A Tragic & Sad Loss For Football

On the 27th of November 2011, a statement from the Football Association of Wales read that their manager Gary Speed had died at the age 42. It was news that shocked the world of football as tributes from players, pundits, and supporters flooded in for a player turned manager who was a well respected figure within the game.

Speed had appeared publicly as a guest on BBC Ones Football Focus only hours before his death, and presenter Dan Walker described Speed being in "fine form". After filming Speed then joined former team-mate Alan Shearer to watch the Manchester United versus Newcastle United.

Speed, was found by his wife, Louise, in the garage of their home in the village of Huntington, near Chester, shortly after 7am on Sunday. Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. The couple lived in Huntington with their two teenage sons, and Speed was said to have been a devoted family man.

Speed was a gentleman, a success and a popular terrace favourite at the teams he represented at club level. He started his career at Leeds United as a raw 19 year old back in 1988, he was the midfield engine of the team in 1992 that won the Football League First Division championship title. Speed was quick, strong and had a great vision for making passes, he was also versatile and this showed in his early years at Leeds as he was played in nine different outfield positions. He would finally end up playing his best and most effective football on the left side of midfield.

He was clearly a player who wore his heart on his sleeve and was passionate about the beautiful game. In theory he is the complete opposite to the majority of modern day footballers in today's game. By that i mean players who refuse to warm up or take to the field, hold clubs to ransom by demanding pay increases or a transfer, and stagger out of night-clubs at 5am in the morning with a WAG wannabe on each arm. I could not Imagine Speed ticking any of the above boxes, he was a respected role model, a professional and the type of player that youngsters should look up to.

Speed went on to play for Everton, Newcastle,Bolton and Sheffield United. It was at the age of 40 that Speed decided to hang up his boots and admitted that his playing days were over, Sheffield United were soon to offer him his first managerial job after they sacked Kevin Blackwell. Speed jumped at the chance and on the 14th of December 2010, after only just a month in charge at Sheffield he agreed to take the job as Wales manager, with the blessing of his club side.

They say it is only when somebody has gone that you look back and appreciate what they did, and personally I have to agree with that as i started to watch the news and hear the moving and touching tributes flooding in from supporters of the clubs he had represented, and even those he had no connection with. It seems that everybody has only kind words, and a strong respect towards Gary Speed. He was evidently a player who enjoyed his time in the game and always put in a shift on the football field.

We might not ever find out the reason for this sad and tragic death. One thing is for sure, Gary Speed will forever be remembered in the world of football for what he did in a football shirt, by the players who played with him, played against him, and by the supporters who watched him from the terraces. It is just a shame we will now never know if he could have taken Wales to a major tournament as a manager. It would be a fitting tribute to Gary Speed if the current crop of Welsh players could make the next World Cup finals in his memory.

Alan Would Have Been Shear Magic At United

Looking back over the years that have past, there are a number of transfer targets who realistically could have ended up playing their trade under the floodlights at the Theatre of Dreams. Names like Batistuta, Zidane, Ronaldinho & Robben were all linked with a move but one player springs to mind who was very close to making the switch -Ex Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer.

In the summer of 1996 the nation was fully behind an England team who was playing in their home county in a major tournament in the form of the European championship or "Euro96" as it will be remembered.

Leading that team that come so close to winning the tournament was Alan Shearer who at the time was playing his club football for Blackburn Rovers. In the 94/95 season he was responsible, almost single handedly for bringing the Premier League crown to Ewood Park scoring 34 goals. No disrespect to Blackburn but this is something that I can't see happening again which starts to explain just how good a player Shearer was. 

That summer of 1996 represented United's last realistic chance of acquiring the services of a player who previously turned them down in 1992 in favour of a £3.3million switch from Southampton to Blackburn, Shearer, at the time said United were taking too long to get the money together for the transfer, obviously nothing to do with the money that Chairman Jack Walker was offering him then?

It was the summer of 1996 and during that tournament the media exploded into a Shearer frenzy predicting that he would finally end up at Manchester United for a fee in the region of £15million, which seems like small change in today's game when you take into account that clubs have billionaire owners who throw money at clubs like confetti. Figures in the media started to drool over the thought of Shearer playing in a team that looked set to dominate the domestic league for years to come.

