Category Archives: Editorial

Vanarama National League – a new column

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Vanarama

Each week the FWA will round up events in the Vanarama National League in association with our sponsor Vanarama. Glenn Moore, former football editor of the Independent and FWA committee member, explains…

It is said the league table cannot be trusted until ten games have been played. Until then it a phoney war, shadow boxing, foreplay – whichever cliche takes your fancy. The Vanarama National League has now played a dozen matches, more than a quarter of the programme. It should have settled down by now with a picture of who will be contending for the title – and with it automatic promotion, and who will be pushing for the play-offs.

Well… that hasn’t quite happened. As of this morning Maidstone United are three points behind Sutton United. The Stones are not exactly on the leaders’ heels – they are back in ninth. Leyton Orient, in 13th, are three points off the play-offs. It is tighter than a Wrexham defence that has conceded six goals in 12 games. The gap from 1st to 18th-place Tranmere Rovers is nine points, easily bridgeable for last season’s runners-up.

The Championship is usually quoted as the most interesting competition. Big clubs like Aston Villa who have fallen on hard times, sleeping giants such as Leeds United waking from their slumber, upstarts Burton Albion, bloodying noses. And plenty of unpredictable results. But, after just nine matches, the leaders are already seven points clear of ninth and 11 ahead of 18th.

The Vanarama National League also has bruised egos – half the competition are ex-Football League clubs with Leyton Orient on the cusp of the Championship three years ago. There are clubs with a long-established non-League pedigree, such as Woking and Sutton. And there are the nouveau riche, keen to hurry through the leagues, like Eastleigh and Fylde.

There is plenty of vibrant life, and vivid backstories, in the regional divisions too. In Vanarama North on Saturday Harrogate Town drew a staggering 2,800 to the Bettys Tea Rooms derby with York City. Town’s win kept them ahead, on goal difference, of Salford City – famous now for their association with former Manchester United players Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt. York, who once conquered Don Howe’s Arsenal, lie seventh having finally halted a horrible slide. Close behind lie several others trying to clamber back to the full-time game including Stockport County and Darlington.

While there are 11 fallen Football League clubs in Vanarama North none are in Vanarama South. Instead there is a cluster of upwardly mobile ones such as current leaders Truro City, the highest-placed Cornish club in the football pyramid, and East Thurrock United, less than 50 years old, an Essex League club 25 years ago, and in only their second season at this level.

It is a competition full of stories, often only told when the FA Cup juggernaut rolls around and the media descend on the plucky part-timers looking for butchers and bakers. Increasingly they find instead full-time pros, especially in the Vanarama National League, but they still have stories to tell, often of rejection from a Premier League academy, a tumble down the divisions, and a quiet determination to make their way back. Every week this new column will seek to tell the tales of a fascinating competition.

For more about the Vanarama National League visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

For more about Vanarama visit  http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

THERE’S A RAT IN MY BEDROOM WHAT AM I GONNA DO?

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(call the Albanian police, of course)

Tony Incenzo on a less than magical mystery tour to Tirana

A REPORTING trip to the mystery land of Albania brought the worst experience of my life. A surreal nightmare where I played the starring role.

It was back in 1993 when I was working for Capital Radio. I arrived in the capital city Tirana forewarned of the primitive conditions.

So I brought my own mini-survival kit…bottled drinking water, biscuits, chocolate and plenty of toilet rolls. Enough to last for the two days in Albania while I covered a World Cup Qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland.

I made my way to the Hotel Tirana and initial impressions were favourable. Smartly dressed businessmen exchanged snappy handshakes in the modern foyer, the restaurant was spotless and the Irish national team were staying there in the lap of luxury. It seemed too good to be true.

But my problems started at the front desk.

“Mr Incenzo?” said the receptionist. “Oh yes, I’m terribly sorry sir, but this hotel is full. So we have booked you in at another hotel just down the road.”

They arranged a courtesy taxi to take me to the other building (which will remain nameless). I checked in and was told that my room was on the fifth floor.

