Johan Cruyff

10:02:00 Unknown 0 Comments


Johan Cruyff, a man widely regarded as one of football’s greats has died aged 68. Having never seen him or even a team he managed play live I am perhaps not best qualified to talk about Cruyff’s life. Yet, he is, I believe, the modern games most important exponant.
A pioneering artist, philosopher and sportsmen, Cruyff’s legacy transcends just football, especially in his native Holland and adopted Catalonia.
Johan was born in Amsterdam on the 25th of April 1947. In 1964 a 17year old Cruyff scored on his Ajax debut.
In his first stint with Ajax he won 6 Eredivisie titles, 4 Dutch Cups and 3 European Cups before moving to FC Barcelona where he cultivated the brand of football they have so famously advocated ever since. Between ’79 and ’81 he graced the USA where he starred for LA Aztecs and Washington Dips. An unsuccessful spell with Levante resulted in a move back to Holland with Ajax where he won another two Eredivisie titles. However, in typical Cruyff fashion, after a falling out with the Ajax board over a new contract he joined arch-rivals Feyenoord, where he stuck it to his doubters by helping the Rotterdam club to the Dutch Championship.
With Ajax in the 60s, Cruyff embodied young liberal Amsterdam. Despite what many claim Cruyff did not invent Total Football. It wasn’t even Ajax, Feyenoord won the European Cup playing an early brand of the system in 1970. But it was Cruyff under the steady hand of Rinus Michels who took Total Football to the world, mastering the system and throughout the early 70s, dominating the game with their idealistic style. Total Football was a philosophy.
It is an ideology; functionalism through dimension and patterns. This, combined with Cruyff’s balletic grace fused the conservative dogmatism of old Holland with the emerging progressive ideas of postmodern Amsterdam. Total Football was high brow, sexy and artistic. It was at the centre of the Dutch sexual revolution in the 1960s and Cruyff was the poster boy. He was Holland’s answer to Lennon and Dylan. Johan Cruyff was much more than just a talented footballer, he was the youth idol of a formerly restrained country finding it’s voice.
His symbolic status is equally as strong in Catalunya where Cruyff propelled FC Barcelona to lasting footballing dominance. Leaving Ajax in the summer of 1973, Cruyff rebuffed the advances of Real Madrid stating he could never join a side “associated with Franco” and instantly making himself a figure of Catalan resistance. Barca broke the world record to sign Cruyff. Catalan’s were repressed under Franco, but now, they could be proud of their team; they had the continents best player and in Cruyff’s first season won the La Liga for the first time in 14 years. Additionally, in 1974 Cruyff named his newborn son ‘Jordi’, a Catalan name, cementing his place in the folklore of the region.
He would return to Barcelona as manager eternally stamping the club with his brand of football. Known as the ‘Dream team’ between 1988 and 1996 his Barca side commanded European football winning all before them. The Messi, Xavi, Guadiola Barca of recent years exists as a direct continuation of the Cruyff philosophy. La Maisa, Barca’s famed academy is the brain child of the Dutchman who felt Barca should imitate Ajax’s style of development. And it’s fairly safe to say it’s proved a worthwhile project.
As a manager and as a player Cruyff enjoyed amassed endless silverware at club level however his very Dutch failure to win any trophies on the international stage has seen him dismissed when compared to the games greatest. How can Cruyff be as good as Pele and Maradona, he never won a World Cup? Be this as it may, Cruyff came as close as it gets in ’74 when the Dutch seemed to self destruct against the West Germans, preferring to humiliate their nemesis playing keep ball  than finish the job. They lost 2-1. And yet even in this bizarre defiance, there is something poetic and artistic about Holland and Cruyffs approach. Integrity for integrity’s sake.
This is a defining characteristic of Cruyff, his self assurance never wavered and his views were always outspoken. Unlike Pele for instance who was a player of phenomenal technique but a man who at times appears all too keen to please, a regular at FIFA black tie events. Both commercial giants, Cruyff carried himself with principle, refusing interviews with publications he didn’t respect and missing the 1978 World Cup to be with his wife and family.
Moreover, Diego Maradona, also of brilliant footballing ability, was a man who spoke his mind although, with far less of the wisdom Cruyff projected. Like Cruyff, Maradona tried his hand at management. He needn’t have bothered, achieving nothing of note. Pele and Maradona can arguably match Cruyff’s ability and success but it is Cruyff’s vision and unique understanding of football that make him, if not the games greatest player then the games greatest mind.
The great sides of recent times; Barca, Bayern, Arsenal, Spain, all imitate the fluent passing style Cruyff advocated. The world’s most successful youth development programmes at Ajax and Barcelona live and die by the Cruyff manifesto. His artistry inspired, his philosophy and principle revolutionized societies. Cruyff’s symbolic significance make him one of the great Europeans of the last 100 years.

