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Milked By TV Football
In response to Matt, Rutland, from yesterday afternoon's mailbox, Matt I agree completely, however it's not just with the introduction of matches on Setanta that the average punter is being excessively squeezed.
As I'm about to critisise Sky this probably wont be printed, but anyway, I think it goes back to Premiership Plus. In fact maybe even before. I may be getting my chronology slightly out of order, but I remember Sky bringing in Pay per View on a 'trial' basis. They started with lower division games, I seem to recall Oxford were one of the first teams shown but I may be wrong.
The emphasis anyway was on the trial element. I remember thinking to myself that it wouldnt wash, people were paying their TV licence and their basic Sky subscription, plus an additonal amount for Sky Sports - if they started charging for one-off matches nobody would stand for it. However, it then came on stream in a slightly different format and we had Prem Plus, where you had the option of buying the season ticket or paying roughly a tenner to watch one match. The introduction of this was, for me, the beginning of the end. If after already paying for Sky Sports people were willing to pay extra to see matches that by rights they'd already paid to see then all hope was lost.
Thats not to mention any time there's a decent fight on youre expected to fork out 20 quid for the privilege of sitting up till 4am as we play second fiddle to the states.
Then the powers that be deemed it uncompetitive that Sky had the monopoly on all the footy, and Setanta got its shot. As I had already been paying for Sky Sports and then Prem Plus, it didnt make a great deal of difference. I was already a beaten man having succombed to Prem Plus. Paying for Setanta however is more expensive than Prem Plus was. It's roughly twice the price.
So thanks for that powers that be. There are more games on it however, certainly in Ireland where we get 3pm Saturday matches too, and there's other sports on it too that I like, such as boxing, rugby and baseball. However we all know that the costs are excessive, but being tied as we are to clubs and the game in general, we don't really have much choice. You can of course go to the pub, but not for every match realistically, and if you do you'll soon be even more out of pocket and permanently hungover. We're pretty much a captive audience and we're being milked. No one cares but us, but we're impotent. We're not gonna do a bloody thing about it other than b*tch and moan. Like I'm doing!
The way it's going, I can see all the major sports being broken up and charged for individually as the price can be increased by doing so. All we'll be left with for our Sky Sports subscription is f*cking Sailing, Pool and Wrestling (and that's even pay-per-view sometimes!)
Birdy, Ireland
Sky Are Missing The Legends
I've got to agree with Rob Duffy. Goals on Saturday was a little pants. Le Tiss and Merson were awful. They even had texts into the show telling the ones who were crap that they were. And also telling Jeff he was a legend (by the way, I love his new James Brown goalscoring celebration)
But in all honesty who are they going to replace them with? The most enjoyable two pundits they ever had will never return. Rodney 'You Plonker' Marsh who got the sack for a tasteless non PC joke. I can't see him taking the job back even if he was offered it. And I'll end with the other...
...RIP Georgie Best. Whether on the pitch or off it he was just as entertaining. :-)
John Goy, Pembrokeshire
Falling Out Of Love With Capello
I think John Nicholson's article on the England squad misses the point. The manager picking his best 22 or 23 would actually be a good thing, surely? The problem here is that he manifestly hasn't.
I was highly supportive of Fabio Capello when he was given the England job. I wish I could say guardedly so, but that would be a lie. I was a fan. I'd have preferred Harry Redknapp (because having a non-English manager for the national team is cheating, end of story) but I bought into all the guff being published about how stone-hearted Capello would hack away the dead wood without a second thought and build for the future. What an idiot I was.
After raising expectations with his first squad against Switzerland, iced with young talent, every step seems to have been a backward one. Failing to use the friendlies in hand to give new blood a chance Capello effectively boxed himself in, to the extent that the latest squad included Heskey, Carrick and Upson at the expense of (arguably) the three most exciting English youngsters in the top league in Young, Agbonlahor and Wheater. And hindsight be damned, these players should have been nailed-on inclusions even before they all great matches over the weekend, especially Young, who could well be one of the most technically accomplished and tactically important players this country's produced for donkey's years.
How on Earth can anything be gained from sending out the same old faces against the Czech Republic? If we lose there'll be hand wringing. If we win there'll be...well, nothing much. How much more could have been learned from trying at least 45 minutes, if not the whole match, with everything geared towards the pace and honest enthusiasm of Young, Agbonlahor and Walcott? I'm pretty sure that the much-maligned Rooney would have enjoyed himself being able to feed on all that industry and defender panic.
