The Premier league Dog Fight

It has been quite a season this year in the Barclays Premier League. We are witnessing the dawn of a new era that promises to shatter every existing trend and belief we have had all these years.

We are now entering a new world of football, aren’t we? No more can a six year old child predict a score line at ease. The playing field has finally been leveled. I sit up a little more these days when I see the big four play the lesser sides. Which begs me to ask – Who are the Big Four?

But that’s a discussion for another day. This year has two ends to it. On one side, two of the three fighting for the title are not teams one would have expected to see 25 games in. Roberto Mancini has built a machine, that is Manchester City. Now seemingly unbeatable in most games, the likes of Silva, Aguero, Yaya Toure, Nasri and the lot have transformed the image of this club and has made it a world class phenomenon that threatens World Domination in the near future.  And then you have Tottenham Hotspur. Big things have always been expected of them but like every other, they perish when the time to shine arises. Not this year though. Harry and his men have shown us that quality football and team spirit does exist outside of the Nou Camp. This is not to say that they are as good, but the football on display is as entertaining.

And then of course there is the perennial force of Manchester United. One can imagine the might of Sir Alex’s faction when they seem to be matching the best despite having a comparatively poor season. With an eye for the future, they have managed a few shrewd signings and you can expect the men in red to take it right down to the wire. 

Now here’s the other side, the darker side, of this year’s Premier League season - The Relegation battle. Oh, we have such a thrilling plot in the making. With just 13 games to go, we have all of two points separating bottom placed Wigan Athletic and 16^th placed Queens Park Rangers. The teams that fit in between are Venky’s owned Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers. 

Wolves only recently sacked their manager of 6 years Mick Mcarthy and the reigns are now under the solicitous hands of caretaker Terry Connor. What will become of them, we don’t know yet but my gut feeling says deadline day relegation.

Verdict – Relegation

Off the six though, the most explosive relegation would be Blackburn Rovers. England has never been known to be kind to their foreign owners and with India in the pairing, that makes it all the more sensitive. Cometh the hour, if Blackburn are doomed to a year in the Championship there will be tension. Fans have already begun talking of a footballing coup of sorts that involves a total buyout from the owners. The players are extremely unsettled and are beginning to treat each game as a potential transfer opportunity. Steve Kean has never looked and never will look a Premier League manager but Yakubu’s arrival has been master class and has signaled a revival of sorts for the Lancashire side. An injury to him now could cost them dear. But then again, Yakubu is no Carlos Tevez. Or is he?

Verdict – Relegation

Bolton got it all wrong in the beginning itself. Their opening day’s 4-0 victory did them more harm than good and they have (IMO) the worst squad this year amongst all. They have been in absolute shambles since the beginning and are left with pretty much everything to do in this last quarter. Will they do it? I definitely think they will. Recent performances include a win against Liverpool and a well earned draw against Asenal. With games against Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle and Spurs yet remaining, Owen Coyle’s men will be fired up to take it to the grave.

Verdict - Survival

Wigan Athletic have disappointed me the most. I have had a soft corner for them from the time they took the league by storm in their first year back in 2005-06. Also, more recently that game against Arsenal when Victor Moses single handedly staged a dramatic fight back to snatch the game at 3-2. Sadly, this has been a season most Wigan fans would like to forget. They have been so miserable this year that they will struggle in the Championship too unless drastic changes with regards to the management as well as players are made next year.

Verdict – Relegation

And that brings me to Queens Park Rangers. Talk about transition and you have Neil Warnock’s men. Oh, hang on, they’ve sacked him too haven’t they? There have been changes galore for this princely London club right from the start of the season. The season has brought with it a change in ownership (Tony Fernandes, Air Asia) as well as the newly appointed manager Mark Hughes. What’s amazing to note is that the side that brought them back to the Premier League is almost an entirely different squad that plays for them today. They spent big in the summer and the line-up now boasts of an experienced Premier League squad. That will cost them. They failed to capitalize on the excitement and determination a newly promoted Championship side would have brought in. Take Swansea for instance. Their style of play though has been entertaining and one that is attracting neutrals to watch. For QPR, recent defeats to Blackburn & Wolves have proven to be too costly. They are yet to play Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in their remaining 13 fixtures. Survival for this side will be a miracle. It will be interesting to see what happens to the likes of Bobby Zamora, Djibril Cisse, Joey Barton, S.W.Phillips & Adel Taarabt should they find themselves potentially plying their trade in the Championship. 

