Blow me down! All that thinking and planning and note taking and drafting and I still managed to miss Younes Kaboul out of my Pompey defence wish list. I would certainly want to retain him and Sylvain Distin as my two main centre halves. All the other suggestions would be reinforcements for these two.
I am not sure how it works but the reserve team would be all the players in the squad who are not actually in the first team. They might be on the substitute bench for the first team but someone else is pencilled in for their position. By playing exactly the same system and style in the reserves as in the first team (a style of play consist throughout the club, including the Academy), the reserve matches would allow the reserve team players to maintain their match sharpness. They would then be able to substitute or replace easily when called upon to so do.
If my dream of a Croatian and an Argentine midfield trio happened, imagine the impact on the reserve team! Although I suppose there might be star feelings and egos to massage or to consider.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Midfield Wish List
This is the area of the team which I believe was grossly under manned last season after the departure of Muntari, Mendes and Diarra.
The present midfield of Davis, Mullins, Hughes, Diop (back from injury in pre-season?) and Bassinas are all defensive midfielders or stoppers. That is a bit unfair on Bassinas, who I believe is correctly termed a central midfield and is after all the Greek national captain. He wasn't ever used correctly and his rare appearances (was it 2 or 3?) showed he was a ball passer. Davis and Diop would be my main stoppers (if the latter can recover and return to his status as the Wardrobe). The former is a worker and wants to get in amongst the action but he isn't what I call a ball carrier or a creative midfield player. In Kranjcar we have got a ball carrier and a creative player but he lacks the killer pace to keep up with the strikers or even on occasion to get into the box ahead of them. However he is the sort of player we should be thinking of building a team around and possibly with the arrival of Bilic (Croatia manager) as prospective Pompey boss this could happen.
We do need a handful of ball carrying, creative midfield players who can carry the game to the opposition. If you count the defence and the two stoppers, we have a defensive unit of six plus goalkeeper. We need an offensive unit willing and able to take the attack to the opposition as I believe offence is the best form of defence. I also believe that when you have got the ball you need players who can keep it and who can use it accurately and with deadly effect. These players don't have to be huge like the Wardrobe they can be nippy small players like the Barca trio (I was so impressed by them as you might tell from this and previous posts). I would like to play a trio in midfield with a single striker, knowing that these four players can interchange at will. This would maintain the nominal formation of 4 - 5 - 1 as used by Hart and Kidd last season but would be a much more potent force in attack as well as defence. The defence and stoppers would know that their job once the ball was won would be to get it to one of the ball carriers. Once the offensive unit had it, the idea would be to keep the ball and yet anyone of the quartet would be able to inflict damage on the opposition goal. In order to have tactical variation, it might be necessary to have a second striker on the bench to replace one of the trio of midfield carriers in order to press home an advantage and go 4-4-2. In my wish list for the strike force I have also included wide players as right and/or left wingers so that the team can be 4-3-3 and that this formation can also be more offensive minded by replacing a stopper with either a ball carrier or a wide player or a second striker.
Enough of tactics for the moment, who are the players we could be thinking about purchasing? There are four from Spurs who could do a job for us. Huddlestone (wanted by half a dozen teams and priced at £7 million), Bentley (wanted by Villa and priced at £10 million),Jenas and Modric. The last two are doubtful because I think the Spurs manager will probably want to build his revamped team around them whereas the former two seem to have lost his favour. However Modric is a Croatian and with Bilic as a possible Pompey boss might be persuaded to team up with his countryman, Kranjcar. Modric is the ideal ball carrying player I envisaged in the previous paragraph.
Lawrence (Stoke) and Nolan (Newcastle) are not in the same mould as described above for Modric but both are very experienced PL players and could do a worthwhile job for the squad. Two Everton players, Cahill and Arteta, would fit the mould but I cannot see them being allowed to leave a very successful and resourceful Everton team. Young and Sidwell of Villa would both be very useful additions, and the former almost falls into the wide player role as well. Johnson and Gelson Fernandes of Manchester City also fall into this category. Except for Nolan most of these are in their early or mid twenties and so could be the backbone of the team for some time.
These would be the players I would be looking at this summer. I am sorry but I wouldn't be able to offer a return berth to Gary O'Neil or Matt Taylor. I loved what these players did for the club but we need to look forward not back. If I failed in my purchases elsewhere I might be tempted but they are not the way of the future.
