The Dutch were poor, but were they THAT poor?

The story of the group stages has certainly been the failure of the Dutch, World Cup finalists two years ago and many people's favorites for the tournament, to register a single point which sent them crashing out of the tournament with just two goals to their name. A squad that included Robin van Persie, Klaus Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart, who between them scored 127 goals in the season just gone, was certainly expected to do far better.

Whilst much was made before the tournament of how one of the great strengths of the Netherlands would be how little their team had changed two years on from their clash with Spain inside Soccer City, it actually turned out to be perhaps their biggest weakness. Their success in South Africa was predicated on having 6 players, the back four plus Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel, to be defensively secure and thus allowing their front four of Van Persie, Robben, Sneijder and Kuyt to influence the game at the other end. Yet many of the players who served Van Marwijk so well two years ago, struggled badly this time round. Gregory Van Der Wiel, has not progressed as many expected and is very suspect defensively, whilst Jonny Heitinga who enjoyed an excellent season with Everton appeared very out of form(which could potentially indicate an injury or just tiredness at the end of a long hard season). Joris Mathijsen was never properly fit and was always going to be a risk when he was rushed back in. You feel sorry for Jetro Willems who certainly has potential but unfortunately looked totally out of his depth and was consistently caught out of position and regularly gave the ball away. Although you had to feel some sympathy for the youngster given the way in which he was constantly berated by his team mates, Sneijder and Robben in particular, which could hardly have helped his confidence.

In terms of the midfield, Van Bommel has been a consistently underrated player in the past decade, although his attitude and general demenour certainly don't help. It is certainly not coincidental that every club he plays for, usually wins the league and challenges in Europe. However it did appear that his body was no longer able to cope with 3 high intensity games in such quick succession, especially after the sapping heat of their opening game against Denmark in Kharkiv.

Whilst the Dutch formula in South Africa did not make for particularly entertaining spectacles nor free flowing football, it was clear to the naked eye that Bert van Marwijk's team had a clear philosophy and an excellent understanding of what each individuals role was. These two factors were shockingly absent from their displays in Poland and Ukraine with the zenith of this disorganisation being the 2-1 defeat to a Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal.

Although given brief hope by Van Der Vaart's early strike, Holland never looked comfortable in the lead and Portugal always seemed confident in their ability to level the game. First and foremost the lack of midfield protection for an already shaky defence was glaringly obvious. Although in an unenviable position, given that Holland needed to win by two clear goals, Van Marwijk's decision to use Van Der Vaart as one of the two central midfielders backfired horribly. Despite his goal and nearly scoring a second one, Van Der Vaart demonstrated a total unawareness of his defensive and positional duties. He was continually caught up the pitch and often ended up wandering in to Sneijder and Van Persie's zone to little or no effect.

If Van Marwijk wished to have Van der Vaart involved further up the field he may well have been better served dropping Van Persie, as he looked uncomfortable playing as second striker and instead using Kevin Strootman of PSV, who is not as purely defensive as Van Bommel nor as purely attacking as Van Der Vaart but somewhere in between.

It is slightly strange that Van Marwijk chose not to use Strootman for even a minute of the three games and yet was so willing to use Ibrahim Affelay from the start. Although Affelay is a talent, he had played no football going into the last two warm up friendlies yet Van Marwijk chose to go with Affelay ahead of the more experienced option of Kuyt. In terms of technical ability and talent it is no contest between Kuyt and Affelay but Kuyt's defensive qualities not to mention his selflessness may have been of use to the Dutch. Not only is Kuyt famously hard working and defensively diligent (and thus could have offered far better protection to either Van der Wiel or Willems) but he is also an incredibly selfless player going forward. In an attack full of players who are the focal point of their club sides, there were a number of occasions when forwards, Robben in particular, were guilty of taking unnecessary touches on the ball and holding onto possession for too long.

Equally the movement to create space for others was not as good as it could have been and it is telling that it was Huntelaar, who is a far less selfish and egocentric as many of his attacking colleagues, who created the space for Robben to play the ball inside for the opening goals against Portugal by making a diagonal run across the back line.

Having said all this there is certainly an argument to be made that the Dutch were not actually as poor as they are being made out to be in some quarters and that Van Marwijk is not as culpable as some would argue. Firstly as Zonal Marking points out, there is little Van Marwijk can do when two of Europe's most prolific strikers miss hugely presentable chances in every game. Equally the poor goal keeping of Martin Stekelenburg, for Mario Gomez's second goal can hardly be blamed on the coach.

Additionally it should be said that whilst Van Marwijk may have been overly cautious with his selection of both Van Bommel and De Jong in midfield; two points should be remembered. One, those two had been instrumental in the Dutch reaching the World Cup final as well as a highly impressive European qualifying campaign and two, the Dutch were drawn into the toughest of the four groups and as such one can hardly castigate Van Marwijk for being slightly cautious given the quality of opposition that the Dutch have come up against.


