Love The Game

With the signing’s of Gilberto, Jonathan Woodgate and with the first final in 6 years, life would seem quite wonderful for Tottenham at the moment. In July the pundits had Tottenham as the only club able to break the monopoly, the top four have had on the Premiership in recent years. But by the end of August, Martin Jol was the bookies favourite for the sack after a poor start to the season, this was compounded with news in September that the Tottenham board were trying the lure Sevilla’s then manager Juande Ramos, which the board were quick to deny and distance themselves from. Life at the Lane was less than rosy with the club being in the relegation zone and the Spurs faithful in uproar about the possibility of losing a favoured manager. Then came that famous day in October when Tottenham played Spanish outfit Getafe in the UEFA Cup, they lost 2-1 but the more significant news was that this was to be Jol’s final game, the board had decided to sack him and his number two Chris Hughton.

There was only one man now that was going to be taking the hot seat, he was appointed within two weeks and the rebuilding was set in motion. With some good away results at Manchester City in the league cup and Portsmouth in the league things were slowly but surely turning around, then with a the famous two legged victory over Arsenal in the league cup semi-finals, life under Ramos was quickly showing the potential to be a golden era. This can mainly be put down to a major cultural change on the training ground, the Spurs players have been showing more consistency and leaking less goals since. One of the first things that Ramos did when he took over the reigns was to introduce a very different diet, players like Huddlestone were told to loose weight, reportedly over a stone. A alcohol ban was placed with random testing, players were made to train later after the mid-afternoon meal and a lot more stamina work was introduced with shuttle runs being the main emphases.

Until this week Ramos had worked only with players that had been brought to the club before his reign, it will be over a year until people see a team fully put together by the Spaniard, but these are the first bunch of players that he has had a choice to bring to the club. Not surprisingly both players are defenders, Gilberto is a 31 year old Brazilian signed from Hertha Berlin, he can play left back and left midfield which will be of great benefit for an injury plagued Tottenham squad, he is a winner of a World Cup and brings vital experience with him. The second signing is a centre back of great potential but also a big risk, no one can doubt the talent of England International Jonathan Woodgate but what is brought into question is his fitness. He only averages in his career twenty games a season and has been plagued with thigh and ankle problems, this could be seen as a gamble by Spurs especially with captain Ledley King being susceptible to injury. But if Ramos can keep the 28 year-old defender fit then that partnership has the potential to be the best in the league.

With the new signings the squad does seem a lot more stronger on paper, if they can be merged into the starting eleven quickly and the team adapts, then it is in all probability that the club will be a true contender for Europe next year. If the club can break the strangle hold that Chelsea have over them and the league cup then they will be in Europe next season and contenders for more trophies. Juande Ramos can see the potential in the club and with the backing of the board in the transfer windows then the development of the squad could be fulfilled and champions league football to be played at White Hart Lane in the near future. Maybe even the talented Spaniard can bring the great success the club had in the 1960’s and 1980’s.

The English league has always had close ties with Scottish players and managers, in the past great managers like Bill Shankly, Sir Matt Busby, Tommy Doherty and players like Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Dennis Law have all graced the English league. It seems at this current moment a Scottish contingent have again placed a mantle on the Premiership, obviously the first name on the list is the most successful manager in English history, that is Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United. He has been Manchester Utd manager for 21 years and has won 9 League titles, 5 F.A Cups, 1 European Cup, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 Super Cup and 2 League Cups for the club. The man is a living legend and his C.V speaks volumes for what he has done for the English league, in the 1185 games in charge he has won 686 of them, that is a 57.89% win ration which no one can better in the world. He is not the only Scottish manager in the Premiership that is taking a club forward. Everton have been making steady progress under him and are now a real force in the league, which no club wants to face at their home ground. This all goes down to David Moyes who is the third longest serving manager in the Premiership at this current moment. He has guided the club into Europe twice in his time there and is introducing youth from the academy in the eyes of Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan. The future is looking very good for Everton, they are big, they are strong and with a dogged determination it looks like silverware will be coming to Goodison Park sooner rather than later.

Another addition to the Premiership is the new Birmingham manager, Alex McLeish, a former Scottish international and Aberdeen defender, during his time there he was managed by Sir Alex Ferguson. Before his appointment with Birmingham he was Scotland manager, who were piped at the post by Italy in European qualification. He also managed Rangers to the Quarter finals of the champions league two seasons ago, the best run in their history. He has a good pedigree and will no doubt have backing from the Mr Gould and Mr Sullivan, the Birmingham board, this has already been shown with the signing of James McFadden who was Scotland’s best performer during their Euro qualification campaign. He likes his teams to show commitment and give their all to the cause, which is certainly a major benefit when playing in the fast and furious Premiership. This will be another team that will be improving over the next couple of seasons and will have many onlookers interested in the development of the team.

With Scotland producing another crop of good young players and their managers plying a good trade in the English league the question should be asked, how do they produce this with such a small population when compared to England. Scottish players and managers bring a certain passion and work ethic to the game that could only be deemed as inspiring, what is lacking is made up with tenacity, bravery and down right stubbornness. Maybe the English should start to look north of the border when it comes to getting the best of them selves including players, managers and fans alike.

