The Ultimate Football Blog
Editorial
At the beginning of this season I stated loud and clear that I believed Real Madrid, now under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, would beat everything that stood in front of them, and take home any silverware that’s on offer.
Some people told me I was naïve. Some told me that, like his predecessors, Mourinho would find the Madrid job ‘impossible’. Some told me that Barcelona were still the one’s to beat in both Spanish and European football.
Wrong, wrong and wrong again.
Mourinho, like I’ve said before, will make Real winners again. From a United view point I’m not that thrilled about it but, such is my admiration for and fascination of Jose Mourinho, I’m enjoying it. I will admit that I’m surprised as to just how attacking and entertaining they’ve been. After a sluggish enough start, Real now can’t stop scoring (until they went to Murcia last night, of course). They’re top of the scoring charts in La Liga, with 22 in eight games, 16 in the last three alone. They also boast the best defensive record, conceding just four. They’re obviously top of the league, and while there’s many miles yet to travel this season, Mourinho teams don’t tend to relinquish top spot once they’ve established themselves there. After just eight games, Real’s name on the trophy looks certain.
Mourinho has led the club to their best start to a season in 19 years. He’s the first manager in their history to remain unbeaten in his first 10 competitive games (which now stands at 12). Madrid have won three out of three in the Champions League, the trophy that the club covet the most, and have yet to concede. For Real, going out of the Champions League at the Last 16 stage is now a thing of the past. Winning it outright looks a much safer bet.
Real Madrid supporters are notoriously difficult to please. They demand entertainment. They demand the world’s best players. They demand goals and they demand trophies. They have little time for managers, it’s players they idolise. But if you want any proof of just how quickly Mourinho has been adopted at Madrid, and how well loved he has become, listen to the fans sing his name at Santiago Bernabeu. Yet another first in Los Merengues history.
Mourinho has been making waves all through his career. Even long before Porto and Chelsea. It’s what he does. He changes things. He upsets the status quo. He charges his way to the top wherever he is, and makes no apologies for doing so. He is simply remarkable, a football managerial genius. To put things into context, since Mourinho won his first major league title with Porto in 2003, (and I’m not including the 2007/08 season here) only once has he not been a domestic league champion. That was 06/07 when Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United put an end to his shenanigans at Chelsea.
I said that when Real landed Mourinho the rest of the football world better start worrying, because now at one of the world’s biggest and most powerful clubs, the man will be unstoppable. I’ve seen nothing so far that’s changed my mind.
Having said that, Mourinho’s first major test still lies ahead of him. Barcelona have beaten Real on the last four successive occasions. Mourinho NEEDS to end that run. His return to Camp Nou and his first involvement in El Classico on the Madrid side of the fence comes on the 28th of November. I won’t be missing it, make sure you don’t.
Enjoy
R.C
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Many men can lay claim to changing football forever. Jules Rimet, Bill Shankly, Sir Matt Busby, Maradona, Cruyff, Pele, all the way through the ages great men changed the game for better, and some for worse. But the man who may have had the biggest change on football wasn’t a great manager, he had nothing to do with FIFA and he wasn’t a great footballer, from reports on his career, he was quite average. His name is extremely well known, even if he isn’t. I’m talking of, of course, Jean-Marc Bosman.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Bosman did for the game, but 15 years later its still being debated. This week Ian Holloway weighed in, in a way only he can. If you haven’t seen the rant on YouTube, I’d definitely recommend it, but the question is, despite his hilarious accent, is Holloway right?
The Bosman transfer sounds like a great idea. When a contract is up, it’s up and a player is free to move how they like. Perfect, right? However when the contract is up is not the only time the Bosman has influence. Last week, he-who-I-will-not-name almost brought one of the biggest clubs in the world to it’s knees because he ONLY had one and a half years left on his contract! Player power is here to stay but the Bosman rule takes it too fucking far. You spend £30 million to buy a player, you spend £5 million a year for his wages and just over half way through his contract the value of the player plummets meaning you either increase his wages, sell him early (probably having to splash out even more to replace him) or risk losing millions. There is absolutely no protection for the clubs who are spending hundreds of millions a year to pay these 20 year old millionaires, who earn more in a week then you ever will in a year.
