Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew McNair

Rangers' "Father and Son" Have Premier League Scouts Swarming Around Club

Andrew McNair — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:54:39 -0500

Rangers may well be one of the worst teams in the UEFA Champions League this season, but the club's financial woes and injury crisis have resulted in one highlight—possibly the oddest partnership in the competition.

David Weir (39) and Danny Wilson (17) could be father and son, but in reality they are Rangers' new centre back pairing.

The golden boy

Wilson was thrust into first team affairs earlier less than a month ago in a Cup tie against Dundee, but the absence of the much lauded Madjid Bougherra and Rangers' lack of senior cover—as well as his own performances—meant the youngster was asked to step up to the CL.

And step up he did—Rangers' best outfield player in both his CL starts is already attracting interest from down south with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and just about every other English Premier League club starting to circle due to the financial status of the Ibrox outfit.

The tall youngster had been championed by many fans at the start of the season as a potential starter, but no one would have dreamt of him stepping up and mixing it with the stars on Europe’s greatest stage. However, Wilson is a solid uncompromising centre half with confidence on the ball and the eye for a long-range pass and has not looked at all out of place amongst the very best.

The perfect partner for his could be Dad

Weir is a veteran of World Cups, European finals, and has seen it all in his 20-year career. The 65 times capped Scotland international may have expected his career would end alongside a 17-year-old, but not in the Champions League—in the Ibrox reserves.

But the former Everton star is still fitter than most and is closing in on 150 appearances for the Scottish champions despite moving north at 36, playing 60 games in his first full season aged 37.

Weir, who will be 40 before this season is out, is now club Captain following the departure of Barry Ferguson to Birmingham City and leads an undefeated Rangers in domestic competition with little difficulty despite his aging legs.

Other aging stars

Paolo Maldini played on into his 40s at AC Milan at the highest level, but did he ever play alongside a boy 22 years his junior in the biggest club competition on the planet?

Can you think of any other "father and son" type pairings in world football?

Wilson’s pace may well be aiding Weir at the back for Rangers, but my bet is it is Wilson who appreciates the partnership more and will never forget his days playing next to his senior partner, soaking up as much of those 22 years of experience as is humanly possible.

Jermain Defoe Kills Off Michael Owen's 2010 Dreams

Andrew McNair — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:13:07 -0500

It is only November, and Jermain Defoe is already only two goals off his record English Premier League tally of 13 strikes with Portsmouth a couple of seasons back.

The pint-sized striker was simply on fire as Tottenham Hotspur struck nine past Wigan Athletic at the weekend, bagging five for himself—but will it have impressed England boss Fabio Capello?

A simple answer would be—I’d blooming well hope so.

What Capello wants up front for England

It is exactly what England needs—one of their best strikers in the form of his life in a World Cup year, and it must now be pretty certain that barring injury, the 27-year-old Defoe will board the plane for South Africa in June.

Sadly for some English die-hards, the form of Defoe has simply snuffed out any chance Manchester United’s Michael Owen has of making the trip.

England’s other classy diminutive striker has zero chance of playing the best football of his career over the next six months and competing for a place with the Spurs star, as those days are definitely behind him.

However, had plenty of England’s strikers been misfiring this season, I’d have definitely stuck him on the plane, but there is only room for one poacher in a World Cup squad and the finishing (the best England has, according to Spurs boss Harry Redknapp) of 38 times capped Defoe has already sealed his place alongside Wayne Rooney, although he is still unlikely to be next to him on the pitch in SA next year.

Despite his form, Capello has shown he is no fan of small strikers since taking over as England boss, and Defoe, with 11 international goals already to his name, will likely have to make do with a role off the bench behind Rooney and a bigger striker, possibly Emile Heskey, at the World Cup.

But nothing in football is ever set in stone. Only Defoe can keep Capello’s mind ticking over.

Defoe must kick on if he is to change his destiny

Only England legends Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole had struck five goals in an EPL game before Saturday, which just goes to show the calibre of player Defoe is.

Not only that, but it is now 12 goals in as many games for the Tottenham man in 2009/10, and he may at this point deserve to be England’s number one striker, but he must push on and win the golden boot with 30 strikes if he is to snatch a starting spot at the WC or at least deserve to in the eyes of the boss.

Capello has a system, one which players like Defoe, in the eyes of the England boss at least, will struggle to fill. As we all know, it takes something very special indeed to change a manager’s opinion—yes, something even more special than five goals at lowly Wigan on a cold November Sunday.

Birmingham City's Barry Ferguson Must Play For Scotland Again

Andrew McNair — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:07:23 -0500

The outspoken views of Tartan Army chief Alan Duncan about Scotland fans reacting angrily to the potential return of Barry Ferguson and former teammate Allan McGregor to the international fold—just months after their lifetime bans by the Scottish Football Association—are absurd.

Yes, the two men’s actions—of early morning drinking at Cameron House—midway through a Scotland camp were inexcusable and their actions of gesturing to fans and media alike at Hampden a few nights later—a sure fire sign footballers think with their feet and not their heads, but just as inexcusable—is allowing Scotland’s decline into the abyss continue because grown men cannot forgive or forget.

The pair were not the only players drinking that night (or morning, to be more accurate), and probably felt victimised by both the fans and the media, but they never once denied their guilt and took their eventual bans on the chin.

Birmingham’s Rock

Barry Ferguson moved south from Rangers in the summer and has once again proven his credentials as a quality football player with Birmingham City in one of the world’s toughest stages—the English Premier League.

One of Scotland’s evident problems is the lack of experience at the highest level, yet Mr. Duncan and his associates do not want to see the return of probably their most decorated domestic player days after an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to an under-strength Wales side.

The 31-year-old midfielder has won it all in Scotland, including five Scottish Premier League titles, five Scottish Cups, five Scottish League Cups, and even led his side to a UEFA Cup Final. The 45-time capped Scot should be let back into the national setup to add experience and talent to a squad apparently lacking in either.

Far too many players in the squad have never played in Europe and are plying their trade in the championship in England.

George Burley made some fatal mistakes in his tenure, including losing the best goal keeper in Scotland (McGregor), a former captain (Ferguson) through bans, and the most prolific striker in British football (Kris Boyd) thanks to international retirement.

A country as small as Scotland simply cannot cope with losses of that stature.

Scotland’s Best Shot-Stopper

Ferguson was not the only player mentioned by Duncan, and in 27-year-old McGregor, he wants to sideline the best keeper playing in Scotland. With Scotland number one Craig Gordon of Sunderland looking increasingly fragile through injury, it is utter madness to ignore the only other goalkeeper in his class, especially with David Marshall lacking the consistency to perform at the highest level.

If Scotland wants to start afresh, then that means starting afresh—with Ferguson and Rangers duo McGregor and Boyd welcomed back into the international frame.

Alan Duncan does not speak for every Scotland fan with his narrow-minded views, as Scotland with the “boozegate” pair would be a better Scotland and Scottish fans should remember not to put pride over success; as pride has never qualified for a major tournament.

Robin Van Persie Vs. Emmanuel Adebayor: Someone Must Be Lying

Andrew McNair — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:44:45 -0400

According to many of you, Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor was very much in the wrong last Saturday because of the controversy over his boot striking former Arsenal teammate Robin Van Persie’s face, as well as his goal celebration in front of the Arsenal visiting fans being the subject of much debate after the final whistle signalled a 4-2 victory for the home side.

However, some actually believe Van Persie and Arsenal supporters to be the ones in the wrong.

Before we discuss that, I have a conundrum for you.

Lies Lies Lies

Judging by the quotes coming from both camps, it appears there is a discrepancy between the players' memories.

After the game on Saturday, Arsenal forward Van Persie released a statement on Arsenal’s official website, which included the following line:

“I have not received an apology from him (Adebayor). There were no words exchanged afterwards.”

No one is saying his version of events isn't correct, as the Dutch forward had, after all, been kicked in the head.

The statement was also released pretty quickly after the game, so surely his recollection was fresh in the memory.

But since then, Adebayor has reportedly told The Sun: “After the game I saw him and said sorry, but he didn't even want to speak to me."

The above also has a certain ring of truth about it. I too would have no time for a man I thought had booted me in the face—unless, of course, my hands were round his neck.

But had Adebayor and Van Persie come face to face (cheeky grin to bloody mess), I believe we would be reporting “changing room fisticuffs” and not on-the-pitch events.

The Sun would have loved that.

So who is lying?

Adebayor on Van Persie

Having seen the incident on more than one occasion, I believe Adebayor did indeed try to kick Van Persie. But can I prove it?

No.

However, the video does show the striker looking down just before his boot strikes his opponent, which to me signals his intent.

For those who say Van Persie’s tackle on the City star was dangerous, I agree with you, but to those who say this justifies Adebayor’s reaction, I say take a long, hard look at yourselves.

Unlike the real world, retaliation has always been more frowned upon by the game's lawmakers, with those reacting to tackles, assaults, and verbal abuse often being the ones who received the lengthier punishment, especially when the original incident (the tackle) was a yellow card offence at best.

Many players have reacted badly to tackles over the years and walked for an early bath. Some say it is a bit of a kick in the teeth for the retaliator, but I say it was a bit of a deliberate kick in the face for the Dutchman.

A yellow card for Van Persie followed by a red for Adebayor should have been the referee’s action.

The celebration

Running 90 metres solely to wind up the opposition fans is, in my opinion, out of order.

Some have blamed Arsenal fans for reacting to Adebayor’s antagonising, but wouldn’t you? He was hardly a fan favourite at the Emirates due to his wanting to get away from Arsenal before, in the eyes of the fans at least, he had repaid them.

Add in a bumper new contract and a poor season, and we have some serious tension between the two.

Of course the Arsenal supporters were giving him stick—he probably deserves it.

But what would a great player do?

He would score and win the game for his club to shut up his critics. Adebayor had done so but chose (and by doing so proved his critics correct) to wind up the Arsenal support like an immature schoolboy. Simply put, the man has no class.

Apology or no apology.

A heavy fine is certainly in order, but no ban. Gary Neville’s fine for a similar offence against Liverpool should have put paid to that.

I would be behind a new rule, however, which could bring about a suspension for such behaviour, which could have started a riot.

Imagine, for example, a similar celebration at the recent game between West Ham United and Millwall.

As for the reaction by the Arsenal support: It was not great, but would it have been different from any other league club?

Nope. I seriously doubt it.

Any individual who overstepped the mark with assault should obviously be charged with such an offence, but a punishment for the support in general would indeed be another kick in the teeth for Arsenal.

What Makes Fantasy Football So Much Fun?

Andrew McNair — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:44:01 -0400

Fantasy football is enjoyed by millions of people these days with just about every soccer dedicated broadcaster or newspaper having their own version of the game.

