All posts by h79snht.top

2012-13 will be our 10th consecutive season in the Championship. The season has barely begun and already our indifferent form has undermined raised expectations. So far, so disappointing, so ruddy typical.

There are indications however that the pattern of false hope followed by crushing but somehow inevitable disappointment might be about to change. Witness the approach to the transfer window. Traditionally as September beckons we have grown used to the inevitability of the club cashing in its most valuable assets in order to appease the banks, the Luxuriantly Eyebrowed One and other less than sympathetic creditors. The gaps in the painstakingly constructed jigsaw were replaced by ill-fitting loanees as a frustrated manager desperately picked through the Premier League detritus in a hopeless search for a few missing pieces. They rarely fitted but Dave Jones was forced to shove them in anyway and the completed picture rarely convinced.

This year’s window opened up not to the cruel winds of change but to the sweet smell of success wafting tantalisingly through the crack towards our expectant upturned nostrils. Not only have we retained our crown jewels we have bagged a few cut-price cut-glass gems lest our more precious stones should fail to radiate with the expected splendour. At last we have a squad with quality cover in just about every position. Apart from defence.

But we are so well-blessed in the middle of the park with, at the last count, 13 midfielders in the squad that Malky’s tried and distrusted default 4-5-1 formation may well be adjusted to accommodate all his assorted playmakers, controllers and creatives. Perhaps he’ll play Marshall as a goalie-when / goalie-rush, just behind a defensive midfield with Whittingham forming a link with central midfield and Mason playing in the hole just ahead of a forward midfield and lone striker in a 1-9-1 formation. That will allow room on the bench for another 4 midfielders to stir the crowd from their slumbers up later on…

And so yesterday we welcome back our old friends from Wolverhampton who have been doing more yo-yo-ing than Wandering in the last few years, occasionally threatening to re-establish themselves as a Premier League outfit before gently parachuting back down to the Championship to regroup and try again. With 30 million notes to break their fall it shouldn’t take them too long to find their feet.

We were exhorted by announcer Ali to welcome our red-shirted strangers, variously introduced as ‘making his full debut’ or ‘making his home debut’ and wondered how long it would take them to remember each other’s names and translate Cockney to Korean, Slovakian to Scouse let alone contemplate the required telepathic understanding between players.

The Huddersfield opener was a worry as relatively few new players were bedded into an established unit and played like strangers. So how would this starting eleven, who in every area of the pitch were strangers cope? Within minutes all our fears disipated as we played flowing, controlled exciting football, every inch the cohesive unit that we had no right to expect. Wolves were also at the top of their game which led to a frenetic opening 15 minutes. They took the lead on 10 minutes as a poorly positioned wall allowed Sako to place a free kick 20 yards beyond Marshall. A soft goal and an early blow from which it would be vital to bounce back as soon as possible. Within the minute preferably.

Noone and Whittingham duly obliged, the former’s turn of pace in the box causing Zubar to upend him and the latter striking the resulting penalty straight up the middle. 1-1.

Just three minutes later a slick City counter-attack sent the Wolves defence in all directions, opening up an opportunity for an unmarked Whitts to strike a low screamer past the despairing Ikeme. 2-1. At this point you expected every move to end with a goal and although it was to be some time before the net was to bulge again, the quality of the entertainment on display from both teams meant that this was one of the most entertaining halves in recent times and something at last worthy of the live Asian TV broadcast. Noone in particular was having a cracking debut, turning and twisting a panicked Wolves defence all ways and providing the wide options that we missed all last season and which we expected the absent Bellamy to provide this year. On this evidence Bellers will struggle to command a regular start.

The second half was fairly even but just as Wolves were gaining the upper hand up stepped Whitts again with a trademark dipping angled free kick from 25 yards, up and over the defensive wall perfectly placed beyond the keeper into the top corner. Peter Whittingham 3, Wolves 1. Not for the mild-mannered Whittingham some idiotic histrionic pumped-up celebration. No, a bashful grin, a raised hand and a saunter back for the restart that said ‘Just doing my job, mate’. What a guy!

