Its Pantomime Season, with McLeish and the RFU the Stars of the Show.

I’m worried. My two biggest sporting passions are rugby and football. My two biggest passions are embodied by the England Rugby team and Aston Villa Football Club. At the moment neither are doing much to justify my lifelong support. The thing they appear to have in comment is the thing they lack.... someone in charge who has a clue what they are doing.

Both organisations appear to be intent on making the respective teams a laughing stock within their sports and how they are viewed nationally and globally. The RFU have made the decision to take their time in replacing Martin Johnson. Finally a reasonable decision! However, personally, I would have given him chance to build upon the experiences he had and the lessons he learned from the World Cup. I’m confident he would have shifted the old guard from his Elite squad. Those like Moody, Thompson, Tindall and Nick “£35k down the toilet” Easter should go. To be outwardly mocking younger players for training too hard is an absolute disgrace. I hope that hasn’t left a lasting impression on both the young players and any potential new coach. Hunger is a vital component of a successful team and not a quality you can buy.

I’m still unclear as to who is in charge of what at the RFU. Rob Andrew, the man with more titles than Man Utd, has had another change of role which apparently see’s him in charge of everything in Elite Rugby, except the Elite squad itself. I saw no evidence of input from him pre-tournament or during. I assume he remains with the RFU because the aspects his role has responsibility for (that he claims responsibility for at least) appear to be progressing well. I refer to the Saxon’s and the age-group teams. Andrew’s position is further strengthened by the success of the Seven’s squad who have retained their Dubai 7’s title.

The players let themselves down at the World Cup. I believe Martin Johnson was right to trust them. They abused that trust. At the end of the day they are grown men and fully aware of their responsibilities as professional athletes. They are also meant to be at the more intelligent end of the sportsman spectrum. Mike Tindall needs to look up the word scapegoat in the dictionary!!

The RFU have let themselves down post-World Cup. At one point there were 5 different reviews going on into varying aspects of the tournament performance, the results of which were then leaked to the media. Rob Andrew refuses to take responsibility for anything, then changes his mind but refuses to resign. Johnson resigns. Martyn Thomas fines Tindall then gets sacked. Chris Ashton and James Haskell are found to be not-guilty of any wrong-doing, yet given suspended fines  anyway with the RFU having apparently advised them to pay the alleged injured party hush money! It is Pantomime season I guess!

The RFU are now looking to recruit one of the best coaches in the world, with money being “no object”. I hope the new man can see past the Pantomime Donkey that is the current RFU structure and see that there is a pool of highly talented, young and hungry players who want to play for England because it is the pinnacle of your career, not because you get a £35k win bonus.

Talk of Pantomime Donkeys brings me to my beloved Villa and Alex McLeish. I was concerned when he was appointed, not because of his association with the inferior side of the city, but because he was a negative tactician whose sides play boring defensive football. I was prepared to give him a chance and initially it looked like he was winning his battle to convince the Villa fans he could deliver positive football.

Alas, it appears he is proving my initial fears to be correct. Against Spurs recently he played two right backs in an attempt to quell the threat of Gareth Bale. Bale contributed the assists to the two Spurs goals which tells you all you need to know.

And then there is Heskey. The striker who can’t score, converted to an attacking midfield player who can’t pass or create! Genius! My only hope is that now Martin O’Neil has returned to the Premiership with Sunderland he will buy Heskey (again). He is more than welcome to take a number of others he wasted money on when he was at Villa Park.

Its not as if we are without talent, in particular with our young players. Bannan, Herd, Albrighton and Delph provide a good balance of creativity, steel and energy. We should be creating plenty of chances. According to recent Opta stats we aren’t. Opta shows that Darren Bent has the fewest touches per match of any player in the league. No wonder we aren’t scoring enough goals. We know that Bent is good enough, he is a 20-goal-a-season striker.

In terms of defence it wasn’t that long ago that we possessed one of the strongest in the league. We comprise an Irish international goal keeper, a Scottish international right back, an (ex?) England international left back, and Welsh & Irish international centre backs. You would expect that level of experience to be able to defend set-pieces with ease.

So we have a striker who can score goals, the potential of a very creative midfield and an international defence. It begs the question where is it going wrong? The answer has to be in the coaching and tactics. The tactics come from?? Yes, McLeish.

My hopes for the last bit of 2011 and the start of 2012? Villa start playing to their potential, remove the negativity and aren’t dragged into a relegation scrap and the RFU allow Stuart Lancaster the freedom to pick and coach his own Elite squad for the 6 Nations.

My worries for the last bit of 2011 and the start of 2012? McLeish continues to fit as many defenders into the team as possible and plays Heskey in goal and England continue to stifle the young, talented and enthusiastic players in favour of “experienced” players who aren’t good enough (and never were).

Is Technology more important that the "Art" of Coaching?

“If you win in IT, you tend to win.”

It appears that Sir Clive Woodward is taking his superb attention to detail to a new level. The ex-England Rugby Head coach is well known for his use of technology when it comes to coaching and preparing athletes & sports teams. He is now using his approach with the British Olympic team alongside a company called Dartfish.

During his tenure as England Coach between 1998 and 2004 he implemented a number of methods with which his team could gain “half a percent” advantages over the opposition. He employed a large number of coaches to cover specific aspects of the game, a practice previously un-conceived. He brought in Sherylle Calder, a visualisation specialist who worked with the highly successful Australian cricket team of the 1990’s. She developed a software package to help the players improve their spatial awareness. He also worked with the team’s kit supplier, Nike, in order to develop a tighter fitting shirt. This made his players more difficult to tackle.

Woodward also introduced ProZone, a technology package that fed him data on his players from a series of cameras placed around the Twickenham Stadium and allowed him to analyse their levels of performance. The methods employed produced results of the highest quality...winning the Webb Ellis trophy.

