Author Archives: FWA News Editor

CHELSEA HOPE WILLIAN FITS THE BILL

Posted on by
Reply

Christopher Davies looks at work permit red tape and why moving to England helps Brazil internationals

WILLIAN HAS HIS WORK VISA HEARING ON WEDNESDAY…HE’LL OBVIOUSLY GET IT, WON’T HE?
In order to work in the UK, most citizens from outside Switzerland and the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are required to meet a certain number of criteria. Footballers are no different from anyone else in this respect. To play in a league in the UK, ie the Barclays Premier League, the player must have participated in at least 75 per cent of his national team’s senior competitive internationals during the last two years. His national team must be in the top 70 of the FIFA rankings, which obviously Brazil are. The problem is Willian has won only two senior caps. Failure to meet these criteria results in automatic rejection…

SO WILLIAN WON’T BE GRANTED A WORK PERMIT, THEN?
There appears to be a UK Borders Agency rule that, like in the Army, covers the rules that aren’t in the rules. When Philippe Coutinho, also a Brazilian, signed for Liverpool last January from Inter-Milan, he was granted a work permit despite his lack of international experience. A sort of special case rule. Worst case scenario, if the work permit is refused it goes to appeal and it will be ratified by a panel comprising representatives of English footballers stakeholders and three independent representatives. Football writers David Lacey and Brian Glanville have been on these panels.

DO OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE THIS RED TAPE?
No, like driving on the wrong side of the road or, as Arsène Wenger would say, having milk in tea, it is essentially British. This makes it easier for other countries to sign promising young players, particularly from South America. FC Porto have made it almost an art form.

HAS ENGLISH FOOTBALL LOST ANYONE IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE OF ALL THIS?
Hugo Sánchez, Mexico’s greatest ever goalscorer, joined Atlético Madrid, Ronaldo signed for for PSV, Gabriel Batistuta went to Fiorentina and Javier Zanetti chose Inter Milan. So yes.

CHELSEA HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH BERTRAND TRAORE, DON’T THEY?
Yes, Traore is a Burkina Faso international and is on trial with Chelsea. He is in the UK on a student visa – the midfielder turns 18 on the September 6. If he is granted a work permit the Blues will offer Traore professional forms. The good news is that Burkina Faso are in the top 50 of FIFA’s average ranking over the past two years. The bad news is that Traore has not been a regular international since 2011 – hardly surprising given his age. Traore will almost certainly not be given a work permit so it will be up to an appeals panel to decide whether he is a special case…that he can “enhance” English football. If he doesn’t, it is the safest of safe bets a club in a country with less rigid regulations will snap him up.

BACK TO WILLIAN, WHY DOES HE HAVE ONLY TWO BRAZIL CAPS? HE HAS ALWAYS IMPRESSED FOR SHAKHTAR DONETSK IN EUROPE.
His two caps in 2011 were when Mano Menezes was coach. Big Phil Scolari has overlooked the winger. There seems to be a almost a policy for the Seleção not to choose players playing in Eastern Europe, with the exception of Hulk. And his form with Zenit St Petersburg means he is struggling to maintain his place in the squad. Domestic football in Ukraine and Russia receives little coverage or publicity in Brazil, so it’s almost a question of out of sight, out of mind. It will be interesting to see what happens to Bernard, a rising star of Brazilian football and a supersub in the Confederations Cup, who recently left Atlético Mineiro for Shakhtar.

WHAT ABOUT FERNANDINHO WHO HAS JOINED MANCHESTER CITY?
Like Willian, Fernandinho – they were team-mates at Shakhtar – made his first international appearance in 2011 and has five caps, but has not played for the Selecão this year.

SO WILLIAN HOPES PLAYING IN THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE WILL RAISE HIS PROFILE BACK HOME?
Yes. But in fairness Willian, Shakhtar were very successful during the four years he was with them. In his time in Ukraine, Shakhtar won three league titles, two Ukranian Cups, two Super Cups and the 2009 UEFA Cup.

WHILE THIS MAY NOT BE A VINTAGE BRAZIL SIDE, BIG PHIL IS NOT EXACTLY HARD UP FOR FORWARDS, IS HE?
No. He has called up 72 players in the past year and seems to favour those playing in Brazil. Nine of his 23-man squad for the Confederations Cup came from the Brazilian top flight — a remarkably high figure given how many Brazilians play in the top leagues in Europe. The extremely consistent Ramires of Chelsea was one who didn’t make the Confederations Cup squad.

But Scolari does have Neymar, Fred, who averages a goal every other game, Luís Fabiano, Leandro Damião, Sandro, Luis Gustavo, Diego Costa plus Hulk with Ronaldinho, Pato and Kaká waiting in the wings for a recall. Both Willian and Fernandinho face a battle to be part of the host’s squad for the 2014 World Cup.

TONY MILLARD – THE VOICE OF BRIGHTON

Posted on by
1

Tony Millard, regarded by many as the Voice of Brighton & Hove Albion, was found dead at his home today. He was 74.

Few Seagulls fans can remember Brighton without the distinctive voice of Millard either commentating or bringing them highlights of Albion. Millard was the doyen of Sussex sports reporting, also covering speedway for Sky Sports, doing the in-stadium commentaries for the Eastbourne Eagles speedway team at Arlington while he was also co-founder of the Sussex Cricket League.

Millard covered Brighton’s last game at the Amex against Derby County and was due to attend tomorrow’s match against Burnley.

He was involved in just about everything Brighton-wise. In the days before the internet when fans would telephone football hotlines for information, Brighton supporters could hear Millard saying: “You’ve called the Seagull Line on Brighton 8049, that’s the number for Albion information every day…24 hours a day…”

As Brighton prepared to move to the Amex, in one commentary Millard said: “So, last season at Withdean, next season increasing the size of Falmer by the size of Withdean.”

Like many football reporters Millard was occasionally caught out by failing to press the mute button or being unaware he was, in fact, live. He would tell the story when, during one game, at the Goldstone Ground, he was the PA announcer and Andy Ritchie was slow to track back an opponent.

