Bleacher Report - Articles by Art Braumen

The Manchester Derby: The "Big Five"

Art Braumen — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:25:28 -0400

It has become a cliché that the evolution of modern telecommunications—from the telegraph to the telephone to satellites to the Web—has increasingly brought people closer together. Many activities that were once possible only when individuals were in relatively close physical proximity to one another have now entered the virtual realm.

Today, people can engage in various pursuits, or a remarkable simulacrum of them, whether they breathe the same oxygen or are thousands of miles apart.

Two such British clubs are, although physically within a stone's throw, yet miles apart in the footballing world are Manchester City and Manchester United.

But this season, there's been something different about Eastlands, something more constructive, although that concreteness comes with a touch of absurdity. For Hughes, breaking into the top four in the Premier League would imply replacing either Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool.

I believe out of the "big four", the most likely to finish fifth this season will be Arsenal.

Last weekend brought a lot of issues to the table. If cash guaranteed success, competing with Man City in the long-term is perhaps an unreasonable expectation then for Arsene Wenger.

Although the pessimists religiously & regularly criticize Wenger's youth policy, it's inevitable that most people will come to the conclusion that there is a lack of balance in his philosophy and inability to adapt to compete in the age of the Abu Dhabi group; however, he is a man of such intelligence that you would be naive to suggest he doesn't realise the shortcomings of his transfer strategy.

In an age in which football—like every other sport—is having its course dictated by commercial business, you can only admire a man of pure intentions and principles and Arsene Wenger has made it abundantly clear he is against big business 'corrupting' football.

Instead, he is more concerned with maintaining a stable, recession-proof economic policy. Playing it safe. But slow and steady only wins the race for a Europa Cup spot today.

And that is why there is growing belief that the penny-saver menu signings are nothing more than a fail-safe, to hide behind the guise of financial responsibility and youth development as an excuse for any potential failure, while snatching the likes of Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez, Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott would put the onus squarely on the manager to deliver success immediately.

That is the exact same position Mark Hughes now finds himself in; however, believe what you will, but don't believe it's unfair, don't believe there is no money and don't believe that Arsenal's decline from magical to a little mediocre is anyone's fault but the club's.

For a man who coaches his players with such passion and belief to take risks and go out to win, it is nothing short of a shame for football that he cannot take that same mentality into the boardroom. There is a reason Real Madrid head-hunted the Frenchman this summer. It wasn't the first time and may not even be the last, as he is a man universally recognised as embracing a special brand of football and nurturing top talent.

Man City were still some distance away from becoming a major force in the Premier League before the summer. Admitted, with money comes great power and years of barrenness can be washed away by a single fountain of liquid asset and City do have a great squad but does cracking the Top Four jackpot appear a little too far-fetched for Mark Hughes' side?

Not for me...

It would be ignorant of English football to ignore the fact that the Premier League may well have a "big five" on the horizon, although it's early in the season, what was proved against Arsenal is that the Citizens have what it takes to knock the Gunners off a Champions League spot.

The last time Mark Hughes was quoted on the subject he said he would be happy to win the Carling Cup, a disarmingly modest ambition though not necessarily one to send John Terry's pulse racing as seen during the last transfer window. Yet City do want to be playing at United's level, entering the Champions League every year and putting silverware on the sideboard more seasons than not.

And alas, now is the time for Manchester City to prove that very thing to the world when they compete with Manchester United this Sunday in the Manchester Derby. United have conceded goals and been on the receiving end of double wins handed out by City before but to overcome Alex Ferguson's side this weekend would be of much greater importance, significance and intent given last weekends result (pun intended).

Following the game, you would be forgiven in believing Manchester City didn't win last weekends match. The headlines prioritised Adebayor's stamp on former team mates and irregular goal celebration rather than the scoreline.

Personally, I can't ride the critical bandwagon on Emmanuel's actions. I don't condone violent or improper conduct but only he knows of the abuse he received that Saturday afternoon and the events leading up to that match.

To score against your old club who mistreated you and sold you behind your back, former friends refusing to shake your hand before kick-off and supporters making their opinions heard, it must have been a huge surge of emotion for the man to hide his true feelings so I don't condemn what he did regarding his goal taunting.