Johan Cruyff’ has played a bigger role than anyone in constructing the modern game. One of the finest on the pitch, he is the most influential visionary the game has seen.

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Euro 2016 Group B preview

05:51:00 Unknown 0 Comments


England

Euro 2016 prospects: After the 2014 World Cup debacle comes hope that England's youthful squad have learned some valuable tournament lessons.
Unlike Euro 2012, when Roy Hodgson took charge a month prior to the finals, he has had since September to plan ahead, with England having breezed through qualifying.
He used 33 players en route to France; there is emerging talent in the squad but Euro 2016 may come too soon.
How they qualified: Group E winners. England were the only nation to qualify with a 100% winning record, the first time they have done so in a European Championship qualifying campaign.
A tally of 31 goals - seven from Wayne Rooney - was second only to Poland's 33.
Euro pedigree: Third of the four finalists in 1968, England were also semi-finalists as hosts of Euro 96.
Statistically, Euro 2012 was England's best showing on foreign soil at the continental tournament: they were unbeaten aside from a quarter final exit on penalties against Italy.
Key player: Wayne Rooney
Who's the boss?
This will be 68-year-old Roy Hodgson's third major tournament as England boss as he looks to secure an extension to a contract that expires after Euro 2016. Hodgson has managed 14 club sides and four national teams.

Russia
Euro 2016 prospects: Winless at the 2014 World Cup, Russia's fortunes have improved since Fabio Capello's sacking in July this year. Replacement Leonid Slutsky reinforced the defence with players from Champions League regulars CSKA Moscow, who he also manages.
How they qualified: They claimed only eight points from six games under Capello but won their remaining four with Slutsky at the helm, including a vital win over Sweden to pip them to automatic qualification.
Euro pedigree: Winners as the Soviet Union in 1960, and finalists in 1964, 1972 and 1988. A run to the semi-finals in 2008 is their best performance since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1991.
Key player: Sergei Ignashevich. Russia's rock is now 36 but he remains vital. The CSKA Moscow defender helped Russia keep five clean sheets in the nine qualifiers he played in.
Premier League players: None.
Who's the boss? Leonid Slutsky was rewarded for rescuing Russia's Euro 2016 campaign with a contract until after the finals.


Wales
Euro 2016 prospects: After a 58-year wait to play in a major tournament, Wales will not be going just to make up the numbers. Gareth Bale's goals propelled them to France, but captain and defensive rock Ashley Williams is equally as important.
The Welsh FA's Together Stronger slogan epitomises their brilliant team spirit.
How they qualified: They lost just once, away to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and conceded four goals - only Romania, England and Spain let in fewer. Bale and Aaron Ramsey scored nine of Wales' 11 goals.
Euro pedigree: Debutants at a 'finals'. Reached the quarter-finals in 1976, when only the semi-finals onwards were regarded as the finals.
Key player: Gareth Bale
Premier League players: Joe Allen (Liverpool), James Chester (West Brom), James Collins (West Ham), Ben Davies (Tottenham), Wayne Hennessey and Joe Ledley (both Crystal Palace), Andy King (Leicester), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Neil Taylor and Ashley Williams (both Swansea).

Who's the boss? Chris Coleman took over in difficult circumstances following the death of Gary Speed in 2011.
Booed regularly at the start of his tenure, with a 6-1 World Cup qualifying defeat in Serbia the nadir of poor results early on, Coleman is now in talks to extend his contract beyond 2016.