If a player wants out of a club, it’s usually very easy to force a move, so basically they, and more importantly their agents, hold all the cards. What makes it even worse is that 99% of football agents are cunts, scum of the earth, who only give a shit about their commission. If they ruin a club, or help destroy a career it doesn’t matter as long as they get paid. Andy Cole talked about his former agent Paul Stretford this week who was his best friend when Cole was earning him money, but when times got tough for the goal machine he was basically told to go fuck off. Stretford, unsurprisingly, has no contact now with a man who helped make him a millionaire.
It’s time to look at the system. If Manchester United, Chelsea, CITEH, Real Madrid or whoever else are willing to offer the player equal wages at the end of his contract then some sort of fee should be a requirement. Base it on how much the original transfer was, or how much wages the player has received, or the length of his contract. I don’t care but something needs to be done. After three years of a five year contract, no player and his agent should be able to bend their club over the table like so many have recently. Be it Rooney, Sol Campbell, Steve McManaman, Cambiasso or any one of the dozens of players who have used this rule to force hundreds of thousands of pounds out of their club each year.
Now I know it’s not FIFA who decided this rule and EU law that has to be dealt with and worked around, but surely there must be a better way.
Ian Holloway is a good manager and a great sound-bite, and this time he’s really onto something. The repercussions of a nobody like Jean-Marc Bosman has echoed through football for years and it’s about time the system was looked at again to try and balance the scales, because the way it stands now the clubs are pretty much fucked.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Bosman did for the game, but 15 years later its still being debated. This week Ian Holloway weighed in, in a way only he can. If you haven’t seen the rant on YouTube, I’d definitely recommend it, but the question is, despite his hilarious accent, is Holloway right?
The Bosman transfer sounds like a great idea. When a contract is up, it’s up and a player is free to move how they like. Perfect, right? However when the contract is up is not the only time the Bosman has influence. Last week, he-who-I-will-not-name almost brought one of the biggest clubs in the world to it’s knees because he ONLY had one and a half years left on his contract! Player power is here to stay but the Bosman rule takes it too fucking far. You spend £30 million to buy a player, you spend £5 million a year for his wages and just over half way through his contract the value of the player plummets meaning you either increase his wages, sell him early (probably having to splash out even more to replace him) or risk losing millions. There is absolutely no protection for the clubs who are spending hundreds of millions a year to pay these 20 year old millionaires, who earn more in a week then you ever will in a year.
If a player wants out of a club, it’s usually very easy to force a move, so basically they, and more importantly their agents, hold all the cards. What makes it even worse is that 99% of football agents are cunts, scum of the earth, who only give a shit about their commission. If they ruin a club, or help destroy a career it doesn’t matter as long as they get paid. Andy Cole talked about his former agent Paul Stretford this week who was his best friend when Cole was earning him money, but when times got tough for the goal machine he was basically told to go fuck off. Stretford, unsurprisingly, has no contact now with a man who helped make him a millionaire.
It’s time to look at the system. If Manchester United, Chelsea, CITEH, Real Madrid or whoever else are willing to offer the player equal wages at the end of his contract then some sort of fee should be a requirement. Base it on how much the original transfer was, or how much wages the player has received, or the length of his contract. I don’t care but something needs to be done. After three years of a five year contract, no player and his agent should be able to bend their club over the table like so many have recently. Be it Rooney, Sol Campbell, Steve McManaman, Cambiasso or any one of the dozens of players who have used this rule to force hundreds of thousands of pounds out of their club each year.
Now I know it’s not FIFA who decided this rule and EU law that has to be dealt with and worked around, but surely there must be a better way.
Ian Holloway is a good manager and a great sound-bite, and this time he’s really onto something. The repercussions of a nobody like Jean-Marc Bosman has echoed through football for years and it’s about time the system was looked at again to try and balance the scales, because the way it stands now the clubs are pretty much fucked.
D.O’L
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The game I have been dreading for weeks, even more so than facing Chelsea, was Manchester CITEH away. CITEH in recent weeks began to show why they had spent the astronomical figures in the transfer market by playing like a TEAM with Premiership title potential. Arsenal, on the other hand, while dissecting and destroying teams in Europe, were slightly stuttering in the Premiership, losing two out of the last three.
