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After a Champions League week in which both Arsenal and United cruised through, the media in UK goes overboard. There are rarely any shades of grey in press coverage here. You’re a hero or a zero and that’s pretty much it. At the moment you’d think Rooney had actually invented heading the ball, so extreme has the praise of his goals been. It’s not that he doesn’t deserve praise – but my god it goes over-the-top.
Thus, United were imperious and Arsenal majestic, despite the fact that both were playing against sluggish, over-the-hill teams. Teams which still needed beating, and which they beat well, but a little perspective would occasionally be welcome.
The trouble is The Premier League and its cheerleaders seek any opportunity to laud the league as the best in the world. They regularly go further and say ‘all the best players want to play here.’ You will regularly here and read comments to that effect from journalists and pundits.

It’s an appalling, self-serving statement and one which bears no scrutiny. As anyone who watched a magnificent game between Fiorentina and Bayern last night could tell you, there are some terrific players in Europe who either have played in the Premier League and left, such as Robben – and what a goal that was – and others such as Benzema, Messi et al at Barcelona who have actively rejected a move to England.
So it’s a fallacy that all the best players want to play here. Yet it’s become a mantra; an assumption almost. All of which would be so much media flim-flam except for the fact, that agents use it to drive up fees and wages. And we all know where this has left Portsmouth and what it has done to the debt levels carried by the league’s clubs. It’s financially unhealthy and potentially disastrous. It’s also true that those who do want to play here, often want to just because the money is so good. It’s nothing to do with the football or culture. Like Pascal Chimbonda once said, ‘I am a football mercenary.’
Is that something for the league to be proud of?
With this ‘best league’ tag come real financial consequences. And when you look at it more closely, it’s often the people with most to financially gain who utter this lie; players, agents and media representatives whose level of wages rely on the league’s high profile. Who wouldn’t pump up the very thing that makes you a good living?
It’s all the more galling for those of us – and I include many Americans in this – who enjoy dining at the smorgasbord of the European leagues and who know just how good some of the players are. Ok, when it comes to the Champions League, the English clubs have dominated recently, but that doesn’t mean all other sides in Europe are stuffed with poor players.
It’s ironic that on Champions League nights we have the chance to see such players as Ribery and Robben impress and perform at a really high level. However, once it’s out of the way and the league resumes, it’s as though a collective mind-wipe happens and we’re back to the default view that the EPL is where everyone wants to play.
It’s not true and it’s never been true and its time that the propagandists who peddle this untruth were challenged. Perhaps then we could start to tackle the insane wages and transfer fees and clubs could begin a long process of trying to live within their means.

Is the Premier League The Best In The World? - World Soccer Talk

Is the Premier League The Best In The World?

