1. Content is key
MOTD… not computers.
There are few shows that get more abuse on television than Match of the Day. Everyone has an opinion on football; and being the central round up show for all top flight action, airing at a time when most people have come back from the pub after a few beers, it’s little wonder that over the years its pundits and presenters have come in for some serious flak. Of late, the show had reached a nadir of banal analysis from preened, overpaid presenters whose names usually began with Alan. It was refreshing then, to see none of its usual pundits in action this weekend and instead listen to Danny Murphy giving the regulars a lesson in how to actually do their job. Roberto Martinez offered likeable light relief, but Murphy’s defensive dissection of Manchester United was the best piece of analysis for years on the show. It was, in short, exactly what Sky do every week. Contrast this to last week’s horror show of an MOTD2 where we had to witness a standing Alan Shearer try and explain physicality with Mark Chapman. It didn’t work… at all. Because it was Alan Shearer. Sky may have fancy gadgets and computers, but the reason it continues to be the standard bearer for televised football is the content itself. I’m sure we’ll be back to the two Alan’s comparing whose shirt is more starched before long, but this Saturday, it was refreshing to be educated rather than bored for a change.
There are few shows that get more abuse on television than Match of the Day. Everyone has an opinion on football; and being the central round up show for all top flight action, airing at a time when most people have come back from the pub after a few beers, it’s little wonder that over the years its pundits and presenters have come in for some serious flak. Of late, the show had reached a nadir of banal analysis from preened, overpaid presenters whose names usually began with Alan. It was refreshing then, to see none of its usual pundits in action this weekend and instead listen to Danny Murphy giving the regulars a lesson in how to actually do their job. Roberto Martinez offered likeable light relief, but Murphy’s defensive dissection of Manchester United was the best piece of analysis for years on the show. It was, in short, exactly what Sky do every week. Contrast this to last week’s horror show of an MOTD2 where we had to witness a standing Alan Shearer try and explain physicality with Mark Chapman. It didn’t work… at all. Because it was Alan Shearer. Sky may have fancy gadgets and computers, but the reason it continues to be the standard bearer for televised football is the content itself. I’m sure we’ll be back to the two Alan’s comparing whose shirt is more starched before long, but this Saturday, it was refreshing to be educated rather than bored for a change.
2. Jol may be back
under a bridge before too long.
Fulham have not started the season well. A fortunate win away at struggling Sunderland aside, they have now mustered a single point from 5 games and sit firmly entrenched in the relegation zone. Jol could point to a difficult start and niggling injuries to his forwards. But goalkeeper aside, Fulham were at full strength on Saturday as they were humbled at home by promoted Cardiff. The big Dutchmen resembles a creature that belongs under a bridge, picking off wandering farmyard animals as they attempt to cross to the other side. If he’s not careful, he’ll… he’ll… I’m sorry this metaphor is making about as much sense as Jose’s egg speech. I’ll cut to the chase. Fulham have a new man up top and Jol needs to start winning games and fast. Or a Michael Jackson statue won’t be the only thing leaving Fulham Football Club this year.
Fulham have not started the season well. A fortunate win away at struggling Sunderland aside, they have now mustered a single point from 5 games and sit firmly entrenched in the relegation zone. Jol could point to a difficult start and niggling injuries to his forwards. But goalkeeper aside, Fulham were at full strength on Saturday as they were humbled at home by promoted Cardiff. The big Dutchmen resembles a creature that belongs under a bridge, picking off wandering farmyard animals as they attempt to cross to the other side. If he’s not careful, he’ll… he’ll… I’m sorry this metaphor is making about as much sense as Jose’s egg speech. I’ll cut to the chase. Fulham have a new man up top and Jol needs to start winning games and fast. Or a Michael Jackson statue won’t be the only thing leaving Fulham Football Club this year.
3. Ramsey is Reborn.
I’ve refrained from writing a Ramsey piece until now for two reasons. Firstly is that a lot of people have already penned something about his dramatic change in form and I wanted to see if he could keep it up for a few more games. Secondly… last season against Swansea I wrote a piece absolutely slating him and holding him up as an example for everything that was wrong with Arsene Wenger. Well… he showed me. The Welshman has got better and better with every game he’s played this season and currently isn’t just the in-form player for Arsenal, but for the entire league. His team sit at the top of the table and have started well in Europe. In the 8 games Ramsey has been involved in since that opening day reverse Arsenal have scored 18 goals and Ramsey has scored or created 12 of them. He is currently the Premier Leagues top scorer. Numbers of course, don’t always tell the whole story. Ya Ya Toure scored again to join Ramsey at the top of the scoring charts but was woeful against a determined and slick Aston Villa. Ramsey, by contrast, has been the man of the match in almost every game he’s played since August. Wenger maintains that he always had this ability in his locker and famously courted him as much as any player during his Arsenal career. Many purists would love for the Gunners to still be top of the tree come May and for Ramsey himself, anything like that as an end game would represent a remarkable turnaround from last season where he was continuously hopeless and bereft of form. I have rarely seen such a poor performance as the one he gave away to Swansea in January, but he has turned his entire game on its head and is now playing with confidence and vigour. There is however, one final point regarding his turnaround which is relevant to all of the bigger squads in the league. Ramsey was maligned and playing poorly, but he was often stationed out of position and wide on the left (seemingly the stock “out of position” role that any attacking player must be subjected to). His form has coincided with being moved into his favoured central role where he can burst forward from deep. My point about Ramsey was that he wasn’t a bad player per se, but that he wasn’t good enough for an Arsenal team who had the likes of Wilshire, Rosicky and Santi playing in his position. It is very much a modern day football decision to become a “squad player” at a bigger club or a first choice regular at a smaller one. I felt that Ramsey at his age could benefit from playing 10-20 games in a row at a club that would play him in his favoured role. As it happens, Arsenal ended up doing that and both player and club have reaped the rewards. So, just to clarify Ollie Harris… technically I was right all along. Now if only Man Utd would try and do this with Shinji “45 minutes at left wing and replaced by a teenager reserve” Kagawa…
