Life after David. And David.

Assets; previously Valencian.  Picture courtesy of sportskeeda.com

We knew they were short of cash, but they managed to qualify for the Champions League this coming season. With messrs Villa and Silva finally on their way out of the door, how are things at Valencia? IBWM's Jeff Livingstone reports.

At what point does a player become bigger than his club? Sir Alex Ferguson clearly felt that things were heading in that direction when he decided to let David Beckham move to Real Madrid. Brand Beckham gone, Manchester United remain. No one is bigger than the club. Period.

Of course it’s never really been an issue for Real Madrid or for Barcelona for that matter, because both clubs have several of, if not the, biggest names in their ranks. You don’t really get much more famous than Leo Messi, but Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta are as synonymous with the name Barcelona as little Leo is. Real have Kaka, Casillas and Ronaldo, just for good measure; prior to that Carlos, Zidane, Figo and the aforementioned Becks.

It’s not so easy for Valencia though. Despite a very real claim to be Spain’s third club (or second if we say Barcelona are Catalonia’s biggest), Valencia can’t really invest in half a dozen ‘galaticos’ every 12 months. It wouldn’t be fair to say that Valencia live in the shadows of the other two, although they finished third in La Liga last season, but they can’t realistically compete on financial terms. Not right now anyway.

So when Valencia have not one, but two of the world’s best players in their ranks, it’s difficult to think that there might be anyone else at the club……and if those players leave; what’s left? Does it just end there? In Valencia’s case it could, but they are fighting to make sure it doesn’t.

Mention Valencia over the last two to three years and two players will immediately spring to mind; David Villa and David Silva. Both Spanish internationals, both hugely talented and both huge names on the world stage. Both have now left Valencia.

It had been coming for a long time. That Los Che had been able to retain the services of their two best David’s over the last twelve months, whilst staring into the abyss of complete financial meltdown, has been something of a miracle.

Villa has become the best striker in the world today, eclipsing his international partner Fernando Torres along the way. A move to Barcelona was completed within weeks of La Liga closing; so by the time South Africa 2010 had commenced, young David was already a Barca player. Valencia managed to hang on to David Silva a little longer, before Manchester City stumped up the necessary readies and took the gifted winger north to Eastlands.

So with €60m+ netted for their star players, shouldn’t that be enough to put Valencia back on an even keel moneywise? Sadly not. It’s not even touched the sides. The transfer fees received for their two superstars- while hefty - hardly make an impression on Valencia’s debts, which I’ll describe as crippling, because it’s the only word that comes close.

Faced with a creditors bill that was more than six times the clubs turnover, President Vincente Soriano resigned in June 2009 after facing up to the inevitable. He had no clue what to do and didn’t want to be known as the man that sold David Villa.

How did things come to this though? Valencia won La Liga and made two Champions league finals in the early noughties.

Just like so many other clubs in Europe, Valencia overstretched in trying to maintain this challenge. That they had already overstretched in qualifying for the Champions League in the first place just added to the mess.

Last summer, Valencia’s debts stood somewhere between £400-£500m, plus there was also the little matter of the new Mestalla stadium. This was originally due to be complete for the start of the 2009-10 season, but work has been suspended indefinitely, short of a few hairy arsed builders employed to ensure the club aren’t accused of abandoning the whole project. And getting another fine. The irony here is that Valencia has a loyal support that includes a massive waiting list for season tickets. Another 25,000 willing to hand over cash. If only there was somewhere to put them.

Disastrous management and the regular hiring and firing of coaches have done Valencia no use at all over the last ten years; the compensation payments that have been made to the departed (in a football management sense you understand) Ranierei, Flores and Koeman accounting for around €40m alone. Nice work if you can get it.

Last summer there really was nowhere left to turn, and it was only after the intervention of new president Manolo Llorente, invited to the helm by major creditor Bancaja, that Valencia were able to survive at all. Having poured all of their eggs into the basket marked ‘selling the land that our ground stands on to property developers’, Valencia were particularly well placed in the front row to observe a global economic downtown. This was felt particularly hard in the Spanish property market. Ouch.

But Llorente has operated shrewdly, not that he had a huge choice, and made a decision to retain the services of Villa, Silva, Juan Mata and several others. He also secured enough funding to keep the club going and ensure its players got paid. Happy days. And it was very happy days as the La Liga season closed in May with Valencia securing third place and much needed Champions League spot.

However Valencia fans have now accepted that as far as their star players are concerned, last season was just a stay of execution. Llorente has delivered another tilt at the Champions League, but with the club letting players and staff leave on a daily basis, they are unlikely to pull up any trees. Unless manager Unai Emery oversees some kind of miracle which clearly isn’t going to happen.

Villa has gone, Silva has gone and it’s just a matter of time before Juan Mata heads out of the door as well. In amongst the rest of the squad, the lofty Nicola Zigic was sold to Birmingham, but Valencia have still looked to recruit. Argentine midfielder Tino Costa has arrived and Valencia are already exploring possibilities in the loan market with Robinho and Manchester United new recruit Javier Hernandez already mentioned.

