Caps on footballer salaries

What do you make of the concept of salary caps on footballer salaries? Let's be honest, the industry has enjoyed massive cash injections as American, Asian and Russian firms have moved into the game.

But guys commanding one hundred thousand pounds a week is some serious money.

There have been moves a foot to see player salaries capped - and it might not be the worst thing for the development of some of the minor clubs.

Having said that - with many of the big name sponsors bailing and clubs being told to tighten their belts, maybe the financial crisis will create a 'cap' to salaries anyway....?

Sports Trader premiership picks - 6 - 8 December 2008

The Premiership is proving to be an intriguing race this year and no one side is running off with it early in the season.

Table wise - here is the Top 6

1. Liverpool - 34
2. Chelsea - 33
3. Man Utd - 28 (1 game in hand over the others)
4. Arsenal - 26
5. Aston Villa - 25
6. Hull - 23

(Everton & Portsmouth are on 22 points each in 7th and 8th)

Saturday fixture
Fulham v Man City - Man City win
Bolton v Chelsea - Chelsea win
Arsenal v Wigan - Arsenal win
Blackburn v Liverpool - Liverpool win
Hull v Middlesbrough - Draw
Newcastle v Stoke - Draw
Man Utd v Sunderland - Man Utd win

No real bogey fixtures that I can see this week, but a lot will depend on which Arsenal team decides to show up at the Emirates Stadium. Newcastles very average form looks likely to continue against Stoke.

More conservative punters might want to go with a draw in the Fulham / Man City fixture.

Sunday Fixtures
West Brom v Portsmouth - Portsmouth win
Everton v Aston Villa - Draw

Monday fixture
West Ham v Tottenham - Draw

Tottenham can't seem to get any real momentum so I'm going to stick with draw here.

Happy hunting....

'We need that kind of focus in every game'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger chats to the media and fans after upsetting Chelsea at Stanford Bridge

On the importance of the win…
"It is a massive win for us because we recently lost two games unexpectedly, and to lose today would have put us 13 points adrift of Chelsea; that would have been too much. It was a test of character and we came here maybe without the needed level of confidence but we showed from the start that we have character and I think we were a bit unlucky to be behind at half-time.

"In the second half we slowly moved on top and started to win the fight in the middle of the park. From then when we had the ball we looked as though we could be dangerous. So I am very, very happy to now, after beating Manchester United, we beat Chelsea and I believe that brings us back. It is still far but not impossible. I have an intelligent team, a talented one, but we want to come back with humility and work hard. We have learned that we need that kind of focus in every game no matter who you play."

On a slow start...
"In the first-half I think they [Chelsea] started a bit stronger and it took us 15 minutes to get into the game. We were on the back foot and then came slowly in. When we got in we scored an own goal. I had to tell the players to keep the high pace as long as we could because that was when we looked dangerous. I didn’t think we should be concerned by the fact we were trailing, but just to keep the high pace, get closer to their midfield – we had given them too much freedom before – and that changed the game."

On the team's title credentials…
"It is true that we have more regrets this season, but the results show we have the level needed to be there [at the top] but it is up to us in the coming months."

On injuries…
"We have been disturbed by injuries you know, sometimes with nine players out, and that is too many. You can take four or five but nine is too much."

On getting in the right mindset…
"I believe this is part of the learning process, to win when you are not on the edge. You know you will not be is the same mindset every game, but you must learn to win whenever. I have an intelligent group and a young one. When you think you can just turn up and win, it is not good enough."

On the performance of William Gallas…
"I think William was outstanding today, absolutely amazing. He came out of that troublesome period with, for me, a lot of credit. His commitment is fantastic and he was outstanding today, and had already been like that against Kyiv on Tuesday night. It shows he is a fighter."

On partnering Johan Djourou and Gallas in defence…
"I wanted to try that partnership and I believe also Song gives us the stature to defend in the air. Djourou added it too, and we were a bit stronger in the duels and in the air."

On being a threat from high balls…
"We felt in the first half that we could be dangerous in the air because we had some joy with Van Persie winning some balls and of course with a fit Adebayor, he can win in the air against anybody."

On Chelsea's stuttering home form…
"Sometimes it is strange in this game. Remember when we went 49 games unbeaten and then lost, we couldn’t win again for five games. It looks like a sort of charisma goes when you lose a long record. It looks like players have been on top of Mount Everest and then get knocked all the way down, and now you must tell them to climb back up again."
On John Terry's challenge on Bacary Sagna…
"I think it was a bad tackle because he had no chance to get the ball. It was not bad because he had two feet on the ground, a sliding tackle, one that wasn’t intended to hurt Sagna."

On the psychological ramifications of the match…
"I believe the win gives us the belief we can come back [into the title race], but what it does to Chelsea, I don’t know."

Source: Arsenal Media

29 November Premiership picks

Another round of the English Premiership is here and Sports Trader makes its picks for Saturday.

Middlesbrough v Newcastle - Newcastle win
Wigan v West Brom - Draw
Sunderland v Bolton - Draw
Aston Villa v Fulham - Aston Villa win
Stoke v Hull - Hull win

Good luck punters!

Fifa Packages

I read with quite a lot of interest, this article that said that Over $115m (about R 1.1bn) worth of 2010 World Cup hospitality packages have been sold to South African companies.

I don't think I'm in any position to question the figure, although in my head it doesn't add up.

In my head, we're in the middle of a massive global financial and economic crisis - for SA to be ahead of sales in Germany (for the equivalent period ahead of the previous World Cup) doesn't sound right.

What concerns me though is that these are sales to SA corporates and business. The point of the World Cup was to bring in foreign revenue and rich Americans and Europeans with their hard currencies to buy SA products and services and support the local economy.

Obviously we're still 18 months away from the event, so it will be impossible to get a figure on that, but it would be interesting to know how many foreigners are going to come into SA and spend their money and how well the overseas marketing of this event is going...

Champions League Predictions - 25 / 26 November 2008

From the Sports Trader blog

We had an absolute nightmare last time round trying to make some calls on the Champions League fixtures. Hopefully this next round brings a higher success rate.

There are no easy games in Europe at the moment and English clubs have battled. With injuries taking their toll, we're not particularly bullish on their prospects this week either.

Tuesday - 25 November
Zenit St Petersburg v Juventus - Juventus win
AaB v Celtic - Celtic Win
Villarreal v Man Utd - Villareal win
Fiorentina v Lyon - Draw
Bayern Munich v Steaua Bucuresti - Bayern Munich win
Arsenal v Dynamo Kiev - Arsenal draw
Fenerbahce v FC Porto - draw
BATE v Real Madrid - Real Madrid win

Manchester United make an unenviable trip to Villareal minus key marksman Bergatov. With Christiano Ronaldo in doubt, we're betting against them taking anything from this fixture.

Cesc Fabregas takes over the captaincy of Arsenal following William Gallas' indiscretions. With Arsenals' up and down form in the last few weeks, we're not particularly confident in backing them.

Wednesday 26 November
Bordeaux v Chelsea - Draw
CFR Cluj-Napoca v Roma - Roma win
Inter Milan v Panathinaikos - Inter win
Anorthosis Famagusta v Werder Bremen - Werder Bremen win
Shakhtar Donetsk v Basle - Draw
Sporting v Barcelona - Barcelona win
Atletico Madrid v PSV - Atletico Madrid win
Liverpool v Marseille - Draw

Chelsea and Liverpool we've marked down to draw but we're backing the Spanish clubs (Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona) to do the business.

If you are looking for high scoring games, we're recommending you look at the Roma and Inter Milan fixtures...

Good luck punters.

Nice draw for Bafana Bafana in the Confederations Cup draw

The South African team has drawn Spain, Iraq and New Zealand in Group A for the Confederations Cup. Some interesting match ups there and if SA can get there heads out of the clouds then we could get through the first round.

World champions Italy, Brazil, Egypt and the United States are in Group B.

Bafana kick-off the Confederations Cup against Iraq who are something of an unknown quantity on 14 June at Ellis Park (Coca Cola Park) in Gauteng

Spain and New Zealand take on eachother at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium the same night.

