Bleacher Report - Articles by George Kotschy

The Sad Truth for Michael Owen

George Kotschy — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:52:22 -0400

Michael Owen has achieved a huge amount since he burst onto the scene as a wonder kid at the 1998 World Cup.

That was a seminal moment in football history for every England fan. I still have the image of Owen picking the ball up on the halfway line, with seemingly nothing on, seared in my brain. What followed will never leave me.

His goal against Argentina was one of the most exhilarating I have ever witnessed. He glided beyond the brutal, savage, and unflappable Roberto Ayala as though he wasn't there, before calmly placing the ball into the far top corner, beyond the on-rushing Carlos Roa.

Owen scored a phenomenal 118 goals in 193 games for Liverpool before making a largely hapless move to Real Madrid. Though he netted 13 times in 20 appearances, 15 of which came as substitute, he never managed to win over manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

And so Owen returned to England, in what has been a disastrous move to Newcastle United. He has missed the majority of his spell with the Toon Army through injury.

This summer will mark the fourth anniversary since his signing. In that time he has made just 64 starts—an average of just 16 a season.

That hardly represents good value on a transfer fee that was reported to be around £17 million from Real Madrid and wages which infamously top the £100,000 a week mark.

Still, his goalscoring record for the Toon Army is respectable, notching 30 goals in his total of 77 appearances, not far off the one in two mark.

Unfortunately, as he creeps towards the 30th birthday he will celebrate at the end of this year, the sad truth is his best days are long behind him.

Gone is the blistering pace he once exhibited and his touch is often wayward. There is no doubting that the striker's instinct remains, but is that enough?

With his club in the relegation zone, it is worth asking what will become of Owen if they do get relegated.

Is it likely that any of the so-called "Big Four" would sign the striker? Not a chance.

Manchester United boast an attacking force so potent that Carlos Tevez, a first-choice Argentine international, looks set to move this summer in a bid for regular football.

Moreover, he doesn't possess the touch or technique to fit into the United team. The same can be said of Arsenal, whose free-flowing, keep the ball at all costs brand of the beautiful game would be disrupted by the frankly awkward Michael Owen of 2009.

Chelsea are set up for big, quick, and powerful strikers, and Liverpool opt for a 4-5-1 centred around Torres. Robbie Keane couldn't find a way in and Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel have been forced to occupy wide roles, why would they change things for Owen?

Beyond the strength of the Premier League's elite is Owen's age and fragility. The little lad from Cheshire was injury prone even in his youth, regularly suffering injuries in his early days with Liverpool. Now he cannot go two or three months without some kind of setback.

On top of this is his wages. Why would a top club agree to pay between £5-6 million a year to a player who is unlikely to play even 20 games?

The sad truth for Owen is he will never return to the big time. If Newcastle do go down, the best he could hope for is a move to either Spurs or Manchester City, and a probable pay cut.

It's unlikely he will ever return to the Champions League and there is growing doubt that we will see him in an England shirt again.

Once upon a time it was an accepted inevitability that Owen would break Bobby Charlton's record of 49 goals, now he may have to make do with third place in the all-time list, with his haul of 40 goals.

I doubt we will see him in South Africa for the World Cup next year and, if we don't, he'll not play in another major championship.

So, the sad truth for Michael Owen is that, at 29 years of age, his career with the elite of world football is finished, his days in the Champions League are over, and he'll never represent England in another major tournament.

No-one can take away that strike in St Etienne 11 years ago, yet, at 29, I can't help but feel Owen should have much to look forward to, instead of reflecting on his glorious past.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas: Here We Go Again

George Kotschy — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:06:52 -0400

There are 88 days left until the transfer window reopens but already two of last summer's sagas are being rekindled.

If you pick up a copy of today's Guardian, you will see that the headline concerns an agreed £75 million move for Cristiano Ronaldo to Madrid.

As I picked up the newspaper I craned my ear to listen and could just about make out an echo of groans from the rest of the nation as we laid our eyes on this unwelcome news.