In a game that should have been decided within the first five minutes when Boyata - by far the most misguided and worst decision maker I have seen in a long time - got sent off and rightly so, it was far from being a given for Arsenal. Extremely poor passing, an exhibition in how to get yourself booked and an extremely tired looking Arsenal made playing against a 10 man team look like the most difficult I have seen in a long time. This is not to take credit from CITEH who came out attacking from the start and never let their heads sink. They gave the game to Arsenal but eventually fell victim to clinical finishing from Samir Nasri (who at just 23 looks to be on his way to greatness), Alex Song (who has been proving many critics, including myself, wrong) and a returning Nicklas Bendtner (who doesn’t need me to talk him up, he does it well enough himself).
Out of all the negatives I could point out about Arsenal's approach to this game, they still emerged 3-0 winners and that can’t be taken away from the players and the manager. That said, the real plus for Arsenal is that they had the strongest bench I've seen since the start of the season, and with Thomas Vermaelen, Abou Diaby and Robin van Persie set to return, they’re looking very strong. I wouldn't be surprised that when others look at that team, they'll think twice about writing this Arsenal side off. I might stand corrected at the season’s end, but I see that trophy cabinet looking a small bit fuller by next May.
In a game that should have been decided within the first five minutes when Boyata - by far the most misguided and worst decision maker I have seen in a long time - got sent off and rightly so, it was far from being a given for Arsenal. Extremely poor passing, an exhibition in how to get yourself booked and an extremely tired looking Arsenal made playing against a 10 man team look like the most difficult I have seen in a long time. This is not to take credit from CITEH who came out attacking from the start and never let their heads sink. They gave the game to Arsenal but eventually fell victim to clinical finishing from Samir Nasri (who at just 23 looks to be on his way to greatness), Alex Song (who has been proving many critics, including myself, wrong) and a returning Nicklas Bendtner (who doesn’t need me to talk him up, he does it well enough himself).
Out of all the negatives I could point out about Arsenal's approach to this game, they still emerged 3-0 winners and that can’t be taken away from the players and the manager. That said, the real plus for Arsenal is that they had the strongest bench I've seen since the start of the season, and with Thomas Vermaelen, Abou Diaby and Robin van Persie set to return, they’re looking very strong. I wouldn't be surprised that when others look at that team, they'll think twice about writing this Arsenal side off. I might stand corrected at the season’s end, but I see that trophy cabinet looking a small bit fuller by next May.
E.O’L
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Every now and then we get things wrong. We say stupid things, make stupid mistakes or do something ridiculous. Everyone does it, because nobody’s perfect. Roy Keane said Ronaldo and Rooney would never make it, Thierry Henry cheated his way to the World Cup and then you have Graham Poll brandishing three yellow cards to the one player in one match. Shit happens, but it’s how you recover from those mistakes that shows you off to be the type of person you really are.
Three weeks ago I wrote a piece stating that I thought Sir Alex Ferguson’s wonderland at Old Trafford looked like coming to an awfully sad end. I said his decision making has become terrible and that he didn’t have the same calibre of players he once had, blaming him because he’s the boss, and that their performances have been nowhere near the Manchester United standard. I completely stand by my comments and since that piece United have actually been worse (aside from Stoke). But there is one massive error I made in writing that piece, questioning the power Sir Alex has over the football world.
Last week, as we all know, Wayne Rooney said he wanted out. He stated that he felt United were declining and could not meet his ambitions so he’d have to look elsewhere. First of all, and let’s be serious here, in my opinion Real Madrid are the only club in the world that are as big as United, and a number of ex-players (non-United) stated that also.
Secondly he stated he wanted to win trophies. Now I’ll try to say this without laughing.... he was apparently going to sign for none other than Manchester CITEH (hahahahahahaha, apologies!). A club that hasn’t won a trophy for 34 years? A club that got destroyed by Arsenal at home this weekend? A club that will win fuck all as usual? Come on! Who writes this shit?? The man was never going to go to CITEH, ever. It was all done to secure a better contract for himself, and fair play he more than deserves it, but I bet he regrets the way his CUNT of an agent handled it because he is now hated by a lot of people, and rightly so.
Wayne may regret this past week, but there’s one man who just grabbed Manchester United by the balls, once again, and stated loud and clear “I am Manchester United”. Yes Sir Alex, you are. Not only did he get the owners to offer Wayne more money with some quite brilliant press conferences, but he now, apparently, has a £100 million transfer kitty to buy new ones and hold onto the superstars already at the club. If this is true then Manchester United are back, and Sir Alex Ferguson has done it again, and who better to build another team than the four- time team-building genius? I most definitely got that bit wrong, and I hope Sir Alex proves me completely wrong in all other aspects.
