Tag Archives: bolton

ten words or less #52

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Bolton's Fabrice Muamba

it’s alright fabrice, some dust blew into my eyes just prior kickoff too.

With the European season winding down, high drama is in overtime with all of the various plot lines around the world of football starting to reach their conclusions. The title race, the war for the Champions League places and the relegation scrap are all reaching fever pitch entering the last two weeks of the season in the Premier League. Montpellier, just a few matches away from claiming their first ever Ligue 1 title, spectacularly lost their cool and will now be without captain Younes Belhanda for the rest of campaign through suspension. Real Madrid even bagged their first La Liga title in four years, prompting celebrations in the Spanish capital that thousands of toddlers around Spain had never seen before.

That’s not even including all of the transfer speculation heating up… lucky you, I’m not going to even broach that subject today. Instead, I provide you these ten links in less than 100 words to get your weekend off to a roaring start.

Muamba’s return to the Reebok… tugs at the heart-strings. – news.sky.com

A clever bit of “Barça Iconography”: their own Holy Trinity. – twitter/#/Paul_Morrissey

Why I live on the wrong side of the pond. – deadspin.com

Ironically, a great thread arguing how American soccer actually is.
- reddit.com/user/botron

Someone lock this man in a hotel room, too. – kickette.com

Like the soap opera Dreamteam, except it’s a real team. – dirtytackle.net

Guess which of these gimmicky products I formerly owned. – theclassical.org

The Rust Belt Derby… a non-manufactured, organic rivalry. – soccernews.com

Why Woy is the wight man fow the job. – zonalmarking.net

If WSOTP had an office, this would hang there. – kckrs.com

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handle with care

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Everyone knows that players aren’t invincible. Nearly every match you watch will feature at least one player limping/strechered off with some sort of injury, and a quick glance at the weekly physio report from around the Premier League will confirm as much. Some are severe, requiring lengthy rehabilitation spells, while others are simple knocks that only keep them out of action for the rest of the match.

Aston Villa Support Stan Petrov

before this season, you didn't often hear of players having major medical issues. this year, they're damn near omnipresent.

Oddly though, these expected injuries seem to enrage us. How can they get hurt so often, when it’s their job to stay fit?

This unrealistic expectation normally boils to the surface whenever a player falls victim to repeated injury blights. Think of all the ridicule leveled at Arsenal’s Robin van Persie during his extended and repetitive injury spells over the last few years. Fans and media members alike skewered the Dutchman for glass-like fragility, even throwing him to the wolves when he sought out alternative – albeit an odd alternative — methods for finally getting healthy.

However, injuries that result from playing or occur during training are expected parts of the modern game, especially considering the congested fixture calendars and pre-season tours that players are subjected to these days. Ultimately, they annoy us, but there’s no possible way we can completely eradicate them from the sport.

What isn’t expected, though, are illnesses that fall outside the realm of football. Yes, we’ve grown accustomed to a player picking up an injury from time to time. But the news of a player being diagnosed with potentially life-threatening disease always seems to catch us by surprise. Which is odd, because the same thing happens to us “commoners” all the time.

Modern professionals are already blessed with speed, strength and athleticism that the average fan could only dream of having. With so many perceived “superhuman” qualities, we can be forgiven for believing our on-pitch heroes should also be immune to the ailments that trouble normal folk.

Unfortunately, this season we’ve seen that isn’t exactly the case..

Barcelona's Eric Abidal Scar

abidal had to go under the knife a second time to treat his liver cancer. hopefully they at least gave him a matching scar on the right... you know, because aesthetics are important.

Milan’s Antonio Cassano suffered a stroke on a return flight after a match, thanks to a small hole found in his heart. Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher was diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease, which has kept him out of action since November. Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov was unexpectedly forced to retire from the game after he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. Barcelona’s Éric Abidal had to have a liver transplant last week after it was determined that an earlier surgery to remove a tumor was unsuccessful. Fabrice Muamba’s heart stopped and didn’t beat on its own for over an hour after he collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch.  And then just last week there was the tragic passing of Livorno’s Piermario Morosini, who also suffered a massive heart attack mid-match.

With such a high number of major medical problems plaguing the game in such a short time span, you can’t help but suddenly feel alarmed for the players. You wonder things like “Is playing soccer make an inherently dangerous to a player’s health?” I mean I still play a significant amount myself, so in the interest in self-preservation, I should also probably ask “Am I at risk?”

Luckily, the players are asking themselves the same questions.

The day after Muamba’s cardiac arrest, the entire Tottenham playing staff demanded to have heart evaluations. A natural response given the circumstances, though it was alarming to learn that such exams aren’t regular requirements for professional players. Considering how much is invested in them, you would’ve thought that the clubs would want to protect those investments a little more proactively. But in most cases — outside of the medical conducted upon a player’s initial signing — they’re rarely ever put through any cardiac testing or check-ups. Which is even more odd, because this isn’t a new battle that players have just recently begun to fight.

Former Manchester City and Lyon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died on pitch during the Confederations Cup in 2003. Sevilla winger Antonio Puerta died three days after a series of on field heart attacks in 2007, and was followed several months later by Motherwell skipper Phil O’Donnell. Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque was also lost to a heart attack, though his occurred after hours during preseason in 2009. There have been some near misses, too. Rubén de la Red, a promising Real Madrid prospect, was forced to retire two years ago thanks to a heart condition that saw him collapse during a 2008 Copa del Rey match. Or how about young Belgian Anthony Van Loo being shocked back to life by his implanted defibrillator in this shocking 2009 video:

Look, we all know that playing the beautiful game is a physically taxing activity, and that it puts increased strain on our hearts and lungs. For most of us it’s a good thing, and we could probably all stand to get more of that kind of activity. But for the professionals that are out there each day in training and match days, that can be a lot of cumulative stress.  Darren Fletcher’s bowel issues are also thought to be the partially cause of stress — both physical and emotional — and could necessitate surgery to remove his colon. I’m no doctor, but I would have to think that the prevalence of such traumatic health problems should at least be cause for looking into the how stress is affecting players’ bodies.

The general assumption is that players are stretched too thin due to the number of games the modern game demands. Ideally, we would roll back the number of games they’re expected play. But in a world where the thirst for top flight football is growing exponentially — meaning there’s money to be made if matches are played — that’s not remotely possible.