One thing Manchester United have condemned though is the blue Carlos Tevez poster in the city centre with the slogan "Welcome To Manchester." In fact, both managers previews of the Manchester Derby have been discussions on everything except the actual game.

City will be without £100 million of strikers come Sunday through either injury or in Ade's case, banned from playing.

Whatever the outcome, at 4 PM(GMT) this Sunday, things may well be more non-fiction than sci-fi.

Premier League 2009/10 Season Preview

Art Braumen — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:25:25 -0400

Just a few words to start things off. Firstly, this will be the last season where all the Premier League games are played in England. Next year, they are proposing full Premier League status games to be organized and played in the United States and further afield. Secondly, an idea is in the wings for the F.A Cup to have it's replays pulled. People have considered, most notably, the issue of fixture buildup and congestion. The consensus is that early rounds have replays but the semi's and final don't, well, has anyone told them that during the semi's and final, both teams participate on neutral territory, so there is no advantage won or lost from a replay? I think not. If the F.A entertains this idea, they are doing themselves a great disservice by dismissing the smaller clubs. Without the 'lesser' teams there would no 'bigger' teams. Decent gate receipts and TV money from replays have kept a number of lower league sides afloat. The only clubs who benefit from no replays are the Champions League/Europa qualifiers. Perhaps some people want to make it even more certain that the monopoly created by the UEFA revenue continues. Football is the peoples game, those involved in the higher echelons of the sport could do well to remember that - from the managers who try to complain about fixture lists to the businessmen of the Premier League who somehow think that giving a certain amount of games/rights to another broadcaster, such as BSKYB, the now doomed Setanta or now ESPN, allows for greater choice. Rubbish! Slowly but surely, the interest in less prestigious domestic trophies is dying on these shores and being driven by foreign money, be that owners or TV based, so much so, that my colleagues (as insignificant their opinions are) have stressed that they find themselves no longer football fans but simply Evertonians, but hey, what do they know anyway...? If it must be done, then why not scrap the replays and adopt the system that the lower division team always plays the tie at home if drawn against a team from a higher division? This guarantees their income and may make for more interesting results. There are literally hundreds of possibilities in the interest of fairness, but that's a discussion for another time so onto the main article!

Begin Slideshow

A Look Ahead to the World Cup 2010: England's Aspirations

Art Braumen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:59:06 -0400

The Confederations Cup has been a PR disaster for the 2010 South African World Cup organizers in many peoples eyes. During the two-week tournament, incidents, while not directly involving the event, had a major effect on the competition as a whole.

Egyptian & Brazilian players had their hotel rooms looted, two senior reporters were mugged in what was described as an "intense confrontation" by those involved, two sports promotional companies reported a robbery and a kidnap sparking a public outcry.

While fans, managers, players, TV groups, travel companies, sponsors and crucially FIFA's top dogs have all given their thumbs up, it's equally important to take a look at those few incidents where security was breached, despite the vote of confidence by the figureheads.

Deputy Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said "Government has spent US$124-million on security. No country is going to do that if we are not serious about the safety of those attending games,” but unfortunately, it's the player room robberies that has received the most publicity.

Firstly, staff were blamed for taking cash (US $2,500) and valuables from the rooms but later, the controversial debate on whether prostitutes were present with the players has sparked even more discussions.

Is anybody really surprised? I will be totally amazed if there is not at least one serious incident during next years World Cup campaign. But then again, FIFA must have these issues regularly when choosing an economically poor region to host their next tournament.

When a community are faced with the rich pickings that the influx of thousands of football tourists present and given their personal situations, can anybody really blame them?

There are countries on the African continent that are eminently more suitable and able to stage this tournament, but FIFA in their "wisdom" chose South Africa. I will not speculate on the reasons for their choice, nor would I want to. I'm not against the decision of FIFA either as I'll be in attendance myself come next June, but what I am doing, is stating fact.

I'm interested to see how the World Cup will be coped with by these authorities but more importantly, how will England fare in it. I came to the conclusion that football fans must have the memory span of a goldfish.

They're at it again with all this talk of World Cup dreams. England have won all of their World Cup Qualifiers and while this is certainly a step in the right direction, can we just remember who those games were against? That does not count as international football.

Or victories. Well, not in my book.

I understand the premise behind all this nonsense, but please...Every major tournament that's rolled around—well the ones England actually managed to qualify for—has seen bold statements by everyone from the journalist, to the captain, to the sanctimonious old arm-chair supporter.

