Scott Murray's Blog, page 193
October 17, 2014
Football transfer rumours: Ryan Shawcross to Manchester United?
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is preparing to embark on one of his quinquennial searches for a centre-back. Its a dirty job hed rather be shopping for another wily midfield schemer or forward with blistering pace who doesnt score half as many goals as he should but someones got to do it. Ron Vlaar of Aston Villa is top of his list, but he might be going to Manchester United, so Celtic central defender and Thunderbirds/Mary Poppins mash-up Virgil van Dijk will suffice.
Manchester United are still after Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who regular MBM readers may recall doing the following last season against Real Madrid: Vidal bursts into the Juve area down the right, then goes to cross. He swings his right boot at the ball but takes up a football-sized lump of turf instead, then falls over his legs and on to his face! Thats straight out of the slapstick handbook written by Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd! The size of that divot! He has the chutzpah to claim a penalty, too. Admittedly this is not particularly representative of the excellent Chileans oeuvre, but United are spending so much money on top-notch talent these days, its only fair that everyone else retains a little hope for the future.
Continue reading...
October 15, 2014
International review: Holland find their level, Northern Ireland on the charge | Guardian writers
Holland seriously over-achieved back there at the World Cup, fortunate to see off Mexico and Costa Rica, and flattered by the astonishing capitulations of Spain and Brazil, two teams signally unable to cope with absurd expectation. Now its the turn of the oranje to buckle under the pressure of artificially high hope. A middling team, no better, no worse, theyve now lost away to both of their main rivals for automatic Euro 2016 qualification. Hardly a surprise, especially given the form of Iceland over the past 12 months, so Robin van Persie is quite correct to insist that critics of fantastic coach Guus Hiddink pipe down. The Dutch have plenty of time to turn their campaign round and Hiddink has the international CV, even if hes no longer flavour of the month like his predecessor, Louis van Gaal (three major semi-finals to one, if were making facile comparisons). But even if Holland cant overhaul the Icelanders and Czechs at home, theres always third place and the play-offs. Without that safety net, Holland would actually be in a spot of proper bother right now, and wed have one hell of a group on our hands. But its there, and they arent, not yet, so we dont. Chalk up another success for Michel Platini and the glorious forward-thinking apparatchiks of Uefa! Scott Murray
2 Hiddink lost as many competitive games in his 2nd reign with Oranje (W1, L2) as Van Gaal in his entire two periods (W20, D5, L2). Rough.
HKG 0-7 ARG (FT') - Messi scored the FIRST brace by a substitute in Argentina national team history
For the 2nd time ever and the first time in 95 years, Brazil and Argentina both win by at least a 4-goal margin on same day (11 May 1919).
3 - Wales have managed just three clean sheets in their last 22 matches. Porous.
Brazilian National team all time scoring list; [77] Pelé [62] Ronaldo [55] Romário [48] Zico [40] NEYMAR [39] Bebeto
Continue reading...October 14, 2014
Poland v Scotland: Euro 2016 qualifier as it happened | Scott Murray
Shaun Maloney and Steven Naismiths goals earned the Scots a hard-fought draw
9.35pm BST
A bit of keep-ball by Scotland, and the visitors see it out for a draw! The hosts look thoroughly disappointed, a bit of a let-down after the joys of Saturday against Germany, and they will feel they should have snatched the win in the end. But Scotland were brilliant for large portions of that game, and defeat would have been cruel. A fair result on balance, and Scotland will be very pleased with their four-point haul from this international break! Oidhche mhath, everyone!
9.33pm BST
90 min +1: Lewandowski is released down the left by a long raking crossfield pass. But hes flagged offside. Scotland a little fortunate there; that looked marginal.
9.32pm BST
90 min: Grosicki is replaced by Zyro. The crowd are getting anxious. Doubly so as they hear there will only be two minutes of stoppage time!
9.29pm BST
87 min: The corner is half-cleared by Russell Martin, and returned into the area by Glik, down the right. Marshall claims, giving Scotland some much needed respite. This is insane pressure, its almost as though the pitch has tipped up on one end.
9.28pm BST
86 min: Greer is booked for a gentle clip on Mila down the right. The free kick is humped into the box and met by Glik, whose header is deflected wide right. Corner.
9.27pm BST
84 min: Mila dances past Scott Brown down the inside left. He feeds the ball forward to Milik, who rounds Marshall on the left and must score. But he batters the ball onto the left-hand post! The rebound is met by Mila, who lashes wildly to the left of goal. What an escape for Scotland! That is astonishing!
9.26pm BST
83 min: Chris Martin flicks the ball down the left for Anya, who nearly returns the favour with a ball squared into the box. Poland mop up the mess, just as it looks like Scotland are going to take another unlikely lead.
9.22pm BST
80 min: ... Poland nearly score. The set piece is hit long, and Krychowiak, by the left-hand post, should head past Marshall. But his weak effort is wide of the goalframe. Scotland are all over the shop right now. They need to clear their heads.
9.21pm BST
79 min: Scotland are on the ropes. Lewandowski cuts in from the left and launches a rocket towards the right-hand side of the net. Its heading in, but Marshall, at full length, tips round the right-hand post! Corner! From which ...
9.19pm BST
And yes, this had been coming. Jedrzejczyk, on the left touchline, takes down a raking crossfield pass and slides a ball along and inside for Milik, who hammers an unstoppable low shot across Marshall and into the right-hand side of the net! A brilliant finish. Scotland would settle for a draw, but the way Poland are playing right now ... well, this is going to be a long last 14 minutes!
9.17pm BST
74 min: Poland push Scotland back. Grosicki loops a ball in from the right. Russell Martin heads clear powerfully. Anya romps up the other end down the left. His deep cross finds Maloney coming in from the right. Maloney batters a rising shot goalwards. Szczesny tips over, though the ball was straight at him. The corners easily dealt with. This is going to be a long last quarter of an hour!
9.13pm BST
71 min: A double change for Scotland, who take off Naismith and Steven Fletcher, replacing them with Chris Martin and Darren Fletcher.
9.12pm BST
70 min: Poland have stepped it up again. Mila, down the left, causes all manner of bother. Eventually the balls pulled back for Maczynski, who from 20 yards flays a hopeless effort over the bar for three rugby points. Nowhere near.
9.11pm BST
68 min: Milik twists and turns down the left. He enters the box and, near the byline, bobbles the ball through Scotlands six-yard box ... and out the other side! How on earth did nobody get their boot to that? Lewandowski was an inch or so away from connecting at the near post. And breathe.
9.09pm BST
67 min: Lewandowski, irritated by his lack of service, drops deep down the left flank. He swings a high ball into the area, but its easily fielded by Marshall.
9.08pm BST
66 min: A lot of whistling ringing around the Stadion Narodowy. Scotland are doing a fine job right now. But theres plenty to do yet.
9.06pm BST
63 min: That was Sobotas last act. Hes replaced by Mila, one of Polands weekend heroes against Germany.
9.05pm BST
62 min: Grosicki tears down the right. The ball pinballs to Sobota, just inside the box on the right. Sobota hooks inside, where Milik is free, eight yards out. He plants a header goalwards, but over the bar. Marshall would have had no chance if that was on target. Milik holds his head in his hands.
9.03pm BST
60 min: Maloney twists along the left, in the middle of the pitch. A frustrated Krychowiak comes straight through the back of him as he turns, and is booked. To the Poles credit, there is not a single word of complaint.
9.01pm BST
59 min: Scotland are stroking it around with a little more confidence now. After Anya wanders up and down the left, the balls slid inside for Morrison, who attempts to fire a heatseeker into the top left from the best part of 30 yards. Over the bar, though not by much.
9.00pm BST
Krychowiak rather cynically nudges Maloney as the Scot heads down the left wing. A free kick, 40 yards out. Morrison swings a long ball into the box, towards the far post. The Polish back line is flat footed. Naismith springs clear, sticks a leg out, and with a little twist of the right boot, shuttles the ball on and into the bottom-right corner! Thats a very deft finish. And after being on the rack since the restart, Scotland are in the lead!
8.57pm BST
55 min: Scotland cant keep hold of the ball at all. Grosicki curls a pass down the right channel for Milik. Marshall is forced to race out of his box to chest the ball down and hoick clear.
8.55pm BST
53 min: Poland pass it around awhile in the middle of the park. Suddenly Sobota is tearing towards the box down the inside-right channel. Martin does well to come across and guide the ball out of play for a throw, and Scotland mop up. Poland have really stepped it up since the restart.
8.54pm BST
50 min: Scotland are on the rack a little here, for the first time in the game. Anya clatters into Grosicki down the Polish right, allowing the hosts to load the box for the resulting free kick. Marshall eventually claims, but only after a fashion.
8.52pm BST
49 min: Scotland win a free kick down the right, but Maloneys delivery is poor, and Poland sweep the ball clear. Suddenly theres a break on! Piszczek is in acres down the right, and is allowed to barge the only man in his road, Anya, to the ground. The balls lashed into the centre, but to little effect.
8.50pm BST
47 min: Poland are soon coming back at Scotland, and win a corner down the right. Glik meets the set piece on the edge of the area, heading forward for Milik, who lashes wildly over the bar from close range. The hosts have come out of the blocks here.
8.49pm BST
46 min: An early scare for Scotland, as Whittaker is nutmegged by Piszczek down the right. The Poland right-back enters the area, but his low cross pinballs all the way through the box and out the other side, somehow avoiding all of the home sides attackers. That half-time film reminds me of the guy who ate a can of floor polish, begins Mark Readdie. Horrible end. But a beautiful finish. Hes here all week, ladies and gentlemen, try the Pledge.
8.47pm BST
Scotland get the ball rolling for the second half. No changes.
8.35pm BST
Half-time
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public information film:
8.33pm BST
And thats that for the half. Scotland will be pretty pleased with the scoreline, their response to going a goal down, and indeed their overall performance.
