Notts County Highlight Authorities Ineptitude

The announcement that the Football League are to raise further questions about the ownership of Notts County is more evidence of the abject failure of the footballing authorities to preserve the game. The Guardian yesterday published an in-depth investigation into the ownership of England’s oldest professional club, here, here and here.

The biggest issue is the lack of transparency about ownership. A myriad of companies, trusts and individuals mesh together in a secretive web that would make Robert Maxwell spin in his grave. It raises several uneasy questions that must be answered more comprehensively by the Football League. The club would have to file a ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ questionnaire before any individual can become a director, a process based on the flawed assumption that any owner would become an officer of the company. How did this pass through the League’s regulatory scheme? Indeed, what investigation do the League put into effect once such paperwork is received. Precious little appears to be the answer.

Further up the scale, the Premier League and UEFA has Licencing schemes which must be adhered to in order for clubs to participate in their competitions. Much emphasis has been placed on the financial aspects of these yet the apparent lacklustre approach of the Football League brings suspicions that these two organisations are equally inept at running football.

No matter what their protestations to the contrary may be, UEFA and the EPL have form in regulatory failings. UEFA’s licencing scheme has been in place for most of the past decade but remains an ill-defined and unenforceable document. Had there been any teeth to the scheme, the landscape carved by the Champions League over that time would have been substantially different with champions such as AC Milan, Manchester United and Real Madrid unable to participate whilst Chelsea and Liverpool would have struggled to meet the criteria in seasons that have seen them reach the final.

Indebtedness is a thorny issue for UEFA and the Premier League to tackle. Football at all levels thrive because of borrowings from one source of another, rather than in spite of it. There is little issue with that in general terms since it is a normal business activity. Michel Platini however views things differently. He is a hopeless football romanticist but his vision of the game is based in hope rather than reality, pragmatism only entering the arena when compromises are required to ensure watered down versions of his ideology are brought into effect. Platini fails to differentiate between the variety of lending that clubs invoke. Third party or sugar daddy, investment in purchasing a club or building a new stadium, they are are viewed as the same evil.

The utopian ideal he has of fans owning clubs with municipalities funding stadiums is never going to be realised across the continent. Too many countries are too far down the sole ownership of clubs route for fan takeovers to happen at the top of the game whilst political pressures mean football clubs are not going to be top of local authority priorities. That is before the economic demands of refurbishing stadia is encountered.

Disconcertingly, UEFA is attempting to muddy the competitive waters via other methodologies such as those used to improve this season’s Champions League. It is the usual botch which leaves little or no confidence that they will ever strike the right chord in regulating the owners of clubs. As usual, the businessmen are too savvy for the administrative amateurs, evidenced by Roman Abramovich converting some of his debt into equity at Chelsea, a move designed not just to make the club look more attractive financially but to also counter moves by UEFA to introduce to counter what they deem to be debt accrued unfairly for competitive advantage.

The refusal of UEFA to adapt to a strategy that controls, defines and differentiates between the various debt status of clubs invariably means that they will never be able to regulate football finances effectively. Until the idealists become pragmatists, the empty rhetoric of the game’s leaders will remain populist opportunism.

Pompey Chimes Lose Their Hart

Len Shackleton included a chapter in his autobiography that was blank, save for the title “The Average Director’s Knowledge of Football“. Fifty-three years on from publication, this week has seen more evidence that little has changed.

During the summer months of 2009, Portsmouth Football Club was subjected to a protracted and comical takeover reminiscent of that which Spencer Trethewy inflicted upon Aldershot in 1990. The outcome has not yet been as devastating to the club but there were considerable fears reported in the media that the club would be unable to survive financially, evidenced by a failure to pay players wages recently.

Throughout the summer, Paul Hart sat and watched helplessly as the best players were sold for fees in excess of £35m without funds being made available for recruiting replacements. Sulaiman Al Fahim concluded his ill-fated purchase of the club late in August, photographed in his personalised replica away top, seemingly feted as a saviour for the club. The protracted nature of the negotiations, and the emergence of a rival consortia no doubt exacerbated the takeover, left Hart with little time to pull together a squad for the 2009-10 season.

The club’s start to the season was unsurprisingly poor given the circumstances. Seven straight defeats in the Premier League came to an abrupt and startling end with consecutive four goal victories. From seemingly being cut adrift at the bottom of the division, the gap to safety had been cut. That cut no ice with the owners of the club; Paul Hart was relieved of his managerial duties this week.

Having survived the crisis this summer, Portsmouth needed stability. If that had meant the club rebuilding with a season in The Championship, it should have been a price worth paying. Instead, an instant remedy is being sought although the club is rudderless in the interim between Hart’s departure and a new appointment. The players though remain the same; whether the January transfer window will be an effective saviour for the next manager remains to be seen.