Instead all I seem to recall are penalties flying over the bar, Beckham's boot flying towards a young Argentinian fellow and Bryan Robson's shoulder flying out of it's socket for the third time in as many months.

What are these hyper-uppers doing? Playing the law of averages game? Say something enough times and eventually it will come true? Or building us up, just to have hopes and expectations dashed? Hype is a strange and wonderful phenomenon.

'You read it here first. Our exclusive story from 12 months ago. We predicted that England would win The World Cup!!'

I've just about had my fill.

If reading them eulogising about the brilliance of the latest England team—not highly dissimilar to the last England team, that I seem to remember everyone vilifying for not being quite good enough—isn't enough to turn your stomach you just have to read the stats.

Apparently Fabio Capello has a 79 percent win rate don't you know?
Alf Ramsay's was only 61 percent.

Now, not only is that statistic frighteningly uninteresting, it is also completely worthless. Statistics can tell you pretty much anything you want them too.

What they fail to tell you are the complete and utter pile of horse droppings that most of Capello's opposition have been-not exactly West Germany circa '66 or Brazil circa '70 have they?

According to my latest statistic...

Steve McClaren was a whole percentile better than his nearest rival at keeping raindrops from his bouffant, but that certainly didn't stop him sinking at the vital moments.

Let's stop and take a deep breath. Right now Fabio Capello is not the Messiah but I'd really like to believe that he's the man for the job and England have a team for success.

We should just keep our thoughts to ourselves until we see some sign of brilliance against stronger teams and I was hoping we'd see prospects to get excited about yesterday, even if it was an under 21 competition.

I tuned in to see England 0, Germany 4.

Pearce deserves mention as much as he deserves the new contract that he signed last week. In guiding England to this final, people guess he has done well enough, encouraging his team to play some decent possession football but it's the players that he had at his disposal that worries me.

Out of the squad of 23 that travelled, 13 are old enough to either A) Earn a call-up to the senior team or B) Never play in an England shirt again. The one thing which the F.A has got wrong is the little known fact that, after yesterdays Under 21's victory, the German manager will now go back and re-take his position as Under 19's coach, which allows him to work with players for the next two years until the following Under 21's tournament, instead of being given a bunch of new faces a few months before the competition.

Even though they can technically say they are second best in Europe, I thought their semi-final display was shambolic. They let Sweden play in the second half and threw away a three-nil lead only to scrape by on penalties.

Equally shambolic is the not-so-one-off occasion where Pearce has lost the plot on the touchline and I'd agree with you in thinking that his actions of yesterday will cause the FA more embarrassment than the humiliating scoreline the players received.

Walcott, a senior level regular, just didn't perform, it's that simple, although picking out a great days work would be difficult, both for club or country, after his injury five months ago. Nevertheless, he and the other three or four familiar faces making appearances in the senior setup would have been looked at in great detail.

The problems between Theo Walcott and manager have been well documented and the statement from Pearce giving an insight that it would not be in his best interests to have a falling out with a player who he'll be working with for the next 15 years didn't help either as gossip that, either he believed he'd be Arsene Wenger's successor or the next senior England manager were thrown around, both of which is more sci-fi than non-fiction in my mind.

My real hope for this competition was to see what the future had in store, disregarding the household names mentioned. I wanted to see what new up-and-comers would shine and give hope but the positions where the senior team are lacking aren't about to be addressed by anyone in the Under 21's squad before 2010.

Ironically, Under 21's Mesut Ozil, the German play-maker who stood out, is exactly what Fabio Capello needs right now in the seniors. The Germans have now won Under 17's, Under 19's and Under 21's this year which says a lot about their nations footballing future; and by extension, England's.

Naturally, the headlines throughout the qualifiers will get me reading and warmed up about 2010, but until I see some hard and fast evidence my memory is definitely spanning more than a couple of seconds.

No Player Is Bigger Than The Club: Forget Ronaldo, Viva Wayne Rooney!

Art Braumen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:15:53 -0400

I want to end this complete absurdity making the rounds across the Internet and in particular, on this website.

I'm ashamed at how respected columnists from important newspapers grabbed on for dear life to the last remaining days of the deal, double checking to see if there was any chance of splashing another Ronaldo headline across the back pages in an effort to sell issues.