8.32pm BST
44 min: Now its Polands turn for a bit of lax play. Maloney nips ahead of a dozing Szukala and slips the ball down the right for Anya, who sends a cross into the box. Naismith, in the middle, is shaping to lash home first time, but the balls cleared. Shame, not least because it would have been a carbon copy of Janos Farkass classic for Hungary against Brazil at the 1966 World Cup (which Scotland werent at, because of Poland).
8.29pm BST
42 min: Brown, in the middle of his own half, falls a-kip. To a soundtrack of loud snoring, Lewandowski nips in from behind and robs the Scotland captain, then hares off towards the area. He feeds Maczynski to his left; the resulting shot is blocked. Scotland breathe again. Brown should be thanking his defence at the break; that was appallingly slack.
8.27pm BST
40 min: Lewandowski looks to break down the inside-right channel. Hell be clear on goal if he nudges it past Martin, 30 yards out, but the Scottish defender stands firm. Fine play all round.
8.26pm BST
39 min: Poland so nearly break on Scotlands goal. Hutton is sleeping as Jedrzejczyk threads a delightful ball down the left flank for Sobota, who squares for Lewandowski. It looks like a second goal for Poland, but Whittaker is alive and across to hack clear just before the striker can pull the trigger. A brilliant clearance, but that was a lovely move by the Poles.
8.24pm BST
38 min: Scotland are stroking it around the back again. With each pass, the travelling Tartan Army emit fate-tempting screams of Olé! Please dont do that. No good can come of that.
8.22pm BST
36 min: Glik is back.
8.22pm BST
35 min: Glik is off the pitch, getting some bandages and an orange sack applied to his head, after taking a whack over his right eye. Fletchers elbow was to blame as the pair tussled in the middle of the park. Purely accidental. While Polands centre back is away, Fletcher himself goes for goal 25 yards out. That really would have been adding insult to injury, but the shots dragged well wide right.
8.20pm BST
32 min: Scotland are doing pretty well in the midfield, too, controlling their fair share of possession. However theyre also playing a very high line. Whittaker had to do the full Jinky Johnstone through the centre circle there, avoiding three challenges. If hed not made it through and lost the ball, it was three on one. I fear a goal on the break for Poland.
8.16pm BST
29 min: Whittaker has a little time down the left. His cross is awful, and looks like flying out of play to the right of goal, but Fletcher, on the byline, hooks back brilliantly. Glik clears just before Naismith, on the penalty spot, can connect. Poland arent all that clever at the back, but Scotland are attacking with vigour.
8.14pm BST
28 min: Maloney goes on a skedaddle down the inside-right channel and is hauled to the floor by Krychowiak, 30 yards from goal. Scotland load the box. Again, though, Maloney cant beat the first man at a set piece. Its hard to criticise him after the brilliance of his strike, though. So lets not.
8.11pm BST
25 min: A ball whipped into the Scottish area from the Poland left. Sobota stoops with the intention of heading home, six yards out, level with the right-hand post, but Whittaker is on his shoulder, and puts him off, the ball flying out of play. The crowd appeal for a tug on Sobotas shirt, but the player makes no great claim.
8.10pm BST
22 min: Its Grosicki v Marshall at the moment. Grosicki takes the corner and Marshall makes a nine-course tasting menu of gathering a simple ball at the near post. The keeper is looking nervous right now. He looks to throw the ball upfield and checks mid-arc. For a second, you fear hes going to let that squirm towards the empty net. Good God, man, dont do that! Have you never heard of Gary Sprake?!
8.08pm BST
21 min: Corner to Poland down the left. The noise here is something else. Grosickis set piece is punched clear with confidence by Marshall. Theres not as much confidence in what he does next. Grosicki picks up the loose ball and, from 20 yards, has a whack for the bottom left. Lucky for Scotland that its not on target, because Marshall fumbles it behind for another corner. He should have claimed.
8.06pm BST
This is a picture-book goal! Fletcher, his back to goal 40 yards down the inside-right channel, turns and sprays a delightful diagonal pass towards Anya on the left-hand edge of the Polish box. Anya takes a touch and a stride forward, then cuts a low ball back towards Maloney on the penalty spot. Maloney opens his body and sidefoots hard into the bottom-right corner. A perfectly placed shot, leaving Szczesny no chance! What a response by Scotland! Thats as good a goal as youll see in this international break.
8.04pm BST
17 min: A few whistles as Scotland try the passing thing upfield a bit, in the centre of the park. Poland seem happy enough for the visitors to do this, for theyre going nowhere. Martin eventually gets fed up and blooters long for Anya, but accuracy comes at a premium, and Szczesny claims with ease.
8.02pm BST
14 min: Well, so much for Polands sluggish start. The atmosphere in the stadium really is quite something now. Scotland are knocking the ball around the back again, presumably in an attempt to clear their heads. There are worse ideas. Scotland were fairly lively in those opening exchanges; that goal will have come as a blow.
7.59pm BST
Poland knock it around the front of the Scottish area. Hutton prods the ball nearly two centimetres back upfield. Maczynski, in a central position on the edge of the D, lashes a low shot towards the bottom right, off the base of the post, and into the net. A lovely finish, but what a dismal attempted clearance by Hutton!
7.57pm BST
11 min: Whittaker heads lamely upfield from the edge of the Scottish area. The ball drops to Lewandowski, who prepares to hammer a shot goalwards from 25 yards. Greer prods the ball away with his studs, but catches Lewandowskis shin too. Thats a pretty poor challenge. It should be a free kick, and a booking, but its neither. Never mind, because from the resulting throw...
7.55pm BST
9 min: Poland havent managed to put anything together yet, but theres time. Lewandowski is putting himself about a bit. Piszczek is fed the ball in space down the Polish right, but with men in the area, hoofs a hopeless centre deep into the stand behind the goal.
7.53pm BST
6 min: Hutton, sent into space down the right by Naismith, wins a corner off Polish Left Back. Maloneys set piece doesnt beat the first man. Poland clear but Scotland come back at the hosts. Glik takes Fletcher out to the right of the D, and Scotland should have a free kick in a dangerous position, but the strikers given nothing.
7.51pm BST
4 min: Scotland have started fairly comfortably, but on the touchline, Gordon Strachan is doing a lot of pointing and shouting. Perchance the lyrical deployment of a little swear word or two. Hes got a pen and notepad, too, but unlike his predecessor Craig Levein, doesnt seem too interested in taking notes. I prefer Strachans back-to-basics style, but each to their own I guess.
7.49pm BST
2 min: A belting atmosphere in the Stadion Narodowy tonight. Greer, making his full debut as a 33 year old, is allowed plenty of time on the ball as Scotland stroke it around the back in the style of Liverpool circa 1979. The home crowd arent too happy at Polands perceived reluctance to press.
7.47pm BST
Poland get the ball rolling. Nothing against the guy, but heres hoping their left back Artur Jedrzejczyk doesnt get too many crucial touches of the ball tonight.
7.45pm BST
The teams are out! Poland are playing in their white shirts and red shorts, while Scotland are in their famous dark blue shirts and
famous white
blue shorts. Tonight will end 1-1: a good point, predicts Lou Roper. But we do know how it will end, of course, since Gibraltar (home and away) await. Should there be space dedicated at Hampden to honour minnows who have brought the Tartan Army to distraction: Iran, the Faroes, etc.? Dedicate space at Hampden to what now? The place would have to be bigger than the Maracana in 1950!
7.36pm BST
The national anthems:
Poland has not yet perished
So long as we still live!
What the alien force has taken from us
We shall retrieve with a sabre!
7.27pm BST
Poland: Szczesny, Piszczek, Szukala, Glik, Jedrzejczyk, Grosicki, Maczynski, Krychowiak, Sobota, Lewandowski, Milik.
Subs: Boruc, Cionek, Wojtkowiak, Teodorczyk, Rybus, Wawrzyniak, Olkowski, Mila, Starzynski, Zyro, Kucharczyk, Fabianski.
Scotland: Marshall, Hutton, Russell Martin, Greer, Whittaker, Maloney, Morrison, Brown, Anya, Steven Fletcher, Naismith.
Subs: Gordon, Chris Martin, Berra, Bryson, Forsyth, Bannan, McArthur, Darren Fletcher, Burke, Robertson, May, Gilks.
7.26pm BST
Some pre-match chat. Iain Cameron would like to pull me up for suggesting in the preamble that Gordon Strachans predecessor, the absurd technocrat Craig Levein, had some fancy systems. Since when did parking the bus against everyone, including Lichtenstein (and generally parking it badly at that) count as fancy systems? Hes making a fair enough point, dear reader. Although isnt a team with no striker a fancy system? Its just not a very good one. I think were in broad agreement here. But what a beard!
Meanwhile heres Simon McMahon. My mind is drawn to March this year, when the signs of a new Strachan inspired Scotland were clearly evident in a fine 1-0 win in Poland. But it was a friendly, and I confidently predicted that wed be on the end of a 3-0 shellacking when the real business took place tonight. Cos this is Scotland. And, as you say, we all know how this ends. But, to quote Martin Luther King (or was it Elvis?), as long as a man has the strength to dream, he can redeem his soul and fly. Deep in my heart theres a trembling question, Still I am sure that the answers gonna come, somehow. Out there in the dark, theres a beckoning candle. And while I can think, while I can talk, While I can stand, while I can walk, While I can dream, please let my dream, come true, right now. Let it come true, right now. Oh yeah. Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause, not so much for Simon but the nutritional benefits of bevvy. Its the taste!
6.50pm BST
A little bit of history. Poland and Scotland have only met in competitive football on two occasions. Both matches were in the qualifiers for the 1966 World Cup, where the Poles would effectively do for a Scottish team desperate to tag along to Englands party. The teams drew in Chorzow, Denis Law securing what looked like a decent point with a 76th-minute goal. But back at Hampden, Scotland blew it spectacularly. Leading through a 13th-minute Billy McNeill goal, they utterly dominated the match, only for Law to suffer a rare off day. He missed three good chances, and the Scots would pay.