Even if the team had lost it would have been a meaningful experiment. And I'm not saying that Wheater, after a handful of good performances, is the finished article - far from it - but if Terry, King and Upson all succumb to injury just before a crucial qualifier (surely not, right?) then wouldn't it have been clever to allow Wheater to get a game under his belt? And the same goes for Agbonlahor with regard to the oft-fragile Rooney, Owen and Heskey.
As an England fan I'm presently feeling at low as I did at the beginning and end of McLaren's reign, and that's just ridiculous. I'm not a fan of revolution for revolution's sake - I don't see what that proves - but recognising that England do have young players who could grace the set-up rather than shuffling them off the Under-21s (or to a night off in front of the telly in Young's case), then putting one's faith in players of dubious quality who have consistently failed to perform for the national side...that's just depressing.
Ian Mileham, Northampton
No, Blame The Fans...
I don't often disagree with the mighty John Nic but his piece on the England team is barking up the wrong tree. The problem with English footballers is not their ability, or Capello's team selection. It's the fans.
Here is an example to illustrate what I mean. Back in 2001, Coventry City spunked 5m quid they didn't have on West Brom striker Lee Hughes. He was a huge disappointment, his goalscoring return way below what his past record and the transfer fee led us all to expect. And yet, however badly he played, the fans chanted his name regardless. Why? Because he ran around like a headless chicken and got 'stuck in'.
These are the qualities English football fans respect. Only at Wembley would a visiting team get booed for passing the ball around in their own half, keeping possession and waiting for an opening. Any English team playing like that is exhorted to 'hoof it' and 'get into 'em', and it's this attitude that makes English players so uncomfortable with the idea of keeping the ball, and dealing with devious foreign types who play the possession game.
After the footballing smorgasbord that was Euro 2008, watching the opening weekend of Premiership games was thoroughly depressing, rather like going to bed with Jessica Biel & waking up next to Jade Goody. Seeing poor Luka Modric used as a holding midfielder while the likes of Jenas and Lennon continually ceded possession to Middlesbrough kind of summed up the problem. The fans would rather see English players making doomed, full-pelt forward runs than perceived amusement arcade foreigners making space, keeping the ball, and making timely, accurate passes, and their impatience transmits itself to the pitch.
The answer? I don't have one, other than forcing English football fans into reeducation camps where they would be forced to spend each day watching Holland v Italy/France and Russia v Holland from Euro 2008, only being allowed to leave when they can last an entire 90 minutes without yelling "Get stuck in!" That, or introduce a salary cap so our best & brightest are forced to go & play in Spain, France or Italy, where they would be allowed to PLAY FOOTBALL.
Tim Russell, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
To Be Fair, What Are The Alternatives?
I wholehearedly agree with John Nicholson's column regarding the state (and what a state it is in!) of the national team. I was disappointed however that he didnt offer any alternatives to the usual nonsense that passes for the usual starting eleven for a meaningless international friendly 1 game into the new season. Admittedly as I write this I too am struggling to conjour up an alternative lineup to the usual dross that will inevitably take to the pitch on Wednesday, but perhaps Bently (tho' part of a lightweight Spurs midfield at the weekend) and Ashley Young marauding down the wings will breath new life into an inspid team. Unfortunately I cannot see elsewhere where there are better options to the current incumbents.
I believe that Capello is quite the antithesis of Sven regarding offering cap after meaningless cap to players who did not deserve the honour in the first place. I was however disturbed to hear a while ago that Capello rated Stuart Downing. How does that boy get into the squad? I could believe it when McClown was there but now I'm baffled. I still maintain that when Dean Ashton stops his pie fascination he will be a great spearhead for England, but perhaps his time will come after the next world cup. Alternatively a Crouch/Defoe partnership will only be pertinent at international level if the two click at Pompey, and would hopefully bear fruit for most of the qualifying campaign.