Regardless of who you support, this is bad news for everyone.

If you are a Manchester United fan you're not just faced with the prospect of losing arguably your best player. Worse than that, you are confronted with the looming certainty that this saga will run and run for at least the next 88 days.

And that is if we are all lucky. The fact is, any move is unlikely to smoothly go through on July 1.

Sir Alex Ferguson will cling to his most prized asset like a drunk to his can of Special Brew. If he does the unthinkable, and lets Ronaldo move to Madrid, he will make it as painful and protracted for them as possible.

As if the return of the woefully dull Ronaldo saga wasn't bad enough, there have been growing rumours about Cesc Fabregas' return to his boyhood team, Barcelona, this week.

In the words of Mary J Blige, "heard it all before."

Like Ronaldo, Fabregas is on a long term contract and is the jewel in the crown of his football club, and just like his Portuguese counterpart, Fabregas' future has been widely questioned.

I have reached the point where I dread the summer transfer window, but I thought I was at least safe until the end of the season.

As if living in a country that sees no palpable change in the weather during our "summer" wasn't bad enough, waking up every morning to a fresh quote from Cristiano Ronaldo's pool cleaner saying he caught him booking an easyJet flight to Madrid makes matters worse.

The Fabregas episode has been going on even longer than the Ronaldo affair, with the media seemingly loath to believe that a young Spanish footballer could possibly be happy anywhere but Spain.

The need for a recurring saga is a by-product of the birth of the Premier League. To my mind it started with Alan Shearer and then moved on to Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira at Arsenal.

The first recurring nightmare involved Alan Shearer. During his time at Blackburn, and then even at Newcastle, the Geordie hero was continually linked with Manchester United.

Every summer the stories circulated. Just like the Guardian's article today, some papers even claimed it was a done deal.

"Sir" Alan bitterly hated United and Ferguson and refused to contemplate playing for them, even at the expense of his trophy collection.

Next was Patrick Vieira. Just like Shearer, Vieira in his pomp was continually linked with Manchester United, despite the fact that the thought of him linking up with his arch nemesis Roy Keane was unthinkable.

If it wasn't Manchester United, it was Real Madrid circling Highbury like a menacing shark. Of course, in the end Arsene Wenger didn't lose his man until he was absolutely ready.

Then it was Thierry Henry who was linked with Barcelona, season after season. When he finally made the move in 2007, we hoped that we could rest easy and, if we were all very lucky, we might just hear a new transfer rumour.

Sadly that was not the case, and the media went hunting for a new protracted move they could rehash every single year.

Lo and behold, they found two.

I know that both these players bring a huge amount of talent, excitement, and class to the Premier League, but they also bring these tedious rumours.

For that reason alone, I am praying that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger call press conferences on Monday morning and say that, yes, both have agreed moves to Spain.

There would doubtless be about a week of the media filling 90 percent of their sports pages with the possibilities and ramifications of these transfers, but after that they would have to find something new to report.

Sadly, that's not going to happen. Here's to the next 88 days and beyond.

Boxing's New Tyson: Meet Tyson Fury

George Kotschy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:18:51 -0400

It has been almost four years since Mike Tyson suffered the ignominy of a defeat to the Irish journeyman, Kevin McBride.

The "baddest man on the planet" had finally hit rock bottom, having stumbled around the heavyweight division like a confused drunk since his loss to Evander Holyfield in 1997.

Following his defeat to McBride, he retired and, despite numerous rumours of a highly inadvisable return, he has stayed away from the ring since (excluding his Las Vegas public sparring circus act.)

Now the name of Tyson is once again being mentioned in connection with the painfully dull heavyweight division of the present day.

This particular Tyson could hardly be more different to "Iron Mike" though. Tyson Fury is a 20-year-old, white, British, 6" 8' prodigy from Manchester.

His dad, "Gypsy" John Fury was a professional boxer himself, engaging in 14 bouts in the 1980s. With that boxing heritage in mind, it is easy to understand how Tyson Fury was so named.