Even if we’re not going to be rolling back the playing time expectations, I think an important Plan B would be for clubs to at least take a greater interest in the health of their players. If regular exams and physicals aren’t the norm, they should be. You would expect that regular heart screenings, stress tests, and general physical exams would be the bare essentials for a sport where fitness is so pivotal. And while it’s highly unlikely that Abidal’s or Petrov’s ailments are the result of football-induced stress, perhaps if the players were subjected to more frequent medical screenings, earlier diagnoses could have been made.

Chelsea's Eva Carneiro

i promise that i'm not abdicating more medical presence in football just so i can see more of eva carneiro.

And if all of these are things that do happen on the regular, could someone tell us about it? Otherwise we fans feel like we’re being left in the dark, thinking that the players have to resort to visiting Serbian witch doctors for crackpot placental treatments.

Regardless of the treatment they’re receiving, it’s not all gloom and doom when it comes to player health these days. Muamba was just released from hospital following his extended stay. Post heart surgery, Cassano recently returned to action for Milan and has been given a clean bill of health by his doctors. And even Salvador Cabañas, a player who was shot in the head nearly two years ago, has defied the odds and returned to playing in his native Paraguay.

If nothing else, these small miracles are enough to give courage and strength to those other players currently suffering with such issues. But we also can’t forget that these players are far more fragile than they appear, and major medical procedures are far from an exact science. Quick fixes will do nothing but conceal the problem that lies underneath. Player health needs more attention — plain and simple — and we’ll only have ourselves to blame if another youngster is lost because everyone simply assumes that professional athletes are in prefect health.

perspective

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St. Patrick’s Day, despite its religious roots, is one of the few global secular holidays where almost  everyone celebrates using the same sets of rituals. Yesterday, all around the world millions dressed in green, held parades celebrating gingers and leprechaun, and headed to their favorite pubs to sip inordinate sums of Guinness all in the spirit of celebrating Irish culture. Everyone’s Irish on St. Patty’s Day, as the saying goes.

sometimes it takes extraordinary events to really put things in perspective.

And thanks in large part to the sports’ association with Ireland stateside, soccer suddenly becomes everyone’s second favorite sport on St. Patrick’s. Ireland and Celtic kits are just as much of staples as shamrocks and kilts. As a football fan in America, it’s great because, for once, you won’t get (as many) angry stares for having the bartender change one of the TV’s behind the bar to a match on a Saturday afternoon.

This year’s St. Patty’s celebrations were particularly large due to the holiday being celebrated on a weekend for the first time since 2007, unseasonably warm temperatures, and because of the early tip-offs for NCAA March Madness basketball games. Since the wife and I regularly watch Tottenham matches at one of the only Irish pubs in Northern Cincinnati, we figured we would need to get there extra-early to make sure we got a seat at the bar to watch Spurs’ winnable FA Cup quarterfinal against Bolton. After the match, we had plans to meet up with some of my old high school buddies to continue paying tribute to the 5th century Irish priest.

All said, it seemed the recipe for a great little Saturday.

A full-parking lot awaited us when we arrived an hour and half before the 1:30 pm kickoff, the festivities already in full swing. As you might predict, most weren’t there for the football… but the more the merrier, right? However to our dismay, all of the bar stools that normally lined the bar had been removed to allow for the larger crowds they expected later in the day. Not only did this mean we would have to stand for the next hour and a half to keep our spot at the bar, but we’d also be standing another two hours for the duration of the match too. “At least it’s like a traditional match day pub experience in the UK,” I told my wife, trying to look on the bright side of the development.

But once we settled into our spot, the friendly staff of bartenders we’d gotten to know over the last few years let us know that most of their normal taps had been removed in favor of more “Irish” brews in honor of the holiday. Grrrrrrr… well okay, I probably needed to have a few Guinness on St. Patty’s anyway. Though they did manage to make it up to us a bit, as they made an exception to their limited beverage list rules for the day to get my wife her favored Snakebites… it pays to be regulars.

And while I appreciated that the pub brought in performers to give us some traditional Irish music to get everyone in the Irish spirit, it also meant that we didn’t get hear the match commentary or crowds like we normally would when watching at the Claddagh. Again, another minor annoyance, but we would survive.

So when Bolton scored to take an early 6th minute lead thanks to yet another lapse on a set piece, saying I was on edge doesn’t really cover it. First the stools, then the beer, now this… nothing’s going my way today. Another pint and a 10th minute Kyle Walker equalizer helped to warm my pessimistic outlook, but as the half approached, I still worried. If Tottenham are knocked out by Bolton, this is totally going to ruin the rest of St. Patty’s.

Then just four minutes before the expected half-time whistle, Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba collapsed face down on the pitch.

I didn’t see any contact between the England U-23 international and anyone on Spurs. He’s just milking the clock, mock injury… get on with it kid. But when the first physio sprinted out and tried to flip a convulsing, limp Muamba on to his back, and then the  cameras permanently cut away… we knew something far more serious was unfolding on the White Hart Lane pitch.

even without context, you could tell something bad had happened here.

As I mentioned earlier, the match volume was muted due to the St. Patty’s celebrations, so those of us watching the match had no clue what was happening. However, the images coming through the TV were enough to let us know the gravity of the situation, even without the commentators to clue us in.

A distraught Assou-Ekotto, standing on the periphery of the now large group of physio’s treating Muamba, stood motionless with his gloved hands covering his face. Nigel Reo-Coker crouched close to his downed teammate, a face in shock. Rafa van der Vaart paced anxiously away, his hands locked in prayer. Wanderers’ boss Owen Coyle could be seen wiping tears from his eyes, an action emulated by multitudes of fans on both sides of the divide. Even referee Howard Webb, normally a bastion of calm, was visibly shaken.

By the time the Fabrice was being stretchered off the pitch, the medical staff still performing CPR, we had pieced the evidence together. At the very least he wasn’t breathing, and possibly had suffered a heart attack. The club captains and managers, along with Webb, rightly decided to abandon the match.

bolton's fabrice muamba

hang in there big guy.

