The debate about whether soccer has “made it” in America is one that has been going on for decades. Since hosting the World Cup in 1994, the popularity of the sport in this country has steadily risen year after year. Personally I don’t believe it will ever become the most popular sport in this country. I’d be happy with it giving the NFL a run for its money, but the tidal wave of support that soccer has gotten in this country during the 2014 World Cup has been a joy to see. The thing that strikes me as being a big difference from this World Cup compared to others though has been the interest from casual fans outside of Team USA.

Typically, like the Olympics, you’ll get the people that will tune in to just our country’s matches and then be done with it. But things are different this year. People are watching and following these games every single day. It’s obviously helped that this has been hands down one of the most entertaining group stages in years, but it’s still worth mentioning that, for the most part, people have been generally excited by nearly every game of this World Cup.

But it’s not just the viewing numbers, the social media interactions or the packed bars that are leading me to proclaim that soccer is really making an impact in this country this year. If you’ve scrolled through Twitter or various news sites during the World Cup, you’ve probably been unfortunate enough to see something that truly confirms that soccer is making people sit up and take notice. I’m talking about the American political blogospheres all-out assault on soccer that has taken place throughout this World Cup. Now, as a soccer fan, I’m used to the crotchety old sports columnist talking about how soccer is bad because it’s boring, there isn’t enough scoring, you can’t even use your hands, etc. We’re at a point where pretty much everybody knows that those are just cheap column inches used to pander to a now ever dwindling section of the sports world that is vehemently against soccer.

When will the people who sit behind their cushy desks vomit words about how awful our political system is and how our country is going to hell in a hand basket on a regular basis sit up and take notice? Now you’ve made it. After forcing myself to read through several of these pieces, I’ve loosened the noose I had thrown around my ceiling fan for a second and decided that it’s time to hit back. There are a few recurring themes that I’ve noticed through a lot of these articles and I will get to them below, but it should be noted that these people know absolutely nothing about sports. They’re casual fans at best and really only pop up when their target audience has something to say about whatever sport is going on at the moment. When a sport that nobody cares about gets political bloggers to sit up and take notice, that’s when that sport has truly made it to the big time. So let’s go ahead and see how soccer is going to put America on the fast track to becoming big in the USA!

“Soccer is a team sport, there is no individualism [in soccer] and this is bad”

I remember when I was but a wee lad, just starting to play baseball and basketball, and the one thing that I was told is that those sports are “team” sports. That is a narrative that is still played out today throughout every single major sport in the United States. I was told that everything we did was for the good of the team and we were to work as a collective unit to achieve greatness. Apparently I’ve been misled my entire life. DAMN YOU FATHER, YOU LIED TO ME!

In all seriousness though, that is the perfect statement made by someone who has never actually played a sport. In baseball, for example, yes when you step to the plate it is essentially a one on one battle. It is the pitcher vs. the hitter. And whoever wins is determined on whether the batter has been gotten out or not. But if you’ve ever watched a baseball game, you see that batters often make sacrifices for the good of the team. That’s why there are terms like “sac fly” or “sac bunt.” Are we to believe that sacrificing ones individual glory for the good of the team is no longer a good thing? Conversely, if baseball is such an individual sport, then why are their 9 men on the field behind the pitcher? Surely such a bastion of Americana would reflect our true nature and have it just be a pitcher vs. a hitter, having the pitcher do all of the fielding. Why does the pitcher need 8 other guys behind him? Is he so LAZY that he needs the help of others to help achieve his goals? He’s probably a democrat. Why hasn’t this ever been addressed before?

The analysis of soccer not having individualism is spot on though. When a player runs up to take a penalty, he has 11 other men running up with him and they all kick the ball at the same time. The same goes for free kicks. I say we strike all of Andrea Pirlo’s free kick goals from the record as the entire team kicked the ball at the exact same time as he did. Death to team sports.

“Soccer is foreign and is therefore bad for America”

As a person who comes from a foreign lineage, I agree with this statement completely. All foreign things are bad. A list of other foreign things that are bad:

• Mexican Food
• Honda Cars
• Samsung Products
• Oil
• Thongs (modern thongs were introduced by an Austrian. THE MORE YOU KNOW)
• Poutine
• Ichiro Suzuki
• Adriana Lima
• Ted Cruz (ok, this one really is bad)

“…Liked soccer and you’re no better than him if you like soccer”

Bad people don’t like American sports. It’s our nation’s best way of telling whether or not they truly are a bad person. From dictators to drug lords, all bad people in this world love soccer. It’s not like Timothy McVeigh was a raised as a Buffalo Bills fan or Fidel Castro is a massive baseball fan or Kim Jong-Un is a basketball lover or anything. Those are two wholesome all American sports that only good god fearing people are fans of. True Americans would never have anything to do with anything associated with Pablo Escobar.

“There is no individual humiliation in soccer and that is something that is required of a true sport”

Are. You. F******. Kidding. Me.

If I continue doing this, my head is going to explode. Liking soccer isn’t going to turn the United States into some communist utopia. The Taliban won’t win and Russia won’t invade (hopefully!). It’s a god damn sport. It’s not a reflection on the ills of our society, it’s people in this country giving soccer an honest to goodness chance and liking it, which is all soccer fans have been asking for all along. Is it for everyone? Absolutely not. The same people who are “force feeding” or “guilting” you into liking soccer are akin to the people who force feed other people who don’t like the NFL, but that’s American so we’re just gonna go ahead and skim over that. We’re at the stage where people who know nothing about this sport are writing derogatory articles about it. We’ve finally made it soccer fans.

*Kicks chair*

The final whistle blew and you could hear the collective groan the world over, Greece had qualified for the knock out rounds of the World Cup. It was not pretty (it never is when Greece is involved) but it was a performance that is typical of this team when their backs are against the wall, resolute defending, counter attacking and a bit of luck.

Obviously this is a huge step for Greek football in general, over their three World Cup appearances the team has steadily gotten better in their performances. From zero points and getting beaten badly in each 1994 match to their first victory over Nigeria in 2010 to now qualifying for the knockouts, it’s truly impressive how this team has improved over time. The Golden Generation that won the Euros in 2004 is having its last throw of the dice on the world stage and is helping to plant the seeds for the next generation of players who will take the team forward.

Say what you will about the style of play, you cannot overlook the fighting mentality that has been ingrained in all of the Greek players, a mentality which will hopefully carry over for generations to come. Greece is far from being a world power in football but I submit that their transformation from the turn of the century to now is one of the most impressive in the entire world.

If you draw from a historical perspective the rise of Greek football has gone on a near identical path to the rise of Danish football from their 1992 Euro win to going on to qualify for three of the following six World Cups as well as making a quarterfinals appearance in one of those World Cups. Overall today’s result, from a Greek perspective, is massive. Even if they go out and lose heavily to Costa Rica in the knockouts, just the fact that they were able to make it there is an achievement in itself when you consider where this team came from just over a decade ago. But knowing Greece, they could be a good bet to be a difficult team for Costa Rica to beat, and would be worth a wager on Luckybet.gr.

With that said, the amount of hate that this team receives still astounds me. If the USA went through what Greece went through to qualify for the knockouts, Disney would be tripping over themselves to secure the movie rights. After being run off the pitch in the first game, this is a team that lost their star striker not even half way through the 2^nd match, lost one of their veteran leaders to a frivolous double yellow, then had to take off their most creative player AND their starting goalkeeper barely 20 minutes into their biggest World Cup match ever AND THEY STILL FOUND A WAY TO WIN.

I understand that it’s not pretty to watch but for a sport that loves narratives this is an absolute gold mine. As usual though, people write it off because it is just little Greece. But the Greeks and their fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Keep making the jokes about “We could have had Sweden & Zlatan” (which is false, you would have had Romania) Keep moaning and groaning about how boring it is to watch. It just makes Greece’s triumphs even sweeter for their fans, players and coaches.

This week, Twitter turns 8 years old. Lucky for us they’ve developed a nice little tool that allows you to find the first tweets of anyone who isn’t locked. It’s been great fun, especially seeing how all of the great Twitterers out there started their “legacy”. That being said, here’s a few of the better first tweets from personalities IN and AROUND the soccer world.

BEST OF THE REST

Joey Barton

Rio Ferdinand

Jonathan Wilson

Brian Phillips

Piers Morgan

talkSPORT

Old School Panini

Roger Bennett

Gary Neville

Richard Keys

Richard Farley

Boring James Milner

Guillem Balague

Henry Winter

Philippe Auclair

WORLD SOCCER TALK TEAM

World Soccer Talk

The Gaffer

Kartik

Kris

Laurence

Matt Duncan

Matt Jones

Me

Got any other good first tweets? Let us know in the comment section below!

Hello there to all you boys and girls out there in love land tonight, I’m your host Casey Kas….Morgan Green, here to take you on a journey……of love. Love is a beautiful thing and it comes in all forms. Lets take a look at some of the requests we’ve received from your clubs tonight shall we?

*Puts on Glasses*

*Fires up record player*

Chelsea: I’ll Make Love to You by Boyz 2 Men

There were always going to be sparks flying when Jose returned to the Bridge, and just like this classic song, Jose is giving the Chelsea fans all of his love this season.

Manchester City: Don’t Let Go by En Vogue

With Manuel Pellegrini there has been a lot of love, heartbreak and soul shaking at City this year. But with the Citizens three points back and a game in hand with superior goal difference, they’ll be hoping to not let go of the top spot

Arsenal: Love Will Keep Us Together by The Captain and Tenille

Eight years without a trophy, the only thing keeping Arsene and Arsenal together is their unequivocal love of each other.

Liverpool: Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye

Four points back of league leaders Chelsea, Liverpool will want to get it while the getting is good, because as we’ve seen, Liverpool fans can turn on a dime.

Tottenham Hotspur: Part Time Lover by Stevie Wonder

We still don’t know if Timmy Sherwood is the permanent solution at Spurs, but for the time being he’s giving the fans all the love and affection they can handle

Everton: I think I Love You by The Partridge Family

There were a lot of questions around Roberto Martinez becoming the new manager at Everton, slowly but surely the Everton fans are starting to realize their love for the new gaffer

Manchester United: Killing Me Softly by The Fugees

Low hanging fruit. Sue me.

Southampton: We Found Love by Rihanna f/ Calvin Harris

When Mauricio Pochettino took over at Southampton, no one realized it at the time, but they found their love in a hopeless place. Cut to Nigel Adkins crying in a corner, screaming that it should have been him.

Newcastle: You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling by The Righteous Brothers

It’s a dark time to be a Newcastle fan. You can hardly blame them for not feeling any love from Mike Ashley given the way they’ve sold off some of their best players the past few years. I imagine the fans just play this song on a loop every time they venture up to the stadium.

Swansea City: Love Song by 311

It doesn’t matter who is in charge of the Swans, the philosophy remains the same and the fans will always love that about their team. Garry Monk will do his best to make the Swans feel at home again and keep them in the Premier League.

West Ham: Let’s Stay Together by Al Green

It wasn’t long ago that West Ham were getting pummeled by teams on what seemed to be a fairly regular basis. But for all the ups and downs, they’ve decided to stay with Big Sam and it’s been paying off. Maybe keeping the band together and fit will have an even bigger benefit for the club next season.

Aston Villa: More Than Words by Extreme

There have been a lot of words spoken by Paul Lambert and Villa about the changes that the club have gone through recently. At times it’s looked promising, but they’ve hit the point where there needs to be more than words and actual promise shown on the pitch.

Hull City/Tigers: Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars

It doesn’t matter that their owner is a confirmed crazy person. It doesn’t matter that their name may be changing for insane reasons. Now that they’ve FINALLY added semi competent strikers, Hull are amazing just the way they are.

Stoke City: At Last by Etta James

Finally, Stoke rid themselves this season of Tony Pulis. They’re playing with style, flair and are flying up the tab…..ok so maybe they’re not that much better off, but at least they’re not playing caveman football right? Guys?

Crystal Palace: Lean on Me by Bill Withers

When things looked their darkest, just after Ian Holloway was sacked, all Palace needed was a friend. They got that friend in Tony Pulis who has helped them carry on their fight against relegation this season.

Norwich City: Is This Love by Whitesnake

It’s been nearly two years under Chris Hughton, so the Norwich City brass need to find out if this is really love the love that they’ve been searching for. If it’s not, then it’s possibly best for all involved that they go their separate ways.

West Brom: Hello by Lionel Ritchie

Hello? Is it Pepe Mel you’re looking for? For the Baggies sake, I certainly hope it is because I’m still not over the Steve Clarke sacking.

Sunderland: I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner

Sunderland have fallen in and out of love with several managers recently, but it seems like they’ve found someone in Gus Poyet who can heal them and show them how to love again. Hopefully, for the fans sake, this is true love that’s meant to last.

Cardiff City: Take on Me by a-ha

Love is a challenge, no one denies this. I imagine this song was running through poor Ole’s head when he took on the massive challenge of keeping the Blue/Red Birds/Dragons in the Premier League. But if anyone can keep them from being gone from the Premier League, it’s probably Ole.

Fulham:  Hero by Enrique Iglesias

Fulham need a Hero. Felix Magath may be that hero. Their performances of late have been much better, not quite kiss the pain away better, but certainly better. If anything, the fans can ease their pain by watching Enrique in his prime.

Now wasn’t that one of the most romantic journey’s you’ve ever been on? I know it’s definitely in my Top 100 (ba dum tss). Hope you have a great Valentine’s Day everyone.

PS: If you didn’t enjoy the song your team requested, here’s Casey Kasem cursing.

Kostas Mitroglou has arrived in the Premier League, and I could not be happier. You see, Mitroglou is a perfect example of what is wrong with Greek football, not just at the moment, but for most of recent memory. His career path is one that has been taken by many young Greek footballers over the years, yet it’s a path that has failed to produce any real world-class players. Luckily for Mitroglou, he has gotten out. One can only hope that he has not gotten out too late.

Mitroglou’s youth career started in Germany, where he shined in the youth academies of Duisburg and Borussia Monchengladbach. This shining Greek Starlet, as they usually do, caught the attention of giants Olympiakos, and as they usually do, Olympiakos hoovered him up. Olympiakos generally has a Bayern Munich-esque complex when it comes to football in Greece. They believe that even though they may not use them, all the talented Greek players should play for them. They also like to indulge in the policy of buying up all the best players in the league (much like Bayern) whether they really needed them or not. However, unlike Bayern Munich, Olympiakos have gone through head coaches at a Zamparini-esque clip. Needless to say, Mitroglou  had to fight an uphill battle just to even get a sniff of first team action during his time at Olympiakos. It didn’t matter how good he looked on loan at Panionios or Atromitos. It didn’t matter how much he impressed during the pre season, he was never going to be given the full time starter’s spot. Even in his last season and a half, when he really started to come into his own, he had to face competition from the likes of Javier Saviola, Rafik Djebbour, Vladimir Weiss, Djamel Abdoun and Joel Campbell. Luckily for Mitroglou, Djebbour and Abdoun both departed in the summer of 2013, which allowed manager Michel to give him the run of games that got the world focused on him in the first place.

I’ve always been skeptical of players making the jump from the Greek league to any other major league, especially a younger talent like Mitroglou. I’m a firm believer that any young Greek player of any level of talent should leave the Greek Super League immediately and grow their career in a higher quality, better run league. Had Mitroglou stayed at Monchengladbach, would he have shined brighter or earlier than he has now? Obviously that’s impossible to say, but given Gladbach’s struggles at the time, one could see Mitroglou possibly getting a shot at the first team. He certainly wouldn’t have been worse off than his early career at Olympiakos.

But the big point that people keep bringing up is the Champions League. How could Mitroglou give up the allure of playing in the Champions League to go to a club like Fulham? I understand this argument, but when you really break it down, for a team like Olympiakos, Mitroglou is giving up anywhere from 6-8 games in a top competition, while still playing the bulk of his games in a fairly uncompetitive domestic league. The Champions League isn’t going to aid his development in a way that many Oly fans thought it would.

In Mitroglou, Fulham are getting a player who is currently high on confidence and has been banging in goals for club and country all season. We’ve seen this story as recently as Nikica Jelavic. But we’ve also seen players like Kevin Mirallas, who came from Olympiakos, come in and have a sustained impact.

The future is full of possibilities for Kostas Mitroglou. Now it is up to him to fulfill his potential and become the player that every Greek supporter hopes that he can be.

For the latest Fulham news, analysis and opinion, visit the Fulham team page.

Since I joined up with World Soccer Talk, I’ve been called a lot of things. The “worst pundit on the World Soccer Talk podcast,” “a know nothing American,” “a biased Chelsea fan,” “a plastic glory hunter,” etc. I’ve had my knowledge of sports in general called into question. I’ve been asked over and over why I continue to appear on the podcast if I’m so horrible at what I do. Repeatedly I’ve seen comments calling for my head on the pod. But those are just the comments that have been put out for public consumption. Lord knows what’s being said in untagged tweets, Facebook statuses or just general conversations. But that’s the world that I’ve entered into. That’s what happens when you enter into a project where your work is put out for public consumption. I certainly have no problem taking every single one of those comments. I realize its part of the territory and that’s why I continue on with my work at World Soccer Talk.

I’m not debating the validity or the fairness of these comments. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and has a right to express their opinion, especially on the Internet where no one really has to answer for their actions. The fact of the matter is that I’m so used to these negative comments that they just roll off my back without a care in the world.

But when I see what has happened to Stan Collymore over the past couple of days where he received abuse for his opinionated views about the Luis Suarez penalty incident, I consider myself lucky to have to deal with the relatively tame arena of the World Soccer Talk comments section.

Now anyone who has followed me on Twitter knows that I’m no fan of Staniels (my name for Mr. Collymore) and I’ve certainly never held back in sharing my views on a lot of the things that he’s said. But I can honestly say that throughout all of those thoughts I’ve had about how dumb something he has said, I’ve never thought “You know what, Stan Collymore should be killed for saying that.” I get that soccer fans are a passionate lot, but how someone can get to the point where they are so enraged with something someone has said that they actually go onto a public forum and call for their life is beyond me. I’m not trying to get into the mind of someone who spends their day slinging death threats and racist abuse, at someone they’ve most likely never met, over the Internet. But it seems that most people forget (and given his past, sometimes it is easy to forget) that Stan is still a human being. A living, breathing person with feelings, and this particular wave of abuse clearly was one of the most intense he’s probably ever dealt with.

I feel bad for Stan, I really do. And I hate that I feel bad for him because when you take away all the vile things that people have said, Stan Collymore is still the same awful commentator/pundit/person that he will always be. Nothing will ever change that. But at the same time, for all of Stan’s awfulness, he’s still a person like you and me and no one deserves to have that sort of abuse thrown at them. Stan Collymore is a lot of awful things and has said a lot of awfully stupid things in a public forum, but not one of those things warrants what he had to deal with over the past several days. Being the lightning rod for a media outlet is a gift and a curse because in today’s world the line from criticism to abuse that people have to cross keeps getting pushed further and further back. I get that people will say he’s a public figure getting paid a handsome salary, and he should be able to take some abuse. But there really is no amount of money in the world that can be paid to someone to sit there and have to listen to constant threats against their life or racist abuse.

I count myself lucky that I’ve never had to deal with the things that Stan has had to deal with and I hope that I’ll never have to deal with those things. But from someone who is considered the “Worst Pundit” to another who is considered the “Worst Pundit,” I can understand at least a little bit of what Stan is feeling. We’re only human and no matter what you may think, we still feel things. I didn’t write this to say “stop telling me I suck” or “stop being mean to Stan” because those things are never going to happen. There’s always going to be that one guy.

But the next time you want to write some outlandish thing on the Internet just to top what MANUFANBOY112345GGMU said, maybe take a step back and think about how you’d feel if someone said something like that to you. If you want to criticize someone, maybe put a bit of thought into it rather than just taking the easy way out with racial abuse or death threats. Personally, if you’re going to tell me I suck, I couldn’t care less. Its the criticisms that have substance that cut the deepest.  There’s not enough accountability on the Internet and there probably never will be, but maybe if people just started using some common sense, we could all go back to just telling Stan how awful he is without having to abuse him racially.

I Am Zlatan. May I Take Your Order?

It’s not every day that you come across a story that makes you do a bit of a double take, but that’s exactly what happened to me when I found this article announcing that PSG have formed a partnership with McDonald’s. That obviously isn’t the funny part, we’ve seen fast food chains mixing with football clubs in the past. What really got me was the reasoning behind it and the product that is going to be coming out of it.

“To associate our brand to that of Paris Saint-Germain was an obvious choice for us, given how similar our publics are, in their diversity and their desire to experience strong emotions and share moments of pleasure,”

That is an actual quote by Fabrice Buisson, the director of McDonald’s Ile-de-France region.

Now, I’m not sure what kind of experience one has at a McDonald’s in Paris, but I assume it’s fairly similar to the one that I would have at my local McDonald’s here in the United States. The only strong emotion I have when eating there is overwhelming sadness and guilt knowing that my standard of living has fallen so far. But I imagine a supporter has the same feeling when they leave the Parc des Princes, the shame that they’re supporting a team that is ultimately going to contribute to obesity, heart failure and their inevitable death. The only moment of pleasure one has when at a McDonald’s is passing by a McDonald’s and thinking “Man, I can’t believe I used to eat there” as you pull into Taco Bell.

But that’s not the only thing that is coming out of this partnership, oh there is so much more. McDonald’s is going so far that they’re creating a meal deal called the “Menu Paris Saint Germain”. And in true World Soccer Talk fashion, we have an EXCLUSIVE look at what will be on said Meal Deal.

Now my French is a little rusty (I took it in high school, which clearly qualifies me to translate this secret document), but here’s what I’ve been able to decipher regarding the upcoming PSG Menu that will be available in 200 McDonald’s around the Paris region:

Chicken Sandwich With Douchez Sauce — It’s actually been around for years but nobody bothered to take it out of the box. It appears though that the chicken itself has been Pastore raised. Don’t look to much into that though, it just means that they let it out to run around for 45 minutes before putting it back in its cage.

The Cavani Burger — It sounds like a treat, served with lettuce, pickles, onions and a Blaisein hot sauce that will be taken out of the rotation around January when it will reappear in London.