I thought that Owen had played his last meaningful international when he crocked himself against Sweden at the World Cup, and barring a couple of decent performances and some well taken goals against Russia I stand by this. I can only envisage him as a 'supersub' type benchwarmer for the remainder of his career. If anyone of the fine people who read your excellent website can think of a better back line than Cole, Ferdinand, Woodgate, and Richards (tho' the Nevelle would be there when fit, and sorry 'pool fans I dont trust Carragher at international level), then I am happy to entertain alternatives. In the meantime, England to draw 1-1 against the Czech and another poor performace.
Oli, Nottingham
Best English XI: FACT
After reading the banter sparked off by John Nic's article about an England "Revolution", I've decided to investigate who EXACTLY are the best English players in the league - well...according to the stats from last year's Fantasy Football league that I did anyway...
So, assuming it's a classic 4-4-2, here they are:
GK - D. James
LB - N. Shorey
CB - J. Lescott
CB - R. Ferdinand
RB - G. Johnson
LW - A. Young
CM - G. Barry
CM - S. Gerrard
RW - D.Bentley
CF - W. Rooney
CF - G. Agbonlahor
So there - a few players that we can all nod our heads at and say "Yeah, seems about right" and a couple that will make a few people scream "What-EV-ER!" in a high pitched voice...
Still, looks you're not the only one wrong about the full-backs Mr Nicholson...bet hey, let's not let the facts get in the way or a good rant eh?
Jonathan (I had marmalade on toast for breakfast) Tainsh
Why Don't Spurs Learn From The Toon?
I can't understand why Ramos is after attacking options!! He already has Modric, Bentley, Giovanni, Bent, Bale at his disposal. In defence he has Woodgate, King and Dawson. Dawson is pathetic and King/Woodgate are made of GLASS. He doesn't have a proper defensive midfielder (let's not even talk about the full-backs) !! It's patently visible to everyone (except Tottenham and Newcastle managers) that only attacking doesn't win you games. Even Newcastle have learnt it the hard way and bought a couple of defensive options in Guthrie and Coloccini (though the jury is still out on them).
Arsenal lost the title last year because they couldn't defend their leads. Even Arsene atleast is trying to find a defensive midfielder (though he should also buy an experienced defender in my opinion). Instead of going after Capel and Arshavin, if Ramos got a few defensive signings he might do a lot better.
Bottom line, you simply don't beat Arsenal on flair. If this is Ramos's idea of pipping Arsenal, good luck to him. He should realise that even ManU and Chelsea don't beat Arsenal on that count. They beat Arsenal in having the STEEL in their line-up which lets them win tight games and that's what Ramos should be aiming for. Get a backbone first mate.
For a gooner it's good to see Spuds sticking to same old same old.
Shantanu (really worried about how good Chelsea looked on the weekend)
Sort The Hair Out, Bentley
Unless I missed it, there is one thing that seemed to skip the attention of the mailbox after this weekend's footie.
How much of a tw*t does David Bentley look with his slippery Ronaldo-esque hair?
First he modelled his appearance on Beckham, now Ronaldo. If his performance on Sunday was anything to go by, Gutierrez will be the next one to receive the honour of a homage from David Bentley. Hopefully.
In case you can't tell - I can't stand David Bentley. Without a doubt, the most egotistical man in football. I have never seen such a blatant case of a player thinking they are better than they are than with this man. The anti Paul Scholes. I could go on, but I need to adhere to the new 'short letter' rules in the mailbox.
Tom Fitzgerald, Newcastle fan living in London
Defending Rafa...
Again I read the mailbox and again it opens with some good old fashioned unfounded Rafa-bashing (Pete, Manchester). So here I am defending him again. Exactly who has Benitez signed and then sold for a fraction of the cost? I can think of Luis Garcia, who in all honesty paid us back in full with his important goals in 05, and we still got £4m back for a 29 year old, and Fernando Morientes and no one saw him being as bad as he was. Oh, and we lost £1m on Gonzalez. A £6m loss on all of his re-sales. Chelsea and Man Utd can both beat that with their signing of Seba Veron alone!! Meanwhile Crouch, Bellamy, Sissoko, Carson, Itandje and possibly Alonso and Voronin have/will all be sold at profit. He maybe did sell some players on the cheap but they were the dross and deadwood that Houllier bought and needed to be shipped out (I'd list that but I'd be here all day so Djimi Traore, Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou will do). Maybe I have missed someone glaringly obvious but it evades me if I have. Don't get me wrong, he's not perfect, and he has spent a lot of money, but people just seem to make sh*t up and use it as a stick to beat him with!
