Great Action Weekend

Ronaldo takes his season tally to 29

Ronaldo and Rooney scored a brace as ManUtd destroyed Newcastle 5-1 at St.James' Park. Wonder what the Geordies now think of their 'Messiah'? The Red Devils are now just 3 points behind Arsenal who were held to a 2-2 draw at Birmingham. Eduardo Silva suffered a horrific injury and is now out for the season and the Euro Championships. Arsene Wenger, who we all know has selective blindness, surprisingly saw the tackle from Birmingham's Martin Taylor that caused Eduardo's injury!

Meanwhile, Tottenham won their first trophy in nine years, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Carling Cup. After dominating Chelsea in an exciting match, Tottenham needed to come back from a goal behind and win the match in extra time, Woodgate's header proving to be the winner. It's actually good to see a team outside the top four finally winning something!

Start of Ramos Revolution?

Liga Fight!

Barca too closed the gap on Real to just 2 points after they beat Levante 5-1 thanks to Eto's hat-trick and Real's home defeat against Getafe, in comic circumstances. Robben thought he had scored and as Real players gathered to celebrate, little did they know that it was actually ruled offside. Getafe took a quick free kick and scored from the counter-attack.

EPL Overseas Plan - For the Good of the Game?

“The Premier League has proposed an international round of league games to be played in five cities across the globe from 2011 to cater for the worldwide demand for English football.”

When Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore announced his ambitious plan to exploit English football’s popularity and expand outside England, there were mixed reactions to this plan. While a few managers such as Arsene Wenger and Roy Keane gave their backing to the plan, most fans were unanimous in their opposition to the proposed 39th league game abroad.

There are certainly pros and cons to this highly controversial plan, and there are some questions that still need to be addressed before a final decision is taken.

Pros

The precedent was set by NFL, which was taken from the United States to London and it was appreciated by the fans. Premier League is a major attraction throughout the world and is a cash-cow waiting to be milked.

Fans around the world will have the chance to watch wonderfully talented players from the world’s strongest league playing competitive football.

With more revenues, the sport can witness a tremendous improvement in the not just the quality of players but also in that of the stadiums and other related facilities.

As is the case with any other sport, football needs to keep evolving and innovating if the sport needs to expand globally and dominate other sports in terms of viewership.

Cons

The idea is seen as solely motivated by money and with utter disregard for the fans.

It is a worrying trend that local fans are often marginalized by clubs as the clubs seek to establish a global fan base. Fans often feel that the game is beginning to forget its roots and the tradition of local club support. This might force fans to be up in arms against their clubs, and ultimately turn their back on the Premier League.

There is already talk of too much football and no winter-break. There is talk of accommodating the 39th game in January, a time when clubs play for the league, the league Cup, and the FA Cup.

Other national associations will want to protect their own leagues and clubs and furthermore, they will not be happy about the Premier League coming to their domain and taking sponsors, and advertising revenue.

Questions

What will happen to season-ticket holders who support their club every game in the home stadium but cannot afford to travel overseas?

Will the money made from these matches be put back into youth and grassroots football? Will clubs lower ticket prices?

If this becomes a huge success, what is the guarantee that the Premier League will not eventually play more games abroad?

Will fans abroad be as interested in a Derby-Boro match as they would be in a ManUtd-Newcastle game?

Will kick-off times be arranged to suit both the spectators in the stadiums abroad and the local supporters watching their clubs on television in England?

As much a fan I am of the Premier League who would love to watch EPL clubs playing competitive games in India, I am averse to the idea of the proposed 39th game abroad. Football clubs, throughout the world, have been established on a strong supporter base, built and passed over generations. I have personally witnessed the passion of local club supporters who have struck with their respective clubs through decades of triumphs and losses, and I believe that if the Premier League, whose enormous success was possible only due to the support of the local fan base, antagonizes the local fans by sticking to its plan of holding overseas games, the game will eventually lose its soul.

United thrash the Gunners

Manchester United put the derby defeat to City behind them as they crushed Arsenal 4-0 in the FA Cup fifth round. After an insipid performance against City on the week United were bogged down by the memories of Munich, they produced an inspired masterclass display against the team that sits at the top of the Premier League table.

ManUtd started the game without a number of first team players including Ronaldo, Giggs, and Scholes, and Tevez. Although Tevez and Scholes were on the bench, ManUtd ensured they remained fresh for the midweek Champions League trip to Lyon, thanks to a dominant display that saw them lead 3-0 at half-time. Rooney was magnificent as the single striker, and was supported well by Nani, Anderson, and Fletcher. Nani supplied the crosses for Fletcher's 2 headed goals, and scored one himself.

The scoreline actually flattered Arsenal since ManUtd had the chance to score many more goals. Although Rooney performed incredibly with his high work-rate, he has to learn to finish better. Nani was accused for showboating but with the score already at 4-0, why shouldn't he entertain the crowd?

The surprise of the weekend was Liverpool getting knocked out after losing at home 1-2 to Barnsley. Looks like they have only the CL to play for this season, and it should be an interesting encounter against Inter this week, the Italian champions are yet to lose a game this year in Serie A and lead the table by a mammoth 11 points.

La Liga
Barca closed the gap on Real Madrid to 5 points after beating Real Zaragoza 2-1, thanks to a Henry goal and a Ronaldinho penalty, while Real lost at Real Betis by the same score. I think Barca are gradually recovering while Real are beginning to stutter. This season should see a close battle once again.

The Legend of the Busby Babes

February 6, 1958 - On that fateful winter’s day exactly 50 years ago, the plane carrying Manchester United players back from a victorious European match at Belgrade, crashed after a failed attempt to take off after a refueling stop in Munich. The club lost 8 players in that tragedy and this became a moment of profound significance not just in ManUtd’s history but also in English football’s.

Sir Matt Busby, the ManUtd manager, had envisioned a golden age for ManUtd after being crowned English champions in 1956 and 1957, with a team of young starlets including Duncan Edwards, the then golden boy of football and the youngest international in England’s history. Busby had dreams of European domination, but those dreams lay in tatters while he lay critically injured in a hospital, but more painful was the excruciating news that he had lost most of his squad.

Apart from Duncan Edwards, ManUtd lost their captain Roger Byrne, David Pegg, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Billy Whelan, Mark Jones and Geoff Bent. Eight journalists, 3 United staff, one crew member, the co-pilot, and two other passengers lost their lives.

Busby recovered from his injuries and so did a few other players including Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, and Bill Foulkes, among others. Amazingly, ManUtd made it to the FA Cup final, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers. But then, the club stumbled into the wilderness for a few years but who would have thought that Sir Matt Busby would build another great ManUtd side, a team that played some of the finest football in Europe.

At a time when football was moving towards conservatism and tactical organization, Busby's refusal not to compromise on the club’s attacking style of football led to the club winning its first European title in 1968, the first English club to do so.

It is not the Munich tragedy that propelled United into a club with a worldwide fan base but it is the way they regrouped under their manager Sir Matt Busby, deriving strength from adversity, building a great side that consisted of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, and George Best, and winning the European Cup on the 10th anniversary of the Munich tragedy.