I Love The Potters

Tony Pullis Laying Down The Law

Stoke City, a feel good story of the English Premier League. Whereas most teams these days are using money and power to make themselves competitive, stoke have employed good-old hard work and a unique but rather primitive style of play to propel themselves into the top flight of not only English Football but also of European Football.

From the manager Tony Pullis, down to the players, supporters and even the ground they call home, you can feel that Stoke is all about true-grit and hard work. Mr Pullis isn't one for fancy suits, scarves or hand gestures; he manages with passion and fire and is very intelligent. I feel this intelligence goes unseen as he is tactically one of The English Premier League’s more gifted managers

While I admit Stoke’s unique playing style of balls in the 18 yard box is basic, it is oh so effective. The strategy is get the ball in the 18 yard area to their big players in Kenwyne Jones, Robert Huth, Rory Delap & now Peter Crouch. Be it by crosses, throw in's or set pieces, with the usual feeder being the pacey Jermaine Pennant, this style and technique is unused by most clubs is the sole reason why it is so effective for Stoke. This coupled with the acquisition of Jonathan Woodgate and seemingly a great new keeper in Amir Begovic, Stoke City look set to stay in the top flight for quite some time to come.

When granted entry into the top flight after being promoted on the last day of their 2007-08 campaign, Stoke have not looked back after finishing 12th in their first campaign in the top flight in 2008-09, 11th in the 2009-10 & 13th in the 2010-11 Campaign. It was during the latter where they made the FA Cup final, only to fall short 1-0. Regardless of this result, Stoke had still managed to successfully gain entry into the European Competition.

After achieving 5 points from their first 3 fixtures in the 2011/12 English Premier League campaign and winning their first two European matches 4-0 and 1-0 respectively, Stoke City seem to be kicking on nicely which, in my opinion, couldn't deserve it more.

McKay & Flores Out, Kewell & Emerton In.

Matt McKay Celebrating The 2010-11 Final Win

The A-League lose two quality young players in former Brisbane Roar captain and now regular Socceroo Matt McKay & one A-Leagues most exciting players in Marcos Flores. Who do the A-League pick up you say? The injury-prone Harry Kewell and the reliable Blackburn Midfielder Brett Emerton.

Marcos Flores

Both aged 32, one, the most injury prone player I think I have ever seen and the other a Blackburn Rovers and Socceroos hard-worker. I do not have any major complaints about either; I have more with Kewell than Emerton. My problem is that they have been dubbed the messiahs to raise the A-league from the pits to a world-class league.

I'll start with the departures mentioned earlier. Matt McKay, a 25-year-old Brisbane Roar founding father playing 131 games over his 6 year stint at the club. He led them to their first ever A-league title in the 2010-11 season. He has also played 11 games for Australia in the last 2 seasons which includes 8 games so far this year and is tomorrow set to star in his 9^th in Australia’s world cup qualifier against Thailand. Sadly however, this great player, grown and manufactured in Australia has left, Gone abroad, to star for Scottish league giants Glasgow Rangers and is now at long-odds to return to the A-League which brought him to stardom. McKay has always maintained that he wanted to stay at Brisbane, and so it is my assumption that money is the issue. In my opinion, Matt McKay would be a much better investment and servant to the A-League than that of Harry Kewell.

Secondly, Marcos Flores, the Argentinian international that had Adelaide and rival supporters alike on the edge of their seats in anticipation who more often than not delivered with stunning goals such as Goal 1 & Goal 2. Flores is yet another player that maintained their desire to remain in the A-League, yet has left chasing what they're worth. Once again I feel he would be better for the A-league than Harry Kewell.

Now for the Imports, I feel Brett Emerton will do a good job and be a success. My only issues are his age and also where the A-leagues priorities lie. Is it revenue or is it the future of the competition? Emerton will help but he is not going to put the A-League on his back and run them through the fire and flames to the Promised Land. He will be consistently good for Sydney, he will earn them a few more ticket sales and a few more jerseys and probably give a few tips to some of the younger players but that's about it. No miracles here I'm sorry to say.