For those not in the know, fantasy football is usually a format where you choose a team or squad of players from your favourite league and gain points every week or weekend depending on the player’s performance in real-life action over that period.

You can then amend your team before the next round of matches using your football knowledge to predict who will do well (score goals, assists, saves, clean sheets etc), who will not (conceding goals, yellow and red cards, etc.) and who will not play at all as picking players who don’t play obviously earns you absolutely nothing.

But what makes this experience so good?

That rush

Well for one, fantasy football is addictive and is in essence, a cheaper form of gambling, where ones “intuitive team selection choices” are played out on a Saturday, or any other day for that matter, by real players in actual games.

It is a special feeling predicting the result of a match and earning some extra cash from your nearest betting shop but if anyone is honest, they will tell you they lose more money than they make.

Therefore, gambling is not for everyone, but I can pretty much guarantee you all know the emotion I am on about.

The feeling of knowing something your friend did not, or simply that feeling of vindication, is one I do not think anyone can ignore or for that matter, would want to.

Well in fantasy football, the chance of vindication comes every week without losing face or more importantly, without losing any money.

No more meaningless matches

Now I do not care how big a football fan you are, one simply cannot give a monkey's about the result of every game, every week in your favourite league unless of course you have money on it!

But not us, we care about every result because we have strikers from one team and defenders from another and with every good performance by a team with one of your chosen players in it likely to earn you more points you are bound to take more notice.

So your interest is sparked with people keeping an eye on not just their favourite team’s result.

So-called knowledge

Every football fan has their own ideas about football, but rarely do they get a chance to prove their idea, with clubs not known for taking on the average Joe as their new manager.

But in fantasy football you can challenge your friends in private leagues and see just who has the best intuition when it comes to the beautiful game.

Team selection, formations, and substitutions: it is all there and waiting for you to prove to us all your football credentials.

Can you read the minds of the managers? Do you notice players who are climbing towards top form and most importantly, can you ignore blind loyalty to your favourite team’s players?

The last thing you need is a bad fantasy football weekend on top of your favourite club's defeat.

If you can do all that, then fantasy football is for you.

So who out there enjoys fantasy football? Where do you play and what do you get out of it?

Scotland's "Glorious Failures" Outplay Holland With Total Football

Andrew McNair — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:22:13 -0400

I may only be 24 but I most certainly know about and have a long association with the term “glorious failure.”

Many must look at tonight’s result and say “I’m glad I’m not Scottish” and many Scots tonight may wish they were not but not me.

I’m proud of the team tonight, a team which finally looked like they deserved to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa next year.

“Glorious failure”

Scotland, even in my life time, have always promised so much but delivered so little, and have in fact got less reward for playing well than they have for playing poorly.

Glorious failure is going out with your head held high, defeat when you have given your all and is the Scottish national football team’s favourite result.

Tonight we pounded Holland, yet it was tonight our World Cup dream is well and truly dead.

The past

In 1996 we were down against England at the European Championships by a goal to nil but were coming back into the game and looking dangerous when they won a penalty. Had Gary McAllister managed to avoid David Seaman with the penalty, we would surely have gone on to win?

1998, and Scotland are at their second major football tournament in succession. They open the World Cup against Brazil in front of the world coming back from a goal down to level through a John Collins penalty, and not even the best team in the world were going to beat them. They beat ourselves however, as the ball ended up in our own net off the unfortunate Tom Boyd.

In the play off for Euro 2000 we lost the first leg 2-0 to England at Hampden Park and to the world, the tie appeared over but not according to Scotland.

The “glorious failures” outplayed their rivals that day and at 1-0 up Christian Dailly’s bullet header was somehow saved by that man Seaman again. Had it gone in no-one in the ground was in any doubt as to who would have gone on to win that tie?

Two years ago Scottish football once again began to flourish after a half a decade in decline, but in true Scottish spirit we did it in a European Championship qualifying group containing the World Champions Italy, former Euro and World Champions France and the not-so-bad Ukraine led by Andriy Shevchenko.

Scotland needed a win with two games to go following two magnificent victories over the French but a loss to Georgia set up the usual epic battle. A final game at home to the World Champions which Scotland simply had to win.

Scotland came back from a goal down to draw level thanks to Barry Ferguson and with 10 minutes to go Hampden saw James McFadden, the hero of the campaign, at the back post but the fans favourite couldn’t steer his effort on target and the dream was once again over.

Eleven years in the darkness

So to the nineth of the nine, 2009, and Scotland once again need a miracle at home to one of the world’s top nations. It is Holland this time and thanks to earning one point from two ties with Norway, nothing but a win will do once again.

It has been over 11 long years since the “glorious failure” against Brazil in France and Scotland is hungrier than it has ever been to once again join the world’s elite at a major tournament.

Holland had already qualified but were looking to make it eight wins from eight in group nine at Hampden against a Scotland team minus arguably its two best players. Playmaker James McFadden was suspended and keeper Craig Gordon was injured.

But it didn’t stop Scotland who arguably put in one of their all time best performances against a team ranked number three on the planet.

They ignored Dirk Kuyt’s early effort off the post, and from that moment on, there was only ever going to be one winner....or was there?

A legitimate Steven Naismith goal was disallowed; we twice hit the woodwork through Naismith and Kenny Miller; twice powerful shots spun wide off the Dutch keeper, and sadly, twice Scotland failed to score with chances inside the six yard box.

My country had stabbed the Dutch to within an inch of their lives’ but without landing a fatal wound, Holland were always destined to strike the killing blow, and substitute Eljero Elia’s goal ten minutes from time left a country in despair.

But despair for me has been overcome by pride.

Never before have I witnessed my country destroy a world beater, but tonight in front of over 50,000 of the best fans on earth, they went toe-to-toe with the Dutch and in my eyes, gave them a total footballing lesson, before inevitably succumbing to their destiny of “glorious failures.”

It may not be an appearance at a World Cup but it will just have to do.

Premier League Prediction: Will Manchester United Win the League Again?

Andrew McNair — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:52:04 -0400

It is that time of the year again when everyone and their granny has a guess at who will win the Barclays Premier League. Obviously some views are more educated than others and no one will agree but I’m sure my opinions will throw up some talking points. So who do I think will be the English Champions come May? You will have to wait and see as we work our way through the table...

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Celtic Can Definitely Beat Arsenal

Andrew McNair — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:48:35 -0400

If I had to name the one thing in the world which really bugs me, it would probably be ignorant football fans and annoyingly for me, they were out in force after the UEFA Champions League qualifying draw which pitted Arsenal against Scottish giants Celtic.

With a spot in the lucrative group stages of Europe’s premier competition up for grabs, this would be huge. “Battle of Britain” is actually many times more important, thanks mainly to the effect on big club's finances which comes with failure to qualify for the tournament proper.

Surely such a big tie would need serious consideration from both sets of fans as the enormity and difficulty of the situation hit home.

Well not in London, it would seem. According to most Gunners' fans, Arsenal are already through.

Such arrogance deserves a beating in my book and I believe Celtic can do just that.

Time to wake up

A few fans even had a go at the new format of the CL which makes it slightly, just slightly, easier for the odd championship winning club from a less famous league make it into Europe’s elite tournament.

It was as if Arsenal had a god-given right to be there.

But they finished fourth in their domestic league, which in days gone by probably wouldn’t even have earned them a place in the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

The claim was that Arsenal are a huge club so should get preference over other teams from other countries, basically because they are a big English club with great resources and such teams don’t want to play against sides they have never heard of.

In reality, the reason we have never heard of them is because they don’t get a fair crack of the whip (before this season) when it comes European football and therefore don’t get a chance to get on the ladder to success.

To spell it out:

More games in Europe = more money

More money = better resources

Better resources = greater results

Greater results = FAME

I for one don’t want to see football ruined by 20 or 30 European clubs who think they ARE football and fans who behave like their team is that important, are not really football fans at all.

Back to Celtic

Arsenal fans were quick to bring up their sides recent 3-0 friendly win over Rangers as an indicator of their potential result against fellow Scottish team Celtic. I have never heard anything more pointless.

Firstly: Celtic are not Rangers.

Secondly: It was a friendly

Thirdly: the game was played just 24 hours after both teams had played the previous day, with neither team fielding their strongest line up.

Fourthly: IT WAS A FRIENDLY

Rangers were hardly going to go around kicking Arsenal’s team off the pitch or play defensively, which just about every team who visit the Emirates this season will.

But mainly, there was no fight in that game, there was very little meaning. Celtic will not roll over and neither would Rangers in a competitive fixture.

Surely this is just common sense?

What does history say?

When Celtic beat Dynamo Moscow 2-0 away in the previous round, it was the first time the Glasgow side had won a two legged European tie after having lost the first leg at home.

Now I’m not saying they will beat the Gunners if Arsenal win the first leg at Parkhead, but Celtic are on a high after a fantastic result which ended a streak of 22 away ties without a win.

The other reason I’m not saying I expect Celtic to win the tie after losing the first leg is because I don’t expect them to lose the first leg.

I’ve chosen a selection of fairly recent home results which should raise a few ignorant eyebrows:

· 2-0 v Villarreal (08/09 CL)

· 1-0 v Benfica (07/08 CL)

· 2-1 v AC Milan (07/08 CL)

· 3-0 v Benfica (06/07 CL)

· 1-0 v Manchester United (06/07 CL)

· 0-0 v AC Milan (06/07 CL Last 16, second leg also 0-0 but Milan won in ET)

· 1-0 v Barcelona (03/04 UEFA Cup, knocked Spaniards out)

· 2-0 v Olympic Lyonnais (03/04 CL)

· 1-1 v Liverpool (02/03 UEFA Cup, won 2-0 at Anfield and went on to reach final where they lost 3-2 to Jose Mourinho’s Porto, the team who next year won the CL)

· 1-0 Blackburn Rovers (02/03 UEFA Cup, another English scalp)

· 4-3 Juventus (02/03 CL)

And do not forget 1967 when Celtic became the first British side to win the European Cup.

With Arsenal again struggling with injuries at a crucial point in the season, I would honestly put a bet on the Scots to win this tie and as one Celtic fan said: “If we can nick a win at Parkhead, I’ll have no problem parking the team bus in front of Artur Boruc’s goal at the Emirates.”

But apparently that will never happen as Arsenal are already through, planning their group stage campaign.

I salute the Celtic fans, who are paying Arsenal the respect they deserve but should they decide to get in close to the bone with any Gooner, one question would surely kill any Arsenal momentum.

Remind me again, how many times have Arsenal lifted the European Cup?