Unfortunately, the elevator was out of action. So I had to hump my suitcase, hand luggage and tape recorder up five flights of stairs in 85 degrees of evening humidity.

I arrived at my room breathless and exhausted. The first thing I noticed was that the shower was permanently switched on and was flooding on to the floor. I spent half an hour trying to rectify the problem but to no avail.

Things got worse. The taps on the sink wouldn’t work, the main light was out of action, the toilet wouldn’t flush and a starlight window wouldn’t close – allowing an exotic variety of winged insects easy access to my bedroom.

“Well, this is Albania,” I said to myself, trying to make the best of a bad lot.

So I paddled through the murky water on the floor, brushed my teeth with my bottled water and got undressed for bed.

“At least I’m only here for two nights,” I thought, trying to savour the cultural experience.

But as I walked back across the room, I was greeted by a terrifying sight…a twelve inch long, black furry rat was sitting on its haunches beside my bed, staring me straight in the eye.

I felt my stomach wrench upwards and I let out a reflex cry of alarm. This startled the rat and it began to scurry around the room in concentric circles. I scurried out the door.

Down in the foyer, I complained to the hotel manager about my uninvited room guest. But to no avail.

“That’s very nice for you sir,” he grinned smugly. “Rats are really friendly. I wish I had one down here to keep me company.”

I urged him to take me seriously and demanded to be switched to another room.

“That’s not possible,” he smirked. “The hotel is full.”

I told him I would call the police but he chuckled again because the telephones were out of order. I insisted that I would find the police station but he just kept laughing in my face.

Infuriated, I stormed out on to the street and luckily spotted a passing police van. I called for help and it screeched to a halt. Unfortunately the driver couldn’t speak a word of English.

He decided to take me to the local cop shop, where I was I was surrounded by inquisitive Albanian police. It was past midnight and I was at the end of my tether. I sat there for two hours before they could find anyone who could speak English.

Finally, I managed to make myself understood. The officer in charge subsequently sent me back to my hotel accompanied by a van load of hefty riot police who yielded sturdy truncheons and lethal pistols.

I arrived back in the foyer elated with my impressive entourage. And the hotel manager changed his tune dramatically.

His flippant fit of chuckles gave way to a patronising flood of apologies. But there was still nothing he could do – the hotel was full and the rat was not his problem.

The policemen talked amongst themselves before pointing to the stairs. They gestured to me that they were prepared to kill the rat.

So it was up to the fifth floor again. I was accompanied by this meaty posse of musclemen, who limbered up by practising Kung Fu and Karate kicks as we turned the corners on the stairs.

When we reached my room, everything was quiet. The policemen seemed to fill the space with their stature and presence.

And there was no sign of the rat. Had I imagined it? Had I caused all that fuss for nothing?

The largest policeman – who was nearly seven feet tall – lifted up the bed with one hand. Without warning, the rat came charging out and started to dance around the room.

Like a scene from the Keystone Kops, the policemen lunged forward en masse with their truncheons. But the rodent managed to escape through a huge hole in the skirting board.

An amazing scenario followed. The coppers turned and proceeded to demolish the wardrobe with a series of frenetic Karate kicks. Then they rammed this timber into the skirting board to block the hole.

Triumphantly, they turned to me like actors taking their curtain call.

“There is no problem for you now sir,” said the one with the best English.

“Thank you, thank you,” I gushed. “You’ve saved my night. I really don’t know how to thank you.”

Then I remembered the chocolate bars. These would be a real luxury for Albanians. I went to my suitcase and produced a bar for each of my heroes.

The policemen accepted the chocolate but looked at me strangely.

“Me Stefano,” said one.

“Me Eric,” said another.

“Me Rico,” said the one with the biggest truncheon.

“Yes, I’m Tony,” I said confused. “And I’m very grateful.”

But I wondered why they weren’t leaving.

The policeman with the best English stepped forward.

“Rico would like to sleep with you,” he grinned.