Facing up to next season is going to be tough for Valencia’s fans and how this season plays out depends entirely on whatever rabbits Llorente and Emery can pull out of their hats. Having managed to turn adversity into triumph already, both will want to repeat the trick again. If Valencia are going to survive, they don’t really have a choice.

 

Rooney scoops World Cup award, Everton's Hetinga urinates in public...metaphorically

IBWM's player of the tournament.  Picture courtesy of the Guardian

No, IBWM doesn't know what to do with itself either.  Best hand out some awards.  Your host for this evening; Jeff Livingstone.

That’s that then.  Another four years till the next one.  All the hype, all the years of build up and now it’s gone, over.

But then, South Africa 2010 was hardly a fantastic World Cup.  There were stand-out moments, certainly, but they were few and far between, and most of the football on offer was low on quality. 

How many memorable games were there?  I’ve got two, maybe three; by and large South Africa 2010 was, in football terms at least, very poor.

That’s no detraction from South Africa though; IBWM wasn’t there so can’t really pass comment, but praise has been heaped on the rainbow nation for the whole shebang, organisation and stadiums etc.  South Africa can’t be blamed if teams and players just never turned up.  We’ve all now been officially told that 4-5-1 is the future, and that two defensive midfielders are key to success in the modern game.  Gulp.  If that’s the way things are heading, then we’re going to have some pretty dull games ahead of us.  Maybe 3 points for a win needs to be looked at again.  Could we consider points awarded to teams for artistic merit perhaps?  Football to learn from figure-skating?

Ultimately the best international team in world football - Spain - won, but not in the style that many had hoped for.  IBWM tipped the Spanish on the grounds that they simply had the best players, and that turned out to be the case.  Spain won not through tantalising attack play, but by keeping the ball and just wearing opponents down, and out, before, bang, delivering that critical blow. 

How do we describe Spain’s’ style? Counter-attacking? Not really; Defensive? No; Containing? Yes, that’s the word.  Spain virtually imprison teams so that they have nowhere to go.  The Spanish players retain their energy by letting the ball do the work, wearing opposition players out.  With all this stored energy, if the ball is lost, there is no team faster or more aggressive in challenging to win it back. This is where the ‘high tempo closing down’ phrase comes in.  It’s never haphazard though; all very zonal and always two players charging down the man in possession.  Watch Spain in any game at South Africa 2010 and you’ll see what I mean; there’s always two them.  It’s very clever.

So well done to Spain, but did anyone else emerge from the tournament with credit? 

For my money, Germany and Uruguay can both be very proud of the way they played.  Holland would have been in this group too had they not resorted to downright thuggery in the final, which was almost obscene for a nation with such a fantastic reputation for beautiful football.  

Try to imagine a beautiful flower bed; a shrine to Cryuff, Neeskens and Rep; lovingly preserved for nigh on forty years.  Then imagine Marc Van Bommel coming in and stamping on all the plants, Nigel de Jong building a concrete block on it and John Hetinga pissing on the walls.  You get the picture.  Hetinga seemed such a nice boy at Everton too.  Bert van Marwijk clearly some sort of bad influence/criminal mastermind.

Before the tournament, many fans and correspondents were concerned about the risk of being attacked in South Africa.  As it turned out, the streets were relatively safe compared with the pitch at Soccer City on World Cup final day.  Ok, Holland needed a tactic, but was it really necessary?

So as we reflect and look back on South Africa 2010, IBWM - just like every other Tom, Dick and Harry website and publication - has some awards:

Player of the tournament - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

No doubt about this one and I’m pleased to see FIFA agree with IBWM.  Diego Forlan was peerless.  Once mocked in England for a bad case of donkey posterior/banjo syndrome, Forlan was quite simply fantastic at South Africa 2010.  He scored goals, looked dangerous throughout and really stood up to lead his nation.   

Notable mention - Thomas Muller.  A revelation for Germany and a new world star.  His absence in the semi-final against Spain left a real ‘what if’ feeling during the last week of the tournament.

Best match - Uruguay v Ghana

Not a huge selection to choose from and nothing of any real merit before the quarters, but the Ghana v Uruguay game wins for this correspondent.  There may not have been a huge number of goals, but the game was nothing less than exciting throughout with the last 10 minutes as controversial yet enthralling as any you will see.   

Notable mention - Germany v Argentina.  Germany’s complete annihilation of Argentina in the quarters, and that would also get a best performance award should I be offering that one, which I’m not.  Sorry Germany.

Biggest disappointment - Wayne Rooney (England)

Sorry Manchester United fans, but your boy had a ‘mare of biblical proportions.  I'll happily accept that he was injured or just completely worn out, but more than that; the spark was gone, there was no fire in the eyes.  Before the tournament, many pundits were concerned about Rooney's temper and those fifty yard runs and full blooded tackles he makes when the red mist descends.  But most England followers would have given anything to see that passion this time.  There was nothing there.  Rooney looked like a balding, middle aged man on holiday. 

Notable mention: France.  Pampered.  Lose your temper with your boss by all means, but how many World Cups do you get to play in a lifetime.  This one will haunt Evra, Anelka and many for the rest of their lives, they just haven’t realised it yet.