Scotland, reported the Guardian, lapsed into their old over-confident ways against the Poles - rugged men and hard runners with or without the ball. And sure enough, on 85 minutes, Eddie McCreadies mistake allowed Jan Liberda to lob an equaliser. Then a minute later, utter disaster, as Jerzy Sadek outstripped John Greig and slipped the ball between Bill Browns legs. Scotland were jeered and slow-handclapped off, their hopes of making it to England 66 severely jiggered. Even a 1-0 win over eventual group winners Italy couldnt save them.
6.30pm BST
When the whistle blew at the end of Scotlands recent Euro 2016 qualifier in Germany, Gordon Strachan took a couple of determined steps onto the pitch while peeling off his jacket in the pub-car-park style, and made a beeline for the referee. Thankfully for all concerned, he quickly thought better of getting in the officials grille, or booting him foursquare up the trousers, and as a result nobodys now facing a custodial sentence. But just for a minute there, it was so sweet! A little bit of passion in international football! An unfashionable concept these days, passion, but you have to remember that Scotland fans recently had to put up with absurd technocrat Craig Levein and his fancy systems, all drawn out in mechanical pencil, so this is a major improvement in the grand scheme of things.
Strachan has been good for Scotland. Very good. Since taking over, you could say his record is an approximate definition of average - won seven, drawn two, lost five. However, four of those defeats came in his first six matches. Theres been a marked improvement in the following eight games: Scotland have only been defeated by the world champions Germany, unluckily on the balance of play, too, in a match which should have seem Erik Durm sent off. Hence the wee man peeling off his outer garments in preparation for a rigorous debate. Scotland are in good nick. Theyve a stock of reliable goalkeepers, the midfield is blessed with solid if not necessarily spectacular talent, Steven Naismith is one of the most consistent and hard-working forwards in the Premier League, and Ikechi Anya is better than Garrincha. Strachans got the defence, not blessed with stars, playing as a team; theyre able to close out 1-0 wins against Georgia with the team not playing particularly well. (Hey, baby steps.) Theyre in a decent place. Watching Scotland is fun again, even if we all know how its going to end.
Continue reading...October 9, 2014
England v San Marino: Euro 2016 qualifier as it happened | Scott Murray
The best images from England v San Marino
9.35pm BST
And there it is. Make of that what you will. A good second-half performance followed a dreadful first-half one, and England win, remaining top of the group as expected. Next stop on the Euro 2016 rollercoaster: Estonia on Sunday. Well see you then!
9.33pm BST
90 min +1: The first of two added minutes, and Harts touching the ball again to wild comic cheers. Thankfully all members of that bloody band keep their faces shut this time.
9.32pm BST
90 min: Rinaldi is booked for a late and clumsy lunge on Milner. Rinaldi, hey? writes Ian Copestake. Two vowels away from genius. The sort of spot one expects from the editor of the William Carlos Williams Review.
9.30pm BST
88 min: Lallana and Milner again bustle down the left, combining well. Milner dances clear into the box, and inexplicably opts to square the ball for Townsend, rushing in from the right, instead of shooting. Townsends low hammer is heading into the bottom right, and beats Simoncini, but Brolli is on the line to block.
9.28pm BST
87 min: Rinaldi comes on for Selva.
9.28pm BST
86 min: Lallana busies himself down the left and wins a corner. He takes it quickly to release Milner along the byline. Milner pulls the ball back for Gibbs, who cutting in from the left tries to thread a sidefooter into the bottom right. Its on target, but Matteo Vitaioli is in the way to block and clear.
9.26pm BST
84 min: Rooney is desperate for another goal. After powering down the left, he pulls the ball back for Milner, who looks to return it with a sliderule pass down the channel. Rooney would be clear on goal, but theres too much juice on the ball while the England captain looks, frankly, knackered.
9.23pm BST
81 min: A corner for England down the left. Milner whips it to the near post, where the busy Rooney flicks a header goalwards. Again the keeper is all over it. Simoncinis been pretty impressive tonight.
9.22pm BST
79 min: Rooney looks to hammer spectacularly home from 40 yards out down the inside-right channel. His effort is ... how to describe? ... Geoff Thomasian. It nearly hits the right-hand corner flag. Never one to sulk, Rooneys soon back in the thick of it, screwing back his neck to meet Townsends scooped cross from the right. Level with the left-hand post, and ten yards out, he gets the header on target, but its easy for Simoncini to claim.
9.20pm BST
Rooney in acres in the right-hand side of the San Marino box. He looks to clip a cross inside, but it whacks poor Della Valle, who looks in horror as the ball deflects into the bottom-right portion of the goal, Simoncini going the wrong way.
9.18pm BST
76 min: Lallanas been pretty impressive early doors at Liverpool. And hes been very good since coming on tonight. He jigs around to make a little space on the edge of the D, and skelps a shot straight at Simoncini. A minute or so later, hes one-two-ing like billy-o with Rooney and Townsend on the edge of the box. He nearly makes space for himself, then nearly engineers a chance for Rooney.
9.16pm BST
74 min: Matteo Vitaioli is clumsily bundled over down the left wing by Chambers. Before the free kick, just outside the area, can be taken, Buscarini comes on for Palazzi. Then Vitaioli takes the free kick himself, whipping a shot on target, but one thats easily claimed by Hart. Does anybody remember
Spangles
Joe Hart?
9.14pm BST
And Simoncini could do little about this. He cuts inside from the right, and lashes a fine low shot into the bottom-right corner. OK, a top-drawer keeper probably wouldnt be beaten at his near post, but have a heart.
9.12pm BST
71 min: Wilshere looks to guide a header into the bottom right from the penalty spot. Simoncini, who has played very well indeed, that cock-up for the first goal apart, drops to his side to claim with confidence.
9.11pm BST
70 min: Townsend bustles away down the right and wins a corner. Rooney heads over from ten yards. A real sour look on his puss. Hes after more goals, thats for sure. And here he is again, down the inside-right channel, lashing a low effort towards the bottom right. Its blocked well by Simoncini.
9.09pm BST
67 min: A rare old stramash on the San Marino penalty spot, as Lallana dances in from the left and is gently upended. Not a penalty, according to the referee, and hes correct. Rooney attempts to retrieve the situation with a snapshot from 12 yards, but scoring from the penalty spot is so much harder with five men lying in front of you. San Marino hack clear.
9.07pm BST
66 min: Townsend comes on for Welbeck.
9.06pm BST
63 min: Gasperoni comes on for Tosi. By the way, since scoring two more goals the stats for shots on target has still not risen past eight, notes Ian Copestake. Methinks the stats for the stats will not be good.
9.05pm BST
62 min: Rooney, released again down the inside-right channel, tries to round the keeper on the outside. Hes denied again by more wonderful keeping. But the ball breaks to Welbeck on the right-hand edge of the D. Welbeck shoots towards the bottom-left corner. The ball deflects off Lallanas ankle and flies into the bottom right. England celebrate, but eventually the linesman orders the goal to be chalked off for offside. Its a piss-poor decision. Lallana, who opened his Liverpool account last weekend, should have his first England goal here. But its not to be.
9.03pm BST
61 min: Wilshere rolls a gorgeous pass down the inside-right channel to free Rooney on goal. The England captain is far too smart for his own good, and instead of hammering the ball past Simoncini, tries to Poborsky a scoop over the keeper and into the net. But the keeper grabs it out of the sky. Another fine save, but what a miss.
9.01pm BST
58 min: A couple of highly decent efforts from the lively Oxlade-Chamberlain within 60 seconds. First he takes a snapshot from the edge of the box that only just flies left of the target. Then he eyebrows a clever right-wing Wilshere cross towards the bottom left, only for Simoncini to save rather wonderfully, tipping round for another corner. Those prove the highlights of that attacking burst, but England are playing well now. Yes, its only San Marino. But look at the first half!
8.59pm BST
56 min: A touch for Joe Hart. Tinder-dry cheers. A little bit of humour, always good to hear. Unlike the England brass band, who take this as their cue to ruin the atmosphere by parping up. What is to be done about this evil menace? Everyone got sick of them a good decade ago now. Its time to act! Take off your socks, Wembley, you know what to do.
8.56pm BST
53 min: Welbeck is in acres down the right. He has two goes at finding Rooney in the middle with a fierce cross, but batters a blue shirt each time and has to settle for a corner, which is wasted. But this is far better from England, who almost certainly had the full hairdryer, crimpers and heated roller treatment during the break.
8.53pm BST
51 min: A corner won down the right this time. Its looped onto the head of Rooney, on the penalty spot. He hammers a header straight at Simoncini, who deals with the situation without fuss.
8.52pm BST
England have clearly been the collective recipient of a high-octane bollocking at half-time. Oxlade-Chamberlain battles like hell down the right to win a ball he had no right to claim, and whips a low cross towards the right-hand post, where Welbeck, rushing in, slams home from six yards. England started the half at a high tempo, and this had been coming.
8.50pm BST
48 min: Another corner down the left after more good work from Lallana. And again Milner and Wilshere combine down the inside-left channel. Wilshere is sent scampering towards the byline, but his low cross is hacked clear.
8.49pm BST
47 min: England win themselves a corner down the left, after good work from the newly arrived Lallana. England work the ball inside, and Wilshere isnt far away from rolling Milner clear on goal down the inside-left. Just a bit too much juice on the ball.
8.46pm BST
England make a double change: Sterling and Henderson off, Lallana and Oxlade-Chamberlain on. Nothing much for Brendan Rodgers to complain about there, unless either Sterling or Hendersons legs have fallen off, in which case, fairs fair. New England get the ball rolling again. Meanwhile heres the match in pretty pictures, in our lovely Gallery. If you leave a-clickin, please come back.