In the longer term I would be looking at Argentinians either playing now in Europe or in South America. I believe Argentinians are better suited to the demands and rigours of the PL without losing the technique or silky skills or the ability to hold on to the ball. My prize buy this summer would be Tevez of Manchester United and I would be tempted to add his compatriot, Mascheranas, from Liverpool. I love Brazilian players but for me they lack the steel of the Argentine. In the future I would also hope to see Pompey working with other feeder clubs in Europe to provide experience and acclimatisation for South American players before joining us in the PL.
The two stoppers (Davis and Diop - leaving Hughes as a squad player and probably selling Mullins at a knock-down price), the Greek skipper (Bassinas), the two Croatians (Kranjcar and Modric - this is probably what the Spurs manager has in mind but we've got more money now so yah boo!) and the two Argentinians (Tevez and Mascheranas) would certainly provide a mouth watering midfield for the new Pompey Squad of 2009/2010.
If we could match them up with sufficient strikers (see my upcoming wish list) of power and pace plus right and left wingers, Pompey would truly be a force to be reckoned with and that would be without the Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho, Messi and other superstars. We would have a team and squad to get us into the top 10 easily and to lay down the foundations for a footballing style of the future.
The present midfield of Davis, Mullins, Hughes, Diop (back from injury in pre-season?) and Bassinas are all defensive midfielders or stoppers. That is a bit unfair on Bassinas, who I believe is correctly termed a central midfield and is after all the Greek national captain. He wasn't ever used correctly and his rare appearances (was it 2 or 3?) showed he was a ball passer. Davis and Diop would be my main stoppers (if the latter can recover and return to his status as the Wardrobe). The former is a worker and wants to get in amongst the action but he isn't what I call a ball carrier or a creative midfield player. In Kranjcar we have got a ball carrier and a creative player but he lacks the killer pace to keep up with the strikers or even on occasion to get into the box ahead of them. However he is the sort of player we should be thinking of building a team around and possibly with the arrival of Bilic (Croatia manager) as prospective Pompey boss this could happen.
We do need a handful of ball carrying, creative midfield players who can carry the game to the opposition. If you count the defence and the two stoppers, we have a defensive unit of six plus goalkeeper. We need an offensive unit willing and able to take the attack to the opposition as I believe offence is the best form of defence. I also believe that when you have got the ball you need players who can keep it and who can use it accurately and with deadly effect. These players don't have to be huge like the Wardrobe they can be nippy small players like the Barca trio (I was so impressed by them as you might tell from this and previous posts). I would like to play a trio in midfield with a single striker, knowing that these four players can interchange at will. This would maintain the nominal formation of 4 - 5 - 1 as used by Hart and Kidd last season but would be a much more potent force in attack as well as defence. The defence and stoppers would know that their job once the ball was won would be to get it to one of the ball carriers. Once the offensive unit had it, the idea would be to keep the ball and yet anyone of the quartet would be able to inflict damage on the opposition goal. In order to have tactical variation, it might be necessary to have a second striker on the bench to replace one of the trio of midfield carriers in order to press home an advantage and go 4-4-2. In my wish list for the strike force I have also included wide players as right and/or left wingers so that the team can be 4-3-3 and that this formation can also be more offensive minded by replacing a stopper with either a ball carrier or a wide player or a second striker.
Enough of tactics for the moment, who are the players we could be thinking about purchasing? There are four from Spurs who could do a job for us. Huddlestone (wanted by half a dozen teams and priced at £7 million), Bentley (wanted by Villa and priced at £10 million),Jenas and Modric. The last two are doubtful because I think the Spurs manager will probably want to build his revamped team around them whereas the former two seem to have lost his favour. However Modric is a Croatian and with Bilic as a possible Pompey boss might be persuaded to team up with his countryman, Kranjcar. Modric is the ideal ball carrying player I envisaged in the previous paragraph.
