World Cup: First Round analysis

First Round analysis

South Africa vs. Mexico: High expectations greeted this opening day figure. The temperature was high and the game was as expected ; limited goals with both sides just trying to settle in. [5/10]
France vs. Uruguay: An extremely stale affair with neither side looking like they wanted to win the game. Both sat deep and seemed contempt with a point. [2/10]
South Korea vs. Greece: MISSED GAME
Argentina vs. Nigeria: MISSED GAME
England vs. USA: A game which had been built up for weeks and did indeed start very well. Perhaps one in which a goalkeeping error grabbed more headlines than the football on show. [6/10]
Algeria vs. Slovenia: Every World Cup has an absolutely shocking game, 2010's being this one. The football was poor. Both teams were very deep and the fact that the game produced a goal was a small miracle in itself. [1/10]
Serbia vs. Ghana: Again conformed to the mentality of sitting deep and hoping to sneak a goal through a set-piece. I felt that each team did make an effort to play some attractive stuff but the result was only changed by a needless handball. [5/10]
Germany vs. Australia: Much, much better. The German fast-paced wide football that we have come to expect did not disappoint. A very handsome scoreline which was deserved by the exciting football being performed. [7/10]
Holland vs. Denmark: The biggest disappointment of the first round. A game I was very much looking forwards to, as I’m sure many others were, however - to bloody disappointing results! The Dutch won the game 2 goals to the Dane’s nil, but that doesn’t excuse their sloppy and defensive approach. [4/10]
Japan vs. Cameroon: MISSED GAME
Italy vs. Paraguay: The Italian’s ageing squad shone brightly as Paraguay took an early lead. Good attacking play by Italy brought the score back to 1-1. An enjoyable game to witness. [6/10]
New Zealand vs. Slovakia: MISSED GAME
Ivory Coast vs. Portugal: Another shocking encounter which basically, shouldn’t have been the case. A game which boasted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou promised so much, least of all - goals! A pathetic 0-0 result. [2/10]
Brazil vs. North Korea: Best game of the first round. Brazilian style football is always a joy to watch but N.Korea, a team many had expected to roll over, dug their heals in. The Koreans were quick to close down and always looked to move up the pitch and attack. An absolute delight to watch and a credit to The World Cup. [8/10]
Honduras vs. Chile: MISSED GAME
Spain vs. Switzerland: The biggest shock of the round. Spain played their usually game, stringing umpteen passes together before cracking a shot towards goal. Their football once described by Arsene Wenger as ‘Out of this world’ could not break down the determined Swedes however. A goal mouth scramble gave the Spanish a 0-1 defeat. [6/10]

Referees

So much has been made in recent seasons from anyone remotely connected to football complaining about refereeing decisions.
Fans, managers, players and so-called bloody television experts have all been having their two cents put forward much more regularly. It astounds me that these members of the football community do not stop to think about the referee's situation before they cast such criticism.
Referee's problems lie with the players and their play antics. Throwing themselves on the ground from minimal or no contact, faking injuries, barracking referees to get opponents booked or red-carded, arguing with linesman as if the award of a corner or a throw-in is as important to them as the size of their wage packet. Referees have not declined in standard, yet this seems more likely with today's modern professionals. I don't remember a televised game in the last few seasons with a playing conning his way to a decision. To make matters worse, after each game, referees are then put to the task by 'experts' in a television studio with an unbelievable amount of gadgets.
A more lenient view must be taken upon the performances of referees. Either that or perhaps stricter punishments for the players that are all to eager to sprint half the length of the pitch to scream into his face?

Built by Shanks…

If you are a Liverpool fan about to read this because you think it will be another ‘Yanks out’ speech, then I shall forewarn you of your incorrect choices, both in decision of evening reading partnered with choice of football club.
I, for one, have been calling for Rafa’s head for some time, and in due course am fascinated by the amount of people who are ‘fans of Rafa.’
The moustached manager seems to be very quick to reach for his chequebook, or rather, the owner’s. In his five year stay at Anfield, he has spent a whopping £229 million. I make that out to be just short of 46 million pounds a season. And where are they now? The current squad is constantly criticised due to players that are just not ‘top four’ standard.

In their Europe league game against Athletico Madrid, Liverpool’s line up read Reina, Johnson, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Carragher, Gerrard, Benayoun, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt and Ngog leading the attack in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Obviously the indisputable Fernando Torres is missing with injury. Yet the starting line did still boast international, ageing stars such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. But they are exactly that; ageing. How long can Rafa depend on them to produce the goods?
Kyrgiakos partnered the influential Agger in the heart of defense, but he was bought for cover and only that. Loose marking and weak tackling proves he is not of the standard to play European competitions.
Lucas Leiva, a defensive midfielder signed for £6 million from Brazilian club Gremio. A player that has been constantly criticised for his wayward passing and weak challenges to win possession. Against Atletico, he was played in a more attacking role - but to no effect, deservedly receiving a 5/10 match rating in the BBC match report.
On 83 minutes, Liverpool turned on the offensive and brought on the Moroccan striker El Zhar. When said player was signed, I was led to believe he was the next exciting prospect, ‘one for the future!’ Which is the reason I was lenient of my first impression. El Zhar is 24 years old. 30 games for Liverpool. Scored one goal in all competitions.
It's no surprise that the red team of Mersey side took a 0-1 deficit back to Anfield.