Premier League survival is the only thing that matters when faced with relegation, particularly if players contracts take no account of any diminished status bestowed upon the club through failure. Yet would the club have been better served by retaining Hart, especially in light of improved form which even with recent defeats, was vastly better than the opening seven games.

That Portsmouth have reacted quickly may yet turn out to be a masterstroke if they pull clear of the relegation zone. Such is the closeness in points totals at this stage of the season that three wins can elevate their position one place in the table if everyone else continues to take points off each other. It appears that consecutive away defeats have brought about Hart’s dismissal. However, victories at Blackburn and Stoke seemed highly unlikely on paper, let alone on the pitch.

In such circumstances, new owners often seek to bring in a ‘name’ manager. Avram Grant may well be a likeable man but is he the man to save them? Perhaps and time will tell. Yet with the paucity of talent within the squad, January wheeling and dealing is going to be crucial to their season. The sacking leaves an uneasy taste in the mouth. Hart worked hard throughout the summer in circumstances that may have forced others to consider their options and leave the club. His loyalty was rewarded with unemployment.

Should sentiment have come into the equation? The business side of the game probably dictates that it should not. The ego of a new owner automatically means it will not. Yet this will be the same owner who at points in the future will berate want-away players for their lack of loyalty “to a club that has treated them well“. The days of owners wanting their cake and eating it have yet to change. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW – MATCHDAY TEN

Liverpool maintained their advantage with a slender 1 – 0 victory over Portsmouth. Tony Adams in his first game in charge after being confirmed as Harry Redknapp’s replacement looked as though his charges would suffocate their hosts before Diop handled in the area with fourteen minutes remaining, L’il Stevie Gerrard despatched the resultant penalty. Robbie Keane Watch: Well, he looked dapper in the stands and looked more likely to score with blondes around him than he does in the Premier League when he is on the pitch.

Chelsea acted tough before their defeat to Liverpool and were back to their party spoiling ways as they crushed Hull City 3 – 0 at the KC Stadium. Frank Lampard set them on their way with a third minute strike, the rout being completed by the French duo of Anelka and Malouda in the second half.

Arsenal stumbled into third place, recovering from an audacious David Bentley strike to subsequently drop a two-goal lead in their 4 – 4 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at The Emirates Stadium. A Mikael Silvestre header nine minutes before the interval cancelled out Bentley’s thirteenth minute opener, the former Gunner hammering a volley past the hapless Manuel Almunia from forty yards. William Gallas scored another header a minute into the second half before Emmanuel Adebayor added a third capitalising on Alan Hutton’s slow recovery to force the ball home. It set about a mad five minutes as Bent made it 3 – 2, scoring from Almunia’s fumble before Hutton gifted the ball to Adebayor who set Robin van Persie up for 4 – 2. It seemed that the match would fizzle out before Jermaine Jenas punished Gael Clichy’s slip to score from twenty yards. Harry Redknapp’s passionate affair with Lady Luck paid off as Aaron Lennon reacted first to Luca Modric’s shot that came back off the post in the 94th minute.

Manchester United closed in on the top four, comfortably beating West Ham United 2 – 0 at Old Trafford. Two Cristiano Ronaldo goals did the damage in the opening half-hour but it goes to fuel more flames in the fire that supports the theory he is a bit of a Johnny-Come-Lately who struggles to score away from home. Having won the FIFPro Player of the Year award, he needs to improve that aspect of his game if he is to be considered a true great of the world game.

As it was, Aston Villa came back from Stephen Warnock’s 30th minute opener to overcome Blackburn Rovers 3 – 2 at Villa Park. Luke Young equalised on the stroke of half-time, bundling the ball home with his knee after a bout of pinball in the Rovers area. The turn around came as Gareth Barry got his third in three games before Gabriel Agbonlahor scored Villa’s third from Ashley Young’s pass. A last minute Brett Emerton freekick for all its majesty was little more than a consolation.

At the other end of the table, Stoke City recorded a rare win, beating Sunderland 1 – 0 at The Britannia Stadium, Ricardo Fuller getting the games only goal. It meant that Bolton Wanderers dropped into the bottom two as they succumbed to a 90th minute Fellaini goal in their 0 – 1 defeat at home to Everton. The relegation places are completed with Wigan Athletic, their 0 – 2 reverse at Craven Cottage gave Fulham three much needed points. Andy Johnson got both, his first for the club since his move from Everton.

The North East had a ray rare of sunshine this week with both Newcastle United and Middlesbrough winning at home. The Magpies defeated West Bromwich Albion 2 – 1 at St James Park, Thug In Chief, Joey Barton gave a sickening display of chest thumping following his tenth minute penalty conversion, a lead doubled by Shola Ameobi just before the break. Although Albion pulled one back through Miller midway through the second half, the victory led Joe Kinnear to demand an end to the uncertainty and a more permanent contract. Not bad for the manager of a team who are fourth bottom.

