As I watched Ronaldo get his first hat-trick for ManUtd against a manager-less Newcastle United, I couldn’t help wonder whether there was any other club which are better masters of their own self-destruction than Newcastle, who despite their claims of being a big club, continue to plunge deep into a quagmire of desperation. Sam Allardyce was the 7th manager to get the boot this season in the Premier League, and despite the fact that they played terrible football, it wasn’t fair to judge Big Sam after just 8 months.

The St. James’ Park stadium of Newcastle has the 3rd highest capacity in England (excluding Wembley) after ManUtd’s Old Trafford stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Newcastle have a large fan base and that the fans are very dedicated to their club in spite of poor results in recent times can be seen from the fact that home games are almost always full. But the fans have far too much expectations and they seem to forget the fact that they last won a major trophy almost 40 years ago.

The Newcastle manager job has always been a poisoned chalice. Just look at the list of great personalities who have been unsuccessful in the past decade - Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness. I wouldn’t blame Harry Redknapp for his decision to stick with Portsmouth. Who in his right mind will take up this job? And, it doesn’t help when foreigners takeover the club, splash money, and then expect returns immediately. Well, not every club can turn into a Chelsea. So, Newcastle will keep looking for their Messiah.

One just has to take a look at ManUtd and Arsenal, which have gained due to the stability provided by their respective boards. Sir Alex has been at ManUtd for 21 years while Wenger is entering his 12th year at Arsenal. The trigger-happy football chairmen of today would do well to remember that Sir Alex did not deliver his first trophy until the fifth year of his reign. And, we all know what ManUtd has achieved in the past decade and a half under the indomitable Scot.

Rafa Benitez seems to be the next on the list of managers likely to get the sack. This is the guy who won the Champions League for Liverpool in his first year. And, when the club owner accepts that he had talks with Jurgen Klinsmann about taking over Liverpool, it clearly undermines Rafa’s position at the club.

At present, it is difficult for managers to operate against a background of constant criticism and incessant speculation about their future. It is important for club chairmen and supporters to realize that the success of the football club on and off the pitch depends on a long-term strategy replete with the right foundations. As Sir Alex would say “Stability and consistency is the basis of success at any club.”

List of sacked managers in 2007-2008 season:

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
Chris Hutchings (Wigan)
Sammy Lee (Bolton)
Martin Jol (Tottenham)
Billy Davies (Derby)
Lawrie Sanchez (Fulham)
Sam Allardyce (Newcastle)

What do Indian cricket and English football have in common? Gary Kirsten and Fabio Capello - both are foreigners about to take charge of the national teams of the most passionate sport in India and England - cricket and football, respectively. And that’s not where the similarity ends.

Couple of months back, in a surprising move, Gary Kirsten was chosen to be the manager of the Indian cricket team, ahead of other luminaries such as Dave Whatmore (appointed as head of NCA instead), John Buchanan and Martin Crowe. He has no previous coaching experience but had a glittering test and ODI career for South Africa.

Meanwhile, after Steve McClaren was sacked following England’s disastrous exit from Euro 2008, the English FA said they would appoint a world-class manager and courted ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho before the latter rejected the job. The FA has settled for Fabio Capello, an Italian with a great CV, and who has won trophies with big clubs such as Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Before we look at their challenges, let’s look at some of the similarities between Indian Cricket and English Football…

1. Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India and the pressure on the Indian team and the manager is huge. The media and the fans expect the team to win every game.
The same goes for the English football team.

2. India have been under-achievers in the game and have won the World Cup just once, in 1983. Despite a great team consisting of Sachin, Dravid, and Ganguly, India has failed to claim the ultimate prize in the sport and has never won a test series in Australia, the powerhouse in World Cricket.

The last time England won the Football World Cup was at home in 1966. Since then, they have had superstars such as Shearer, Linekar, Gascoigne, Hoddle, Keegan, Beckham, Owen, Gerrard, and Lampard but they have not even reached the final of a major Championships.

3. India looked strangely out of sorts at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and crashed out in the group stage itself. The 2006 Football World Cup witnessed the English footballers’ wives create a bigger impact than their spouses. And, in 2007, the English team failed to qualify for next summer’s European Championships.

