Team GB

German cuisine, canned laughter, Sergio Busquets, the Euro, the Isle of Wight, consistent weather, people who push in, Skoda, modern ‘music’, foreign languages, re-branding, health and safety regulations, foreplay, and Olympic football; are all facets of life that the average Britain has turned his/her back on.

Certain factors have tried to entice the Brits round - Bratwurst, Friends, Las Ketchup, Rosetta Stone, and Aviva’s ‘Greeeeeeen Arrrrrrrmy’ adverts to name a few - but it is likely that only the splendid victory over the French in the bid for the 2012 Olympics will ultimately succeed.

The entry of a Team GB into this summer’s Games, the first appearance since 1972, is sure to provide the English with an antidote to their Euro 2012 failure; and present the Welsh with a rare chance to challenge for international honours - in an event that doesn’t involve an all male choir. For these reasons alone, expect Olympic football to move into the realms of ‘mildly interesting’.

(For those non-Scots...)

Sadly this may not apply to Britain’s most northerly third, whom following Andy Murray’s withdrawal for a severely ruptured ego, have no representatives within the Team GB Olympic football squad - another summer of caber-tossing, golf and Buckfast in the park awaits then.

Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce’s omission of any Scottish players is bewildering on a number of levels; namely the alienation of a huge slice of Britain, and the further expression of the Anglo-centric opinion that Scottish players are inferior goods - Bannan, Forrest and Rhodes can all feel rightly aggrieved about their non-consideration.

Still, this potential flash point pales into insignificance against the exclusion of former footballer, full-time celebrity, and soon to be Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, David Robert Beckham.

(Left - Capello, Right- Postman pat)

Following the announcement in early June that Beckham had been included in the provisional squad of 35 players ‘going for gold’, I think many, including myself, felt his inclusion was a mere formality. Beckham had been a focal point of both the 2012 Olympic bid, and the unsuccessful World Cup bid, and thus the Games was billed as the perfect swansong for the former England Captain – having been somewhat unceremoniously dumped by Postman Pat double, Fabio Capello, in 2009.

Stuart Pearce however, being the man that took the helm for a solitary England game and selected his own captain (I’m not saying he’s egocentric), thought otherwise; choosing instead to take Craig Bellamy, Ryan Giggs, and Micah Richards as the over 23 year old contingent.

There is clear logic behind the inclusions of Welsh duo Bellamy and Giggs - nationality, availability, and their ability to play on the left-hand side all contributors – but man-mountain, Richards, place is more contentious. Not many parties doubt his ability (despite a hideous tackle in Team GB’s defeat to Brazil), and he could be considered unfortunate to have missed out on a place in the senior squad for Euro 2012, but he has a promising international future ahead of him... Beckham’s last chance is now.

With David Beckham you don’t just get a footballer, you get a brand... It’s that sprinkling of stardust that makes the Olympics so captivating; think Bolt, Phelps, Cavendish, and Eric the Eel. Although there is no ‘footballing reason’ why ‘thunder thighs’ shouldn’t attend, economically it is nonsense.

On 18 July 2012 the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games withdrew 500,000 tickets for the football; with only 250,000 to be redistributed. Based on the fact the majority of removed tickets are for the ‘cheap seats’, at a price of £20 (and not including associated consumer expenditure), that’s a revenue loss of circa £5 million. With ticket purchase so slow, the Olympic football tournament is crying out for a crowd pleaser like David Beckham, and frankly I doubt even Micah Richard’s family will bother turning up to witness him in the lavish new Team GB strip.

Beckham is a ready-made billboard, and the Olympics will suffer from his exclusion... not to mention all 5 tax paying members of the public.

It should be noted however, that despite all this talk of finances, David Beckham should not be written off as a footballer; in fact, his argument for inclusion on ability alone is compelling. Tournament football is about moments - Welbeck’s back heel against Sweden, Balotelli’s stunning 2^nd against Germany, and Alba’s lung-busting run and strike for Spain; all key to their team’s success in Euro 2012 – and what better dead ball exponent in the world is there than Beckham? (bar Juninho Pernambucano, Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rogerio Ceni (GK), Sneijder... Ian Harte (apologies’ for the display of pedantry)).

