Number 30 May 15 2017
The rumpus of the week as David
takes on Goliath
We need to raise our hats to Andy Holt, the Accrington
Stanley owner who took a massive side swipe at the Premier League last week.
Talk about punching above his weight; in Biblical terms this was David against
Goliath. Likening League 2 clubs to “starving peasants waiting for scraps from
the rich man’s table”, he accused the super-rich “Prem” of handing out just
£431,000 to each of the League 2 minnows whilst donating parachute payments to relegated
clubs such as Sunderland to the tune of somewhere in the region of £100million.
Some would argue that the money belongs to and is earned by Premier League
clubs and therefore Stanley should be grateful for whatever is given to them.
The Premier League certainly took umbrage at the criticism but it came following
the revelation that Paul Pogba’s agent (a certain Mino Raiola) earned over
£40million from the Frenchman’s sale to Manchester United last summer. This led
Mr Holt to question the direction that football is taking, reminding the
football fraternity that the game needs a multi-layered base if it is to
survive into the future and that the flood of cash coming into the game should
not be the preserve of the already wealthy few. His outburst generally seemed
to strike a chord with many around football, particularly his view that although
some owners are ruining their clubs, it is the Premier League which could ruin
the game. The man who has worked so hard to keep the Stanley afloat perhaps
ought to have phrased his words more diplomatically and chosen a more
appropriate medium than to bombard us all Trump like with tweets, but there is
no doubt that his passion for the game resonated through every word. The governing
body must take a long look at what they oversee, because as long as the money
is there, the Ibrahimovic’s will continue to grab their £350,000 a week and
£143,000 per goal.
The gulf between the clubs
in terms of attendance
|
Club
|
League
|
Average
attendance for 2016-17 season
|
|
Manchester
United
|
Premier
League
|
75,291
|
|
Wigan
Athletic
|
Championship
|
11,762
|
|
Bury
|
League 1
|
3,845
|
|
Accrington
Stanley
|
League 2
|
1,699
|
Red
Rose County Footballing Legends
(Number 3)
Alan Shearer
Several
of us were discussing the best post-war Blackburn Rovers’ players the other day.
Everyone had Shearer at the top of their list, usually alongside Bryan Douglas.
Some would argue that with a mere 4 years and 138 league games at a club, you
cannot attain legendary status, but at the Rovers, the young man they bought
from Southampton and sold to Newcastle United could…….and did. Born in
Newcastle, Shearer chose to sign for the “Saints” as a boy and he immediately
made the headlines there, scoring a hat-trick on his full debut against Arsenal
at the age of 17; the youngest player ever to do so. Southampton were in Tier 1
although it was pre-Premier League and he was in the 1st team for
over 3 seasons which included being capped by England where he inevitably
scored on his debut v France. All the top teams tried to sign him but it was
the Jack Walker/Kenny Dalglish combination that broke the English transfer
record with a bid of £3.6million which lured him to Ewood Park to join a
Blackburn side which had only recently been promoted to Tier 1. Once he settled
in Lancashire, he was simply a sensation. He was certainly England’s finest
player and he may have been the world’s best striker during this time. He
initially linked up with Mike Newell, but when Chris Sutton arrived from
Norwich, the SAS partnership tore Premier League defences to shreds. In 4
seasons, he scored 112 league goals in 138 appearances as the club finished 4th,
2nd, 1st and 7th, an out of this world
performance from a small town club. He topped the scoring charts in 2005 and
2006, then proceeded to repeat the feat at Newcastle the following year. He is
5th in the all-time list of goal scorers in top flight English
football with only Jimmy Greaves of post-war players ahead of him. Ultimately
the Rovers had to sell him and his home town club paid £15million for his
services, money well spent as he then scored another 148 league goals for the
“Toon”. He was a throwback as a player, a traditional number 9 who led the line
with pace, strength, a rocket right-foot shot and magnificent heading ability. He
would have scored goals in any era but he was also a team-player, always
prepared to give the ball to a better placed team mate. He is still talked
about in Blackburn in reverential tones; a legend for all time.
Another Alan Shearer goal
celebrated in typical fashion
Performances of the last week
Manchester United scrambled into the final of the Europa League,
a nerve-jangling 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against La Liga mid table side Celta
Vigo adding to their 1-0 away victory the previous Thursday. United started
confidently and Rashford crossed for Fellaini to head home. As the game
progressed however, the Spanish side pressed hard and with 6 minutes remaining;
Rocaglio neatly headed the ball past Romero in the United goal. The final
minutes were chaotic as both Eric Bailly and Rocaglio were dismissed following
a massive brawl and with literally a few seconds remaining, the ex- City
striker John Guidetti missed an open goal which would have eliminated the Reds.
Thus the Old Trafford side qualified for their 7th European final,
against Ajax of Amsterdam in Stockholm. On the Sunday, a somewhat weaker United
eleven played Tottenham Hotspur in the final game ever to be played at White
Hart Lane. Fittingly Wayne Rooney scored the last goal, but Spurs had already
notched a couple to win 2-1.
