Manchester United
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW - MATCHDAY ONE
The 2008/09 campaign kicked off with the top three from last season all at home, all avoiding defeat. Arsenal set the ball rolling with the lunchtime kick-off against last season’s Championship title winners, West Bromwich Albion. Having been relatively inactive during the summer transfer window, The Gunner’s major signing, Samir Nasri, took just four minutes to introduce himself to The Emirates crowd. A signature flowing move down the left took the ball to the touchline where Denilson cut the ball back to the Frenchman to sweep the ball home. It was to be the only goal of the game but not for lack of Arsenal effort with Albion rarely threatening their host’s.
The defending Champions, Manchester United, found Newcastle United to be unusually obdurate. Missing last season’s golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo, the home side lacked a cutting edge and were taken by surprise when Obefami Martins opened the scoring for the visitors midway through the first half. Such joy was shortlived as United equalised through Darren Fletcher but despite Vidic hitting the bar late on, the Toon Army travelling back to Tyneside with a well-deserved point.
Chelsea on the other hand made light work of Luis Felipe Scolari’s first match in charge, FA Cup winners Portsmouth proving to be lambs to the slaughter. Joe Cole set the ball rolling in their 4 - 0 drubbing of Portsmouth with the opener on twelve minutes, a lead doubled on twenty six when Nicolas Anelka broke his Premier League duck for the season. The end to a contest long viewed as over was confirmed in the final minute of the first half when Frank Lampard converted a penalty. Deco made his debut and scored with two minutes of the match remaining, giving the Chelsea board the style they craved in Scolari’s first match in charge.
New boys Hull City, making their debut in the top flight of English football, entertained Fulham at the KC Stadium. They proved to be the Sunshine Band as they overcame Ki-Hyeon’s eighth minute opener for the visitors through Geovanni midway through the first half and Folan with nine minutes remaining to give The Tigers a 2 - 1 opening day victory.
Performance of the weekend though surely belonged to Blackburn Rovers who scraped a victory at Goodison Park. David Moyes had found it difficult to strengthen his squad during the summer and the lethargy seemed to severely impact Everton as they fell behind to a cracker from David Dunn midway through the first half. Spaniard Mikel Arteta spared blushes by equalising two minutes before the interval and Evertonians believed in a bright new future when Yakubu put them ahead midway through the second half. It was a short-lived joy as Roque Santa Cruz equalised two minutes later with The Toffees coming unstuck as the visitors took three deserved points when Andre Oojer scored with almost the last kick of the ball.
Sunderland entertained Liverpool at the Stadium of Light and despite holding out for eighty-three minutes, they succumbed to Fernando Torres’ first strike of the season. It was a rare bright spot for the Merseysider’s following the summer’s aborted and terminally dull courtship of Gareth Barry, mixed with the interminable in-fighting between their owners, eventually agreeing a truce that will last all of about five minutes. Oh, and Robbie Keane did not score for the first time this season.
Tottenham Hotspur were once again tipped to be the team to break into the cosy cartel of teams in the top four and once again failed abysmally to live up to that expectation, fading almost invisibly to a 1 - 2 defeat at The Riverside. Hosts Middlesbrough took the lead with twenty minutes to go when David Wheater scored, Spurs old boy Mido doubling the advantage with four minutes to go. Indeed, a Tottenham player failed to find the back of the net all afternoon as their goal was down to Robert Huth putting through his own net three minutes into injury time.
Stoke City were many people’s tip to go straight back down to The Championship and set about proving the pundits right with a poor performance at The Reebok. Bolton Wanderers took the lead on thirty-four minutes through Steinsson, Kevin Davies adding a second before the interval. The points were wrapped up in first half injury time when another summer addition to The Trotters squad, Jonas Elmander scored his first goal for the club. Scant consolation was gained when Fuller opened The Potters account for the season with barely a minute of the match remaining.