Menez Chicken Strips — There’s even a chicken strip selection that allows you to order as Menez pieces as you want. I’d skip those though since there’s only one good strip out of every 6.

Thiago Silva Wrap — The wrap starts out tasting delicious but by the time you get to the end of it you’ll just want to kick everyone around you out of frustration for eating it in the first place.

The sizes of these meals come in Moura, Motta and Alex, which is curious because they discontinued the Super Sized meal years ago.

All meal orders will be taken by a man with a Blanc stare who will judge you no matter what you order and will be delivered to you by Zlatan Ibrahimovic himself and he will karate kick you in the heart if you don’t leave him a tip.

So there you have it, corporate sponsorship at its finest. We can only hope that one day McDonald’s will partner with some Premier League teams to help bring this experience to the English fans. Perhaps they’ll do it in London where every meal will come with you being racially abused by John Terry. Or to Liverpool where Luis Suarez will deliver your food already half eaten and then bite you when you ask him what the hell happened. It’s a wonderful world we live in folks.

It’s here. The game that, coupled with FIFA (or PES if you’re one of those), will ensure that you have no life outside of staring at a screen until your eyes bleed. That’s right, Football Manager 14 is here and I know that I could not be happier.

Now I’ll level with you, I’ve played FM on and off throughout the years — mainly due to the fact that I’ve been more into console games rather than computer games, but whenever I’ve actually picked up playing FM, it’s taken over my life. It was no different with FM13 and it certainly won’t be any different with FM14. So let’s go ahead and break down this sucker. I will try and make this as painless as possible.

When it comes to a game like Football Manager, where the actual game play is simulation based, there really aren’t a lot of changes that can be made to it. With that in mind, a lot of the changes that have been made are a lot of small, detail oriented changes that make the process of getting to the actual game a lot smoother and more fun.

The first thing that jumped out at me when starting a new game was a fun little addition they made to the coaching profile. As you know in your profile, you can choose your nationality and generally it ends there. Generally I’ll choose Greek as my nationality because as we all know, European managers are better than American ones, am I right? But it doesn’t just end with choosing a nationality, you can actually go in and select the city from which you are from as well. Now this may seem like just a little thing, but I think that it’s pretty cool that I can go in and choose the small town (Karitsa, for those that are curious) that my Papou came from and link that to my coaching profile.

Once you actually get into the main coaching menu of the game, you’ll notice that the screen looks a lot different from FM13. It’s not a drastic change in the layout like there was in FIFA 14, but the look itself has changed and, to be honest, it looks a lot smoother. The sections in which each screen is broken down too are bigger and the blue theme almost makes it feel brighter, which is aesthetically pleasing. The conversations as well have changed in that they almost have a real-time feel to them. At least to me in FM13, when you had your conversations it felt almost as if you were texting with the person, where as now it looks and feels almost like real-time dialog.

As far as the actual simulation goes, there have been a few changes, but the most noticeable change is a pretty big one that is extremely convenient. I’m sure we all remember how during the game, your Assistant Manager chirps up and makes critiques about the team and how you’ve laid them out (no doubt in an effort to try and steal your job). Occasionally he makes a decent point in regards to the game and you probably would like to heed his advice and make a change. Before you would have to pause the game (at least I did) and then shift through all of your settings to try and find the best one to implement said change. In FM14, they’ve added an “Apply” button to your assistant managers advice that allows you to implement it straight away. No looking through menus and guessing what you need to do for the change, it just does it right there for you.

The other thing that used to bug me would be when you subbed a player off and when the game was waiting for the next play, you would have to scroll down the menu to see how your subs are playing. This could get frustrating, especially if you were playing a game where there was a lot of action. Well no more, your subs show right up in the main lineup on the waiting for next play screen.

As I’ve said, there are a lot of small changes that have been made to the game that help make it more efficient, more detailed and get you maybe just a little bit more invested in your career. The game continues to do a great job of pulling you in and making sure that you neglect your daily duties and loved ones. But what else would you expect from the FM franchise right?

Football Manager 14 is now available for download.

While many of you were laughing at businessman and self proclaimed Leader Assem Allam for his views on rebranding clubs, I actually took the time to analyze his statements.

All in all, Mr. Allam is correct. The world is a changing place and soon teams will have to adapt to it or be left in the dust. In a world where our thoughts are processed in 140 characters or less, no one has the time to be saying (or using valuable Twitter characters) a team’s full name. Honestly, if I had to write “Manchester United Football Club” every time I referenced them on Twitter, I’d only have 109 characters left in which to make my witty remarks. But Mr. Allam’s vision isn’t completely foolproof though. While shortening the name is a great idea, he suggested to go for “power” when renaming your football club. I think this is a HUGE flaw in his business model. While power is good, it doesn’t have the mass appeal that “cute” or “cuddly” has. I mean if you really want to market your team, why limit yourself to just males between the ages of 18-35? You really need to just go all out and brand yourself to everyone: men, women, children, the elderly and the dead.

So the following are the proposals for a rebranding of every team in the Premier League to help give them more marketable and give them a wider appeal.

Arsenal Wizards

I have to admit, this one was inspired by the rebrand of the Washington Professional Basketball Franchise when they changed their name from the “Bullets” to the “Wizards”. There’s no room for violence or guns when you’re branding your team. It also allows them to turn the Arsenal Ladies into the Witches.

Aston Heroes

No one wants to be a Villain. Why has this team been playing up being a bad guy for so many years? Such negativity. These are the sort of people you create when you’re called the Villains — awful human beings that run around maiming children. Calling this team the Heroes will open up a whole new fan base to them. Hopefully for us it’s a fan base full of costumes, lucha libre masks and background music played by One Direction.

Cardiff Whales

It’s smart, it’s clever and it’s geographically correct. Perfect for a team from the capital of a (sort of) country. Why owner and everybody’s cousin Vincent Tan went just for the Asian market is beyond me. I would have thought Vinny would have had the foresight to see what a huge marketing coup this would have been. The Beanie Babies sales alone would have bought them Cristiano Ronaldo.

Chelsea Afros

The addition of Willian had nothing to do with his talent on the field (or with preventing him from going to a rival club). It was all about his hair. Heck Roman isn’t even hiding the fact that he’s about to rebrand this team, just look at the summer signing of Isaiah Brown. Roman’s fetish for large floppy afro’s is one that I share as well, so I am not opposed to this rebrand. Besides, think of all the wonderful wigs they can sell at the Chelsea Megastore. I’m almost convinced Victor Moses was sent out on loan because he refused to take out his cornrows.

Diamond Palace

It should be no shock, given Crystal Palaces past money woes, they would be going after the big ticket items. Everybody knows that diamonds are a girl’s best friend and what better way to build up your significant others hopes than by telling them you’re taking them to “Diamond Palace”. The look of horror that shows up on their face when they walk in to Selhurst Park will be worth the physical abuse you receive when you get home that evening.

Everton Toffees

This one…actually works quite well as is, I mean who doesn’t like Toffee?

Fulham 1980’s

A spin on the American Franchises named after years. The 1980’s was a great time to be alive. Already having a statue of an 80’s icon outside the ground is great and it helps that most of the players on this team were teenagers during the 1980’s. Besides who wouldn’t want to see Martin Jol dressed like this during an 80’s night at the Cottage?

Hull-O Kitties

This is possibly the greatest rebrand of all time and I’m just giving it to Assem Allam (though a finder’s fee would be lovely). There is no bigger animal name brand across the world than Hello Kitty. Every female in the world would be throwing their money at Allam for the chance to have this year’s third shirt. Tigers are too vicious anyways. Are you trying to scare the children Assem?

Liverpool Lollies

This was a tough one I have to admit, but only because of the name Liverpool. While I (and presumably the rest of the world) finds liver repulsive, you need to do something to sweeten the pot. So what’s sweeter than a lollipop? Doctors practically throw those things at kids by the handful. Besides think of the financial bump this team will get every year around Halloween time. It’s genius John Henry. Now give me a job like you did Jen Chang, I promise only to threaten real bloggers.

Manchester Pepsi

If there’s one thing that can be said about clubs in Manchester, it’s that they love their money. This allows them to technically still remain blue AND aligns them with one of the most powerful soft drink companies in the world. Plus, you already have a built in loyal fan base who will buy only Pepsi products and it’d be a huge hit in North Carolina, which loves its blue stuff. This, of course brings us to…

Manchester Coke

SO MANY POTENTIAL DOLLARS! I mean really people, how has no one suggested this to the Glazers yet? Coke, like Manchester United, is literally everywhere you turn. Added bonus: You’re incorporating the Manchester derby AND the Coke/Pepsi rivalry. This is presumably how World War III inevitably starts and even after all the money is counted, United will still only be $300 million in debt.

Newcastle Vignette

Look at the name! It sounds French! It fits because they have a lot of French players! Plus who doesn’t like taking the family out to the vineyard for a nice picnic every once in a while. The kids can eat the grapes right? Presumably this would be one of the riskier names only because Joe Kineaar would try to drink any product associated with it.

Norwich Tweeties

Again I’m giving away multibillion dollar ideas away to these owners. They’re already known as the Canaries, why not rebrand to the most famous Canary of all time? Women and children would be breaking down the doors to the team store just to get a hold of any merchandise. ZOMG SO CUTE.

Southampton Ships

If you have ever been/had a male child, you know their obsession with things that are large and move. So what better than the Ships? Heck there’s a built-in Disney Cruise Lines marketing contract. Might be risky given some of the history of Ships leaving Southampton though…

Bicycle Stoke

Ok, this one is a stretch, but it’s a mode of transportation that is used throughout the world by all classes of people. Partner up with Huffy and you’ve got yourself a great deal. AND there’s the added possibility of this being sung before every game, which would be fantastic if the Stoke fans ever decided to participate.

Sunderland Amore

Given the recent influx of Italians into the region (there are four of them now!), it’s only natural that Ellis Short goes with a romantic Italian themed name. Not to mention the fact that they could link up with any of the billion Italian restaurants throughout the world that carry that name. Again we also have to look at the crowd aspect and think that a crowd of 20k plus singing this would probably be really, really cool.

Swansea Sheep

A bird that is traditionally linked with beauty? Check. An animal that is cute, cuddly and fluffy? Double check. It grabs the adults with the swans and the kids with the sheep. It’s literally a double whammy of marketability. Besides, there was no way one of these teams from Wales wasn’t getting a sheep mascot on my watch.

Tottenham Hot Tub

Spurs can now drop that Sauce sponsor from their shirts in favor of a Whirlpool sponsor. Everyone loves a hot tub. Families, bachelors, everyone young and old can get down with a hot tub. Surely like most hot tubs, this team will be a worthwhile investment that won’t go ignored after the initial investment wears off.

West Sandwich

Someone call Jimmy Johns because they’re about to go global (Note: This is an awful idea). Sandwiches have been enjoyed for forever and it only makes sense to rename this team to the Sandwich since no one knows what a Bromwich is (though I guarantee you Big Sam would eat one). Plus you can name individual Sandwiches after players on the roster. Beware the Ben Foster though, the insides are constantly spilling out.

West Ham

Yes, I know, I’m slipping with another food reference. But let’s be honest, Ham is great and you need to keep this rebrand as simple as possible. This is one even Gold & Sullivan couldn’t screw up. Just imagine Carlton Cole in a bone in ham suit and you’ve got your mascot.

So there you have it. I’ve done all the leg work for the potential Premier League rebrands. No all those lazy billionaire owners in the Premier League can thank me by emailing me at Morgan@worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com so I can tell them where to send my checks to.

It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for me that’s included 6+ hours in a car, travel through three states and an absolute thrashing on a football pitch in Baltimore.

Going to the USA vs. El Salvador quarterfinal in Baltimore, Maryland was a first for me. I had been to several club friendlies at the same venue (which included the Pirelli Cup match between Inter Milan and Man City a few years ago, though I wouldn’t have called that match ‘competitive’) so this really was an eye-opening experience for me. The only time I have seen M&T Bank stadium packed to capacity (other than Ravens games) was a friendly between AC Milan and Chelsea a few years ago, a match that I unfortunately was not able to attend. But there really is something different when it comes to competitive international matches, there’s a sort of buzz in the atmosphere that is kind of hard to explain.

For starters, the drive into the stadium was absolute madness. As I drove in with Jim, the cameraman from my local TV station, we had a discussion about what the ratio would be of American fans compared to El Salvadorian fans. I assured him that the American fans would turn out, but was positive they would be outnumbered by the visitors. It wasn’t until we were within eyesight of the stadium that we saw the true disparity between the two. It was as if the stadium sat in a sea of blue and white, the occasional red spec here and there, like a buoy you see if you’ve ever been out boating. Then there was the noise, it was like running into a wall of sound the second you exited the car. Drums, horns, saxophones, you name it and it was being played as loud as possible (though not always in the appropriate key).

I had the fortune of meeting up with my cousin before the game. He had made the trip from Bowling Green, Virginia, and as I scanned the crowd at the bar we met at, I was almost positive that he would have been the sole representative of the good ‘ol USA in his section. My cousin is a veteran of USA matches and I had asked him if this sort of thing was normal. I expected a disparity of possibly 60-40, but this was looking 80-20 and the gap was shrinking every minute. “This isn’t shocking at all, El Salvador usually plays a friendly at RFK and whenever they do they sell the stadium out every time” he told me.  I had tried to talk to a few El Salvadorian fans, but my lack of Spanish speaking skills proved to be a bridge to far in most cases, but one couple was happy enough to let me take a picture of their young daughter, undoubtedly going to her first match as well. For the most part the El Salvadorian fans were extremely friendly, those with instruments would walk around the stadium playing their songs, even stopping for groups of American fans to chant “USA, USA, USA”, which to me was a bit odd at first, but it was that show of duel pride that kind of put things in perspective for me. Even though their home country was playing in a quarter final, they were still happy to chant and mingle with their fellow American fans, showing pride for the country of their birth and the country they had made their lives in.

As kickoff drew near, I made my way back to the press box, eagerly awaiting the national anthems to be played. I’m a sucker for national anthems. There’s something supremely emotional and prideful when one is singing the national anthem in a competitive match. The El Salvadorians absolutely delivered in that respect. The familiar chills that come along with hearing 60+ thousand people singing in unison came and went. Though the USA fans were outnumbered, they gave an impressive performance when it came to the national anthem as well (and a hearty Baltimore ‘OH’ from both sets of fans from the local area) was extremely pleasing to hear.

As the match got underway, it was clear that the US was on a different level. Aside from an extremely dodgy penalty, the US should have been free and clear by halftime. Kyle Beckerman and Mix Diskerud owned the midfield for the majority of the game. It seemed that every substitution that Jurgen Klinsmann made paid immediate dividends, highlighted by the Michael Chopra-esque substitute goal scored by Eddie Johnson.

Unfortunately that is when things started to get ugly. Prior to the Eddie Johnson goal, there had been a small incident at the corner flag where something was thrown onto the pitch. I had written it off as nothing, but really it was a sign of the many things to come. As the rain started to pour down at M&T Bank stadium, so did the beer, cups and debris. Some of the more hardcore El Salvadorian fans had not taken a liking to the spanking they were receiving on the pitch and had decided to show their displeasure by showering those around them with the $11 dollar beers they had purchased not long before (wasting beer in such a fashion should be a felony). Fights had started to break out throughout the stadium, there were at least two within eyesight of the press box. As Landon Donovan and Mix Diskerud added to the tally, the anger grew more and more. It really was a shame to see. Clearly not all of the El Salvadorian fans felt there was a need to act in such a way. The majority of them seemed to be angry at their fellow countrymen for displaying such animosity.

As I met back up with Jim for the post game press conferences, he had informed me that there were multiple fights outside of the stadium as well as inside. He had spoken to the head of security at the stadium who said they had tripled the amount of security and it still was barely enough to handle what was going on.

The post match press conferences were routine as to be expected. Agustin Castillo acknowledged the gulf in class between the two clubs, stating that their game plan was to try and come at Beckerman to disrupt the midfield and that plan had backfired.

The most telling interview though came from Landon Donovan who, at the time, made a statement that seemed quite harsh, but after having time to digest it, I actually kind of understand where he may have been coming from.

“The fans show up in their blue and white and their jerseys, they boo us, then at halftime they take their jerseys off to show American ones underneath.”

While initially to me it seemed (and possibly was intended to be) a shot across the bow at El Salvador, but when I think about it he was right (in a sense and I hate agreeing with Landon Donovan). The majority of the fans were there to support El Salvador, the country of their birth. It’s something to draw pride from and something that, as someone who takes immense pride in their Greek heritage, I can completely understand. But the United States is where they live now. They’ve made their lives here. They’ve brought their families here. Their kids go to school here. So what is so wrong with supporting both the country of your birth and the country you’ve made your home in? Personally I think it’s great. Yes you may be pulling a bit harder for your ‘homeland’ but in the end, when the land that you make your home in does well, there’s no shame in supporting them too.

As we all know another Premier League team has been bought by another money hungry (Pakistani) American. So naturally there is a ton of outrage. How couldn’t there be?

Fulham, a club that has been English owned for so long before being acquired by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, has fallen into the grasp of American ownership. So naturally when I had heard of such a travesty I was heartbroken, especially for the Fulham fans. Now they have to walk around with the shame that comes from supporting a team owned by Americans. Like a leper, they will be cast out by their fellow fans, much like what happened to the fans of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. My heart bleeds for these people. So I want to take a moment to apologize to all of the fans in the Premier League for the growing American influence. Time after time we’ve seen these American Owners come in and destroy these clubs inside and out.

To Manchester United fans:

I. Am. Sorry. I’m sorry that your club has been saddled with this horrible debt that has prevented you from being profitable. The debt brought on by the Glazers has kept the team from making marquee signings and achieving success on the field. Since Malcolm Glazer took initial interest in the club in 2003, you’ve only won the Premier League five times and only won one Champions League title, which is absolutely pitiful. The inability of Manchester United to buy players to help win ten Championships has been a cloud that has hung over Old Trafford since the day Malcolm Glazer bought his first share in the club. Sure the team has become more marketable and profitable than ever, but the lack of trophies domestically and in Europe is a HUGE price to pay to be able to pay the bills. Frankly I’m surprised they can even keep the lights on at Old Trafford. If only Ken Bates had taken the money he got from Roman Abramovich and used it to buy Manchester United. Think of how much better off you would have been. I weep for these long suffering fans. The stigma of having American owners has clearly affected the fans as well. Their ongoing protest against anything that has to do with the club has really taken a toll. We never see Manchester United on television anymore and when we do, the thousands upon thousands of empty seats is just embarrassing. I’m glad that those five titles didn’t tempt the fans to give in and come back to a soulless club.

To Arsenal Fans:

I. Am. Sorry. The rollercoaster ride that Arsenal has been on since Stan Kroenke initially bought shares in the team has been heartbreaking to watch. The fans, sitting on the edge of their seats, trying to figure out where inside the Top Four they’re going to finish has to be agony and something that no other fan on the Premier League would wish on their worst enemy. Never mind the fact that the team was already two years without a trophy when he initially came in. Or the fact that Arsenal is now one of the most financially secure clubs in the entire world. It’s the fact that the owner is American and top players won’t sign for Arsenal because of this. It’s amazing that Arsene Wenger, saddled with this burden, has been able to keep the team competitive for all these years. Relying on signing soulless no name mercenaries, who are the only type of player who can play under American ownership, to keep the club afloat. How Arsenal fans can stand to look at themselves in the mirror is beyond me.

To Liverpool Fans:

I am genuinely sorry for Hicks and Gillett. They truly are wankers of the highest level. I promise you we don’t want them either. There really isn’t much else I can say but things can only get better with FSG!

To Sunderland Fans:

I Am Sorry. Ellis Short has ruined a club that has one of the richest histories of success in the top flight and it is a travesty. Since he has taken over, Sunderland have had their longest stay in the top flight since the 1950’s and that just won’t do. This was a team that won their last league title in 1935-36 and the FA Cup in 1973, so success has come natural for the team and Ellis Short has destroyed that legacy. My colleague Matt Duncan goes seasons without sleep knowing that his beloved Sunderland is owned by an American who has turned his club into his own personal play thing. I’m sure he weeps at night, wishing his team were owned by an Englishman, say Mike Ashley, to restore some credibility to his club. Just imagine what his poor wife has to put up with.

To Aston Villa Fans:

I Am Sorry. Randy Lerner has taken your proud club and turned it into a laughing stock. Another perennial title contender, like Manchester United and Arsenal, neutered and shamed by an American owner. Sure the club had finished outside the Top Ten the two seasons before his ownership and sure it’s been over 30 years since the team’s last title, but what Randy Lerner has done to the club since he bought the team is unforgivable. This is a man who hired Alex McLeish and then actually let him last an entire season before bringing in a no-name French manager, Paul Lambert. How there are any Villa fans left is beyond me.

Clearly as you can see, as an American, I have a lot to be sorry for. The things that these teams have gone through would never have happened with British 0wnership. But not only am I sorry for what the American owners have done to the Premier League, I’m also sorry that my country is only giving you millions and millions of pounds so that we can watch the Premier League. That’s money that should be spent elsewhere, instead of being given to all the teams in the Premier League to do with as they wish. I can only hope that one day in the future, all the American owners and American money flowing into the Premier League is taken out and sent elsewhere. Perhaps those godless heathens in Spain and Italy would take the dirty money thrown around by the Americans. So then guys like Ken Bates, Gold and Sullivan, Dave Whelan and Pete Winkelman can restore the Premier League to its true glory. If there is one thing that we all know from the history of English football, it’s that English owners know best and they have never ruined any club ever.

A Note From The Author: If you take one thing away from this apology, it should be this: All owners are awful. No matter their race or creed. No one who amasses enough money to buy a professional sports team is going to be a saint. Complaining that one nationality of owner is worse than another is asinine and only serves to make you look like a fool. Send your complaints to morgan@worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com or on Twitter @Morgan_Green

Well the season is over and to be completely honest, life sucks. After the Champions League final we as a people are going to be deprived of a steady source of meaningful football until August. What am I supposed to do with all this free time I’ll have on the weekends now? I guess I could do some work around the house (fat chance), spend time with my family (HA!) or start working out more on the weekends (good luck with that one).