Everybody just needs to calm down. I want you to revert back to this article come next May and realize that the impending apocalyptic day of judgement just didn't happen—although many crave for that scenario.

I recently watched an interview with a fan and his attitude was all doom and gloom.

His post-Ronaldo description made me laugh most of all, to the point of semi-convincing me that this whole charade was an outrageous prank to frustrate us—so much so I had to double check if it wasn't April 1st.

The fan said, "This game is all about scoring goals - and United just aren't going to score as many next year."

Well, funny enough, I'd have him know, Manchester United scored 68 goals last season, one of the clubs worst totals for a long time. In the '99 treble season they scored 97!

The reason United managed to score so little last season was actually partly Ronaldo's fault. He took the most shots out of any player (I believe it was 115) and had the most off target. He also takes all of the penalties and all of the free kicks, which is obviously going to bolster his number of goals.

He made six assists last season, which for a winger is disgraceful. In the '99 season (sorry to mention it again), Beckham made 23 assists!

My point is, I'm convinced that everybody has been brainwashed and fooled into thinking that Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be replaced.

United needs to take the ludicrous amount of money that they've received for his services—regardless whether or not any player should cost that much—and buy a good, strong right winger. The player should have pace and the ability to put the ball into the box consistently, instead of messing around with fancy tricks that get nowhere.

If they do this, just watch how many goals Berbatov and Rooney score next season.

Manchester United will be strong without Ronaldo because Wayne Rooney will finally play in his rightful position. He looked like a duck out of water in the Champions League final, but that's because Alex Ferguson got it wrong on the day.

Next season, he will be central in influence and positioning to their Premier League and Champions League ambitions. Still only 23, yet growing in stature by the year, Rooney hurtles towards a new season which could end up belonging to him.

Although naturally espousing an approach to the limelight that is more Paul Scholes' than Ronaldo's, Rooney will find the arc-lights of national interest increasingly picking out his every stride across footballing stages—at home and abroad, at Old Trafford and South Africa.

The antithesis of egotism, United's No. 10 does not chase the icon status that could yet be conferred on him in the next 13 months.

In fact, Rooney probably thinks Paris Hilton is where Patrice Evra takes his family on holiday. His discipline is improving on the pitch, as seen in only 12 fouls and two cautions in 13 Champions League games last season.

Rooney's maturation is reflected off the field. Early fears about his lifestyle, about heading down the Gazza path, have proven unfounded. As a personality, he seems remarkably down to earth, leaving premieres and "It-girls" to the likes of Ronaldo.

Wayne Rooney is every bit the professional.

There had been a general tiring with Ronaldo's antics, following the flirtation with Madrid last year and certain tracksuit-chucking stunts this year. And since the previous summer's shenanigans, people have adapted the thought that "we better include him or he'll sulk."

Fergie know's when a player is unsettled and the kind of negative influence they have on the dressing room. Manchester United is a machine. No matter how much pressure is applied, the team just seems to get better, and will continue to do so even after this.

There's no chance of them throwing the title away next season before a ball has even been kicked. They've lost two big players, but come on, in all honesty—was United really a two man team last year?

No club or supporter will tolerate that nonsense from any journalist, regardless of how talented or respected they are. The ethos of Manchester United will be stronger without Ronaldo. The show-man has gone, but the show goes on.

If United can just get Dimitar Berbatov tucked in to work as he did with Robbie Keane at Spurs, then that's half the battle.

Of course, there are concerns as to what the tactics and players they would need to accommodate that. But the good few Internet forums that are informed and knowledgeable about football are suggesting that 'this is Rooney's moment'—and I agree.

Tevez scored five league goals last season—that's not a striker's contribution!

Many will say he wasn't played that often, but the statistics are crystal clear. He played more minutes than Berbatov, Rooney and Ronaldo. It's the end of an era, but there is always life after, as countless quality players have come and gone at United.

My interests lay in who will be next to receive the infamous #7 shirt.

It's a prized piece of history, as the wearers have always struck the question, "How can they be replaced after their departure?"—Georgie Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

I'm absolutely convinced that Alex Ferguson knows what he's doing. He's the best in the world—that's why he is at Manchester United, so people need to get behind him and the team.

No player is bigger than the club. Messi is not bigger than Barcelona and Ronaldo was certainly not bigger than Manchester United.

