The vision of a champion

Yesterday i wrote about CMU Womens soccer and the surprising effect the experience had on me as a Chauvinistic male.I coach mens select soccer and on my way out of the Coaches office I had asked for some reading material because my season would start soon and anything that would help i would take. I was then given Anson Dorrance's book "The vision of a champion".

It is the story of North Carolina Soccer. But it is more than that. It's proving to be a more guide book then a story book.It's is an audit into the womens game through the cultural filter of an American footballer and coach. This book transcends just football it borrows from life,philosophy and human interaction.I am only half way through it so i hope i am not premature in writing about it already. What i am enjoying particularly is i am reading this book as an Italian and am interpreting its lessons from my own understanding of the game and my own influences.

I imagine as i apply some of its lessons to my own management style The vision of a champion will undertake a new life of its own through me.And thats the magic of lessons learned and imparted to others.A lesson learned and transfered to the student is reborn in a different manner and brought to life again through a new practitioner.


I will have anecdotes and excerpts later but for now i just wanted to share.

"The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over,drenched in sweat,at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching"

Oh yeah,its easy to read and is fun too.

Womens soccer

I had the privilege of watching my first ever college Women's soccer practice on Tuesday.I was so impressed i went back again today.The Central Michigan Chippewas play Division 1 soccer in the United states in the Mid American Conference.I was a guest of the coaching staff who allowed me on to the pitch to observe.

To be honest i had my chauvinistic ideas of the football i could expect.I was well aware of US womens program and its success on the international level. But i have to admit i never appreciated the speed and tactical awareness so much apart of the Women's game.I understand all things are relative to each other.But i was so pleased by the grit,effort,sublime one touches and keen awareness made by these college students. Perfect curved runs into space.One and two touch volley's and the use of space with and without the ball. Also the flexibility of switching from zone to man marking and the use of double team pressure.There is a full awareness in the womens game and the coaching in the US is a reflection of it.

I now have the opportunity when work allows to view practice with an open invite. It was a fantastic eye opening experience that woke me of my misconceptions.I hope whomever had the courage back in the 70's to push for Womens sports and truly incorporate it in our culture could see the fruits of their efforts.

In the end i was late to figure this calculus out.But i am awake now. I am looking forward to supporting women's football and the college game in my own town. I am glad i have had this awakening. Forza Roma,Italia,TFC and CMU.

Shut up and speak out!!!

How many times have we heard our glorious sports punditry tell us how stupid it is for a coach or player to tell us how he/she feels in public,but then complain that athletes and coaches have nothing to say anymore more.They are nothing more then cliched robots,products of slick and slicker media consultants.

Well media punditry, athletes and managers have nothing to say anymore because we shame a coach or player into submission. We use their words against them,we twist their thoughts and use them to sell papers.We then force sports organizations to hire these consultant firms who teach athletes and managers how to avoid the perils and pitfalls of a press conference.By the time they are done with these athletes we have a plain bread mayonnaise sandwich with an extra layer of mayonnaise. Athletes and managers have nothing to say anymore because they have the confidence to crap a two pound shining jewel of cliched turd blossoms.

So this week Paul Jewell Derby's tormented manager was asked to defend his outburst following Saturdays 2-0 loss to Wigan. Another premiership bottom dweller. He said

"I don't regret it at all," Jewell told BBC Radio Derby.What I said was true, 100% true.I'll defend the players whenever I possibly can if there is decent reason. But I'm still angry now and it's Tuesday morning."

Ha! Good for you Paul,God forbid he protects millionaires from their fragile ever softening ego's.After all we are not talking about a group of Miners,Deep sea Fishermen or the poor bastard who clears mine fields after a war.We must be sensitive and honor the pathetic performances of a bunch of sorry assed dilettantes.

He punctuated his comments by adding.

"I have to stand in front of the media and justify certain things - or try to justify certain things.But I'm not going to try and justify the performance I witnessed on Saturday."

Look we as a public have to thank Paul for giving us the straight goods.The people we need to shame and call out are not those that speak aloud.We never want to censor the witness to a crime, i say when a coach or athlete comes out with a well crafted cliched comment we should write articles and be outraged that someone else has the confidence to bullshit us. Don't allow there ranks to swell. Lets all unplug the cliched robots.Thank you Paul.

Da Silva forgives

Eduardo DaSilva has forgiven Martin Taylor of Birmingham city. DaSilva will spend the next nine months in therapy. I never saw the tackle,the break was so terrifying that Youtube and Sky sports pulled the high lites of the challenge.

I never chose to see the challenge either. One Joe Thiesman in a lifetime is enough. Joe never recovered from that sack. Twenty five years have come and gone since that Monday night game and surgical techniques tools and therapy have progressed to the point we may see Da Silva again.

If you are Croatian the loss of Eduardo DaSilva will be felt.Martin Taylor the Birmingham defender has received death threats and this whole event maybe a rorschach test of football and humanity in general. Arsene Wenger's post game reaction to the challenge so outraged the Arsenal manager that he called for a lifetime ban.That was a visceral response from the normally measured Wenger. He has since rescinded those comments.

Thats what the mundane does to us.We do what is expected of us and in an instant the mundane becomes horrifying.It shocks us awake and reminds us that what we take for granted as normal at any moment can become extraordinary. Thats why Eduardo DaSilva's forgiveness is so powerful right now. Like the grotesqueness of the break DaSilva's choice to forgive so quickly and take a view that he will be back is out of the ordinary.