In all honesty the summer break, no matter how brief it may be, is the worst time of year for a soccer fan, especially in a non Euro/World Cup Year. There is literally nothing aside from the odd summer tour and random friendlies, which are nothing more than glorified training ground exercises. The only thing that keeps me going during this barren period (aside from hard liquor) are these magical little articles that populate the blogosphere known as Transfer Rumors. When you think about it, Transfer Rumors are no different than the god awful celebrity gossip that takes up the other 95% of Twitter that isn’t used by soccer. So while we may make fun of our significant others for getting excited because Kim Kardashian is going to ruin her child’s life by giving it a god awful name, I have no doubt they’re making fun of us for getting excited over the fact that Alvaro Negredo is going to West Ham. Trust me, they’re judging you.

But it’s those Transfer Rumors that sustain us throughout the summer. You know you’ve seen a rumor about a player coming to your team, immediately gone to FIFA and put that player on your team. Just to see how it would work out when you get FIFA 14. We’ve all done it. But because football media is so full of journalists, bloggers and Twitter experts, it’s tough to weed out what’s credible and what’s just absolute horse crap. So the following is a breakdown of how much weight you should probably put into the rumors you may see during the summer. It’s a system that I’ve painstakingly developed to help myself determine how much weight I should put into a rumor. The rumors will be measured by the amount of “Shreeves” (That’s probably metric, not sure) it weighs. The higher the Shreeves, the less likely I am to believe it. So without further adieu, let’s fire up the scale, start breaking down and weighing these rumors.

The Untouchables:

Weight: 100 Shreeves

There are really only two untouchables in the world of football and we all know who these two are. Any rumor you see involving Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are going to be full of Shreeves. We all know the reasons why and even though there were rumors that Ronaldo was unhappy at Real Madrid, he’s not leaving anytime soon. These players are worth more than whole leagues and have no reason to leave the clubs they’re at because their brands are directly linked to them.

The Big Names:

Weight: 90 Shreeves

Here we enter the most plentiful of rumors. The players whose mere inclusion in any rumor merits a click just to see which team they’re being linked with this hour. We’re talking Falcao, Cavani, etc. In the past month alone Radamel Falcao has been sold to Manchester United, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Manchester City, with Cavani being the runner up prize to the teams who weren’t able to land the primo big name. We’ve all seen the articles. “If *insert team here* want to challenge for the title, they HAVE to get *insert player*”. The fact of the matter is that any team (other than QPR) that got one of these players would challenge for some form of silverware in whichever league they end up in. Then you factor in the prices that are being thrown around and there are a number of top echelon teams that can afford to bring them in. Generally you want to take any and all rumors regarding these players with a grain of salt until one of them is holding up a shirt.

They’re Super Rich So They’ll Buy Everyone:

Weight: 70 Shreeves

It seems like every year there is a new super rich club that has an insane number of players being linked to them solely because they have money to spend. In recent times we’ve seen teams like Anzhi and PSG as the new Super Rich team. Fitting into that role this season is AS Monaco. So far we’ve seen Dmitry Rybolovlev’s billions linked to a quarter of the Colombian National team on top of the likes of Rooney, Tevez, Nasri, Dani Alves and Andy Carroll (seriously, Andy Carroll to Monaco was a thing. Look it up if you don’t believe me). These are the easiest rumors to start mainly because in most cases, teams like Monaco can afford to pay outrageous transfer fees. So literally everyone is in play, every outcast, every upset footballer, every top player at his position. These are tough rumors to decipher because teams like Monaco want to make a big splash and we’ve seen players like Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic make this move before. Which is why it is so hard to tell what can be real and what is just fodder and why blogs thrive on teams like this because inevitably someone will bite and go to Monaco (though you can almost guarantee it won’t be an Englishman). PSG has done the best job so far of actually buying the big names that they’ve been linked to so let’s sit back and see if Monaco can replicate their spending spree.

The Neverending Story:

Weight: 50 Shreeves

There are certain players that are constantly linked with one team over and over and over again. Most recently Spurs have been on the end of a few of these, mainly with their sagas involving Leandro Damaio and Joao Moutinho. Every transfer window these two players are constantly linked with Spurs and yet nothing ever seems to materialize, despite how close they’ve reportedly been to signing both of the players. When looking at rumors like these you have to realize that there is some form of mutual attraction or else the rumors wouldn’t persist. But for whatever reason when the two parties get to the final hurdle someone ends up face planting while the rest of the field passes them by as they are left whimpering on the ground wondering what could have been. In the end if one of these sagas does have a happy ending, it’s usually because one side caved for one reason or another (usually wages, looking at you Levy). If you really want to judge these rumors properly, you need to look at the team that they’re linked to. If it’s a team that typically ends up getting what it wants (if you believe the Andre Schurrle deal to Chelsea is in fact done) then generally there’s a good chance that player will end up with that club eventually.

Decent Player, Decent Club, Why Not:

Weight: 35 Shreeves

These are the non flashy, not necessarily big name rumors that will generate clicks. Generally because these rumors aren’t as sexy, they usually tend to turn out the way that it is predicted. Basically with rumors like this you’re talking the likes of Steven Fletcher to Sunderland. A team filling a need with a good player, but it’s not going to be getting worldwide headlines when the deal is done.

The Prospect:

Weight: 10 Shreeves

Generally when you see a player you’ve never heard of from a lower division team you’ve never heard of linked to a club, it’s because that club has done its homework. These are less rumors and more of an insight into who and how teams scout their players. Granted not everyone of these rumors ends up happening, but if you’re a fan of the club you usually have a good sense about whether your team is in on a player like this or not.

So there you have it, a quick guide on transfer rumors to help you get through the summer. Don’t let the amount of Shreeves that is designated to a rumor put you off. If we know anything, the football world is full of Shreeves, in fact it’s over flowing with Shreeves. But as we all know the transfer market is an extremely volatile place where anything can happen. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go add Schurrle and Falcao to Chelsea.

I think it’s fair to say that there are many problems with QPR as a team that are keeping them from reaching their potential. The team undoubtedly has talent but a lack of cohesion and discipline on top of poor management has seen them just above the foot of the table on goal difference (thanks to Southampton’s historically bad defense). I’ve compiled some numbers through my own research to help shed some light on just how bad QPR have been, not just this season, but since their return to the Premier League.

But let’s start with the here and now:

10:

QPR have become the 8^th team in Premier League history to go 10 games into a season without recording a single victory. Here is how they compare to the rest of the teams that have achieved this dubious feat.

As you can see, they aren’t necessarily in the worst position when compared to the rest of the teams who have gone this far into a season without a win. In fact, Blackburn finishing 13^th after only garnering 4 points could be a sign of hope for Rangers fans to hold onto. But generally when a team goes this deep into a season without a victory it usually ends in relegation as it has done five of the previous seven times. They do have a way to go to catch Swindon Town’s 16 games without a victory and their next six games have some winnable fixtures in them. Away to Stoke (who they beat home and away last season), home to Southampton, away to Manchester United & Sunderland, back home for Aston Villa and away again to Wigan. Surely there are at least three winnable fixtures in that run to help QPR stop the early season rot and right the ship. Their overall losing streak extends back to the final day of last season, which puts it as 11 overall and in that time they’ve managed four draws and seven losses.

3:

Our next number is three, which is the number of wins that QPR have managed in their road games dating back to last season, which is the fewest in the Premier League. While that is an abysmal total, QPR aren’t alone in their road woes as there are 3 other teams right behind them with only 4 wins in their road travels dating back to last season. Here’s the table on some of the feeblest road warriors dating back to last season:

Though the rest of these teams are just behind QPR in a win total, the amount of losses that they’ve suffered on the road is staggering. The saving grace for the other three teams in the table is the fact that they’ve at least been able to garner a decent amount of draws on the road. You can also take away the fact that even though QPR seem to score a fair amount of goals while travelling, they give up way more goals than the rest of these squads. A team with the players that QPR have should not be letting in that many goals on the road.

0:

The number zero not only signifies the number of wins that QPR have managed this season, but it is also the number of road wins that QPR have managed under Mark Hughes since he took charge at Loftus Road. In fact Sparky’s record on the road is so bad it makes Neil Warnock look like Sir Alex Ferguson by comparison:

Even with four extra games in charge, Hughes hasn’t been able to scratch out a winning result on the road. QPR have put up some exciting results on the road under Hughes, three games where the team has lost 3-2. But for whatever reason it just hasn’t happened for dear old Sparky on the road. His 14 games without a victory on the road is a spectacularly bad record, which leads us to our next number…

18:

QPR have now gone 18 games winless on the road dating back to last season, the longest streak for an active Premier League team. Their next game, which is away to Stoke, will be a crucial one because if they do not achieve victory at the Britannia (which oddly enough is where they won their last away game), they will be joining another elite club of road losers. Only six times in Premier League history has a team gone winless on the road during an entire season. Granted QPR haven’t done it in a single season. They will have still gone a Premier League seasons worth of road games without a win.

Here are the other teams who have done it in a single season with QPR’s current 18 game winless streak in for comparison:

Man that is a lot of failure right there. A couple of things to add to this table — all of the teams that went winless on the road in a single Premier League season were relegated except two. Coventry City actually finished 14^th in the league the year they failed to win a game on the road. Leeds United also finished 17^th their season, which was the inaugural Premier League season (hence the 21 road games).

Of the teams that are in this table, Leeds went the longest without a road win (24 games), while Derby County and Hull City’s streaks are technically ongoing since they were relegated (Derby is at 23 without a win while Hull sits at 24). So QPR can take solace in the fact that they are not the worst of the worst. During their 18 game losing streak, they’ve given up the 2^nd fewest goals and have scored the 2^nd most which gives them the best goal difference out of the bunch. Hooray for small victories!

32:

The number 32 is the amount of cards that QPR have accumulated over their 18 game losing streak. Now it’s easy to see how a leaky defense can affect a club, but indiscipline is also something that can really hamper a team. A player gets a yellow card and he might play differently, which in turn has an adverse effect on the play of the entire team. Let’s take a look at the card breakdown for QPR and their home opponents.

SRC: Straight Red Card, TC: Total Cards, G1C: Games with at least one card, GMC: Games with Multiple Cards

As you can see QPR are averaging nearly 2 cards per game on the road, which is significant because you’re taking nearly 1/5^th of your team out of their game. In a league where you need to be at your best week-in and week-out, no matter where you’re playing, that is a huge detriment for a team to have to deal with. What’s also astounding is the fact that of all the red cards they’ve accumulated during this streak, they’ve all been straight reds, no double yellows. Nearly a quarter of the games that QPR have lost they’ve been down a man at some point in the match. You only need to look back to their last road game versus Arsenal to see the impact of a needless red card and how it can impact the match.

0%:

Last season, Queens Park Rangers sacked manager Neil Warnock on January 8 after the R’s lost at home to Norwich City. If you take a look back at Warnock’s first 10 matches in charge during the Premier League for the 2011-12 season, Queens Park Rangers won 3 games (for a win percentage of 30%). Compare that to the first 10 Premier League games this season under Mark Hughes, who has zero wins (for a win percentage of 0%).

Who did QPR beat in their three wins during their first 10 matches last season? Chelsea, Everton and Wolves.

There is a lot that one can take from all this information mainly that the QPR defense is not good, the team is not very disciplined and the manager at least plays a significant role in the team’s road woes. But that’s the wonderful thing about statistics. Everything and anything can be viewed, skewed and given multiple narratives depending upon who is looking at them. While one could say that QPR are absolutely dreadful on the road, you only need to look back and see that there are teams just behind them who are just as poor. A win at the Britannia this weekend would see Stoke become the new torch bearers for road futility in the Premier League (Stoke currently have a 15 game road winless streak). But then again, the numbers are there for all to see. QPR are awful and are not very far away from becoming historically awful.

Every season you hear the same statements being thrown about: “Manchester United get all the cards,” “The referees are in Sir Alex’s pocket” and so on. So I’ve taken a look at a breakdown of how cards were given and received by Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion.

I chose these teams as they’re the last three champions of the league, because Arsenal fans would probably kill me for not including them in this breakdown and West Brom being the team that finished 10^th last season and representing the mid-table sides. I’ve gone through the last 48 games, one by one, to deliver this breakdown and make it as accurate as possible.

So let’s start with the breakdown of cards that have been given to opponents of the teams that I’ve previously mentioned.

SRC: Straight Red Card TC: Total Cards G1C: Games with at least one card MCG: Multiple Card Games CPG: Cards per Game

As you can see just by the total number of cards given, Arsenal have by far and away the most cards given to opponents, while Chelsea and United are in a close battle for second followed by City in fourth and West Brom a very distant fifth.

But why does Arsenal get so many cards, particularly yellow cards, given to their opponents? For the amount of time that Arsene Wenger spends talking ill of the referees, it can’t be that he has any sort of influence over the officials. As you may have heard on the EPL Talk Podcast, Kris Heneage made a very good point in stating that Arsenal are a side with many technical players. In a league where strength and speed are at the forefront, technical players tend to be on the receiving end of their fair share of fouls.

Just looking at a team like West Brom, who don’t necessarily have the same amount of purely technical players in the team, you can see the drop off in total cards. The other thing one might notice when looking at this table is that Manchester United’s opponents have received 10 red cards. Even though it isn’t very far from Arsenal’s total red card tally, it’s miles ahead of the other three teams in the table. To average it out, Manchester United have played nearly 1/5 of their games against 10 men or less. That is a HUGE advantage when you take into account a team of United’s quality and perceived advantage going into a game against any full squad. Then to look at a team like Manchester City, who themselves have a fair number of technical players, to be as far away as they are from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and United, is almost mind boggling.

Now let’s take a look at the amount of cards these teams have accumulated themselves over the last season and a quarter.

SRC: Straight Red Card TC: Total Cards G1C: Games with at least one card MCG: Multiple Card Games CPG: Cards per Game

Again, we see a team that is given considerably more cards than their rivals, a slight battle for second and then a bit of a drop off towards bottom. Chelsea leading the pack can be attributed to a few things. Style of play comes into question and discipline is also a major question when a team isn’t far from getting 100 cards in just over a season. It should be noted though that of Chelsea’s six red cards, four of them have come in two games (United this season, QPR last season).

Manchester City also has a staggering amount of red cards. While many people will point to them having players like noted hothead Mario Balotelli and Kung Fu Nigel De Jong in the squad, that’s still a very high percentage of red cards that are given to City given their total number of cards overall. One also has to ask the question of how Manchester United have only received one red card in the last 48 games (the one red going to “No Foul” Johnny Evans vs. City last season). But when it comes to disparities, Arsenal’s 34 card drop off from fouls given to their opponents to fouls they commit is quite tremendous. Especially when you figure Chelsea have received nine more cards than their opponents have been given, United have a 12 card drop off, City have a 9 card drop off and West Brom have been given one more card than their opponents have gotten against them.

So what can we learn from these numbers? Is there really a fix in for United given the staggering amount of red cards their opponents have been given and the paltry amount they’ve received? Or are United just a well disciplined side that just so happens to be on the receiving end of brute force tactics? How is it that Arsenal’s opponents have received so many cards (an average of just over 2 per game) yet they still struggle to get results in the league? Why are officials so trigger happy with the red cards when it comes to City and Chelsea?

There are any number of narratives that can be taken when you actually see the breakdown of how cards are given and received. Ultimately each card that is given is subjective to the official who has given it. Style of play, certain players, a manager’s relationship with officials, all of that is taken into account on top of the actual foul itself. These are all things that can be factored into an official’s thinking when it comes to giving cards, whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not. So take from this what you will. As a Blues fan, I obviously feel hard done by the refs (four reds in two games will do that to a man) but as it is with statistics, everyone has their own views and takes when the numbers are presented to them.

Authors Note: The following article is an attempt to shine a light on some of the more ridiculous things that are being said about the teams involved in this season’s Premier League. They are not based on fact, but rather the ridiculousness that is bandied about in the media, on Twitter, blogs, etc. They are opinions and should be treated as such. Please discuss amongst yourselves in the comment section below.

Two games does not a season make, but two games is more than enough time for fans and pundits to overreact to teams performances. So let’s see what fate awaits for the teams of the EPL after the opening 2 (and in one case 3) games of the season. I present to you, Overreaction Theatre.

Arsenal:

Arsenal are vying to become the first team in EPL history to record 38 clean sheets in a season. It also appears they’re trying to become the first team to not score a goal in an entire season. After two god awful games against Sunderland and Stoke, this seems to be an entirely logical conclusion to how their season will go. The 38 points Arsenal will inevitably collect this season will see them in a relegation scrap, but I think it’s safe to say with the teams below them, Arsenal will not be relegated this season.

Aston Villa:

Remember when Aston Villa was good? This is not that Villa. They are awful. Losing to equally awful West Ham opening week before the spanking Everton gave them this weekend all but confirms what everybody already knows. Paul Lambert has made a terrible mistake leaving Carrow Road. I’m sure the Canaries will welcome him back with open arms after he makes a daring escape from the grasp of Randy Lerner in the middle of a cold December night. It should be noted Alex McLeish is still on Lerner’s speed dial.

Chelsea:

Eden Hazard is the best player in the Premier League. Torching Wigan, Reading and Newcastle in the span of 6 days has all but confirmed this. It’s safe to say he’ll shatter any assist and penalty winning record that stands by the end of October. Fernando Torres and Frank Lampard are grateful for this since they will be neck and neck with Branislav Ivanovic for the Golden Boot this season. A tally of 114 points is entirely reasonable to expect from this team. Anything less is a disappointment and Roberto Di Matteo should be fired if he doesn’t achieve it.

Everton:

I remember the good old days when Everton were terrible at the beginning of the season and then didn’t lose from February on. David Moyes has decided that to join the ranks of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, he needs to change this. And change it he has. Everton are the only team that seems capable of giving Chelsea a run for their money. Since both teams are destined to be tied with 114 points, Steven Pienaar is going to have to score a few more screamers to compete with Chelsea’s 100+ goals they’ll probably score this season. Also, Marouane Fellaini is finally living up to the epicness of his afro and unibrow, and is on a mission to physically destroy any man who tries to mark him this season.

Fulham:

People who play Fulham must beware. If they’re losing a match, they will shank your best player (You stay away from Eden Hazard). They appear to have the ability to whip up on the bad sides in the league, but the top teams will continue to give them trouble (unless the shankings start earlier than they did against Man United). This team clearly doesn’t need Clint Dempsey, so they’ll be content to lock him away in the basement of Craven Cottage.

Liverpool:

Poor Liverpool, even when they do it right, they do it wrong. Didn’t they realize the last manager to lose his first two games for the team was Bill Shankly?! All Martin Skrtel had to do was give Tevez one more assist and it would have set them off into a new Golden Era. Instead they’ve doomed Brendan Rodgers to become the next Roy Hodgson. If Luis Suarez can keep hitting free kicks like that all season at least this team will be watchable (unlike Arsenal). But hey, they tied the champions! That’s something! Right? Guys?

Manchester City:

If you’re a struggling heart surgeon, I suggest moving to the blue half of Manchester, where this team is on a mission to give every single one of their fans at least 38 cardiac arrests this season. But this is all a part of Roberto Mancini’s plan. God forbid this team puts any sort of expectation on themselves. Also, David Silva is steadily getting worse and worse. Expect him to be in full ‘Torres when he moved to Chelsea’ mode by mid-September.

Manchester United:

Shrek hasn’t had the best of weeks. He get’s dropped for Robin van Persie, only to come on at the end against Fulham and get his leg nearly amputated at the hip. But now that RVP is there, they certainly won’t miss him for the next month. Especially since RVP has such a fantastic medical history. There’s no way he won’t join him in the infirmary. Oh and Vidic is back, so there’s that. But without his handler next to him he’s just going to roam around the back line scoring own goals for fun. Congrats to De Gea too for avoiding the Valdes.

Newcastle United:

WHY CAN’T TEAM DEMBA SCORE AT THE SAME TIME! It’s like they plan this in advance. One Demba scores, the other one disappears. I want nothing more than for the two of them to score 10 goals each against QPR. But it seems like this is but a pipe dream. I’m sure Demba Ba will score 15 by February and then drop off the map so Papiss Demba Cisse can score 15 by the end of the season. The two of you killing fantasy teams everywhere. Stop It. Also I can’t wait for Alan Pardew to get into a fist fight with Howard Webb one day. Mark my words this will happen.

Norwich City:

It seems like everyone wants Chris Hughton to be a successful Premier League manager. I haven’t really seen people pull for a guy to succeed so much. Unfortunately for as nice as he is, he is not a good Premier League manager. With the Canadian Sensation (and Laurence McKenna’s favorite) Simeon Jackson leading the team in scoring, there are some lean times ahead for the Canaries. Grant Holt will coast along until the team unveils their new manager Paul Lambert in December and he inevitably gets the team playing to what they were last season.

Queens Park Rangers:

I haven’t been this confident about a team coming in last place since Derby County was in the League. This team is an absolute dumpster fire. After getting annihilated by Swansea opening week, they had to rely on the temporary blindness of a referee to level against Norwich. While relying on the gaffes of Premier League referee’s suits this team, it’s not a recipe for success. Djibril Cisse will fall off the deep end and lead the league in red cards and attempted choke slams. Mark Hughes will jump ship for the ultimate Posh club by January and help Peterborough finish in the bottom half of the Championship.

Reading:

If it weren’t for Jussi Jääskeläinen, Adam Federici would be the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League. which is a shame because Reading have a decent enough team and a good manager. Hopefully Anton Zingarevich will use some of those millions to either buy a capable keeper or have a third post installed in goal at the Madejski. A quick note to the broadcasters of Reading games, there needs to be more cut aways of Yekaterina Domankova. I’m certainly not tuning into these games to watch Reading play.

Southampton:

The Saints! Are Marching In! Unfortunately for Southampton they’ve marched to losses against Man City (respectable) and Wigan (outside of March-May not acceptable). I’m not sure what Nigel Adkins is doing messing with the lineup that got him so much success in the Championship, but he needs to stop. This is a team that can score goals since they have the new Grant Holt (Rickie Lambert). If Adkins keeps tinkering with the team he might tinker them out of the Premier League. Also where were all the Southampton fans on Saturday? It’s your first home game back in the EPL and you’re going to watch cricket? Unacceptable. If that’s how you’re going to be then it’s back to the Championship with you.

