“This isn’t anti-football. It’s just football”
Comment & analysis round-up
Quote of the day: “Over the tournament, we’ve worked very hard to get to the final - there was not that much in it overall and we had a few chances ourselves. Zenit looked the more offensive team, but obviously at this stage I’m disappointed to have lost. We’ve had a terrific tournament. In the end, I can have no complaints. You don’t get the opportunity very often to get to European finals and, when you do, it’s very disappointing to lose.” - Walter Smith.
Runner-up: “I told you that I believed in the tradition of the fair English game. I will not say anything against it. But what happened is what I expected. In England there are very good referees, but there are some - a few that you can influence, like you saw. I think in our game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the referee (Mike Dean) influenced the result for sure. We know that. I think the red card for Mikel John Obi in that game should not have been a red card, I think that Paul Scholes should have had a red card on Sunday and Wigan a penalty also. But it is finished. I congratulate Manchester United.” – Avram Grant.
Today’s overview: Reaction to the UEFA Cup final dominates with the “plucky Rangers” theme employed by mosy columnists. Sadly most commentators only mention man of the match Andrei Arshavin in passing. Aside from Rangers two articles well worth a read are Paul Doyle (Guardian) on Opta stats and Martin Samuel (The Times) on Chelsea.
Henry Winter sums up the match in the Daily Telegraph. “Beaten but unbowed, Rangers left Manchester with heavy hearts but their hearts should also be filled with pride. Clearly drained by their season’s intensive exertions, Walter Smith’s men simply ran out of energy against Russian opponents who had been resting up in readiness.”
Barney Ronay (Guardian) credits Rangers despite their final defeat. “Arshavin was the most talented attacker on display. Rangers’ cussed defence gave him a stage to show his skills and he rose to the challenge. This isn’t anti-football. It’s just football.”
Ewan Murray in the Guardian praises Barry Ferguson. “Peripheral rather than ever wasteful, Ferguson could take solace from the fact that his team’s tactics dictated he could never be a force in the final third of the pitch.”
Ian Herbert (Independent) also comments on the Rangers captain. “A dyed-in-the-wool Rangers fan, Ferguson always insisted that a Scottish title win over Celtic was of more significance than a European run which had been unexpected to the very end. But as he sat, crestfallen, on a Manchester field last night the reality of defeat was proving rather more difficult to take.”
Rob Hughes (IHT) alludes to the SPL’s decision to make Rangers play last weekend as a significant factor in their defeat. “One reason why St. Petersburg had that power at the end was organization. The Russian federation postponed domestic league matches to keep Zenit fresh for the big night - Rangers are in the midst of eight games in the last 21 days of their season. Scotland gives its team, and its multitude of traveling fans, no respite. There again, defense got what it deserved.”
Roddy Forsyth (Daily Telegraph) also reflects on the UEFA Cup final. “And so the occasion proceeded, exactly according to the well-rehearsed script, even allowing for a flurry of Rangers pressure early in the second half when Ferguson had a very good claim for a penalty kick after being impeded by Malafeev. In normal circumstances, a goal for the opposition would not change Smith’s thinking, but with the trophy in plain view, the Rangers manager was placed under instant pressure, by Igor Denisov’s beautifully fashioned strike, to make decisive and positive changes.”
Colin Moffat comments on Rangers’ defeat on the BBC wesbite. “Zenit, managed by former Ibrox boss Dick Advocaat, were the more positive side but the Russian champions looked far from world-beaters and that will only heighten the sense of frustration felt in Glasgow. These occasions do not come along often for Scottish clubs. However, Rangers have no time to feel sorry for themselves.”
Jasper Gerard in the Telegraph praises the longevity of Alex Ferguson. “Sir Alex? Long after his death I suspect they will, as with Jeremy Bentham, wheel out his skeleton for big occasions. The rest? In football there is always life after death.”
Kevin Eason (The Times) reports that “Manchester United will go into the 2008-09 season with the biggest financial war chest in the history of football (£80m). Figures released yesterday showed that massive television income has boosted payments to the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs by almost £300million… United can expect another £30 million if they beat Chelsea to win the Champions League final next week. That will give the club the biggest payout in world football.”
Martin Samuel in The Times has a fine article on Chelsea. “What a strange little club Chelsea are. They spend years trying to become this powerhouse, this global entity, the newest and biggest of the European elite, and when they finally get there, or near, at least, they cannot escape the petty feuds and fissures of their past… They are a strange lot at Chelsea. The littlest big club in the world, some might say, being run on the whim of one man.”
Marina Hyde provides a stunning critique of Birmingham co-owner David Sullivan in the Guardian. “But given that his co-owner, David Gold, has stated that there are no victims in the porn industry, perhaps our hero ought to be gently reminded that there are few victims in football ownership either. You can get out of it any time you like, dear.”
Paul Doyle (Guardian) asks “What do the Opta stats tell us about the past Premier League season.” “So stats can be instructive. But more than anything they’re addictive. Once you start trying to analyse things by isolating every tiny detail, you can’t stop: and so Opta can also tell us that Mark Noble was this season’s clearing-off-the-line king, having saved his side four times, and that Martin Laursen performed more clearances (739) than anyone else.”
Ahead of the FA Cup final on Saturday, Martin Smith of the Daily Telegraph has compiled the “Top 50 memorable FA Cup finals” in two parts: 50-26 & 25-1.
Charles Sale (Daily Mail) looks forward to the Football Writers’ Association’s gala dinner tonight. “Not just over worthy winner Cristiano Ronaldo, but the distinct possibility of it all kicking off if volatileguests Wally Downes and Neil Warnock face off after a few drinks. The pair, who have a strong dislike of each other,had to be separated after a touchline spat between Reading coach Downes and former Sheffield United boss Warnock in a Barclays Premier League match last season.”
A final article of interest comes via Du Nord who link to a piece on the Bloomberg website on the English clubs following the vision of Baseball innovator Billy Beane.