On 17 June 2009, Bafana play New Zealand at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on June 17 at 8.30pm and then wrap up their group stage against Spain who are at the Free State Stadium on June 20.

Planning to travel and support your team?

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Book a holiday in South Africa - Click Here

TravelStart.co.za Find out which airline is really the cheapest - Click Here

Vidic vs. Villa

It is interesting to compare two different perspectives of a game. Nemanja Vidic was involved in a pretty big telling incident in the Villa vs. United game yesterday and could have made for some very grumpy United fans if Villa had won the penalty.

These are the comments that Vidic made on the Manchester United site yesterday:

Vidic: Villa shut up shop

Nemanja Vidic felt Aston Villa's stifling tactics were the reason United failed to score in a league game for the first time in a year.

The Reds were much the better side but only created a handful of chances against a well-drilled Villa outfit, for whom pacy Gabriel Agbonlahor was the only out-and-out attacker.

"When a team defends with 10 players for the whole game, it’s hard to create chances," Vidic told MUTV. "We had a great strike from Ronaldo, Rooney had an opportunity and a few chances from set-pieces, but we couldn't score."

Vidic was involved in the game's major talking point during the second half as he got into a tangle with Agbonlahor and the striker eventually went down just inside the box, but referee Chris Foy waved away Villa's penalty claims.

Vidic continued: "The referee could have given the foul 30 yards from goal, but once we reached the box I touched the ball and I'm sure it wasn't a penalty. Agbonlahor is quick and today they defended and used his pace to surprise us."

With Liverpool and Chelsea also being held to goalless draws, United missed out on the chance to close the gap at the top, but Vidic knows there will be plenty more points dropped between now and the end of the season.

"We knew we had a good opportunity to get closer to Liverpool and Chelsea but we didn’t take it and now we need to focus on the next game," the Serbian added. "The season is long: Chelsea and Liverpool drawing shows the top teams are going to lose points at home this season."

'How we deal with this will shape our future'

On the emphatic scoreline…
"We had a good focus and I believe it is a flattering victory for Manchester City today. We conceded in stoppage time [at the end of the first-half] and before that they had not created much. We were quite in control but after the goal the game turned and they played on the counter-attack. We played into their hands.

"We lacked the maturity to deal with being in a dominant situation and not getting caught; it was a free-kick to us, then a goal for them. After that the third goal was a soft penalty."

On keeping to his principles…
"It is a defeat but I feel in the game it was a 0-0 with whoever scored first gaining the advantage. I believe in good passing rather than putting a man up there waving his hands in the air."

On a scrappy first goal …
"I think the first goal was a miss-kick rather than a lack of fight. We had too many players focussing on one ball, that was our problem then."

On the absentees…
"I won’t talk about William Gallas. He is just a player who did not play today so we don’t need to talk about that or any of the other nine players who missed the game."

On moving forward from here …
"I think we had enough focus and gave everything. It is not always negative and we have to take the positives and keep the belief. In a big club you have to go through these periods, and how we deal with it will shape our future."

On the importance of self assessment …
"I always look at myself, even when we win. We are not in a blaming culture at our club and we must stand up to our own responsibilities."

Source: Arsenal media

Manchester United Verdict

Martin O'Neill was absolutely thrilled with the effort and commitment of his claret and blue troops as they earned a deserved draw against Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United.

But the Villa boss pulled no punches after admitting his disappointment that Nemanja Vidic wasn't punished for a challenge on Gabby Agbonlahor in the second half.

MON told AVTV: "If you had said to me after the Middlesbrough game that the next two matches would yield four points, I would have been delighted.

"I thought it was important to battle very strongly and we did that well. We could have nicked it at the end but we also had moments to endure ourselves. Overall, it was a very hard-fought draw.

"We were spirited and resilient. The players are doing splendidly and putting a big effort into the games.

"The last two matches have pitted us against the very, very best. United won't be too far away at the end of the season. They have so much movement, such creativity and good players.

"It was a great effort against them and I am so pleased with my players. They put a big effort into the match and if we had been beaten it wouldn't have been through a lack of effort."

On the subject of the tussle between Agbonlahor and Vidic on the hour mark, O'Neill added: "It was a penalty. You can see it back and consider if it was inside the box or outside the box. But it wasn't just that.

"The decision is a massive one because even if it is outside the box, it's a foul. And the player, having committed the foul and as the last man, has to be sent off.

"The referee chose not to give it. I thought it was too big for him. I thought the consequence of the decision was too big for him.

"It was a major moment. He had a hold of Gabby throughout the move. I can understand the referee being hesitant about giving the penalty but not about giving the foul.

"It was a goalscoring opportunity and the consequence should have been Vidic being sent off."

Source: Aston Villa media

SA soccer chugs along

Another weekend of South African football and the big guns (excluding Sundowns) were firing:

Bidvest Wits 1 - 4 Kaizer Chiefs
Orlando Pirates 4 - 2 Thanda Royal Zulu FC
SuperSport United 2 - 0 AmaZulu
Golden Arrows 1 - 1 Bloem Celtic
Free State Stars 1 - 1 Mamelodi Sundowns

Chiefs in particular needed a big win after the loss to Pirates but the log still remains very open after 9 rounds.

Chiefs' latest recruit Nigerian striker Ibe Ogbonna scored twice - once from open play and once from the penalty spot, while skipper Jimmy Tau took a lot of credit for marshalling the Chief's defence.

Golden Arrows - 19
SuperSport United - 17
Bidvest Wits - 17
Kaizer Chiefs - 15
Mamelodi Sundowns - 15
Orlando Pirates - 15
Ajax Cape Town 13

(Ajax have a game in hand over the other sides)

Well well well

An intriguing day in the English premiership yesterday with the Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United drawing and Arsenal slipping up badly against a fiery Manchester City lineup.

Results as follows:
Aston Villa 0 - 0 Man Utd
Middlesbrough 1 - 3 Bolton
Liverpool 0 - 0 Fulham
Stoke 1 - 0 West Brom
Man City 3 - 0 Arsenal
Portsmouth 2 - 2 Hull
Chelsea 0 - 0 Newcastle

A quick look at the log:

Chelsea - 33
Liverpool - 33
Man Utd - 25
Aston Villa - 24
Arsenal - 23
Hull - 22
Everton - 19

Everton and Manchester United have a game in hand.

Mafikeng Derby - Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates

As a football blogger, I think I would be amiss not to highlight the result of what is arguably South African footballs biggest rivalry this weekend when Orlando Pirates took on Kaizer Chiefs.

Both sides have had indifferent starts to their seasons with Pirates having one of their worst starts on record, but a kick in the pants seems to have fired up Pirates in particular.

Through the Goals For Miracles campaign the two goals from Orlando Pirates raised a total charity funding of R100 000 (50 000 for each goal scored), to the benefit of the cataract operations performed through the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), the Pretoria Eye Institute’s Sight 4 U Cataract Project, and Netcare in association with Vodacom For You.

Goals For Miracles is a joint-initiative between Vodacom, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates


Venue: Mafikeng Stadium
Date: 15 November 2008
Kick off: 16H00
Kaizer Chiefs 0
Orlando Pirates (2) (Gilbert Mushangazhike 22, Lucas Thwala 33)

Kaizer Chiefs winning streak came to an end after Saturday afternoon when Amakhosi lost by 2-0 against archrivals, Orlando Pirates. In what was a sizzling heat in Mafikeng, Orlando Pirates started the game on fire and two goals one from Zimbabwean born striker, Gilbert Mushangazhike and the second one a tap in from Lucas Thwala were enough to hand Orlando Pirates their fourth win in a row.

Top websites:
I'll be honest, I hadn't been on to either the Chiefs or Pirates websites in a while and I was blown away by the quality of the sites. I think some of them might even put their counterparts in the english premiership to shame!

'At the moment we are not consistent enough'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger comments on the 0-2 loss to Aston Villa at home.

On the performance…
“The performance was not good but it was the kind of game where you can win 1-0. Could we have lost the game in the first half? Yes. But we lost it today when we should not have lost it anymore. At that moment we were closer to winning it. It was the kind of game where you cannot afford a mistake at the back and I believe we were punished because of that.”