When he was born in 1988, perilously premature at six and a half months old and weighing only one pound, Mike Tyson was at his terrifying best.

As John Fury held his newly born son in his arms, he told the doctor he wanted him to be named after the heavyweight champion of the world. From that point on, it was almost inevitable that Tyson Fury would take the path that he has.

Whatever size he grew to be, he was going to be a fighter. It just helps that he has grown, like a magic beanstalk, into the behemoth he is today.

Fury had a successful career as an amateur boxer, racking up 34 fights, with 30 wins, 26 knockouts, and four defeats.

He became the Amateur Boxing Association super-heavyweight champion last year, and then promptly announced his decision to enter the professional ranks. Since then, Fury has fought four times, stopping each one of his opponents.

Of course, any fight fan will tell you that little or nothing can be surmised from watching a boxer in their first few fights.

Their first opponents are journeymen, willing to take a beating off the future star but able to give them an idea of what the professional game is all about. It is usually a matter of when, not if, these first barriers are knocked over.

Such has been the case with Fury, who has been presented with tubby, aging brawlers that you would expect to see working at nightclub doors, rather than competing in the ring.

But as the mantra goes, you can only beat what's in front of you, and beat them he has. There is no doubt Fury has potential, but just how much remains to be seen.

His sheer bulk makes him an awkward opponent for anybody and he mixes his shots well, planting accurate, thudding jabs, alongside arrowed body shots.

One thing he must work on is his conditioning. He has conceded this already in his first few post-fight interviews, but he is visibly chubby.

He has love handles and lacks any muscle definition. His midriff in particular will become a bulls-eye to any opponents of real quality if it is not toughened up.

The current heavyweight division is one of the weakest and most uninspiring of all-time, and it is crying out for a new face.

Fury is nowhere near being ready to challenge any of the champions, but he could be in two or three years time.

By that time, it is likely that Vitali Klitschko will have retired once more and Wladimir could be on his way out. If Fury is handled correctly and trained by a world-class coach, he could be there to pick up the pieces.

For the first time since 1997, the heavyweight champion could once again be called Tyson. Though this time, he's a softly spoken, awkward man more likely to eat your pork pie than your children.

Inter Milan-Manchester United Preview: Jose Mourinho's Bluff (Part Two)

George Kotschy — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:13:21 -0400

As I read Jose Mourinho's typical, attention grabbing comments yesterday, I was struck by a bout of deja vu.

Mourinho hit the headlines by declaring that his Inter Milan side were so hamstrung by injuries that he was seriously considering playing a striker in defence.

Inter Milan will be without Nicolas Burdisso, Marco Materazzi, Christian Chivu, and Walter Samuel for their crucial trip to Old Trafford tomorrow night, and Mourinho told the assembled media he might throw an inexperienced striker into the void.

Mario Balotelli was the player the "special one" claimed could play the role of makeshift centreback against one of the most potent attacks in world football.

Balotelli, who is just 18, only broke into the first-team midway through last season and has made 27 appearances thus far in his fledgling career.

Hardly the pedigree of a player who is ready to shift from his accustomed position of striker to fill in at the heart of defence.

Playing out of position is difficult at any level, but doing so in the Champions League, away at a team that have not lost in any competition since the beginning of January, is an extraordinary challenge.

Yet, Mourinho's statement came with a poker face of sincerity as he dared any member of the media brave enough to call his bluff.

No one did.

The reason Mourinho's "desperate man" act didn't wash with me is because we have seen it all before.

The first time I saw Mourinho pull this particular rabbit out of the hat was in May 2007.

As Chelsea prepared for the FA Cup final with Manchester United, a weary looking Mourinho told reporters he was going to have to pick his reserve goalkeeper as a striker for the game.

The stunned press pack could not believe their ears.

Here was the manager of one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, telling everyone that he was so low on resources that he would have to put Hilario, a mediocre goalkeeper, on the bench as a reserve forward.