Harry Kewell, where do I start?  Don't get me wrong, I feel Harry is a great player and has contributed a lot to putting Australian football and footballers on the map. However, where has he been since he left Liverpool? Let me tell you… predominantly on the sideline. Since he left Liverpool in 2008, mainly because of injuries and lack of playing time due to his prolific injury record, Kewell has played only 61 club fixtures, those being for Turkish club Galatasaray. Without sounding harsh or blunt, he is a waste of time and money for Melbourne Victory, which should have been spent much more wisely. How many games will he be fit for? And what do you expect of him?

In closing, I hope for the sakes of Harry, Brett and the A-League that I am proved to be wrong with egg on my face as the A-League needs something, anything to lift the standard and bridge the gap between Australia and the many successful leagues abroad.

The Z-League.

The Australian Football team has come a long way since 2006. From securing a Word Cup Finals appearance in which they were more than competitive in after controversially being knocked out in the final 16 at the hands of eventual tournament champions Italy to then qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, although with much less success than the our previous tournament. The alarming thing however,  is when I look at the future of the Socceroos and have trouble to identify the next of Australia’s Harry Kewell's, Tim Cahill's, Brett Emerton's, Lucas Neil's or Mark Schwarzers. This got me me thinking, “where is the problem?” After a lot of pondering, I have come to the conclusion the problem is the A-league.

The A-league is a shambles. Teams have been brought in too early & too fast with seemingly little research and preparation. The majority of A-league clubs have, from the onset of the competition, Established themselves in not only the Rugby League dominated areas of North Queensland, Brisbane, Sydney and Newcastle but also the AFL dominated areas of Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. This could have only ever resulted in one way for the A-League…Minuscule attendance records, low fan-bases and becomes merely a playground for once star players, who have since passed their prime, to come to retire. Essentially the A-League is a graveyard.

The A-league has also ‘shot it's self in the foot’ in terms of potential growth. By giving teams labels such as "Sydney FC", "Perth Glory", "Brisbane Roar" & “Adelaide United”, Clubs are covering the whole of the cities of which they reside which eliminates the potential of multiple clubs in the one city which has proven successful in their rival codes of NRL and AFL.  By doing this, clubs are faced only with the potential to pick 25 players from the hundreds of quality players within their cities. As a result, The A-League loses out on many quality local footballers as they scouted and signed by professional football clubs abroad who are better enabled to provide the players with the opportunity kick-start their careers in Football.

Rather than naming the squads Sydney and such, why not split them into 4 districts North, West, South & East. Sure you may only start with say Sydney East and being the only Sydney team they can pick whoever they like from Sydney, However, the chance for expansion is there when required. On the topic of expansion, the A-league needs to grow much bigger should structure themselves around that of European leagues.

In comparison to Australia, England is minuscule. Yet, they still enjoy the luxury of 82 additional professional clubs than their Australian counterpart. Now, these clubs don't have to be massive and I understand in England Football is the number 1 sport of choice, whereas Australian football must compete with the AFL and NRL, However, strategically placed clubs will improve the position of football in the Australian sporting landscape immensely. At least one extra team in South Australia and Western Australia and definitely extra teams in New South Wales and Queensland should see a boost in the competitiveness of the A-League Competition and, as a result, a boost in the supporter volumes of the A-league which could see them prove to be a strong competitor in the fight for Australian sporting supremacy. 

Another option would be to make university football more professional, basing it on the American College Football League as it provides young football players a foothold into the professional football arena rather than the tedious travels and trials they may otherwise have to involve themselves in which often consumes significant amounts of time and money, both of which are commodities which University students are typically known to lack. In another view, University football would also encourage young Australians to aspire to attend University at the conclusion of their schooling life. Footballing Scholarships could be available and more prestigious to universities which has the potential to increase the quality of football of which is played in Australia.