Lawrence (Stoke) and Nolan (Newcastle) are not in the same mould as described above for Modric but both are very experienced PL players and could do a worthwhile job for the squad. Two Everton players, Cahill and Arteta, would fit the mould but I cannot see them being allowed to leave a very successful and resourceful Everton team. Young and Sidwell of Villa would both be very useful additions, and the former almost falls into the wide player role as well. Johnson and Gelson Fernandes of Manchester City also fall into this category. Except for Nolan most of these are in their early or mid twenties and so could be the backbone of the team for some time.
These would be the players I would be looking at this summer. I am sorry but I wouldn't be able to offer a return berth to Gary O'Neil or Matt Taylor. I loved what these players did for the club but we need to look forward not back. If I failed in my purchases elsewhere I might be tempted but they are not the way of the future.
In the longer term I would be looking at Argentinians either playing now in Europe or in South America. I believe Argentinians are better suited to the demands and rigours of the PL without losing the technique or silky skills or the ability to hold on to the ball. My prize buy this summer would be Tevez of Manchester United and I would be tempted to add his compatriot, Mascheranas, from Liverpool. I love Brazilian players but for me they lack the steel of the Argentine. In the future I would also hope to see Pompey working with other feeder clubs in Europe to provide experience and acclimatisation for South American players before joining us in the PL.
The two stoppers (Davis and Diop - leaving Hughes as a squad player and probably selling Mullins at a knock-down price), the Greek skipper (Bassinas), the two Croatians (Kranjcar and Modric - this is probably what the Spurs manager has in mind but we've got more money now so yah boo!) and the two Argentinians (Tevez and Mascheranas) would certainly provide a mouth watering midfield for the new Pompey Squad of 2009/2010.
If we could match them up with sufficient strikers (see my upcoming wish list) of power and pace plus right and left wingers, Pompey would truly be a force to be reckoned with and that would be without the Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho, Messi and other superstars. We would have a team and squad to get us into the top 10 easily and to lay down the foundations for a footballing style of the future.
Left Back
Add Paul Robinson of West Bromwich Albion to the list of wanted left backs in the previous post but one about my wish list for the Pompey defence. His fee would be £1.5 million and he certainly could do a job for us, if only as a squad player. Bolton are also interested in him, which is a good sign, and of course WBA were relegated this season.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Post code lottery or choice?
We have often heard the expression "post code lottery" - as if any variation in a public service was not democracy working but a sin against the constitution. If you change the word "lottery" to "choice", there is a less pejorative sound about it. It also implies that the post code area has decided where its priorities lie and acted accordingly. One would hope that this decision making process and the necessary consultation would be predicated upon a strong electoral basis on a small intimate and geographically small neighbourhood. "Central government had denied the electors the freedom to choose better local services by taxing themselves as in every other country in Europe" (Simon Jenkins Thatcher and Sons) In an earlier post I suggested that most inhabitants of an English borough would be unable to name their mayor. I know some people will find my following suggestion a total anathema because it over-rides an English tradition of Mayoral selection and offers a Gallic alternative.
The English tradition is to pick a committee or council and then for the elected body to decide who should be its leader or chairman or mayor. Often of course the leader is actually someone else and the mayor is an office used as reward for service to the elected body and as a figurehead. This works pretty well as a ceremonial post but it does mean the English public do not know who is in charge of their local affairs. We still get bogged down in party politics and the poor old elector has no idea who is the person in charge. This always smells too much of cigar smoke filled committee rooms and "City Hall". It heightens the class divisions and seems determined to cast an opaque smog over what is happening at the seat of power. The mayor of London is an elected one and although there is still a strong reek of party politics, everyone knows who the mayor of London is even if they are not Londoners. I believe central government had plans for other cities or unitary authorities to follow suit and perhaps that should warn me off the idea as part of my thesis is that anything that suits central government doesn't necessarily prove beneficial to the local elector.
What is my alternative? You've guessed it. I want elected mayors. A named person who stands for the post with a manifesto and at the end of four years is judged by the electorate on their record. I don't expect this will do away with party politics but it might lessen their hold slightly. The mayor of course will need to build an elected body of officers around him or her and will probably in the first instance rely upon a party machine to help provide those people. However as the elected mayoral system progresses mayors might find it best for their chances of re-election to appoint the best people for the job, whatever their political allegiance, as this may ensure the mayor is returned at the next election. The mayor will be a controversial figure rather than someone carrying out a civic timetable of ceremonial duties. Only the English equate controversy with bad - it can stimulate, it can innovate and it is rarely dull. Yes the mayor will have to be seen to do things that are vote catching and especially no doubt in an election year. But where is that any different from what happens now and it would be a lot more obvious under my new system than under the present one. The present Hampshire County Council is Tory run and decides where the road improvements take place. The County Council is applauded for the excellence of its road improvement and that only a minority of roads fall below the standards set overall. Being of a paranoid frame of mind, I wonder how many of the councillors who are not Tory find their wards fall in that minority. The subliminal message is clear but only if you can see beyond the party political hedge.
