The recent win over London rivals Arsenal has re ignited speculation, that amid the furore surrounding the recent plight of Chelsea and lavish spending of Manchester City, that a new contender may come in the form of Tottenham Hotspur to take the Premiership title.
Tottenham, have, since Harry Redknapps appointment when they languished at the bottom of the table, with a mere 2 points from 8 games... gone from strength to strength. Involvement in the Champions league has given them renewed confidence and vigour from playing, and out muscling Inter Milan. Although, it has to be said, that toils of the Champions league, combined with a smaller team (in comparison to the likes of Manchester United etc) may have initially taken its toll, and as such, Spurs have suffered a number of defeats against considered weaker opposition.
Being treated to wins over Inter Milan, and more recently rivals Arsenal, will serve only to wet the appetite of most fans, increasing expectations and ambitions.
Success so far, can generally be apportioned to skill in Redknapp as manager and cumulative effects of a number of world class purchases and revelations. The acquisition of Van der Vaart and extraordinary form of Gareth Bale has helped to catapault them to Champions league group success and put their quest for a top four premier league finish back on track. Gareth Bale, particularly, is considered to be on another planet, with managers falling over themselves to give praise.
Spurs, unlike some of their competitors, namely Chelsea in previous seasons, play some beautiful attacking football, which is so often missing from the game, where managers through defensive tactics and formations often attempt to stifle a games creativity, in order to grind out a result. As such, their appeal may be utilised, and force in not only as a domestic english football team, but in creating an international, globalised brand, which would allow them to compete with the likes of Manchester to acquire a greatly increased fan base, both in SE Asia and USA and tap into a wealth of prosperity.
The rise of Tottenham Hotspur, has with itself, been seen aligned to the fall of Chelsea, whom in my eyes, have taken a step backward this season. Chelsea, have shed a number of players, most notably, 'Deco' and 'Ballack' and the like in reducing their wage bill, without bringing much fresh talent and youth into the set up. They are an ageing team, particularly in comparison with the likes of Arsenal, and as such, there needs to be focus on their Youth team and Scouting network, in identifying talent at an early age, which allows managers and coaches time to mould the player to fit the team. Manchester United, too are not as strong as they once were, with the Glazers in financial difficulties, and loss of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Perhaps, we may well have a new force in English Football, and one which can contend with the traditional top four teams. It is essential for the entertainment value of the premier league, that it remains to be unpredictable and surprising, and thus the rise of Spurs as a possible title contender can only be seen as a positive thing.
Sunday 21 November 2010
Thursday 18 November 2010
Fifa corruption pair ban:-implications for the UK World Cup 2018 Bid
Fifa executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii have been banned from voting in the 2018/ 2022 World Cup bids.
Contempt has been replaced by fear within the FIFA ranks, as voting members have awoken to the realisation that their power, influence, and position may be under threat...
The corruption which has been unearthed by the Daily Telegraph amongst others, shows that our UK bid, and dream of hosting the World Cup for the first time in half a century, looks set to an uphill battle...or is it? The implications for exposing the individuals within fifa, and the scandal, appeared to be severely damaging for the FA representatives, with many regarding them as unpatriotic, a particular theme amongst those supporting, and involved within the BID itself. This was compounded by the recent plan to continue with the BBC Panorama programme, to be aired only days before the voting is due to be cast.
It may well be argued, whether our Journalists working on behalf of the Daily Telegraph (and looking further back, to the Lord Triesman scandal)..should be applauded and perhaps respected for their attempt to seek the truth, even if it is indeed only for profitable economic gains. We may well, in a strange sense, feel pride, that we have not cowered in to the demands of the FIFA representatives, and responded at whim to their beck and call.
However, it has to be said, that despite these recent developments, our BID remains one of the strongest, having good infrastructure and plentiful supply of stadia, which is in contrast to that of similar bids, primarily Russia, whom suffers from transport issues, and Spain/ Portugal, where their combined efforts is likely to result in confusion, and inconsistencies with the standard achieved between the two nations. Although, it remains to be seen, whether such technical reports, provide anything other than a momentary distraction, and may as such be used in any case to support their preconceived views, in justifying the voting members favoured choices.
The results of the FIFA ethics committee has meant one thing; that is, the UK journalists were right in their assessment of these individuals in question, and as such, this may lead to greater tolerance and sympathy from other voting members, which may if we are lucky swing the vote in our favour.
Contempt has been replaced by fear within the FIFA ranks, as voting members have awoken to the realisation that their power, influence, and position may be under threat...
The corruption which has been unearthed by the Daily Telegraph amongst others, shows that our UK bid, and dream of hosting the World Cup for the first time in half a century, looks set to an uphill battle...or is it? The implications for exposing the individuals within fifa, and the scandal, appeared to be severely damaging for the FA representatives, with many regarding them as unpatriotic, a particular theme amongst those supporting, and involved within the BID itself. This was compounded by the recent plan to continue with the BBC Panorama programme, to be aired only days before the voting is due to be cast.
It may well be argued, whether our Journalists working on behalf of the Daily Telegraph (and looking further back, to the Lord Triesman scandal)..should be applauded and perhaps respected for their attempt to seek the truth, even if it is indeed only for profitable economic gains. We may well, in a strange sense, feel pride, that we have not cowered in to the demands of the FIFA representatives, and responded at whim to their beck and call.
However, it has to be said, that despite these recent developments, our BID remains one of the strongest, having good infrastructure and plentiful supply of stadia, which is in contrast to that of similar bids, primarily Russia, whom suffers from transport issues, and Spain/ Portugal, where their combined efforts is likely to result in confusion, and inconsistencies with the standard achieved between the two nations. Although, it remains to be seen, whether such technical reports, provide anything other than a momentary distraction, and may as such be used in any case to support their preconceived views, in justifying the voting members favoured choices.
The results of the FIFA ethics committee has meant one thing; that is, the UK journalists were right in their assessment of these individuals in question, and as such, this may lead to greater tolerance and sympathy from other voting members, which may if we are lucky swing the vote in our favour.
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