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While the Aughts have been full of speculation/proposal about the Old Firm joining the EPL, the 90’s was about the Old Firm joining what was dubbed as the Atlantic League. It was a joint proposal from the big clubs in the Netherlands, Scotland and Portugal. <a href="http:\/\/soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=685158&amp;sec=europe&amp;cc=5901">ESPN is reporting that there may be another attempt at this break away league</a>, which would involve the aforementioned clubs along with Belgium and the Scandinavian clubs. 
I’m all for tradition, but I like the idea of this league. 
For one reason, historic clubs such as Ajax, Celtic, Rangers, Porto (Mourinho-era aside), Sporting, Benfica, PSV, Anderlecht and FC Copenhagen have no hope of competing in the Champions League any longer as they are financially dwarfed by the clubs in the big six leagues of Europe. These are massive clubs and don’t deserve to become also-rans because of the size of their country’s population.
For another Scandinavia, which once produced clubs that could cause an upset in Europe, have been reduced to two clubs in the Europa League. Norway and Sweden, which produce many talents for other clubs, haven’t had a team in the knock-out stages since the mid-90’s. Both confederations sit in the 20’s in the coefficient rankings. And Denmark hasn’t been much better, although they do typically have a team in the group stages.
If Michel Platini is about strengthening these leagues, then allowing smaller countries to consolidate to fight the money and populations of Italy, Spain, France, England, Russia and Germany is only fair. And with German clubs again complaining about the 50+1 rule, as was discussed here earlier, such a change would only help push the Netherlands, Scotland, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Sweden further adrift. 
Finally, if a breakaway league can be formed for these countries, it could provide a blue-print for the Eastern European nations that find themselves in the same position.
And it’s not like we haven’t had this before. The old Yugoslavian league during the Communist era was essentially the same thing being proposed, and was competitive in Europe without the availability of foreign transfers. 
If they could set up a league, perhaps even with two tiers, it could gain enough popularity to rival Russia or France, which are broadcast widely. They could have relegation and promotion with a two tier system. And for the second division, teams could drop back to their country’s league system if they finished in the bottom three. Say Hibs came in last in league 2, they could be replaced by Aberdeen, the winner of the SPL. This could work if it were just one league, too. The question would be, how many teams would be allowed into the Champions League. This new league might need to be given a fifth slot to account for the eight countries. 
Think about this league: 
Celtic 
Rangers 
Porto 
Benfica 
Sporting Lisbon 
Rosenborg 
Valerenga (included because I love them) 
FC Copenhagen 
Bronby 
AIK 
Gothenburg 
Malmo 
PSV 
Ajax 
Feyenoord 
Anderlecht 
Club Brugge 
Standard Liege 
HJK 
MyPa
That would be a highly competitive league with historical clubs oozing out of it’s pores. It would take place in eight countries, two teams each for the 5 million nations and 3 each for the 10 million nations. The league would encompass a population of 67 million people, taking it past Italy, Spain, England and France. And other than travel to Portugal, would rarely compete with the travel involved in an Bayern-Hamburg match. Linguistically, it would entail Dutch, Danish, Norweigian, Swedish, Finnish, English, French and Portuguese. However, the Scandanavian countries can communicate as their languages are so similar, except for the pronunciation differences from Danish to Swedish. 25% of all Finns speak Swedish as well. Walloonia speaks Dutch. And to be perfectly honest all of the aforementioned nations, speak better English than the Scots 😉 So really we are talking about a league that could concentrate on English and Portuguese.
By the way, the Gaffer may soon be seeking an AtlanticLeagueTalk writer 🙂
*Population notes: Belgium 10.5 Netherlands 16.5 Portugal 10.7 Sweden 9.2 Denmark 5.5 Norway 4.7 Finland 5.5 Scotland 5

Pondering the Possibilities of the Atlantic League - World Soccer Talk

Pondering the Possibilities of the Atlantic League

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It’s with a heavy heart that I start this posting, as the sad news that Sir Bobby Robson has finally lost his fight with cancer after a 13 year battle with the disease. Sir Bobby’s last public appearance was at the charity match for his foundation on Sunday, and it was heartbreaking yet wonderful to see him receive the adulation of his beloved Geordie fans one last time.
Robson was the most successful English manager of the last 50 years, of that there is no argument, both at home in England and with various stints in Spain, Portugal and Holland. A true gentleman, his warmth, generosity and love of the game touched everyone that he came in contact with throughout his long and distinguished career.&nbsp; Whilst Clough had success at Forest in his early days, he never built on his early success at Derby County or Nottingham Forest, save for a League Cup win in 1988. Robson won trophies in 4 countries and took his country to a World Cup semi final over a 10 year period.