At The Cellnet Riverside Stadium, Manchester City and their money pitched up, leading to a comprehensive mugging at the hands of Middlesbrough. Robinho’s stated aim of thirty goals in a season took a battering as did the City defence with Afonso Alves with a penalty and Gary O’Neill in the last minute did the damage.

PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW – WEEK 9

The top two met at Stamford Bridge as Liverpool took their appalling record against fellow members of the top four during Rafa Benitez’s reign to face Chelsea, undefeated at home in four years and eighty-six Premier League matches. Cue the idiosyncracies of football as Xabi Alonso scored the only goal of the game in the tenth minute and later struck the post as the visitors deservedly took all three points. Chelsea were generally toothless in attack and struggled to hit the proverbial barn door despite monopolising possession. Robbie Keane was seen in Luxembourg practising for the Eurovision entry as it looks like that will be the only way he wins a point this season.

Hull City had joined those two at the top briefly with a 3 – 0 win at The Hawthorns. Whilst the scoreline might have been emphatic, the victory certainly was not as both defences proved particularly porous. Had it not been for two fine goalkeeping displays by Carson of West Bromwich Albion and Myhill of Hull, the watching public might have seen a ten goal thriller. As it was, Zayetta, Geovanni and King settled the match.

Arsenal loom in fourth place, comprehensive 2 – 0 winners over the seemingly free-falling West Ham United. Faubert put through his own net with fifteen minutes to go which was the cue for The Hammers support to depart Upton Park, en masse when Adebayor added a second close to the final whistle. It was all too much for Carlton Cole whose frustration spilled over with a rash challenge on Alex Song as West Ham finished pointless and down to ten men.

Aston Villa donned their invisible cape and snuck into fifth place with a 4 – 0 win at the JJB over Wigan Athletic. Gareth Barry opened the scoring from the spot before Gabby Agbonlahor doubled the lead twelve minutes into the second half. Five minutes later John Carew made it three before the victory was sealed with Steve Sidwell’s first Premier League goal for the club.

Villa leapfrogged Manchester United who blew the chance presented to them by Darren Fletcher’s goal to succumb to Fellaini’s equaliser as Everton salvaged a point. Morons R Us works outing to The Stadium of Light saw twenty-nine arrests and a home win for the first time since 1980 as Sunderland beat Newcastle United 2 – 1. The fans fought the law but the law won as goals from Cisse and Richardson for the hosts saw off Ameobi’s effort.

Those events were somewhat overshadowed on the back pages as ‘Appy ‘Arry Redknapp pitched up at White Hart Lane to replace Juande Ramos and Daniel Commolli to take charge of strife-riven outfit. Spurs responded by beating Bolton 2 – 0, Pavlyuchenko and Bent the goalscorers. With Daniel Levy’s track record of managerial cock-ups, the depth of the revival will be put to a stiff test with matches in the coming days at Arsenal and at home to Liverpool.

Portsmouth responded to Redknapp’s departure by denying that this was due to money pressures although the £5m crammed into a battered suitcase that was left in the boardroom by Daniel Levy no doubt softened the blow. Peter Crouch gave them the lead in the match against Fulham but Clint Dempsey’s equaliser gave the visitors a share of the points in the 1 – 1 draw at Fratton Park.

Blackburn and Middlesbrough had them rocking and rolling in the aisles in a frankly dire encounter that seems to be something of a habit for the visitors these days. Alves scored with fifteen minutes to go for the visitors but Benni McCarthy squared it all with barely a gnats left on the clock in a drab 1 – 1 draw. Finally, Manchester City drubbed Stoke City 3 – 0 thanks to a Robinho hat trick. The Brazilian promptly set himself a target of thirty goals for the season which might prove a taller order than he thinks when you bear City’s traditional falling star routine post-Christmas.

PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW – WEEK 8

Chelsea emphasised their good form at The Riverside with a magnificent 5 – 0 thumping of hapless Middlesbrough. Saloman Kalou opened the scoring on fourteen minutes and that was the way it stayed until the fifty-first minute when Belletti doubled the advantage. Three goals in fourteen minutes then put the contest beyond doubt as Kalou netted his second with Lampard and Malouda completing the rout.

With the first half over at Anfield, Chelsea looked set fair to open a three point gap up over their nearest rivals, Liverpool trailing Wigan and generally having been used as floor mops during the course of the first half. Amr Zaki broke the deadlock just before the half-hour, a lead pegged back by Dirk Kuyt whose celebrations included a quick snatch of ‘The Ace Of Spades’, previewing his entry in the Air Guitar World Cup. Not to be outdone, Zaki scored one of the goals of the season with a spectacular bicycle kick in first half injury time. Matters nearly went from bad to worse for Liverpool as the woodwork denied the visitors but as usual, weak officiating at the Kop End saved the day as for the second week running, Liverpool’s opponents were reduced to ten men, Valencia receiving two yellow cards. Albert Riera drew the hosts level with ten minutes to go and Kuyt performed ‘Highway To Hell’ following his eighty-third minute winner. Robbie Keane Watch: No goals mean that his eBay auction would fetch about twenty pence.

