Competitions News Archives

Saying goodbye to the football season is very much like giving birth to a ginger child: after nine months of optimism, hope and anguish, you’re left with a genuine feeling of disappointment.

The final day is often emotional. Who could forget Arsenal pipping Liverpool to the title in 1989? Well sadly, my old man. In fact, if you see a small befuddled pensioner roaming the streets, you’ll be better off avoiding football trivia altogether; senility is no picnic.

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Real Madrid celebrated their 31st Liga in style by thumping rivals Barcelona 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. This will have to go down as the most one-sided clasico since Ronaldinho destroyed Madrid’s defence in November 2005. How times have changed since then. Ronaldinho is only in the news now for his off the field antics, while Madrid have formed a solid compact unit that has won La Liga at a canter.

The Barcelona players suffered the shame of having to applaud their rivals onto the pitch, but by the end of the night this humiliation was nothing compared to what they experienced over 90 minutes. from the beginning Diarra, Sneijder and Gago ruled the midfield and even Leo Messi was kept completely out of the game as Barça’s midfield players struggled to connect with the forwards.

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Today’s transfer roundup starts with transfer-related news, but not a big rumor. Instead, I give two thumbs-up to Real Madrid’s Wesley Sneijder for looking out for his brother’s best interests, as he stepped in to prevent Real from making an offer to former club Ajax for his brother Rodney, a promising youth team player.

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So, what’s going on in the world of transfer rumors today? As always, chime in and chip in with opinions - and with rumors!

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The article uses last available financial disclosures of the club as at 30th June, 2007 (download document (PDF) here). The words “current/currently” reflect opinion/fact with the same timeline in backdrop. All figures are in million pounds.

The author is a financial analyst.

It has been some time that people have been talking about a financial crisis in-the-making at Old Trafford. There are also those who insist we are already seeing one. The team, however, is doing extremely well on the pitch. That suggests, at least from a financial point of view (perhaps not conclusively though), that players are happy with their wages. After all, the club spent 74m on wages and salaries in 2006-07 (majority of which must have gone to players).

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There could be tough times ahead for Luca Toni. The Bayern Munich striker, just recently crowned Bundesliga champion and currently leading the scoring charts with 21 goals, may soon be confronted with an unsurpassable obstacle… of the robotic kind. Its name is Goalias (or GoalIAS if you prefer), and it’s the first robot-goalkepeer capable of defending a regular-sized football goal.

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This year’s playoff semi-finals for the Conference were as unexpected as they were exciting, and there wasn’t even a hint of a penalty shoot-out and Exeter City and Cambridge United make their respective preparations for Wembley in just under a fortnight’s time.

The games always looked too close to call with Torquay slight favourites to progress from one game but in indifferent form while Cambridge were assumed to be too strong for a mercurial Burton side who, on their day, have the run of any team in the Conference.

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Sunday was a momentous day in the English Championship with the teams going up, getting in the play-offs, going down and staying up, changing constantly through ninety breathless, tension filled minutes.

As a Watford fan I was right in there. Looking for other scores as our plan to keep things tight at Blackpool went horribly awry, like so many of our plans over the past few months, going one-nil down after just two minutes.

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Congratulations to Real Madrid for winning their 31st Spanish league title. It’s been a funny old season in Spain so perhaps it was appropriate that Madrid should come from behind and score twice in the last five minutes when they were down to ten men to win 1-2 at Osasuna. Villarreal are looking good for second place after a 2-0 victory over Getafe, while Barcelona who seem to be in a serious crisis surprised everyone by walloping Valencia 6-0. Some might be more surprised by the fact that Thierry Henry played well and scored twice!

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Looking through the Soccerlens postbag this week we found a letter from a man much in the news at the moment. He has written for our help as he feels he is simply misunderstood:

Dear Soccerlens,

I have been reading your website for some time in an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the game of football. I must say I find the writing of Graham Fisher to be particularly enlightening.

I need your help with a very difficult problem. I have made a sound decision based on my extensive knowledge of the game but it appears that most other people think I am wrong. I am disappointed to discover that in England people are allowed to disagree with me. In the past I would have had them….never mind, they’ve proved nothing!

People say my knowledge of football is lacking but I can assure you that I have followed Manchester for many years. I was surprised when I saw us play for the first time and we were wearing blue shirts and not the famous red ones, and I also found that we no longer played at Old Stratford, which was disappointing.

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Three weeks ago, at the end of the 3-2 match lost to Juventus (Matchday 33) Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti had declared: “Our objective for the rest of the season, in order to qualify for Champions League, will be to win all of our next 5 matches“. With the important fixture vs. Inter in the Rossoneri’s calendar, this was much easier said than done… but what do you know? AC Milan might just have achieved their objective.

To quote Gazzetta, some people had already nicknamed this title ‘The Scudetto of Hardships’ (more or less a translation of Lo Scudetto della fatica), and that may be why Inter continue to make things harder for them. 2 years and 18 days since their last derby victory, AC Milan have reclaimed the “Derby della Madonnina” and made a key step towards Champions League qualification. Indeed with the concurrent loss of Fiorentina at Cagliari, the Rossoneri now find themselves in 4^th spot with a 1-point advantage over La Viola. In other words: their destiny is entirely in their own hands.

