World Football Blog - The ClanFootball.com World Football Blog

Time to Drop Beckham Once and For All

2008-08-24T16:27:00.002+02:00

I notice that ex-England manager Bobby Robson has told Fabio Capello that he should make a decisive decision to leave out David Beckham from his starting line-up ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign.

I couldn't agree more, and, have thought as much for some time, years in fact.

I have never been a Beckham fan. O.K. he is a very good player, I have never doubted that, but never the world class 'star' the press and his marketing team have made him out to be.

My main concern is that his individual style of play hasn't helped England through the years.

Now people (maybe you are one of them) will say; "Look at the great crosses and free kicks that have brought England goals.."

True, but success in a long tournament is more than some goals here and there whether they are spectacular or not.

The fact is he has never had pace and never had the ability to go past a defender to the opposition's goal line where he could deliver a consistent stream of devastating crosses where it really matters.

His lack of pace means he has always played his football wide right but around the centre line, so that most of his crosses are delivered at 45 degrees to the penalty area - a snip for top quality defenders. He has always been poor at getting wide into the last third.

So that when he plays for England, their shape is like an open envelope, with the body covering their half, and with the 'point of the flap' at the opponents penalty box. No width where it matters most!

The outcome of this is that defense has never been a problem, but scoring goals against quality opposition has.

This has been England's greatest problem, lack of width right up to the opposition goal line where you can really hurt them.

Compare that with the very best, most successful teams during this period. They all have real penetrative width with pace right to the 'byline'.

I agree with Bobby Robson, Capello should show who's the boss and do the best for the England TEAM not for an overrated player just because the media love him.

Rangers' Season Ended Before It's Even Begun

2008-08-09T12:06:00.005+02:00

Rangers early exit -- at the hands of Kaunas in Lithuania in mid-week -- from both European competitions is a devastating blow to their finances.

A team of Rangers stature has to rely on the millions of pounds generated from one or other of the European competitions. And you can bet an assumption on this income had been built into their business plan for this year.

What this means is that they will be under huge pressure to sell at least one of their star players this season to help make up the shortfall.

The obvious candidate is Spanish central defender, Carlos Cuellar, Scotland's Player of the Year last season. Both Newcastle United and Tottenham have shown an interest in him in the past, and Ranger's lamentable failure last week will have put them in a much stronger bargaining position now, should they wish to pursue their interest in the player.

If Rangers don't win the SPL this season, manager Walter Smith won't get much sympathy from the fans should Rangers get rid of him.

Valencia are in Financial Trouble - They Need to Sell Stars

2008-07-21T16:03:00.002+02:00

The Spanish media are reporting what we all know, and that is that the once proud Valencia are considering selling at least 2 of their star players; David Villa and David Silva, who both shone during Euro 2008.

It is rumoured that Real Madrid and Barcelona are keen on Villa, whilst Athletico Madrid want Silva.

The club's financial position is dire to say the least. They have lost money in the league; they finished a ridiculous 10th last season, and so have failed to make the Champions League next season which is a must for a top tier team's finances nowadays. (Mind you because of there good win in the Spanish Cup, they are in the UEFA Cup next season).

But they also had to pay a huge amount when they sacked their previous coach Ronald Koeman. And they are in the process of building and paying for a new stadium. Basically, without the income from the sale of key players they can't balance the books.

And what a difference from when they were under the hugely successful Rafa Benitez. What would have happened if they had managed to keep him?

Well, we'll never know. We are where we are; and in Valencia's case that's nowhere, until they sort out their finances.

Sepp Blatter Puts His Foot In It Again!

2008-07-11T15:02:00.003+02:00

Once again the buffoon Sepp Blatter has overstepped his authority by referring to Manchester Utd's position with Cristiano Ronaldo as tantamount to "modern day slavery".

Now, a fit young man, earning millions a year for training 2-3 hours a day and playing a game he loves, can hardly be compared with the 100s of thousands, or even millions, of people who use their life savings to be whisked thousands of miles across continents by people traffickers -- modern day slavers -- for a better life. Many then end up in debt to the traffickers and outside the protection of the law. THAT IS MODERN DAY SLAVERY!

How dare Blatter! Shame on him! He should apologize at once. But he won't.

Putting aside your views on whether you think Cristiano Ronaldo is being somewhat ungrateful to Manchester Utd given that he's under contract, or, is being perfectly reasonable in wanting to try his luck as David Beckham did at Real Madrid; or that Manchester Utd is being unreasonable in wanting him to see out his contract; it's a business decision that will be reached between the club, the player and Real Madrid.

