How Carlos Queiroz’s Departure Affects Manchester United

You can’t blame Carlos Queiroz one bit for answering the call from his country. He’s 55 years old, and if he didn’t take this job now, he may never have gotten another chance, especially with Jose Mourinho already on the record as saying he intends to finish his managerial career with the Portuguese national team.

His record in the past as the top man for both club and country has been less-than-stellar, particularly at the senior level. Again, you can’t blame him for seizing this opportunity to prove himself and to show that he can be successful outside of the large shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Queiroz’s acceptance of the Portugal job has left Ferguson without his right-hand man just five weeks before the start of the Premiership season. There are several candidates in-house that will almost assuredly be considered by Ferguson to fill that assistant’s role — Brian McClair and Mike Whelan chief among them — but none that seem to have the same working relationship and mutual understanding that Queiroz and Ferguson have.

Manchester United will be seeking to win their third consecutive Premiership title, a remarkable feat that the club also achieved from 1998-2001. There is no doubt that United wouldn’t be in this position without Cristiano Ronaldo, who has developed into the best player in the world during his tenure at Old Trafford.

Queiroz was largely responsible for convincing Ronaldo to remain at the club after the incident with Wayne Rooney at World Cup 2006 threatened to permanently sour his relationship with English fans. Queiroz visited the star winger in Portugal immediately after that tournament, and the rest (back-to-back league titles and a a Champions League title) is history. Queiroz has also made his best efforts to drive Real Madrid off Ronaldo this summer, accusing the Spanish giants in no uncertain terms of tapping him up and comparing him to Christopher Columbus, who both Spain and Portugal claim sailed for their respective nations. Simply put, it’s well-documented that Ronaldo and Queiroz have a close relationship.

Queiroz, too, played a significant role in Manchester United’s acquisitions of Nani and Anderson, who both speak Portuguese, last summer. Nani is the natural successor to Ronaldo, if and when he does leave, and certainly has a bright future ahead of him. He’ll play more this season than he did last year, allowing the veteran Ryan Giggs to rest and conserve whatever he has left in the tank. Anderson will do the same for Paul Scholes, who simply can’t go box-to-box on a regular basis like he could in his prime. Anderson can, and is the central midfield general that Manchester United is really lacking.

At 66, there’s no way Sir Alex Ferguson is involved with the day-to-day affairs of the club as much as he once was. He can’t be expected to do everything 100% anymore, and that’s not a knock on him, that’s just the natural effects of age. Having Queiroz right by his side allowed Ferguson to concentrate on the big things, delegating the lesser but still important responsibilities to a man who was on the same page as him. Ferguson has also never been known as a master tactician by any means and again, at his age, it’s unclear how up to speed he is with everything else going on in the European game, knowledge that is necessary for United’s Champions League campaigns.

With Queiroz gone, Manchester United will take a hit. He is widely regarded as one of the top, if not the top, assistant managers in the world, and he can’t just be replaced like-for-like. He has significant influence in Portugal, obviously, a country that produces some of the best young players on the continent, which Manchester United has exploited in recent years. He is almost a second father to Ronaldo and while that may not change, his absence from Old Trafford may push Ronaldo over the edge in his desire to play for Real Madrid.

United fans would be unwise to not take this seriously and assume that the train to another Premiership trophy will simply continue full speed. The club has been able to stay at an extraordinary high level after parting ways with several high-profile players in recent years — Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, etc. — but I’m not sure they’ll be able to do the exact same without Queiroz at Ferguson’s side. Money can buy you more talent on the field, but it doesn’t work that way with coaches.

A Little Summer Reading

These are truly the dog days of summer. With apologies to Arena Football, baseball and cycling (Tour de France) are the only major sports going on right now, and we're waiting until late summer/fall when the sports calendar will really get busy again.

With this in mind, I'm sure you, like me, have an abundance of free time on your hands. Instead of wasting your lives away sitting indoors doing nothing, perhaps eating too much, sitting on the couch all day, or playing virtual games of some kind (which I do as well, so I'm not knocking it) for hours and hours, do something constructive.

If you're a college basketball fan like I am, then here's the perfect suggestion. Pick up a copy of Michael Litos' "Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College Basketball", which chronicles the 2005-2006 season and focuses on the Colonial Athletic Association, whose headquarters in Richmond are right in my backyard and a conference with teams stretching up and down the Atlantic Seaboard from Massachusetts (Northeastern) to Georgia (Georgia State).

There's a great foreword written by former Duke player and current lawyer and ESPN analyst, Jay Bilas, discussing the general state of mid-major programs in this country. Litos picks up specifically on the CAA as he's from Richmond and is a fan of VCU, one of the top two or three basketball programs in the conference in recent years. The '05-'06 season, of course, was the year of George Mason's miraculous run to the Final Four and Mason is part of the CAA as well, so there's plenty of ink devoted to the Patriots.

This book isn't just about games and on-the-court action, however, it's about more than that. It's about perseverance and dedication, trials and tribulations, the thin line between failure and success in a so-called "small" conference like the CAA. It's truly a fascinating, firsthand account of what was a special season in college basketball and for the CAA, so I recommend you head to your local bookstore or library and get your hands on this book. You won't be sorry.

Portsmouth Purchases Peter Crouch

Portsmouth has completed a $22 million move to bring Peter Crouch back to Fratton Park after seven years, during which Crouch played for four other clubs and earned his way squarely into the England setup.

Crouch, the tallest player ever to put on a Three Lions shirt at 6′7″, spent the last three seasons at Liverpool, where he scored 22 goals in 85 league matches but led the club in ‘06-’07 with 18 goals in all competitions, including a hat trick in Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Arsenal.