The IBWM team of the tournament

No 4-4-2’s for this pilgrim, it’s a crazy 3-4-3, with an attacking full back in that back three.  Complete and utter Madness.

Iker Casillas (Spain) 

Number one, as he has been for many a year now. Vital to Spain making crucial saves when he needed, his handling was also the best of any goalkeeper in the tournament.

 

Arne Friedrich (Germany) 

Played every minute of every game for Germany at South Africa 2010.  I noted more interventions and more moves started by Friederich than for any other defender in any team.

Carles Puyol (Spain)  

I thought the Barcelona defender was starting to look a little leggy last year, but not a bit of it on show here.  A colossus throughout.

Maicon (Brazil)  

Disappointing campaign ultimately, but has no equal in world football.  Fast and furious whether defending or attacking.

Xavi Hernandez (Spain)  

Passed.  And then passed some more.  Just does all the simple things perfectly.  If there is a central cog in what Spain do, then Xavi is it.

Wesley Sneijder (Holland)  

Nothing short of dominant in every Dutch performance he played in right up to the final when he just vanished.  Very nearly player of the tournament had he not been so well shackled by Spain’s' Busquets in the final.

Thomas Muller (Germany) 

Someone always emerges as a star at these things and Muller certainly did at South Africa.  Clinching the golden boot was an amazing achievement, but what might have happened had he faced Spain in the Semi Final?  We’ll just never know.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) 

Playing deeper for his country than before, Schweinsteiger prompted and dictated Germany's play in every game.  Has developed into one of the best midfielders on the planet.  Take a bow son.

Diego Forlan (Uruguay) 

Fourth place will still be reflected on as an amazing achievement for Uruguay, but this was Forlan's tournament.

Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) 

Not just a poacher, Gyan had defenders on the back foot throughout Ghana's campaign.  Terrified the life out of Serbia's normally resolute back four.  Brave enough to tuck his second penalty away only moments after missing one that would have put Ghana into Semi Finals.

David Villa (Spain) 

The best striker on the planet and was ruthless when he needed to be.  Villa has no weakness and now joins a team in Barcelona where he could become a legend.

IBWM's World Cup 2010 verdict

The tournament is just too long.  I’d watch football all day, every day, but with 32 teams the World Cup is just an endurance event, and it’s really starting to show.  Will FIFA change it?  Not when there are votes to be gleaned by its president.  

The European Championships have always produced good football due to there being fewer teams on show.  But even they have been increased in size now just to put a spanner in the spokes of quality again.

On behalf of IBWM, I feel particularly short changed by South Africa 2010.  We were all told that Rooney, Kaka and Ronaldo would stand out at this World Cup, but when I look back in years to come, all I will recall are Jabulani’s, Vuvuzela’s and Paul the psychic octopus.

Still miss it though.  Roll on 2014.

Real Madrid to sign Chelsea target Khedira

Fresh from picking up his bronze medal at South Africa 2010, word reaches IBWM tonight that German midfielder Sami Khedira has asked his representatives to complete a deal with Real Madrid.

Spanish newspaper Marca have confirmed this evening that Real have made a bid of 8 million euros for the player, and are prepared to offer up to 15m to get their man.

Jose Mourinho had originally identified Liverpool's Steven Gerrard as a a priority signing for his new Real Madrid midfield, but is understood to have agreed to compromise on this with Gerrards age and the financial implications of the transfer -  with a fee upwards of £30m being mooted - proving prohibitive.

Khedira had been identified by the English media as being high on the shopping list of Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, and with good reason.  

At 23, Khedira has already proved a more than competent replacement for Michael Ballack at international level and with Ancelotti given a brief to reduce the average age of his Chelsea squad, the Stuttgart midfielder certainly fits in with Roman Abramovich's plans.  

Khedira, with just one year left on his contract at Stuttgart has made his intentions clear though and is set to join Real this week.

What next for Twente?

The Eredivisie champions 2010; but what next for Twente?  Picture courtesy of the Daily Telegraph  

Steve McClaren raised their profile and led FC Twente to glory in Holland last season; so what's the story?  IBWM's Jeff Livingstone reports.

How we laughed.  That YouTube video; the one with Steve ‘for sure’ McClaren.  Hilarious.  Here he was, the broken man of English football banished for all eternity to the wastelands of mid table Eredivisie.  He had an England team full of superstars, and yet he couldn’t get them to the European Championships.  Pah!  How could any top coach not get the best out of Gerrard, Rooney et al?  Good job England had Don Fabio eh?

Here we are, two years later, questioning whether England players are actually good enough; while ‘the wally with the brolly’ has recently led provincial Dutch outfit Twente Enschede to their first Eredivisie title.  How things change.  You will have heard that Steve McClaren has recently moved on from Twente, taking the manager’s job at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and IBWM will be looking at club and manager at a later date.  But what about Twente?

When Steve McClaren took the head coach role at Twente Enschede in the summer of 2008 it certainly raised eyebrows back in England.  Many had expected the former Middlesbrough manager to bide his time and find a job in the UK.  With his family still based in the North East of England, it seemed only a matter of time before a call came from Newcastle, Sunderland or Middlesbrough requesting McClaren’s services.  Or maybe the former England coach could pick things up at Hartlepool, Darlington or Blyth Spartans.  With no disrespect to any of those fantastic clubs, they now looked to be McClaren’s level, so low was his stock following a dismissal by England.