As President of FIFA Sepp Blatter has no right making comments that could influence such a business decision. But it isn't any surprise. This megalomaniac wants to control everything about the game and shape it in his own image.

No doubt it won't be long before I'm blogging about another Sepp Blatter bloomer.

Euro 2008 | Spain Pull It Off!

2008-06-30T16:52:00.003+02:00

Spain have at last shaken off the mantle of perennial under-achievers by beating Germany 1-0 in the Final of Euro 2008, and winning their first major trophy for 44 years.

And it was well deserved. They completely outplayed a poor German side devoid of any real ideas on how to beat this superb Spanish side.

Once again, as they had shown throughout Euro 2008, they are the complete football team. Their one-touch passing and running off the ball completely mesmerized Germany who were run ragged at the back. In truth it really should have been 3 or even 4 - nil to Spain. As it was, Torres' strike midway through the first half turned out to be enough.

Apart from a couple of games where Holland shone, Spain have been the best and most consistent team in Euro 2008, and thoroughly deserve to be carrying the trophy back to Madrid.

Now the expectations will be very high for the World Cup. But that's another day. Well done Spain for entertaining us all and showing us how the game can be played.

And yes, we did use part of my son's winnings to celebrate late into the night!

Euro 2008 | Spain - The Perfect Performance

2008-06-27T20:39:00.003+02:00

In defeating Russia 3-0 last night, in the 2nd semi-final of Euro 2008, Spain gave what I consider to be the "perfect performance." They were that good!

They completely outplayed a Russian side that had previously swept aside Holland -- many pundits' favourites for the trophy -- in the quarter finals.

This Spain side has everything: very talented individuals, a fantastic work ethic, great team spirit, awseome ability to control and retain the ball, speed, toughness when it matters, fluid passing movement, great running off the ball, and a killer instinct in front of goal. I could go on and on.

So to the final against a very confident Germany side who, although not looking like world-beaters, are extremely well coached, very strong and very confident.

Although Spain may well be favourites, this is the final of Euro 2008, and Germany are past masters at engineering great wins in key competitions against teams that, on paper at least, appear to be superior.

I just can't wait for Sunday to come around. And to make things even better, my son Malcolm has come over from England to visit us here in Spain. He put a bet on Spain to win Euro 2008 before the finals began and he'll get 150 pounds if Spain do win. I'm hoping we will be using some of that to celebrate Spain's victory on Sunday night!

Euro 2008 | Still Spain but Holland look Awesome!

2008-06-15T20:15:00.003+02:00

The best team so far in Euro 2008 is Holland, no doubt about it. Their fast expansive play has just blown-away the opposition. But, there have been other great Dutch teams in the past who through individual arrogance and self-centredness (is that a word? anyway I think you know what I mean) have faltered at, or before, the final hurdle. So let's wait and see.

My favourites Spain still look great going forward, but I'm worried about their defence. They just give too many opportunities away. So far they haven't really been punished -- although it took a fantastic injury-time goal from the superb Villa to pick-up all 3 points against a defensive Sweden.

So, I'll stick with Spain to win Euro 2008, but Holland do worry me!

Euro 2008 Finals about to kick-off.

2008-06-07T17:12:00.004+02:00

As I write, we are just 31 minutes, and counting, away from the kick-off for the first game in the Euro 2008 Finals between the co-hosts Switzerland -- Austria are the other hosts -- and the Czech Republic.

I'm really looking forward to the finals, even without any British sides or Eire taking part. There are just too many class football players and football teams not to get excited. And I firmly believe that the Euros are better in many respects than the World Cup. But I'll leave that to another blog!

Anyway, my beers are calling me from the fridge and the missus has stacked the coffee table with loads of titbits, so I'm off to get started.

Bye the way, my tip for the Euro 2008 Finals is Spain. What's yours? Go and vote in the sidebar then!

Blatter gets FIFA's backing for his '6 plus 5' football player rule.

2008-05-31T18:48:00.012+02:00

Sepp Blatter has been given the go-ahead by FIFA's 58th Congress in Sydney, Australia, to press on with exploring and developing his plan to introduce his '6 plus 5' football player rule in 2012.

He told the Congress on Friday past that he hoped that he would be able to introduce his plan in stages; '4 plus 7' in 2010, '5 plus 6' in 2011, and then '6 plus 5' in 2012.

