A Bad Day for Football

September 16, 2009 / Alan / 2 Comments

A 2 match ban for Eduardo da Silva’s diving in a UEFA Champion’s League qualifier was yesterday dismissed on appeal. Never mind the fate of the Arsenal man, it’s a shocking decision for football.

First things first. Tottenham blog, Arsenal player. Cue abuse. Sorry to disappoint but right now I don’t care about him or their fans, although this is a chance in print to totally refute the accusation levelled at me today that refusing on the grounds of its colour to use the red paperclip proffered in order to keep my papers together is in no way petty or small-minded. Rather, it denotes a man of principle who will go to the barricades to uphold them, or at the very least to the stationery cupboard.

What I care about is the future of our game. I am sick to the back teeth of players diving which, alongside the blatant intimidation of referees by crowding them at every opportunity, is in danger of destroying football.

It is infinitely worse than ever it was in the past. Not only do we have players arcing through mid-air to earn 5.9 for artistic interpretation, we have its more common variant, the cynical exaggeration of feigned distress. The hands up to the face, combined with a comedy fall straight out of a 1920s silent film has become a message in mime to the ref. Hold up one of those dialogue cards, white writing on black: “Look at me, I reckon that’s a sending off, don’t you?” It’s invariably followed closely with a forearm covering a fevered brow as the wronged party lies prostrate and helpless on the turf, which would not be out of place in a De Mille epic, laughable histrionic ham acting everywhere except in the minds of the most gifted footballers on the planet.

Oh the fiend!

For once I have some sympathy with referees. The game is so fast, it’s often nigh on impossible to work out exactly who made contact with who, and when. Our dying swans swoon on cue when some contact, however negligible, has actually been made, so the referee must act, not on the reaction but on his judgement at the moment of impact. No matter that Premier League players are so powerful that they and they alone may defy universal laws of physics. Large men, supremely fit, plunge to the earth when gently tapped on the shoulder or a tug on their shirt hurls them into conflict with gravity itself and they veer down, not sideways.

So if on this occasion referees can be excused from some of the blame, the same cannot be said for the guardians of our fair game. UEFA sit on their ample expense account tuches’s as the game becomes a cheat’s paradise. Then, suddenly, they awake from their slumbers and take action. Two game ban for Eduardo.

Woe is me. He touched me!! Should have borrowed Berba's aliceband

Three things I know about Eduardo. One, he’s a excellent striker. Two, he’s a mug. He dives then winks at the camera. Silly, silly boy. Three, he’s unlucky. Fact is, he did what most strikers would have done in that position and UEFA made an example of him. Sorry, but at last some action has been taken. Cue a spate of hearings on players from around Europe, then eventually even these over-paid and over-hyped dunces would finally get the message.

So what happens? The ban is rescinded on appeal. In one sense, it’s fair on Eduardo because no one else is being punished, but remember, that’s not the point. Last night the UEFA spokesperson was sanguine. They take action, then due process dictates that an independent body take the final decision. The message, he smugly added, is that UEFA do not condone ‘simulation’.

I’ll tell what the message is, my friend. Word is out that cheating, conning and conniving is just fine and dandy, because no matter what you do, no one is going to do anything much about it.

This is an utterly pathetic, inadequate response from emasculated bureaucrats who know nothing about the game and care even less. Football has gradually been improved over the last 20 years not by making any major changes to the shape of the game but by subtly altering the balance between attack and defence, principally by altering the back-pass and offside rules, as well as offering three points for a win. Now, however, decisive and consistent leadership is required.

Get diving out of the game by using television footage to punish offenders retrospectively. They may get away with it during the match but their activities will be recorded and used in evidence against them in the future. Ban them. Then, eventually, it will become a minor element of the game, although it’s foolish to assume it can be eradicated completely. Send this as an instruction to all member countries, who must incorporate this into their own rules and disciplinary procedures.

UEFA’s reaction is a dereliction of their duty towards the good of the game and towards the fans who pay their hard-earned cash each week. And here’s a message to the people who hold the ultimate responsibility, the players themselves. If I want bad acting, I’ll watch Neighbours. I’d prefer a good game of football if you don’t mind, lads. Problem is, many of you do mind. Like little children in the nursery, behind teacher’s back they’ll do anything that they can get away with. You know those green NSPCC Full Stop badges they wear once a year? Full Stop on diving, and UEFA needs to use its authority to put a stop to it. Now.