On conceding controversial goals…
“We were a bit unlucky as well on the first goal because we have Bacary Sagna who is down after getting injured. I believe as well for the second goal there was a blatant foul on Carlos Vela on the edge of their box. Instead of having a chance to play 1-1 we are then 2-0 down.

“The referee could have stopped the play but I don’t complain because of that. We scored an own goal, Villa didn’t score the goal.“

On the Jekyll and Hyde performances this week and last week…
“That is football, how can you explain the performance of Villa last week against Middlesbrough and the performance they produced today? It is the same. Top level performance is consistency. At the moment we are not consistent enough to be produce that kind of performance week-in week-out.

“You have to accept that the game is played by human beings and sometimes physically they have a drop. It is very difficult for us to have a rational explanation about what happened today. I believe that the team want it but it was just like a few other times this year where it is unexplainable why we don’t really play at our 100% potential.”

On what the defeat means to his side’s title aspirations…
“I don’t believe that you can speak about champions or not champions. If you want to be champions you want to be consistent and at the moment we are not.

“I do not want to go on definite solutions or headlines. I just think that despite the fact that we were not at our best, this game was winnable. We lost it at a moment when we should not have lost it anymore. Had we lost it in the first half, ok ‘bye-bye’ they had their day and they won. But we lost this game today from the moment when we shouldn’t lost it anymore.”

On deserving defeat…
“How many times was I in press conferences where I thought that we deserved to win the game but we lost and everybody finds it absolutely normal. I say Villa played well and they deserved to win but we lost the game from the moment when we were slowly getting on top of them. That is the kind of game where you cannot afford to make mistakes defensively. We were not sharp and they were never in the situation where they had to come out.

“When we made the changes it was 0-0 and we lost 0-2. You can make all kinds of explanations but as a team we were not sharp”

On Villa breaking into the top four…
“I don’t want to talk about Villa because I don’t know them very well. Today they played very well but I saw the game against Middlesbrough on tape and they could have lost six or seven so it is very difficult for me to assess. They have a big potential if you look at the performance today.”

On the side’s inexperience costing them…
“Maybe I don’t know. At the back it could be explained but upfront a little bit less.

“Yes we had a very young midfield but we played against more experienced midfielders. Any midfield in the league is more experienced than ours but it doesn’t stop us from dominating them.”

On Sagna’s injury…
“Yes it is serious. He will be out for a few weeks; he has an injured ankle.”

On January signings…
“It is too early. We are mid November we have to see where we are at the end of December. Anyway at the moment to speculate about transfers it won’t help.”

Masterclass!

Villa produced an absolute masterclass to outgun Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

An own-goal from Gael Clichy and a clinical finish by Gabby Agbonlahor clinched Villa's first away win over the Gunners since November 1993.

Agbonlahor's presence forced Clichy to head an Ashley Young cross into his own net in the 70th minute while the young striker raced clear 10 minutes from time to secure a memorable victory.

All this came after wing wizard Young had missed a penalty in a first half dominated by the visitors.

With better fortune, Villa may even have won more convincingly.

Source: http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk

Premiership Picks – 15/16th November 2008.

The English Premiership is shaping up nicely into a very open championship race early on.

After 12 rounds the top 6 is shaping up nicely:

Chelsea - 29

Liverpool - 29

Arsenal - 23

Man Utd - 21 (11 games)

Aston Villa - 20

Hull – 20

Saturday 15 November

Bolton v Liverpool – Liverpool win

Man Utd v Stoke - Man Utd win

West Ham v Portsmouth - Draw

Fulham v Tottenham – Tottenham win

Arsenal v Aston Villa – Aston Villa Win

Blackburn v Sunderland – Blackburn Win

Newcastle v Wigan - Draw

West Brom v Chelsea – Chelsea win

For me, clash of the weekend has to be the Arsenal vs. Aston Villa fixture. Apart from being an ardent Aston Villa fan, I just think the hot and cold nature of Arsenal makes them vulnerable. Backing Villa to surprise here.

Manchester United has a tricky game against Stoke, who tripped up Arsenal not so long ago. My gut instinct is to say back the draw, but hhhhmmm Man Utd at Old Trafford seems like a step too far.

Personally – I wouldn’t want to be West Brom this weekend. Chelsea were stung in midweek by Burnley in the Carling Cup and they might want to make an example of the WBA team.

Sunday 16 November

Everton v Middlesbrough – Everton win

Hull v Man City – Hull win

I like Everton. They’ve started to come good and they’re a plucky side in much the same way that Hull have been. Going to back them for a win here.

While both Hull and Man City have been on a bit of a slippery slope since starting the season with a bang, I’m backing Hull to take the win. Man City have manager issues which need to be resolved before the players start delivering the results on the field….

Source: Sports Trader blog

'It was a game for those who love football'

On the importance of the result…
“I feel it was a very important result because I imagine what would have happened if we had lost today. Mathematically it was very important for us to stay close to the top and to show what kind of determination, spirit and mental attitude we have. We went out there today thinking that we will win no matter what happens. No matter what happens on the pitch we will keep going and that is what we did.

“We won against, for me, a great Man United side and the difference was maybe we took our chances early on and they didn’t. After we scored the second goal we did hang on but tried to score the third goal on the counter attack. We wouldn’t do that and that is why the game remained very tight until the end.”

On the contribution of Samir Nasri…
“When he is in front of goal he can finish with his right foot or left foot. He has a lot of pace and power and I encourage him to go in the final third. He was a more typical playmaker in France who gave the ball and took it back. I believe that with his pace he can penetrate in the final third and he will score plenty of goals. That is what he did today because he is a tremendous finisher.”

On ever doubting his side’s chances…
“I didn’t doubt the spirit of my players. I acknowledged that we made some mistakes, especially against Tottenham, but I never questioned the spirit, quality or ability to play for the championship.

“There is only one thing in our job and that is to go on the football pitch and show how much you want it, show quality on the pitch – and spirit – and that is what we did. I believe above all today it was a fantastic football game because both teams played with the right spirit.”

On winning despite missing players…
“For example you had a player like Nicklas Bendtner today who had an outstanding game. It shows how different this job is because on Wednesday he was not especially on his best form and three days later he produced a quality performance. It was a team answer, first of all we showed that we have the squad which is questioned so many times. We showed that no matter who plays we have the spirit.”

On Man United’s squandered chances…
“I do not want to talk too much about the difference between the teams but I thought that we did everything that was needed to win the game. If you say we could have lost it if they had taken every chance, maybe. But we have done everything we could to win this game and our attitude cannot be questioned, nor our quality. Personally I do not question the quality of Man United.

“You know that every big game is like that. I just said after the game that Man United are a great team. They have just won the European Cup last year and the Premier League last year, you cannot be a small team and do that. Of course they are a great team, of course they had chances as well, but we had chances too. That is why I believe it was a cracking football game. If you love football, I do not say you love Arsenal or Man United, today it was a game for people who love football.”

On facing another ‘football playing’ side…
“Football becomes very interesting when both teams want to play, we have seen that again today. I believe that apart from Stoke, we went to Bolton and Blackburn and we won in a convincing way. We had one accident at Stoke and after it provoked hysteria. After the 0-0 against Fenerbahce we have eight points in the Champions League and no one else has more apart from Juventus who have 10. All across Europe nobody has more than eight points in the Champions League. It is difficult sometimes to understand why everybody became so critical so suddenly.

“There is respect [for Sir Alex Ferguson] of course. I believe that we are surviving battlers in this game and therefore I have a lot of respect for him. We both play football.”

On playing out six minutes of injury time…
“I felt ‘that’s a very long time’. Just before they scored the fourth official told me it was going to be six minutes and I asked him if he was sure, what’s that? I have never played six minutes here.

“I personally would have preferred it if they had gone to the corner flag. I prefer that to passing the ball around in our own half with three minutes to go. We would prefer to have a positive attitude in the other half of the pitch. I want them first to be in the other half of the pitch then they are as close to the corner flag as possible.

“You always have to be cautious though because on day when we played Chelsea it was 2-2 and Kanu had the ball. I told him to go to the corner flag but he didn’t listen and he went and scored the third and we won 3-2. If the players have the quality then they always find the right answer.”