He seems to be pretty confident that he can eventually get agreement for his plan.

I think he faces an uphill battle on two fronts:

The first is that such a move contravenes European labour laws covering the free movement of labour within Europe, and, no European football association is going to take the risk of being sued for breaking it.

And the second is that I can't see why the really big football clubs like Manchester Utd, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona etc., would wish to be constrained by such a plan. Their successes can be traced to their ability -- through their great riches -- to buy the very best football players irrespective of their nationality.

Look out for some sort of fudged outcome!

Hull City in the Premiership for first time in their History.

2008-05-25T15:17:00.006+02:00

Hull has at last lost the tag of being the largest city in England never to have had a club in the top football league.

Hull City gained promotion to the Premiership by beating Bristol City 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday in the Championship play-off final; thanks to a stunning first-half volley from 39 year old veteran Dean Windass.

It was perhaps fitting that Windass scored the match-winning goal that could bring an estimated 60 million pounds (about 75 million euros) into Hull City's coffers by playing in the top league. He has been one of the most under-rated strikers in England during his long career.

He returned to his home club only last year after plying his trade - and regularly scoring - at Aberdeen, Oxford Utd, Bradford City and Middlesborough.

Well done to Hull, but they should enjoy it while they can though, because they will certainly be one of the favourites to drop back down into the Championship again at the end of next season!

Blatter Continues to Press for Foreign Player Limit

2008-05-08T08:34:00.005+02:00

In a recent BBC Radio Five Live interview, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that in some leagues - in particular with the big English Premier League clubs - there was now no national identity.

He said that he was sure that if you were to ask the fans, they would be in favour of a strong national team, and, that they would want to see their own national team players playing in their league's top clubs.

That was why he was going to the congress to propose a "six-plus-five" rule which could be implemented after 2010/11.

His idea is that a starting eleven should have six players eligible to play for the national team of the country that the club plays in.

While he acknowledged the success of the English Premier League, his opinion was that the monopoly of a few clubs was not good for the development of the game, particularly in England with the national team failing to qualify for Euro 2008.

He went on to say that the problem was worth discussing and if there was a general consensus in the congress, then they would implement the rule for the good of the game.

"Because the game is open to everybody, not only something for the rich clubs and therefore I am sure the idea will balance out a competition. If you go to the Premier League - which is a wonderful competition - something is wrong if only four or five teams are fighting for the title and all the others are happy not to be relegated because something is wrong in the essence of football."

Blatter also insisted the proposal could be implemented legally if there was a general consensus.

"I feel in Europe and especially in countries that are members of the European Union, that they are in favour of such a rule because they are also in favour of a very strong national team. And therefore the idea is not to go into a struggle against existing laws, like the European Union law. The European Union is only part of the world and they are not lawmakers for the entire world."

Blatter's argument that England's lack of success in Euro 2008 is somehow due to too many foreign players playing in England does not hold water. England has been conspicuous by its lack of success in European and World football for well over 30 years; long before the relatively recent influx of foreigners.

As I said in a previous post the problem of England (as an example) not qualifying for Euro 2008 has less to do with foreign imports and more to do with the lack of home-grown talent; and this has little to do with foreign players.

And the winning of the English top league has always been - in the main - the preserve of four or five teams over the last 30 years. This is not a new phenomenon brought about by imports.

Also, the European Union may not make the laws of the entire world, but it does for Europe, and Europe is where the real money and influence is, in terms of world football. I just cannot see that the EU could lawfully allow free movement within its borders for all workers except footballers.

England and Scotland Football Internationals to be Revived.

2008-04-26T02:20:00.003+02:00

First played in Glasgow in 1872 but disbanded in 1999, the oldest international football fixture in the world, between England and Scotland, is to be resurrected in 2010.

The Scottish FA's Chief Executive, Gordon Smith, said on Friday that the SFA had had talks with their English counterparts about resurrecting the fixture and that it was definitely back on.

He went on to say; "It might be 2010 before we get a game. The idea would be to establish some sort of relationship for one-off games or even have them bi-annually." (Before its demise, the fixture used to be played annually; alternating between Wembley and Hampden Park).

This is great news for both sets of football fans, but particularly for the Scots fans who used to love to make their way south to Wembley to see-off the "auld enemy"; and in such numbers, that they often seemed to outnumber the English fans.

And of the 110 games played between 1872 and 1999, Scotland had won 41, England 45, and 24 games ended in a draw.