Despite warnings that he was about to fall off the map, McClaren did his research and listened to the ambitions of FC Twente chairman Joop Munsterman.  Clearly impressed with what Munsterman had to say, and with the set up at Twente, McClaren took the job and began a special relationship that has raised the profile of both club and manager.

FC Twente Enschede was founded in 1965 and is based in the town of Enschede in the Twente region of the Netherlands; well east of Amsterdam but close to the Dutch border with Germany.  The locals - referred to as Tukkers - have witnessed their team play a lengthy period in the top flight of Dutch football, with only cursory glances at success.  Proudest moments for the club consisted of a UEFA cup final appearance in 1975 – which Twente lost to Borussia Monchengladbach – and a two Dutch cup wins in 1977 and 2001.  The club moved into its new stadium, De Grolsche Veste in 1998, but very nearly ceased to exist in 2002 when mounting debts almost forced their collapse. 

Dutch media magnate Munsterman took over at the club in 2004 and in the same year Twente were beaten finalists in the KNVB cup, the Dutch equivalent of the FA cup.  Gradually improving their league position each year was largely down to a well run academy and some astute training ground work put in by coach and former player, Fred Rutten.  With Rutten moving on to take the manager’s job at Schalke in 2008, Munsterman turned his attention to the disposed former England coach Steve McClaren.

If Twente had been punching above their weight under Rutten’s stewardship, then the first season under McClaren was nothing short of miraculous.  Commencing the season with a Champions League qualifier against Arsenal, Twente’s young side had lost heavily, but had not been embarrassed.  Their league campaign was impressive too, with a forward line consisting of young Austrian Marko Arnautovic, Swiss veteran Blaise N’Kufo and new Dutch starlet Eljero Elia scoring 37 goals between them as Twente again made the Champions League qualifiers.

McClaren was faced with realities of running a smaller club in the summer of 2009.  Ready to start his second season, the opportunity to move Twente forward was negated by the sale of Elia to Hamburg and the loan of Arnautovic to Inter Milan.  With two of the clubs best players gone, McClaren was forced to look elsewhere, and managed to pick up two youngsters from relatively humble backgrounds that were within months hailed as the players of the season.  In 2010, for the first time in their history, Twente were champions.

Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz Gonzales arrived from Belgian club AA Gent without a hugely prolific record, but fired 24 goals in 34 games to steer Twente to the title.  With N’Kufo containing to score regularly, Elia’s creativity was not missed due to the terrific form of on-loan Chelsea youngster Miroslav Stoch, who also weighed in with 10 strikes.  A 2-0 victory at NAC Breda on the final day of the season held off the advances of a Luis Suarez inspired Ajax and Twente captured their first league title.

But what next for Twente?  Without the need for a Champions League qualifier, the club now has a sizeable budget and scope to increase capacity at its excellent stadium; something that the ambitious club are keen to do.  But for all the positives, Twente will start the 2010-11 season without miracle worker McClaren who has since moved on to Wolfsburg.  Striker N’Kufo, an integral part of the Twente side for many years, has decided to see out his days as a player in the MLS with Seattle Sounders while Stoch returned to Chelsea before being sold on to Fenerbache.  Arnautovic has also now taken up permanent residence in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen.

In addition to the recent departures, Bryan Ruiz is now attracting the attention of Europe’s top sides, with Liverpool heavily linked in recent days.  Twente will also do well to retain the services of Brazilian defender Douglas, another player with a bright future. 

But that’s what Twente do.  They have to sell to survive, and as long as Twente's management build the club up during the good times, the bad times will not last as long.  The Champions League will raise the profile of FC Twente further and they have already started to reinvest.  Money has been set aside to increase stadium capacity up again from 24,000, highly rated Swedish winger Emir Bajrami has been signed from IF Elfsborg and prolific Austrian striker Mark Janko has arrived from Red Bull Salzburg, presumably to fill the gap that Luiz’s departure will leave.  Former Belgian goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme will lead the side this season and it will be interesting to see how Twente go.  Good luck to them.

World Cup 2010; Psychic squid Paul writes for IBWM!

"ten squid on Spain....I said, ten squid on Spain!"

With a direct link from his erm, pad, at the Sea Life Aquarium at downtown Oberhausen; Paul, the psychic squid, has written for IBWM a not selling out at all piece.....

Hi sports fans!  

It's always tough when your team drops out of the World Cup, and I've already watched England (spent my early years in Weymouth) and my adopted Germany miss out in South Africa, but there's still plenty excitement to come!

Much as I would have loved to see Germany in the final, that feeling just went though my tentacles....I said tentacles...and I just had to plump for Spain.

And do you know what else? I really fancy Spain to 'tank' Holland too.  I've not been wrong so far, so if you fancy a piece of the action, why not get a few 'squid' on Espana for Sunday?  And who better to place your bet with than Bet365 who have joined up with this site.

You can click the (l)ink on the right and they'll help you through the whole process.  Don't miss out and I'll 'sea' you again soon!