“W-what?” I said, stepping back in fear and amazement.

“Yes, he would like to sleep with you. In the bed. You can say thank you to him personally. We will watch and then join in.”

“No…No thank you. I think the chocolate is enough,” I said and I gestured them towards the door.

The policemen left quietly. Back down in the foyer, they gave the hotel manager a verbal roasting before they departed.

I decided to book a morning alarm call. The manager took my details before whispering sweetly: “I am so sorry about the rat sir. As a form of apology, perhaps you would like me to sleep with you tonight?”

I declined his offer, rushed back to the fifth floor and firmly locked my door before retiring for the night.

ends

Club Ban Paper…So Paper Ban Club

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The unusual story of how AFC Bournemouth banned the Bournemouth Echo who responded tit-for-tat

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

Cherries: Bradbury labels players ‘immature’ – Bournemouth Echo, March 12

The Bournemouth Echo is surely the only newspaper to be banned by a club for accurately reporting what the manager said.

It is a very English habit for football writers and media organisations to be given the red card for writing something critical, clubs not believing newspapers should be impartial but should in fact be cheerleaders. Incredibly, clubs frequently ban papers for printing the truth which is exactly what the Echo did, reporting a quote from Lee Bradbury, the AFC Bournemouth manager.

The Cherries’ response? To tell the Echo: you’re banned. The Echo’s response? No, YOU’RE banned.

Supporters often ask journalists to explain how you can be banned for writing what a club official has said but we cannot. It is, sadly, the way some clubs think they should behave.

Local papers have a more sensitive line to tread than the nationals but their coverage tends to reflect what supporters are saying and after a string of defeats it is difficult to report that everything is fine and the team have no problems.

After AFC Bournemouth’s 3-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, Bradbury was unhappy with the side’s performance and called the team “immature.” Not unsurprisingly the quote was used in the intro of Ian Wadley’s match report on March 12.

After a sixth defeat in eight games, Bradbury was sacked on March 25. But five days previously the Echo, already not permitted to attend Bradbury’s press conferences, were banned by the club who were told just four hours before the kick-off against Brentford that the paper’s reporters and photographers were no longer welcome at Seward Stadium.

Echo sports editor Neil Meldrum told footballwriters.co.uk: “The headline was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back. We can be quite opinionated in some of the things we do. That was probably the main reason why they fell out with us. They perceived a lot of our coverage as negative but after five or six straight defeats, especially when the club spent £1.5 million on new players in January, it’s hard to pull many positives out of that. If you do that and expect zero criticism you are on another planet.

“If the fans were happy-go-lucky after such a run of results we may have taken a similar line but the supporters were up in arms about the defeats after the money that had been spent. “

The Echo’s response to the ban was to ban Bournemouth from the paper. Since March 20 there has not be a single mention of the Cherries in the Echo – not even their results. In effect AFC Bournemouth do not exist in the Bournemouth Echo.

The paper’s relationship with Bradbury had become strained. According to the Echo he had “taken it upon himself to make life increasingly difficult for our reporters.” Bradbury even phoned a reporter to complain about the “immature” headline even though he used the word in a press conference.

Meldrum suspects a combination of Bradbury and a club executive and not Eddie Mitchell who, since becoming chairman in 2009, had had a few runs-ins with the paper, is behind the ban.

The Echo called Mitchell “a man who approaches his own customers aggressively on the pitch, interferes in the home dressing room and swears on national radio…he felt our coverage of his much-publicised misdemeanours had been unfair and negative”. Mitchell has, the Echo said, tried to tell them which headlines to write and which stories to cover. However, he was told “in no uncertain terms” that he did not edit the newspaper and no chairman of any football club has the right to dictate to a newspaper.

AFC Bournemouth have been the subject of more than 700 back page lead stories in the Echo since Mitchell took over, the equivalent of £840,000 in the paper’s advertising rates.