Slovakia
Euro 2016 prospects: Slovakia will be appearing at just their second major tournament in 11 attempts since gaining independence in 1993.
They reached the last 16 at the 2010 World Cup, helping to knock out Italy in the group stages. They also beat Spain in qualifying for Euro 2016 so are not afraid to mix it with the big boys.
How they qualified: Slovakia won their first six qualifiers, including a 2-1 win over Spain. However, one point from their next three matches left them level on points with Ukraine before a 4-2 win over Luxembourg sealed second spot.
Euro pedigree: This is their first appearance.
Key player: Merek Hamsik
Premier League player: Martin Skrtel (Liverpool).

Who's the boss? Former Czechoslovakia international Jan Kozak was appointed in July 2013. The 61-year-old had previously managed several Slovakian league clubs.

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Counterpressing

06:30:00 Unknown 0 Comments

What is Gegenpressing?
Gegenpressing means to press the opposition right after losing possession, i.e. to press as an organized unit the moment you transition to defense. The entire team hunts the ball and, in the ideal case, immediately wins it back from the opponent. The aim is twofold; to prevent the opponent’s counterattack and to win the ball. The English, and even the Spanish and Italians, call it counterpressing and not “Gegenpressing”; in the end the opponent’s counterattack is pressured. In 2008, Jürgen Klinsmann spoke of “immediate ball recovery” and struck at the heart of the matter very well.
How can a side use Gegenpressing successfully?
There are several prerequisites for successful counterpressing. The decisive factor is the overall positioning of the team and their playing style right before attempting to counterpress. The players must play as close to one another as possible so that they can press together as a unit right after the ball is lost – which is a given in short passing football. At the same time, they should not stick so close to one another that they neglect to cover enough space. Usually, a good layout in possession and a good shape behind the lost ball go hand in hand.
Some trainers use the basic rule of thumb to “occupy the fewest possible zones with individual players, but the greatest possible distance between the players within those zones so that they don’t occupy the same space” to make the positioning simple to understand; although, with a rule of thumb like this, some aspects are lost in terms of complexity.


Many teams also have problems deciding when to stop pressing, i.e. when do you stop pressing if you can’t win the ball back? When should you retreat? How long should you press and with how many players? This is particularly problematic because the position of the ball is always changing. Therefore, there is a commonly used theory – the five second rule. Immediately after losing the ball the team should press at top speed and with maximum intensity for five seconds.

If the team hasn’t recovered the ball within five seconds and there is no chance of immediately winning it, they should fall back into their defensive formation. Depending on the team, the number of seconds may vary. It is recommended that the strategic basics of Gegenpressing be coached in order to develop a flexible, situation-specific length of time for counterpressing.
It is also important that the team respond very quickly and with anticipation. When possession changes, the players should already be running; next, it is important for the motor response and cognitive reaction to accurately match the manner of the opponent winning the ball and the situation and the anticipation of the possession change. The player must always expect that possession could come, but at the same time assign to the situation a certain percentage and behave accordingly. The observation of the situation and the shape is important.

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Tactics Board

06:25:00 Unknown 0 Comments

Pressing, counterpressing, and counterattacking are three very popular concepts that are associated with the most exciting and dominant teams in modern football. Pressing and counterattacking are perhaps the more “classic” ideas in football tactics, while counterpressing is a buzzword which has become quite popular over the last five to six years – despite having existed for decades. But what do these terms really mean and why are they so important to modern football?
Pressing
Pressing can be defined as creating tension with the intention of getting the ball back. This is sometimes confused with pressure, which is the tension itself. Pressing is the application of the pressure with a specific intent. Every movement on the pitch creates some sort of pressure or tension somewhere on the field. Without any pressure or tension the opponent could walk straight upfield and shoot on goal every time.
So, what distinguishes pressing from a defense that doesn’t press? Intent. When pressing, a team is actively trying to win the ball back through pressuring the opponent and by moving out of or within its formation. When a team isn’t attempting to win the ball back, but to contain the opponent’s offense – then that team’s intention is to defend the goal by stopping the opponent from creating chances without taking the ball from them.
For example, Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champion’s League semi-finals against Guardiola’s Barcelona didn’t want to win the ball. They only ever had the ball because they had to – because if Barcelona lost the ball trying to create a chance it meant that possession had to change into Inter’s hands. Mourinho’s men immediately rid themselves of the ball in transition in order to avoid any sort of disorganization which would stem from being counterpressed or losing the ball after a counterattack. Mourinho said after the game that he didn’t want his side to have the ball:
“We didn’t want the ball because when Barcelona press and win the ball back, we lose our position – I never want to lose position on the pitch so I didn’t want us to have the ball, we gave it away, I told my players that we could let the ball help us win and that we had to be compact, closing spaces.”