At Upton Park, Dean Ashton scored twice in the opening ten minutes to give West Ham United an unassailable lead against Wigan Athletic. Zaki pulled one back for the visitors two minutes into the second half as they looked set to struggle during the coming campaign.
Aston Villa met fellow UEFA Cup competitors Manchester City in a pulsating clash at Villa Park, emerging victorious with a 4 - 2 win. Surprisingly it took forty-seven minutes for the opening goal, John Carew for Villa beginning the glut. Elano equalised from the spot just past the hour before Gabi Agbonlahor took over the show, scoring a hat-trick in seven minutes. Corluka’s final goal for City before his protracted move to Tottenham served only as a goodbye gift for the stunned visitors.
Berbatov A Barcelona Target But What Of Eto’o?
Reports in the English media have focussed on the possible transfer of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham to Manchester United. Suppositions were posited that the Premier League champions had agreed a fee in excess of £20m for the Bulgarian international but these have turned out to be false with no price yet agreed between the two clubs.
The move may be forced along apace if United are genuinely interested with Sport, a Spanish daily, reporting that as a result of the negotiations between Tottenham’s North London neighbours, Arsenal and Barcelona having stalled over Emmanuel Adebayor, the Catalans are now turning their attentions to Berbatov.
Once more though Barcelona are hamstrung by the absence of genuine offers for Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroonian is the key to incoming funds despite receiving €19m for Ronaldinho. Eto’o was an early close season target of Juande Ramos but rejected the move at that point on the grounds that Tottenham were not a ‘big’ club. Subsequent to those remarks, Eto’o has been publicly told he is not a major part of the new Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola, plans. The announcement was not unexpected with the triumverate of Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto’o widely believed to a troublesome clique for former boss, Frank Rijkaard.
Guardiola has performed a small u-turn by confirming that any of them that remained at the club would be welcomed and used in the coming season. The motivation for Eto’o is to prove that he still has much to offer for a top European club otherwise Tottenham might represent the size of club that he is attractive to.
Samuel Eto’o, FC Barcelona, Totteham Hotspur, Arsenal, La Liga, Premier League, Transfer Gossip, Football, SoccerBerbatov A Barcelona Target But What Of Eto’o?
Reports in the English media have focussed on the possible transfer of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham to Manchester United. Suppositions were posited that the Premier League champions had agreed a fee in excess of £20m for the Bulgarian international but these have turned out to be false with no price yet agreed between the two clubs.
The move may be forced along apace if United are genuinely interested with Sport, a Spanish daily, reporting that as a result of the negotiations between Tottenham’s North London neighbours, Arsenal and Barcelona having stalled over Emmanuel Adebayor, the Catalans are now turning their attentions to Berbatov.
Once more though Barcelona are hamstrung by the absence of genuine offers for Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroonian is the key to incoming funds despite receiving €19m for Ronaldinho. Eto’o was an early close season target of Juande Ramos but rejected the move at that point on the grounds that Tottenham were not a ‘big’ club. Subsequent to those remarks, Eto’o has been publicly told he is not a major part of the new Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola, plans. The announcement was not unexpected with the triumverate of Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto’o widely believed to a troublesome clique for former boss, Frank Rijkaard.
Guardiola has performed a small u-turn by confirming that any of them that remained at the club would be welcomed and used in the coming season. The motivation for Eto’o is to prove that he still has much to offer for a top European club otherwise Tottenham might represent the size of club that he is attractive to.
SLAVE? BLATTER INSULTS HISTORY WITH ILL-CHOSEN WORDS
During his time in office, Sepp Blatter has been no stranger to controvesy. Famously derided as having 101 bad ideas every day, FIFA’s President has suggested that women footballers ’should wear tighter shorts’ to make the game more popular with men, capping that sexism by insulting millions of people throughout history whose dignity and humanity have been stripped bare.
Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo, a multi-millionaire whose every whim is pandered to, with those who have suffered unimaginable depravation through slavery is simply unforgivable and must surely be the final nail in his Presidential coffin. It is simply untenable that Blatter remain in office; unbelievable that those nations whose ancestors have been ripped asunder through the greed of others have not yet called for his resignation.