4. The Indian cricket team and the English football team have often been described as chokers on the big stage lacking mental toughness.

5. Indian cricket and English football are run by powerful governing bodies - the BCCI and the English FA respectively, consisting of officials, mostly old men, who have never played the sport professionally.

6. Indian cricketers and English footballers are often considered over-paid, and lacking the willingness to fight for each other. Are the sports being ruined by too much popularity, hype and money?

Real Challenge

It’s a terrific challenge for Kirsten and Capello. While Kirsten, who has previously criticized everything about India during his playing days, has neither the ego nor the dictatorial attitude of his predecessor Greg Chappell, he is a regarded as an intelligent cricketer. He not only has the task of instilling confidence and mental toughness into a team that has a new-found resolve following the Twenty-20 win and recent series victories over England and Pakistan. His other main task is to phase out ageing stars and blood a new, talented group of youngsters for the 2011 World Cup.

Capello too has the task of removing the mental block that England players seem to have when it comes to crucial matches. He has the balls to drop Gerrard or Lampard if he thinks it would benefit his team. This is the guy who has dropped Totti, Del Piero, Davids, Ronaldo, and Beckham during his long and productive club career. Moreover, the FA has to utilize his skill in such a manner that it benefits the whole coaching framework in England.

But there are certainly mixed feeling about these appointments. why does India, a nation of a billion-plus people and numerous ex-stalwarts in cricket, have to appoint a foreign manager? Why does England, the nation that takes pride in inventing football, lack world-class English managers? Do you think this is indeed a good trend?

In some games they’ve looked disjointed and careless; in some games they’ve looked like a well-oiled machine with the ability to turn over any defence in the world. In some games they’ve mixed both of the above to give watchers something altogether different. Whatever. Liverpool seem to be hitting a real run of form going into a sequence of games which could end up being season-defining.

Panic Stations

After an initial flurry of goals which saw them rise to the top of the Premiership table, the club appeared to fall apart. The dip in form which saw the side lose to Marseilles, apart from 4 altogether winnable draws, coincided with the loss of Pako Ayestaran, Benitez’s assistant of nearly a decade. But an away victory at Everton kick-started the motor, and soon they were puttering along nicely. For vast periods of play the Reds dominated Besiktas in Istanbul, but paid the price for a couple of defensive lapses. Next followed a hard-fought 1-1 against a high flying Arsenal, which could really have gone either way in spite of the Gunners’ monopolization of possession.

Robbie Returns - in more ways than one?

3 days later, Robbie Fowler returned to an emotional Anfield, only to see his side Cardiff lose 2-1 in the League Cup. As he walked out through the Shankly gates, probably for the last time, he blessed the possible successor to his legendary No.9 shirt. Fernando Torres had already shown us glimpses of his incredible ability before his untimely injury while on international duty, but his recent performances have left very few doubters that Rafa Benitez might well have pulled off the signing of the summer. The 23-year old has the opportunity to become the Dalglish to Gerrard’s Souness. This past Sunday, his delightful link-up with the Liverpool skipper seemed strangely reminiscent of Dalglish chipping the FC Bruges’ keeper from a Souness through ball in the European Cup Final of 1978. He has pace, power, skill and a terrific finish on him. And he’s only going to get better. Maybe I’m just overexcited. Anyway, moving on…

Hicks gets Rafa’s goat

A Turkish demolition job followed, setting new Champions League records and infusing the squad with confidence, which a victory at Fulham three days later did little to dissipate. Until a typically slow-for-news(!) international break saw a seething Benitez address a press conference with thunder in his face and defiance in his voice. “I am focused on training and coaching the players”, he said in response to no less than 20 different questions, prompting many to think something was wrong. Liverpool’s American owners told him to pipe down, but further shows of discontent were made. Wearing a tracksuit instead of his usual tie and coat at the game against Newcastle was strange, but his post-match interview was nothing short of scary. Rumours were rife in the media, with one tabloid suggesting Jose Mourinho was being lined up to replace Benitez. This was too much for Liverpool fans to take, and their vigorous demonstration of support for Rafa was backed up by the players beating Porto 4-1 in a crucial European game. Torres showed exactly why he was worth upwards of twenty million pounds, scoring two goals, including a sublime finish after leaving his marker spinning like a top.