<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20090731_WST_9746_bobbyrobson.webp&amp;width=349&amp;height=500" alt="" width="349" height="500"></figure></div>A successful footballer, Robson was a deep lying centre forward, similar to the role that Teddy Sheringham would later distinguish with such panache. He started his career at Fulham, but as with Sir Tom Finney, his father made him concentrate on a proper trade, becoming an apprentice electrian whilst still training with Fulham. In the two spells he spent at Craven Cottage, Robson made 344 appearances and scored 77 goals. The spells at Fulham bracketed a 6 year spell with West Bromwich Albion, where he appeared 239 times and hit 56 goals.&nbsp; He also regularly appeared for England, earning 20 caps and getting 4 goals between 1957 – 1962.
Yet, Robson’s playing career would be eclipsed by his success as a manager, though it didn’t get off to the best start. Returning after a spell in Canada, playing for the Vancouver Royals, Robson joined Fulham for a third time as manager in 1968.&nbsp; Robson took over a struggling side and was unable to keep them in the First Division. The&nbsp;following season, with Fulham in 8th, he discovered he had been sacked on a “Robson Sacked” placard outside Putney tube station.
&nbsp;It was to&nbsp;be&nbsp;his next place of employment that would set Robson on the path to greatness,;he took over at Ipswich Town in 1969. Staying for a total of 13 years, in his last 9 seasons at Portman Road, Ipswich only finished lower than 6th once. This achievement could not be understated, surrounded by the giants of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa, Ipswich were punching well above their weight. He consistently delivered European Football and under his guidance the club won the F.A. Cup in 1978 and the U.E.F.A. Cup in 1981.
It was clear that he had a job for life at Ipswich Town and his success as bringing players through the youth system was a testament to his skill as a spotter of players. In the 13 years he was the manager, he only signed 14 players, an incredible figure that showed the qualities the scouting network and youth system delivered.
<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>In 1982, Ron Greenwood announced he would leave the England job and the F.A made Robson their preferred choice. The F.A’s dislike of Brian Clough meant the role was Robson’s to lose and even a last minute offer of a ten year contract at Ipswich couldn’t change his mind.
He took over in June 1982 and would spend 8 years in charge of his country. There were low points of course along the way, failure to qualify for Euro 84 and the teams woeful performance in Euro 88 but the success of getting England to Quarter Finals of the World Cup in 1986, and within a post width of a rematch in the final of Italia 90 saw Robson deliver the best showing by an England side in a World Cup since 1966.
Robson’s final two years in the England job saw him recieve unbelievably negative press, consistently being urged to quit. When the F.A. decided to remove him in 1990, I wonder just how long in Graham Taylor’s reign they’d realised what a mistake they’d made? Robson left with the success of Italia 90 still ringing in his ears and embarked on a 9 year managerial campaign in Europe. Taking over at PSV Eindhoven, he won the title in his first two seasons, but the PSV board wanted more success in Europe and Robson was removed in the summer of 1992. He then moved to Portugal and Sporting Lisbon, meeting a young interpreter by the name of Jose Mourinho.The two then moved to Porto and Barcelona. In 1999, Robson eventually got the job he’d always wanted, when he became the manager of Newcastle United.
Robson’s battle with cancer began in 1991 and he has fought 5 separate bouts of the disease in the last 18 years. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2007, but still struggling to recover from a stroke caused by a brain tumour in 2006, it was one last fight too far.&nbsp; Setting <a href="http:\/\/www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk/" target="_blank">up his foundation</a>, it has so far raised over £1.5 million in 18 months, I hope that figure will rise in the next few weeks.
So farewell Sir Bobby. I will miss you; you were a lovely man, kind, warm, generous and gave me some wonderful times as an England fan. Football is a lesser sport&nbsp;with your loss.
“My condition is described as static and has not altered since my last bout of chemotherapy; I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute.” Sir Bobby Robson
“As a trainer without doubt&nbsp;Robson is one of the greatest in the world” Ronaldo
“He was like a father to me, I’ll never forget the love he showed me” Paul Gascoigne