Lack of silverware, the first time Liverpool have not finished in the ‘Top Four’ for 8 seasons and the absolutely abysmal decision to waste £17 million on the invisible, injury prone Aquilani when their season was in real jeopardy. I for one would not be surprised if Rafa’s P45 is delivered tomorrow.

He is a disgrace to the top four stronghold in the Premiership and is turning English football into an embarrassment.

Why you should support your hometown club

As I stood on a piss-stained terrace, largely alone, on another wet, windy day - the thought came across my mind; Is English football doomed to failure due to lack of support for the smaller clubs?
Many companions of mine support larger, richer clubs. Due to this, my hometown club, Macclesfield Town, is forced to rely on its hardcore fans that have been followers for many years. The club is struggling to attract new fans and if this carries on, is doomed to be wound up.

It was a Saturday; kick off at 3, Macclesfield Town vs. Torquay United - The most southern team in League two. Due to their geographical placement, a large away attendance was unlikely, and thus fears were correct. Torquay fans came in their tens, 56 being the total away attendance. Therefore a large Macclesfield fan base needed to show up to increase attendance and generate the much needed finance a small club such as Macclesfield needs to survive. Unfortunately, this was also unlikely, as the attraction of larder clubs nearby meant a lot of the local people travelled elsewhere to see their football that day. The attendance of the game was 1526; the lowest of the whole football league on that day, figures which meant drastic action needed to be taken. Greater advertising, cheaper ticket prices, offers and fancy dress days (Halloween), but still the attendances do not increase. Have the lower leagues of football hit the point of no return, on a slippery slope that will inevitably end in the clubs being dissolved?
Unfortunately due to the low attendance, there was a such a small number of people that saw the valiant fight back, with Macclesfield going 0-1 down early in the second half, but going on to win the game by two goals to Torquay’s one.

I state this point to you, supporters of Premier League clubs, to prove the importance of the lower divisions.
Any of you Manchester United fans? Remember when David Beckham made his break through into the first team, with that unbelievable half way line goal? Shortly after he was loaned to Preston North End, a club two divisions lower than Manchester United at that time. Now, I argue this ; would David have reached his full potential if not given this chance to prove himself with regular football? At this present time, the evergreen midfielder is on the verge of attending his forth world cup as well as bearing the honour of being the most capped outfield player for England.
In the Macclesfield Town squad is a young lad named John Rooney, brother of Wayne. Cast aside from the Everton youth system when he was just 16, Macclesfield Town acted quickly and invited him to a trial at the club. Morally injured, it was thought that John would drop out of football and therefore never fulfilling his full potential and putting his wonderful talent on show.
However, John Askey (Macclesfield town legend, overall appearance record holder and Youth Coach) was very impressed with what he saw and quickly offered John a two year contract.
At this present time, a host of Premier League clubs are tracking the eighteen year old, with teams such as Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers having him watched regularly. I argue that, if the lower league clubs were to suffer to the extent of being wound up, would John Rooney have a career in football right now? He has been given a lot of attention by the media and has been tipped for Big things later in his life, already stating that he would prefer to play for Ireland, when asked about his international career.

England have always been a top footballing side, with the first XI containing 3 of The Top 10 FIFA Best Footballers of the World. However, in 2008, events occurred that sent a shock wave down the footballing spine of the country; England failed to reach Euro 2008.
In today’s newspapers, no longer do they report on this disaster, but rather upon the optimism of how well England can do in South Africa 2010. However, at the time, 53% of England fans stated that they blamed the lack of home-grown talent on the fact that England did now qualify for this vibrant international competition. Upon further inspection, the National Squad is not as strong as once hoped. It lacks strength in depth, needing more bright young stars to push through into the first team and ‘knock on the door of the National Side.’ In my opinion, it is obvious that the more teams in England, the more chance there is of unearthing the next England superstar. If the lower league clubs were to suddenly be taken away, the outcome would be catastrophic for the National Side.
The Premier League is alive with examples. Throughout the division, many teams have players in their squad who have been recruited from the divisions below. The most recent is obviously Chris Smalling at Fulham (recently signed a pre-contract agreement with Manchester United.) Just three years ago, during the 2007-2008 season, Chris was playing for Maidstone United ; a team that earns its trade in the Isthmian League. With Maidstone usual having an attendance around the 500 mark, it’ll be quite a culture shock for Chris when he finds himself in front of the 75,000 strong Old Trafford army. When you see that the young defender already has a hand full of England U21 caps, the future for England’s back-line looks very bright indeed.

As I state the huge benefit’s the smaller clubs can have on English football, if you are a fan of a larger club, then I do hope next match day you will travel the shorter distance to your hometown club - paying your money to watch them instead. After all, a twelve pound admission fee goes a lot further with Macclesfield Town than Manchester City.