The rumours were soon put to bed, albeit temporarily, and normal service has been resumed with a resounding 4-0 defeat of Bolton at Anfield. Things are looking rosy – Gerrard and Torres are already on the same wavelength, and all the new signings have bedded in well – Lucas Leiva in particular. The optimism surrounding his successful baptism of fire in the Merseyside derby has been reinforced by the all-action displays which followed. The young Brazilian has shown a good range of passing and can get stuck in with the tackles, but the most important aspect of his game appears to be his game intelligence – picking the right pass at the right time. Yossi Benayoun looks like he’s been at Anfield all his life, while Ryan Babel is clearly a striker-in-waiting, a couple of good performances on the wing notwithstanding.
Make or Break

Whether the side can maintain their form is the real question. Key players are performing – Torres has 11 goals in 17 appearances, while Gerrard has 8 from his last nine games. The next few weeks will be pivotal – a must-win game in Marseilles comes just before an Anfield summit with Manchester United, a side Liverpool haven’t scored a league goal against since 2004. With Messrs Hicks and Gillete scheduled to meet with Benitez in the aftermath, nothing really can be certain about the rest of the season. They’ve been portrayed as a club in turmoil by the media in recent weeks, and the most appropriate comment on Liverpool is that they are as enigmatic as Rafa Benitez’s goatee - things can get a little hairy, but the occasional close shave works wonders for confidence.

Nearly third of the season gone by, which teams have proved their mettle and which teams have fallen by the wayside. We examine in closer detail.

 Expectations met:

Derby County:

Even before the season started Derby County was widely tipped to go down, and they haven’t surprised. They have been woeful this season. Not a single away goal in more than 10 hours of football. I’m imagining every team that is due to play them is rubbing their hands in glee, much like Lampard in front of table full of pies.

The question on everyone’s lips “Are they even worse than the last Sunderland team that went down?”.

 

Manchester United:

If there was a remarks section in the report card , this is what it will read. Expectations met. It might me a tad harsh on the team that is current second in the table, but that is a consequence of the standards that Manchester United set the last season. And  they could have got only stronger with talents like Tevez,Nani, Hargreaves and Anderson coming in. Scratch Anderson actually, he is a cheating,diving ,despicable git. Anyways, I digress. Struggled early on in the season with scratchy wins, but Utd fans will rightly argue that is that hallmark of Champion. They, now, have found their form recently with some spectacular wins. They will be challenging for the title right till the end.

The question on everyone’s lips “Is Carlos Tevez the ugliest man in world football?”

Hi-Flyers of the season:

Arsenal:

 

Written off by all and sundry even before a ball was kicked, Arsenal had everything to lose this season. If “experts” were to be believed, Arsenal will fighting it out with the likes of Blackburn and Spurs for the final Champions league spot. But, I think its fair to say that they have proved everyone wrong this season. Scored the maximum number of goals, taken the highest number of points ,they are flying high at the top of the table. People will still point to the skewed fixture list which has made Arsenal play a disproportional amount of home games, but when you can boss Liverpool at Anfield, you are surely made of sterner stuff.

The litmus test for the young gunners will be December, away ties at St.James’, Goodison, Villa Park and home ties against Chelsea and Spurs will test the depth of the squad and also the resolve of this team.

The question on everyone’s lips “When will this run stop and they implode in spectacular fashion?” The Answer “Ha! You wish!”.

Manchester City:

Things were looking rather downcast at the Eastlands at the start of the season. Couldn’t buy a win at home, about to be taken over by a Shady man with even seedier connections, and perhaps most worryingly a team that is going to be managed by an uninspiring manager.

A 100% home record, a team playing one touch football beautiful football, and a manager who seems as thought a burden has been lifted off his shoulders. Sven has been refreshing in his candour in his interviews , honest in his assessments and bereft of the moaning that plagues prem managers these days. And his team hasn’t too bad either, the likes of Petrov and Elano are contenders for buys of the season. Man City continue to confound critics and keep winning and my bet to finish in the top 5.