In addition, whereas the rest of the GB squad is betwixt fixtures, David Beckham is in the height of LA Galaxy’s ‘regular season’... meaning fitness is unlikely to be an issue. His form has been strong too, having scored three times in the MLS in his last two outings (granted, even Heskey could score in the MLS); the pick of the goals coming against the Portland Timbers (see below). 

As a final thought, will Giggs and co be giving it their all? Will they be over exerting themselves? Piling into 50/50 challenges? I very much doubt it given that the new Premier League season is on the horizon. David Beckham would doubtless have given everything for the cause, and that may well have made Team GB a more formidable outfit; at least more steely – something that Friday night’s performance, be it in a friendly, severely lacked.

Still, putting disappointments aside, the 18 men who will represent Team GB in their quest for a bronze medal will be as follows: -

Jack Butland (Birmingham), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough);

Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham), Craig Dawson (West Brom), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Neil Taylor (Swansea), James Tomkins (West Ham);

Joe Allen (Swansea), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Jack Cork (Southampton), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Scott Sinclair (Swansea);

Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), Marvin Sordell (Bolton), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea)

Let’s see if their performances can change the British mind-set towards Olympic football for the future. 

Thanks for reading

Please retweet, share, like... better still, comment

BC

@BobbyCowsill

Facebook Group 'If that had gone in, it would have been a goal' (don't mix up with a similar fb page)

Links: -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9405536/London-2012-Olympics-500000-football-tickets-removed-to-ensure-full-stadiums.html

Follow, Follow On, We All Follow... 'Team 12'!?

Major developments in the Rangers saga have been witnessed in recent weeks; markedly the rejection of the Company Voluntary Arrangement Proposal and their subsequent decent into Liquidation.

Following formal Liquidation, Mr Charles Green purchased the assets from Duff & Phelps for the princely sum of £5.5 million; a third of what ‘oldco’ paid for Tore-Andre Flo in 2001 (see right); and roughly the same price as refueling a moderately sized family saloon. Mr Green then had his application for ‘Newco’ Rangers, snappily named Sevco Scotland Limited, to replace the previous entity in the Scottish Premier League denied; their fixtures occupied instead by minnows ‘Team 12’.

Given the strong moral hazard in allowing ‘Rangers’ re-entrance to the SPL it shouldn’t be regarded as a surprise that the incumbent members rejected ‘newco’, but the difficulty is where to allow re-entry.

The precedent was set by the demotion of Livingstone in 2009, and Gretna in 2008, to the lowest tier of Scottish League football following their wind-up. It would appear then to be morally and legally just to force Rangers to follow suit. BUT can it really be pragmatic and prudent to put one of the biggest names in not just Scottish, but global football, into the comparative doldrums of the Scottish 3^rd Division?

If this were to come into fruition, the phoenix operation could find themselves head-to-head with the likes of; Annan ‘not terribly’ Athletic, The Gable Endies, Peter’s Head, Elgin ‘barely a’ City and the star studied Stirling Albion. Rangers average attendance in 2011/2012 was 46,234, yet none of these aforementioned clubs can house more than 4,000 fans! To put that into context, that’s just one Rik Waller!

(Typical Div 3 playing surface - (undersoil heating
is considered just too ostentatious, so alternative
draining methods have been sought (below the pitch
you will note one summer afternoon' s precipitation)))

At risk of upsetting both the attendees - on a normal match day in division 3, the club secretary contacts you Saturday morning to ask when you wish the game to kick-off (and also to request you bring your boots just in case)... Then once you finally locate the un-signposted ground (which is invariably hidden behind a small mound of earth, a wheelie bin, or maybe a small ginger child), there are more people in the dug-outs (or there would be if they had any), than on the concrete terraces. Before berating this flippant analysis of Division 3, please bear in mind that I’m writing from a position of knowledge - having attended numerous Scottish Division 2 and 3 clashes down the years (and thoroughly enjoyed them).