Aberdeen (3) : Queen of the South (4) - Scottish Cup semi-final.

2008-04-13T18:24:00.005+02:00

This is just a quickie today; something I need to get off my chest.

I talked recently here about the Dons' opportunity to turn their disappointing season around in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Q o S at Hampden Park yesterday. If they had got into the final, and, the final was against Rangers (expected) and Rangers were to win the Scottish Premier League title (expected), then the Dons would have been in Europe for the second year running.

Well, they blew it (again)!

I don't wish to go over the game again -- it's too painful -- but I do wish to comment on the Don's manager's reaction immediately after the game. In typical fashion, Calderwood publicly blamed his players; "...we didn't defend well as a team...". Talk about the obvious!

Now I know the mantra is that once the players "cross the white line" the manager cannot do anything, it's up to the players. To a certain extent this is true, but only if those players are coached, practised, conditioned (physically and mentally), and fully aware of their individual and group responsibilities. That's down to the manager during the season. He chooses the players, the strategies and the tactics. I'm not at all convinced that Calderwood has ever been up to the job.

Let me put it this way: Can anybody really believe that if, say, Rafa Benitez, or, Alex Ferguson, or, Arsene Wenger had been in charge just for that one game even, that Aberdeen would have lost 4 goals? I don't think so. They would have been able to think on their feet and would have made the correct adjustments during the game.

No, I say again, Jimmy Calderwood is not up to the job and should go before he damages the young squad's confidence beyond repair!

The English Premier League (and Rangers) Rocks!

2008-04-12T11:18:00.014+02:00

I just couldn't let this week go by without highlighting -- and applauding -- the fantastic achievements of the three English Premier League teams; Liverpool, Chelsea, and, Manchester Utd. in reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League this week.

From a spectators point of view, the outstanding game of the tournament so far -- it could be argued for some years -- was Liverpool's exhilarating 4-2, second leg / quarter final, defeat of Arsenal. It had absolutely everything you could wish for; a nail biting finish, continuous excitement, end-to-end thrills, extreme pace, divine skills, and, really awesome goals.

And let's not forget Glasgow Ranger's huge achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup by defeating Sporting Lisbon 2-0 away from home. In many ways this was the greatest achievement of all the British sides given the uncompetitive -- apart from Celtic that is -- Scottish Premier League in which they play.

Without a shadow of a doubt, though, the English Premier League is the best league in the world at the moment. And this leads me nicely on to a particular hobby-horse of mine: On the 19th January I wrote a blog about the inadvisability of imposing a cap on foreign players.

The successes of this week have just proved my point I think, since all the teams above have large foreign contingents. If our home-grown youth can't be inspired to practice and practice to emulate these foreign stars, then there is no hope for us!

This week has shown just how much these players, and foreign managers, have contributed to, and, improved the game, not only in England, but Britain as a whole -- Rangers have a fair number of foreign imports too, remember.

I can't wait for the semi's!

Can the Dons turn their Season around?

2008-04-08T12:26:00.014+02:00

Aberdeen have a great opportunity to help turn their disappointing season around at Hampden Park this Saturday, where they meet Queen of the South in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.

But, although they are favourites, it is not a foregone conclusion that they will be victorious; just look at what has happened in the English FA cup. But fingers crossed! OK, I support the Dons!

However, putting their good cup-run to one side; after such a good season last season which saw them qualify for Europe, the fans had every reason to believe that the Dons had at last turned the corner, and, would mount a serious challenge to the "Old Firm" of Celtic and Rangers, in the Scottish Premier League this season.

Now, of course, no serious follower of the game would expect that they could ever be the force they once were in the 80's under Alex Ferguson. The financing of the game has totally changed, and, teams like Aberdeen will probably never have deep enough pockets to compete with Rangers and Celtic in the transfer market.

But the simple truth is that the Dons should not have had to depend on winning the last game of the first half of the season against Falkirk -- thanks to Maguire's 2 goals in the 2-1 win -- in order to get that all-important top 6 league spot. Not only that, but they finished 6 points behind 5th-placed Hibernian, and, a full 24 points behind 2nd-placed Celtic!

And there have been mutterings of late that, while the club has a fair number of talented players, the manager Jimmy Calderwood really does not know how to get the best from them, and, that his tactical skills are limited. Certainly the team lacks consistency, which is vital if you are to mount a sustained challenge in the league.

'awa the Dons!

Brand Beckham on the Wane?