Unaware his comment was about to be heard by all in the stadium, Millard said: “F****** hell Andy…pull you finger out will you.”

Here is the commentary from 1983 by Tony Millard and Stephen Rooke for Radio Brighton to the video already on YouTube. Radio Brighton’s commentary was later released on a cassette called ‘Seagulls Soar Over Anfield’.

INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF DAVID MOYES

Posted on by
1

By MICHAEL CALVIN

David Moyes is not a man to cross on a moment’s whim. He has a finely developed sense of respect. His trust, once earned, is of immeasurable importance. His work ethic is prodigious and his wrath is best avoided.

Had he walked into Finch Farm training complex that bleak Wednesday morning he would have been distinctly unimpressed. It was bad enough that a stranger should saunter through the heavy door marked ‘with permission only’, which led to a sequence of four offices which symbolised the continuity of Everton’s decade under the Scot’s control. To allow someone of my calling into the nerve centre of a club which continually overachieves in the face of financial restraint was positively heretical.

Moyes was on a scouting mission in Europe. Thankfully, given my vulnerability, Duncan Ferguson, who has previous in dealing with unwanted intruders, was unaware of my presence. He was flicking yellow-flighted darts into a royal blue board in the players’ dining room around the corner.

My guide, James Smith, Everton’s head of technical scouting who had worked for Moyes since 2003, was free to reveal the science behind the School of Science. Smith operates from the recruitment room. Its contents are highly classified and Moyes’ entire transfer strategy is mapped out on a succession of whiteboards which cover all four walls.

“We can’t afford to get it wrong,” said Smith. “If Manchester City waste £20 million, which they’ve actually done at times, it doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things. So 20 on Jo, 20 on Roque Santa Cruz. No problem. But if Everton waste £20 million, we’ll wait a long time to get anything like that again. David Moyes spends the money like it’s his own.

“The first thing, of course, is that they’ve got to be good enough to play for a team that wants to be in the top half of the Barclays Premier League. So straight away you’ve ruled out most of the world’s footballers. We know that if they are potentially going to Manchester United, City, Arsenal or Chelsea then they’re not for us. We won’t worry about a David Silva and we dropped out of Gary Cahill quiet early because he was obviously going on to somewhere bigger.”

The secret room – I was sworn to secrecy as to any names – is a mine of information, a tantalising glimpse of what might be, expressed in marker pens of different hues. The first board features the most promising new foreign players, highlighted by the system. They are the pick of the 1,000 or so players under review and are deemed realistic recruits.

The next whiteboard contains live targets who are monitored constantly. Their ages are written in red, on a yellow square. Those names in blue are potential free transfers; those in red carry a price and those in green are potential loanees.

The next whiteboard is a statement of faith to those closest to him. It features favoured Barclays Premier League players, personal choices who are not on any other list. They must be 26 or under, playing for a club outside the top six and considered realistic potential recruits. They have been voted for by Moyes and his senior staff.

The next whiteboard is, in essence, a Moyes mind map and is why the secret room is off limits to players. The whiteboard contains a list of all first team squad players with their ages, contract details and appearance record. There is also Moyes’ idea of his best starting XI and what it will be up to 2014. This offers an insight into which regulars he suspects will fade away and who he hopes will emerge from the supporting cast.  It is an imprecise science because of the unpredictability of fate, but the gaps, when they appear, are ominous. This is a visual tool for the black art of management, moving a player on when his use has been exhausted, but his resale potential is still significant.

The next whiteboard is smaller and contains no players over 23. The most promising Championship, League One and Two players are highlighted in blue red and green respectively. The last major whiteboard , the transfer window list, is, in many ways, the most important and contains the names that Everton are actively seeking to sign.

Agents are regarded as most useful in South America where the web of third-party ownership can ensnare the unwise or the unwary. Work permits are a recurring problem and the case of James Rodriguez highlights the dangers, frustrations and potential rewards. A young winger regarded as the most naturally gifted Colombian players to emerge since Carlos Valderrama, he was on Everton’s radar, but dismissed because of the impossibility of securing a work permit due to his lack of international experience.

FC Porto, who operate in a more relaxed administrative environment, paid £4.25 million for a 70 per cent ownership package in July 2010 for Rodriguez who began his career with Banfield in Argentina. Rodriguez signed a four-year contract with a £25 million release clause and Porto quickly sold on 10 per cent of his economic rights.

In November of that year Porto sold another 35 per cent to a Luxembourg-registered company, Gol Football Luxembourg SARL for £2 million. When Rodriguez scored a hat-trick in the 2012 Portuguese Cup final, Porto bought the original 30 per cent of the player they did not own from Convergence Capital Partners B.V. for £1.90 million. That meant they now controlled more than half his economic rights. He signed a new five year contract with a release clause of £37.5 million. Nice work if you can get it.

The scorpion dance was completed in January 2013 when Gol Football Luxembourg SARL sold their 35 per cent back to Porto for £7.1 million, a profit of £5.1 million. In May 2013 AS Monaco paid £37.5 million for Rodriguez, no doubt giving him the “new challenge” he was looking for in the tax-free haven, if not with “another big club.”

*Adapted from The Nowhere Men – the unknown story of football’s true talent spotters – by Michael Calvin (Century, £14.99)

FWA Q&A: RICHARD TANNER

Posted on by
Reply

RICHARD TANNER of the Daily Express on steamy windows…signing as a Gerry…and staying in a Munich broom cupboard

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
No. My only other jobs were back in my schooldays – strawberry picking, potato picking, loading fruit and veg lorries and working in a car parts warehouse. Gone downhill since really.

Most memorable match?
Of the matches I’ve covered, it has to be Manchester City’s last-gasp win over QPR in May 2012 – for the sheer drama of the occasion and the look of disbelieving wonder among the City supporters. As a fan, Coventry beating Tottenham in the 1987 FA Cup final.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Scoring at the Gwladys Street End at Goodison Park with a 30-yard chip over the goalkeeper in a media game, also involving Peter Beardsley, Mark Lawrensen, David Johnson and Alan Kennedy. Still can’t believe it.

Best stadium?
The Nou Camp.