Spurs v Manchester United

September 13, 2009 / Alan / 10 Comments

A Spurs fan e-mailed Friday evening’s 5Live football programme to say how much he enjoyed games against Manchester United, especially for the first twenty minutes when we play well then United score. Defoe’s brilliant bicycle kick looked like the pattern that was all too familiar to my eyes had been broken, but sure enough, 20 minutes later United were on top and by and large, that’s the way it stayed.

There was plenty of time to think during the last ten or fifteen minutes. Those periods are excruciating torture, where the side is beaten but hope flickers occasionally as we string a few passes together or a long ball into the box produces half a chance. Logic dictates that it’s time to start the car but I have never been able to bring myself to leave before the final whistle, and never will. Further self-flagellation: to stay and suffer leads to more hard time in the traffic jams afterwards. Sentences to run concurrently.

The punishment fits the crime, in my case of approaching the match with a degree of optimism. Mitigating circumstances, m’lud – only slight optimism, none of this ‘we’re going to win the league’ baloney perpetrated by certain other defendants. As we muddled through the last few minutes, I was still thinking about what might have been. Crouch’s header from 6 yards and Defoe’s uncoordinated miss in front of goal, both in the first half, if Wilson had stayed on his feet and not let them back into things, or some excellent flowing passing early on.

However, with each step away from the ground and closer to the car, as the adrenalin subsided I could not hide the reality of a sound beating by a better team. We were still on our feet in wonder and awe at Defoe’s scything feat when United sliced through an absent midfield. They repeated the trick a couple of minutes later and although on these occasions nothing came of it, in hindsight the tide turned just at our moment of triumph. Face facts: but for Cudicini’s excellent goalkeeping we could have been thrashed.

Harry Redknapp has been a bloomin’ marvel cor blimey etc. Yesterday, playing Keane at left midfield was a mistake. When United had possession, Keane drifted wide to cover his opposite number. This took him out of the equation and left plenty of space for the opposition, and as the game went on they took full advantage by outnumbering us in midfield. I thought Kranjcar would start, but as soon as he came on it was evident that he is seriously overweight and not fit for 90 minutes. Also, he tried too hard: by being involved in everything he came inside at a point where staying wide on the left would have given us room to exploit our man advantage.

Wilson has been remarkable for us and I hugely admire him. For this, I will forgive his trespasses or whatever it is the goyim do. So I say this because I care. He has to learn when to fly in and when to remain on his feet. He’s quick and alert so he should be able to jostle and niggle at the opposition when they make their runs on goal, rather than see the big tackle as the only option. The free kick brought them back into the game. They probably would have scored at some point anyway but that’s not the point. The booking weakened his effectiveness. There have been clear signs of this impetuosity in the past, and now is the time to take action. It’s Ok – we forget he’s still quite young and is learning his trade. Harry will help.

Finally, we fell into the Ten Man trap. We began well enough, with Lennon staying wide, JJ being always available, pass and move, stretching the play, being patient, the openings will come. Then, we pushed men further forward. Falling into such temptation is seductive but fatal. Too many players ahead of the ball makes it easier for the opposition to pick them up – our men are largely static and their players are in defensive positions anyway – and also removes our man advantage in midfield, where all the creative action takes place. If our men are ahead of the ball the options we have available are curtailed – passes must mostly go forward to men who will have defenders in close attention, rather than enabling the option to move from side to side, then strike when a weakness has opened up.

It has to be said: United were outstanding. In other circumstances I would have said it was a pleasure to watch Rooney. In the flesh, his purposeful intelligent running and great skill is so obvious. I would not blame Hutton too much for the third goal. He saw the problem and came across to deal with it, but the pass was perfect and Rooney unstoppable. Evra’s bursts from deep, perefectly timed and at such pace, should be the benchmark for us to aim for. And the United fan who rang 606 to wonder why Giggs was still being selected should be barred for life from watching football – sir, this fine game is far too precious for the likes of you.

In many ways, this match told us nothing new. We’ve done extremely well to have 12 points out of 15 at this stage of the season. Our players, for the most part, are on form and very fit, and Redknapp has enabled them to work as a team, the outcome being some quality football, some of which we were able to produce against one of the best teams in Europe. However, we have a long way to go before we achieve the combined resilience that enables us to complete at the highest level over a period of team. That’s something we can learn over the course of this season.

Spurs Support the Disabled and the Homeless

September 11, 2009 / Alan / Leave a comment

Tottenham Hotspur are once more leading the way amongst Premier League football who are helping the underprivileged. Two exciting new initiatives link the club with homeless people and with sport for people with a disability.