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The goal knocked the stuffing out of Wolves and although they had plenty of possession they didn’t create anything and didn’t threaten the City goal again. Malky made a number of substitutions bringing on Mason, Cowie and Gunnarsson aimed at preserving the lead rather than extending it. This meant that disappointingly there was to be no home debut for Kim Bo-Kyung.

Last season it was often said that we were punching above our weight and we exceeded expectations with a fairly thin squad. Many, including me were critical that we were unable to capitalise on our early success and were disappointed at Malky’s reluctance to move to a Plan B, relying on a packed but uninspiring midfield and a lone striker. And his reluctance to invest in his threadbare squad when he had the chance was perplexing. There’s every indication now that he was biding his time having tracked Noone, Maynard, Smith and others for some time, waiting for them to become available. Patience is not a virtue that sits easily with a footie fan but this season perhaps we should learn to sit ‘patiently as the spider weaves the broken web’.

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Nothing comes cheap in the Barclays Premier League. Simply acquiring and maintaining a squad capable of avoiding relegation, is quite the investment in itself. As for those that are looking to really make a concerted surge up the top half of the table, an even larger proportion of their accumulated wealth has to go into making some serious upgrades. And none come more expensive than that of a striker.

But there is a certain breed of striker that seems to come with a premium unlike any other. In a transfer market that is seemingly permanently over-inflated, it is often said that those holding an English passport or South American talent yet to break out of their teens, command the most indulgent of fees.

Yet it is perhaps the breed of proven, Premier League talent, that demands a surcharge unlike any other. Of course, if you’re a club funded by the pockets of a billionaire owner and you crave a talent, such as Eden Hazard or Sergio Aguero, then nothing is going to match that sort of expenditure.

But for a club such as Sunderland, the purchase of Steven Fletcher represents something of a watershed moment. The Black Cats are desperate to kick on and make inroads under Martin O’Neill in the Premier League. Although they’ve had to pay top dollar to instigate the task in hand; the Scot commanded a club record £12million to make his switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers stick.

But, even in today’s age, do you really have to break club records and shell out megabucks for reputable goal scoring talent?

The emphasis seems to be that in the signing of a player who’s shown he’s capable of scoring goals in the English top-flight, the reduced risk that the deal entails, blows up the price of the transfer fee in due course.

For example, Martin O’Neill would have had a list of several targets up at the Stadium of Light. But in Steven Fletcher, the Ulsterman had identified a player that had hit double figures for his club in two consecutive seasons. His first term at Molineux saw the ex-Hibernian man put 10 away for Mick McCarthy’s side, following up with an improved 12 the season after. When you take into consideration the troubles that circled his former club, especially towards the end of last season, that’s not so bad at all.

But bringing in proven talent to Sunderland didn’t come cheap and the Fletcher deal represented a club record purchase. A purchase that in some quarters, has been ridiculed compared to similar transactions of recent times.

For example, Demba Ba, a man who seems to put goals away for fun in this league, cost West Ham an initial fraction of the price of Fletcher, before moving to Newcastle United on a free. Indeed, Sunderland’s fiercest rivals also unearthed another gem in Papiss Cisse for around £4million less. The Senegalese international scored one more goal than Fletcher did last season and in around half the time, too.

Of course, Cisse’s form has now tailed off slightly, but the point is that both players in question resembled something of a risk. Newcastle’s scouting network is to be applauded, but the investment in Cisse still represented a gamble. No matter how prolific a player may be in a foreign league and no matter how much talent they may bestow, there is never any guarantee that they’ll fully be able to adapt into the Premier League.  The likes of Shevchenko, Robinho and countless others have demonstrated that.