He was obviously out of favor at Anfield with the emergence of Fernando Torres, and manager Rafael Benitez found a formation that worked towards the end of the year — playing Torres as a lone striker with Steven Gerrard right behind him. Crouch was relegated to long stretches on the bench, usually coming in very late in games when Liverpool needed a spark. His playing style and body build wasn’t suited for Benitez’s preferred gameplan, and there was no way Crouch was ever going to be more than a role player as long as he stayed on Merseyside.

He’s come back to the South Coast now, where he’ll immediately link up with fellow England international Jermain Defoe. The two have the potential to feed off each other brilliantly — Crouch is very good at holding up balls and playing with his back to goal, allowing others to come into the attack, and the speedy Defoe should be able to run off Crouch and benefit from the big man’s dirty work.

There is no doubt that Crouch has superb technical ability, especially for a man his size, and he provides options that many teams aren’t built to defend against. His stats at Liverpool don’t truly reflect how good of a striker Crouch is; he was never put in a position to succeed and was playing in a system that limits individual creativity for the most part and focuses on the team and playing as a unit.

Under ‘Arry Redknapp, for whom Crouch will be playing for the third time in his career, he’ll have an opportunity to thrive. Niko Kranjčar and John Utaka are very good crossers of the ball from the wings and will give Crouch service he just wasn’t getting at Liverpool. He should be able to build more chemistry with the English contingent at Portsmouth (David James, Glen Johnson, Defoe, Sol Campbell, etc.) than he ever could with a semi-United Nations delegation at Liverpool, and that will come in handy.

For $22 million, Portsmouth signed a player who can score anywhere from 15-20 goals a season and almost as importantly, brings the skillset to allow guys like Defoe and Sulley Muntari and Utaka to come into the play and collect what Crouch starts out of the air. This was a very good signing for ’Arry’s club, and the regular first team games Crouch will get and the chance to continue to play in Europe (albeit the UEFA Cup, not the Champions League) will benefit the player as well. Look for Defoe and Crouch to form a productive partnership, certainly at club level, but I have a feeling they could be leading England’s front line as well in World Cup qualifiers this fall and beyond.

Luton Town Docked 30 Points..What’s the Point?

The Football League decided today to deduct an additional 20 points from Luton Town, who will be in League Two this season after finishing dead last in League One a year ago. The club was unable to agree to a company voluntary agreement to get out of adminstration, and according to the BBC and the Football League, this is the third such instance in the last 10 years for Luton Town.

The club had already been docked 10 points and fined $100,000, a lot of money for a lower-league club, by the Football Association after they were found to have paid agents via a third party, which is illegal in England and grounds for a charge of misconduct.

Combined, the 30-point penalty is the largest in Football League history, and it just makes life that much more difficult for a side that has been relegated in three consecutive seasons, a far cry from their glory days in the 1980’s.

As a fan of the game in general and not of Luton Town specifically, I could really care less about the financial situations and board room troubles of any team. The only thing that matters to me is the product on the field, and while the two are obviously related, that doesn’t mean I have to spend my time thinking about how the front office is run. I’m no economic genius or money wizard or anything else; that’s just not my cup of tea.

What I am interested in, however, is competition and what I see week-in and week-out on game days. I don’t pretend to know anything more than what I’ve read about Luton Town and their backroom troubles, but what do I know is this: It makes no sense for the club to start next season 30 points in the hole, no matter what has gone wrong behind the scenes.

Last year in League Two, 60 points was good for a tie for 11th place out of 24, a respectable, mid-table finish. Even if Luton Town was able to gain the equivalent of 60 points, which is highly unlikely given the sheer fact that they’ve been free-falling down the Football League in recent years, that would only give them 30 points with this penalty, and 30 points is 10 points fewer than what 24th-place Wrexham earned last season. Luton would need to win 10 games just to break even, and that’s no guarantee seeing as the bottom seven teams last year in League Two won anywhere between 10-13 matches.

Suffice it to say that this point deduction confirms, for all intents and purposes, another demotion for Luton Town. It’s going to be nearly impossible to climb out of this hole even with the best of runs, rendering Luton’s whole season virtually meaningless. There will be no incentive to sign or play for a club that has had its fate already sealed, and opposing teams will gladly come to town and pick up what should be a relatively easy result, or at least a positive result of some kind.

As I said, I can’t sit here and tell you that the punishment does or doesn’t fit the crime because I don’t know enough about the specific situation. I can tell you that taking 30 points away from Luton before they even step on the field for their first game gives them very little chance to do anything positive this season. The club is appealing the original 10-point deduction and the case will be heard next week, but even if the penalty was fully reversed, sitting at -20 points isn’t much better, and as we all know, appeals are rarely won by the defendant anyway.

I have a solution. Maybe this debacle, at least from the Luton Town point of view, was warranted, maybe the club deserved everything they got. Fine, I can live with that. But I wouldn’t take a lump sum of 30 points away, I’d spread it out like we do with car payments or house payments. I could live with a 10-point deduction to start the next three seasons, that way the punishment is still the same, but Luton still has a chance to save themselves and actually field a fairly competitive team with something to play for. At -30 points, they’d basically be slogging through a 46-game season just to play out the string, knowing that they’ll be in the Blue Square Premier division next year anyway barring an unforeseen miracle of epic proportions.

Will my proposal or one like it, perhaps a 15-point deduction in each of the next two seasons, come to fruition? Probably not, but from a fan’s standpoint, I think it should, and I hope it does.

Frank Lampard to Inter Milan?

Born and bred in London on opposite sides of England's capital, Frank Lampard could very well be leaving home to rejoin former manager José Mourinho in Milan.

According to BBC Sport, Inter Milan have begun negotiations with Chelsea to bring the high-profile 30-year-old midfielder to Serie A. It is understood that Chelsea have received a fax from the Italian giant inquiring about Lampard, who has only one year left on his current contract at Stamford Bridge and so far has been hesitant to commit to a new deal.

