Post by QPR Report on Sept 11, 2009 7:07:21 GMT
Such a good writer/focusing on serious things (non QPR)!
BRIAN GLANVILLE - World Soccer
writes for worldsoccer.com each week.
TEENAGE KICKS
08/09/09
Chelsea, you might say, had it coming over their recruitment, if that be the appropriate euphemism, of teenaged footballers.
A substantial shot had already been sent across their bows over the purloining, from Leeds, of two teenaged players, Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo. Chelsea and their Talent Catcher, the once renowned Danish international Frank Arnesen, hoped to get both boys for nothing – this despite Abramovich’s billions. But Leeds took their case to the Premier League and were awarded £5 million. Since when, the lads, alas, seem to have sunk like stones.
Now the Blues are in much deeper trouble, with FIFA, who, accusing them of poaching the 16-year-old Gale Kakuta from Lens, have suspended them from all transfer activity till 2011. Already we learn that if Chelsea stretch out the time before they appeal long enough, they could have a stay of execution which would allow them to dabble in the coming January transfer market. It may even be that they will get off the hook altogether.
In the meantime, they have perhaps the right to feel a little aggrieved given that Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all in the recent past been snapping up teenaged talent from the Continent. In the meantime, Leeds have just objected again to the grabbing by Everton of the barely 16-year-old left back Luke Garbutt, claiming that the offer of £200,000 was derisory. An FA tribunal have now bumped that up to £500,000 plus with the promise and possibility of still more to come.
Arsenal have been especially and profitably busy in Europe. Some years ago they grabbed the teenaged prodigy Nicolas Anelka, as he was then, from an infuriated Paris Saint Germain. Free, gratis and for nothing, though later, they did toss a casual half million across the Channel. Subsequently pocketing no less than £23 million when they sold the then sullen Anelka to Real Madrid.
They also enraged the French coaching establishment at Clairefontaine by acquiring the then teenaged forward, Jeremie Aliadiere. Who never quite settled down at Arsenal but, after several spells on loan, did make his mark at Middlesbrough, who sold him last summer.
Then there is the hugely successful Spanish connection, which brought the Gunners, from the appalled Barcelona, the 15-year-old Cesc Fabregas, who has trained on to become the club’s outstanding player. More recently, another Barcelona youngster in Fran Merida has left Catalonia for Arsenal. Barca were reported to be taking the somewhat round about action of suing Merida himself.
Manchester United, for their part, have a string of bright young Italians on their books. Especially bright is the future of the teenaged striker, Federico Macheda, whipped away from Lazio. At the moment, United have angrily disputed claims by the Le Havre club that they paid huge sums to the parents of the 16-year-old Paul Pogba. We’ll see how this transpires.
And yet, what’s new? Chelsea and United, you could say, are mere recidivists; they were both, so to speak, well and truly at it in the late 1940s and the early 1950s. Why did Bobby Charlton, born in Ashington in the heart of the North East, join Manchester rather than Newcastle United? Why did Dudley-born Duncan Edwards, so cruelly killed in, or just after, the Munich air crash of February 1958, go to Man United, rather than to the local Wolves or West Brom?
Many years ago, I used to talk frequently to “Wor Jackie” Milburn, hero of Newcastle United, who told me how Bobby, to whom he was related, was all set to go to the Magpies on leaving school, being given a job in the local newspaper publishers, Kemsley House. Suddenly, the smoke cleared and there was Bobby at Old Trafford. His mother, Cissie, who’d later deny the story, told Jackie, he insisted that she was sorry this had happened; but that the family could not afford to refuse the £750 – good money then – which United had offered.
As for Chelsea, they had a notorious chief scout called Jimmy Thompson, all too well known at the time for persuading gifted youngsters – and their parents – to choose Chelsea, though discovered by other clubs. Why, you might ask, did an ur-Cockney like Jimmy Greaves find his way to Stamford Bridge rather than to West Ham? Yet spin across the years and we find West Ham depriving Charlton of the hugely promising young Jermain Defoe; for whom, eventually, they, too, had to pay.
What’s the answer? To a problem caused by the disparity in the employment laws of the various European countries, leaving loopholes to be exploited by our own leading clubs. Perhaps UEFA and FIFA between them could devise embracing rules which protected nurturing clubs, enacting that any youngster was bound to the club which discovered him, unless officially transferred, from a tender age. Meanwhile there is now somewhat alarming news from South Africa, where, reportedly an extensive new scheme has been launched, backed by Ian Wright and several leading British footballers, to develop and presumably sell on local talent.
***************
Embarrassing indeed to read that when the outrageous Trinidad and CONCAF chief executive, Jack Warner, recently visited London with a junior international team, he was “wined and dined” by the people trying to bring the 2018 World Cup to England.
