Charting the week in football - Week 2

After the positive feedback on last week's graphs. By popular demand, the last week in football is charted here:

My Hopes for The Cradle of Football in 2011

20 years ago Stuart Roy Clarke started his footballing opus - The Homes of Football. As he states on his website and within several of his books he believed himself "to have a mission in telling the changing face of football, post Hillsborough." He believed he "was stood on the precipice of history, peculiarly privileged in (his) view, to witness a national institution in big trouble, reinventing itself."

This Christmas I increased my collection of Clarke's work by asking for and receiving (I have been a good boy all year - after all) The Cradle of The Game. This pulls together 20 years of capturing the passion, the atmosphere, the rituals, the emotion, the game, at all levels from the Westmorland League to World Cups and European Championships.

 

It is a vital and impressive piece of work that every football fan should own. You can buy it, along with his other books, here. Clarke's photography is so simple, yet so evocative to the senses you can hear the noise, feel the tension, taste the greasy burgers and feel yourself physically swerving around the river of urine pouring down the steps at Tynecastle in "Bogs Overspill". 

In the introduction to the The Cradle of The Game, Clarke states that he had "a real sense of mission to start telling the story anew. Club after club is facing dereliction, given the global recession combined with over-reaching oneself. Even though the game is ever more popular in footfall and some of the foot-ball is the best ever served. It’s just the sums that don’t add up."

He is so right. The feelgood factor that followed Italia 90 elevated football to such a positive level in the public consciousness that the Sky input just added impetus to the new football bandwagon. At the same time the fans were finding a voice, particularly through the fanzine movement, and as football changed, the public perception changed, the money came in to the game and the fan experience changed, initially in positive ways.

Now the fans are rising once more and the messages they are delivering are strikingly similar. Primarily fed up of being taken for granted, but also fed up of a game and players so far removed from the grim reality of everyday life in modern Britain.

As a fellow Blades supporter put it to me the other day, when tweeting about the increasing demands and expectations of fans in this country, "£30+ a ticket, fans fleeced in club shop, players earning more per week than most people earn per annum. Money has made fans want it now." As the money poured into football, with little benefit filtering down to the fans, it has empowered supporters to be more demanding of their teams to an extent which is sometimes hard to reconcile expectation with achievements. The exchange of tweets followed news of Sunderland (7th in the Premier League) being booed off by their supporters after a home defeat to Blackpool and Cardiff City (2nd in the Championship) internet forums being filled with calls for Dave Jones to be sacked. I struggle to get my head around it.

Football in 2010 has not been particularly enjoyable for me in a number of ways, not least trying to introduce my 5 year old son to live football with the dross on display at Bramall Lane. On the plus-side his season ticket only cost me £10 Junior Blades membership, a pricing policy which has been one of the few positives for me this year. That said, there has been plenty to dislike about football in 2010;

Where 45 quid gets you a restricted view seat at Stamford Bridge and £34 gets you the best seats for a  match at Sheffield United or Leeds United. Yet, average ticket prices for the competitive Bundesliga in Germany cost on average 21 Euros. And still German fans are protesting at the increasing price.

Where you have no choice but to sit and if you stand out of your seat for any prolonged period you are threatened with expulsion from the ground or arrest.

Where it has taken intense fan pressure for safe standing to be considered by the authorities. Yet in Germany these areas exist and can be entered for under 10 Euros.

Safe standing in Hamburg - from FSF

Where the food quality/price ratio is so badly skewed that a fiver is likely to provide you with an evening on the toilet rather than a nutritious and filling snack. Only at football can Guinness be advertised at £3.50 per pint, only for the pump to be foregone in favour of a can from the fridge when your money has been taken.

Where clubs feel it is necessary to put the words of fan written club anthems up on the big screen , just in case people forget the words.

Where clubs are happy to receive positive PR for foregoing shirt sponsorship in order to put a local charity on their shirts. Only then paying over a promised cut of shirt sales to the aforementioned charity when the lack of payment was made public.

Where spurious "football rules" are allowed to over rule insolvency law allowing footballers to be paid money they are owed ahead of small local suppliers and the St Johns Ambulance service.

Where it is the fans who put their hands in their pockets to donate money to pay debts owed by the clubs to St Johns Ambulance the value of which would barely be a week's wage for one of those players.

Where a winding up from Revenue & Customs seemingly poses no real threat to owners who have financially mis-managed their club, living a dream that bore little resemblance to the nightmarish reality.

Where at least 28 professional or semi-professional UK football clubs have gained the winding up order badge of honour in the last year and are willing to partake in the ultimate game of brinkmanship with HMRC before pulling a financial rabbit from a hat.