I am conditioned to prepare myself for the extreme response. We are a don't tread on me species. But every once in a while,like Eduardo DaSilva's break,the unexpected happens and we are all asked to remember the better sides of our nature.The side that in time of war,crises or fear never surfaces for fear it will only bring more suffering. But Eduardo DaSilva reminded me of my fear,flaws and faulty logic. I wonder if the mind heals faster and aides the body in recovery when it is at peace with itself? Eduardo Dasilva has challenged all of us to participate and prepare ourselves for the shocking when it surfaces in our own lives. Would you have forgiven Martin Taylor?

Champions League first leg leaves residue on Domestic leagues

If you had a great mid week of Champions league football then chances are the positive effects have dusted themselves over your domestic league weekend.Lets review the big clubs. If you won on Tuesday or Wednesday like Liverpool,Barcelona and Roma,then you continued your good form and had success this weekend.

If you lost this week or tied in the Champions league then your frustrations continued.Arsenal,Inter,Real Madrid and Chelsea all failed to win in domestic league competition.

Man utd and Barcelona played their games against the sisters of the weak so i should temper my judgements. But they still slaughtered top flight clubs.
I include Man united and Lyon as part of the winning group because it was a positive result for Man Utd for the dramatic way it finished the game and the importance of the away goal. Lyon proved they can swim in deep waters and will still take heart from the result.Lyon also won 2-0 beating Metz.

So what have learned? Well it is anecdotal but if your a big club and win and don't spend your ensuing days justifying a poor champions League performance then you will allow the momentum of positive results continue to work for you. If you performed poorly we know how self doubt,distractions and intensified pressure to reverse fortunes perpetuate themselves.In the end Momentum is the big MOE for a reason.

King Kev

I heard a story this weekend on the BBC's radio show 5 Live that Kevin Keegan had reached out to Paul Gascoigne's father. Gaza was Kevin Keegan's boot boy at St.James park as a child. What a boot boy does is unclear to me. I would appreciate your insight so if you can help me "I would Love it"(Infamous Keeganism)

Kevin Keegan had spoken to Gaza'a father and offered his support to Gaza'a family so they are better armed to help Gaza. When people at Newcastle refer to Kevin Keegan as King Kevin it would inspire a snide remark from me. I am beginning to see that people love Kevin Keegan for more then what he offers as a manager and once did as a player. He is certainly behaving like a Prince and his ranks of fans just grew by one more this weekend.

Squirrel runs over car

I cant believe it. But i just got home from work and just discovered Reggina beat Juventus 2-1. I am numb. I think i am going to pour myself a shot of Grappa and retire for the evening.Reggina is the home of my parents.There are more Juve,Inter,AC Milan fans in Reggina then well Reggina fans.I may be exaggerating. This is the equivalent of minnow eating shark,or Baby pins Lion.I need to go lay down now.

Mental injuries our invisible wounds

I have been thinking about Paul Gascoigne a lot. Some refer to Gaza as a tragic figure.Someone who had it all but just could not get it right. The only time he was in control was on the pitch. But off it he seemed hell bent for his own destruction.

Why though? Was Paul so upset by his wealth and fame that the only way to reject it was to pursue extreme behavior that would guarantee his demise? That cant be true. Paul was cursed by having an injury to his mind that is invisible.The type that does not bleed so it does not shock a witness of the bleeding into action. It is not a bone sticking through skin so it doesn't make us drop everything were doing to run for help.

Paul like many people has a break that we cant see. When we get angry at people who exhibit irrational behavior, I don't think we get angry to be spiteful. We get angry at people like Gaza and Mike Tyson because we don't understand they are injured and in need of real help. I think we ignore people who have invisible injuries because we don't recognize it as real suffering.

Psychiatry and Psychology have done wonders for humanity.Where i think the biggest achievement needs to come from is helping the rest of us recognize the invisible breaks and bleeding.So we can do what we always do when we see a serious injury. We can stop what we are doing and get help.

Van Basten to lead Ajax

We learned today that Marco Van Basten will not be renewing his contract with the Dutch FA (KNVB).He will meet his national team obligations coaching through the European Cup before he takes over at Ajax.

So lets review how the great 80's triumvirate of Van Basten,Rijkaard and Gullit are doing. As players together at AC Milan they helped to remake AC Milan into the super power it is today. Now they are all managers. Right now Frank Rijkaard has the higher profile club job as manager of Barcelona. Ruud Gullit is in the MLS with the Galaxy.

Together as players their lives have intertwined forming a beautiful footballing fabric. Now i am keen to see if they will cross paths as managers? How will that storyline play itself out? We may need a few years to see whether this new plot line develops into something special for these three giants of football. In the end i have always seen these three men as one. The great Frank Van Gullit.

Nike kicks Adidas off French Jersey for 320 million Euros

If there was any doubt the earth has slipped its gravitational moorings and is now tumbling off into space this story proves we as a species have lost our way. But if you are the French football federation wow! Call it Nike's coup d'etat on Adidas.

The Gazzetta dello sport is reporting the deal starting in 2011 to run to 2018 is worth 320 million Euros. Adidas has been the official clothier of French football since 1979 will remain for three more seasons.

The FFF have stated the Nike earnings will be put toward French amateur football,anti doping and anti-violence education.

Allez les Bleu

Paul Gascoigne

Paul Ince Left with fellow England teammate Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne finds himself at the center of more trouble. For whatever reason,he has always been a sympathetic character stuck in two worlds. One which glorifies the exploits of its great footballers and the other that glorifies its drinking culture. A culture that will destroy its users who cannot control themselves.I know Paul will get help. What we need to pray for is that it works.So many people in our world suffer quietly who don't have a famous moniker like Gaza's. Gaza needs to win this fight. His story needs to be proof of life for those that struggle like Gascoigne but feel they are too far down the bottle to climb back out.