Hull City are Riding Along On The Crest Of A Wave as they brought forth a slew of really bad London 0 Hull 4 from the Sheep. Flag Day arrived with Turner’s goal enough to give them a 1 – 0 win over West Ham United at the KC Stadium.

Arsenal fans have long sung, “Let’s all laugh” at Tottenham so it seems a shame for the rest of us not to join in, particularly as they are serving up performances of a similar quality to the jokes of Jimmy Cricket – not the Disney character but the crap 1980s comedian – crumbling like a stale cake to a 2 – 1 at The Britannia Stadium. Stoke City took the lead when Danny Higginbotham converted a nineteenth minute penalty following a professional foul by Gareth Bale that earned the Spurs defender an early bath. The shower were still on the pitch and fought back to equalise through Darren Bent six minutes later. Rory Delap grabbed the points for Stoke and it might have been more were it not for the woodwork, Gomes and a missed penalty. Indeed, Gomes might be considered more of a danger to his own defence than any forward, poleaxing Corluka twice. Obviously he was not satisfied with his first effort and needed the second to completely total the Croat.

On the subject of Arsenal which I vaguely was, they overcame Leon Osman’s ninth minute opener to beat Everton at The Emirates. Goals from Nasri, Adebayor and Walcott in the second half secured a 3 – 1 win. Eejits R Us had their clearance sale and one found his way to Villa Park where a coin hit the Assistant Referee. It was the only thing that hit the target as Aston Villa and Portsmouth served up a goalless draw. Mind you, according to Harry Redknapp the coin was aimed at him so that missed as well. Nothing was on target at The Reebok as Bolton, continued to fail to beat Blackburn Rovers at home, the tenth year running that the visitors have left this derby with at least one point.

Keiran Richardson found the net with a storming freekick that was ruled out for Chimbonda’s shenanigans in the wall as Sunderland left Craven Cottage scratching their heads as to how they did not beat Fulham. It wasn’t the only foul play in the wall as Jimmy Bullard grabbed Chimbonda in the box in the lead up to Richardson’s effort. The woodwork also played its part, leaving the unveiling of Johnny Haynes statue before kick-off as the memorable event of the day.

Least surprising result of the day was Manchester United’s 4 – 0 drubbing of West Bromwich Albion. Second half goals from Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov and Nani did the damage. At Newcastle, Rob Styles was the villain of the piece wrongly dismissing Beye in the twelfth minute, a decision overturned on appeal by the FA. Robinho converted the resultant penalty but it only sparked the Toon into action as Ameobi and a Richard Dunne own goal seemed to have given them three points before Stephen Ireland popped up to salvage an equaliser for Manchester City.

PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW – WEEK SEVEN

Chelsea and Liverpool shared top spot at the start of a weekend that saw them face tricky matches against teams with aspirations to break the big four cartel. At Stamford Bridge, the leaders overcame Aston Villa comfortably, a team who had taken four out of six points from them last season. First half goals from Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka saw the hosts cruise to a 2 – 0 victory and maintain their position as Leaders of the Pack on goal difference.

At the City of Manchester Stadium, Liverpool overcame a two-goal deficit at half-time to win 3 – 2 and stay in touch with Chelsea. Stephen Ireland gave Manchester City the lead in the nineteenth minute, an advantage doubled four minutes before the break by Garrido. Ten minutes into the second half and Fernando Torres pulled one back but still Liverpool toiled. Their lucky break came with the dismissal of Zabaleta, reducing City to ten men with a quarter of the match remaining. The Reds took just six minutes to take advantage when Torres grabbed his second of the afternoon but they had to wait until two minutes into stoppage time before Dirk Kuyt stole in for the winner and wheeled away to strains of ‘Smoke on the Water’, practising for this year’s Dutch Air Guitar championships. Robbie Keane Watch: Still not as valuable as the Mickey Mouse version and largely as effective in the goalscoring stakes.

Having won their previous match at The Emirates, Hull City travelled to White Hart Lane to take on shambolic Spurs and emerged with all three points thanks to a superb Geovanni freekick, curled into Gomes net on nine minutes. Third place and no signs of the nosebleeds ending such is the rarified heights to which they have climbed. Tottenham continue to be laughed at by everyone with the comedy not just limited to events on the pitch. Juande Ramos received a vote of confidence from Daniel Levy whom nobody trusts so Ramos ought really to be digging out his passport to get the next flight home.