Quite how Blatter came to his conclusions in a television interview beggars belief. Ronaldo freely renegotiated his Manchester United contract last season, enjoying vast sums of money on a weekly basis as reward for his talent; hardly the basis of any slavery where abject poverty was rampant. All Blatter has done is convince a spoilt manchild that his toys have been taken away because his employers will not tear up his contract of employment. Ronaldo could of course force the issue and submit a written transfer request. He will not for in doing so he will deprive himself of millions of pounds in loyalty bonuses. Should United decide to sell him, they will be forced to pay this money, hardly slavery Herr Blatter.
The hypocrisy of Blatter has been laid bare for all to see. If Blatter were truly convinced of the inquitous nature of the transfer market, he would have pioneered changes long before now. Instead, he has ensured the inherent greed within the system is in plain view; clubs extorting huge sums of money for players, even of mediocre talent, buying clubs exerting pressure to ensure the talent floats to those at the top. Outside of sport, which other industries impose a fee for employing personnel currently working for a rival?
Blatter’s motivation of this outburst is hard to fathom. He knew the furore which would erupt over his words, indeed one questions whether that was his intention. Is he meddling to try to bring the Ronaldo transfer to a head? FIFA had already declared that Real Madrid were not ‘tapping’ the player up despite their ready quotes for any media outlet that asked. Blatter has also ensured that a legal challenge to the FIFA statutes governing transfers and contracts will be forthcoming in the next year or two, with him being called as a star witness. The apocalyptic scenario of clubs going their own way may well have been hastened if anarchy reigns over the transfer market. More likely though, this was purely about revenge. Under the auspices of UEFA, the European Club Association rejected his quota proposals, preferring the current ‘homegrown’ rules, approved by the European Union. Blatter could not get his own way on that and took the chance to launch an incendiary device into football. Whether it ends his career at the top prematurely will soon be seen.
OH DEAR CALDERON NO RON-RON
Ramon Calderon, erstwhile President of Real Madrid, has conceded that his pursuit of Crisitiano Ronaldo is likely to be in vain this summer. According to reports from Marca, Calderon admitted this weekend that the ‘most likely scenario’ is that the Portuguese winger will be staying at Old Trafford for one more season at least.
The main stumbling block all summer has been the reluctance of Manchester United to enter into negotiations with the Spaniards, despite the best efforts of the Madrilenos to engineer a move through the media and with their own outbursts. The only reason United would now sell appears to be if the player himself requests a move, something that would be unlikely to happen as he will forfeit all of the bonuses due under his contract, signed only last summer.
For Calderon, it is a path well-trodden. During summer 2007, he publicly pursued Cesc Fabregas only to be rebuffed by the player and Arsenal. The use of ‘tame’ media outlets is a well-practised methodolgy for unsettling players and will no doubt continue despite its lack of success in these two high-profile transfers.
Had Real approached the United board quietly, they may have met with more success. Now, with egg on his face once more and empty promises in his hand, Calderon has to look elsewhere for new players.
RONALDO SAGA KEEPS UP ITS HEAD OF STEAM
Rivalling the tedium produced by Emmanuel Adebayor’s protracted entanglement with Barcelona is Real Madrid’s pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. This week has seen more conjecture on his future, produced by the fact that he has not returned to Manchester for pre-season training. That he was not supposed to, his summer prolonged due to Euro2008 is a minor inconvenience.
With surgery on his foot - an injury that has moved from his toe to his ankle in the space of a week - scheduled to take place, the rumour mill will continue apace. Marca has fuelled the fire further by reporting that Real will this week table a formal bid of €87.5m, some €12.5m short of the target that United are believed by the English media to desire.
Marca is one of two notionally independent media outlets used by Real to unsettle players with constant speculation. The ideal scenario for the Spanish champions is that Ronaldo submits a written transfer request, a course of action that is unlikely to be followed as it would negate and signing-on fees owed from his contract renegotiation last season with United.
