Let's Start With A Clarification
Emil, to answer your question.
Law 14 from the Laws of the Game.
Feinting in the run up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as part of football. However, feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run up in considered an infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player should be cautioned.
So there you have it. Nothing wrong with Balotelli's pens.
Andy (not to be confused with fainting), London
Reaping Etc
Regarding the 2 big matches before the England games and the FA/Lineker getting their knickers in a twist about it.
Why should the clubs/Premier League help England out when that help isn't reciprocated? When England stop picking important players for meaningless friendlies and even more meaningless U21 tournaments, then maybe they could have cause for grievance.
You reap what you sow.
Adonis (Higuain) Stevenson, AFC
Modelling
Ross, Sussex, raises a point that's been rankling with me for years. The only reason I'm shackled to the soul crushing ennui of 9-5 office work is that the 'preferred' camera angles used in the fashion industry are preventing me from having a male modeling career of Zoolander-esque proportion.
Mick (bet Barca, Bayern and Spain all look Shite in close up too...oh wait) Dublin
The First Day Of The Season Is...
In response to Jamie Bedwell, Cheltenhamshire, it's quite simple. The transfer window opens. Clubs can then recruit new players (and offload unwanted ones) in preparation for the forthcoming campaign. Until that point, your squad remains the same and you are still stuck in the current season. That date, July 1st as I understand it, is the first day of the new season, for me.
Chris, SAF Stand
Do Real Want Suarez?
We keep hearing quotes from Suarez saying how he wants to play for Madrid. But there seems to be a total lack of comment in the other direction. For most clubs this wouldn't meamn all that much as deals are generally done behind the scenes and not commented on by the club until completed.
But we all know Real's Modus Operandi is for half a dozen people associated with the club to come out in the press/media talking about how great the player is, how he would 'fit in' at Madrid, how it would be good for the player to go there etc etc.
It just seems to me the Suarez is like that guy he keeps phoning a girl asking her out when she just isn't interested, meanwhile telling his mates she is after him.
Also coolest players - why no George Best or Ruud Gullit?
James Metcalfe
Debate
To 'Joshua, South Africa',
You claim it's fairly obvious that Neymar is better than Oscar. Well let me provide you this.
From a 19-year old in his first every Champions League game. Shall we send the debate back to the floor?
Davs, Brighton
Don't Knock The Players
I'm a bit tired of this ongoing knocking of English players and their tekkers.
John Nic is right that the players are seemingly too insular to appreciate the need to develop. Ronaldo was a stark contrast to most, with his desire to learn from what others are doing.
But I'm not sure you can't blaim THEM for that, it's the world they live in. The blame lies with the managers - after all, that's their job. I fancy that there aren't too many Spanish Harry Redknapps and Tony Puli plying their trade in La Liga.
Hopefully, one club (maybe Brenden's Liverpool, Moyes' United, or the Sheik's City) will take the step to re-think how they develop youth players, following the Ajax model of focusing on developing technique and short passing. But... John Nic (and others) is very wrong about the likes of Huddlestone not being good enough for the top level. For his age, as he came through the age ranks, he was good enough. He had the potential, he was just not developed properly in the latter stages. Like Rodwell, I could see them being the lynch-pin in the centre. Yet we pursued the impossible dream of pairing two midfielders who just want to get forward.
It's utter rubbish to say - effectively - that English players genetically aren't good enough. Sure, we may spread our sporting talents over too many sports compared (what are the Spanish Rugby, Cricket, Hockey etc sides like?) but the blame lies with the managers and the clubs for not keeping an eye on good practice. Barcelona redeveloped to follow the Ajax model, and others have followed suit. Both France and Germany overhauled their wider setups with huge dividends.
We know the FA aren't going to change anything; they're on a gravy train and at their ages they don't have the appetite for change. So it's down to the clubs.
The fans also need to change their expectations. Last season people were decrying the likes of Cleverley (for reasons I don't understand), who has shown excellent technique and a willingness to keep things simple in a most un-English way. Why? Because he doesn't drive up the pitch like Gerrard, or score penalties and tap-ins like Lamps? In a game of keep ball, I'd bet on Major Tom over Stevie Me, and by contrast a pairing of Wilshere and Cleverley seems like a dream team.
