Charting the World Cup - Part 2

With the internet awash with writers offering their opinion on the World Cup, here is another alternative view on events in Brazil, the TV coverage and social media reaction. The 2014 FIFA World Cup in graphs and charts.

You can look at Part 1 here

Double clicking on each graph will expand them to full size for better viewing. Enjoy!

Charting the World Cup - Part 1

A while ago on A United View I had a short lived series of posts Charting the Week in Football.  I used a series of Excel charts and graphs to tell the stories (sometimes) better than words can.

With the Internet awash with writers offering their opinion on the World Cup, I thought it was worth resurrecting the idea to offer an alternative view on events in Brazil, the TV coverage and social media reaction.

Clicking on the graph will open them up to be viewed full size. Enjoy!

Fit to wear the shirt

With the new England World Cup shirts launched last week - available here from JD Sports http://www.jdsports.co.uk/page/england-football/ - I was asked to consider who I would like to see pull on the three lions emblazoned shirts in Brazil. Here's who I am looking forward to seeing.......

Adam Lallana

Adam Lallana has really grabbed the attention of football fans across the country in the last 12 months. He is a great example of how a player with natural talent bides their time before the deserved recognition comes along. Having joined the Saints Academy as a 12-year old in 2000 and played a key role in Southampton's FA Youth Cup squads of 2004–05 and 2005–06, when they reached the final and semi-final respectively.

Lallana joined the first team squad in July 2006, but it was the beginning of the 2008–09 season before he became a regular. He played a key role in the Saint's march back up the leagues. For those of us following football outside the Premier League he was a noticeable prospect. To those who view through Premier League tinted spectacles his achievements were always going to be downgraded.

In 2009–10 he contributed 20 goals in all competitions, the first Southampton midfielder to score twenty goals in a season since Matthew Le Tissier's 30 in the 1994–95 season.

He was named in the League One Team of the Year for the 2010–11 season after scoring 11 goals that season. Along with Lambert and Kelvin Davis, he was one of three Southampton players named in the Championship Team of the Year for the 2011–12 season. He finished with 13 goals, 11 of which came in the league. Great returns from a midfielder who contributed much more in general play.

You would question whether his ambition and opportunities were being stunted by remaining at Southampton, but as the team progressed so did Lallana. If anything he was benefiting from being part of a non-fashionable team that were being relatively successful.

As the Saints established themselves as a top half Premier League team, Lallana's creative talents and significant contribution have been regularly highlighted to Premier League viewers. Whilst he isn't as high up the assists table as you might expect, it is his all round play that has contributed to Southampton's rise into the Top 10, where they look firmly established.

Timing is everything and Lallana's form led to him winning his first cap back in November. From a cold Wembley night and defeat to Chile, to a starting place in the Amazonian jungle. Not bad journey in just over six months. But it has taken a lot of hard work and a commitment to the Saints to get to the starting point.

Daniel Sturridge

For a player of such tender years, Sturridge has already picked up experience at a number of clubs. His youth career taking in Aston Villa and Coventry City before signing for Manchester City as a 13 year old. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his first team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season.

I remember him scoring his first goal for City in January 2008 in an FA Cup third round defeat at Bramall Lane, which he followed three days later with his first league goal on his full debut, against Derby County. Despite this immediate impact he found first team opportunities were sporadic, and he return to play for the youth team in the FA Youth Cup. City again reached the final, with Sturridge the leading scorer in the competition and scoring in the first leg.

With Sturridge's contract at Manchester City expired and lacking opportunities, he signed for Chelsea on a four-year contract on 3 July 2009. A tribunal decided an initial fee of £3.5 million, with additional payments based on appearances and international recognition and a sell-on clause. It seemed Chelsea had got a bargain, but yet again he was to be loaned out. This time Bolton the beneficiaries and 8 goals in 12 games quickly won over the Reebok Stadium fans, although not without quibbles.


Whenever you watched him, it was with a sense of joy and what he could do, but frustration at what he sometimes did. Capable of so much, but greed and over-confidence stopping him from achieving so much more.


Given Chelsea's lack of goal threat, his sale to Liverpool seemed an odd one. But no one could have envisaged the partnership with Luis Suarez would be so devastating. The understanding of movement and vision between the two has led to him being the leading English goalscorer in the Premier League and with an additional seven assists on top of his goal tally.


