http://www.footballspeak.com/post/2011/11/16/How-the-Premier-League-is-signalling-a-slow-death-for-the-Easter.aspx
As I exited the Hradcanska metro station and began to walk down the long street named M.Horakove, I was immediately struck by the little amount of people hovering around the area.
Admittedly I had arrived at the Stadium Letna around an hour and a half before the game was due to start, but even at Home Park, home of my beloved Plymouth Argyle, if you were to arrive around the same time then there would be more of a clear indication that a game was about to take place.
Stadium Letna is home to Sparta Prague, the most successful and richest club in the Czech Republic and a club who boasts a record eleven league titles since the foundation of the Gambrinus Liga in 1993.
Sparta also reached the semi finals of the European Cup in 1992 and have reared such talents as Pavel Nedved, Tomas Rosicky, Patrik Berger and Petr Cech.
I took the decision to watch Sparta during a recent ‘lads holiday’ to Prague in an attempt to break up the drinking which consumed much of our four days in the absolutely beautiful Czech capital.
Zelezna Sparta (Iron Sparta) were to host Mlada Boleslav with Sparta currently topping the table as they looked to regain the title wrestled from their grasp by Viktoria Plzen the previous season.
Unfortunately for Sparta I proved once more to be a jinx, a running theme over my recent visits to various stadiums as I can’t actually remember the last time that I have actually seen a home side emerge victorious.
Mlada Boleslav emerged with a shock 3-0 away victory, inspired by their visibly overweight but technically outstanding skipper, the former Czech international Marek Kulic.
The Stadium Letna has a capacity of 21,000 but the official attendance of the game was given as 7,307 and it actually seemed a lot less with empty seats all around what is actually a smart and modern looking stadium.
Those that did part with the bargain admission fee (around £6) were undoubtedly passionate, especially the ultras who tucked themselves away in one of the lower tier corners behind the goal and generated a constant noise throughout.
I left wondering whether or not this had always been the case in Czech football and came to the mini-conclusion that before the break up of Czechoslovakia and the rise to prominence of the Premier League it had in fact, probably not been the case at all.
As I made my way back to the bustling bars of Wenceslas Square to meet my friends and return to the drinking in hand, the metaphorical penny dropped.
Every bar we visited, from Hooters to backstreet local bars, displayed games from the Premier League, La Liga or the Bundesliga rather than the Czech leagues which take a quiet backseat.
Sparta’s prized asset is 19 year-old striker Vaclav Kadlec who has been heralded as a potential star of the future. Yet the question on the lips of Sparta fans is when and not if he will leave for pastures new.
With Europe’s big hitters enjoying ever greater spoils of TV money and sponsorship contracts, the gulf between the rich and the poor of European club football is widening.
Strolling through the Prague’s quaint cobbled streets there were more Barcelona and Manchester United shirts on display than there were Sparta and Slavia Prague, the two traditional heavyweights of the Czech game.
With Czech clubs receiving substantially less sponsorship money, prize money and TV money than leading European clubs they are thus working on far smaller budgets.
Leading talents such as Kadlec have to leave to balance the books and the only returning big names are often well past their prime.
This unfortunate scenario is also the case in other countries such as Serbia and Hungary, both countries whose clubs have made serious impact in European competitions in the past.
With limited talent in the domestic leagues of these countries, football fans make the decision to watch the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and David Silva on the television rather than go to the stadiums to support their local teams.
With fewer and fewer people going to the stadiums and attendance figures continuing to dwindle, it appears impossible that the likes of Sparta Prague will ever reach the semi-finals of the Champions League ever again.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Wednesday 28 September 2011
The Bundesliga Boom http://footballspeak.com/post/2011/09/30/The-Bundesliga-Boom.aspx
The phrase ‘German Efficiency’ has been branded around in relation to everything from cars, to public transport, to industrial productivity and many believe German football to be no anomaly to this theory.
The mental image conjured up when many are prompted to think of the German game, is one of ruthlessly disciplined teams who are almost always in the reckoning in the latter stages of football major competitions.
However in recent years German football has taken giant strides in freeing itself of the shackles of such stereotypes and the Bundesliga is widely regarded as being the entertaining and fan-friendly league in the world.
A quick glance at the UEFA Coefficient rankings shows that the Bundesliga has now jumped above Serie A in the table and sits in third behind The Premier League and La Liga, now also enjoying four Champions League places each season.
But what is it that makes The Bundesliga so entertaining and ensures that fans flock to games like nowhere else in Europe?
Firstly, the 50+1 rule is believed by many to be the cornerstone to much of the success of The Bundesliga.
The rule states that every German club must be majority owned by their fans (51%), preventing controlling takeovers and the subsequent huge financial investment from oligarchs as we have seen at various clubs across Europe over previous seasons.
