Comment & analysis round-up

Quote of the day: “It’s a great day in terms of there is glory in winning but, in football terms, keeping Portsmouth up was a bigger achievement. It’s a dream come true to come and win the FA Cup. It has been a good day. Cardiff put us under a lot of pressure and we had to deal with difficult situations. My defence was fantastic. They did really well, especially on set-pieces. For me the biggest feeling is one of relief. There are no easy games any more. But when we get in front - with Sol Campbell, David James, Sylvan Distin, Heidar Hreidarsson and Glen Johnson - we’re a difficult side to break down. It was important to come here and get the win.” – Harry Redknapp.

Runner-up: “It’s not going to be hounding me, conditions were wet first half, there was a bit of rain. I am not going to make excuses but it was a new ball, I should probably have dealt with it better but on another day it might have bounced somewhere else and the defender clears it. But, as it was, it came straight to Kanu and he tapped it in… Everybody probably remembers me for the throw-in incident, at that time it did shake me but this time it didn’t affect me. I probably should have done better but it’s gone now, it’s nothing to worry about.” – Peter Enckelman.

Today’s overview: The Cup final goalkeepers take center stage today. David James writes what it is like to win the FA Cup and Peter Enckelman is generally thought to have been the “fall guy” of the 2008 FA Cup final. There are also features on match-winner Kanu, Harry Redknapp and Aaron Ramsey. Almost all the other articles center on the Champions League final - much of the debate concentrates on Cristiano Ronaldo and there is also comment on Avram Grant and Michael Ballack ahead of the Moscow showdown.

David James (Observer) reacts to winning the FA Cup. “Later today we will embark on our trophy parade through Portsmouth. It won’t be the first time I’ve been on an open-top bus with my team, but it is the first time I’ve felt happy about it. Finally, at the age of 37, my dream has come true.”

Guy Hodgson (Independent on Sunday) writes of how it was third time lucky for the Portsmouth keeper.

Andrew Longmore (The Sunday Times) features Harry Redknapp. “Redknapp, an emotional man, seemed strangely subdued in the press conference, as if there was nothing more left to give. He would be wise to walk away, but proper football men rarely see the future so clearly. Redknapp has a Cup to his name and that’s all that matters, for the moment.”

Roy Collins (Sunday Telegraph) writes of the match winner yesterday. “Kanu has infuriated and entranced in equal measure throughout his career in England, an Indian rubber man of a footballer who can sometimes display the balance and agility of a tightrope walker and, at others, look as though he only has two feet so as to double his chances of tripping over one of them.”

Paul Wilson (Observer) enjoyed the showpiece event. “Was it a great final? Possibly not. It could have done with a bit more drama or perhaps a great goal, but so could most FA Cup finals. Portsmouth had the better players, as people suspected they might, and in the end Cardiff found it increasingly difficult to cope with the control and movement of Kanu, Sulley Muntari, Lassana Diarra and Niko Kranjcar. You cannot have a shock in every round, hard though this season’s FA Cup has tried. The nearest thing was David Nugent coming on and almost scoring.”

Nick Miller (Football365) was far from impressed with the FA Cup final. “While it was refreshing to see someone other than John Terry pick up the Cup, the fact is that the 2008 final was almost as dull as the 2007 version. Not quite, but almost.”

Nick Townsend (Independent on Sunday) praises the former Gunners who were behind Pompey’s win. “In truth, Portsmouth did just enough. One suspected that they always possessed reserves of class, if required. And their ambition was no more exemplified than in the former Gunners, who in their different ways are all the type of players that Redknapp loves to acquire when his peers may exhibit caution. Yesterday they rewarded him with his first trophy, which he hugged as though it was his wife, Sandra. Indeed, the victory, he said, was for the woman whose twin sister Pat Lampard, mother of Chelsea’s Frank, had died a fortnight before.”

Stuart James (Observer) writes of Cardiff and goalkeeper Peter Enckelman. “The Finn earned notoriety during his time as Aston Villa goalkeeper following a couple of high-profile clangers against Birmingham City and the mistake he made in the 37th minute after John Utaka whipped a dangerous ball into the six-yard box will do little to change the opinions of those who claim he is a player who cracks under pressure. Cue a few more clips added to YouTube tonight.”

Jonathan Northcroft (Sunday Times) also features the “fall guy” of the FA Cup final. “Last week, Enckelman was offered a three-year contract and it is imagined he will sign it, providing he holds onto the pen. In many ways, he represents where Cardiff – and virtually all Championship sides – stand in relation to the Premier League.”

Brian Glanville (Sunday Times) was impressed with Aaron Ramsey’s substitute appearance. “As Portsmouth tired in the closing stages, his presence seemed to inspire a Cardiff revival which came measurably close to forcing a draw. We shall watch his progress with enormous interest. Meanwhile Wales themselves have surely found the best young prospect they have had for many years.”

Brian Oliver (Observer) gives a Pompey fans perspective. And Cole Morton and Sadie Gray in the Independent on Sunday write an article titled “The fans final: Football’s special day at Wembley.”

A selection of BBC pundits analyse the FA Cup final. Alan Shearer: “If you look at the players Harry Redknapp has brought in to the club, the likes of Kanu, Sol Campbell and David James, you have to say that he has a knack of getting the best out of his players. Portsmouth only conceded one goal during the FA Cup run and any team that does that deserves to win the trophy.”

Also on the BBC, Kevin Ratcliffe gave his thoughts on the Wembley final. “The Bluebirds deserved something from the first half, yet they were the ones who made the mistake - and it cost them. People will look to blame ‘keeper Peter Enckelman for Kanu’s decisive goal, but there are plenty of other players to consider. When you step up a level you need to know all about the opposition you are facing - and full-back Tony Capaldi should have known that John Utaka, who put the cross in for the goal, is all right foot.”