Where the big clubs are granted time they barely deserve whilst smaller clubs, who can more legitimately play the "community card" so prevalent in the arguments of defence from the larger clubs, are put out of business. R.I.P. Ilkeston Town and Chester City 

The redundant New Manor Ground, Ilkeston (Copyright:thisisderbyshire.co.uk)

A game where the Premier League, the FA and the Football League's' definition of the words "fit and proper" is looser than MC Hammer's trousers.

Where a club's fans are enthralled by overseas investment and promises from Thai Duty Free Magnates, Indian Chicken Companies or from serial football owners/administrators Peter Ridsdale / Milan Mandaric. Yet you cannot help but feel it will all end in tears.

Where such enormous sums of money are pumped into the game that the need to compete leads owners to gamble not just on short term prizes, but on the long term future of clubs.

Where player wage costs increased dramatically in 2010 to 67% of total revenue, in some cases turnover barely covers player wages.

Where the media hype English players and the Premier League beyond belief, yet explode in disbelief when it all goes wrong.

Where Richard Keys nearly ejaculates on live TV at the thought of being able to smell the tunnel as Arsenal and Chelsea line-up pre-match.

Where Andy Gray, desperately trying to maintain his support for Sky's Premier League "product" dismisses the skills of Messi et al (displayed weekly by his employers), by suggesting that the Argentinian wouldn't fancy it on a cold wet night at Stoke. 

Where Wayne Rooney can sarcastically address the nation following his and England's abject World Cup draw with Algeria. Berating the reaction of fans who had spent thousands of pounds travelling halfway round the world to watch and support the team.



Loyal Rooney - Picture ITV



“That's what loyal support is,” said Rooney, yet four months later Rooney demonstrated his admirable values and loyalty handing in a transfer request and vowing never to play for Manchester United again. A week later all was well at Manchester United and Rooney had a new deal earning a reported £250,000 per week, not far off ten times the median average annual salary in this country.

Where a 2018 World Cup bid becomes a not unanticipated waste of £15m. An ineptly run project from start to finish with no leadership, a bizarre choice of potential stadia, scandals and disappointment that Sepp Blatter's push to take football to new frontiers didn't include bringing it home. Maybe the fact that the Chairman of the Premier League and Chairman of Club England distanced himself so far from the bid told you all you need to know about its chances of success.

I hope 2011 brings some sanity to the world of football.

That some of the harsh financial realities that a large proportion of the country are now facing properly hit home with football clubs and players alike and that the playing field starts to level out.

That promoted teams can sensibly establish themselves in the Premier League without taking themselves to the brink to do it.

That the authorities clamp down harder and penalise clubs who, in my opinion, cheat by signing players that they know they will not be able to pay the full monthly cost of employing. That is by not paying over the PAYE and NI they have "deducted" from their players salaries.

That football's preferential creditor rule is successfully challenged by HMRC leading to a change in the way players contracts are negotiated and that the support line of local clubs, the small businesses that come in and maintain the electrics, fix the burst pipes, paint the stands have as much chance of receiving some form of payment as your star striker.

That we see a flattening or reversal of ticket prices so that we don't see empty seats everywhere, so that teams can take a good level of away support to each game and we can get back to having decent banter and a competitive atmosphere at matches.

That fans are recognised as the lifeblood of the game, a valued customer, deserving respect and worthy of an opinion. Not a consumer who will just accept what is presented as "the way it is".

That fans are able to have their say in the way their clubs are run and that greater opportunity is provided for fans' opinions to be proffered. Most of us are quite intelligent, often more so than some of those making the decisions.

Look I know what you are thinking, I said they were hopes, I suspect the reality will be far different. Stuart Roy Clarke's book does not present a footballing utopia, but highlights the little things you have forgotten about that are missing in the sterilised stadia and money-fuelled, media-hyped modern game. If some of the things I hoped for happen, we might get some of those things back. 

Happy New Year!

PS If someone can tell me at some point during 2011 what (ahem -Sir) Dave Richards does and how he received his knighthood I would be greatly appreciative. Answers on a postage stamp I am guessing, or a two word comment below, ending in All.

 

Little acorns and all that........

A 4-0 qualification win for England and you would expect to have a warm glow from enjoying a comfortable win. Yet, whilst the England result against Bulgaria was more than satisfactory and there were some promising signs, there were other areas that were less so. Following on from the disappointment of the World Cup it was good to see everyone's expectations reigned in. Well maybe everyone except ITV, who you couldn't help feeling were only pretending to be ironic when displaying the odds for England reaching the final in 2012. Hopefully the country as a whole will remain level-headed for tomorrow night, because I think we will need to be.

The build-up to the Bulgaria game was one of the most negative for any recent international match. The grim realisation of England's place in world football at the World Cup and a ponderous 2-1 win over Hungary in a friendly left supporters pretty low. A squad announcement that contained few of the hoped for changes from the old guard did little to raise hopes. No Rodwell, no Wilshere, no Huddlestone, all in reasonable early season form, and this despite the absence of Terry and Lampard.