News which engenders a feeling of nausea. For as that ace investigator Andrew Jennings, in his book, Foul, and elsewhere, has all too plainly shown us. Warner has for many years profited hugely from a variety of schemes (once again the apt word is ‘euphemism’.) Jennings has lately told us that the members of that gallant Trinidad and Tobago World Cup finals team in 2006 are still waiting for money due to them.
As for the FA what in the name of logic induced them to move their headquarters way out to the distant North West London suburbs of Wembley? Supposedly the reason why the highly able, highly paid, commercial director, Jonathan Hill, has walked out on them. Who could blame him? For many a decade, FA headquarters were conveniently placed in Bayswater, in Lancaster Gate; not quite central, but easily attainable.
Then along came the cataclysmic Adam Crozier as chief executive, who ludicrously and arrogantly moved the HQ from Lancaster Gate to hugely expensive Soho Square. Having previously ejected many a long serving official, replacing them with a bunch of marketing dolly birds, each reportedly on £80,000 a year.
Not only was the Soho Square headquarters so expensive; it was also cramped. So the FA have reportedly moved out when there were still three years to run on the lease. And so fatuously far away from central London, to distant Wembley. Well might a modern day Lord Beaverbook inquire: “who’s in charge of the clanking train?” Yes, I know it is meant to be Lord Triesman. Why didn’t he put his foot down.
***************
Arsene Wenger has inveighed against UEFA’s two match suspension of Eduardo for allegedly diving to procure a penalty, which he himself converted, against Celtic in the European Cup. As John Toshack of Wales had declared, this has set a dangerous precedent.
For just or not, where is this all going to end? Would the danger now be that referees, their authority so palpably undermined, might, out of sheer self-protection, refuse a spot kick when it should be given? Wayne Rooney has told us that he never dives. I’d give him the benefit of the doubt over the disputable penalty he acquired when England were scrapping through against Slovenia. But what about that ill omened afternoon at Old Trafford in 1994, when Arsenal’s long 49 match unbeaten record came to a bitter end, when Rooney tumbled in the box to provoke a penalty that should never have been?
The embarrassing truth is, however, that the Gunners’ unbeaten record should have been snuffed out long before when Portsmouth came to Highbury, were leading the Gunners, only for a penalty to be given them and exploited when Robert Pires blatantly dived in the box. Swings and roundabouts, you might say. Harry Redknapp, then managing Pompey, was incensed; and who could blame him?
www.worldsoccer.com/glanville/
BRIAN GLANVILLE - World Soccer
writes for worldsoccer.com each week.
TEENAGE KICKS
08/09/09
Chelsea, you might say, had it coming over their recruitment, if that be the appropriate euphemism, of teenaged footballers.
A substantial shot had already been sent across their bows over the purloining, from Leeds, of two teenaged players, Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo. Chelsea and their Talent Catcher, the once renowned Danish international Frank Arnesen, hoped to get both boys for nothing – this despite Abramovich’s billions. But Leeds took their case to the Premier League and were awarded £5 million. Since when, the lads, alas, seem to have sunk like stones.
Now the Blues are in much deeper trouble, with FIFA, who, accusing them of poaching the 16-year-old Gale Kakuta from Lens, have suspended them from all transfer activity till 2011. Already we learn that if Chelsea stretch out the time before they appeal long enough, they could have a stay of execution which would allow them to dabble in the coming January transfer market. It may even be that they will get off the hook altogether.
In the meantime, they have perhaps the right to feel a little aggrieved given that Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all in the recent past been snapping up teenaged talent from the Continent. In the meantime, Leeds have just objected again to the grabbing by Everton of the barely 16-year-old left back Luke Garbutt, claiming that the offer of £200,000 was derisory. An FA tribunal have now bumped that up to £500,000 plus with the promise and possibility of still more to come.
Arsenal have been especially and profitably busy in Europe. Some years ago they grabbed the teenaged prodigy Nicolas Anelka, as he was then, from an infuriated Paris Saint Germain. Free, gratis and for nothing, though later, they did toss a casual half million across the Channel. Subsequently pocketing no less than £23 million when they sold the then sullen Anelka to Real Madrid.
They also enraged the French coaching establishment at Clairefontaine by acquiring the then teenaged forward, Jeremie Aliadiere. Who never quite settled down at Arsenal but, after several spells on loan, did make his mark at Middlesbrough, who sold him last summer.
Then there is the hugely successful Spanish connection, which brought the Gunners, from the appalled Barcelona, the 15-year-old Cesc Fabregas, who has trained on to become the club’s outstanding player. More recently, another Barcelona youngster in Fran Merida has left Catalonia for Arsenal. Barca were reported to be taking the somewhat round about action of suing Merida himself.