Pressure is one characteristic of the atmosphere around the ball which creates conditions in which the opponent can no longer properly control the ball and is ultimately forced to lose possession. Pressureforces an action to occur rather than allowing it to occur based on the will of the opponents. When an action is forced in a pressured atmosphere, every aspect of that action is made more difficult. An action consists of both a decision and the execution of that decision – if these two aspects can be manipulated correctly, the opponent will lose the ball.



The red/orange third is the attacking third, the light/dark green is midfield, and the yellow/olive is defensive. The colors within them represent the split into high and deep zones (for example, red = high attacking press, orange = low attacking press.)



The German football association’s model for distinguishing the different types of pressing is quite good. The field is split into three horizontal thirds – the attacking, midfield, and defending thirds. Attacking pressing occurs in the attacking third, midfield pressing occurs in the midfield third, and defensive pressing occurs in (you guessed it!) the defensive third. However, the German FA divides the thirds even further by assigning each one a high and deep zone.
This means it’s possible to have high-attacking pressing, deep-attacking pressing, high-midfield pressing, deep-midfield pressing, high-defensive pressing, and deep-defensive pressing. A good way to think of it is to just split each third in half horizontally and call the top half high and the bottom half deep.
The most fundamental component to pressing is being able to press. In other words, you have to establish access to the ball in order to be able to exert pressure upon it. This concept goes hand in hand with the preparation for pressing, meaning that every action must be prepared for (in this sense positionally, but it can apply to psychology or other aspects of football) – including the pressing itself. If a pressing action is prepared for properly then the pressing team will have proper access to the ball.

(Poor preparation for a pressing movement)

(Poor preparation leads to a bad press and access)

If there is access to the ball the entire dynamic changes in comparison to when there is no access. When a team is able to pressure the ball it allows the rest of the team in the deeper layers to push towards the ball and leave space on the far side of the field open. If a team played with a high defensive line but didn’t pressure the ball they would concede a lot of goals because of allowing long passes into the space behind the defenders. If a team which played very horizontally compact didn’t pressure the ball they would have a very hard time defending because every switch of the ball would expose the underloaded far side.

If there is no access to the ball then the defensive team must answer the obvious question: How do we re-establish access without being exposed? There are multiple ways to do this. The most common way is to ignore the ball as a reference point and collectively move towards the space where the ball will eventually arrive. In other words, drop deeper and more centrally to protect the space near the goal and wait to force the ball backwards or wide and away – the space behind the defense and in front of the goalkeeper decreases as the ball moves forward and the defense moves backwards. Another option is to move collectively towards the ball and play with the offside rule. If prepared and timed correctly this can be an extremely valuable way to win the ball back even without access to the ball.
Preparing for the press means moving into the proper positions to be able to press according to the team’s strategy. It’s also possible to prepare the offensive team for the defensive team’s press. It’s quite common to see a defense “condition” the play of the offense in a certain way in order to move them into an area the defense is seeking to press.


Athletico preparing Chelsea for a pressing trap in the center of the field

Above is a variation to preparing the opponent for the press. Atletico Madrid seek to move the opponent into the center of the field in order to isolate him from his teammates and then close the pressing trap on him. The players move in specific routes and block the outside passing lanes in order to encourage the opponent to move into the center of the field.

