Europa League places because, as per the basis of Storey's article, it detracts from league position. Call me crazy but if we are saying this on an annual basis, surely this represents the level we are at and therefore the best we can hope for?
Since 08/09 we have been largely turd. Last season was an anomaly and people will point to the fact that we had no Europa League football as a repost. However, our dismal performance in the Champions League this year coincided with some of our most dismal performances in the league. Surely you wouldn't argue that you would prefer not to qualify for the Champions League because it detracts from league position? Granted it's a far more prestigious competition but we got well and truly found out playing in that competition. Did any red actually enjoy our participation in the CL this season? Aside from some slithers of light at the Bernabeu it was uncomfortable and embarrassing.
Right now we are the 5th / 6th / 7th best team in the country. We shouldn't be after spending over £100m last summer but we are. Our eternal failure to recruit the right players has done us again. It's not easy to accept but please don't tell me you believe we are any better than this at the moment because we're not. We are not a Champions League team, we're a Europa League team. Maybe with the right recruitment this summer we could be but I doubt it, I actually am starting to lose faith in our ability to sign more than one good player in a blue moon.
The point is this, it's easy to be all mainstream, snide and "Thursday night Channel 5" about the Europa League. But why not embrace it instead and have some more nights like Owen getting a double in the Olimpico, Gary Macca's Barca pen, Fowler's goal against Vladikavkaz, Macca's goal against Celtic. Admittedly some of them were terrible games but they gave us great moments. I've romanticised this at the end here but I think you get the picture...Viva la Europa!
Krys LFC
...In an evening of blessed free time recently I got to do some channel hopping and I stumbled upon an old Bullseye episode which got me thinking about Europa League qualification. Groovy right? No. But anyway, at the end of the programme the winners get to play for the top prize, a motor boat, for someone who lives in Birmingham possibly, but they get the chance to turn down the risk of taking it on. Should they choose to do that the next best place team are offered the choice to play for the top prize, and should they refuse the risk it gets passed on right the way down until someone decides to have a go, (which was the next and last team in this instance).
Anyway, are teams that participate in the domestic FA league obliged or even contracted to take part in the Europa League if they qualify? Looking at the table as it stands, assuming Liverpool, Spurs and Southampton win their last games then Liverpool definitely get qualification and then, well, I'm not sure of the permutations, but do Liverpool have to participate in a competition that based on last year clearly hinders their true ambitions? Which they most likely will not take seriously?
Hypothetically, should Liverpool look at last season and say, "Nah, not for us" could it then be passed to Spurs who may also say "Nah, not for us" which then leads on to Saints being offered the place and they say "Europa League? European football? Hell Yeah!, we'll have a bloody good go at it!" and you wind up with a team who will actually embrace the competition? There are no losers there because those who dismiss the chance do so of their own volition, and whoever takes on the opportunity will do so to actually enjoy the experience, hopefully.
Look at Everton and West Ham possibly qualifying via the fair play league, (something Ipswich got the year after they finished 5th and were relegated, to the purgatory in which they have since resided). You want the big prize, Champions League football, but must you participate in the reward of European footballs 'Second Place Prize'. If you don't want it, if you feel it is a millstone to your greater ambition? Let someone who wants to be there, be there.
Personally I enjoyed our soiree in Europe all those years ago, (Inter Milan at home my favourite) we still have the longest unbeaten home record of all English teams in Europe (citation needed), but it was to our detriment, unquestionably, but we had a go. The likes of Liverpool, who saw how good they were when they had no European distractions may not want to be part of the Ugly Club Ball. Surely that should be their right? When you look at Middlesbrough and Fulhams escapades, that's who I would prefer to be participating, maybe to the detriment to our coefficients if they fail early (see Hull) but its whether you actually want to be there that counts the most, no?
Without casting aspersions, I don't think Liverpool would want that distraction, Spurs either possibly, give it to the next best team that actually wants the opportunity, whoever wants it. Win Win right? There's not as much money as being in the Champions League, so clearly some teams don't want to be part of it even if they qualify for it, Thursday nights and all that, but for some teams, the experience is fantastic! Let the teams that consider it failure turn it down, I can understand why, give it to a team that will actually feel proud to be a competitor, at they'll at least get their BFH.
Chris ITFC, Liverpool
It's All About The Money, Money Money (Article)
The piece "It's not all about the money, money, money" yesterday made some excellent points about the reasons why players move clubs, and the unhealthy obsession with players' wages.
However, the point about Chris Waddle does need a little bit extra adding to it. He may not have moved to Marseille " to work on his French verb conjugation", but it's worth pointing out his transfer to the south of France coincided with English clubs being banned from Europe.
As well as lots of francs, OM were able to offer Waddle (and others) the chance to play European football. If I remember correctly, Waddle did play in a European final with OM, so it was a move that paid off all round, and one of his teammates was Abedi Pele, whose son, Andre Ayew, is mentioned in the article as well.
Waddle wasn't the only player who moved like that, Glenn Hoddle and Ian Rush are two others who spring to mind, albeit with differing levels of success. I just found it amusing that the author of the piece chose as an example of players moving simply for money an even better example of a player moving to a club that matched his non-monetary ambitions, which was the point of the article in the first place.