Furthermore, it’s important for supporters to realize that the investment of the transfer fee isn’t where the financial burden of the deal starts and ends. Some will point to the fact a former Premier League golden boot winner in Dimitar Berbatov was available for reportedly less than half of what Steven Fletcher cost Sunderland. But the Bulgarian’s wage demands, including bonuses, have been reported to cost Fulham as much as a six-figure sum per week. That’s just simply not viable for the Black Cats.

You could argue that the notion of paying an inflated fee for a bracket of player that is likely to cost less contractually is flawed, but football is a fluid, ever-evolving business. Regardless of how much a transfer fee costs, the damage of taking a small hit on selling a player on for less should it not go to plan, is far less than having him drain the club on a fat contract for four or five years.

One would imagine that Fletcher will be well rewarded financially should he rack up the goals for Sunderland this season. But even if things don’t go to plan for the Scot for the rest of the season, his basic wage isn’t likely to cripple the club. Aged 25, you’d have thought whatever happens, he’d command a fair sell-on value should Sunderland have to/look to ever part with him. Berbatov, aged 31, offers very little, if any.

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But perhaps it is also worth considering his comparable peers in the Premier League last season, when evaluating the merits of his fee. Besides the aforementioned Cisse, of those that scored 12 and more, who would realistically be available to Sunderland? Grant Holt may have knocked up 15, but at 31, would he really have been a worthwhile investment? You could make a case for both Clint Dempsey and Yakubu, but the Black Cats couldn’t offer the former European football or the latter anywhere near the wages Chinese outfit Guangzhou offered him.

It will only be at the end of the season that one can perhaps fairly judge the merits of the Steven Fletcher deal. After all, the man he is perhaps ultimately replacing at the Stadium of Light, Darren Bent, could ultimately cost Aston Villa £24million. He was a proven goal scorer – the clubs have hardly gone from strength to strength since he made his way to Villa Park.

But perhaps many, including the author of this piece, have been quick to ridicule a deal, that when broken deal, makes a lot more sense than what Martin O’Neill is currently getting credit for. It doesn’t matter that Steven Fletcher isn’t an exotic player and it certainly doesn’t matter that he came from a relegated team, either. All that matters is that Steven Fletcher keeps scoring goals. And from what we’ve seen so far, that doesn’t look to be too much of a problem.

How do you rate the Steven Fletcher deal value wise? Let me know on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell me how you see it.

A senior Football League referee has been arrested on suspicion of computer hacking and the dissemination of private information, according to the Guardian.

Dean Mohareb, 29, the FA’s national referee development manager, is suspected of hacking personal and work email accounts belonging to Janie Frampton, who is the FA’s former national referee manager.

Frampton was recently suspended and eventually dismissed over allegations she had offered FA Cup semi-final tickets to a British Airways flight steward in return for upgrades, which Frampton strongly denies.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “On Sunday 30 September 2012 police seized a number of electrical items as part of an investigation into computer hacking and the dissemination of private information.

“A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of unauthorised access to computer material/data, under section 1 of the Misuse of Computers Act 1990. The man has since been bailed until 26 November 2012.”

Mohareb, who worked under the online alias ‘pink ref’ is responsible for the handling of sensitive data, including child protection issues at the FA.

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The 29-year-old was due to take charge of the Championship match between Barnsley and Peterborough on Tuesday night but was suspended from overseeing the Oakwell tie.

It has been reported that Arsenal will either bid for Fernando Llorente or Valencia captain Roberto Soldado in January.

According to calciomercato.com, Arsene Wenger is set to move for one of the La Liga strikers, with summer signing Olivier Giroud so far not delivering for the Premier League side.

The French international has only scored one league goal so far this season and is dropping down the pecking order at the Emirates.

Giroud did score for France in Tuesday night’s World Cup qualifier against Spain, securing Les Bleus a draw, but in recent weeks, Wenger has been using Gervinho as the team’s primary striker, despite the fact that the Ivorian prefers playing out wide.