2008-03-16T22:49:00.006+01:00

It seems from reports coming out of Hong Kong that David Beckham may be losing some of his fan appeal. Only 11,000 fans turned out to watch him and LA Galaxy play -- and lose -- against South China in an almost empty Hong Kong Stadium, at the end of LA Galaxy's recent Asian tour. And only similar crowds turned up previously in Shanghai.

There is no doubt that his move to LA Galaxy has affected his status in Asia. He is clearly a stand-out in his team, but, by any standards, LA Galaxy are pretty poor and the fans know it.

Brand Beckham at Manchester Utd and Real Madrid is one thing, but it loses something when associated with LA Galaxy. Fans have favourite players, but they have to be playing for winning, world class teams, that are constantly in the public eye; and for the Asia market that means television. This is not the case with LA Galaxy playing in Major League Soccer, in the USA.

By leaving England and Spain, it seems that Beckham's position in the England National side is not the only thing to suffer. Mind you, I'm sure his reported 250 million dollar, 5 year contract, helps to ease any worries he may have!

Sepp Blatter the FIFA President Sounds-off Again

2008-03-10T11:14:00.005+01:00

The president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has asked the English FA to send him the file on Birmingham City's Martin Taylor's challenge on Arsenal's Eduardo, which left the Arsenal striker with a broken leg and dislocated ankle. Taylor was subsequently given a three match ban by the English FA, for the infamous tackle, shown on TV around the world.

At the annual meeting of the International FA Board -- the body that looks after the laws of the game -- in Gleneagles, Scotland; Blatter said that they (the Board) have every right to ask member associations to send them the files on such incidents, and, that they have the right to extend bans if they feel that the penalty imposed was insufficient.

He went further and said that he thought that temporary and even life bans should be imposed if the incident was deemed severe enough.

First of all, I am pretty sure that a life ban would not hold up in a European court as it would be looked upon as "restraint of trade".

Secondly, even though they may have the right, I am not sure to what extent FIFA should be involving themselves in reviewing and amending penalties handed down by associations such as the English FA. Surely, in order to be seen to be even-handed, they would need to review every case ; an impossible task!

I am pretty sure he only got involved in this one because it was shown around the world. What about the one's not shown and therefore not in the public eye? FIFA would not necessarily get to know of these, and, therefore those incidents would pass "under the radar". This seems unfair on the top European clubs whose games are widely broadcast.

However, I can see the need for some conformity across all associations, so that all players are treated the same across the world. And we really do need to protect the skillful players like Ronaldo (Manchester Utd), Kaka (AC Milan), and Mezzi (Barcelona), etc.

The cynic in me, though, thinks that if the tackle had occurred in a third-world country he would not be asking for the file. Blatter does not like to be seen criticising these countries, as he depends on their votes to maintain his power base.

Fabio Capello was right to deny David Beckham his 100th Cap against Switzerland.

2008-02-17T13:42:00.008+01:00

When the 32 year-old David Beckham was left out of the England football squad for the match against Switzerland on the 6th of February, there was an outcry in some quarters that he should have been selected in order to win his 100th cap.

Putting aside the fact that he was patently not match fit -- his last competitive game having been for England against Croatia in November -- surely there has to be more than just sentiment to win a coveted 100th cap.

By selecting Beckham on the grounds that, somehow, he 'deserved' his 100th cap rather than on whether he 'merited' it, Fabio Capello would have been doing an injustice, not only to the England squad and England supporters, but to the handful of past England greats who won every one of their 100 caps on merit.

By not selecting him, Capello has sent a strong message to Beckham and the rest of the squad that he will do things his way, and, has maintained the significant value of that 100th cap for both past and future recipients.

Imposing a Cap on Foreign Players in England would be a Negative Step.

2008-01-19T20:16:00.001+01:00

Since England football team's elimination from Euro 2008 where they -- manager and players -- were sadly found wanting, there has been a deal of discussion over the vexed question of how to improve the quality and chances of home-grown talent. Let us be honest, apart from perhaps Steven Gerrard, who else could be rated as truly world class? In other words who would be an automatic choice for a World XI in his chosen position?

The usual protectionist stance has it that the problem could be solved by reducing, through capping, the number of foreign players, in order to give more opportunities for home-grown players to develop through their clubs.

To start with we cannot ban players from the European Union, since every EU citizen has the legal right to ply their trade in any EU country they choose. We could put a cap on players from other countries though, and, some are suggesting a capping level of 2 or 3 foreigner players per club.