He may well frustrate this Summer, but he is one of the few England players who will do something unexpected and is guaranteed to excite.

The next three players all have links with my club - Sheffield United. One of the great things as a football fan is seeing a player with great promise at your club and knowing your team, sometimes your academy system has played a key role in their development and that you have seen a young player, grow and mature into an international class player.

Phil Jagielka

Jagielka made his way through the youth ranks at United before making his first team debut in the final League match of the 1999–2000 season versus Swindon Town whilst still a trainee. An athletic defender and midfielder, he showed a clear talent in all facets of his game. Equally comfortable taking the ball forward as well as strong in the tackle, his reading of the game was sharp for a player so young. He contributed spectacular and important goals as well.

If anything it was thought his versatility might count against him. With Neil Warnock keen to utilise him as cover, he looked equally comfortable in central midfield, central defence and right back. It took a while for him to find a settled position. He equally looked home in goal, taking the gloves for the final 34 minutes of a home match against Arsenal on 30 December 2006. With Paddy Kenny injured and with United 1–0 up, Jagielka kept the Gunners at bay pulling off a fabulous late save from Robin van Persie to secure victory. Such was the confidence Neil Warnock had in his defender-com-midfielder-cum keeper, he decided to go without a substitute goalkeeper on the bench in order to give himself more tactical options.

He was a key player and virtually ever present for the final three seasons of his time at Bramall Lane. I remember the excitement of watching a United player pull on an England Under 21 shirt at the KC Stadium, such international recognition for Blades players was all too rare. That "pride" continued as he developed his career at Everton and eventually to England recognition.

It was always going to be difficult to make that breakthrough with Ferdinand and Terry in situ and Jagielka had to be patient. That patience has now paid off with Jagielka holding off the clamour for young pretenders like Smalling and Jones. Moyes clearly recognised the importance of Jagielka naming him Everton captain, a role extolled by Roberto Martínez on taking over who stated that Jagielka would make a "phenomenal captain".

Now he needs to transfer that leadership and defensive strength to the pitch, in a white shirt in Brazil. Having missed the 2010 World Cup and remained on the bench throughout Euro 2012, this is Jagielka's moment.

Kyle Walker

Sometimes you see a player for the first time and you think "they will play for England". Kyle Walker was just that player. In a short spell in the United first team you could see that he would be wearing the three lions at a future date. As his namesake Kyle Naughton made an immediate and exciting impact, talk was of the England Youth international waiting for his chance behind him.


Coming from a Blades supporting family, Walker joined United aged seven after being recommended by the local Football Unites, Racism Divides project. He progressed through the ranks to become a regular fixture in the reserves by 2008.

After a loan spell at Northampton he made his full debut for Sheffield United on 13 January 2009, starting in a third round FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient. With injuries, Walker was included in the starting line-up for the crucial last two games of the season, making his full league debut for the club on 25 April 2009 against Swansea City. He was magnificent and retained his place for an ultimately unsuccessful play–off campaign. Yet after an all too brief spell in red and white he was gone.

That summer Walker left United to join Tottenham Hotspur along with the aforementioned Kyle Naughton, a right back who had established himself as an attacking overlapping defender in the United first team. Although Naughton was valued higher in the deal, Walker was seen as the one with most potential. He was loaned back to United for the duration of the 2009–10 season as part of the deal and was an accomplished Championship right back for the first half of the season but was unexpectedly recalled back to Spurs after 6 months.

A hugely successful loan spell at Villa followed, demonstrating he was clear Premier League class. Finally he got his chance at White Hart Lane and grabbed it with both hands. Soon he was challenging Glen Johnson for the England right back slot.

He has his detractors and a player with such attacking verve, will always find himself culpable defensively. But you don't win the PFA Young Player of the Year, beating the likes of Sergio Agüero, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gareth Bale without good reason.

Injury led him to miss Euro 2012 and I hope that the pain killing injections he is currently taking for his pelvic injury, stave off an operation and enable him to take the field in Manaus on 14th June.

