Tuesday 25 September 2012

Sunderland & Martin O'Neill - A Match Made in Heaven?

(originally written in December 2011)

Much to the deep disappointment of most Newcastle fans, ‘Agent’ Steve Bruce was shown the door at Sunderland last week.  In much as the same way ‘Agent’ Lawrie McMenenmy did back in the mid 80′s, they felt Bruce was taking Sunderland where they wanted them to go, down!

And that is slightly harsh.  Granted the form over the last few months of last season and the beginning of this wasn’t brilliant but having lost Darren Bent last January they were always going to have a fight on their hands to replace him.  They thought they already had at least one striker on the books who was more than capable, record signing Asamoah Gyan had proven a the recent world cup a good goalscorer.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it, the Ghanain departed after the window had closed preventing Bruce from bringing anyone else in.

So eventually his tenure ended and in fairly quick order, Martin O’Neill was named as the new boss.  Can he succeed where so many other big names have failed?

It’s worth saying I’m not a Sunderland fan but I can appreciate that their is massive potential for big things at the Stadium of Light.  They have the ground, in Ellis Short they have a fairly wealthy owner who has got the club on a fairly even footing financially and who is willing to back his manager with transfer funds.  They also have the support, while not selling out at home every week, the fanbase is definitely there.  You only have to look at their away following to realise that.

So can O’Neill bring success to Wearside?  The signs would appear good.  He has been linked with the post on a number of occassions over the last 5 years, his childhood support of the club became public knowledge in the North East some time ago and helped fuel these rumours.  If you look at his previous clubs he has had some moderate success with clubs in a similar or slightly worse position than Sunderland.  Leicester became Premier League mainstays and perenniel League Cup challengers, winning the trophy in 1997 and 2000.  His most recent job at Aston Villa saw them achieve back to back to back 6th place positions along with another League Cup Final appearance and a trip to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

His style of football isn’t for most but has proved to be effective.  Dogged defence, usually with a couple of big centre halves, coupled with hard working midfielders and a single target man, usually supplied with a direct ball.  And effective is probably what Sunderland need right now.

And he’s also got some decent players at the club. Kieran Westwood is a solid keeper, in John O’Shea and Wes Brown they have vastly experienced defenders and Sebastian Larsson is a quality midfielder.  So everything seems in place, all that is missing is that spark.  O’Neill might just be the catalyst.

But as I’ve said previously hindsight is a wonderful thing and only time will tell whether O’Neill can bring the success of Peter Reid back to the club or whether he will go the same way as Roy Keane, Mick McCarthy and Steve Bruce.  One thing is for certain, Newcastle fans will be unlikely to be calling him ‘Agent’ O’Neill.

Brazil 1982 - Just WOW!

(originally written in December 2011)

Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, or Socrates as he was more commonly known, died last Sunday at the age of 57.  He had been battling illness for some  time.

In 1981 I sat down to watch the FA Cup Final and delighted in Tottenham’s 3-2 victory over Manchester City.  It’s the first game of any kind I can remember seeing on the TV and was the reason I started supporting Spurs.  In 1982 I watched a Glenn Hoddle penalty defeat QPR, again in the FA Cup Final.  For this reason Hoddle became my footballing hero.  But I truly fell in love with football a few months later, as a colourful, wonderful and slightly bewildering concept to an 8 year old boy, filled our screens.

Espana 82 was the first World Cup Finals I remember and I through myself headlong into it.  The sticker book purchased I set about collecting as many of the stickers as I could, all with bizarre and strange names.  A few of these names stood out, Rachid Harkouk being one, the Algerian centre forward who was at Notts County at the time.  The rest all belonged to Brazillians.

Junior, Falcao, Eder, Zico and Socrates.  Even now these names fell easily off my tongue.  Zico was the main man, there was always an excitible buzz whenever his name was mentioned.  And rightly so, watching him throughout the tournament would prove that.  But it was Socrates who stood out from them all.  Tall, bearded (therefore the connection to one of my early Tottenham heroes, Ricky Villa, was an easy one to make) he didn’t look like your typical footballer.  But he strode around the pitch like a collossus and had a deft touch and deceptive turn of pace.