Manchester United seem to have awoken from their slumbers, their 2 – 0 victory at Ewood Park seeing them climb quietly up the table following an indistinguished start. Not that the victory was without controvesy, Blackburn Rovers aggrieved that Wes Brown’s opener on the half-hour was allowed to stand despite Vidic’s baulking of Rovers keeper Jason Brown in the build-up. Wayne Rooney lumbered up for the upcoming internationals with a second on sixty-four minutes.

Sunderland came within seconds of sending Arsenal to consecutive Premier League defeats at The Lido, sorry, Stadium of Light. Robin van Persie had a perfectly good goal erroneously ruled out by the officials, especially the Assistant Referee who could not possibly have seen whether or not the ball was out before Theo Walcott crossed. Grant Leadbitter robbed Alex Song of the ball with four minutes to go before Cesc Fabregas headed home in the deep end to salvage a 1 – 1 draw.

At Goodison Park, Everton raced into a two-goal lead against Newcastle. Mikel Arteta broke the deadlock on seventeen with a penalty before Fellaini doubled their advantage with thirty-five minutes played. Joe Kinnear’s expletive quota was ready to go into overdrive at the interval and having left his seat in the Director’s Box, he missed Steven Taylor’s injury-time goal, cursing no doubt a ban not served from four seasons ago. The air turned as blue as Everton’s shirts when he retook his seat for the second half, finding he had missed Damien Duff’s equaliser in the 2 – 2 draw.

West Ham United had been riding on the crest of a wave since Gianfranco Zola’s arrival but Gary Megson’s Bolton side cried, “Surf’s Up”, first and raced into a thoroughly deserved two-goal half-time lead with goals from Kevin Davies and Gary Cahill thanks to some slapstick goalkeeping from Robert Green. Carlton Cole pulled one back with twenty minutes to go but the 3 – 1 win was confirmed for The Trotters with Matt Taylor’s stunning freekick four minutes from time.

At The JJB Stadium, ninety minutes of tedium was broken with one minute to go by Jeremie Aliadiere stole the only goal of the game to give Middlesbrough a 1 – 0 win over Wigan which was the same scoreline that West Bromwich Albion beat Fulham by at The Hawthorns, Roman Bednar breaking the deadlock one minute past the hour mark. At Fratton Park, Stoke City’s woes continued as they slumped to a 2 – 1 defeat against Portsmouth. Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe scored for the home side, sandwiching Fuller’s strike for The Potters.

PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY SIX

Arsenal started the day in top spot and were expected to crush Hull City at The Emirates. Football though has a habit of bringing you back to Earth, the visitors doing so by winning 2 – 1. It did not seem that it would be the case when Cesc Fabregas forced McShane to put through his own net five minutes into the second half but Geovanni scored a thumping equaliser from thirty yards, followed by a Cousin header from a corner two minutes later. Hull held out thankful to some fine goalkeeping from Myhill and the intervention of the crossbar from a Gallas header.

The two hundred and eighth Merseyside derby followed the pattern of recent years with Tim Cahill receiving his marching orders for a wild tackle on Xabi Alonso, the eighth player to do so in as many seasons. Everton slumped to a 0 – 2 defeat, Fernando Torres scoring a quick-fire brace to give Liverpool top spot albeit temporarily. Robbie Keane paid back about 50p of his transfer fee by setting up both goals but yet again proved to be closer to becoming the first footballer on the moon than scoring his first Liverpool goal.

Chelsea travelled to the Britannia Stadium, favourites to put Stoke City to a swift end and despite some pressure from the hosts, did exactly that in a 2 – 0 victory. Jose Bosingwa scored his first for the club after his summer move from Porto, the second added by Anelka in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo made his first Premier League start of the season for Manchester United and scored the first in their 2 – 0 win over Bolton Wanderers in what was a generally lacklustre performance. Ronaldo fell over in the penalty area and unsurprisingly won a spot-kick, which he duly converted. Wayne Rooney emerged from the bench and added a second in the seventy-seventh minute.

Gianfranco Zola’s reign at West Ham continued its’ bright start with a 2 – 1 win at Craven Cottage, Fulham falling closer to the bottom three as a result. Carlton Cole broke the deadlock two minutes before the interval, Matthew Etherington adding the second in injury-time. The hosts rarely looked like pegging them back but a Danny Murphy penalty on the hour gave them hope but The Hammers held out for their second win in a week.