The decision of editor Toby Granville to fight a ban with a ban has been welcomed by members of the FWA who have made their backing known on Twitter. While supporters rightly do not care if reporters have to occasionally put up with poor press facilities and become experts on what it is like to stand in a car park in the pouring rain waiting for a player to hopefully speak, it is a huge decision for a local paper to pull the plug on their club. Some might argue there is a duty to report the club even if press facilities are withdrawn.

Of the role reversal Meldrum said: “There is now zero coverage of Bournemouth in the paper. We realise to some extent we are letting readers down but I am sure they would rather us be an independent voice than some kind of PR vehicle for the club. Initially a few held us to account but generally supporters have said they believe the club made the wrong decision.”

Meldrum now has to plan his sports pages without coverage of the Cherries but it is not as difficult as may first appear. He said: “Obviously AFC Bournemouth not being in the paper is a big hole to fill. They were our bread and butter. But we have the biggest speedway club in the country who attract crowds not dissimilar to Bournemouth. We have a lot of local people involved in the Olympics, we have a vibrant non-league scene plus cricket so there’s lots going on.”

The hope is that there is an outbreak of common sense but that must come from the football club.

Meldrum said: “The club have said they are keen to find a resolution but we haven’t heard from them. The last time we heard from them was when we were banned.” The Echo will not contact the club – “they banned us so if they want to lift it we would welcome that but it’s up to them. If someone has issued you with a ban you consider unreasonable it’s not up to us to go crawling to them, begging to get back in. If they want to open talks we’d be delighted.”

Brodkin the lone Guardian of the Sports Desk

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BY CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

For Jon Brodkin, December 25 was just another working day on the Guardian sports desk. With one significant difference – he was the only member of the staff on duty along with colleague Penny Woods who was looking after the web site.

Yesterday was the first Boxing Day the Guardian had published during deputy news editor (sport) Brodkin’s time with the newspaper so a Christmas work rota had never been necessary.

‘We’ve been unique in that sense, not having people working on Christmas Day’ said Brodkin. ‘They asked for volunteers and I put myself forward.’

For religious reasons Brodkin does not celebrate Christmas but there was also a favourable trade-off for the New Year.

He told footballwriters.co.uk on Christmas Eve: ‘I asked for a sequence of days off over the New Year which I had special dispensation for several months ago. I felt from that point of view it was fairer for me to step forward rather than others doing a normal run of shifts and who would like to celebrate Christmas in a more traditional sense.’

Self-confessed Barnet fan Brodkin was scheduled to start at 12.30, finishing at 5.30. ‘A shorter than usual shift,’ he said. ‘Some pages will already have been sent but three have to be done on the day.

‘I would phone a reporter at home only if it was really necessary. The remit is they have a blanket day off. Any breaking news would have to be written by myself unless it was a huge story. A sacking on Christmas Day would be very harsh. I hope it doesn’t happen and not just because it would mean more work for me.’

While there were no English league games on Christmas Eve, it was business as normal in the Scottish Premier League with the Premiership rugby game between Northampton and Bath also arriving on Sunday morning.

Brodkin said: ‘There will be what you could loosely call live reports to deal with plus picture selection, page layout and that kind of thing. Most of the Boxing Day peviews would already have been prepared.’

His usual shift sees Brodkin driving home in the early hours of the morning but yesterday he was looking forward to a personal best time back to his family through the unusually empty streets of north London.

My row with David Beckham – Because I gave him a six

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The former Manchester United midfielder never forgave STUART MATHIESON for his match marking

BY CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

TO MILLIONS of people around the world Stuart Mathieson, the Manchester United correspondent of the Manchester Evening News, has the best job in football journalism.

It is the dream job for any United fan, covering Wayne Rooney and company each week yet Mathieson admits he grew up supporting the noisy neighbours.

He said: “I was a City fan as a kid. I used to sell programmes at Maine Road as a teenager but when I became a football writer at 17 I realised there was a bigger picture. I can’t say I’ve lost my affinity for the club and still look for City’s results but I became aware there were footballers out there as good as the ones I hero-worshipped.