Source: Arsenal.com News Archive

Telkom KO cup - 8 / 9 November

The Telkom knock out cup in South Africa is where the local soccer action. Here are the picks from the Sports Trader blog.

A rich prize in the local arena will be a big incentive for all the sides.

Saturday fixtures
Free State Stars v Bay United - Bay United win
Moroka Swallows v Orlando Pirates - Orlando Pirates win

Bay United managed to shock Sundowns in the last round and we're calling them to keep going against an average Free State Stars side.

Despite their up and down form in the league this season, I don't see how you can look beyond Pirates in this round.

Sunday fixtures
SuperSport United v Bloemfontein Celtic - Supersport United win
Ajax Cape Town v Golden Arrows - Ajax Cape Town win

In the Saturday fixtures, we backed the away sides. For Sunday we're backing the two home sides to take the honours.

Supersport United have been in top form and they should do the business against Bloem Celtic.

The Ajax vs. Golden Arrows match up is a little tougher but we're going with the Ajax side....

Premiership picks - 8 / 9 November

The next round of the English Premiership is here. Sports Trader makes its Premiership picks for the weekend

Saturday fixtures:
Wigan v Stoke - Draw
Arsenal v Man Utd - Arsenal win
Sunderland v Portsmouth - Draw
Hull v Bolton - Hull win
West Ham v Everton - Everton win
Liverpool v West Brom - Liverpool win

The pick of the weekend is the Arsenal vs Manchester United fixture. Despite Arsenal's loss to Stoke, we're quite bullish on their chances against Man United. We're backing them for a win here.

Hull should stay on track with another win and Everton should have the beating of West Ham.

Sunday fixtures
Blackburn v Chelsea - Draw
Aston Villa v Middlesbrough - Aston Villa win
Man City v Tottenham - Draw
Fulham v Newcastle - Draw

We're probably going to upset the Chelsea fans but we don't think they're going to get the job done against Blackburn. The loss to Roma during the week and some nagging injury issues should count in Blackburns favour.

Aston Villa should carry on their winning ways.

Manchester City are taking on the rebounding Tottenham side in what should be an interesting match up. We're predicting draw.

Newcastle take on the hot and cold Fulham - we're calling a draw here.

Champions League Picks from Sports Trader

The world's greatest football clubs lineup for the next round of the Champions League and Sports Trader has made its predictions for the 4 / 5 November rounds.

The Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid game is going to be an intriguing match up.

Liverpool are playing great football at the moment, but with marksman Fernando Torres expected to miss this game, there are going to be some tough questions asked of their attack. With a couple of close games in recent weeks and the rather surprising loss to Spurs on the weekend, we are calling a draw.

Roma vs Chelsea is another big game - more specifically for Chelsea. We're expecting Chelsea to do the business here, despite the travelling.

If you are looking to go high on the goalscoring front then look to either the Barcelona or Inter Milan games.

4 November 2008
Roma v Chelsea - Chelsea win
CFR Cluj-Napoca v Bordeaux - Draw
Werder Bremen v Panathinaikos - Werder Bremen win
Anorthosis Famagusta v Inter
Milan - Inter Milan win
Barcelona v Basle - Barcelona win
Sporting v Shakhtar Donetsk - Sporting Win
Marseille v PSV - Marseille win
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid - Draw

For the 5th of November games, we're not putting a hell of a lot of faith in the English clubs.

We're going long Celtic for a win against Manchester United and Fenerbahce to hold Arsenal to a draw.

Picking a high-scorer was tough but we're going long on Bayern Munich to do the deed and rack up a big score against Fiorentina.

Real Madrid v Juventus - Real Madrid - Win

Celtic v Man Utd - Celtic win
Fiorentina v Bayern Munich - Bayern Munich win
AaB v Villarreal - Villarreal win
Lyon v Steaua Bucurest - Draw
Arsenal v Fenerbahce - Draw
Dynamo Kiev v FC Porto - FC Porto win
BATE v Zenit St Petersburg - Zenit St Petersburg win

Good luck punters

Redknapp - "We kept going"

Harry Redknapp admitted we 'rode our luck a little' but felt the lads got their rewards for not giving up against Liverpool.

Leaders at start of play, Dirk Kuyt put the visitors 1-0 up with less than three minutes on the clock and it looked a tough task to turn things arund against a side that had won eight of 10 games and conceded only seven goals.

Boss Harry changed things around at half-time by introducing Roman Pavlyuchenko and Alan Hutton, switching to a 4-4-2 system.

We had to weather the storm in the first 10 minutes of the second half though as Liverpool hit the woodwork twice and wasted another two clear-cut chances to extend their lead.

The scoreline stayed at 1-0, however and we started to work our way back into it. The equaliser arrived via the head of Jamie Carragher from David Bentley's corner after 69 minutes and then, with the clock ticking into added time, Bentley's shot was saved by Pepe Reina only for Darren Bent to cut the ball back for Pavlyuchenko to slot home the winner.

"Liverpool are so difficult to play against," reflected Harry. "We started the game with one striker and Luka Modric in just behind and we'd passed the ball well in the last couple of games but in the first half we couldn't play the ball through Liverpool and get the ball up to him.

"They fill the midfield up so well with Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard drops off the front and there was no way out for us, the only way was back to our centre-halves, there was hardly a forward pass on.

"We changed it around at half-time and went with two strikers.

"We had take a gamble and I felt we had to be more direct, miss the midfield out and at least try to get a little pressure on them.

"We were 1-0 down but I said at half-time 'you can't tell me we haven't got enough ability in this dressing room to go out and score a goal ourselves' and told them we were still in it.


"Liverpool had some good chances and in the second half we rode our luck a little, for sure.

"We kept going and in the end when you keep going, when you don't give up, you get your rewards and that's what happened.

"The result gets us off the bottom as well and that's important."

Source: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com

Chelsea spending spree been capped?

I've just read a story in a South African Sunday news paper.

Apparently Luiz Phillipe Scolari was under the impression that he had 28m pounds when the UK transfer window opened again.

Unfortunately the global financial crisis has rocked even the deepest pockets and club owner Roman Abromovich has communicated to him that no money will be forthcoming unless Scolari sells some players....

Interesting times...

SA PSL Picks - 1st and 2nd November 2008

Three South African PSL games this Saturday and the balance on Sunday. We haven't really done much commentary around local soccer picks and the up and down performances of the 'big' teams have probably proven that decision right.

Saturday
Free State Stars v Orlando Pirates - Pirates win
Kaizer Chiefs v AmaZulu - Chiefs win
Ajax Cape Town v SuperSport United - Draw

Pirates have FINALLY gotten into gear after a very poor start to the season. Even missing some key players, they should do the job against Free State stars.

If Chiefs don't win here (and win convincingly), then nobody shoud take them seriously.

SuperSport top the PSL after the first but we're worried they will slip up here against Ajax. We're calling a low scoring draw.

Sunday
Moroka Swallows v Bloem Celtic - Swallows win
Thanda Royal Zulu FC v Bidvest Wits - Draw
Mamelodi Sundowns v Bay United - Sundowns win

Bloem Celtic are scraping the bottom of the league with one draw and four losses. Swallows should do the business here in front of their home crowd.

Wits have shown flashes of form but Thanda Royal Zulu haven't been the worst side around either. Coupled with home ground advantage we suspect Royal Zulu can at least pick up one point here.

Sundowns got an important win against Wits earlier in the week and management and coaches will be very aware that the 'powers that be' and the fans have not been very accepting of the average results delivered so far. Sundowns should win and win big against a Bay United still trying to find their feet at this level.

Source: Sports Trader

Saturday 1 November 2008 - Sports Trader premiership picks

Wow! Another weekend of the English Premiership is here. Chelsea managed to restore 'the world order' with a comprehensive 0-3 thrashing of Hull and it will be interesting to see how the Tigers respond to that loss.

Hull take on Manchester United at Old Trafford today. United are also desperately seeking points to make up some lost ground so it is going to be a juicy match up.