Manchester City were also far from convincing in beating
Leicester City 2-1 at the Etihad. This win moved them up to 3rd in
the Premier
League, but the game will be best remembered for referee Robert
Madley’s controversial but correct decision to disallow Mahrez’s late penalty
which would have equalised the scores. The Algerian slipped in taking the shot
and the ball brushed his other foot (2 touches) before it flew into the net in
contravention of the rules. Silva and a de Jesus penalty were the City scorers.
The outcome of the Everton v Watford
game took second place to the intrigue surrounding Ross Barkley at Goodison
Park. Given an ultimatum by manager Ronald Koeman to start contract
negotiations or leave the club, the England mid-field player scored the only
goal of the game to ensure that he continues to be the only item of discussion
in the blue half of the city. Meanwhile Burnley
lost yet another away game, 2-1 at Bournemouth with Sam Vokes on the scoresheet
again. The performance of the weekend belonged to Liverpool. With both City and the Gunners winning, 3 points were
vital against West Ham at the London Stadium. Klopp’s side were certainly up
for it. Orchestrated by the magician that is Phillipe Coutinho, they stormed to
a 4-0 victory, the Brazilian scoring twice and making a third for Sturridge.
It’s
been a long while since Blackpool have had anything to shout about, but they
certainly had on Sunday evening against Luton Town in the League 2 Play-Off semi-final. The Bedfordshire
side led 2-1 at half time but the Tangerines, led from the front by the
ex-Luton striker Mark Cullen dominated the second period to win 3-2 with Cullen
scoring all three. It is all down to the second leg at Kenilworth Road on
Thursday evening.
There
was disappointment at the death for Chorley
in the National
League North Play-Off in front of 7,920 supporters at AFC Halifax
Town. Adam Blakeman had produced an exquisite free kick to level the scores for
the Magpies mid-way through the second half and the game went into extra-time.
Chorley finally conceded but gave it everything in the final few minutes only
to lose out 2-1, consigning themselves to another season at Tier 6.
Games to look forward to
this week
With
Manchester United failing to win any
of their last 4 games after Jose Mourinho seemingly preferred to chase a Champions’ League
place via the Europa Cup route, it is now a 3 horse race for the 2 remaining spots.
Liverpool and Manchester City have resumed their rivalry, but Arsenal, who have
made a typically last minute dash up the table, look to potentially deny one of
our Red Rose County sides. City must be favourites, travelling to Watford for the
final Premier
League fixture, all games kicking off at 15.00 on Sunday. The
Hornets are completely unpredictable but they will have nothing to play for
whereas for the Sky Blues, there is the less than insignificant matter of
£100million on the table for Champions’ League qualification. Liverpool
meanwhile bring the curtain down on the 2016-17 season with what should be a
routine home game against the already relegated Middlesbrough. If the Reds
cannot take the 3 points against a side they have re-christened “Middlesbrough
0”, they do not deserve to play the likes of “Real”, “Barca” and “Juve” next
season. Arsenal play hosts to Everton
who could do their neighbours across Stanley Park a massive favour. The Toffees
have run hot and cold in recent weeks, still lacking the consistency to take on
the big boys but they will be no pushover for Arsene’s Arsenal. The Gunners are
now dependant on other results so the odds are very much in favour of City and
Liverpool joining Chelsea and Spurs in the draw in Switzerland.
Thursday
sees the second-leg of the League 2 Play-Off between Luton Town and Blackpool at Kenilworth Road. The
Tangerines put together a season’s best performance on Sunday to win 3-2 at
Bloomfield Road and now travel south with a one goal advantage. The Hatters finished well clear of the
chasers in 4th position after 46 games whereas Blackpool just
scraped into the Play-Offs in 7th position. All of this is of course
irrelevant on the night and hopefully the Lancashire side can make their
advantage count, making it to Wembley where Carlisle
United or Exeter City awaits.
Mark Cullen; Blackpool’s hat-trick hero.
Quiz of the Week (Answers at the foot of the Blog)
Each question has a Red Rose County connection
1
Two ex-Blackburn
Rovers players share the distinction of a record 14 Premier League bookings in
a season. Mark Hughes is one; guess the other who played from 2005-08?
2
Bury have just
signed Jermaine Beckford on a 2 year contract from which Red Rose club?
Jermaine Beckford; scored 72 league goals
for Leeds United in 3 seasons
3
Which club has won 9
Tier 1 (1st Division and/or Premier League) titles in their history?
4
Liverpool raided
Sunderland in 2011 for Jordan Henderson and then paid £9million to the same club
for which player 2 years later?
Jordan Henderson; signed from Sunderland
and now the Liverpool captain
5
Which Red Rose club
scored 104 goals in the 1957-58 season in the old 1st Division but
conceded 100, finishing 5th behind the champions Wolverhampton
Wanderers?
6
Who in 1995 left his
managerial role at Bolton Wanderers to become manager of Arsenal, Arsene
Wenger’s immediate predecessor?
7
Who was the
ex-Burnley player who was the last manager to keep the club in Tier 1 prior to
Sean Dyche, this being from 1973-1976?
8
Signed from Telford
in 2002, which Red Rose County manager has been associated with the same
professional club as either a player or manager for the last 15 years?
