Money or Freedom? Peter Hill-Wood or Billionaire Owner?

All the Arsenal sites says the same thing.

“Arsene will not spend”

“Usmanov urges Arsene to splash out”

“Magic money won’t do the trick says Wenger”

Instead of going with the flow and saying the same things, I would rather take a look at something else. Before I start, I just want to make something clear, and that is, Arsene Wenger will NOT change his youth policy. Not when Arsenal’s out of Europe, not when Arsenal’s relegated, not in a million years. It’s what made Arsene Wenger and it’s what made the media love him. Maybe buy some expensive experience players here and there (like Arshavin), but at the end of the day you will still be seeing a bunch of kids competing against Chelsea’s “Old Blues”.

I am sure from my article title you would have known what I’m going to write about. Peter Hill-Wood, is the current chairman of Arsenal football club since 1982. He provides the cash, the “go-ahead” and the wage and transfer budgets. So somehow he has played a small part in Arsenal’s transfers. He is open-minded, supports Wenger and gives Wenger the control of the club as if he owns it. That partnership and understanding has brought about Arsenal’s glory days – and days you wouldn’t really want to remember as a Gooner.

A Match Made in Heaven. Lol.

I’m sure every manager would love this type of freedom and stability at the club for so many years, but everything has its pros and cons. Nobody and nothing is flawless. While Hill-Wood has great understanding of running the club and is a passionate football-lover, he isn’t as rich as Roman Abramovich or a bunch of oil-owners, which has had some restrictions on Arsene’s spendings. Meanwhile at clubs like Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City, their managers have had the privilege of making full use of their boss’ fortune. This has brought them some good results. Chelsea’s 3rd in the EPL, right above Arsenal, Man Utd’s enjoying the view at the top of the Premiership and Man City, eh, isn’t doing too well (this also shows money needs to be use correctly) but the point is, would you want money or freedom?

What I like about Peter Hill-Wood is basically he lets Arsene Wenger runs the club and do what he feels is the best for the club. And sometimes, it’s not like he’s a beggar or a busker on a street; he has claimed time and again (although I’m not too sure if it’s true) that Arsene can spend if he wants. So it might not be Hill-Wood’s problem but more like Arsene’s.

Now let’s look at the richies. At the start of this season Man City shocked the world when they signed Robinho for 32 million. Then just last season Man Utd bought Luis Nani and Anderson each for 17 million, totaling them up would mean 34 million pounds spent on 2 young, untested EPL players. And 2 seasons ago Shevchenko made a big-money, 30 million pounds move to Chelsea. Arsene Wenger would never do that and he probably couldn’t have done that. Peter Hill-Wood just can’t afford it. But at what cost? Man Utd’s now in heavy debts and winning the Premier League is a must. If they don’t they would find themselves in a predicament. Man City, no matter how much they spent this season, just can’t break into the top 4 and Mark Hughes’ time at Manchester City is under speculation. Finally, even though they have enjoyed moderate success, Roman Abramovich always interfere with Chelsea’s club affairs and for some reason he just can’t find his “right manager”. He’s sacked 3 managers and I’m starting to wonder how he’s ever going to find a long-term spouse. FFS, to me Luiz Felipe Scolari wasn’t doing very bad!

Would you want Arsenal to have such chairmen? If Arsene Wenger was at Chelsea (or Real Madrid) he would have been sacked cause I just can’t imagine Abramovich watching a bunch of kids playing for Chelsea. If Arsene Wenger was at Man Utd he need to guarantee titles, but you know Arsene doesn’t like to spend too much on youngsters either so again the Americans and Arsene wouldn’t mix. Lastly Arsene Wenger at Man City… let’s just say he would get sacked.

My whole point is, for those who dislike Peter Hill-Wood, don’t. In fact I really feel lucky for Arsenal that we have a chairman who’s willing to give the freedom and time to the manager. You don’t see such chairmen in football nowadays. Also one thing that’s really clear and has been proven time and again through history is that money can’t buy you freedom. You can have shit loads of money but if you’re not allowed to spend it the way you want what’s the use? Plus it’s not like Hill-Wood’s dead broke. If he is he wouldn’t own Arsenal Football Club.

What do you think? You think Peter Hill-Wood is a nuisance or a gift? Is it finally time to change chairman, one who’s willing to give the cash for ambitious signings? Or you, like me, feels we’re lucky to have him for the amount of freedom he gives Arsene Wenger? Tell me your thoughts in the comment box. Thanks for reading.