Our predictions for the Saturday are as follows:

Chelsea v Sunderland - Chelsea win
Man Utd v Hull - Draw
Middlesbrough v West Ham - West Ham win
Portsmouth v Wigan - Portsmouth win
Stoke v Arsenal - Arsenal win
West Brom v Blackburn - Draw
Everton v Fulham - Everton win

The game we are a little wary on is the Stoke vs. Arsenal matchup. We've gone the safe route of the Arsenal win but Stoke have the ability to frustrate and they have the ability to score goals.

Happy Hunting Punters....

Source: Sports Trader

Sports Trader Premiership picks - 2008/10/29

Following a cracking weekend of English premiership football, the teams are back in action tonight with the next round of games and there are some crackers on the cards....

All eyes are focused on the Hull vs. Chelsea game. Hull have been the surprise package and enjoy homeground advantage against the Blues. But Chelsea will still be smarting from a homeground loss against Liverpool and will want to make amends. I'm going with a sentimental bet here and going for a Hull win.

The other game where I expect a surprise is Portsmouth trip to Anfield. The Liverpool fans are probably going to shoot me down, but I expect Liverpool to drop points here and am predicting a draw.

Our predictions here are as follows

Fulham v Wigan - Fulham win
Hull v Chelsea - Hull win
Aston Villa v Blackburn - Aston Villa win
Stoke v Sunderland - Draw
Liverpool v Portsmouth - Draw
Arsenal v Tottenham - Arsenal win
Bolton v Everton - Everton win
Man Utd v West Ham - Man Utd win
Middlesbrough v Man City - Man City win

Happy hunting punters.

Source: Sports Trader blog

Villa drub Wigan

It may have been Martin O'Neill's 100th competitive game in charge of Villa but four was the magic number for the Villa boss.

A quality quartet of goals guaranteed maximum joy for O'Neill and ensured claret and blue supporters went back down the M6 in joyous mood.

Gareth Barry opened the scoring midway through the first half from the penalty spot.

Gabby Agbonlahor doubled the advantage just before the hour mark when he deflected home John Carew's towering header.

The Norwegian striker finished off a wonderful move just after the hour mark, heading home an Agbonlahor cross.

And Steve Sidwell, making his Barclays Premier League debut for Villa, fired in an unstoppable drive at the death.

Source:
http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~1432579,00.html

Robinho rocks for Man City

Manchester City and their one man wrecker Robinho were on a mission today. Three nil passed Stoke is not a bad result... now if only the can get a few other players to contribute to the effort and this side would be mean!

Topsy turvy South African PSL

Who would have imagined that the South African PSL would be looking like this after four rounds?:

Team
SuperSport - 10 (Points)
Bidvest Wits - 10
Arrows - 8
Maritzburg - 8
Swallows - 7
Ajax - 7
Sundowns - 7
Thanda Royal - 7
FS Stars - 6
Bay Utd - 4
Santos - 4
Plat Stars - 4
Chiefs - 3
AmaZulu - 3
Pirates - 2
Celtic - 1

Glamour clubs, Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs have also been knocked out of the big money Telkom cup just to rub salt into the wounds.

I guess its not unusual to see 1 big club get off to a slow start but Sundowns, Chiefs AND Pirates has to be a little perplexing for their supporters.

Alonso sinks Chelsea

Xabi Alonso has sunk Chelsea and fired Liverpool to the top of the Premiership when he scored his 15th goal for Liverpool.

Its been a while since the Chelsea fortress at Stamford Bridge has been breached....

Are Liverpool finally confirming that they are championship material after many seasons of being also rans?

Plenty of football to be played but a huge psychological win for Liverpool and a blow to the Chelsea aura...

With Everton snatching a last minute draw against Manchester United, Liverpool will probably see the weekend as mission accomplished.

If Chelsea can bounce back quickly they'll still be a very real threat for the championship..

Open letter from Tottenham Hotspurs chairman Daniel Levy

Dear Supporter,

How quickly things change in football. Our pre-season form, our start to the transfer window and early summer signings had everyone optimistic for the season ahead. The last few days of that window and our poor start to the season has seen all that change. This has been a difficult period for the Club and many questions are being asked and much criticism levelled. I should like to update you on some important developments announced a short while ago, to answer some of your questions and also to outline our thinking as we look to improve our current position going forward.

We have faced many key challenges as we have progressed over the last few seasons and we have had to take important decisions at crucial times - without the wonderful benefit of hindsight and always under full public scrutiny. As such, they have been judgement calls. Some of our decisions and judgements may at times be unpopular with our fans but we always take decisions we believe to be in the best interests of our Club, at the time we make them, and for the right reasons. In many cases, it is simply not possible or practical for all of the factors involved to enter the public domain and I do understand that this can alter or impair the perception of why something has or hasn't been done.

Today, as formally announced by the Club, I have made one such important judgement call and in doing so I have taken some very difficult decisions. Relieving Juande Ramos, our Head Coach, and Juande's assistants, Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez, of their posts is not something I have undertaken lightly.

Unfortunately, our record of just three League wins since our memorable Carling Cup victory against Chelsea last February, combined with our extremely poor start to the season, led the Board and I to determine that significant change was necessary as a matter of urgency. We are grateful to Juande, Gus and Marcos for all their hard work - they are incredibly professional, committed individuals and I regret that their time in the Premier League has not gone as well as we had all hoped..

The English Premier League is an unforgiving competition - time was no longer on our side and was a luxury we simply could not afford. We have quite clearly not performed to the best of our ability for many months now and our poor run of form is not something we could allow to continue unchecked.

In appointing Harry Redknapp as our new manager, we are delighted to have secured the services of someone we have long since admired and whose track record and knowledge of all levels of football, including importantly the Premier League, is outstanding. I know Harry is relishing the opportunity of managing a Club he knows well, not least from his son Jamie's time here as a player and Captain, and of re-invigorating and restoring confidence to a squad of highly talented international players. With his great knowledge of the game and his excellent motivational skills, Harry has inspired his teams to consistently over-perform, whilst his preferred attacking style of playing the game sits comfortably with our Club's history, heritage and the type of entertaining football our fans want and expect to see.

We have spent around £175m on new players over the last 3 years. The purchasing of players is a critical aspect of our Club and, given our current position, it is essential that we go into the January transfer window with absolute confidence in the advice being offered to the Board. Following a meeting of the Directors and a full review of our football management structure, I can also inform you that Damien Comolli has left the Club with immediate effect. Damien will not be directly replaced.

In my opinion, and with the benefit that comes with running our Club with and without a Sporting Director in the past seven years, the successful management of a football club is not about structures or job titles. As in most businessess, it's about people: their personal qualities, their knowledge, their experience, their relationships, communication skills, interaction with colleagues, leadership and, of course, their ability.

In Harry, we are also accepting with his appointment that now is the right time for us to move back to a more traditional style of football management at our Club. one which we believe will be capable of initiating our climb back up the Premier League table and to maintaining our challenge in the UEFA, Carling and FA Cup competitions.

However, I should stress that we are not in this current position because of any single factor or any one individual. Human nature often dictates the need to find someone or something to blame, but in these circumstances we need all our energies to be directed instead to supporting the team and improving our League position. Nothing else matters at this time.

That said, and without dwelling too much on last summer, I do also want to take this opportunity to address some of the other concerns you have raised. Many of the questions I have been asked and much of the reasoning for our poor start to the season has centred on our striker options. I do not believe this to be the sole reason, but I do feel it is important to set out the facts once again regarding the sale of two popular and talented strikers: Keane and Berbatov.

Robbie Keane's departure was undoubtedly the shock of the summer. I personally had an excellent relationship with Robbie and he was one player that I always thought would end his career at the Club. I know you all felt the same. I was as disappointed as any of you when he informed me that he wanted to join what he described as his favourite boyhood club. Against this background and despite his obvious professionalism, our coaching staff felt that it would be very difficult to expect Robbie to continue to be such a positive influence in our dressing room when he so clearly wanted to leave us. The decision to sell Robbie was therefore not a financial one, although in such circumstances it was vital for our Club to secure the maximum possible value for a player of Robbie's ability.