This rule serves to create a more level playing field and the implication of the rule is evidently paying dividends.
In the past eight seasons The Bundesliga has seen five different clubs name as title winners. Bayern Munich four times, with Werder Bremen, VFB Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund all also having been crowned as champions.
The 50+1 rule could be a decisive factor as to why German clubs have struggled to compete in Europe over recent seasons. With investment potential limited, many clubs have struggled in recent seasons to compete on the field with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona who have far greater sums of money at their disposal.
Despite only Bayern having enjoyed success in Europe over recent years (their 2010 run to the final), the domestic game has never failed to provide entertainment and surprises.
This uncertainty makes for exciting times for German fans, as the majority of supporters believe that their team can spring a surprise or two over the course of the season.
Last time out traditional heavyweights Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg and Schalke all finished in the bottom half, whilst unfancied Hannover, Mainz and Nuremberg all occupied the top third come the end of the season.
As a result of this German fans have packed the stands like no others. Numerous English journalists have so far commented on the unique and deafening atmosphere prevalent in German stadiums, after Arsenal’s visit to Dortmund’s huge Signal Iduna Park and Manchester City’s defeat at Bayern’s Allianz Arena.
Last season The Bundesliga average attendance was over the 42,000 mark and throw into the mix newly-promoted Hertha Berlin’s giant Olympiastadion and the figure looks set to rise once more.
German authorities have overseen the introduction of ‘safe terracing’ and this could well be a contributing factor to the excellent atmosphere available to sample on match-days.
Champions Borussia Dortmund boast the world’s largest standing terrace which regularly sees 25,000 loyal fans fill the terrace and create an incredible wall of noise.
A place on this terrace costs just 15Euros with the majority of other clubs also having equally cheap tickets.
Bargain tickets coupled with the permitted consumption of beer on the terraces make for what is heralded as the best fans experience currently available anywhere in the footballing world.
However it isn’t just cheap tickets, great atmosphere and a level playing field that help make the Bundesliga the game’s most watched league, another currency is equally important, goals.
Remarkably over the past 21 seasons The Bundesliga has seen the most goals out of Europe’s big five leagues. Consistently more goals fly in in Germany than in England, France, Italy and Spain.
Last season The Bundesliga saw on average 2.92 goals a game, eclipsing The Premier League in second with 2.80.
Throughout the season spectators were only forced to suffer 28 goalless draws, also the lowest of any of the big five.
The German national team, known affectionately as The Nationalmannschaft, have also reaped the benefits of the recent Bundesliga Boom.
Both of the last two editions of the FIFA World Cup have seen Germany finish third and instead of playing efficient rather than eye-catching football, the teams of 2006and 2010 played with swagger, style and substance.
The 2006 side won the hearts of the host nation as Klinsmann’s men stormed into the semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual winners Italy in extra time.
The 2010 team arguably left even more of a legacy only being outdone by again the eventual winners Spain.
Joachim Low’s side featured young starlets such as Mesut Ozil, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller all of whom featured 12 months previously in the Under 21 European Championships and made the successful transition from promising youngsters to global superstars.
Arguably if these players plied their trades in The Premier League it is unlikely that they would have been able to establish themselves on the world stage quite so quickly.
The 50+1 rule has helped ensure German clubs invest more in youth development and giving talented players a chance in the first-team, all this whilst many English talents have grown frustrated at the lack of first-team opportunities in expensively assembled squads and found themselves farmed out on loan to lesser clubs in order to prove themselves.
The latest off The Bundesliga conveyor belt is exciting playmaker Mario Gotze of Dortmund, who has already established himself in his club side as well as the national team and has been tipped by many experts as a potential world-beater, all this at the age of 19.
With reigning champions Borussia Dortmund languishing in 8th place in the league and Hamburg at the foot of the table, The Bundesliga boom isn’t set to go away anytime soon.
The mental image conjured up when many are prompted to think of the German game, is one of ruthlessly disciplined teams who are almost always in the reckoning in the latter stages of football major competitions.
However in recent years German football has taken giant strides in freeing itself of the shackles of such stereotypes and the Bundesliga is widely regarded as being the entertaining and fan-friendly league in the world.
A quick glance at the UEFA Coefficient rankings shows that the Bundesliga has now jumped above Serie A in the table and sits in third behind The Premier League and La Liga, now also enjoying four Champions League places each season.
But what is it that makes The Bundesliga so entertaining and ensures that fans flock to games like nowhere else in Europe?
Firstly, the 50+1 rule is believed by many to be the cornerstone to much of the success of The Bundesliga.