Changes will probably be made, Erik Pieters when fit will resume left back duty. Van Bommel has probably played his last tournament and will give way to a younger player, probably Strootman. The most interesting prospect is what Van Marwijk, or the new coach if one is appointed, decides to do up front. Given the fact that the Dutch public practically demand 4-3-3 or some variant, there is room for only one central striker. Given that Van Persie has not performed for the second tournament in a row, not to mention the fact that there have always been those who believe Holland play better with Huntelaar, Van Persie may find himself playing second fiddle during the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Ultimately the Dutch have had a hugely disappointing tournament and have fallen below the standards both set and expected of them. However had they won their opening game against the Danes, which they had more than enough chances to do so, as well as having a stonewall penalty denied, then things could have been very different.


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly 

Olympic Football

Whilst the eyes of the footballing world are firmly fixed upon Poland and Ukraine at the present time, an even bigger sporting event lies just around the corner. The London Olympics promises much. Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympian ever, will look to add to his 14 gold medals in the pool. Usain Bolt will attempt to better 9.58 and talks optimistically of going sub 9.4, and Jessica Ennis will feel the pressure of an expectant nation all around her, like Cathy Freeman and Michael Johnson before her, as she looks to win gold in the heptathlon. Yet for all this excitement and expectation, there is an increasingly unpleasant sideshow that has developed over the past 18 months, the Great Britain Olympic football team.

In an ideal world, sports such as football, tennis, basketball and others would not be in the Olympics. Many argue that the games should remain the exclusive enclave of amateur and not professional sportsman. Personally speaking this is less of an issue for me given the fact that the days of top amateur sportsman are well and truly over and whilst there are notable exceptions the vast majority of top athletes are professional in every meaningful aspect. No, the major issue is that sports whose greatest glory is achieved outside of the Olympic games should not be part of the games. The Olympics is meant to be seen as the defining moment of an athletes career, the very pinnacle of their sport and yet the ultimate achievements in football are World Cups, Copa Americas, league titles and Champions League victories. In tennis, the achievement of  triumphing at Melbourne Park, Roland Garross, SW19 and Flushing Meadows will always be valued above Olympic gold. In basketball an NBA championship is valued above all others, the list goes on.

That is not to say that those who have tasted success in both do not treasure their medal, it is a well known fact that all the top male and female tennis players are relishing the opportunity to win gold on the grass at Wimbledon this summer.

However as previously stated sports such as this are here to stay in the Olympics so those who genuinely hope to see these events removed will be disappointed. To get back to the main point of this piece though is that the Great Britain football team really has no place in this Olympics.

This is the first and will most likely be the last time that GB ever enter a football team into the Olympics, so straight away we have moved from the Olympics being the pinnacle of sport to it being used as a glorified exhibition opportunity. Maybe the next time an American city hosts the Olympics they could ask the Harlem Globetrotters to play. Because that is the equivalent of what this football team represents, especially if, as expected, David Beckham is rewarded for all those sinew stretching, physically exhausting and mentally grueling five years in Major League Soccer. The fact that Beckham will be included is the single biggest indicator of the farcical nature of the GB football team. Whilst many athletes have done everything within their power over the past four years to earn a place at the games, Beckham looks set to be included primarily on the following criteria



1) It will make a fitting tribute to the closing chapter of his career
2) He is originally from the East End and therefore has the chance to play in front of his home crowd
3) He will guarantee a far greater public interest and media attention in the football tournament (because football is so rarely covered and talked about in this country)
4) And finally because with Beckham involved, all those involved now that there is a far greater chance of selling out the Millennium Stadium and Old Trafford etc.

I am aware that this may be reading like a very personal and harsh attack on Beckham himself but that is not the intention whatsoever. Beckham was a good player (yes good, not outstanding and certainly not world class, a legend or any other label of such ilk) and of course he would want to participate in the London Olympics. The point is he should never have been given the opportunity. Lets leave aside the actual existence of the Olympic football team and look at the selection process overall.

Admittedly the situation has been complicated by the regrettable but inevitable decision of the FA to not allow players who have gone to the Euro's to participate. Even still the notion that there are not three more qualified over age players than David Beckham is laughable. It looks increasingly likely that Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs are set to join Beckham in London this summer and one can have few arguments with that as say what you like about them as individuals, they are both still important performers in a top European league, something which cannot be applied to Beckham.

There are too many players to list who would be of far greater value to team GB but it is hard to escape the fact that the policy seems to be less about using the tournament as any kind of learning experience or building process, the powers that be simply want to get bums on seats and put on a show. Not a morally reprehensible act by any stretch of the imagination. But certainly not a true reflection of what the Olympics should be about.


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly 

Five to Watch at the European Championships

With the European Championships around the corner, here is a list of five players who could be set to use the tournament to spring themselves into the world's spotlight.

Kevin Strootman, PSV Eindhoven, The Netherlands

In a Dutch squad brimming with established talent, Strootman may well slip under the radar of many but the PSV Eindhoven midfielder is supremely gifted and could be a star of the tournament, if Bert Van Marwijk is brave enough to start him that is.

Whilst caution was Marwijk's nature during the 2010 World Cup when he fielded both Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong in central midfield, he has often altered this shape post Johannesburg and lined up with a deep lying playmaker alongside a midfield destroyer with either Strootman or the more experienced Rafael Van der Vaart. The best explanation of the difficulties the Dutch face when they line up with both Van Bommel and De Jong is best explained by Johann Cryuff

 "The problem with two holding midfielders is quite simple, but somehow many coaches don’t see it. The build up happens too slow. Holding midfielders always need that extra touch. Always need to have a look when they have the ball already. That takes time away. The opponent can position themselves to stop the killer pass and the forwards are all marked. Plus, having two holding midfielders means there is one less creative play-maker. It’s a double edged sword."