Gary 'defender of the Raf' Orford
...Quick reply to Pete, Manchester about the selfish, wastrel Rafa.
On players he has bought and then re-sold, he is about £10 million in profit - not even counting the various buyback or sell-on clauses that could still yield further divdends. Perhaps not up to Wenger's standards of money-making, but hardly selling "at a fraction" of the purchase price.
Rafa isn't greedy when he points out targets. It's hardly Rafa's fault when he find players who arent top of everyone's wish lists, but then Parry can't pull off the deal at a reasonable price. And Rafa's assessment of a player's worth has been proven several times. For example, the club refused to listen to Rafa's pleas to agree to the £12 million Sevilla wanted for Dani Alves. Two years on, Barca just had to pay £23m for him. Having been proven right on so many of his transfer requests, it's perfectly reasonable for Rafa to try to put his foot down over the Barry saga.
Alan Critchley
This Could Still Be Our Year
Unbelievable. One game, one win and Liverpool are given no chance of winning the league this year.
Fair enough they were poor on Saturday for a team with title aspirations. But this was the first league game of the season. And they won, ugly and away from home.
I've come to expect rival fans writing us off and laughing at us, but when I see Reds fans proclaiming that we 'definitely won't win the league this year' and then start whining about Dirk Kuyt and how Rafa has to go etc etc it really boils my spuds. I think it's absolutely fair to say that we are behind Chelsea and United when it comes to holding possession in games and dominating play. But we don't need to be better than them in order to win the league, we just need to cut out a few silly draws against lower teams. Last year we finished 11 points behind Man U. Now, if we converted three or four of those silly draws into wins, it paints a wholly different picture. Combine that with a couple of better results against the other big three (home to Chelsea we were robbed with that penalty decision) and we're right in the hunt. I'm not saying we will win the league this year, but I am saying that we are definitely in with a chance.
It seems to be fashionable in the mailbox these days to write in and be brave and honest enough to admit that your beloved Liverpool haven't any hope this year. What bollocks. It smacks of trying to sound mature and intellectual, and have other readers pat you on the back for being realistic. To hell with that. I like these red-tinted glasses I wear. I believe we have a chance of winning the league this year. And as long as Torres is on the park I will keep believing.
Rory (negativity is the scourge of society) Collins
...I agree Liverpool are still a few players short of Premiership winners but the table says one game, one win. We all know the title is not won in the first half of the season, only lost and and it is not won when you are playing at your best! It's those games when you are playing crap and still grinding out the three points that defines real champions. I admit Liverpool whilst playing crap are not as good as Chelsea playing crap or United but we won the game against a decent Sunderland team and are still very much in the Champions League. We are not going to lose to Standard Liege...we all know that and we didn't lose to Sunderland.
We are missing Mascherano (who is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world), Babel (who is a very important attacking player with pace and a few goals in him - and can play as a winger (despite it not being his best position)) and Lucas who I believe is going to be a great signing for Liverpool.
We are a better team than last year and we played some great stuff towards the end of last season. We have a new-ish system with Keane and Torres trying to work on their partnership and we need to give it time!
Kuyt had a brilliant end to last year and I think we're all to quick to forget that. He's a good squad player with a goal in him on the big occasions who works harder than anyone and very rarely makes a costly mistake. He had a great World Cup too. He is not the problem. We do need wingers but who are we going to get? Benayoun was actually decent the other day - and he's a player I've criticised heavily last season, and Babel and Kuyt are filling in positions that don't come naturally to them. The fans want Silva who doesn't want to come to England and has just signed a new five-year deal with Valencia. Any other available? Nasri moved to Arsenal for under £15m this summer - maybe that was just the French Arsene Wenger connection but we could of tried to ambush that move. Ben Arfa moved from Lyon this summer as well - another decent left winger. Mancini perhaps?
I'm not sure if Liverpool can win the league this year - head says no, heart says yes. Chelsea look very strong but that was the only one game, and Man Utd are bound to come good eventually - when Ronaldo minus his heart and soul returns to the Mancs. But so far is three from three and no need to be crying over a crap performance. Liverpool always come good after Christmas...will we be in touch? Let's wait and see before firing bullets at our Champions league winning manager!!
Tom Broughton