Stoke City:

Tony Pulis got his annual jollies from Arsene Wenger on Sunday. There’s nothing that brings me more joy than seeing the fans jumping up and down mocking Wenger. But this whole booing Aaron Ramsey thing has got to stop. You have a bad team that relies on Peter Crouch for success. Pulis has pushed his luck the past few years in the league and this is probably going to be the season where teams start getting the better of Stoke.

Sunderland:

Adam Johnson! Steven Fletcher! Martin O’Neill is saving the day! If only this team could get the drainage on their pitch worked out. After running up against the staunch defense that is Arsenal, we haven’t seen a second game from Sunderland, but I think it’s safe to say that Steven Fletcher is not the answer. I can’t wait to watch the plethora of crosses that come flying in only for Frazier Campbell to be out jumped by every center back in the Premier League.

Swansea City:

How about them Swans. If I’ve learned anything from this team it’s that they’re going to absolutely destroy every team from London this season. Michael Laudrup is doing his best to continue the readymade system that has been put in place for him and this team is going to score goals. Lots and Lots of goals. If they finish outside the Top 6 this year it will be a major shock and disappointment will once again flow through Wales.

Tottenham Hotspur:

AVB is up to his old tricks again. He sabotaged Chelsea last season and now he’s out to sabotage Tottenham. Adebayor, Dos Santos and Defoe is clearly a strike force that doesn’t have to be upgraded. I mean the goals have been flowing for Spurs this year (2 in 2 games) so there’s no need to bring in another striker. Plus they stole Jan Vertonghen away from Arsenal! If anything that constitutes a successful season there. But in all seriousness AVB has only won 3 of his last 14 EPL games and if that run continues (it will) then he’ll be lucky to see February this season. It’s Juande Ramos all over again.

West Bromwich Albion:

Four points from two games against teams that finished in the Top 10 last season is a great start for West Brom. Sure they beat a Liverpool side struggling to adapt to a new system and had to wait 90 minutes before Tottenham decided they didn’t know how to clear a ball to get those points. But life is good at West Brom. Shane Long’s awful first touch and penalty taking skills can be overlooked when you have Odemwingie and Lukaku behind him. Plus they’re guaranteed to be in the highlight reels at the end of the season thanks to Zoltan Gera. Mid table finish here we come!

West Ham United:

There are a lot of adjectives that can describe West Ham and their defense. None of those adjectives are positive. Despite his feverish attempts to recreate the Bolton squad he had, Big Sam has failed to realize that those players have gotten progressively worse with age. Eventually he will sink so low in his seat on the pitch that he’ll just be laying on the floor as Man City score their 7th goal in 25 minutes. But there’s hope! Emile Heskey is still available! That’ll really get the offense going.

Wigan Athletic:

Wigan bounced back from their annual early season beating at the hands of Chelsea and beat Southampton. This bodes well for Roberto Martinez because now he can afford to drop that fixture when they play later in the season. It seems Martinez is a glutton for punishment, coming back season after season to the same thing over and over again. Arouna Kone is the best signing of any of the relegation scrappers made. Maybe, just maybe, Wigan will be in 17th instead of in the relegation zone this year when Wigan ultimately get hot again in March thanks to his contributions.

It’s Saturday, July 28 at 10 AM and I’m on my way to M&T Bank stadium, driving down I-95 with my windows down, I already know we’re going to be in for one excruciatingly hot day. I arrive at the stadium a little before 10:30 and there are already several rivers of red flowing through the streets of downtown Baltimore converging on the stadium. Early in the day I see one or two Spurs fans and I start to worry that this is going to turn out to be a rather one-sided affair as far as the fans go. I enter the stadium to meet up with fellow blogger Earl Reed and we start to go exploring. For those of you who have never been to M&T Bank stadium, it is quite a nice place. I remember driving to church in Baltimore as a child and watching it being built from the ground up. The purple seats make for a unique sight and on a day like Saturday, it might remind someone of a stadium more fit for Harchester United. It actually goes nicely as a soccer stadium with the atmosphere it can create. The most packed atmosphere being when Chelsea and AC Milan played there several years ago with an attendance figure around 70,000 (the most full I have ever seen the stadium for something other than a Ravens game). But with as big as the stadium is, it still amazes me to see the amount of people that can fit inside.

Earl and I travel down to the field to have a look at how the new soccer pitch will be covering the traditional American Football pitch. It really is an experience if you’ve ever been down on the field, inside of a stadium when there is literally no one inside of it. It gives you a sense of how truly massive it can be. Ever since I have been going to The Bank, I’ve never seen less than 30,000 people in the stadium, so it really is an amazing experience to see how everyone fits inside of the space and how quickly the atmosphere can change once the fans start to enter the stadium.

As the temperature began to rise so did the amount of fans, by this time being allowed to enter the stadium, and the atmosphere began to change. It’s one thing for fans to be rowdy and vocal, but it’s a completely different ball game when you start to involve soccer fans. The organization even down to how and where the fans enter the stadium is something to behold. Then there is the singing — oh my, do I love the singing. As we were contemplating retreating to the air conditioned comfort of the press box, the Spurs fans announced their arrival with a rousing rendition of “When The Spurs Go Marching In” and I immediately got goosebumps. For me that sort of atmosphere is one of the major advantages that soccer has over the NFL, NBA and MLB. It’s one thing to have a large stadium packed full of people making incoherent noise, but it’s a completely different environment when you can get several thousand fans all singing and chanting the same song. The atmosphere of a soccer match is one of the biggest reasons for my love of the game. The aforementioned goosebumps returned at half time when Liverpool fans started singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Maybe I’m a sucker for those sorts of things but there is no bigger chill-inducing factor than hearing soccer fans singing.

The match itself wasn’t that bad. Both teams playing a bit conservatively due to the fact it felt like 120 degrees down on the pitch, but the overall experience of the game was great. In the press conferences after the game, both coaches bemoaned the heat but were both equally happy with what had transpired on the pitch. But my personal highlights of the day came after the match. The first was that I was able to get dap (a fist bump for those who may not know) from Brendan Rodgers. And the second being able to talk with Brad Friedel (who also made mention of how the heat was just unbearable). Overall, it was an outstanding day at M&T Bank stadium for this guy and probably for the nearly 43,000 fans that showed up as well. It really pains me that events like these only come around once a year or so, but when they do come around it certainly is a spectacle that everyone seems to enjoy.

The final result may not have satisfied either set of fans, but Saturday’s friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in Baltimore was attended by 42,723 passionate supporters.

Here are the photos from the hot day in Baltimore.

Arsenal appear to be on the verge of signing Malaga winger Santi Cazorla. Meanwhile, Arsenal masses are hyping up their potential signing to the maximum, which is par for the course.

Being the curmudgeon that I am I’m obviously a little skeptical of this signing, which is also par for the course as far as my view on Arsenal signings go. I’ve done some research that doesn’t include YouTube videos that generally only show a player performing at their best and took a look at some of the numbers ‘ol Santiago has put up over the past few seasons. For the numbers he has put up and the domestic awards he has won, Arsenal are paying a pretty hefty price for a pretty mediocre player. That is if you are to believe the €20 million price tag that is being thrown around. So I’ve pitted him against the last two notable Spanish imports to the Premier League, Juan Mata & David Silva, to see how he stacks up and whether he really could be the superstar Arsenal think he can be or whether Arsenal are falling for the “Well, he’s Spanish so he has to be good” syndrome.

Through the power of Microsoft Word, I bring you a table to compare the stats for yourself:

*Player Missed significant time due to Injury

Now I’m aware that goals and assists aren’t everything but they’re a pretty good indicator of how a player, especially an attacker, does during a league campaign. Despite being older than both Silva and Mata, Cazorla has only been able to outperform Silva once while he was fully fit and that was Silva’s first season in the Premier League. It can also be noted that Silva and Mata both played for Valencia until the latter’s departure in 2010, but even then both players were able to put up top 25 numbers in regards to goals and/or assists. While both Mata and Silva are regularly in the rop 25 in regards to assists (in the case of Mata he’s only finished outside the Top 5 once in this span) Cazorla has only achieved that status once, in ’10-’11. Silva’s numbers may not be spectacular, but there is at least some consistency in them, which should be paramount when you’re going to be spending the sort of cash that Arsenal are looking to pony up.

Obviously numbers aren’t everything when it comes to evaluating players. Looking at the teams the players have been on, since 2008 the lowest any one of these men have finished was 7th in the league and that was Cazorla’s Villareal side in ’09-‘10. Looking in the trophy cabinets, Silva and Mata both have multiple cup successes (including a Copa Del Rey at Valencia) while I’m sure Cazorla has his Intertoto Cup medal displayed somewhere prominent in his house. For arguments sake, I know it’s tough to win silverware in La Liga with Madrid and Barcelona dominating everything, which makes it even more impressive that Mata & Silva were able to win the Copa.

To be clear, I’m not trying to discredit Cazorla as a footballer. He’s a fine player that has some potential to make it in the Premier League if you follow the trend that has been set by players like Silva and Mata. But the fact that Arsenal are looking to pay in the neighborhood of €20 Million for this guy is absolutely absurd. Granted Manchester City and Chelsea paid more for Silva and Mata, but those guys were 24 and 23 respectively when they came into the Premier League, with huge potential to grow and make those transfer fees worth it (which it could be argued they almost already have).

Cazorla is 27 and depending on who you ask is either in or just entering his prime as a player. If I’m shelling out that kind of money, I’m expecting double what I’ve seen from him up to this point. Cazorla has never scored double digit goals in a season and has only gone into double digits in assists once. Say what you want about his play and how he can fit into Arsene Wengers system, when you’re paying that much money you should be buying a star, not a nice player who just fits in. I have to ask, is this what player evaluations are coming to? Is €20 million worth, say, 7 goals and 6 assists a season? When Cazorla comes into the Premier League he’s not even going to be one of the top 25 players in the league. He may not even be in the top 50.

If your best season before entering your prime is barely 10 assists and only 5 goals, it is almost unfathomable that those numbers are going to sky rocket and all the sudden turn you into a world beater. What is happening to Arsenal is that they’re buying a Spanish player who barely contributed in the Euros and who was already overpaid for once. This is a recouping money maneuver for Malaga and Arsenal seems more than happy to help them do this. I do wish Mr. Cazorla luck in the Premier League next season, lord knows it’s not his fault that Arsenal are putting that price tag next to his name. Hopefully for him he is known as “Santi Cazorla, the guy who finally won Arsenal the Carling Cup” and not “Santi Cazorla, that guy who cost us €20 million.”

While reading the article about Chelsea not winning any admirers from their Champions League victory over Bayern, I found it interesting that the author made several points about how Chelsea failed to play with “style,” employing “negative tactics” that aren’t appealing to people who truly love the game or neutrals alike. While I’ll agree that Chelsea’s tactics were extremely defensive and may not have been pleasing for the bulk of the match, to claim that the game itself was not appealing is the ultimate in soccer snobbery.

The Champions League final is the pinnacle of European football and does not need added “style” or “flair” to help endear it to the masses. Someone was not going to watch the match based on the fact that one team plays a defensive style. The fact of the matter is that while Chelsea defended most of the game, it still had that same exciting feel to it that any final has. All the story lines that naturally come with a final were still there and were always going to be there whether both teams played extreme defense or offense. All Chelsea did was adhere to the age old American football adage that defense wins Championships.

It’s no secret that most people’s favorite part of any game is offense. Most of us love to see points go up on the board. But just because there are a lot of points scored in a game doesn’t make it more exciting. It’s common knowledge that it’s not enough to just go out and score without the ability to defend. Sure you may win some high scoring games, but more often than not you’re also going to lose a lot of games by those same high scores. Solely relying on offense is like going to a club to look for a wife. Sure you’re going to have fun and score some, but ultimately you’re not going to end up with what you’re looking for.

Chelsea could have started Fernando Torres up front with Didier Drogba and tried to go with an all out attack to appease the “purists.” But after seeing how the game played out, I think we can all agree that if they had employed that tactic, London would still be without a Champions League trophy. Sure Bayern played all out attack, peppering Chelsea with shot after shot, but in the end it was more frustrating to watch than awe inspiring because of the epic choke job players like Gomez, Robben and Muller displayed. I’d argue that the defending of Chelsea was more awe inspiring because of their sheer will and the fact they were putting their bodies on the line to prevent Bayern from missing another shot on goal. It’s not rocket science as to why Chelsea won the Champions League. They were the better team defensively and they knew it. Bayern had one corner to defend the entire game and they couldn’t do it. Chelsea defended 20 corners successfully. I don’t know about you but if I’m looking at stats from the final, that’s the one that is the most impressive to me.

When it comes down to it, every team has their own tactics they employ to try and win a match. Whether those tactic are born from the players that are available to them or the opponent they’re going to be facing that evening, ultimately you do what is going to help win your next match. Tactical flexibility is something that any successful team needs or else you end up going seven years without a trophy. The people who whine and gripe about negative football, the game losing its beauty or making the insufferable Stoke reference are generally the same people who shout from the rooftops about teams not having history. These are all statements made by people whose team was not good enough to win the competition.

When it boils down to it, the ultimate goal of any competitor is to win at all costs. No one wants to have the label “The Best that Never Won”. The players that suit up for their professional teams go out with the agenda to win at all costs. Does it mean they don’t love the game just because they have to play a more defensive style? If anything it means they love it more because they’re playing every aspect of the game. Sure, some players prefer offense more than defense, but believe it or not there are players out there who love playing defense more than offense. There are players out there who dream about keeping a clean sheet, making that vital tackle or block and expressing themselves through their defensive tenacity. Blasphemy I know, but believe it or not it’s true. People can express themselves through defense as well as offense.

The notion of winning the right way is a narrative created by fans and media to scrutinize a winning team.  There is no cowardice in opting to defend your goal nor is it an indication that you are an inferior team. If anything it’s an indication that you’ve actually done your homework, found an area where you’re stronger than your opponent and are employing a tactic that will help you succeed.

So yes, you can look at Chelsea’s victory as a win for negative, ugly, impure football. Or you can take it for what it actually was a win for tactics, defense and being better at penalty kicks. Maybe if some teams worked on those aspects of their game they wouldn’t have choked away third place and been in a situation to lose out on the final Champions League spot. Not that I’m trying to rub salt in any wounds.

I’ll end with the quote “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I’ll take a hard fought, dirty, scrappy win over a more traditional “beautiful” loss any day. Especially when that win comes with a nice shiny trophy.

It’s hard for me to put into words what I witnessed on Sunday in the Premier League without sounding like a child trying to describe my first ever trip to Disney World. I’m usually against throwing out the usual clichés of “Greatest game ever” especially so soon after it just happened. Emotions are still high and it is tough to think clearly and really put into perspective what we just watched. I’m not going to proclaim this the “Greatest Game Ever” just yet. Let’s give it a while to marinate and see how it does stack up against some of the best games of all time. But what I can say is that for one moment, millions upon millions of people across the world all had the same reaction when Sergio Aguero scored that title winning goal. Whether you were shouting it at the top of your lungs or muttering it in absolute disbelief, there was some form of “Oh My God” that was being expressed at the end of that match. Those are the moments that sports fans live for and those are the moments that make sports of any kind so great. On Sunday it didn’t matter if you were a fan of any of the teams involved, or if you were even a fan of soccer. As long as you were a fan of sports and drama, you had just witnessed one of the greatest moments in sporting history.

The goal itself is something that everybody who has participated in any sport dreams of doing, scoring a game winner as time expires to win the title. Anyone who has played a sport has run that same exact scenario through their head at some point in their lives. Whether you’re playing basketball by yourself in your driveway, taking batting practice in baseball, playing a pick up football game (American or World football) or whatever sport it is that you played or are currently playing. In that one moment we could all identify with Kun Aguero and were living vicariously through him. I’m sure there are a few United fans out there who would disagree with that statement since it was their team who was ultimately on the losing end, but even the most hardened United fan has to have some deal of respect for the way that game ended. Even though it hurt that United lost the title, you still have to appreciate the fact that it happened in the most dramatic fashion, something that is rarely ever seen when it comes to deciding the title on the final day. You can throw out all the arguments you want about how City “bought” the title (another article for another day), but unless you’re the most irrational super fan that the world has ever seen, you have to pay respect when it’s due. It was one of those moments where you sit back and just marvel at how it all came together. Man United fans can take solace in the fact that it took an incredible piece of magic for City to win the title this year.

For those of us in the United States, one of the other factors that helped in the build-up to this incredible final day of the season was the superb job done by FOX and ESPN in their coverage of the final games. Granted there wasn’t as much drama in the other games, but there was still plenty to take in from the final day. Notably, the main factor that played into the drama of the final day was the availability of all the games on different platforms. Personally I was watching three games at once, flipping between the Man United and Arsenal games on my big screen, watching Newcastle on my laptop and watching the Manchester City game on my phone. It’s that ability to flip between multiple games and finding the most exciting ones that adds to the entire experience. Anyone who has watched the first and second rounds of the NCAA Basketball tournament here in America would probably agree that it had that feel and excitement to it. The ability to choose the games you want to watch adds a whole new dimension to your viewing experience. But ultimately with all the choices that were available to you, once the games got to the 80th minute, you would have to be mental not to give a flip over to the City game to see if they could pull the title back from United. Overall the coverage of the entire day was spectacular from my perspective, from the in-game updates to the ability to watch whatever game you want. It was something to behold.

Overall, Survival Sunday (or whatever you want to call it) was a smashing success for everyone involved. Watching the title change hands several times throughout the day, watching QPR and Bolton fight between who would be relegated and who would stay up, it’s that kind of drama that makes sports great. But that kind of drama can be found in any sport. Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, cricket — heck even Curling has drama involved in it. If you’re a fan of sport and you take the time, you can find the drama involved in whatever event you’re watching. I know many people who aren’t the biggest fans of soccer who came away from Sunday saying “Wow that was absolutely incredible.” Maybe I’m a bit on the strange side, but I do believe that if you give any sport a chance, you can be wowed by what you’re watching. After what happened on Sunday, I guarantee there are a few new fans of soccer are out there. So whether you had a dog in the fight or were just watching as a neutral, there was no way you couldn’t appreciate what you were watching.

If there was one thing I could tell United fans it’s this, I know it stings now that you lost, but be glad that you were a part of one of the defining moments in Premier League history. So rather than belittle what City achieved by yelling about history or bringing up Wayne Rooney’s dubious “Goal of the 20 seasons” award, how about just appreciating the moment in its entirety? I know that sounds like a condescending statement and maybe one day I’ll have to take my own advice. But all the complaining and downplaying is not a good look when you actually take in what you were a part of. You’re going to be back in the hunt next year and hey, who knows, maybe it will be you who has that next “Wow” moment. That’s the glory of sport.

After watching those final nervy minutes at Wembley and confirming that Chelsea had their hands on yet another FA Cup, I was completely overjoyed. After the season that Chelsea have been through any form of silverware is more than welcome. Couple the FA Cup with the fact that Chelsea have a chance to pull off a double by winning the Champions League final, can you really blame Blues fans for enjoying such a high?

It was in the minutes, literally minutes, after Chelsea hoisted the trophy that the “hate” started flowing in. Now normally I revel in the barbs that are thrown out whenever a team triumphs. When one team or person has success it’s become the norm these days for those who weren’t able to best them in a competition to immediately slander the winner. But it was one reoccurring and now seemingly go-to “insult” that fans use that has me puzzled, “You ain’t got no History”. From what I’ve heard Liverpool fans were chanting this at the Final and from what I’ve seen on Twitter, many Arsenal fans seem to have this as their favorite line. Personally this is one of the weakest arguments that anyone who calls themselves a fan can make. It’s an argument that is made when a club that has “history” isn’t living up to it and the fans have no other way to express their frustration that their club isn’t succeeding as much as the ones around them. So let’s take some history lessons and see how much this argument stands up in the modern day.

When a fan argues about history it’s usually very vague and only goes back far enough for them to make their argument valid. Some teams need to go back over 20 years to make their arguments, which is comical because a lot of the fans who do this wouldn’t be able to remember many of those triumphs. So let’s look at a bit of recent history starting at the turn of the century (1999-2000), which seems fair enough since we’ll be looking at over a decade of results.

Let’s start with the League, which means if Liverpool fans want they can skip this paragraph since they haven’t won a title in over two decades. The one thing Liverpool has accomplished in the Premier League since the beginning of the 2000’s is that they’ve managed to finish above both Chelsea and Arsenal once, so I guess there’s that. Arsenal and Chelsea have managed to finish above the other two teams six times each so when it comes to positioning that’s a push. Credit must be given to Arsenal though. In the same amount of time, they’ve never finished lower than 4th, which is a great feat in itself. By contrast Chelsea has never finished outside of the top 6 and Liverpool are set to finish the lowest out of the three, finishing 7th once during that period but with the possibility of finishing as low as 10th this campaign. But looking at what really matters — the Premier League titles, Chelsea hold the edge at 3-2 in that category over Arsenal.

Now let’s take a glance at all the silverware in this period of time. I’ve made a table that includes the breakdown of trophies the teams have collected since 1999-2000.

So going by the breakdown of all the trophies that have been won, Chelsea still hold the edge over both teams, but let’s take it a step further. Until this season Liverpool had been without any form of trophy since 2006 while Arsenal’s trophy cabinet has not been added to since 2005. By comparison Chelsea have added 7 trophies to Liverpool’s one and 8 trophies to Arsenal’s zero in those time spans. The numbers speak for themselves, I’m not trying to rub anything in. I’m just stating the cold hard facts that seem to constantly be overlooked.

History is a wonderful thing and personally I have always been fascinated by it. There is no doubt that Liverpool and Arsenal are two teams that have some of the richest histories in football. This isn’t a fact that I’m debating. Eighteen league titles and the only undefeated season in Premier League history are certainly nothing to sneeze at. But what we’re witnessing now with clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City are teams that are building their history in front of our very eyes. Whether they’re doing it the ‘traditional’ way is another debate for another time, but they’re building their legend nonetheless. This is why players like Fernando Torres move from Liverpool to Chelsea or sign for Manchester City over United or Arsenal. When a player says that he is going to a team because of their illustrious history, I would personally call him a liar 99.9% of the time. Players don’t care about things that happened 30, 40 or 50 years ago. The history line is a ploy to endear them to the fans. All that matters to the modern player is how much playing time they will get, how much they’re getting paid and whether they think they can achieve success with the team they’re going to sign for.