“My family are all City fans so my job makes it easier in that as much as I love covering United I don’t necessarily want to go out all the time and talk to my family and friends about work.”

Mathieson succeeded David Meek in 1995 and since then has reported on 10 Barclays Premier League titles, three Champions League finals, three FA Cup and three Carling Cup wins

There are few reasons to be critical of the most successful club in Barclays Premier League history but United are notoriously sensitive to what they perceive as negative coverage. As the local beat man Mathieson more than anyone must be aware of the line in the sand but he has still fallen victim to the Old Trafford media sanctions. While still on good terms with Sir Alex Ferguson, Mathieson has no special privileges.

He said: “When I started I had access to Ferguson every day. I would phone him at home, the training ground or on his mobile so to be too critical then was difficult because I had to pick up speak to him the next day. But over the last five years the relationship’s changed.”

The News’s coverage of FC United of Manchester, the club formed in 2005 by supporters opposed to Malcolm Glazer’s takeover, did not go down well with the Old Trafford powerbrokers.

Mathieson said: “It was a big story and had to be covered but Fergie didn’t like the way we continued to cover it. He told me it was nothing personal but the phone call every day went out the window. I only see him at press conferences now, usually twice a week. It’s not ideal because you don’t pick up updates on injuries though in some respects it makes it easier to be critical because I have nothing to lose.”

FWA members have been handed a one-game ban – or more – for what they have written and Mathieson said: “It is very much a treading on eggshells situation for anyone who covers United. I’ve discovered down the years that whatever I write some people will think I’ve got it wrong or that I’m biased against United or biased in their favour.

“I always write honestly – I couldn’t do anything else – and if it upsets people, what can I do?”

Probably the most touchy subject for players are the marks at the end of a match report. Few FWA members have not incurred the wrath of an indignant player who feels his display has been under-valued.

Mathieson said: “Some people wonder if I have a vendetta against a player which I haven’t. If I did some would have got zero every week.

“As with everything else I do the marks honestly, not being generous because someone has given me a good interview or whatever. I’ve had big fallouts with Peter Schmeichel and David Beckham over the years. I had a major row with Beckham in France once because I’d given him six out of 10, he went ballistic. He probably felt he should have got a seven or an eight. I stood my ground and we argued. He never spoke to me again after that. When he went to Real Madrid a couple of sports papers gave him a naught for one of two games so I wasn’t that bad, perhaps.

“The 6-1 home defeat by City was easy to cover because the defeat was so comprehensive there was no argument from anybody. No one complained about their marks, mind you, I doubt if any United players read the papers for a few days.”

Mathieson has covered the cream of the Barclays Premier League players over the past 16 years and for him two stand out. He said: “In terms of being helpful, Steve Bruce was magnificent even though I didn’t work with him for that long. He was always very good to me and since he left United it’s been the same. I spoke to him before United played Sunderland about Wes Brown and John O’Shea and as always he was brilliant.

“On the pitch it has to be Cristiano Ronaldo because of the things he could do. There were some parts of his game I didn’t like but he was a sensational player and United miss him. United had five years of Ronaldo which is all they had from [Eric] Cantona and he’s an absolute legend. I think Ronaldo is very close to that. He won two titles and the 2008 Champions League final virtually on his own. He was as close to a one-man band as you can possibly get.”

Mathieson is very aware how fortunate he is to cover every game of the biggest club in the world where success is virtually guaranteed,

He said: “Like all football writers I sometimes think ‘oh no, another spread’ or ‘another back page’ but whenever I go to a match and see how many people are there…the money they have spent…it’s ridiculous even thinking about moaning. The football I’ve seen over the past 16 years, and been paid to see, has been wonderful. I don’t think there is a provincial journalist who has covered the amount of success I have.

“People have spent their life saving going to the same games as me and I never lose sight of that.”