Sir Clive is now continuing to use his technological innovations in his current role as the director of elite performance for the British Olympic Association. In speaking at a recent BOA event he outlined how highly he rates the Dartfish technology and expects it to have a similar impact on the Olympic preparations as ProZone did on the England Rugby team.

The package that Dartfish provide allows the coaching staff to access live feeds from their athletes during competition, analyse the pictures which are sent directly to ipads and laptops and then make decisions using the most accurate performance data.

The Dartfish product has already been given a resounding thumbs up by Peter Bentley a performance coach with the British Sailing Team and the British heptathlete Louise Hazel. In speaking at the same event as Woodward, Hazel stated that she would often disagree with her coach, however after seeing the analysis and footage she agreed with his assessment and was able to adjust the settings of her blocks for races in the recent World Championships. She ran a PB in the 100 metres hurdles. She also feels that in being able to study her performances in detail she has been able to improve her technique and avoid injury.

Whilst I fully accept that the use of technology in professional sport makes a significant difference in the levels of performance I do have concerns that there will be an over-reliance on video analysis and less on the innate skill and intuition of a coach.

 There have been recent arguments in both Football and Rugby that in England in particular we are not producing coaches of a strong enough calibre. I have often felt that coaching is as much of an art as a science. The best coaches of course will have a balance of the two, however for British sport to be encouraging the development of coaches surely the intrinsic qualities required to be successful should over-ride the ability to be handy with a PC.

I agree that technology works, but I worry that the ability to inspire, the inherent skill to improve people and the inborn gift of working with others will be lost in favour of a generation of computer geeks. The coaches who had the biggest influence on my love of sport Steve Edwards at Wolverhampton Rugby Club, Dave Evans at New College 6th Form and Pete Carter at Nova Utd FC fed my enthusiasm and improved my skills, knowledge and understanding of the sports that remain an important part of my life. They matched my passion with theirs and with their committment on many a cold and rainy sunday morning. I would hate to see people like them shy away from coaching and aspiring to develop as coaches themselves.

Perhaps England doesn't produce good coaches because the best ones would rather stay in the amatuer ranks of sports and enjoy working with athletes and sports men and women rather than spend more time with their eyes glued to a laptop, concerning themselves with broadband speeds and data downloads.

Rugby World Cup: My Team of the Tournament.

Picking a “Team of the Tournament” will always throw up controversy as people always have differing opinions on players, tactics, form, favourites and bias. That’s part of the fun though. Here is my Team of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. I know people will disagree with some of the selections. Please add your comments on who you would have picked instead.

First XV

Props – Tony Woodcock (NZ) and Nicolas Mas (Fra).

Hooker – Bismark du Plessis (SA)

Second Row – Brad Thorn (NZ) and Dannie Rossouw (SA)

Blind Side – Jerome Kaino (NZ)

Number 8 – Nick Easter (ONLY JOKING!!) Imanol Harinordoquy (Fra)

Open Side – David Pocock (Aus)

Scrum Half – Mike Philips (Wal)

Fly Half – Rhys Priestland (Wal)

Inside Centre – Jamie Roberts (Wal)

Outside Centre – Aurelien Rougerie (Fra)

Wingers – Richard Kahui (NZ) and George North (Wal)

Fullback – Israel Dagg (NZ)

Yes, I imagine your first observation will be there are a lot of New Zealand players in the team. I have chosen this side based on who I felt played the best rugby of the tournament consistently. It is therefore more a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive side based on combinations, philosophy and tactics. Were I to consider that then there would be changes here and there (and possibly the subject of a future blog post).

I could have also picked out a 2^nd XV. Having watched nearly every match of the Tournament ( even at 1am) there are a large number of players worthy of a mention. Other players I considered were Adam Jones, Kevin Mealamu, Luke Charteris, Ritchie McCaw, the entire Tongan front row, Thierry Dusautoir, Sam Warburton, Cory Jane, George Stowers and Sonny Bill Williams. There are of course many others whose performances have significantly added to my overall enjoyment of the last 6 weeks of rugby.

The next 12 months will bring some interesting international rugby. I expect the Welsh to be going into the 2012 6 Nations as favourites and with the emergence of a number of talented young players  that tag is fully deserved. Will any of the numerous question marks hanging over the RFU be answered? At the last count there were 5 separate reviews going on into varying aspects of the running of the game from HQ.

2012 will also see Argentina’s introduction to the Tri-Nations. It is great to see the IRB helping to develop the sport for countries that don’t get to play a great deal of international rugby. I hope that this ethos continues and the Tier 2 nations such as Georgia, Japan, Russia and Romania who put in some cracking and enjoyable performances in this years tournament can benefit.

Will the Lasting Memory of David Haye be his Broken Toe?

Article first published as David Haye - Too Early to Retire? on Technorati.

 David Haye has announced his retirement from Boxing. He has followed through with his assertion that he would retire on his 31st Birthday. Being a keen boxing fan and having followed Haye’s career I am not overly surprised although I am slightly disappointed. I can fully understand the argument that boxers shouldn’t fight on too long. The increased risks to health are well documented. However in Haye’s case, and given he has an ego the size of a tower block, I would have thought he wouldn’t want his last ever professional fight to be dominated by broken toe jokes.

I have always considered Haye to be an intelligent sportsman, no mean feat in a sport not renowned for its thinkers. I particularly appreciate the way he and his team prepare for his fights. In analysing his build up to the defining fights of his career there is clearly a great deal thought that goes into the specificity of his training.