Manchester City has a long way to go on their journey towards success and they’ve certainly managed to assemble a squad that is more than capable of doing so. But relatively speaking, Chelsea have painted London blue and are nearing a decade of complete dominance in the city.  This is the first year that Arsenal have finished above Chelsea in the League since 2003-04, but if Chelsea pull off the impossible and win the Champions League I’m not sure there are many Blues fans who would care about that statistic (though I’m sure Arsenal fans will crow about it).

I understand it’s frustrating for a team that has done so much in the past to not be living up to it in the present and it’s easy to sit back on your high horse and say “Scoreboard” to those who are chasing you. But that’s just what that argument is, easy. All teams are open to criticism and playful banter between fans, but you’re fooling yourself if you think that the here and now is less relevant than what happened years ago. A match can end the second I finish typing this and it automatically becomes history. Always remember this when you’re going to make that argument.

UPDATED: As some of you may or may not know, the NFL Draft has commenced here in America. All the teams in the National Football League descend upon New York and spend the next several days drafting the best college football players in the land. So naturally I thought to myself that this would be something fun to try out with the EPL. Obviously since there is no draft for the EPL this would fall under the “Mock” category but it should be fun nonetheless.

And thanks to The Gaffer, we’re going to make it interactive and will award the best EPL draft selection winner with a package of Premier League goodies — including soccer books, a collector’s edition EPL Talk Magazine and a soccer-related DVD.

The Rules:

• Players who were born in 1989 and after are eligible for the draft. They will be taken off their current squads and put into the draft pool,
• Draft positions will be determined by the standings in the table as of today,
• Academy Players will not be included,
• Players selected will have played in the Premier League at some point in their career.

We will be doing two rounds for the draft. And you can play along too.

Step 1

Based on the above criteria, feel free to go through the squads of players available throughout the Premier League. Or, if you’re short on time, you can review the following select list to see if there are players you would pick:

Aaron Ramsey, Alex Kacaniklic, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andy Carroll, Carl Jenkinson, Chris Smalling, Connor Wickham, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, David De Gea, Davide Santon, Dedryck Boyata, Emmanuel Frimpong, Gareth Bale, Gary Gardner, Ignasi Miquel, Jack Robinson, Jack Rodwell, Jack Wilshere, James McClean, Jonjo Shelvey, Jordan Henderson, Josh McEachran, Junior Hoilett, Kerim Frei, Kieran Gibbs, Kyle Walker, Marc Albrighton, Mario Balotelli, Nathan Delfouneso, Paul Pogba, Phil Jones, Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Ryo Miyachi, Sebastien Coates, Theo Walcott, Tom Cleverly, Victor Moses and Wojciech Szczesny.

Step 2

For rounds one and two of the draft, the order of the picks will be based on the current league positions (from worst to best). Since Wolves is already relegated, newly promoted Reading will take their place as the first pick.

The order of the picks will be as follows:

Reading, Blackburn, Bolton, Wigan, QPR, Aston Villa, Stoke, Norwich, Swansea, Sunderland, West Brom, Fulham, Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, Arsenal, Man City and Manchester United.

Step 3

Go ahead and name your picks in the comments section below. Go ahead and list your round one picks (from 1-20; Reading FC first, Man United last) and round two (from 1-20, again Reading FC first, Man United last).

Later today, I’ll be naming my Round 1 and Round 2 picks and will update this article accordingly.

The person who makes the best picks — according to the EPL Talk Podcast panel — will be announced as the winner on this weekend’s podcast and will receive a package of prizes from EPL Talk.

The deadline to enter your draft picks is tonight (Friday, April 27, 2012) at midnight ET.

And now live from The Royal Albert Hall in London, let the draft begin!

UPDATED: Here are my round one and two picks:

Round One:

Round Two:

Just a bit of insight on my picks for the draft, I went with age and upside when determining a lot of the picks above. I went heavy on what could benefit the team in the future with a little bit in mind for what could help the team now. Just keep in mind I tried to be as unbiased as possible with my picks and had the intention of having as much fun as possible.

If you would like a little more insight into why I made these picks you’re all more than welcome to tweet me @Morgan_Green

Enjoy!

It’s another installment of the EPL Talk Reader Mailbag, and this week we have several excellent questions. So, let’s jump right in.

Question from Ahmed:

After the past couple of months Arsenal have been in a rich vain of form. Do you think this form can continue through next season? If so how could they do this with what signings? Also do you think they will challenge for the title next season?

Morgan: Arsenal has been in fine form recently but it’s always hard to determine how they will perform next year. The team was ravaged by injuries this season so one would hope that they could hopefully avoid that fate next year. If they can stay healthy and hopefully get Jack Wilshere back to full health then they would certainly have one of the top sides in the league. The transfer season is always interesting at Arsenal since they’re usually not known for making large splashes in the market. Yossi Benayoun will be returning to Chelsea but with Ryo Miyachi returning to the team after his fine loan spell at Bolton there probably won’t be much of a drop off from Benayoun. I would look for them to do more selling than buying during the summer, getting the likes of Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtnar off the books. Personally I would look for them to buy another forward to back up RVP and add a little more clinical finish depth to the team. They have (as usual) a fine mix of top young players and great established players but it all comes back to the injuries. Some teams just get hit with the injury bug early and often, it’s not really something you can predict but I certainly wouldn’t plan on them having that same problem next year to the extent they did this year. If their health holds, then I absolutely could see them making a bit of a title push. But I’ll hold off on those predictions until we get a sense of what some of the big spenders (Chelsea, Man City, etc) around them do.

Question from Daniel:

I have recently seen rumors online about the Spurs maybe selling Bale and/or Modric. That coupled with Harry Redknapp possibly leaving for the England job, does that seem like the Spurs taking three steps backward? If they sell them, I don’t think they would bring in Eden Hazard whom they have been linked with in the past. Can you comment on this?

Morgan: Well if they do sell Bale and/or Modric it would certainly free up the funds to bring Hazard in, but at that point I’m not sure he would want to come to a team that lost two of its top players.  If Harry were to depart as well Spurs would probably drop from being a top 4/6 team to being more of a top 10 team. Obviously this is all contingent on who they would be able to bring in to replace all three. If they sell both players and are able to reinvest in the squad with Eden Hazard and possibly a top class forward (say a Cavani or a Falcao) then they would be much better off than if they reinvested that money with the Liverpool approach. Losing Harry would be the biggest loss though because, even though they’ve struggled to close out the season, he has been a huge factor in the success of the club. Needless to say their next appointment would be crucial since the last time they changed managers the team was languishing in the bottom half of the table.

Question from Daniel:

When AVB was fired from Chelsea, I had seen articles on online about Pep Guardiola and how Abramovich will throw millions of pounds at him. I also saw articles about how Pep is a so-so manager and basically anyone could manage Barcelona with the talent they have. Is it fair to doubt his credentials?

Morgan: It’s tough to tell how good a manager will perform at a new club, especially when he’s only managed at one club his entire career. Pep had the luxury of familiarity and comfort at Barcelona since he knew how the system worked there. He knew the league, what worked and what didn’t work. He knew how the media worked. Moving to a new club and a new country can often be a huge shock for a manager and if he cannot adapt quickly then it can spell disaster for both him and the club (see AVB). It’s fair to doubt his credentials because he has managed the best team in the world and no one else. If he won the same amount of trophies with Valencia or Sevilla or even Atletico Madrid then I would feel a bit more confident in his abilities to manage other clubs. That’s not a knock on those clubs, but it’s a bit harder to manage when you don’t have 2 of the best midfielders in Europe and Leo Messi on top of that. Even though the FIFA games would have you think otherwise, it’s tough to manage any club, even Barcelona. But I’m going to hold off on saying that he would be an instant success at a team other than Barcelona. Pep could come in to Chelsea and lead the team to a Quadruple in his first season, or he could go the way of AVB. Those are obviously the extreme ends of the spectrum, but that’s really all we have to go on when it comes to Pep.

Question from Aaron:

With RVP winning player of the year, who do you think is the most underrated player in the league?

Morgan: That’s a great question that has had me thinking most of this week about it. When I think about underrated players I try and look at some of the names that aren’t exactly the sexiest in the league. Grant Holt is one name that comes to mind, 13 goals this year for an upstart Norwich side. Steve Morison is another name that comes to mind, even though he’s scored 8 goals this season, 4 of them being “Game Winning Goals” and 7 of his 8 coming in the 2^nd half of matches.  A bigger name I would throw out would be Mikel Arteta. He has been absolutely vital to Arsenal’s run this year and his absence will be felt greatly in the final games of the season. But for my money it would have to go to Morison. Performing this well in the Premier League for a relatively unknown striker coming into the season and playing such a big role for his club would certainly earn him my honors as the most underrated player. Michael Vorm comes in a close second followed by Grant Holt.

Thanks for all the questions, everybody. Keep them coming in either through the comments section below or e-mail them to readermailbag@epltalk.com.

Welcome back to another edition of the EPL Talk Mailbag. Before we get into the questions, I celebrated my birthday yesterday and after all the dinners with family and such was done, the best present I got by far was from FOX Sports. Their announcement yesterday that they would be showing 9 of the matches from the final day of the EPL season live was possibly the best gift I could have gotten. The final day of the EPL season is one of the best sporting days on the calendar in my opinion. All the story lines, the battles for European positions and the relegation fights — it all capitulates in one fantastic day of soccer. My only regret is that I didn’t get 8 other TV’s so that I could watch all the games simultaneously. Now to the Mailbag!

From Daniel:

Can you discuss the situations that Balotelli and Suarez are in. Balotelli because he seems to be a bit of a hot head. He was able to escape this 9 match ban but I still see City unloading to another club. Suarez obviously had that dust up with Evra in the league matches.

Are they still wanted by their respective clubs? Is it fair to dub them a “problem child?” Also, is their future tied to the managers future (If Balotelli goes does Mancini follow him out? or vice versa)

I’ve written before about Mario Balotelli’s situation. He is a bit of a hot head but taking into account his career to this point and his age his actions can be chalked up to that of a typical 21 year old. But most of his indiscretions pale in comparison to some of the issues that have plagued Luis Suarez’s career. At Ajax he had some dust ups with teammates and was a bit of a problem child early in his career. But taking a chunk out of Otman Bakkal’s shoulder and on pitch racial abuse are territories that Balotelli has not ventured into. While the term “Problem Child” can be applied to both, they are at two different levels of the term. Balotelli being more of the “Child” part, while Suarez is more of a “Problem”. As far as being wanted by their clubs, Suarez certainly has a bit more safety in his future at Liverpool. The transfer speculation I’ve seen about Suarez has been more him going to a club that is performing a bit better and with European Football in play. His teammates have rallied around him on occasion (see the Shirt incident after the abuse of Evra) and he generally seems to be someone that players don’t mind having around. On the other hand Balotelli has been openly talked about being not wanted at his club. I believe his teammates have all but given up on him and clearly his manager has given up on him. Kenny Dalglish certainly has more invested in the success of Andy Carroll than he does with Suarez based solely on his price tag. Mancini may have had more invested since Balotelli was seen as his project at Inter and he was brought into City to continue that development. If both are sold it will just be seen as two players who just couldn’t cut it with life in England. Their manager’s should be worried more about the axe because of their results and not the success of a single player.

Thanks for all the questions, everybody. Keep them coming in either through the comments section below or e-mail them to readermailbag@epltalk.com.

Ashley Young has been earning himself quite the reputation the past few weeks, but it’s a reputation that will ultimately come back to haunt both him and Manchester United in the future. There is a reason that he is allowed to get away with his Tom Daley impressions on the pitch and we all know what that reason is. We all know what needs to be done to prevent people from diving and baiting the referee into giving penalties and free kicks, yet it appears that the majority of football federations would much rather remain in the stone ages instead of utilizing the technological advances we have at our disposal today. It’s a problem that plagues every league on every continent and even with the proper technology available and in place there will still be the bold few who continue to dive. It’s something that will always be a part of soccer no matter how much we all bemoan it and say it’s wrong.

I don’t condone players who dive or make a meal out of a challenge because of what it takes away from the game. However I personally don’t blame the players for doing it. We can call them cheats, crooks and actors until we’re blue in the face, but until there is a way to deter such actions then the players are doing something that is gaining them a competitive advantage. The old adage “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying” is something that only the bold would subscribe to, but with the “Win Now” mentality that is employed in every major sport you cannot be surprised when someone will do anything to achieve their goals. The fact of the matter is that Manchester United is within touching distance of the Premier League title and they’re going to do everything possible to make sure that they can win it. If Ashley Young earns a penalty from a dive, is there going to be an asterisk next to the title in the history books? Is Sir Alex Ferguson going to say at the end of the season as he is holding the trophy that they “didn’t deserve to win it”? Are the millions of United fans going to feel shame for winning the trophy because of some controversial calls? The answer to all these questions is no. That’s because winning is the magical elixir that cures all that ails you. Years from now people are going to forget that Ashley Young got Shaun Derry sent off for a hammed up challenge. All that matters in the end is that United won the title and put even more distance between themselves and Liverpool as the most successful club in English Football.

If the old curmudgeons who are in charge of all the major football federations do decide to act and employ the appropriate measures to punish such actions, then you will see a dramatic reduction in the amount of dives. Right now as it is, if a player is caught diving, most of the time he’ll only receive a yellow card, which is not really much of a deterrent at all. But if a player is retroactively penalized and given a harsher punishment, such as a red card or a three match ban, then the incentive of diving is almost negated. Sure he might get his team a penalty and a goal, but in the long run he’ll end up hurting his squad by not being available for selection. It’s impossible to rely on referees to determine what a dive is and what isn’t. If they determine a player has dived and the call is judged to be wrong then they come under the same scrutiny than if they had called it the other way. It’s safer for them to assume the penalty because even if it results in a penalty kick, there is still a chance for the other team to prevent the offenders from scoring, therefore letting them off the hook for a questionable call if they don’t score.

The flip side of the coin for Ashley Young is that his new reputation as a dive master is going to hurt Manchester United in the long run. Referees are going to be more watchful of him and the next time he goes down, one would think the referee would think twice before automatically awarding the penalty. It’s the story of “The Boy who cried Wolf” and may end up costing him a deserved penalty. If the title race comes down to Man United not getting a result because of Young’s new found reputation, then he will have no one to blame but himself. Like all things diving works when you’re winning. But if you dive and lose, then you’re not only a cheat, but you’re a loser as well.

We all know what needs to be done to try and eradicate diving from the sport, even the heads of the federations know what needs to be done. Whether they’ll admit it is another story altogether. But until that day comes when replays and retroactive punishment are enforced to the fullest extent, we’re left with just yelling at our TV’s and taking to Twitter slandering players and clubs alike. I don’t blame Ashley Young for doing everything he can to get ahead, it’s something we all do. But if United don’t achieve their ultimate goal, then all of a sudden Ashley Young turns from a player who will do anything to win to just another run of the mill cheat.

Have you ever had a soccer-related question that you’ve always wondered, but have never asked? Now’s your opportunity to put your questions to me, Morgan Green — and The Gaffer.

Here are this week’s questions and answers:

Q: Dave asks …

Why do so many of the Champions League matches shown on FOX Soccer have a delay? It’s infuriating to hear the audio being out of sync with the video especially when you hear the commentator call an incident before you see it even happening before your eyes.

A: The Gaffer: I completely sympathize with you, and I’ve experienced the same thing countless times. Just two weeks ago, during the commentary of the Barcelona against AC Milan game, commentator Rob Hawthorne shouted “Goal!” for one of Lionel Messi’s penalties before the ball even went into the net. Yet again, it was due to the audio and video not being synced up correctly.

I asked FOX Soccer to explain why this happens. Unfortunately, several weeks later, I’m still waiting for a response. I can only presume that the answer is because the audio feed and video feed are beamed separately, and that when they’re synced together, even a one second mistake may not seem like much, but it can have a big impact on your viewing experience. But that’s only an assumption regarding the reason why. Perhaps there are some technical or TV buffs in the audience who may know the answer? If so, please post it in the comments section below.

Q: Daniel asks … 

Roberto Di Matteo
Pep Guardiola
Jose Mourinho
Harry Redknapp
Rafa Benitez

Out of these following names which one has the best shot to be Chelsea’s new manager, or will it be a mystery candidate? Can you maybe discuss the credentials each one has for the spot and why they might reject taking the reigns of Chelsea?

A: Morgan Green: Of the names given I would say Rafa Benitez and Roberto Di Matteo would be the only ones who would take the job, no questions asked. Rafa because he views himself as a top tier manager even though he has lost his shine the past few years and RDM because this is his big chance to make a real name for himself on the coaching scene.

The only other job I could see Harry taking is the England job. He has a good thing going at Tottenham and is comfortable with his surroundings. I’ve seen Mourinho’s name batted around and personally I find it preposterous. Roman Abramovich has tried for several years now to erase Jose’s influence and style at the club and I don’t see him pulling an about face anytime soon. As far as Guardiola goes I think a lot of it has to do with what happens in the Champions League this year. If they pull off a CL and League double then I believe he would be open to taking the job. He will have won everything he ever could at Barcelona multiple times, so a new challenge would surely intrigue him. But Pep does what Pep wants to do (see his yearly contract ‘will he or won’t he’ drama) and I’m not sure that Roman would let that fly. All the managers, less so Di Matteo, have fantastic credentials that could get them a job almost anywhere. I think the main sticking point is Mr. Abramovich — and how hands-on he will want to be under the new regime, that’s the sort of thing that scares off potential candidates.

I still think that there will be a mystery candidate that comes out of the woodwork to take the job, possibly a name like Didier Deschamps. But out of the list that has been given Guardiola is who I would put my money on, though I wouldn’t feel very comfortable about it.

Q: Daniel asks … 

I am a big Man Utd fan. I am just curious what you think they need in order to reload in the summer. Obviously I’ve heard the name of Wesley Sneijder and others bandied about on message boards and other sites. Who might they sell (Berba) and buy?

A: Morgan Green: For me I’d say midfield is where United would need to do the most work to help them reload for next season. The fact that out of all the players they have in midfield and Sir Alex still had to call Paul Scholes out of retirement speaks volumes about their current crop of midfielders. Sneijder would certainly be a fine fit at United but bringing in a quality holding midfielder would help a bit more in my view.

Defense is another area where United are set fairly well, but you can never have too many defenders, especially with Vidic’s injury woes and Rio Ferdinand looking more and more like a shell of his former self. It does look like Berbatov is on the outs again this season, but everyone thought he would be gone last year and he stuck around. I don’t know that him being sold is necessarily a given. I’d say the sales would be more fringe players and backups looking for playing time, players like Lindegaard, Kuszczak, Bebe and possibly De Laet.

Q: Vincent asks …

With Clint Dempsey being in top form this year, what are the odds that he will be with Fulham for the start of next season? And if he is moving where do you think he would go?

A: Morgan Green: I think that the odds are good Dempsey will be playing for a new team by the start of next season. He only has one year left on his current deal and at his age you can’t blame him for wanting play a few seasons in the Champions League before his skills start to diminish.

The £10 million question is which of the top teams are going to be willing to bring him in and give him enough playing time to make the move beneficial for both parties. Manchester United would obviously be a top choice since they are almost always guaranteed Champions League football. But the problem there is where he would fit in United’s pecking order of attackers. Arsenal has been thrown out as a possible destination, but his age and nationality go against the type of players that Arsene Wenger usually brings in. Personally I think that he would be a good fit for Tottenham. The strike force at Spurs is flimsy and will get worse after the season when Emmanuel Adebayor once again returns to Manchester City. Dempsey would be a welcome addition because of his versatility and would certainly be a cheaper option than Adebayor. If Spurs can hold off Newcastle and Chelsea for the final Champions League spot then I would almost certainly expect them to make a run at Dempsey. Newcastle would also be a dark horse for to acquire him as well, especially since they will secure European football this season. But I’ll stick with the safe route and say he ends up playing at White Hart Lane next season.

Thanks for all the questions, everybody. Keep them coming in either through the comments section below or e-mail them to readermailbag@epltalk.com.

Mario Balotelli is back in the headlines again this week. In other news, the sun has risen in the east to reveal that the sky is in fact blue. These are things that should surprise no one. It’s been written over and over again with the same old cliché of him being an “enigmatic” striker. But the fact is that there is nothing enigmatic about Mario Balotelli. Is he capable of conjuring brilliance at a moment’s notice? Of course. Is he capable of doing something so incredibly stupid that it leaves one at a loss for words? Yes, A thousand times yes. The fact of the matter is Roberto Mancini knew all these things when he convinced his bosses at Manchester City to bring him in for £25 million. But it was Mancini’s arrogance in thinking that he could control him and turn him into something that he is not ready to become that has caused this whole debacle at City.

Mario is who he is. The only thing that is going to change him is the wisdom that comes with age. But at this point even that is a long shot. One only has to look as far as Antonio Cassano to see that no matter how old a petulant player gets, there is always going to be some residual of that attitude hanging around the player. The real question is what team is going to be willing to put up with him long enough to get the most out of his wealth of talent. England was the absolute worst place that he could have ended up because of the way the English press will jump on any small hint of controversy. But at this point there really isn’t anywhere that he could go and not be put under a constant media microscope. With his exploits on and off the field his career is going to be scrutinized and analyzed to absolutely no end.

Forget about his off the field issues that he has had. Those are the sort of things that every star player goes through in any sport. If he ever learns to control himself on the pitch then he will have taken that next step to becoming one of the best players in the world. The silly little fights with teammate and being goaded into losing his temper and committing stupid fouls — these are the things that are killing his reputation as a player. A team is willing to put up with some of these things if a player is producing on a consistent basis. But with his erratic performances the upside of bringing him into a club is severely limited. He’s like Tiger Woods minus the mind blowing success. Tiger had always acted disgracefully on the golf course, but when he was winning everyone brushed it aside as him being a perfectionist with an intense will to win. Nowadays since the winning has ceased, people are taking a much harsher view on Tiger and his petulance, viewing him as more of a spoiled child than an intense winner. If Balotelli had come into City, scored 20+ goals and was leading them to an insurmountable lead atop the table, the press and his team would have taken the same view. It’s just Mario being Mario. He wants to win oh-so-badly that sometimes his judgment gets clouded. But instead we’re left with an impressive yet inconsistent goal scoring record and Manchester City choking at the most crucial point of the season. It’s amazing how quickly the narrative can change once the winning stops.