Cesc now set for Arsenal stay

Barcelona President Sandro Rosell; managing Catalan expectations

Positive developments for Arsenal today with the news that Barcelona have hit problems in their proposed move for Gooner’s captain Cesc Fabregas.  IBWM's Jeff Livingstone reports.

Last week, IBWM reported on the seemingly inevitable nature of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas’ move to Barcelona.  To my mind, it looked more a case of when than if; however developments in Catalonia earlier today have cast doubt over Barca’s chances of securing a deal for the player.

Despite reports last week claiming that increased revenues had made Barca ‘the biggest sports team in world’  – the club recorded turnover of over €445m for the last financial year – emergency moves have been made to secure a €150m loan to pay staff and player wages.

This news follows rumors in Spanish financial circles that Barca’s main Television partner, MediaPro, was on the verge of collapse and Barcelona FC was effectively insolvent.  The Catalan club entered into a 7-year €1 billion contract with MediaPro in 2006, but there have been suspicions that the firm had been in difficulties for some time and today it applied for bankruptcy protection.

Speaking via the club’s own website; newly installed president Sandro Rosell, who succeeded Joan Laporta in the role, attempted to reassure socios - the clubs membership - that the Barcelona club itself was not bankrupt, but stated that it would ‘have to finance’.  Rosell admitted that there were cash flow problems at the Camp Nou and confirmed that Barca would be adopting an austerity policy, with restrictions placed on ‘unnecessary’ spending.  Rosell also confirmed that Barcelona had received verbal assurances from MediaPro about payments, but pointed out that the deal was not underwritten by one of Spain’s banks, unlike Real Madrid’s own TV tie up.

With the Catalan region facing severe hardship due to Spain’s own financial problems, it’s difficult to see the situation improving quickly for Barca.  With Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta cemented into their midfield positions; it could be that a move for Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas - unable to displace any of the Barca trio from the current Spanish side - would also fall into the unnecessary spending category.

Having just spent €40m on Valencia’s David Villa, and bidding for €20m for Juan Mata from the same club, Barca are unlikely to be awash with transfer cash.  The potential sales of Yaya Toure - to Manchester City - and possibly Zlatan Ibrahimovic will generate income for Barca, but it remains to be seen whether further cash is reinvested into the first team squad.  It’s worth considering that Dmitry Chygrynskiy was returned to Shakhtar Donetsk this week at a €5m loss to Barca.

 

With Fabregas under contract until 2014, the only chance that Barcelona appear to have in signing the Arsenal captain will rest on whether he is prepared to instigate the transfer himself.  Rosell did add the line that “everyone knows he wants to come here” when referring to Fabregas, but “denied adamantly” that Barca would be prepared to pay €50-60m for the player, with Arsenal unlikely to sell for less.

With the move now looking more of an obsession for Joan Laporta, the more pragmatic Rosell appeared to offer encouragement to Arsenal by managing the expectations of Barca fans, describing publicity for the potential deal for Fabregas as; “the worst thing that could have happened”.

Good news for Arsenal fans, and it could be good news for England if the FA learn from Germany.  Read IBWM's take on this to find out more.

The legacy of France 1998; How German football got it right

 The end of the line for England's golden generation.  Picture courtesy of the Daily Mail


The German national team has gained admiration for the quality of its young players this year, but at the turn of the millennium, things weren't quite so rosy.  How did Germany get it right, and what can England learn from them? IBWM’s Jeff Livingstone reports.

After Germany beat England in their 4-1 win at South Africa 2010, the English media asked ‘why don’t we play like that?’  And with good reason; Germany simply outclassed England, with every player in white demonstrating his ability to retain possession and pass the ball.  What was all the more remarkable about this, and what really got up the noses of the tabloids, was that this was a young Germany side, with no apparent big name stars, against England’s golden generation; a side consisting of Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard.

This result was no fluke and the writing had been on the wall for a long time.  While England continued to rely heavily on a group of players that had shone so brightly in the 5-1 demolition of Germany at Munich in 2001, German football had gone through something of a revolution. 

Was it that 5-1 defeat nine years ago that had been the catalyst?  While that result would have stung the German nation, the original seeds of change were sown in 1998.  After coaching his country to become World Cup winners at Italia 90, German legend Franz Beckenbauer stated that Germany would be ‘unbeatable for years to come’.  With a strong national side set to be bolstered by a generation of skilled East German players, Beckenbauers statement did not look unreasonable.

By the summer of 1996, a unified Germany had collected its first major title, beating the Czech Republic to become European Champions for a third time.  At the same time, German’s top flight, the Bundesliga, awash with television money, was drafting in foreign players by the score to supplement the squads of its biggest clubs.

Fast forward to the World Cup at France in 1998 and a German defeat to Croatia and an exit from the tournament.  Time for a change; a new generation of stars ready to pull on the white shirts…….only problem was there weren’t any. 

The influx of TV cash in the 1990’s saw the number of foreign players in the Bundesliga rise from an average of 1-2 per side at the start of the decade, to 6 or 7 per team by the end of it.  The national team was suffering and the defeat to Croatia led the German FA to take action. 