For his fight against Enzo Maccarinelli in March 2008 the fight was one of his first for an American audience and was screened by Setanta Sports at 3am British time. Haye changed his entire training routine and sleeping pattern so that he would be in the best possible condition. I am unaware if his opponent went to such lengths but as Haye destroyed him within the first few seconds of the second round that tells its own story. Especially as the fighters came into the bout with strong reputations and good records.

Haye’s training in preparation for his fight against Nikolai Valuev in November 2009 was much more publicised but no less ingenious. When sparring he got his partners to wear specially constructed boots in order to simulate him throwing punches at a 7’2” tall opponent. This provided much amusement to the press but it allowed Haye to develop a strategy based on throwing effective punches at an opponent the size of which he had never faced.

He is of course well known for his “trash talk” which appears to be a large part of big-time boxing these days. I agree that Haye sometimes takes this too far however the tactic of winding up your opponent so much that they aren’t concentrating on their game is well employed in most sports, professional and otherwise. It certainly worked for him as he inflicted only the second defeat of Valuev’s 52-fight career.

Haye’s preparation for his unification fight with Klitschko was clearly hampered by the broken toe, however there will always be those who considered the Ukrainian to be the better fighter and suggested he would have dispatched a fully fit Haye regardless. I wonder if this lingering question will remain with Haye. “Could it have been different if I were fully fit?”

I wonder if he will be tempted out of retirement like so many heavyweights before him. One last big payday etc etc. In a way I hope he doesn’t. He has made more than enough money and has exited the sport having at least reached the top. Heavyweight Champion isn’t a title many have held and he will be exiting with his health intact. At 31years old and with millions in the bank he has many directions in which he can take his future. I have enjoyed watching him box, however, would another bout be TOE-tally unexpected??

Rated and Slated - England Player Review for RWC 2011

It is an inescapable fact that we weren’t good enough. The question that should be asked id why did we fall so short when analysis of the playing squad suggests we aren’t short of good players.  However, we are lacking in a few key areas and there are a number of players who have returned from then World Cup with reputations severely dented. And I’m not talking about throwing dwarves, branded gum-shields, dodgy blondes in bars and diving off ferries.

Its time for the post-mortem to begin. Here are my tour ratings for the England World Cup. Its time for some players to go, some to step up and fulfil their potential and others to justify the hype. Some of these guys should make the 6 Nations squad for 2012. Some definitely shouldn’t!

Dan Cole -  Failed to justify his reputation as a fierce scrummager. Will need to work hard to justify ongoing selection. Did he grow the beard to hide his blushes?

Alex Corbisiero – One of the few to return with his reputation intact. I do not understand why he was not used more following Sheridan’s injury. The scrum instantly looked more solid each time he came on.

Andrew Sheridan – I suggested it was a risk to take him in light of recent injuries. I fear this is the last we will see of him in an England jersey..in fact any jersey.

Matt Stevens – Found out in the scrum far too often for my liking and gave away too many penalties. Another with a reputation to repair.

David Wilson – Did what he was taken to the World Cup for...bring on the half-time oranges.

Dylan Hartley – Didn’t do enough to claim the first team selection ahead of Thompson. With Thompson likely to retire there must be a number of young hookers in the Guinness Premiership looking to take the spot.

Lee Mears – As Wilson, he was there to make up the numbers. Time for new blood in this position for the 6 Nations.

Steve Thompson – One of the few who can return from the tournament with his head held high. Worked as hard as anyone. Johnson should be grateful he returned that £500,000 insurance payment.

Louis Deacon – Did the donkey work expected of him but he was average. The pack often looked better when he was replaced.

Courtney Lawes – I felt he was unfairly treated by the Citing Committee for his “knee” incident. England missed his physicality although he disappeared against the French (along with nearly everyone else in a white shirt). Hard lessons to be learned but will be better for them.

Tom Palmer – Under-rated by Johnson and put in some strong displays. Was unlucky to be left out of some of the matches. Should be an ongoing pairing with Lawes for the 6 Nations .

Simon Shaw – There is some sentiment in this as I am a big Simon Shaw fan, but what’s the point in having a blog if you can’t be biased every now and then. The guy may be 38 but he plays like someone 15 years younger. I hope Lawes watched and learned!

Tom Croft – Slightly inconsistent at times but definitely one of the stand-out forwards. Future Captain perhaps?

Nick Easter – I said that I would have taken a different number 8 and Easter proved me right. Slow with the ball, slow without the ball. Haskell must be fuming at being left out of the starting XV for the France game. Time to retire!

Lewis Moody – Another who confirmed my apprehension in his selection. A World Cup too far. Lacked the application on the pitch and showed little of any leadership quality. Open-side is an area in which England need to discover a new gem.

Tom Wood – An excellent showing the 2011 Six Nations should have seen Wood get much more game time. A bright future for the England back-row but should have been given a proper chance to shine.

Delon Armitage – Looked dangerous on the rare occasions England put the ball in their wingers hands. Solid defensively but a silly shoulder charge on Chris Patterson ended his tournament early. The long-term successor to Cueto, however I would still play him in the centres.

Ben Foden – As with all of England’s best attacking runners he was rarely given the ball in space. Took his tries well but my lasting memory of his World Cup is likely to be the shocking missed tackle against the French. 

Chris Ashton – Went into the France game as the leading try scorer in the tournament. Surprising given the lack of invention coming from the English back line. Why didn’t we give him the ball?!

Mark Cueto – Did nothing badly but did nothing spectacular either. Yes he did bag a hat-trick, but against a weakened team of a Tier 2 nation. Am I being harsh?

Matt Banahan – No impact on the occasions he came off the bench...but that’s not a surprise.

Shontayne Hape – The emergence of Tuilagi restricted his opportunities. Not likely to feature much in an England shirt again unless Tuilagi decides to take up swimming.