As for Inter well… it will take nothing short of a Roman miracle for the Nerazzurri to lose their grip on the Scudetto (on account of their head-to-head record with AS Roma, a win to Siena next week will effectively seal the deal for Roberto Mancini’s team), but today’s loss is certainly very sour. Is it a coincidence that when Filippo Inzaghi scores on Inter (today was the 4^th time it happened), Il Diavolo always ends up victorious?
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Image courtesy of the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer.

Last year, Major League Soccer welcomed David Beckham amidst significant mainstream media coverage in North America. Another player who joined the growing league in 2007, although with less fanfare, was a legend of Mexican football: Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo. Many believe that he had much more of an impact than Beckham’s injury-plagued campaign.

He began a stellar career with his childhood side, Club América, of Mexico City. Since 1995, he has represented his country at two World Cups, along with several other prestigious international competitions. Until 2007, with the exception of two years in Spain, Cuauhtémoc had spent his entire professional career in the Mexican Football League.

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All Premier League highlights from Saturday’s matches:

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Earlier this week Sir Alex Ferguson made an off-the-cuff remark which directly compromised the integrity of Premier League managers and the very institution of football that we, as fans, put their faith in.

He was answering a question about Eriksson’s predicament at Manchester City, and he said:

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An interesting article appeared in the Guardian this morning, featuring soundbites from 9 managers in the Premier League on the chances of Manchester United and Chelsea in winning the Premier League this season.

This was before today’s set of matches, mind you, so it wasn’t as if these managers knew ahead of time that Manchester United were going to derobe West Ham and then whip them into submission (some expressions don’t translate that well, I’m afraid).

The responses were predictable (8 out of 9 backed United, guess who was the odd one out), although it would have been interesting to hear the other 7 managers (keeping Curbs and Keegan out of this since their teams play the league leaders this weekend), I doubt they’d have gone against United, such is the level of expectations surrounding the Manchester club’s final 2 performances.

So what about Rafa?

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You knew this was coming…

If you’re going to Euro 2008, you might want to pay attention to this one.

A month before Euro 2008 kicks off, the Swiss Aids Federation has launched guidelines for people who visit prostitutes.

Postcards have been handed out in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich and Chur – the first four being tournament host cities – urging politeness, respect and cleanliness when paying for sex.

They also call on men to keep their word when paying the agreed amount and remind them that alcohol reduces staying power as well as inhibitions.

Punters can also consult the Don Juan advice centre for information on forced prostitution.

According to the Swiss Aids Federation 230,000 men aged 17-45 pay for sex. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland but prostitutes have to register with city authorities and health authorities and get regular health checks.

Source

Hmm….

I’m surprised that they haven’t talked about the need to verify the legality of the prostitutes, or offered special Euro 2008 discounts for protection (oh, you mean to say they make money off of prostitution in Switzerland?).

Still, if you’re going and you’re going to be drunk and unaccountable for your actions, be nice to the locals, pay what they ask for and clean up your own mess.

Uefa’s Under-17 Championships have revealed many a burgeoning young talent to a wider audience in the last six years. It is the stage where Wayne Rooney (2002), Cesc Fabregas (2004), Nuri Sahin (2005), Toni Kroos (2006) and Bojan Krkic (2007) strutted their stuff and won the ‘Golden Boy’ award.

You have to wonder what happened to David Rodriguez after his 2003 performance, such is the mark of quality that goes with the recognition of being the best player on show. But who are this year’s likely lads ? Who cares which nation takes the trophy, we all want to know where the next generation of star names are going to come from!

From what I hear, he could come from an area of Liverpool called West Derby, via Madrid and Argentina and go by the name Gerry Brown (local translation), but we will have to wait and see. I’ve picked out eight names to keep an eye on for the duration of the event - May 4-16 in Antalya, Turkey.

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The press should be ashamed of themselves. Their suspicion and fueling of non-issues forces players and managers in the game to lie, to think 10 times before they say something, to spout carefully prepared statements or just hide from the spotlight.

Honesty and friendship, it seems, isn’t allowed in football.

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It be foolhardy to suggest that Thaksin Shinawatra knows more than the average football fan. He might know how to make money, and avoid going to jail, but in terms of pure footballing knowledge he would be more Macca than Rafa, if you catch my drift.

But the Manchester City owner does not consider Mr Eriksson to be the ‘right man’ for the job. That raises a host of interesting questions, such as:

Did Shinawatra really do his research last summer or did he just hire the most high-profile, unemployed, english-speaking manager available on the market?

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The move to Liverpool will tick several boxes for the Aston Villa captain: he gets to make more money (in a short career that’s always a consideration), he gets to play Champions League football and he gets to dream about the Premier League title as opposed to Champions League qualification. It’s a lifestyle upgrade, and although it won’t matter as much (I’m sure Barry has friends at Villa too) Steven Gerrard is being touted as another reason for Barry to leave Villa for Pool.