A delegation led by Beckenbauer proposed a radical overhaul of youth football across the country.  Having looked to France as role models, with the French already enjoying the fruits of its 12 élite academies, Beckenbauer and his team proposed the introduction of more than a hundred regional talent centres but more crucially, they wanted the Bundesliga’s top clubs on board. 

The Deutsche FA requested that all clubs participating in Bundesliga’s 1 and 2 set up their own youth academies, stating that each yearly intake must consist of 12 players that were either born in Germany, or could be accepted to play for Germany.

While many of the clubs baulked at the idea, preferring to furnish the bank accounts of top overseas players, the German FA added the all important, and ultimately crucial, catch; failure to comply will see your acceptance into the Bundesliga revoked.  In a nutshell, put up or shut up.

While Bundesliga clubs grudgingly accepted the German association’s requirements, it became clear in 2002 that they had been granted a huge favour.

At the start of the noughties, German football was rocked by the collapse of corporate media giant, the Kirch group.  Bankrolling sport on TV, including the Bundesliga; Kirch media had mirrored the work done by Sky with the English Premier League, to a similar level of success.  However Kirch had overstretched itself considerably and its three main media companies became insolvent in a period from April to June 2002.  With the Bundesliga feeling the full financial effect of Kirch’s collapse, there was no money left for transfers and wages would have to be slashed to stop clubs following the same fate.

From 2002 onwards, German clubs were left with little choice but to field their own home grown players.  While many critics warned against throwing kids in too early, dozens of youngsters thrived.  Mistakes were made and goals were conceded, but with clubs having no-one else to turn to, many youngsters, like Kevin Kuranyi at VfB Stuttgart, learnt from their mistakes and blossomed.

The German national side was clearly in transition for much of the decade, but still managed to reach a World Cup final in 2002.  In 2006, Germany hosted the World Cup, and with the national squad still taking shape, former World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann was asked to help.  With Stuttgart’s Joachim Low drafted in to support the inexperienced Klinsmann, the Germans excelled on home soil and finished third in the tournament, well ahead of national expectation. 

During the World Cup in 2006, the first glimpses of Germany’s future appeared. Luka Podolski, Per Mertesacker, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Phillip Lahm all excelled; Podolski named young player of the tournament.

Klinsmann was ultimately succeeded by Low whose side were beaten finalists in the 2008 European Championships, losing to Fernando Torres single strike for Spain in the final.

The last two years have been the period that German football has really hit top gear.  With the fallout of the Kirch collapse still very evident among many of the top clubs, and a world-wide recession still biting in Germany, there has been little choice for clubs but to continue to blood young talent. 

With first team experience for their clubs in the ranks, the German under 17’s became European champions in 2008; the under 19’s and under 21’s repeating the feat in 2009.  By the time 2010 has rolled around, several players have stepped up to the full national side and you’ll have already seen the evidence of what investment has done for German football. Podolski, Mertesacker, Lahm and Schweinsteiger are still only in their mid 20’s, and this year we have already seen Werder Bremen’s Mesut Ozil, Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller, Stuttgart’s Sami Khedira and Manchester City new boy Jerome Boateng excel.  But there are other potential stars in the current squad waiting to make their mark.  Bayer Leverkusen’s Toni Kroos, Hamburg’s Dennis Aogo, Stuttgart’s Serdar Tasci, Bayern Munich’s Holger Badstuber and Werder Bremen’s Marko Marin are all waiting for their chance.

The production line doesn’t stop there either with several other young players very close to making a step up to the full national side. In Germany, great things are expected of defender Mats Hummels from Dortmund and Borussia’s flying winger Marco Reus - Joachim Low deciding to hold both back until after South Africa - and there is a raft of further talent set to make its mark over the coming years.

In contrast to their German counterparts, the English FA really have no more time to think this one over; action needs to be taken to build those centres of excellence and reel those clubs in immediately. 

England have recently won the under 17 European Championships and with most of the Premier League heavily in debt, English clubs may also have no choice but to play academy players…..but they need to be English. 

Despite a semi-final defeat this time, Germany are set for along spell at the top of international football; if England does host the 2018 World Cup let’s hope that the FA have more to admire than the arch at Wembley stadium.

Do you agree?  Should England look to the German example, or is everything ok?  Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments. 

Pannonian starlets set for big time with Newcastle United

Tamas Kadar, set for a big say in Newcastle United's future.  Picture courtesy of imageshack.

And that’s Pannonian, as in the Pannonian basin; a large area of Eastern Europe which encompasses Slovenia and Hungary, amongst others.  But then, you knew that already dear reader; maybe you want to argue the Carpathian side of things?  Let’s get back to football, eh?

Slovenia and Hungary are mentioned here as they are the homelands of two young players that have every chance of making a mark in the English Premier League this season.  Both are young, both are on the fringes of their full national sides and both are on the books of Newcastle United.

Newcastle have endured a traumatic period of late - some would argue this began in 1892 with no sign of abating - following a downturn in fortunes and a fall through the Premier League trap door.  After enjoying a lengthy stint at the top of the English game, Newcastle slipped from being a key player in Europe’s elite club competitions, to become a mid table, and then ultimately relegated, side on the verge of full implosion.  The slide can be tracked back to the latter days of Sir Bobby Robson's reign, with his subsequent dismissal being a clear reference point for consequent failure.