OVERCOMING THE INTERVIEW BARRIERS

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‘THERE ARE MORE BARRIERS THAN EVER TO OVERCOME TO INTERVIEW PLAYERS’ says Daily Telegraph chief sports writer Paul Hayward

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

Paul Hayward this week returned to what many feel is his natural home, the Daily Telegraph, after a six-year absence. While most newspapers are tightening their belts, the Telegraph are again investing in their sports coverage, 21 years after producing the first broadsheet sports supplement.

Hayward said: ‘That was a golden age and it was a great challenge to be part of the revolution. It started as a Monday supplement, then a Saturday and soon there was a sports supplement every day. It put sport at the forefront of the newspaper and we were able to write about sports as never before.

‘There was more space for columns and analysis but then the recession kicked in. The Telegraph are again big and bold, investing in sports journalism which is always attractive while I know Ben Clissitt who is head of sport at the Telegraph from the Guardian.’

Hayward spent three years with the Daily Mail and a further three with the Guardian/Observer after leaving the Telegraph in 2005. He said: ‘I have never changed my style wherever I have worked. I was presumably employed because of how I wrote so there is no point in trying to write like someone else. The Mail taught me a lot. The sports pages are highly disciplined and I learned to get to the point quicker in my columns.’

Football, inevitably, dominates the life of a chief sports writer and self-confessed Brighton fan Hayward said: ‘I’d say football probably accounts for 70 per cent of my writing. You cannot be a sports writer unless you cover football. The only exception I can think of with an iconic sports writer is the great Ian Wooldridge who turned his back on football to a large extent but these days you have to be educated in football.’

As a columnist Hayward is not in the firing line when it comes to finding a back- or front-page lead though he has nothing but admiration for the news hounds who work at the sharp end of the business, searching for stories that clubs would, in many cases, prefer not to be made public.

He said: ‘I feel almost embarrassed sometimes seeing them in action, hanging around car parks and waiting in mixed zones for players. While I am usually in the mixed zone I am not under the constant intense pressure they are to produce stories to feed into the furnace. There are more barriers between the media and players than ever before. They are almost inaccessible with managers, agents or image rights consultants to be overcome.’

While in the past newspapers just competed against their rivals to break stories, the age of new technology means the internet is now a powerful opponent for the print media.

Hayward believes Twitter, the latest platform for breaking news and goal-flashes, can be used to the media’s advantage.

He said: ‘Sports journalists are cunning and have survival instincts. You can use Twitter to your advantage, opening up a market with people who would not necessarily read you. You should use your rival as a friend and a lot of writers have embraced Twitter. While you don’t want to spill the beans with a story, if you give people live observations from press conferences or games they may go on to read the real thing.’

With just about every major sporting event, plus well deserved individual awards on his CV, Hayward can look back on a wealth of happy memories but one occasion stands out. ‘When France won the 1998 World Cup with a multi-racial team and Zinedine Zidane at his peak,’ he said. ‘I was up until 5am in the streets of Paris and it was a wonderful, unforgettable night.’

The changing face of sports coverage is reflected in Hayward’s advice to the next generation of back-page football writers and columnists. ‘You must have ideas,’ he said. ‘Whoever you are interviewing, be it someone with 40 England caps or a player from Eastern Europe, you must find something new and interesting about him.

‘Also, no 21-year-old coming into the business can expect a career as just a writer. You have to take in radio and TV these days – and have plenty of energy.’

Beckham hopes for another year at Galaxy

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DAVID BECKHAM’S chances of returning to the Barclays Premier League in January were hit after he admitted he wants to play one more year in Major League Soccer.

Beckham’s four-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy ends in November. Spurs and Queens Park Rangers are keen to offer the former England captain a chance to return to English football this winter while the midfielder is keen to play for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics.

If Beckham, 36, plays a fifth MLS season, which begins in March, he would almost certainly rest during December and January.

He said: ‘I’d like one more year with the Galaxy. I feel fit and want to help the Galaxy win the championship.’

The Galaxy became the first team to clinch a play-off berth with their 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids.

Robbie Keane was only a substitute after totting up 13,000 air miles on Republic of Ireland duty.