If you were to compare Strootman with a more established player in the tournament you could do worse than to compare him to Andrea Pirlo. Not only is there a certain similarity in the languid, effortless way the two glide around the pitch but Strootman's early career has in many ways mirrored Pirlo. In the early stages of their careers both men were deployed in a more advanced trequartista role before moving back to play more as a regista and both possess a majestic range of passing.

With Wesley Sneijder still struggling to regain the form that saw him win the treble with Inter Milan in 2010 before heading to South Africa and reaching the final, the Dutch may be in need of a new midfield maestro to load the bullets for Arjen Robben, Klaus Jan Hunterlaar and Robin Van Persie. Strootman may just be that man. A problem for the Dutch over the years is that they become too reliant on Sneijder as their creative force and that if he is off form they can struggle to open teams up.

The neutral should hope that Van Marwijk deploys Strootman from the start alongside Van Bommel rather than letting caution get the better of him. Having said that that formula did take the Dutch to the brink of World Cup glory so do not be surprised to see Strootman consigned to the bench in the opening games, especially given the formidable group the Dutch find themselves in. Equally with Holland drawn in the toughest group one could hardly blame Van Marwijk for sticking with what has served the Dutch well. However if the Dutch fall early expect to see the discussion of the two holding midfielders raise its head in the post tournament inquiry. Indeed Strootman could stand to become a more appreciated player without actually taking any significant part in the tournament.

Mats Hummels, Borussia Dortmund, Germany

Alongside Vincent Kompany and Thiago Silva, Hummels, 23, has probably been the outstanding centre half in Europe over the past two seasons. Released by Bayern Munich as a youngster, Hummels has flourished at Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp and is a vital part of a team that has won the Bundesliga for the past two seasons.

Whilst Germany have often entered tournaments recently with question marks over their centre halves, this time round they enter the tournament with not only Hummels but also Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng who have been instrumental in taking Bayern Munich to the very brink of Champions League glory.

Hummels is the epitome of a modern centre back, comfortable on the ball, quick enough the recover from the few mistakes that he does make and commanding in the air and predictably enough for a German he is a good penalty taker too. His disciplinary record is testament to his ability to anticipate danger and time his challenges; in the past two league seasons he has been booked three times, which for a centre half is quite exceptional.

It is no secret that Hummels is one of the jewels in the crown of Klopp's exciting young side and all the top clubs have looked at Hummels with Barcelona and Manchester United two of the most likely suitors. If they do want to prize Hummels away from the Wolfstaddion they will have to part with the best part of €30m or if you rather 10 times what Bayern Munich sold him for.

Lukasz Piszczek, Borussia Dortmund, Poland

Quietly and without too much fan fare Poland have assembled a team that could well be a dark horse in Euro 2012. If they are to achieve anything then Borussia Dortmund right back Lukasz Piszczek will have to continue the form that has caught the eye of Real Madrid and Manchester United this season, with Sir Alex Ferguson believed to have flown to watch Dortmund recently to run his eye over Piszczek and a number of his team mates.

If you have a case to be regarded as the best right back in a league that includes Philip Lahm in its ranks, you must have done something right and Piszczek has been in outstanding form this season. With four goals and six assists Piszczek is as dangerous going forward as he is solid defensively. His understanding with fellow teammates and countrymen Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski will be critical if the Poles are to progress from a very winnable group that includes Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic.

If Piszczek does enjoy a good tournament do not be surprised to see a host of clubs attempting to prize him away from Dortmund, with Manchester United and Inter seemingly at the head of the queue.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal, England

Roy Hodgson's first England squad has been viewed as cautious and leaning heavily on experience, with this in mind Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, or the "ox" as he is know by Arsenal fans, could be the one wildcard in Hodgson's pack.

Blessed with pace to rival Theo Walcott coupled with Wayne Rooney's physique, Chamberlain is certainly a player of whom much is expected. After surprisng everyone this season including himself, Chamberlain could be a crucial impact substitute for Roy Hodgson at Euro 2008. Capable of playing on either flank or more centrally, Chamberlain possesses quick fit, an electric change of pace and an eye for goal.

Although seemingly destined to play the role of "supersub" at best in Euro 2012, there is certainly an argument to be made for unleashing him in England's opening match against France. Firstly Chamberlain, in his first Premier League start for Arsenal caused Patrice Evra, who will start ahead of Gael Clichy despite his indifferent form for the past two seasons, one or two problems. Secondly as Michael Cox has articulated France's likely centre back pairing of Adil Rami and Phillipe Mexes can be susceptible to pace in behind partly due to their poor covering play.

Alan Dzagoev, CSKA Moscow, Russia

Four years ago in Austria and Switzerland, Russia surprised many by reaching the semi finals before being outclassed by the eventual champions Spain. Many have said that Euro 2008 was the peak for that generation of players and that they would struggle to reproduce the level of performance that saw them reach the last four. Maybe so, but there is still plenty of quality in this Russian squad and CSKA's Alan Dzagoev may be the best of the bunch.