I have linked to a story in the UK telegraph that is worth a read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/02/22/sfngaz222.xml

48 hours later

I have purposely waited 48 hours before i chimed in on Marco Materazzi's expulsion from Tuesday's champions league game against Liverpool. I did so because i was so angry by what i had felt was very poor officiating. I felt De Bleeckere the head referee spoiled what might have been a great first leg.

Whats become evident to me is that Marco Materazzi's reputation preceded him and De Bleekere had this foremost in his mind when he was very quick to issue two yellow cards to Materazzi.Both of very questionable nature. But because it involves Materazzi people are less inclined to defend a player with a troubled reputation. What is evident is that the referee inserted himself into the game and directly affected its outcome.

Though i have heard many Liverpool fans protest that Inter had atleast two hand balls that should have been penalties what is clear is that the circumstances that put Inter into positions to be accused of hand balls may not have been so if it were 10 v 10 game.

Credit must go to Liverpool though because their pace and effort put Materazzi and Inter on there heels which created the circumstances for Materazzi to draw the fouls yes/yellow cards no.

Materazzi was quoted in the Gazzetta Dello sport today.He said the stress he feels is for leaving his teammates in the situation they were and are now in.There predicament is what drives his guilt and remorse."

I am still not sure the result would have been different had De Bleekere not inserted himself so early in the match. One thing is certain Inter must overcome more then Materazzi's absence in the second leg if they are to remain in the champions league.

I have inserted an analysis of the two Liverpool goals above. Mental errors that lead to Inter's breakdown and loss.

Do you understand why?

Have you ever thought to understand your passion for the beautiful game? Is it one thing or many? Is your passion understood? Is it the color,pageantry,simplicity,familial upbringing in the game? What is it? Is it a unique reason?

If your American how do you see the game and your love for it? I often ask myself if i had never been introduced to the game by my father and not taught the nuances at a young age would i reject it as boring?

Do you love to watch it as much as play it? If your around friends who hate soccer do you defend your passion? Does your passion for football isolate you from those that hate it?

Why do i care if my team wins or looses? I have bigger problems.

Can you without much effort list one reason why you love football?

Why?

Missing the clear chance

I am sure if you have played any sport long enough you have had a moment that Emmanuel Adebayor had in the final seconds of yesterdays champions league game against Milan.A clear moment where you had an eternity to think "Oh man i am gonna do it." And then instead of glory you whiff,or PING or thump.

Each sound represents humiliation in some form. The whiff is the sound your leg makes as it cuts the air so violently that you can hear the air breaking around your foot.Missing the ball totally or just getting enough of the ball to change the governance you demanded and seeing it spin away from the direction you desired. Bobbing away like a top.

The second sound is as horrifying. That pinging sound of a ball hitting the metal framing of the goal, the sound rings in your head like a tunning fork ruminating in the deepest parts of your brain.It settles in and mocks all your senses. In essence its the Nelson Muntz of football humiliation.

"HAHA!"

The other and more painful half of the equation is that a soccer goal is 8 feet high and 24 feet wide. Yet with an open goal working in your favor you had enough skill to miss all that netting but prove your worth and hit six inches of metal(Or Wood).With that kind of skill you need to be at the carnival instead winning the impossible prize from the rigged game.

The third horrifying sound you make is by contacting the ball but loosing your footing.Thus the only thing that makes solid contact on that play is your ass hitting the ground.

We have all been there.Thats why i didn't celebrate Adebayors bit of sporting tragedy. Because we all know when he faces himself in the mirror he will see a man looking back cringing in horror. I forgive you Emmanuel. I have to. After 20 years i can still hear the pinging sound of horror ringing through the halls of my brain.Like the kid in the Shining driving through the halls of the hotel on his green machine gutturally muttering "RED RUM RED RUM!"
I continue to hear Ping,PING,PiNg,piiiiiinnnnnnnggggg!

Cracker of a day

What a day of Champions league soccer. Yesterday was entertaining but lacked todays goal outburst. I watched the Celtic game and my sympathies. Was a brave performance. Barcelona are on there way. If anyone saw the Sevilla Fenerbache game please chime in. Must have been a grand spectacle.


Arsenal 0 Ac Milan 0
Celtic 2 Barcelona 3
Fenerbache 3 Sevilla 2
Lyon 1 Man Utd 1

I love the Champions league

Avram Grant threatened

Grant was in Greece for his team's Champions League match against Olympiakos on Tuesday when a parcel arrived at Chelsea's training ground in Cobham.The package contained a white powder.In this day and age white powder means anthrax. The powder was analyzed.It was not lethal.

One note read: "You are a back-stabbing Jewish b*****d. When you open this letter you will die a very slow and painful death." A second message made sexual threats against his wife, adding: "Then she will die."

I just wrote an earlier post today on the effect non nationals have on there club sides. Maybe i need to reverse that and ask what effect domestic leagues can have on the non-national.

What happened to Avram Grant proves that this insanity still happens. I thought those retarded and dysfunctional types behavior were a thing of the past.The stuff Henry Aaron(Henry Aaron was an African American baseball player who received death threats because he was going to break Babe Ruth's home run record) went through were not problems of our generation.

Fifa propose the 6+5 rule

The 6+5 rule is basically this. No club could have more then 5 foreigners in the starting eleven. I have heard all the arguments for and against the non national rule. With all this unregulated free trade(Not fair trade) I am very conflicted. How does a national side continue to grow when club spots are being filled by non-nationals? The other side of the coin is Clubs are not responsible for the national side.There concern is growth and profit for there club alone.