Viva Rooney. Roll on next season.

Michael Owen Has Failed Newcastle United: What Now for the Toon?

Art Braumen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:47:44 -0400

At the end of a season for Newcastle United that can only be described as a turbulent one to say the least, once again the owner of the club, Mike Ashley placed himself in the spotlight by embarrassing the whole foundation by deciding to place the football club up for sale for a price of £100 million which, for those who are interested in purchasing it, is to be done via email.

How pathetic.

Over the years there has been the "we are a big club" tag that has had a tendency to haunt Newcastle, as fifty thousand supporters come and see their local team week in week out with a backing that is second to none; however, there is no secret that the fans desire the success they feel they deserve.

Bouncing back from relegation is Newcastle’s priority, but the nightmare scenario is that they keep on sinking. Many Premiership clubs have been relegated over the years with no return—i.e. Leeds United. In my opinion Newcastle made similar mistakes to Sheffield Wednesday but on a far greater scale.

Throughout the season they got it wrong big time and they deserve what's happened because of the way they've been run although I take pitty on the real sufferers, the fans, who've dished out their hard earned money in these struggling economic times. Now, if they don't spend £50million to buy an entirely new squad, there's every chance they'll get relegated again.

There's no way those players want to play in the Championship. Even with a whole new squad it's a risk. They'll have players they won't be able to move on, and it creates disharmony inside the dressing room.

They're also about to discover something they might remember from when they were young. It's called contact. The Championship is a very different game to the Premier League. It's much more physical.

If Newcastle think things can get no worse after relegation, they should think again and perhaps hope history won't repeat itself when another of northern football's fallen giants, Sheffield Wednesday were sent tumbling out of the Barclays Premier League and are only just daring to dream of a return. It's a long and painful process and Newcastle are feeling distinctly queasy about it.

With word that Michael Owen & Co. are itching to jump on the next bandwagon that rolls through, you'd be forgiven in wondering where 80+ goals needed for automatic qualification will come from next season. Even Geordie, Steven Taylor will make a decision on his future only after a manager is appointed which fans hope is Alan Shearer.

Turmoil at the club has seen almost every player put up for sale but Taylor is on a list of players along with goalkeeper Steve Harper, midfielder Nicky Butt, and fellow defender Habib Beye, which Shearer wants to remain as the Toon attempt to retain a spine for their Championship campaign.

Three previous owners, injury prone, seen better days, available for nothing but needs a good home—any takers for Michael Owen? After listening to him during an interview this week I believed he still has that familiar chip on his shoulder, which suggests to me that he thinks the world owes him a living on the basis of that wonder goal against Argentina at France '98.

He complained about journalists writing him off, but if you demand so much on your payday, then people are entitled to some criticism; there's not too much wrong with that.

There is no way on Earth that his form for Newcastle last season warrants an England place, and if Owen's previous record for England entitles him to a call-up, then maybe Fabio Capello should look at calling up Sir Bobby Charlton or Gary Lineker, both having scored more goals for England than Owen has to date. Capello has done a wonderful thing—he's picked players not on reputations but on form. And that's why Owen has been left out in the cold.

Sorry, Michael, but you should be apologising to Newcastle for your expensive years of under-achievement. It's time Owen forgot the past and concentrated on re-inventing himself. Of all the footballers on the planet, I would have least expected him to release a brochure this week to sell himself; it's all very bizarre. I can’t imagine what’s in it...but I’m going to hedge my bets and say that having signed youth contracts at 15-16, not many professional footballers have ever written a CV.

The old rumour dictates that people who write CVs are liars. Statistics wise, Michael Owen doesn’t really need to lie. There’s a cliché somewhere about CVs being able to communicate independently, and I suppose Owen’s would be top of many recruiting piles on this basis alone. Sadly for Owen over the last many years, there is a "but."

The list, if it can be called that, of clubs interested in securing the services of a player whose name was synonymous with goal scoring during his teens and early 20s, in the same vein as Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler, is not extensive or glamorous. The club he supported as a boy, Everton, have been tentatively linked with the player but have not been making too many enthusiastic noises about securing him on a contract at Goodison Park either.