With the arrival of Deco last week and the holdover presence of the rather large figure that is Michael Ballack, not to mention the fact that Zenit St. Petersburg and Russian national team star Andrei Arshavin is now being linked to Chelsea as well, it seems safe to assume that Lampard doesn't really figure into new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's future plans. If Arshavin was to be signed, Chelsea would have three terrific attacking midfielders in a formation that, going by Scolari's past history, really only has room for one at a time. With Lampard and Arshavin, Chelsea would have four players for that one position, and simple mathematics tells me that that won't work out.

Inter's first offer is reported to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 million dollars, $3 million less than what Chelsea just paid for Deco. In an earlier post I talked about how $16 million for Deco is a steal, and with that in mind, $13 million for Lampard would be flat-out highway robbery. I understand that his value decreases the closer his current contract gets to expiring, but there is no way that a proven 20-goal-per-season player is only worth $13 million.

Chelsea and Luiz Felipe Scolari can continue to say all the right things in public about how they'd like Lampard to stay in West London, and they really have no choice but to say that or else his value will be slashed even more, but the fact of the matter is this is Lampard's decision to make and his alone.

It's no secret that he is one of Mourinho's favorite players and it's no secret how much Lampard loves playing for Mourinho, and to be honest, I think this is the perfect time for Lampard to move on. He's won two Premier League titles an FA Cup, and two Carling Cups, and been named to the PFA Team of the Year twice, all with Chelsea. The only major trophy he didn't win was the Champions League, and that was through no fault of his own with the way he carried the Blues in the later stages of that competition last year before they lost to Manchester United in PK's in Moscow. He can't accomplish any more with the club, and I think his tenure there has run its natural course.

Chelsea and Inter will surely go back and forth discussing a transfer fee for Lampard, because there's just no way Chelsea would only sell for $13 million. Remember, just one or two seasons ago, this is a guy who was valued anywhere between $35-$40 million, so a sum of not even half of that seems very outlandish. Lampard is in the prime of his career and would benefit from the slower pace of Serie A.

If I had to put a percentage on Lampard leaving for Inter Milan at this point, I'd say it's at least 50/50, if not 55/45 or even 60/40 towards him going. There's no room for him at Chelsea and Mourinho is a huge Lampard fan as I already mentioned.

Update (07/08-6:57 PM): Inter’s first official bid — nearly $16 million dollars — will be rejected by Chelsea, the West London club announced. Chelsea have also stated that they “will not enter into any discussions” regarding a possible transfer for Lampard, but come on, we’ve heard that plenty of times before and then that club eventually sells the player anyway.

Joseph Yobo's Brother Kidnapped in Nigeria

Anyone who follows the Premiership or any other top domestic league in Europe, especially Ligue 1 in France, knows the talent level and importance of African players. They're coming to Europe in greater numbers than ever before and are making huge impacts with their clubs. I could name an all-African XI right now that I'd be willing to take over any other collection of players in the world for one game.

For all of the positives associated with African players, however, there are far too many downsides and the real shame of it is that these negatives have nothing to do with soccer, at least not on the field itself.

I highlighted Watford midfielder Al Bangura and his quest to remain in the UK when a permanent work permit question was raised last winter. He was, for all intents and purposes, smuggled out of Africa and into France by a man who wanted to make Bangura a male prostitute. Bangura was literally in danger of losing his life if he had been forced to return to his native Sierra Leone because of his personal background, with his father having been a member of the Poro Secret Society. Fortunately, things worked out for the best and he was allowed to stay in England, but he would've been in a grave situation had that not been the case.

Bangura's case is just one of the many that successful players from his continent deal with. Conditions in Africa are so poor in so many countries and we hear and read far too often about players' family members being held for a considerable ransom or even killed, in some instances. Players are extorted for money through gunmen or semi-militant organizations who threaten violence or some other form of intimidation on the families.

Corruption is prevalent throughout Africa and it's seemingly a never-ending cycle: money is being spent to set up modern infrastructure in cities and to provide things like better health care and even life's basic necessities like food and water, but that money is winding up in the wrong hands and nothing is ever improved. Because of this, countries and charitable organizations are hesitant to spend more money to help Africa, which further limits progress, and even when they do spend it, once again, it's not going where it should. Africa has plenty of natural resources -- oil being chief among them -- but instead of being used to better the conditions of vast impoverished regions, profits are going directly into the control of already-rich individuals who wield power and influence.

There is very little stability, either political or economical, in Africa. Civil wars are currently raging in several countries, including Chad, Sudan, and Somalia, and countless others have ended only within the past 10-15 years.

Joseph Yobo was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and is one of Everton's two starting center backs. He is the vice-captain of his club and of the Nigerian national team, for which he's appeared 59 times, including in the 2002 World Cup and the 2008 African Cup of Nations, since making his debut in 2001. His older brother, Albert Yobo, has also represented his country. There's a youth soccer tournament named after Albert, who assists Joseph in the running of the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation, which helps under-privleged kids in Nigeria and has handed out well over 300 scholarships for kids anywhere between elementary and university level. Joseph has also started a soccer academy in southeast Nigeria and runs camps in Lagos.

Suffice it to say that Joseph and his family have a fairly high profile in Nigeria, to say the least. It should come as no surprise, then, when you read that Joseph and Albert's younger brother, Norum Yobo, was kidnapped at gunpoint along with two others early this morning as they were returning from a party. The other two, Ifeanyi Nwa and Barry C Lakara, have already been released, but Yobo has not (surprise, surprise). So far, no one has claimed responsbility and no ransom demands have been made.