Dariano

Tabloid Dramatisation: A Load of Tosh

"You know what Lionel? I think I might call it a day..."

There are the most ridiculous rumours circling at the moment, especially with regard to the future of some managers, and it really makes you stop and think: who on earth thinks the printing of such nonsense is a good idea? Yes, the Premier League season is over and the British press obviously needs to do something to occupy themselves over the Summer, and making up ridiculous rumours is pretty much their fallback for times like this when the news may have slowed.

But a couple of rumours that I heard in particular annoyed me. Firstly, I heard the absolutely insane suggestion that some newspapers had reported that Pep Guardiola, fresh from his first season in management, during which he won the treble (the freaking treble) with Barcelona, may be considering retirement. I just have to say that I cannot even begin to comprehend the absolute inane stupidity of that suggestion.

Yes, we all know of the old cliches that you should “quit while you’re ahead” or “bow out at the top”, but this is ridiculous. There is an argument that Guardiola can hardly hope to surpass this season’s achievements in the rest of his managerial career, but hell he’s going to try! He’s inspired what is arguably one of the greatest domestic sides ever seen to a famous treble and people genuinely think that it’s worth printing a story that he may step down? I’m pretty sure that even the most gullible people in the world will struggle to swallow that one.

Next up, are the suggestions doing the rounds that Owen Coyle, the man who has taken Burnley up to the Premier League via the playoffs, could be off to Celtic. Now of course, Coyle as a Scotsman may indeed harbour ambitions to manage Celtic one day, but I think I am right in saying that that day does not come so soon after he has reached the Premier League.

Because yes, Celtic are a bigger club than Burnley and offer him the chance to manage in Europe. But overall, the quality of the Scottish League is far lower than the Premier League, which is the best league in the world at present. So while there is a slight shred of plausibility about this one, I think we really need to take a step back and ask ourselves why these rumours are being given the time of day.

I just think that it is pretty sad that we cannot go even a few days without the emergence of some sort of wild rumour. It’s like being back at school, with gossip flying around the playground. I know that these newspapers are in the business of sales, but I fail to believe that someone is gonna pick a paper up off a newstand, flick through and see the headline “Guardiola to retire” or “Coyle to Celtic” and think “you know, there’s something in that, I’ll buy this paper”.

Surely even the most desperate football fan, in the very depths of the off season when he is completely starved of any sort of news of signings or any real, worthwhile goings on in the world of football would instead think “what a load of crap, with that sort of desperate journalism, I’m sure no one will ever by this paper”. I think what frustrates me the most is that here we are, facing a barren, football-less period, and all I have to look forward to are these ridiculous absurd rumours all summer.

That’s not a great prospect. I’m not saying that I’ll be able to come up with something better, and though I usually post new articles daily on my site I’m expecting to struggle to maintain that over the off-season. I’ve accepted that, and though it’s disappointing, I don’t think I’m going to have to resort to fabricating wild speculation to fill in the void.

Just imagine how the fans of the two clubs involved feel. Barcelona’s fans, if any of them are yet sober enough to be able to read, will look at the paper and (assuming that they’re gullible enough to believe it, which they almost certainly aren’t, but it’s just to make a point) be devastated at the thought that Guardiola, their hero, the man who has brought them such a stunning season, could be about to slip away just as suddenly as he stepped in to their club.

Likewise Burnley fans (assuming a similar suspension of disbelief with regard to their IQs) would be appalled to find that the man who has led them into the promised land that is Premier League football could be jumping ship to go and compete in a two horse race. Surely, they’ll think, he should have at least one go at the Premier League that he fought so hard to reach.

And of course he should, just as Guardiola will attempt to defend his titles next season. This sort of ridiculous rumour-mongering sums up everything that is wrong with the British press. They don’t care who they insult, who they undermine and who they fool, as long as there could be a bit of shock value in it, they’ll report it. But it’s supposed to be about delivering news or at least (as in my case) educated opinions. The mere fabrication of implausible lies is devaluing the entire industry and frustrating a lot of fans.

If I were you this summer, I’d steer clear from these types of stories as there’s nothing except comedic value in them. It is going to be a long and barren summer in terms of football, but I think that in turning to the tabloids out of desperation you will only make it worse for yourself.