Simply put, there does not seem to be an abundance of interest from Premier League clubs in a man once cherished as England's No. 1 goal poacher, and after a glance at the suitors casting admiring looks in his direction this summer substantiates the view that the aura surrounding the one-time golden boy of football has long since evaporated.

Such a notion would have been unthinkable five years ago, before Owen took the decision to move to Real Madrid. This failure does not rest on his shoulders alone, but one thing is for certain: Michael Owen did not pay Newcastle United back for their trust and investment.

As saddened as they were by Michael's goal tally this season, more importantly there is the small matter of relegation, and as stunned as they are by what has—or has not—happened since, the fans main emotion right now is fear. Fear that the worst is yet to come. Fear of another, even heavier fall come next May.

The bookies, twisting the logic that what goes up must come down, make the Magpies favourites to return to the Premier League next season. And considering people foretold so much of the current strife when looking ahead to the 2008-09 season, Newcastle’s absent landlords might do well to take notice. No new owner in his right mind would not appoint Alan Shearer as manager, so why is he not already in the job and cracking on with what has to be done this summer?

There is a crucial period in the close season when you can pull off transfers early and inject new life into the dressing room. They have to get rid of 12 or 13 people on £50,000 plus a week and get in some hungry, up-and-coming players in their place. It needs to happen—or rather, it needed to happen. To basically ignore the summer because nobody is in charge is sheer madness.

But let's face it, it's not that much of a surprise for a club that's been punching above their head for years and a huge fan base doesn't equal a great football team.

If ever there was a story about how not to run a football club, then the main protagonists in the novel would be Newcastle. It's a bad setup that starts from the bottom and extends all the way up to the boardroom with complete and hopeless mismanagement.

First and foremost, the team is a group of aging has-beens, let's be honest, and it's not helped by those bogus underachieving signings of the last few years. There's nobody in the ranks they could rely on in getting 15 goals a season. I know Martins was out for most of the campaign, but he's ready for someone else to pick him up for buttons now.

For the majority of the season, most players on the pitch looked like they didn't even want to be there. When Shay Given left, many people criticised his loyalty, but I ask those people, who has been the club's most loyal player of the last 12 years? The team is, essentially, a group of average players making money off of past glories, thrown together by six or seven managers.

Mike Ashley has admitted that his love for the game, more than having footballing management knowledge has not paid dividends the way that he intended; the set up of the youth system and trying to blood youngsters into a team that requires a constant flow of talent was all of a good nature, but it seemed having a director of football that controlled this had been the initial hurdle for a club.

Director of Football, Dennis Wise was pulling the strings from...wait for it...London no less, and should he had only played a part in scouring the world for youthful talent in order to enhance the future prospects of Newcastle United, leaving first team affairs to the manager, then this could have been a different story altogether.

The season could have ended with Newcastle either finishing in typical style of mid table or pushing the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City for a place in the Europa League instead a teetering on the brink of relegation all season long.

In fact, it is quite remarkable how the crowds held up.

It's not the end of the world, and even though the Premiership revenue will be missed, players who got Newcastle into this will most likely leave—and good riddance—no other football club is going to pay their huge wages for their level of talent like Newcastle was robbed each week doing. I think Newcastle have motivated youth. Ranger and the like, while in the Premier League, would never get a look in as well as other up and comers with huge ability.

There has been the talk that Freddie Shepherd's consortium wants to take charge of the club and I feel it is vital that he, or whoever takes over, is given the time required to re-shape a club that has lost all of its stability. I personally believe Newcastle United will bounce back, but the real question is when. In the Championship, Newcastle will have more time for intrapreneurship and organisation of the football club as a whole.

Sometimes you just have to take one step back, before taking two steps forward.

Real Madrid's "Galacticos" Will Fail

Art Braumen — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:20:06 -0400

It's a marriage made in the tackiest, most sleazy Las Vegas themed chapel. Cristiano Ronaldo and Florentino Perez—two men, one philosophy. That God created the world so it could revolve around their outrageously bloated egos.

And those who still have a smattering of love for football will pray the marriage ends in tears, prayers that may well be answered. There's no doubting Ronaldo's match-winning genius or the lengths to which Perez will go to steal the biggest names in world football.

But there are huge doubts about whether the Galactico system is anything more than a discredited ideology that's way past its bribe-by date.