This is exactly the problem facing soccer players in Africa. It's a catch-22 situation: they desperately want to escape and make it in Europe or elsewhere, and earn a living they'd never be able to achieve if they stay in Africa. Soccer is their key to a good life, but if they have too much success, they and their families can be exploited simply as a bi-product of their talents and abilities. There's really no way for these players to win. They can't stay in Africa because conditions there are so poor and their potential goes unrealized, but it's hard for them to go abroad because they're leaving their families and potentially putting them in danger in the process.

According to the Yahoo! article in which I found this story, kidnappings in common in the West African nation, particularly in the oil-rich Niger River delta region where this incident also took place, but most of them end peacefully after the ransom payment. However, deaths and injuries have occurred when security forces confront the kidnappers.

Obviously we all hope that Norum Yobo is returned alive and well by whomever seized him out of the car, and that the person or persons responsible are dealt with appropriately.

Happy 4th of July!

I'd like to wish everyone here in the States a happy, and most importantly, safe, Independence Day.

Even though Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, it wasn't until two days later that Thomas Jefferson's wording in the document itself was approved. It also wasn't actually signed by most delegates until August 2, but for some reason, we've chosen to commemorate American independence on the 4th of July.

This is the 232nd anniversary of that date, which has gone down as the most celebrated of its kind on our calendar and for good reason. With that in mind, I encourage you to spend a few minutes today thinking about how fortunate we all are to live in the greatest country in the world and salute those who risked their lives to separate from Great Britain in 1776. This is a day to barbecue and spend time with family and watch fireworks, but don't lose sight of why we can even do those things in the first place.

Again, I hope everyone has a great day today. Go outside, enjoy the summer weather, be with family. The soccer world always goes on, and it'll be here tomorrow, the next day, and the day after.

Manchester City Draws EB/Streymur in UEFA Cup First Qualifying Round

The draw for the first qualifying round of the 2008-2009 UEFA Cup took place yesterday, which ordinarily wouldn't have much significance at least as this site is concerned. This time around, though, an English club will be taking part.

Manchester City are playing in this competition based on their exemplary fair play record last season, not through their league position, and thus will have to start from the very beginning. Aston Villa likely will enter in the second qualifying round (they will if they advance out of the Intertoto Cup, which they should), and Tottenham, Portsmouth, and Everton all begin their respective campaigns in the first round, which is the group stage.

New manager Mark Hughes, who confirmed today's signing of Brazilian striker Jô for a club record transfer fee (officially, it's undisclosed but most sources are indicating a price of $38 million dollars), has very little time to get used to his surroundings, the club, and his players. The first leg of the tie will be played in about two weeks, on July 17, with the second leg two weeks later on July 31. His team will be on the road first, giving them the advantage of hosting the pivotal second leg, not that they'll need it.

City's opponent?

EB/Streymur, who is currently 10-2-1 and in first place in the Formuladeildin, more commonly known as the Faroe Islands Premier League. They finished second last year to powerhouses NSÍ Runavík. EB/Streymur's stadium holds only 1000 people, yes, 1000, and it is located in the northern half of a twin-village (Hvalvík is the southern village) with a combined population of just over 400. It is on the eastern coast of Streymoy, the largest and most populated island in the Faroe chain.

I know absolutely nothing about the team's roster except for the fact that as of June 23, it boasted three players from the Faroe Islands national team, so take what you will from that.

The first leg won't be played at EB/Streymur's own stadium; according to the club's director, it will take place in either Toftir or Tórshavn, the nation's capital. Both cities have stadiums with seating capacities of 6000, and there's no doubt the match will be sold out and a relatively raucous atmosphere (at least as far as that country goes) will await Mark Hughes and his men.

The second leg won't be played at Manchester City's own stadium either. Barnsley's 23,000-seat Oakwell will host that game as the City of Manchester Stadium is undergoing field maintenance, including a relaid surface, after a recent Bon Jovi concert and other events held there this summer.

Here's the complete first qualifying round draw, with its ties scheduled for July 17 and 31. It's made up primarily of sides you've probably never heard of, unless of course you support that team or follow the leagues in which these teams play. The team listed first plays at home first:

Southern-Mediterranean Region
Cherno More vs. Sant Julià
Pelister vs. APOEL
Vaduz vs. Zrinjski Mostar
Široki Brijeg vs. Partizani
Hapoel Ironi KS vs. Mogren
Koper vs. Vllaznia Shkodër
Interblock Ljubljana vs. Zeta
Juvenes/Dogana vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv
Hajduk Split vs. Birkirkara
Milano vs. Omonia
Marsaxlokk vs. Slaven Belupo

Central-East Region
Red Bull Salzburg vs. Banants Yerevan
Győri ETO vs. Zestaponi
Ararat Yerevan vs. Bellinzona
Dacia Chişinău vs. Borac Čačak
Tobol vs. Austria Wien
Hertha BSC vs. Nistru Otaci
Khazar Lenkoran vs. Lech Poznań
Legia Warsaw vs. Gomel
Spartak Trnava vs. WIT Georgia
MTZ-RIPO vs. MŠK Žilina
Shakhter Karagandy vs. Debrecen
Olimpik Baku vs. Vojvodina

Northern Region
FH vs. Grevenmacher
Vėtra vs. Viking
Racing vs. Kalmar
Honka vs. Akranes
Glentoran vs. Liepājas Metalurgs
Brøndby vs. B36 Tórshavn
Nordsjælland vs. TVMK
EB/Streymur vs. Manchester City
Olimps vs. St Patrick's Athletic
Djurgården vs. Flora Tallinn
Sūduva vs. The New Saints
Cliftonville vs. Copenhagen
Cork City vs. Haka 17
Midtjylland vs. Bangor City

Realistically, Manchester City should have no problem whatsoever advancing, and I'll go for a 6 or 7-0 aggregate scoreline. The draw for the second qualifying round, which already has 16 entrants, takes place August 1.

