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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
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.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
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.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Sagna has made 209 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, scoring four goals.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
However much of the finger pointing at Gary Waddock was justified before Wanderers’ former manager had his reign abruptly ended in September, amongst a batch of dubious summer signings, he unearthed a real gem in Sam Wood.
Of the July arrivals, Richard Logan must rank as one of the all-time Wycombe Wanderers transfer bloopers (only slightly negated by the fact he arrived on a free), Dennis Oli has looked quite simply dire, Lee Angol has barely featured, and Matt Spring has looked less the midfield dynamo as portrayed by fans of Leyton Orient, more a disinterested journeyman. Meanwhile club captain Gary Doherty is spending most of his time on the treatment table after injury. Doherty exempted, it doesn’t look pretty.
Yet beneath all the mediocrity and all the dross (and sadly, there was a sizeable amount under Waddock) has emerged a player who is rapidly becoming a fans’ favourite – a rare breed for chairboys and girls alike amidst an almost revolving door of often faceless players who’ve set foot on the hallowed Adams Park turf over the past few years.
Sam Wood is quite simply, Wycombe’s Mr Consistency and we are very lucky to have him. Signed under the noses of AFC Wimbledon Wood had already proved himself in the past, and at a higher level. in particular under Andy Scott and Brentford where he developed a glowing reputation as an extremely solid, versatile, and dependable player, equally at home at full back or in midfield, and with a sparkling left foot. Arguably the high point of his career thus far came in the 2008-2009 season where not only did he help Brentford to the League Two title (and who in High Wycombe could forget that season and in particular THAT 3-3 draw at Griffin Park?!) but also scooped several individual awards, top among them the Supporters’ Player of the Season Award. Scott’s eventual sacking by Brentford in February 2011 was unfortunate for Wood, who never quite regained his place in the side but still impressed during a loan spell at Scott’s new side, Rotherham.
Having been released by Brentford at the end of last season, picking up such a useful player (and for free) was a no brainer and a decision which could ironically prove to be one’s of Waddock’s cleverest, even if he won’t be around the reap the benefits. Such has been Wood’s impact – despite an injury spell – that the sight of him bombing up and down the left hand touchline, whether at left back on or the left wing is now almost ubiquitous. He’s technically very competent, with a good range of passing, and occasionally exquisite left foot capable of dangerous crossing or powerful shooting. He is equally useful defensively, with a strong tackle, nurtured positional sense, and always a tricky opponent for an opposition winger.
Goals have been in short supply for Wood thus far (though having played the majority of his matches at full back this is entirely understandable) with a glorious 35 yard volley away at York on the opening day of the season providing a goal of the season contender already. His aforementioned 10 week absence through injury coincided with a huge slump in blues’ form, and it’s also no shock that his return (along with other mitigating factors of course) has seen Wanderers rise up to 3rd in the Npower League Two form table. From a personal perspective perhaps most endearing about Wood, playing in a somewhat cobbled together side of youth and experience, is his affable nature and likeability.
Not only is he as good a left-sider as this club has seen for a while, but his committed, driven nature on the pitch only serves to make him a potential real fans’ favourite. And we haven’t had too many of those in recent years. One thing’s also certain with Sam Wood – when the amateur pundits take to the internet to deliver their post-mortems after a game, he’ll always have delivered a 7/8 out of 10 performance. I can guarantee that a Sam Wood ‘nightmare’ will be a very rare beast indeed. And that above all, in fairly turbulent, ever changing times as these are for the club, is invaluable.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
You can follow me on Twitter for even more Wycombe discussion
Tottenham Hotspur are amid one of their most successful seasons to date, currently sitting pretty at third in the Premier League table, and today Spurs fans will no doubt be in a rather jovial mood following their dominant 3-0 display over European giants Inter Milan in the Europa League yesterday evening.
Of course, nothing is yet set in stone. Tottenham looked set to finish in third place last season under Harry Redknapp, with Sir Alex Ferguson commenting just after Christmas 2011 that they were playing the best football in the English top-flight. But towards the end of the campaign the squad burnt out, and ended up missing their opportunity to play on the Champions League to local rivals Arsenal on the last day of the season.