Ed Quoththeraven, CPFC the Glaziers, Notts
N.B: "I just had to accept. Because of what it offered my family for the future." - Chris Waddle
...Firstly, may I just say that I despise the amounts of money that players receive for what is essentially just kicking a ball. Yes, they should be paid handsomely for what they do, no doubt (short career span and all that). But £100,000-£300,000 a week? Never.
With that out the way, I agree with Sarah. The nation's tabloids are just as culpable as player's agents for stoking up the amount of hostility a player receives if and when they agitate for a move to another club. But isn't the amount of money received by a player a by-product of the deal to take Player X from Club A to Club B? What I mean is, if a player has ambitions to play more games/ win more trophies/ play closer to home and the buying club is more financially well off than the selling club, does it not stand to reason that the player will receive a wage comparable to other players at the buying club?
Getting inside the head of a player on the move for a minute (not a nice place, I grant you), it would seem feasible they would be thinking 'well, they must have seen something in me they like and they tend to pay players £100,000 per week. I will ask my agent to request a similar amount when negotiating my contract.' Surely this is a reasonable request under the circumstances? But the tabloids insist on creating and maintaining the usual "Supporters vs. Players" narrative with these inflammatory headlines, making the players seem like money, rather than glory hungry.
The difference between this type of scenario and that of Raheem Sterling is that Liverpool, for all there ailments, are a club that with the right type of investment and coaching put in place can challenge for top honours. At 20, there is plenty of time for Sterling to not only earn the money he feels he is entitled to, but also win a ton of trophies too. Liverpool supporters may (would?) be able to understand his current stance if Sterling felt marginalised by Brendan Rodgers. But there are not many bigger clubs that can take on both his wage demands and the now standard British player premium price he would come with and would be willing to stick him in the first team on a regular basis similar to what he is on now. If in a few years Liverpool are in the same predicament they are now, and his trophy cabinet still only contains his England caps, then fine, move on. But right now I don't see how his football education will be serviced any better by sitting on the bench of Man City, for example.
James F, BCFC KRO
Loyalty, Liabilities And Rickie Lambert
Alex AFC asks which others teams are inhibited by their fans' loyalty to a player who, whilst loved, really needs to be upgraded.
For Southampton I'd look at Rickie Lambert last season. You can't underestimate how much he is loved here. He joined in the League One days and was ever present in the team that got back-to-back promotions and thrived in the Premier League. He scored better than a goal every other game and never missed a penalty. With that he is a fantastic guy who loved the club.
However, despite a decent goalscoring record last year there were signs that he was declining in his capabilities as a footballer. In the middle of last season his speed decreased to a snail's pace and he often went missing. A strong finish to the season meant that he stayed in the England World Cup squad. This season may have seen him be a liability had he stayed. However, Liverpool came in and bought him. This was a tough blow given the summer we had but in all objectivity may have done us a favour. Pellé came in who, despite a scarcity of goals mid season, is an upgrade. And better looking.
Rickie therefore remains a legend. We've never had to witness a permanent and rapid decline. Liverpool fans have had to this year. It breaks my heart to see him shuffle around Anfield like he's won a competition to be there but on the upside, when I have a pint in my local I can sit in 'The Sir Rickie Lambert Bar'.
Better to burn out than fade away.
Jon, Southampton
Best Of Luck, Chris...
Chris Ramsey seems a good guy who had a fairly thankless task this season. There were good reasons why Tim Sherwood was the favourite for the QPR job before it was given to Ramsey, but Sherwood ruled himself out of the running quite quickly, which probably shows that he recognised QPR 2014-15 would be a blemish on his fledgling managerial career.
I think everyone hopes that Ramsey has been given the job on a permanent basis for the right reasons, because QPR will have to undergo a major overhaul of the playing staff before starting the season in arguably the toughest division in the league. Unfortunately for Ramsey, the last players he wants to see leave will be the first out of the door.
Changing the complexion of the first team will be a real challenge, and it would be no surprise to see QPR in and around the middle of the table come Christmas - and that is when we will see their real reasons for yesterday's appointment. If they want Ramsey to oversee a focus on youth development and creating a more robust infrastructure for the club then they will allow him at least 2 years of his 3 year deal. However, if the playoffs are within reach, the transfer window is about to open and there is another more glamorous name available then history shows us they might just twist.
Ramsey may not get the club promoted in the next three years, but if they allow him to see out his contract with a remit of bringing down the age of the squad and including more homegrown players then they would surely be in a much better position to stay up if and when it does happen.
It all depends on how patient and realistic they can be, because the stability Ramsey can bring is surely the primary target for QPR after the last few years. Good luck Chris Ramsey...
Pete EFC
Sterling Work
All you fools are naming prices left, right and centre. But you are forgetting one thing. 25% of your so called 35/40/45/50 million to get for Him - goes straight to QPR.
Therefore. Please sell him for 100 Million
Muhammed Dalle Valle, QPR
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