Four years ago it was Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko who announced themselves to the world by their performances and this time it could be the turn of the precociously talented Dzagoev, who has been tipped for big things since CSKA signed him in 2008. Dzagoev will play from the right of a front 3 in Dick Advocat's fluid 4-3-3 but do not expect him to stay there. Russia's greatest strength is the fluidity with which they play, no doubt helped by the fact that up to 7 of their starting 11 play for Zenit St Petersburg. Dzagoev will have a license to drift inside which in turn will create space for the powerful and direct right back Aleksandr Anyukov to exploit.

One area of concern for Russia will be where their goals are going to come from, despite a number of talented individuals they have consistently struggled to find the net, although a recent 3-0 win over Italy could be a timely confidence boost going into the Euro's. Again Dzagoev has a key role to perform as much of the center forwards job in this Russia team, whether it is Pavlyuchenko, Pavel Pogrebnyak or most likely Aleksandr Kerzahkov is to create space either by physical presence (Pogrebnyak) or through drifting wide (Kerzahkov and Pavlyuchenko) to allow for Dzagoev, Arshavin and Roman Shirokov in particular to ghost into goal scoring positions.


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly 


Special thanks to Michael Cox and Zonal Marking for the squad previews www.zonalmarking.net

Wigan Athletic: The Unfashionables

Whilst the vast majority of the football world watched transfixed last Sunday as Manchester City produced the single most dramatic moment in Premier League history, Wigan had wrapped up victory against already relegated Wolves to secure their 7th win in 9 games to finish 15th and 7 points clear of the relegation zone. This scenario seemed scarcely believable even a few months ago as Wigan approached the critical run in with trips to Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and home games against Manchester United and Newcastle. Yet unlike some of the great escapes of previous seasons, where teams have scraped and fought there way to safety, Wigan have sauntered there playing an attractive and progressive style of football that was as good to watch as it was unexpected. Only one other team has managed to beat all the teams listed above, Manchester City, not bad company for Roberto Martinez's men.

What should we make of Martinez's achievement in maintaining Wigan's top flight status for an 8th straight season and ensuring that they remain the only team in the top division to never be relegated from it. Unlike teams such as QPR and Wolves, the club and the owner Dave Whelan, chose to stick by Martinez when the club endured 8 successive defeats and have been handsomely rewarded for their faith. It is difficult to pin point exactly where everything started to go right for the men from the DW, prior to their trip to Liverpool they were still bottom of the table and had only won twice in their previous 15 games.

The main reason feted for Wigan's change in fortunes was Martinez's decision to move to a 3-4-3 and this has unquestionably impacted upon both results and their style of play. Before they switched to the 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 that they ended the season with, Wigan had still enjoyed a healthy average possession in the majority of their games however they had looked fairly toothless and this combined with a leaky defence was only going to end one way.

However a few important events happened that changed the course of the clubs season and one of the most important moments was the result of Senegal qualifying for the African cup of nations over a year ago. Mohammed Diame is decent footballer and a tremendous athlete and has been a mainstay in Wigan's team over the past two seasons. However when Diame departed for the Gabon and the African Nations Cup in January, it forced Roberto Martinez to turn to James McArthur (not to be confused with James McCarthy) and this was a critical point in Wigan's season. With the addition of McArthur it added a "passer" to the side and as such not only improved their ability to retain possession but also provided a greater attacking threat as they now had two midfielders with the ability to create goal scoring opportunities.

The move to a three man defence was made on the 11th of February for the home match vs Bolton Wanderers, the statistics connected with this game are quite remarkable. Before this match Wigan had collected 16 points from 24 home games. From then on they won 27 points from 14 games, an outstanding turnaround for sure. Some have been arguing that too much is being made of Martinez's achievements and that he "plays" on being Spanish and this masks his failings. Equally some argue that the fact that Wigan enjoyed such a fantastic last third of the season is merely hiding how poor they were for the previous two thirds. One of these arguments has a certain grounding to it, the other is little more than what could politely be termed "a little Englander attitude".

There is no question that Wigan endured a poor campaign up to February and looked certain to be relegated after successive thrashings by Arsenal and Manchester United. However those who wish to use this period against Martinez and Wigan should actually take note of how impressive it is that Martinez, his coaches and the players were able to radically transform their season even after such a torrid run of form. Mick McCarthy was unable to change Wolves' fortunes, Alex McLeish struggled throughout the season, Owen Coyle and Steve Kean were never able to sustain more than fleeting runs of good form whilst Martinez, who works on a significantly lower budget than the clubs and managers mentioned above(we will deal with finances in the second part of this piece), was able to not only to bring about a change of form but far more importantly to sustain and build on it.

The idea that Martinez has in some way benefited due to the fact that he is originally from Spain and is well spoke, well dressed and well educated (he holds a degree in physiotherapy and a post graduate degree in business management) holds no sway with me. It is a well trotted argument that overseas managers are given more respect and time than British managers with examples such as Mark Hughes' time at Manchester City being one such example. However for every British manager who has been released you can find a foreign manager who has been treated just as poorly and ridiculed, Andre Villas Boas springs to mind straight away.