It now seems that Wenger may be looking elsewhere to fill the void left by the departure of last season’s main scorer Robin van Persie, with the striker joining Manchester United in the summer.

Both potential targets, Llorente and Soldado have scored a lot of goals in La Liga, and Llorente could be up for grabs as the Bilbao striker recently turned down an offer to extend his contract with the club, with many expecting him to join a Premier League club in January. However, demand is high for the Spanish international, with clubs including Tottenham being interested in obtaining his signature.

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However, signing Soldado may also prove a challenge. Though the Valencia captain’s contract has a release clause of £25 million, he turned down an offer from Tottenham this summer, and said he wanted to remain at Valencia.

Wenger recently said that he was planning to buy another striker in January.

Paul Jewell was clearly in a glum mood after the 2-1 loss to Hull City and it now seems extremely likely that he won’t remain as manager of Ipswich Town for very long.

The former Wigan boss said after the match that he is considering resigning but even if he stays on it will be almost impossible for him to turn things around, so soon enough Ipswich will have a new manager and a press conference has been called for today.

However, will even this change be enough able to prevent the club from going down?

Maybe it is too early to be talking about relegation but it has to be said that all of the warning signs are there.

If you speak to fans that have seen their club relegated from the Championship then will tell you that Ipswich have the traits of a bottom three side. The main issue that Ipswich have is that they can’t score even when they are in control of a game. Look at the likes of Coventy and Doncaster last season, too many short term fixes that couldn’t prevent the inevitable.

We all saw the team dominate large parts of the game against Cardiff but the only goal they scored was a complete fluke. At first it was encouraging to see the midfield looking comfortable, controlled and strong with the ball but it was depressing to then witness the lack of substance at the end of it all.

The other trademark that Ipswich share with previously relegated sides is their weak mentality. The performance against Cardiff was the prime example of the team’s lack of mental strength because as soon as the Welsh outfit brought it back to 1-1 the whole Ipswich side lost their confidence and struggled to keep going. The game against Hull was exactly the same; as soon as it went to 1-1 they might as well have blown the final whistle and given Hull the three points because it was so predictable.

As I have said before the problem with the Ipswich squad is not the lack of talent but more so the lack of organisation, will power and tactical awareness. These are all things that can be improved gradually but only if the right manager takes over.

If Ipswich give the job to the wrong man then nothing will change and relegation will be on the cards.

The players are clearly lacking in self-belief right now so they desperately need someone to come in and give them a confidence boost. On top of that the construction of the squad needs to be more stable in order to let everyone settle down and play their natural game.

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The large amount of loan signings or short-term contracts is something that needs to be changed in order to get the team playing well together. It must be difficult for the players to get used to each other when the starting 11 drastically changes every week.

The one positive to take from the situation is that Ipswich do have a fair few young players who look like they could become regular first team players. If Ipswich do change their management then the new boss will have a good base of players to work with and the main job he will have will be to give the team some confidence and stability.

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Even if he doesn’t admit it, you’ve got to wonder if Arsene Wenger is somewhat glad that Andre Santos looked to embarrass himself, the manager and the fans in his pursuit of Robin van Persie’s shirt. After all, what better way to deflect away—although not entirely—from the rest of the Arsenal team’s failings at Old Trafford?

The disappointment for Arsenal fans is that it’s just another sideshow to pile onto the list of horrendous embarrassments. How will last season’s meeting at Old Trafford be remembered? Not for the fact that Arsenal scored two goals, something they haven’t done away to Manchester United since February 2003 in the FA Cup. It wasn’t really because the squad were stretched for numbers and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was forced into his debut in a match of that size and once of great importance. Instead, it was the disappointment of being on the end of an 8-2 hammering that not even the poorest teams (financially and other) in Europe, in the Championship or in a meaningless summer friendly would be reduced to.

