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Tapping Up - It's All Nonsense
Can we just ditch all this rubbish about 'tapping up' please?
It's only a matter of time before this heinous crime is challenged by a player, somewhere, in the courts. You know why? Because all it is is person A talking to person B.
Being able to speak to whomever you like, about whatever you like, is a human right. And clubs/managers/whoever should not need to get permission to make someone a better offer. Just like, my boss can't stop me talking to others who might offer me better terms.
Whether you're a football club or McDonald's, actually having a rule that dictates who your employees are allowed to talk to is illegal. And if it isn't, it bloody well should be.
Matt Bishop
...If I got this statement published on Football365 "I like that Wayne Rooney, he's a great player! I'd love to sign him for my Sunday league team!"
Does it mean I'm guilty of Tapping him up. No, I'm giving you my opinion. Surely tapping a player up is actually meeting a player under contract at club and offering them a contract at your club without their permission i.e. Ashley Cole and Chelsea!
All this talk of tapping up is all just media rubbish and lots of you sound like idiots jumping on the band wagon! Just because a bigger club are trying to sign a player from a smaller club it doesn't mean a club is tapping the player up. There are simply more press to ask questions and write stories that simply aren't true!
Jamie (stop with the rubbish media slogans and flavour of the month topics already!)
Getting Old
I just want to pick up on a comment made by Max Benjamin...
"you often come home from a game to find that you actually missed the big talking point either during or after the match"
This is something similar to what I started to experience when I changed the way I watch football. Generally now, I go to the pub; I don't see any pre-match guff, am usually organising drinks and "breaking the seal" at half time, and don't watch any post match blabbering either. Just watch the football, have a few beers with mates, and discuss it a bit: ie "that was good/funny/shite" and then just forget about it.
But when you pick up the papers the next day... holy crap!!! "player gives fans the finger shock", "red card shame", "disgust of the day" etc. The media have lost interest in reporting FOOTBALL. They need a story. They will focus on a red card before the result (red cards happen, get over it). A bad/clumsy challenge suddenly turns an up-till-now alright fellow into Ian Huntly for a week. Even 365 are guilty of this. Phillip Cornwall once described a player spitting in another's face as "the worst thing I've ever seen in football"... The worst thing? Worse than fans dying on the terraces?
Maybe I'm getting old, but I find the media circus a little boring. When you see the reaction of the media, and the things they choose to focus on, you're left wondering if they even saw the same match as you. I want to hear about the football. Tell me about the tactics used - I have no interest in hearing second by second details of how someone gave someone a girlie slap in the face. The FA should sort it out. They play along to media pantomine with hearings, and annoucements, and buckling to pressure. Ahh... I could go on and on, I must be getting old or something. Just enjoy the football folks... leave the soap operas to the frustrated wannabe social workers.
Joe Donohoe
ps I really do love F365... even in the summer.
Milan's Kaka Strategy
It seems to me to be quite clear what's going on with Kaka:
1) AC Milan are not in the Champion's League next year, and in addition are broke;
2) AC Milan's fans would normally expect big signings (e.g. Adebayor, Drogba, etc.) but AC Milan cannot afford them;
3) In order to show something to their fans, Galliani is desperately persuading them that they're fighting off huge offers for Kaka from Chelsea;
4) Galliani is using the fact that Scolari is Brazilian and a casual conversation with Abramovich to justify his PR campaign.
That's all. The Robinho bid always made more sense as Chelsea already have three players for Kaka's position (Ballack, Lampard, Deco), whereas they have nothing but dross in Robinho's position (left wing - Florent Malouda anyone?)
Tim Colyer, Chelsea fan, London
A Technical Question
In relation to the recent spate of transfer speculations and the ever odious allegations of 'tapping up' of footballers, could someone please clarify what exactly constitutes 'tapping up'? With the custodians of the sport (FIFA, EUFA) assenting to the public courting(s) of a certain footballer and Spurs' recent allegations against Manyoo and Liverpool, the waters have become somewhat muddied by my thinking and I am no longer able to identify what exactly constitutes grounds for punishment if found guilty.