Gary Cahill

Gary Cahill didn't come through the Bramall Lane ranks, he even supports the other team in Sheffield, but he made a hugely positive impact on United fans during a three month loan spell from Aston Villa. Accomplished and calm he was a strong presence in the heart of the Blades defence.

There were many similarities with what we saw with Jagielka. Athletic, great vision and the ability to provide a goal threat as well.

It was surprising that Villa were willing to sell him 12 months later, unfortunately he was always going to remain in the Premier League and that ruled out any interest from United. He moved to Bolton Wanderers and became a firm favourite with Wanderers fans. Being married to a Bolton fan I closely followed his progress and it seemed that as well as he was playing, he was never going to get the credit his performances deserved, unless he moved from the Reebok.

The move to Chelsea did just that and Champions League success followed. Firmly established in the Chelsea defence and starting outshine the fading John Terry, his star was rising. Unfortunately, a broken jaw in the final warm up game robbed him of his chance to play at Euro 2012 and so like Jagielka and Walker this should be Cahill's moment. To see Cahill and Jagielka paired in defence, with Walker at right back will delight Blades fans everywhere.

Interview with Alan Kelly - Part 3 (Leaving the Lane, the Irish Rover and International Acclaim)

Part 2 of the interview had  Alan Looking back on some happy days and big occasions whilst playing for the Blades. All good things must come to an end and eventually the time came to leave Sheffield United. 

You left United after playing under 6 managers. Is it hard adapting to different management styles, or as a keeper are you largely unaffected?

Whenever there is a change in manager at a football club.  it is always an interesting and potentially unsettling time for any footballer because for those who are in the team you have to prove your worth all over again and for those whose face didn't fit , it is a clean slate and a chance to impress the new boss.

I have experienced this situation on over 17 occasions both as a player and a coach where each new manager has brought in his own ideas and style of play that the players and staff have to adjust to in a very short period of time. As a goalkeeper it is slightly different because the new boss generally looks at the rest of the team first!

What changed under Adrian Heath and what led you to leave Bramall Lane?

Aberdeen made a bid of £750,000 and it was accepted, I didn’t want to leave and I had a year left on my contract, but I was told I wasn’t going to get another. I spoke to the Aberdeen Chairman and told him I wouldn’t be moving to Scotland. Then Blackburn made a bid, which was also accepted, and it was made very clear to me that I had no future at Sheffield United.

I think Adrian Heath just wanted it all done and dusted and I was the least of his worries because Trace was staying. I can understand the situation because Simon was a top class goalkeeper, but it was a shame the way I was told because I was given very little time to say my goodbyes. However I did get to play in the pre-season friendly against Chelsea and it was great to play one last time in front of the Sheffield United faithful.

Were you at risk of leaving much earlier in your United career. Didn't Harry once drop you due to a contract dispute?

Harry being Harry….again! I had agreed the contract, Harry had the dispute. It took 7 games for him to get his head right and then it was all settled in an hour!

Whilst with United you gained full international recognition with the Republic of Ireland. What was Jack Charlton like as a manager/coach?  Did he have any key advice before your Republic of Ireland debut?

I made my full debut away to the world champions, Germany, and when he named the team the night before the game he turned to me and said;

“Right son, it’s your responsibility to organise all your defensive set plays, so you sort out the markers, everything. If we concede from a set play, it’s your fault."

No pressure then Jack! When you think of the players I had to organise, Denis Irwin, Paul McGrath, Andy Townsend, Ray Houghton, John Aldridge…..So there I am the night before my full debut, knocking on the players' doors and telling them where I wanted them on the pitch, Character building!

It was a happy debut too, we won 0-2 against Klinsmann, Koller and all.

After picking up so many Irish caps is it frustrating that you were on the side-lines for two World Cups?

I had a great career, with so many great highlights, to be part of two World Cup qualifying campaigns that resulted in qualification for the World Cup finals was brilliant. I get asked that question quite a lot and I genuinely believe that all I could do was my best and if I was picked then great. If I wasn’t, then I had to help the man in possession of the number one shirt. That was why Trace and I worked well at United, because we respected each other as goalies and helped the one who was playing, by training hard and with good quality.

I was lucky to be living, let alone playing, after being knocked over by that motorbike in 88 so I had a different outlook on life and football from other players and I could deal with the highs and lows in the same way.