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AC 4Eva: The Ultras Behavior

Now that its out in the open I was wondering why the Ultra’s would mock Maldini like that. I unlike others have connections, like Italian cousins in the Milan Ultras. Now from what I’ve heard these are some theories to why they have mocked him.

1. My cousins assured me it wasn’t Milan Ultras but Inters posing as Milans and that they snuck in and then called out Baresi to Maldini.
2.  After the 2005 Champions League final, the Ultras were asking for Dida’s head and that Maldini then turned to them and called them a bunch of animals who did not deserve to see Milan. These some fans then waited all these years to extract their revenge.
3. The Milan Ultras went to Silvo to ask for their tribute to Paolo but were denied and then decided to take a stance against the Milan board by showing them that no player or person is bigger than Milan.
4. Giancarlo Capelli, known better as ‘Il Barone’ (the Baron), has come out and said, “The Curva did not insult Maldini the player, who was a great champion and made us win everything, the Curva insulted Maldini the person.He knows very well what he said about us in the past years, and what did he expect, that we celebrate him?”

I’m not really sure what theory is true but I’m more than willing to believe my cousins. I fully support Maldini and feel for him when he says his disappointed in his fans behaviour but also the club for not protecting him properly. “What disappointed me? The club’s silence. I did not like the fact that they didn’t take a stance. There was not even one comment, from the president to the bottom. The directors didn’t say one word.”  

In my view any other day he would have scuffed that off like nothing, but that day, that match, that time, on THAT lap, when he is overcome with emotion, letting his guard down  that’s when they choose to do it. Cheap shot. To me like most Milan fans he will always stay in our hearts and I will forever consider him one of the best players ever, I just hope he can win this week or at least in the future be properly appreciated.

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Azzmilan

New AC Milan Shirt

Despite others saying our new home strip looks horrid , I rather like the white collar. I mean it could be worse, look at Chelsea’s bra strap, which now shows it really is a female club. I really do love our other two kits as well.

The Home jersey is all class for me and reminds me of a Bayern Munich shirt a few years back. I believe the white collar highlights the red and the black sinks into the backround. I also love the fact that the black “box” surrounding bwin is now gone for good. But the Adidas symbol could be moved to the left instead of being in the middle.

The Away jersey to me is very Madrid and vintage like and pays homage to the old Milan teams of the CL. It’s always been white and I hope it never changes but like the home jersey I would like the Adidas symbol on the left.

The 3rd jersey I’m still very undecided about. I wouldn’t normally complain about a jersey but it’s just plain and simple and nothing’s really been changed about it. They didn’t try anything wacky or knew. I would really have liked a white jersey with black and red vertical lines striped on it.

But hey these are just my thoughts why don’t you tell me what you would like???

Azzmilan

Man Utd 0-0 Arsenal Player Ratings

Well as a writer on the blog I SHOULD give player ratings for both teams, but then, I was too busy focusing on Arsenal so if I were to give ratings for United it probably won’t be accurate.

Good game at Old Trafford. Neither teams scored (that’s rare between these 2 teams) but both teams attacked. Arsenal really impressed me as I thought they would not be motivated to fight for a win. I was wrong, but Arsenal lack the edge in attack for them to score. They need a good striker next season.

And one annoying thing about Arsenal I’ve experienced so far this season, is that they totally suck at set-pieces. Van Persie always hit the wall or other players during his freekicks, and his corners always get cleared easily. Same goes for Arshavin. Fabregas is a better set-piece taker but I’ve seen very little goals from set-pieces this season for Arsenal. Need to train up in that department.

Anyway, here are the player “report books” for Arsenal…

Fabianski (6.0) – Quiet but effective suits him best in this match. He wasn’t really tested but he made many important and correct decisions which gave him his clean sheet, such as pressuring Tevez when he was open, and coming out to claim several balls from crosses or corners. This might be too early, but I see a bright future for the Polish keeper.

Gibbs (6.5) – Good performance. I think he has put behind his mistake in the CL semi-final and he’s impressing critics once again. Didn’t truly stopped Ronaldo but the Portugese was quiet so you can say he did his job.

Toure (6.5) – A hard one to give. Solid as always, but I don’t think he deserves a 7 as he made 1 really bad mistake, almost giving Carlos Tevez a goal. Besides that he was a top defender in the match. And another thing, I just love how he took a page off Ronaldo’s book and used it against him! That was funny and you should look at Ronaldo’s face.