The sale of Dimitar was an entirely different matter. Dimitar first intimated to Martin Jol that he wanted to join Manchester United after just one season at our Club - and just 10 days before the end of the summer 2007 transfer window. At that time, the coaching staff's preference was to let Dimitar go and for us to replace him. This was not something I would allow - at any price - as I felt that Dimitar's request was completely unreasonable. From that moment on, we obviously knew we had an issue and we spent many hours over the course of the season that followed trying to persuade Dimitar to stay. I rebuffed a number of approaches from clubs , including Manchester United, this May and again in early July. Despite press stories to the contrary, there was no extended period of negotiation with Manchester United and their July offer of £20m was not increased until they contacted us again in the last few days of the transfer window.

The internal decision to sell Dimitar at the beginning of the window was premised on a suitable replacement being found and on the assumption that Dimitar couldn't be persuaded to change his mind. Under FIFA regulations, if a players signs a contract before his 28th birthday, he has only to serve 3 years of that contract before he can terminate it and join a new club. Whilst some compensation is payable under such circumstances the level of compensation is set by a third party body in accordance with predeteremined factors, and in Dimitar's case would have been but a small fraction of the fee we received from Manchester United. But even this was not the final determining factor in our decision to part company with him. Despite the potential cost to the Club and knowing that our efforts to sign an additional, experienced striker had failed, the final decision on whether or not to sell Dimitar was not a financial decision but a footballing one. It was felt that he had not been a positive influence on the pitch or in the dressing room and that this would continue.

The timing of the actual transfer of Dimitar was completely immaterial and unconnected to our bringing in a replacement for him. We had been aware for a long period that he was likely to leave and our negotiations to get the best fee for him was independent of our work to replace both him (as we did with Pavyluchenko) and Robbie, with experienced strikers.

The ultimate failure - as I have said before - of our dealings in this summer's transfer window was not about the departure of two good strikers, or because we have operated a structure that happens to have had a Sporting Director and a Head Coach, or because our financial parameters are too rigid - after all, let´s not forget that we did bring in much quality to enhance our current squad. Quite simply, we failed because we were not as decisive or as successful in identifying or replacing the two strikers as early as we should have been. Perhaps these insights will help once and for all to de-bunk the myths that have been perpetuated around these transfers.

There is also an inaccurate perception that our Club is run entirely for profit and that football is secondary. Success on the pitch is the sole determinant to the future of the Club and its financial stability, so it would be entirely counter-productive to have anything other than football as our first and foremost priority and it is ridiculous to suggest otherwise. At a time when football clubs are criticised for losing money and for their debt levels, I am surprised that we should be criticised for running our Club on a sound commercial basis and for making a profit. Thank goodness we do make a profit because it has significantly supported the progress we have made over the last seven years and has helped to make us one of Europe's most secure Clubs. I make no apologies for the fact that we reinvest the Club's positive cash flow in both players and infrastructure.

And so back to looking ahead and to redress our current position.

Firstly, in Harry, we have secured the services of an excellent Manager of proven Premier League quality. Harry will be working with a squad of quality internationals. We must not forget that this team, without the benefit of three additional players at the time (Pavlyuchenko, Corluka, Campbell), gave a more than creditable performance against the current League leaders. I have spoken to the senior players in recent days and I know the players share our frustration and I know they will dig deep to produce the performances we know they are capable of - they have our full support - and support for the team is absolutely critical at this time.

We have all been subjected to much criticism - myself, the Board, coaching staff and players - having now made what I considered to be necessary, sweeping changes to our football management team, we must re-assert ourselves, regain our focus, and answer our critics in the best way possible - by winning games again.

Secondly, we must prepare ourselves to take advantage of the January transfer window. Harry's experience of the UK and international transfer market will be of critical importance and I shall be looking to Harry for clarity on our priorities. As Chairman, and as previously in our former structure, I must, ultimately, rely on the knowledge and judgement of my technical staff to give me a clear football-based view and recommendation on our transfer targets.

I can assure you that everyone here, from the Board to our most junior staff member, shares the frustration and disappointment of the season so far, but I can also assure you that all of us in every area of the Club are doing what we can to help the players to produce the level of performance and the consistent good results our fans expect and all of us crave.

We have achieved too much over the last seven years - three successive qualifications for Europe, a League Cup win, Training Centre planning permission - and still more to announce - to allow this to be overtaken and thrown away overnight. We have suffered a set back and we have taken strong action.

I have received numerous e-mails and letters from supporters offering advice and suggestions on how the Club should be run and what we should and should not do. I do appreciate the time people take to write to me and when the e-mails or letters are constructive and not abusive, I can assure you that I read as many as I can. And I do take notice of your views. Indeed, I have been heartened by the fact that the over-riding response from our supporters has been one of determination to get behind the team. Too often in difficult times supporters can forget that their support is needed even more than ever. The team will tell you how much of a difference it can make to them on the pitch. White Hart Lane needs to once again become the fortress it was, not so very long ago. With your tremendous support it can.

Finally, I know I am sometimes criticised for appearing too business-focused, too uncommunicative, or simply for not being emotional enough when it concerns our team. The majority of our fans know that it's simply not my way to seek a high profile. I do not crave publicity, neither do I believe it is necessary to do my job. I would prefer our team to make the headlines, for the right reasons. We now have a manager who is a great communicator to players, fans and the media alike and I shall also, personally, look to keep you all informed and your questions answered as we progress through the season.

Your support has never been more important - and we are grateful to so many of you for the messages of support and encouragement the Club has received during this difficult period. Now's the time for all of us to pull together and to get behind Harry and the team.

Yours, Daniel

Weekend picks

Another weekend of English Premier League football is here and Sports Trader makes its weekend picks.

The clash of the weekend is without question the Chelsea vs. Liverpool matchup. Chelsea are still carrying some injury knocks and if ever there was a chance for Liverpool to confirm their status as potential league winners, its this weekend.

Picks are below

Saturday
Everton v Man Utd - win Manchester united
Sunderland v Newcastle - draw
West Brom v Hull - win Hull
Blackburn v Middlesbrough - draw

Sunday
Chelsea v Liverpool - draw
Man City v Stoke - Win Man City
Tottenham v Bolton - win Bolton
Wigan v Aston Villa - win Aston Villa
West Ham v Arsenal - win Arsenal

Go Villa....................!

Tough times

I blogged about it a while back, but the financial crisis is creating a serious problem in terms of sponsorship for professional sports across the globe.

Unfortunately companies are being forced to cut back on their spending or simply disappear leaving sports teams without much needed sponsorship to see them survive from month to month.

Sports is big business and sponsorship is the lifeblood of this business - if sponsors fold then all those nice fancy dinners and big money salaries become a little tougher to offer.

But most unfortunately, the areas that are likely to suffer are going to be the grassroots infrastructures offered by club setups.

The top end of the spectrum might go on about 'cost cutting' and might see a few personnel let go, but the bottom end of the budget (The guys who ask for R100 000 as opposed to R100m) are likely to feel it that much harder.

I know for a fact that our small amateur hockey setup had been counting on R20k in sponsorship which never materialised this year. These kind of problems are likely to increase and I guess a word of warning to sports administrators banking on money from sponsors - IT IS ONLY SPONSORSHIP WHEN THE BUCKS ARE IN THE BANK

Some tough times ahead and I guess for those sports administrators it is going to make their lives quite challenging at times.

Read an article today, highlighting some of the problems that the financial crisis is having on sport already and thought I would highlight some of them:

- Manchester United football clubs primary sponsor - AIG - has just been bailed out by the US government who will be looking to cut costs so that they can get their multi-billion dollar loan repaid

- David Triesman, the chairman of the English FA, has said that English soccer was collectively 3 billion pounds ($5.23 billion) in debt and that he could not rule out a top club collapsing

- West Ham and Newcastle are under huge pressure with sponsors folding

- Even a glamour sport like motor racing has had its seen administrators come out and suggest that teams forfeit their technical advantages and use standard engines in 2010 to try and help team survive this period...

Tough times ahead...

English premiership selections

From the Sports Trader blog

An interesting football weekend ahead in the English Premiership with a number of big name injuries putting pressure on the top flight clubs.

