Tag Archives: opinion
The Road to Brazil starts…in Trinidad
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.
Tags: brazil 2014, Christopher Davies, editorial, opinion, world cup
What Advice Does Chelsea Adviser Hiddink Give?
"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 HIDDINKTags: Chelsea, editorial, guus hiddink, opinion, roman abramovich
Exclusive – What An Exclusive Really Is
A WELL-RESPECTED football writer told me when I was making my way in what we still call Fleet Street that there are usually about five meaningful -exclusives per season.‘Get one and you’ve done well.’ he said. ‘Two and you’ve done really well. Three, prepare for an award.’
Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, exclusives, Newspapers, opinion
Who could England face at Euro 2012?
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.’
Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, england, euro 2012, fabio capello, opinion, wayne rooney
Barcelona since 2008
On the field – 10/10In the transfer market: 5 hits, 7 misses
Total loss: £206.6m
By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES
PEP GUARDIOLA is hailed as the best young manager in world football. No one can doubt his Barcelona Dream Team are one of the greatest of all time.
Yet Barcelona’s dealings in the transfer market in the three years since he was appointed have proved much less successful than Guardiola’s on-field triumphs.
Tags: barcelona, Christopher Davies, editorial, lionel messi, opinion, pep guardiola
Joining the Enemy
HERE ARE a couple of exclusives. Sir Alex Ferguson will take over from Roberto Mancini at the noisy neighbours and Kenny Dalglish will be appointed manager of Everton.No, I haven’t been at the wine gums again. But the news that the [soon to be] former Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is in line for the Aston Villa job raised eyebrows to a new height. English football, particularly at the top level, is not littered with managers joining the enemy.
Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, liverpool, opinion
Refereeing the managers
THE SCENARIO may make football writers break out in a cold sweat while those in charge of Sky Sports would have nightmares about the possibility. Imagine managers, coaches and players being banned from talking about match officials. It would change the face of football reporting dramatically and that's putting it mildly.Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, opinion
FA must use new FIFA powers
IT WAS good to see the Football Association finally admit that they CAN take retrospective action against players.Footballwriters.co.uk pointed out last week that there was no FIFA regulation preventing the FA from upgrading a yellow card to a red to rectify an obvious error by the referee.
Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, fa, fifa, opinion
Spanish FA to help Euro contenders
The Spanish Football Federation are willing to help Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia if they reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League by allowing them to play on the Friday before the European showdowns.The trio face Arsenal, Lyon and Schalke 04 in the second leg of the round of 16. The successful clubs will be given a minimum of four days to prepare for their Champions League quarter-finals ties – of course there could be an all-Spanish class as there is no country ‘seeding’ at the quarter-finals stage.
Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, fa, opinion
Football crime can’t pay
THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION maintain they cannot take action against a player if the referee has seen the incident even if his decision at the time seems obviously wrong.FIFA, the FA say, do not allow this course of action so Wayne Rooney escaped disciplinary action for what most observers believed was an act of violent conduct on Wigan's James McCarthy.
Tags: Christopher Davies, editorial, fa, opinion
Twitter