Manchester United and Liverpool Fans Are Not Their Usual Confident Selves

Andrew McNair — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:10:50 -0400

It was interesting to follow the "Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid" transfer saga from the usual "he is not for sale at any price" to the inevitable £30 million deal.

But more intriguing is the underlying "it won’t affect us" battle between supporters of Liverpool and Manchester United.

Many United fans are claiming losing a key player as valuable as the Spaniard will upset Liverpool’s title challenge, while supporters of the Merseyside club claim the loss of Alonso is hardly in the same bracket as United’s sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to the same Spanish giants.

The bigger picture

Rafa Benitez has acted quickly to cushion the blow and averted the eyes of the Anfield faithful from any doom and gloom with the potential signing of Alberto Aquilani from Roma.

But no matter who is brought in or what is done to distract the fans attentions, one thing is clear and not easily ignored.

Selling your top players is not the best warm-up for a new season, no matter what club you are, and definitely not two weeks before the first league game.

The fans are quite rightly sceptical and the "our problems are not as big as your problems" is hardly great preseason title banter.

Both weakened teams

Amazingly, we may be in a unique position going into this top flight campaign, with both of last season’s top two sides possibly being weaker in August than they were in May.

With United losing Ronaldo and deciding against Carlos Tevez, it would not have been too far of a stretch to imagine Liverpool going into the new season with the upper hand, but the failure to hold onto Alonso puts any advantage in doubt.

After all, Sir Alex Ferguson's United side are seasoned champions, who over the years have coped brilliantly with losing key players and also retaining their title.

The red half of Merseyside have, in this generation at least, no such pedigree and have been building a side under Benitez for several years now but never came closer to the Premier League trophy than they did last season.

Surely, all they had to do was hold onto that squad for just one more year.

Hard to call

However, we do not know what goes on in the mind of the Spanish manager, and after all, Alonso was not always part of his master plan at Anfield. Therefore, it may not be the blow many believe it to be.

Had it been Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres, then maybe delight from rival fans would have been more "you have no chance" than the earlier mentioned "our loss is not as bad as your loss."

The fact that many Liverpool fans are not overly confident, despite Manchester United losing their best player, shows the champions have plenty of respect from their rivals.

But supporters of the champions having a little less faith in their side speaks volumes about how tight a season we are looking forward to.

New UEFA Europa League Asks Serious Questions About Scottish Football

Andrew McNair — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:49:52 -0400

A whopping six Scottish clubs qualified for European competition this season, which in May seemed great for Scottish football, but the reality is a far different story.

Falkirk narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish Premier League on the last day of the 08/09 season but qualified for the UEFA Europa League through their Scottish Cup Final appearance, where they lost 1-0 to SPL champions Rangers.

The Bairns, who lost manager John Hughes to Hibernian in pre-season, were in no shape for European competition and crashed out 2-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round to Liechtenstein’s FC Vaduz, a team which competes in the Swiss Challenge League.

However, this was not the embarrassing bit for Scottish football.

Desperate Times

Motherwell qualified for Europe via the fair play league having finished seventh in the SPL last season, which to those not up to speed on Scottish football, is in the bottom half of a 12-team league.

They were another team who had lost their manager, Mark McGhee, to Aberdeen as well as half their squad in the off-season.

So it was up to a few older players and a bunch of kids to uphold Scotland’s honour in European competition as they entered the Europa League at its first round.

But despite a shaky first leg against Welsh club Llanelli where they lost 1-0 at home, Motherwell came through 3-0 in the second leg to set up a second-round tie with Albanian outfit Flamurtari Vlore.

The Scottish side again lost the first leg 1-0 but again won the second, this time by a massive eight goals to one.

Maybe Scottish football was healthier than we all thought.

Dark Thursday night

With the competition entering its third qualifying round, it was time to welcome Scotland’s third biggest club Aberdeen into European action.

And enter European action they did on the 30th of July, alongside the battle-hardened Motherwell.

Aberdeen had a new manager (the former Motherwell manager Mark McGhee) but the very least was still expected.

There would be 100 percent effort, from a hard-working Scottish side.

But what Scotland got was one of its worst-ever European defeats (5-1 at home to the Czech Republic’s Sigma Olomouc) on the back of Celtic’s 1-0 humbling at home by Dynamo Moscow in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers the previous night.

Poor Motherwell never stood a chance and went down 3-0 at home to Romanian giants, Steaua Bucharest.

Perspective

Too add a little food for thought these matches took place a full two weeks before the Scottish season kicks off (Aug. 16) and were against clubs, well into their domestic championships.

The question is, with Scotland falling further and further behind England not just on the pitch but also financially, is it not time for Scotland to think about summer football?

With summer football, Scottish clubs wouldn’t be battling against good teams in Europe who have a head start; they would simply be battling good teams on a level playing field.

And it wouldn’t just be the smaller Scottish clubs to benefit; Rangers and Celtic would benefit too. With no summer football in Britain surely TV deals would go through the roof with every broadcaster in Europe wanting a piece of Rangers v Celtic in early July.

With all Scottish teams struggling financially following the collapse of Setanta UK and clubs looking distinctly mediocre in Europe it would seem that surely change is needed.

What the Old Firm think

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray is against the idea of summer football despite watching his side come out second best to a Dynamo Moscow side over 10 games into the Russian League season.

The Glasgow giants were a step behind their Moscow opponents and will lose millions of pounds if they cannot overcome the result in the second leg; another game played before the start of the Scottish League season.

On the other side of the fence, Rangers manager Walter Smith supports the idea of change to the Scottish schedule and has whispered the idea of an earlier start to the SPL, which would incorporate a winter shut down.

Scottish football would surely benefit from playing in the summer months and not just in European competition.

There would be more time to play football before the soggy, muddy pitches come to the fore as winter draws in and better football would mean bigger crowds as fans turn up in T-shirts instead of two coats, gloves, hat and scarf!

And finally it would benefit amateur players and the kids of the future, who wouldn’t have game after game cancelled in the winter and who would definitely learn better technique over a summer season which would be far more enjoyable.

Until any changes are made though, Scottish football will suffer.

Falkirk will almost certainly have been joined by Motherwell and Aberdeen on the European scrapheap when the Play-off round of the UEFA Europa League action kicks off.

Scotland will certainly not be expecting much of Heart of Midlothian (another Scottish club in crisis) when they step into the firing line on Aug. 20.

International Men of Mystery: The Best Uncapped English Premier League XI

Andrew McNair — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:02:46 -0400

With England’s top flight being such a star studied international league, it is very rarely one comes across at player in the Barclays Premier League who hasn’t been recognized at full international level. Never mind a whole team. But this was the challenge I set myself: To find the best uncapped eleven the Premier League has to offer. And it offered up a 3-5-2 formation with some first class players. What do you think of the result? Can you think of anyone I may have missed out?

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The Most Underrated Players in the English Premier League: Part Two

Andrew McNair — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:57:21 -0400

Welcome to the second part of my underrated Barclays Premier League players. If you missed the first part it can be seen here http://bleacherreport.com/articles/223654-the-most-underrated-players-in-the-english-premier-league-part-1 Although many of these players are happy plugging away and going about their work outside the media spotlight, I felt I had to honour all 17 players with this two piece slideshow. Well I suppose there is no point hanging around; here are the last eight underrated top flight stars...

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The Most Underrated Players in the English Premier League: Part 1

Andrew McNair — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:54:04 -0400

I am not for a second saying any of the players on this list are necessarily world class or should even be playing for bigger teams for that matter. This article is simply to give some exposure to some of the leagues unsung heroes, players who consistently perform to their ability, are invaluable to their clubs and most importantly, don’t get paid £200,000 a week. There is no countdown and no order, just 17 fantastic players whom I hope to help you know much better over two short but entertaining slideshows. So here goes....

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First Thoughts -Literally!- on Man Utd and the Rest of the Premier League!

Andrew McNair — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:37:22 -0400

A thought came over me last night in bed—not the thought that I think far too much about football as that bit is obvious—but what is the first thing which comes to my mind when any Barclays Premier League club is mentioned?

I did an experiment and in all honesty, many are stereotypical, stigmatic, subjective, and old impressions.

Some however, are modern and objective but neither necessarily shows my true feelings as everyone knows that anyone can shoot from the hip but it takes a good writer to think objectively.

But this piece is in no way objective as I decided to put myself to the test and write down the first three things which came into my mind when I thought about all 20 top flight English clubs.

Let the truth come out:

Arsenal: Fancy, Foreign, and Ineffective

Aston Villa: Posh, Young talent, and Overhyped

Birmingham City: Scottish, Yoyo, and Middle England

Blackburn Rovers: Small, Shearer, and The other team to have won the league

Bolton Wanderers: Direct, Hard-working, and Davies

Burnley: The new Hull City, Good young manager, and can Steven Fletcher cut it in England?

Chelsea: Rich, Terry and Lampard, and Fake fans

Everton: Underdogs, Injuries, and Heart

Fulham: Strong at home, Cheap, and Dilapidated old ground

Hull City: Tough, Eccentric, and Relegation beckons

Liverpool: Lucky, Gerrard, and Never say Die

Manchester City: Mercenaries, Goater, and a*******s

Manchester United: Fletcher, Champions, and a recent soft spot (thanks mainly to the first mentioned)

Portsmouth: South, Harry’s toilet, and Out of place

Stoke City: Long Throws, Long Ball, and Long Odds

Sunderland: Relegation, Gordon, and Unlucky

Tottenham Hotspur: Failed Transfers, Average, and Capitulation

West Ham United: Kids, Dodgy deals, and Poor strikers

Wigan Athletic: Punching above their weight, Whelan, and McCarthy

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Wondering how many people call them that? History, and Chris Iwelumo

Some of these comments are obviously fair and some of them are not, some surprised me and some did not but it is true that first impressions last and some incidents are never forgotten.

I did not think of rugby league when I thought of Wigan, which is a first as far as I can remember and a good sign for the EPL’s constant overachievers.

Sadly, Manchester City have been affected by a certain fan and writer I know who constantly scrapes the barrel for his stories. But as I said, any objective look would obviously take me beyond such a silly squabble but that is not what this experiment was all about.

So you have heard what I have to say, now I want to hear some of your “first thoughts”...

David Beckham Must Do What Is Right for David Beckham

Andrew McNair — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:03:18 -0400

Let me start by saying I was never behind David Beckham leaving Europe for the MLS for a couple of reasons:

1. He was getting paid millions in a league where most players earn nothing.

2. I believed he could still play at a much higher level.

Both points came to a head this week when Beckham was booed for allegedly letting his club, the LA Galaxy, and possibly the league down.

After all, he wasn’t really signed as a footballer; he was signed as a celebrity publicity stunt, and as such he should be available for photo shoots, interviews, and guest appearances—all day, every day.