To Manchester CITEH:
“We’ll keep the red flag flyin’ high, coz Man United will never die!”
T.O’D
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Ger's Rant: The Knuckles View
After the soap opera in Manchester during the week which gave Coronation Street and Eastenders a run for their money, there was the small matter of the Premier League match with Stoke on Sunday to concentrate on and, in particular, the 600th appearance for ‘one club man’ Gary Neville. He's the fifth United player to break into to the exclusive 600 club, along with Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and the ever-green Paul Scholes. And to be honest there isn't any other player at United who deserves this more than the talisman who wears his heart in his sleeve. Strangely enough the closest player to Neville in the appearance rankings still at the club is John O Shea on 371, so expect a piece when he gets to the 400 club!
But this is all about Neville. The record-breaking England right back who captained the United youth team to FA Youth Cup glory in his first season and made his senior debut in ‘92 against Torpedo Moscow in the Uefa Cup. In 2005 he was appointed club captain when Roy Keane left for Celtic and while he's not captain on the field anymore he is still club captain and remains a huge influence both on and off the field. So far Neville has won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, one Club World Cup and one League Cup, along with five appearances in the PFA Team of the Year and being in the overall Team of the Decade for 10 Premier League season appearances between 92-02. But trophies aside there's one thing Neville is famous for, and that’s not being Phil's brother or his father name being Neville Neville, but his hatred for the Scouse bastards!
In 2006, he celebrated Rio Ferdinand's injury time winner against Liverpool with a celebration Adebayor could only dream of with the now infamous kissing (not Paul Scholes during the CITEH game) of the badge in front of the Liverpool fans. This led to Neville's celebration being blamed for disturbing fans after the game and him being charged by the FA with improper conduct. Neville contested this, asking if it was preferable for players to act like "robots" and show no emotions. He was fined but he's right as I love seeing players play with passion, something which will be gone when Neville leaves. He's had countless yellow and red cards to rival Paul Scholes and probably should have had both at Stoke on Sunday, but when he was substituted at half time he was probably the only person in the stadium that thought he was staying on! Funny enough, Wes Brown came on for his 350th appearance for United, so it was a week of history making at the club.
Call him what you like, there’s no denying Gary Neville has been and still is the best right back in the Premier League. Ok maybe not, but one thing’s for certain:
Gary Neville is a Red
Is a Red, is a Red,
Gary Neville is a Red,
He hates Scousers!
But this is all about Neville. The record-breaking England right back who captained the United youth team to FA Youth Cup glory in his first season and made his senior debut in ‘92 against Torpedo Moscow in the Uefa Cup. In 2005 he was appointed club captain when Roy Keane left for Celtic and while he's not captain on the field anymore he is still club captain and remains a huge influence both on and off the field. So far Neville has won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, one Club World Cup and one League Cup, along with five appearances in the PFA Team of the Year and being in the overall Team of the Decade for 10 Premier League season appearances between 92-02. But trophies aside there's one thing Neville is famous for, and that’s not being Phil's brother or his father name being Neville Neville, but his hatred for the Scouse bastards!
In 2006, he celebrated Rio Ferdinand's injury time winner against Liverpool with a celebration Adebayor could only dream of with the now infamous kissing (not Paul Scholes during the CITEH game) of the badge in front of the Liverpool fans. This led to Neville's celebration being blamed for disturbing fans after the game and him being charged by the FA with improper conduct. Neville contested this, asking if it was preferable for players to act like "robots" and show no emotions. He was fined but he's right as I love seeing players play with passion, something which will be gone when Neville leaves. He's had countless yellow and red cards to rival Paul Scholes and probably should have had both at Stoke on Sunday, but when he was substituted at half time he was probably the only person in the stadium that thought he was staying on! Funny enough, Wes Brown came on for his 350th appearance for United, so it was a week of history making at the club.
Call him what you like, there’s no denying Gary Neville has been and still is the best right back in the Premier League. Ok maybe not, but one thing’s for certain:
Gary Neville is a Red
Is a Red, is a Red,
Gary Neville is a Red,
He hates Scousers!
G.O'N
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For any Manchester United fans reading, don't forget to check out the best Man United blog on the internet, dedicated solely to the Red Devils and with top news and opinion every day.