The rule states that every German club must be majority owned by their fans (51%), preventing controlling takeovers and the subsequent huge financial investment from oligarchs as we have seen at various clubs across Europe over previous seasons.
This rule serves to create a more level playing field and the implication of the rule is evidently paying dividends.
In the past eight seasons The Bundesliga has seen five different clubs name as title winners. Bayern Munich four times, with Werder Bremen, VFB Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund all also having been crowned as champions.
The 50+1 rule could be a decisive factor as to why German clubs have struggled to compete in Europe over recent seasons. With investment potential limited, many clubs have struggled in recent seasons to compete on the field with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona who have far greater sums of money at their disposal.
Despite only Bayern having enjoyed success in Europe over recent years (their 2010 run to the final), the domestic game has never failed to provide entertainment and surprises.
This uncertainty makes for exciting times for German fans, as the majority of supporters believe that their team can spring a surprise or two over the course of the season.
Last time out traditional heavyweights Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg and Schalke all finished in the bottom half, whilst unfancied Hannover, Mainz and Nuremberg all occupied the top third come the end of the season.
As a result of this German fans have packed the stands like no others. Numerous English journalists have so far commented on the unique and deafening atmosphere prevalent in German stadiums, after Arsenal’s visit to Dortmund’s huge Signal Iduna Park and Manchester City’s defeat at Bayern’s Allianz Arena.
Last season The Bundesliga average attendance was over the 42,000 mark and throw into the mix newly-promoted Hertha Berlin’s giant Olympiastadion and the figure looks set to rise once more.
German authorities have overseen the introduction of ‘safe terracing’ and this could well be a contributing factor to the excellent atmosphere available to sample on match-days.
Champions Borussia Dortmund boast the world’s largest standing terrace which regularly sees 25,000 loyal fans fill the terrace and create an incredible wall of noise.
A place on this terrace costs just 15Euros with the majority of other clubs also having equally cheap tickets.
Bargain tickets coupled with the permitted consumption of beer on the terraces make for what is heralded as the best fans experience currently available anywhere in the footballing world.
However it isn’t just cheap tickets, great atmosphere and a level playing field that help make the Bundesliga the game’s most watched league, another currency is equally important, goals.
Remarkably over the past 21 seasons The Bundesliga has seen the most goals out of Europe’s big five leagues. Consistently more goals fly in in Germany than in England, France, Italy and Spain.
Last season The Bundesliga saw on average 2.92 goals a game, eclipsing The Premier League in second with 2.80.
Throughout the season spectators were only forced to suffer 28 goalless draws, also the lowest of any of the big five.
The German national team, known affectionately as The Nationalmannschaft, have also reaped the benefits of the recent Bundesliga Boom.
Both of the last two editions of the FIFA World Cup have seen Germany finish third and instead of playing efficient rather than eye-catching football, the teams of 2006and 2010 played with swagger, style and substance.
The 2006 side won the hearts of the host nation as Klinsmann’s men stormed into the semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual winners Italy in extra time.
The 2010 team arguably left even more of a legacy only being outdone by again the eventual winners Spain.
Joachim Low’s side featured young starlets such as Mesut Ozil, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller all of whom featured 12 months previously in the Under 21 European Championships and made the successful transition from promising youngsters to global superstars.
Arguably if these players plied their trades in The Premier League it is unlikely that they would have been able to establish themselves on the world stage quite so quickly.
The 50+1 rule has helped ensure German clubs invest more in youth development and giving talented players a chance in the first-team, all this whilst many English talents have grown frustrated at the lack of first-team opportunities in expensively assembled squads and found themselves farmed out on loan to lesser clubs in order to prove themselves.
The latest off The Bundesliga conveyor belt is exciting playmaker Mario Gotze of Dortmund, who has already established himself in his club side as well as the national team and has been tipped by many experts as a potential world-beater, all this at the age of 19.
With reigning champions Borussia Dortmund languishing in 8th place in the league and Hamburg at the foot of the table, The Bundesliga boom isn’t set to go away anytime soon.
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Capital Revolution for footballspeak.com
Manchester City’s solid start to the 2011-2012 campaign has indicated their intentions to challenge for honours on both a domestic and continental front and for the first time since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour in 2008, the Citizens have a squad that many tip as capable of doing so.
The Citizens transformation from wealthy outsiders to serious contenders may have taken a couple of seasons and some serious investment, but elsewhere there are a number of other clubs from all corners of the globe who with serious cash injections are looking to reshape the axis of power within the modern game.
Whether or not these teams do transpire to become serious contenders for the games top honours, early signs are encouraging as they flood their starting elevens with established talent as well as exciting youngsters destined to make a big impact in the game.
One grand project already taking huge strides is the takeover of Paris St Germain by Qatari Sports Investments.