8.34pm BST
Half-time entertainment:
8.32pm BST
England are winning, lets put it that way.
8.31pm BST
45 min: Wembley, having celebrated the goal, has already descended back into muttering. England have not been impressive.
8.30pm BST
The corners pumped into the box. A melee in the area. Selva tries to insert his toe into Rooneys eye socket. A clear penalty, and a booking. Rooney gets up and lashes his 42nd goal for England (and fourth against San Marino) into the top right. On the bench, Roy Hodgson claps, but in a mixture of frustration and relief rather than celebration.
8.28pm BST
42 min: Aldo Simoncini = Gordon Banks. England triangulate awhile. Welbeck, ten yards out to the right of goal, hoicks a shot thats heading into the roof of the net. The keeper arcs his back and tips over marvellously! But its all in vain, because ...
8.25pm BST
40 min: Rooney embarks on a rococo dribble down the left. He lays off to Sterling, whose shot hammers straight into Della Valle. It seems you have witnessed England hit eight shots on target so far, notes Ian Copestake. Lucky you. The goal itself however was not included as stats do not cover apologetic headers.
8.24pm BST
37 min: James Milner (Manchester City) is booked for hanging a cynical leg out to put a stop to Matteo Vitaioli (factory worker) as the San Marino winger looks to burst down the left. Professional fouls against amateur players, that its come to this for Roy Hodgsons England.
8.22pm BST
36 min: Henderson powers into space down the right and zips a low ball into the middle. At the right-hand post, Wilshere and Welbeck take turns to get the ball stuck under their feet, and its finally hacked clear by Della Valle.
8.21pm BST
34 min: The best piece of skill in the match so far, as Selva dances a Luis Suarezesque jig to soft-shoe shuffle his way past Wilshere in the middle of the England half. He shuttles the ball to the left for Matteo Vitaioli, who cuts inside and larrups a decent effort intended for the top left. Its going wide, and Hart has it covered, but that was a highly decent passage of play from San Marino, and I write that with the Patronise-o-Meter set to zero.
8.19pm BST
33 min: Sterling is upended as he embarks on a skitter down the left. A free kick in a dangerous position for England, 25 yards from goal. Milner lifts it into the middle. Cahill misses it. Simoncini misses it. Henderson misses it. The ball flies out to the right of goal.
8.17pm BST
31 min: England knock it around the middle of the park a bit more. This is on prime-time ITV.
8.15pm BST
28 min: Gibbs makes good down the left, and reaches the byline. He clips the ball back to Welbeck, who has over-run the ball and lays off for Henderson on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. It should be 2-0, but Henderson wangs his shot straight at Simoncini, who has spread himself well. That more than makes up for the farcical nature of Englands goal, Simoncini having stepped on Tosis tootsies as he crashed to the floor in a homage to the silent movies.
8.11pm BST
No exclamation mark for this. The corner is looped in from the left. Simoncini comes out to claim, and slips as he clatters into Tosi. Jagielka, almost apologetically, heads unchallenged into an empty net. About as far away from his last goal, that screamer at Anfield, as its possible to get.
8.10pm BST
24 min: This is better from England. Henderson, to the right of the centre circle, sprays a diagonal ball towards Sterling down the inside left. The winger takes a touch and lashes a shot towards the bottom left. Simoncini parries out for a corner. From which ...
8.08pm BST
22 min: Welbeck chases a long ball down the right and concedes a free kick by battering into the back of Brolli.Not much of an atmosphere at Wembley right now. Try to imagine the sound of 50,000-odd folk repeatedly muttering For the love of God! The state of this! and youll have a rough idea.
8.06pm BST
20 min: Another chin-bothering moment, as Welbecks boot accidentally connects with the prone Battistinis coupon. No intent, and after the San Marino left back has felt the restorative moistness of the trainers sponge, the pair are shaking hands in a most pleasing old-fashioned style.
8.04pm BST
18 min: Chambers and the busy Henderson exchange passes down the right, and the young right-back nearly breaks into the area. Hes bundled out of it. But England are soon coming back at San Marino down the other flank, Sterlings run giving Rooney a chance to shoot, just to the left of the D. Rooney shoots, straight at the keeper, nearly taking his chin off. Simoncini flops on the ball, a decent save in the end.
8.02pm BST
15 min: Wilshere and Henderson ping a little one-two just outside the San Marino area, the former then slipping a ball down the centre to release Sterling. The young winger looks to sliderule a shot into the bottom-right corner, but Simoncini, rushing off his line, blocks, and it transpires that Sterling was offside anyway.
7.59pm BST
14 min: England are pushing San Marino back, but to little effect right now, and its San Marino.
7.58pm BST
11 min: England are playing keep-ball in the midfield. Got to keep those pass completion stats looking nice and shiny. In lieu of anything interesting happening, heres Matt Dony: Ah, the eternal conundrum: What to do with the international minnows. As you said, Scott, they have the right to compete, and they will never improve if they dont regularly face strong opposition. Look at Argentinas rugby team over the last 15-20 years or so, from walk-overs to a genuine force. But, they will also never improve if they approach every game sitting back, defending for their lives. They should made to sit down and watch all of Tahitis games from the last Confederations Cup. They pushed forward and tried to play football. Yes, they lost. They were always going to lose. But they scored against Nigeria, and that goal was (rightly) celebrated like a World Cup winner. It brought a feel-good factor that you dont see with San Marino, Lichtenstein et al. Two words here: Davide Gualtieri.
7.56pm BST
8 min: Rooney, on the right-hand corner of the box, flicks the ball into the air and attempts to Le Tissier it into the top left. Nope! England recycle the ball and win a corner down the left, which is wasted thanks to some overly rough play from the forwards as the set piece is lumped in. Free kick to San Marino, which Simoncini will be happy about, for he was on walkabout, flapping.
7.54pm BST
6 min: What would a fixture against San Marino be without a little farce? Simoncini is penalised, an indirect free kick in his own area, for some handling infringement or other, picking the ball up here, dropping it there, picking it up again. Milner nudges the free kick, taken on the left-hand corner of the box, right to Rooney, who blooters a shot straight through a mile-wide gap in the San Marino wall. Simoncini makes good his mistake by punching clear. The balls soon at Welbecks feet, though, and his hammer from the edge of the box is deflected wide left by his own player, Jagielka.
7.51pm BST
4 min: A couple of balls thrown into the England area from the left wing by Matteo Vitaioli. With Selva hovering, Jagielka heads the first clear, then wins a free kick under the second ball as the two players come together. Hmm.
7.49pm BST
3 min: Chiaruzzi clatters into Sterling. No free kick. A calling card.
7.47pm BST
2 min: Its all England!
7.46pm BST
And were off! San Marino get the ball rolling, but theres over nine seconds gone now, and theyve yet to find the net. Very poor.
7.45pm BST
The teams are out! England are playing in their famous white, San Marino in first-choice blue. And its time for the San Marino national anthem.
7.38pm BST
England: Hart, Chambers, Cahill, Jagielka, Gibbs, Henderson, Milner, Wilshere, Welbeck, Rooney, Sterling.
Subs: Foster, Clyne, Baines, Delph, Shelvey, Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Townsend, Lambert, Forster.
San Marino: Simoncini, Palazzi, Fabio Vitaioli, Della Valle, Brolli, Battistini, Hirsch, Tosi, Chiaruzzi, Matteo Vitaioli, Selva.
Subs: Benedettini, Cervellini, Stefanelli,
Lorenzo Gasperoni, Golinucci, Buscarini, Alex Gasperoni, Valentini, Mazza, Muraccini.
7.36pm BST
Anticipation crackles around Wembley ahead of the big match. Is it wrong that Im really looking forward to this match? asks John Davis. Yes. If its a rout there will be plenty of goals to watch; if not I can get frustrated by our inability to break San Marino down. At least Ill actually feel something about a qualifier in a group which we are certain to progress from. Better that than a boring nil-nil against someone like Poland or Ukraine any day. Its what attracted us to the game as kids, evenings like this.
Meanwhile Simon McMahon is looking forward to seeing whether San Marino are any good at defending the counter-counter, and if they line up in a fashionable diamon... ah hold on, no he isnt, hes staring at the picture of the England bench from 1993. My eye is drawn to David Davies, he confesses, who appears to be on his way to a Tom Baker era Dr Who fancy dress party.
7.00pm BST
Anyway, while were waiting for the full teamsheets, heres the Wembley warm-up man, whipping up the crowd into an anticipatory froth!
Were not trying to suggest this is going to be a goal feast. It might. But it might well not be.
6.40pm BST
Roy Hodgson has named his starting XI. Full teams to follow, but heres how England will be looking at kick off: Hart, Chambers, Cahill, Jagielka, Gibbs, Henderson, Wilshere, Milner, Sterling, Welbeck, Rooney.
6.30pm BST
0-4 v Switzerland. 0-6 v Romania. 0-7 v Switzerland. 0-10 v Norway. 0-9 v Spain. 0-8 v Israel. 1-10 v Belgium. 0-8 v Belgium. 0-13 v Germany. 0-10 v Poland. 0-8 v Hungary. 0-8 v Finland. 0-11 v Holland. 0-8 v England. 0-9 v Ukraine. 0-8 v Ukraine. Nobody likes to be patronised, so lets not start with San Marino. Theyre a risible shower, always have been, and a couple of World Cup draws against Turkey and Latvia cant camouflage the fact. Theyve lost 119 of their 123 matches since starting out in 1990, scoring 20 goals and letting in 531, winning once. Against Liechtenstein. Nobody deserves criticism for trying their best and coming up short, and all states deserve the right to compete. But theyre not a good football team, whichever way its spun.
Then again, Davide Gualtieri scored the fastest goal in World Cup history, in 8.3 seconds, against Graham Taylors England in 1993. And for that, ladies and gentlemen, you have to forgive San Marino everything.