How much were the players affected by the Keane/McCarthy Saipan incident in 2002? The results suggest it fired them up.

I don’t think I can type that fast and it is a subject that I have never spoken about publicly, but we had a great campaign and we should have beaten Spain to go through to the quarter finals. If Ian Harte had scored his penalty in normal time......we lost in a penalty shootout.

Do you consider yourself unfortunate to have been around with Packie Bonner and Shay Given in their prime, or just fortunate in that few players get the opportunity to win international caps?

I actually took over from Packie after the 1994 USA World Cup, after making my debut in 1993 and went on to win the majority of my caps under Jack Charlton. When Mick McCarthy took over I was having a few injury problems, Shay had made a massive entrance to football with Sunderland by winning promotion and Mick was blooding a lot of young players. Shay came in and played exceptionally well, so I had no problem with that as that is the nature of the game. He was and is to this day a world class goalkeeper.

In 1999/2000 season I played 9/10 games on the trot as Ireland lost out on qualifying for Euro 2000 by 9 seconds! But on a personal level I was awarded the International Player Of the Year Trophy ( the first time a goalkeeper had won it ) and as I was sat at the awards, I didn’t even give it a thought that I might be in contention as I was up against Roy Keane and Niall Quinn. So there I was still eating my dinner when the camera swings my way and it was announced I’d won! I looked up and thought, 'I am sure he just said my name?' My good friend and team mate, Alan McLoughlin, patted me on the back and said well done, so with a mouth full of steak off I went  and got the award. Like I say, the ups and downs of football! 

After leaving Bramall Lane Alan spent How did you find your 4 years at Ewood Park and was it injuries that led to your retirement?

I had nearly 5 years at Blackburn and in that time we won the Worthington Cup and gained promotion back to the Premier League. I only played 50 games, but that was due to the arrival of Brad Friedel, another world class goalkeeper and a great person.

Injury ended my career when I was teaching the young goalkeepers how to turn and react to save a shot. The young lad hit the ball a bit early and you can call it instinct, I just reacted. I threw out a hand and made the save, but my fingers dug into the turf and my body weight landed on top of them! My ring finger on my right hand was a mess and was hanging down the wrong side of my hand. I had surgery, but I couldn’t get the movement back and I nicknamed it the claw!

I had a wonderful time in football, played with and against some of the world’s great players. I started in a different era for football in the mid-80’s and witnessed the changing face of football through to the mid-noughties and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

After a spell coaching with the Blackburn Academy, you were asked by Steve Staunton to work as a goalkeeping coach with the Irish national team. With Euro 2012 on the horizon, is this your first major championships in a coaching role and what are you looking forward to the most?

Yes, it’s my first championship as a coach. I have been lucky enough to work in International football for the last 6 years and working with a master of his art, Giovanni Trappatoni, has been amazing. I can’t wait to pit our wits against Croatia, Spain and Italy!

Shay Given trains under the watchful eye of Alan

Who would you rate as the best young keeper in the country at present?

Joe Hart is a fantastic goalkeeper, A great lad, who should be England’s number one for the next 10/15 years barring injury.

Talking of young talent, have you seen much of the two Georges at Bramall Lane (Long & Willis, both England age group internationals). If so, how would you rate them and where do they need to develop?

I have to be honest and say I haven’t, but I have heard good things about them. Darren Ward is the Academy goalkeeping coach at Sheffield United and in his hands the future of Sheffield’s goalkeepers are in good hands.

On that positive note for Blades fans, the interview ends. He believes the Blades keepers are in safe hands and I think it is safe to say that so are both Preston’s and the Republic of Ireland's men between the sticks.

I want to thanks Alan for taking the time to answer my questions. By his own admission it was great to reminisce and hopefully you have enjoyed reading these posts as much as Alan and I enjoyed putting this together. There was plenty we didn't cover, maybe next time. Thanks for reading.

For the Love of Football

Football commentary always seemed like a great job when I was younger. You get to travel the country, the world, watching the game you love. You visit great stadiums, meet great players, the great managers. Immerse yourself in the culture of the game. Oh and you get paid for it. I could never see the downsides, apart from not getting to watch my beloved Blades? As BBC commentator Guy Mowbray told me this week, the downsides are few and far between, although a stomach upset, a TV gantry and 90 minutes of football isn't a great combination.