With expectations of a change of formation, the early team news pointing to a continued use of the much pilloried 4-4-2. The tactical stubbornness of Capello seemed to rile fans and media alike. But the fact is that 4-4-2 can be effective with the right players playing in their correct positions. It requires fluidity and movement from players and more importantly pace, particularly in wide areas. All facets of play that England failed to display in South Africa, when 4-4-2 appeared to mean restriction and rigidity.

So with a feeling that there will still plenty of people not behind them and some players with little international experience, it was vital that England made a strong start. Yet the early goal failed to settle the players and an edgy crowd. A Bulgarian side without it's most potent striker, in the retired Berbatov, started to pose England problems and gained in confidence as the half drew on.

Interestingly, with all the focus on the inexperienced centre back pairing, it was the full backs who left England badly exposed. Luckily, in the absence of Berbatov, Bulgaria certainly lacked potency up front and the fact is that their best chance was nearly put away by Glen Johnson, rather than one of their own. In the formation, the full backs do need to press on to support the wingers, as exemplified by Cole's involvement  in the first England goal, yet there is a responsibility to get back in position ready to defend and this is where England's full backs, Glen Johnson in particular, struggle. For a defender seemingly worth £17m, you would expect them to be able to do the basics right. Improvement is needed and this will have to take place on the international stage as there is little competition for his place at right back. 

To be fair, the Jagielka-Dawson partnership performed reasonably well and I think it was right that this pairing started and that Cahill was subsequently brought off the bench as Dawson's replacement. As important as experience is we need to start looking forward and give these players a chance. Yes their play was far from perfect, but neither did they get the support or protection you would expect from colleagues around them. Yes they are inexperienced, but how do they gain experience if they don't play? It seems from recent reports that Capello thought Joe Hart to be his best goalkeeper in South Africa, but was reluctant to play him due to his lack of big game/tournament exposure. If they are good enough, they should play. Why play a player of lesser quality/capability just because they have played in the past and a bit more experience?

Joe Hart showed his true class and why he should hold on to the goalkeeping jersey for a very long time. Assured in the basics and capable of a couple of key saves, particularly the one prior to England's second goal, he showed a level of maturity and concentration that some of England's more experienced keepers have failed to display in recent years.

The midfield was a mixed bag, at times creative and at others frustrating. Both Walcott and Milner need to offer more consistency from wide positions. Gerrard, where he should be, in the middle was effective at both ends of the pitch and shows that you should select the best players for each position and not just your best eleven players full stop. With the need for a defensive midfielder, which appears to be the leaden footed Barry, it will be interesting to see what happens when Lampard is back available. I really fear that Capello will squeeze the life out of Gerrard and an effective use of 4-4-2 by shoe-horning Lampard back in and forcing Gerrard out wide.

England's second goal in particular was great to watch, from Barry picking up the ball following Hart's save, to the finish by Defoe, England swept up field with speed and concise passing. To see England counter attack at such pace was pleasing, given the last time we had seen such play was when Germany tore us apart in the World Cup.

The role of Rooney, playing in a more free role just behind Defoe, was vital to the win. He contributed to all 4 goals and was involved all over the pitch, looking to collect the ball from much deeper. The key difference from his World Cup performances was that this was Rooney the team player, often starting an attack, passing to a team mate and moving into space nearer the opposition goal. Often in South Africa, Rooney was seemingly trying too hard, head down, with little awareness of his colleagues and play would often break down whilst in his possession. It was great to see Rooney and Defoe, who many commentators said could not play together, link up so well. Defoe's hat trick was deserved and when he receives the ball in those kind of positions you feel confident that he will, as a minimum, work the keeper or score.

After the weekend revelations in the News of the World, the worry has to be whether we will see the same Rooney in Basel. For England to succeed we have to hope we see more of the same from Rooney and continued improvement from the team as a whole. 

Switzerland (World ranked 17th by FIFA - for what that is worth) are a stodgy side who nullify the opposition, yet are capable of hitting teams effectively on the break. 8 of their previous 12 international matches have resulted in a scoreline containing no more than one goal. That includes the best smash and grab seen at the World Cup, where they beat a dominant Spain 1-0. Whereas Bulgaria are a team on wane, Switzerland have been consistently in the upper echelons of the rankings for the last couple of years, largely based on the ability to generate results, if not entertaining performances.

England should prepare for a difficult night tomorrow night. Patience will be required, from both players and fans alike. Rooney will need to be a team player again and you cannot help feeling that the onus will be firmly on him to provide the incisive play and creativity required. A draw should be considered a good result, but with an element of negativity towards team and manager from the World Cup hangover, have the media and fans the willingness to accept it?