Saturday fixtures:
Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea
Aston Villa vs. Portsmouth
Liverpool vs. Wigan
Bolton vs. Blackburn
Fulham vs. Sunderland
Arsenal vs. Everton
Manchester United vs. WBA

Sunday Fixtures
Hull vs. West Ham
Stoke vs. Tottenham

Monday fixture
Newcastle vs. Manchester City

Predictions:
A pretty banged up Chelsea are probably providing Middlesbrough for their best chance of an upset. Didier Drogba, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Peter Cech are all on the walking wounded list at the moment.

Liverpool have concerns around Torres and Babel so will need to find some firepower up front.

Arsenal are missing defenders William Gallas, Bacary Sagna and striker Nicklas Bendtner.

Newcastle are missing Michael Owen while Man City should have Robinho fit again.

Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea - Draw
Aston Villa vs. Portsmouth - Aston Villa Win
Liverpool vs. Wigan - Liverpool Win
Bolton vs. Blackburn - Draw
Fulham vs. Sunderland - Draw
Arsenal vs. Everton - Draw
Manchester United vs. WBA - Manchester United win
Hull vs. West Ham - Hull win
Stoke vs. Tottenham - Stoke win
Newcastle vs. Manchester City - Man City win

The irony of South African sport

Sport remains a hugely political tool in South Africa and I think many ordinary people find it frustrating when government officials who haven’t seen a sports field (let alone run on one) start making bold predictions about how they are going to ‘fix’ things.

Upfront, I completely acknowledge that sport was largely divided along racial lines in the past so I don’t deny that there is some merit in the racial arguments.

However the landscape is changing. No side in South African cricket or rugby enjoys the backing of the likes of billionaire Patrice Motsepe. The South African football side is not subjected to selection criteria of local, black coaches or quotas. In fact if one adds up how much the national football side has spent on foreign coaches or advisors over the last decade, it must be a massive figure.

This week has been a case in point about government administrators getting on their high horse and focusing on the wrong aspects of South African sport.

Every few years, sports administrators (typically those with political ties), will get together to hold a sports indaba of sorts where the ‘future strategic direction’ of sport will be covered. Ironically senior figures in cricket, rugby and soccer are normally not invited to give their input.

A hot topic this week has been the future of the Springbok emblem worn by the national rugby team. The politicos it should go because they believe it divides South Africa along racial lines.

The ‘logical decision’ is that it must go to unite South African sport.

Please note that senior rugby administrators and players were not invited to comment at this congress / indaba / conference or whatever they want to call it.

(Bear in mind – nobody actually knows if these guys have any legal backing to the ‘decisions’ that are taken here nor do they enjoy backing of the ruling government party, even if it is convened by some of its more militant members).

Now let’s remember that South African rugby has won 2 World Cups, a Tri-Nations, has a good black coach that is there on merit and has been able to attract an increasingly mixed racial audience to its grounds.

Soccer on the other hand is plumbing new lows. Millions have been spent on foreign coaches, the players themselves are reluctant to play and pick and choose the games they want. The national side is barely competitive with the minnows on the African continent that have budgets probably one fiftieth of what Bafana Bafana enjoys.

The national Olympics team managed a single medal at the 2008 Olympics campaign. We took along more non participating members in our squad than actually athletes, sponsors were disappointed or more interested in sponsoring the Paralympics squad and despite this, the athletes were poorly managed.

Throw in the fact that we have local government departments trying to sell off the land on which grass roots sports clubs operate to make sure that their books balance at the end of the year and the minor issue of a global financial crisis that is robbing all sports disciplines of sponsorship money and we have a pretty grim sports scene.

But no – the priority is to make sure we get rid of a brand that is highly successful, generates a lot of revenue for grass roots sports development.

I think we all agree that sport in South Africa is not perfect, but the meddling of sports officials is somewhat ironic. They talk about wanting to improve sport, but the idea of actually focusing on the problems is something that escapes some people’s agendas.

Disgraceful South African football

It is not often I watch South African football. I believe the standard is weak and many of the players play with a glory boy mentality instead of focusing on delivering the goods on the field. But in the last 3 weeks, I have seen 2 disgraceful tackles that have made me think I was watching a version of cage fighting rather than ‘the beautiful game’.

A couple of weeks back, Maritzburg United Defender Gary Goldstone, smashed open the face of Kaizer Chiefs striker Tshepo Bulu by simply dropping his shoulder and intentionally body checking a player who had beaten him.

Then this weekend Supersport United's Firku Tefera stomped on the throat of Thanda Royal Zulus, July Mahlangu.

He didn't just stomp on the guy inadvertently. He jumped over him, aimed his kick and then kicked him straight in the unprotected throat.

It was an absolute disgrace and in any other league, the guy would be facing criminal assault charges.

South African soccer needs to clean up its act and soon. You cannot have guys literally gunning to take guys out of the game when they get beaten on the field.

Personally I think this is why we are failing to deliver the goods at international level. We allow mediocre players to play dangerously in leagues which are supposed to be showcasing our football talent.

Unfortunately it also has implications for the wider game in the country. Why should foreign clubs (such as Ajax Amsterdam) partner with local clubs and send their European talent to come and get some experience and game time in our leagues?

Why should Manchester United or Liverpool or Real Madrid send teams to South Africa to try and boost our local game when thugs are busy smashing up local players?

Maybe football administrators, coaches and players should see the bigger picture. The game doesn’t need idiots like this destroying our football culture. If you want to attract talent and you want to attract quality players and teams to come and play in South Africa, you need to get rid of this kind of behaviour.

I think the referee deserves a pat on the back for the decisive decision to send him off but this shouldn’t be allowed to rest. Quality players need to be looked after in the leagues and this can only be achieved by sending out a strong message to all involved.

SA interest in Newcastle United

A consortium which includes Richemont CE Johann Rupert, Bidvest boss Brian Joffe and mining veteran Brian Gilbertson is said to be in the lead to buy a stake in English Premiership football side Newcastle United.

Joffe already has an interest in football through local Premier Soccer League side Bidvest Wits.

Read the complete article here.

Martin O'Neill praises Villa

Martin O'Neill praised his players for their commitment and determination in coming from behind to beat Sunderland.

O'Neill also picked out Stiliyan Petrov as the outstanding performer on the day.

He told AVTV: "I am delighted with the third successive league win because Premier League points are hard to come by.

"It was a great effort by the players. I thought we might tire as the game wore on, as was the case, but it was good to have something to hold on to. Sunderland pressed at the death but it was good to see it through.

"Ashley scored an absolutely fantastic goal and John continued his good form with a great finish. I couldn't be more pleased for the lads because they have showed an enormous amount of determination to fight back in the game.

"We seem to be getting into the habit of winning close games, which is very encouraging.

"The team have been playing so, so well but if I was to pick anyone out this afternoon, it would be Stiliyan. I thought he was absolutely outstanding.

"I heard the announcement at the end of the game that he was man of the match. I certainly wouldn't disagree with that."

Source: Aston Villa Media

Yeah!

I'll be blunt - I take a lot of grief for being an Aston Villa supporter but finally the team looks like it is coming good!

I don't think anyone will call them a glamour side, but the win over Sunderland showed a bit of grit and class.

The side has played something ridiculous like 5 games in 13 days and they've managed to hang on to beat Sunderland yesterday despite looking dead on their feet.

Its pretty satisfying to see them in contention for Europe ahead of more fancied teams like Tottenham and Newcastle.

Gooooo Villa.......................

The tackle

Did anybody see the tackle of Maritzburg United Defender Gary Goldstone on Kaizer Chiefs striker Tshepo Bulu?

This is what Bulu looked like afterwards.

It was an absolute shocker of a tackle that I'm surprised didn't result in some criminal prosecution for Goldstone.

Absolute shocking.

KaizerChiefs.com are quoted as saying Bulu’s injury. “He will be out for a month as his nose is fractured. His face is very badly swollen with sutures. He must wait until the swelling has gone down and then Tshepo will be seen by a specialist to reassess the damage and what the prognosis is,” said (Kaizer Chiefs coach) Ertugral.

Blatter slams Bafana Bafana

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said on Monday he was disappointed with the recent performance of the national team of the 2010 World Cup host country South Africa.

"I am disappointed that during the years since 2004 when this World Cup has been given to South Africa...the national team is not better," Blatter told journalists after a visit to the building site of Cape Town's Green Point Stadium.