Mike Tindall – Led by example....if it was a stag do.

Manu Tuilagi – In danger of his cracking displays on the field being overshadowed by his stupidity off it. Hopefully the fact he will return from NZ about £9000 poorer will get him to focus on his game, the future of which is very bright indeed.

Toby Flood – An indifferent tournament. Perhaps unlucky that he suffered an injury, given that he had a strong Six Nations Championship. I don’t think he is the long-term answer at 10, or 12.

Jonny Wilkinson – Before the tournament I described him as world class. That should have read formerly world class. Defence is still immense, but too many question marks over his kicking and ability to control and run a game.

Joe Simpson – No chance to show what he could do. I think the 9 shirt for the 2012 Six Nations is up for grabs, however Danny Care is returning to fitness.

Richard Wigglesworth – Solid and reliable but didn’t capitalise on his chances given the indifferent form of Youngs.

Ben Youngs – Can someone please, please, please tell him to stop taking three paces and then passing. Opposition defences must have been licking their lips. With predatory open-sides like Pocock and McCaw about we are likely to lose a lot of ball at the breakdown. If Warburton and O’Brien continue their current form into next year the 6N will be hard work.

Martin Johnson the Man to Take England Forward? Im Not Asking the Sheep!

Article first published as Martin Johnson the Man to take England Forward? I'm Not Asking the Sheep! on Technorati.

Well that’s me and Sonny Wool feeling a bit sheepish about our predictions! At least only one of us claims to be psychic though.

Martin Johnson made all the right noises in the pre-match press conferences. Words like “Potential”,  phrases like “moving in the right direction” and “showing improvement”. However the England team blew all of my cautious optimism out of the window with a pitiful display against the French. We had made a positive start in not having given a penalty away within the first 7 minutes and having an attacking lineout on the French 5 metre line. Thompson missed his jumper and things spiralled downhill from there.

                                             

So the post-mortem begins. Rob Andrew stated that there will be a review. Quite who is left at the RFU to complete such a review was a question left unanswered. The main point of debate will be if Johnson the man to carry England forward or if it time for him to go. The general consensus is that he should be replaced, however comparisons are being made to the Clive Woodward team of the 1999 World Cup and their exit at the hands of South Africa. We all know what happened at the next tournament.

My knee-jerk reaction was to for Johnson to go. I had mixed feelings about him getting the job in the first place having had absolutely no coaching experience at any level. However, I think he should be given chance to build on his experience. We should accept that he is probably the most inexperienced coach in world rugby and give him the opportunity to develop the team from what he has learned. Its not as if we are lacking in talent. We have players who certainly have the potential to be world class. I know, there is that word again...potential. I would give Johnson another two years. This should give him two Six Nations Championships and a handful of November internationals. Ample to time to show improvement. If we haven’t then there is time to find a suitable replacement for the next World Cup.

I would like to see the immediate retirement of the “old guard”. Thompson, Easter, Cueto, Tindall, Moody, Deacon and dare I say it...Wilkinson need to go. We need to identify young and exciting replacements and to develop a game plan that allows them to play without restriction. My suggestions? Hartley for hooker in the absence of any other viable replacement at present. Haskell to play as a dedicated 8 and not be bounced around the back-row because of his versatility. I’d have Sharples in for Cueto, a centre combination of Delon Armitage and Tuilagi and I would be looking for someone to challenge a second-row partnership of Lawes and Palmer. I don’t see Flood as the answer at 10 (or 12) and I expect to see Owen Farrell appearing in an elite squad in the near future. The choice of a specialist open-side flanker is more difficult. I’m a big fan of Tom Wood and Tom Croft but I’m not sure playing one of them out-of position is the answer.

We also need to identify a captain. The lack of clear leadership was a recurring theme during this World Cup. I would be tempted to follow the Welsh example of picking a young leader. Sam Warburton is only 23 but has had a huge impact of his squad and looks like developing into an immense player. The level of respect he is commanding from players and fans at such a young age can only be positive for Wales’ future.

                                    

I am hugely disappointed that England are out of the World Cup, however if we had managed to snatch the game from France it would have been tantamount to daylight robbery. I can sit back and enjoy the rugby on offer in the semi-finals and onwards. I wonder if Sonny Wool has made his predications yet....?

Dwarf Throwing and a Psychic Sheep.

I was wary of the Argentineans and we ground them down (eventually). I was slightly wary of the Scots (they have spoiled the English party more than once in the past) and we ground them down too. But for a handful of missed kicks from the normally metronomic  Jonny Wilkinson neither result would have been in doubt. You do have to question what the reason is for his poor form. The guy has a kick conversion rate of less than 50% in this competition. And he is one of the best kickers in the world. However, so is Morne Steyn the South African, and he is in the high 80%’s.

I think we will be victorious against the French (and not because Sonny Wool the psychic sheep has predicted an England win) however I think it will be a similar game to that against the Scots. I know the French appear to be in meltdown at the moment but everybody raises their game to play the English and they will be no exception.

The other quarter-finals should also produce some exciting rugby. I’m tipping the Irish to have a little too much for the Welsh, The South Africa-Australia game is too difficult to call as I haven’t seen much of the Wallabies, and The All Blacks will cruise past Argentina even without Dan Carter.

I hope that after the next round of matches England will make the headlines for their rugby instead of their off-field indiscretions....although the dwarf-throwing jokes were quite amusing. Despite all this I have been impressed with Johnson’s handling of the media in these situations. I am willing to bet he has handed out a few gale-force bollockings over the last couple of weeks. The on-field disciplinary stuff has been a bit suspect in my point of view. The citing of Armitage and Lawes for foul play is one thing but to fine Tuilagi nearly £5000 for wearing a branded gum-shield?! This is rugby...not football.