It means that Real will be forced to pay through the nose for the player, perhaps double his true value, in much the same way that Barcelona are being held hostage by Arsenal for Adebayor. The Catalans are perhaps in more urgent need of buying Adebayor with President Joan Laporta needing 65% of the vote to go in his favour in this weekend’s ‘Motion of No Confidence’ to survive; A big-money signing might well swing some more votes in his favour.
In both cases, the close of transfer window on August 31st is the only way speculation will end if neither has signed for either of the Primera Division clubs by then. Even so, the respite for the supporters of Arsenal and Manchester United will be brief; it is four short months until the window re-opens in January 2009.
FERGIE’S PORTUGUESE PROBLEMS MOUNT
The Portuguese Football Federation has identified Carlos Queiroz as the most likely successor to Luis Felipe Scolari following his decision to join Chelsea. The Manchester United Assistant Manager had been believed to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s chosen successor when he eventually retires.
If the reports are correct, it puts Ferguson in an invidious position. On the one hand, he wants Queiroz to remain at Old Trafford, not least because of the almost paternal relationship he enjoys with Cristiano Ronaldo, who needs to be managed carefully due to his choreographed desire to move to Real Madrid. Countering that is the recognition that for Queiroz, such an opportunity would almost certainly be the peak of his career. It is likely that Ferguson would try to dissuade his assistant taking the appointment but he can give no assurances that the United Board would appoint Queiroz as manager when the time comes.
Ferguson needs a strong number two by his side. He has tried to combine both roles previously which was an unmitigated failure. His most successful seasons have been with a knowledgeable coach by his side and with the role of the manager becoming ever more voluminous in its duties, to do both roles may hasten his retirement.
Were Queiroz to be appointed, it would help to wipe the memories of his last venture away from Old Trafford, a trophyless spell at the Bernabeu.
UNITED ONLY NEED ONE PLAYER FOR THE NEW SEASON ACCORDING TO SIR ALEX
Sir Alex Ferguson sought to explain his inactivity this summer in the transfer market by blaming Euro2008. Speaking at his Charity Golf Day in Loch Lomond, Ferguson said,
The European Championships derails transfer activity. Nothing really happens when the Championships are on. Obviously now that is all over, people settle down. Managers are back at their clubs and you can get some dialogue if they are interested.
In this respect, Ferguson’s words should be interpreted as being one new addition and replacing anyone who leaves. He went on to comment that United would probably only buy one player and a younger one at that whilst avoiding talk of Crisitano Ronaldo’s future. At the weekend it emerged that it is the player himself who appears to be agitating for a move, his agent Jorge Mendes believing that another season at Old Trafford would suit his career better.
Assessing the United squad is not easy in the light of a double-winning season but to believe that only one player is required is an earnest statement of trust in his players. With Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes all closer to retirement that anything else, the new generation has the chance to make its mark at Old Trafford. In defence, he has a stable group of players although there have been murmurings that Mikael Silvestre is keen to move on for more regular first team action. United boast the strongest central defensive pairing in the Premier League but are less convincing when either of Vidic or Ferdinand is missing.
Midfield is their strongest area with Hargreaves, Carrick, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Ronaldo, Fletcher and Scholes all regularly vying for starting places. With the players able to play in any number of positions there or further up the pitch, United are able to cover for the lack of cover up front with Rooney and Saha both available. They have been lucky in recent seasons in that both have been injured for spells but rarely at the same time. Whether Saha can continue as a United player remains to be seen, not having the opportunity to shine due to his time on the sidelines. Doubts persist and he has been strongly linked with a move away from the club.
One thing is for certain, United were the most consistent team in the final third of the season and able to take advantage of Arsenal’s slips in the run-in. With Chelsea strengthening on and off the pitch and Arsenal learning from their experience, United look to have a tough defence of their title one that Ferguson is no doubt relishing.