Andre Santos somehow managed to infuriate his manager and travelling supporters by doing something he deemed worthy of a place on camera. Forget for a moment that van Persie left almost all Arsenal fans with an incredible hatred towards him following last summer’s saga, but look to the fact that a man masquerading as a left-back in one of Europe’s top leagues had one of the most awful games you’re likely to see from a Premier League defender. It might be a cheap shot at Santos for his actions, but it’s the culmination of so many incidents of embarrassment for the club.

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Andre Santos seems to have taken up that class clown role in the squad previously reserved for Emmanuel Eboue, and the real shocker is that he seems to be embracing it. Some people may like him, but why? A lot of people like Mario Balotelli for his unusual attitude and actions, but he’s a very good and gifted footballer. As a number of journalists said following Manchester City’s draw against Dortmund: there isn’t a player on the planet who you’d want taking a penalty in that situation other than Balotelli.

For Arsenal, however, what does Santos bring? I’m not really interested in his number of Twitter followers, but I’m sure it’s a lot. It stems for that tweet where his misspelt “guys” as “gays” and everyone got a kick out of it. Now he just seems to be building on that side of his personality instead of trying to improve as a footballer. Eboue might have done some daft things during his time at Arsenal, but regardless of whether he was good enough or not, would he ever have run over to one of his mates in the Spurs team and requested a shirt?

So who do you blame for actions such as the one at Old Trafford on the weekend? It’s hard to look at Arsene Wenger for some kind of punishment because he doesn’t believe in all that business; the players at Arsenal are better served to learn from their own mistakes in a tranquil environment. Except they don’t, because there is no pressure on anyone else to learn from their mistakes.

The player doesn’t deserve vile abuse on Twitter, but he’s certainly done enough to warrant a wave of criticism for the way in which he has made Arsenal look. Arsenal have been brought to their knees in such a short period of time, losing their best players, their status in the Premier League, their dignity in some cases. Yet it continues to pile on because there really is no measure for stupidity at the club. Will Santos get another game this week and the next and the next until Kieran Gibbs returns? Absolutely, because he hasn’t said anything that would put his place in jeopardy. Not like, say, questioning the direction of the club.

Santos might be viewed as just another scapegoat; another Eboue, Aaron Ramsey, Andrey Arshavin. But the club’s supporters are crying out for something to be done to stop the club’s decline, something to put an end to seemingly monthly doses of embarrassment. When the team as a collective ship five goals against a promoted side, that’s unforgivable, but it’s down to the manager to prevent those kinds of score lines. No one is there to tell players like Santos not to plaster his name all over the newspapers because of a driving violation, and at the same time no one is telling him to behave with some level of decency to help the image of the club.

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During the last international break, Lionel Messi was stopped by one of the officials during the half time break while on duty for Argentina. The official requested a picture from the best player in the world on the rare occasion that he’d be officiating a game involving him. During the Olympics, something similar happened when the men’s USA basketball team offered out their jersey’s following their win over Lithuania. How far have Arsenal fallen from the days of Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Patrick Vieira to a 29-year-old Brazilian (former) international requesting the shirt of one of Manchester United’s leading stars? The scenes with the USA team in particular was quite pleasant to see. Andre Santos’ request for van Persie’s shirt was not. It was another low for a club who really need to take serious steps to stop the rot.

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Bacary Sagna has revealed he is enjoying life at Arsenal and believes feeling ‘at home’ is what is behind his improvement at the Gunners.

The French defender joined Arsenal from Auxerre in 2007 and has since been a regular fixture in Arsene Wenger’s team.

And the 29-year-old believes he has improved as a player since moving to the Premier League and feels relaxed, despite his family still living in France and several of the club’s best players leaving in the five years he has been at the Emirates.

He told Sky Sports: “It has been magic. Arsenal is like my family.

“My personal family is in France but I feel at home here. I feel happy to come training. I feel relaxed.

“There are not many big clubs where you feel that confident. I think I have progressed a lot. That was my target. To come to such a club and improve.”