Song (6.5) - Tempted to give a 7 but I wanted to be fair to Toure cause Song didn’t really play better than him, yet I feel he’s played well. He wasn’t that good on the tackling side of defending but when it comes to interception he made quite a few.

Sagna (7.0) – Another great performance. I feel he’s the best Arsenal players in this match. Didn’t contribute much in defence but he overlapped consistently and caused a threat to the opponent a number of times.

Denilson (6.5) - Like always, he was anonymous in the match, yet if you watched carefully, he actually made quite a few important interceptions and passed well to start attacks. The unsung hero of Arsenal. He still needs to up his game and make the world watch him.

Fabregas (7.0) – Was the pivot of most Arsenal attacks. He even had Arsenal’s best chance to score, but van der Sar did well to save it. He played well when Arsenal passes slowly, but Fabregas still needs to learn to execute the perfect killer ball. That’s what Arsenal lack. 1 point to note though, is that I feel he plays better in the “Xavi” kind of role. He can join up attacks better in a deeper role, so I think that’s how he should play.

Nasri (6.5) – The opposite of Fabregas in terms of style of play. He belong on the wings if not in an attacking-midfielder role. He dribbles well and linked up nicely with Sagna and several players. However, I feel he still needs to learn to “take control” of the game, if you know what I mean. Want the ball? Ask for it or take the ball and do magic with it, not wait for a teammate to pass to you then turn on the creativity. Nasri’s good enough to have that kind of authority.

Diaby (6.0) – Really quiet. Didn’t do much attacking-wise or defensively. I believe his days at Arsenal are numbered unless Arsene Wenger still feel there’s room for improvement for him at Arsenal. Diaby should seek his fortune elsewhere.

Arshavin (6.0) – Might be a little harsh but I felt 6.5 was a little too much cause he didn’t start any big attacks. I love one of his sparkling run, sidestepping 3 defenders before missing the chance to shoot, but after that, he was just quiet. Make simple passes but didn’t had any convincing ones. Also, on this particular occassion, he lacked the killer touch he always showed in his past matches. He hesitated to shoot and took too much time on the ball. However I wouldn’t say it was actually a bad performance; it was just average.

van Persie (6.5) – I feel he just can’t play upfront alone. He’s best at “linking up play” between the midfielders and strikers, and he’s just not that out-and-out striker. But does Arsene have a choice? Adebayor should be benched for his bad performances recently and Bendtner and Vela still hasn’t proved thier worth. Arsenal need to sign a new striker unless Eduardo can cope. A side note, I wonder just why the hell van Persie slipped so many times in the match. Maybe it was raining but I don’t see other players slipping as often. Buy a new pair of boots (preferably Nike lol)!

Man Utd, Champions of England... AGAIN. Arsene, when will it finally be our turn?

Dariano

Live Scores now on SFB!

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Enjoy!

Foul Play: The Seven Deadly Sins of Football

Some great news for football fans of all clubs. The Guardian will be starting a new series of articles, called ‘Foul Play: The Seven Deadly Sins of Football’, with each supplement featuring sinful-tales of footballing misdemeanours.

They will be included in the Guardian and Observer newspapers for seven days, starting this Saturday (16 May), so remember to get your copy.

The supplements have been put together by a team of the Guardian and Observer’s award-winning sports writers, who have scratched beneath the shiny veneer of the modern Premier League era and discovered that the beautiful game has a secret history of the odd, the unexpected and the downright shady.

Here’s the complete list of the Guardian’s seven deadly sins of football:

16 May – Greed featuring David Beckham and Ashley Cole
17 May – Pride featuring Andrei Arshavin and Mike Ashley
18 May – Wrath featuring Craig Bellamy and Roy Keane
19 May – Envy featuring Bruce Grobbelaar and Daniel Lloyd
20 May – Gluttony featuring Mark Bosnich and Gazza
21 May – Sloth featuring John Terry and Ian Rush
22 May – Lust featuring David Mellor and Robinho

Be sure to read them!

No Risk No Reward? As a Fan, will you Accept a Man Utd Win this Saturday to Convince Wenger to Splash the Cash?

I really hope Arsene Wenger doesn’t read this, cause once he reads it the main point behind the article is gone.

I always like to sum up my article in my title; just by reading the title you should know what I’m going to write about and hopefully this helps.

“No Risk No Reward? As a Fan, will you Accept a Man Utd Win this Saturday to Convince Wenger to Splash the Cash?”