Suddenly, all of the petty little things that I thought might ruin my special “holiday” in the lead up to such a tragic event — no places to sit, a lack of match commentary, the bar not having my preferred beer on tap, Tottenham conceding another soft goal — seemed properly insignificant.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that it took a player almost dying on pitch yesterday to make me realize how — in the big scheme of things — this is just a game and that there are more important things in life (sometimes) than which team of eleven men can kick a ball between the other’s sticks.

If one positive thing is to be taken out of all of this, it’s better perspective. Watch this wrenching video of the entire experience and see how the fans of both teams joined together to chant the fallen player’s name. FAAA-BREEEEECE MUUU-AMMMBAAA… like they were willing him back to life. The physios were also showered with the cheers normally reserved for star players, finally proving just how invaluable they actually are in Muamba’s time of need. And Webb was even applauded for calling the match; an honorable reaction to a respectful decision.

As others have said better than I, maybe it takes tragedy to help us, the footballing world, see the light. Here’s hoping that on St. Patty’s Day, Fabrice Muamba picked up a bit of that fabled Luck o’ the Irish I was so concerned with earlier… the boy’s going to need it much more than I.

a winter abroad

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Two months. Eight weeks. Sixty days. It’s not a whole lot of time no matter how you look at it. But it seems to be the magic time span these days, at least for MLS players it seems.

aston villa's robbie keane and everton's landon donovan

by allowing its most prized possessions to go on loan each winter, is MLS playing with fire?

Whether urged on by Klinsmann’s pleas for American players to get more time in competitive playing environments, or spurred on by the past successes of the short-term moves of MLS-bigwigs, the growing fad in American soccer is to get yourself a two-month, winter loan to Europe.

There have been no shortage of temporary moves to Europe this MLS off-season. Of course there have been the hyped moves involving the loans of high-profile players like L.A. Galaxy duo Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane — who have moved to Everton and Aston Villa respectively — and Red Bull’s Thierry Henry return to Arsenal. But there have been lesser heralded moves too, such as West Ham’s move for F.C. Dallas defender George John and L.A.’s Omar Gonzalez heading to Nürnberg.

A number of other players are trialing or training with European sides to gain some experience, and hopefully attract a foreign bid or two. I’ve written a good deal about Brek Shea’s two months with Arsenal, but there have also been shorter training stints for at least fifteen MLS players. That’s included youngster Juan Agudelo at Stuttgart and Liverpool, Robbie Rogers and Kyle Beckermann at Kaiserslautern, and Tim Ream at Bolton and West Brom, just to name a few.

With the temporary moves coming for players all over the MLS spectrum — from established stars to up-and-comers — it’s promising that there appears to be a growing demand for the league’s improving talent pool. It’s a sign Europe’s elite sides are starting to at least consider that we’re a country capable of producing a decent amount of quality players worth having a look over.

However, I do have to wonder if all of these moves are the greatest thing for MLS.

For most of the young players, the moves will end up being nothing more than glamorous learning opportunities. Their goal will be to make the most of the time training with a different class of players, therefore raising their game or at least picking up the habits of higher level professionals. They’ll get the extra competitive football experience that the Jürgs says our country’s set up is lacking, and hopefully they’re return to their MLS clubs with a sharper knowledge of the game, and everyone will be happy.

But while MLS seems content to allow it’s shining gems to go out and grow themselves, it feels like they’re turning a blind eye to the fact that it’s also a great opportunity for the finest young talent in the league to showcase themselves to other, wealthier employers. I mean I can’t imagine a single one of those players not going into those trials/loans/trainings thinking: This is the chance I’ve been waiting for… I better not blow it!

This open door policy has already seen Robbie Rogers turn his brief spell in Germany into a transfer to Leeds United. Tim Ream’s time with Bolton also looks to have paid dividends, as the Wanderers look set to spend their Gary Cahill money on a transfer for the ginger-tinged Red Bulls defender. George John’s loan terms with West Ham have an option to buy if he manages to impress during his two months at Upton Park, so he could be off too.

They’ve got a name for this type of issue: talent drain. And with MLS seemingly giving its blessing for foreign sides to take a free look at their best players, it comes off as them accepting their place as a stepping stone league. This flies in the face of the Commish has stated on several occasions, which is to turn Major League Soccer into one of the preeminent tournaments in the world.

robbie rogers at leeds united

it seems that robbie roger's short term move to europe this winter has paid off... for now at least.

Now maybe MLS does a much better job reinvesting the millions in transfer money they rake in during these sales than I’m giving them credit for, and if that’s the case, I’ll happily eat my words. But in the mean time, I’m going to assume that it’s still a bit of a risky strategy.

And all of that only takes into account the youngsters. What about all of the veteran, star players tacking two months onto their seasons; how can their departures possibly hurt the league?

First, Klinsmann’s desire to see American players securing loans or training spells in Europe is centered on his belief that the MLS season is too short. That does hold true for many players who teams don’t make the playoffs, or exit them early. Problem is, all of the high-profile loans have involved players whose teams made deep playoff runs. Keane and Donovan were both directly involved in the MLS Cup game winning goal. Hell, Keane hasn’t really had a break from training since the beginning of the last European season when he was still with Spurs. So none of them are in a position where they’re lacking for matches or sharpness, especially when you consider that Donovan and Keane are also still logging serious minutes with their respective national teams.

Ultimately, star players being loaned out during the MLS close season does nothing but put extra miles on their valuable legs. And extra miles on (mostly) older legs usually end up leading to one of three outcomes: 1) increased susceptibility to injuries, 2) burnout or 3) both.

Don’t believe me? It’s already happened, twice.

The gigantic risk MLS exposes itself to is best embodied by David Beckham rupturing his Achilles tendon playing for Milan two winters ago. Beckham’s move was supposed to help him earn a place in the following summer’s England World Cup squad — something MLS considered of great benefit at the time — ended up costing the league dearly when he was forced out of the entire MLS season. Regardless of the size of potential media-exposure gains the league would have received from Beck’s participation in South Africa, it was likely dwarfed by the lack of match-day ticket revenue the league missed out on by not having him play.