The group secured a successful takeover of the club back in June and have already made several impressive moves in their bid to wake the traditional sleeping giant of French football.
The ambition and drive of the new owners was clearly enough to impress then Inter Milan manager Leonardo, as he vacated his role at the San Siro to become PSG’s new Sporting Director, the club where he spent a year as a player during the 1996-1997 season.
Leonardo has already overseen a number of high-profile signings including Blaise Matuidi, Jeremy Menez, Mohammed Sissoko and Javier Pastore.
The signings of Javier Pastore was seen by many as particularly poignant given the fact that PSG pipped several established clubs to the highly-rated young Argentine international’s signature. PSG beat off the likes of Inter, AC Milan and Chelsea in the race for Pastore, a remarkable feat for a team not even competing in this seasons Champions League.
The draws of PSG were simple. Paris is the fifth biggest city in Europe and features many iconic images that have made the city so recognisable and such a desirable destination for millions of tourists each year. PSG is the only professional club within the city and the new owners hope to tap into the vast potential for the city to boast a team capable for consistently challenging for not only Ligue 1, but also the Champions League.
Much further East from glamorous Paris is another team turning heads as a result of some huge financial assistance. This team is Anzhi Makhachkala.
Anzhi Makhachkala are funded by oligarch Suleiman Kerimov and are an entirely different case from PSG considering that Anzhi boast no geographical potential and have little footballing tradition, only narrowly avoiding relegation from the Russian Premier Division last season.
Anzhi hail from the Southern region of Dagestan, a poor and troubled area still deemed dangerous enough to warrant the squad to be based in Moscow and only making the 1,000 mile trip to the region for home games.
Doubters have levelled criticism that Kerimov’s investment in Anzhi is for political gain, but nobody can doubt that the club can now boast some exciting talent within their ranks.
The first signing of this new era was veteran full-back Roberto Carlos and while the Brazilian may not have many games left in him as a professional footballer, the signing certainly helped raise the profile of Anzhi, seemingly opening the floodgates for a number of other top players who have since joined the club.
Also now in the ranks are former Chelsea man and Russian international Yuri Zhirkov, Brazilian hotshot Diego Tardelli, playmaker Mbark Bousouffa, former PSV man and Hungarian international Balazs Dzsudzsak and most notably Samuel Eto’o. The reigning African Player of the Year on a reported annual salary of £17.5m.
Anzhi are undoubtedly still a work in progress but early signs are encouraging and the club currently sit 7th in the table, but only nine points off top spot.
Another country with inflating ambitions is Brazil. In recent years Brazil’s economy has experienced a boom alongside those of India, China and Russia. All of this whilst many European clubs from the traditional top leagues have become saddled with debt.
A strengthened economy as well as the benefits of hosting the 2014 World Cup has meant that Brazilian clubs have been able to hold on to their talent for longer and attract top players back from Europe earlier, as opposed to previously when players often only returned if they had failed to make the grade in Europe or were in the process of winding down their careers.
In the run to the 2014 World Cup various sponsors have part-funded wages of top players who have returned to the Brazilian Championship including Ronaldinho, Elano, Denilson , Deco and very almost Carlos Tevez who saw a move to Corinthians collapse at the last minute.
Is it possible that the global trend of top South American players seeing it as a necessity to depart for Europe will be reversed, with more and more players moving to South America from Europe?
With the strength of the UEFA Champions League as a brand and marketing tool, such a reverse seems unlikely. However over the coming years the playing field between Europe and South America is expected to level somewhat.
China is now recognised as one of the world’s leading economies having experienced rapid growth over recent years, however the countries football is not thought to have grown on a similar level but what many people don’t know is that in Dario Conca, the Chinese Super League has one of the highest paid footballers in the world.
Dario Conca may not be up there with Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney in terms of profile, but he certainly is in terms of salary.
Conca was bought from Fluminese by Guangzhou Evergrande who are backed by Xu Jiayan, China’s richest man, Xu Jiayan having earned his $3.6billion fortune in the property sector.
Guangzhou have also bought Brazilians Cleo and Muriqui as well as numerous top domestic talents and Real Estate company Dalian Wanda have recently tied up a deal to sponsor the Chinese Super League and fund a number of youth programmes, also using the cash to install Jose Antonio Camacho as coach of the national team.
It is unlikely that Conca and co elected to move to China for career purposes; it instead shows how uncertain the future of the game of football is if the very pawns, the players, are so easily swayed and persuaded to move to unusual destinations to secure a large pay packet.
While it may have taken Manchester City a few years and a few pounds to establish themselves at the very top of the game, it is worth considering what other new superpowers are likely to emerge over the coming seasons courtesy of significant cash injections.