I suggested above that we look at the Gallic alternative knowing full well that this will send a number of people into apoplexy. The idea that we should learn from and copy the Europeans is appalling enough (as why else would UKIP exist) but to suggest that the French would have anything to offer us is doubly aggravating. However I am not suggesting the French commune system (and commune is a word also designed to raise English blood pressure)is perfect but it does offer a model worth looking at. Also after decades of visiting France (and I know that is different from living there and I hope my friends in the Lot valley are reading this and will send me their comments) I am impressed by the community pride and sense of belonging expressed in these communes and have been impressed by the many mayors I have met.
There are 37000 communes in France. Some are as large as Paris but 80% have fewer than 1000 inhabitants. Mayors are powerful and perhaps the British have a problem with power residing officially in the hands of one person. However Simon Jenkins (see above) says " Mayoral elections are often bitterly fought and the turnouts are high" He goes on: "The result is a civic pride visible in every French municipality". The idea of a high turnout is what attracts me having attended a recent local election where the turnout was 28%. I believe that having a named mayor will bring people out. It would be good to have feelings about elections that can be expressed at the ballot box or in the street. There will be no apathy about withholding one's vote because if one did that then the mayor you hate will get in again. We go on constantly about our lack of civic pride. Well the French example shows that this can be rekindled and an elected mayor is one step in the right direction.
We would need to look at the powers and responsibilities of the elected mayor and see how this could be dovetailed into a system of local government with which every citizen can feel involved.
One of the tricks that central government has achieved is the community tax being collected by the local borough council. In my local area only 13% of this tax goes to the borough, who have to pass on 70% to the county and 10% to the Police Authority. However the electors at public forums are always haranguing the borough council for roads (responsibility of County) and crime (responsibility of Police Authority). This is an anomaly that needs to be clarified if we are ever to have elected mayors otherwise the latter are going to be lynched for matters beyond their control.
I also feel a need to review how local taxation is determined. Patrick Jenkins, the new environment secretary in 1983, declared, in his White Paper that "rates were well understood, cheap to collect and very difficult to evade." Subsequent environment secretaries, and the turnover in that post is quite incredible, pushed for reform but don't seem to have improved the situation one bit and seem to be determined to muddy the waters of local finance in order to maintain control from the centre. "Thatcher seemed determined to punish local government, Tory as well as Labour, if only for being right" (page 139,(Simon Jenkins Thatcher and Sons) The New Labour governments that have followed have continued to punish local government rather than redress the situation.
The English tradition is to pick a committee or council and then for the elected body to decide who should be its leader or chairman or mayor. Often of course the leader is actually someone else and the mayor is an office used as reward for service to the elected body and as a figurehead. This works pretty well as a ceremonial post but it does mean the English public do not know who is in charge of their local affairs. We still get bogged down in party politics and the poor old elector has no idea who is the person in charge. This always smells too much of cigar smoke filled committee rooms and "City Hall". It heightens the class divisions and seems determined to cast an opaque smog over what is happening at the seat of power. The mayor of London is an elected one and although there is still a strong reek of party politics, everyone knows who the mayor of London is even if they are not Londoners. I believe central government had plans for other cities or unitary authorities to follow suit and perhaps that should warn me off the idea as part of my thesis is that anything that suits central government doesn't necessarily prove beneficial to the local elector.