Following news of his death I went onto YouTube to look for clips of him and Brazil that tournament.  The memories soon came flooding back, one memory in particular providing an audible gasp of delight from yours truly.  Eder was a sensational player who always seemed under-rated compared to his team-mates but that goal against the USSR was a sheer delight.  And the chip against Scotland wasn’t bad either!

The game against Italy is still one of my all time favourite games.  It had everything and this game alone made my fall in love with football. Twice Italy led, twice Brazil came back.  15 minutes from time Paulo Rossi bagged his and Italy’s third to end the Brazillian dream.  But it had been an adventure and one which was littered with great skills, wonderful goals and a masterclass in attacking football.

I implore all of you to get on the web and have a look at some of the action.  Some teams have come close but none in my opinion have bettered them.  I stil drool with excitement when I see them and can only imagine how good they would have been if they’d had a fit Careca.  And I dare any of you not to gasp in amazement!

RIP Socrates and thanks for the memories.

Tottenham & The Europa League

(originally written in November 2011)

There’s been a lot of debate about our elimination from the Europe League at the group stage.  Lots of people happier for it and lots of people who feel disappointed.  I’m one of the latter.

A lot of the pro camp will say we had no intention of winning it and now we can concentrate on the league and they’ve got a point.  But the counter arguement here is there wasn’t many of the first choice starting XI who actually played in the competition.  VDV for example wasn’t even registered.  Harry exercised his right to give the squad players and emerging talent a chance, a decision I actually agree with and despite our exit, I believe it proved beneficial.

Players like Tom Carroll, Ryan Fredericks, Harry Kane were thrust into the minds of Tottenham fans, many of whom had never heard of them or had never seen them in action.  Again I fall into the latter.  And like me, many were impressed by what they saw.  Tom Carroll is a slip of a lad but looked very composed on the ball and a very usefull passer.  Harry Kane a big strong, almost old fashioned centre forward who actually possesses a decent touch. Ryan Fredericks, quick and versatile, will have been disappointed to have missed a few games with injury.

Some of the younger brigade have been around for a little bit longer, Andros Townsend and Jake Livermore for example.  Townsend was played in a variety of positions but was at his best when wide left.  He looks the type of player who will cause fullbacks sleepless nights and is able to create chances.  At the moment very much a squad player who could be used as an impact sub if so required.  Livermore as well remains a squad player in the big picture.

The Europa league also gave some of the more senior players a chance to shine.  Some grasped it, some didn’t.  Steven Pienaar while not setting the world alight did show some glimpses af quality and might still prove to be a useful player for the club.  Others like Giovani dos Santos and Roman Pavlyuchenko, while both getting on the scoresheet, didn’t really thrust themselves back into contention for a league start.
The main positive was getting these players gametime.  Nobody wants to sit around on the bench or out of the frame on a Saturday.  The Europe League provided a competitive environment for them to get games.  Now that we’re out what happens now?

Well it’s a good question.  The likes of Sandro, Kranjcar and Pienaar might not be happy with lack of games and benchwarming in league fixtures.  And if we lose our squad players it will affect our league campaign should injuries and suspensions take their toll.

Of the youngsters some will go out on loan most proabably.  Caroll for example would be a great addition to a side like Brighton or Southampton in the Championship.  Others like Kane may not be allowed to leave, depending on how important our involvement in the Next Gen Series is seen.  Townsend would be a one to keep for the reasons stated above.  And of course there will be those departing the club for the last time, Gomes, Corluka, Bassong and Pav falling most possibly into this category.

And for those thinking a good FA Cup run will allow these youngsters and squad players games I disagree.  FA Cup games are played instead of league matches so there’s no problem in playing more or less your strongest side here.  They still get a week to recover before the next game.  And I for one would love to win a trophy!