The Citizens transformation from wealthy outsiders to serious contenders may have taken a couple of seasons and some serious investment, but elsewhere there are a number of other clubs from all corners of the globe who with serious cash injections are looking to reshape the axis of power within the modern game.
Whether or not these teams do transpire to become serious contenders for the games top honours, early signs are encouraging as they flood their starting elevens with established talent as well as exciting youngsters destined to make a big impact in the game.
One grand project already taking huge strides is the takeover of Paris St Germain by Qatari Sports Investments.
The group secured a successful takeover of the club back in June and have already made several impressive moves in their bid to wake the traditional sleeping giant of French football.
The ambition and drive of the new owners was clearly enough to impress then Inter Milan manager Leonardo, as he vacated his role at the San Siro to become PSG’s new Sporting Director, the club where he spent a year as a player during the 1996-1997 season.
Leonardo has already overseen a number of high-profile signings including Blaise Matuidi, Jeremy Menez, Mohammed Sissoko and Javier Pastore.
The signings of Javier Pastore was seen by many as particularly poignant given the fact that PSG pipped several established clubs to the highly-rated young Argentine international’s signature. PSG beat off the likes of Inter, AC Milan and Chelsea in the race for Pastore, a remarkable feat for a team not even competing in this seasons Champions League.
The draws of PSG were simple. Paris is the fifth biggest city in Europe and features many iconic images that have made the city so recognisable and such a desirable destination for millions of tourists each year. PSG is the only professional club within the city and the new owners hope to tap into the vast potential for the city to boast a team capable for consistently challenging for not only Ligue 1, but also the Champions League.
Much further East from glamorous Paris is another team turning heads as a result of some huge financial assistance. This team is Anzhi Makhachkala.
Anzhi Makhachkala are funded by oligarch Suleiman Kerimov and are an entirely different case from PSG considering that Anzhi boast no geographical potential and have little footballing tradition, only narrowly avoiding relegation from the Russian Premier Division last season.
Anzhi hail from the Southern region of Dagestan, a poor and troubled area still deemed dangerous enough to warrant the squad to be based in Moscow and only making the 1,000 mile trip to the region for home games.
Doubters have levelled criticism that Kerimov’s investment in Anzhi is for political gain, but nobody can doubt that the club can now boast some exciting talent within their ranks.
The first signing of this new era was veteran full-back Roberto Carlos and while the Brazilian may not have many games left in him as a professional footballer, the signing certainly helped raise the profile of Anzhi, seemingly opening the floodgates for a number of other top players who have since joined the club.
Also now in the ranks are former Chelsea man and Russian international Yuri Zhirkov, Brazilian hotshot Diego Tardelli, playmaker Mbark Bousouffa, former PSV man and Hungarian international Balazs Dzsudzsak and most notably Samuel Eto’o. The reigning African Player of the Year on a reported annual salary of £17.5m.
Anzhi are undoubtedly still a work in progress but early signs are encouraging and the club currently sit 7th in the table, but only nine points off top spot.
Another country with inflating ambitions is Brazil. In recent years Brazil’s economy has experienced a boom alongside those of India, China and Russia. All of this whilst many European clubs from the traditional top leagues have become saddled with debt.
A strengthened economy as well as the benefits of hosting the 2014 World Cup has meant that Brazilian clubs have been able to hold on to their talent for longer and attract top players back from Europe earlier, as opposed to previously when players often only returned if they had failed to make the grade in Europe or were in the process of winding down their careers.
In the run to the 2014 World Cup various sponsors have part-funded wages of top players who have returned to the Brazilian Championship including Ronaldinho, Elano, Denilson , Deco and very almost Carlos Tevez who saw a move to Corinthians collapse at the last minute.
Is it possible that the global trend of top South American players seeing it as a necessity to depart for Europe will be reversed, with more and more players moving to South America from Europe?
With the strength of the UEFA Champions League as a brand and marketing tool, such a reverse seems unlikely. However over the coming years the playing field between Europe and South America is expected to level somewhat.
China is now recognised as one of the world’s leading economies having experienced rapid growth over recent years, however the countries football is not thought to have grown on a similar level but what many people don’t know is that in Dario Conca, the Chinese Super League has one of the highest paid footballers in the world.
Dario Conca may not be up there with Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney in terms of profile, but he certainly is in terms of salary.
Conca was bought from Fluminese by Guangzhou Evergrande who are backed by Xu Jiayan, China’s richest man, Xu Jiayan having earned his $3.6billion fortune in the property sector.
Guangzhou have also bought Brazilians Cleo and Muriqui as well as numerous top domestic talents and Real Estate company Dalian Wanda have recently tied up a deal to sponsor the Chinese Super League and fund a number of youth programmes, also using the cash to install Jose Antonio Camacho as coach of the national team.