Part of the reason why Martinez has received the plaudits he has so much so that he is now a strong contender for the Liverpool job, is that he has quite a unique style and is very open and tactically astute and does not just trot out the usual platitude of cliches and generalisations that many managers in relegation battles do. For instance, during the period in which Wigan were consistently losing Martinez would pick a 10-15 minute spell and extol the virtues of his side and how well they had done in that period. Many of us, myself included, thought this was simply his way of deflecting blame and that Wigan would never be able to put together such form over a whole game never mind successive games but lo and behold that's precisely what they did.

From a personal view one of the reasons why Roberto Martinez is deserving of the praise he has received is that tactically Martinez has tried a system which is rarely employed in this country and has excelled with it. Few sides in the premier league attempt to be innovative and experiment with formations with practically ever side playing some variant of 4-5-1/4-3-3 and as such it is not surprising when English clubs do encounter sides who do utilise different systems, such as with Manchester City when they met Napoli back in September, they often struggle.

The final point on Martinez is almost certainly a key factor in why he is seemingly a candidate to take over at Anfield is his ability to buy astutely in the transfer window. As will be covered in the financial component of this piece, Wigan have precious little transfer and wage funds to utilise and as such this raises the achievements of Martinez still further. If you had said at the end of last season that Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega would not contribute to Wigan Athletic next season and yet the club would actually finish higher in the league and score more goals, not many people would have believed you, yet this is precisely what happened. Despite N'Zogbia departing for Aston Villa and Rodallega not finding any sort of form this season, Wigan have coped without two of their most talented players in recent years. A major component in this was Martinez's shrewdness in the transfer market and for all the talk recently of Moneyball and everything that it entails, Martinez is certainly an exponent of some of its core principles.

By acquiring individuals like Shaun Maloney and Jean Beausejour Wigan were bringing in individuals who had been undervalued by their clubs and often used out of position. Maloney has consistently been used as a wide sided midfielder in his career despite having a skill set more suited to playing as a number 10. Equally Beausejour was used as an orthodox left winger by Birmingham last season when actually he is ideally suited to playing as wing-back as demonstrated in Marcelo Bielsa's exciting Chile side at the 2010 World Cup. Martinez identified these two as players whom could fit well into the way he wanted to shape his team and picked them up for nominal fees. The same could be applied with the purchases of Ali Al-Habsi, Gary Caldwell and even someone such as Franco Di Santo, who although much derided is actually a far better player than he is often given credit for.

If Roberto Martinez is appointed Liverpool manager which seems to grow increasingly likely day by day it will certainly be an intriguing appointment. Whether Martinez will consider using three at the back at Anfield and how he copes managing far bigger names than he will ever have worked with will be a fascinating sub plot of next season. Regardless of this, people should be under no illusions, Martinez is a good manager who has done a pretty extraordinary thing at Wigan and is deserving of all the credit that has come his way recently.


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly 

The Unfashionables: Part Two-Whelan of Fortune

While the first part of this two part piece was focused on the role of Roberto Martinez and how Wigan have survived in the Premier League, this section will focus on the off-field problems facing Wigan and whether they will ever truly be profitable or whether they are destined to rely on philanthropist chairman and owner Dave Whelan for the considerable future.

First things first, whilst Wigan have consistently avoided the trap door into the Championship they have regularly finish bottom of the revenue table. Wigan's revenue is the lowest in the top tier, in 2011 their turnover was £43m and they are more reliant on television money than any other top flight club and also have one of the lowest wage bills. Yet in spite of all this they have remained a top flight team for eight successive seasons. How they have managed this feat is a combination of astute management from a succession of good managers, a relatively prudent fiscal policy (in comparison to the mad world of premier league finances) and the generosity of Dave Whelan.

One of the frequent accusations leveled at Wigan being undeserving of their premier league status is that they have consistently low crowds at the DW and recently only took 200 odd fans down to the Emirates for their victory over Arsenal. There are a few myths that need to be dispelled in this area, the first one being that Wigan is a "rugby league town" and that this is a major factor in Wigan's low attendances.

For many years I too accepted this argument, not being too acquainted with Wigan or rugby league. However on closer inspection there is little substantive evidence to support such a statement. It may surprise you to learn that since Wigan Athletic first entered the premier league in 2005 the average attendances have been larger than those achieved by Wigan Warriors who have regularly been one of the top teams in the Sky funded Super League. In the 2005/2006 season Athletic's average attendance was 20,610 whilst Warriors' was 14,464. In 2009/2010 Athletic's average attendance was 18,006 whilst those turning out for Super League matches was just 15,181.

These statistics seem to find serious fault in the argument that Wigan is only able to support one top flight sports team. Whilst Wigan Athletic rarely achieve their capacity in the DW stadium, only the visits of top teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool see the stadium full, it seems more prudent to attribute the clubs low attendances to Wigan's low population (about 800,000) and the fact that Wigan is an area of the North West that has fallen on relatively tough economic times and therefore top flight sport is considered a luxury that many choose not to have. Not to mention the fact that the North West of England is the most condensed areas for Premier League football, Wigan compete against both Manchester and Merseyside clubs as well as Blackburn, Bolton and Blackpool in recent seasons.