…and the worst?
Wigan’s old Springfield Park. You couldn’t even see part of the pitch if you got the wrong seat in the press box. And if the windows steamed up you were really in trouble.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
In the biggest game of last season – Real Madrid v Manchester United, Champions League last 16, first leg in the Bernabeu. Lap top wouldn’t connect to wi-fi, dongle wouldn’t work either and I ended up dictating copy to a guy on the sports desk because we no longer have copy takers. There have been a few nightmares over the years – nearly all in Europe.

Biggest mistake?
Writing that Everton had made Teddy Sheringham their top transfer target on the day he joined Manchester United.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Yes, Gerry Daly, the former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland player. A Cambridge United fan thought I was Gerry after a game at the old Abbey Stadium – well, I was quite skinny back then – and asked for my autograph. I duly obliged.

Most media friendly manager?
Two come to mind – Steve Bruce and Roberto Martinez.

Best ever player?
Pele.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Everton’s 1984/85 Championship-winning team – shame they never had a chance to play in the European Cup because of Heysel – and Brazil’s 1970 World Cup winners..

Best pre-match grub?
Manchester City – since the Sheikh took over.

Best meal had on your travels?
Teppenyaki in the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo at the World Club Cup in 2009.

…and the worst?
Puffin on toast in the Faroe Islands.

Best hotel stayed in?
Trianon Palace at Versailles.

…and the worst?
A broom cupboard in a dodgy street near Munich station, can’t remember its name.

Do you have a hobby?
Cycling.

Favourite football writer?
Steven Howard. Always makes me laugh.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Clive Tyldesley.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
More accessibility.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
An Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Favourite non-football sportsman/sports woman?
Muhammed Ali/Steffi Graf.

Last book read?
David Walsh’s “Seven Deadly Sins.”

Favourite current TV programme?
The Americans.

TV show you always switch off?
Any ‘reality’ show – Big Brother particularly.

If you could bring one TV series back which would it be?
24

Favourite comedian?
Peter Kay.

Favourite singer/group?
Bruce Springsteen.

What really, really annoys you?
Motorway lanes that are coned off for no apparent reason.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
None really. Just 25 years of football programmes gathering dust in the shed.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Don’t. Seriously, stay light on your feet, develop a thick skin and have a sense of humour.

FWA Interview: Patrick Collins

Posted on by
Reply

Patrick Collins thinks the game is better than ever but…

SUMMER OF TRANSFER SAGAS LEAVES PEOPLE DISILLUSIONED

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

In Patrick Collins’ ideal summer his beloved Charlton Athletic would have signed Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, perhaps Bastien Schweinsteiger, Andrea Pirlo and Robert Lewandowski. With that front six Chris Powell’s defence could stay intact.

Sadly for the Mail On Sunday’s award-winning sports columnist, other non-transfer activity has made tedious inroads into a glorious summer of British sport, which started with Justin Rose winning the US Open, the British and Irish Lions’ success in Australia, Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon triumph, retaining the Ashes and more recently Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu at the World Championships. Our Paralympians also gave us a reminder of London 2012.

Cesc Fabregas to  – or rather, not to – Manchester United has been put to bed, but the Mousetrap-proportion sagas involving Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale show little sign of slowing down. For many, September 2 cannot come soon – or, as the tabloids would say, Roon – enough.

“The game is better now than it has ever been,” said Collins. “I’ve never seen it played as well as this in more than 40 years. Not with such pace and technique. And yet I think people have never been so disillusioned. If there is a gap between players and the media, the gap between players and the public is even larger.

“Newspapers over-estimate the public’s appetite for such transfer stories. I could not even begin to guess how many Rooney stories I’ve seen, yet he’s either going to go or he isn’t. It’s like the Kennedy assassination, everyone has a theory. It’s been a fantastic summer of sport, but instead of being quietly ignored until it all starts again football’s given us these will-he, won’t-he sagas.”

Of course, it could be that Suarez, Rooney and Bale will remain with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham. “If that happens it makes even more of a nonsense what’s been going on. I think it’s had an alienating factor. It’s partly the media’s fault, clearly.”

If a newspaper is fed a story about a big name it is hardly likely to not use it on grounds of boredom. “Agents engineer stories to the extent they are controlling the media which is not healthy,” said Collins.

The Barclays Premier League kicks-off this weekend, but Collins has not been counting the days, largely because the beautiful game is so over-hyped. He said: “I don’t start looking forward to the season until it starts. Everything is overblown. Sky Sports’ coverage is wonderful, but the trumpeting of games means there is absolutely no sense of proportion. Everything is better, bigger and louder. That’s how the game is now. It’s divorced from any kind of reality.”

Collins is one of the minority of FWA members who reported on United pre-Alex (as he was then) Ferguson. For the first time since November 1986, the Champions have a new manager in David Moyes and while many football writers have been the recipient of the famous hairdryer, Ferguson gave us some of the finest sides of all-time to watch and report.

“For what he did, he was a genius, an extraordinarily talented man. I loved watching his teams. There would be a tight game, United would score a late goal and you’d see him on the touchline waving them forward. United always went for it.

“People have drawn comparisons between Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, but Mourinho would always opt for a ‘protect what you have’ with little sense of duty to entertain. Ferguson wanted his team to go forward, not in a naive manner, but he felt the best way to defend a 1-0 lead was to score a second goal.”

The self-styled Special One is back at Chelsea, a move which has not seen Collins putting out the bunting. He said: “Am I glad he’s returned? Not at all. He’s a major part of the over-hyping and personalising of the game. Towards the end of last season when it looked like he was coming back, someone on Sky Sports said he couldn’t wait for next season to see Mourinho versus someone or other on the touchline.

“Nobody I know pays money to see managers on the touchline. It seems bizarre he can dominate the attention in this way. There were a couple of times at Real Madrid when he left the team-talk at half-time to sit in the dug-out. It was like ‘look at me.’”

While club rivalries will be renewed in the Barclays Premier League, a cloud remains over the national team with England’s qualification for Brazil 2014 in the balance. If England win their remaining four ties they will qualify. Beating Moldova at home should present few problems, but Ukraine in Kyiv and the visits of Montenegro and Poland to Wembley for a team who have only beaten San Marino and Moldova to date seems to guarantee a photo-finish for England.