It was in the 19th Century when the first wave of English industrialists, aristocrats and entrepreneurs introduced the game of football to Europe and South America. Since then the game has exploded all over the world and is recognised in every continent. It seems that a 2nd wave of English migrants have decided to involve themselves in the game and develop upon the football their ancestors brought. This has happened in Spain, a bunch of ex-pats have taken a fourth division Spanish club called CD Javea in the Alicante province under their wing. It was back in 2005 that a supporters group called ‘The Pena Javeamigos’ was formed, this was set up by ex-pats for ex-pats. The clubs president is Mark Catlin and the manager is Kenny Brown they are both English and both thoroughly committed to CD Javea, the club has made steady progress over the past season, with the club being stabilised financially by Mark and Kenny, also there is a long term goal set for the club. When asked what the future holds for the club Mark said ‘When myself and Kenny joined the club it was at rock bottom, on the verge of relegation and close to bankruptcy. Long term we definitely believe we should be in the 3rd division (one above they are now), and if the right club were to invest in us as a feeder club or other then I firmly believe the club can go to even greater heights’ . With a capacity only of 4,000 it is a long term goal, but you need to have dreams if you are to succeed, they are very optimistic that with the catchment area being large for ex-pats, there are around 12,000 Brits within the province and still growing, the club can make progress. At the moment around 400 ex-pats go to the games, 250 of them being hardcore fans that travel to home and away games. Obviously the club is not just supported by Brits, there is a Spanish contingent too, every player at the club is Spanish. But the ex-pats have a real passion for the club with newsletters by the club and supporters club being written in English and distributed, but the Spanish seem more laid back in their approach to supporting the club. Mark says ‘We have tried hard for the Spanish to set up their own newsletter in Spanish, but to be honest they are not as enthusiastic as the Brits are! The ex-pats really want to help and get involved where the Spanish are happy just to turn up and support the team at the game’.

CD Javea have made forward moves into trying to promote themselves and take the club to new levels. Links have been made with West Ham with a yearly fixture between the youth teams being held, and the club being shown ways into developing their youth academy. This has been all possible due to the strong links manager Kenny Brown has with West Ham, he was a player for them in 1980’s. CD Javea youth scheme is just starting, with the club being a municipal club they accept every child that wants to join the club, at this moment the club have 300 children in there youth scheme. The club take their youth policy with great importance, Mark Catlin states ‘If we could get the right funding, I would love to establish a ‘real’ academy here with living accommodation and full-time coaches to develop the children here in Spain’. Mark and Kenny seem highly enthusiastic and determined to do well for the club. I asked what Mark’s own ambitions were, he said ‘My involvement with CD Javea has awakened me to the fact that I just love being involved with a football club, my work is all voluntary and is very hard at times trying to balance my business’s and the club. Unfortunately I would love to put all my energy into the club and get them into the Primera Liga but I’m afraid that fairytales do not happen without money’, he goes on to talk about Kenny Brown and the close knit working relationship ‘ I have been so impressed with the work Kenny has done and I honestly believe that to make any club a success it is vital that both the manager and President (Chairman) respect and have confidence in the work they are both doing.’. It has been a successful partnership and will only help the club if both of these men stay together, Mark seems a very passionate man with a burning ambition for the club. It may well be that CD Javea get the investment they so obviously need to take them to the next level, let us all hope that this wave of football enthusiasm from the Brits will give a new platform for this club.

With the new appointment of Fabio Capello and a time for a new look squad there are many names being touted around for the England squad. With the aim now being assembling a squad ready to challenge for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa there is a certain view that youth should be brought in and be blooded ready for the next tournament. This certainly can be said with the change of the old guard, people like Sol Campbell who can arguably been seen as England’s most consistent performer of the past decade, looked decidedly out of sorts in the massive crunch game against Croatia which saw us eliminated for the European Championships. Other names can also be added to the list that are likely to be too old for 2010, Gary and Phil Neville, David James and David Beckham. Capello also has to contend with the injuries our better players keep having you have to look no further than Michael Owen to see that.

You don’t have to look very far to see the young English talent that is being produced at this very moment in the Premiership. The current top young form players in the English game are Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa and David Bentley of Blackburn respectively. Agbonlahor is only in his second full season with Aston Villa and has certainly found his feet with 7 goals this season, with his explosive speed he is a handful for any top defender, added with the work ethic and decent touch he could be seen as Capello’s choice for this new look squad. But it has been a baptism of fire for Bentley in his young career, after his much spoken about and controversial decision not to go to the under-21 European Championship due to worries about burn out, Bentley has had a fantastic season so far with 7 goals and 5 Assists to date. His career has taken a certain step forward since his transfer to Mark Hughes’s Blackburn from Arsenal, he has been playing regularly for the past three seasons and is showing his potential. He had a loan spell previously with Norwich in the Premiership which caught the eye of Hughes, in his debut season for Blackburn he scored a hat-trick against Man Utd. He has been branded the ‘new David Beckham’ due to his crossing ability but he has much more than that. Technically he is the best in country in his age range, he can play on either wing, off the front man and in the centre of midfield. With a great shot and two good feet Bentley is the perfect new face the England midfield will need if they are to be a challenge in 2010.

The much publicised lack of English talent coming through the clubs at the moment can be deemed a little over the top. This season and last season has seen the emergence and development of many young English players for big team, you have to look no further than Manchester City, with Micah Richards the most exciting young defender since Rio Ferdinand and other young talent like their goalkeeper Joe Hart and defender Nedum Onuoha the club have a very exciting future. But not to mention other young players like Theo Walcott of Arsenal, Aaron Lennon of Tottenham and Ashley Young of Aston Villa there is some young attacking potential there too. It seems like the youth academies are actually producing young talent and Mr Capello does have a bright future for the nations football team after all.