Preview: It will be a series of posts reviewing the 2008/09 season in the Premier League. I know the international matches are going around this period of time but in the midst of me reading up of England's upcoming World Cup qualifier preparations, I had been busy taking down notes on what to include in my season review. In the first of a five-part series, general matters in the league as a whole...and whatever noteworthy events involving club(s), manager(s). If I have missed out anything which I probably may, apologies!
When the English FA had Tottenham Hotspur fan Lord Triesman as its first independent chairman in January 2008, it was only in nine months later in his speech to a group of football business leaders (including the Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore) at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge that what he had to say about the state of football finances in the top-flight in English football which finally confirmed whatever those reports are saying about the financial well-being of the clubs in the Premier League, especially the major ones.
It did brought some inconvenient truths to light, but one club does not seemed to be affected by it due to its tag of being the most richest football club in the world - Manchester City. On the final day of the previous summer transfer window, a new era of English football has arrived not since the days of when a certain Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea. Suddenly Abramovich's 'thunder' had been stolen by the Eastlands. While it used to be that Chelsea took the spotlight because of Abramovich's money, City stole the spotlight this time. And during the winter transfer window, the club which has often been in the shadows of its more famous and illustrious rival Manchester United 'stole' the show over the Kaka saga. Depending on whichever place one is reading, an offer of up to 100 million pounds (uh-huh) was offer to the AC Milan's Brazil international who was only in 2007 part of the side which won the Champions League. It almost made me sick and actually made me wondered what has the Premier League gotten itself into. In the end, the Brazilian followed his heart and remained at where he is, giving the Serie A a boost and going against the notion that money always rules in football. And now, Kaka had been linked to Real Madrid after Florentino Perez had been re-elected without any opposition (but then Perez had announced his admiration for the player just recently).
The way how things work at Real Madrid had gotten me to turn my spotlight now on a topic which came to light after Harry Redknapp went from Portsmouth to become Juande Ramos's replacement at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs looked like they were almost looked doomed for relegation until Redknapp arrived. And when he did, gone are the days when Spurs went for the continental model of having a sporting director/director football kind of thing. It is back to the basics. Or, 'the Anglo-Saxon management mode' as one-time Manchester United player and now title-winning coach of Ligue 1 side Boredaux in Laurent Blanc describes it. To go how like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger at Arsenal does things at their respective clubs...or to have a footballing person in suits to help out? For a while, that is a topic in English football. Do you trust the person on the dugout to make any decision in player transfers, or a man in suit? There will be those who argue football is not what it is in the past and the person at the dugout cannot handle all the duties on his/her own, then there are those who just scorned at the idea of someone in a suit doing all those stuff. But the thing is: It works at Stoke City. In short: If the manager cannot work alongside the sporting director, then there is no point at all. So whatever Harry Redknapp's son Jamie (who is a football pundit himself) once said about the continetal model annoyed me...something about that there is no place for that in English football at all.
15 April 1989 began as just another day in England, with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were due to play in Sheffield Wednesday's ground of Hillsborough for a place in the FA Cup final. But it was what happened six minutes into the match that changed the landscape of English football, forever. In what was eventually called the Hillsborough Disaster, it has never being forgotten even 20 years on. Because even with findings on what really happened and what caused it to happen, the parties which were singled out for disaster were not brought to justice. Four days after the 20th anniversary of the memorial service which took place at Liverpool's Anfield ground, Britain's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had ordered the release of hundreds of secret documents relating to the disaster to be open to the public. At the same time, it is relaxing the usual 30-year secrecy rule in Britain. For long, questions still lingered on the entire course of events. Football may definitely be no longer the same as it was 20 years ago when the fateful event took place but, safety always remain first for any football fan. For the talk that English football has been alienating the common fan and people look for alternatives elsewhere (I am one of those people, though my interest in German football only began in the midst of the 2006 World Cup...but still, I do watch the Premier League and the Bundesliga at the same time), will the motherland of football be able to get up on its feet once again after the terrible events from 20 years ago? If not for Hillsborough, who knows what could possibly be the landscape in English football these days...plenty of possibilities.