One final thing, the much chased Thiago Alcantara did much of his developing and growing up at Barca B, who play in their second tier. So balls to the idea that you have to be playing for a big team to be good enough. If anything, too much pressure too young probably does you harm!
Guy S (You may say I'm a dreamer)
Fast-Tracking Is The Problem
Dear Editor,
In response to John Nic's piece about England, I think the fault lies not just in a talent shortage - by which I mean in-depth talent as the U21 is good on paper and we have some good prospects, just not that many of them to provide meaningful competition for places and thus improve - but rather fast tracking the hyped talent that we do have from an early age.
In the past decade, we have seen the likes of Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, The Ox and Jack Wilshere bypassing the U21 set up for the senior squad. This has had the unfortunate consequence of said players not learning the ethos of international football from an early age. It is not about transferring skills used in club football where you are far more familiar with team mates and patterns of play, but rather gaining accustomed to the process of being called up and performing a function in a team that is not used to playing with one another and has little time to gel into a cohesive unit. Therefore, the answer is for the England set up to decide on a style and a formation, and to tailor all teams to function towards this. It doesn't matter what the style is, but it needs to be decided upon. Players need to learn this process, so it does not makes sense to "fast track" players into the senior squad as they would bypass this crucial learning curve about "how to be an international footballer". Ergo, the U21s should be used as a development squad for the senior team by playing the same style. As packed full of talent at the Spanish senior squad is, I think the likes of Munain and Isco are probably talented enough to make a senior 23 man squad. Are they? No. They are playing at their age level as it's a learning process.
Also, "fast-tracking" has a more destructive element which is that young players work with their seniors and not their contemporaries. The likes of Wilshere at the moment are working with Lampard and Gerrard. Whilst both are fantastic players (and they both are, really), all Jack Wilshere will learn to do is to play with them rather than understand his role in the tactical set up. This might work for the odd game, but when Lampard and Gerrard retire, Wilshere will be rather up the creek as he'll have to learn how to play international football all over again as he will have new central midfield partners. The advantage of them not being fast tracked is that Wilshere could learn how to play alongside one of his contemporaries in the development squads and get used to his position, but also to learn alongside his future senior squad midfield partners. This, for me, has no down sides other than it would keep talented footballers out of the picture until they hit 22. This would be a small sacrifice for me. Sorry to pick on Wilshere, but for me, is a classic number 8 and not a number 10. He is being played, in my humble opinion, out of position in the senior squad. At least if he stayed with the U21s, he could be the best player suited to the number 8 role, unlike the senior side where Carrick and Lampard are older, more established and better players currently, and learn his game correctly.
Richard (come on Albion, sign some strikers), Cambridge
The Italian Model?
I keep wondering why the templates that England need to copy at international level turn out to be Spanish, German or Brazilian. These teams and cultures have never exactly be synonymous with Team England. Say for example England had copied Spain and their coaching for the last ten years, do you believe that we would have witnesses a tournament win, or a "Lampard can't play with Gerrard" debate of truly (and I mean truly) epic proportions.
What I am really getting at is why has the Italian template (the one Capello was successful in qualifying with) not been replicated at all levels? What have English teams been good at over the years other than gritty defending, a bite in midfield and either a marauder or a poacher up front. Then a coach that won't be afraid to build a defensive team supplemented by the guile of a Platt, a Le Tissier, a Sheringham, or Rooney.
However this is just looking at the traits a culture creates and utilising them as best as possible. So I suggest to you that England are not guilty of failing to copy a another style of play but guilty of trying to be something they are not. Four Four &*^ing Two.
Paul Cronin
Fixture Stuff
Can anyone tell me how and why the FA fail to put together a sensible fixture list?
It Italy and Spain (I don't know about other countries I haven't looked), the first 19 fixtures, which all go home, away, home, away etc are then mirrored for the second half of the season. The team you play first, is the team you play 20th and so on.
Looking at my team's (Chelsea) fixtures, there are 6 separate occasions in the season when we either have back to back home games or back to back away games. I am not saying this is giving us an advantage or disadvantage, I am simply saying it is absurdly poor organisation. It is also not great from a fans point of view. As a season ticket holder, with the fixtures as they are, you can go a month with no home game and then have 3 the month after.