Obviously in selecting the teams you will have to be realistic. They will have to have a decent ground with facilities close by and would have to be a relatively established team. Another theory would be taking the respective states best Premier League teams and placing them in a second tier  competition, under the A-league and introduce relegation teams such as" Marconi Stallions & Blacktown City " Or the respective state equivalent of these semi-professional teams.

I know it's not quite as easy as that but we must attempt something to prevent the A-league from diminishing even further. The FFA needs to open their eyes and see what has worked for other places and we need to follow suit Otherwise this nation, which has always excelled at sports, will settle for mediocrity in the worlds biggest and best game.

Joey Barton, The Perfect Football Template

Joey Barton Helps Arsenal New-Boy Gervinho To His Feet

The old-fashioned footballer seems to be a dying breed. We have entered an age of Mo-Hawks, bright boots, skin-tight Jersey's and regular acrobatics. Rather unfortunately however, these acrobatics are not those of bicycle kicks of which we as fans of the game have come to love.

However, there seems to be one man who has stayed true to vintage English football. Enter Joey Barton, the tough-as-nails midfielder of Merseyside.

Mr Barton is well known in the football world for his never say die attitude, his hard work ethic and his bone crunching tackles (the majority fair). Barton has seemingly been sent by the footballing gods into an era of show pony's and money-hungry ‘stars’. In the midst of all the fashion, underwear and Hair Product advertisements stands Joey Barton, a lone soldier on the crusade to restore the heart & passion of which once oozed from footballers and their fans alike.

Joey Barton was previously a loyal servant for the two notable clubs of Manchester City and Newcastle United, playing 130 and 81 games respectively. Each of the games he played, were played with true grit, determination, wearing his pride on his sleeves and with his passion for football beating strong in his heart.
However, for some unknown reason, Newcastle United have released Barton after a 2010-11 season in which he was a key factor in Newcastle’s ability to remain in the Premier League after being promoted to the top flight the year prior.

In my opinion, If I was to manage a team Joey Barton would be the talisman of my squad.  With his experience being invaluable and his love for the game even more so, I would have Joey assisting all the younger players and setting an example on how the game should be played. Sure he may speak his mind to the public, often landing him in hot water, the game however, is played on the pitch and that's where I believe Barton does his best talking. A notable performance from last year was Newcastle’s 4 goal comeback against Arsenal to draw 4 a-piece, where Barton scored a brace of goals to play a key role in what has become one of, if not the greatest ever comeback in Newcastle United’s long History in the game.

Barton has since moved to English Premier League New boys QPR. I cannot stress enough on what a significant buy this is for QPR and how much he will assist them in their quest to remain in the top flight for years to come.

Barton’s Inclusion also gives me a new reason to quietly barrack for QPR in their quest for Premier League glory, the pure reason for this being that I never again wish to someone of Barton’s calibre wasted in the pits of the Championship leagues.

Arsène Wenger, Villain To Villain?

There are two types of people in this world, those who agree with Arsene Wenger’s management approach, then there are those who don't appreciate it in the slightest. Me you ask? I'm the latter. While some may say he has built a team on youth and zeal, I say Wenger himself, has single-handedly set his team up for the failure and hardship of which they are currently suffering. I would love to feel sorry for Arsene Wenger… But I don't! The damage is self-inflicted and the resultant decay is now coming into the public eye in brutal fashion.

Yes, a lot of you are probably thinking “Arsene Wenger led the great Invincibles and has handed Arsenal 11 trophy's in 15 years”. However, let me refresh your memory. Wenger has claimed to build with youth and brought through some shining talent, none more notable than former captain and heart & soul of Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas. However, this theology clearly possesses a major hole as the trophies have dried up over the past 6 years, with big names leaving and no one to replace them, Gunner fans are beginning to second guess the depth and quality of Arsene Wenger’s current list, his approach & and rightly so Arsene Wenger himself.