For those saying “Well that was over two years ago,” this isn’t something that only occurs in the past. As it turns out, MLS has already suffered one winter-loan casualty so far this season. And ironically, it’s not even one of their big guns that’s gone down injured. Instead, it was L.A. Galaxy’s Omar Gonzalez, a younger player who should have become a regular feature in the USMNT’s back line in 2012. But thanks to a collision with “American” teammate Timmy Chandler during his first training session after signing a 2-month loan with Nuremberg, the MLS Defender of the Year will now be out for at least the next seven months… a.k.a. most of the upcoming MLS season.

an injured beckham on loan to milan

losing beckham for a season apparently hasn't phased MLS at all. but, will lightening strike twice?

And though the loss of Gonzalez won’t really hit MLS in the pocketbook the way Beckham’s absence did, it will undoubtedly be a big hurdle to overcome in the Galaxy’s defense of their crown. But if MLS end up losing Donovan, Henry and/or Keane to injury during their loan spells, it will hurt them both on the field and off.

Let’s assume the trend of taking MLS players on loan continues to grow next season (I’d be willing to wager that it probably will), the amount of risk they’ll expose themselves to each off-season will go up exponentially. I’m not sure how great of a scenario the league could be getting themselves into unless the think about these types of moves in a bigger picture.

Look, these loans and trials are ultimately a good thing if they lead to the development of better American players. I’m all for them leading to more American players playing in more competitive leagues in Europe, and the added benefit we could see from the increased levels of experience. But I want to make sure that such moves aren’t undercutting MLS’s mission and efforts to develop better American players. We need to protect the investments we’ve made so far, and that protection requires a wide variety of issues to consider. Here’s hoping MLS and US Soccer did their homework before allowing this policy to become more common place.

In the mean time, we can’t do anything other than sit back and see how this season’s off-season MLS moves shift out. Obviously, I’m hoping that nothing but great news. Trust me when I say that there is nothing I want less than for me to look back in two months and say “I told you so.”

transfer madness

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the biggest move of the window involves a soulless traitor and a russian billionaire. i'll let you figure it out from there.

let’s begin this by saying that i will not be making this post an up-to-the-minute, one-stop-shop, complete directory for all of the transfers and rumors that will be spilling out of the media outlets today. this is still a one man show, and i certainly don’t have the patience or the fortitude to undertake that kind of endeavor. we’ll leave that to the big boys. oh yeah, and i’m at work (please don’t tell my boss, ok?!).

but, i figured you might find it entertaining to read my thoughts, and those of some friends, as the news comes across the wire.

  • 6:26pm EST: jozy altidore on the move again (about as shocking as dos santos), this time loaned to levante. maybe this time he’ll get a chance, or not squander one.
  • 5:50pm EST: seeing that giovanni dos santos has been loaned out again by spurs; just another january for the youngster. also, harry has had a second bid for everton’s phil neville rejected and i’m just fine with that from a personal standpoint.
  • 4:14pm EST: laregly dead in the transfer market over the last year, chelsea have certainly sprung to life today! maybe abromovic is feeling fiscally  inadequate after being shown up in the last few transfer windows by man city!  despite already forking out £45+ million for torres, they have also somehow resurrected their move for benfica’s highly rated david luiz. though the £25 million-rated luiz is likely to be used as a centerback, he is more than capable of playing on the left as well. perhaps this is foreshadowing ashley cole’s departure to real madrid in the summer?
  • 3:52pm EST: again, i find myself rooting for bolton. blah. anyway, i’m actually pulling for the wanderers to nab chelsea’s daniel sturridge on loan. the young striker has huuuuge upside, and i think he’d flourish in bolton’s quasi-free flowing attack under owen coy’s tutelage.
  • 3:29pm EST: remember the nigerian midget that scored all of those goals for newcastle a few years ago? he’s coming back to england, as birmingham have opted against a pricy robbie kean and have instead picked up obafemi martins on a 6 month loan from rubin kazan. my guess is the nigerian is really looking forward to england’s comparably “tropical climate” after spending the last year and a half in russia.
  • 3:08pm EST: just noticed that stoke have sold tuncay to wolfsburg. 1) i thought that guy was like 40 years old, and feel dumb realizing he’s only 29. 2) i didn’t realize anyone was still interested in signing players that everyone thinks are 40… oh wait, it’s steve mcclaren. now i get it.
  • 2:15pm EST: another USMNT member’s move to england has been been finalized, with former real salt lake striker robbie findley finally receiving his work permit to join nottingham forest. i actually really like this move for findley, as the championship contenders are on the rise and will provide him with a great environment to test himself as the club push for promotion to the promised land.
  • 2:02pm EST: allow me to clarify my statement about hating torres. he’s played nearly this whole season completely indifferent, after the kop stood behind him when he obviously fake-pledged his commitment to the club after the world cup. then he puts in a transfer request 3 days before the end of the window. if it weren’t for the fact that liverpool will never get more for him now than they ever would again, i’d say let him rot in the reserves before selling him the summer. i like the guy before all of this, and honestly felt bad for him while he suffered through liverpool’s downward spiral. now i hope he blows his groin up again on his debut at stamford bridge.
  • 2:01pm EST: shit has hit the fan, as liverpool have accepted a bid from chelsea for torres. i now hate him.
  • 12:35pm EST: my buddy milky just skyped me from china, basically trumpeting that liverpool are on their way back to being title challengers thanks to the carroll signing. as he put it, “we’ve got the meanest strike partnership in england now: suarez bites people, and carroll beats women. with king kenny leading the way, we’ll be unstoppable!”
  • 12:31pm EST: well, the andy carroll saga has come to an end, and sadly (i think!?) it’s not going to end in north london. newcastle’s shrewd business mentality has won them an extra £5 million from liverpool, who must be looking for a replacement for a “possibly” departing striker.
  • 9:38am EST: michael bradley is definitely heading to england, and not turkey. after apparently almost boarding a plane to sign with galatasary, it appears that son of i-robot will be plying his trade with darren bent at aston villa. with fellow yanks friedel and lichaj in the ranks, hopefully he’ll adjust to life quickly. whether or not he can find a spot in the squad, i have my concerns.
  • 9:19am EST: charlie adam would be a great signing for liverpool, as it would finally give them someone to replace xabi alonso with. whether or not the red’s fork out enough to convince holloway to let his most vital cog go, that’s another question all together. two bids already rejected make me think no.
  • 9:13am EST: tottenham have been linked with every striker in europe today, at least that’s what it feels like. in order, here’s how i rank all of the prospects, in order. take this all with a grain of salt though: i’m definitely expecting the same three strikers to be at the club tomorrow that are here today.
    • luis fabiano: speed, strength, and creative. dynamic finisher. i want him most of all of them.
    • diego forlán: my second choice by a narrow margin, but behind fabiano due to his old age (31) and poor strike rate while at manchester united a few years back. however, his goal tallies at the world cup and in spain the last few years make him an ideal spot.
    • fernando llorente: strength and size, with the ability to play some tiki taka. would be ideal for bale crosses, but would require lennon to learn how to do that. too bad athletic bilbao won’t sell until the summer, when madrid will likely snatch him up.
    • andy carroll: a sllightly more brute and less skilled version of llorente, but with premier league experience. i’m also concerned he could be a flash in the pan.
    • giuseppe rossi: a younger, more creative defoe. though i don’t think he gives us another dimension.
    • sergio agüero: i think he’s overrated, and his height is concerning. i feel like he doesn’t bring enough to the table for a team that likes to play down the flanks. plus he signed a new contract with atlético today.
  • 8:51am EST: in my opinion, newcastle are playing an interesting game with andy carroll. they saw how much dzeko went for (£32 million at age of 24), and they saw how much bent went for (£22 million at age of 26), so the precedent has already been set for strikers this window. carroll is 22, a physical freak, and has some experience plundering goals in the premier league… so his upside is pretty big. now, are any of these players really worth this much money… no. but i think the geordies are being fairly shrewd businessmen. whether or not he goes to liverpool is another issue altogether.