I still have concerns about some of Johnson’s team selections, particularly at centre, second row and back row but overall we seem to be moving in the right direction. Replication of some of the running lines shown against Romania (yes I know it was a weakened team of a Tier 2 Nation) and some continued dynamism from the pack and we should have the French going backwards.

I have been fortunate enough to watch the majority of the pool games and its is very encouraging to see the gap between the “smaller” rugby playing nations and the big boys reducing. Teams like Samoa, Tonga, Georgia, Japan and Canada have been putting in some cracking performances and some really enjoyable rugby. I sincerely hope the IRB has plans to support the developing nations. The inclusion of a Plate competition to run alongside the latter stages of the World Cup is gathering a number of supporters in the press and I would love to see this take place. In addition I would like to see a second division of the Six Nations Championship with promotion and relegation. I know they would be seen as the whipping boys but looking back, the French did not win a 5 Nations game for a number of years and the same for Italy in the 6 Nations. Developing the game globally cannot be a bad thing. It is the “World in Union” after all.

Incidentally Sonny Wool predicted wins for Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.

A Game Free of Refereeing Error? Wenger and Holloway Would Agree!

“Sh*t refs!, we always get sh*t refs!”. I’ve sat in the Holte singing that on many occasions over the last two seasons, furiously lambasting the referee for missing something I could plainly see from a hundred yards away. However, as some recent research has shown, we weren’t on the wrong end of many refereeing errors last season.

A piece of research commissioned by Tim Long, a broadcaster and journalist, for a radio documentary entitled Beyond the Goalline:Football’s Technology Debate shows that we weren’t too adversely affected poor decisions.

The research analysed 713 “significant” incidents over the 2010-2011 season, from the 380 Premiership games. The research looked at penalties, goal-line incidents and off-side goals. An adjusted Premiership table was produced showing the finishing positions if there had been no refereeing errors.  Villa would have actually finished 12^th but with only one point less than we actually achieved last season.

Interestingly, two of the teams most affected were Arsenal and Blackpool. In the adjusted table Arsenal would have finished 2^nd to Manchester United on 72 points instead of 4^th with 68 points. That would have at least given them automatic Champions League qualification and several millions pounds more in prize money (for Wenger not to spend on players!)

Blackpool and Blues would have stayed up and Wigan and Wolves would have been relegated with West Ham. Stoke would have earned two more points, which would have seen them finish four places higher and receive £3 million more in prize money.

The point of the report wasn’t to be critical of referees. It is accepted that they do their best and make each decision in good faith. The point was to highlight that even a simple television replay can highlight most of the erroneous decisions and strengthens the argument for some sort of in-play evidence based referral system which could cut down on the errors.

The opposing argument that such as system would hold up play and slow down the game is also addressed. The number of incidents reviewed averages out at about 2 per game. Similar systems are already in place in rugby union, rugby league, tennis and cricket (and yes I appreciate the latter is slow anyway).

It looks like Villa didn’t do too badly out of referees last season, but it does open the debate. I know human error is part and parcel of the game. Over to you guys for your thoughts. Do we need further technology in football? Ask Wenger and Holloway, I wonder what they would tell you.

http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2011/08/21/revealed-the-table-that-shows-arsenal-and-blackpool-were-cheated-last-season-210801

Good Enough? Martin Johnson thinks so.

Martin Johnson has now swung his World Cup axe and chopped off Riki Flutey’s head. I share in most people’s surprise in this as I expected him to make the squad. Here is my assessment of the squad Johnson thinks is good enough to win in New Zealand. If you like this article please re-tweet on Twitter or “Like” on Facebook to support. Please feel free to leave comments on either.

PROPS

Dan Cole – Highly rated in the scrum but needs to assert his physicality more in the loose. Warrants his place but competition is fierce for the front row spots.

Alex Corbisiero – Another very strong in the scrum. Will push Stevens, Cole and Sheridan hard for a starting place.

Andrew Sheridan – A man who’s name still sends a shiver down the spines of the Australian pack. Question marks over his fitness.

Matt Stevens – Served his drugs ban and appears to have come back even stronger. Cocaine clearly isn’t performance enhancing. First choice without a doubt and can play on either side of the scrum.

David Wilson – Who? Apologies to Bath fans. I can only assume we are taking 5 props as Sheridan may not last the tournament. I believe Wilson can play at loose or tight-head.

HOOKERS

Dylan Hartley – If he plays the way he did in the 6 Nations (particularly against the Welsh) he is nailed on for a starting place. Throwing has improved and he has an impressive work-rate. Perhaps we need to get Warren Gatland to wind him up before each game.

Lee Mears – Seems to have gone about his business quietly. Solid performer and I expect him to make an impact from the bench.

Steve Thompson – Any man who returns a half-a-million pound cheque in order to continue to play rugby gets my admiration. A key man in the squad on and off the pitch.

LOCKS

Louis Deacon – Solid player and strong in the lineout. Not quite powerful enough or mean enough for my liking but offers reliability.

Courtney Lawes – The “new” Martin Johnson? He has the potential. Great physicality and mobility for a man his size. Should be looking to assert himself as a mainstay of the England team.

Tom Palmer – Had an impressive 6 Nations championship. Has improved game by game. A strong candidate for a starting place.

Simon Shaw – Even at 38 the guy is still a quality player both in the tight and in the loose. This is not a sentimental pick by Johnson. Whichever club picks him up after the tournament (assuming he wants to carry on playing) will get an absolute bargain.

BACK ROW

Tom Croft – A hugely talented player who will be looking to re-discover the form he showed on the last Lions Tour. Fantastic work-rate and reading of the game. I’d put my money on him being quicker than Banahan too.