Verdict - Relegation

There are massive heartbreaks in store for thousands of fans all over the world. For some, it’s about winning the title. For some it’s about Champions League qualification while for the rest, it’s about mere survival. Deadline day tears will flow like the ancient rivers of Babylon. Tears of happiness or tears of sadness? Stay tuned for more, because this is going to be one hell of an ending.

Twitter: @abhishekiyer7

Top 10 Manchester United Players Of The Decade (Revealed)

Greatest Manchester United Players Of The Decade (2001-2011)


10. Patrice Evra (2006 - Present)

9. Ji-Sung Park (2005 - Present)

8. Gary Neville (1992 - Present)

7. Edwin Van Der Saar (2005 - Present)

6. Wayne Rooney (2004 - Present)

5. Roy Keane (1993 - 2005)

4. Ryan Giggs (1991 - Present )

3. Ruud Van Nistelrooy (2001- 2006)

2. Paul Scholes (1994 - Present )

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (2003 - 2009)

Notable Absentees: David Beckham; Rio Ferdinand; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer; Nemanja Vidic; Phil Neville; Nicky Butt; Louis Saha


HAVE YOUR SAY.


(Coming Soon: Arsenal Players Of The Decade)

Eww, It's Indian Football!

Indian Football. Two words that are looked upon with such discomfort and an appalling sense of naivety.  Our nation has always been a cricket playing, watching, eating and sleeping one. Football is merely that Sunday afternoon stroll. Truth is, no one cares.

We are proud to be ignorant. That is the most disgusting part of it. We put on this tag of ‘Oh we’re so poor’ and “We don’t have the money’ even when we have some of the richest men in the world living in the same country as we do. Why is it so? The AIFF needs to really be given a hiding. We have such tremendous potential and yet we are still ranked at 139! (I doubt there are even more than 150 countries on this planet!)

And if money really is a problem, then why are African nations doing so well? Their GDP’s are nowhere close to ours and yet they are the ones playing this year’s World Cup. As for India, we are ‘ecstatic’ simply being in the Asian Cup. We must be eager for more. Not content with what we have! Because then we're content with nothing.

Start attracting sponsors for god’s sake. I know it is not an easy task but then improve your marketing skills. Our country has some of the best institutions in the world. Start recruiting better from now on. Get rid of these ‘Babus’ who are still sitting on top treating the sport like it still belongs to the British era.

Make us ‘want’ to watch the I-League. Right now, we just simply do not. For starters ESPN, if you are listening, please save us from the Zee Sports broadcasters. The commentary and presentation of the ‘I-League’ is extremely shabby and truth be told, plain boring. This may sound utterly ridiculous and stupid but bring in Mr. Harsha Bhogle. His voice is one that every Indian can relate to and after all, he did host the World Cup 2006 now didn’t he.

Why do we pick Arsenal & Man United over Mohun Bagan & Dempo!

We support the Arsenal’s, Chelsea’s and Manchester United’s only because we like what we see. It is not because we hate Indian football. The quality of football, the media circus, the pitches, the aura surrounding it – bring that to India.

Bring in the passion. Bring in the excitement. In the English Premier League when a goal is scored, the commentators go absolutely ballistic. In the Spanish League you must hear the trance some of these commentators get into when their side scores. We need precisely that.

As for the infrastructure. My oh my. Where do I even begin! And forget about the AIFF now. Why aren’t private companies coming up and supporting more clubs. Indian Football needs more Sesa’s, NISA’s and Lajong's to make it look pretty. Did you know, that a certain I-League club Shillong Lajong FC actually attracts a whopping 30,000 spectators every game. That’s more than a host of English, Spanish and Italian based clubs even manage to pullout. ‘That’ is the way forward.

After all, if we are to talk about India making it to the World Cup Finals, and reach the same level that cricket is at, get the country to give a damn first!

The Future Is Now.

Wayne Rooney In The Write The Future Nike Advertisement

This new Nike World Cup advertisement - Write The Future, really got me thinking on how big this World Cupreally is, not just for the fans but for so many players as well. we are in that era of the modern game where just one flash of brilliance is enough to set you up for a lifetime. One upset is all it takes for a country likeHonduras or Algeria to be elevated onto a global platform with the whole world applauding them. Their future, is now.

Now let us flash back a little. Germany 2006, the venue for the Fifa World Cup had a lot of stars in the making. Back then, who was Franck Ribery? Who would have imagined a random pick by Domenech would go on to become such a big superstar. The same goes for a lot of other players too. For them, they were playing back then to be the stars of today. 

