The return of Goldenballs; Ronaldo vs Best
Comment and analysis round-up
Quote of the day: “I’m an emotional person. Things can happen on the pitch very quickly but I didn’t mean to disrespect the referee. I recognise this is a part of my game that I need to work on and control. I’d like to apologise to anyone I offended and, of course, Alan Hutton who I tackled. I didn’t mean to go in hard that way. It was high, but I tried to read the ball and get the ball first, but he was a little bit too quick for me. It wasn’t malicious and I’m a little disappointed with what people are saying, that I meant it. Of course it was a bad tackle, but in the heat of the moment you want to win the game and win every tackle, and as I said I’m sorry for Alan, but it was never meant.” - Ashley Cole grovels for forgiveness.
Runner-up: “Ferguson is clever, that is clear. After a difficult game [Portsmouth] he was talking about referees and before an important game [Liverpool] he is talking about protecting Ronaldo. The referees, though, have experience and they will know Ferguson. Sunday’s referee has experience and he is strong enough. Ferguson has a lot of experience. If you need to protect Ronaldo, then you also need to protect Torres and Gerrard and all the skilful players in the league. This kind of treatment must be the same for all the teams and all the players. I wasn’t surprised last week to hear what he was saying. I just want to go into the game with the same situation as the other team.” - Rafa Benitez.
Today’s overview: Past and present Manchester United right wingers dominate the discussion in today’s papers, with David Beckham’s England recall and the debate of Cristiano Ronaldo vs George Best filling up Friday’s sports’ columns.
Opinion is divided over Capello’s decision to bring Goldenballs back into the England fold. Hanging on 99 caps, Kevin McCarra and Henry Winter argue that Beckham’s return should be viewed with scepticism, with the long-term future of the right side belonging to the likes of David Bentley. Martin Samuel counters, bullishly arguing that Capello selected Beckham on merit, with no pretenders able to take Becks’ crown.
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s midweek feat of overtaking George Best’s total of 32 goals from the 1967-68 season, many of the papers compare the two United number 7s to find out who is better. The field is split, with the most adoring Ronaldo fan being Pat Crerand, who suggests that Ronaldo outshines Cantona as well as eclipsing the talents of Best. At the other end of the extreme, Steven Howard (The Sun) surprisingly downplays Ronaldo’s achievements and places Best on an untouchable pedestal.
Reaction to Ashley Cole’s tackle on Alan Hutton receives further attention, with Russell Kempton berating the weak Mike Riley. Tony Cascarino and James Lawton both bemoan the law preventing any future action top be taken against the Chelsea left-back, as a yellow card was brandished during the match.
Finally, amongst a selection of random articles ranging from the legacy of Brian Clough to hearing what the future holds for Gianfranco Zola, is a fabulous article by South African Percy Zvomuya on the relationship between football and religion.
With David Beckham returning to the international fold, Kevin McCarra (Guardian) warns against getting carried away. “With each month that passes in the MLS, though, his sharpness will fade and he will be less in tune with top-flight football.”
Martin Samuel (The Times) argues that Beckham’s return is on merit. “When Steve McClaren, Capello’s predecessor, brought back Beckham last year for the competitive match in Estonia, it made little sense. Now the time is right. Beckham deserves his place in the squad if only because no one in the 21 months since the 2006 World Cup finals has made that position his own. Steven Gerrard sulked when asked to play there, while Shaun Wright-Phillips blew hot and cold. Only Beckham, in brief spells during matches before the rigours of his new life in California took too great a toll, came anywhere near to reaching the standard required of an England midfield player, so he may as well have another crack at it.”
Henry Winter (Telegraph) wades into the Beckham debate, and suggests the Capello was naive in recalling Goldenballs and it may hinder David Bentley’s progress. “The obsession with Beckham prevents Bentley from bedding in, which is what England require on the road to South Africa. Capello has six hours’ rehearsal time to get his players word-perfect for the World Cup qualifying dramas… Capello will soon learn that the hysteria trailing in Beckham’s wake can be distracting, and certain other senior players may not be ordering their local church bells to be rung over Beckham’s return.”
Daniel Taylor (Guardian) reports on the news filtering out from Eastlands that “Thaksin Shinawatra has conceded for the first time that there will not be ‘huge amounts’ of money available to Sven-Goran Eriksson this summer.” “The strategy outlined by Thaksin is that, if Eriksson brings in three or four more accomplished signings during the summer, City should be in a position to qualify for the Uefa Cup next season. If everything goes according to plan, he has then promised to back Eriksson with greater funds to help them achieve his goal of reaching the Champions League for the start of the 2010-11 season.”
Bill Edgar (The Times) compares Cristiano Ronaldo and George Best. “Best has often been named as the greatest player the United Kingdom has produced, but his standing as United’s best winger may be under threat from Cristiano Ronaldo. By overtaking the Northern Irishman’s record season’s goals tally for a wide man at the club, the Portuguese has prompted comparisons with his famous predecessor beyond mere scoring statistics.”
The same thread is picked up by Alan Smith in the Telegraph. “If anyone possesses the raw ingredients to eventually rank with the Northern Irishman, the outlandish gifts bordering on genius, it is the boy from Madeira whose present form, for me, places him on a plinth marked ‘Best in the World’. That is no exaggeration. It is how good he is at doing things that require a second take, in combining an extraordinary mix of pace, strength, stature, skill, confidence and courage to embarrass any opponent who dares come his way.”