No holidays in Europe playing football are allowed.

Mistakes have been made

I believe he has seen the error in his ways and no longer wants to represent the MLS, but wants to represent David Beckham and do what is best for himself.

The England midfielder has the right to play at the highest level he possibly can for as long as he possibly can. After all, being a footballer is not a lifelong career, and in 10 years he’ll already be looking back on his professional life, wondering if he made the right decisions and did his best over the years.

Hopefully 10 years down the line and, God willing, many more decades after that, he’ll be smiling back on a career spent with three of the biggest clubs (Manchester United, Real Madrid, and AC Milan) in the world—not regretting missing out on the 2010 World Cup because he never did enough.

With arguably England, Spain, and Italy’s largest clubs and a century of England Caps under his belt, some would argue he has done it all and should be happy playing in America for millions.

Beckham must do what is best for him

But I disagree, and so it appears does Beckham himself.

He wants to play in another World Cup, and why shouldn’t he? Beckham has been told that playing in America is simply not good enough for Fabio Capello, his international boss, and he therefore wants to spend as much time playing in Europe as possible.

Not for money, not for his wife Victoria, but for himself.

Beckham has done all he can for the MLS and Galaxy with the league and franchise now more recognizable thanks to the Englishman’s presence.

Therefore, he has done his bit. It was never about making Galaxy a better team, but just about simple publicity. He now deserves his second chance at a full-time career in Europe, where he can play towards his own goals.

Moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have been mentioned in the British press, and I for one hope to see him playing football this season and not filling stadiums.

Then maybe he’ll be guaranteed to look back on his career with pride.

In the end, it is not you or I, but David Beckham, who must live the rest of his life knowing he did the best he could, when he could.

Rangers' Ferguson the Answer for Birmingham City

Andrew McNair — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:29:32 -0400

Former Rangers and Scotland Captain Barry Ferguson MBE is expected to end his long association with the Glasgow giants this week after a transfer fee was agreed with English Premier League new boys Birmingham City.

The deal, believed to be in the region of £1.5 million, is a snip when one adds into the deal the vast experience of the 31-year-old midfielder not only in Scotland, but in Europe and at the international level. And don’t forget he has of course, played in England’s top flight before.

Unhappy Endings

It has not been the final year at Ibrox he would have wished for, after injury and then the infamous "boozegate" scandal (where he was caught drinking while on international duty with Scotland before making rude gestures, while on the bench at home to Iceland and was banned for life by the Scottish FA) took its toll on his reputation and popularity with the fans.

In truth, many fans had never forgiven the 45 time capped Scot for leaving the club in a £7.5 million deal to Blackburn Rovers in 2003 at the peak of his powers. A broken knee cap put pay to his ambitions in England and despite being named Blackburn Captain, he was back in Glasgow with the Rangers less than two years later in a cut price deal.

I always think it was ridiculous of some sections of the Rangers support for vilifying a true blue because he had the ambition to try something new. So the club he left for was certainly smaller than the Rangers, but in all certainty, the stage he went to was far greater.

In my opinion he should be remembered as a great, a true Rangers' man, who always gave his best in the light blue jersey and all too often when on pain killing injections.

But What of Today?

Ferguson still has plenty to offer Birmingham on and off the pitch despite his previous injury worries and could be invaluable in the Blues' bid for survival next season. His confidence, leadership skills and ability to hold onto the ball will serve his new employers very well next season.

He was widely criticised by Rangers fans last season for his lack of cutting edge after returning from injury, with his supposed constant sideways passing damaging his sides performances, but this ability to hold onto the ball will be crucial for his new side next season.

There is no doubt Birmingham has players capable of winning matches, but before you can win matches, you need the ball and no one keeps the ball better than the former Rangers Captain.

Five Scottish League titles, five Scottish Cups, and five League Cup medals are certainly a sign of a successful career. Adding this to his international experience and the fact he guided the Rangers to a European Final, tells you a lot about the man. He had realized his dream at the age of 23 when he captained his beloved Rangers to a treble and picked up every individual accolade available to him.

His move south reunites Ferguson with Alex McLeish who coached him at Rangers and of course with Scotland. Who could resist mentioning their very famous 1-0 win over France in Paris? This happened thanks not only to Alex and Barry, but to another Birmingham and former Premier League star James McFadden.

I look forward to watching the midfielder in a league he has always been gifted enough to star in, next season and believe Barry Ferguson is just what Birmingham City need. He is a winner, a man who never gives up and who on his day can go toe to toe with the best the world has to offer.

Don’t believe me? Just ask the French...

Rafa Benitez Not So Confident Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano Will Stay Put

Andrew McNair — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:09:10 -0400

Rafa Benitez has taken his time, but finally last year his Liverpool side challenged for the Barclays Premier League. One hopes they will once again challenge in '09-'10 in what will be, if you believe some Manchester City fans, a five-way race for the title.

News reports today, however, claimed Rafa was calling on loyalty from his star midfielders Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano with Real Madrid and Barcelona sniffing around respectively for their services.

Reading between the Lines

When looking at such a story, it is important to read exactly what was said and compare it to what exactly is being claimed by the headline, as it is not always one and the same.

And after reading exactly what Rafa said, I think he has walked right into this one, adding yet more speculation to an industry already in overdrive and heaped more worries on his club and its fans.

The Spanish coach was very abrupt in his claims that the Argentine Mascherano and Spaniard Alonso were not for sale, as they were under contract and Liverpool were not interested in selling. And that would have been great, had he managed to close his mouth right there.

I believe, like many people, that players should be loyal to signed contracts, but as we all know there is very little loyalty in professional football.

Doubts Set In

So a day after his best player Steven Gerrard signed a contract which will likely see him finish a one-club career with the Reds in 2013 (it is extremely unlikely there will be much more loyalty at Anfield, judging by the law of averages of course) Benitez went on to unravel everything he had originally claimed.

The former Valencia coach followed on from his abruptness with what was close to a teary eyed plea to his midfield duo.

"We made you what you are" and the "we took a chance on you" are lines I’m sure Sir Alex Ferguson was plugging behind closed doors at Old Trafford these past two summers, and presumably the same is said at many other clubs across the world during every transfer window.

The key being "behind closed doors."

Confident or Not

Had Rafa stopped at "the players are under contract" he would have stopped me and many more in the media having anything to say.

Instead, we are left with as many doubts about the futures of Alonso and Mascherano as we had when Benitez was first asked the question.

In truth, he and Liverpool are not confident about the situation and the last thing they need is to lose key players after what has been a breakthrough year.

And it is a sad state of affairs if a club like Liverpool, in a position like they are in, cannot inspire loyalty from players favoured by coaches, fans, and teammates alike.

So Rafa, the fans don’t want to hear you pleading; they want strong dependable leadership. The next time a journalist asks you a question as to the future of any of your star players, tell the world your player is staying and leave it at that.

Who knows? With a bit of luck, even the player himself might believe you.

Andy Murray: Far Too Scottish for Some Brits

Andrew McNair — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:37:29 -0400

Andy Murray may have failed the masses at Wimbledon, but he has not failed me. The 22-year-old Scot has been backed by ‘most’ of the great British nation during this years event but was unfortunately outplayed in the semi final, where he lost in four sets to a vintage display from Andy Roddick.

It was, however, inevitable the loudest voice, the day after the defeat would come from so called Brits saying ‘well we don’t support him anyway.’

I am a proud Brit as well as being a proud Scot and was saddened to read the posts of thousands of Englishmen criticising Murray for everything from being an arrogant Scot, a media hype, unpatriotic, and most shockingly of all, for having a c**t of a mother, according to the mainly English posters on the Facebook group ‘I hate Andy Murray.’

So I thought I would answer a few of these criticisms as not only a Scot but as a patriotic Brit.

Let us start with the claim Andy is unpatriotic

A few years back Murray made a stupid comment about supporting ‘anyone’ against the English football team and he continues to take criticism for it but why?

For a start, the world No. 3 has insisted ever since that it was a comment meant in jest. But even if it was not, I see no problem with it.

Britain is in my blood and when it comes to the Olympics, tennis (I supported Tim Henman for a decade) or any sport Britain competes (such as this years British and Irish Lions tour) I am full heartedly behind them.

However, Britain does not play football: Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland do. If you are Scottish with no recent English heritage, no matter how British, you can still not represent England on a football pitch.

Therefore, when it comes to football, Murray supports his country’s team. Just like all Englishmen, Welshmen and Northern Irishmen.

Murray unpatriotic: I think not.

A small matter of arrogance

Self belief is an absolute must in the world of professional sport as is determination and Andy Murray is guilty of both of them but it does not make him arrogant.

It helps him to be confident in matches and has helped him achieve the success he already has.

‘But he is so petulant’ I have read so many people say. My answer to that is, I have seen an incident in just about every match at Wimbledon in 2009 where a player has slammed his or racket, questioned officials, or ticked themselves off verbally in front of the crowd. Why should Andy be singled out?

It is after all a competitive sport with plenty at stake.

The Media Hype

Britain’s media is famous for going on and on and on and on about any success Murray or any British person or team has but how is this the Scot’s fault?

I even read someone saying it was Murray’s own fault and he should just tell the media he has no chance. What utter nonsense, Murray is more than capable of winning a slam one day and probably one day soon so why oh why should he tell himself he cannot do it?

Murray mania will be around for another decade god willing if he is still competitive in his early thirties and therefore the only option for anyone offended by all the hype is to get a thick skin.

But it will die down now, at least for a month or so, before he is again built up and up by the press in the run to the US Open.

Mother of a star

While either of the complaints above could easily be misconstrued and people are always entitled to their opinions, there is no excuse for the savage attacks on Andy’s mum, Judy.

A topic in the aforementioned anti-Murray Facebook group is ‘His c**t of a mother’ and is extremely shocking at best and proves English anti-Murray sentiment has little to do with Murray supporting or not supporting England’s footballers.

The topic was started by Englishman James Harper who said: “That leathery old hag really grinds my gears. Am I the only one here who gets wound up by the sight of Murray's mum?”

It was followed by even more shocking abuse from London’s Lawerence Riley who said: “Ginga c**t. Sent Andy away aged 15.Who the f**k does she think she is? Great champions like Borg,Federer, Sampras never had an old hag like her f***ing glory hunting.”

So even Mum’s can be glory hunters now. Supporting your son at what he does is more than honourable and many British parents could certainly learn something here.

The worst was yet to come however when Mike Paul of Chantry High School which I believe is in Ipswich, England shockingly had the following to add to the classy debate.

He said: “Why does the BBC feel the need to show her after every single point won?!? just because shes shouting like a skinny scottish c**t! She needs to go home, have a cup of tea and kill herself. Help us all mate.”