Sagna also revealed he was initially nervous about moving to England due to his lack of English skills and having to leave his family behind, but is now happy with London life, his team mates and his manager.

“I was a bit nervous, because my English was basic,” he added.

“I was leaving my family and friends and it was a new life. I used to be stressed before games but now I am totally relaxed, because of my team mates and the manager.”

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Sagna has made 209 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, scoring four goals.

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There’s nothing better than a cup upset and in tonight’s Capital One Cup Quarter Final there is a chance of just that as Bradford welcome Arsenal to Valley Parade.

And the good news is, whether you’re a Gunner, Bantam or anyone else for that matter, you can follow all the action here on the FootballFanCast.com LIVE blog.

Arsenal’s form has been patchy at best this season and a loss here tonight could be the final nail in the coffin for long-standing manager Arsene Wenger. On the other hand, Bradford have put the trials and tribulations of last season behind them and launched a promotion bid aiming for League Two glory.

Whatever the result, we can look forward to a great cup tie full of drama, goals and controversy and you can catch every single minute of it below with FootballFanCast.com.

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Get involved by commenting in the LIVE blog below and tweeting using the #CapitalOneCup hashtag to let us know what you thing about tonight’s Capital One Cup clash.

Live Football Blogs on FootballFanCast.com »

Norwich will be looking to make a New Year’s resolution to find the resolve they had not all that long ago. Chris Hughton’s men went on their best ever Premier League run of 10 matches unbeaten before recently suffering three defeats on the bounce.

The Canaries will be hoping a short trip to East London will be able to revive their fortunes. A latest setback was their rollercoaster match which could have ended up going either way.

Sebastien Bassong and Samir Nasri clashing heads was the main talking point of the game and it nearly swung the game away from the defending Premier League Champions.

Norwich have fallen down to 11th position as a result and will be hoping to stay in touch with the top half of the table rather than be dragged down into the messy relegation dogfight.

West Ham have their own problems too mind.  They have barely been able to pick up any wins recently and only have 5 points in their last eight league outings.

This includes three defeats in their last four for Sam Allarydyce’s men and the last one against Reading would have particularly hurt as they would have hoped for a point at minimum from that fixture.

At Upton Park they have a chance to capitalise on their home advantage and Sam Allardyce will be expecting a good start to the New Year and a first 3 points of 2013 against Norwich.

The Hammers will be without suspended captain Kevin Nolan and they will miss their top goalscorer after receiving his fifth booking of the season. Collins is suspended too, and Carroll remains a long term absentee alongside Mohamed Diame.

Bradley Johnson is out for Norwich for exactly the same reason Nolan is for West Ham. Striker Steve Morison (thigh) is doubtful as is Grant Holt (hamstring) so Harry Kane could lead in attack. Steven Whittaker (hip) and winger Andrew Surman (hip) continue their rehabilitation and John Ruddy is not ready for a comeback yet either.

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39% of Norwich’s goals this season have come from direct or indirect free-kicks so they will be wary on set pieces at Upton Park come Saturday.

Prediction: West Ham 2-0 Norwich

Check the odds ahead of the game at Upton Park with William Hill here

You can also Get a Free £25 Bet on the game by clicking here

are considered to be the best team in the world, and it has even been argued they are the best of all time. It is easy to understand why. Not only do they have personnel who are incomparable to their counterparts in any other club, country or league in Lionel Messi, Andreas Iniesta and Xavi, who play alongside a cast of sensational talent such as Cesc Fabregas, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Puyol, Gerard Pique and Dani Alves, to name their more prominent squad members, but their style of football is unique, eye-catching, technically perfect and seemingly almost impossible to find an answer to.

So in theory, the Barca way, the employment of “tika-taka” football, with players constantly moving around, using short precise passing and an impetus on keeping the ball, should be the impeccable model to follow, but do the Premier League clubs in any shape or form attempt to adopt this style? Or is it even possible to do so – in a division where physicality and end-to-end play appears to be the most dominant features?