The question on everyone’s lips “How does Sven get to bed all the pretty blond chicks?”

 

Chumps of the Season:

Tottenham Hotspurs:

To say they have disappointed might be an understatement of gross proportions. Languishing at the bottom the table, a defence that is leaking goals, and 2 wins in 13 is hardly Champions league spot form.

And its fair to say they hardly covered themselves in glory in the way the whole Martin Jol affair. Farcical to say the least. Juande Ramos has a big big task in his hands. A club which probably has the most deluded set of supporters , its going to be a huge ask to turn this club around. Have they got their right man? Only time will tell, but he had Seville punching way above their weight, perhaps no one should be surprised if Spurs do the same.

The question on everyone’s lips “How much longer before we can laugh at them? Again”

 

Special Mentions:

Snores of the season:

Liverpool. To put it mildly, I’d rather watch my fingernails grow or paint dry. And don’t throw the Besiktas game in my face.

The forgotten team:

Why isn’t anyone talking about Chelsea anymore?

The inevitable was merely delayed, almost in the manner of a condemned man at the guillotine waiting for her royal highness to finish her cake. And much as that analogy left a lot to be desired, so did Steve McClaren’s ability to guide England through the choppy waters of their EURO 2008 qualifying group. The players’ performances on the night were abysmal, hardly aided by the driving rain and bog standard pitch, but the manager got his tactics wrong almost from the start. Maybe someday he will be more successful, but it won’t be with England.

In the wake of his departure, rumours have been flying thick and fast as to the identity of his potential replacements – Fabio Capello, Jose Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Jurgen Klinsmann are just some of the names that have been thrown into the hat. But which one wants it the most? Or more to the point, who does the FA want?

Don Fabio has been an unqualified success wherever he has managed in club football – Milan, Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid can all testify to that fact. Less than 24 hours after the job was up for grabs, Capello said that it would be a “beautiful challenge”. He later claimed that he had been joking, but many believe that the interest was genuine. It remains to be seen whether the FA will take him seriously enough to offer him the job.

Similar stories have appeared in the media about Jurgen Klinsmann’s interest as well. The whole world sat up and took notice when he guided Germany to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Yet again, it’s in the FA’s hands as to whether they want him or not. It does seem odd that so many people are coming out and declaring their interest in the job – taking the FA for mugs has now become a transparent process. (Qualify for tournament, get knocked out in the quarters, wait for media to turn on you, accept massive pay-off after being forced to quit – McClaren would have loved to have gotten that far.) Still, the thought of a German managing England is almost inconceivable.

Scolari has proved himself more than once on the big stage – WC winners 2002, Euro finalists 2004, WC semis 2006. And his teams eliminated England on all three occasions, which leads to an instinctive belief that he may be the man to finally take them one step further. Heck, he’s still keen on the job, according to reports. But after the way he turned down the England position last year, it’s very unlikely that the snubbed FA will offer him a second bite of the apple.

Mourinho, as usual, is a case all to himself. It has been rumoured that several executives from the FA have been in touch with Jose’s agents, and there are indications that he might be keen on the job too. However, in sharp contrast to the others, he wants the FA to make direct contact with him – someone on the board, possibly Brian Barwick himself – and will keep his mouth shut until then. Mourinho might be just what England need – a man who can achieve success playing attractive football (remember Chelsea 2004-05, anybody?), and someone who might, just might, be able to get Lampard and Gerrard to dovetail in midfield. Plus the press couldn’t get up his back anymore than they did at Stamford Bridge. Or could they?
Other possibilities: Guus Hiddink, Alan Shearer, Marcelo Lippi

Recommendation to the FA: Fabio Capello - The man is adaptable, has his tactics spot on, can bring the best out of any group of players, and most importantly has an ego big enough to handle both the Media as well as the ‘names’ in the England Squad. Needs a translator though - Mourinho, perhaps?

England will not be in the finals of a major football tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup, as they lost to Croatia 2-3 at the Wembley. In a dramatic night, Croatia went two goals ahead after 14 minutes but England drew level after half-time with a Frank Lampard penalty and an excellent Peter Crouch finish.

However, Petric’s winner in the 77th minute and Russia’s 1-0 win in Andorra means England will have to watch the other big European countries converge in Austria-Switzerland for the Euro Championships.