Once the opponent is isolated from his teammates and has no escape route, the team can move towards the ball collectively and win it in a good area which would likely result in a great counter attack. Pressing traps can vary as well – aspects of the trap include where the trap is set up to isolate the opponent, how many players participate in the trap, the type of pressing when closing the trap, how the opponent is isolated, when the trap is set, and more.
In the above example, Atletico Madrid were quite active as they moved out of their shape to start and baited the opponent into the center. Preparation varies depending on if its dynamic or static and which game phase or game state it is in.
So what are the triggers to begin a press once in position to do so? They normally depend on aspects like field of view, control of the ball, ability of the player, connectivity of the opponent, or the nature of the pass. If a player isn’t facing in the direction of his passing options then it is extremely difficult to escape a press, therefore the team should press before the player can re-orient himself.
The ball is much easier to take from an opponent who controls it poorly. A team can collectively press the ball at the moment it’s miscontrolled because it would take time to re-establish control of the ball. This plays a part in the “opponent’s ability” as well. If the player is very poor at making decisions and controlling the ball it would be logical to put that player under immense pressure as soon as he’s about to receive it. Most players are taught to press the opponent “as the ball is traveling” because the scene cannot change dramatically within the time the presser leaves his position as the ball is moving between players.
The ball cannot dynamically change directions in the middle of its route between players (unless there is some crazy spin on the ball, which would be visible and anticipated by the players) so it is an optimal time to press the destination point of the ball. If the presser decided to leave his position while it is under the control of the opponent player (without the following layers of the press to protect the vacated space and cover him) then the ball could change direction quite easily as the opponent can simply dribble and exploit the movement of the presser.
When the defending team goes to press can also depend on which section of the field they set up their block and where they seek to isolate the ball. The press can also vary on which part of the team begins the press, which direction the team moves, and when the press stops.

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Scottish Cup Semi Finals

06:10:00 Unknown 0 Comments

The Scottish cup quarter finals were played over the weekend, Celtic eased passed Greenock Morton 4-0 at Park Head. Rangers eased by Premiership side Dundee 4-0 at Ibrox, Hibs and Inverness played out a goalless draw at Easter Road and 10 man Dundee UTD scored a last minute winner to knock out Ross County in Dingwal.
The draw for the semi-final of the Scottish cup was made on Sunday, it saw Hibs or Inverness paired against Dundee UTD and of course the one everybody wanted an Old Firm derby. The fans have been starved of matchup between the bitter rivals since Rangers dropped out the SPFL almost 4 years ago. Ally McCoists Rangers did play Celtic at Hampden but were convincingly beaten with Rnagers failing to register a shot on target.
The mood is high at Rangers with fans instantly taking to former Brentford manager Mark Warberton when he took over at the start of the season. Warburton’s possession based touch and move philosophy is something the Ibrox crowd haven’t been able to enjoy in a while and as a consequence they find themselves 14 points clear at the top of the Championship.
Ranger’s fans feel this will be a good opportunity to see just how far they have come under the Englishmen with it being difficult to judge in the championship where their wage budget is close to a hundred times bigger than their opponents. It’s arguable that all the pressure is on Celtic going into the semi-final with their Norwegian manager with many fans losing patience and faith in his ability to take Celtic forward.
Dundee UTD, Inverness and Hibs will all fancy their chances of making a cup final but must overcome tricky quarter and semi-finals respectively. Hibs play Ross County in the league cup final this weekend so I’m sure it’ll be all eyes on that before they turn their attention back to their quest for promotion and Scottish Cup glory.

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My England (Euro 2016) 23 man squad

03:56:00 Unknown 0 Comments

Roy Hodgson has massively under achieved during his time in charge of the England national team and his team will need to perform considerably better in France this summer. Preparation for the tournament is already well underway, the FA have announced the England squad will be based in Chantilly, a small town North of Paris. After qualifying from group E with 10 wins out of 10, the real preparation will start now. Warm up friendlies against world Champions Germany, and the Netherlands will provide good quality opposition to fine tune tactical approaches that will be utilized during the tournament. 

think it’s important to select inform payers but would point to Brazil  2014 where the 11 that started England’s group opener in Manaus against Italy consisted of almost 50% Liverpool players, who were just off the back off a fantastic domestic season, where they came very close to winning the Premiere League. But in all honesty were Glen Johnson and Jordan Henderson the best players to play that match? Another thing that lives in the memory from that game was Wayne Rooney starting on the left of a 4-3-3 system that Hodgson seems obsessed with playing when again I would question wither or not it best suits the players he has at his disposal.