One thing is for sure that the interest from United that summer is evident and was serious. Shearer himself has gone on record to back it up saying that he spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson about making the move. It is was even reported that when Sir Alex spoke with Shearer and he asked him if he had any questions regarding life in Manchester or to do with the club Shearer responded with two questions, "can I have the number nine shirt?" he said, and his last question was "can I take the penalties?". If this is true then Sir Alex must have been confident that he could pencil Shearer in along side Eric Cantona for the 96/97 football season.

It is also Well documented that the Blackburn owner at the time Jack Walker said "over my dead body" when asked about the chances of Shearer ending up at Old Trafford. Walker then offered Shearer to Newcastle for £15million but said that Manchester United would have to pay £20million?

It was after the Euro96 tournament that Shearer informed us all of his decision and that he had chosen to join the club he supported as a child - Newcastle United. Manager at the time Kevin Keegan had won the race to sign the hottest property arguably in world football at the time and even claimed he signed Shearer for "the good of English football" as he pointed out the reds would have been unstoppable had Shearer opted for a switch to Old Trafford.

Was this another slap in the face for Sir Alex? Shearer had chosen to turn United down for a second time in his career, not many players are offered an opportunity to play for United but this time it was certain to be his last chance considering his age and the length of contract that Newcastle offered him. 

It is debatable if United would have been anymore successful than what they were from 1996 onwards. Shearer's first season in the black and white of Newcastle United ended with no silverware and it was the United of Manchester who were crowned champions. Shearer would soon become acclaimed to not winning silverware following his move as Newcastle threatened but failed to land any domestic trophies following his world record transfer fee. It is something Sir Alex must look at with a hint of smugness on his face, you can imagine him thinking "I told you Old Trafford was the club for you to fulfil your ambition of winning trophies".

At the time Shearer would have partnered Cantona in attack, he would have had Scholes,Keane,Beckham and Giggs behind him, it's a frightening thought as to what could have been and something United fans can only continue Speculating and debating about. What I will say is that I feel United would have had more success in Europe with Shearer in the team. 

One thing is worth bearing in mind, you could also say that if Shearer had signed then United would not have signed Ole Gunnar Solskjær that summer and that magnificent moment in the Nou Camp in 1999 would not have been written into the history books.

We would not have that spine tingling moment to relive when the commentator famously said "Beckham, into Sheringham, and Solskjær has won it" ! Quite possibly the only person deep down who regrets the move is Shearer himself, but would he ever actually admit that he was wrong to turn down Manchester United?

When asked by their grandchildren "what medals did you win?" Shearer will not take long rooting out his championship winning medal he won with Blackburn and explaining his answer. Where as on the other hand Solskjær will reply "how long have you got?" as he proceeds to open his treasure chest and explain the embarrassment of medals he won in a successful and illustrious career with the reds that earned him a legendary status.

Clown Blatter Should Leave The FIFA Circus

I was absolutely astonished and equally appalled at the comments made by the most powerful figure in football FIFA president Sepp Blatter on the subject of racism in the game, taking into consideration the recent serious racial accusations being made against Chelsea's John Terry and Liverpool's Luis Suarez.

The sensational comments were made by Blatter when he responded to a question asked by a CNN news presenter on the subject of racism in football by saying:


"I would deny it, There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one, but also the one who is affected by that, he should say that this is a game". He continued to say "We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen. On the field of play sometimes you say something that is not very correct, but then at the end of the game you have the next game where you can behave better". He finished the interview by claiming that "During a match you may say something to somebody who is not exactly looking like you, But at the end... it's forgotten".

His comments have shaken the world of football all the way down to the foundations that the game is built upon. It's also a huge slap in the face for the football associations who put so much work into the "kick racism out of football" campaign. Personally when I first heard about the comments I thought that Blatter had been misquoted, how wrong was I when to my utter disbelief I watched the actual interview.

The best thing clown Blatter can do now is accept that his spell in charge of the FIFA circus is over after his controversial comments. The public outcry and backlash  is for him to hand in his resignation immediately but the worrying thing is that Blatter does not seem to think that he has spoken out of turn and that racial issues in football can simply be sorted by shaking hands at the end of the game? So Mr Blatter, when I go into work tomorrow in your opinion it is quite alright for me to racially abuse any of my work colleagues as long as I offer them my hand at the end of my working shift?