Now, I’m no expert in racism but this is certainly pushing those boundaries and is a whole lot different to a man deciding not to support a sports team.

Why the mother of a tennis player who brought up her son to not only be a a great tennis player but also a gentleman should be attacked so viciously escapes me.

Every mother, girlfriend, and coach is picked up by the camera’s countless times in all matches and what a person looks like has absolutely nothing to do with tennis or that person’s son (who in this case is Andy Murray).

This all saddens me as I know many Englishmen support Murray and they have given him their all on Centre Court over the Wimbledon fortnight but I couldn’t stand by and let Andy’s ill thought words of the past be constantly used against him as an excuse for non support.

The truth is many Englishmen don’t support Britain’s No. 1 tennis player because he is Scottish and not because of previous comments, the media hype or his so called arrogance.

Maria Sharapova Through at Wimbledon, but Viktoriya Kutuzova Steals the Show

Andrew McNair — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:01:26 -0400

It is that time of the year again. Green grass and sunny weather with the all-important helping of strawberries and cream. Well, so the sponsors tell you.

Yes, it is Wimbledon, and it served off today with a titanic battle for former champion Maria Sharapova.

Petite Ukrainian Viktoriya Kutuzova did not look like much on paper, but her exploits today will see the hard-hitting 20-year-old taken a lot more seriously next time she steps on court.

Sharapova eventually ground out a 7-6, 6-4 win on court one at SW19.

Had Kutuzova remembered she had the help of Hawk-Eye, it could well have been a different result. She would have overturned at least three crucial points in her favour. As for the rest, though, we will never know.

The 24th-seeded Russian is far from her best, and that played a part in the closeness of the match. But watching Kutuzova time after time clinically leave Sharapova with no points during the former champion's own service games was a sight to behold.

All too often we see players crumble when met with the bigger names of the sport, so it was terrific to see a qualifier not only hold her own but attack a star with such vigour and skill.

With Kutuzova making shots that wouldn’t look out of place in a Wimbledon final, this part-time tennis fan sat up and took note of a quality tennis player, not just a pretty face.

At 20, she is not a spring chicken in the business that is elite woman’s tennis—and a world ranking in the 70s, which does not lie according to experts, in all likelihood means she may well be a journeyman player.

Her showing today, however, and the fact she has almost halved her world ranking in a single year could mean we’ll see Miss Kutuzova on the green grasses of Wimbledon next year.

This writer, for one, is very much looking forward to that.

Sharapova, who stole everyone’s hearts when crowning herself Wimbledon champion in 2004, will always be fondly remembered by fans for exploits on the court, as well as her tall, slim frame, which has made her equally famous off it.

But we British love an underdog, and the opening day of Wimbledon 2009 was no different.

So Kutuzova has stolen a few hearts. Not just because she is a good tennis player with a pretty face, but because unlike Miss Sharapova, she wouldn’t overshadow this writer when dressed in a pair of heels.

Football's Changed Completely, but Beneath, It's Still the Beautiful Game

Andrew McNair — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:52:37 -0400

After a couple of glorious days reading David Peace’s fantastic novel, The Damned United, about Brian Clough’s early career and ill fated tenure as manager of Leeds United, it occurred to me that although time has moved on, an incredible 35 years since then, not everything about football has changed and it is still the beautiful game.

Things which will always be associated with football and have not changed in over 30 years

What struck me most about the book and about those days was that everything, like today, was about ‘money’.

Whether it was wanting more of it, or trying to get away with spending as little of it as possible, it was all about the money.

So much for the ‘great old days’ then, where players played because they wanted to play and not for what you would get out of it. I don’t think since the professional era began that has ever been the case.

However, it is worth noting players had very little power compared to modern day players where clubs and their managers reigned supreme.

It has often been said that poor players make great managers, or in the case of Clough, players who didn’t achieve as much as they felt they should have. Clough was a terrific striker, banging in 251 goals in 274 games but his career was ended through injury at 29 and he always felt he was overlooked for England.

He vowed to be so great a manager he would one day manage England and do things his way. Although he never achieved this goal, Clough is widely regarded as the best English manager never to have had the honour.

Despite the controversies which constantly followed him, Clough won the European Cup twice (with Nottingham Forest) and the English top flight with two separate teams (Derby County and Forest), one of only three men in history to do so.

Such themes remain today with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger probably the complete opposite of world class footballers but men who have been hungry to gain successes they never had as players.

It is not always the case though and one could probably take this opinion or leave it as men like Fabio Capello, a hero for Juventus and Italy but a man who has had a very successful managerial career on top of it.

Speaking of the ‘Old Lady’, Juventus aren’t exactly the flavour of the month in Peace’s novel with accusations of what is best called cheating. Funny then how Juve have just recovered from a punishment they received of being relegated to Serie B for what I’m sure was not nothing.

Therefore corruption has always been part and parcel of the beautiful game and although it is probably cleaner now than ever, allegations are never far away.

But when a team is playing well, their support will always swell and just like 30 odd years ago, attendances go up, attendances come down.

Every club has its base of loyal followers but they also have a base of just as many people who will jump on the bandwagon of success.

Forest’s record attendance is nearly 50,000 thousand, yet a little over two years ago, they played in front of a crowd, barely over 2,000. The fans have disappeared along with the success.

Manchester United once played in front of just under 12,000 at Old Trafford, these days there is a waiting list. However, I guarantee there will be no waiting list if they ever fall from grace.

Speaking of powerful successful clubs, it is evident in the history of football that no side shall reign forever and no club is too big to go down.

Manchester United are currently England’s greatest club and indeed are one of the greatest in the history of the English game but they have not always challenged for honours and they will not carry on doing so forever.

Every club has its day, a look at the table in '73/'74 throws up names like Burnley (to appear in England’s top flight next season after a long, long absence), Luton Town (who have just been relegated from the football league and Carlisle United who in '73/'74 were top of the Division One table with three wins out of three (a side I would bet, many of the avid football fans reading this, have never heard of).

All three of the clubs above have failed to make any impact on modern football in England (Burnley will have their chance next season).

And Burnley will also be favourites to go down next season but not Manchester United, maybe in six years though.

The Red Devils were once relegated six seasons after winning the European Cup (with George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton), Leeds United were relegated even quicker after reaching the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League not so long ago.

And who can ignore Newcastle United showing again this season, you are never too big to go down and that is why it is still the beautiful game.

Are Five Referees Better Than Three Or Have FIFA and UEFA Got It Wrong?

Andrew McNair — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:03:33 -0400

FIFA and UEFA have announced next season’s UEFA Europa League will be the guinea pig for a new refereeing initiative which will see five officials marshaling each tie instead of the normal three.

The two extra officials shall be placed behind the goal line to assist with decisions inside the box.

I am not sure what to make of this, but it sure is going to cost a lot of money in these hard economic times with retraining, match fees, and travel costs—considering the 150-team tournament starts in July.

But if you are unemployed in this difficult economic era and fancy a bit of abuse from time to time, then get on the phone to your local refereeing organisation before they stick up the ‘staff needed’ sign on their office window for everyone to see.

Is there really a need?

This is the International Football Association Board’s answer to the failed goal line technology experiment from a couple of years ago and is apparently, according to Sky Sports, favoured by UEFA’s Michel Platini. But how can a person standing behind the goal, with the ball between them and the line, make out for sure if the ball has crossed it?

Apparently if the new official does not agree with a decision made by the referee he will inform the official by making use of a headset, which will keep things flowing faster than if the referee was to ask for the help of video evidence during a match.

I’m not really in favour of too much technology in football, but this is the 21st century, surely we have the means of deciding if the ball has crossed the line without having to stop the game.

UEFA reported that the experiment, which took place at Under-19 European Championship qualifying ties, showed a decrease in shirt pulling, diving and dissent from the boys involved in the matches.

Will it have the same effect on wily old professionals, who have proven in recent times to be willing to do anything to get ahead?

I have my doubts to be honest.

It is also quite comical that those in power believe it will take five officials (plus the fourth official, who will have to be renamed "the sixth most important person in charge of a game of football") to fairly referee a football match, when down at my local playing fields, one man regularly does the same job on a Sunday morning.

We simply do not need five referees.

Football will hopefully never be perfect, as in that guise, it was the sport which built my character.

Cristiano Ronaldo Is Two Players, and Manchester United Need Them Both

Andrew McNair — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:54:19 -0400

No matter what amount of money Manchester United are offered for Cristiano Ronaldo, it just will not be worth it.

Rumours linking Ronaldo to Real Madrid appear like clockwork every offseason, with big-talking presidential hopefuls from Madrid doing their best to unsettle the Portuguese star with the player doing little to quash the rumours.

But it does not mean he will actually be leaving Old Trafford, as we all saw last year after what felt like months of courting.

The gap left at United

The impact of his loss on the hard-working Manchester team would be immeasurable, as after all the forward has bagged over 60 goals in his last two seasons.

The 24-year-old is United’s match winner in a team designed to let him play to the best of his ability, and let’s face it, he turns up more often than not. However, during the recent final with Barcelona, the team's usual work effort was not there from the English club, as they watched in awe as Barcelona taught them a footballing lesson in full view of Ronaldo.

Including his days as a youngster, the 12-million-pound man has bagged 118 goals in 291 games, which is a record better than probably 99 percent of Barclays Premier League strikers.

He’d need to be replaced by not only an attacking match-winning winger, but also by a 30 goal per season striker, of whom you can basically count with your fingers currently playing around the world.

So it is two players, two huge transfer fees, two sets of wages—or a single player under contract until 2012. You do the maths.

Reasons to go

The performance of the Red Devils in the UEFA Champions League Final was a huge disappointment to the Portuguese international, and he may well have looked around at his team wondering how they got there in the first place.

It may well have been Ronaldo who contributed a fair amount in the latter stages of the tournament, and you cannot forget his thunderous free kick away at Arsenal in the semifinal.

Real Madrid are bound to be a club he admired as a child, and one always has a fondness for the great clubs of the era you grew up in, but not many get the chance to go on and play for them.

Add that to the money which will undoubtedly be on offer, probably a record transfer fee, and the thought of being a Real great for the Spanish side.

Certainly a challenge, but it would take a legend like Alfredo di Stefano to change the fortunes of such a club singlehandedly, and deep down I’m sure Ronaldo strives to be such a well thought of name in the history of world football.

Reasons to stay

But the Spanish side are in free-fall, are nowhere near the standard of side shown by Barcelona as they beat United 2-0 in the Champions League Final, and may well find themselves looking up at Barca again at the end of next season.