Nick Easter – I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. He is over-rated, slow and does not warrant his place either on talent or form. Picked on reputation, although where he got that from is a mystery to me. A player whose style is much more suited to the 80’s! Who would I take instead? Luke Narraway.

James Haskell – Playing in France has not done him any harm at all, however it remains to be seen how playing in Japan will develop him. A guy who should make much more of his speed and physicality than he does but one of the stand—out players from the 6 Nations. Watching a few DVD’s of Pierre Spies wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Lewis Moody – Another picked on reputation rather than form. Undoubtedly inspirational when playing and fully fit. But when was he last playing at 100%? I expect him to be rested for the Georgia, Romania and Scotland games.

Tom Wood – Very similar to Richard Hill in the fact he gets the hard work done without anybody really noticing. A relative novice at this level but developing rapidly. Expecting good things from him.

FULLBACKS & WINGS

Delon Armitage – His display against the Welsh at Twickenham will have put serious heat on Foden. Looks to be coming into some good form after his off-field indiscretions. Strong, quick, exciting runner and a decent tackler with the added bonus of being able to comfortably cover several positions. Worth a punt at outside centre?

Ben Foden – An all-round quality player. Superb strike runner and a constant attacking threat...when he is actually given the ball in space (Take note Flood!!). Another who could be considered for outside centre. Will be pushed hard by Armitage.

Chris Ashton – Has anyone actually attempted the try-scoring swallow dive? It’s bloody difficult!! The guy is a class finisher who is not content to just sit on his wing and wait for the ball, although with the centres inside him that’s not really a surprise. He will be closely watched by opposition defences in this tournament. I worry England are over-reliant on him to provide some creativity.

Mark Cueto – Nearing the end of his International career and seems to me to having been lacking a cutting edge for quite a while. I would have liked to have seen what Charlie Sharples could do or given James Simpson-Daniel an opportunity.

CENTRES

Matt Banahan – Included in the Centres section as it is the reason Johnson cited as having him in the squad. Equally as useless in either position in my opinion. If he scores the winning try in the final I still won’t change my view. Clear evidence of short-sightedness on Johnson’s part. Flutey is the better player, even with poor form, and should consider himself unlucky.

Shontayne Hape – Should have stuck to playing rugby league. No flair, no side-step, no pass, no ability to run a decent angle or ask questions of a defence. Not good enough. Better players  (Simpson-Daniel, Tait, Flutey etc) will be on their summer holidays wondering what they have to do to get in the England squad.

Mike Tindall – Should have retired....in 2003. Just because he is royalty doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to tackle him! Should have gone on your honeymoon Mike! I wonder if he is now exempt from having to sing the National Anthem?

Manu Tuilagi – Trying to put my issues about his nationality aside, Tuilagi offers something none of the other England centres do....an attacking edge. I hope he gets the chance to show what he can do. Johnson should let him off the leash. I wonder if he knows the words to God Save the Queen?

FLY HALVES

Toby Flood – Decent in the 6 Nations and a reliable kicker but he seems to have lost the ability to control a game, put his backs into space or keep the scoreboard ticking over. Will only start the matches against the smaller nations as Wilkinson is rested.

Jonny Wilkinson – I don’t need to put much here. The guy is world class. Enough said.

SCRUM HALVES

Joe Simpson – With the injury to Danny Care, and Youngs only just coming back from injury Simpson has a good chance to stake a claim for the number 9 spot. Im sure he will get some game time. Be interested to see what he can offer.

Richard Wigglesworth – Another who will be pushing hard for the 9 shirt. The ability to cover at 10 if required cements his place in the squad. Perhaps lacks the zip and spark of the other two but offers a great service to his backs.

Ben Youngs – An undoubted talent and offers a great attacking option behind what should be a dominant pack. Will need to regain his match fitness and sharpness quickly in order to fight off the challenge from Simpson & Wigglesworth. If Care were fit I believe he would have been first choice ahead of Youngs.

We need an uninhibited performance so we can at least hit the world Cup with some optimisim. There is enough in the squad to cause the big boys some real problems, if used corerctly and allowed to play. It could  be better though. Bring on the Irish, I will be watching with interest.

If Plan A doesn't work, revert to Plan A.

Having watch England’s two World Cup warm-up games against the Welsh I am now seriously concerned that Martin Johnson will have enough players to make up a squad of 30 let alone whittle down from 40. There are so many players who do not warrant a place on the plane to New Zealand on the showing of these two matches I wonder if we would be even able to a fill a bench with guys who are good enough to wear the white/red/blue or black!

I do not subscribe to the assertion that they are only warm-up games. No game against the Welsh is ever “friendly” or just an exercise in going through the motions. These games should be treated as a prelude to the toughest rugby contest in the international game. We should have our tactics finely tuned already, or in England’s case on Saturday...we should have had a tactic other than run straight into the waiting Welsh defence.

I wasn’t expecting perfection. I was expecting a game plan and strength of execution. What I saw was the typical England of old. If plan A doesn’t work, revert to Plan A! I have rarely seen a side have so much ball, with so few options.  Far too often the first, second, third and fourth choice of option was to keep it in the forwards and hit the Welsh defensive line. The Welsh defended well, but they were rarely stretched. The England ball was so slow it gave the defence ample time to recover.

Once released to the backs Toby Flood failed to ignite his back line. It is hard to pin-point the reasons for this as he managed to do this adequately in this years Six Nations Championship, despite having the one-dimensional Mike Tindall and the utterly useless Shontayne Hape outside him. Neither centre justifies a place in the squad on form or talent.  The creative runners; Foden and Cueto were largely anonymous. Is this down to them not giving Flood the option or Flood not directing them to where he needed them to be?