At the tender age of 21, Mario Balotelli is at a crossroad in his life and career. It’s a place that isn’t all that unfamiliar to a person his age. The only difference is that the typical 21-year-old doesn’t have the smallest action they take splashed across the news headlines. With his City career seemingly coming to an end according to Mancini, he has some serious soul searching to do.

My advice to Mario would be to take some time off (which he may have since his place in the Italy squad isn’t exactly guaranteed) and really sit down to evaluate where he is in his life and where he wants to go. Leave the agents, the press, the coaches and various outside influences behind and take some time to soul search. Does he want to buckle down and become that world beating striker who leads his club and country to consistent success? Or does he want to be the temperamental star that is seen as more of a liability despite his talent? If he really wants to be the best soccer player he can be, then he needs to come to that realization on his own and do his best to stick to that path. It’s not too late for him to turn his career and image around, to become that superstar and not just another “What could have been” story. But he needs to start taking those steps soon or else that’s exactly what will be said about him. Mario Balotelli, what could have been?

Newcastle United has come a long way over the past several seasons. Since relegation in 2009, the team has fought its way back to becoming a contender for Europa League qualification and an outside shot at a the fourth Champions League spot. It’s a journey that few clubs are able to make so soon after relegation. That’s because we know that relegation often spells disaster for teams, with the plight of Leeds United being a prime example.

Newcastle has actually done the polar opposite of Leeds and improved upon their position in the league from the seasons prior to their relegation. It’s been quite impressive to see the turnaround the team has made without having to bring in their own Sheik and splash nauseating amounts of money. It’s actually quite refreshing to see a team do it the “old fashioned way.”

One of the biggest factors in the Magpies turnaround has been their dealings in the transfer window. They’ve made shrewd buys but also they’ve done what a lot of rebuilding clubs should do in my opinion — buy low risk/high upside players at reasonable (in some cases almost criminal) transfer fees. Just look at some of the players below for example:

Yohan Cabaye: £4.4 million
Cheick Tiote: £3.08 million
Hatem Ben Arfa: £5.28 million
Demba Ba: Free
Papiss Cisse: £9 million
Davide Santon: £4.972 million
Gabriel Obertan: £2.992 million
Sylvan Marveaux: Free

Total = £29.724 million 

— Less than £30 million spent on eight players who are no older than 26 years of age. Incredible.

There’s some risk involved in some of these players. Take Demba Ba and David Santon, with their claimed injury troubles, as case in point. Newcastle has certainly made out like bandits. They even one upped themselves by turning a profit on their investment with the sale of Andy Carroll. Even if Newcastle went back to being the mid-table club that they were before, you could probably still hear Mike Ashley laughing all the way to the bank. It almost defies belief that they’ve improved themselves with their investments and made a profit. Few clubs have brought in so many players and walked away with a near £6 million profit. Much of the thanks for that profit should go to the generous Kenny Dalglish. If Mike Ashley decides to buy anyone a pint, it needs to be Dalglish.

With such a relatively huge success for the club, Newcastle cannot rest on the laurels. There are still plenty of improvements that need to be made, mainly in defense. It’s unlikely you’re going to be collecting silverware with Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson and James Perch being key figures in your defense — despite their stellar performances of late. If the club is to continue its development and rise up the table, the defense along with the squad’s depth is going to have to improve dramatically. Gabriel Obertan and Sylvan Marveaux are great starts to addressing the latter issue and are certainly quality players to have coming on your bench. But when you start playing those European matches, your squad depth really starts to show, and if you don’t have the required depth, you’re not only going to start failing in Europe, but in league standing as well.

Soccer is a win now sport in every aspect of the game. It’s rare that you see a club take the traditional way to build themselves gradually to become a sustainable power in the league, mainly because of all the financials that are involved with the amount of time that’s involved in doing so. I doubt you’re going to find a supporter of any top 10 team who would be opposed to Champions League football. But sometimes when success comes at such a rapid speed, it can be detrimental rather than beneficial to clubs. So for now, Newcastle and its fans should enjoy the ride. Your road back to prominence is ahead of schedule (something Alan Pardew agreed with today) and if they ever do decide to invest in their defense, the rest of the league should be put on notice. Newcastle is on their way back to the top and if things continue the way that they have been, they’re going to be on top for quite a while.

My name is Morgan Green and I am an American who has been a fan of soccer for the last 7 years. Throughout that time I’ve seen and heard a lot about my love of soccer and about the teams that I choose to follow. It’s a unique situation being a hardcore soccer fan in America, mainly because you get criticism from both opponents of soccer and actual soccer fans. I’ve been called stupid, told that I don’t understand the game, and that I only root for winners. Essentially my fandom has been reduced to the status of “Bandwagoner.”

Nothing gets my blood pumping more than being called a Bandwagon fan, mainly because nothing could be further from the truth. A bandwagon fan is someone who jumps from team to team based upon their success. I personally despise bandwagon fans, which is why it really gets under my skin to be called one. I’m not writing this just to gripe and complain, “Oh I don’t get a fair shake, life is so unfair, I’m such a tortured soul.” No, that’s not my style. I’m not sure that this situation is unique to myself, but if it is then so be it.

 “You’re a supporter of (insert successful team name)? Well that’s only because they win, you bandwagoner!”

This is also somewhat of a false statement. It comes down to TV scheduling. If you don’t have or cannot afford Fox Soccer or GolTV, then you’re pretty much only able to watch whatever matches are deemed “high quality” by the heads of the major networks who actually show the games. This usually includes one of the Top 4 teams in the EPL, games, in the waning stages of the Champions League, and the Champions League Final. When you’re inundated with these teams and they’re the only ones who you’re able to watch on a consistent basis, then clearly you’re going to develop some level of fandom for them. It’s not like you’re going to watch one match between Man United and Arsenal and say “Hey, I like the EPL maybe I’ll become a fan of Stoke City.”

Manchester United has worked very hard to get such a large fan base. The club has done well to market themselves all around the world. The same way that Barcelona, Real Madrid and many other European giants have done for years, they’ve dominated the market because they win and because they can. If that’s all a person sees then you can’t blame them for supporting them. It’d be like me chastising an English fan of the NBA for supporting the Lakers or the Celtics instead of the Wizards or the Pacers. They’re the successful teams that everyone knows. But sports need these popular teams to help grow their own brands. The more interest there is in Manchester United, the more money that comes into the league from fans who want to watch that team. The strategy is to hook a fan with a popular team to get them interested in watching the rest of the league. If everything goes well then fans will want to watch other matches and develop a love for other teams. That’s how a league builds its popularity. It’s just good business.

This brings up the biggest factor of the “Bandwagoner” argument. I’ve never been to England, I’ve never lived in north London or Manchester nor Newcastle. Therefore, as a fan, I’m in a unique position of where I can choose who I want to root for. Unlike American sports where I support all my local Baltimore area teams, I have a cornucopia of literally hundreds of teams to choose from in Europe. When you’re just getting into a sport, you’re naturally going to be drawn to the successful teams.

When I started watching soccer, Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan were all dominating their respective leagues. So naturally I was going to watch them because they had the best players and were playing better than any of the teams around them. Since then, as my soccer addiction grew, I began to watch other teams on a regular basis, mainly in the EPL since a lot of the other leagues were not available to watch on a consistent basis. I developed a passion for Newcastle United since their club and fans reminded me a bit of my own hometown. But even if I were to watch every game from every league and find other teams that I like for various reasons, my support of the teams that originally got me enamored with soccer will never waiver.

I didn’t jump ship from Chelsea after Jose Mourinho left and Manchester United regained their top spot in the league. I didn’t start supporting Real Madrid after they beat out Barcelona for the title. THAT would be something a bandwagon fan would do. I’m someone who believes that when you finally make that jump as a fan to support a team, you need to support that team through thick and thin. It seems as though the definition of what a bandwagon fan is has been lost.

If you want to criticize me for liking a rival team then by all means go ahead and do so, it comes with the territory. But don’t attack someone for the reasons that they like a team, especially if they have no ties to that area. Maybe take a step back and get to know their story before you start throwing the Bandwagon tag around. But if you see that person rooting for Manchester United one day, then Manchester City the next, then by all means go ahead and give them the business. Pick a team and stick with them, bandwagoner.

In this week’s Reader Mailbag column, we have several excellent questions from you, the readers.

But first, a rant.

I spend a large portion of my life paying attention to sports — probably an unhealthy portion if you ask some of the women in my life. So needless to say I read a lot of sports articles. But one thing that I always find funny is when people write about star players moving teams. Mainly I find the headlines for these articles are always worth a laugh or two. It’s always the same headline, “Chelsea interested in Cristiano Ronaldo?” Is that really a question? Is this really considered news? To me this practice is just lazy journalism. If you can name me one team in the entire world that would not be interested in Cristiano Ronaldo, then you sir have won the Internet. If you want to write about CR9 to Chelsea then let me know when they table a bid. Until then I could care less about your speculation. There should be a list of players who can never be included in articles like this. Andy Carroll would be someone who would not be included in this list.

Now onto the Mailbag:

Q: JMurray asks …

Gaffer, any chance you get back to Wales and see your Swans play in the BPL this year? What is your most memorable match you attended? And do you think England should go with youth for the Euros 2012 and take the hit but prep for the World Cup?

A: The Gaffer: I was hoping to go this season, but outside of EPL Talk, I’ve been busy working with my wife to get her food truck ready for launch this summer, so a lot of my time, energy and savings have gone into that. Thankfully, Swansea has played brilliantly this season, so I have another chance to go see them play in the top flight. I’m definitely going to see them at some point next season — probably in late 2012 or early 2013.

The most memorable match I attended? That’s a great question. The one that I’ll never forget is Swansea’s first ever game in the top flight of English football when I stood on the terraces and watched Swansea demolish Leeds United 5-1 on the opening day of the season.

In regards to your question about England, they’ve got a good chance to go far in Euro 2012 if they play their cards right and play the level of football that we know they’re used to. With Harry Redknapp in charge, I think they can play with the confidence, self-belief and heart that will be necessary. But I would like them to add youth into the squad to give them some speed and firepower that will strike fear into opponents. Footballers such as Danny Welbeck, Micah Richards, Tom Cleverley, James Milner and Aaron Lennon (if fit).

Q: Pete asks …

What makes you get up in the morning to watch a game on the other side of the world? I have watched and played all my life but I don’t think even I could be bothered to get up at stupid o’clock in the morning to watch? Do you really like the game that much? and how much does wanting to be different from the norm play in your decision to follow football (soccer)?

A: Morgan Green: Luckily I live on the east coast of the United States, so the early games are anywhere from 7-9 am ET. I’m not sure if you would consider that “Stupid O’Clock” but I am aware there are people who do. If I lived on the west coast where the games were starting between 4-6 am, there would definitely be an issue, but this would be easily remedied by a DVR.

I can honestly say if the game was good enough (i.e. Champions League Final, last day of the EPL Season, title impact games, etc.) I would most certainly make no bones about waking up at any hour of the night/morning to watch it. I am considered a crazy person when it comes to sports; I’ve pulled all nighters to watch the World Basketball Championships before (2006 Greece vs. USA, one of the greatest victories in Greek Basketball History) but I do temper what I would watch at an ungodly hour. To answer your question I do love the game that much, but I feel that way about almost any sport. It’s not that I love soccer more than I do American football, baseball or basketball because I follow those sports as closely as I do soccer. It’s just my passion, I can’t really explain it, but I’m very passionate about sports and I’m lucky enough to do the things I do in the world of sports. Whether it’s producing the nightly sports segment at my local TV station or writing for EPL Talk. It absolutely has nothing to do with wanting to be different or be considered more “cultured” because I follow soccer. It’s just one of the many passions that I have and I wear that passion on my sleeve.

Q: Bart Ewing asks …

Why are there so few great English managers? Historically the Scottish lineage/roots has produced more great coaches etc. The number of enticing candidates for the English national team league was shocking, there was Redknapp and … a few retreads. Is it too much of an old boys network where young coaches never get the opportunity? I just am baffled by this.

A: Morgan Green: The lack of great English managers in the game is really a worrying trend. But a lot of this comes down to the fact that there aren’t many English managers in the Premier League. If English managers can’t have success in their own domestic league then why would you want one running your national team? The reason Harry Redknapp is tops is because he is currently the most successful English manager in the EPL and there is no one who is even close to challenging him for that title. The only other English managers in the league are Alan Pardew, Roy Hodgson and Terry Connor. Pardew is closest to Redknapp in the league which is why his name is thrown in the ring now but he’s certainly not at the level that Harry is at. Hodgson would be an interesting choice seeing as he has managed national sides before, but after his unimpressive spell at Liverpool I can’t see the FA giving him a chance at such a high profile job. It comes down to the fact that most English managers are getting jobs in the lower leagues and not getting a chance to manage some of the top sides in England. You can only take managing a yoyo club for so long before your growth as a manager becomes stunted.

With the competitiveness of the EPL no team wants to take a chance on letting a manager develop at the highest level since the ramifications of them taking longer than expected to develop can cost a club massive amounts of money. Without this development more English managers are going to suffer by only coaching in the lower leagues, playing the same styles, and dealing with the same type of players. The English managerial scene is a complete mess and needs to be overhauled from the ground up. Until then the only hope for an English manager to lead England is going to be Harry, or Stuart Pearce, but we all Stuart Pearce should never be the answer to any question much less a managerial one.

A: The Gaffer: It’s a great question. When you look back at the recent history of English football, there aren’t that many good English managers that you can pick out. Brian Clough and Alf Ramsey are two names, but beyond that, who is there? Why Scots make better managers than Englishmen, I have no idea. But I’d be interested in reading the opinions of the readers to see if you have a theory!

Q: Lyle asks …

If Great Britain fielded a football team under UEFA would England be the world powerhouse it has always dreamed itself of being? Or… why in the world are Wales, Scotland, and Ireland putting up so much of a fuss (or are they even doing this?) over the Great Britain Olympic team? Do you think Great Britain’s Olympic team be disbanded and forced to compete as the four associations in future Olympics for all Olympic sports, i.e. no more Great Britain?

A: Morgan Green: To answer your first question, Team GB would certainly be interesting if they were to form and compete in the Euro and World Cup. But I feel like it would be mostly the current England National team with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey mixed in. They would be an improved side, but still would be far from a world powerhouse.

A: The Gaffer: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are worried about Team GB because it could undermine their right to be independent and have their own nation represented at major soccer tournaments. With Team GB playing at the Olympics, the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish FA’s are concerned that this may set a precedent where all of a sudden UEFA and FIFA start discussing whether Team GB should play at European Championship and World Cups, instead of the individual nations trying to qualify.

Q: Ben asks …

Is there a possibility that the SPL could merge with the EPL, I mean that would be awesome to see Celtic and Rangers in the EPL.

A: Morgan Green: Not so long ago I read an article about the possibility of Celtic joining the English Leagues as a Championship or League One side. But the Chief Richard Scudamore quickly ruled this out by stating that it goes against the rules since clubs in the Premier League can only compete in England or Wales. He also stated that this is something that would never change as long as he was in charge. Personally I don’t think it will ever happen because it wouldn’t make sense for either the EPL or the SPL. Sure the Old Firm would benefit from the massive amounts of money they would gain from playing in the EPL but there is no guarantee that both would be able to stay in the Premier League on a consistent basis. Factor in that Rangers are in administration and in serious jeopardy of going the route of Gretna, there might not even be an Old Firm Derby in the SPL for quite a while. The other clubs in the SPL would most likely be relegated to the lower leagues of England with little to no hope of getting to the Premier League. They would essentially be clogging the lower leagues even further and pushing out more English teams and that’s something that wouldn’t please many teams or fans.

Even if it was just the Old Firm that moved to England it probably wouldn’t benefit either side in the long run. Besides the Old Firm moving would also cripple the SPL almost beyond repair. Their biggest (and only) attraction leaving them would drop the leagues prestige down so far that it would probably never recover. Though it would be fun to see Scottish teams compete in the EPL the closest we’ll get to that is doing it in FIFA 12 Career Mode.

Thanks for all the questions, everybody. Keep them coming in either through the comments section below or e-mail them to readermailbag@epltalk.com.

Enjoy your weekend and watch plenty of football.

Aston Villa has had a very lackluster season and it’s a season that in my mind is going to end in relegation. They are a side that is in serious trouble. After announcing near £54 million losses last month, the team now sit just 8 points outside of the relegation zone. For any team this is not an ideal situation to be in, but safety should be more than manageable. We must remember though that THIS is an Alex McLeish-led team, a team led by a man who inspires absolutely no confidence at all. The Villa supporters have a right to be upset since it was just a season ago he oversaw the relegation of their rivals Birmingham City. The only difference between this season and last is that the teams at the bottom of the table are much worse off. Through 29 games with City McLeish mustered a mere 31 points and the team languished in 19th place, a single point ahead of Wigan. This season Villa have managed to put up 33 points through 29 games, which may be an improvement, but certainly not what fans were expecting.

Or maybe they were expecting this the way they protested before the opening game of the season? Are fans of Aston Villa clairvoyant? No, they just knew a bad situation coming when they saw it.

Things have been in a bit of a decline at Villa since the departure of Martin O’Neill. After three successive 6th place finishes, they slipped a bit last year finishing 9th in the league, their lowest since ’06-’07 when they finished 11th. But being in the top half of the table, especially for a club like Villa, is a completely respectable position to finish in. Half of the league would be thrilled to end the season in the top 10. But after a series of unfortunate health related events that forced Gerard Houlier to quit managing, Villa were in a transition period. The hiring after Houlier was a crucial one and the higher ups at Villa got it absolutely wrong. Alex McLeish is a perennial underachiever as a manager who has had most of his success coaching one of the top two teams in Scotland. Even when he was manager at Rangers the fans couldn’t wait for him to leave. The few successes he has had as a manager are outweighed by some of the astonishingly awful runs of form he puts his teams through. Take last season for example, a league cup win for City coupled with a heartbreaking relegation on the final day of the season. These are the sort of trends that have defined Alex McLeish’s career.

I feel confident in saying that Aston Villa are going down at the end of this season. It might be a bold prediction but they’re definitely not as well off as some may think they are. They have a tough end of the season with home games against Chelsea, Stoke, Bolton, Sunderland and Spurs. Their away fixtures don’t get much easier with trips to Liverpool, Man United, West Brom & Norwich City. Just last season McLeish’s side threw away a five point lead with five games to go, so Villa fans should be feeling queasy with an 8 point lead and 9 games to watch it disintegrate. The Villans have also picked up McLeish’s nasty little habit of losing their strikers. The only proven help Gaby Agbonlahor has up front the rest of the season is the corpse of Emile Heskey. Add in the fact that Blackburn are making a strong push away from the drop and Wigan appear to be on their yearly escape run, the one team that could be keeping Villa out of the drop is Bolton. Personally I would tip Bolton to make an inspired run at the end of the season and secure their safety. You never want your season to come down to how another team performs, in football you need to make your own luck or you’re never going to survive.

At the end of the day if Villa does go down it’s going to spell disaster for the club and Alex McLeish will have succeeded in taking down both members of the Second City Derby. Who knows, maybe if Roy Hodgson loses his job McLeish could go for a Birmingham hat trick and relegate West Brom as well. I guess a man can always dream.

Today starts a new regular feature at EPL Talk — a weekly mailbag where you can post questions, and we’ll pick the best ones out to be answered in future columns.

All your comments and opinions are greatly appreciated and we want to hear more from you. So that is why we will be introducing a weekly mailbag so that you, the readers, can become even more engaged with the site. You have a question or a comment? You want to know our opinion on a situation, a transfer scenario, or a rumor in the EPL or English football? Or maybe you just want to talk football?

Go ahead and post it in the comments section below, or e-mail it to readermailbag@epltalk.com.

Don’t worry, there are no dumb questions or comments, so please don’t be afraid to ask us anything at all. We are here to serve you, the readers.

As with any good mailbag make sure to keep it civil, fun and clean. Make sure to include your name (or nickname that you would like to be addressed by) so that we know which reader to credit when we’re answering. And don’t forget to write ‘EPL Talk Mailbag’ in the subject line when contacting readermailbag@epltalk.com.

This week’s reader mailbag question comes from Augustine George who asks:

Q: “I am baffled. Why over the years have players such as Kevin Phillips and Danny Murphy been overlooked by the English select?”

The Gaffer: Great question. The same can be asked right now about why an England manager hasn’t selected Danny Graham or Grant Holt for the England squad. Wayne Rooney has scored 20 goals in the league this season, but Graham and Holt are the next highest English goalscorers in the league — with 10 goals each, tied with Frank Lampard.

Unfortunately, a lot of it is due to timing. Phillips scored 113 goals in the league for Sunderland and played for England 8 times during that part of his career (1999-2002), while Danny Murphy played for England 9 times between 2001-03 despite having netting 25 goals for Liverpool during that timeframe. Unfortunately neither Phillips or Murphy played for England’s 2002 World Cup squad — during the height of their playing careers. Danny Murphy was initially selected for the squad but had to drop out due to injury. Phillips played 8 times for England but was unable to find the net, although he never had a full 90 minutes on the senior squad. For the 2002 squad, England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson went with Michael Owen, Emile Heskey, Teddy Sheringham, Darius Vassell and Robbie Fowler instead.

How many goals did those forwards score for England that summer, where the team made it all the way to the quarter-finals until losing against Brazil? Michael Owen scored two, Emile Heskey scored one, while the other forwards scored none. Could England have used a Kevin Phillips in that World Cup? I would certainly think so, but we will never know what impact he may have had or not.

Together we can make this a fun feature on the site. Thanks in advance for your participation. And as Kartik would say, enjoy your football.