I'm On The American Soccer Show (Part II)

Hopefully everyone enjoyed my segment on the American Soccer Show last week with Kartik Krishnaiyer, a good buddy of mine. We had a good chat about the Euros and the US National Team and the feedback I've gotten so far has been positive, so I appreciate that.

Living where I do in Virginia (at least I until this fall, when I head up to Erie, PA for my second year of college), I get a chance to follow DC United fairly closely. They're playing very well in MLS right now and advanced in the US Open Cup last night with a victory over Rochester, and ABC reached a record audience in United's 4-1 win over the LA Galaxy last weekend immediately before the Euro 2008 final. Players like Luciano Emilio, an early MVP candidate, and Marcelo Gallardo are extrememly fun to watch, so keep an eye out on this team heading into the dog days of summer.

DC United was the topic du jour for Kartik and I in our segment today, which will hit CSRN's airwaves on Friday at 2 PM and iTunes shortly thereafter. With SuperLiga upcoming, we previewed United and their chances as they're in a group alongside Atlante and Guadajalara of Mexico as well as MLS' Houston Dynamo. We discussed their recent surge in form and some potential landmines down the road. We touched briefly on SuperLiga itself as a competition and where it ranks on the pyramid of importance for United.

Check it out and have a listen Friday afternoon; hopefully you'll enjoy it.

$16 Million for Deco is a Steal

Manchester City paid nearly $38 million for Jô.

Tottenham spent $32 million on Luka Modric.

Bolton paid $20 million for Johan Elmander. JOHAN ELMANDER!

Chelsea bought Deco today for $16 million.

Something doesn't seem right here. Jô is a star-in-the-making, there's no doubt about that, but he's only 21 years old and hasn't really proved himself at either the club or international level yet. Luka Modric is a very good player, but I'm not sure he's worth the money Spurs paid Dinamo Zagreb. $20 million for Johan Elmander, who is average at best, is simply ludicrous.

The sheer fact that Chelsea paid $4 million less for Deco, a two-time Champions League winner, UEFA Cup winner, three-time Portuguese first division winner, two-time La Liga winner, former Champions League MVP and Best Midfielder, and European Silver Ball recipient, than what Bolton paid for Johan Elmander is outrageous.

Since 1999, everywhere Deco has gone, he's been a winner. Sure, Elmander has won a UEFA Cup, but that was in 2002 and he barely played for Feyenoord at that age. Other than that, he's been a part of two Swedish Allsvenskan champions (but wasn't even awarded a medal because he didn't play in enough matches) and won the Danish Superliga with Brondby in 2004-2005. Give me a break.

Sure, Deco turns 31 in August, but that doesn't mean he can't keep up with the pace of the Premiership. His new midfield mate, Michael Ballack, turns 32 in September, and everyone hailed him for his performances last season and in the Euros this summer, a tournament in which Deco played well also. Didier Drogba is 30 and can still goals with the best of them (when he's interested, that is). Trust me, Deco's age will not hold him back under Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge. I understand that he can be prone to injury and missed a lot of games last year, but I believe more of that is just the fact that he didn't want to play for Barcelona anymore and packed it in.

Deco's style will fit very nicely into the Premiership. He is as talented on the ball as there is in the world. He's a fantastic passer and because Chelsea doesn't have much in the way of team speed, pinpoint service is essential towards springing players in behind the opponent's back line. He is creative, but not to a fault where he won't make the short, close passes that aren't sexy for fans to watch. He holds up the ball in the center of the field and allows his wingers and strikers to get forward, where he can hit that 50 or 60-yard ball and put it on a line.

This guy is worth more than $16 million. Chelsea should be jumping for joy at the fact that they got him for this kind of bargain, because the impact he's going to have will more than repay their already meager investment. His arrival likely means that Frank Lampard is on his way out, possibly to join Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, but you know what? Deco brings more to the table than Lampard, who needs others around him to shine. Deco is the type of player that makes everyone else better, not vice-versa.

Joining fellow Portuguese internationals Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho, and Paulo Ferreira, as well as the two Brazilians, Alex and Belletti (as well as the previously mentioned Scolari), will jumpstart Deco and put a spring in his step that he hasn't had in a while.

Even if it doesn't work out, which I obviously don't think will be the case, it's a low-risk move for Chelsea because they spent relatively little money on Deco. This isn't an Andriy Shevchenko-type situation, where Roman Abramovich threw money around like he was playing Monopoly. That move has been a complete bust for Chelsea and cost Abramovich $60 million, whereas this acquisition of Deco cost just over a quarter of that sum. If Deco doesn't deliver, no sweat off Chelsea's back because it was an inexpensive transfer in the first place.

This is low-risk, high-reward, and I believe Deco will ultimately prove that his $16 million price tag was a steal for Chelsea.

For Those Who Haven't Heard, Paul Ince Is Blackburn's New Manager

Blackburn's hiring of Paul Ince four days ago to become the club's next manager was probably the most under-the-radar, low-key appointment I've seen from a Premiership side in a long, long time. Ongoing action at Euro 2008, the release of next season's league schedule, and worst of all, unfounded transfer gossip, all received more coverage in the media than this piece of news. I could barely find any meaningful, worthwhile articles concerning the HIRING, whereas the RUMORS surrounding Luiz Felipe Scolari's move to Chelsea (which eventually did come to fruition) dominated newspapers and websites all over the place.

I can understand why, at least to some extent. With no disrespect to the team and its fans, Blackburn Rovers is a small club. They play in a small stadium in a small city (or large town, if you prefer), and have managed a high finish of 6th place (twice) in their seven seasons since returning to England's top flight. They have no real high-profile players and have had to assemble a roster comprised largely of spare parts and castaways in recent years.

Still, Ince is now the first black British manager in the Premiership, and while I wish we were at a place and time in humanity where that wasn't such a big deal, the fact of the matter is that it is. It is a significant step forward and for Ince personally, a well-deserved opportunity to show what he's made of at the highest level.