England has one of the best squads, with lots of superstars, no doubt. But it takes an inspirational manager to mould the squad into a world-class team. England under McClaren, never looked like a ‘team’. Frank Lampard is at best, an overrated player who has Essien and Makelele doing the dirty job behind him at Chelsea. Gerrard is inspirational for Liverpool where he is surrounded by good foreign players but when has he ever shone in the English team?

No one can question their passion but Lampard and Gerrard just do not have the technique or the skill of a Fabregas or a Scholes. When was the last time we saw Lampard providing a defence-splitting pass for an England striker to score? And when his goals dried up, all we could see was a one-dimensional player. That players like Xabi Alonso, and even Cesc Fabregas sometimes do not make it to the first team, shows the quality Spain has.

Agreed that the English media puts tremendous pressure on its players but then it is the same case with Spain, Italy, and France. In fact, Spain’s Luis Aragones faced calls for resignation almost through the entire qualifying campaign.

It is not fair to put the blame entirely on Steve McClaren, his selection and tactics, since England players are not as good as they are hyped up to be. The huge influx of foreign players has definitely had a negative impact on the English national team, with fewer English youngsters getting a chance to prove themselves.

But then, who can blame top English teams like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool preferring to sign Portugese and Spanish youngsters when the only other option is English youngsters with limited technique. One would feel compelled to put the blame on the FA again for their failure to develop players at the grass-root level.

The failure to reach the Euro Championships (from a relatively easier group) might actually be a blessing in disguise. It has revealed some serious issues for the English FA to address. The FA has to take this opportunity and take some sincere efforts to improve youngsters at the grass-root levels. The English Premier League might be one of the best and most entertaining leagues in the world, but that just conceals the rot at the national level. It’s the bitter truth - England never truly deserved to make it to Euro 2008.

Teams for Euro Championships at 2008.

Switzerland Croatia
Austria Italy
Greece Czech Republic
Holland Sweden

Germany Poland
Romania France
Portugal Turkey
Spain Russia

November 6th 1986 is a Red-letter day in the history of Manchester United. That was the day when a fiery Scot named Alex Ferguson left Aberdeen to take charge of one of the most popular clubs in England. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sir Alex’s spell as ManU manager has seen him secure nine Premier League titles, a Champions League title, five FA Cups, a League Cup, and a knighthood. Even at 65, he does not show any sign of slowing down and his enthusiasm for the game is still intact.

It is rumored that Fergie narrowly avoided the sack in 1990 after winning away at a 3rd round Cup tie at Nottingham Forest. ManU went on to win the FA Cup that season, kick-starting the golden years. A Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1991 after beating Barcelona in 1991 was followed by the disappointment of losing the league title narrowly to Leeds in 1992. The inspired signing of Eric Cantona in the same year propelled ManU to the inaugural Premier League title in 1993 and a League and Cup double in 1994.

In 1996, ManU overcame Newcastle, thanks to Fergie’s mindgames over Kevin Keegan and achieved a second League and Cup double. ManU clinched the treble in 1999 in a sensational manner, winning a dramatic Champions League final, beating Bayern Munich 2-1, the League title, and the FA Cup. In 2001, Fergie accomplished a hat-trick of Premier League titles, becoming the only manager to achieve this feat with the same team.

One more league title followed in 2003 and when calls for Fergie’s head increased after a few trophy-less years, he masterminded yet another league triumph in 2006/2007. Fergie always stated ‘his greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch’. I guess he has also knocked Chelsea off their fucking perch when it looked like Chelsea would dominate for a long time thanks to Roman’s riches.

No fan who has watched ManU play in the past couple of seasons would have any reason not to believe in Fergie’s belief that ManU can continue to remain a force in European football for years to come. Fergie is certainly one of the greatest ever managers to have been involved with the game. One more Champions League title for this living legend, and he will gladly fade into the sunset.

Over the past week journalists and fans alike had been salivating over the Arsenal vs Manchester United fixture as we pondered the likes of Fabregas, Hleb, Walcott and Rosicky taking on Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney and Nani. Added to this wonderful set of players was the fact that both the teams have played near perfect football over the past few weeks.