So, the talk of the FA Cup had led me to now 'focus' how the world's most oldest cup competition affected the Premier League clubs this season. It ended with Chelsea winning it, and a perfect send-off for their interim manager Guus Hiddink. But a look-back in the road to the Wembley saw some highlights, and a lowlight...from the Premier League angle. As usual, all the 20 Premier League sides enter via the third round proper. Before I talked about what stood out for me, the lowlight came during when Arsenal was playing Hull City in the quarter-finals. Arsenal went through, but it was what happened after the match soured the win. The apparent spitting incident, which Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas (who was actually not in action during the match) was eventually being acquitted of it after Hull brought forward charges Fabregas spitted at Hull's assistant manager. The highlights...both times involving Everton. Everton's road to the Wembley final was more tougher than Chelsea's. It was after the third round the 1995 winners Everton kept getting Premier League opposition. Chelsea's case was in the semi-finals against Arsenal. Everton did it the hard way, especially after they had to get through a replay against their Merseyside rivals Liverpool in the fourth round. For me, the replay against Liverpool was the turning point in Everton's FA Cup campaign. And though many might saw the semi-final against Manchester United which Everton won on penalties as a dull affair (except for the penalty shoot-out part), it was not for Everton chairman Bill Kenwright. He had credited the League Managers Association's Manager of the Year in David Moyes for getting Everton to where they are.
To think it was an iPod which helped Manchester United in their League Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in the final. Man-of-the-match in goalkeeper Ben Foster revealed after the match that goalkeeper coach Eric Steele had given him an iPod reviewing who are the usual penalty-takers at Spurs. Foster looked at it in between the end of the extra-time and before the penalty shootout. It worked, because Foster stopped Jamie O'Hara and David Bentley's attempts. At a time when using the aid of technology in football is almost like a taboo topic being raised, Manchester United had showed that it is possible to make use of what is avaliable on the technology market these days. From the master of penalty shootout in the Germans using a piece of paper during the 2006 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, English football had overtaken them with...technology. Unless the footballing powers that be want to spoil all the fun, maybe this may go some way in eliminating those penalty shootout misery the England national team had been suffering over the years.
As usual, the whole club-versus-country issue does prop up from time to time and it really reared its ugly head ahead of England's away friendly against Germany in Berlin. This was back in November. It came to light after how the whole Steven Gerrard issue was handled. Gerrard was called up for the match, but unfortunately when the Liverpool captain was due to meet up with the squad, he got injured. The thing is, Gerrard instead was being called up to meet up with the national team's medical staff and apparently Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was not amused. It then came to light that Capello was not wrong in calling up Gerrard to assess his fitness as he has the right to do so under the FIFA ruling. At a time when back then the timing of the prestigious friendly against their long-time arch-rivals came in the thick of Premier League action, there were the apparent friction. But then Capello had showed like how he has been all along - he is still the boss. Well, England's eventual win over Germany with an-almost second-string side (or the German media called it a 'B-team') did not invite grumblings back home. But then, it is always a big deal for the English media whenever their national team beat Germany. Irregardless the level of significance to the match.
Speaking of Liverpool, there are two main issues I like to bring up in this entry. The ill-fated transfer of Robbie Keane, and manager Rafael Benitez's eventual ill-timed outburst over his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson and the club. But first with the case over Keane. When the Ireland captain went from Tottenham Hotspur to the club he had supported growing up in Liverpool, it looked like a dream come true. Except it was not. Keane was not often used. The dream had turned into a nightmare. So while it was eventually reported that Keane had never fitted into Benitez's plan all along, Robbie Keane went back to the club where he had served distinctively well. Back to Spurs, at cut-price.
Verbal mind-games may be part and parcel of football but, when it goes out of hand, it is never that exciting at all. It somehow began after Liverpool was sitting at the top of the Premier League summit. In what eventually was being termed as 'Rafa's rant', the Liverpool manager began to launch an extraordinary round of attack at Manchester United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson. With a piece of paper, speaking in a calm manner on the alleged wrong-doings of United and Ferguson. It did kind of went on between the two managers before it was cooled off but, it eventually did had a damage of Liverpool's title bid which they had been chasing since 1990. And after it was confirmed that Manchester United had retained the league title, it was not really surprising (at least for me) when Benitez only chose to congratulate United and when asked about congratulating Ferguson by a reporter, he just diverted it. Sour grapes? Next season then.
While any clubs playing Stoke City can be a tough task especially playing at their home ground, Arsenal found out the hard way after they lost 2-1 over there. After the match, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger accused the Stoke players of how they treated his side. Some sort of 'cold war' happened between Wenger and his Stoke City counterpart Tony Pulis before the two men patched things up ahead of the final matchday of the season which Arsenal hosted Stoke (4-1 to Arsenal this time). In the end, much ado about nothing.