Continue reading...October 7, 2014
Who are the English masters of failing to build on second-place finishes? | The Knowledge
Liverpool are making a habit of coming second and then not following it up, notes Patrick Routledge, neither unreasonably nor inaccurately. Are they the masters of failing to build on promising seasons?
Liverpool are indeed becoming well versed in the fine art of finishing a season in runners-up spot and then failing to seal the deal in the following campaign. Since their last title in 1990, theyve come second on four occasions 1990-91, 2001-02, 2008-09 and 2013-14 and unless the likes of Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic and Dejan Lovren get their act together immediately if not sooner, this season will be four campaigns from four in which Liverpool have failed to take the final step to glory in the wake of a near miss.
Continue reading...October 2, 2014
Tottenham Hotspur v Besiktas: Europa League as it happened | Scott Murray
A late Demba Ba penalty earned the visitors a deserved draw at White Hart Lane
9.57pm BST
One last probe by Bentaleb, one last shot by Ozyakup, and thats that for the evening. Pain for Spurs, though Besiktas deserved at least a point. Asteras Tripoli have beaten Partizan Belgrade 2-0 and top this group, two points ahead of Besiktas and Spurs. Life has suddenly got a little tougher for Tottenham.
9.55pm BST
90 min +2: Smoke from a flare fills the night sky. Itll probably be a story, but its not very interesting, is it.
9.54pm BST
90 min: There will be three added minutes. In the first, Ba has a shot from the edge of the box. Its weak and screws harmlessly towards Lloris. But Spurs are suddenly hanging on. What on earth was Chiriches doing back there?!
9.54pm BST
Ba stutters in the confident style, and slips a brilliant penalty into the bottom right-hand corner. Not quite in the corner, but enough to beat Lloris. A deserved equaliser, if Spurs are honest with themselves.
9.52pm BST
Chiriches takes a wild fresh-air kick at a long ball down the inside-left channel. Pektemeks on his shoulder. Chiriches panics, and touches the ball away from the striker with his hand, just as Pektemek was breaking on goal. Thats a no-brainer decision for the referee, and a booking for the clownish Chiriches.
9.51pm BST
87 min: Slaven Bilic is pacing the touchline. With a full beard and wild eyes, shades of Frankie Boyle.
9.50pm BST
85 min: Ozyakup makes off down the right and curls a low ball into the middle towards Ba. The striker winds up to shoot, but Chiriches steps in and hacks away for a corner, just as all seems lost. Spurs clear, but the away side are coming back quickly through Franco. His deflected shot wins another corner. Then another corner after Hutchinson makes a nuisance of himself. Finally Bas header flashes over. Besiktas are firmly in the ascendancy here, but then look at the scoreline.
9.46pm BST
82 min: Tore sashays in from the right and, diddling along the front of the Spurs area, prepares to lash home. And then, inexplicably, opts to backheel to, well, nobody. Eh? Its a sad end to his evening, as hes almost immediately hooked for Koyunlu.
9.44pm BST
80 min: Pektemek, down the left, curls a dipping cross into the Spurs box. Fazio is nowhere near the dropping ball, but it falls too far in front of Ba, who was looking to smash home having taken a step into the area. Spurs are living a little dangerously at times.
9.42pm BST
79 min: Soldado is replaced by Adebayor.
9.41pm BST
76 min: A ball into the Spurs area from deep on the right. Ba brings it down marvellously, and must score. Hes on the penalty spot, one on one! But his hoick goalward is straight at Lloris, who nevertheless makes a stunning stop. The resulting corner leads to another corner, which leads to nothing.
9.40pm BST
75 min: Another pretty Tottenham move, Townsend picking up a clever backheel by Soldado, deep down the right and back upfield, and racing across the front of the area. He thinks about shooting but feeds Davies instead. Davies incorrectly assumes Townsends after a quick one-two, and the move breaks down. Spurs are inconsistent, but capable of flashes of real quality.
9.37pm BST
72 min: The brilliant Sahan has been replaced by Pektemek. A strange substitution? Well, maybe, but then the new mans very first touch is a header from a left-sided corner, free, 12 yards out. He should score, really. He certainly should get the ball on target. But his header flashes over the bar. Lloris would have had no chance. Still, a fine run to find space in the box.
9.35pm BST
71 min: Davies makes ground down the left, and cuts a ball back into the middle for Kane, on the edge of the box. Kane takes a touch and lashes a stunning shot goalwards, but its straight at Zengin, and parried well by the keeper. So close to a second for Spurs, and for Kane.
9.34pm BST
69 min: Sahan romps down the left in space. Ozyakup is waiting in the middle to sweep the resulting cross spectacularly home, but Fazio gets in the way, just in time. Itll be a strange result if this game ends 1-0.
9.32pm BST
68 min: Dembele stumbles over Sivoks leg down the left, near the Besiktas box. Not much contact, so the referee waves play on. Sivok was hanging out a leg, mind. Whod be a referee? Youre right, Scott, Sosas free kick (47 min) was probably the worst one in the history of men kicking a ball around, writes Matt Dony. Liverpool would still have conceded from it, though. You just know Mr Donys a Liverpool fan, dont you.
9.29pm BST
65 min: A couple of changes, one for each side. Dembele comes on for Stambouli, while Kavlak is replaced by Ozyakup.
9.29pm BST
64 min: Sahan nearly scores the goal of the season. On the penalty spot, he meets a Ba right-wing cross with a spectacular bicycle kick, firing the ball towards the top left. Hes inches away. All aesthetes will agree: such a shame that didnt fly in.
9.27pm BST
63 min: Besiktas have been the better side since the break. Motta swings a ball in from the left. With Ba lurking, Lloris does well to punch strongly upfield. Hutchinson looks to get a shot away, but is bundled off the ball.
9.25pm BST
61 min: Ba tries to score a goal with an overhead backheel from the edge of the area. Full marks for ambition, but that sort of thing only comes off in computer games with serious programming glitches.
9.24pm BST
60 min: Lennon comes on to replace the ineffective Paulinho.
9.23pm BST
59 min: Soldado races at the Besiktas back line with purpose, direct and straight down the middle. He feeds Bentaleb to his left. Bentaleb takes a stride into the box, and larrups a half-decent shot across the face of goal and just wide of the right-hand post. This is a lovely open game all of a sudden.
9.22pm BST
57 min: Magnificent play all round, that was, except for Chiriches. And now the Spurs man is again rolled by Ba, this time down the inside-left. Luckily for the home side, Ba takes the wrong option with three men free to his right, and bumbles down the left instead. Danger over.
9.21pm BST
56 min: What a save by Lloris! Ba pokes the ball past a flailing Chiriches down the inside-right channel, and suddenly Besiktas are two on one! He romps towards the box, and slides the ball inside for Sahan, who leaning back sends a riser towards the top right. Its heading in, but Lloris, arching his back, tips over spectacularly. The corner comes to naught. That was the sort of save that raises a bellow as loud as a goal. Magnificent play all round.
9.18pm BST
54 min: A lovely move by Spurs, Kane shuttling the ball across the front of the Besiktas box, left to right, for Townsend, who cuts back inside, exchanges a flick with Stambouli, and attempts a curler into the top left. Shank! Thats a dismal shot, but the rest of Townsends contribution was mighty fine. A shame he couldnt at least work the keeper, because that was the best moment of the match so far.
9.15pm BST
52 min: Stambouli embarks on a fine run down the middle of the park, then slips the ball wide left to Paulinho, who takes a touch back inside and attempts to launch a shot goalwards. The shots blocked the very second the ball leaves the Spurs players boot.
9.14pm BST
50 min: Nothing comes of it, other than a booking for Fazio before the kicks taken. He had his hands all over Ba. A daft booking. Perhaps a bit fussy from the referee.
9.13pm BST
49 min: Ba whips a ball into the area from the right, and its headed over from ten yards by Hutchinson. Besiktas are gifted a bonus corner. If something comes of this, Tottenham are going to be jolly baity.
9.12pm BST
47 min: Bentaleb is given a hospital pass in the midfield, and with Hutchinson looking to break quickly towards the Spurs box, is forced to drag his man down. Booking. Free kick for Besiktas, who load the box. Luckily for Spurs, Sosas chip into the area is the worst free kick in the entire history of professional football, and most of the amateur game too. It fails to beat the first man and is easily cleared.
9.10pm BST
Besiktas get back out onto the pitch and are made to wait for a couple of minutes until the hosts turn up. Eventually weve got ourselves two teams, and the visitors get the ball rolling again. Within 30 seconds Ba is attempting to bring down another long rake, and nearly manages to trap and turn on the edge of the Spurs box. But he cant control a difficult ball, and what for a split second looked like a fast start to the half for Besiktas comes to naught.
8.55pm BST
Half-time knees-up in the actual rub-a-dub:
8.54pm BST
And thats that for an eventful(ish) first half. Besiktas are unlucky not to be level, on the balance of play, but then one of their players hasnt scored a fine long-range goal, so its swings and roundabouts.
8.51pm BST
44 min: Stambouli makes a powerful run down the inside right, and so nearly slides Paulinho clear. Sivok steps in to make a crucial interception. Yeah, friendship scarves (30 min) I think theyre called, writes Simon McMahon. Although for some reason you can never seem to find one before a North London derby, or before derbies in Manchester, Madrid or Glasgow for that matter. Must sell out quickly I suppose. I wonder if you can get friendship scarves in Inverness? Caledonian Thistle and Clachnacuddin? Youd have to have a neck like Henry Rollins to justify that length of scarf. And a lot of wool. There arent enough sheep in the Highlands.
8.49pm BST
41 min: Spurs are so close to a second, Soldado whipping a ball in from the right, Paulinho inches away from converting on the edge of the Besiktas six-yard area. Again, that came out of nothing, after a period of great inactivity. Spurs should lull Besiktas into a false sense of security more often.