My understanding of the rules (as highlighted in the Ashley Cole to Chelsea saga) is that formal contact has to be made by the courting football club to a player under contract to another club. Chelsea were fined a record £300k (breach of rule K3 - a club may not enter negotiations with a player whilst contracted to another club), Cole a further £100k (breach of rule K5 - that is vice versa to K3). Furthermore Chelsea were given a suspended points deduction fine should they breach the rules again. Mourinho also had his bank balance diminished by a further £75k. What's mostly evident is there is no sanction for Chelsea's open courting of the player despite a transfer saga as open and epic as that of the recent Barry and Ronaldo sagas.
So on the face it of it all, Manyoo are being considered hypocritical for their current actions, Tottenham have reported both Liverpool and Manyoo yet forget how they approached their incumbent coach, 'Arry seems to get away with it on a daily basis, goodness knows the Presidential Campaigning of Barcelona and Madrid spin out enough names to make the eyes water . My own opinion is that nothing can officially be done to the courting club until a direct, illegal approach is irrefutably proven (rules above) and this is why both Fifa, Eufa and now the Premier League will simply be unable to punish the aggressors. It seems most football supporters believe the public courting is illegal, but if it is, why are there not daily punishments meted out to the 'guilty'? I happen to believe nothing can officially be done about the open courting and it's something we pretty much have to live with, but if I am wrong could the mailbox contributors please let me know why?
Shane, confused, London
An Answer
Paul White - I assume (although you never know with FIFA/UEFA) that the reason for the transfer window not closing with the start of the football season is because so many transfers are international these days; with domestic seasons starting on different dates across different countries, it makes sense to have one date for everyone, and 1st Sept is near enough the start of most seasons to be a reasonable enough one.
Why FIFA can't liaise with all the individual nations to say that each club needs to have registered its squad in full by midnight on the first day of whatever season they're in, I don't know, as this would probably make more sense. Although given that the transfer window has turned out to be a big pile of s***e, if they're going to change it at all, I think they should just scrap it. But that's just my opinion....
Neil (How about a 24-hour transfer window where the clubs all have a big auction, like a farmers' market?) Raines
Trial By Currant Bun
I note with disappointment but no great surprise that the majority of Football365 readers have delivered a "guilty" verdict against Fergie over the Berbatov shenanigans despite the only current evidence being a misquoting in a report in The Sun. What particularly irks me is when people who wouldn't normally wipe their arse with The Sun -- like Andrew M, LFC, who obviously inherently detests the paper since its infamous Hillsborough stance -- choose to believe this and other far-from-reliable publications when the story fits an already-formed prejudice. I've always found incredible the ease with which the opinions of the mostly-dimwitted general public can be manipulated by the tabloid press, and Tuesday morning's mailbox offers further proof of this.
Tottenham's retort to United's interest in Berbatov is typical of a second-tier club. They have a large and loyal following and want to do their darnedest to keep their top players, yet they know they haven't a hope in hell of retaining the services of someone who desperately wants to play in the Champions League. They have, therefore, to appear to make a stand in order to appease their fans, hence their astonishingly fervent and somewhat petulant but nevertheless understandable response.
Frankly, anyone who honestly thinks this situation bears any comparison with Real Madrid's two-month-long constant public flirtation with Cristiano Ronaldo is either genuinely stupid or has let their hatred for Man Utd severely cloud their judgement.
Griff
Winty, Is That You?
Ok, look. Like the rest of the country, this summer's lack of activity / tedious transfer rumours have left me bored.
So, I thought I'd outline how I'd like to see this Summer pan out, see if anyone agrees.
Red Nose's hypocrisy is rewarded by Spurs refusing to sell Berbatov to them, and he goes to Barcelona instead. Adebeyor then ends up staying at Arsenal, but the return of Van Persie and the emergence of Walcott as a world-beater (for Arsenal and for England) leaves him behind Bendter in the pecking order. Meanwhile, Flamini and Helb are forgotten as Aaron Ramsey proves an instant hit.