Blatter is no stranger to controversy and in the past has made comments that would see the average man suspended from work pending an enquiry. In 2004, the FIFA president said women players should "wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts... to create a more female aesthetic". His comments obviously won him no female support across the globe as he was labeled sexist.

When Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup recently he was asked about the illegality of homosexuality and responded saying "I would say they (gay fans) should refrain from any sexual activities". 

Blatter also sensationally claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was treated like a "slave" by Manchester United when the player wanted a move to Real Madrid, he said "I think in football there’s too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere".

Blatter stepping down from his powerful and lucrative position at FIFA seems the best option for him at the moment but don't expect for a single second that this will become a reality. It will be a big climb down for Blatter and will also show that he is admitting that his comments were wrong, following the interview he has since said that he has been "misunderstood". Maybe Blatter has accepted defeat in his world fight against racism in football and his ideal scenario to deal with any racial allegations is to shake hands on the matter?

Dimitar Is Guilty Of Being A Berbaflop

The rumour mill has started as we approach January and the latest player being linked with a move away from Manchester United is Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov who has attracted interest from clubs in France and Turkey.

The sulky Bulgarian moved to Manchester United on the 1st of September 2008, a transfer that cost the reds £30.75 million. At the time he joined United already had Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in the strikers department and many wondered why we actually needed a player of Berbatov's stature at the club. Ex players and pundits even made comparisons between the Bulgarian and United legend Eric Cantona. 

Berbatov should have taken United to a new level like Juan Sebastian Veron should have. Both players were signed for massive amounts of money and in my opinion have failed at a club they should have excelled at on the big stage.

I think supporters were a bit harsh in judging Berbatov against the performances of Rooney and Tevez who have completely different styles of play. Rooney and Tevez are similar, they can play upfront on their own and have a tenacious work ethic chasing down defenders and lost causes for ninety minutes. Berbatov is the complete opposite and I think it was unfair that in his first season in 2008 supporters were expecting Berbatov to change his style of play to be more like Rooney and Tevez.

The reality is that Berbatov has always come across as a sulky figure on the pitch who can produce moments of breathtaking skill in a split second if he feels like he can be bothered, and it is a bit unfair as Berbatov has always played the same way and supporters would have known this from his days at Tottenham before his move to Old Trafford.

Berbatov has been a bit like the luxury food item on your weekly shopping list. You are not sure if you actually need the item, but you buy it anyway. You are happy you made the purchase but looking back you think "did I actually need that"? Could you have survived without it? It basically flatters to deceive.

In Berbatov's defence he had his most productive season last year when United  claimed a record 19th league title ending up as both his club's and the league's most prolific scorer. The jury would probably argue that the goals he scored we're against the so called "bottom half" teams and that he never posed much of a threat in the big games against better opposition. Berbatov will be best remembered for his stunning hat trick against Liverpool last season in the premier league fixture at Old Trafford, you could also  argue that it was against a team who did not finish in the top and have lost their way.

If you could bottle up Berbatov you would definitely stick a marmite sticker on the front of it because supporters either love him or hate him. Berbatov can be simply breathtaking, unstoppable and play football from a different planet on his rare day, but can be equally as frustrating and disappointing, his body language also gives off the wrong impression and he has never really had a connection with the supporters who have been reluctant to sing his name.

We will not know know until January where Berbatov's future actually lies but I suspect that it will not be at the theatre of dreams. It leaves me asking the question, if the curtain does come down on his disappointing and lacklustre career with United ......... Will we remember him as Berbatov or Berbaflop ?

On the evidence that I have witnessed and taking into consideration the money United paid Tottenham for his services! and the countless number of big matches he went missing in I would have to say that i find Mr Berbatov guilty of being a flop and not displaying his natural talents on a consistent basis. Supporters will all obviously remember him for his beautiful elegant hat trick against Liverpool, but we should have had so many more great memories of his time at United especially when people claimed that he could be as important a player as Cantona was.