Another cultural issue that I feel the English national team has is that they place so much emphasis on the “captain”. It creates an almost immortal status where if the manager feels the player need to be rested of dropped for a specific game, the media and fans are on the case, what’s going on? Why is he not playing? Or even creates a media storm when the captain plays and they feel he doesn’t merit a place (Remember when David Beckham was captain). The Italians have the right idea, no designated captain and the player with the most international caps selected to play that match gets the arm band.

The English press is without doubt a hindrance on the team, unrealistic expectations that creates massive expectations across a nation that loves and places much importance on the game. There does however seem to be less of this in the build up to France but there’s still time! In reality when you look at the squad England have they should probably be realistically achieving a quarter final, Sven lead the side to 3 quarters losing 2 of them on penalties. I do however accept his squad was much stronger than the current crop. I England probably are a quarter final team, any less is underachieving and any more is over achieving.

I’ll preface my selection by saying that I’m presuming the best in all injury situations (which is not realistic) and that everyone I select will be fit to play and will have been able to gain match fitness before the tournament commences.

23 man Squad
GK- Joe Hart, Jack Butland, Ben Foster
Defenders-Luke Shaw, Ryan Bertrand, Garry Cahill, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Phil Jagielka Nathaniel Clyne, Kyle Walker
Midfielders- James Milner, Michael Carrick, Erik Dier, Mark Noble, Raheem Stirling, Theo Walcott, Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshire
Forwards- Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Danny Welbeck


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The National team of Catalonia

06:49:00 Unknown 0 Comments

I’m going to attempt to make this post without a single mention of politics, which is likely to be difficult. Although I accept that political issues have a massive bearing internally and externally on football and football institutions, it’s something I prefer not to focus on or think about. I think that’s one of the reasons that so many of us just can’t be bothered with the ongoing FIFA saga that has just seen a new president elected. We just want to enjoy football, we want our teams do be successful; we want to see competitive leagues and competitions that are well run and trouble free. That’s at least how I feel about football.
Catalonia national football team is the official national football team of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, organised by the Catalan Football Federation (CFF).  The team is not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA which basically means they are not eligible to play in their competitions like the World Cup and European Championship. Interestingly it also mean that players that play for other nations such as Spain are eligible to play in matches for Catalonia.
During my short trip to the Catalan capital, I very much enjoyed the beautiful City, the culture and the friendly people. One thing that is obvious to anyone that visits is that the people are very proud to be Catalan. You see the flags everywhere and people always refer to themselves as Catalonian, anyway I’m going to leave that there because I’m in danger of getting into politics! The players who play for Catalonia feel great pride to pull on the shirt, it’s special to them.
In recent years Catalonia have played matches against nations such as Nigeria, Brazil, and Argentina. Beating Argentina (4-2) at the Camp Nou in 2009. Catalonia’s first game was against France in Paris way back in 1912 where they lost (7-0).
Great players such as Carlos Puyol, Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez have all played for Catalonia in recent years and the current squad includes the likes of Gerard pique, Victor Valdes, Alex Vidal, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Marc Batra, Borjan Krkic, Sergi Samper and Cesc Fabregas.  Catalonia has a population of about 7.5 million, the fact that they continually produce such fine football players is testament to their rich footballing traditions, their obsession with the game, their desire to nurture talent and of course the fine football institutions that are in Catalonia.



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Florentino Perez is a joke!