The Future Is Now, we are living the promises of the last world cup. 

Quite simply, its Make or Break. In that Nike ad (write the future), I enjoyed the Rooney bit in it. Yes, from being Knighted by the Queen to becoming a groundsman living in a trailer might seem a little far-fetched but it sends the message across dosen't it? I even love the way Cannavaro was 're-invented'! From being brandished a 'has been' with no club willing to sign him, El Capitano (in the ad) literally transforms back into the superstar he was in the years gone by. His future too depends on now.  

What is also very interesting is that the World Cup is finally becoming a 'global' event. Not that it wasn't in terms of viewership but now its in the form of the team rosters as well. Asian and African nations were always 'making up the numbers' in every major World Tournamnet so far. Not anymore. They are only getting stronger and stronger. Ivory Coast, Ghana, Japan, USA, South Korea, South Africa will more than just be filling in slots in this year's tournament, amd I firmly believe that the future of the many World Cups that will be held over time is in their hands only. 

Moving into specific players, unlike the '06 World Cup, this one has the potential to transform existing superstars into world class legends.  The likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Wesley Sneijder aren't yet at the same level as Maradona, Pele and Zidane. The future, that is 'Estadio Cristiano Ronaldo'and 'Sir Wayne Rooney' relies completely on them being able to deliver now.

As for the upcoming 'potentials', it's time to make money son! With the inflated transfer market and ridiculous wages that players are being pampered with, one decent tournament is enough to set you up for a life time. 

Flashing lights, red carpets, luxury cars, etc all await you at the end of this long tunnel called the 'World Cup'. Marek Hamsik, Carlos Vela, Yoaan Gourcoff (check spelling) and Milos Krasic are all set to be driving Bentley's to their million pound homes in the future. 

This is me being an obedient fan of Nike and literally 'Writing The Future'as I see it. 
Predicting the future should not be too tough these next two months. It is time now for the stars of the 2014/18/22 World Cup to show us their faces. Will Ghana be World Champions? Will Messi retire a legend? Will Carlos Vela make his dream move to Barcelona?   


Well, stay tuned. For the Future...is NOW.

England's Arrogance Must Be Smashed By Capello

England are arrogant. Every game they go into, they exude this sense of superiority and naivety which has always worked against them in the past. Take a look at Brazil. When they play football, they are very humble. They ‘respect’ their opponents. The English are more likely to be spitting on their opponents and dishing out the choicest slang at the referee. It is this arrogant attitude that I feel is costing them big time.

Let me remind you all, that it is ‘only’ their league that is doing so well. Not the national team. And there does not have to be any link to either. Reason being that the English Premier League is flourishing only because of the massive influx of foreigners who are really lighting it up.

 Individually, England are a group of stars. But as a team, they are no more than a Russian Circus. Capello has done well so far to shatter all dressing room hierarchy’s and bring everyone down to the same level. Gary Neville is not the dressing room boss anymore. Chelsea & Liverpool players do not sit separately at the mess anymore.  It is a blessing really that an Englishman isn’t running (or ruining) that team anymore. Your place in the side depends purely on form. No past achievements or boardroom strings. Oh and what beats it all is the recent Capello ruling of ‘No WAGS’. Brillante Signore Capello!



Do Not Mess With Me!

Now moving on to England’s chances for the World Cup let me put things straight. England are by absolutely no means the ‘Favorite’s’ to win the cup. It is absolutely ridiculous that they are being called so. Spain are European champions, Brazil are South American champions and, Italy are former World Champions. What are England? Well, quite frankly (no pun intended) they are a side that did not even make it to the Euro’s.

England do have hope though. I will not completely rule out their chances as they yet have certain players who I believe can make the difference. And these players are all going to get their chance this time around due to Capello’s smart selection policies. 

The players I am talking about are not your Terry’s or Gerrard’s or Ferdinand’s. I am talking about Aaron Lennon, Darrent Bent, Joe Hart and James Milner. They will shine this summer. They have been amazing this season and if they are able to carry their form to the World Cup, England might just have a chance in there somewhere. Wayne Rooney will perform no doubt. But I still have my doubts on Frank Lampard who does seem to be found missing when it comes to national duty. 

So Mr. Capello, go ahead and play the so called ‘B-grade’ players this summer. They will take you places. 


Watch Out For The Mighty Dutch!

After an entertaining cameo in the Euro’s, Holland will look to shake off their ‘inconsistency’ tag this summer at the World Cup. They are a side with incredible potential and yet they somehow manage to consistently be inconsistent.