And I think therin lies the crux of the arguement.  We all want to see the club be successful and winning trophies helps us achieve this.  We all remember the league cup final a few years ago.  And in the upcoming book ‘The Glory Glory Game’, written by the Spurs Writers Club, I talk about the sheer enjoyment of winning the 1984 Uefa Cup.

Therefore I  think it is a shame we are out of the Europa League.  And January might be an interesting time for goings.

Memories & The Future

(originally written in Feburary 2012)

Google Earth is a wonderful thing and show just how far technology has come in a short space of time. From the comfort of your own home you can now be transported to anywhere in the world in just a few clicks, although bizarrely the first place everyone usually goes to is their own home! There or somewhere from their past.

That’s what happened to me the other day. I found myself looking at Hull, a place I know from my university days back in the early to mid 90’s. A great city to be a student in and also a very sporting city. One of my big regrets from my time there was never making it to The Boulevard for a Hull rugby league game and especially not making it to a Hull v Hull KR derby match. The passion that I saw from both sets of supporters was equal to anything I have seen in football and I would have loved to have seen it at first hand.

After a few minutes of flitting about the city, my eyes were drawn to The Boulevard. Now no longer used following Hull FC’s move to the KC Stadium I was struck by the sadness of a now crumbling stadium, still standing in the photos, but now looking eerily quiet and deserted. I could only imagine what it feels like for a supporter, someone who had gone week in, week out, handed over their hard earned money to support their heroes, to look upon such a sight. All of this made more difficult to comprehend by not having been there myself. I had however been to Boothferry Park.

The sight that greeted me at the former home of Hull City FC was even more shocking and heartbreaking. The basic shape of the ground was still there but the stands have gone. All that remains is the ‘supermarket’ end and a few bits of terracing. Street view allows you to see between the houses into the overgrown wilderness that once saw football league matches played out. It’s a strange feeling looking onto such a scene and set me off on a trip down memory lane.

From Hull I moved on. The Goldstone Ground, Brighton. The Dell, Southampton. Elm Park, Reading. The Manor Ground, Oxford. Highfield Road, Coventry. Maine Road, Manchester. Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough and finally Roker Park, Sunderland. Some are now just housing estates or industrial estates, any signs of their past now erased. Others are still there on the aerial shots in various states of decay or redevelopment. Street view which is a little bit later shows houses appearing on some sites. Roker Park holds a special place in my memory as it was the first ground I went to as a child. It is now totally gone. If you didn’t know where to look you’d probably miss it. I’ve actually only been past it once since it made way for the Stadium of Light and I nearly did but the internet being a wonderful thing, pictures of the old Clock Stand where I sat for that first game can still be seen and memories can linger on.

All this nostalgia though was well timed as only a few days later news filtered through about the NDP moving a step closer, thanks to the injection of money from Haringey council and The Mayor of London, money that will enable the town of Tottenham and the surrounding areas of the ground to be redeveloped. This news though also comes with a tinge of sadness and regret as it hastens the end of White Hart Lane as we know it.

The move to new stadiums is the right thing to do for some clubs, Darlington FC being the obvious and current exception. I understand all the arguments and reasoning coming out of Tottenham and I agree wholeheartedly with them all. It is vital for the club to move forward and start to realise its full and true potential. However as with any step forward, human nature says a part of you will always miss what was there before. WHL holds precious memories to all of us who are proud to call Tottenham Hotspur our team. The arrival of *insert name here* stadium won’t diminish those memories, in fact it will probably make them even more cherished. But it will still be a sad time when the Park Lane end finally leaves this world.

I for one am sad that grounds such as Boothferry Park, Highfield Road and Roker Park are no longer with us. The current young generation are already ignorant of the joy and fun that standing on the terraces at these grounds brought. Soon future generations will be ignorant of just how ramshackle football grounds used to be as well. Maybe that’s a good thing but then again when the newer grounds start to be replaced, maybe they’ll have their memories to warm them.