It is unlikely that Conca and co elected to move to China for career purposes; it instead shows how uncertain the future of the game of football is if the very pawns, the players, are so easily swayed and persuaded to move to unusual destinations to secure a large pay packet.
While it may have taken Manchester City a few years and a few pounds to establish themselves at the very top of the game, it is worth considering what other new superpowers are likely to emerge over the coming seasons courtesy of significant cash injections.
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Transfer deadline day
After spending an evening watching Sky Sports News' tedious coverage of what will probably be largely insignificant transfers, I have taken a look at a few deals on the continent that I think are far more interesting.
http://www.dexysden.co.uk/2011/08/three-heavyweight-european-movers-and-shakers/
http://www.dexysden.co.uk/2011/08/three-heavyweight-european-movers-and-shakers/
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Tuesday 9 August 2011
When fear of the police evaporates
It seems that I have returned from London at the right time as waves of violent riots have plagued the capital over recent nights and now appear to be spreading throughout the UK.
The riots followed a demonstration about the death of a man believed to have been shot by the police.
Social deprivation will forever be a ticking timebomb and discontented youths often turn to gang membership as a form of identification and feeling of well-being that they would be unable to feel otherwise.
Whether gang members are the primary perpetrators in the riots or not, a lack of education is responsible for much of this moronic behaviour that we are witnessing on our TV screens.
Anybody with a reasonable education and set of morals know that such behaviour is totally unacceptable. Did the parents of these kids teach them right from wrong or has living in poorer areas pissed these people off that much that the lure of a free HD TV become too strong for any applications of morals?
Whatever the reason for the shocking images that we are witnessing each night, I hope the government examine deep enough into the social fabric of these areas to get to the root of the problems and identify what on earth possesses these people to act this way, whether it be a severe hatred of the police or more complex underlying societal problems.
The riots followed a demonstration about the death of a man believed to have been shot by the police.
Social deprivation will forever be a ticking timebomb and discontented youths often turn to gang membership as a form of identification and feeling of well-being that they would be unable to feel otherwise.
Whether gang members are the primary perpetrators in the riots or not, a lack of education is responsible for much of this moronic behaviour that we are witnessing on our TV screens.
Anybody with a reasonable education and set of morals know that such behaviour is totally unacceptable. Did the parents of these kids teach them right from wrong or has living in poorer areas pissed these people off that much that the lure of a free HD TV become too strong for any applications of morals?
Whatever the reason for the shocking images that we are witnessing each night, I hope the government examine deep enough into the social fabric of these areas to get to the root of the problems and identify what on earth possesses these people to act this way, whether it be a severe hatred of the police or more complex underlying societal problems.
Iron Maiden demonstrated why they have acquired such legendary status over the years, with an incredible performance at the O2 on Saturday.
Following on from an impressive warm-up courtesy of Trivium, Maiden proceeded to put on a show that I will never forget. Crazy props, energy defying their advancing years and a full-house ensured Dickinson did not disappoint.
I also took time to visit various landmarks around the city, finding such gems as a triathlon in Hyde Park and a Full English Breakfast pizza topping.
Sunday saw a visit to Upton Park before boarding the long train back to Cornwall.
The Hammers lost 1-0 to Cardiff but although they didn’t light the blue touch paper in the Championship as predicted, their performance probably just about deserved an opening day victory.
Upton Park lies slap-bang in the middle of a multinational area with takeaways and markets frequently prominent. The stadium shows its age in parts but is still capable of hosting games until the Hammers complete their move to the Olympic Stadium.
I was however mortified at the price of a ticket for a Championship match. £42 is frankly a joke and although the subject has been covered extensively by the BBC amongst others, the price really is making the game inaccessible for many working-class fans.
English clubs need to take a leaf out of the book of German clubs and lower prices, ensuring a full-house and far better atmosphere.
Following on from an impressive warm-up courtesy of Trivium, Maiden proceeded to put on a show that I will never forget. Crazy props, energy defying their advancing years and a full-house ensured Dickinson did not disappoint.
I also took time to visit various landmarks around the city, finding such gems as a triathlon in Hyde Park and a Full English Breakfast pizza topping.
Sunday saw a visit to Upton Park before boarding the long train back to Cornwall.
The Hammers lost 1-0 to Cardiff but although they didn’t light the blue touch paper in the Championship as predicted, their performance probably just about deserved an opening day victory.
Upton Park lies slap-bang in the middle of a multinational area with takeaways and markets frequently prominent. The stadium shows its age in parts but is still capable of hosting games until the Hammers complete their move to the Olympic Stadium.