8.44pm BST
38 min: Townsend bustles down the right, and the ball breaks to the brilliant Kane, who takes a touch into the area and hammers a low shot towards the bottom right. Zengin turns the ball round for a corner. Fine football all round. The resulting set piece is a load of nonsense.
8.44pm BST
37 min: Besiktas go high again. This time its Ba versus Fazio in the area. Fazio wins the duel.
8.43pm BST
36 min: Davies has been shocking at the back, but hes been prominent in attack once or twice. Here hes found in space down the left wing again, and this time delivers a lovely ball into the box. His high, fast cross is met by Kane on the penalty spot. Kanes header, aimed for the top-right corner, is always too high and wide. But a decent move, that.
8.41pm BST
33 min: What a miss! A lovely sliderule pass by Tore sends Sosa clear down the right, with Davies all over the shop. Sosa romps down the wing and fizzes a low ball through the Tottenham six-yard box. Ba misses his kick. Sahan connects, coming in from the other flank by the left-hand post, but his lame shot towards the bottom right is tipped away by Lloris. The corners a waste of time. How on earth did Besiktas not score there?! Lloris should never have been allowed to make the save. Besiktas will wonder how theyre losing, not least because Kanes fine goal is Tottenhams only shot in anger this evening so far.
8.37pm BST
30 min: Besiktas are reduced to pumping another long ball into the Spurs area. Bas nowhere near it, and Lloris claims another. In the scarf picture, what does N17 OAP refer to? asks Daniel Stauss. If its important enough to make it onto one of those ridiculous half and half scarves, its important enough for me to send an email to you about. Or not. Im so bored at work right now. Its Tottenham Hotspur Football Clubs postcode, Daniel. Should you wish to write to them. Perhaps to complain about the amount of shoddy merchandise being shilled outside their stadium.
8.35pm BST
A real lull, and then all of a sudden, out of nothing, a wonderful goal! Bentaleb turns neatly down the inside-left flank and feeds the ball inside to Kane, who takes a touch forward, another to the left, then from 20 yards lashes a long, low and hard diagonal shot into the bottom right! Zengin had no chance whatsoever! Brilliant finish!
8.30pm BST
23 min: Tore goes on a dance down the right, and cuts into the area. Davies, perhaps wary of making another rash challenge, doesnt really do anything, and Tores allowed time to shoot on goal. He misses, dragging an effort wide right. That little burst of Tottenham activity appears to have abated.
8.28pm BST
20 min: A ball hung high in the Spurs area from the Besiktas left. Ba is under it, but Lloris rises majestically to pluck the ball from the sky and deal with the danger.
8.27pm BST
19 min: Dier attempts a one-two with ... eh, one of his team-mates, but that bits not the point. Diers injection of pace down the inside-right channel - hes clearly been inspired by Bentalebs promptings, 60 seconds earlier - nearly opens Besiktas up. But just as it appears hes going to break into the box and belt a shot goalwards, the ball is battered off his shin and flies out of play. Spurs crowded out again, but at least theyre beginning to put a few moves together now.
8.25pm BST
18 min: Bentaleb is Tottenhams best hope right now. Hes trying his best to build from the middle, spraying passes to either flank, and at one point embarking on an ersatz Gazza-esque run down the middle. Hes eventually crowded out, but nice footwork, and Tottenham will be thankful for his attempts to inject a bit of pace into the game.
8.22pm BST
15 min: Twice in 20 seconds, Davies finds himself in a good position down the left. Twice in 20 seconds, his ball inside is dreadful. Small acorns and all that, but at least thats a little better from Spurs, who have otherwise shown nothing in attack so far.
8.21pm BST
12 min: Davies and Townsend are asleep as Tore makes good down the right. The collective Spurs snoozing allows Tore to slip the ball to Kurtulus down the wing. Kurtulus reaches the byline and wins a corner off Fazio. Kurtulus should have done better, with men waiting in the middle. Spurs half clear the corner, but the balls soon coming back at them, and Ba takes down a high ball on the penalty spot, Fazio having taken a fresh-air swipe in his attempt to clear. Ba nudges the ball to the right, and lashes a rising shot off the crossbar! Lloris must have had a touch, because thats another corner, from which nowt comes. But this is an impressive start by the visitors.
8.17pm BST
10 min: Beskitas are on the front foot right now. Sosa causes a little bit of bother with a busy run down the inside-left channel, nearly finding Ba on the edge of the area in the centre with a deft flick. But the big striker cant control, and the dangers gone.
8.15pm BST
8 min: Neither team in the mood to faff about, then, evidently.
8.14pm BST
7 min: Now its Davies in the book, for a robust slide on Sosas ankles. He can have no complaints about that one; it was late and clumsy.
8.13pm BST
6 min: Ba is booked for waving his elbow in Chirichess face as the pair go up for a high ball. The Tottenham mans beak is bleeding, which is probably what earned Ba his booking, as there didnt seem to be a whole lot of intent there. A fairly innocent clash. Still, poor Chiriches.
8.11pm BST
4 min: Tottenhams fans come to the party with their bespoke rendition of Oh When The Saints Go Marching In. Its to celebrate their first serious period of possession in the match. Spurs are going nowhere, but thats not really the point: the team turned up 90 seconds late for this match, but after a shaky start, theyre slowly finding their feet.
8.09pm BST
1 min 20 sec: Chiriches loses the ball in the middle of the park, a lazy pass, and Ba feeds it forwards for Sahan, who is clear on goal! He should really take a couple of touches, enter the area, and give the visitors the lead. But he attempts a first-time sidefooter from the right-hand side of the D, and slots his shot wide of the right-hand post. A big escape for the home team there.
8.07pm BST
Tottenham get the ball rolling, and lose it within ten seconds of kick off. Beskitas knock it around the back awhile. Theres a rare old atmosphere in White Hart Lane, though right now most of the noise is being made by the Turkish support.
8.06pm BST
The teams are out! An old-fashioned monochrome affair tonight, with the Spurs in their lily whites ...
7.21pm BST
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Dier, Chiriches, Fazio, Davies, Stambouli, Paulinho, Bentaleb, Townsend, Soldado, Kane.
Subs: Vorm, Kaboul, Lennon, Lamela, Adebayor, Naughton, Dembele.
Beikta: Zengin, Kurtulus, Sivok, Franco, Ramon, Sosa, Tore, Kavlak, Hutchinson, Ba, Sahan.
Subs: Gonen, Koybasi, Pektemek, Ozyakup, Uysal, Koyunlu, Gulum.
7.00pm BST
Hello, good evening and welcome to Tottenham Hotspurs Europa League Group C win over Beikta. This assumes that history teaches us something, of course. Beiktas last four visits to Blighty have included a 1-0 loss at Arsenal in this years Champions League qualifiers, a 2-1 defeat at Stoke City in the 2011-12 Europa League, and an 8-0 thrashing at Liverpool in the 2007-08 Champions League. They have won once during this sample, a 1-0 win at Manchester United in the 2009-10 Champions League groups, but that was against a youthful United who had already qualified for the knockout stages and were enjoying a little downtime. And Beiktas previous game against English opposition? A 2006 Uefa Cup game against tonights opponents, and that was an easy 2-0 win for Spurs in Istanbul, Hossam Ghaly and Dimitar Berbatov the scorers for Martin Jols side. Beikta probably wont fancy this.
Then again, Slaven Bilis side looked pretty decent against Arsenal at the Emirates in August, and werent a million miles away from pulling off a shock victory and denying Arsene Wengers men a place in the Champions League groups. Spurs might have won ten of their last 13 games at home in Europe, but they wont be taking this one lightly. Beikta are second in the Turkish league right now, and on an unbeaten run in the wake of their narrow loss at the Emirates. Theyre not scoring many - exactly one a game in the five since then - but theyre not conceding much either, having shipped only six goals in nine matches this season. Tottenham Hotspurs Europa League Group C win over Beikta? Eh, maybe weve jumped the gun just a little there. This could be a fascinating duel. Its on!
Continue reading...The Fiver | Oh Mario! How could you not do the little dance!
In modern football, its not enough for players to jog about a bit, trying to kick the ball and occasionally head it, with a view to making passes or scoring a goal and stuff. No, theyve also got to jig about like dancing bears at the end of each game, in front of the stands, applauding the supporters for putting in 90 minutes of hard graft eating pies, snorkeling bevvy, and filming over-rated midfielders under-hitting corners on their smartphones. Woe betide the player who doesnt prostrate themselves thus! And so last night Mario Balotelli, the funk raging after Liverpools risible display in Basel, stormed off straight down the tunnel without first doing the little dance. Oh Mario! How could you not do the little dance!
Continue reading...October 1, 2014
Basel v Liverpool: Champions League as it happened | Scott Murray
Basel saw off lethargic Liverpool with ease at St.Jakob Park.
9.38pm BST
And to wild celebration, another English team is vanquished at St.Jakob Park. Basel are worthy winners tonight, but it wasnt as though they had to do much; Liverpools defence was shaky, and their attack impotent. Last season seems a long, long time ago. Basel are ahead of Liverpool in Group B, and about to play back-to-back games against Ludogorets, who were beaten at home by Real Madrid tonight and are bottom of the table. Liverpool wont be looking forward to the visit of the European champions after this dismal display. Daniel Sturridge, Joe Allen and Emre Can cant come back quickly enough. And then theres the Steven Gerrard question. Oh, the Steven Gerrard question. Brendan Rodgers has a big decision to make.
9.37pm BST
90 min +3: Enrique and Sterling combine down the left to set up Henderson on the edge of the box. But Henderson miscontrols and Basel hack clear. Theyll deserve their win.
9.36pm BST
90 min +2: Balotelli goes down under a non-existent challenge, then gets up and waves his arms around a lot while discussing the laws of the game with the referee. Hell need to watch himself, having already been booked.
9.35pm BST
90 min +1: Zuffi comes on for Hamoudi, who takes quite a while to come off in the professional style. Can you blame him?