However, the whole idea is predicated on the notion that we have plenty of football talent, but, it is just not being given the opportunity to develop because the clubs' first team squads have too many foreign stars. But we know that we do not have enough talent coming through, because if we did, surely clubs would not have to look abroad? And the flower of English talent -- the England Euro 2008 squad who all play for top sides and have not been denied their chances -- were not good enough. And, remember, the media were lauding the squad as the strongest for decades!

Professional clubs today are businesses who naturally want the biggest return on their investment. All things being equal, if they could buy British players of the same quality and price, they would certainly do so. And if they had enough talent coming through their club systems and academies, there would be less need to buy. So, as far as the clubs are concerned, there just is not the home grown talent out there, and where there is, it is often over-priced.

Some of the very best players in the British Isles right now are foreigners. There is no doubt that the standard of football being played now, especially in the English Premiership, is of the highest quality with the result that TV audiences around the world are huge. This is due, in no small part, to the influx of highly gifted foreign players over the last 10 years or so.

And in the main the foreign imports are providing fantastic role models for youngsters today, not only in their skill and fitness levels but in their professional attitude to the game. Both Alex Ferguson and David Beckham speak highly of the influence that Eric Cantona had over the starlets and other seasoned footballers at Manchester United. And do not let us forget the important role that foreign managers have played in improving standards. As we speak 3 out of the top 4 teams in the English Premiership have foreign managers. It could be argued that all have, since the legendary Alex Ferguson is Scottish born and bred! And the FA have gone for a foreign coach again for the England national football team.

So how would putting a cap on imports help young players' development? The simple answer is, it would not. It is purely a 'knee-jerk' reaction from those within the game -- and I include some of the media here -- who in their arrogance cannot get their heads around the notion that many other countries are producing far more talented players than England, and spending a lot less money doing it.

Reducing the new-found standards by reducing the very people who contribute to these standards, is a backward step, built on a false premise.

Besides, the problem does not lie at the point where a young player is trying to break into the first team squad, it lies in the very way in which we originally 'select' and 'develop' our future stars. But that is a subject for a future blog!

Fabio Capello - Good CV but what about the Players?

2007-12-16T21:45:00.000+01:00

So the 61 year old Italian, Fabio Capello, is the new England manager with a contract making him the highest paid manager on the International scene.

According to the Sunday Mirror he has signed an initial two and a half year deal worth some 4 million pounds a year, rising by a further half million pounds each season thereafter.

So that, if he takes England to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and wins it, he could earn a total of 17 million pounds including bonuses. No wonder he has said that this is "the final crowning of my career".

He certainly has form at club level, having won titles with 4 different clubs; AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and most recently with Real Madrid. So he has proved he can build successful teams.

However, he has no International experience, although that did not stop 6 out of the 8 top football managers consulted by the FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick giving him the "thumbs up". I suspect, all the same, that Jose Mourinho was 1st choice until he ruled himself out.

So what does Capello bring? Well, his long-time sidekick Italo Galbriati for a start, and, he has said he wants to have ex-Chelsea Gianfranco Zola - who has been an assistant coach with Italy's under 21s - as his assistant. There is also some word that he would offer ex-Newcastle Alan Shearer some sort of backroom position.

Both could help Fabio understand the English football mentality and culture, which is vital if he is to stand any chance of turning England's fortunes around.

He has one great attribute which I believe gives a glimmer of hope for England. He is a very strict disciplinarian who does not believe in the cult of the individual or "star", rather the "collective". He would never have put up with the Beckham circus that has plagued several England managers in the past, for example.

There is a problem though: His teams have always been full of technically gifted players playing within the collective. It remains to be seen what he can do with the present crop of English stars who are not nearly as talented as the media would have us believe.

So, can he translate club success into International success for England? The FA seem to think so. Only time - and some new (real) talent coming through - will tell.

Welcome to ClanFootball.com Blog!

2007-11-17T15:32:00.000+01:00

This post announces - on this day 17th November 2007 - the official launch of ClanFootball.com, the football fans website, dedicated to "connecting fans around the world".

So, welcome one and all!

As the Editor, I will be publishing regular views on the world of football in this blog. It could be anything; my slant on football news stories, players, managers, clubs, governing bodies, histories, etc. So, be sure to check the site regularly!

Once again, a very warm welcome, and I hope you find ClanFootball.com an exciting and informative place to be. Ed.