I really have not formed a coherent opinion yet.We see the extreme cases like Arsenal and Inter Milan who are predominantly non national clubs.Internazionale is as its name professes an International side. They are acting true to form.

The EC (European commission) has stated that Fifa's stance is unlawful so even if Fifa passes the 6+5 rule it may be illegal.
Have your say i need help on this one.

Open Thread

Liverpool 2 Inter Milan 0
Roma 2 Real Madrid 1
FC Shalke 1 FC Porto 0
Olympiakos 0 Chelsea 0


Todays scores. Have your say.

Roma show maturity

When Raul scored eight minutes into the game i thought "Oh boy" Were gonna have a repeat of Old Trafford. Except it would be Stadio Olympico style. I cringed the way a person would cringe when a cute little squirell runs right into traffic and you know its going to be ugly. But it never happened. Roma gathered themselves and absorbed.

There were moments of tactical naivety that still worry me.Like allowing Real Madrid's midfield into Roma's third before Roma would press and offer resistance. But again that seemed a first half tactic as Roma played a higher pressing line in the second half. I thought Totti looked better then he did against Juve.So did Pizzaro and Mancini was brilliant. We are nowhere near out of the woods. If Roma can survive the furnace of the Bernabeu in three weeks then maybe Roma have grown up and matured as a side to be reckoned with.

Some words from Raul and Mexes

Tomorrow at the Stadio Olympico Roma have an opportunity to shed there mediocre European past for a new future. One which years from now could give AS Roma the same pedigree as there northern countrymen AC Milan or there Spanish counterparts Real Madrid. Roma are notorious under achievers in European competition. In fairness they act like a big club but have never spent like Real Madrid,Inter,Barcelona or AC Milan.
Philip Mexes told Uefa.com that

"We have a good team and we just have to concentrate on our own game and then see what happens. We have a lot of faith in ourselves," added the 25-year-old, who will likely be joined in the center of Roma's defense by Juan following the Brazilian's recovery from a foot injury. With Christian Panucci and Ludovic Giuly also hopeful of starting roles, it may be a more experienced Roma side than the one beaten by Juventus. "It was difficult without them, even if we have a lot of confidence in all the players in the group," said Mexes.

Raul Madrid's famous Captain and Center forward feels his side have also underachieved in the last five years and feels tomorrow would be a good day re-establish Real Madrid's dominance of Europe.
Raul had this to say to say to Simon Hart of Uefa.com.

"For us, the UEFA Champions League is a very special competition," said the 30-year-old, who is the tournament's all-time leading scorer with 59 goals. "In recent years we have not got past the last 16, so one of our objectives going into the campaign was to restore our prestige in Europe and there is no better scenario than in Italy against a competitive team with a lot of pace like Roma. After a few years of being at a level below where we want to be in this competition, this is a hugely important game for us."

I am thrilled with the next two days of football. What's frustrating for me as a Roma fan is i am not sure which Roma team will reveal itself tomorrow. The one that got drilled by Manchester United 7-1 or the great Roma performance that disposed of Lyon 2-0 on the road. Roma's last Champions League win over Real Madrid came five years ago when Roma won 1-0.No sleep for the nervous tonight.

A snippet of the great Black Spider

Last night i wrote about Alfredo Distefano and how he was honored by Uefa and Real Madrid. In the post i mentioned Lev Yashin the great Russian goal keeper of the sixties. Lev was a European champion in 1960 and best keeper of the 1966 World cup in England.

This is only a two minute snippet of the Black spider and it is just a sliver of a look. He was dubbed the Black Spider by the South Americans becasue of his gangly nature and incredible reach across the goal. Have a look.

Uefa and Real Madrid honor Di Stefano

The above photo is of Distefano in the 1956 European Cup final against Stade Reims of France. Real Madrid won 4-3

When i was a child sitting around the dinner table i would throw names at my father to gauge him on the real greatness of past footballers. My father saved his greatest respect for a player by gesturing his hand in a waving motion the way the Queen or Pope would gesture when waving to the masses. He would then whistle and rock back in his chair with pure joy. A long explanation and description would follow of what i had missed.
My father felt that way about five players.Lev Yashin the great Russian Goal Keeper. I will have a special post for Yashin soon. Alfredo Distefano the Argentinian and Real Madrid great,Ferenc Puskas the incredible Hungarian International,Pele(So great he needs no explanation) and Alessandro Mazzola one of Inter Milan's greatest. (My father is an Inter fanatic)
The above photo is above Afredo DiStefano in the 1956 European cup final

He grew up in the fifties and he would love to reminisce that this was a special period of recovery for Western Europe (Thank you America)and a magic of almost perfect innocence for football.

Give the link below a read. Di Stefano was honored by Uefa and Real Madrid today.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=508812&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=3888

Robinho likely to miss Roma Clash

Brazilian standout and Real Madrid Forward Robinho will probably be sidelined for Tuesdays first Leg of his side's Champions League last 16 tie at Roma. Robinho tore a stomach muscle last week during the Valladolid match. Real Madrid hammered them 7-0.

Now if someone could take the air out of the tires of the Real Madrid bus that takes the team to the airport i would feel much better.

Real Madrid top money list.

Here's a link to the Worlds top 20 earning clubs.Real Madrid,Manchester United,Barcelona round out the top 3.

http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/real_madrid_top_rich_list_news_180667.html?aff=rss

Roma lay an egg

My beloved Roma were a tale of two halves. Laying an egg in the first half while dominating the second. Stats aside the only one that mattered was the scoreline as Del Piero rifled a beautiful shot in just before the half. What scared me in the second half was our up tempo pace good wing play nice movement on and off the ball but we couldn't break Juve down.