With all this in mind it seems the fact that Wigan have maintained their attendances at such a level is a testament to both the fans and the club itself who have consistently maintained a very reasonable ticket pricing policy. Indeed a recent study by Four Four Two magazine found that only 5 of the 92 football league clubs have cheaper tickets than Wigan. This is done in spite of the club consistently struggling financially and is covered almost exclusively out of Whelan's own pocket in the form of several interest free loans to the club through a variety of vehicle companies. This is hugely generous from Whelan even in the face of notable financial loss.

When you compare Wigan's ticketing policy to some clubs in the championship it makes for interesting reading. Whilst Wigan offer some of the lowest priced tickets in league football, a team such as Leeds United have the fifth highest entry level season ticket prices in the country behind only Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.

What is undeniable about Wigan is that they are hugely dependent on Whelan's millions and his unwavering loyalty and generosity. The clubs net debt stood at £73m in 2011 which was the ninth highest in the league, although £52m of this is what has been termed "soft" debt in that most of it is owed to Whelan himself and he has set very reasonable deadlines for repayment mostly at 0% interest.

Another financial statistic that demonstrates how Wigan punch well above their weight is when you look at the revenue of some of Wigan's rival clubs and how Wigan have consistently finished above them. Wolves (£61m), Aston Villa (£91m), Sunderland (£62m), Birmingham (£56m) and Blackburn (£55m) all enjoyed significantly higher revenues yet Wigan have finished above all of them in the past two seasons (with the exception of Sunderland who finished two points ahead of Wigan despite having almost double their earnings). In an era when wage bills are king and what you spend almost always equates to where you finish, Wigan's achievements are not far short of a modern miracle.

In summation Wigan's financial future is far from rosy as there is no denying that without Dave Whelan's financial clout the club would be in serious financial difficulties. The club simply doesn't generate the revenue required to bring about self-sufficiency although if the club was to maintain its Premier League status, continue to cut its wage bill and improve their commercial revenue they are not as far from independence from Whelan as many would think. However they cannot rely upon their income from match days as attendances have dipped slightly in recent years and even a full capacity DW every other week would not actually add significantly to the clubs revenue.


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly 

Champions League Final Preview

Saturday night sees the culmination of a memorable Champions League season with Chelsea traveling to Bavaria to take on Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena. The Bavarians are looking to win their fifth European Cup and join Liverpool in third place on the all time list whilst Chelsea are looking to erase the painful memories of Moscow four years ago and bring the “Cup with the big ears” to London for the first time.

Here we take a look at the key factors, individuals, tactical match ups and strengths of weaknesses of both sides and attempt to form some kind of prediction which will no doubt go out the window within the first 15 minutes.

If we look at Bayern first, bookmakers and commentators have placed them as slight favorites although this is mainly conditioned by the simple fact of Bayern playing in their home stadium.

Bayern’s season has been a rather curious one; it began in record-breaking style with a new look back-line setting a German record by going over 1000 minutes without conceding. They waltzed through the toughest Champions League group which included Napoli and a Manchester City team who were at their most rampant as well as Villarreal. In the league they were setting the pace but since Christmas time the season has rather gone in peaks and troughs.

A period of crisis and infighting was then followed by a run of successive thrashings with Bayern hitting seven goals in consecutive league and European games. They then lost the title decider with Dortmund (although even had they won the match they may well have lost the league) but followed this by triumphing over Real Madrid before losing again to Dortmund 5-2 in the German cup final. This big game inconsistency can be seen as a reflection of two of the clubs most gifted but volatile players. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are two of the most exciting players in Europe on their day but the story of Ribery punching Robben in the dressing room at half time in the Bernabeu is hardly indicative of a harmonious team spirit.

When the pair are in full flow they have the ability to overrun teams and stretch them to breaking point; however when one or both are off form they can be terribly detrimental to the team as such is their belief in themselves and arguably their arrogance, they can tend to hold on to the ball for to long and stifle the flow of the team.

There are no major selection dilemmas for head coach Jupp Heynckes as the suspensions that have hit both sides have pretty much made his decisions for him. With David Alaba (LB), Luis Gustavo (CM) and Holger Badstuber (CB) suspended Diego Contento, Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Thomas Muller will come in.

The major impact of this will be that Toni Kroos who usually plays more advanced will be paired with Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield in Bayern’s 4-2-3-1 which has two subsequent effects upon Bayern. The positive of this is that it gives them even more potential to dominate possession with two excellent passers in midfield however it also removes the defensive qualities of Luis Gustavo or Tymoschuk, who will have to fill in at centre half for Badstuber. This increases the chances of Juan Mata, who will play centrally behind Didier Drogba, being able to influence the game. Kroos and Schweinsteiger are both positionally excellent and more disciplined than one would imagine but there is little doubt that Heynckes would certainly prefer to have a “destroyer” in midfield.

If we move now to Chelsea before considering the way the two sides will match up, it is fair to say that Chelsea have been dealt a far greater blow in regards to suspensions. Branislav Ivanovic, Raul Meireles and John Terry are all clearly huge misses however the biggest blow is the absence of Ramires who has been so important to the way in which Chelsea have played under Roberto Di Matteo. Breaking from the right flank behind opposition full backs has been crucial to the two biggest wins of Di Matteo’s reign, the FA cup final and the second leg in Barcelona. Ivanovic and Terry will certainly be blows although reports coming out of Cobham would indicate that they are quietly confident both Gary Cahill and David Luiz will be fit.