Perez got lucky first time around with Zidane, Figo, and Ronaldo. When he tried to replace that axis with the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen, and Robinho, he failed miserably. Hence his resignation. His mistakes were so glaring you questioned whether he was a football man at all.

Or just a show man...

He sacked twice Champions League winning coach Vicente del Bosque because he failed to win a third one. Carlos Queiroz replaced him and was ordered to sell Claude Makelele after he asked for parity with the highest-earners.

And this is what Perez had to say about the best defensive midfield player in the world at that time, "We will not miss Makelele. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and 90 per cent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways."

When given the choice between Beckham or Ronaldinho he opted for the face that could sell a thousand shirts. As one of Perez's bag-carriers said, "Ronaldinho is so ugly he'd sink you as a brand. Between him and Beckham, I'd go for Beckham a hundred times."

Yeah, me too...Unlike Herbert Chapman or Rinus Michels, Perez didn't fashion a revolutionary style of football from the talent at his disposal. He simply amassed a huge overdraft and seduced the best players available into his travelling circus. Traditional skills like management, defending, bonding, trust and patience were disposed of.

The six coaches he went through had no say in transfers and his Galacticos had no say in opting out of any games or punishing global tours. Audi, Coca-Cola and Adidas, the sponsors now funding the current cash-fest, will demand the same of Kaka, Ronaldo & company and it will drain the life out of them.

Cut through the hype and Ronaldo has joined a club with no defence, a new manager who was moderately successful at Villarreal but is now a dictator's puppet, an entire squad not knowing whether they're being sold on or not and "superstars" thrown together on marketing grounds.

In the business end of last season Real were thrashed 6-2 by Barcelona and 4-0 by Liverpool because their defence was already on the bus home after conceding one goal. Perez's solution to close the gap on the most brilliant Barcelona team ever??

Easy, buy Kaka and Ronaldo and go for Villa, Silva and Alonso. Spot the defender...? We're beginning to see a pattern emerging and it's also interesting to note when last elected president in 2000, Perez inherited a Champions League-winning side and built his all-conquering "Galacticos" over a three-year period.

He essentially, bought one "Galactico" every year, this time around, he purchased two in one week. Does this mean he promises to overtake Barcelona in one season. Can you see it? Me neither...

What I can see though, on the final game of next season are the white hankies being waved as the latest Perez Globetrotters walk off the Bernabeu pitch with their tails between their legs having comfortably lost La Liga to Barcelona.

The same Barcelona who, the following week, will take on an English side in the Champions League Final—In the Bernabeu which is hosting it, no less.

On the day of that match, Perez will be in hiding from the world and its debt-collectors and "CR7" will be sulking on a Californian beach, falling into the arms of the next dim-witted "A-list celebrity" red carpet tearaway; his agent saying all is not well with his head.

Even I cannot doubt his ability on the pitch, but as a personality, I, personally, don't like him. It's not his odd dive that leaves a distasteful after numbness in my mouth, it's the larger than life ego.

Perhaps that's the kind of outcome one experiences having heard two of the biggest football clubs in the world exchanging 80 million for your services while you're shopping on the exclusive Rodeo Drive in the U.S on vacation with several friends whom you've paid for to come with you to party with the stars in Hollywood, or maybe I'm just of the old traditional school of thought that a footballer is a footballer and nothing more.

And that leads me to this L.A romance fiasco. On one side, you've got a self-worshipping, outrageous, egotistical diva who loves nothing more than cameras fluttering about her and their name all over as many newspapers, magazines and booklets as possible on any given day - On the other side, you've got Paris Hilton. A match made in heaven.

In Barcelona, the state of the team’s affairs is equally crucial. Coming off one of the most (if not the most) historic seasons in La Liga history, one would be hard pressed to say how Barcelona can improve.

I've heard many people say the power balance has shifted from the Premiership to Spain thanks to Real Madrid signing the star of the English league and the star of the Italian Serie A.

I beg to differ.

One players presence or absence does not make a whole league. In England, there is one group with the authority to speak with television on all of the Premiership clubs behalves. In Spain, this policy of operation is not shared with their English counterparts. Each club must negotiate individually for T.V deals.

Because of this better organisation, the Premiership is available to a wider audience and in turn more revenue. All this adds up to more cash being spread out among the English clubs.