9
Wayne Rooney took
over as club captain at Manchester United from which defender who left the club
in 2014?
10
Which Red Rose
County club achieved their record Premier League win in 1993, beating Wimbledon
6-2 with Ian Olney netting a couple of goals?
Post Weekend Musings
Below is a quote from the City of Liverpool FC web site, a
very progressive club which is making big waves in the area.
“League Championships, Cup wins, European trophies, ESFA
wins, Sunday trophies; the list is endless. The Liverpool City region produces
more professional footballers per head than any other British city, more child
and youth soccer players, more amateur footballers and that is without
mentioning the veritable army of volunteers that ensure that football is
available and played in the city every day of the week”
This is so true, but why, why, why are there so few grounds.
Two completely new clubs, AFC Liverpool and the above City of Liverpool FC have
been formed very recently, but they have to play outside the city at Marine (in
Crosby) and Bootle because of a total lack of quality facilities. There are many
pitches, some up to date G3 and G4 but if any club wants to progress, it seems
impossible within the City limits. It may be shortage of space, logistical or
political, but surely a conurbation of this size must be able to do better than
this. A love of football is inherent in their DNA and two of Europe’s finest clubs
were born, raised and remain at Anfield and Goodison. Surely just 2 football
grounds in the city is unacceptable.
It was all to play for in
the final West
Lancashire League fixture where fate had pitted reigning champions Blackpool Wren Rovers and Longridge Town, the two league leaders.
It was an inevitably close run thing but Jamie McLoughlin grabbed the winner,
giving Longridge their first title. The title destination in the Liverpool
County Premier League was also finally confirmed, Aigburth People’s Hall winning their 4th
consecutive league crown following a comprehensive 10-0 thrashing of Liverpool Nalgo.
The Litherland REMYCA v City of Liverpool North West Counties
League 1 Play-Off final was expected to be too close to call, but
after a first half stalemate, C of L wrapped it up within 10 minutes of the
re-start with 2 goals from Jamie McDonald and a third from Matty Williams,
leaving REMYCA to contemplate another season in League 1.
Pat
Nevin (ex-Chelsea of course) was quoted as saying that we have only seen 50% of
what Antonio Conte, the flavour of the month has to offer at Chelsea. The
Italian has had a magnificent season but just how great is he and other
continental coaches? It would be interesting to see what he would do at Burnley.
Could he be an improvement on Sean Dyche? We will never know because it will
not happen, but I have my doubts. So why are our top clubs not prepared to take
a punt on Dyche, Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis? The media love winners but surely
those who battle in the trenches to keep up clubs with inferior playing staffs are
also winners? David Moyes was briefly given the chance at Old Trafford but was offered
just enough cash to buy Fellaini and then jettisoned after 8 months. His
expensive replacements, van Gaal and Mourinho have been given war chests and it
would appear far more time, but they have fared only slightly better than the
Scot. Do foreign owners not fancy British coaches? It is an interesting
question, but if true, it is a disgrace.
Red Rose County Player of
the Week
Mark Cullen
Phillipe
Coutinho was outstanding for Liverpool, but how often do you score three in a
semi-final? As a result the Red Rose Player of the Week has to be the Blackpool
striker who, just to rub salt in the wound, performed the feat against his old
club, potentially denying them a trip down the M1 to Wembley.
A Review of the North West Counties League 1, 2016-17
The
Red Rose County clubs have dominated the North West Counties League 1 this season, the
only sad note being the probable relegation of Ashton Town to Tier 11. Up at the summit of the league, it was
always going to be a close run thing with Whitchurch Alport making a
significant challenge for much of the season. Litherland REMYCA and City
of Liverpool also spent time at the top, but it was the late surge by Widnes that finally clinched the title.
They won 13 straight games to sprint past all challengers and be crowned
champions in only their 4th season at this level; congratulations to
manager Joe Dunn and his team. The performance of runners-up Charnock Richard was even more
remarkable, only just being edged out by the champions in their first season at
Tier 10. City of Liverpool finally
clinched promotion to Tier 9 after just 1 year as a club by defeating their
local rivals Litherland REMYCA who
had to settle for 4th spot in the play-off final. Prestwich Heys can also feel pleased at
their 8th place after promotion from the Manchester League last season with Chadderton, experienced at this level, completing the top ten. The
nomadic St Helens Town, without a
permanent home all season, did well to finish 13th and Daisy Hill plodded along in 16th.
Bacup Borough disappointed but were
never in danger of relegation in spite of finishing 18th and the
recently relegated AFC Blackpool were
even more of a disappointment in 19th. Atherton LR are struggling at the moment but eventually avoided
relegation at #20, but Wigan neighbours Ashton
Town only won 5 games, finishing bottom of the league. They will be
relegated, possibly to the Manchester
League unless another club fails a late ground grading test.
Quiz
Answers
1
Robbie Savage, 2 Preston North End, 3
Everton, 4 Simon Mignolet, 5 Manchester City,
6
Bruce Rioch, 7 Jimmy Adamson, 8 Jim Bentley, 9 Nemanja Vidic, 10 Oldham
Athletic.
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