PLATINI WANTS CLUB DEBT OUTLAWED
Michel Platini has set himself on course to become football’s Robin Hood, robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Days after his plan to adjust the Champions League revenue share to clubs, he is now seriously tackling the issue of the debt levels that plague the larger clubs across the continent.
Regular financial reviews from Deloitte & Touche and their ilk show that the challengers for the premier trophy in European club football are heavily in debt. The problem for Platini is how to deal with such an issue. The framework for any changes already exists with the UEFA Club Licencing process; the Frenchman wants to take it further and curb the excesses of the former G14.
The European Club Association (ECA) was formed as an umbrella organisation within UEFA’s ranks to compensate for the disbandment of the G14; Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has been appointed President, subject to confirmation at the ECA’s meeting in ten days time. An illustrious playing career was followed by a successful spell in the commercial confines of Bayern Munchen, giving the German some kudos within both circles, indicating that the thought processes of the Governing Body and the clubs are in tandem in some respects at least.
Problematically, that harmonious state is set to diverge once the details are scrutinised. Rummeneige believes that the financial stabilitly of the games top clubs is crucial to football’s long-term survival; the clubs have yet to show, en masse, the same sensibilities. Rummenigge and Platini want to curb the excesses shown in expenditure, particularly wages. The financial rewards for players have long been a root cause for the financial turmoil which exists at club level. Proposals that require this spend to be curbed, pegging the salaries to 55% of turnover has been mooted, representing an immediately large obstacle which Platini and Rummeneige will struggle to overcome.
In setting financial restrictions, the duo have to come forward with achievable solutions otherwise they risk alienating the supporters. The simplest option for the clubs to bring revenues and wages into line is to increase matchday ticket prices sharply. For some clubs, the practicalities of doing so are relatively straightforward, limited capacities at the stadia means that waiting lists for tickets become shorter as less affluent supporters drop out. However, there is a downside to this in that those supporters become lost to the game. Broadcasters have reached saturation point in some countries and the matches which have the ratings that advertisers care about are increasingly becoming more polarised toward the top clubs domestically. And what of their offspring? If parents are out of the habit of attending, the example which they set to the next generation is lost and so forth.
Collective Bargaining has long been the preferred method for Broadcast Rights but an era of stringent financial guardianship is likely to see an end to that. The bigger clubs recognise that they would be significantly better rewarded through individual negotiations but the wealth gap which already exists would only become wider under those circumstances. UEFA would need to put in place some financial support for the losers in this situation, something that they have been strongly opposed to doing in the past.
Another crucial area to be addressed is the level of borrowing in evidence at clubs. The English Premier League is regularly held as an example where the excesses of this are most evident. That might be the case now but it was not so long ago that Real Madrid were winning the Champions League, saved from insolvency by the fortuitous sale of land to the city council. The current trend is different, foreign investors funding the purchase of clubs via borrowing which is loaded onto the clubs Balance Sheet or to parent companies, the repayments for which are removed from the club via Management Fees.
An inherently risky strategy, there is nothing wrong with this methodology provided it is managed prudently. However, too many clubs are barely profitable without such charges leading to an accumulation of future financial issues, clubs excessively dependent on future revenues to survive.
Separating the issue of third party borrowing from loans by owners is a thornier issue. Roman Abramovich has funded Chelsea via such loans yet can UEFA treat them as equals to the debts incurred at Manchester United and Liverpool for example, arising from the purchase of the clubs? What of the mortgage that Arsenal have on The Emirates Stadium? Is that of equal standing to any of the three previous examples. Wherever the line is drawn, the losers will bemoan their misfortune. It will take all of Platini and Rummenigge’s political acumen to find a solution that is beneficial to the game as a whole.
MONEY IS KILLING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Michel Platini made it a core element of his election campaign when seeking the highest office at UEFA that the game is not about the top clubs, it is an all-inclusive sport which should distribute its wealth more evenly.