The top four have been the top four for years, but with big money circling around, it allows other clubs, the Aston Villas, the Evertons, the Tottenhams and soon to be Manchester Cities of this world to make a claim and keep things competitive (even though City don't need the money).

If Athletico Madrid win the Spanish title next season will you be at all shocked? Of course you would. My point is, a league doesn't rest of the performance of two clubs alone and the others must improve to be more competitive with the top two in order for La Liga to steal the Premierships crown.

It remains to be seen how this second generation of Galacticos will play together but I feel the egos of so many decisive players will become too large for the team to succeed as a unit.

Why Scottish Football Will Never Compete with the English Premier League

Art Braumen — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:58:59 -0400

What happens when you involve an English club, a Scottish club, a Welsh club, and a Spanish manager?

Well, it's interesting, to say the least, specifically if you're a Celtic supporter. Wigan Athletic’s imminent appointment of Roberto Martinez as manager is fascinating on many levels—not least because Dave Whelan, their chairman, said recently that he “wouldn’t go near” a foreign coach—but it is what the deal says about Celtic and, by extension, Scottish football that is most intriguing.

Martinez did not turn Celtic down. Celtic, having identified the talented Spaniard as a candidate to replace Gordon Strachan, could not even talk to him because, unlike Wigan, they were unable to meet the compensation figure (£2 million) demanded by Swansea City.

West Bromwich Albion hope that a Celtic approach for Tony Mowbray will fall down for similar reasons. On the face of it, it is mildly shocking that Celtic should be unable to compete financially with Wigan, a club that was playing non-league football in England until 1978.

Celtic’s average attendance of 56,677 is the eighth highest in Europe and the third highest in Britain, with Rangers 15th. Never mind worldwide, both clubs almost certainly have more supporters in the Greater Manchester area than Wigan, whose heartwarming rise from mediocrity has, sadly, not caught the imagination beyond a town where football has only recently begun to share top billing with rugby league.

It all get's a little confusing when television revenue and sponsors are concerned but West Brom, a team who finished bottom of the English Premier League, took in a whopping £31.6 million. Compare that to Celtic's estimate that the winner of the SPL earned a laughable sum just above £2 million, which is absolutely shocking.

Despite direct entry into the UEFA Champions League, Celtic's advantage over their domestic rivals may be significant, while competing with English clubs for players or managers is a losing battle. It's easy to see why Scottish football comes a poor second to it's English counterparts.

Some people might say Celtic don't want to pay a lot of compensation and don't want to give managers a £30 million transfer kitty. The board do that by choice because the business model is completely different to the Premiership. Celtic are practically self sufficient in that the fans pay up and the club make the Champions League year-in, year-out and that the whole balance sheet is determined by these two factors.

Teams like Wigan are successful by association. Parachute payments from relegation alone are incredible compared to the "handouts" Celtic get. It's also worth noting that the collective debt in the Premiership reaches some figure close to three billion. Of that, 2.1 billion is attributed to the "big four".

Celtic, on the other hand, have no debt and, in a business sense, are probably the best run club in the UK. The board room could have used multi-million pound overdrafts and loans which would have given the likes of Moyes something to think about. Overall, they're a product of their own environment and will be there long after the Wigans of this world have had their taste of the big-time and are counting the cost, i.e Newcastle United.

One topic up for discussion is talk of the Glasgow giants moving south and joining the Premiership. It's a tantalising prospect in many ways, even if it would appear unedifying from a traditionalist’s viewpoint, not to mention hypocritical in the era of political devolution. For now, it is a non-starter.

Peter Lawwell, Celtic’s chief executive, said the club are “reconciled to our future being in Scotland”, adding that “we have to be clever” and Celtic are indeed clever during a recession that is gripping Scottish football in a way that the leading English clubs cannot begin to contemplate.

Perhaps if they were to televise their home games instead of the away games, then Setanta would have had a lot more subscriptions. Either way, I cannot see the other SPL clubs agreeing to a bigger slice of the TV pot for Celtic and Rangers, regardless.

Top 10 Footballing Legends

Art Braumen — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:03:44 -0400

In no particular order, I have picked out, in my opinion, the ten greatest footballers in history. Not included, are those who are still in the middle of their careers today because I felt it wouldn't of been a fair judgment of their overall contribution to the game as a whole, so for the sake of this article, the sportsmen within, are retired - their legendary status cemented.

Begin Slideshow