The Sporting calendar

To listen to all the “pundits” over the past four or five seasons, you could be forgiven for thinking that the most important aspect of the premier league, in deciding the league title each season, was the mini league between the four top clubs.
Last season for example, I witnessed constant analysis about how Liverpool had won more matches against the other top four clubs and that this was a factor in their climb to finish runners up.

In fact, the opposite is true.
The top four “mini league” is not a major factor in deciding where the premier league title goes each season.
What decides a team of champions, is a little more complex.
New teams playing in the premiership:
Last season, the top flight of English football witnessed a dramatic change.
Liverpool of the late 70s/early 80s had Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest to contend with, (ie, teams with managers that cared not one instance for the dominating clubs) and in the late 90s Liverpool had the Wimbledons and Leeds Utd teams that swam against the status quo tide.
Last season we had Hull City and Stoke City, not possible title winners, but teams who are just as dangerous in causing damage to the big clubs.

They both have managers that don’t care for the “in club” of the well known, established managers. They show respect to other teams, but don’t feed off the back of the bigger clubs.
They have the ability to be unpredictable and dangerous, to encourage other teams to do what they do, have a go at the big clubs. For English football, they have been a breath of fresh air!
Last season we saw Hull City come to Anfield and terrorise Liverpool. They repeated this at Manchester Utd, they won at Arsenal they destroyed Newcastle in their own back yard.
The pundits said they were freak results, the pundits were wrong.
Stoke City held Liverpool home and away, to a 0-0 draw. They upset some of the stale middle league teams by beating them and, in a small way, contributed to the downfall of Newcastle and Middlesbro, sending them to relegation.
But there is a more damaging aspect creeping up on the big clubs, the end of Alex Ferguson’s control and influence!

What Fergie has done over recent seasons, has been no different from Shankly and Paisley’s boot room.
A cunning trickery that has benefitted Man Utd each and every season.
Instead of the “boot room” Liverpool used to have, Man Utd’s manager has “shared a bottle of wine” after every game.
The cosy club of Sir Alex Ferguson visiting a little ground and a manager who is fighting tooth and nail to survive in the premiership, in awe of this “great man” trying to learn from him, inadvertantly giving away titbits of information, that only end up benefitting Manchester Utd in their chase for yet another title.

Prior to Hull City and Stoke City arriving in the premiership, it was a cosy closed shop. The more they became chatty with Fergie, the more unlikely it became that these smaller clubs would cause Manchester Utd any problems on a wet wednesday night in the harsh British winter games.
Mistakes would happen, long runs of a lesser team not getting any points from their games with Man Utd would occur.
Look at Steve Bruce, in his games against his old club, he has gone 18 games without a win against them. Middlesbro’s record against Man Utd under Steve McClaren and Bryan Robson, who used to be at Man Utd, was abismal, yet when Arsenal or Liverpool came to town, they would get draws or even beat them.

The information Fergie gets from his discussions over a bottle of wine, with the lesser teams, is invaluable.
The managers of lesser teams see it as a bonus for them, they get to speak to “the great man” they may get a favour or two as regards the loan of a player, whilst Fergie gets information on how the smaller club prepares/plays their games. He gets insight into where the strengths and weaknesses of their team is.
Fergie also gets valuable information on exciting players these clubs plan to sign. He has been known to step in and buy them, but not play them, just to stop smaller clubs getting an advantage?
“Loose talk sinks ships” so said the old wartime saying, never has it been more apt than in the world of football.
One smaller club that didn’t subscribe to this “cosy club” was Southampton. They would regularly thump Man Utd, taking points from them, in one instance when they thrashed them 6-2 at the Dell, Alex Ferguson refused the BBC permission to use highlights of the game, once it had been aired on match of the day.

Stoke City and Hull City last season, kicked sand in the face of the big clubs and I hope they continue to do so this season.
With Burnley not yet being part of Fergie’s little gatherings after a match, they too caused an upset, beating a very average Manchester Utd side.
As the number of new clubs appearing in the premiership grows, so the big clubs dominance dwindles.

Fergie’s cosy little club is shrinking, which explains why we had such an open league championship last year.
It has not gone away though, which shows that no matter how the “top four league” do against each other, the title is won and lost against the smaller clubs.

Football legend Bobby Robson has lost his long battle with cancer.
A true hero of the modern game, Robson was and remains a firm favourite with everyone involved in the sport, fans and players alike.

With Ipswich Town, Robson took on and beat some of the best Liverpool teams, winning the FA CUP, UEFA cup, and were twice runners up in the league, with a style of football that is still played at Portman Road to this day.
Success with Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Porto and PSV Eindhoven followed, but it is for his achievements as manager of England in the World Cup finals that I will always remember him.

In 1986, Mexico, we watched as his team of established and younger players turned up the heat on the rest of the world as we battled through to the quarter-finals, facing the “mighty” Argentina and Maradonna in his prime.
Despite the gulf in experience and skills, England more than overcame their nerves, after the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the world class strike from the world’s best player, England set about the so called giants of the world game.
John Barnes was introduced on the left wing, feeding the ever more threatening Gary Linekar, England managed to pull it back to 2-1.
Then with just seconds remaining, Barnes curled a cross in which beat the keeper and curled agonisingly across the front of goal, just beating Linekar’s outstretched boot. The chance had gone and England were out, beaten by a goal which was clearly handball.