Spurs cope with the loss of Berbatov and Keane by ending up with four Santa Cruz's - all of whom cost next to nothing and make an instant impact.
Bridge's decision to stay at Chelsea is rewarded with plenty of games
- thus, he actually has to earn his massive paycheck - but only after Cashley has an unfortunate accident with a mobile phone. SWP goes to Portsmouth, if just because the sight of him next to Crouch amuses me.
Ronaldo gets his move to Madrid, an hour before the transfer deadline.
In his first game he does his customary falling-over-like-he's-broken-his-leg, because he has indeed broken his leg and is out for the season.
Finally, Andy Booth develops legs of steel and gains 20 yards of pace, while Ronnie Jepson suddenly loses 10 years and starts playing again and the two fire Huddersfield to promotion.
Right, can we get on with the football now?
Lukas
'True' Fans
I for one am sick of reading people's opinions of what a 'true' football fan really is. They like to regurgitate the same old withered nonsense about not being a 'true football fan' without supporting the closest team to the maternity ward, going to the stadium every day to watch the groundstaff cut the grass, spending obscene amounts of money on season tickets and ill-fitting replica kits, or knowing who scored the winner in the 3rd round of the FA Cup in 1933.
I understand that this will not go down well with most of the feral fans of this (very good) website, but it must be said. Berating other people for not devoting their lives to the pointless gang-warfare involved with modern football is what spreads hatred throughout our cherished sport. We are all football fans, and we should respect each other for that fact; after all, they could have chosen to follow another sport like rugby league, or even worse...darts.
I love football and I go to see live games occassionally, but for someone to say that I'm not a 'true' football fan because I don't support my local team (Sandhurst United?) or because I can't afford to buy tickets and travel arrangements to support my team every weekend is a grave insult. I chose a football team to support as a child and I should be respected for showing the courage to stick with them my whole life. However, all I get is abuse and derisory remarks because of a choice I made as a 7 year old. If you wish to berate me for a decision I made as a child then so be it, but at least I grew up.
Steve Jones, life-long MUFC supporter and proud of it
Just One Of Many
Up to this point, the idiocy of Liverpool fans has never ceased to amaze me. Although after Leon's last 2 mails I fear that may never be the case again cos they are gonna take some beating.
Leon you weren't breaking down what was wrong with Droopy's email - you were trying to convince yourself that Rafa's tenure has been a successful one in terms of transfer activity. It has not. Forget about the amount of money spent/received or whatever. The sheer volume of people in and the subsequent failures followed by people out is indicative of someone trying to succeed using the law of averages. Get as many in as you can and hopefully once the crap has left you will be left with a half decent team. In fairness that probably is starting to come to fruition but after how many years exactly? And the majority of those years without anything to show for them. How much longer can the board back him?
I'm sure it has been said a million times before but if Rafa hadn't won the Champions League would he still be were he is now? I'm not so sure.
In fairness, as a United fan, I don't really know why I felt compelled to write in regarding Leon cos as far as I am concerned, as long as Rafa is at the helm i don't think there is any danger of Liverpool challenging for the league. And that pleases me immensely.....
Mooreso (if I have to watch any more GAA I think I might kill myself so hurry up and get the Football back on our screens), Dublin
No, I Don't Think We Will
Firstly, a response to Andy Bull. The reason Galliano is making so much of a noise about Kaka is because it's unlikely that Milan are going to sign anyone else this summer. He is responsible for transfers at the club, so by making noises about Chelsea wanting to buy Kaka he is able to crow and claim victory when he inevitably stays at Milan.
It's nothing more than smoke and mirrors to make himself look better.
Secondly, can you please now drop the 'Frank Lampard is fat' jokes.
Anyone who saw him last season knows that it's patently not true and the 'jokes' that are being made in pages like Mediawatch really are juvenile to the extreme. Quite frankly the whole thing's worn very thin.
Ian
Some Suggested Rule Changes
Scrapping offside sounds like fun, but will only lead to players like Ruud Van Horseface spending 90 minutes stood 1 yard in front of the goalkeeper trying to deflect shots in with his chin.