Nobody bet on a 2 – 1 result at The Riverside, just as well really as former ‘Boro captain brought his West Brom team to raid and emerge with a 1 – 0 victory over Middlesbrough thanks to an Olsson goal in the fifty-third minute. A short hop, skip and jump up the road to Newcastle saw the farce at St James Park descend further as Blackburn outplayed them in their 2 – 1 win. Chris Samba opened the scoring with a dubious header, the defender clearly offside when the ball was despatched from a free-kick. Roque Santa Cruz sealed the win four minutes before half-time although Michael Owen won and converted a penalty in the fifty-first minute to offer hope to the Geordies. Another false dawn arose, the debacle completed when it emerged that interim manager, Joe Kinnear, cannot sit on the touchline for two games due to a ban from 2004 that had yet to be served. Still, at least he brightened the day by swearing on Football Focus at lunchtime, much to the embarrassment of the cringeworthy presenter.

Aston Villa are going about their business quietly, climbing to third in the table with a 2 – 1 win over Sunderland, completing a miserable afternoon for the North-East. Footballing Peer, Djibril Cisse, gave the visitors a tenth minute lead, cancelled out by Ashley Young eight minutes later. John Carew won the match on thirty-three, the summer’s tribulations over Gareth Barry disappearing in a haze of good results for The Villains.

Wigan hosted the Manchester City rich kids and promptly taught them that money can’t buy you love or three points for that matter, the hosts winning 2 – 1. Antonio Valencia opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour with a stunning thirty yard effort that left Joe Hart in City goal helpless. Robinho went close soon afterwards but if fell to Vincent Kompany to equalise, heading home an Elano free-kick. The match was settled when Wilson Palacios produced a dive that would earned him 5.9 from Olympic judges. Referee Steve Bennett gave it a 6 and Wigan a penalty that Amr Zaki despatched comfortably.

Tottenham headed to the South Coast and ye olde worlde charms of Fratton Park on a high having won at Newcastle in the Carling Cup. Portsmouth had conceded ten in their last two games so an away win was on the cards. Only kidding, this is Spurs after all and they were undone by two former players and an Arsenal loanee in Pompey’s 2 – 0 win. Jermaine Defoe converted a penalty after Jermaine Jenas handled in the area whilst Peter Crouch converted the rebound from Armand Traore’s well-struck shot. Not even Lassana Diarra’s sending off two minutes from time could dampen ‘Appy ‘Arry’s mood whilst Spurs continue to show what a strong side they are by propping up the table for yet another week.

Tevez And The Future Governance Of English Football

Carlos Tevez was widely tipped to be remembered for his silky skills when he burst onto the scene in his native Argentina. Sadly for the player, unless he achieves the greatness of Pele or Maradona or their ilk, the abiding memory of his time in England will be that of his transfer to West Ham. The ins and outs are well documented within the media yet they leave several questions unanswered, ones that have far-reaching consequences for the English game.

Third party ownership of players is a common practice on the distant shores of South America yet FIFA and their constituent members from UEFA have developed a distaste for this practice. Unquestionably, there are uncomfortable aspects of such deals but are the authorities overstating the case. Put simply, they believe that undue influence can be put on the playing side of a club if third parties own the economic rights to a player, presumably a key one at that. However, unless there are two sets of circumstances applicable in any case, it is hard to follow their logic.

Fundamentally, it is in the interests of such parties to have their asset on the pitch in every match. The concern is that they dictate to a club / manager that he plays whatever happens, whatever his form or fitness. This cannot be right for their economic rights suffer if his form dips or he plays when injured. Anything that is detrimental to the player’s game is detrimental to their financial interests. In those circumstances, it is hard to see where the interests of a club and the third party conflict as they have, ultimately, the same outcome.

Where the conflict arises most sharply is if the third party has a vested interest in another club but the question that has never been answered is why they would not put or keep the player at that club. This follows in the Tevez case, a club is owned by MIA – Corinthians – and Tevez plays for them. He moved to West Ham and Kia Joorbachian fronts a consortium that tries to buy the club, willingly up for sale at the time. In itself, a logical step albeit one that sits uncomfortably yet where is the difference between ADUG and MIA? Only in the ownership of Tevez, something that would undoubtedly be considered by ADUG if the opportunity to own Robinho, for example, came to bear.

The second instance of discomfort would be any link between the player’s owners and any betting syndicate. This is perhaps the more serious question, one where third party ownership may be subject to extreme concern but once more is it overstated? There are huge monies wagered on football in any country but rarely are there attempts to influence the top sides, more often the cases which are found come as a result of matches in the lower leagues. That is not to dismiss them for those circumstances still call into question the integrity of the sport, even one as obviously corrupt as football.

More immediately, the problem for English football is the governance of the game. As the leading income generator, the Premier League believe their interests matter more than anyone else’s, an arrogant, bullying position to hold and one that will ultimately lead to the downfall of the individuals who bring it to bear. Ridiculed for the ‘Thirty-nine Game Plan’, the Premier League attempt to cross swords with the Football Association at any given corner. Whilst the majority of the points upon which they argue are seemingly trivial, the governance of English football cannot be considered so.