Collins said: “For obvious reason I’d love to see England qualify, as much as anything for Roy Hodgson who is a decent man and a talented man. While media-friendly, he is not self-promoting in the way that Mourinho is and I don’t think he’s given the credit he deserves. I can see us being in the playoffs and then, of course, it depends who you play.”

Fabio Capello’s Russia would be the most newsworthy clash, though there is a Sod’s Law feeling about such a draw. Other playoff opponents could be France or even World Champions Spain – “you wouldn’t want that” – Croatia, Austria or Sweden, Greece, a rejuvenated Hungary or Romania, Bulgaria or the Czech Republic. The best hope would be the runners-up from Group E, probably Albania, Iceland or Norway, but then we thought Algeria would be a pushover in South Africa.

“The reaction if England didn’t qualify would be interesting. There is a complete dominance of the clubs in English football and they admit no responsibility or obligation to the national team. Given the quality of the Premier League we ought to be qualifying, but then the quality is due to the number of foreign players.”

Domestically, it will be the usual suspects battling it out for the title – “a consequence of how the Premier League is structured,” said Collins. “The only way to break into this exclusive club is to find an owner like Manchester City did in the Middle East. Otherwise it is almost impossible to join the elite.”

When Blackburn, bankrolled by Jack Warner, won the Premier League they were not up against the riches of City or Chelsea while the days of Derby, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich or Queens Park Rangers making a significant impact in the top league have all but gone.

“I used to love looking at the old First Division pre-season and thinking to myself if this team continue their progress or that side sign so-and-so they have a chance. When you think of what [Brian] Clough did, or Bobby [Robson] at Ipswich or Dave Sexton’s very good QPR…that’s not possible any longer, which is a pity. There is a danger of people becoming disaffected by the same-old, same-old.

“I’d love someone to break into that magic circle and the fact there are four, maybe five clubs who can be champions is not good for the wider health of the game. It’s still a marvellous sport though it doesn’t always show itself in the best light.”

As 2013/14 gets up and running Collins hopes young players who the press have been praising for the past couple of years reach the next level. When John Barnes retired we were still writing about his potential and Collins said: “The likes of Jack Wilshere, Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones…I hope they become the players we’ve been hoping they do.

“We hear what Wilshere is capable of and I’d really like to see him deliver. We’ve been patient with a lot of them so let’s hope this is the season.”

FWA Q&A: NICK SZCZEPANIK

Posted on by
Reply

NICK SZCZEPANIK on a wee problem at Portsmouth…a chilly Big Apple reception for mustard…and feeling dicky in Bucharest

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
Quite a few, most recently arts publicity. Best football-related memory of that is spending a day while a Brighton Festival press officer with the late, great Brian Glover, Mr Sugden from Kes. And a Barnsley fan.

Most memorable match?
On TV, Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Anfield to take the title in 1989. As a fan, Brighton’s 7-0 win against Walsall in October 1976, all the goals coming in the second-half, four from Peter Ward and three from Ian Mellor after Walsall had been the better side in the first 45 minutes. As a writer, either Wimbledon coming back from 3-0 down to beat West Ham 4-3 at Upton Park, or a 4-4 draw between Charlton and West Ham at The Valley. When I started the intro to the runner, it was 3-2.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
It’s already on loads of DVDs – Brazil’s fourth goal in the 1970 World Cup final. Clodoaldo, the midfield workhorse, decided it was time finally to show he could play a bit. He beat three Italians to begin the move, which took in Rivelino, Jairzinho and Pele before Carlos Alberto nearly broke the net. Most British right-backs would have hit it into row Z.

Best stadium?
Probably because I don’t get to them as often as some people based further north, I love going to Anfield, Goodison and St James’’ Park, great football grounds (not “stadiums”) in interesting cities. But the best is the Amex, not because it’’s beautiful and comfortable (which it is) or because I’m a Brighton fan (which I am) but because so many people fought so hard to make it happen. As Brighton’s Life President Dick Knight has said, it had a history before it was even built.

…and the worst?
Fratton Park on a hot day. People talk about the atmosphere, but the press box is uncomfortable and cramped and in some seats there are pillars blocking the view of both goals. The hot day thing is to do with its position vertically above the gents. That’s the sort of atmosphere you can do without.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
While working for The Times, my antiquated laptop failed completely – an experience that News International employees of the time probably understand all too well – during a Chelsea v Burnley League Cup tie at Stamford Bridge. The outsourced copy-takers were hopeless. I couldn’t even make the one I was speaking to understand my byline (which, to be fair, does present something of a challenge), let alone a Chelsea team full of other foreign names. And of course, Sod’s Law enured that the game was never going to end up as a straightforward 2-0 home win worth about 350 words. It went to extra-time, then penalties, Chelsea lost at home to a Championship side and Didier Drogba had something thrown at him and unwisely threw it back. So there’d be a back-page write-off as well as a page lead inside.

Fortunately, when I realised that I was up against it and called the desk, I’d heard the words : “Let me put you on to Keith Pike.”” Many FWA members will know Keith and that there was no surer guarantee that all would be well. Between us we managed to produce a coherent report, a rewrite and a back-page lead on the missile-throwing incident.

Biggest mistake?
I repeated an allegation made previously by a colleague about a player without checking that he had his facts right. Fortunately the player settled for a retraction from the paper.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Alan Pardew, in front of witnesses. The mistaken person was a rather attractive woman. I should have played along and seen what developed, but with my luck she’’d have turned out to be a disgruntled West Ham fan ….

Most media friendly manager?
In common with many colleagues, I like Arsene Wenger. He has the gift of making you feel that he’s talking to you personally in a room full of other journos. And having Gus Poyet working just up the road for three and a half years meant that there was often a story to be had even in a quiet week.

Best ever player?
Brian Horton. Peter Ward got all the glory in Alan Mullery’s 1977-81 Brighton team, but Horton was the main man – a tough, skilful leader. Close seconds would be Marcel Desailly and Normen Hunter (see below).