Farewell Sir Bobby Robson 1933-2009 - World Soccer Talk

Farewell Sir Bobby Robson 1933-2009

As intriguing as the current edition of the Champions League may be, there’s a chance the 2009-2010 tournament could be one of the strangest, parity-rich events in football history. Seems someone has taken the snow globe that is European football, given it a good shake and the flakes aren’t landing where people expect.
The tables in Germany, Holland, Portugal and even Italy don’t resemble what we’ve come to expect as status quo, and as a result, the trickle-down to next year’s Champions League could be&nbsp; fascinating.&nbsp; Not only could you have some very fresh names, faces and kits in the fray, but they’ll be usurping some very established entities, including a couple of past champions.
Starting in Italy, where Inter Milan is in the lead with 24 points, you’ve got a gaggle of teams behind Mourinho’s men that includes Napoli, Udinese and Genoa, all within four points of the top, and all within at least a shot of getting into the qualifying rounds. And standing on the outside looking in would be Juventus, Roma and Fiorentina, three teams that are in the hunt in this year’s Champions League.
Not even England is immune to this phenomenon. Despite the Big Four of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United being entrenched as the top four, Hull City had a prominent spot near the top of the table for much of the opening weeks, and they’re still within reach in sixth position with 20 points, only one shy of the top four.
The best story might be in Germany, where Hoffenheim has been at the tippity-top of the Bundesliga alone until this weekend. Hoffenheim may be in there for the duration; it’s won five in a row and now shares the lead with Bayer Leverkeusen. Bayern Munich is charging hard and it will be tremendous to watch if Hoffenheim can find a way to hang on.
Az Alkamaar, meanwhile, took over the lead in the Dutch Eredivisie and has the lone automatic Champions League group stage spot right now. Behind AZ? Well, sure, Ajax is there, but so is NAC Breda and Groningen. Breda and Ajax are tied on points with Az, and Groningen two points out.
In Portugal, if things ended today, F.C. Porto and Sporting would be OUT altogether. OUT. Sporting, which has already earned a spot in the knockout round, is five points out, and Porto’s miserable start has it even further back. Leixoes is in the lead. Who? Leixoes. Nacional da Madeira is three out and Maritimo five back. Benfica is the lone giant in the top three. And Benfica is somewhat woeful as far as big clubs go.
It’s early, but it’s fun to look ahead and acknowledge what these minnows are doing. The longer it goes like this, the more fun it becomes. And perhaps next August, you just might seeing a Champions League draw with clubs such as Hoffenheim, Az Alkamaar and Leixoes joining Inter, Chelsea and Barcelona in Pot 1. Now how much fun would that be?