9.34pm BST
90 min: There will be three added minutes. So, a 20 minute substitute appearance away from home in a losing cause against one of the Champions League makeweights, writes Simon McMahon. Lallanas journey is complete.
9.33pm BST
88 min: A high ball down the middle. Lambert takes it down adroitly but his lay off for Balotelli is weak, hesitant and cleared. Then Gerrard loops a ball down the inside-right channel to release Balotelli into the box. Balotelli takes one touch to bring the ball down and slips a shot into the bottom-left corner past the advancing Vaclik. A gorgeous finish, but he was a yard offside. Liverpool have had the ball in the net twice tonight, but dont let that cloud the issue: theyve been abysmal.
9.31pm BST
86 min: Gerrard carefully curls one towards the top right, but its not particularly accurate, and a fairly weak pelt to boot. Vaclik wanders along his line to claim the ball. The most worrying thing for me, a Liverpool fan, is that this display now seems to be our standard, opines Paul Devlin. The Spurs game was the aberration. Last season, it was the opposite. This is our ninth competitive game, I think that is enough to start to chart the form. They are missing Daniel Sturridge, Joe Allen and Emre Can, of course, but yes the early season signs dont look good at all. Liverpool have made a 21st-century habit of suffering poor seasons after coming second in the league. Could this be another?
9.28pm BST
85 min: Balotelli and Frei kick each other accidentally while going for the same ball. The referee decides its a free kick to Liverpool, 25 yards from goal, level with the right-hand post. Thats a generous decision. Gerrard has tucked the ball under his arm, with a view to taking the set piece, Ill be bound.
9.26pm BST
82 min: A change made by both sides. Calla replaces Embolo, while Lambert comes on for Markovic. Carra (63 mins) knew when to say goodbye, writes Hubert OHearn. It is so rare for a great player to know when to leave, before the careers memory is sullied by sub-standard performances one after the other. I suspect (and I equally suspect youll agree) that Gerrard will not go gently into that good night, instead he shall rage, rage against the dying of the light.
9.24pm BST
80 min: Serey Die bombs forward in a big-leggy, rangy style. Straight down the middle. He shoots wildly to the right of goal from 25 yards, a little giddy by the yards hed made on a spectacular sortie.
9.23pm BST
78 min: Real Madrid are now leading at Ludogorets. The back of Lovren??!! begins Peter Oh. Ian McCulloch must be horrified.
9.21pm BST
77 min: Basel have the funk as Liverpool play on while Hamoudi is down with cramp. Enriques low cross from the left is met by Markovic coming in from the right. After Markovic shoots well wide right, Elneny gets right up in his grille, but the Liverpool winger claims he knew nothing about the stricken Basel player.
9.20pm BST
75 min: Its Liverpools best move of the match, as Balotelli, to the left of the D, flicks the ball inside to Lallana, who immediately slides the ball forward to free Sterling into the area. And its a hat-trick of hesitation by Sterling, who should be seriously testing the keeper but doesnt even get a shot away before being dispossessed.
9.18pm BST
73 min: Markovic battles down the right and reaches the byline, but his low zipper into the danger zone is easily mopped up by Schar. Liverpool have given Vaclik very little to do.
9.16pm BST
71 min: Balotelli is booked for stroking Xhaka on the chin after the pair get involved in a common-or-garden tussle. On the touchline, Brendan Rodgers looks on with mild concern.
9.15pm BST
70 min: Lallana comes on for the extremely disappointing Coutinho.
9.15pm BST
69 min: Sterling again has the ball at his feet on the edge of the Basel box. And once again he hesitates, allowing Xhaka to close him down and block his eventual toe-poke. A muted cry for a penalty kick, as the ball hit Xhakas midriff and clanked onto his hand, but that was never going to be given at such close quarters.
9.13pm BST
68 min: Elneny should be booked for a cynical little clip on Balotellis heel as the striker shapes to shoot from 25 yards. Liverpool dont even get the free kick as Balotelli slides around on his nipples. In fairness, Jose Enrique was fortunate to escape censure a minute previously for a whack on Serey Die up the other end, so it all levels out.
9.11pm BST
66 min: Streller puts the ball into Liverpools net for a second time, but hes miles offside while receiving Xhakas low left-wing pass on the penalty spot. A nice turn and dispatch into the bottom right, mind you. A few seconds earlier, Embolo ran at the Liverpool defence causing all sorts of panic.
9.11pm BST
65 min: Henderson rakes a gorgeous pass down the middle to set Sterling free, but the young Liverpool star hesitates on the edge of the area and Schar is able to nip past his shoulder and steal off with the ball before he can shoot.
9.08pm BST
63 min: Balotelli, his tail up, shoots from 35 yards. The ball flies at least 40 yards over the bar. That is as wild as youll see. Perhaps it is time for Gerrard to ease into the Lampard phase of his career, suggests Hubert OHearn. Impact sub, and back in central midfield for 20 minutes of his Roy of the Rovers stuff. I dont blame Brendan Rodgers one iota for trying Stevie G as a defensive holding player ... but sadly he is more inkless biro than Andrea Pirlo. Perhaps its time for the Carragher phase of his career.
9.06pm BST
61 min: After some interminable faffing, Balotelli takes the free kick - and swerves one at vicious speed towards Vaclik, the ball pinging off the confused keepers left shoulder at high speed. The rebound falls to Markovic, coming in from the right. Markovic shoots low, but the balls deflected out for a corner on the right. Gerrard gets his head to the set piece, but sends it miles off to the left. Better from Liverpool, though.
9.03pm BST
59 min: Suchy is booked for coming through the back of Markovic. Free kick to Liverpool down the inside-right channel, 30 yards from goal.
9.02pm BST
56 min: The brightest moment so far for Liverpool as Markovic and Coutinho flick a clever one-two down the middle, on the edge of the Basel box, splitting the hosts open for a split second. But the ball doesnt drop for Markovic to shoot. Suchy comes across to intercept. The ball breaks to Henderson, but his shot is blocked the second it leaves his boot. Gerrard, arriving late, tries to keep the move alive, but his scoop towards the left wing lacks accuracy.
9.00pm BST
55 min: Liverpool deal with this set piece. Theyve just shown the goal again. Not only does Skrtel head the ball backwards towards his own goal, it also clanks off Lovrens back, the big defender having no idea whats going on whatsoever.
8.58pm BST
54 min: Liverpool respond brightly, Markovic attempting a bicycle kick from a tight position on the right. But Liverpool are soon on the back foot again, and a flat-footed Gerrard is forced to drag gown Hamoudi as the Basel player tears past him. Hes in the book. And this is a free kick to Basel in a dangerous position on the left, 30 yards from goal.
8.57pm BST
The balls whipped into the centre. Skrtel gets himself into a weird shape, and flicks a header backwards towards the bottom left. Mignolet claws out, but only to Streller, who sweeps home from close range. A complete defensive shambles. But Basel deserve to be in front.
8.56pm BST
51 min: Hamoudi is sent scampering into vast amounts of space down the left. He takes a stride into the area and goes for the bottom right. Mignolet gets a strong hand to the shot, which is going in, and Lovren hacks over the bar for a corner. From which ...
8.54pm BST
50 min: Hamoudi and Embolo exchange passes as they make their way in from the left, diagonally and into the area. The ball then breaks to Gonzalez inside the area on the right. Hes waiting for the ball to come to him instead of attacking it and shooting. That hesitation allows Sterling to come in from behind and drag him to the ground. It should be a penalty kick but the referee is kind to Liverpool, perhaps fooled by everything happening in slow motion.
8.52pm BST
48 min: The set piece is cleared and Sterling goes off on a zip down the right. He runs into trouble and is robbed of the ball by Suchy, who slaps his arm back in Sterlings stomach as he races upfield. Sterling drops to the floor as if in all sorts of medical trouble, but hes soon up and about again, having failed to win a free kick for nothing.
8.51pm BST
Liverpool launch an immediate attack through Coutinho and Markovic, but its nothing much more than a hoof and chase. Basel are soon flying up the other end through Gonzalez down the right. His low ball into the box is flicked on by Streller, and hooked out for a corner by Lovren.
8.38pm BST
Half-time culture: Courtesy of Jean Daetwyler, born in Basel and a dab hand with the old alphorn.
8.35pm BST
A fairly dull half, though the home team were in the ascendency for most of it. Liverpool need to shake it up a bit. It might be an idea to utilise Adam Lallana, who has been showing signs of rediscovering his Southampton form in the last couple of games. Markovic has been very disappointing, though in fairness neither Gerrard nor Balotelli have been much better.
8.33pm BST
45 min: Basel win a corner, Embolo causing all manner of bother with a ball-glued-to-boot skitter down the right wing. Easily cleared. Then Xhaka wins another off Jose Enrique, but thats no problem for Liverpool either. Its just as well for Liverpool that Basels set piece delivery has been so average, because theyve had a fair few chances to pump the ball into their box.
8.30pm BST
43 min: Balotelli, attackingh down the right wing, tussles with Schar by the corner flag. He circumvents his man but is hauled down. Free kick, which is basically a corner. Coutinho whips it to the far post. Lovren powers a header down, the ball bouncing back up towards the top-left corner. But by then the stings out of the effort, and Vaclik plucks the ball from the sky. A little better by Liverpool in the last five minutes or so.
8.28pm BST
42 min: This is a little better, Sterling battling away for a high ball down the inside-left channel, beating Xhaka, and launching a rising shot goalwards from the edge of the box. Its straight at Vaclik and therefore easily dealt with, but at least Liverpool have given him something to do.
8.27pm BST
40 min: Ah heres Jose Enrique! Hes in the Basel area, after a clever dink by Sterling. He stands one up to the far post, where Henderson is winding his neck back to nut one home. Suchy heads behind for a corner. The set piece is headed over by Lovren. Liverpool have done next to nothing in attack. Theres no sense of danger from them at all.