The comparisons continue with Manchester United legend Pat Crerand in the Daily Mail. “In terms of the club’s history, I think Cristiano has eclipsed everyone apart from George. He has eclipsed Eric Cantona, though that will probably get me shot the next time I go to France! Who knows? He may be on his way to eclipsing George, too. And that will get me hung, drawn and quartered the next time I go to Belfast!”
The Sun’s Steven Howard argues that comparisons with Best are unfounded. “In terms of what the Irishman had to contend with, there IS no comparison. While Ronaldo and his manager may feel he sometimes gets a raw deal from opposition players, just imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth had he had to contend with the sort of serious brutality handed out by the likes of Norman Hunter, Peter Storey and Chopper Harris. But for Best’s extraordinary balance, bravery and awareness of impending danger, he would have suffered career-threatening injury every season. The Belfast boy was also a European Cup-winner and European Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo supporters will again say he is only 23. Yet Best was only 19 when on March 9, 1966, he produced what is still the greatest individual performance in United’s long European history.”
With Ashely Cole’s horror tackle on Hutton still making the headlines, Russell Kempson (The Times) notes that Mike Riley is lucky not to have been punished for spineless refereeing in not sending the player off. “Riley has been criticised widely for not dismissing Cole, but refereeing officials are satisfied that his view of the tackle was indavertently ‘poor’ and, having not realised its severity, he could not issue a straight red card… Riley will be relieved, having possibly avoided an unwanted double. He was ‘rested’ from Premier League duty only last weekend after criticism of his handling of the 1-1 draw between Blackburn Rovers and Fulham two weeks ago, and returned to the middle only on Wednesday.”
Staying on the same topic, It seems crazy to be so selective in the use of video replays, to decide that there are some circumstances in which refereeing mistakes can be rectified but not others. Why do disciplinary panels have the power to rescind red cards, but not to award them? Video evidence should be a tool to eradicate inconsistency, but too often it exaggerates it. Damning footage is replayed all over the media but the authorities fail to change decisions that look wrong in hindsight.”
James Lawton (Independent) supports Cascarino’s assertions. “The Football Association reported that no further action would be taken. Why not? Because of the absurd rule that if a referee reacts, however inadequately, the incident cannot be re-opened. It is another way of saying a referee is infallible. The purpose of this, we are told, is to preserve respect for the judgement of match officials. Only once has the FA broken its rule. It was when Manchester City’s Ben Thatcher fouled Portsmouth’s Pedro Mendes so horrendously two years ago the yellow card handed out by Dermot Gallagher could only be seen as a gross failure of natural justice. The point, which the likes of Ferguson return to with unanswerable force, is that the regulation places match officials uniquely above all judgements but their own, at least in the short-term.”
Robert Phillip (Telegraph) relives the legacy of Brian Clough. “It all came right at Forest where Clough - the expensive signings of goalkeeper Peter Shilton and striker Trevor Francis apart - assembled a European Cup-winning squad from football’s car-boot sales and the Forest youth squad. Central defender Kenny Burns was a noted bad-boy busily going nowhere; under Clough, he became Footballer of the Year. John Robertson was a talented but roly-poly chain-smoker in the No 11 shirt who blossomed into the deadliest winger in the land as a result of Clough’s combination of bullying and gentle persuasion.”
And from one legend to another, Brian Viner (Independent) interviews the magical Gianfranco Zola, who (once again) admitted his desire to return to Chelsea. Money quote: “Will I come back to Chelsea? We’ll see. I think so. I think sooner or later I’ll have a go. But at the moment it is important to get the knowledge. Playing football is one thing, but coaching is another.”
Richard Godden (Football Italia) looks at the fall-out at Inter against manager Mancini. “‘I wish you would leave.’ These were the words allegedly muttered by Zlatan Ibrahimovic about Roberto Mancini after he was substituted against Palermo. The Swede wasn’t the first Inter player to have a bust-up with his Coach in recent weeks. Luis Figo reportedly refused to leave the substitutes’ bench against Liverpool with the Nerazzurri facing an insurmountable 3-0 aggregate deficit, while Patrick Vieira and Luis Jimenez have also appeared to show signs of dissent at the tactician’s decisions.”
In a fascinating article from Percy Zvomuya (South Africa’s Mail & Guardian), the relationship between football, footballers and religion is analysed. “Flying your faith flag is not without its perils, as AmaZulu, a football team that once played in Zimbabwe’s Premier League, can testify to. AmaZulu - who are Sundowns’ Esrom Nyandoro’s former club - were relegated for refusing to play on Saturdays as its owner, Delma Lupepe, is a devout Seventh Day Adventist. Years after his team was relegated, he says he won’t ‘lose sight of our Christian values for any reason. Perhaps our reward for all the investment is not here on Earth.’ Speaking of earthly matters, Taribo West, a former Nigerian defender who played for Derby County, Auxerre and Inter Milan, has a church that is open to the ‘wretched of the earth’ - Milan’s homeless. When he was at English Premier League club Derby County, it was accepted that he was not expected to play on Sundays, as he would be preaching at his Milan church.”
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 am
I don’t get reporters. Before they were all writing about how Beckham should get his 100th cap and now that it looks like he will, they raise questions. I mean c’mon, make up your freaking minds! Don’t just write to sell your paper.