Swap that with the very real chance of creating history at United by winning the League and snatching the last of Liverpool’s pride—and doing so by playing in a side built around you, looking to you to succeed.

He won’t get that in Madrid, where throwing money at their problems has led to little European success in recent years by a team you would not exactly call hard-working.

But unable to inspire an average United against Barcelona, the question remains as to whether he would succeed in Spain. In England though, a hard-working Manchester United side is a great United team, a great team because all the hard work is clinically made to pay by the ever-impressive Ronaldo.

Without the hard work, like we saw in Rome, he simply isn’t always capable of carrying 10 other players on his back.

One thing is for sure, however: He will not have the pleasure of picking off the hard work of others in Spain—unless, of course, he is Villarreal-bound, which is highly unlikely.

In the end

It would be a brave move for the 24-year-old to leave his comfy successful surroundings at Old Trafford for the even more high pressure world of Real Madrid and to a team which has its problems.

Done for the right reasons, one could applaud him.

But a Manchester United without Ronaldo next season, no matter what the price, may well be a side unable, in my opinion, to defend their league title.

A price therefore which is simply not worth receiving.

Five Reasons Manchester United Failed to Beat Barcelona

Andrew McNair — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:34:06 -0400

The Absence of Darren Fletcher

Scottish midfielder Fletcher has been a mainstay in the Red Devils side this season, starting with vital goals early on in the league campaign to towering performances in vital UEFA Champions League ties.

It was evident on Wednesday night in Rome there was something very much missing in the United midfield, and I believe it was Fletcher.

Not only could the Manchester club not get a hold of the ball after going 1-0 down, but when they did eventually get possession, it was often wasted with sloppy passes or simply no player made himself available.

Countless times I saw John O’Shea wave Rio Ferdinand away when he had the ball, telling him just to get rid of it up field. With no one fetching the ball from the centre backs, like Fletcher would normally do, Nemanja Vidic and Rio were forced to hit long aimless balls in the direction of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

In essence, the midfield link was missing.

A quick point too, to remember the tracking back of the Scot on that faithful night away at Arsenal, when Fletcher was sent off for tracking back and putting a tackle in.

Oh, how United would have loved someone tracking back and tackling on Samuel Eto’o last night.

No United Player Capable of Handling Lionel Messi

Messi was outstanding last night, showing how in my opinion he is a far better player than United’s Ronaldo. Even when players in white got near him, they were unable to put a decent foot in.

One wonders again if Fletcher could have made an ounce of difference.

I think not, apart maybe from tracking the Argentine star at Barcelona’s second goal.

The subheading above tells a bit of a white lie, as I do feel there was one Manchester United player capable of doing a job on Messi—Rooney. The England forward is full of energy and tenacity as well as being a player who never gives up.

Rooney was able to outmuscle Messi on numerous occasions last night as he dropped deeper and deeper looking for the ball, therefore encountering the midfield maestro.

It sounds crazy, Rooney man marking, but if anyone in a white shirt last night was capable of doing a job on the Argentine, then it was the former Everton man.

An Unsure Rio Ferdinand

Does anyone remember Rio being so shaky in recent years?

When he first signed for United, and indeed during previous spells at Leeds United and West Ham United, I wasn’t 100 percent sure of his ability at the highest level. He, however, has proved me wrong over the years, going on to be one of the world’s top defenders in what was, until last night, one of the world’s top defences.

But last night that man was missing and was replaced by the indecisive, slack, flash Ferdinand of old, and this may well because he was unsure if he was fit, unsure to which level he could take his game.

His unsure mind (clearly not 100 percent confident) was clearly visible on the park as sloppy back pass after sloppy back pass was shovelled Edwin Van Der Sar’s way.

This was added to by silly flicks in his own box because he had been caught out of position and finally his positioning for Barca’s second goal.

Should he have played?

I think not, but it is easy to say so now.

No Aggression Shown By United

United could easily have been ahead inside 10 minutes, but we all know Barca struck first. What we didn’t know was that United would have no answer. So obviously the main reason they didn’t win is because United went 1-0 down—but what about the players' reaction to the goal?

There was sloppy nervous passing, chasing shadows, very little leadership, and no cutting edge.

The midfield three (four including Park Ji-Sung) were terrible and pretty much did nothing right for the final 80 minutes.

I only noticed one difference in the second half, and it was the introduction of Paul Scholes. The veteran immediately appeared next to the centre backs looking for the ball and quickly followed this up with a strong tackle on a Barcelona player, which earned the former England international a yellow card.

Why oh why did someone not do it earlier?

Booting players off the pitch isn’t my idea of fun or the perfect way to play, but when your team is down and out like United were on Wednesday night, it is time to pull finger and get stuck in. Well done Paul Scholes.

One solid tackle can change the momentum of a game; it makes the opposition think twice when they have the ball. Whenever United did put some pressure on Barcelona, it wasn’t long before they were passing backwards, so a bit more pressure could easily have forced some chances.

Sadly for fans of United though, their players were, it appeared, mesmerized.

Edwin Van Der Sar and Senior Players Failed to Stand Up and Be Counted

The Dutch keeper failed to hold on to anything all night and failed to inspire any confidence at all. He was beaten at his front post for the first goal, possibly not a glaring error but a situation he would have expected himself to deal with without conceding a goal.

It was a night where the old heads withered and died. With no leadership, United were awful and lacked any sense of a top football team, as 11 top class players were left to their own devices.

Their choice: to chase Barcelona’s coattails.

Not Short of Talent: The Seven Smallest Players in the Barclays Premier League

Andrew McNair — Sun, 24 May 2009 06:50:36 -0400

You won’t find a more famous fairytale than Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but I doubt any of you have heard the one about the Barclays Premier League and its seven pint sized wonders. Well that was going to be my title until I thought about being sued by seven rich angry midgets. We all know professional sport tends to be full of taller stronger athlete’s, especially here in Britain where it is difficult for smaller boys to make it at the highest level of football as the winning at all costs mentality see’s smaller kids replaced by bigger stronger lads long before they mature. And I doubt many countries are any different. Therefore, these seven vertically challenged (can I say that?) superstars have probably had to work harder than most to make it but are an example to all of us that size does not always matter. I do believe these are the league’s smallest players but I may have missed somebody out as after all, they don’t exactly stand out in a crowd. But with all the size jokes used up there is only one last thing to say; the EPL’s seven shortest players who are certainly not short of talent.

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Jim Clark: The Most Naturally Gifted Formula One Driver of All Time?

Andrew McNair — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:41:04 -0400

The legendary Scottish racing driver Jimmy Clark is often overlooked when people list their greatest Formula One drivers of all time. Names like Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, and Juan Manuel Fangio are thrown around with consummate ease but it is rare for Clark to be mentioned among even the top three drivers of all time.

Nobody is arguing he was the most successful but some do believe he was the most naturally gifted.

2008 marked 40 years since his tragic death, and this writer wants to make a case for James Clark Junior, the most naturally gifted F1 driver of all time.

He grew up close to the small Fife town of Kilmany as the only son of a farmer and as such, would have had many a chore growing up. Therefore, his father, at first, had little time for his fast paced hobby.

Ironically his father eventually said, "make it pay or give it up"—and make it pay he certainly did, and all during the life time of a very proud dad.

Two Time Drivers World Champion Clark made his F1 debut at 24 years of age driving a Lotus, like he would throughout his career, in the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

It wasn’t to be a blistering start to life in F1 but he did finish fifth in his first race at the famous 8.7 mile Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium in only his second outing. A race in which fellow drivers Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey sadly lost their lives.

He didn’t win an F1 championship at his first attempt or even his second in 1961, during which he is remembered more for his coming together with Ferrari’s Wolfgang von Trips, which left the driver and 15 spectators dead at the Italian GP, than his success on the track.

Success was to come, however, and the flying Scot won his first GP at Spa in 1962.

It was the first of 25 career wins which famously passed the previous record of 24 GP victories held by Fangio. Even more impressive was the fact Clark would go on to win four successive GP’s in Belgium, arguably the toughest grand prix in the championship at the time.

1962 would see the first championship assault by the man from Fife, but he lost the title in the final race of the season after mechanical issues had forced him to retire. It wouldn’t be the only time Clark would suffer this travesty. In 1964, he would lose the title due to his engine seizing on the final lap of the final race of the season.

In the 60’s, prestige was measured at tracks like Spa, which would kill a man with half a lapse of concentration—and Clark won four successive races there. Today and in recent times, such prestige has been saved for Monaco, with tracks like the old Spa and Nurburgring banished to the driving enthusiast.

Clark never won at Monaco, for what reason we’ll never know. Maybe it didn’t suit is free-flowing driving style, but more than likely mechanical issues once again came into play, and the event often fell in May. But as we'll discuss later, Clark had one eye on another prize.

Not winning in Monte Carlo, though, cannot diminish the fact Jim Clark of Scotland became World Champion in 1963, winning seven out of ten GP’s with seven pole positions. He won his second title in 1965, the same year he won America’s famous Indianapolis 500, which we’ll get to a little later.

His second title still contains a record which has gone unmatched in the 43 subsequent F1 seasons, and is likely to stay unmatched for decades to come:

Jimmy Clark not only won the title but he did so by leading every single lap of every race he finished in the 1965 season. Therefore, he won every race he finished with what we now call lights to flag victories.

It was an incredible feat which is unmatched by Fangio, Senna, or Schumacher.

The following two years saw a downturn in Lotus' fortunes but Clark was able to steer three unreliable cars to third in the 1967 championship.

And fans at Monza for the 1967 Italian GP possibly saw his finest performance, and possibly the greatest performance in a Grand Prix car. Clark was forced to pit from the lead with a puncture and rejoined a lap down only to be leading again by the start of the last lap. It was a staggering drive which ended, unluckily, with a third place finish after his car faltered due to a lack of fuel.

In those days, top racing drivers could turn their hand to any type of racing car or motorcycle for that matter (John Surtees won world titles on a motorbike and in an F1 car) and Clark was no different.

Tragically, Clark wasn’t to win another world title. Despite a strong start to the 1968 season, during which he won his last ever GP in South Africa, he was killed not in an F1 car but in a Formula Two race at Hockenheim in Germany on 7 April, 1968, aged just 32. Although the accident, where Clark veered off course and crashed into the trees which line the Hockenheim circuit, has never been explained, it is widely expected a mechanical failure played its part.

This is not because enthusiasts felt he was immortal (which he clearly wasn’t), but because they believed he was too good to crash.

And it was not just fans of F1 who mourned his passing. Clark was as admired across the Atlantic as he was in F1 circles.

The Scot won the Indy 500 in 1965, leading the race for 190 of the 200 scheduled laps and left a lasting impression on those who saw him drive. This was the only time a man has won both the Indy 500 and F1 Drivers’ Championship in the same year.