‘It’s tough,’ said Beckham. ‘I did it for a few years and it is difficult coming back and going straight into a game.’

While Barclays Premier League clubs are often critical of the heavy schedule of English football the Galaxy are focused on trying to get through the next three weeks without injuries or undue fatigue. Between the MLS schedule and CONCACAF Champions League matches, the Galaxy won’t have anything longer than a three-day break in mid-October, two weeks before the playoffs begin.

‘THEY’RE OUT TO GET ME’ CLAIMS MOURINHO

JOSE MOURINHO believes there is a campaign against him and accused UEFA of giving Arsene Wenger preferential treatment over his touchline ban.

The Real Madrid coach, currently serving a two-game Champions League touchline ban, is no stranger to controversy, having totted up more than £200,000 in fines during his career plus several suspensions.

He said: ‘What is a serious offence for one person is not serious for another. There are certain regulations for one and the rest.

‘UEFA did not accept my appeal so I was not able to go to the bench for the Champions League semi-final [against Barcelona] last season. Yet they accepted the appeal of another coach [Wenger] punishing him two days after a crucial game for his team.

‘I have to live with this.

‘There is a campaign against me and it is well organised. I almost enjoy it, though, because it motivates me. I like new motivations.’

Mourinho was delighted that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson spoke positively of him last week.

The former Chelsea boss said: ‘He is the most historic coach in world football in my opinion. To hear what he said was humbling.’

NFL HARD LINE ON DRINK-DRIVING WOULD NOT BE WELCOME HERE

ENGLISH football will no doubt be hoping the Football Association do not adopt the policy of the National Football League in relation to drink-driving.

The NFL suspended Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Andy Moeller for two games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, also fining him £30,000..

The suspension stems from Moeller being found guilty of driving while impaired by alcohol. In the NFL, personnel are not paid while under suspension so Moeller’s ban would have also cost him around £100,00 in wages.

Imagine the reaction of managers, coaches and players found guilty of drink-driving if they also received an unpaid sporting ban. Yet anything that helps to reduce the offence should be welcomed.

Christopher Davies

The Road to Brazil starts…in Trinidad

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ONE DOWN…831 to go. Belize 5, Monserrat 2 (att 150) was never going to knock Alex McLeish or Luka Modric off the back pages but the game was significant as it was the first 2014 World Cup qualifier.

The road to Brazil started at the Ato Bolden stadium in Trinidad because there is no suitable venue in Monserrat, an island near Antigua which was almost destroyed by the 1995 reawakening of La Soufrière volcano. Deon McCauley claimed a small slice of history with the first hat-trick of the 2014 campaign.

Monserrat coach Kenny Dyer, who had a spell with Dagenham and Redbridge in the mid-90’s, remains confident ahead of the second leg in Belmopan on Sunday.

However, the smart money would be on Belize (formerly known as British Honduras) to finish off the job. Monserrat have only ever won two games since their first international in 1991 and in 2002 they earned the ignominious and unofficial distinction of being the worst team in the world when they were beaten by the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to go bottom of the FIFA rankings.

*For the serious anoraks, Bhutan, Guam, Mauritania and Brunei Darrussalam of what Sepp Blatter likes to call ‘the FIFA family’ have not registered for the competition.

Christopher Davies

What Advice Does Chelsea Adviser Hiddink Give?

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“It works well with Chelsea. Since I left two years ago I’ve been advising the club on things concerning the squad. Sometimes I become a sounding board. It costs me very little time and I can combine it well with my position with Turkey. There is no conflict at all.” – GUUS HIDDINK

IT WILL be as surprising as night following day when Guus Hiddink is announced as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor at Chelsea. The Dutchman made a positive impression when he was caretaker-manager two years ago though he knows what is expected of him – finishing runners-up to Manchester United did not save Carlo Ancelotti from becoming Roman Abramovich’s latest ex-manager.