Pizzaro had a suspect first half but found his mark in the second but was substituted around the 70 minute and we just seemed lost after that. Giuly's beautiful goal mouth pass was one step two much for Totti and Buffon watched it cross his goal mouth out wide and out of danger.

Danielle DeRossi fantastic shot from 30 yards out was saved brilliantly by Buffon and after that it seemed Juve convinced themselves they were on there way.

Tuesday Roma host Real Madrid. I am concerned but feel a little better that Real Madrid lost to Betis 2-1 also. Two teams on Tuesday coming off losses.Cant wait to preview that encounter.Juve were a tough egg to crack today with some good chances missed by Perrotta,Totti and great save Buffon. Butterfly's getting Bigger!

I Claudius

Claudio Ranieri the Roman born and an ex Roma player say's there is no room for sentimentality this evening. Roma sit second in the Serie A four point ahead of Juventus. Ranieri told uefa.com that

"he considers the match a test of Juve's ambition."
He added.
"It is also important for what we want to become, for what we are trying to build."

Ranieri does admit that Roma are ahead of Juve in there development and that he will need more time to get his team to the point where they can compete as an elite side again.

Roma have a tough week ahead. Starting with todays match against Juve and then on Tuesday they host Real Madrid in the Champions League. The butterfly's are in full flight for me.

Real Star power

Pictured above. Ruud Gullit,Marco Van Baasten and Frank Rijkaard during there great reign with AC Milan

Despite the fact that the LA Galaxy have David Beckham, the real Star of that squad is manager Ruud Gullit. The European Player of the year in 1987 and the World Player of the year in 1987 and 1989. It can be said it was the addition of Gullit with fellow Dutchmen Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard that turned AC Milan's modern fortunes around. Making AC Milan the Super power it still is today. Until his arrival in 1987 AC Milan had gone 9 seasons without a Scudetto. Franco Baresi and a very young Paolo Maldini also made up the spine of that incredible team.

As manager Chelsea's modern success started with him also. When in 1987 Chelsea won the FA cup there first silverware in 11 seasons(They won the full members cup in 1986). Now Ruud finds himself in LA with another squad with some promise.As we have seen with AC Milan and then as a manager with Chelsea Ruud Gullit seems to find himself at the beginning of some very special things. If your a LA Galaxy fan Ruud Gullit and success can seem less like coincidence and more like synchronicity.

Tardelli joins Trapattoni's back room staff

Rueters is reporting that Ireland have named former Inter Milan coach Marco Tardelli as assistant manager on Thursday, a day after announcing the appointment of fellow Italian Giovanni Trapattoni as national coach.

'We are delighted that such an experienced coach as Marco Tardelli has agreed to join Giovanni Trapattoni's backroom team,' Football Association of Ireland (FAI) president David Blood said in a statement.

Im guilty of not moving on.The video above of Tardelli is the way i always see him. That classic look of ecstasy. Scoring against West Germany in the 1982 World Cup final in Spain.

Just some responses to Global plan

I disagree with the FA plan for adding the 39th game and playing abroad. I get the sense i am in the minority in North America on that view but i am sure i would be in favor amongst English club supporters. I want to post a link to the BBC message board so you can gauge different reader reactions for yourself.

In favor

It's a brilliant idea, with the global spread of business you have expats everywhere and they miss their football when they are away, you also have a strong following for the Premier League all over the world and seeing a live game is totally different from TV. It's also good for premier teams at the bottom end of the table to get experience traveling abroad to play. Of course playing a 39th game abroad where the whole league travels at the same time is not the right formula, staggering the games over the course of the season would make a lot more sense. If the PL is so popular around the world on TV it's wrong not to bring the games to the fans in the future.

And this one is opposed

I think the one thing the 39th game plan highlights even if you ignore the overseas element of it,is that it just shows that the premier league is no longer interested in running a fair competition on a level playing field, they don’t really care that some teams will be disadvantaged or given an advantage by the luck of the draw, its all about money and profile. Its now up to the FA to come out and tell the Premier League that this is a non starter.


Here is a link to the BBC discussion board for more reactions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A32321350

Ex FA Chief Says Global Plan is Unsustainable

This story has legs and it has inflamed passions. The reaction to the FA's plan to hold a 39th match in five cities overseas in 2011 is proving unsustainable says an ex FA Chief. Former Football Association chief executive David Davies told BBC Radio 5 Live:

"The current plan, at least as described in the public domain, is very hard to sustain - it has taken a pounding."

Sepp Blatter has also chimed in threatening that if the FA continue to pursue this avenue that it could threated England's chance at getting the 2018 World Cup.

Below is a link to the BBC article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7246314.stm

Roger lemerre says good bye to Tunisia

I bitterly remember Roger Lemerre Leading France to the 2000 European Title.As an Italian that one still stings. Today Tunisia fired the Frenchman who had some good Success with Tunisia winning the African cup in 2004. This year Tunisia made it to the quarter finals before being eliminated by Cameroon 3-2.

Lemerre is 66 so i am not sure what the future holds for him in International football.He spent six years with Tunisia.

Why David Beckham needs to come clean

When a practical joke is played on an a person what makes the prank funny is the people perpetrating the prank understand that after the joke is over they let the victim in on their fun. And the shared experience becomes more fun then the punchline itself.

That's is how i feel about the LA Galaxy, MLS and Alexi Lalas. The way this David Beckham fiasco has played out continues to become even more absurd as his stay in North America becomes older.