It what seems likely to be his last game for Chelsea it is all set for Drogba to write yet another chapter to his Chelsea legend. With Holger Badstuber suspended he will surely fancy himself against both Tymoschuk and Jerome Boateng who is the less secure of the two regular Bayern centre backs. If Drogba can impose himself on the centre backs then Chelsea have a real chance. However a word of caution, three years ago Barcelona went into the final against Manchester United with 35 year old Sylvinho at left back and Yaya Toure employed as an emergency centre back against Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and the two deputies were exceptional that night as Barcelona waltzed to victory.

For Chelsea the key to keeping Bayern out will be similar to their approach against Barcelona in that they will aim to narrow the pitch as much as possible. With the use of both Ribery and Robben as inverted wingers Bayern can sometimes become to narrow, especially with Alaba, who is a fantastic overlapping force on the left, suspended. If Chelsea can restrict the space on the flanks for “Robbery” and force them to come inside into the congestion this will most likely be their best chance of neutralising the four time champions.

For Bayern, Chelsea’s most fruitful root to goal has already been dented by the suspension of Ramires however his likely replacement Solomon Kalou is more than capable of filling in for the Brazilian. There has been nothing particularly complex about Chelsea’s tactics on the flanks recently, all that has been required is the ability to run beyond the opposition full backs and as such the major attributes needed for this role is simply decent pace and good energy levels both of which Kalou possesses, as does Ryan Bertrand who looks set to come in on the left, whilst Kalou deputises on the right.

Expect Bayern to enjoy the lions share of possession though this will not unduly bother Chelsea having come through the semi final against Barcelona, and expect the blues to try and bypass Bayern’s midfield and use direct passes into Drogba, whose record in cup finals is extraordinary.

The match may well be decided by which teams striker is able to unsettle his opposing centre backs. Neither Tymoschuk nor Boateng will relish facing Drogba expect the Ivorian to target the Ukrainian and attempt to isolate him from Boateng. For Bayern, they will look for Mario Gomez to sniff out half chances and expect his expert finishing to do the rest. Despite his size Gomez is not a particularly physical player and relies mainly on his movement and instincts to create chances. One danger for both sides will be that their defences include players who have the propensity to make rash decisions and as a result do not be surprised to see a penalty given and the match could even recreate Bayern’s last successful final when three penalties were awarded in the match.

It has been a fairly unpredictable and surprising Champions League campaign and I expect this to continue on Saturday night in Munich. Despite Bayern being slight favourites and probably possessing better individuals all over the pitch, an enduring feeling that Chelsea will somehow find a way to win prevails and as such I’m tipping Frank Lampard (and probably John Terry) to lift the European Cup, one way or the other.

Prediction 1-1 after extra time and Chelsea to win on penalties. 


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly 
 

The Great Narrative

Everybody loves a good story and sports fans are no different. Whether its Tiger Woods winning the US Open in 2004 on one leg, Boris Becker exploding onto the scene and winning Wimbledon as wide eyed seventeen year old or Floyd Mayweather JR taking on Miguel Cotto and then heading to prison, guilty of domestic abuse. The media cannot wait to write it and the public cannot wait to read it. The issue here is the extent to which people let themselves be guided by a certain narrative that gets attached to a particular issue. Whether it is an individual, an entire event or even one particular incident, it seems to me that more and more the story attached to it takes complete precedence over the action itself.

A typical example of this issue is the manner in which Manchester United have been covered by the media over the past 2 or 3 years. Whenever they have met with success either in the short term (i.e. victory in a "big"game) or the long term (wining a premier league championship) the same lines are trotted out time after time. "Their experience got them through", "they've been here before and know what do" and the Match of the Day motto "They manage to win when they're not playing well". The aim here is not to decry the importance of such attributes but merely to argue that they are nauseatingly overstated and often utilised out of little more than professional laziness on the part of certain reporters and pundits.

Take Manchester United’s victory over Blackburn Rovers a month or so ago. Struggling to find the breakthrough in a must win game, United eventually won via two late goals from Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young. Yet the classic narrative of "United leave it late" and such like overshadowed the events of the actual game. Little mention was given to the manner in which United realised that Blackburn were aiming to funnel everything United did into the middle of the pitch which they had deliberately congested. Equally little was made of how it was United's strategy of maintaining as much width as possible on both sides of the pitch that ultimately did for Blackburn, aside from the fact that most commentators were quick to highlight that Valencia had a good game.

Equally take United’s defeat to Manchester City, in the last past few weeks we have been told nonstop that Paul Scholes has been the single most important reason behind Manchester United's run to the title and that the experience that he and Ryan Giggs have brought to the team has been invaluable. Indeed such has been the widespread praise for Scholes that he managed to finished third in the Football Writers' Player of the season voting despite only returning to action half way through January. What should be embarrassing for the Football Writers is that this is as close to Scholes has ever come to winning the award despite at the height of his career being one of the best central midfielders in Europe for over a decade.