Mourinho reasoned that Hilario was "not bad as a forward" and his team only had 15 players fit for the final.

In the end, Hilario's striking prowess was not called upon, as Mourinho suddenly found not one, but three strikers for the showpiece final.

Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, and Salomon Kalou all featured as Chelsea narrowly won a poor match 1-0.

Mourinho wasn't only able to field 16 players, he put out a very strong Chelsea team who were certainly not short of attacking talent.

With this in mind, the latest appearance of Mourinho the impoverished rings hollow.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be as aware as anyone that this is all just part of Mourinho's repertoire of mind games and mischief making.

He thrives on being underestimated and is hoping to throw off his great rival ahead of a game in which his Inter Milan side are very much second favourites to progress.

Ferguson will pay no attention to Mourinho's chatter and will expect nothing less than a stern test from his foe tomorrow night.

The only time the Scot underestimated Mourinho was during his first season in England, and he learnt his lesson quickly after watching Chelsea dominate the Premier League.

Don't expect to see Mario Balotelli trying to mark Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game at the "Theatre of Dreams" tomorrow night, chances are Mourinho might just find a more experienced player to fill the void.

Don't underestimate his Inter side either, that's just what he wants you to do.

They will provide stern resistance to Manchester United's quest for total domination and the game will only be decided by one goal either way.

The Premier League's Double Standards

George Kotschy — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:16:55 -0500

When Dean Marney saw red in today's Premier League encounter between Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, the watching world saw double standards.

Marney was sent off for his reaction to a clumsy challenge by Blackburn's Norwegian midfielder, Morten Gamst Pedersen. Marney's instinctive reaction was to flick out his foot at Pedersen's ankle, making the merest of connections.

Yet, it was enough to convince Pedersen to dramatically collapse to the ground in a bid to see his opponent dismissed. It worked, and Martin Atkinson produced a straight red card for the Hull midfielder.

By the laws of the game, Martin Atkinson got the decision right. Such a reaction by Marney could be deemed to be violent conduct, punishable by a straight red card and a three match ban.

This was, after all, the medicine received by Shaun Wright-Phillips for a similar response in an altercation with Stoke's Rory Delap. Wright-Phillips was punished retrospectively and missed today's game between West Ham and Manchester City due to his ban.

I have no problem with the action taken against both Marney and Wright-Phillips, as it is correct by the laws of the game. What irritates me is the inconsistency of these decisions.

It seems that there are one set of rules for the mere mortals of the Premier League and another set of rules entirely for the reigning European, World, and PFA Players' Player of the Year. I am, of course, referring to Cristiano Ronaldo.

On three occasions this season, Ronaldo has flicked his foot out at opponents after the ball had passed—in exactly the same way Marney and Wright-Phillips acted.

We first saw Ronaldo react this way during Manchester United's visit to White Hart Lane in mid-December. Michael Dawson won the ball with a crunching challenge next to the touchline, and as he got up to jog back into position, he was caught by a Ronaldo kick.

Neither Mike Dean nor higher powers decided to punish United's No. 7.

Less than two weeks later, Ronaldo was at it again. Manchester United was struggling to break down a resolute Stoke City side at The Britannia Stadium when Andy Wilkinson gave the home crowd even more to shout about with a well-timed challenge on their pantomime villain.

Once again, Ronaldo flicked out, and once again, he escaped any form of punishment. A few minutes later, referee Chris Foy sent Wilkinson off for his second bookable offence—a foul on Ronaldo.

Exhibit C comes from the recent meeting between Manchester United and Blackburn at Old Trafford. David Dunn was on the receiving end of an ankle tap this time as Ronaldo lied on the floor feeling aggrieved that the Blackburn midfielder had dared to tackle him.

Ronaldo was already on a yellow card following a dive earlier in the game and went on to punish Blackburn for referee Howard Webb's mistake with a stunning free kick to win the game.

Had Ronaldo been punished for these misdemeanours in the same way as Wright-Phillips and Marney had been, he would have sat out nine matches. Instead he has escaped unscathed.