Beckham chose LA for Hollywood after his days at Real Madrid. Hollywood is the magic behind Beckham's appetite. It's the land of stars, dreams and perfect fantasy. But because Hollywood can create such fantasy it has also created sophisticated consumers, who over the years of other prepackaged dinners that didn't taste so good can smell BS a mile a way.

In this age of Cable,Print,Radio,Internet,Podcasts and Blogs its nearly impossible to play a role without being called on it. Being yourself more then ever is the best way to survive in this media savvy world. Twenty years ago it was easier to perpetuate an image and cultivate it because there were not enough checks to the system. A reporter could sit on a story to protect someone he/she liked. Today this is no longer the case.

With David Beckham and his agents, or his lawyers,his wife and her agents, or whatever makes up the Beckham machine, have yet to figure out is we know your trying to prank us.Your game is that your a serious footballer and that your here to take the MLS and raise its profile in North America. Yet when Beckham opened a football school in Brazil i thought wow! I didn't know the Brazilians needed anyones help.He obviously opened one in Brazil because he had already helped open up three in South Central Los Angelas.

The prank continues this way,he will talk to Barbara Walters who is a personality reporter but not too the only Soccer Channel in America.(Fox Soccer Chanel).He will pass on a T.J Simers interview of the LA Times who is a sports reporter. The kind that can elevate the profile of your sport in America but do Snoop Dogs show instead.

In almost a full year you continue to pretend take us football fans seriously.You must feel we are a bunch of rubes otherwise your actions would be more responsible to the football community in America. As a matter of fact its becoming boring to the point of absurd.

Of course none of this could happen without the LA Galaxy enabling this behavior and providing cover for Beckham. His cadre of enablers including Alexi Lalas, the folk singing guitar player and 1994 world cup hero. Lalas peddles the LA Galaxy brand like its the elixir to male pattern baldness,memory enhancement and eternal life. If Beckham is all these things to the MLS then the league is in trouble when he retires.

The joke is over ok? David Beckham is in LA to build his brand through Hollywood.Football is a convenient platform that gives him exposure to continue building his entertainment empire through the worlds most powerful entertainment machine.

When the Galaxy jump out from behind the bushes and scream "Gotcha" None of us will laugh and tell stories of how much fun we had with that joke.If Beckham could throw his handlers away including the LA galaxy front office, we would see an aging football star with his injuries. We would see his desire to play for England and get his 100th cap and maybe to be a part of a league that is still in its infancy but could use some healthy name recognition. He would be real again and that would be good.

I think he would realize most of us have the same dreams that he can still live out.We would think David Beckham is not just a great dead ball specialist and a great crosser of the ball but he's a cool guy who is playing out his string on our side of the pond for a game we all truly love. And from that Hollywood would come calling and not at the expense of the sport or its fans.

Alexi Lalas pulled off a coup getting Beckham here.I was enthralled by the idea of seeing him in North America. But its obvious Beckham is using the MLS to get the much prettier girl(Hollywood) And were all being asked to play along.Wink wink.

My kind of cheese

I love this song. Is it corny? Yes! But its my kind of corn. Is it cheesy? Well of course it is. But its my kind of cheese. As a Roma fanatic i have sung it to my son. To which my wife has proclaimed it as a form of child abuse. More for my singing then the song itself.
This video is courtesy of http://pitchinvasion.net/ A very good blog. Give it a visit if you can.
Here's the vid called Roma Roma Roma. I was choked up writing this post..LOL

Aussies pile on and say no to FA Global Plan

I am linking to another story about the international round of Premier League matches. This time the Football Federation of Australia the FFA are joining the Asian football federation in poo-poohing the idea. Now if this is stage one of negotiations and the FA are going to being forced to cough up more money to each nations governing football body how profitable can this prospect be for the FA? The gate may be immaterial to the FA so must it all be about merchandising sales and name branding.

I may be behind the curve on this regarding the profitability of the venture. Anyway from a money making perspective i need to learn much more.But if you have answers and can help me understand where the money is made on these ventures please chime in.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=507570&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901

Asia says No to English FA!

Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed bin Hammam has rejected the idea of the Premier League staging games in Asia. Word out of Japan yesterday was that Japans football federation would not allow the Premiership a free platform to highlight the English game at the expense of the J-League. In this age of border less finance a its almost shocking to see someone trying to protect there own industry. Maybe i am speaking from a North American Perspective where protectionism is not only frowned upon its zealusly ridiculed.

Bin Hammam was quoted as saying.

'I always welcome the exchange of knowledge and expertise between foreign football associations and clubs, and support matches organised between AFC and other confederations which benefit the development of our clubs here in Asia,

He addeed 'My recommendation to the AFC executive committee would be to reject any initiatives of this nature.

'And we would urge the AFC member associations to protect their own national leagues and clubs within their territories. This is our position.

You can read the article at soccernet.com i have linked to it below.This story and initiative by the FA may have more plot twists ahead.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=507417&cc=3888

A gem of an idea

A gem of an idea is the way Sir Alex Ferguson is referring to the FA's plan to add a 39th game to the premiership schedule and sandwich it somewhere in the middle of the 2011.The fixture will then be played abroad.

In England the idea is perceived as a hostile act by club officials towards there own fans(Or customers) as some have said in England.The idea outside of England seems to be much more popular. Again personally i think the FA need to have a winter break. But adding to the season without a winter break is an act of cruelty on its players making the Premiership the hardest grind in football.