A good thing for the Dutch side this time is the fact that a good number of players are in top form coming into the World Cup. Wesley Sneijder as well as Arjen Robben have been awesome to watch this season. And to be fair, they were awesome even at the Euro’s in 2008. But it’s not just the two of them. 

Dirk Kuyt has probably been Liverpool’s only consistent performer this term. His hard work may not have paid off much for Liverpool but the Dutch could use a few more Kuyt’s. One more revelation this year has been Nigel de Jong. He has been the spinal cord for Manchester City this season, absorbing every attack with his fine defending and been an attacking threat with his excellent sense of positioning. With him in the centre along with Wesley Sneijder, opposing teams are going to have to cut through steel to get past them.



Beware The Mighty Dutch!

 A small mention for Robin Van Persie who has been on the doctor’s table for a good part of this season for Arsenal but has yet impressed when given the chance to. After all, you might be rooting for the Brazil’s, Spain’s, Italy’s and Argentina’s but in all this just remember to spare a thought for the Mighty Dutch!
 

Super Mario Can Be Played In Germany Too!

A German Reprieve For Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli. Two words that have made for such interesting reading this past week. To be fair, he has been making headlines since the start of the year.

"Hijo de Puta" or “Son of a Whore” aren’t quite the words you want coming out of your manager’s mouth, even after a 3-1 win against Barcelona. But if sources are to be believed, Jose Mourinho has been accused of doing exactly that. Added to which, it is alleged that fellow teammate Marco Materazzi had even kicked Balotelli after the game. Now this is surely no way to treat a fellow soldier, but in all fairness, I think Balotelli deserves it.

His child-like antics and constant whining could be the reason for this. Hurling your club’s jersey on the floor in disgust is, in fact a disgusting act all together. If you do not respect your shirt, do not wear it! I’m sure Mourinho and his men have had enough of this and I will not be surprised if he is the first player to be registered on the transfer list.

Now, in Balotelli’s defence, we must remember he is still indeed a young boy. He is all of 19, is yet to mature, both personally and professionally and I do not think Mourinho is the right man to raise him. You need someone a lot sterner. And this may come as a surprise to some of you but I think the right man for this is Bayern Munich’s Louis Van Gaal. He seems the kind who can really get your disciplinary issues straight and could even re-invent the Balotelli that we all once feared.

Plus, Bayern could really do with another frontman to support Olic and if given time, Super Mario could indeed fight his dragons in Munich (no pun intended).

India Will Shut The Bloody World Up!

The draws for the AFC 2011 competition took place earlier today and for the first time in 24 years, India have made it to the finals.  The AFC is like the Asian equivalent to the FIFA World Cup itself and what a tournament this is going to be for our country! Winning the FIFA World Cup is probably not on India's agenda this year at least but now that we're in the AFC Cup, I say, Lets Kill It!  Up against the likes of Australia, South Korea and Bahrain, here is our chance to show the world exactly what we’re really capable of.

132 in the current FIFA rankings, it is no surprise that we are often labeled as flukes or unknowns in the world’s most popular sport. In fact even Edgar Davids was shocked when he learnt recently that India actually played football. We must change this. Its time to shut them up! This Asian Cup is going to bring about amazing changes in our country.
God has been extremely kind to us by drawing the likes of Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in the same group that we are in. Yes, a lot of people out there aren’t too pleased with it and have already written us off but how wrong could they be!

Just imagine the kind of exposure our country will be getting. Australia and South Korea have huge stars playing for big European clubs. Park Ji Sung of Manchester United, Tim Cahill of Everton, Harry Kewell (formerly Liverpool) to name a few are the kind of players our boys in blue will be up against. The whole world will be watching, taking note of who these ‘min’nows in blue really are.

One good performance is all we need. We do not necessarily need to win the Cup or even qualify from the Group stages. The expectations are very low as it is and how advantageous that could be! Any result whatsoever will be treated as a hit. We need that.


But, my brothers and sisters, what our country really needs is YOU. India wants you to be heard on the big stage. The whole world is looking at us now. Let’s make them go deaf. The fiery passion that we are capable of exhibiting should inject tremors of psychitude that can rock their bodies like a seizure. And just imagine the kind of boost our players will be feeling. We have it in us to silence the Kop and the Stretford end. Now’s our chance to prove it.

Our country needs us. It’s war. To all you critics out there, Beware!

The sleeping giant has awakened.







The Asian Cup begins in Jan' 2011. Be There.