Best ever teams (club and international)?
My mother was from Leeds, so whenever we visited, my cousins took me along to Elland Road to see the Revie team of Giles, Gray, Hunter, Lorimer at al. People remember the ‘dirty Leeds’ tag, but some of the football was sublime, and Eddie Gray was an artist. The goal he scored against Burnley in 1970 when he dribbled past four or five defenders (maybe he went past one of them twice) is justly famous but see if you can find a clip showing his other goal in the same game.

Internationally, Poland 1974 -– lucky to eliminate England at Wembley the previous year, but Lato, Deyna, Gadocha and company made the most of it in the World Cup finals in West Germany and should have gone all the way.

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea have raised their game, but Arsenal still shade it for me in the south and Man City in the north. And Tottenham are improving.

Best meal had on your travels?
With most meals, it’s the company that makes it, and any bunch of football writers round a table usually results in a good occasion. Great food is a bonus. But I remember a Sky/NFL trip that took in Peter Luger’s Steak House in Brooklyn where the food is so good that a request for mustard (not by me, I hasten to add) was rightly regarded as an insult.

…and the worst?
A lot of us went out in Bucharest one night and found a restaurant down a side street serving traditional Romanian food. We were persuaded to have the platter of local delicacies. There was one dish that nobody liked and when we asked the waiter what it was, he conveyed through the medium of mime that it was the reproductive organs of a sheep.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Intercontinental in Istanbul when I was on a Champions League trip with Rangers. Because I flew direct from London rather than joining the official trip from Glasgow, I arrived late and all they had left was a suite with incredible views over the Bosphorus. And meals at their award-winning rooftop restaurant thrown in. Tragic.

…and the worst?
The EasyHotel at Harlington, near Heathrow and the QPR training ground. My room was a converted garage with no windows and a hospital-style bathroom attached. After that I even looked forward to spending eight hours in a cramped economy class seat.

Favourite football writer?
Where do you start? Paul Hayward makes it seem so effortless, Martin Samuel for his breadth of inspiration, Ian Herbert keeps getting better, and there are many, many others. But none has ever matched Dave Kidd’’s moment of genius when he wrote that a crowd “accused Robbie Savage of one-in-a-bed sex romps.”

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
I grew up listening to Brian Moore on The Big Match and I’m pleased to say that I got to interview him once for Total Football and he was exactly what you’d expect – a football enthusiast and one of the nicest blokes you could hope to meet. Of those still alive, Simon Brotherton did a fantastic job with the Polish names in the Euros. And in America, Jim Brockmire (look him up on YouTube) was unique – “Look how they massacred my boy …”

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Send chief executives and press officers to the United States to see how clubs, coaches, players and journalists can work together. We’’re part of the machine that helps make football such a big part of the fabric of British life, we’re not the enemy. Well, most of us aren’’t.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I’’ve reported on Super Bowls and a World Series, so I think I’’m sorted, thanks.

Last book read?
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith – none of this JK Rowling nonsense for me. Wait, what …? Seriously, I recently re-read the first few James Bond novels. Most of the films are nonsense, but Ian Fleming could write.

Favourite current TV programme?
The Americans, Dexter or Lilyhammer. I was disappointed that Lie To Me was cancelled after series three.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Never turn any work down, you never know where even the most unpromising assignment might lead. And never, ever throw a contact number away. Most importantly, keep in mind that the hard work you put in at the beginning may all be worth it one day. With luck, you’ll end up doing a job that most people would kill (or maim) for. Sitting through the worst goalless draw imaginable is better than the best 90 minutes of almost anyone else’’s working week. And you’ll meet some great people.

Nick Szczepanik covers matches for the Independent and the Independent On Sunday.

ENGLAND TRAIL BEHIND THE WORLD’S BEST AT ALL LEVELS

Posted on by
Reply

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

AS ENGLAND prepare to begin their season with a friendly against Scotland, footballwriters.co.uk can reveal they are trailing behind the world’s elite at the highest levels of international football, winning only a third of their games at finals this millennium.

Since 2000, at senior, Under-21, Under-20 and Under-19 levels England have won 29 of 84 games at world and European finals – 34 per cent.

This is less than half of Argentina (74%) and Spain (69%) while also trailing behind Brazil (65%), Germany (61%) and the Netherlands (57%). The only two current superpowers whose win-record comes close to England’s are Uruguay (53%) and Italy (47%).

Despite their relatively low game-winning percentage (given a false impression by the number of significant shootout victories which go into the record books as draws), Italy won the World Cup in 2006, UEFA Under-21 titles in 2000 and 2004 plus being losing finalists twice; they were also losing finalists at Euro 2000 and Euro 2012 while their youngsters lifted the Under-19 crown in 2003. The Italians may not win as many matches as others, but they know how to succeed at major finals. And take penalties.

Uruguay have won little more than half their matches at various finals, but they are the reigning champions of South America though, like England, their presence at Brazil 2014 is in the balance. The South Americans also reached the final of the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

Spain are the undoubted kings of world football, winning six of the last 11 Under-19 titles, the last two at Under-21 level while the seniors are reigning European and World Champions. The Spaniards’ 11 titles are followed by Brazil (5), Italy (4), Argentina (3), Germany (2), the Netherlands (2) and Uruguay (1) – with England a sad zero. Beaten finalists once apiece at Under-21 and  Under-20 is the limit of their international achievements this millennium.

It has been a dismal summer for England whose Under-21s, Under-20s and Under-19s managed one win between them in nine games in international competitions. England’s Under-20’s have not registered a victory in 13 games at three finals; the Under-21’s have won five out of 18 ties at the last six finals, meaning the two sides have a combined five wins in 31 ties. The Under-21’s did reach the final in 2009 when they were hammered 4-0 by Germany, but what the players from that game went on to to achieve is contrasting and significant.

Of the finalists in Malmö four years ago, Germany’s starting XI, which included Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira and MesutÖzil, have won a combined 229 full international caps. However, from the England side only James Milner (38 caps) and Theo Walcott (33) have made an impact in the senior team. Scott Loach, Martin Cranie, Nedum Onuoha, Fabrice Muamba, Lee Cattermole and Mark Noble, who started against Germany, never won full international honours.