Fresh from a double header weekend of commentary and ahead of his presenting return on Late Kick Off Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, Guy kindly took the time to tell me a bit about his career, what drove him to make the career decision I would have loved to have made when I was younger and what is left to achieve for a man who has already commentated on two World Cup Finals.

Like many of us reading this, Guy was football obsessed as a kid;  "I was playing, listening, watching, and absorbing every bit of information there was." Dreaming of wearing the number 9 shirt for his beloved York City, watching his team at a time when they were achieving giantkilling exploits against Arsenal in 1985 and a draw against Liverpool at Bootham Crescent the following year. Yet it was wise words from his Dad that set the ball rolling."Having exited my teens still thinking about what I'd like to do with my life, one sentence set the ball rolling. "If you can't get paid for playing football, why don't you try getting a job watching it?" 

A Bootham football education

Interestingly though, when many broadcasters list the names and voices that inspired them, Guy's heroes were firmly on the pitch. "My idols weren't broadcasters, the stars will always be the players."

Despite this he admits that, like most of us of a certain age, hearing any archive of the late, great Peter Jones (Voice of BBC radio football from 1966-90) and  Brian Moore (ITV) always brings back fantastic childhood memories. For those of you too young to remember, there is a link to some of Peter's commentaries in this article from the Guardian - enjoy.

Peter Jones

Spurred on by his dad, Guy started writing as many letters to as many broadcast and reporting outlets as he could, outlining his knowledge of and love for the game. "Clubcall's northern co-ordinator John Temple responded some weeks (may have been months) later and invited me to shadow him at a match. The following week I was on my own! We both took a lucky punt basically."  

Guy's subsequent move to radio saw him in football commentating heaven. His first full time radio job was covering City games for Minster FM, York's independent local station. However when the station bought Wear FM in Sunderland (now Sun FM) and bought the rights to commentate on Sunderland's matches, Guy moved up the divisions and away from the Bootham press box. Guy still makes time for watching York, getting to every home game he possibly can and at least a couple away in a season.  

Sunderland had its attractions though, "There's something about the Mackems' passion that hooks you in and so to be honest that more than compensated for not getting to watch City quite so much. I only hated it once - when commentating on a routine 2-0 Liverpool win over Sunderland in the League Cup on the same night York beat Man Utd 3-0 at Old Trafford!" Despite resting players, the United team that September evening included Beckham, McClair, Giggs, Neville, Pallister and Irwin. Only the introduction of Steve Bruce from the bench helped to stem the York tide. A special night indeed and a disappointing one to miss, but less than three years later Guy's achievements would more than compensate.

As the radio work developed, Guy was making his first forays into television. Although the transition between radio and television commentating is not straightforward. "It takes time - and if I heard my early TV commentaries back now I'd probably cringe more than usual. When I started in TV with Eurosport I was working for Metro Radio in the North East at the same time so I had to consciously think about which medium I was broadcasting on as I flicked between the two. That can be troublesome, but for me I think it helped." 

It certainly didn't do Guy any harm, earning a 1999 Sony award for his presenting, commentary and production of his Saturday show from Sunderland, including the epic play off final against Charlton. But he was not only recognised for his radio work that year, also picking up a RTS Award as the Best Newcomer in TV Sport. One of the reasons for that award might surprise many who didn't have satellite television at that time. Eurosport had coverage of the 1998 World Cup in France and Guy, at the age of 26, became the youngest commentator to cover a World Cup final. 

So how did his first final compare with the experience of commentating for the largest terrestrial audience this year? "Commentating on the final in South Africa was fantastic - except the '98 final I covered for Eurosport was a better game with a better atmosphere. Given the fact France won on home soil it would be."

The African World Cup experience made up for the disappointment of the England performances and the quality of some of the matches. "I loved everything about the South Africa World Cup though. A great experience and the final was a wonderful occasion - if not a tremendous football match. I'm glad I was there and want to be at every one in the future, Qatar included!" 