I was however mortified at the price of a ticket for a Championship match. £42 is frankly a joke and although the subject has been covered extensively by the BBC amongst others, the price really is making the game inaccessible for many working-class fans.
English clubs need to take a leaf out of the book of German clubs and lower prices, ensuring a full-house and far better atmosphere.
Monday 1 August 2011
More FourFourTwo articles
Here are some more examples of me being a busy bee and writing for FourFourTwo during my days off.
With the beginning of The Premier League season less than two weeks away, the rumour-mill certainly appears to still be in full swing.
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83328/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83332/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83329/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83327/default.aspx
With the beginning of The Premier League season less than two weeks away, the rumour-mill certainly appears to still be in full swing.
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83328/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83332/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83329/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/83327/default.aspx
FourFourTwo web articles
Hi everyone, as I mentioned I have been working hard on my days off away from the cafe, writing voluntarily for FourFourTwo.
I have been converting nuggest of news into articles for the website and here are the links to some of my work.
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82892/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82890/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/restofeurope/82240/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82222/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82224/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82221/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82190/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82225/default.aspx
I have been converting nuggest of news into articles for the website and here are the links to some of my work.
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82892/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82890/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/restofeurope/82240/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82222/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82224/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82221/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82190/default.aspx
http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/82225/default.aspx
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Chris Matthews on why Barcelona are ensuring that Bojan will not be the next Fabregas.
As published on www.footballspeak.com
The transfer of Barcelona’s Bojan Krkic to Roma is one that had been predicted ever since Luis Enrique left Barcelona B to take charge at the Stadio Olimpico. It is now confirmed that Bojan will represent the Giallorossi this season, however the real intrigue lies within the finer details of the move.
Roma has acquired the 20-year-old forward for €12m but Barcelona have included a buy-back clause that allows the Catalans to repurchase Bojan for €13m at the end of the 2012-2013 season. Should the young Spaniard rejoin Barca then it would only be at a €1m loss, a small price to pay for a player who will have enjoyed action in one of Europe’s top leagues.
Roma are no obligation to accept this deal but to keep Bojan themselves they must pay a further €28m taking the total value of the deal to €40m.
So what is clear is that Barcelona accepts that Bojan needs first-team football if he is to reach the dizzy heights predicted for him when he first made his debut for the club against Osasuna in September 2007.
However with the European Champions having added Chilean international Alexis Sanchez to their already potent forward line, there appears little room for Bojan who has made 163 appearances for Barca and scored 41 goals.
From Barcelona’s insistence in the buy-back option in the deal, it appears that they have not yet given up hope on Bojan establishing himself as a world-class striker.
The Catalans have ensured that should Bojan blossom at the Olimpico, and be wanted back at the Camp Nou, then there will be no Cesc Fabregas style saga to bring the La Masia graduate home.
Fabregas’ proposed move back to the club that he left at the age of 16, has dominated gossip columns over recent summers. The midfielder left the club on a free transfer and it looks as if Barca will have to pay over €35m to get him on a plane home.
The Champions League winners suffered a similar scenario with centre-back Gerard Pique when he joined Manchester United on a free transfer back in 2004. Barcelona would then go on to pay £5m to secure his return in 2008.
Both the Pique deal and any potential conclusion to the Fabregas saga present painful losses for the club that schooled the players at the famous La Masia academy, whose alumni reads like a who’s who of football.
Bojan was part of the Spain Under-21 side that won the Under-21 European Championships in Denmark this summer, overcoming Switzerland 2-0 in the final.
Also in that team was the outstanding midfielder and scorer of an audacious 40-yard free kick in the final, Bojan’s former club teammate, Thiago Alcantara.
Thiago appeared to relish the opportunity to showcase his skills on the world stage and put in a number of impressive performances as Spain won the tournament.
Thiago is the son of former Brazilian World-Cup winner Mazinho and has been tipped for great things for a number of years now.
However, he has found himself behind arguably the greatest midfield trio in world football (Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets), in the Barcelona pecking order, and instead features for the B team. Barcelona B finished third and were only denied a promotion play-off where the winners achieve promotion to La Liga, because of the presence of their first team in that division.
It is likely that Thiago will have to move away from the Camp Nou if he is to gain first-time experience and fulfil his enormous potential.
Should Barca allow Thiago to leave, it now seems likely that a deal similar to the Bojan one will be put in place to ensure a smooth road back to Barcelona should a vacancy arise in the European Champions midfield.
The transfer of Barcelona’s Bojan Krkic to Roma is one that had been predicted ever since Luis Enrique left Barcelona B to take charge at the Stadio Olimpico. It is now confirmed that Bojan will represent the Giallorossi this season, however the real intrigue lies within the finer details of the move.