The seniors have fared better at the World Cup and European Championship, though too often it is the usual story of shootout failures – Euro 2004 (Portugal), Germany 2006 (Portugal) and Euro 2012 (Italy). The last time England made any significant impression at a finals was Euro 96 when penalties (surprise surprise) against Germany (ditto) cost Terry Venables’ side a place in the final. In fact, shootout defeats have accounted for England’s exit at three World Cups and two European Championships since 1990 – five of the 10 tournament finals they have reached. The shootout defeat by Italy at Euro 2012 meant of teams who have competed in at least three shootouts at major tournaments England had the worst record in the world. Their only success came at Euro 96 against Spain, but England were eliminated by Germany after a shootout in the next round.

One reason for England’s ongoing underachieving in international football is said to be the influx of foreign players in the Barclays Premier League, which worries Greg Dyke, the new chairman of the Football Association. Yet 20 years ago, when the England manager had double the number of English players in the elite league to choose from, the national team failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. England also failed to qualify for the World Cups in 1974 (West Germany) and 1978 (Argentina) when the old First Division was exclusively British and Irish and top-heavy with English players.

The 1974/75 Leeds side that lost the European Cup final to Bayern Munich had four English players; the 1976/77 Liverpool team that beat Borussia Mönchengladbach had nine Englishmen; the 1977/78 Liverpool side that defeated Club Brugge had eight England-qualified players; the 1978/79 Nottingham Forest team that beat Malmö had eight Englishmen. Club success built on English foundations did not carry over to the international stage.

It is quality not quantity that matters – club managers select players by skill level, not passports, though Paul Hayward of the Daily Telegraph made the point: “It is a 40-year failure to produce enough technically and tactically literate international-class players.”

The England shirt seems to weigh heavily on even the best domestic performers – is there REALLY more pressure playing for your country than performing week-in, week-out for one of the Barclays Premier League’s heavyweights? Twelve England internationals have played in winning Champions League teams since 2000 – Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea). Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Jermaine Pennant, Peter Crouch (Liverpool), John Terry and Joe Cole (Chelsea) have been on the losing side.

Most of these players have been the backbone of their clubs’ successes at the highest level of European club football, yet a succession of England managers have failed to get the best out of too many of them and others, notably midfielders and attackers.

England returned from this summer’s Under-21 and Under-20 finals without a single victory, in the case of the former without even a point. In the Under-20’s finals Uzbekistan and Iraq reached the quarter-finals; war-torn Iraq can hardly claim to have an outstanding academy system in place, yet their kids fared better than England’s.

The underage competitions tend to be treated as second-class citizens by our clubs – even by the England manager – yet a glance at the winners of these tournaments tells you that success at a younger level can breed success at the highest level. The countries who have won the Under-21, Under-20 and Under-19 titles have also dominated the World Cup, European Championship and Copa America – a coincidence? While the world’s leading nations see junior tournaments as a significant stepping-stone to senior achievements, England and English clubs have too often treated them with contempt.

Roy Hodgson took Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Phil Jones and Jack Rodwell to Brazil for a friendly this summer instead of allowing them to be available for the European Under-21 finals, while had Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck been fit they, too, would almost certainly have been in Rio rather than Israel. Hodgson believed the experience of playing the 2014 World Cup hosts in the Maracanã would serve the young players better than testing themselves against Europe’s junior elite in Israel.

Whether the experience of Rio will be put to competitive use next summer remains to be seen.

World Cup

2002 – Brazil (r/up Germany)

2006 – Italy (France)

2010 – Spain (Netherlands)

Copa America

2001 – Colombia (Mexico)

2004 – Brazil (Argentina)

2007 – Brazil (Argentina)

2011 – Uruguay (Paraguay)

European Championship 

2000 – France (Italy)

2004 – Greece (Portugal)

2008 – Spain (Germany)

2012 – Spain (Italy)

UEFA U-21 Championship

2000 – Italy (Czech Rep)

2002 – Czech Rep (France)

2004 – Italy (Serbia & Mont’gro)

2006 – Netherlands (Ukraine)

2007 – Netherlands (Serbia)

2009 – Germany (England)

2011 – Spain (Switzerland)

2013 – Spain (Italy)

FIFA U-20 World Cup 

2001 – Argentina (Ghana)

2003 – Brazil (Spain)

2005 – Argentina (Nigeria)

2007 – Argentina (Czech R)

2009 – Ghana (Brazil)

2011 – Brazil (Portugal)

2013 – France (Uruguay)

UEFA U-19 Championship

2000 (as U-18) – France (Ukraine)

2001 (U-18) – Poland (Czech Rep)

2002 – Spain (Germany)

2003 – Italy (Portugal)

2004 – Spain (Turkey)

2005 – France (England)

2006 – Spain (Scotland)

2007 – Spain (Greece)

2008 – Germany (Italy)

2009 – Ukraine (England)

2010 – France (Spain)

2011 – Spain (Czech Rep)

2012 – Spain (Greece)

2013 – Serbia (France)

IAN CRUISE on why size matters in Dallas…shinning up a drainpipe in Liverpool…and his gr8 dislike of textspeak

Posted on by
Reply

 

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?

Not in a full-time capacity, no. At college I worked in a supermarket, doing everything from collecting trolleys to serving at the checkout, and pretty much all points in between.

Most memorable match?

As a fan, Luton’s win over Arsenal in the 1988 Littlewoods Cup final. The last 10 minutes, when Andy Dibble saved Nigel Winterburn’s penalty and Luton scored twice to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory, must rank among the most memorable ever seen at Wembley.

In a professional capacity, Rangers v Leeds in the group stage of the Champions League in 1992-93, when English fans were banned. The atmosphere was just electric. It was bedlam at kick-off, and then stunned silence after less than a minute when Gary McAllister scored for Leeds. You could have heard a pin drop. About 30 seconds later, the crowd went nuts again. And this time they didn’t stop.

 

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?