While Liverpool might had always seemed to be able conjure up incredible matches people will talk about in times to come, strangely for me when I looked back at matches which stood out for me which I found two in fact, both involve Arsenal. And in one of the two matches which involve Arsenal, they were playing away at Liverpool's Anfield ground. But before that, the match which first reminded me why I am a football fan in the first place. The North London derby at the Emirates Stadium between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. 4-4 was the final scoreline. I will just quote what I once typed in a look- back at the footballing year last year to sum up my feelings of that match...
"I feel like superman, I could fly home." That was what Tottenham Hotspur's David Bentley said after the 4-4 draw away at Arsenal in the dramatic north London derby (which even made me screamed back then in jubilation after watching how the guys from Sky Sports reacted when commentating the match...I saw the video once on YouTube - 'That is why I love the EPL!'). Bentley, a former Arsenal player, it was his stunning volley which got the ball rolling in the dramatic match...and it has gone down as probably one of the best north London derby classics of all time by footballing writers and pundits alike in England. Considering that match was Harry Redknapp's first derby match in charge after he oversaw the win at home to Bolton and Tottenham were on a real bad run of results under predecessor Juande Ramos. *in a serious mode* That match, actually made me believe in football all over again. It restored my faith in football. As a very frustrated Germany supporter at that time when all the public spats between captain Michael Ballack and his national team coach Joachim Loew were still rumbling on and how the German footballing community reacted, at the back of my mind, I actually wanted to give up on football altogether. I was actually at my lowest point of being a football fan. Until the 4-4 scoreline between the two north London rivals came about (that match occured in the same month when the heat of the public spat reached its climax). *in tears* So, thank you...the dramatic north London derby. It actually made me love the sport again.
Now for the other match involving Arsenal. The match at Anfield truly heralded the arrival of Arsenal's Russian signing in Andrey Arshavin since he came on the final day of the winter transfer window. Each time Arshavin had the ball, it went into the net. 4-4 was the final result. All four Arsenal goals came from the Russian international himself. While the match was quick to be labelled as 'match of the season' by some, it also threw up uncomfortable questions about Liverpool's title bid and has it being seriously dented by those four Arsenal goals. Even Liverpool's defence was questioned. A real rollercoaster ride. And at the back of my cheeky mind then, I was like thinking probably for a moment, the German national team coaching staff who were probably watching that match...must had shook for a moment whenever Arshavin scored. Ha!
Or to be precise how I reacted back then after the 4-4 draw at Anfield: If he can do so against a side which is chasing for its league title not since they last won it in 1990, why not against Germany in October? The World Cup qualifiers which I suppose will take place in Moscow and had been seen in the German media from the start as the potential decider on who will earn that automatic qualification spot for the 2010 World Cup. By then, Russia had played a game more than their nearest rival in their qualifying group. I know I support the German national team but, I was like thinking when I read how the drama unfolded at Anfield yesterday: The Germans had been warned. If shady defences played a part in that eight-goal thriller at Anfield, who knows come October... As an England supporter myself as well, I would never ever forget how Russia (this was when Guus Hiddink was already in charge of the Russia squad) initially a goal down against England, to winning it. This was during the Euro 2008 qualifier, also in Moscow. Since after the 2010 World Cup qualifying draw was made and I realised Germany is in the same group as Russia, for some strange reason, memories of that Euro 2008 qualifier sprung onto my head. Maybe given that match in a way was seen as a turning point in England's Euro 2008 qualification hopes.
And finally as a bonus before I sign off, how to really introduce yourself to the media. Newcastle might had been relegated on the final day of the season but, Newcastle's Joe Kinnear had set quite a precedent of sorts when he met the media for the first time earlier in the season. Going back to how I once typed: He officially announced his arrival as the Newcastle interim manager in October by...swearing in an amazing 52 times in five minutes. Considering in the wake of the turmoil Newcastle found themselves in after popular manager Kevin Keegan left the football club, Kinnear was the only brave person to take up the job. With the press's criticisms from left, right and centre in regards to his appointment...the Irishman (Kinnear's last managerial job was at four years ago, but actually in between...he did worked at Arsenal) felt that he had to set the record straight. And in 'style', too.