Ince was as good of a central midfielder as they come in his days as a player, which officially ended in 2007 for Macclesfield Town but came to a close in earnest for Wolves after the 2005-2006 season. He was at his peak with Manchester United in the early '90s, where he won 10 trophies in five different competitions from 1989-1995. He became one of the rare British and more particularly, English, players to leave the shores of the UK and have success on the continent when he played two seasons for Inter Milan, reaching the UEFA Cup final in his second year. He then came back to England and played for Liverpool, considered a very surprising move then and now given the fierce rivalry between United and the Merseyside club.

As a manager, Ince has also been a success. He's plied his trade in England's lower levels for two seasons -- 2006-2007 at Macclesfield Town, and 2007-2008 at MK Dons, the former Wimbledon FC.

Ince's first gig threw him into the fire immediately; when he took over at Macclesfield, the club was at the bottom of League Two, seven points away from safety, and seemed destined to be relegated out of the Football League. Under Ince's guidance, the team was able to avoid the drop on the last day of the season and went a respectable 14-8-13 in all competitions.

He then hopped over to MK Dons, also a League Two side. They got off to a flying start and were at the top of the table in September, and just two months later, he was linked with then-managerless Wigan, Derby, and Norwich (Championship). He denied the rumors and ended up leading MK Dons to two pieces of silverware -- the League Two title and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. In 55 games with the club, Ince recorded a very impressive 33-12-10 record.

Now he's at Blackburn, despite the fact that he doesn't have his UEFA Pro License. He doesn't have his "B" or "A" License either, but will be working towards each of those badges in the coming seasons and must start the Pro License process in the summer of 2010.

None of that stuff matters to me; I don't understand why such a premium is placed on them. It's simple: If a guy can coach, he can coach. He shouldn't need badges and licenses and certificates or whatever else, if he can coach, he can coach. I'm sorry, but simply having those qualifications means nothing to me. It's not as if he'll gain some magical skills and coaching techniques the day he gets them that he didn't have beforehand. There have been plenty of managers in the Premiership, and in other top leagues across Europe as well, who have their Pro Licenses and been complete busts at their respective clubs.

Ince has been very good, if not excellent, at both stops so far and nothing indicates to me that he can't continue to get the job done at Blackburn against the big boys in the Premiership. He'll have limited resources, yes, but guys like Mark Hughes, Sam Allardyce, and Martin O'Neill have all proven that winning is possible without a large budget.

Blackburn seems like another stepping stone job for Ince, but at the end of the day, that's fine. To reach his ultimate goal, managing a big club, he needs to be successful at Blackburn first, and Blackburn is a club that does have some ambitions. I think this is a perfect fit, and I feel comfortable in saying that Paul Ince will acquit himself very nicely in Lancashire over the next few years.

I'm On The American Soccer Show

For those of you who have enjoyed the previous audio spots featuring myself as a guest, it's your lucky day.

This week on CSRN's American Soccer Show, hosted by my good friend Kartik Krishnaiyer, I'll be on twice for one segment each (about 12 minutes long). Kartik and I recorded the conversation that you can hear starting tomorrow night, either by subscribing to the hour-long show on iTunes or by heading over to CSRN's website (www.csrnusa.com) and navigating your way to the American Soccer Show archives.

We had a good chat about Euro 2008 and how it's been received in America, then covered the US National Team and their recent friendlies against England, Spain, and Argentina, as well as their 9-0 aggregate win over Barbados to move on to the next round of World Cup qualifying. I posted the first part of my E-mail interview with Kartik concerning the USNT a couple weeks ago and will have the second half up either tomorrow or Wednesday.

I'll also be on later this week after the Euro 2008 semifinals have been played, so we'll probably get into those games a fair bit then.

Check out the show and feel free to give me your thoughts. If all goes well, something bigger and better could be on the horizon...

England Is Not Missed at Euro 2008

Let me ask you something.

Do you really think Euro 2008 would be any better than it has been if England was there?

The answer is not a tough one to figure out. NO!

This has been a great tournament so far, and the 16 nations that started the group stage were the 16 most deserving to be in Austria and Switzerland this June. You can argue that they weren't necessarily Europe's best teams (Greece, I'm looking at you especially), but they earned their places through rigorous qualifying groups.

Listen, don't get me wrong, I love the Premiership and I think the England national team has some terrific, terrific players. I think the world of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney and David James, I really do. I don't necessarily even believe that Steve McLaren is a bad coach.

The fact of the matter is that over 12 games, a fair sample size, England was the third-best team (tied with Israel) in a group that sent two teams (same as the other groups) to the big dance.

England played four total games against Russia and Croatia, the two nations that did advance, two against each, and lost three of them. This includes the last matchday, when Croatia had already won the group, secured passage to Euro 2008, and had nothing to play for, with England needing only a draw to do the same. Everything was on the line for them, nothing was for Croatia, and the game was at Wembley, England's home stadium. Even with all of this in their favor, the Three Lions still couldn't get it done, losing 3-2 after coming from 2-0 down to equalize, putting all of the momentum in their corner.

A little over a month before that loss, on their penultimate matchday of qualifying, England had another chance to make a statement in Russia. Russia finished with one more point than England, and that margin was a direct result of their 2-1 win in Moscow. Say what you want about the synthetic turf and how it isn't "sporting" to the game; I don't want to hear it. FIFA approved the surface, so there can be nothing to complain about. England even went up 1-0 in that game, but then gave up two goals in four minutes to Roman Pavlyuchenko in the second half to let the victory or even a share of the spoils slip away.

Sorry, England didn't deserve to be at Euro 2008. The performances by Russia and Croatia further justify this, but they weren't necessary.