ten words or less #12

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for your benefit and mine, i will be limiting myself to only ten words on this event.

it’s been ten days of mixed emotions here at wrong side of the pond. while i’m obviously elated at spurs incredible displays during this time, the roller coaster ride prior to both dramatic final whistles makes me wonder how i didn’t suffer a heart attack. (tangent alert: i feel like the lillywhites are a shiny new redracer wagon that some neighborhood kid is speeding down the hill far too fast, the wheels just about to fall off, with only a few more exhilirating moments that will ultimately end in a heaping pile of disaster at the bottom of the hill. end tangent).

then of course there’s what happened in monday’s game in spain… actually i’ve decided i’m not going to talk much about el clásico. you can thank me later for sparing you an extra 2,000 words or so.

instead, i’ll give you less than 80. you’re welcome.

let’s get this over with: diagraming an epic ass kicking. – zonalmarking.com

this makes me laugh. a lot. – reddit.com/r/soccer

i want this for christmas. – inbedwithmaradona.com

conceding keeper deserves to be slapped. – sportpost.com

this is a realistic possibility for tomorrow. – studsup.com

on-field shart during the world cup? worst nightmare ever. – youtube.com

additional arshavin awesomeness. – dirty tackle @ yahoo.com

this is why bolton are doing so well this year? – thespoiler.co.uk

an eye to the future

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i made a decision today, and that decision is to quit being upset with USSF and sunil gulati for bringing back bob bradley.

talents like omar salgado need to be nurtured into our next national team stars.

my problems with bob as the USMNT manager are well documented, though he’s done an admirable job at the last two major tournaments. however, being the smartest retard in our group this past summer isn’t exactly something to be trumpeting either, and his true colors shown through in  the round of 16 versus ghana.

but as the saying goes, there’s no sense in crying over spilt milk (spilt beer, however, is perfectly acceptable to cry over).

so moving forward, i’m not going to bitch about bob being given another world cup cycle at the helm of our stagnant national team. i’m going to ignore the fact that we haven’t learned our lessons from this in the past (bruce arena in 2006 ring a bell?), or the fact that there were some high profile tacticians we should have hired instead (martin o’neill and jurgen klinsmann). there’s nothing i can do about it, so moving on is really the only option i’ve got.

instead, i’ll shift my thoughts to my other concern about our national team… how do we get better?

obviously, the yanks need some fresh blood in the squad and some young talent needs to be brought into the fold to develop on the international level. we’ve got  too many players in our pool right now that have probably reached their ceiling for potential or will never reach it due to one reason or another (the first name that comes to mind: jonathan spector).

while bradley does have a track record of calling in and giving players their national team bows, actually bringing along new talents and turning them into regulars is a bit of a different story. that needs to change: we’re a country of 300 million people, and among them are a number of fantastic footballers on the rise. who is going to be our first, true #10 on the pitch? who is going to be a real #9? (if jozy altidore is standing, someone try to make him sit back down).

so which players would i like to see more of this cycle? i thought you would never ask.

jermaine jones (m – schalke)
ok, so this first one i’m cheating pn a bit for several reasons. first off, jermaine has hardly ever lived in this country and wasn’t even born here. secondly, he’s been on everyone’s radar for quite a while, and would have made the world cup squad had he not been recovering from an a year long injury nightmare. either way, jones’ 3 call-ups to the german national team are reason alone to justify that the 28 year old should be a regular starter. his performance against poland for his first USMNT cap earned him universal praise (well, as “universal” of praise as an american player can actually get). however, let’s keep in mind that at his age he is not exactly a long-term solution. however, tutelage can’t be overrated either.

 

 

lichaj has been testing his mettle at aston villa for several years.

eric lichaj (d – aston villa)
in the few opportunities that i’ve had to see the youngster play for the villans, he has been fairly impressive. though, he hasn’t exactly lit the field on fire either. but that’s the point with a quality defender, right? and while earning his first cap against columbia, he he also proved that he has the ability to get into the attack a bit too. the fact that martin o’neill rated him highly enough to bring him into a squad rich with defending talent should also say something about his abilities. at this point, i would much rather have lichaj as cherundulo’s heir apparent at right back than spector.

omar salgado (f – c.d. guadalajara)
at the opposite end of the age spectrum is 16-year-old salgado,  formerly of chivas de guadalajara. the tall forward signed a contract with MLS back in july on the same day he made his debut for the u-20 national team. oh, and he scored a goal that day too. more of a diamond in the rough at the moment, omar is a player with tremendous upside.

robbie rogers (m – columbus crew)
flair. honestly, we need more of it. rogers has a bit of it stashed away in his boots. see where this is going? rogers is definitely still a work in progress, but he has also shown flashes of brilliance during the few matches he saw in the run up to south africa. i would imagine that, given time, he could develop into a prominent figure on the wing for the yanks in years to come.