A driver revered in the world of Formula One and the top echelons of American motor sport. Clark won two titles, was cruelly denied two more by no fault of his own, and may well have gone on to win the 1968 championship had he not sadly lost his life.

It has been claimed since then by people close to him that Clark was ready to move on from his career in F1 after the 1968 season, so to speculate about further success may be even more futile than such an effort already is.

His success in America did not come without a cost. Clark took May out of the F1 championship to travel and compete there including during his World Championship victories in '63 and '65. Can you imagine in modern times, not competing in every race and winning a title? Or even putting one's carefully built reputation on the line in what is effectively a different sport?

He won the 1964 British Touring Car championship (Saloon cars) while at the same time competing in F1.

The racer also tried his hand at Rallying, IndyCar, NASCAR, the 24 Hours of LeMans, and various sports car events. Clark was in every way a racer and often wondered why fellow drivers were not as quick as him.

In the 60’s there were far fewer races in a season and for this reason Clark only raced a total of 72 GP’s, spanning over nine seasons as a Lotus driver. Of those races he won 25 (more than a third), had 33 pole positions, 28 fastest laps, and garnered a whopping 274 Championship points.

Amazingly, he would often just get into a car without setting it up in any way and post competitive times before asking for the car to be left alone for the race.

But the stat which jumps out most to this writer is the fact he only ever finished second once.

When you count the large number of races in which his car never got him to the finish and add the fact he won over a third of the GP’s he competed in, it isn’t too hard to come to the conclusion:

When Jim Clark finished, he won.

And as fellow driver, New Zealander Chris Amon, said about his fatal accident: “If this can happen to Jimmy, what chance do the rest of us have?”

Jimmy Clark, the most naturally gifted racing driver of all time.

What Has Manchester United's Darren Fletcher Ever Done To Deserve That?

Andrew McNair — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:53:12 -0400

What has Darren Fletcher ever done to deserve such an injustice?

The Manchester United midfielder has been playing superbly for his club all season and tonight was no different. The hard working Scot played his part in one of the great United European performances.

Sadly, Fletcher has made the mistake of being too committed and will pay possibly the ultimate sacrifice.

Only a World Cup Final is a bigger game for a European player and we all know there is little chance of the United midfielder missing out on one of those.

But he will miss the UEFA Champions League Final after wearing his heart on his sleeve.

With Manchester United up 3-0 Darren Fletcher tracked his man into the United box and even though he knew the danger, he refused to let Arsenal score and made an amazing tackle, which the referee has deemed a foul by the last man.

The red card was swift but totally unjustified as replay’s show he clearly won the ball. The tackle was superb, the commitment was 110% but the dream is over.

This injustice will be doubled as there are no appeals.

Darren Fletcher will yet again sit out of a Champions League final after watching on as a substitute as Man United lifted the trophy last season.

Told in the summer he had to improve if he wanted more game time, the Scot has had a terrific season starting on a regular basis and has proved to everyone he does deserve to wear the red and white of United.

Those performances led him to tonight where he started in United’s biggest game of the season as a trusted and loyal servant.

Where is the appeals process?

How can the footballing world standby and let such a travesty take place. As football fans, we all dream of playing on such occasions and in all honesty there should be a way for such a terrific mistake to be overturned.

The footballing Gods have a lot to answer for as they have punished a man, who is not only honest but probably one of the hardest working professionals in the world game.

He is not world class, he is not a match winner but he is an example to millions of young boys that with plenty of heart and determination, you can make every dream come true.

Well nearly every dream, sorry Darren, we as fans, salute you.

It's Official: Scoring a Goal Is Better Than Sex

Andrew McNair — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 07:13:19 -0400

Almost a year ago, I wrote an article asking the world if scoring a goal was better than sex? As one can see in the response, the idea was widely received and many sided with my opinion of scoring goals being better than sex.

However, I am not a professional “shagger” and with my professional career limited to the South African lower leagues, I was unable to declare scoring goals as better than sex due to a lack of an expert’s opinion.

So you can imagine my surprise as I’m flicking through April’s issue of Four Four Two and find an interview with a porn star, who just happened to once be an England school boy international, and is the current captain of Hollywood FC.

Danny Mountain is not only a professional porn star of hits such as To the Manor Porn, but is married to one as well—the very cute Eva Angelina. So I think we can take his word on matters involving sex. After all, not only does he have a sexy wife, but his work involves countless beauties on an almost daily basis.

Not bad work if you can get it.

Mountain’s football career came to an abrupt end as a teenager when a knee injury ended his professional dreams, but he still plays for Hollywood’s all star side most Sunday’s. So I think he is the most qualified yet to answer my year old question.

Is scoring a goal better than sex?

“Absolutely," Mountain said in the interview. "I work with beautiful women from Monday to Saturday, but the best time of the week is the 90 minutes of football I get on a Sunday.”

Well, I can’t say I didn’t tell you so.

“Scoring a goal, to me, is simply the most satisfying rush on earth. I could even argue it’s better than sex," he said. "If you have to work as hard for sex as you do to score a goal, then my friend, you are with the wrong woman."

“It doesn’t matter which level you play at or even who you’re playing against, but there’s something about scoring a goal that just feels fantastic. Scoring a goal is arguably the best feeling, even better if you are a striker. We live on goals, with a goal on Saturday boosting us all the way till next weekend. It doesn’t even really matter how it goes in—top corner or deflection—that feeling of relief, mixed with absolute pleasure is simply unequalled in my opinion.”

Ten of the Best Young Players in World Football

Andrew McNair — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:01:05 -0400

As published in TO Sports Magazine and www.TOsports.ca...

There are a couple of old sayings in football, one is, if you are good enough, then you are old enough and this is a fitting maxim for the players we have chosen as ten of the best young players in world football today.

The other famous saying is the Alan Hansen quote: “You’ll never win anything with kids,” which, considering No. 3 on this list of young superstars is already the proud owner of a European Championship winners medal, isn’t strictly true.

And despite all ten players still being eligible for their national under-21 sides, they have won a combined three under 20 World Cups, two Olympic gold’s, one UEFA under 19 Championship, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League, two FA Cups, four Ligue 1 titles, one French Cup, one Scottish Cup, one South American Super Cup, two FIFA Club World Cups and a single Under 20 South American Championship.

Not a bad tally for a bunch of “kids,” Mr Hansen.

10. Theo Walcott

England’s brightest prospect is a lightening quick forward who broke into the Southampton side as a 16-year-old in 2005 before becoming the most expensive 16-year-old in British football history when he joined Arsenal in a deal that could rise to £12 million.

Since joining Arsenal, his progress has been stifled by injury and he has tended to be more “wall flower” than a headline grabber but the 19-year-old has still clocked up 89 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 11 goals.

Walcott has been out injured since November after dislocating his shoulder on international duty but is due back fitter and stronger this month and will be hoping to play a vital role in his side's attack on the UEFA Champions League.

Theo shot to international fame as a shock inclusion in England’s 2006 World Cup squad after becoming England’s youngest ever international at 17 years and 75 days and only last year became the youngest ever player to score a hattrick for England in their vital World Cup Qualifier in Croatia.

9. John Fleck

The 17-year-old Scot played his first Old Firm Derby in February after impressing in three or four Rangers games after breaking into the side in January. The left footed winger/ forward became the youngest ever player to play in and win a British Cup Final when he came on as a sub for Rangers in their 2008 Scottish Cup triumph over Queen of the South, aged just 16.

Fleck made his first start for Rangers against Falkirk in January and was named man of the match before scoring his first goal for the club two weeks later as Rangers beat Dundee United as the youngster was again named man of the match.

There has already been speculation that Fleck will be called up to the full Scotland squad for their World Cup Qualifier with Holland this month and it would certainly cap off a whirl wind two months for the rising star.

John’s uncle Robert also started his career with Rangers before going on to become a household name at Norwich City. I think we can safely say that his nephew is aiming a little higher.

8. Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva

Most people will probably know him as Alexandre Pato, AC Milan’s Brazilian forward who takes his nickname from his home town of Pato Branco.

Pato started his career with Internacional (not to be confused with the club across the city) in Brazil where he impressed in just 28 games for his boyhood club before joining Milan in 2007. Since then, he has scored close to a goal every two games for the club and has been an inspiration in a revitalized Milan side this season in Serie A.

19-year-old Alexandre also holds the record for the quickest goal in a debut for Brazil. In doing so, he beat the record of a certain legend called Pele.

7. Diego Capel

The Spanish left winger is fast becoming a household name as his Sevilla side continue to keep Spain’s more fancied side’s on their toes. Capel has lightening pace and isn’t scared to take on his opposite number with a touch of skill or burst of acceleration.

21-year-old Capel was originally on the books of FC Barcelona but has been with Sevilla since 2001, working his way up through the youth teams and B side before cementing his place in the current side. And if Barca hadn’t noticed they had missed a trick, they did when Diego scored his first goal for the club against, you guessed it, Barcelona.

Diego didn’t play in Spain’s European Championship victory but has since made his international debut, confirming the strength of the current Spanish side. Expect to see him at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

6. John Obi Mikel

Nigerian and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel can only play under 21’s for another month but he is still more than worthy of a place on this guide to the best young players on the planet. Mikel has already played over 100 times for Chelsea where he is a regular starter despite competing for a midfield place with the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and fellow African, Michael Essien.

John has twice been named Young African Footballer of the year (2005 and 2006) as well as Chelsea’s young player of the year in 2007 and 2008.

With over 20 caps already for Nigeria, it is safe to say that Mikel has made quite the impact early on in his career and a few disciplinary issues aside has grown into a top class holding midfielder. Claude who? The Chelsea fans must be struggling to remember the French World Cup winner.

5. Gonzalo Higuain

Not knowing whether to play international football for France or for Argentina isn’t really an “everyday problem” but like David Trezeguet before him, it was a tough decision for Gonzalo. The 21-year-old Real Madrid forward eventually chose Argentina as, well, he can’t speak French.

Higuain burst onto the scene at River Plate in Argentina and impressed enough to earn himself a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. After a slow first season, the striker has slowly improved his goal scoring record and has been a revelation this year, leading Real’s floundering assault on the Spanish title.

Now a regular starter for Madrid and with two league titles under his belt, only his European form needs improving. Higuain still hasn’t scored in Europe but I wouldn’t bet on him not scoring against Liverpool this month in the UEFA Champions League.

4. Karim Benzema

The new Thierry Henry is a title that would weigh heavy on many a man’s shoulders and in the form of international duty, it has for Karim. In the eyes of many, he flopped at EURO 2008 with a nation, not just the comparison to Thierry Henry on his back.