As for Banahan, any man of his size who cannot plough through Shane Williams when you are five metres from the line does not deserve to play international rugby. I am also a firm believer that if you are used on the crash ball you should hit the line at full tilt with the express intention of smashing it has hard as you can. Banahan would appear on the end of many a woefully telegraphed move to stop just before the tacklers. I bet Jamie Roberts and Sam Warburton couldn’t believe their luck. Easy pickings. Too easy!

There are worrying concerns (for me) over a number of players. Ricky Flutey did nothing when he played at Twickenham, Ugo Monye doesn’t have the quality despite being picked for the Lions Tour of South Africa and Hendre Fourie has not impressed (and don’t get me started on his nationality). The only previously uncapped  players who may warrant selection are Tuilagi and Sharples. The others would have been given an opportunity to stake a claim if they had been good enough. Charlie Hodgson continues to look so nervous in an England shirt that he reminds me of a child made to do a PE lesson in his pants!

 I don’t rate Nick Easter. He is too slow and not dynamic enough. For his so-called leadership qualities, I saw no evidence of them on Saturday. When things are going wrong you need “captains all over the field” to use the cliché. Speaking of Captains, Lewis Moody shouldn’t be certain of a place given his level of performance in the Twickenham game. He charged about in the first 5 minutes, missed two tackles and then went off injured in the first few minutes of the second half. I admire his lead-by-example style of captaincy to a certain degree but I don’t think it will be good enough in NZ, if he is ever fit enough to play.

At the end of the 6 Nations I was cautiously optimistic that Johnson’s team were moving in the right direction and that we would have a good tilt at the World Cup. I am now concerned we have regressed and there will be some knee-jerk experimentation in an attempt to solve problems that should have previously been addressed. Failure to beat Argentina in our opening game is likely to lead to a quarter-final against the All Blacks. I don’t expect them to choke this time.

At least Johnson is safe in the knowledge there is nobody left at RFU HQ to sack him!

McLeish: Brave or Stupid?

When Alex McLeish came out a few weeks ago with the statement he would only be adding one more signing to that of Shay Given I was as concerned as the rest of the Villa faithful. With a raft of players being released and two of our best being sold our squad is looking a bit thin.

I am now wondering whether McLeish is playing a bit of a waiting game and saving some of his “war chest” for the January transfer window. This may give him the opportunity to buy someone to get him out of trouble if we are doing badly or help push on if we are doing well. There is no doubt that the arrival of Darren Bent in the last Jan window kept us from having a very sticky end to the season and would have eased the pressure on Houllier’s job should he have been fit enough to continue. Imagine Bent’s impact if we had been pushing for the top six!

Looking at our fixtures over the first half of the season we have a comparatively easy run in the first few months and then a bit of a nightmare December. In our first thirteen games we only play two of last years top six, Man City and Spurs. Even with the squad we have we should be looking at entering the December fixtures with a good haul of points and going into a tough run of games against Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea with some confidence. With a positive start in our earlier fixtures McLeish could be looking to the transfer window to boost the squad and kick on for a European spot.

Conversely, a poor start to the season followed by a run of fixtures against the top teams could leave us languishing in the bottom half of the table by Christmas. Is McLeish then likely to use his cash to try and save his a*se? Every team goes through a rough patch of the season. I think McLeish will have the fans on his back quicker than most if his team doesn’t perform. Football fans are fickle. We are allowed to be. We pay a lot of money to watch our teams. Is he taking a risk by not having a stronger squad from the start of the season or is he being clever enough to cover himself with a signing in January if he needs one?

I’m pleased to see that the players he has signed look like they are happy to be at Villa Park, although I know its a bit of a cliché to smile at the camera and say the right things in the press conference. I understand Given has taken a pay-cut to join us. And as he is not likely to be using us as a stepping-stone, that suggests to me a player who is going to give it 100%.

I watched Wolves’ new signing Roger Johnson (who has now been made their club captain) in his first interview. He looked like he would rather be at home on his Xbox than signing at Molineux. The guy couldn’t have looked less excited about his new club! At least he didn’t trot out the “Dream Move” line, or claim he was a boyhood fan of the club he was signing for!

Cue the Fabregas “Dream” move to Barcelona the Nasri “Dream” move to Man Utd/Man City/highest wage payer and the Tevez “Dream” move to anywhere that is away from Manchester and slightly nearer Argentina.

Villa's Premier League Gold

Talksport have recently been running poll’s about the best of the premier League era. Best British player, best foreign player, funniest moment, best kit etc. I have given it some thought and come up with my choice of the best XI to represent Aston Villa in the PL era. The only criteria I have set particularly is that they have represented Villa since the advent of the PL in 1992. I have also tried to pick a team that is balanced and would play the sort of football I would like to see if i were managing them. I have tried to keep emotion and sentiment (see Gareth Barry) out of the selection process. I settled on a 4-3-1-2 formation.

GK –Picking a goal keeper was a tough choice, with Nigel Spink, Mark Bosnich, Peter Schmeichel and Brad Friedel all appearing in Claret & Blue since 1992. In the end I picked Bosnich. In his Villa career he played  179 league games, 37 Cup games and 11 European games. Alex Ferguson considered him talented enough to replace Peter Schmeichel at Man Utd.

                                                                                    

FB – In looking at those who have played at fullback over the years it is apparent Villa have not been particularly blessed with talent. My choice came down to Mark Delaney or Earl Barrett on the right. Both are hard working, unassuming players and the strongest of the list. Mark Delaney has just edged it, representing Villa for 8 years and making 175 appearances in all competitions, scoring 2 goals.

As with the right back position Villa, there haven’t been a large number of outstanding left backs. It came down to a straight choice between Steve Staunton and Alan “Mighty Atom” Wright. Staunton is my pick. Villa thought so much of him they signed him twice! In all he spent 10 years at Villa, played 335 matches and scored 20 goals.