Other countries have Champions League and International breaks to worry about, so there is no real excuse. If the Premier league fixture list was as well organised and symmetrical as the other major Euro leagues then there would be a lot less debate about fair or unfair fixtures.
Paul, London
We should note that if anyone in Spain heard you comparing their fixture organisation favourably with England's, they would piss themselves laughing - MC.
Odd One
As you may be aware, Guernsey FC got promoted to the Ryman league last season having played 20 games in the last 36 days, and as such they are now eligible for the FA Trophy and FA Vase for the first time. The FA, in their infinite wisdom, have just decided that NO replays or rearranged matches can be played on the island (despite an impeccable record of getting teams over here over the last two seasons). So if Guernsey play away against, say Luton, in the FA cup, any replay will be at a neutral venue in the UK.
So 4000+ fans in the Channel Islands miss out on seeing the FA Cup. How is that fair when a team from Cornwall can still get drawn against a team from Newcastle?
Well done FA. Bunch of pr1cks
Anonymous, Guernsey
Blimey
Clearly, having a very productive Thursday, I have just spent 15 minutes watching a compilation of all 106 of Henry's assists for Arsenal. Watching it immediately filled me with the pride you get when you watch your team knowing that they are great. Some great goals from Pires, Ljunberg, Suker, Vieira etc. Not to mention the majesty of Henry.
But then the pride started to change. About half way through I felt a sadness and a longing. This was truly the era (In my lifetime) when Arsenal were great. When I watch Arsenal now I watch with a combination of fear and excitement (As I am sure other fans of all teams do) but not the same sense of pride that watching Arsenal of this era gave me, and probably way too much fear than is healthy. I know I will probably get labelled as a fan with 'an unworthy sense of entitlement' but that is not my point. I love Arsenal, and if some of the rumoured transfer targets for the upcoming season are true then fantastic. But I miss us being great. I miss us being feared by opposition. I miss having one of the best players in the world play for us (Last season, IMO, only one player would even have made team of the season). We are not a bad team, our chances of having our best season in a while are very high next season, but we are a long way off being considered greats. And this makes me sad.
Dave (Henry is a shoe-in for coolest footballer) London
Faux Shame
Ah FM, Edinburgh.
I enjoyed your ironic (was it ironic? I can't even tell anymore) response to my well thought out and carefully worded email that I wrote on the toilet yesterday.
If you'd stop weaving yoghurt down Grassmarket for two seconds and pulled yourself away from Football Italia reruns on youtube, you'd realize that every single one of your smug characterisations of some of England's most reviled millionaires (Dyer might not be a millionaire, I hope not Townsend but fear the worst) was a regurgitated platitude from Football Weekly. In fact, I'm surprised you even allowed yourself to write "bantz" without quotation marks, as AC Jimbo outlawed the word about halfway through last season...errr.. not that I listen to the podcast.. every week.
If you have to spend even one second on wikipedia to tell the mailbox why these players are cool, they're not. And, by the way, titles don't make you cool, this isn't the army! Edgar Davids is way cooler than all of the try-hards on your list. Finally, that spelling of Milan is a DEAD giveaway of faux-hipsterism.
Faux shame FM, Edinburgh, faux shame.
Angus, LFC Plastic (Who the f*ck is Don Draper!?) Oxford
Annoyance
Quick note for all the hipsters out there (apropos of nothing, obviously...) - making bad jokes about how you're a hipster doesn't make you less annoying. The opposite in fact.
Neil Raines
Japanese Naivety
I find all the giddy praise for Japan in this morning's mailbox rather curious. They lost. Largely because they were woeful in defence. Isn't that just the sort of naive performance that England would have served up under Kevin Keegan?
Matt Pitt
Pedantry Corner
Alas, exeunt means they leave and is used for a group of characters.
I know exit sounds less grand but at least it is correct.
Yours pedantically
Nick PNEFC
Tension High For Friday
By my reckoning Joe Kinnear and/or Newcastle have been the face of four straight Mediawatch pages. Any other club taken a clean sweep of a week before?
Dave (at least there are never pictures with the non football story) MUFC
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