Tim Breacker’s 40-yarder for Luton against Derby in the first minute at the Baseball Ground in May 1990. Peter Shilton didn’t even move. Luton went on to win 3-2 to stay up on the last day of the season.

 

Best stadium?

The Nou Camp takes some beating. And I love the Millennium Stadium.

 

…and the worst?

Wimbledon’s old Plough Lane ground. Trying to work in the press box there used to be little short of torment.

Your personal new-tech disaster?

My dictaphone has let me down on a few occasions. Other than that, I’ve been pretty fortunate.

Biggest mistake?

Agreeing to foot the bill for dinner with Ian ‘The Moose’ Abrahams on our first night in Poland during Euro 2012.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?

I occasionally get shouts of ‘Oi, Frankie Boyle’ at me. Cold drink has usually been taken – by them, not me, obviously.

 

Most media friendly manager?

During my early days at Hayters in the late 1980s, I would often find myself in a reasonably deserted press box at Brisbane Road covering Orient in a Sherpa Van Trophy match, or something similar. And I’ll never forget the manager at the time, Frank Clark, used to make a point after each of those occasions of thanking us for coming to cover the match. That never failed to impress me, and still does when I think about it now.

Best ever player?

I’ve not seen anyone better than Lionel Messi.

Best ever teams (club and international)?

The Barcelona team of the past three of four years is rightly lauded as being one of the best of all-time. The 1982 Brazil World Cup team is my favourite international side.

Best pre-match grub?

I’ve not been on the match reporting beat for a long time now, so I’ve missed out on the culinary riches on offer at Barclays Premier League clubs these days. Luton always used to punch above their weight when it came to a half-time feast. I certainly never used to have breakfast on a Saturday if I knew I was off to Kenilworth Road in the afternoon.

Best meal had on your travels?

During my days at Shoot, I went to the States with World Soccer editor Gavin Hamilton for the Dallas Cup. The organisers took us out once or twice and the steaks were among the biggest and best I’ve ever had.

…and the worst?

See ‘Moose’ answer above.

Best hotel stayed in?

Nothing to do with football, but it is to do with work. Like many of us I have, at one time or another, found myself ‘between jobs’. When that happens we all turn our hands to other subjects and I did some feature writing work for Raffles’ in-house magazine. That happened to coincide with a holiday to Cambodia and they very kindly offered free accommodation to myself and my girlfriend for a couple of nights at their hotels in Siam Reap and Phonm Penh.

…and the worst?

Above a pub in Liverpool. I was up there for a couple of days in the mid-90s doing interviews with the Liverpool team. We got back late one night, the pub was closed and one of the lads had to shin up the drainpipe to let us in.

Do you have a hobby?

No.

Favourite football writer?

Martin Samuel is at the top of the tree.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?

I’m obviously a bit biased, but I love the passion Sam Matterface and Stan Collymore bring to their coverage on talkSPORT. Peter Drury brings a similar passion to his TV commentary. And Martin Tyler remains up there with the very best.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?

Pretty much everything. It feels like the divide has never been greater.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?

A British & Irish Lions tour is top of my ‘to do’ list.

Favourite non-football sportsman/sports woman?

Mo Farah / Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Last book read?

Chameleon by J Jackson Bentley.

Favourite current TV programme?

Mad Men.

TV show you always switch off?

Any reality show, talent show, celebrity contest of any kind.

If you could bring one TV series back which would it be?

Hill Street Blues.

Favourite comedian?

Milton Jones.

Favourite singer/group?

The Killers, U2.

What really, really annoys you?

It’s not m8, it’s mate. It’s not gr8, it’s great. It’s not c u 2morrow, it’s see you tomorrow. Etc, etc… Plus the fact that half the population seems incapable of correctly using an apostrophe.

Your most prized football memorabilia?

I’m not really one for collecting things, but I’ve got a couple of signed Luton shirts which I’ve been given as leaving gifts from previous jobs.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?

Watch, listen and learn. I was incredibly lucky to work with someone like Dennis Signy when I started out at Hayters, and the lessons I learned just by observing him and spending time with him were invaluable in my development.

Ian Cruise is Digital Editorial Director at talkSPORT. URL is www.talksport.com.

 

ENGLISH FOOTBALL CAN LEARN FROM AUSTRALIA’S CRICKET CAPTAIN

Posted on by
Reply
‘FOOTBALLERS SHOULD BE MORE LIKE MICHAEL CLARKE’ SAYS GARY NEVILLE
By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES
Gary Neville has urged footballers to be more open and relaxed with the media, citing Australia Test captain Michael Clarke as “the template for sportsmen.”
As a player with Manchester United and England, Neville fell into the “difficult” category with football writers. When he spoke to the media he showed the eloquence and insight which has made him such a valued member of Sky Sports’ football coverage, but Neville was never as willing to stop in the mixed zone after an international as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, for example. After two years involvement with the media Neville wished he had been more helpful and had used his influence to put a message across to supporters.
In a fascinating interview with Jonathan Agnew on BBC Radio’s Test Match Special, cricket lover Neville spoke about his change of attitude towards the press since his retirement and admitted the switch from football stage to football studio was not as simple as he made it seem.
“It wasn’t an easy transformation,” he said. “When I looked back at the first few shows it was all so fast…I speak quickly anyway, but I needed to slow myself down. It was all a blur, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I work with good people and now that I have finished [playing] I appreciate the role of the media. As a player, if we’d lost a match there was no way I was going out there to speak. You think you’ve let people down. The last thing you want is to speak about it.
“I realise I could have fronted up a bit more and taken more responsibility. This is something I am conscious of now. I was watching the first Ashes Test and saw the post-match interview with Michael Clarke and it was sensational. He’s the enemy, he was a loser, but listening to him he was humble in the way he talked about Australia’s flaws, also that he should have done better with the decisions reviews and that he needed to improve himself. When you are honest like that you have a real chance. For me, that’s the sort of template of how sportsmen should be.
“Last year we saw Olympians who had come off the track and missed the gold medal they’d been training four years for, yet they still fronted up.
“That is something we can learn from in all sports, but football in particular. You appreciate it more when you’ve finished and I’m not having a go at footballers who are still playing because when you are playing you’re in a bubble. You think about your own job, your own team, your own three points but actually there is a bigger picture out there. You have a bigger message to get across…you have more power and influence than you ever recognise. When you come into the media you appreciate that more.”
Neville believes way Sir Alex Ferguson controlled the media side of the job was a part of United’s success. He said: “The teams I played in under Sir Alex had that siege mentality…you know, we’re on the island and the sharks are all around us…don’t let anybody on. That sort of mentality. We looked after one another, we protected each other. You think about David Beckham coming back from the World Cup in 1998 and the whole country’s against him, but United fans turned on the rest of the country to look after one of their own.
“This was one of Sir Alex’s ways of doing things. I can see similarities with the current England [cricket] team. They don’t let people in. They maybe are a little straight in their interviews and I can’t say that’s wrong from a sporting point of view. But when you finish, you look back and think you could have been more relaxed. It’s too late then.
“At the same time I can understand why footballers and cricketers would want to keep things tight. It’s a mad world out there and anything you say can be reported in a hundred different ways.”