What is my alternative? You've guessed it. I want elected mayors. A named person who stands for the post with a manifesto and at the end of four years is judged by the electorate on their record. I don't expect this will do away with party politics but it might lessen their hold slightly. The mayor of course will need to build an elected body of officers around him or her and will probably in the first instance rely upon a party machine to help provide those people. However as the elected mayoral system progresses mayors might find it best for their chances of re-election to appoint the best people for the job, whatever their political allegiance, as this may ensure the mayor is returned at the next election. The mayor will be a controversial figure rather than someone carrying out a civic timetable of ceremonial duties. Only the English equate controversy with bad - it can stimulate, it can innovate and it is rarely dull. Yes the mayor will have to be seen to do things that are vote catching and especially no doubt in an election year. But where is that any different from what happens now and it would be a lot more obvious under my new system than under the present one. The present Hampshire County Council is Tory run and decides where the road improvements take place. The County Council is applauded for the excellence of its road improvement and that only a minority of roads fall below the standards set overall. Being of a paranoid frame of mind, I wonder how many of the councillors who are not Tory find their wards fall in that minority. The subliminal message is clear but only if you can see beyond the party political hedge.
I suggested above that we look at the Gallic alternative knowing full well that this will send a number of people into apoplexy. The idea that we should learn from and copy the Europeans is appalling enough (as why else would UKIP exist) but to suggest that the French would have anything to offer us is doubly aggravating. However I am not suggesting the French commune system (and commune is a word also designed to raise English blood pressure)is perfect but it does offer a model worth looking at. Also after decades of visiting France (and I know that is different from living there and I hope my friends in the Lot valley are reading this and will send me their comments) I am impressed by the community pride and sense of belonging expressed in these communes and have been impressed by the many mayors I have met.
There are 37000 communes in France. Some are as large as Paris but 80% have fewer than 1000 inhabitants. Mayors are powerful and perhaps the British have a problem with power residing officially in the hands of one person. However Simon Jenkins (see above) says " Mayoral elections are often bitterly fought and the turnouts are high" He goes on: "The result is a civic pride visible in every French municipality". The idea of a high turnout is what attracts me having attended a recent local election where the turnout was 28%. I believe that having a named mayor will bring people out. It would be good to have feelings about elections that can be expressed at the ballot box or in the street. There will be no apathy about withholding one's vote because if one did that then the mayor you hate will get in again. We go on constantly about our lack of civic pride. Well the French example shows that this can be rekindled and an elected mayor is one step in the right direction.
We would need to look at the powers and responsibilities of the elected mayor and see how this could be dovetailed into a system of local government with which every citizen can feel involved.
One of the tricks that central government has achieved is the community tax being collected by the local borough council. In my local area only 13% of this tax goes to the borough, who have to pass on 70% to the county and 10% to the Police Authority. However the electors at public forums are always haranguing the borough council for roads (responsibility of County) and crime (responsibility of Police Authority). This is an anomaly that needs to be clarified if we are ever to have elected mayors otherwise the latter are going to be lynched for matters beyond their control.
I also feel a need to review how local taxation is determined. Patrick Jenkins, the new environment secretary in 1983, declared, in his White Paper that "rates were well understood, cheap to collect and very difficult to evade." Subsequent environment secretaries, and the turnover in that post is quite incredible, pushed for reform but don't seem to have improved the situation one bit and seem to be determined to muddy the waters of local finance in order to maintain control from the centre. "Thatcher seemed determined to punish local government, Tory as well as Labour, if only for being right" (page 139,(Simon Jenkins Thatcher and Sons) The New Labour governments that have followed have continued to punish local government rather than redress the situation.
Pompey Defence
I will return to my political thesis in my next posting but want to put in two or three posts about the possible Pompey team after the summer spending. This is in the realm of fanciful and wishful thinking but it is entirely due to the arrival of Dr, Sulaiman Al Fahim (if he completes signing the papers this month).
At right back I would try to keep hold of Glen Johnson despite the reputed bid of £17 million by Chelsea and the interest shown by Liverpool. Glen himself must be flattered by the attention but the England full back should be made to feel that he could be in at the ground floor of a great footballing revolution here at Pompey. He is definitely the sort of player on which we want to build a team and a team ethos. I don't want quick fire success as my previous post showed. I want to build up a team and a system or style of playing that will carry us forward into the future. Glen Johnson is young enough and good enough to help us lay down the foundations to do that. I would want to back him up with another right back and for the moment I would be tempted to go with Angel Rangel (Swansea) and Mendy (Hull).