Hiddink has been an adviser to Chelsea since he left Stamford Bridge to resume his role as coach of Russia. He’s subsequently moved on to Turkey but his advisory links with Chelsea remain. Exactly what advice he gives Chelsea has not been revealed, apart from him saying “all things concerning the squad.”. It is unlikely he would be contacted about pre-match meals or which hotel to stay in.

The biggest decisions any club makes are transfers and the hiring and firing of personnel. Was Hiddink used as a “sounding board” for the unpopular decision to sack Ray Wilkins? It is unthinkable Hiddink, who forged a close relationship with the likeable Wilkins during his spell at the Bridge, would have given the green light to the former England international’s shock and sudden mid-season departure.

Similarly, it is hard to imagine Hiddink, who knows more than anyone the difficulties of management, would have agreed that it was right for Chelsea to have shown him the door. In fact I’ve yet to hear anyone say Ancelotti got what he deserved.

So what DOES he advise on? Hiddink’s version of his advisory role is spurious. He said: “Every now and then I come and visit to do whatever might be needed but not in an official situation. I have been advising the club since I left Stamford Bridge. I advise them on an occasional basis.”

But on what? Was Hiddink contacted about the arrival of Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January? More recently, Chelsea made a bid for Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric but on whose say-so? They have no manager, no director of football so was it a board decision, Abramovich or was outside advice sought?

It is not unusual for a national coach to be contacted by someone representing a club about one of his players, to find out more about the type of personality he is or his work-ethic but Modric is not Turkish. While not suggesting anything untoward has happened between Chelsea and Hiddink it is a unique and delicate situation. The club can apparently ask Hiddink’s unofficial advice about certain aspects concerning the squad yet cannot speak to him in an official capacity about “other things” as it could constitute an illegal approach.

No doubt more will be revealed in the near future when, as just about everyone expects, Hiddink is promoted from unofficial adviser to full-time manager at Chelsea.

Christopher Davies

Who could England face at Euro 2012?

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WILL ENGLAND QUALIFY?
Well, despite their mediocre display against England should reach the Euro 2012 finals one way or the other.

ONE WAY OR THE OTHER…?
The nine group winners qualify automatically plus the best runner-up. As things stand Montenegro, second in Group G behind England on goal-difference, would qualify as the ‘fastest losers.’

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO IS THE BEST RUNNER-UP?
It is not quite as straightforward as seeing who has the most points. Some groups have six countries, some have five. In groups with six teams only the results against the sides finishing first, third, fourth and fifth are taken into consideration. England are in a five-team group but, for example, Group C has six countries. Italy are the runaway leaders with Slovenia second. Whoever finishes second to Italy would ‘lose’ their points against San Marino who I confidently predict will finish bottom.

IF THE PLAY-OFFS DRAW WERE TODAY WHO WOULD TAKE PART?
Belgium, Russia, Slovenia, Belarus, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

ARE THE PLAY-OFFS AN OPEN DRAW?
No, They will be seeded. The four runners-up with the best coefficient in UEFA’s national team ranking will be seeded. The seeded teams play the second play-off tie at home, traditionally a significant advantage.

WORST CAST SCENARIO, WOULD ENGLAND BE SEEDED IN THE PLAY-OFFS?
Yes.

AND IF, NO LET’S BE OPTIMISTIC, WHEN ENGLAND REACH THE FINALS WILL THEY BE ONE OF THE TOP SEEDS?
No. There will be four groups of four. The four top seeds will be joint-hosts Poland and Ukraine, holders Spain plus almost certainly Germany who are second behind Spain in the current European rankings. England would at best be second seeds along with Holland and Italy plus one other side. But as the coefficients take into account the 2012 qualification programme Fabio Capello’s side could be overtaken by Greece, Russia or France.

SO IF/WHEN ENGLAND REACH THE FINALS THERE IS A CHANCE THEY COULD BE THIRD SEEDS?
Yes. That would mean they might be in a group with Spain and Italy or Germany and Holland. To paraphrase Sir Alex Ferguson, that would be serious squeaky bum time.

Christopher Davies