The Premier League’s handling of the disciplinary aspect of the Tevez affair leaves much to be desired. Faced with a decision that would require action impacting the league positions of two teams, independent inquiries ruled to hand out a monetary punishment. This is fundamentally wrong. Whilst the finanicial gain for remaining in the top flight is huge, to allow a transgressor to escape points deductions for infringements committed that allow sporting gain is wrong, ethically and practically. There is little doubt that the influence Tevez had upon the outcome of the season in question is huge; West Ham survived by three points. Remove the points gained by the Argentinean’s goals and they would have been relegated. That is natural justice, not the convoluted punishment handed out by the Premier League.

Moreover, in making the judgement that the Inquiries came to, the natural progression should have been to the Football Association and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), rather than permitting Sheffield United to take their action to the High Court, a motion doomed to fail before it had even been heard. That the Yorkshire club chose to opt for legal rather than ’sporting’ outcomes serves to highlight their folly. The expected judgement is that they will win substantial damages. Had they progressed through sporting channels, perhaps their status as a Premier League club would have been preserved and who knows where they might have progressed to in their second season in the top flight.

Whatever the arguments put forward, the Premier Leaguer is perceived to have closed ranks around West Ham. At the end of the original appeal, Sheffield United should have been directed to the Football Association for a second appeal. This did not happen for were that to have been successful, the Premier League’s control over their members would have been usurped; the ruling body would have been seen to be all-powerful, something that the greed of the top flight clubs will not permit to happen.

English football regularly finds itself at crossroads over the game’s future. This is not quite one of them but merely the taster for what is inevitably to come. The Premier League and Football Association are not comfortable bedfellows; both seek to control the sport in this country and neither will back down willingly unless their long-term gameplan is served. In the not-to-distant future, UEFA and FIFA are going to be faced with a stark choice; back the FA or Premier League. Logic dictates that their constituent member be the beneficiary but money talks and that backing cannot be depended upon. If the battle is won by the Premier League, God help football for those in charge will not have done.

PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY ONE

The 2008/09 campaign kicked off with the top three from last season all at home, all avoiding defeat. Arsenal set the ball rolling with the lunchtime kick-off against last season’s Championship title winners, West Bromwich Albion. Having been relatively inactive during the summer transfer window, The Gunner’s major signing, Samir Nasri, took just four minutes to introduce himself to The Emirates crowd. A signature flowing move down the left took the ball to the touchline where Denilson cut the ball back to the Frenchman to sweep the ball home. It was to be the only goal of the game but not for lack of Arsenal effort with Albion rarely threatening their host’s.

The defending Champions, Manchester United, found Newcastle United to be unusually obdurate. Missing last season’s golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo, the home side lacked a cutting edge and were taken by surprise when Obefami Martins opened the scoring for the visitors midway through the first half. Such joy was shortlived as United equalised through Darren Fletcher but despite Vidic hitting the bar late on, the Toon Army travelling back to Tyneside with a well-deserved point.

Chelsea on the other hand made light work of Luis Felipe Scolari’s first match in charge, FA Cup winners Portsmouth proving to be lambs to the slaughter. Joe Cole set the ball rolling in their 4 – 0 drubbing of Portsmouth with the opener on twelve minutes, a lead doubled on twenty six when Nicolas Anelka broke his Premier League duck for the season. The end to a contest long viewed as over was confirmed in the final minute of the first half when Frank Lampard converted a penalty. Deco made his debut and scored with two minutes of the match remaining, giving the Chelsea board the style they craved in Scolari’s first match in charge.

New boys Hull City, making their debut in the top flight of English football, entertained Fulham at the KC Stadium. They proved to be the Sunshine Band as they overcame Ki-Hyeon’s eighth minute opener for the visitors through Geovanni midway through the first half and Folan with nine minutes remaining to give The Tigers a 2 – 1 opening day victory.

Performance of the weekend though surely belonged to Blackburn Rovers who scraped a victory at Goodison Park. David Moyes had found it difficult to strengthen his squad during the summer and the lethargy seemed to severely impact Everton as they fell behind to a cracker from David Dunn midway through the first half. Spaniard Mikel Arteta spared blushes by equalising two minutes before the interval and Evertonians believed in a bright new future when Yakubu put them ahead midway through the second half. It was a short-lived joy as Roque Santa Cruz equalised two minutes later with The Toffees coming unstuck as the visitors took three deserved points when Andre Oojer scored with almost the last kick of the ball.

Sunderland entertained Liverpool at the Stadium of Light and despite holding out for eighty-three minutes, they succumbed to Fernando Torres’ first strike of the season. It was a rare bright spot for the Merseysider’s following the summer’s aborted and terminally dull courtship of Gareth Barry, mixed with the interminable in-fighting between their owners, eventually agreeing a truce that will last all of about five minutes. Oh, and Robbie Keane did not score for the first time this season.