Today Spurs announced that they have become a Global Team Football Ambassador for the Special Olympics. It’s a bit of mouthful that smacks of being put together over 18 months by 7 committees and three PR firms. Forget the title – there’s an uplifting message there if you stop and take a look. The club will support the creation and development of 10 new teams, but at least as important is the underlying message of the enduring power of football to promote respect and inclusion for people with learning disabilities.

Great quote from Ossie, ok, he probably didn’t come up with it himself but it’s still worth repeating in full:

“For me it is a very special occasion. Tottenham Hotspur and Special Olympics are both very close to my heart and so to see Spurs take on a bigger role globally with Special Olympics is fantastic.

“There are millions of people with learning disabilities and they are often a forgotten group. The partnership will help create opportunities for Special Olympics athletes and transform the way communities and groups think and act in regard to disability.”

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/tottenhamhotspurtobecomeaglobalambassadorforspecialolympicsfootball110909.html

This follows on the heels of the news that Spurs will sponsor the Indian team at the Homeless World Cup in Milan after donating $100k to the Sport for The Homeless Slum Soccer programme.

It’s easy to be cynical about things like these and the founding involvement in the 10:10 environment emissions initiative that I blogged about last week. So I will. The Indian hook-up will generate publicity and flog a few replica shirts.

But even a curmudgeonly sceptic such as myself can see these are good things. The homeless and the support for people with learning difficulties, both causes close to my heart, will do a hell of a lot of good, and full credit to the club’s board for taking the lead.

So let’s go one step further. Next season, Mr Levy, ditch the Mansion logo and emblazon the name of a charity on the front of our shirts. Take that message around the world, that’s how I want the world to see my club. Anyone as long as the logo’s not red. Something to look forward to.

In Praise of Aaron Lennon

September 10, 2009September 10, 2009 / Alan / 4 Comments

A short celebration of Aaron Lennon’s England performance against Croatia last night. His toes have never twinkled more brightly.

After last time’s disparaging comments on the international scene, I ended up thoroughly enjoying the match, glowing with pride as Lennon justified Capello’s faith in him. The England manager is a stern judge, yet his choice over Lennon over the much more experienced Wright Phillips or indeed over another tactical option involving Beckham, says so much about the winger’s growing maturity this season. I noted in Sunday’s piece that despite the attention drawn towards him by his goal, Defoe was perhaps making less progress than Lenny, and I was especially pleased last night with the mental strength that underlies his (Lennon’s) development. He is clearly thinking harder about his game and in particualr about his role as a team player.

The Monument to Our Lenny

The Gerrard header displayed this new found maturity more so than his more eye-catching runs. Lennon did not overplay the position. Instead of setting off on a run, potentially dazzling but liable to end in a cul de sac, as we have seen so often at the Lane, these days he has another option. Running at a defender can obviously pay dividends, but also it cuts down any space that the player in possession has, and space is such a precious commodity in modern football. This is a huge problem in David Bentley’s game, by the way. Before he was ejected from the team, he would gather the ball in space and run straight towards a defender like a moth to a flame.

Aaron used to do the same, but no longer. Instead, he picked out Gerard and delivered a perfect ball onto his head. Simple in one sense, but it was the choice that was the clever part. It also demonstrates his confidence in his final ball. I admit to despairing last season that he would never be able to cross or pass accurately, and his therefore his promise would be wasted. Now, not everything works but he’s so much better. His play has variation; we have seen him come inside to score for Spurs this season and last night he tucked in to offer a perfect through-ball for Heskey. Again, it’s the apparently simple things, allied to his pace and ability to beat a full back, that is so impressive.

Capello was brave to pick him but Redknapp and his many coaches deserve the credit for his progress. Much was made in the commentary of the lack of a proper Croatian left back (would Corluka have been detailed to mark him?!), but Lennon made room by clinging to the touchline, just as Harry encourages him to do. With good passers in the team, like Gerrard and Barry for England or Huddlestone for us, he’s not isolated. In turn, this creates more space for the rest of team and dilemmas for the opposition back four. If they spread out to mark him, there’s room for other players infield. If they leave him, havoc ensues down the right.

It was such a pleasure to see one of ours play so well. Aaron Lennon is becoming a real force in English football. One man didn’t enjoy watching the game: even as I write, Fergie is worrying about what to do on Saturday. I can’t wait.