Manchester United, for their part, have a string of bright young Italians on their books. Especially bright is the future of the teenaged striker, Federico Macheda, whipped away from Lazio. At the moment, United have angrily disputed claims by the Le Havre club that they paid huge sums to the parents of the 16-year-old Paul Pogba. We’ll see how this transpires.
And yet, what’s new? Chelsea and United, you could say, are mere recidivists; they were both, so to speak, well and truly at it in the late 1940s and the early 1950s. Why did Bobby Charlton, born in Ashington in the heart of the North East, join Manchester rather than Newcastle United? Why did Dudley-born Duncan Edwards, so cruelly killed in, or just after, the Munich air crash of February 1958, go to Man United, rather than to the local Wolves or West Brom?
Many years ago, I used to talk frequently to “Wor Jackie” Milburn, hero of Newcastle United, who told me how Bobby, to whom he was related, was all set to go to the Magpies on leaving school, being given a job in the local newspaper publishers, Kemsley House. Suddenly, the smoke cleared and there was Bobby at Old Trafford. His mother, Cissie, who’d later deny the story, told Jackie, he insisted that she was sorry this had happened; but that the family could not afford to refuse the £750 – good money then – which United had offered.
As for Chelsea, they had a notorious chief scout called Jimmy Thompson, all too well known at the time for persuading gifted youngsters – and their parents – to choose Chelsea, though discovered by other clubs. Why, you might ask, did an ur-Cockney like Jimmy Greaves find his way to Stamford Bridge rather than to West Ham? Yet spin across the years and we find West Ham depriving Charlton of the hugely promising young Jermain Defoe; for whom, eventually, they, too, had to pay.
What’s the answer? To a problem caused by the disparity in the employment laws of the various European countries, leaving loopholes to be exploited by our own leading clubs. Perhaps UEFA and FIFA between them could devise embracing rules which protected nurturing clubs, enacting that any youngster was bound to the club which discovered him, unless officially transferred, from a tender age. Meanwhile there is now somewhat alarming news from South Africa, where, reportedly an extensive new scheme has been launched, backed by Ian Wright and several leading British footballers, to develop and presumably sell on local talent.
***************
Embarrassing indeed to read that when the outrageous Trinidad and CONCAF chief executive, Jack Warner, recently visited London with a junior international team, he was “wined and dined” by the people trying to bring the 2018 World Cup to England.
News which engenders a feeling of nausea. For as that ace investigator Andrew Jennings, in his book, Foul, and elsewhere, has all too plainly shown us. Warner has for many years profited hugely from a variety of schemes (once again the apt word is ‘euphemism’.) Jennings has lately told us that the members of that gallant Trinidad and Tobago World Cup finals team in 2006 are still waiting for money due to them.
As for the FA what in the name of logic induced them to move their headquarters way out to the distant North West London suburbs of Wembley? Supposedly the reason why the highly able, highly paid, commercial director, Jonathan Hill, has walked out on them. Who could blame him? For many a decade, FA headquarters were conveniently placed in Bayswater, in Lancaster Gate; not quite central, but easily attainable.
Then along came the cataclysmic Adam Crozier as chief executive, who ludicrously and arrogantly moved the HQ from Lancaster Gate to hugely expensive Soho Square. Having previously ejected many a long serving official, replacing them with a bunch of marketing dolly birds, each reportedly on £80,000 a year.
Not only was the Soho Square headquarters so expensive; it was also cramped. So the FA have reportedly moved out when there were still three years to run on the lease. And so fatuously far away from central London, to distant Wembley. Well might a modern day Lord Beaverbook inquire: “who’s in charge of the clanking train?” Yes, I know it is meant to be Lord Triesman. Why didn’t he put his foot down.
***************
Arsene Wenger has inveighed against UEFA’s two match suspension of Eduardo for allegedly diving to procure a penalty, which he himself converted, against Celtic in the European Cup. As John Toshack of Wales had declared, this has set a dangerous precedent.
For just or not, where is this all going to end? Would the danger now be that referees, their authority so palpably undermined, might, out of sheer self-protection, refuse a spot kick when it should be given? Wayne Rooney has told us that he never dives. I’d give him the benefit of the doubt over the disputable penalty he acquired when England were scrapping through against Slovenia. But what about that ill omened afternoon at Old Trafford in 1994, when Arsenal’s long 49 match unbeaten record came to a bitter end, when Rooney tumbled in the box to provoke a penalty that should never have been?
The embarrassing truth is, however, that the Gunners’ unbeaten record should have been snuffed out long before when Portsmouth came to Highbury, were leading the Gunners, only for a penalty to be given them and exploited when Robert Pires blatantly dived in the box. Swings and roundabouts, you might say. Harry Redknapp, then managing Pompey, was incensed; and who could blame him?
www.worldsoccer.com/glanville/