Tottenham Hotspur were once again tipped to be the team to break into the cosy cartel of teams in the top four and once again failed abysmally to live up to that expectation, fading almost invisibly to a 1 – 2 defeat at The Riverside. Hosts Middlesbrough took the lead with twenty minutes to go when David Wheater scored, Spurs old boy Mido doubling the advantage with four minutes to go. Indeed, a Tottenham player failed to find the back of the net all afternoon as their goal was down to Robert Huth putting through his own net three minutes into injury time.

Stoke City were many people’s tip to go straight back down to The Championship and set about proving the pundits right with a poor performance at The Reebok. Bolton Wanderers took the lead on thirty-four minutes through Steinsson, Kevin Davies adding a second before the interval. The points were wrapped up in first half injury time when another summer addition to The Trotters squad, Jonas Elmander scored his first goal for the club. Scant consolation was gained when Fuller opened The Potters account for the season with barely a minute of the match remaining.

At Upton Park, Dean Ashton scored twice in the opening ten minutes to give West Ham United an unassailable lead against Wigan Athletic. Zaki pulled one back for the visitors two minutes into the second half as they looked set to struggle during the coming campaign.

Aston Villa met fellow UEFA Cup competitors Manchester City in a pulsating clash at Villa Park, emerging victorious with a 4 – 2 win. Surprisingly it took forty-seven minutes for the opening goal, John Carew for Villa beginning the glut. Elano equalised from the spot just past the hour before Gabi Agbonlahor took over the show, scoring a hat-trick in seven minutes. Corluka’s final goal for City before his protracted move to Tottenham served only as a goodbye gift for the stunned visitors.

Bostock Valuation Shows The Way Forward

European clubs confirmed their opposition to Sepp Blatter’s Quota Plans earlier this month, a hardly surprising result since had they supported them, it would have been the footballing equivalent of Turkey’s voting for Christmas. Does this mean that the ideas are without merit or is it simply a case of the vested interests of the club overriding their concern for the game as a whole?

Without doubt it is the former yet despite the derision of the media, fed by the clubs, there is some point to the idea behind quotas, albeit the methodology of achieving those aims is awry. Blatter’s intention is to create a strong international game; arguably, he already has it. However, there are exceptions to this rule and one of them in particular, England, is also the richest league in the world.

To have the English fail to qualify for Euro2008 was neither good for the game as a whole nor was it bad. One nation’s travesty is a benefit for another; Russia served notice that under Guus Hiddink’s leadership that they are not to be taken lightly, providing a delightful aspect to the competition. That they were eventually undone by the uncrowned Champions is no shame. They had recovered from a thrashing in their first match to reach the semi-finals, dismantling one of the tournament favourites en route.

That the English failure to qualify forced the Football Association to bring into existence a National Training Centre, situated in Burton-on-Trent, is further benefit to the game as a whole. It is shameful that they had not done so sooner. Any initiative that brings a standardisation to coaching for the elite of the game of any age should be applauded.

However, the idea of quotas is an anathema to any European governement which is a member of the European Union. To the bureaucrats of Brussels, everything is about levelling playing fields without barriers to its citizens. The only way for football to address the imbalance at a national level is to ensure that there is sufficient technical quality amongst natives.

One example of this is John Bostock. Aged sixteen, Crystal Palace valued him at £5m. It is ludicrous to believe that his true worth was anywhere near that yet Simon Jordan, The Eagles owner, used emotive language in describing the players valuation at £1.25m by a tribunal. Jordan has a vested interest, a desire to do the best for his club yet he epitomises all that is wrong in the transfer system. Had the deal not been struck by the tribunal, another player would have been lost to the lower divisions through the excesses of money that are believed to permeate the upper echelons of the English game.

There is merit in the argument that Bostock would have been better served by playing regularly for Palace but that is based on the assumption that he will be dumped into Spurs reserves. Perhaps he will be used in the same manner that Theo Walcott is at Arsenal, benefitting from a mix of substitute and starting appearances at Arsenal.

Whatever the case, transfer fees have to be regulated; this is the biggest cause of consternation at larger clubs. Some sense needs to come into the system otherwise indigenous talent is lost through greed. Yet protection of the lower league clubs is also needed, a balance must be struck. Simon Jordan observed that there is little incentive for clubs such as his own to nurture talent if they are not going to be suitably rewarded. As a businessman, he will recognise the paucity of his argument. If football clubs only survive because of transfer fees, something fundamental is wrong with their financial model.

Seeking talent is to be eulogised yet seeking reward as their only solace through this opportunity is folly. Finding a talented youngster is the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack; many average players must pass through the doors for the ‘chosen ones’ to be found. If a club’s future is dependent upon this result, something is rotten in the state of Denmark and owners must look to their own weaknesses for a longer term solution.