He said it was "incredible" that Bafana Bafana had gone from being the African Cup of Nation champions in 1996 to failing to even qualify for the crunch tournament in 2008.

"I cannot understand it. It is the last moment now to move...do something, move it," he said.

These were comments made by Sepp Blatter and quoted on a 24.com website. Terrible that we are being seen in such a negative light at the moment...

Read the full article here....

Former Bafana boss blasts Santana

Bafana Bafana's most successful coach Clive Barker has called on the South African Football Association (Safa) to set up a round table meeting with former local born national coaches as a matter of urgency.

Read the complete article here.

Banana Banana

Ok I am not normally cynical but I read a really weird comment that had been attributed to Benni McCarthy this morning. I would love to support our national side and really get behind them - but they say and do some really baffling things - so for tonight they are BANANA BANANA (and no that is not racist!)

Apparently Benni said it wasn't that bigger deal that we have been knocked out of the qualification African Nations Cup by Nigeria yesterday. His logic was that if had gone to the African Nations Cup and we had won it next year and then we had gone to the World Cup and been knocked out in the first round, our fans would have been disappointed....

uuuuhhhh Benni - we have a better than average chance of being knocked out of the first round. While Nigeria are getting game time against all the major African powerhouses (minus SA), our guys are going to be at home trying to find SOMEBODY to play a game against....

Are you nuts?!

You can't just stand back and say "oh well we didn't qualify for the African Nations Cup, but we're building to the World Cup"....

IT'S A BLOODY CATASTROPHE...

With our strongest players and a multi-million Rand coach, the African Nations Cup was something we could have and should have won. A bit of pride and prestige would have been shoved the South African way after all the grief we have given the players and coach.

Instead we shrug our shoulders and say that it is no big deal.

What better way to have built South African support going into the World Cup campaign, than being the champions of Africa?!

Unfortunately we committed ourselves to this bloody expensive coach and subsequently his mate - and we've got nothing to show for it except a country like Lesotho playing in our spot.

I really hope that the South African side comes right in the next few months. They need hard games against quality opposition and they need a settled side.
The coach can no longer be guessing which players he is planning to use. He's got them - now he has to make them do the business.

I'm sorry but you guys are BANANA BANANA until you can give the fans what they are looking for....

Why Santana will fail in South Africa

As Bafana Bafana approach what might turn out to be the most defining game of the progress made (or lack thereof), more doubts have been cast about the man at the helm, Joel Natalino Santana.
Top article from Lux Mantambo here....

Yeah Aston Villa

Ok I get a little maniacal on the subject but GO ASTON VILLA YOU GOOD THING...

Not too convincing from Liverpool huh?

I skimmed a couple of the news sites for a choice quotes describing Liverpools performance:

"Liverpool... looked short of inspiration in a goalless draw at Villa Park"

World with Benni

Well South African prodigal son Benni McCarthy has strolled back into the national football side and promptly lifted the side’s game without trying particularly hard. Benni was instrumental in the credible 2-2 draw with Australia in London on Tuesday.

For those who don’t know the story, Benni basically turned into something of a grumpy boy as people questioned his position on the whole club vs. country debate.

No Benni = a very average Bafana Bafana side.

McCarthy suddenly got back in the side and we’re competing with a top ranked side like Australia.

His 2 touches to setup the goal prove just how classy he is and just how easy it is for him to play at this level.

He has now committed himself to the national side for the duration of the campaign up to the 2010 World Cup, lets just hope he now stays fit for that time!

Who the hell runs South African football?!

I've come to the conclusion that Carlos Alberto Parreira probably runs the South African national team. He's not the coach, he's not an administrator, but he still gets paid the big bucks to make the decisions.

Consider his actions since he was appointed as the South African national coach (briefly)...

R1.8m a month, coached for a couple of months, appointed his team (including communicators) as part of a long term strategy to see us go to the World Cup.

A couple of months into the job we look like we're making some (VERY) marginal progress and suddenly his wife falls ill. Instead of taking some kind of leave of absence, he calls a press conference and announces his resignation.

Tricky that...

But curiously he has decided who the next South African coach is going to be ... Its Joel Santana his mate from Brazil.

Santana makes no real impact on the side, we lose a couple of games we should have won and then he goes on holiday back to Brazil. Now this week Bafana Bafana are taking on Australia with hardly any time together.

Weird...

Even weirder is that Parreira is suddenly being quoted by South African papers as saying he has become available again as a special consultant ....

This whole soccer lark is ridiculous and you can't wonder why our players look clueless on the field. Because their coaching staff are clueless about what they want and aren't exactly sending out a message of confidence to players, spectators and administrators.

This whole Parreira thing is turning into an expensive mistake...

Opening Saturday - English Premiership

The opening Saturday of the English Premiership has been played and some interesting results have come in.

Arsenal won 1-0 against WBA. A wins a win but should have done better here. credit does have to be given to the youngish Arsenal side but questions are going to be asked of this squad this season.

Bolton beat Stoke City 3-1. Pretty enthusiastic start from Bolton!

West Ham beat Wigan 2-1. A good result for West Ham.

Blackburn beat Everton 3-2. Paul Ince is off to a winning start. Blackburn fans will be hoping this isn't a flash in the pan...

Hull beat Fulham 2-1. I had money on Fulham going through here but called it wrong

Middlesbrough beat Tottenham 2-1. At 18/10 there was some decent money on the

Middlesbrough win. Tottenham look like they might seriously struggle this season

Liverpool beat Sunderland 1-0. Liverpool didn't deserve the win but leagues are ultimately decided by how well you play when you're not on form. Take the 3 points and keep looking for improvement.

Source: Sports Trader

Fun basic soccer drill

Like most sports, football is actually based on being able to do the basics right. Kids see the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka busy dancing their way passed 4 or 5 guys at a time and they believe that, that is what it takes to be a success.

The truth is that it looks good but ask any South African football fan how frustrating it is watching their players trying to replicate it and being caught out by the solid tackling of the likes of Rio Ferdinand or Wes Brown...

Once the defenders have you worked out, your tricks are worth very little.

Instead coaches should be focusing on the basics of making sure that their players can make quick and accurate passes over a variety of distances while on the move.

One exercise to consider is to set up 3 cones, 2 metres apart and (initially) 5 metres away from the players who are waiting in a line. The players then take chances to fire off 3 passes, aiming to knock over or hit the cones.

The idea is to keep up quite a high tempo to try and simulate accuracy while on the run. Younger kids will enjoy the "scoring" aspect of hitting each cone.

As the accuracy improves, move the players further from the cones but keep demanding the accuracy and ability to hit the cone.

Two new PIFA centers for football training in Mumbai

Premier India Football Academy (PIFA) will now have week long coaching in South Mumbai with the opening of their two new centers. Campion backgarden on Tuesday & Thursday and St Columba's Girls School at Gamdevi on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

The training will be form 5-6 pm for children 5 to 8 years and from 6-7 pm for children 9-14 years.

PIFA also has training centers at St Andrews-Bandra, Bombay Scout Ground-Juhu, Karnataka Sports- Azad Maidan, Islam Gymkhana-Marine Drive & Gokuldham-Goregaon. For children 5-16 years.

The academy features the latest training methods adapted from Europe. Improvement is gauranteed.

Details of the training can be got from www.pifacademy.com

Source: SanePR

Football Strategist

Welcome to the Football Strategist website.

Football (or soccer - depending on where you live) is the worlds most popular sport - most probably because of the simplicity of the sport and its rules.... Not much complicated about kicking a ball into goal.

The aim of the Football Strategist blog is to create a meeting place for football coaches and enthusiasts to exchange ideas, tips and tricks on the game.

With the lack of coaching resources on the continent, Africa is craving a platform where amateur or young 'would-be' coaches can begin to pick up information on 1st world coaching techniques and ask questions of more experienced counterparts. We hope to see the Football Strategist blog go someway to addressing this issue.

While there are many blogs and websites dealing with football and the various leagues, the Football Strategist blog will be aiming to focus more specifically on coaches. By all means punt your teams and fly your colours high - a little bit of banter is excellent for a community like this. But try to remember that we are aiming to focus on football coaching and training techniques and input on these subjects will be most appreciated!