03:51:00 Unknown 0 Comments

I have absolutely no sympathy for the current struggles that the Spanish giants Real Madrid are currently facing. Defeat to local rivals Atletico Madrid at the weekend leaves them an insurmountable 12 points behind the league leaders. A strategy that prioritises marketing and revenue ahead of producing an effective football philosophy will never bring sustained success.
Florentino Prerez’s obsession with the “galactico” model which has previously seen him build a side of superstars such as Zidanne, Figo and Ronaldo, may please the fans (for a while) but as long as they continue to ignore the equally important pieces of the jigsaw, they will never produce teams that have the stamina or consistency to be able to challenge for league titles consistently. Winning competition with a tournament format will continue to be their best hope of success. The closest they have come in recent years to overcoming these problems was with Jose when he built a solid and balanced squad with the correct blend of players to last the pace but we all know what happened to him in the end!
Another reason I have no sympathy and something that makes me angry is the decision to sack Rafa earlier this season. The spoiled fans have no patience and never give any manager time to build a side. The way Rafa was treat by Perez and Madrid is disgusting and epitomises the massive political issues at the club. Their decision to appoint Zidanne as the manager is another terrible mistake, appointed on the popularity and success during his time as a player is ridiculous. The results have not improved and apart from a couple of home games where they have turned over their opponents with an all-out attack approach neither have their performances. The fact remains that until they sort out these systemic issues at the football club, they will continue to underachieve. 

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Faubert Joins Killie

05:10:00 Unknown 0 Comments

Kilmarnock have signed former Real Madrid winger Julien Faubert after a trial. Faubert had spent time on trial in Perth before joining Kilmarnock to become Lee Clark's first signing as Rugby Park boss.
The former France international had been linked with a move to Rangers in 2007 before joining West Ham for £6m. Despite playing for France in 2006, Faubert was able to switch allegiances and play for Martinique in 2014 and has five goals in three games for his adopted nation. The winger becomes the third player to have played for Real Madrid's first team before moving to Scotland after Celtic's Thomas Graveson and Livingston's Rolando Zarate.
Faubert and co will have to pick up points and fast in their quest to stay in the SPFL. Killie currently sit in the relegation play-off position 8 points ahead of bottom placed Dundee United who are starting to find form with back to back wins over high flying Hearts and Ross County. I feel that although Killie’s league position is poor they have improved since the departure of manager Garry Locke, which has generated optimism amongst fans.
Killie can only realistically catch Hamilton or Motherwell to avoid the relegations play offs which would lightly be a 2 legged tie against Hibs who have been impressive in the Championship this year and have beaten SPFL sides in the domestic cups. Alan Stubbs’s side would be favourites to beat Killie in a play-off situation which makes the run in so important for killie, they will be looking for a bit of luck with favourable fixtures when the league splits next month.
In the meantime Clarkes men must turn all attention to Ross County at Rugby Park on Tuesday night in which is surely a must not lose. With County off the back of a 3-0 loss to bottom placed United it’s all to play for.

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Europa League round of 16 draw

05:25:00 Unknown 0 Comments

The last 16 Europa league draw threw up some interesting ties that certainly neutrals will be happy with. The two stand out ties in my view are Dortmund v Spurs and of course the old enemies Liverpool playing Manchester United. Another interesting tie is an all-Spanish 

Athletic Bilbao and Valencia, the two are also due to meet this weekend in La Liga.
Fenerbache and Braga will both feel they have a great opportunity of making the last 8 with two of probably the weaker teams in the last 16 draw facing each other. Villarreal who knocked out the tournament favourites Napoli last night have a tricky couple of games against Bayern Leverkusen who will be a very tough test.

I expect some really enjoyable games from these fixtures and perhaps even an upset or two. I feel Spurs have a genuine chance against Dortmund in a fixture that wouldn’t look out of place in the Champions league given the quality of the sides. Mo Po has Spurs playing some great energetic high pressing football with a nucleus of youth that seem to have no fear and are showing no signs of slowing down in their busy fixture list.

So the sides I’m tipping to progress to the quarter finals are Shakhtar Donesk, Seville, Villarreal, Manchester United, Lazio, Spurs and Braga. As with all cup competitions and especially tournaments with a format that include the away goal rule, you just never know what might happen, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this round producing extra time and penalty kicks considering how closely matched some of the teams are.