I’m simply highlighting the logistical nightmare of having arguably Scotland’s most supported club descending upon this inferior level of infrastructure. At Borough Briggs for example, home to Elgin City, there is seating capacity for 478 (all seats kindly donated by Newcastle United FC in 2000), and standing capacity, housed in a corrugated iron cattle shelter, on the opposite touch line. There is no defined fan segregation, limited turnstiles, a concerning scarcity of Irn-Bru outlets, and to top it all, fans can observe the match in full (or for as long as they can last), for free, by standing on the grassy knolls behind either goal. Imagine then, the strain on local amenities and policing that Rangers’ visit would induce! And this issue translates to the majority of the league; the exception being Queen’s Park who ply their trade at the 52,500 capacity national stadium.

In addition, the financial implications of Rangers’ demotion to division 3 would be far fetching; and not just in terms of reduced match day revenue. The prospect of no league encounters between the ‘Old Firm’ for a minimum of 3 + years will doubtless jeopardise season ticket renewals and any pending broadcasting and sponsorship contracts. The historic rivalry, even hatred, between the ‘Old Firm’, captivates global audiences, and generates much of the league’s revenue as a result. Afterall, a one team title race, very few sell out fixtures, and minimal top class talent on show, is all available in my local pub league.

It is for this reason that Celtic fans shouldn’t be writing “good riddance” on Facebook, Twitter, Celtic forums, Rangers forums, football forums, sport forums, synchronized swimming forums, themselves... Celtic, like the rest of Scotland, needs a competitive Rangers Football Club!

The final decision on their entry will be made shortly and we’ll be waiting with whisky infused breath – I think those with a vested interest in Scottish football will be praying they are accepted into Division 1; but what punishment do you believe 'newco' Rangers warrant?
BC
@BobbyCowsill

THE ROUND UP (12 July 2012)

I must begin by offering my insincere apologies for the lack of topical football based literature released on this blog over the past fortnight. The excuse being that I have been indulging in my other great passion (no, no!); music! The concoction of having to splurge a briefcase full of cash on grossly overpriced drinks, stand on tip-toes until my calf muscles spontaneously combust, and having to snorkel through the mud/overflowing sewage cocktail, takes some time to oust from the system. For those of you who are interested, or feigning interest (the group in which the Portuguese national football side provide their life lessons), my latest escapade took me to the undisputed home of music to scream along with seminal indie outfit The Stone Roses.     

(hoggers!)

During the aforementioned realisation of my dream, Spain were busy realising their own; namely lifting the The Henri Delaunay Trophy aloft for the second consecutive time. The one sided final eventually culminating in a 4-0 defeat for the scandal tarnished Italians... for the record, there were no peculiar own goals, no sliced penalty kicks, and no suspicious sending off’s (in minutes ending in ‘6’ or otherwise) as was envisaged in my “Group C” blog of June 17.

    

What was foreseen however was much of the reminder of the tournament - the Spanish victory itself; England captivating their audience for the obligatory 2 out of the 4 weeks; the Dutch implosion; Balotelli’s numerous childlike tantrums; the French bowing out ungracefully; the UEFA endorsed camera-persons (probably men) filming virile female fans rather than the football; and sadly, the unsavoury scenes off the pitch. Europe, in hindsight, could have saved itself a great deal of fortune, and the majority of us, avoided much heartache. Still, it did give us Europeans something to focus on other than finances; and on a personal level, I didn’t have to watch the insufferable ‘deal or no deal’ for an entire month.

The ease at which Spain brushed aside Italy and once again proved to be Europe’s premier football team was breathtaking. Their unparalleled pool of talent perhaps most evident when you scrutinized the absentees from their European Championship final starting XI – most notably, Chelski duo Juan Mata and Fernando Torres; Athletic’s Manchester United tormentors, Fernando Llorente, Iker Muniain and Javi Martinez; and Barcelona’s injured twosome of Carles Puyol and David Villa.