When Wenger led the 03-04 invincibles Arsenal side, the squad consisted of; Jens Lehmann, Lauren Etame, Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure, Ashley Cole, Fredrik Ljungberg, Patrick Viera, Gilberto Silva, Ribert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp & of course Thierry Henry.  Conveniently enough, the only players from that squad to start at Arsenal were Kolo Toure & Ashley Cole. Two of the eleven were Arsenal juniors and they go through a season undefeated.

Since 2006, the following names are the notable incoming and outgoing transfers under Wenger’s control:

2006 Incoming- Tomas Rosicky & William Gallas.
2006 Outgoing- Ashley Cole, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp & Sol Campbell. (Pires & Campbell left for FREE)

2007 Incoming- Lassana Diarra & Bacary Sagna
2007 Outgoing- Fredrik Ljungberg & Thierry Henry

2008 Incoming- Aaron Ramsey & Samir Nasri
2008 Outgoing- Lassana Diarra, Jens Lehman & Aliaksandr Hleb

2009 Incoming- Andrey Arshavin & Thomas Vermaelen
2009 Outgoing- Emmanuel Adebayor

2011 Incoming-
2011 Outgoing- Cesc Fabregas & Samir Nasri

The patterns above show more quality leaving the club than coming in, which, as a result, indicates that the warning signs were flashing much before not only the unconvincing end to the 2010-11 season, but also the nightmare start to the 2011/12 campaign which has seen Wenger’s Gunners gain  only the 1 point from their first 3 starts, leaving them 8 points adrift of the leaders and with more harrowing signs to come.

Throw in the 8-2 hammering handed to them at the hands of traditional rivals Manchester United, this is proving to be dire times for the once Great Arsenal Football Club. With star players such as Nasri and Fabregas transferring to clubs which have in fact been experiencing success in recent times, signs lead to a believe that “maybe they knew something we didn't?”

But I think I know the cure.

The Arrival Of Edin Džeko

Manchester City striker Edin Džeko was, understandably, regarded as an English Premier League failure until recently. However, it seems the £27 million man from Wolfsburg is starting to show some of the spark City boss Roberto Mancini saw in him from his time in the Bundesliga where the Bosnian star scored 66 goals in 111 games over a four-year stay.


Džeko endured a disappointing first campaign at City, netting just six goals in 21 games as well as seemingly battling with the pace of the English Premier League, and for playing time with Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez ahead of him in the pecking order.


In fact, he looked to be another overseas player who arrived with a big reputation and then fizzled out in the physical and quick-paced EPL.


As with most youngish players with any minor failures, people are quick to jump at them with criticism or theories but Džeko, despite being not much of a talker, always maintained with a full pre-season under his belt, he would deliver.


And it seems after his getting that pre-season under his belt, he has already started to prove the doubters wrong. That he has shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Throughout   his short illustrious career, Džeko has claimed numerous honours on could only dream of these include -



2008-09 season, voted Bundesliga player's footballer of the year for season 2008-09, Bundesliga Top-Scorer 2009-10 with 22 goals, Bosnian Footballer of the year in 2009 & 2010 & most recently helping City break their trophy drought with the FA Cup at the end of last season.

And he has started this season with a bang, netting seven goals in four games, including one against fierce rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield and six in the first three Premier League fixtures - including a four-goal haul at White Hart Lane against Tottenham.


It seems Džeko has arrived with an explosion of excitement and hope for City and Bosnian fans alike.


People who have seen him play know he is a 6’4”, two-footed striker with a real appetite for goals, and has exceptional pace, movement and ball playing skills for a big man.


He had not displayed those attributes on the Premier League stage, until now, but is it the start of something great?


I think so, but one thing for sure is it’s going to be an intriguing 2011-12 season for Edin Džeko, Manchester City and the English Premier League.