There are however some things that could be done to improve the game and I make no apologies for rounding up a few things I have seen on here and heard down the pub, plus a couple of my own:
1. Any player who goes down injured and causes a break in play for the physio to come on - must then leave the field for a mandatory 5 minutes (or be substituted). This will stop time-wasting injury feigning at a stroke as you'll be putting your team down to 10 men.
2. Retreating 10 yards at free-kicks - the referee puts down a marker at 10 yards (distance determined by some sort of measuring laser like builders have?). The marker could be a flag or similar, any defender moving beyond the flag before the kick is taken - is automatically booked and the kick re-taken. Assistant refs to assist in this, so that the ref can keep an eye on attackers moving the ball forward etc.
3. Appeals/Replay Ref - each team can make up to 3 appeals (like in tennis) to the Replay Ref, however for each appeal that is shown to actually be a 'correct' decision by the ref, they lose a substitution. If the team that appeals is right, the decision is reversed and they keep their potential substitutions intact. This will stop endless replays being requested - you only get 3 in total. If all your subs are already on - and you make an incorrect appeal - one of your subs has to come off.
4. More refs? If we can't get technology working to see if a ball has crossed the line, why not have a pair of extra Assistant Referees stood near each goal, they can also assist with penalty decisions and corners with their unique vantage point. Most controversial incidents are generally in and around the goal area - so get some help. An assistant ref stood permanently a yard from the post should be able to clearly see if the ball crosses the line.
5. Reciprocal Justice. If a player, lets say Ronaldo for arguments sake, dives to try and win a penalty - and the ref spots it, then the penalty is awarded against United even though the offence took place in the opposing
area. In other words whatever advantage the 'cheating' was intended to gain is given back as a punishment. If
you feign being poleaxed to try and get an opponent sent off when someone lays a hand gently on your chest - it is you that gets the red card. If you dive to try and win a penalty, the other team get it.
6. If anyone disputes a decision, the free-kick can be moved up to 10 yards in any direction at the attacking teams discretion - this is optional, if this takes a free-kick into the area - it becomes a penalty, if it takes it to the edge of the area and the taker wants a bit more distance to get it 'up and over' the wall then he can keep it where it is, or move it 2 yards to the left, or whatever. Attacking teams choice - ends back chat to refs within a month.
Or....we can just keep things as they are, what else would managers talk about if they can't blame refs for losing games?
Damon, yes - I have been watching other sports this summer, although I got number 5 from an old episode of Red Dwarf.
Some Advice
Why do some people think that others will be interested to read a big list of their favourite clubs manager's transfer dealings? At what point did you start typing and then think that it would be interesting?
I feel a bit sorry for the mailbox compiler because he probably knows that no-one other than that clubs fans may possibly want to read such a long and boring email but he thinks (sorry in advance for assuming to know what you think Mr (or Mrs (or Ms (or Miss (or Dr., I'm sure you get the idea)))) mailbox compiler) that the sender of the email has put such a lot of effort in that it must be published.
My suggestion to you Pool and Villa fans and anyone else considering typing a facking great list... Please post it in the official threat for your club on the football365 forum instead and stop taking up the mailbox with this crap. Or just read you clubs annual financial statement instead.
I'm at work and want a bit of light, possibly amusing, reading and that ain't it!
Cliff Mallinder
Maka
I had to reply to CP, Cambridge email as it was a total waste of space. I really don't see the point you are trying to make. Makelele was defensive midfielder, pure and simple. He won the ball and layed it off to a team mate. He didn't need to have "another part to his game" because that's his job and he's bloody good at it. I'm a Villa fan and we have Reo-Coker who plays in the same position but unfortunately, he's not on the same planet as Makelele in terms of ability. Just one more fact, when Makelele left Real Madrid, they didn't win anything for a good few years. This has been attributed (even by players) to the hole left by his departure. To quote Zidane on Real Madrid losing Makelele and signing Beckham "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?" Nuff said.