But their recent progress under Andre Villas-Boas raises some interesting points about the nature of the Premier League. The style adopted by the Portuguese boss has been based around counter-attacking away, and defending with a pushed up back line at home, underpinned by the squad’s cumulative pace which is unrivalled in the top flight.
Not only do they have Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker at their disposal, who all possess blistering speed, but even the likes of Younes Kaboul, Jan Vertonghen and Moussa Dembele are unusually speedy considering the positions they are deployed in. Even their goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris has been hailed as the fastest No.1 in the Premiership, and the French international operates as a sweeper behind a backline which can comfortably play high up the pitch.
So has speed become the name of the game? Will it be the underlying asset required of Premier League footballers in the years to come?
It certainly seems to be a must-have for the modern day defender. Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen’s biggest advantage to his game is his speed, which allows him to cover for Per Mertesacker, who quite frankly turns and moves slower than a battleship. Similarly, the last two centre-backs Chelsea have acquired – David Luiz and Gary Cahill – are both lacking in some defensive qualities, but their pace is exceptional for central defenders.
Furthermore, Vincent Kompany, who is regarded as the best centre-back in the Premier League following his fantastic displays last season, is incredibly athletic and quick off the mark, giving him an advantage when having to deal with some of the top-flight’s fastest and trickiest attackers.
I’ve always found Manchester United as a relatively good barometer of the direction the English game is moving in. Sir Alex Ferguson’s continual success has been based around his ability to spot moving trends and capitalise upon them whilst other teams go through a rather slower evolution process.
Although a number of the United old boys are rather slow, and in some cases verging on immobile, such as Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic and now Rio Ferdinand – who has lost an incredibly valuable yard of pace which once made him a top quality defender – the next generation coming through to the first-team at Old Trafford all have speed in their locker; Phil Jones, Rafael, Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa for example.
United are also rumoured to be interested in signing Torino’s Angelo Ogbonna, an incredibly fast Italian centre-back, and in the summer were also hot on the trail of Moussa Dembele before being pipped to the post by Spurs.
Athleticism and physicality has always been an underpinning factor in the English game. The Premier League’s entertainment value is based around the end-to-end style of most matches, rather than the subdued and tactical pace of Serie A for example, which often resembles a chess match more than it does a game of football. Similarly, Newcastle’s Vurnon Anita recently described struggling to adapt to the Premiership after moving from Ajax because of its “up-down up-down” nature.
But never before has pace become such a valuable asset. Although in the past it has always been a considerable advantage, one was still capable of getting away with sheer footballing ability alone, and furthermore it was a prerequisite before athletic ability.
But nowadays, it appears speed has become a replacement for actual talent. Manchester City’s Gael Clichy for example, in my opinion is rather limited in terms of skill on the ball and lacking in defensive awareness, but his exceptional pace alone allows him to perform to a competent level for a title-winning club.
Lower down the League, Reading, Norwich and Sunderland have struggled at times this season for having a lack of pace, and West Ham, Stoke and Fulham have found themselves solidly stuck in mid table for the same reason, whilst Swansea City and West Brom have been the year’s surprise candidates for European places, relying on fast-paced counter-attacks to get results.
Perhaps my argument so far has been rather one-sided. Of course, there are some obvious examples of Premier League footballers who don’t fit the mould, such as Per Mertesacker, Dimitar Berbatov and Gareth Barry. But all of these players are into the latter parts of their career, and rely on having another exceptional characteristic in their locker to get by.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Football is a sport that constantly evolves, and therefore, a natural evolution as players have become more fitness based and sports science has become part of the game has been the overall necessity of pace, no matter what position on the pitch a footballer is used in
Furthermore, it provides a huge tactical advantage – Theo Walcott for example essentially has a half chance any time a decent ball is put over the top of the opposition defence. Similarly, a team that possesses great pace throughout will always have a physical advantage over a side that is lacking in the same department, and therefore will more often than not claim a result against them based on that one simple factor. Of course, it is always possible to defend against a faster opponent – John Terry has been doing it for his whole career.
But as a new generation of talent comes through, fastness is the characteristic forming consistent trend. It is no coincidence that Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott are this season’s stand-out players. Yet I am a firm believer that speed of thought and pace of mind can beat any legs on a football pitch. That is why the exceptional talents of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes still have a place in the English top flight, despite their aging bodies.