Shaktar Donesk v Anderlecht
Basel v Sevilla
Villarreal v Bayern Leverkusen
Athletic Bilbao v Valencia
Liverpool v Manchester United
Sparta Prague v Lazio
Dortmund v Tottenham
Fenerbahche v Braga

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Scottish Junior Cup Quarter Final Draw

09:36:00 Unknown 0 Comments

The past two Scottish Cup winners are paired together in the pick of the ties. The match will be played at Blair park, date is tbc.

The draw in full

Beith v Arthurlie
Kilwinning Rangers v Camelon/Kelty
Hurlford United v Auchinleck Talbot
Pollock v Kilbirnie Ladeside


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Job Vacancy at Newport County

09:06:00 Unknown 0 Comments

Newport County AFC are looking for a Finance Manager to join the Club’s management team, catering for the day-to-day requirements of the business.
The ideal candidate should be proficient with the Club’s accounting software, performing general accounting tasks to suit the needs of the business.  Furthermore, we are looking for someone with the ability and drive to focus on financial aspects of all departments within the business with a view to generating additional revenue and making appropriate cost savings.

The closing date for all applications will beFriday 4th March 2016.  All applications to include a CV and covering letter should be directed to accounts@newport-county.co.uk.




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La Liga clubs show their superiority

07:29:00 Unknown 0 Comments


 6 La Liga clubs participating in European competitions won their first leg ties over the past 2 weeks and Athletico Madrid drew 0-0. This underlining the fact that La Liga is the strongest league in Europe (and not just according to UEFA coefficient ranking). Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona all won away from home while Villarreal, Valencia and Seville recorded impressive home wins. Before I go into the Spanish games individually, I have to say that I really enjoyed the Europa League and Champions league first leg ties, the quality of the teams in both competitions is high and the games were full of both quality and excitement which can at times understandably be absent in cagey first leg games.
AS Roma 0 – 2 Real Madrid
Roma started without their most natural goal threat Edin Dzeko in favour of packing the midfield with numbers and energy. The Italians biggest threat throughout the night was the former Chelsea players Salah who’s pace did cause problems for Madrid’s right back Danni Carvajal and right sided centre back Sergio Ramos. With Roma opting for legs over experience by leaving veterans De Rossi and Totti on the bench, their game plan did work as they dropped off as Madrid as expected dominated positions. Although they were retaining and recycling the ball effectively the effectiveness of their probing was limited with Marcelo arguably their most creating attacking force. Second half Roma tried to play further forward and exert pressure on the ball but were undone just before the hour mark as Ronaldo got in behind their back line and scored after much unfair criticism regarding him not scoring in 4 consecutive away games. Madrid’s academy graduate Jesse added a second minutes before the end, taking advantage of some awful defending as the Roma back 4 backed off and backed off before Jesse drove the ball low into the far corner.
Valencia 6- 0 Rapid Wien
Garry Neville made several changes from the team that helped him secure his first La Liga victory just days before the game. In all honesty this game was a non-contest with Valencia proving far too strong for the Austrian League leaders, being 5-0 up in 35mins. Rapid Vienna boss Zoran Barisic substituted his experienced captain Steffen Hoffman before half time, I suppose he was making a point to his players that the performance was not acceptable, but to be honest he could have given any one of the 11 players the hook with some justification. A combination of Rapid being more solid after the break and Valencia mercifully taking their foot of the gas, meant they added just one more goal to the rout.
Arsenal 0- 2 Barcelona
Although Barcelona dominated possession and dictated the tempo of the game at the Emiretes, I’m giving special praise to Arsene Wenger for in my opinion getting his tactics spot on. Arsenal defended narrow, closed the space in the right areas, dropped off in the right areas and were mostly comfortable in the first half. Second half was more of the same from Wengers men and but for a couple of lapses in concentration from their German captain they may have got a result. The difficulty with playing at team like Barcelona is that as soon as you move your defensive and midfield lines forward your vulnerable to the incredible pace and precision at which they can break with. I don't give Arsenal a chance in the return leg.
Elsewhere Villarreal beat tournament favorites Napoli 1-0 in a close game which could have gone either way, this tie is too close to call and is perfectly poised. Seville who seems to be winning the Europa league more times than you can keep count, will consider themselves to have one foot in the last 16 with a comprehensive win over Ole Solskjaer's FK Molde.




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