Prospects and Parity Ahead for 2010 Champions League - World Soccer Talk

Prospects and Parity Ahead for 2010 Champions League

To use a golf analogy, the teams in the group stage of the Champions League make the turn today and tomorrow with the completion of the first three games of the group stage. And while it’s early, for some teams, it’s make-or-break time. 
Group by group, here’s an analysis of who needs to win:
Group A:
ROMA Needs To Win: Misery may love company, but it seems to love Roma too. Last weekend’s humbling 4-0 home defeat to Inter Milan is hardly the way Roma wanted to head into the lion’s den known tomorrow as Stamford Bridge. Roma also had to shudder at Chelsea’s 5-0 smashing of Middlesborough with what essentially a B team. Still, a good result keeps Roma in the hunt. And you can bet that Roma hopes Cluj wakes up from its dream campaign in Europe soon.
Group B:
ANORTHOSIS Needs To Win: Yes the team from Cyprus, y’know, those guys who are leading Group B. Anorthosis has a win and a draw over Bremen and Panathinaikos, but its most crucial match is today against Inter at the San Siro. Mourinho says his team is cautious about the match, and well it should be. Minnows can bite, especially in a tournament such as this; over-confidence is a killer.
Group C: 
SPORTING and SHAKTAR Need To Win: If ESPN had any stones, this would be the match it would televise on Wednesday. This match, as well as the return leg in Lisbon on Nov. 4 will surely be bookend epic battles. These two are fighting for second behind Barcelona in the group, with Basel already all but an afterthought. Both clubs have 3 points. Sporting pounded Basel a month ago, while Shaktar lost a heartbreaker to Barcelona. Sporting may suffer from its lack of meaningful activity coming into this one due to the international break and having played only a domestic cup match.
Group D: 
PSV EINDHOVEN Needs To Win: With Marseille on the docket today and the Frech club less than inspired, Eindhoven needs a precious three points tomorrow to keep pace with Liverpool and Atletico–two teams in top form right now. A draw does neither Eindhoven nor Marseille any good. Liverpool and Atletico meanwhile, has the makings of a classic, though Liverpool could be dragged down by injuries. 
Group E: 
CELTIC Needs To Win: With Manchester United finding its pace–surprise surprise that it coincides with Ronaldo finding his form and Rooney finding the back of the net–Celtic cannot be looking forward to today’s trip to Old Trafford. Celtic has one point from the first two matches, and cannot afford to lose today and be six points–or two matches–behind United with three to play. The math, in that case, just does work in Celtic’s favor, especially with Villareal having a sitter today against AaB. 
Group F: 
FIORENTINA Needs To Win: Fiorentina has an opportunity today to make waves in this group with its visit against shaken Bayern Munich. Fiorentina has two points from two matches, even with Lyon, which figures to get a result against Steaua Bucharesti today. Bayern is struggling, having taken only three points from its last four matches in Germany. It leads this group with four points. A Fiorentina win certainly makes the final three matches much more interesting. Fiorentina is three points out in Serie A and has won three in a row.
Group G: 
FC PORTO Needs To Win: If for no other reason than confidence in this group, Porto needs to win today at home against Dynamo Kyiv. Porto has regained the lead in the Portuguese first division, but its 4-0 drubbing last time out at Arsenal was humbling and revealing. Porto is vulnerable and cannot afford another slip, especially with an Arsenal win today basically pushing the Gunners through to the next round.
Group H:
ZENIT St. PETERSBURG Needs To Win: The darling UEFA Cup winners of 2007-2008 desperately need to get going in this group. With zero points from two matches, Zenit certainly welcomes Bate Borisov today to Russia. With Juventus hosting Real Madrid, Zenit quickly needs to close the gap on the top two, or else it will indeed be defending its UEFA Cup triumph–maybe.

At The Turn: Who Needs to Win - World Soccer Talk

At The Turn: Who Needs to Win

<a title="greenback-currency" href="http:\/\/www.serieatalk.com/transfer-deadline-the-clock-is-ticking/259/greenback-currency/" rel="attachment wp-att-260"></a><div><figure class="image"><a title="greenback-currency" href="http:\/\/www.serieatalk.com/transfer-deadline-the-clock-is-ticking/259/greenback-currency/" rel="attachment wp-att-260"></a></figure></div>At which club will <a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiago_Mendes">Tiago Mendes</a> end up? I hear he only wants a deal with a Champions League contender. And is <a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Crespo">Hernán Crepos</a> a Mourinho man after all?
Late yesterday Serie A Talk learned the <a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Quaresma">Ricardo Quaresma</a> transfer from Porto to Internazionale was now finalized.&nbsp; Several news sites earlier indicated Quaresma was expected to sign a five-year contract with an offer of €22m from the Nerazzurri.
Here is how the transfer math&nbsp;should pan-out, Inter will pay Porto €18.6m (£15m), and will yeild full rights to <a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%ADtor_Hugo_Gomes_Pa%C3%A7os">Vítor Hugo Pelé</a>, valued €6m (£4.8m). [1]
Club&nbsp;Porto’s website announced late Sunday night the player has been sold to Inter, nothing yet from Inter’s official website inter.it
<h4>Related Articles</h4>
1. channel4 Football Italia – <a href="http:\/\/www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sep1h.html">Quaresma arrives at Inter 
</a>2. Goal.com – Official: Quaresma Joins Inter 
3. Goal.com – Mourinho Kicks Crespo Out Of Champions League?

ALL POSTS TAGGED "porto" - Page 2

General

Is the Premier League The Best In The World?

General

Pondering the Possibilities of the Atlantic League

General

Farewell Sir Bobby Robson 1933-2009

AC Milan

Prospects and Parity Ahead for 2010 Champions League

Anorthosis Famagusta FC

At The Turn: Who Needs to Win

General

Transfer Deadline – The Clock Is Ticking