THE MOST OPEN LEAGUE IN EUROPE – A DOZEN TEAMS HAVE REALISTIC HOPES OF PROMOTION FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

Posted on by
Reply

It is probably the most open league in European football and as the Championship kicks-off a dozen clubs have realistic hopes of claiming one of the three promotion places.

“Last season there were 14 points between Leicester in sixth and Peterborough in 22nd,” said Geoff Peters who covers the Championship for talkSPORT. “Fourteen points between the playoffs and relegation. This highlights how competitive the Championship is and how, if a team puts a good run together, they can lift themselves from the doldrums to possible promotion.

“Crystal Palace lost their first three games of 2012/13, but were promoted to the Barclays Premier League after winning the playoff final against Watford. At Christmas, Bolton were looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone and really should have got into the playoffs after their fantastic run, but had a last day blowout.”

The three relegated clubs from the Barclays Premier League should, on the face of it, have an advantage with their parachute payments amounting to £60 million over four years from this season, but Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves, who went down in 2012, finished eighth, 17th and 23rd respectively last May, the Molineux club suffering the ignominy of a second successive drop. However, since 2000 only nine clubs have been relegated and bounced straight back to the top flight within 12 months, so money is not necessarily the help it should be.

The bookmakers have Queens Park Rangers, Reading and Bolton as favourites to go up with Yeovil, Doncaster and Barnsley most likely to be relegated. But as Peters pointed out, the Championship is a league where form can and does change regularly. At the start of the year, Leicester were well set to win automatic promotion with Cardiff, yet just squeezed into the playoffs on the final day with a stoppage time goal. Given the investment they’ve had over the past couple of seasons they should have gone up.

“If this season’s Championship is half as competitive as last season’s we’re in for a great ride once again,” said Peters. “It’s a very even division.”

While clubs in the Barclays Premier League are likely to top £400 million with their summer spending, only around 15 players moving to Championship clubs cost fees. It is literally becoming the land of the free. “With financial fair play, this is the working market now,” said Peters.

Leicester typify the parsimonious approach to Championship transfers in 2013. Peters said: “People say ‘oh, they’re moneybags’ and yes, they spent a lot of money over the last three years, but Sven Goran-Eriksson torched a lot of money buying too many average players on high wages. The only arrival this summer is Zoumanae Bakayogo on a free from Tranmere. Leicester have done the least in the transfer market and their fans’ expectations have be lowered accordingly.”

FA Cup winners Wigan have – so far – held on to four of their most promising young players, James McCarthy, Shaun Maloney, James McArthur and Callum McManaman. Peters said: “Of the three clubs who went down, I think Wigan are the most likely to make a quick return to the Barclays Premier League. Buying Grant Holt is excellent business, he’ll score plenty of goals, while Marc-Antoine Fortune from West Bromwich is a solid signing.

“It was important for Reading to keep Adam Le Fondre while Wayne Bridge, Roysten Drenthe and Danny Williams give them experience. They also have a good manager in Nigel Adkins who led Southampton to two promotions playing outstanding football.

“Charlie Austin will help to improve QPR’s goalscoring, while if he can stay fit, Richard Dunne could be one of the summer’s best free transfers.

“If we are looking at surprise packages, Ipswich and Charlton are the best bets. When Mick McCarthy took over at Ipswich last season they had seven points from 13 games, but won 53 points from 33 after his arrival. If the season had carried on for another half a dozen games they would probably have made the playoffs. McCarthy’s experienced at this level and he’s won promotion before.

“Of the three sides that came up in 2012 I felt Charlton were the best equipped to finish highest, though finishing ninth, three points off a playoff place, surprised me. Chris Powell kept the momentum going from League One and while Charlton will rely heavily on last season’s team he has recruited well since his appointment in 2011. In Johnnie Jackson they have one of the most underrated midfielders in the Championship, he brings a lot of energy from box-to-box and scores his share of goals.”

Watford, the Championship’s top scorers last season, have signed most of the players who were on loan from Udinese and Granada. Lewis McGugan was signed from Forest – “I’m surprised Forest didn’t keep him because he’s a reliable scorer.”

Yeovil, making their debut at this level, are favourites to be relegated and manager Gary Johnson knows their form at Huish Park will be crucial. Eddie Howe transformed Bournemouth from League One relegation candidates to automatic promotion winners in six months. League One champions Doncaster have Paul Dickov in charge – “they didn’t do very well the last time they went up, despite playing attractive football.”

Peters said: “If you can get a really good team spirit going you have a chance but it’s a long season though the teams that come up are used to that having played 46 games in League One. They’ll know what a slog it is.”

So head on the block time. Peters said: “For promotion, in no particular order, my top six are Bolton, Wigan, Nottingham Forest, Watford, QPR and Reading.

“To go down, from Bournemouth, Doncaster, Yeovil, Huddersfield, Barnsley and possibly Blackpool who might struggle this season.

“But predicting anything in such an open, competitive league is so difficult. I absolutely love the division, bring it on.“