Yet despite this almost universal praise of Scholes in the media, after City's narrow victory, achieved as a result of a set piece, observers were arguing that it was Manchester United's midfield that was the weakest part oftheir side and that Scholes and Giggs were too old to carry on. On a radio station which shall remain anonymous an former premier league player was saying how much United needed Bastian Schweinstiger and that Scholes and Giggs had passed their sell by date.  It seems ludicrous that two of the experienced players who people had been championing in recent months were now the single biggest reason for their failings. This cannot be apportioned to the fact that people enjoy blaming Scholes, Carrick and Giggs etc. For me it stems from the fact that a simple formula exists and that whatever Manchester United result occurs this formula is applied. Manchester United win=experience, getting the result even when not playing well. Manchester United defeat=midfield poor and too old.

If we move to Arsenal now and the same logic of narrative is applied in that by and large any Arsenal defeat or poor result is linked back to the two fundamental pillars of Arsenal criticism. Defensive vulnerability and lacking experience. Again I would agree that they are two areas where Arsenal have struggled in recent years but there have been plenty of games where it has simply not applied and in particular many Arsenal fans would agree that it was some of the clubs more experienced players who have let them down at crucial moments over the past few seasons.

William Gallas' tantrum at Birmingham for instance, Gael Clichy (who actually has a league winners medal to his name, and may have one more come the end of the season) deciding that 4-2 in a North London derby was a good time to tread on the ball, Cesc Fabregas deciding that the area of the pitch you want to try a back-heel against Barcelona in a Champions League knockout tie is the edge of your own penalty area. These are just some examples. It should also be noted that two of the biggest victims of both outside observers and Arsenal's fickle fans over recent seasons have been Andrei Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky even though both captain their national team and have won major honours over the course of their careers.

The major point is that for every time Arsenal have lost a game for not possessing the required "experience" to see it out, they have lost games for a number of alternative reasons and yet it usually gets linked back to these familiar strands.

Every club has their own narrative attached to it and sometimes you do wonder whether there is little more to it than purely laziness on the part of pundits. It seems to me that for all Liverpool's failings this season the blame seems to have landed almost exclusively on the players who were signed under the Dalglish/FSG regime, whilst it has gone almost unnoticed how players such as Carragher, Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt etc have performed just as inconsistently if not worse than some of the recent aquisitions.

The term for such a phenomena, when certain ideas get expounded and repeated so much that they become the standard narrative for individuals, is known as "group think" and is often connected with the United State's tragic misadventure into Vietnam. This rationale can be applied in all walks of life and football is certainly no exception.

Take Italian football for instance. Despite the height of catenaccio occurring over 40 years ago the same old clichés and adages are trotted out every time an Italian team or Italian manager is discussed. Despite some Italian teams being some of the most attacking and innovative teams on the continent in the past few seasons, Carlo Ancelotti's Milan and Walter Mazzari's Napoli being just two examples, pundits can't help but think that they will set out to be defensive and "nick" a goal. Worse still is when pundits discuss catenaccio without actually having any grasp on its actual meaning. Instead it has simply become a byword for deep defensive play and looking to play on the counter.

In their book, The Italian Job, Gabrielle Marcotti and Gianluca Vialli discuss this issue at some length and ultimately they draw the conclusion that a major factor in the way in which certain stories and narratives continually appear can be traced back to the British football fans psyche as a whole. Throughout their book Marcotti and Vialli look to draw comparisons between English and Italian football. One of their key findings is that in Britain football is still viewed and played very much for a sense of enjoyment and out of love of the game whilst in Italy football is still viewed far more seriously by fans and players alike. This translates to a far more serious coverage of the game from the media which can often result in page after page of tactical analysis in one of the country's many sports papers. Player ratings in particular are agonised over with every decimal point debated and discussed. Whilst in England player ratings are a bit of a joke with players often receiving 2 and 3 out of 10 in the tabloids.

Marcotti and Vialli concluded that the need for an "angle" and compelling story in England normally outweighs the actual course of a match or a season. The British are far more concerned for the story as it adds an element of fun and drama to the game whilst in Italy the fact that the result takes priority and this is reflected in the manner in which football is reported in the respective nations.

Another issue to consider is the need for broadcasters and media outlets to be open and approachable to new audience members. Surely part of the reason why programs such as Match of the Day continue to persevere with Gary Linekar's inane puns and the constant attempts to convey some form of "banter" is in the desire to continue to attract an audience who are not that concerned with premier league football but merely wishing to be entertained. A TV show or national newspaper that devotes significant air time or column inches to the finer points of the game are unlikely to see anything but a decrease in viewing and circulation figures.

 This problem has certainly been compounded by the growing influence of the internet and 24 hour news channels which can provide constant information and highlights and as such the more mainstream institutions must attempt to win over as much broad support as possible, thus a plausible explanation why Mark Lawrenson thinks he is a television personality rather than a football pundit emerges.

As stated at the outset, these ideas and points are a million miles from being perfect and I am sure that many would totally disagree with them. Regardless, there does seem to be an almost obsessive desire to portray the story in Britain often at the expense of any real analysis based on actual events. I am not calling for all television broadcasts, newspapers and reports to become a matrix of unreadable stats and tactics boards. For those who desire such things there are numerous websites and publications who deal with such things. I do feel however some have gone too far in the need to constantly present clear definitive reasoning for an individual or a clubs successes or failings. But then again aren't we always told that everybody loves a good story.


Comments? Views? Please add them below.
Please follow Game Ramble Weekly on Twitter @gamerambleweekly