Anyway i am becoming redundant. I hope the idea flops. But the money seems too great despite the anger it has caused and the further alienation it will cause back home in England. If they added a winter break then the additional game would be much easier to digest.

Ireland fall for Trap!

The Belfast telegraph is reporting today the Giovanni Trappatoni has accepted the Ireland job. He will be allowed to finish the season with Salzburg where he currently manages in the Austrian Bundesliga. Liam Brady will be part of Trappatoni's back room staff.

I don't know what to make of this decision. On a purely emotional level i am very happy for Trap. As a coach he has been marvelous winning 19 trophies in a 30 year span. As an International Manager for Italy he hasn't been as lucky. Now in his defense the 2002 World cup was an officiating disaster and i think he deserved much better, 2004 was a poorer display.

So is Trappatoni a better league manager than an International manager? On the surface this may not seem like the right job for Ireland or Trapattoni.

As a fan i love Trapattoni and as a character of the game he is a rare gem. I will have a follow up post on famous Trapattoni stories. For now i will be happy for both parties and wish them both well.I will follow Ireland's path to 2010 ardently.Point of note.Italy and Ireland are in the same qualifying group for 2010.

Listed below are Trapattoni's Championships

Juventus
Serie A: 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986
Coppa Italia: 1979, 1983
European Cup: 1985
Cup Winners' Cup: 1984
UEFA Cup : 1977, 1993
European Super Cup: 1984
Intercontinental Cup: 1985
Internazionale
Serie A : 1988–89
UEFA Cup: 1990–91
FC Bayern Munich
Bundesliga: 1996–97
German Cup: 1997–98
AC Fiorentina
Coppa Italia
SL Benfica
SuperLiga: 2004–05
Taça de Portugal
FC Red Bull Salzburg
T-Mobile Bundesliga: 2006–07

Toronto F.C release 2008 Schedule

If your a Columbus Crew fan and you see 1,000 plus foreigners dressed in red dont panic. Its Just the Red Patch boys from Toronto. The Toronto FC supporters club have 1000 plus signed up to travel for the season opener on March 29th in Columbus.

I have linked the Toronto FC 2008 Schedule below.

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080207&content_id=138178&vkey=pr_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

Pharaos do it again!

Egypt have retained there African Nations cup.Beating Cameroon 1 nil on a 77th minute goal by Mohamed Aboutrika. Congratulations to the back to back Champions.

Goal.com has the story

http://www.setantasports.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/02/10/ACN-Cameroon-v-Egypt/?facets/sport-space/football/great-britain-locale/african-cup-of-nations/

Egypts Hassan Shehata says team Spirit gives the Pharoes the edge.

Hassan Shehata Egypt's head coach proclaimed his teams spirit will be the crucial ingredient to propel Egypt to there second straight African Championship. I have linked to the story below. I missed this whole tournament and i am still reeling by all the good football i have missed. Today's game is so intriguing. If anyone by the end of the day has seen this match please comment on it. I will have to wait for the high lites this Evening. I hope Setanta or Fox Soccer channel or ESPN figure this out by 2010.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=506698&cc=5901

Global plan by FA is pure madness

For those that have not heard the English FA announced their Global project this past Thursday.The ambition involves having every top flight club playing one game abroad by 2011. These are real league fixtures played anywhere from Asia,Australia to North America. To make it work the FA have added one more game to the schedule.

This December i wrote a post regarding the importance of the winter break.http://moltocalcio.blogspot.com/2007/12/holiday-break-blues.html The Premiership is the only European league without a break. So in response to not getting more rest the FA have added another game and put it on the road to some places more than 24 hours away by Jet.So add another week to the season shortening an already brief summer. Add international competitions to your national teams best players shortening there summer even further and what do you have? A smart agent saying. "Play in Germany,Spain or Italy the FA eyes are larger then there stomach.


Steve Bruce Wigans manager had this to say.

'Can you imagine going to Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson) and telling him 'by the way, you're not playing at home this week, you are playing in Japan'? I'd like to see it!'

If the FA created a winter break like the continental leagues do then i would probably support this idea. But right now the Premiership schedule is the hardest grind. I believe its chewing up its talent,preventing real and small injuries from healing properly.

I cant support this point without a study but i bet it shortens careers.There is also the simple human equation of allowing a footballer the time to reconnect with his family. If he's relaxed and happy he's more likely to be in a better frame of mind. A better frame of mind can only lend itself to better personal results that lead to better team results.

I would love to find a study that looked at Bundesliga players who over a 10 year period have 10 months of rest more then there Premiership counterparts. That's a full season. I wonder which league would lend itself to having a longer career? And is there a direct correlation to winning European club tournaments and International tournaments like the world cup by players who have gotten more rest?

Wittenesing Chelsea play is not just about seeing the players. To appreciate the whole Premiership experience will Chelsea be bringing Stamford bridge with them? Along with 35,000 supporters boisterous and singing? If not then am i really experiencing a Premiership match?

I plan on traveling and i need to make England part of my itinerary. If your a football fan you must. And by the by the only things that travel to bring to happiness are Circus's and i don't think the FA want to be seen in that light.span>

Luciano Spalletti reasures us. But warns!

I was reading La Gazzetta today and my boss of the Giallorossi has gone front and center to reassure us that the 3-0 loss to Siena was out of the ordinary. And this weekends game against Reggina will not be a repeat of last weeks fiasco.

Spalletti spent the interview defending a past performance instead of addressing the future encounter against Reggina. He was forced to admit that you cant win them all. Being your squads P.R man is tough enough and is a verbal craftsman realm. Trying not to create more distractions for your team. But Luciano was forced to be his own P.R man and thats even tougher.A man should never be his own lawyer.