During the World Cup, Guy covered England's live games on the BBC including the defeat by Germany. Added to his previous experience of commentating on his own team I wondered if he ever let his neutrality slip. "I don't think I have - others may disagree. I think covering the England games it's fair enough to make clear who you 'want' to win without letting it cloud your judgement of calling decisions or assessing the game. I should point out that I would do that for any of the home nations in a major tournament, and for British teams in European games. You have to know and relate to your audience."

Guy knew from February-March that he had the final "gig", but tried to forget it as much as possible in the build up and once the tournament started. "If you thought about anything other than your next game you'd soon make a mess of things and see the big ones given to someone else." With the BBC presenting a strong commentating line-up including Steve Wilson and Jonathan Pearce, Guy is kept him on his toes and it's important that he doesn't let anything slip. Something that, with 15-20 hours of preparation for each game, he tries to avoid.

Social media and fan sites make it much easier for fans to comment on all aspects of football, including the way it's broadcast and the people who present it. Not least when you commentate on the big matches and the contentious decisions. It poses an interesting quandary, "You do pay attention - but try not to. What you must remember is that a lot of the comments - good and bad - are made by people who have never worked in the industry and have no experience or knowledge of how it works or why something has happened the way it has." 

"A friend of mine put it quite well - like overhearing a conversation in a pub between people who don't know you, but they've got an opinion anyway. The anonymity of the internet unfortunately can make some people 'braver' than they'd normally be. It doesn't really affect the way I commentate, but sometimes I read things that trigger a "oh yes, I do do that don't I?" thought in me - and I might think more carefully next time." 

Taking away the sense of occasion of a World Cup final, choosing the most enjoyable match to have commentated on proves tricky. "Too many to pick one out. Can I say this weekend just gone? I had 2 great Premier League games - Man City 4-3 Wolves, and the Wear-Tyne derby which is always a game that I enjoy." And a return to the city where his commentating journey really built up steam.

Guy's career in radio, with Eurosport, with ITV and now BBC have taken him all over the world to some long gone grounds and to some of the most innovative designed stadia in the world. Whereas some fans look on some of the world's newest stadia with a sense of wonder and some long for the traditional grounds of old the best stadium to visit from a commentators perspective is a practical one. 

"Most of the positions we get would be worthy of the highest priced ticket in the ground. I usually have far too many notes with me (safety blanket / paranoia sheet!) so anywhere I can easily space them out and secure them is always a winner with me. Newcastle springs to mind because there's loads of room and a nice big table!"  

Commentating has so many highs, but there are difficult times as well, often because you are so high. "There was one match at Nottingham Forest when I had tummy trouble. The gantry at Forest has no facilities, is a long way up, and highly visible to spectators. It was a 0-0 draw v Wolves so the game did little to make my mind off my problems! There wasn't an accident of any kind, but the pain I was in at the end was just horrid."     

Talking of painful, I had to ask how he copes with Lawro's "gags"?  "I think they're great. Ok, not all of them - but I do like the way he lightens the mood sometimes. We can sometimes forget it's a game of football and sport is meant to be entertainment to the viewing public. I play the role of groaning viewer from time to time (for effect!) but I love working with him. The perfect travelling companion - relaxed, funny, grounded, and he doesn't half know his football."

Having commentated on World Cup finals, travelled the world watching England, Champions League matches it would be easy to assume that Guy's future commentating ambitions are limited. Not so "I want to do more World Cup finals - and generally just to keep on doing this for as long as people think I'm good enough to do so."

Despite appearing very comfortable in front of the camera on Late Kick Off, it is not where he expects his career to develop. "Do I? Goodness me I'm not. No, it's not really where I want to go, it's the commentary gantry for me all day long. I was flattered to be asked and enjoy the programmes and their content but I feel like a complete novice really. It's something I do to gain more experience on a 'just in case' basis - but no, I'm not a presenter."  

Guy is a great example of what can happen when you set your heart on something, apply some dogged determination to get your break and grasp the opportunity when it arrives. But what if you want to follow in his footsteps? Guy has some wise words;

"Don't do it just to get onto television or the radio. You'll be found out if your number one interest is yourself."

"Do it because you love football".

Many thanks to Guy for his time. Unlike some of those he commentates on, Guy is still allowed on twitter and can be followed at @Guymowbray Go follow.