Firstly, it must be said there is a reason that only Barcelona play like Barcelona with the success that only Barcelona have achieved. Not only does their passing game rip teams apart with pinpoint balls and passes that require exceptional skill and vision, but also their high-octane closing down, often conducted by those players more commonly recognised as being creative talents, is a well-oiled method of defending that requires the determination, spirit and work-rate that only the most competitive players with the right attitude can effectively pull off. The Barca team may often have smiles on their faces, conducting themselves in a rather relaxed manner, but they are no doubt the most competitive footballers in the game; that is the driving force behind their collective success as well and their individual performances.

So Barcelona’s style isn’t for everyone, but has any club in the English top-flight tried to play their football in such a manner? Well, the most obvious examples of clubs trying to do so would be Liverpool and Swansea. Both have a possession philosophy and regularly play the ball out of the backline, and aren’t afraid of moving backwards in order to go forward. The latter club signed a number of players from La Liga in the summer, which has very much helped and enriched a style of football that impressed many last season under Brendan Rodgers, and originated at the Liberty Stadium under Roberto Martinez. Rodgers, now at Liverpool, has taken his tactics and applied them to his new club, which have averaged nearly 60% possession this year.

As well as keeping the ball, the Barcelona style has a strong emphasis on attacking, expansive football – an approach which can be attributed to a number of teams, especially over the past few seasons. Manchester United and Chelsea have especially been geared towards attacking play, despite the latter once being thoroughly organised machine under former boss Jose Mourinho, which brought the London Club their most successful period. Similarly, the average number of goals per game has increased steadily by the season since the Premier League’s incarnation.

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But there are a number of subtle differences between the possession-minded and attacking mentality teams of the Premiership and the Nou Camp’s brand of football. Firstly, the way in which the ball is kept is somewhat different, and it is a problem which is also suffered by the England national team. I’m not sure what it is about the English game, but possession football appears to mean in this part of Europe that the ball is continually played along the defence, pushed up the half-way line. In Spain, Barcelona play possession football by keeping their opponents pinned back as far as possible, regularly in their own box, with the ball being kept in the midfield area in little pockets of space. It seems the typical English footballer may well be very good at nailing a 40-yard diagonal through ball, but passing the ball a few metres in a quick and technical fashion proves much more difficult.

Secondly, Barcelona’s team are incredibly short and the nature of the Premier League would never allow such a low height average to be successful. Celtic managed to capitalise on their height advantage in the Champions League group stages, and although in an ideal world, many English clubs would love to play like Barcelona, they would certainly get punished for their lack of physicality. Teams like Stoke City and West Ham especially, where the majority of their Starting XI are towering individuals, and even their shorter players are effective in the air, creates a bit of a defensive stumbling block for a side constructed of short and nimble footballers.

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Of course the theory would be that the benefits of such a style would lead to more positive than negative results come the end of the season, but in the Premier League balance is often key. I do believe Premier League clubs try to play like Barcelona, and may well do in training exercises; it is after all the most ideal form of playing the beautiful game. But there is a reason that no club since the days of Arsenal’s Invincibles – which still included a rather tough defence and physical element in midfield – have made a serious attempt at playing in such a glamorous and stylish manner.

Finally, the way Barcelona play isn’t created by a session in front of a whiteboard or down to a few key individuals; it is very much the club’s underlying philosophy, constantly installed into their players at youth level via La Masia. Their players are bred that way, just as the stereotypical Englishman is bred to be physical, hard-working and direct. Some clubs do try to emulate Barcelona, or at least borrow parts of their ethos but as I said, there is a reason Barcelona play like Barcelona and no one else does. It’s because they are the only footballers capable of performing in such an idealistic style, with the belief, attitude and ability required to do so, and therefore they could never be successfully mimicked in England.