8.25pm BST
38 min: Embolo goes up for a ball sent into the Liverpool area from the left with Lovren. He flicks it on to Gonzalez, once more in acres of space in the right-hand half of the area, Jose Enrique having possibly gone home. Hes preparing to take the ball down and shoot, when the flag goes up for offside. Thats a fortunate flag for Liverpool, because he was well on.
8.22pm BST
35 min: Mignolet is finally forced into action, Serey Die ambling along a baroque route down the right into the Liverpool box, one-twoing with Elneny, and toe-punting one towards the bottom right. Mignolet is there to hack clear with a reactive swing of the leg.
8.20pm BST
34 min: Manquillo in a lot of space down the right with Balotelli waiting for a delivery in the middle. But the right back chunks his cross, which bobbles harmlessly into the hands of Vaclik.
8.19pm BST
32 min: Two penalties in the other match in this group. Both have been taken by Cristiano Ronaldo, but only one has been scored. Real Madrid are at least now level against Ludogorets.
8.18pm BST
30 min: A first sparkle by Markovic, who nearly achieves something down the inside left in combination with Coutinho, but a couple of fancy flicks arent enough to fashion space for a shot. Liverpool are soon coming back at Basel, Henderson latching onto a loose ball to the right of the Basel D and firing for the bottom left, but his shot is scuffed and hits the offside, sleeping Markovic.
8.16pm BST
28 min: The busy Embolo feeds Elneny down the left. From the corner of the Liverpool box, Elneny looks to fire a rising heatseeker into the top right. Itd have been a spectacular one, but it sails well wide right. Liverpool were opened up again, though. Basel are completely in charge, without being rampant. And without Mignolet having to make a save, it should be said.
8.14pm BST
26 min: Gerrard has quite rightly had the set-piece rights taken away from him. Coutinhos free kick is barely better, easily cleared, and Manquillo blooters an awful shot from distance miles over the bar for three of the rugby-style points.
8.13pm BST
25 min: Serey Die can be a clumsy bugger sometimes. Now hes bundling over Balotelli down the right, with the Liverpool player going nowhere. Free kick, which has to wait as somethings been thrown onto the pitch from a stand full of Basel fans behind the goal. A cigarette lighter, maybe. The referee makes sure its all recorded officially, and we play on.
8.10pm BST
23 min: Liverpools defence down the Basel right is a risible shambles. I have no idea what Jose Enrique is up to, or indeed where he is. Gonzalez was hanging around waiting for the pass thatd send him clear, but didnt receive it. That would have been a one-on-one had Frei seen his team-mate there. Instead the balls shuttled to the left of the Liverpool D, where Elneny attempts to curl home into the top right. Its on target, but theres no power, and Mignolet claims well. Basel look dangerous every time they come forward, only to repeatedly either choose the wrong pass or miscontrol.
8.08pm BST
21 min: Good pressing by Balotelli down the left, and Basel give up possession. Coutinho looks to break into the box, but hes upended by a clumsy lunge from Serey Die. Free kick. Can Gerrard do any better this time? No. His delivery is way too high, and easily claimed by Vaclik. A few seconds before that little period of play, there was minor scare in the Liverpool area, with the ball dropping towards Strellers feet in space to the left-hand side of the box, but Manquillo was on hand to whip the ball clear.
8.05pm BST
19 min: Balotelli earns a free kick with a decent turn into not much space down the right touchline, Schar the guilty man. Gerrards curled free kick doesnt beat the first defender. Thats abysmal.
8.04pm BST
18 min: Enrique allows Gonzalez another acre of grass down the Basel right. Again the winger cant control, and a chance for a shot at Mignolet is spurned. Basel are right on top here.
8.03pm BST
16 min: Basel are playing three at the back now, Gonzalez being an attacking player. Hes nearly set free into the Liverpool box by a delightful crossfield scoop from Embolo, who was afforded a little too much time 25 yards from goal in the middle. But the ball clanks off Gonzalezs shin and out of play, with Enrique miles out of position. Liverpool actually, replies Patrick Crumlish (5 mins). Just thought it was ironic of light of this mornings piece.
7.59pm BST
13 min: Streller looks dangerous again, advancing on the Liverpool box after Gerrard is caught sleeping 25 yards from goal. Hes let the ball run under his foot while yawning and scratching his arse. Very poor. Strellers low shot is blocked by Skrtel, who is putting himself about to good effect for Liverpool right now. Thats yet another corner, but Mignolet claims this one without too much fuss.
7.58pm BST
10 min: Gonzalez comes on for the stricken Safari. Streller goes on a stroll down the inside-right channel and wins yet another corner, this time off Skrtel. The set piece is another nonsense - Basel have wasted all three so far, putting no pressure on Liverpools poor defence whatsoever - but that was a very dangerous looking run by Streller.
7.56pm BST
8 min: Real Madrid are a goal down at Ludogorets. Basel still havent got their sub on for Safari. Corner for Liverpool down the right. Gerrard takes. The balls cleared easily enough, and Sterling goes haring after Hamoudi, who is attempting to break upfield quickly. Sterling bundles his opponent over with much cynicism, and is booked for his trouble.
7.53pm BST
7 min: Embolo wins a corner of Enrique down the right, having come first in a foot race to a loose ball. Xhaka hoicks a useless set piece straight through the box. Liverpools infamously rickety defence has yet to be tested.
7.52pm BST
5 min: Safari has pulled something in his right knee, chasing a ball down the right with Balotelli not particularly near him. He wont be able to continue. Hes currently getting helped off the pitch. Adam Lallana is finally fulfilling his boyhood dream of sitting on the bench during a Champions League match, then, observes Patrick Crumlish, who may or may not be a season-ticket holder at St Marys.
7.50pm BST
2 min: To be fair, Liverpool clear the corner easily enough. Theyre soon on the attack themselves, and Manquillo zips a low cross into the Basel box from the right. Suchy miskicks, leaving Sterling with only Vaclik to beat. He hits the base of the left-hand post, then slots the rebound away into the bottom right. A 2013/14-style fast start for Liverpool? Nope, because Sterling was a yard offside as Manquillo crosses. Thatll give a stuttering team succour, though.
7.48pm BST
The hosts get the first half underway. Theres a lovely bouncing buzz in St. Jakob-Park. Basel winning a corner through Hamoudi down the left within 20 seconds keeps the crowd going. The balls also hit Jose Enrique on the back during this opening 20-second period, so dont expect Liverpool to be too convincing at the back tonight. You werent expecting them to be too convincing at the back, were you.
7.44pm BST
The teams are out! The Champions League theme is parping out of the public address system. Lines are formed and hands are shaken. Basel are wearing their famous rotblau shirts, later ripped off by some chancers from Catalunya ...
7.11pm BST
Basel make three changes from the side hammered 5-1 by Real Madrid, with leading scorer Breel Embolo preferred up front to Paraguayan Derlis Gonzalez and Walter Samuel out injured: Vaclik, Xhaka, Schar, Suchy, Safari, Die, Frei, El-Nenny, Embolo, Hamoudi, Streller.
Subs: Vailati, Zuffi, Delgado, Gashi, Kakitani, Gonzalez, Calla.
Liverpool leave out Alberto Moreno and Adam Lallana:Mignolet, Manquillo, Lovren, Skrtel, Jose Enrique, Henderson, Gerrard, Markovic, Sterling, Balotelli, Coutinho.
Subs: Brad Jones, Toure, Lambert, Moreno, Lallana, Lucas, Borini.
6.45pm BST
Liverpool first played FC Basel on a landmark night for the football club: the 100th European fixture at Anfield. The game turned out to be ever so slightly nondescript, a 1-1 Champions League group-stage draw in September 2002 which Liverpool probably deserved to win. But its the return fixture which everyone remembers, an absurd 3-3 draw just over two months later at St. Jakob-Park, Gerard Houlliers side falling three goals down within half an hour, before staging an improbable second-half comeback which wouldnt be quite enough to keep them in the competition. Basel advanced instead. Looking back now, that abortive Champions League campaign was the beginning of the end of Houlliers reign, as Liverpool were also given an awful chasing home and away by Valencia, managed by one Rafael Benitez. Funny how things work out.
Basels 2002 humiliation of Liverpool - and especially a listless Steven Gerrard, who was hooked at half time in favour of Salif Diao (!) - came as something of a shock back then. Liverpool had made the quarter finals of the Champions League the season before, while it was the Swiss clubs first appearance in Europes premier competition since 1980. The balance of power isnt quite the same today. Liverpool are feeling their way back to the big time after a five-year absence, while Basel made the round of 16 last season. During Liverpools absence, Basle have beaten Chelsea twice and Manchester United once in the Champions League, and seen off Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League to boot. All things considered, Liverpool could do worse than make off with a point after another 3-3 draw tonight, thats for sure.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Tinkly time
Mr Roy has a nice office at the FAs headquarters in Soho Square. Hes got a nice comfy chair. A nice big wooden desk with a Newtons Cradle on it. And a nice Corby trouser press in the corner. Every day at 11am he enjoys a nice big glass of lemonade, because it means that 11.03am its tinkly time. Mr Roy enjoys tinkly time because hes been given the keys to the FAs executive washroom, just reward for becoming one of the most respected coaches in Europe during a near 40-year career which has seen him win several titles in the Nordic countries, timidly lose two major European finals, send Blackeye Rovers along the road to relegation, and register Englands worst performance at a World Cup finals for 56 years. He deserves it. Hes earned it. Hes entitled.
Continue reading...September 29, 2014
Ryder Cup 2014 review: our writers best player, match, highs and lows
Player ratings for Europe and USA
In pictures fan outfits
Phil Mickelson hits out at Tom Watson
Ewan Murray Justin Rose. He has struggled at times to build on the success of the US Open win at Merion in 2013 but Rose played like a major champion and a genuine leader in the European team.
Continue reading...Scott Murray's Blog
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