I’m not the first person to say it and I probably won’t be the last, but what happened to Fabrice Muamba was terrible. A 23-year-old isn’t supposed to suffer a cardiac arrest. A 23-year-old isn’t supposed to be laying in a hospital bed fighting for his life. There are so many things wrong with what Fabrice Muamba is going through that one can’t help but get depressed thinking about it. Forget if he will ever be able to play again, will he ever be able to lead a normal life again? Will he be able to do a lot of the things that most of us take for granted every day? As I’m writing this article, the Associated Press is reporting that he is showing “encouraging” signs, breathing on his own, moving his limbs and speaking. He is going to have a long hard road of recovery ahead of him, but even the smallest signs of improvement bring me, and the many people who are following his story, great relief.

But through all of the bad things that surround Fabrice Muamba’s collapse, it was the outpouring of support that really amazed me. People from all over the world, on all outlets of social media, showing their support for a player on a team they most likely don’t support or even watch with any sort of regularity. After the incident happened, my Twitter feed was flooded with tweets of support, the hashtag #PrayforMuamba could be found everywhere. It’s this outpouring of humanity that really hit home for me and shows just how small the world we live in has actually become. It also shows how closely knit the sports community worldwide actually is.

I remember back in 2007, when Antonio Puerta suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch playing for Sevilla, I didn’t find out about it personally until many hours after the incident had happened. And even then, as a casual fan, details and updates were few and far between. The amount of time it took from Puerta collapsing and being rushed to a hospital to the world finding out about it seems like an eternity compared to the time in which we were all following Muamba’s situation. The turnaround time from the incident happening to people around the world reacting is absolutely astounding.

I had a conversation with my cousin hours after Muamba collapsed and we were reflecting on what happened, when he said something that resonated with me. He said “I understand it is a horrible situation, but isn’t it a little much that people at the stadium were crying for a guy that they probably don’t even know or have ever met?” I know personally after I watched the video I got a little choked up watching it and it brings up a good topic. Sports bring out all kinds of emotions in people and unfortunately most of the time they’re not the good kinds of emotions. I’m usually someone who thinks it’s a little far for fans to cry at sporting events. People sink so much of their passion into their favorite teams that often they become disillusioned with the fact that they’re just watching a game. But what happened at White Hart Lane transcended sports.

The second you saw the medical staff rushing out onto the pitch, it’s hard for your heart not to sink. All the pomp and circumstance surrounding the game disappears and the real world sets in. It takes us somewhere that we don’t want to go. Sports are an escape from the real world, an escape from all the bad things that happen out there. It allows us, even for just a few hours, to just forget everything and focus on something that brings us joy. But the second Muamba hit the floor, the real world invaded the pitch and there was no going back. The first things that came to my mind were what happened to Marc-Vivien Foe, Miklos Feher and Antonio Puerta. When a guy just collapses on the pitch, you can’t help but go to a bad place because that is all we’ve really known when that sort of thing happens. Even here in the United States, people are reminded of the basketball player Hank Gathers who collapsed in the middle of a college basketball game and died. When your mind takes you to such a dark place, it’s all you can do to not fear the worst. If I was at White Hart Lane that fateful night I wouldn’t be able to shake the thought that I was watching a man die before my very eyes. It’s a situation that until you’ve actually been in it, you don’t know how you’re going to react. From one minute having fun and watching a game, to the next sitting there watching this young man fight for his life and feeling utterly powerless to do anything to stop it.

When such an incident occurs, be it at a sporting event or anywhere else, that’s when the human element kicks in. We start to reflect on our own lives, and the lives of our loved ones. Sometimes we even put ourselves in the shoes of those effected to see how we would react if that was someone we knew going through the same situation. At the end of the day it reminds us that we’re all human. Take away the rivalries, the derbies, the hatred for another team and what it all boils down to is the fact that we’re just rooting for laundry. A patch on a colored shirt that costs way too much and causes us to get all fired up over a game. What happened to Fabrice Muamba was awful, but it serves as a reminder that at the end of the day we all feel the same feelings. No matter who someone is, where they’re from or what team they play for, when something so incredibly unfortunate happens we can take solace in the fact that there are millions of others around the world who are feeling the same way we feel.

Keep on fighting Fabrice, we’re all praying for you.

What is Roberto Di Matteo doing at Chelsea that Andre Villas-Boas wasn’t doing? The pundits can analyze it until they’re blue in the face but the answer is quite simple. Di Matteo is using common sense. While AVB tinkered and toyed, the established veterans became unsettled, which ultimately disrupted any sort of continuity at the club. We all know AVB was brought in to help usher out the old guard and bring in a new era of football at Chelsea. This isn’t something that you can do overnight. You can’t just take out the players who have been absolute staples at your club and expect there to be no fall out. If in fact AVB was told that he would have time to work in his new style of play, then he should be roundly criticized for the shoddy rush job he tried to pull off. Man for man Chelsea still have one of the strongest squads in the Premier League, which is why even with all of that quality it was baffling that AVB struggled so mightily.

The Premier League is a win now league and that is the approach that Roberto Di Matteo is taking. As Chelsea assistant he had a front row seat as to what was working and what wasn’t during AVB’s short reign. It’s not every day that a manager like Di Matteo is going to get a chance to manage a top four side so why would he want to deviate from what has worked in the past? He knows that even if he does turn around Chelsea’s season that his chances of retaining the job are slim. This is his auditioning period for his next job that he will surely get if he does succeed. Therein lies the difference between AVB and Roberto Di Matteo. One was brought in with huge expectations, the other has few expectations and anything achieved under his reign is gravy. Would Di Matteo be having the success he is having if he was in AVB’s place? It’s tough to say but there clearly aren’t many managers who can handle it.

Even if they are getting up in years, you still can’t deny the quality that players like Drogba, Terry and Lampard bring to the squad. Their pace may be slipping but their experience cannot be replicated by anyone in the squad. The fact is they know how to get it done at all levels that Chelsea play at, so why you wouldn’t want to have them there leading the younger generation and teaching them how to take care of business is beyond me. It’s a model that Sir Alex Ferguson has been using for years. You let the established players teach the young guns how to win, how to succeed, how to face adversity, how to get those scrappy results that the top teams seem to always get. If Roman Abramovich is that opposed to relying on the players that are still around from the Mourinho era then AVB would still have a job and he would have just written this year off as a loss. His indecisiveness has cost Chelsea the season and robbed us of what would have been a fantastic three horse race for the title.

Di Matteo will turn the squad around by relying on the old guard playing the style and positions they’re used to. If the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals is kind, don’t be surprised if they make it to the semis or possibly even the finals of the Champions League. If, and it is a big if, Chelsea do somehow manage to make it to the finals of the CL again then Roman’s bed is made. He has to ride out the storm with the Mourinho era players. Most teams would kill to be in that situation, I’m not quite sure why this seems like such a bad thing to the Chelsea owner. It’s common sense that you play your best players in the positions that they are comfortable in. All the over analyzing just ends up muddying the simple truth that if you have good players, you play them and build around them. This isn’t a carefully guarded secret that only top managers have. It’s just the basics, which is something that Chelsea is getting back to under Roberto Di Matteo. Jose Mourinho’s legacy will always be felt at Chelsea, Roman just needs to accept this and do what any good owner does, leave the sporting side of the business to the professionals.

Before the start of the Premier League season, things looked fairly promising for QPR. They were on the verge of getting a new owner, Neil Warnock had his list of players he was ready to buy, while their promotion brethren had barely spent at all. So why is it that QPR now sit in the relegation zone while Swansea and Norwich are comfortably in the middle of the table?

One of the big reasons for the terrible fortunes of QPR is the huge gambles that they’ve taken throughout the transfer windows. When Tony Fernandes finally took over the club in mid August, there wasn’t a lot of time left in the summer transfer window. So naturally QPR went on a spending spree in the last week and a half to try and reinforce their club. This is never a good idea for any squad (i.e. Arsenal), much less a team that has just been promoted to the Premier League. Warnock brought in Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Luke Young, Armand Traore, among others and revamped the squad to look, well, ordinary. None of the players that were brought in struck fear into the hearts of the other teams in the Premier League. Joey Barton had his bags packed for him at Newcastle, Wright-Phillips had been toiling away on the Manchester City bench, while Young and Traore were fringe defenders at best. One of the biggest mistakes that teams trying to stay in the Premier League make are signing players based on their “experience” in the league. Experienced Premier League players are fine for a team to have when they’re making a push up the league, but just because a guy has played in the league for several years doesn’t mean that he is going to lead your team to safety.

So after hastily bringing players into the squad the hopes for QPR were high, well maybe not high, but being safely away from the drop zone was thought to be realistic. But after a win against undermanned Chelsea (which QPR was outplayed, even against 9 men) and a litany of draws and losses, the Hoops found themselves closer to the relegation battle than they would have imagined going into the season. This is where QPR made their second big gamble when they fired Neil Warnock and brought in Mark Hughes. Over time it has been documented that teams get a new manager “bump” when they make a change mid season. Sparky comes in and starts to mold the team by doing the same thing that his predecessor did at the beginning of the season, spending heavily in the transfer window. Bobby Zamora, Djibril Cisse, Nedum Onuoha are bought on top of loans for Samba Diakite and Taye Taiwo. It’s like watching the beginning of the season on repeat, only worse. The team looks completely lost when they’re out on the pitch and the results have certainly shown that as QPR haven’t won since before the transfer deadline.

Now Rangers find themselves in a precarious situation if they do in fact fall back into The Championship. With all the heavy spending and a new larger wage budget, it doesn’t take a psychic to see that QPR has a bleak future. All those fancy new signings were brought in with the view of playing Premier League football. If the team were to go down, not many of them are going to want to stick around to help bring the team back up. Cisse, Zamora, Wright-Phillips and Barton would seem to be the first ones to be out the door if QPR does go down. Cisse and Zamora will want to play in the highest leagues to help keep their slim National Team hopes alive. Joey Barton has already played a year in The Championship with Newcastle and one couldn’t blame him for wanting to avoid that fate again (even if there isn’t a team in the Premier League who would want to put up with him). Then lest we forget that Adel Taarabt’s temper could force a move out of Loftus Road, with the moody Moroccan becoming disenchanted with life at Loftus Road. Then factor in the loan players moving back to their clubs, QPR isn’t left with much of a squad to even put up a fight in The Championship. The depreciated values of the players that were brought in being sold and the loss of the Premier League revenue could mean that the next batch of QPR players being brought in will have the “Free” tag attached to them. But it’s not only the players that QPR needs to worry about leaving. Mark Hughes left Fulham because he wanted to be a part of something bigger, a more posh club than the one that he was at. I don’t know where relegation falls into his plans but it’s safe to say that if QPR are relegated, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sparky racing out the door.

So what can be learned from QPR’s latest foray into the Premier League? Keep the gambles to a minimum. Like anyone who partakes in the world of gambling will tell you, the odds don’t always go your way. You’re not always going to get that shiny new manager “bump”, you’re not always going to stay up in the Premier League just because you have a squad full of players who’ve played in the league. Had QPR followed the blue print put forward by teams like Stoke, Swansea or Norwich, they may be sitting in a better position than what they are now. When you’re on a losing streak, it’s better to just walk away and live to fight another day. QPR may have another day, but that day looks like it could be a long way off if they get relegated this season.

Kenneth William Bates is a man Leeds United fans have unfortunately come to know very well over the past several years. Even the highest profile of owners has drawn the ire of their fans for various reasons. But no one seems to do it the way that Mr. Bates has. From his puzzling sales of top players to calling the clubs fans “Morons” Ken Bates is certainly one of a kind. For that reason alone, it only made sense that he would hire the recently unemployed Neil Warnock as manager of Leeds. Warnock also has a history of being a one of a kind manager, with his many outbursts and controversies with players, managers and referees alike. He also has a good track record with getting Lower League clubs promoted, having taken 3 clubs to the Premier League. On the surface this looks like a very good hire for Leeds United, as every clubs ultimate dream is of success in the EPL. But when you attach the name Ken Bates to the hire, one can only be skeptical of the motives behind it.

Leeds recent moves, or lack thereof, in the transfer window are puzzling to say the least. Unloading young and talented players who would seem to be the future of a club, it would appear that Mr. Bates would be happy with just keeping the club in The Championship. But that would be too predictable, certainly not the style of one Ken Bates. It seems that the ultimate destination of Leeds would be to become a “yo-yo” club. It seems that whenever Leeds start to put together a formidable team, a strong team with a good young core, one of its key elements is either let go or sold off. Now you could call me old fashioned, but generally when a club sells off some of its top players, it usually brings in other top players or prospects to help fill the void. Unfortunately for Leeds supporters, Mr. Bates favorite player to bring in usually has a “Free” attached to his name. To counteract this blatant selling of good players, Neil Warnock was brought in to help guide the club to promotion. Warnock is known for getting the best out of his players and not necessarily needing to make high profile signings. This is something that is right up Ken Bates ally. The club has the feel of a mid to high table Championship team, which is just the kind of team that Neil Warnock can excel with. Unfortunately for Mr. Warnock, his track record as a Premier League manager is not quite as good as his record in the other leagues, which is also right up Ken Bates ally.

So what does this all mean for Leeds United going into the future? Well if all works out, promotion will hopefully be in their future, whether it is this year (though it is seemingly unlikely) or the next, Leeds will be a team that wins promotion to the Premier league, and gets that nice fat check that comes along with it. It’s the money that is ultimately being chased by Ken Bates. As sole owner and chairman he reaps the rewards of the clubs success. If he can gain promotions on a regular basis and not have to invest heavily in the club, I’m sure he would be doing back flips all over Elland Road.

No one knows what Ken Bates motives are for owning Leeds United. Basing it off of his past, one would assume he would try to build the club up and sell it off to another Russian Billionaire the same way he did Chelsea. But it’s not every day that you’ll find a mega rich entrepreneur to buy your club and walk away with a cool 17 million pound profit. Obviously everything I have described here is all hypothetical. I’m sure Ken Bates is a wonderful, misunderstood human being who has nothing but the best in mind for Leeds United and wants nothing more than to restore them to their former glory. But in all likelihood that last sentence couldn’t be further from the truth and Leeds Supporters can do nothing about it. Morons.

Photo by Leslie Millman-Manchesterunitedman1

Born in England, football has always been considered by purists as a gentleman’s game. But lately the notion seems reserved for nostalgic old-timers, pining fuddy-duddies ignorant of the modern game’s evolution.

The growth of the sport in the last decade, particularly in its founding nation, has shifted the emphasis from sport to business. Money is too rife, and it must be made at all costs; usually at the expense of respect for the game’s tradition.

In the Premier League especially, the relationship between footballers and referees is one of shameless bullying. On any given weekend teammates surround referees, shouting incomprehensible, general negativity, in the shameless hope to viscerally intimidate a referee into an immediate and emotional —or a later and subconscious— game-changing decision.

These same illicitly rich players will then oversell fouls, blatantly simulate, exaggerate any knock in hope of gaining a competitive advantage.

But why shouldn’t they? The risk of being disciplined is nearly non-existent while the reward for winning a penalty or getting someone sent off is ostensibly match-deciding.

It’s hard to fault the players. They’re products of a new-wave footballing culture that promotes trickery over teamwork, the flashes of skill ending up on YouTube and propagating an individual’s Twitter audience. It’s a culture that demands results over play, the monetary reward generally too great to risk playing honestly and honorably.

The FA had tried to curb such misbehavior from England’s shores with the Respect campaign. But referees didn’t have the backbone to enforce it, not for long, and now it’s used as a butt of jokes to mock the Association and its confused bureaucracy.

After all, respect is earned, not advertised for. It is demanded, not begged for. And now it’s clear that walking children out before games to hold banners and sing folk songs is obviously not trailblazing a paradigm shift in England’s footballing culture.

But comments Thursday from the chief executive of the Premier League, Richard Scudamore, refreshingly reflect a desire — rooted in necessity — to clean up the game’s application with an increased emphasis on disciplining petulant behavior from players.

“I think we do need to concentrate on the player and manager relationship with the referee this time, as every one of us knows that there have been elements of unacceptable behavior,” Scudamore told the BBC Thursday.

“As to what we think is unacceptable; it’s vitriolic abuse towards match officials and that has on occasions gone unpunished; the surrounding of referees is unacceptable; the goading of referees into trying to get opponents sanctioned we think is unacceptable; and also the undue criticism, where it spills over into questioning the referee’s integrity or his honesty is also unacceptable.”

Scudamore indicated that all Premiership clubs are on-board with the initiative that, starting next season, will look to pick up where the FA’s Respect campaign left off. And the Associations will be wielding their most trusted ally: confused bureaucracy.

“It needs cooperation from everybody,” he said. “The first thing we do is an education program, and a consultation program working with the FA, PFA, and LMA. Then, obviously working with the PGMO, asking for their advice as to how the refereeing fraternity can help us manage that. And ultimately, sadly, a disciplinary process needs to be there to back up what is deemed to be unacceptable behavior as a last resort.”

Unfortunately the Premier League’s best intentions don’t absolve match officials from the ultimate responsibility to help eradicate plight from pitches across England. The Professional Game Match Officials association and its body already have the power to enforce needed change. Meanwhile they’re the only ones who aren’t profiting from the behavior!

Therefore, referees are already the most culpable.

They have every right to brief footballers before a game that team captains are the only players that can argue calls. They have every right already to enforce it. More so, referees must be less reticent to book players for both dissent and simulation.

Setting a precedent early and being consistent would eradicate so much blight from an otherwise pure game. Players are intelligent creatures when running in primal mode, geeked on adrenaline. Any sense that swearing, arguing, and gesticulating is counter-productive to the inherent, competitive drive would see it eradicated from their behavior by their own will to win.

Simply, officials brandishing yellow cards for any diving (no matter how blatant), abuse, and “two-finger” implores would immediately turn what is now an evil tide of dishonor from players.

Initiatives like what Scudamore and the Premier League plan for next season may make a new era palatable to fans and footballers but actual change will be ushered in on the sweaty backs of referees who must demand the respect they and the game deserves.

After all, it’s not disrespect that is ingrained in footballers. The knowledge that it is effective —and that they can get away with it— are what perpetuate the current culture.

And while it’s definitely not the first time the FA or the Premier League have tried to improve player behavior, any self-respecting purveyor of what was once a gentleman’s game should hope that it’s the last required.

After all, the game itself, in an idealistic form, will exist long after its current superstar and superclub practitioners in England; a relationship that is not reciprocal.

Smile for the cameras

So that’s it, then?

Wayne Rooney re-signed at Manchester United. Now, the dickie birds may sing again. A lone cow forages on pastures still green.

But isn’t his dramatic u-turn just a little bit fishy?

In a bureaucratic footballing environment populated by massive clubs and billions of dollars, there’s almost always more than what meets the eyes of casual fans. Just as Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger (in different ways, with different degrees of candor) acknowledged that manager’s will “create” injuries for players in order to rest them without public rebuke, the same, if not greater, levels of plotting and coyness can–and probably do–apply to this remarkable deus ex machina.

If Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United–something he was so “adamant” about–they’d not be inclined to let him go for little or nothing. Nor would they have been too chuffed at him buying out his last year for $7m, an option allowed to him under FIFA regulations. Rooney wouldn’t have really preferred that either, as it’d forever tarnish his reputation among the rafters of Old Trafford.

Don’t get it twisted. There is a very real possiblity Rooney has re-signed with United in a clandestine “sign-and-sell” deal, basically the exact same agreement that Ronaldo had with the club when he re-signed late in his tenure, assured to move to Real Madrid (a move that was planned well in advance, so much so that Ronaldo patented CR9 that January while he still wore number seven for United).

Things might seem all hunkey-dorey for Man Red fans around the world. But Rooney signing a new deal may merely enable United to receive just compensation for the player, instead of him leaving on a Bosman’s free or buying out his last year for next to nothing.

If you believe such elaborate machinations are conspiratorial and implausible then I have a bundle of home loans I’d like to sell you. Hell, you probably don’t even believe in aliens. Money enables, if not necessitates, such subterfuge and smiley faces. Have we not learned anything?

Rooney’s u-turn saves face for player and ensures financial compensation for club if he were to leave before his new contract runs out, something that isn’t exactly unlikely in the current “money first, football second” climate of European football, a paradigm shared vociferously by Manchester United’s owners to their own club’s detriment.

Is it likely Rooney has re-signed with an implicit agreement to be sold next summer? I think so. You may not.

But we should all agree it’s very possible.

Follow me on Twitter, or not.

Wanderers hosted Man United at the Reebok Saturday evening. The first half was argy-bargy as both teams wrestled for control. Each side had chances during the often end-to-end passages of play. The breakthrough was fortunate for United and abysmal for Bolton when Samual carelessly own-goaled right before the interval.

Bolton continued playing well in the second half; United continued to play better. Berbatov tapped home after 60 total following an audacious left-footed strike by Fletcher. Nani reamed his opposite full-back after 78 played with skill to setup another tap-in for Berbatov 3-0. Nani did the same thing five minutes later for Gibson to finish, 4-0.

MANCHESTER UNITED

van der Sar (8) It’s not a goalie’s fault when he doesn’t have that much to do. He is, though,  accountable for what is tasked of him.  The Dutchman made a world-class save today, his second of the season for those counting. His distribution was fine, and he had several important decisions to make as Bolton piled their meatshields forward, despite Wanderers only shooting on target five times. Clean sheet.

Neville (7) Some United fans think Neville has little left, but against sides like Bolton he’s very serviceable. Sure, he’s ploddingly slow; but he’s wily: That’s why everyone hates him. Still a quality footballer, if not defender.

Evans (6.5) Unable to redeem his form from last season, the Northern Irishman at least put a decent game under his belt today. Bolton are a challenging team for opposing backlines. They’re huge, and a few of them can even play. Therefore, Evans had to be big today, and he was big enough.

Vidic (9) Is there a better style matchup for Vidic than Kevin Davies? The Serbian monster was at home in the trenches today. He’ll be gutted he didn’t finish the match with a bloody nose. The happiest player on the pitch not to smile, Vida enjoyed himself thoroughly today, as all observing neutrals should have. Dominant. Brilliant.

Evra (7) Extremely consistent season continues. Over-hyped as a defender, possibly, Patty Evra has been owned by Bolton’s Davies before, but not today. He patrolled up and down the left wing willy-nillily, as usual. Solid.