After a disappointing performance saw us knocked out of the European championships in 1988, Robson took charge of the England team at the Italia 1990 World Cup finals.
What a roller coaster ride we had!
Who can forget Nessun Dorma?
The edgy 1-0 win over egypt with a Mark Wright goal that saw us win the group – The last second David Platt goal against Belgium that took us through to the quarter finals.
The brilliant Roger Milla and the Cameroon team that came so close to knocking us out, we broke their hearts and won through 3-2 after extra time.
The real challenge was about to come. Desperate for revenge against Argentina for the “Hand of God” – this side had Maradonna, but they were nothing like the team that we had faced four years earlier in Mexico.
Between us and our glorious revenge, was West Germany, perhaps the worst team to come up against in a World Cup finals match!

West Germany were not lighting up the tournament, their team was ageing but still dangerous, as all German national sides are.
At the end, only a penalty shoot could deny us, as devastating as it was, thankfully West Germany went on to beat Argentina in the final.

For all of us, just simple fans, who were not even born in 1966 when England triumphed, this was our ’66!
It was a great occasion enjoyed by millions of England fans all over the world, all created because of a small group of players, picked and motivated by Bobby Robson.

A true gent of the game, a very humble and honest man, who did everything he could to encourage players of all levels, ages and nationalities. Bobby Robson never forgot his roots and the fans, always showing great humility.
Rest in peace Bobby, you will be sorely missed.

Ronaldo’s £80 Million pounds transfer to Real Madrid, cannot come soon enough for many Man Utd fans.
Whilst some fans will see the sale of their star player as a major blow, Alex Ferguson, I think, has got it spot on.

I say this as a Liverpool fan, Ronaldo has been a burden for Man Utd, yes he has scored over 100 goals for the club, but to suggest to every fan (and its the fan’s club) that his heart was with Man Utd, only to tell his agent (after Kaka’s move to Real Madrid) that he wanted to leave Man Utd.

Many Pool fans slate Gary Neville, but I don’t. He has shown great loyalty to the club, he has won many trophies with them and maybe will do again, either as a player or as part of the coaching staff.
Ronaldo has made a big mistake moving away from one of the most successful clubs in Europe, at 24 he maybe a millionaire, but will he win things with Real?

Real Madrid are a legendary club, of that there is no doubt, but last season they were beaten by Barcelona to the Spanish league and came nowhere in the Champions league.
Manchester United do not need this type of player, as with Pool teams of the past, no player is bigger than the club!

Regardless of which teams are playing, the FA Cup final is sacred to the British sports fan.
It has been the same since long before I was born and should remain the same!

The FA Cup final should always remain the same:
- Marching army band entertains the fans
- “Abide with me” is sang by all supporters, music provided by the band
- The fans sing the national anthem
- The teams are introduced to a member of the royal family
This year, the football association should hang their heads in shame!

The tv commentator told us, “There are traditions that are always kept for a Wembley cup final!”
We got “Abide with me” by a gospel choir, with a totally different arrangement, in a totally different key, whilst the camera showed us the fans, who couldn’t join in as they didn’t understand this “modern” version.
We got a national anthem sung by an opera singer!
We got the players being introduced by Kofi Annan! (Secretary-General of the United Nations)

Disgraceful!
If tradition is important to the FA, then why have they dumped all the wembley traditions, and not incorporated the twin towers into the new stadium?
It is the fan’s day, it is the fan’s competition, cut the modernisation and lefty new layout, give us back our FA Cup final!

Barcelona 2-0 Man Utd.
Truth be told, Man Utd lost the final in the semi final, when Fletcher was sent off, for a perfectly good challenge, when the referree refused to change his decision, which 5 camera angles proved was incorrect on the night.

Darren Fletcher has been outstanding for them this season, between himself and Carrick, in front of the back four, rotating as one goes pressuring the ball and the other sits in, to stop runners.
Without Fletcher last night, Man Utd had no midfield and being up against three of the best midfielders in the world, you’d have thought the Utd midfield didn’t show up at all!

The game itself was a good one, some excellent Barca passing in midfield, after an early burst from Utd. For once it was a clean game, most players tried to stay on their feet and play the ball.

Another down side for Utd, was their lack of pace around the pitch. They looked unusually lacklustre in pressing the ball. No doubt the resting of players (missing the game against Hull) as is so often the case, cost them on the night, as they were not fresh.
I have never understood why teams drop complete sides, to rest them for big games.
Players need to be match fit to avoid injuries, playing regularly.
When Liverpool came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan, they had been fighting against a backlog of games and chasing trophies, so most of the team played every week, even in midweek games.
They were able to pick up the pace and that changed the game.

When Pool lost to AC Milan in the final two years later, they were rested before the game and looked lethargic during the match, unable to call on match fitness energy that they had previously.
The British way of playing week in week out has paid dividends in the past, as regards European trophies, so why tinker with a winning formula?