In 2007, Newcastle United was taken over by billionaire sports retailer Mike Ashley and Newcastle fans felt, with huge financial resources available, it was now their time to stand toe to toe with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal at the top of the tree.  It wasn’t.

Ashley arrived with money to spend, but it was apparent that he had not done his research.  Cash earmarked for investment was required to plug the holes of a heavily listing ship up to its neck in debt and servicing player contracts it could not afford to maintain with sponsorship money already long gone.  The hangover of a decade of financial and footballing mismanagement by Newcastle’s previous owners had arrived with a bang. 

A series of PR disasters and bad decisions ensued and any good feeling the Geordie masses felt toward the club’s new owner was well and truly destroyed by 2008.  If any positive work was being done behind the scenes for the long term financial state of the club, it got lost in a melee of botched attempts at sales and antagonising appointments, with Ashley feeling the full wrath of a city’s discontent.  Invariably the palpable negativity at St James’ Park spilled down from the stands onto the pitch and the club was relegated.

At the start of the 2009-10 season, a disjointed club lined up for its first game in the English second tier facing what many expected to be the final leg of a journey to complete oblivion.  A disinterested owner, an unproven manager in Chris Hughton and an overpaid squad of players comprising the bulk of the side that had capitulated the previous year did not look to be the foundations of a rejuvenated club.  However the remaining players rolled up their collective sleeves, dug in and won the division with automatic promotion back to the premier league at something of a canter; Hughton taking the plaudits for an excellent job.  The crowds at St James Park, as ever, remained high and with average attendances of over 43,000 enjoying a winning side, positivity and some stability slowly returned…..albeit with a large dose of apprehension about how long it would last.

In amongst the debris of bad decisions made during Newcastle’s last stint in the Premiership, were some good ones.  The club had resolved to focus on youth development - the North East being renowned as a rich vein of footballing talent – and set about rebuilding links with local youth teams and, in some cases, offering junior coaches ‘a kings ransom’, as one local coach I spoke to put it, to defect to Newcastle from other Premiership clubs.  To supplement the local intake, Newcastle widened its scouting network to bring in talent from overseas and amongst the new recruits were two players that arrived from Eastern Europe full of promise.  Enter 20-year-old Tamas Kadar from Hungary and Haris Vukic of Slovenia, aged 17.

Hungarian defender Kadar was signed in January 2008 from Zalaegerszegi and didn’t take long to make an impression in youth and reserve team matches.  A year after signing for the club, a full blooded tackle during a reserve team game against despised neighbours Sunderland did for young Tamas.  A broken leg was the result, which ruled the player out of Newcastle’s relegation scrap, just as he was needed.  The injury may have been a blessing though as it meant that Kadar avoided being part of the disjointed side that went down; the effects of playing in a relegated team could easily have left a mental scar on the youngster.

Kadar did manage to make his debut for the first team at Newcastle the following season in the more sedate surroundings of the Carling Cup.  Some nervousness had crept into the young Magyar’s (headline writers take note) performances - inevitable following his injury - but by the end of the season Kadar was back to his best and was disappointed not to have played more.

As a composed and classy defender that has covered several positions for his club already, Kadar is a player that wants to play football properly.  In the blood and thunder of the championship, young Tamas has, on more than one occasion, caused Newcastle fans to almost swallow their dentures as he looks to dribble and pass his way from the goal line when row z is the usual clichéd prerequisite.  But this is something that has clearly not been drilled out of the player by Newcastle manager Chris Hughton.  As a former defender and well respected coach in UEFA circles, Hughton has actively encouraged the player to play his football but within reason.

In terms of footballing ability, it is many years since observers of Newcastle’s reserve and junior games have saw anything as good as Haris Vukic.  While several of Europe’s big names dithered, Newcastle nipped in ahead of Bolton to pick up NK Domzale’s 16-year-old attacking midfielder in January 2009.  At 6’ 2” and with great physical strength, Vukic would have been lining up for the magpies on a regular basis had he, like Kadar, not been hampered by injury.  

A league debut at QPR in Newcastle’s final game of the season gave Geordie fans a glimpse of what Vukic can offer, and he too will have been disappointed not to have got more appearances under his belt.  Strength, skill, a range of passing and a ferocious shot all helped a Newcastle junior side destroy a particularly gifted Chelsea XI at the start of last season and Chelsea have continued to monitor the player’s progress, along with Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

For now though, Newcastle have offered no encouragement to any other clubs and made it quite clear that approaches for either Vukic or Kadar are not welcome.  Both players are expected to feature more often for Newcastle this season as they return to their rightful position in England’s top flight.  With money remaining tight on Tyneside, chances will present themselves for both players this year and it has to be good for both that they will be allowed to develop playing first team football, rather than just disappearing into the reserve sides of Europe’s current elite. 

If bids come in that are impossible for Newcastle to turn down, then the recruitment of both will have been a worthwhile exercise, if for no other reason than helping to correct the club’s balance sheet and providing a strong foundation to move forward.  As Newcastle United corrects itself and seeks to ultimately return to the top table, both Vukic and Kadar look to have a big say in the journey. 