I’ve refrained from writing a Ramsey piece until now for two reasons. Firstly is that a lot of people have already penned something about his dramatic change in form and I wanted to see if he could keep it up for a few more games. Secondly… last season against Swansea I wrote a piece absolutely slating him and holding him up as an example for everything that was wrong with Arsene Wenger. Well… he showed me. The Welshman has got better and better with every game he’s played this season and currently isn’t just the in-form player for Arsenal, but for the entire league. His team sit at the top of the table and have started well in Europe. In the 8 games Ramsey has been involved in since that opening day reverse Arsenal have scored 18 goals and Ramsey has scored or created 12 of them. He is currently the Premier Leagues top scorer. Numbers of course, don’t always tell the whole story. Ya Ya Toure scored again to join Ramsey at the top of the scoring charts but was woeful against a determined and slick Aston Villa. Ramsey, by contrast, has been the man of the match in almost every game he’s played since August. Wenger maintains that he always had this ability in his locker and famously courted him as much as any player during his Arsenal career. Many purists would love for the Gunners to still be top of the tree come May and for Ramsey himself, anything like that as an end game would represent a remarkable turnaround from last season where he was continuously hopeless and bereft of form. I have rarely seen such a poor performance as the one he gave away to Swansea in January, but he has turned his entire game on its head and is now playing with confidence and vigour. There is however, one final point regarding his turnaround which is relevant to all of the bigger squads in the league. Ramsey was maligned and playing poorly, but he was often stationed out of position and wide on the left (seemingly the stock “out of position” role that any attacking player must be subjected to). His form has coincided with being moved into his favoured central role where he can burst forward from deep. My point about Ramsey was that he wasn’t a bad player per se, but that he wasn’t good enough for an Arsenal team who had the likes of Wilshire, Rosicky and Santi playing in his position. It is very much a modern day football decision to become a “squad player” at a bigger club or a first choice regular at a smaller one. I felt that Ramsey at his age could benefit from playing 10-20 games in a row at a club that would play him in his favoured role. As it happens, Arsenal ended up doing that and both player and club have reaped the rewards. So, just to clarify Ollie Harris… technically I was right all along. Now if only Man Utd would try and do this with Shinji “45 minutes at left wing and replaced by a teenager reserve” Kagawa…
4. Saints are all marching to the same beat.
It seems remarkable that so far this season Maurico Pochettino has come under criticism. Everything from “he hasn’t picked up the language quick enough” to “why has he bought players he doesn’t even need?” Southampton currently sit in 5th place, boast the best defensive record in the league and possess a team who, above anything else… are simply that. A team. Since taking over in January Pochettino has managed Saints for 25 games and only lost 6 of them. That’s less than both Manchester City and Utd, just so we’re clear. Pretty good going for a team tipped to be relegation strugglers throughout most of that time. The Argentine has installed a calmness at St Mary’s but more than that, he has coached his team into playing as a wonderful unit. The likes of Swansea and Arsenal continue to win admirers for their style but there is nothing less pleasing about the way Southampton work and play for each other. The signing of Wanyama was derided in some quarters but he has been instrumental to their success this season. Jay Rodrigquez has been converted into an old fashioned inside right and Pochettino has used the dead ball specialism of Lallana and Ward-Prowse to solid effect, without ever trying to shoe horn both into the team to do so. The most remarkable thing about the transformation of both Swansea and Southampton over the past 12 months hasn’t been the managers though; it’s been the completely English spine that runs through both teams. Here are two clubs playing attractive, passing football in a continental style with predominantly English and British players. Any future manager of this country should be taking a long hard look at both clubs and asking for some serious tips. As well as stopping picking the reserves of Man Utd and Liverpool for no fucking reason whatsoever.
5. Qatar probably
wasn’t a good choice.
Everybody knows Fifa is corrupt. It’s not even worth saying anymore such is the obviousness of the statement. It’s like saying the Tories don’t care about the NHS or that America might just have a gun problem. But when the dust settles on the disgraceful reign of Sepp Blatter, the Qatar world cupbribe
bid will probably be held up as the poster of it. Awarding the biggest sporting
tournament in the world to a country with absolutely zero pedigree in the sport
was strange to begin with. But it was seemingly done without even a cursory
amount of research into how the country would accommodate so many teams, so
many fans and so many matches in a climate that averages a cool 41 degrees in
July. Recent stories have now broken about human rights, health and safety and
a simply appalling level of human fatalities during the construction phase of
the event. Add to this the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and we have
a back to back campaign of racial and homophobic hatred to look forward to as
well. Talk of a shift to winter is stupid for so many reasons that I can’t be
bothered to name them here; but the only one that matters is that it’s stupid
to continue to consider Qatar as a viable option for a World Cup anyway.
Blatter and his cronies need to suck it up, realise they’re probably rich
enough anyway and give back the huge pile of money they were certainly NOT
given in order to award the tournament to Qatar in the first place. This just
wouldn’t happen with Cricket. I mean the ICC is a fine body of upstanding
gentlemen free from any sort of corruption, woeful decision making or possible ulterior
motives.
Everybody knows Fifa is corrupt. It’s not even worth saying anymore such is the obviousness of the statement. It’s like saying the Tories don’t care about the NHS or that America might just have a gun problem. But when the dust settles on the disgraceful reign of Sepp Blatter, the Qatar world cup
Hmmm… I’ve lost you haven’t I…