That is the topic I’m going to talk about today and some of you passionate Gooners should be wondering, “WTF!? Who the hell would want Arsenal to lose to one of their biggest, if not THE biggest, rival?”

Well I’m not going to spoil the whole article by telling you my stand. I’ll let you read the significance behind this Saturday’s match between Man Utd and Arsenal first.

The Hype

They hype behind this match is rather huge for Man Utd fans. Why? Because it’s a match against Arsenal of course! And all they need is 1 point to seal the EPL title. What better way to win the title then beating your fiercest rival to it? It’s somehow equilavent to killing 2 birds with 1 stone: beat yor rivals and win the title. But then if you miss no birds get killed so Man Utd would try hard to prevent that.

The Battlefield

The Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford (Trust me, it hurts for me to write that :P) will be the battleground for this confrontation and again this adds up to the anticipation to the match. It would be a great moment if you could hold the trophy up high so all your fans can see what the team has fought hard to achieve. So excuse me for my previous statement, but I believe it’s now equivalent to killing 3 birds with 1 stone. And by the way up till now I still don’t quite know which is better: Winning the title at your rival’s ground or in front of your own fans at home. So those of you who have thoughts on this, do tell me.

Also, this kinda reminds me of the 2003/04 season, when we won the title at White Hart Lane. Ahhh the memories… I miss the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira and co. Just when the hell are we ever going to hold up the title again!? I really hope Wenger understands our situation.

A More Arsenal-Related View

After writing so much, I’ve yet to touch on my main point for today. As a fan, do you pray and hope that Man Utd win this Saturday so that it will convince Arsene Wenger that this current Arsenal squad isn’t good enough and if something isn’t done, we’ll continuously get thrashed by our rivals? Less than 2 weeks ago, we got beaten 3-1 by Man Utd, and just last Sunday we again suffered defeat at the hands of Chelsea, losing 4-1. 2 rival thrashing in less than 2 weeks. It’s really difficult for any fan to watch the match against United and Chelsea over again, and this Saturday’s match could just be the icing on the cake, the finishing, killer touch. This Saturday could just be the end to our misery. Yes, I’m not messing up my English here. This Saturday could really be a blessing in disguise as losing to Man Utd might finally convince Arsene Wenger to splash the cash on necessary players, rather than go for average signings like Silvestre and Bischoff. Hence, that’s why I said this Saturday could actually put all these atrocities to an end.

Arsene Wenger, the Man Behind Everything

We all know how thrifty Arsene Wenger is when it comes to the transfer market. Admit it, Arsene Wenger is one stubborn arse. 2 seasons ago, many Arsenal fans believe Arsene Wenger shouldn’t sell club legend Thierry Henry. BUT he did not listen and he sold him. That, however, has yield positive results (to some extent). Last season we showed that even without Henry, we can still achieve as a team, but ironically, this season we’re in need of a new striker (I’ll touch on that some other time). The best evidence so far was last season. Almost every Arsenal fans told Arsene Wenger “Sign a defensive midfielder, FFS!” but he followed to his beliefs and gave the first-team spot to Denilson. The result? We’re being outmuscled by other teams and we’re losing on the “physical” side of football, which has cost us dearly on some occasions. Don’t get me wrong, Denilson isn’t such a bad player some of you imagine him to be. It’s just that he’s not a holding midfielder and that has had implications on the way Fabregas is playing this season.

However, sometimes spending the money does work. Andrei Arshavin is the best example. He cost Arsenal an estimated 16 million euros but he has been really impressive so far; scoring 4 goals against Liverpool and winning the “EPL Player of the Month” for April. This shows that, money can bring you far if spent correctly.

For those who aren't convinced...

Sadly, I have to say, Arsene Wenger will not change his transfer policy no matter what. Maybe a Man Utd win would change it temporarily, forcing him to sign more players during the summer. But over the long run you’ll still realise those expensive signings only come here and there and that youngsters and cheap signings are still his priority. It’s his character, it’s his personality and his way of life, so I doubt anything can change that as he’s had this policy since his early Monaco days.

The expression hasn't change, and neither will his transfers.

Finally, My Stand on the Discussion

If you’ve read my article carefully, you’ll realise most of my points Arsene-negative (or, Arsenegative lol), and that I’m most towards the hope of a Man Utd win. Well I won’t take sides, I’m just going to tell you these few lines:

As a Gooner, I hope Arsenal would win Man Utd. In fact I will never want Arsenal to lose any matches.