Sir Alex Ferguson's role in this situation should not be underestimated. Any straight red cards received by his players are publicly questioned and disputed by the United manager, and he even turns the heat up on the media for highlighting any wrongdoing.

His reaction to the justified media scrutiny of Wayne Rooney's nasty stamp on Kasper Risgaard is a case in point. Ferguson snarled that the media would be delighted to see Rooney banned and that they played their part in the uproar. Unsurprisingly, the United No. 10 got off.

This season saw the "respect the ref" campaign introduced.

Unless the officials start punishing every individual in the same way, harassment and abuse from players and managers will only increase. Premier League referees have to start applying rules to every player regardless of their status or the fearsome reputation of their manager.

The Most Delusional Man in World Sport

George Kotschy — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:42:17 -0500

For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, this is Audley Harrison. He is infamous in the UK as one of the greatest underachievers in recent sporting history.

Harrison is a Heavyweight boxer who seemed destined for great things after winning a gold medal at the Sydney Olympic games in 2000. He displayed excellent technique, power and composure in Australia and, at 6 ft 5, seemed equipped with all the tools to make a successful transition from amateur boxing to the professional ranks.

He was entering a Heavyweight division which contained no clear successor to the ageing Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and Harrison seemed to have every chance of making a success of his pro career.

"A-Force", as he christened himself, signed a lucrative £1 million deal with the BBC to have his first few professional fights shown on terrestrial television. This allowed the whole country to witness his negative, lacklustre performances against pub fighters, and the delusional speeches that would follow.

If world titles were simply won with words, Harrison would be the most successful fighter of all time.

After every bout he would stand in front of the cameras and tell the watching public how he had a plan, how his next fight would be against a better opponent and would see him produce an improved performance and how there was no doubt in his mind that he would become a world champion.

After a number of tentative, unconvincing wins, during which Harrison looked unfit and scared of getting beaten, the British public turned on him. Boos rung out as the paying public let the big Londoner know he simply wasn't good enough.

Today, almost nine years since Harrison won his Olympic gold medal, "A-Farce" as he has become known, is 37 and has a record of 23 wins and four defeats. He has never stepped into the ring with any fighter of true class and lost his last fight to an Irish taxi driver called Martin Rogan.

Yet, Harrison’s delusions of grandeur continue and he popped his unwanted head back into the British limelight recently by calling out David Haye.

Haye is the antithesis of Harrison. He is a hard hitting, gutsy fighter who has ducked no-one and backs up his words with performances. Not only that, Haye is a champion.

He was the undisputed Cruiserweight champion of the world, holding the WBA, WBC, WBO and The Ring magazine titles. He has knocked out 21 of his 23 opponents and is now operating in the Heavyweight division.

He is ranked as the No. 2 contender to the WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko and has been trailing the Ukrainian giant, publically calling him out, so far unsuccessfully.

Audley Harrison, never one to miss a chance to put himself in the spot light, has now called out David Haye. Harrison has said that, with a fight against either Klitschko appearing unlikely, Haye should step into the ring with him in a warm up bout.

“A-Force” has added some spice to the proposal by labelling Haye as ungrateful and saying that he used Harrison when he was on his way up. Harrison claims that when Haye was just starting out he used to put him on the undercard of his shows as a favour. Now he says he wants the favour returned.

David Haye comes across as a surprisingly intelligent, cerebral boxer, and if he has any sense he won’t be drawn into this.

Haye has a genuine chance of bringing the excitement back to the Heavyweight division. He is a precocious talent who can provide the knockout punching power and marketable appeal that is so lacking in boxing’s premier division at present.

While Harrison is not even on the same plane as Haye, stepping into the ring with him could be a mistake that could cost him his career. Such a mega-bout might just awaken the talented boxer that still lurks somewhere within Harrison and provide the spring board for a shock defeat.

Haye should politely decline Harrison’s desperate plea and leave him to dwindle away the remaining short years of his career. Then hopefully he will retire and give all of our ears and eyes a rest.