Roma has acquired the 20-year-old forward for €12m but Barcelona have included a buy-back clause that allows the Catalans to repurchase Bojan for €13m at the end of the 2012-2013 season. Should the young Spaniard rejoin Barca then it would only be at a €1m loss, a small price to pay for a player who will have enjoyed action in one of Europe’s top leagues.
Roma are no obligation to accept this deal but to keep Bojan themselves they must pay a further €28m taking the total value of the deal to €40m.
So what is clear is that Barcelona accepts that Bojan needs first-team football if he is to reach the dizzy heights predicted for him when he first made his debut for the club against Osasuna in September 2007.
However with the European Champions having added Chilean international Alexis Sanchez to their already potent forward line, there appears little room for Bojan who has made 163 appearances for Barca and scored 41 goals.
From Barcelona’s insistence in the buy-back option in the deal, it appears that they have not yet given up hope on Bojan establishing himself as a world-class striker.
The Catalans have ensured that should Bojan blossom at the Olimpico, and be wanted back at the Camp Nou, then there will be no Cesc Fabregas style saga to bring the La Masia graduate home.
Fabregas’ proposed move back to the club that he left at the age of 16, has dominated gossip columns over recent summers. The midfielder left the club on a free transfer and it looks as if Barca will have to pay over €35m to get him on a plane home.
The Champions League winners suffered a similar scenario with centre-back Gerard Pique when he joined Manchester United on a free transfer back in 2004. Barcelona would then go on to pay £5m to secure his return in 2008.
Both the Pique deal and any potential conclusion to the Fabregas saga present painful losses for the club that schooled the players at the famous La Masia academy, whose alumni reads like a who’s who of football.
Bojan was part of the Spain Under-21 side that won the Under-21 European Championships in Denmark this summer, overcoming Switzerland 2-0 in the final.
Also in that team was the outstanding midfielder and scorer of an audacious 40-yard free kick in the final, Bojan’s former club teammate, Thiago Alcantara.
Thiago appeared to relish the opportunity to showcase his skills on the world stage and put in a number of impressive performances as Spain won the tournament.
Thiago is the son of former Brazilian World-Cup winner Mazinho and has been tipped for great things for a number of years now.
However, he has found himself behind arguably the greatest midfield trio in world football (Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets), in the Barcelona pecking order, and instead features for the B team. Barcelona B finished third and were only denied a promotion play-off where the winners achieve promotion to La Liga, because of the presence of their first team in that division.
It is likely that Thiago will have to move away from the Camp Nou if he is to gain first-time experience and fulfil his enormous potential.
Should Barca allow Thiago to leave, it now seems likely that a deal similar to the Bojan one will be put in place to ensure a smooth road back to Barcelona should a vacancy arise in the European Champions midfield.
Recent Update
Hi guys since my return from Europe I have been working at a little beach cafe situated in a beautiful cove in Cornwall.
I have not yet however abandoned my dream of being a journalist and neither am I willing to let my hard work at University count for nothing.
Earlier this month I completed a period of work experience at FourFourTwo football magazine, probably the top magazine in it's genre.
I absolutely loved my time at FourFourTwo and completed a number of tasks that included getting several of new stories published on their website.
Since returning home I have been in contact with them via email and continue to produce articles for their website on a freelance basis.
Living in London for a week was an incredible experience and I was amazed by the city. So much happening, London truly it a city that never sleeps and one where boredom must such a rarity!
This may sound quite sad but I was also enthrawled by the public transport network. Living in Cornwall I am used to sporadic buses once an hour if I am lucky, so to be able to catch a bus every seven minutes was quite something!
Luckily I am off to London again soon to watch Iron Maiden hopefully put on a special show to end their mammoth world tour.
In the mean time here are a selection of images I took in London and the odd football article to boot.
I have not yet however abandoned my dream of being a journalist and neither am I willing to let my hard work at University count for nothing.
Earlier this month I completed a period of work experience at FourFourTwo football magazine, probably the top magazine in it's genre.
I absolutely loved my time at FourFourTwo and completed a number of tasks that included getting several of new stories published on their website.
Since returning home I have been in contact with them via email and continue to produce articles for their website on a freelance basis.
Living in London for a week was an incredible experience and I was amazed by the city. So much happening, London truly it a city that never sleeps and one where boredom must such a rarity!
This may sound quite sad but I was also enthrawled by the public transport network. Living in Cornwall I am used to sporadic buses once an hour if I am lucky, so to be able to catch a bus every seven minutes was quite something!
Luckily I am off to London again soon to watch Iron Maiden hopefully put on a special show to end their mammoth world tour.
In the mean time here are a selection of images I took in London and the odd football article to boot.
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