At left back I would let Hreidarrson go to Gers and thank him hugely for helping keep us in the Premier League. He will always be a Pompey hero. I am unsure about Belhadj as a left back but would probably want to keep him as a squad player - his unpredictability sometimes unsettles his own team but can have the same effect on the opposition. I would go for established PL players such as Shorey (Villa), Clichy (Arsenal)and Garrido (Manchester City).
At centre back I would make every effort to retain Sylvain Distin as a player and as club captain. Certainly he would not be allowed to leave for the £4 million that have been suggested. I would be tempted to keep Sol as a totem of intent but would probably let him go to Basle or a European club, but not another PL club. So my search would be for a player to work alongside Distin in the centre of defence and probably one or two other centre backs as squad players. I know Lescott (Everton) has attracted a great deal of attention from other clubs, especially after the Cup Final. I am not sure why Everton and David Moyes would want to let him go but he would certainly be one of my targets. Hangeland (Fulham),Taylor (Newcastle), Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea),Cuellar (Villa), Bassong (Newcastle) and Johnson (Cardiff) would be the players I would be chasing this July and probably in the order stated.
I would also make sure that my reserve team was one of the strongest around and that the players there were confident that the style or system they were using would enable them to step straight up into the first team as and when needed. I would also ensure that the Academy were playing the style that ultimately would inform the whole club approach as at Barcelona and the great Dutch clubs. Also the Academy youngsters would be "bloodied" and used at reserve and first team levels as and when thought appropriate to encourage the individual and deepen the squad ethos.
I will break off and look back at localism in politics for the next post or two before returning to my dream midfield and strike force for the bright Pompey of the near future. I hasten to add that all this speculation is for the short and medium term. The new manager should be empowered and entrusted to develop a club that will be renowned as much for its style of play as for its success. I would hope this would be with training facilities and a new stadium the equal of any other in this country if not Europe. I would hope that those promised links with South America (and in my opinion with Argentina) are part of the new manager's remit.
At right back I would try to keep hold of Glen Johnson despite the reputed bid of £17 million by Chelsea and the interest shown by Liverpool. Glen himself must be flattered by the attention but the England full back should be made to feel that he could be in at the ground floor of a great footballing revolution here at Pompey. He is definitely the sort of player on which we want to build a team and a team ethos. I don't want quick fire success as my previous post showed. I want to build up a team and a system or style of playing that will carry us forward into the future. Glen Johnson is young enough and good enough to help us lay down the foundations to do that. I would want to back him up with another right back and for the moment I would be tempted to go with Angel Rangel (Swansea) and Mendy (Hull).
At left back I would let Hreidarrson go to Gers and thank him hugely for helping keep us in the Premier League. He will always be a Pompey hero. I am unsure about Belhadj as a left back but would probably want to keep him as a squad player - his unpredictability sometimes unsettles his own team but can have the same effect on the opposition. I would go for established PL players such as Shorey (Villa), Clichy (Arsenal)and Garrido (Manchester City).
At centre back I would make every effort to retain Sylvain Distin as a player and as club captain. Certainly he would not be allowed to leave for the £4 million that have been suggested. I would be tempted to keep Sol as a totem of intent but would probably let him go to Basle or a European club, but not another PL club. So my search would be for a player to work alongside Distin in the centre of defence and probably one or two other centre backs as squad players. I know Lescott (Everton) has attracted a great deal of attention from other clubs, especially after the Cup Final. I am not sure why Everton and David Moyes would want to let him go but he would certainly be one of my targets. Hangeland (Fulham),Taylor (Newcastle), Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea),Cuellar (Villa), Bassong (Newcastle) and Johnson (Cardiff) would be the players I would be chasing this July and probably in the order stated.
I would also make sure that my reserve team was one of the strongest around and that the players there were confident that the style or system they were using would enable them to step straight up into the first team as and when needed. I would also ensure that the Academy were playing the style that ultimately would inform the whole club approach as at Barcelona and the great Dutch clubs. Also the Academy youngsters would be "bloodied" and used at reserve and first team levels as and when thought appropriate to encourage the individual and deepen the squad ethos.