justin braun (f – chivas usa)
size is something our country tends to lack in the front. we’ve got a slew of developing wide players in the team or coming through, but nobody of a larger stature to sling it in to in the air. and while braun was playing sunday league ball two years ago (does this mean there is hope for me!?!?!), his rapid development in l.a. should be further nurtured at the national team level. if we can ever convince jozy to actually work to get open as a target man, i could see a tall player like braun being the perfect end outlet on balls altidore could work out to the wings. or maybe he’ll be the next kenny cooper.

stuart holden (m – bolton wanderers)
if a guy can make me start to like bolton, then there’s gotta be something special about him. stu has been a favorite of mine since his houston dynamo days, and his inclusion in this summer’s squad was likely a move to give him more experience for this next cycle. calm and collected on the ball and also an excellent distributer, holden is a big part of bolton’s revival under owen coyle. let’s be serious here: any player holding down a starting spot in the EPL should be a shoe in for our national team. in fact, i’m making that a rule from here on out.

josé francisco torres (m – pachuca)
i’m not getting off his train yet, despite a poor single showing at the world cup this summer. i’m convinced that this is a player that needs more opportunities in a US shirt. just like rogers, torres offers a flair and creativity that is often lacking in our national side.

some other boys to consider, that i have less clearly defined thoughts about:

  • omar gonzalez (d – l.a. galaxy)
  • ale bedoya (m - örebro)
  • robbie findley (f – real salt lake)
  • gale agbossoumonde (d – miami f.c.)
  • danny mwanga (f – philadelphia union)

i’ve got a confession…

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I’ve got a secret to tell, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Okay? Good. You see, I think I’m starting to like Bolton.

(I’ll pause here for a minute to allow you to compose yourself. Take your time, I know how shocking this statement is.)

damnit stu... this is what happens when an american signs with bolton.

I’ve never liked the Trotters. I can’t remember a year when they were in the relegation race — let’s be honest, they’ve been in a few — and I didn’t say to myself, “I’d be alright if Bolton go down.” In fact, it was probably more like, “I want Bolton to go down.”

So why have I hated the Wanderers so much to this point? I can easily link most of my bad sentiments towards the club to two people: Sam Allardyce and Ivan Campo.

I don’t need to do much explaining for my disdain of Big Sam, as he’s recently been pouring gasoline all over the fire that is his idiocy. Plainly put, the guy clearly thinks he’s a top level manager, but his results and his teams’ ugly style of play clearly show he’s not. That said, I have found him to be immensely entertaining the last few weeks due to his diarrhea of the mouth. (the The best column to date on the topic labels him the “Sarah Palin of football”… brilliant.

Then there’s the fat Spanish gnome, Iván Campo. This guy has rubbed me the wrong way for ages, and I even hated him when he was playing for Real Madrid. Even going all the way back to those days, he was still a fat, lazy dirtball. He was just as prone to be found napping around midfield as he was to taking out your best players legs. And he’s ugly. Mature? No. Accurate? Yes.

Other than those two, I just haven’t liked the way the club have played the last few years. They’ve been a dirty team that’s prone to playing super direct, traditionally English soccer. Knock it long, lose it, knock the other team, take the ball back, repeat.

Throw in Owen Coyle’s traitorous move to the Reebok Stadium from Burnley (whom he had guided so far, and clearly crushed when he left), and I really felt like we were well on our way to yet another season where I despised them.

But then a funny thing happened. Coyle slowly started morphing the team into a slightly better Burnley.

Just look at what he’s done in his short time there. He was given access to virtually no transfer kitty, though picking up Martin Petrov on a free from Manchester City was brilliant (Though I initially questioned Citeh‘s reasoning for letting him go, the recent play of James Milner and Adam Johnson reminded me). But for the most part, old snaggletooth Owen has been forced to make due with the players at his disposal.

In addition to getting more out of his men than previous gaffer Gary Megson ever did, Coyle has also had a noticeable impact on the team’s style of play. Mostly gone are the days of completely direct, brutish football that “prospered” under Megson and Allardyce. Instead, Coyle has gotten his men to play the ball on the ground a bit. While they’re not playing tiki-taka like Barcelona or anything, it’s nice to see them move the ball around more methodically and purpose for a change.

i guess i can forgive coyle for heading back to his old club... as long as he doesn't wear those shorts again.

A string of good results has resulted. Aside from the 1-4 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal, they’ve taken points from the games they should, and stolen a point against a team they shouldn’t. This is a noticeably different trait than their previous habit of dropping points against… well, pretty much everyone.

And while many would have suspected that losing out on a second loan spell for Arsenal starlet jack Wilshire would have spelled grim and doom for the Wanderers, Coyle’s put his faith in the most unlikely of replacements…. the young yank, Stuart Holden.

Stu has been a revelation this season for Bolton and has easily been one of their standout performers; even the Trotter faithful are in agreement on this front. While he’s no Wilshire by any stretch, Holden is also rapidly developing and showing potential shades of being a star player. Without a doubt, Stu’s presence on the pitch has been a component in their new style of play. And he’s already proving to be more creative than big club players in a similar role such as Liverpool’s Lucas or Manchester United’s Anderson.

And if nothing else, you want to root for a team one of our boys is playing for… right?

However you might feel about it, I think Bolton have so far this season proven they are worth giving a second chance. While I’m not expecting them to go skipping through the league, knocking off Chelsea and running off with Tottenham’s Champions League place, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish in the top half of the table either. I’ll root for them this year, if nothing else.

Now whatever you do, just don’t tell anyone I said that.

revisiting “boarding passes, please”

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way back in january, i wrote the longest blog post i’ve ever written outlining who i thought bob bradley would be taking to south africa this summer. i’ve been anxiously awaiting the day bob would finally announce his 23-man roster, just to see how well i would do predicting bob’s simple mind.

the USMNT arrived in south africa on memorial day. it's time to see how accurate i was at picking the 23 guys who would get a ticket back in january.

that day has come and passed.

and guess what? i didn’t do too bad.

though there were some shock exclusions/inclusions, most of which i like much better than i had predicted bob capable of selecting. though i don’t want to go on giving him too much credit at this point. let’s revisit that subject after the world cup.

so let’s get on to evaluating how well i did picking who i thought bob would be giving his boarding passes to. and we may as well re-evaluate the players he chose while we’re at it.

for sure on the plane (8 out of 8 correct)
these were the guys i knew would be in south africa. i would have wagered anything on it… but i didn’t, because i’m an idiot (not that there really are any places to bet on “what eight guys will definitely make the US world cup roster,” are there?). either way, i killed it on this round.