Even if England had managed to get there, I'm certain they wouldn't have advanced past the quarterfinals. There are too many big egos, too much selfishness, and not enough technical and tactical ability on that roster.

Michael Owen came out in the media a while ago and said that Croatia had no one on their team that could make England's starting lineup. First of all, that's not true, second of all, how dare Michael Owen talk about who can and can't start for England when he himself can barely get a look-in to the national team anymore, and third and most importantly of all, that statement represents the English arrogance that has been and will always be their downfall. Too many English players believe they're better than they really are, and too many of them have the petulant, self-serving attitude that Ashley Cole displayed when he turned his back on Mike Riley and pointed at the name on the back of his jersey in Chelsea's match against Tottenham last season.

The only thing England would've brought to Euro 2008 is increased media attention. Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing the WAG's in attendance, but come on. Sure, I'd love to see this tournament get more coverage in America, something that may have happened with England's participation, but I don't need that to be satisfied as a fan of the game.

The reality is that Euro 2008 has been wildly entertaining and competitive. We've seen vastly different styles of play, some great goals, and some fantastic matches. We've seen Turkey rise from the deck three times already so far, and surely no one would count them out against Germany next Wednesday. We've seen David Villa, Lukas Podolski, Wesley Snejider, heck, even Dirk Kuyt, put in wonderful performances for their nations. I don't think England would've brought anything to the table that we haven't already witnessed.

The most important thing you can bring to a tournament is yourself as a soccer team. England wasn't good enough in a qualifying group that included Estonia, Andorra, Macedonia, and even Israel. Sorry, but if you can't take full points against those teams (which England didn't), I don't want to hear any whining.

To their credit, I haven't heard any from the England players themselves or McLaren or Capello's coaching staffs, either immediately after qualifying or now, during the tournament itself. That whining and complaining has come from media heads, bloggers, and England fans. I understand that they want their team to be there, but they weren't good enough, so deal with it. These people put down the teams that are at Euro 2008 by saying "Well, England could beat them", "England would do better than 'X' team", blah, blah, blah, but you know what? They didn't do what they needed to do. Give it a rest.

England is not missed at Euro 2008. They didn't deserve to be there, and wouldn't have shown anything unique even if they had qualified. The nation has some great individual players, but they don't amount to much as a team.

Michael Ballack's Rocket Against Austria

Wow, what a screamer for Ballack in Germany's 1-0 win over Austria.

The first goal scored directly from a free kick in this tournament was an absolute beauty.

Euro 2008 Knockout Stage TV Schedule

Only seven games remain in Euro 2008, a tournament that has thrilled us and kept us on the edge of our seats for two weeks. We're coming down the home stretch, and it's win-or-go-home from this point on. It doesn't get any better than that.

Here's the TV schedule for these last few matches (all times Eastern):

Thursday, June 19 (QF)
Portugal vs. Germany (ESPN, 2:45)

Friday, June 20 (QF)
Croatia vs. Turkey (ESPN, 2:45)

Saturday, June 21 (QF)
Holland vs. Russia (ABC, 2:45)

Sunday, June 22 (QF)
Spain vs. Italy (ESPN, 2:45)

Wednesday, June 25 (SF)
Winner of Portugal/Germany vs. Winner of Croatia/Turkey (ESPN, 2:45)

Thursday, June 26 (SF)
Winner of Holland/Russia vs. Winner of Spain/Italy (ESPN2, 2:45)

Sunday, June 29 (Final)
Winner of SF #1 vs. Winner of SF #2 (ABC, 2:45)

Euro 2008 Group Stage Predictions Revisited

The group stage of Euro 2008 is now complete, and we were lucky to witness 12 days of compelling action all afternoon long. There were great comebacks. There were upsets. Some of the favorites held serve and did what they were expected to do.

Croatia's Slaven Bilić, who I've been high on for a while, thrust himself to the forefront of the managerial world with the way he led his team to three wins in three games. He beat Austria in their own home and Germany in their own backyard. He beat a desperate Poland team while resting nine starters as his team had already won their group. He found a way to replace Eduardo da Silva, Croatia's leading goal scorer in Euro 2008 qualifying.

David Villa's four goals for Spain, including a hat trick against Group D's second-place team, Russia, raised his stock after an extremely disappointing '07-'08 campaign for Valencia. He'll be looking to move this summer, but his price has definitely increased with his two performances.

ESPN's coverage has been good for the most part so far, although I think I may be the only one who isn't a fan of Andy Gray, a man who too often tries to preach to the viewers about soccer in general rather than staying with the task at hand, the game itself.

As I did after the end of the 2007-2008 Premiership season, I'll now take a look back at the predictions I made before this competition started:

My picks:

Group A
1. Portugal
2. Switzerland
3. Czech Republic
4. Turkey

Group B
1. Germany
2. Croatia
3. Austria
4. Poland

Group C
1. Italy
2. France
3. Romania
4. Holland

Group D
1. Spain
2. Russia
3. Sweden
4. Greece

Actual Results:

Group A (2-4)
1. Portugal
2. Turkey
3. Czech Republic
4. Switzerland

Group B (2-4)
1. Croatia
2. Germany
3. Austria
4. Poland

Group C (1-4)
1. Holland
2. Italy
3. Romania
4. France

Group D (4-4)
1. Spain
2. Russia
3. Sweden
4. Greece

So as you can see, out of the 16 total teams, I correctly picked the exact finishing places for 9 of them (56%) and was spot-on with Group D. I also correctly identified 6 out of the 8 quarterfinalists (75%). All in all, not bad, if I do say so myself (and I will).

My biggest mistakes were underestimating Holland and their explosiveness and overestimating the ability of France and Italy to overcome the age that can be found on the rosters of both nations. I counted on the home crowd to boost Switzerland to at least a place in the quarterfinals, but two bad refereeing decisions went against them in their opening match against the Czech Republic, a game they needed to have, and condemned them to their fate.