I will break off and look back at localism in politics for the next post or two before returning to my dream midfield and strike force for the bright Pompey of the near future. I hasten to add that all this speculation is for the short and medium term. The new manager should be empowered and entrusted to develop a club that will be renowned as much for its style of play as for its success. I would hope this would be with training facilities and a new stadium the equal of any other in this country if not Europe. I would hope that those promised links with South America (and in my opinion with Argentina) are part of the new manager's remit.
The previous manager but two
I think the previous manager but two did embellish the history of Pompey football club and for that we are rightly grateful. However I don't see him as a great manager. He is not the man to build up a great team, an ethos and style of playing that will bring us respect as well as success. He will doubtless bring us short term success but surely we should be looking for someone to lay down the infrastructure for a great club for the future not just for now. We want someone who will not bring in old established players at exorbitant salaries. We want someone who will encourage the Academy to seek out the best talent and to develop a style of playing similar to that seen at Barca. We want someone with more than a knowledge of what is here and now but who can develop the links with South America and Argentina in particular. We want someone who doesn't think Spuds are "a bigger club with better fans" but who realises Pompey are a great club with the best fans anywhere. Thanks to the Doctor, we can look beyond the recent past and create a marvellous future.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Pompey Gossip
http://www.pompeygossip.co.uk/
I have recently joined this website as one of my Facebook groups. I am thoroughly enjoying being a member and especially at this auspicious time when we are so nearly in the hands of a new owner, Dr Sulaiman al Fahim. The new owner has promised to build up the infrastructure of the club rather than go for short term splashing of cash on star players. I hope this means we get the new training grounds and facilities completed this autumn as they have been long in the planning and perhaps might even be upgraded. As this is where the team spend most of their working lives, the training facilities are incredibly important for their morale, keeping them injury free and encouraging new players to join us.
I also believe the training grounds are the home of the Academy and this must also get more substantial support from the new owner. I hope that Paul Hart will be asked to resume his post as director of the Academy to continue to develop the Pompey youngsters. I hope the new owner's wealth will be used to compete with other clubs to bring in the brightest young footballers and to find the best local talent. I hope the promised links with South America will show first in the Academy and that we develop a steady stream of South American youngsters especially Argentinians coming to us. I would also hope that the Academy concentrates on midfield play and players. Like everyone else, I was mightily impressed by the Barcelona midfield trio and the fact that the ball seemed tied to their boot laces. It also was stated that the Barcelona academy and training concentrated all the time on this approach to passing and football skills. That is what I would like to see become of the Pompey Academy.
In the medium term I believe the new owner is intent on continuing the development of Fratton Park as suggested by the previous owner and administration. This might be able to go ahead this coming season as the new owner does not need the backing of a supermarket to make the project happen (the supermarket was also that made planning permission more unlikely). But while Fratton Park is being developed next season I hope the new owner does not take his eye off the design and planning of a new stadium. I still think Horsea Island would make a spectacular location with Portchester Castle across the harbour and the chalk of Portsdown Hill behind. The development of an infrastructure of roads, bridges and transport links would be necessary first hence the redevelopment of Fratton Park in the medium term and the new stadium to be ready in the longer term. However it would be good if the new stadium could be part of the 2018 English bid to host the World Cup. It would be good if the new owner could dispense with the need to build shops as these would compete with other areas of the city. I would love to see an entertainment arena built alongside the new stadium to compete with the likes of the O2 dome to make Pompey an outstanding venue for other popular art forms.
I would like to see the gradual development of a club and a team ethos that intends to play football as it should be played with players who love the club and area and who love to play with the ball. I don't want the sudden influx of mercenary star players who are here to see how much they can earn from the new owner and the club before they move on to earn more money elsewhere. I don't want a quick fix to get us into the top 4 and to grab armfuls of silverware next season or the season after. I would like us to build a team and a club slowly gathering momentum - perhaps a top 10 finish next year with another crack at the Carling or FA Cup. I would like to see those links with South America plainly reflected in the team make up and style of playing - I am more of an Argentinian fan than the silky skills of Brazil as I think the former adapt better to European football than the latter. In succeeding years we will take our place among the clubs playing for European competition and then perhaps join the top 4 or 5 clubs as a right.
These are wonderful pipe dreams inspired by the arrival of the new owner. However there are also early indications that things have to happen in the short term. There is the matter of a new manager rather than the retention of the current one (see Paul Hart and the Academy above). There is the small matter of keeping our star players that we already have and producing a squad of sufficient depth and quality to take us into that top 10 next season.