In what could have been his last FA Cup final, John Motson’s performance is chewed over by Jasper Gerard in the Sunday Telegraph. “Inevitably there were a few goalmouth fumbles. It might not have satisfied Motson aficionados expecting a “for those of you watching in black and white, Tottenham are playing in yellow”; but loyal fans cheered wildly when he exclaimed incredulously: ‘Portsmouth think they’ve scored!’ Er, well that was probably because they had, John.”

Rod Liddle also analyses Motson’s performance in The Sunday Times. “Motty had a very good game. There is a website devoted to getting rid of him, calling him a doddery old fool and ‘even worse than David Pleat’. Well, good luck in the future, you bloggers, with the likes of Richard Keys and Andy Gray.”

The “Big Interview” in the Observer today is with Cristiano Ronaldo. Money quote: “‘I am very happy with my season. I have scored 41 goals and won every award, I don’t have to show anything to anyone. There is nothing to prove.”

Nick Townsend asks in the Independent on Sunday if Ronaldo could “bow out at the top?”

Paul Wilson analyses the “showdown” between Avram Grant and Alex Ferguson. “The old order meets the new order in Moscow, and you could hardly pick a better venue for a revolution.”

Andrew Anthony, also in the Observer, writes that if United win the Champions League, Ferguson “will join the pantheon of football’s finest coaches.” And Joe Lovejoy in The Sunday Times asks “Can Manchester United break Chelsea’s hearts again?”

Rob Shepherd in the News of the World urges Ryan Giggs to win the Champions League on Wednesday and retire. “if he is victorious in Moscow and also surpasses Sir Bobby Charlton’s appearance record, what better way to bow out? Go before his legendary status is undermined by weary limbs. Go before fans with infamously short memories forget the glory he has brought United.”

Hugh McIlvanney in The Sunday Times argues that “Ronaldo has it all to prove” on Wednesday. “For all who have most fervently expressed admiration, anything less than a highly influential contribution from Ronaldo at the Luzhniki stadium will undoubtedly be a blow to the testimonials.”

Derek Alsop (Sunday Telegraph) compares Ryan Giggs and the “spirit of George Best in 1968.” Also in the Sunday Telegraph, Jonathan Wilson reports on a new film on Carlos Tevez. “Produced by the Argentinian actor Gaston Pauls, it will mix drama and documentary, with the 24-year-old Tevez playing his adult self and an actor playing him as a child. Pauls trained at the noted Ferro football academy in Buenos Aires until he was 13 and admits he is a ‘frustrated footballer’.”

Duncan Castles (Observer) writes of Wednesday’s final being a last opportunity for much of the Chelsea side. “Triumph or taunts? Chelsea’s global greatness goes on the line in Moscow.”

As Inter Milan go into their crucial last day decider at Parma, Ian Ridley claims in the Daily Mail that manager Roberto Mancini is being lined up for Chelsea.

Andy Dunn (News of the World) believes Avram Grant “deserves better.” “If Grant is the man to lead Chelsea, he should be given the type of dictatorial control that Ferguson enjoys. Employ his own staff if he wants to. Sweep away those who have been inherited if he wants to and map out his long-term vision for the club.”

Jonathan Pearce (Sunday Mirror) also writes of the Israeli manager. “United will make it a glorious night of celebration 50 years on from Munich - unless Grant can yet summon a remarkable response from a courageous group of players probably playing together for the last time.”

Gabriele Marcotti (Sunday Herald) features Michael Ballack. “It’s not just the fact that he scored nine goals in half a season - a Gerrardesque return for a midfielder - it’s the fact that he often popped up with important ones: the brace which sunk Manchester United in the league, the icebreakers against Fenerbahce and Olympiakos in Europe, the winners against Reading and Fulham.”

Graeme Souness looks at both teams in the Sunday Telegraph and in the same paper Stewart Robson features the difficult questions being faced by both managers.

Nick Townsend agrees with the recent quotes from Kevin Keegan and labels the Premier League dull. “The reality here is this: 14 clubs, those who did not finish first to fourth, or who did not win the contest necessary to enter Europe, are not destined to do too much next season either, except contest one of the increasingly devalued cups. The vast majority of Premier League clubs are doing nothing except fighting manfully, and expensively, to stand still or inch forward, many in the midst of enough collective debt virtuallyto refinance Northern Rock.”

The News of the World have a number of transfer rumours today, including Spurs chase Andrei Arshavin, Zoltan Gera is on his way to Everton and Petrov and Bojinov want out at City.

Chris Bascombe in the News of the World reports that “George Bush has emerged as a key figure in Tom Hicks’ plans to retain his grip on co-ownership of Liverpool. Bush is considering buying back shares in the Texas Rangers baseball team he sold to Hicks in 1998 once his term at the White House ends in January. The Texas Rangers are worth an estimated £200million. And the sale of some shares in his American sports interests may be enough to cover part of the cost of buying George Gillett’s 50 per cent stake in Anfield.”

John Aizelwood pinpoints “The good, the bad and the ugly” of season 2007/8.

Michel Platini is interviewed in the Sunday Telegraph and wanrs Premier League clubs they cannot go on running up huge debts to win silverware. Money quote: “Licensing will come and, when it does, no longer will clubs be able to win through debt.”

Former Arsenal full-back Kenny Sansom opens up about his alcohol problems in the Mail on Sunday, as part of a serialisation of his new book. “I know I’m no hero on the home front. I have lost my home and much of what I hold dear. I guess I deserve it. But I hope one day I can win it back. All I really want is to be happy and try to help those I love find happiness. Now that would cap it all.”

In the Sunday Herald, Mark McGhee and Jim Black remember Tommy Burns.

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