BUT, deep in my heart, I really think that Man Utd should win this, which will hopefully convince Arsene Wenger to accept the fact that signing average players will never win us trophies. We’ve waited for 4 long years and most of us are sick of waiting.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if Arsenal beat our fierce rival, Man Utd. But I hope Arsene Wenger understands that even if we were to thrash Man Utd 4-0, our current bunch of players are not good enough for silverware and we need better players. Splash the cash if necessary, but also remember to spend wisely. Spend smart.

Phew. Perhaps my longest post yet. Tell me whether you will hope for a Man Utd win this Saturday so Arsene Wenger will finally change a little of his policy, or you really believe he will never change and that it’s sinful for any Gooner to hope for a rival win. Remember, everybody has his or her own opinions so don’t flame each other please. Tell me by adding your thoughts in the comment box.

One last thing, I’m still collecting comments to send to Arsenal.com with the aim of encouraging Kieran Gibbs to continue working hard after his mistake in the CL Semi-final. So far we’ve only gotten 19 comments, and I believe the number of comments alone might upset Gibbs. But I’ll definitely state that we’re a small site so of course we won’t be getting thousands of kind words. However I’m sure we can do better, do for those who haven’t done it, do send your regards to Gibbs and hopefully motivate him to work harder than before and become a youngster for the future. The thread can be found here.

If you like my articles, don’t forget to bookmark and subscribe to our site. And if you want more of such discussions, join our forums (just click on the banner below). We assure you will have a great time there. Thanks for reading :)

Dariano

AC 4Eva : Ronaldinho; Milan has bad attitude

The Brazilian feels the Rossoneri lost their focus after Seedorf’s opener and let Juve back into the game.Despite Seedorf scoring and helping Milan to the lead on Sunday night , Juventus hit back and both sides went to a 1-1 draw.

“It was a beautiful match, but unfortunately we did not manage to get the three points we wanted,” Ronaldinho told the AC Milan website.

“However, if we work hard we will be able to end the season well. After going ahead, there was a bit of euphoria and we lost our focus. We conceded an equaliser and that demoralised us a little bit.”

“This has to serve as a lesson for the future so that we avoid committing this kind of error.”

Milan still trail Inter by seven points with three games to go and who will be champions if they defeat Siena next Sunday. The Rossoneri will play away to Udinese on Saturday night.

Azzmilan

Fanaticism and Football

Ballack attempts to eat the referee...

It seems to me, as we draw towards the conclusion of another Premier League season, that we’re hitting on some recurring themes at the moment.

First of all, the apalling standard of refereeing in the Premier League, and in football as a whole has ben highlighted time and time again this season. The most obvious and contraversial examples in the last few weeks are obviously that penalty in the game between Man Utd and Tottenham and those non-penalties in the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona.

I think everyone with half a brain and a video replay will acknowledge that United shouldn’t have had a penalty and that Chelsea should have had two, and I think many people would back themselves to make the right call in real time, given the vantage points of the referees in question. However, I don’t think that is the issue so much.

Instead, what we really want to see from referees is a little bit of consistency. A little bit of reasoning, and the knowledge that, despite how it looks, our team isn’t being treated unfairly on purpose. Because we all know that mistakes are made, that no one is going to get every decsion right and that sometimes that will cost us.

So what we need, quite simply, is to be able to witness the decision making process. When Ovrebo gave a free-kick for the foul on Florent Malouda despite the offence taking place inside the area, we’d like to know what was going on inside his head. Did he think there was a previous infringement for which he pulled it back? Did he genuinely believe that it was outside the box? Or was he preventing Chelsea from claiming a larger lead on the instruction of UEFA and as part of a massive conspiracy?

If we take a leaf out of Rugby’s book (and believe me, this is not a book I recommend very often) I believe we would be able to acheive a more satisfying and healthy relationship with referees. If we fit them with microphones that transmit to television cameras so that we may hear their explanation to players about why a free-kick/penalty has/hasn’t been given, in real time, not after the game, then we will be able to accept that although the decision may have been the wrong one, it was made honestly, from the observation that the referee was able to make at the time, without replays.

Of course, another small improvement that could be made would be for referees to come and and acknowledge that they have made a wrong decision after seeing a replay, and to apologise to the club and its fans for their mistakes. While the damage will remain done, having the grace to apologise and acknowledge that they were wrong will show fans that referees actually have hearts, that they are not trying to actively ruin your season, and that they regret not being able to make the right call, every time.