With the news that the English clubs took over £100m from television and sponsorship revenues from the 2007-08 Champions League, the time for some redistribution appears nigh. Proposals are being made to the clubs and league representatives on the European Strategy Council that as from 2012, the Champions League pot should be shared more equally amongst participants rather than the current heavy focus on the bigger clubs.
The problem for Platini is that this is tantamount to asking Turkeys to vote for Christmas. Should the clubs accept the proposals, they will be reducing their revenues. In order to make good this shortfall, other streams must increase, the primary target will be ticket prices and merchandise, both of which hit fans pockets hard already.
There is little doubt that a deal will be struck but fans are right to question what Platini is doing for them to compensate. The answer is very little visible support is coming from the top. Focussing on the smaller clubs may be good for him politically but it reinforces the belief that no one official is a ‘Fans Champion’, that they are all too concerned with the brand to realise that their ‘product’ is in danger of imploding. Whilst UEFA may want to open the doors to the biggest party in club football, for the majority of clubs they remain firmly shut. This leads to a wide imbalance in domestic football where no matter how much clubs outside of the Champions League spend, they make little headway in crashing the party. Continual advances by the biggest clubs even if the smallest leagues enable gaps between the two sets of clubs to widen, perhaps irredeemably as the seasons pass, a truism not just in the biggest of leagues.
UEFA has to address this fundamental problem by opening more avenues for other clubs to participate in club football. A simple re-introduction of the Cup Winners Cup would enable over one hundred and twenty more teams to participate in European competition if the UEFA Cup format remained the same. Whilst the revenues may not be anywhere near the size of the premier tournament, they will be more than some of those clubs currently earn.
If Platini is serious about levelling the club playing fields, he needs to act and act quickly. Failure to do so may render his prized asset as predictable and dull, everything the sponsors hate.
UNITED SLAM DOOR ON RONALDO MADRID MOVE
Manchester United have sought to put an end to the constant media speculation surrounding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, putting out an official statement on their website,
Further to Friday’s press speculation about where Cristiano Ronaldo’s future lies, the club has moved to reiterate its stance on the matter: United are not listening to offers. Ronaldo has continually been linked with a move to Spanish side Real Madrid this summer. But the club reaffirmed to ManUtd.com on Friday morning that the 23-year-old United star is “not for sale”
It seems that nobody has told the player of this decision for he steadfastly refused to end the rumours of a summer move to the Bernabeu following Portugal’s exit from Euro2008. Ronaldo instead chose to justify his prevarication over a decision by referring to his national team coach’s words on Sky Sports guillembalague.com,
It is a dream, a step forward, you can call it what you want. For me it is a great opportunity, and as (Luiz Felipe) Scolari says, that train passes by only once, and we have to take advantage of it
Reports elsewhere suggest that the player agreed to join Real Madrid as far back as January of this year although the truth of these rumours is open to doubt.
If United believe that the matter will be resolved by their statement then it betrays an unbelievable naivete on their part. Real has an illustrious history on the pitch, a reputation for desiring victory through playing football as the purists believe it should. This is in marked contrast to their transfer market activities. In recent seasons they have chosen the same path with failed bids for Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, all at Arsenal when the Madrid PR wagon rolled into town, unsettling players with words here and there from Presidents to tea ladies appearing in the Spanish media, eulogising the player and trying to bully clubs into selling.
With Ronaldo, the situation is different from the then Arsenal players. None of them spoke of the dream of playing for Madrid nor that they would do so one day in the future. Ronaldo has often stated categorically that he will do so. Therein is Sir Alex Ferguson’s dilemma. Should he cash in now on the player, perhaps at his peak transfer value or should he hold onto a player who clearly has his heart elsewhere and suffer diminished performances as a result? Ronaldo’s value for United on the pitch is in his goals and off-the-pitch his commercial revenue has only just begun to be exploited. The question for the Glazers is whether the player’s marketing value can be recovered through new signings.
As for United fans, this is just the beginning of a long and potentially cruel summer.
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