My fear is now Europe.And the Coppa Italia. The Scudetto is lost. But Europe remains possible. Loosing or tieing to Reggina could provide more distraction for Roma. New problems perpetuate themselves to the point that Real Madrid will look at Roma in a few weeks as a ripe Apple ready to be picked.

World soccer Daily and why i care.

World Soccer daily is a radio show that is dedicated to us Soccer fanatics. We are a much maligned community in North America. Constantly we are ridiculed by the sporting community, political community and in general most people in America. I have heard Rush Limbaugh call Soccer moms a blight on America.Roger Hedgecock his sometime fill in calls soccer fans Communists. On Fox news i have heard us called un-American. Jim Rome has even called us chicks. So when a radio show created by Steven Cohen and Nick Geber comes along and dubs itself World soccer daily i jumped on. And i am hooked.

As powerful a platform as it is for its talk of all things football it is also a show where we fans of football congregate to hoist our ideas up the flag pole as insights and opinion. For us in North America its all we have on a daily basis. Thats what makes it so important.

So when one of its members leaves it hurts? Why? Not because on the grand scale it matters next to War,Disease,Inflation or real Human suffering. It hurts because we have gotten to know a fellow friend and when that friend leaves it creates a void of opinion that we relied on.This week Howard Rogers was fired. And for me his absence will be felt.

But the show must go on and it will with Steven Cohen and Kenny Hassan. Steven is funny and insightful.World Soccer daily is his creation.As an immigrant myself its easy to feel forgotten or left out when the things you know and love are ridiculed or ignored. So for me Steven Cohen is molto fantastico because he has given us tifosi a healthy outlet on a daily basis. Thank you Steven.

His new sidekick like Steven is also an immigrant. Kenny Hassan is a Scotsman and a Rangers fan. (As a Catholic i will forgive you for that Kenny. Go Celtic!!!). Kenny has been put in the unenviable position of replacing Howard Rogers who was considered by many as very unpopular but to me was brilliant though very acerbic. Kenny has been a fill in on many an occasions and is very likable and has a tendency to talk tactics and as a coach myself i hope he engages in that aspect more often and freely. Kenny will make a great partner for Steven.

I wrote this post because we football fanatics live in a country that has not accepted football as part of its culture. I know this is changing slowly and i am hopeful. For many of us World Soccer daily carries the football flag and they are very good at it.

If you are reading this post and have never listened to Steven Cohen and Kenny Hassan please do. You may discover that as a football fan you are not alone. And though we are scattered across the continent it is good to know we have a place to meet daily.

World Soccer daily can be heard on Sirius 125 or podcast from Worldsoccerdaily.com
Thank you Steven,Nick,Howard and Kenny

Perfect synthesis

I was stumbling around youtube looking for highlights of the friendlies played today across Europe when i came across this two part compilation of best world cup goals from 2006. This was an amazing conjunction of great music and play by play,wonderful visuals and incredible football.

Cappello's first night out

I watched tonights game with eager anticipation. I thought overall England showed some quality for a side used to playing a 4-4-2. Cappello played a 4-5-1 when defending and looked like a 4-2-3-1 on attack.

I think Agbonlahor's absence hurt Rooney a bit.Joe Cole was brilliant and Gerard showed great quality for a guy who is not used to playing so deep. It was a solid effort.Good for England. It was fun to be a fan of the 3 Lions today. GRADE B-

The Munich and Superga Air Disasters

The top picture is the last team photo taken of the 1958 Man utd team.
The bottom photo is of the great Torino side that were killed just outside of Turin.

Phil Holland has written an excellent piece on the plane crash that destroyed a young team. A team that arguably could have altered Real Madrid's Champions league glory. Its a great read that may start you down the rabbit hole of learning more about this special group.

As an Italian i know of Gran Torino. The great side of the 40's that won five scudettos before they were wiped out by the Superga air disaster. Unlike United who recovered Torino never regained its footing. My father spoke of that team with incredible reverence.Valentino Mazzolla was the captain of that great team and his son Alesandro Mazzolla would go on to great fame with Inter in the 60's.

Here's a link to Phil Hollands article
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=505303&root=england&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1&cc=5901

Odd awards story out of Africa

The Confederation of African football has awarded Fredric Kanoute the African footballer of the year award. Why? Because Didier Drogba refused to show up to claim the award.Thats what Jean-Claude Djacus a spokesman for the Ivory Coast squad told reporters today.

Feel bad for the Sevilla striker if the story above is true it really cheapens it for Freddie. And if it is untrue then Freddie may find himself defending his award for nothing. Cheapening the experience of winning something special.

Follow up on TFC

Day late but hopefully not dollar short. Having grown up in Toronto but now away i have been enthralled with what Toronto have done as a member of the MLS. The passion from the diverse ethnic communities have always made Toronto unique to the Soccer scene in North America.

Below is a link to Toronto's revamped front office.
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20080201&content_id=137443&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

Read Buffon's body language

Though i am not an Inter Milanista this goal by 17 year old Mario Balotelli left me amazed. Its rare to see a keeper of Luigi Buffon's calibre just frozen in awe.


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Toronto F.C shuffle things around

Toronto F.C my MLS team have appointed John Carver to Head Coach. Mo Johnston will move upstairs into the fron office as GM. This just broke an hour ago so i need more time to fill in the blanks.

Toronto F.C shuffle things around

Toronto F.C my MLS team have appointed John Carver to Head Coach. Mo Johnston will move upstairs into the front office as GM. This just broke an hour ago so i need more time to fill in the banks.