Fletcher (8.5) It’s so easy giving Fletcher gaudy ratings. United’s best player this season continued his world-class form today. The war wagon rumbled all across the pitch today. A brilliantly driven, long-range, left-footed strike optioned Berbatov to easily tap-in their crucial second goal. He’d be player of the year in England and elsewhere; if he was English and uglier.

Giggs (6) Looked nifty, just didn’t get stuck-in. His left-footedness was a virtue apart from Scholes in the middle. He provides another creative avenue for United through the pitch’s core, but other players asserted themselves more ostensibly today.

Scholes (7) Easy job today: Lay back, ping the ball around,  and let Fletcher do all the dirty work. That’s a winning formula, and a practical one for the aging maestro. Dangerous when forward.

Valencia (6) Anomalously quiet game from the most consistently improving player for United this season.

Nani (8) Although I always look forward to lambasting Nani, his shameless lampooning of Bolton’s right-back on several occasions in the second half begrudges me. Even in the first half Nani played within his means, which is refreshing, but he must continue to use pace over trickery in the middle of the pitch to be consistently effective. Good game today; if only a poor one wouldn’t almost surely follow.

Berbatov (8) Berba on form drops deep, wave-rides defenders, and creates chances for overlap and interplay. Though, he still throws little tantrums here are there, and they’re cute.  His frustration is natural, though; imagine if you were the classiest player on every team you played. None of your teammates are likely to do the cool shit you think of.  His positioning is still poor, at times, probably due to never-ending wine hangovers. Two deserved goals today for United’s most creative player. He’s yet to score as a substitute this season. United are 20-3-1 in games Berbatov starts.

BOLTON

Jaaskelainen (6) Should have done better on Fletcher’s driven shot. Otherwise didn’t have a lot to do besides pick the ball up out of his net. Good keeper on an average team.

Knight (6) Didn’t get worked or anything drastic as United fielded their lone striker. But his team lost 4-0 and Berbatov scored twice, so, you wouldn’t expect him holding his high too high tonight. Allowed Berba to nod goal-kicks onto his teammates. Made plenty of clearances, though.

Cahill (5) Cleared headers inevitably as United poured in crosses. Unfortunately three of those crossed ultimately ended up in his own net. Not good enough.

Samuel (4) Passed the ball into his own net under little pressure for the opener after a very even first-half. Not much else matters after that.

Ricketts (3) Got lolwtfowned by Nani several times which must really suck for someone’s self-esteem. Perhaps an intervention or vacation is in order; or a complete re-evaluation of his life’s meaning.

Cohen (6) The aptly-named Israeli had a few bright moments, but was playing against Darren Fletcher and a balanced United midfield, thereby sealing a darker fate for Cohen than he might otherwise deserve.

Muamba (6) Invoked a world-class save from van der Sar. Looks like a former Arsenal signing, plays like it too. Athletic but crafty, he could be named Song or Diaby, but without class around him, he’ll be hard-pressed to emulate their form, especially against United.

Wilshere (6.5) A bit slow, but his creativity punctuated an otherwise straightforward Bolton approach.

Lee (7) Korean was nifty on the right-side against Evra. Held on to the ball very well, turning sprightly on several occasions.

Elmander (6) Bolton played well, in part to his performance. He’s hulking, inevitably, but can work with the ball  in addition to taking up space. Vidic owned his face aerially.

Davies (5) Vidic may as well have collared his neck and drug him around by chain tonite; in fact, he did. Davies could not and can not compete with the Serbian aerially, and without that ability, was virtually useless.

‘Lo and behold, Rooney doesn’t play and United still win. Ferguson should have begun resting his talisman sooner because Berba’s form is not a surprise nor a recent development. Darren Fletcher and Vidic share man-of-the-match plaudits as the former sustains the best form of his career while the latter made strides to return to his.

United compensate Chelsea’s goal difference, beating Bolton by a 4-0 scoreline that deceives  how well Bolton played for 70 minutes but rightly renders United’s dominance across all 90.

“There’s only one Keano” usually isn’t sung as a lamentation, but never before have Man United missed Roy Keane so much.

Whether berating a prawn sandwich culture, or throwing under-performing players publicly under the bus, the man Keane never hesitated to put the spotlights—and pressure—upon his own shoulders.

More importantly, beyond the brash outbursts was the most blue-collar of field workers. Keane led by both sword and plowshare, demanding nothing of his peers that they could not expect of himself. He constantly interrogated his teammates’ egos and work ethic and no one could—or at least would—say he was a hypocrite.

Do as he did, not as he said, was the subtext to his whole persona.

But last season United triumphed without their iconic captain. A resolute and consistent defense propped Cristiano Ronaldo’s world-class form througout the season, almost without thinking, towards the European double.

United look now, for the first time in these two seasons, almost free-falling, with a diffusion of responsibility spreading across the Carrington grounds.

Without someone like Keane, who can lead a disjointed United side with sheer force of will? Are there any players with the same demonstrative volition? Are there any players on the current side capable of harnessing their anger without being petulant?

Surely the last clause rules out Wayne Rooney.

Pundits had hoped to provide a prophecy for Wayne to fulfill this season, claiming that his days of charging about angrily were finally behind him. These notions have so far turned out to be fantasy.

There is no doubt his heart is in the cause, but too much so, and it is often further unhinged by a lack of reason and patience—and the absence of the role model like the fiery Irishman.

Ronaldo gets angry. But he’s not very good at it. He whines and pouts, projecting and displacing, hating himself and blaming everyone else. He’s much more part of the problem right now than he would be for any solution to his club’s possibly fragile psyche.

Paul Scholes doesn’t like him. Why would he? Scholes himself is the paragon for modesty and honesty in motion. He’s not concerned about the spotlight or the women, nor the parties or acclaim. But the same virtues that make him a model person and professional preclude him from invoking personal demons which don’t exist to exorcise those plaguing some players around him.

Arguably the only player on the current side with a similar capacity to Keane for weighted anger and leadership, Gary Neville, the club captain, is a peripheral figure. Often injured and always aging, his voice from the bench doesn’t carry to the pitch, not when the adrenaline and endorphins govern each player’s instinctual actions.

Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs are often given the armband in Neville’s absence. Unfortunately, neither have the make-up to inspire, or the gall and effrontery to unstick their chums.

Ferdinand yells superfluously, usually without force, usually without response. Players just don’t fear him. Giggs is a quiet man and captains the side more from experience than effectiveness.

Nemanja Vidic emerges. The 27-year-old has the makings for a future captain. But despite being United’s player of the season—and a firm candidate for PFA Player of the Year—he may not be the answer right now. His own confidence seems frazzled, being outwitted by Gerrard and Torres, proven slightly bemused by Zlatan, and run a bit ragged by Martins in recent matches.

Carlos Tevez could be the answer. Who roars louder? Who exhales after each run-out with more veracity? Who’s badge is placed more squarely over his heart than the Argentine terrorist, crunching and crashing about, demanding, earning, and reciprocating respect from and to all opponents?

On action alone, Tevez speaks the loudest. He never argues with a linesman, never complains to the referee or, more crucially, his teammates, and never dives. And he never gives up. If only he could apply the same passion and voracity to vocally inspire his teammates.

With Berbatov facing an injury spell, and Rooney likely to be suspended for three games, there will be no better forum for the Argentine to exert his will in the coming matches.

But maybe United need nothing more than a mental break, and they’ll have it.

The players have two weeks of World Cup qualifiers to distract themselves with other exploits and refocus.

The man who molded Roy Keane partly in his own likeness, Sir Alex Ferguson, has this time to plot and calculate the restoration of his side’s confidence.

He has two weeks to exhume the cobwebs of self-doubt from the minds of his rattled players, and if he can’t, you wonder who on the pitch might, should the first goal at Old Trafford in a fortnight’s time be scored by the visitor.

Confidence is piercing: It attacks the disposition in those it encounters with a domineering force.

Arrogance is masochistic: It challenges those dispositions to return force in kind plus more. It demands unequal retribution. It bolsters the defending.

Ronaldo has none of the confidence he deserves and too much of the hubris that weighs him down.

Someone needs to reboot him.

His head is nowhere near the pitch. His attacking is indirect. His tantrums are ubiquitous. His emotions run completely unchecked.

Where he once out-smarted most defenders, most now out-muscle him, sending the winger whirling downward again into the whining spirals which mar his ever-declining reputation.

His free-kicks sail well off course. His runs to the byline are rare. The extempore cuts and shifts are gone, the sleight and trickery with them, replaced with forecast, boastful, and inconsequential step-overs before usually passing square or backwards.

John O’ Shea is in the side—presumably—to pass sideways. Ronaldo is not!

The club he led to glory last year needs at least half of his ability and at most half of the immaturity. Its fans, ever scrambling to doggedly defend the reprobate, deserve respite and reassurance. They deserve to see their hero on song, not his villainous alter-ego, always scowling and recalcitrant.

In the last several seasons, he played like a man who knew he’d be great. Then the world agreed and made him great, exalting him PFA Player of the Year, European Player of the Year, and World Player of the Year. But despite capturing all of world football’s individual awards to confirm his self-belief, he now seems somehow not to believe in himself anymore.

The weight of each opposing crowd booing and teasing him might be taking its toll. Maybe Messi or Ribery’s form of late is what causes Ronaldo so much anxiety. Maybe he can’t deal with the pressure of becoming the most recognizable player on the planet. Maybe he just wants people to like him more—who could blame him?

But after six months of his emotional treacle, can no one within the walls of Old Trafford encourage change in the 24-year-old? Can’t Alex Ferguson himself demand it? The Scot never shied from ego-management: Ince, Cantona, Hughes, Beckham—how is Ronaldo less deserving? Why is he immune?

A flying boot would affect him just the same. Ronaldo must’ve seized sizable leverage with his bi-yearly feigns at foraying into Spanish football, because Ferguson is hesitant to ever discipline the boy in his side who needs it the most.

Let Ronaldo watch a game from the stands like he used to when he actually played with some naivete and creativity. Give Tosic a run-out. Hell, give Nani a run-out. Make Ronaldo remember what it’s like to just be a player again.

Perhaps Carlos Quieroz, former United number two and current Portugal manager, can speak with urgency in a language the winger will hear, understand, and adhere to.

Change for the winger Ronaldo is long overdue and must be swift before he completely undermines his stature in the world game that surely could not have peaked already?

Liverpool humiliated Man United 4-1 Saturday at Old Trafford in a statement victory that may sustain the Merseysiders’ title ambitions: fact.

For United, losing soundly to their most fierce rivals at home couldn’t have been better timed or circumstanced: thesis.

Yes, Manchester United were cruising.

They had just vanquished their manager’s biggest rival in fellow European giant Inter Milan midweek to advance to the quarter-finals of the Uefa Champions League. They’d won the Carling Cup and were through to face Everton in the semi-final for the FA Cup.

In the top flight, their dominance throughout the last five months is well-documented: unbeaten since being similarly dominated at Ashburton Grove in November, keeping 14 clean sheets in the EPL through December into February.

So as the Red side in Manchester entered play Saturday against Liverpool—seven points ahead of their nemesis with two games in hand—the timing and context couldn’t have been more perfect for a shocking upset.

Looking at the table, they could certainly afford it. Looking at individual player form, some could certainly use it.

The best player in England this season, Nemanja Vidic, has looked suspiciously shaken—at times—during a few of United’s last matches: home to Liverpool here, Inter during midweek, and against Fulham ten days past.

Easily the most consistent and effective player for United this season, the Serbian was execrable against Liverpool. “Monster” was solely culpable for Torres’ goal and was ultimately sent off for a shoddy professional foul on the Spaniard.

Vida will need to be focused and characteristically unforgiving during the run-out of this season for his club to unprecedentedly capture the three remaining trophies.

Both Vidic and lesser partner Rio Ferdinand enjoyed accomplished individual campaigns last season when Ronaldo rose above everyone to inspire United to the European double. The winger’s form this year, though, has also plateaued far below his potential.

His lack of confidence is apparent each time he plays the simple side pass after a few perfunctory step-overs, where last season the Ballon d’Or winner simply drove past and through defenders without thinking or pausing. His problems are mental.

Elsewhere, Michael Carrick, who has been largely consistent and influential this season, has slept through a few games on end, and serviceable players last year like Anderson and Nani have yet to find the form this year to emulate their effect past.

Patrice Evra has also not lived up to the high standard he set last season. Since serving a three-match ban over the holidays, returning splendidly at home to Chelsea, and then missing two weeks with a leg injury, Evra has not been at the races since.

Carlos Tevez was more effective than an inconsistent Wayne Rooney last season. The Englishman entered this season with a mind to prove his world-class hype justified. He’s yet to do it. His inconsistency is unrivaled by anyone on team. Rooney has a high ceiling but his form usually dwells far, far below it.

It’s unlikely he’ll admit to hating any future opponents.

There’s no doubt United players will be devastated with this result and rightly so. It’s the rebound to that emotion that can fuse the side together finally into the season’s business end. United manager Alex Ferguson nailed it home: “At this club it’s always about how you respond. When you lose a game: respond. And that is what we will do.”

If United had breezed past Liverpool just as they breezed past so many opponents in the last several months, the reality check could very well have come on a stage Manchester couldn’t afford.

But, being pummeled by their emotional rivals in the league—where United still lead by four points with a game in hand—brings stark reality and emotional checking far greater than merely dropping points against a lesser side home or away domestically and much less risk than sleep-walking over-confidently into a rampant European side.

Had the Mersey Reds nicked the victory, the psychological damage might not have been too severe, but, Liverpool might have just beaten Manchester United too severely Saturday.

Just as Rafael Benetiz’ factual tirade against Ferguson in December helped launch United on their recent domineering run, his side’s demolition of the Red Devils Saturday could very well be the impetus United need to continue their surge into history.

The victory that Liverpool reds will rely on as being the rebirth of their season could prove ironically to be the harbinger that refocuses their most ardent rivals from Manchester—clearly the better and deeper side this season—to trump them throughout England and Europe.

“His passes stretched forever.”

To cite any other player being more dominant and expressive in a match this season than Paul Scholes was against Fulham is nigh impossible.

The ginger prince shies from cameras and adulation, but on the field he feels, more profoundly than any fortunate observer, the artistry and sheer magnificence he manifested Tuesday like no other; and he knows it gutturally.

But he won’t talk about it. Scholes was one of the first players to leave the field after his side clinically dismantled Fulham 3-0, shifting quickly off his stage as teammates and opponents alike hustled to shake his hand and look into his eyes for any sign of higher being.

This left a slightly more willing, though equally uncomfortable Wayne Rooney to attend to interviewing obligations with BBC.

Rooney stammered, bumbled, and twitched, as well as employing many other impression management mannerisms, to generally evade his way through the queries with perfunctory, scattered answers. But, as the topic turned to Scholes, his eyes squinted in awe and understanding:

“Some of his football tonight, I don’t think there’s any other player in the world who could produce that,” Rooney said, taken aback. “In my eyes…,” he continued, shaking his head, “He’s one of the best ever,” now looking quite certain.

Other players and legends (and writers) have been similarly lovestruck by the intelligent, modest, gentlemanly style Scholesy boy alone exudes.

Edgar Davids: “I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is.”

Thierry Henry: “He has indestructible mental strength and he is a genuine competitor.”

Zinedine Zidane: “Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.”

Bobby Charlton: “I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes.”

And, in recent weeks, when asked what the most amazing thing he’s seen in practice was, manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed Scholes is quite cheeky too.

“The most amazing thing is Paul Scholes, in the morning, when a player goes to have a pee at the side of the training pitch and he fires balls from 40 yards right on top of their head!”

“He got Gary Neville right in the head and Neville chased him across the pitch!”

Scholesy might have had even more fun Tuesday at the Theatre of Dreams.

His passes stretched forever, close and far, far away with unerring accuracy—usually bulls-eying the preferred foot of the recipient, to be fair.

Scholes was the conduit; he was the courier. He signed, sealed, and delivered five or six balls, pin to point, from the center of the pitch far out onto the wing in the first ten minutes, as throughout, just stretching his legs; warming up.

Ten days rested, he then flipped, dinked, tapped, and sprayed, weaving intricacies around enamored yet sad Fulham players of which they never contemplated and would never comprehend. He was entranced on the field like a crocodile giving birth along the Nile swamps.

Scholes even had some of the best tackles of the match, getting right up into the Fulham midfield and simply robbing his ball from enfeebled bystanders on occasions.

To be fair, against a beaten and downtrodden team from London, most United players were in control, with Ronaldo being a conspicuous exception. He could do no more than whine and misfire while Carrick and Tevez were also limited.

No one could, or would, compare that night with the inimitable Scholes though.

His lashing goal was a vintage strike on the volley direct from a corner, a routine often attempted over the years of his career with now at least two permanent connections and tallies etched in history. It squeaked under goalkeeper Schwarzer, and Paul Scholes’ grin was ear-to-ear, arms raised in glee.

United went away 3-0 to the good with a classy Berbatov and poaching Rooney also making the score-sheet and match reports.

However, this one is mostly about Paul Scholes. The romantic display by the diminutive Salford man, as he twinkles into memory during the last of his career, might just be the best 90 minutes of it.

And for any fan claiming to appreciate football beyond the goals and awards; who doesn’t look at, but into, the minutia of play, must take the time to download, or otherwise manufacture, a replay of this match, if not for their own personal growth!

For today, the aging paragon modestly exhibited natural football in a simple state, without frills or pretext, as ever, just precision and execution resultant from hours, days, and years of honest application.

And that is the beauty of Scholes.

David Beckham wants to leave the Los Angeles Galaxy and stay in Italy, and so does the MLS—but they won’t admit it.

The current transfer saga itself, as AC Milan negotiate making Beckham’s loan move permanent, is the type of high-profile exposure the American league pines for.

While garnering both attention and capital—concepts agreeable to American sport and business—over Beckham’s tenure, the Galaxy never competed on the field with the English soccer magnate at the club.

And now the former Spanish and English top flight champion Beckham and AC Milan have made their mutual desires unequivocal.

Meanwhile, the MLS enjoys, if not uncomfortably, the leverage they currently wield at the bargaining table and a deal benefiting all parties involved looks quite certain, but not imminent, as the Galaxy extract what remains of their share in the Beckham stakes.

It’s Over in America

Though Beckham appeared in his element, perhaps, in Hollywood, on pitches across America he was certainly out of it. The Galaxy simply needed him to do too much there.

Without dribblers and tidy passers around him, Beckham looked ordinary. He is a player who thrives in association with his more skillful teammates, and his quality is only manifested when there is quality around to support it.

He won’t run past players and he has never taken over games. His influence is in the final supply of a flowing side, adding a wide element to provide for clinical, penalty-box strikers, punctuated by occasional dead-ball breakthroughs.

But, he leads more by stature and reputation than actual presence. He was never going to inspire the Galaxy or their fans, lifting them upon his shoulders during a romantic championship run. Certainly not with a below-average MLS side.

Off the field, in Los Angeles, the jerseys were sold. The casual fans allegedly watched and listened, and the American game grew necessarily, financially and respectably.

Definitely, the soccer structures in Los Angeles and in the MLS felt the boom. How long the effect resonates, and whether they might outlast it through a strife economy—so often the scourge of American leagues past—is yet to unfold.

As now the pop in popular culture Becks brought stateside, like novelty itself, fades. The hot air keeping the Beckham brand aflight gasses and dissipates, and each year is exponentially less profitable, less exploitable.

Money makes the gears turn slowly

So why don’t the MLS and the Galaxy sell short on Beckham, their powerful commodity? They most certainly will.

All three are frothing to make the deal permanent, each hopeful to avoid a repeat role in the hackneyed tale of European stars coming to an ultimately defunct American league to wind down their careers in one last marketing bravado.

But, the Americans, as ever, are trying to get top dollar.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber oddly issued a deadline last week for any changes in the current loan deal with Milan in March. Perhaps he was impersonating Gareth Keenan, but no one really listened as the deadline passed, and the commissioner blinked and walked silently backwards away.

The ostentatious posturing showed the gulf in class between the two organizations. AC Milan, the historic European giant, and the MLS, overplaying a big hand with a bad poker face.

Bruce Arena admitted Monday during a press conference: “”Legally or technically, I think March 8 would be the final date of altering the loan agreement. The deadline imposed by Commissioner Garber, you would have to speak to [him] about that.”

The Galaxy, who announced last year already recouping and profiting from their Beckham investment, have the new stadium, increased revenues, and season ticket sales.

And with a transfer sum probably around $20 million—market value for an average top-level player slash media icon and world superstar—they’ll have the money to both line their pockets and finally build a squad with substance.

Star dims in Europe and bursts in South Africa

As for Milan, they wouldn’t have expected their initial $12 million offer to be accepted. Of course the first offer in any deal between major clubs is to be rejected, and later countered with a price tag in the media, to which another offer would likely be rejected, until the deadline—with Kaka’s exceptional saga being an outlier.

The Rossoneri will be a better—and even more popular—team with Beckham. He’s already played better in a month at the San Siro than he did during any month at the Home Depot Center.

He offers a different option than another veteran, Gennaro Gattuso; they might split time. The competition is good for all, and at 32, Beckham would be suited to be rested occasionally or come off the bench.

Milan is a welcoming home for storied players, of whom they boast quite a collection: Maldini, Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Zambrotta, Kaka, and now Beckham. Berlusconi certainly knows how to market their assets.

As for the Englishman, his motivations have always been clear. Like his continued love for Manchester United, shy Beckham has never been reticent about his burning need to play for England.

He was put to the brink by his former national coach after the 2006 World Cup, but Fabio Capello likes seeing Becks punting in crosses at the club the Italian coach won five Scudetti with.

If the most-capped Englishman stays healthy and plays often and well enough, he seems odds-on to get a final chance at glory and make the squad for the 2010 World Cup.

There lies the final possible catalyst in what has always been his personal crusade to fully and finally restore his pride after his personal hell in the 1998 World Cup.

The simple man who, so unwittingly, shouldered the game across continents, is at least deserving of the chance to extinguish his career in a last, personal blaze of glory and redemption.

You might even say the fans of the game deserve it too: witnessing the midfielder, commodity, and tentative icon returned to his element on pitches across Europe and South Africa as the blinding spotlight on his career finally and mercifully dims and extinguishes.