Well, as expected with any of these big games, all the big players canceled each other out and what we got instead was a scrappy and tough game with few incidents of individual brilliance. But unlike a lot of previous fixtures between top teams, we also got a lot of goals and some heart stopping moments. The match ended 2-2 and judging by the match, it did seem to be a very fair result. However, the manner in which Arsenal rescued the point will probably mean that Arsenal will go forward with a lot more confidence than United.

And what a day for William Gallas and Patrice Evra! United’s first goal was a result of Rooney’s shot ricocheting off Gallas, just after Gallas’s header had almost led to Arsenal’s first goal. And his finishing and composure right at the death just showed why Wenger has so much trust in the Frenchman.

Credit to the managers:

One has to give a lot of credit to both Wenger and (especially) Ferguson for going all out for the win. One indication definitely has to be the substitutions both the managers made in the second half, when Ferguson sent on Carrick and Saha without resorting to the expected tactic of settling for the 1-1 draw.

Arsenal’s fluidity, in the absence of Thierry Henry was also quite visible as they attacked from four or different sides as players such as Hleb and Rosicky looked to impose themselves instead of finding Henry as they would have done last year. But full credit to the United midfield and defense for snuffing them out.

Going forward, it looks like, I definitely think its going to be (for once) a four way battle for the title with the onus on Chelsea and Liverpool to match the early pace set by Arsenal and United. Liverpool and Chelsea (and their fans) will no doubt be happy about the results and Liverpool in particular will need to start putting together a good run (starting with the Champions League in midweek) to turn around their recent dip in form.

Man of the Match:

A lot of people might disagree but Patrice Evra was my man of the match. He shrugged off the early booking and set up United’s second goal through his sheer determination. No wonder, Ferguson didn’t really mind packing off Gabriel Heinze to sunny Spain.

The pre-match talk was all about the artificial pitch. The post-match talk was all about blaming England’s defeat on watering of the pitch right before the kick-off. In the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier at Moscow, England was surprisingly doing well, courtesy of a Rooney strike in the 29th minute. But a shocking miss by a poor Gerrard, followed by 2 goals by Russia in a space of 4 minutes in the 2nd half, contributed to England’s downfall.

The 2-1 defeat for England means their Euro 2008 hopes are hanging by a thread and qualification is no longer in their hands. We can safely assume Russia and Croatia will win their other match against Andorra and Macedonia respectively. England have to hope Israel, which is already out of the race, avoid defeat to Russia at home. Even if that happens, England would have a huge task of beating Croatia at the Wembley.

Yet again, England find themselves in the familiar position of struggling to qualify for a major tournament. However, the last time they missed out on one was way back in ‘94 when they missed the World Cup. The English FA is certain to take a beating in terms of finances if the unthinkable happens - Hiddink’s Russia qualifying at the expense of McClaren’s England. The FA is certain to rue its decision to appoint McClaren when they had the chance to get Hiddink or Martin O’Neil.

O’Neil, a manager of the highest caliber and a person with numerous trophies in his time at Celtic was not selected as the FA did not find his presentation impressive. And, Hiddink was supposedly incensed at the FA’s insistence that he make a presentation. On the other hand, a great presentation was all McClaren needed to persuade the FA to appoint him for one of the toughest managerial jobs in football.

For all his lack of pedigree and experience at the highest level, McClaren could have certainly done a good job with the squad at his disposal, IF he had the tactical nous of Hiddink. In spite of the flattering consecutive 3-0 wins, including against Israel and Russia at home, most fans were never confident in a man whose only achievement was a Carling Cup triumph at Boro. And of course, he was as an assistant to Fergie at ManU during the treble-winning season.

In spite of the great players in the England squad, it is really the quality of the manager that reflects the performance of the team. Given the talented players in the England squad, it would have been an easy task to qualify had the team been managed by a Hiddink. A manager, with superior tactical and motivational skills and one who would have the balls to drop under-performing superstars, is needed if England has to win any trophy at the highest level. It will take a miracle if we are to witness England at Euro 2008. Even if they do qualify, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a wily Portugese at the helm for the Euro Championships.