If you agree with me here, and want to see referees fitted with microphones, please click through to my website where I’ve set up a campaign to that end. It features further, more precise arguments for this measure to be taken and will soon be updated to allow you to show your support for the movement by signing and online petition and adding a badge to your website. Click here to find out more.

The second recurring theme I’ve notice, is players behaving badly. Whether it be Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack in Chelsea’s defeat to Barca, Niklas Bendtner and Ledley King and their nightclub antics or Cristiano Ronaldo and his tantrum upon being substituted this weekend against Man City.

It seems more and more that we are watching a bunch of six year olds running around playing football, who are unable to control themselves and end up making fools of themselves but also of their clubs and of the game as a whole. These are professional athletes, whose livelihood is earned by competing in a competitive sport, and yet they are unable to deal with the pressures of defeat or to look after themselves away from the pitch.

I’m not saying we can impose on how footballers live their lives away from football, we certainly can’t, but I do feel that as role models for the younger generations, they have an obligation to act responsibly both on and off the park, and that obligation is all too often going unnoticed at the moment.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great professionals still in the game, in fact, the majority of players behave well and are a credit to their club and the sport as a whole, but a minority are letting the rest of them down. When non-football-people think of footballers, they don’t think of guys like Tim Cahill and Paul Scholes, quiet, friendly pros who have a settled family and look after themselves, they think of people like Bendtner and King and Ronaldo and Drogba, overpaid and arrogant egotistical superstars who act like spoiled children, and they apply that attitude to the game as a whole.

I think the companies who sponser these players, from the sportswear companies who give them boots and kit, to the car companies and other businesses that pay them a fortune to sell their products, need to reconsider the players that they sponsor, and if they misbehave, I think they should take away their sponsership deals. It’s a sad fact that some footballers today (especially those likely to get into trouble) are in the game in a large part for the money it brings them, and financial incentives to behave may be the only way to crack down on such childish behaviour.

Thirdly and finally, I think the major thing I have noticed about the conclusion to this season is how little focus there is on the football itself. The issues I’ve discussed above take a large share of the media attention, as do the petty arguments between managers, the transfer rumours, and the financial discussion. Hell, even when talking about the teams under threat of relegation, most people seem more concerned with the revenue lost as a result of moving to the Championship that the fact that the club and its fans will no longer be able to call itself a member of England’s elite Premier League.

The match between Chelsea and Barcelona the other night was a cracker, Chelsea played really well, defending strongly and occasionally attacking with flair and venom, and Barcelona showed the patient, possession football that they are renowned for. But in all the uproar after the game, few people acknowledged that Essian and Iniesta both scored fantastic goals, and I bet the videos of Ballack harassing the referee and of Drogba shouting at the camera (as well as the various remixes of that clip) have been watched as many times as the highlights of the game itself.

Football has certainly become more than a sport on recent years. It’s a business and it’s an entertainment industry and it’s a world of celebrity and of fame and fortune. And while that’s ok, and we cannot resent it because the standard of football that we get to watch has certainly improved as a result, I think it’s a shame that the football itself so often falls into the background.

After all, were it not for the beautiful game itself, that began centuries ago with avreage blokes kicking around a pigs bladder in the mud, there would be none of the other glitz and glamour that seems to be swamping the game. We see footballers donning advertising billboards and on TV commercials, when they really just belong on the pitch. I don’t care what they do off the pitch, as long as they perform well on it.

But it seems that I’m now becoming a minority. People will say that football is the most popular sport in the world, and it may well be, but a lot of people who might be seen to support football are not fans of the game at all. They’re fans of certain players, or of the glamour that it brings. I know many people who support a team but never watch them play, even on TV. They have simply jumped on the bandwagon because football is the flavour of the century.

So as this season comes to an end, I yearn somewhat for a simpler time. When football was all about the game itself, when the talk in the pub was about that beautiful goal, that cutting pass, that thumping tackle; not that new Ronaldo advert, or that referee, or how much money they’ll lose when they’re relegated.

So everyone at SFB, enjoy the end of the season, I hope your teams achieve safety or success, and I hope you enjoy the last few games of football before we encounter a summer without a major tournament; that terrible time when the football itself disappears altogether, and we’re left to put up with the constant gossip and speculation that doesn’t really count for anything at all.

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