Manchester United new boy Hernandez linked with quick switch to Valencia

Javier Hernandez; it's complicated.  Picture courtesy of theoffside.com

Spanish newspaper Marca is today suggesting that 'complications' may have arisen in Javier Hernandez' transfer to Manchester United.

The Iberian daily, never a publication to hold back when stirring things up, have a list of issues, ranging from contractual wranglings to work permit problems, in the background of the deal.

Not for one second is IBWM suggesting there is anything untoward with Hernandez' transfer to Old Trafford - Manchester United have stated categorically that the player belongs to them - but Marca, with a whiff of blood, has long term admirers of Hernandez, Valencia, ready to take the striker on a one year loan basis should there be any issues. Marca also hint that negotiations have taken place with Valencia about a deal should Hernandez not fit in during his first year in England.

Whether United had envisaged any such problems is not yet known, but this looks interesting, with more to the transfer than initially apparent.

Comments welcome.

Danish legend Laudrup returns to Spain

IBWM notes the return to club management of Michael Laudrup, who this week took over the top job at Real Mallorca......and it brought back a few memories.

I can still recall the World Cup in 1986 very vividly.  Due to the time difference between Mexico and the UK, a lot of the games were played through the night, for us UK based folk anyway, which meant that a 12-year-old El Jethro was totally reliant on his tinny little radio with a single white earpiece, and BBC Radio 2's Peter Jones.  I tried to listen to as many games as possible; while there will have been some television coverage of these, there was no way the precocious Jethro was going to be allowed to stay up and watch those.  Not on a school night anyway.  

In amongst the angst I can recall at Bryan Robson's injury and Ray Wilkins dismissal, was the beacon that was the 1986 Denmark team.  Starting the 'group of death' with a 1-0 victory over Alex Ferguson's Scotland (Jock Stein had recently passed away and Sir was in temporary charge), the Danes then went nap against Uruguay with a 6-1 mauling of the South Americans, and a 2-0 win over West Germany. 

The Danish side took to the pitch in those Hummel shirts that just looked fantastic (I'm back to the TV now, you understand) and they played mesmeric football.  Verona's Preben Elkjaer scored a hat trick against Uruguay and was fantastic throughout; but he was assisted by many other talented players, none more so than Michael Laudrup.

At that stage Laudrup was with Juventus, playing second fiddle to Michel Platini, but he shone at Mexico.  I was so convinced that having watched the Danes romp through the group stage with a 100% record that World Cup glory beckoned.  Still too young to appreciate the finer points of the French, Brazilian, Italian and Argentinean sides of earlier tournaments, I concluded that Denmark were by far and away the best team I had ever seen.  Spain next?  Easy.

Denmark '86; mesmeric

Despite taking a 1-0 lead from a Jesper Olsen penalty, Denmark were savagely ripped apart by an Emilio Butragueno inspired Spanish side, with Real Madrid's 'El Buitre' helping himself to four goals in a 5-1 win.  I think that loss actually hurt me more than England's defeat at the hand of Diego Maradona (IBWM still attaches equal blame to Terry Fenwick and Peter Shilton for that one), such was my admiration for Denmark, and probably lay the cornerstone of my fascination with World Football

Despite that setback, the Danes went on to fashion a new side that was ultimately successful in the 1992 European Championships, despite the lack of talisman Laudrup, who went on to achieve greatness as a player in Spain.

Facing regular comparison to Platini at Juventus, Laudrup ultimately made his was to Barcelona, and it was here that he really stood out.  Helping his team to four straight league titles, Laudrup was one of the first Galacticos, defecting to Real Madrid where he picked up a fifth consecutive championship medal.  Despite only turning out for two years in the Spanish capital, Laudrup was voted the 12th best player in Real's history.  Quite an achievement for such a short spell.

Laudrup; trophy winner

After football, Laudrup moved into coaching where he was involved with the national side and then Brondby, whom he steered to a Danish League and Cup double in 2005 before resigning a year later.

Laudrup's most distinctive period as a manger so far only lasted 11 months, but it was enough to get him noticed.  Having led Madrid's third side, Getafe, to the quarter finals of the UEFA cup and a second consecutive Copa Del Ray final, Laudrup's stock was particularly high, especially as his teams were playing high tempo attacking football.  This period saw him heavily linked with Chelsea and Real Madrid amongst others, but ultimately taking the managers job at Spartak Moscow.

A clearly unhappy Laudrup did not stay long in the Russian capital, and was dismissed after only 7 months into his contract; the first time that the Dane had suffered this fate.  Links with several other clubs have came and went, most notably Atletico Madrid, but Laudrup this week returned to La Liga to take the managers role at Real Mallorca.

IBWM is intrigued to see how this one pans out, as Laudrup will want to prove that his time in Moscow was a blip and that he still has what it takes to guide a team to better things.  On the face of it, picking up a job in charge of a team that only missed out on the Champions League on the final day of the season looks like it should be a stroll, but the backdrop to this are Real Mallorca's debts, and the fact that the club entered into administration in May.  

Tough ask, should be interesting.