At club and European level however. the 21-year-old rarely looks flustered and has been a major part of Olympique Lyonnais’ last three French titles. His 20 goals last season also made him France’s Ligue 1 top goal scorer and earned him the French player of the year award.

But still, it is in Europe where his record is most impressive. 12 goals in 17 European outings for Lyon in the Champions League is a record up there with the very best and it surely won’t be too long before we see this young superstar playing at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

3. Francesc Fabregas Soler

It is not often you come across a player with 37 full international caps and over 200 senior club appearances, yet is still eligible for an under 21 side. But in Cesc Fabregas we are not dealing with the norm, we are dealing with the exception. He actually only played for Spain’s under 21’s once.

The 21-year-old midfielder is European Champion with Spain, an FA Cup winner with Arsenal and last year’s PFA Young player of the year off his own back. Oh, and he is Arsenal’s club captain.

His achievements say it all and there isn’t really too much to add apart from to tell you that if you are lucky, he’ll be back in action for all to see in Arsenal’s date with Roma in the Champions League after four months out with a knee injury.

2. Sergio Aguero

Argentinean football’s youngest ever top flight player debuted for Independiente at just 15 years old in 2003, breaking the record previously held by one Diego Maradona.

The pint sized (another trait he shares with Maradona) striker joined Atletico Madrid in 2006 and hasn’t looked back, replacing Fernando Torres as the capital city side’s favourite player. 27 goals in a season will make any fans forget about any predecessors.

In 2007, the Argentine was voted FIFA’s Young Player of the Year and Atletico are certainly still reaping the benefits of the coup of signing the world’s second best young player but they’ll be expecting another busy summer as Europe’s elite come calling once again.

Aguero is also part of a very special current Argentina side that also includes Gonzalo Higuain (No. 5) and the next player on this list….

1. Lionel Messi

There is no doubt that Messi is the best player in the world eligible for his countries under 21 side and many would tell you that there is no doubt he is the best player in the world, period. That though is for another day.

Barcelona’s Messi is even shorter than Aguero but even greater in reputation. The 21-year-old has taken the football world by storm since breaking into the Barcelona side five years ago (yes, that long). A goal every two games in La Liga despite not being a striker is a fantastic record and doesn’t include all the goals he has set up.

The player everyone compares to Maradona is every bit as skilful as his hero if not as great an inspiration but his time will come and we may already be watching a player capable of hitting the dizzy heights and joining the names Pele and Maradona amongst the greatest footballers who ever lived.

FIFPro World Young Player of the year for the last three years reminds us he is still young but with a Barcelona Spanish title looking likely and a chance of winning the UEFA Champions League, a world player of the year award without the word “young” is a strong probability.

So there you have 10 of the best young players in the game today and with records belonging to Pele and Maradona tumbling, it is safe to say they are pretty “special.”

“You’ll never win anything with kids”—I say, you’ll never win anything without them.

Glasgow Rangers 5-1 Hamilton Accies: But What Did We Learn?

Andrew McNair — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:21:06 -0400

Finally, after five attempts this season, I am home from Ibrox with a smile on my face, finally having witnessed a Rangers win, thanks in part to Kyle Lafferty.

The Gers ran out 5-1 winners over a rather poor Hamilton Accies in front of a half-empty Ibrox Stadium but it was a game that dispelled a couple of myths.

Myth No. 1: Barry Ferguson and Pedro Mendes can’t play together is one...well, not according to today’s performance.

The pair linked up continuously with Barry as happy to pass to Pedro as Pedro was to Barry. Their slick forward passing and 1-2’s in the midfield were a joy to watch for those who turned up to see it.

The captain is looking more and more his old self in the past few games and the fact he performed well alongside Mendes today should go a long way to silencing the anti-Barry section of Rangers support.

Myth No. 2: Walter Smith will never start Aaron Niguez. Not much explaining needed here, he just did. The youngster was hardly gold dust, however, and struggled when things got physical in a similar way Chris Burke used to.

Many fans have been saying “he [Niguez] should have been starting months ago,” but I think it was clear today why he hasn’t. The Spaniard struggled to stay on his feet and even against a 10-man opposition {due to Hamilton’s injury nightmare] he rarely had a go at his man.

He also drifted too much for me, if Rangers are going to play Steven Davis at right mid, who constantly drifts, then we need some sort of constant width, at least until the ball is at his [Niguez] feet.

I’m sure all concerned were happy with his first start as was I. However, he’ll need to hit the gym or sharpen up his pace if he is to be a Rangers regular, but there is no doubt he is a talented player.

Before we carry on, it is important to remember we played most of the second half against 10 men and Hamilton’s defending was utterly dreadful thanks mainly to them losing key players in the first half through injury.

The performance

The first instance of woeful defending came on 15 minutes when Steven Whittaker looked, for a second, like the lad who scored in Lisbon. Sadly for him, his goal won’t pull the wool over most fans' eyes.

Other than his left foot strike, he did no more or no less than Kirk Broadfoot in a usual 90-minute shift.

David Weir’s suspension is likely to mean a run of three games for the right back as Broadfoot is moved inside. You have three games, mate, to show us we don’t need a new right back for next season.

Rangers weren’t immune to defensive lapses themselves, and Hamilton’s equalizer on 24 minutes was a case of where’s Alan?

McGregor was looking a tad sheepish as Hamilton spun away in celebration after Rocco Quinn had all day to pick his spot from just inside the box.

That is two serious blunders in the space of four days for McGregor and his two centre backs. Let’s hope Kirk is no-nonsense in his three games as Madjid Bougherra appears to be getting a bit big for his boots.

His fancy flick as ten man Hamilton chased the ball was totally classless and he is lucky Lee Cattermole wasn’t on the field. It could have been a case of being carried off instead of walking off.

Now Kyle Lafferty may have scored two in this game, his first coming on 35 minutes but is he really the answer? The man has a first touch of a rapist and murdered much of the good work done by the midfield today.

How a man so tall can be so useless in the air is also puzzling, Michael Owen is 5-feet-nothing, yet he scores regularly with his head. We actually need Miller flicking the ball on for him which really defeats the purpose, does it not?

Having said all that, he did score two goals and did plenty of running for the cause which made him look like a footballer at times, which is more than can be said for Kris Boyd, who again came on and showed us how it shouldn’t be done.

Neither player is the answer to be honest. The £3.5 million spent on Lafferty was a waste of money as we may play crap football with Boyd in the side but it isn’t going to get much better with a target man who can’t control or head the ball.

At least we know why Walter was playing him wide left; it is the only position he doesn’t have to use his head. Even when playing upfront, Lafferty spends most of his time in the channels trying to get balls into the box. I honestly think he dreads being the one in the box.

Barry Ferguson has his own ideas about blooding youngsters it would seem, force the youngest player on the park to take the penalties.

Niguez would have been grateful for the opportunity [which he took on the second attempt on the stroke of halftime] but Barry’s own season figures could be doing with a few penalties in the goals scored column, wouldn’t you say?

Steven Davis looked like he was weaving in and out of static columns as he scored Rangers fourth on 54 minutes.

There wasn’t a single tackle and there is no point in Hamilton pointing to injuries and then the scoreboard as even if they had lost four key players, it doesn’t make them immune to putting foot in.

Finally, we are back to Lafferty who scored his second of the game with 10 minutes to go. Ferguson was the architect with a lovely reverse ball, which was met at the touchline by Whittaker and finished off by the Northern Ireland international.

But it is a sad day when two goals can’t mask what was an average performance by an average professional.

The man sitting next to me summed it up late in the game as another ball strayed from his first touch, when he said for what seemed like the 18th time:

“Oh...Kyle... Kyle... Kyle...”, in a sarcastic, increasingly droning tone.

Memo to Rangers FC Fans: Leave Sasa and Kirk Alone; Our Problems Lie Elsewhere

Andrew McNair — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:37:56 -0500

It occurred to me last night I might well be part of Rangers' problems this season. Four times I have managed up to Ibrox and four times I’ve failed to see Rangers win. Not exactly the proudest record of a bear, but fans can’t blame me, can they?

Well, why not? Fans have blamed everyone else but things aren’t as bad as many have been making out (Celtic are still poor and will continue to drop points) and the criticism of some of our players is highly unjustified.

Take Sasa Papac, for example. He is a player who honestly gets better every time he takes the field, yet is attacked on a weekly basis by Rangers fans for presumably not being Artur Numan. We don’t need a new left back next season. Papac is good enough, strong in the tackle, tactically sound, and more confident by the week.

I had a constant wry smile on my face (as did the fan next to me) as fans spat out anti-Kirk Broadfoot remarks while ignoring the fact Steven Davis was having his worst 90 minutes in a Rangers shirt or that Kris Boyd was, Kris Boyd was, Kris Boyd was playing?

Yes, Kirk Broadfoot struggles to put a cross in but so do most centre backs. Maybe going to reserve games and shouting at the even worse Steven Whittaker would be more constructive as it is the former Hibernian man's lack of progression since joining Rangers which forces Smith to play Broadfoot at right back.

Anyway, surely Steven Davis should be the one putting balls in the box?

No, he gets let off by most of the subjective Rangers support because he is playing out of position. So what. I say? He is supposedly a Barclays Premier League class player, therefore he has to be able to cross a ball, no?

I think it is funny how a national broadcaster rated Broadfoot at seven for Wednesday night and we as fans had him at less than three. Scapegoat is the word. The only mistakes Broadfoot made were in attack but defensively, along with Papac, he has been consistent and played in a defence that has conceded less than a goal a game.

It's the best defence in the league but it is still not good enough for some. Maybe it is not perfect but it sure as hell isn’t worth moaning about.

There are six players in front of them who can be moaned at for Rangers' failure to score against Inverness Caledonian Thistle so blame them for the defeat and focus your attention on them during the games.

It actually scares me how many within Ibrox have no clue as to a player's ability. Broadfoot can be clumsy but he makes some remarkable passes at times and does things going forward he gets no credit for. In fact, many say he has” no footballing ability.” I say this is nonsense; He is an international footballer.

Sasa Papac was in the box more than Kenny Miller on Wednesday night yet people still say he doesn’t get forward enough. Maybe those people want him in the front row of the Copland or Broomloan stands? Funnily enough, I remember Papac flat on his back having crashed into the advertising boards in front of the Broomloan stand.

I, for one, appreciate the effort.

Now it is evident there are problems with the team at Ibrox and we are definitely not playing well at all but our defence has been solid, so I say look further forward for your scapegoats and use your “footballing brain” when criticising players during and after a game.

Or you could just criticise me as I’ll be at Ibrox on Sunday, so if we are forced into a replay or are unimaginably out of the Homecoming Scottish Cup, the buck stops with me.