Wazza Gets Hitched, Gerrard Doesn't Attend

Wayne Rooney is officially off the singles market after marrying long-time sweetheart Coleen McLoughlin in a 17th-century villa on the Italian Riviera last Friday, news that is sure to break the hearts of the various prostitutes whom Rooney used while the couple was still dating.

His good friend and England teammate, Steven Gerrard, was not present at the wedding as he and his wife (who, by the way, is considerably more attractive than McLoughlin) were celebrating their one-year anniversary in Miami over the weekend. Rooney and McLoughlin attended Gerrard's high-profile wedding last year, so talk of a falling out between the two Scouse stars is already circulating the rumor mill.

Oh yeah, who cares?!?!

2008-2009 Premiership Fixture List

With Euro 2008 in full swing and as lively and dramatic as ever (see Turkey's win over the Czech Republic yesterday), I've barely given the Premiership a second thought since the start of this month. I'm definitely looking forward to next season, which starts in exactly 61 days, but it just isn't at the top of my priority list right now.

Anyway, the fixture list for next year was released today, and there are some mouth-watering games early in the season to hook the viewers back in. The first clash between "Big Four" teams comes on September 13, when Liverpool hosts hated rival and defending league champion Manchester United.

I can't post the full schedule here because of copyright laws, but I will pick out what I believe is the best game of each matchday up through the Christmas period. Tomorrow, I'll do the same for the rest of the season.

The address below can be copied and pasted into your browser and will give you the complete fixture list, although times and TV coverage are still to be determined.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=546813&cc=5901

Saturday, August 16, 2008 -- Aston Villa vs. Manchester City

Saturday, August 23 -- Portsmouth vs. Manchester United

Saturday, August 30 -- Chelsea vs. Tottenham

Saturday, September 13 -- Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Saturday, September 20 -- Chelsea vs. Manchester United

Saturday, September 27 -- Everton vs. Liverpool

Saturday, October 4 -- Chelsea vs. Aston Villa

Saturday, October 18 -- Bolton vs. Blackburn

Saturday, October 25 -- Chelsea vs. Liverpool

Tuesday, October 28 -- Arsenal vs. Tottenham

Wednesday, October 29 -- Liverpool vs. Portsmouth

Saturday, November 1 -- Bolton vs. Manchester City

Saturday, November 8 -- Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Saturday, November 15 -- Fulham vs. Tottenham

Saturday, November 22 -- Aston Villa vs. Manchester United

Saturday, November 29 -- Chelsea vs. Arsenal

Saturday, December 6 -- Everton vs. Aston Villa

Saturday, December 13 -- Chelsea vs. West Ham

Saturday, December 20 -- Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Friday, December 26 -- Aston Villa vs. Arsenal

Sunday, December 28 -- Fulham vs. Chelsea

Carling Cup First Round Draw

With all of the deserved hype surrounding Euro 2008, the 2008-2009 Carling Cup first round draw, which was conducted yesterday, has more than flown under the radar.

All 72 Football League clubs will be in action during the week beginning on August 11. The first round, therefore, is made up of 36 ties and is divided into North and South regions. Both regions are divided equally with a pot of seeded and unseeded teams based on the clubs' final positions in their respective league tables last season.

Remember, unlike the FA Cup, these are winner-take-all games that have to be settled that day. Extra time and penalty kicks are used if necessary.

North Region (home teams are listed first):

Preston North End vs. Chesterfield
Chester City vs. Leeds United
Leicester City vs. Stockport County
Sheffield United vs. Port Vale
Grimsby Town vs. Tranmere Rovers
Crewe Alexandra vs. Barnsley
Hartlepool United vs. Scunthorpe United
Derby County vs. Lincoln City
Notts County vs. Doncaster Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday vs. Rotherham United
Shrewsbury Town vs. Carlisle United
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Accrington Stanley
Bury vs. Burnley
Rochdale vs. Oldham Athletic
Nottingham Forest vs. Morecambe
Huddersfield Town vs. Bradford City
Macclesfield Town vs. Blackpool
Walsall vs. Darlington

South Region:

Coventry City vs. Aldershot Town
Milton Keynes Dons vs. Norwich City
Wycombe Wanderers vs. Birmingham City
Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Barnet
Gillingham vs. Colchester United
Southend United vs. Cheltenham Town
Swansea City vs. Brentford
Luton Town vs. Plymouth Argyle
Exeter City vs. Southampton
Watford vs. Bristol Rovers
Bournemouth vs. Cardiff City
Bristol City vs. Peterborough United
Charlton Athletic vs. Yeovil Town
Millwall vs. Northampton Town
Swindon Town vs. Queens Park Rangers
Crystal Palace vs. Hereford United
Dagenham & Redbridge vs. Reading
Ipswich Town vs. Leyton Orient

Aldershot Town are the reigning winners of the Conference League Cup, aka the Setanta Shield, and the Blue Square Premier division. The Shots will be making their first appearance in the Carling Cup as they've never been a part of the Football League in their brief history (founded in 1992). I'll be interested in seeing how they do against Coventry City, a team that was nearly relegated from the Championship last year but have a decent manager in Chris Coleman.

Busy Day Today

No soccer-related posts today as I have family in town for my brother's high school graduation tonight.

I've had to spend a little "quality time" with the relatives this afternoon and will be doing the same this weekend, as well as go out to dinner and celebrate with my brother and whatnot. Expect the volume of posts to be down until Monday, when I'll be back and better (hopefully) than ever.

The Euros are really heating up -- I hope you've been able to catch as many games as possible. The second matchday typically kicks tournaments off in style as teams have one game under their belts and know exactly what they need to do to advance. It's been no exception this week.

I'll check back in tomorrow morning.