1. CORRECT – landon donovan (f – l.a. galaxy): landycakes has certainly set the stage for himself going into the summer. his loan to everton turned out to be a fantastic move, finally proving himself at the highest level consistently. if he has a good world cup, his price tag will skyrocket and MLS will surely cash in on bidding war that will ensue for his signature in august. so, it’s easy to say that donovan has some lofty expectations to meet. will he be able to handle the pressure? here’s hoping he does.

2. CORRECT - tim howard (gk – everton): having a world class keeper is the best remedy for having a suspect backline. good thing that’s not a problem for the USMNT, right? … RIGHT?!?!

3. CORRECT - jozy altidore (f – villareal): my worries persist about altidore. he didn’t get any regular time at with one of the worst premier league teams this season. though he showed some flashes of brilliance, they were very quick flashes and few and far between. i still doubt he’ll ever be able to play a full 90, and he can’t be in that great a form if he wasn’t breaking into relegated hull city’s line-up. he’ll be a starter on june 12th, but will he do anything productive. probably not (yes, that is a challenge jozy. prove. me. wrong.)

4. CORRECT - carlos bocanegra (d – rennes): chuck. what an enigma. captain of the USMNT, regular in europe. but we just can’t ever seem to play him in his best position: left back. if they would play him there instead of the center, then we wouldn’t have to freak out anymore about whose playing on the left flank. we have plenty of quality center backs bobby; please play bocanegra where he belongs. oh, and let’s hope he is fully fit come the england game.

5. CORRECT - michael bradley (m – borussia mönchengladbach): the coach is bringing his kid along, and just like every national pool players’ parents’ worst nightmare, i’m sure they’re all thinking that the coaches kid will get the favoritism. while a case could be argued for this when mike was brought into the national team fold a few years ago, it definitely isn’t the case any longer. bradley deserves to be here. let’s just hope he can keep a level head for the next few weeks.

6. CORRECT - jay demerit (d – watford): if he can shake the injury bug that he’s had over the last year, i want to see jay starting at centerback next to onyewu. that way we can play bocanegra at his natural left back.

7. CORRECT - jonathan spector (d – west ham): pencil him in as the starting right back (though he could face some competition from steve cherundulo), but it’s possible we could see him on the left too. let’s hope he remembers to bring his consistency boots too.

8. CORRECT - brad guzan (gk – aston villa): back up (to another retired american) at aston villa, back up for the national team. poor guy will probably never get to play.

don’t have my pass yet, but pretty sure i’m getting one (8 out of 8 correct)
i must have been taking my genius pills still at this point, because i nailed this round too. don’t worry, this won’t become a trend.

9. CORRECT - oguchi onyewu (d – a.c. milan): gooch proved his fitness  after the horrific torn patellar tendon that he suffered in the USMNT’s last world cup qualifier. the question that remains though is whether or not he can play at the same level he played at in last summer’s confederations cup. if not, the yanks are in trouble.

10. CORRECT - clint dempsey (m – fulham): deuce came back earlier than anticipated from his partially torn knee ligament, even contributing in fulham’s late season run to the europa league final (including this STUNNING goal against  juventus at craven cottage). promising news for a team that needs good injury news.

11. CORRECT - ricardo clark (m – eintracht frankfurt): finding regular time at the end of the bundesliga season was key to clark making the final 23, and he’ll be in tight competition with michael bradley for the starting defensive midfield slot on june 12th.

12. CORRECT - stuart holden (m – bolton): i’m glad stu made the team, especially after he cracked into bolton’s squad towards the end of the english season. i was worried he wouldn’t see the minutes after his leg break a few months back. his creativity and consistency are in demand with this roster, and i’d love to see him make the starting 11 against england.

13. CORRECT - jonathan bornstein (d – chivas usa): just as i predicted, the mexijew made the squad simply because we had to bring in another true left back. and hopefully he’ll only play because we’ve gotten to plan C, D or E due to injuries. or if we’re up by two goals against england and we bring him on for a forward… but hopefully not even then.

14. CORRECT - steve cherundulo (d – hannover 96): he’s healthy, and has loads of experience in europe and internationally, but he still can’t get in front of spector. but if spector catches one of his patented cold-streaks, expect steve to steal back the spot.

15. CORRECT - benny feilhaber (m – agf aarhus): not the danish-based player i would have liked to see make the final roster (cough, rolfe), and not exactly the beset player the USMNT have at their disposal. but he’s got the experience and bob’s confidence. let’s just hope he ends up keeping bornstein company on the bench.

16. CORRECT - maurice edu (m – rangers): edu played great for rangers down the stretch this season, and his reward was earning back the national team spot he hadn’t occupied in nearly 9 months due to a knee injury. should be a starter, but that’s only if bob can see beyond benny.

yeah, i think so, but… (4 out of 7)
here’s where it fell apart for me. but that’s to be expected, as these guys are pretty much the fringe players in the squad. like i said earlier though, bob surprised me with some of his picks in this space, in a good way (for now at least).

17. WRONG – connor casey (f – colorado rapids) edson buddle (f – l.a. galaxy): saying that i am stoked that casey didn’t make the roster is an understatement. but there is no way that i could have predicted that buddle would have made this team. who would have known that he would have caught fire this MLS season? certainly not me, and certainly not anyone else back in january. i hope he can keep up the good form, because we certainly don’t have many other forwards with impressive goal scoring credentials lately.

18. CORRECT - jose francisco torres (m – pachuca): miracles do happen, and torres is proof of that. i didn’t think that there was a chance in hell that bob would pick him. now that he’s made the team, my thought process is, “i doubt bob will use him.” if he does though, i would not be surprised to see torres involved in something awesome.