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/
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For any Manchester United fans reading, don't forget to check out the best Man United blog on the internet, dedicated solely to the Red Devils and with top news and opinion every day.
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/
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This post is dedicated to the memory of a great friend, and Manchester United supporter, Niall Doyle.
Unfortunately he passed away Saturday night from an illness he's had all his life, scoliosis and other disfigured bodily parts. My greatest memory of him was celebrating the '99 Champions League together. He was the most loyal supporter I'd ever known and never had a bad word about anyone United. He was buried in his United shirt, scarf and clutching his Rooney doll.
Rest in peace, Niall.
T.O’D
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Posts
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"Naive" writing from ross to assume real are champions in OCTOBER.lets just give the premier league to chelsea and the champions league to arsenal so. absolute shit
ReplyDeleteYes 'Anonymous' I do believe Real will be crowned Champions. And I'm willing to go a step further and say the Champions League is theirs, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's Mourinho. That's why I can make that statement with confidence. Look at what he did with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan. He won, won and won some more. At Chelsea he wasn't successful in Europe, but now he's at a proper big club, the biggest alongside United and Barca, with real ambition and hunger and the experience of winning on the European stage.
Naive? No, just common sense.
P.S Seriously people, it's very simple to add a name to your comment, and it's very much appreciated especially when you want to call mine, or any other writer's piece "absolute shit".
Great Reads Lads, nah seriously "absolute shit"
ReplyDeleteRoss, me old mucker having read the article closely while trying to watch the Fascist's play Athletico Mardid (yawn) currently 2/0 for your buddie.
I sincerely hope you are not writing these very fine words of praise to tease Maureen to tip at old Trafford.
One of the few reasons he plays with agression and a new found verve of attack is simply they have Ronaldo.Yes the one they courted away from us.I know the pimp wanted to go, thats not the point is it.In this day and age is there not a thing called loyalty!
Is there any other way to play than with a focal man like him in the side.
I cant disagree he brings a lot to the table.He clearly has won the lot and you highlight that in your "brown nosing " article lol.
He just is not Manchester United material.
He does not stay around long enough at one club for me to back him as Sir Alex the great, successor.As you know Sir Bobby also despises him.I think because of his demeanour and his courting of attention and alienating press and other media.We at United dont need to give the ABU's any more ammunition to have a pop at United.
I think you might be on to something regards he might crack the Champions league again.
Then I hope he fucks of to Manchester City for a year get them a cup and bust them and then vanish to Notts county.
This Jean-marc Bosman he is Belguim right! Christ and i thought the only thing they were famous for was fucking Belgian Choccies! How wrong can one be.
I hate what looney Rooney did and the way that git Stretford enginered it.It blew my faith in man kind.And I always thought people lived bye the bible.
I should have got a wee clue"Sign" do not covet thy neighbours wife or some cheap tart from Bolton.
He has busted our wage structure thanks to Bosman and a ex washing machine salesman.
It makes you wonder.Our wage %of turnover previously 42% now a eye watering 50%.
Thats only till the summer and he gets hooked out the door.Stretford for his scurrelous part in the long drawn out "hostage affair" a corrupt £3million.
Quote in the article"Who earn more in a week than you earn in a year" How do you know how much i earn in a week.I am in the second year at Inverness college a government backed course.
How to rob a bank and get away with it! Or in truth how to get to the top in banking! Same difference.
Agreed i am already getting excited about the Ciddy match on wedensday.Not to the state of having to think about wearing incompetent pants.
But close.It will be such a fucking kick in the guts to have got a "Chink of light" I bless you 3 lungs.We are in touching distance, the slip up we all wished to happen, has happened.Thank you lady boy.
We can do it.
It cant happen for them to kick us of the park.
thats if we can put a team on the park.
Fucking viruses.You see that Maureen effect its everywhere.
Aye great read on Gary.He is what united is about loyalty passion wears his heart on his sleeve.Winds scousers up and everybody outwith the United family.
Fantastic dedication T.O'D Style mate.
Keep up the great work.
Cmon United. Believe.
Manchester united wage bill spend for the period 2000- 2009, £590 million.
Oh Bye the way i earn £150 per week.I love united there is the difference.
Rooney is a rat and must be sold.
ReplyDeleteMaureen is fantastic but for United ?
Neville is a Red and he hates scousers !!
This comments box is opposite a picture of L'il Mikey and I fucking hate him too.
Nik.