This further triumph by Spain, begs the question, “are they the best national team ever?”. As exponents of pass and move (tiki-taka) football they are surely unrivalled, but defensively, and in terms of cutting edge, they have occasionally been questioned. Consider then the following entities as possible alternatives: -

• World Cup 1970 winning Brazil – Pele, Carlos Alberto, Jairzinho, Tostao, Gerson, & Rivelino; need I say more! (see below)

• Rinus Michels ‘Totaalvoetball’ Netherlands team of 1974  - despite losing the World Cup final to rivals Deutschland; Cruyff, Haan, Rep, van Hanegam & co, changed the landscape of football forever (Spain are mere copy-cats).

(Great football team, but most importantly; a quite fabulous kit)

• France 1998 to 2000 – blessed with talent such as Zizou, Terry Henry, and the eternal Thuram; and benefactors of Monsieur Barthez's lucky slaphead; the French were bound to capture the World Cup in ’98 and the European Championships of ’00.

• Berti Vogts’ Scotland of 2002 – 2004. Herr Vogts’ Scotland began with a solid 5 nil defeat at the hands of France, and went on to achieve numerous other credible results; the most memorable were as follows: - South Korea (1  – 4), Faroe Islands (2 – 2), Holland (0 -6), Wales (0 -4), Hungary (0 – 3), Moldova (1 – 1), and home defeat to Norway.

(Andy Selva - scorer of THE winning
San Marino goal - canonized in '02)

• That special San Marino side of 28 April 2004 that scored a genuine, real-life, actual, valid, undeniable, goal against Liechtenstein... and went onto claim their only ever victory!

• 11 April 2001 ‘Socceroos’ – this VB/XXXX powered Aussie outfit pipped American Somoa 31 – 0 during 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification.

TRANSFER PORTION

As well as evidencing the quality of certain national teams, Euro 2012 also drew the eyes of the world onto certain talented players – most the everyday fan were aware of beforehand, but a few rose to prominence during the tournament. The same principle must have applied to those loitering characters that operate in the shadows, only occasionally surfacing to tell their gaffer that they’ve spied some bona fide talent (that the You Tube generation identified a decade previous); scouts!

Following the various scouts reports to hierarchy, a number of transfers have ensued. Former ‘Super’ (I understand he was relinquished of this title by Balotelli’s 2^nd against Germany) Mario Mandzukic’s transfer to FC Bayern in a deal worth circa £8 million, the highlight of the post Euro ‘scramblies’ so far.

Fellow Croatian Modric also looks likely to move following a sound Euro 2012; having caught the eye of Real Madrid’s scouts. Modric is expected to announce his intention to swap the sodden city of London, for the ever so slightly brighter Madrid, to new boss AVB within the next few days. This transfer will bring estranged partners Mr Mourinho and his protégée AVB back into contact - for the sake of the kids I hope the transfer doesn’t push them further apart. On the field, Luka Modric will add further invention to Real’s already crafty midfield of Alonso, Kaka, Ozil and Granero.

(Look-a-likes - Mourinho (left) & AVB (right))

Mr Mourinho’s philosophy of flooding the side with creative players, then playing defense first football, seems to be shared by Mr Di Matteo at Chelsea. Having wrapped up the signatures of Marin and Hazard, to add to the serving Mata and Lampard, Chelsea have now seen numerous bids for like minded players rejected – the latest flirtation being with another young German, Andre Schurrle. Looking at recent history, the fee, though undisclosed, is likely to be in the region of £400bn + costs.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have been busy distancing themselves from the cynical accusations that Kagawa’s signing is merely as the token merchandise salesmen for the ever growing Asian market; by immediately going ahead with the sale of their other Asian asset, floppy haired, work-aholic, Park Ji-Sung. The South Korean legend joins Mark Hughes’ tepid revolution at Queens Park Rangers.

And finally, the worryingly gangly midfield shooting ace Sigurdsson, has made his loan move to Swansea permanent... wait, sorry, he nearly did; but he’s actually decided to follow his previous boss Brendan Rogers to the home of the Beatles and car robbery; Liverpool. Oh, I’m hearing he hasn’t done that either... it’ll be Tottenham Hotspur for Sigurdsson next season! Unless a newer, more fashionable, model comes along before August 31...  

BC

@BobbyCowsill

FB GROUP - 'if that had gone in it would have been a goal'