For the die hard fan, this is the part of the season where we love speculating and I being no exception to that rule and with the help of the website posted at the top of this posting I intend devoting some postings to who these players could be as if I had an influence with the club. I am also still working on my political thesis by reading "Bring Home the Revolution:The Case for a British Republic" by Jonathan Friedland.
Other aspects of my interests such as film extra work, plays and productions, and storytelling I will cover in my sister blog "Bench Hamlet 2008". Thanks for indulging me!
I have recently joined this website as one of my Facebook groups. I am thoroughly enjoying being a member and especially at this auspicious time when we are so nearly in the hands of a new owner, Dr Sulaiman al Fahim. The new owner has promised to build up the infrastructure of the club rather than go for short term splashing of cash on star players. I hope this means we get the new training grounds and facilities completed this autumn as they have been long in the planning and perhaps might even be upgraded. As this is where the team spend most of their working lives, the training facilities are incredibly important for their morale, keeping them injury free and encouraging new players to join us.
I also believe the training grounds are the home of the Academy and this must also get more substantial support from the new owner. I hope that Paul Hart will be asked to resume his post as director of the Academy to continue to develop the Pompey youngsters. I hope the new owner's wealth will be used to compete with other clubs to bring in the brightest young footballers and to find the best local talent. I hope the promised links with South America will show first in the Academy and that we develop a steady stream of South American youngsters especially Argentinians coming to us. I would also hope that the Academy concentrates on midfield play and players. Like everyone else, I was mightily impressed by the Barcelona midfield trio and the fact that the ball seemed tied to their boot laces. It also was stated that the Barcelona academy and training concentrated all the time on this approach to passing and football skills. That is what I would like to see become of the Pompey Academy.
In the medium term I believe the new owner is intent on continuing the development of Fratton Park as suggested by the previous owner and administration. This might be able to go ahead this coming season as the new owner does not need the backing of a supermarket to make the project happen (the supermarket was also that made planning permission more unlikely). But while Fratton Park is being developed next season I hope the new owner does not take his eye off the design and planning of a new stadium. I still think Horsea Island would make a spectacular location with Portchester Castle across the harbour and the chalk of Portsdown Hill behind. The development of an infrastructure of roads, bridges and transport links would be necessary first hence the redevelopment of Fratton Park in the medium term and the new stadium to be ready in the longer term. However it would be good if the new stadium could be part of the 2018 English bid to host the World Cup. It would be good if the new owner could dispense with the need to build shops as these would compete with other areas of the city. I would love to see an entertainment arena built alongside the new stadium to compete with the likes of the O2 dome to make Pompey an outstanding venue for other popular art forms.
I would like to see the gradual development of a club and a team ethos that intends to play football as it should be played with players who love the club and area and who love to play with the ball. I don't want the sudden influx of mercenary star players who are here to see how much they can earn from the new owner and the club before they move on to earn more money elsewhere. I don't want a quick fix to get us into the top 4 and to grab armfuls of silverware next season or the season after. I would like us to build a team and a club slowly gathering momentum - perhaps a top 10 finish next year with another crack at the Carling or FA Cup. I would like to see those links with South America plainly reflected in the team make up and style of playing - I am more of an Argentinian fan than the silky skills of Brazil as I think the former adapt better to European football than the latter. In succeeding years we will take our place among the clubs playing for European competition and then perhaps join the top 4 or 5 clubs as a right.
These are wonderful pipe dreams inspired by the arrival of the new owner. However there are also early indications that things have to happen in the short term. There is the matter of a new manager rather than the retention of the current one (see Paul Hart and the Academy above). There is the small matter of keeping our star players that we already have and producing a squad of sufficient depth and quality to take us into that top 10 next season.
For the die hard fan, this is the part of the season where we love speculating and I being no exception to that rule and with the help of the website posted at the top of this posting I intend devoting some postings to who these players could be as if I had an influence with the club. I am also still working on my political thesis by reading "Bring Home the Revolution:The Case for a British Republic" by Jonathan Friedland.
Other aspects of my interests such as film extra work, plays and productions, and storytelling I will cover in my sister blog "Bench Hamlet 2008". Thanks for indulging me!
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