                                                   

                           

CB – Where Villa had a paucity in talent in the full-back areas there was a wealth of quality in players who played at centre back. After much deliberation I have chosen Paul McGrath and Martin Laursen. The word legend is all too often banded about when it comes to footballers, but in the case of McGrath if you ask any Villa fan who they would chose as their top players of the modern age, the Irishman is more than likely to top of the list. McGrath played over 300 games for Villa in all competitions, scoring 9 goals.

             

Laursen was unfortunate not to play more games for Villa and was sadly forced to retire following a persistent knee injury which restricted him to 89 games in all competitions. He chipped in 11 goals and is widely recognised as a cult hero on the Villa Park terraces. Other players who were considered for the centre back position included Gareth Southgate, Olof Mellberg, Ugo Ehiogu and Shaun Teale.

                                                   

MID – For my midfield three I have gone for Ian Taylor, Ray Houghton and Gareth Barry. Taylor was Villa through and through, another with cult hero status on the Holte. In 253 starts he scored 37 goals. In my midfield, he is the box-to-box engine. Ray Houghton is my creativity. He played for three years at Villa, scoring 11 goals in 105 appearances. Gareth Barry is my defensive, deep lying, midfielder. He played for Villa for 12 years, making 422 starts and scoring 52 goals. Barry has been one of Villa’s most outstanding players, which makes the circumstances around his departure form the club more difficult to swallow.  Whilst I include him in my team, I won’t be putting his picture up!

      

Other players considered for the midfield spots include Gordon Cowans (yes he did play for Villa in the PL era), Andy Townsend, Gary Parker and Steve Stone.

AM – There were also a number of players considered to fill the attacking midfielder role in my formation; David Ginola, Benito Carbone, Ashley Young and Patrick Berger to name a few. I ultimately decided on Paul Merson. Whilst arguably he had his better years at other clubs (along with Ginola) he provides my PL team with attacking flair and a touch of unpredictability in the “hole” behind the strikers. He made 125 starts scoring 19 goals.

                                                     

ST – I found picking my strikers relatively easy compared to other positions. My strike partnership is Dwight Yorke and Dion Dublin. Sadly neither came close enough to beat Peter Withe’s league scoring record of 20 goals in one season, however Yorke scored 97 goals in 247 appearances and Dublin 59 goals in 148 appearances. I also chose them for they way they would compliment each others style of play in the time-honoured “Little and Large” strike partnerships. Dublin’s size, strength and power in the air together with Yorke’s speed, agility and guile.

Bench - Peter Schmeichel, Gareth Southgate, Olof Mellberg, Steve Stone, David Ginola, Dean Saunders, |Ashley Young.

Shift in Power Won't Come Full Circle.

I recently finished reading a book written by Gary Imlach, the sports writer and journalist, called “My Father and other Working Class Football Heroes”. The book is a biography of his father, Stuart, who played football for a number of clubs in the 50’s and also represented Scotland in the 1958 World Cup.

In detailing his father’s career and ultimately the fight to have his and other players recognised with international caps (at the time the Scottish FA only awarded caps to players who played against England) it struck me how far player power has come.

In Stuart Imlach’s career he played for a number of clubs, starting as a part-time apprentice in Scotland with Lossiemouth. The book highlights how the clubs had total control over their players at this time and transfer deals between clubs were often done without the player himself even knowing let alone being consulted.

Imlach moved clubs on several occasions, playing for Bury, Derby, Nottingham Forrest, Luton, Coventry and Crystal Palace. He was never consulted on any move. At the time Imlach, and every footballers, contract  was only for 12 months. The clubs operated a “Retain and Transfer” policy. At the end of a season clubs could release a player, put them up for sale or retain them. This was often on reduced wages if the club had had a difficult year. Any player who refused to agree terms would be paid no wages. They would not be paid and sacked or not paid but still retained. Whilst on the transfer list the club would not be obliged to pay them. If a player walked out they could not play elsewhere as the club held his registration. With little option, most players gave in.

This stance gave the clubs  total authority and control over their players. Contrast that to today. There probably isn’t a professional club in any league in world football today who has not had a player force through a transfer to another club. Today football is widely seen as a business first and a sport second. A multi-million pound business at that. Unfortunately for clubs the accountants will not generally accept an “asset” leaving for nothing. Better to take a fee. The threat to run down a contract and leave for nothing is now a pervasive element of modern football.

Clubs, and managers in particular understand that keeping an unhappy player has the potential to adversely influence the playing squad. They are usually in an untenable position. They could potentially force the player to stay, as they hold his registration, and train with the youth team for the remainder of his contract. However Chairmen and owners don’t tend to like paying out high wages for no return.

 From a managers point of view, they are judged on results and performance. The income from the sale of said unhappy player could be re-invested in the playing squad and the resulting improvements could be the difference between staying in post and getting sacked.

Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy has told Luka Modric he is going nowhere. Would I like to see Levy stick to his guns and force Modric to stay? Yes! Do I expect Modric to still be playing for Spurs by the end of the season? No! I would love to see Modric see out the remaining 5 and a half years, of a contract he only signed six months ago, training with the Spurs u12s. The fact is it won’t happen. Spurs will end up having to cash in. Better to spend the £30+ million they would likely receive for him on players who want to play than keeping a world class (in Spurs’ opinion not mine) who will not be giving 100%.

Football will only continue to grow as a business and sadly, player power will only get stronger. The shift in power from club to player won't come full circle, particularly with the advent of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions which come into force this season. Clubs will be much more focused on their profit and turnover and won't be afford to take a hit on a players wages and/or transfer fee without it having a negative impact on their compliance with the FFP rules.