Andy Shiels
...In response to CP and his clear lack of appreciation for Claude Makelele. It bewilders me that some folks can be so blind to certain players excellence. Makelele after all was the reason that "the Makelele role" became a role everyone manager wanted to fill.
But what did Claude Makelele and The Makelele Role bring to the game and England? Well just about everything. Makelele was the finest example of positional discipline, working for the team, doing the work that was neglected by the highlights of games or ignored by many of the fans. He very, very rarely gave the ball away. He kept things ticking, he controlled the tempo and he was always composed. He was also the artist of breaking up the opposition attacks and somehow became a master at doing so without receiving a caution.
He'd play killer passes for strikers and he'd hold onto the ball when one of these was not an option. In many ways, he was a perfect player. If you taught a youngsters how to be tactically perfect, you'd do no better than showing them this man. Ok, he scored very little, but to say he had no impact on attacking is ludicrous and ignorant. For it was he that allowed the attacks to happen in the way they did. When Lampard, Robben, Duff, Cole, Kezman, Drogba etc etc were piling forward, who was it who'd open up the opposition? And who'd then hold strong so that these players could fully express themselves? Claude Makelele had one thing against him last season and that was his age. His energy levels were bound to decrease with time yet his tight, neat footwork would often see him beat a man or two in sticky situations and should he not think he could beat his man, he'd simply stroke the ball ten yards to someone who could take the ball further.
Claude Makelele is up there with Zola, Cantona and Bergkamp as true great footballers who had an impact on players in this country. What England would give for someone as complete as Makelele.
Luke Williamson
...Do people really think that Makelele is overrated? Really?
He is getting on a bit these days, fair enough, but in his prime he was one of the finest players in the world. No ther player in the world can claim to have a position named after them. Not Maradona, not Cruyff, not Pele, not Beckenbauer, not Eusebio, no one does! Makelele has redifined the DMC just like Giacinto Faccheti redifined the role of a full-back. "The Makelele Role" has become just as important as having a striker (unless you're Roma and play 4-6-0), or having a sweeper in Italy in the 80s. It has been widely accepted that his departure from Real Madrid (because he wasnt deemed sufficiently Galactico by Florentino Perez) was the start of their downward spiral. It cost Vanderley Luxemburgo, Jose Antonio Camacho and Carlos Queiros their jobs. All of a sudden their were two defenders on the pitch (Roberto Carlos and Michel Salgado were oftentimes far up the pitch in attacking positions) who really werent that good (Pavon, Minambres, Ivan Helguera, Ivan Campo...), and the policy of "Zidanes and Pavones" ceased to work because there was no one to protect the Pavones and no one to make the tackle and make the simple pass to the Zidanes to start the attack. And so fell the European Giant.
His role in Chelsea was maybe not as crucial or game-breaking because their defense was better, but it was certainly very important in Chelsea's rise to Premiership Champions, more often than not he won the ball in midfield and passed it 10 metres to Lampard to begin the attack. He is/was highly efficient at this. I understand that recently he is not so good, and Chelsea have younger players waiting to stand in (Mikel/Essien) but because he's not so good now does not mean he wasn't the best at what he did.
Also, have you seen how fit his wife is?
Benji Sua Kay
Pretty Much
Is it me or have Chelsea changed their home and away kit every single season since Abramovich bought the club?
What a terrible, terrible club. Absolutely appalling.
Andy Wilson
Trigger Happy
The next time I see the term 'EPL' used by anyone on this site (especially people from England, I'm looking at you Greg Simes of London), I will be forced to shoot someone......indicriminately......in cold blood. Harsh I know, but this may be the only way to stop this madness. You will have blood on your hands.
You have been warned.
Paul (losing it slightly), E3
He's Going To Go Mental And Shave His Head
Has anyone else noticed the similarities between Britney Spears' situation and Ronaldo's?
(intro)
I know I may be young
But I've got feelings, too
And I need to do what I feel like doing
So let me go and just listen
............
(chorus)
I'm a slaaaaaave for you
I cannot hold it, I cannot control it
I'm a slaaaaaave for you
I won't deny it, I'm not trying to hide it baby
Jack Grothier