And then there is his candidacy for a midfield berth with the England national team. He is not my favourite footballer mainly because he has pushed Michael Carrick down the pecking order but the man’s game is more complete than Carrick’s and his versatility and ability to influence a game gives him an edge.

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Highlights from the midweek Champions League semifinals:

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Tubby Brazilian Ronaldo may be one of the greatest players to ever grace a football pitch, but he’s definitely a poor role model. The AC Milan man let himself down when he invited three members of the late-night entertainment industry back to a motel. It wasn’t just the fact that they turned out to be ladyboys; he shamefully offered to pay them for doing nothing. If I pay a builder to construct a conservatory, and he brings along a few superfluous tools, I’d expect him to keep his head down and finish the job.

This sorry tale was not the only case of mistaken identity this week; Rio Ferdinand kicked a female Chelsea steward after mistaking her for a wall. It sounds like a tall story, but I once kicked the wife by accident; I thought she was her mother.

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Main contenders for the English Premiership and finalists of UEFA Champions League. The title & crown of “Kings the 2007-08 season”, both domestically and in Europe, has come down to two clubs: Manchester United and Chelsea.

The former, defeating Spanish giants Barcelona after a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp and a Scholes-painted 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, will be looking to repeat the glory from their 1999 treble year and win over Bayern Munich. The latter, victors of rivals Liverpool after a 1-1 tie at Anfield and an excitement-laden 3-2 extra time triumph at Stamford Bridge, have qualified for the tournament final for the first time in the club’s history. No doubt they will be looking to improve that record very soon.

On May 21, as Red Devils and Blues face each other in Moscow, venue of the big tournament final deciding this year’s winner of the “Cup with the Big Ears”, the Premier League will be a completed affair. The big question is: will it be a glorious double or a sweet revenge?
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Both Internazionale and Milan have balked at Barcelona’s asking price for the former World Player of the Year - supposedly valued at 30 million Euros by the Catalan club whereas the Italians are rumoured to offering 16-20 million euros (reasonable, if you factor in that he is ‘damaged goods’ and commands high wages).

However, Ronaldinho is more than just a player. According to Forbes.com he is the second richest footballer (Goldenballs has the #1 position locked in again) and his brand value, regardless of his injuries and form, is high enough for a club to throw a few extra million Barcelona’s way.

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According to Forbes.com Manchester United have been valued at $1.8 billion, ahead of the club traditionally known as the richest club in football (Real Madrid, $1.285 billion) and their chief domestic rivals Arsenal ($1.2 billion), Liverpool ($1.05 billion) and Chelsea ($764 million).

Have fun sorting the lists according to different criteria. Here are some highlights:

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In US sports they call it the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award, but there doesn’t appear to be an equivalent honour in European football. I know the PFA have their ‘Young Player of the Year’ award – but when you’ve got seasoned veterans like Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo in the running it hardly stacks up.

So I’ve created a list of ten authentic rookies, all young but also inexperienced before the 2007-08 season began back in August. All of them have impressed us this season – but do any deserve to be called the ‘Breakthrough Player of the Year’ ? Or did I forget someone ?

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Since Tottenham crashed out of the UEFA Cup on penalties back in March, its fair to suggest that cruise control mode has set in a White Hart Lane. The north London club are guaranteed a spot in next season’s UEFA Cup following their Carling Cup victory. But with just two games of the season remaining, the height of the club’s current ambition is to leap frog West Ham into tenth position in the Premiership table.

Spurs’s league form has been consistently inconsistent throughout 2007/2008 and to emphasise the point, Juande Ramos‘ team have managed just one win in their last eight games. It’s hardly the kind of form expected from a side talked about in many quarters as being top four material last summer.

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Being the Los Angeles Galaxy manager isn’t easy, or rather, it’s much harder than Ruud Gullit had anticipated. The former Chelsea coach and 1987 European Football of the Year is getting a closer grip on reality day after day, and isn’t hiding his malcontent (event though the team is currently ranked 2nd in the Western Conference, behind FC Dallas).

“I’m sure that when people think of LA Galaxy, the picture that comes to mind is not of our staff making phone calls to friends on Friday to see if they can play in a reserve game on Sunday, but, strange as it may seem, this is the reality” declared the Dutch manager in an interview to English newspaper Sunday Times. “I can’t play sexy football with this team at the moment because we are not ready for this”.
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Manchester United, take a bow. Out gunned and out classed, but not beaten. 3 games more to go and how things swing from one direction to the other.

There really should be a full match report here, but you’ll have to wait for it tomorrow on Red Rants. I will touch upon a few key points and leave you guys to discuss the rest.

First - Moscow baby! United are through to their first final in 9 years, and while everyone (even Nani) deserves credit for their performance today, a few deserve it more than most.

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When the referee pointed to the spot in the 2nd minute of the match, it looked like we are about to witness an entertaining match, with a lot of attacking football and scoring chances. Unfortunately, the spectators were the only ones thinking so, as both teams did their best not to score.

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