19. CORRECT - demarcus beasley (m – unattached): despite rangers not extending his deal, lazarus has risen from the dead and has reclaimed his national team spot. after last summer’s performance in south africa, i thought for sure he was done. i still think that bob doesn’t quite trust him anymore though, and would be surprised to see him get tons of time in june. and if we play him on the flank in the back again, i might actually fly to south africa to and beat bob silly.

20. CORRECT - marcus hahnemann (gk – wolverhampton wanderers): edged out troy perkins, as he should have. not much to say here, other than it will take a weird sequence of events to actually get to see the wolves shot blocker get the nod in south africa.

21. CORRECT - clarence goodson (d – start): i felt like i was going out on a limb to call this one back in january, and my how well that worked out for me. he’ll provide solid cover in the center of defense in the event that we have any major injury problems.

i certainly wasn't expecting a former MLS journeyman to make the final 23. gomez's good form has made me look silly.

22. WRONG - edgar castillo (m – tigres) herculez gomez (f – pachuca): looks like i picked the wrong mexican player for this spot, and i’m not surprised i didn’t see this one coming either. gomez has been in stellar form in mexico this season, and we needed to bring another forward in good form if charlie davies wasn’t passed fit.

23. WRONG – charlie davies (f – sochaux) robbie findlay (f – real salt lake): i don’t need to reiterate why i wasn’t surprised to see charlie not make the squad, but i’m still upset that he won’t be in south africa. will findlay and castillo be able to fill davies’ growing empty shoes? i don’t know. but they need to, because jozy doesn’t look to be prolific at anything aside from headbutting people.

final tally: 20 out of 23 players picked correctly.
so overall, i was pretty pleased with myself on picking this roster. do i like all of the picks? no, not really. but could they really have brought in anyone else (aside from davies or rolfe… both of whom are hurt) that would have been major improvements? no, not really.

no sense in getting all worked up either way, at this point at least. let’s see how bob uses the 23 guys at his disposal, then we can start kicking and screaming. until  then, let’s support out boys and hope that my hired snipers can pick bob off before the 12th.

round up #14

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turmoil in the world of football (postponements like i’ve never seen in england, the togo bus shooting, liverpool’s bumbling boardroom idiots, etc.) has left me debating what i should write my next long article about. it’s like i can’t get my head wrapped around something before another major story breaks.

oh well, it could be worse. at least there’s plenty to write about, right? so while i finish my mental debate on what my next main course post will be for you, i’ll give you an appetizer sampler of some of the interesting links i’ve dug up in the last week or so.

want to know when you should add glen johnson back to your fantasy team? well honestly, you shouldn't have a single scouser on your team at all.

english premier league injury table – physioroom.com
if you’re like me, you spend far too much time obsessing over your fantasy premier league team. who should i start in goal? should i drop anyone that plays for liverpool? so on and so forth. but the one thing that always seems to be at the top of my fantasy concerns is when my injured “star players” will be returning from injuries. it’s always a risky venture to drop an injured fabregas/rooney/gerrard/etc. as they produce so many points when healthy, and they’re very difficult to reacquire due to their ever raising prices. but if they’re out for a fortnight instead of just a game, would it be worth me picking up players that will give me more points than my subs?

well, i can’t answer that question for you. but i can provide you with this lovely link. physioroom.com has a team by team analysis of every single first team player that is injured, complete with the type of injury and an expected return date. i’ve been searching for this type of website for ages, as is the best way to keep an eye on when big names will be returning for action. why i’m sharing this, giving my competitors one of my more useful fantasy tools, i don’t know.

USSF launches new second division – soccerbyives.com
the u.s. soccer community just dodged another potentially fatal bullet, after it was announced that the USSF has finally sanctioned a second tier league. before the new year, the governing body rejected applications from both the entrenched USL and the newly formed NASL  for second division status. the new, temporary solution sees the USSF overseeing a two conference league representing each league. each conference will lose a team to MLS in the 2011 season (portland and vancouver), to be replaced with expansion squads the following year (atlanta and new york). whether this completely settles the issues that caused the schism between USL and some member clubs ($$$) remains to be seen. however, with the potential for an MLS lockout looking ever more likely, the USSF could not afford another disaster to the reputation of the sport in a world cup year.

micah richards slams snowball in robinho’s face – whoateallthepies.com
i’ve grown to despise robinho over the last few years. i liked the kid when he was at madrid: he showed glimpses of brilliance and looked to be promising down the road. but he never looked to be trying very hard, which always rubbed me the wrong way. when he pined to be sold two summers ago, i was more than okay with his punishment sale to manchester city. his year and a half as a citizen have been more “meh” than “wow,” and he’s continued to grumble for another transfer and make unauthorized returns to brazil. basically he’s turned into a full-fledged, self-entitled, spoiled brat. so when i see his teammate micah richards slam a snowball in his face from less than a foot away, i can’t help but giggle uncontrollably.

"look how awesome i am guys! my snowball is so much bigger than yo... arghrgarahdh!"

while i’m not happy about all of the postponed games in england, this one picture makes all of the snow and ice more than worth it.

arsenal agree to pay bolton fans’ travel costs – bbc.co.uk
the frozen wasteland that is great britain does have some warmth left in it after all. the premier league fixture list has been ravaged by the heavy snowfall and below freezing temperatures as of late, causing the postponement of up to 80% of all fixtures in the isles the last ten days. many of the premier league stadiums worked around the clock to try to keep their scheduled kick-offs from being canceled, though heated pitches and snow crews weren’t able to save a majority of the games. unfortunately for bolton fans, last wednesday’s premier league fixture against the wanderers was called only four hours before kick off, meaning those traveling from the northeast were already well on their way to north london. the arsenal front office then did something few clubs are willing to do: they decided to foot the bill for any travel expenses incurred by traveling bolton fans. this is hardly surprising though, as the gunners are consistently one of the best run clubs in england. it’s nice to see that not every club is “all about the money.”

dennis bergkamp goal, arsenal vs. newcastle – youtube.com
hardly new news, but always worth a mention. as the “lists of the decade” continued to trickle through the media in recent weeks, one of my favorites was the sun’s “top 20 goals of the decade”. sitting rock solid at the top was arguably one of the greatest goals ever scored, if judged on pure creativity at least. the enigmatic dennis bergkamp scored an absolute beauty against newcastle in 2002 at st. james’ park. have a look below, and judge for yourself.