Alex McCarthy's Blog, page 5

The Ibrahimovic Affect

Paris Saint-Germain splashed €20m on the precocious and somewhat misunderstood talent of Zlatan Ibrahimovic last week hot on the heels of securing his AC Milan team-mate Thiago Silva.

Much has been made of the strides PSG have been making off the pitch since the Qatar Investment Authority became the majority shareholder of PSG after buying a controlling 70% of the shares in 2011. €108m on players in the first season included various raids of Serie A’s talent thanks to AC Milan legend Leonardo being installed as Director of Football at Parc des Princes. None too surprisingly, the Brazilian was at the heart of the deals to bring in two of Milan’s prime-time players. With the red and black inhabitants of the San Siro not the force on a financial plane they once were, they like many other big clubs in Europe are powerless to the French capitals resources.

In acquiring the Swedish hit-man, PSG have made Ibrahimovic the most expensive player in the history of football when you add all his transfer fees together. €180m Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan and now PSG have collectively spent on the forward and the money doesn’t stop there for Zlats. €14m a season for three years, which is €2m more a year than what he was on at Milan, makes him the second highest paid footballer in World football behind Samuel Eto’o who’s enjoying his oil money in Russia.

However, when you watch the lanky front-man, a lot of fans can be dismayed and blinkered by Ibrahimovic’s lazy work-ethic and attitude. His talents aren’t traditional industry or heart-felt courage and although many fans in the stands can resonate with a common man’s attributes more readily, the Malmo-born star has an arsenal that eludes the most diminutive players in the game. Just because Zlats isn’t hounding down every defender doesn’t negate his technical superiority, aerial dominance and inventive finishing qualities. He has the ability to turn any game on its head and whilst he almost lies dormant for periods of games, Zlats can in an instant conjure an array of tricks and beat any player, which he has a habit of doing when it counts. His record speaks for itself.

Watching Ibra on a one-off occasion or perhaps on a big stage at a tournament like most English observers might, won’t show you the whole picture. Like Ryan Giggs in some ways, though perhaps not quite such on a diluted scale, his representation of Sweden hinders his quality and impact at major tournaments by being surrounded with inferior players. On the domestic scene however, he has played a lot of big clubs, and won a lot of big trophies – that doesn’t happen by accident.

Ibrahimovic has won the league title for every club he has ever represented. In 2011 he won his first Scudetto with Milan. He was therefore on a streak of eight straight league wins in three different countries and with five different clubs, including the later stripped wins with Juventus. His influence cannot be denied as along the way to all of his titles as he only didn’t top the league goal scoring charts for two seasons out of the nine league titles (one of which was at Barca where he played foil to Lionel Messi) and he has also been a part of the same record twice. Inter broke the record for points in one season for a 20 team league when they amassed 97 points in the Mourinho era with Ibra leading the line, but the striker then broke the record again with his very next club Barcelona who managed 99 points on their way to romping La Liga.

Ibrahimovic’s arrival in France may be the marquee signing everyone thinks it is for commercial and public value, sure. But what you do get with the Swede is someone who has seen and done it in major leagues and spearheaded those assaults. With PSG failing to capture the league in their first season of being Qatari bank-rolled, the pressure is on for Carlo Ancelotti and indeed their new main man to end the 18-year wait for a league title. To grab the proverbial brass ring that the Parisians so dearly crave, the Ligue 1 title is the first port of call before impacting upon Europe.

 After signing the likes of Jeremy Menez, Thiago Motta and Mohammed Sissoko, they’ve finally added a proven champion to lead them. Make no mistake, Ibrahimovic is a much savvier piece of business than the naked eye might detect. You could argue Ibra has always played for big clubs and therefore has had a better chance of success, but winning Serie A with three different clubs goes some way to disprove that. Be prepared to watch him spearhead yet another league title win.

How to avoid being one season promotion visitors to the Premier League

The journey to the Premier League, the summit of all football in England (and Wales in a few select cases) has become far more than the humble clubs long, hard climb to the top professional tier within the game. It’s a financial and commercial promise land, where the mere attendance in it can transform dreams to tangible pursuits. The big games and the television exposure is all just part of the territory, however substantial growth in a clubs stature and laying the foundations to continue such progressive momentum aren’t always exclusively intertwine with what rose them to such dizzy heights in the first place.

A clubs direction upon entering the Premier League is to survive – period. Anything else is a bonus, but there are no definite blueprints of how to achieve this or a promoted team’s allegory, just a hopeful fan preying to remain among the elite as long as possible before the dream holiday ends and reality is resumed amongst their usual peers.

An enigma in many ways, teams of perceived smaller resources and history appear futile to the ‘level’ and remain benign to the media in their attempts to accept their fate graciously. On the flip side, what about the apparent millions bestowed upon these teams once they achieve Premier League status? It’s counterproductive in many ways, how can a board consciously release acquired funds which they know in the event of relegation they would have to account for and furthermore, do without? There are parachute payments delegated when clubs do suffer the ignominy of relegation, but questions are raised over whether that is enough to help clubs cope post Premier League status, or even if they give relegated teams a slight advantage over other Championship rivals.

West Brom Chairman Jeremy Pearce has always echoed a stout stance on the running of the Midland’s club finances insisting he will never spend beyond the clubs means. Perhaps that suggests paramount trust in his players and staff who got the Baggies to the Prem, but the facts would suggest West Brom have been the archetypical yo-yo club throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century, during which time they have been promoted four times and relegated three times – leading to widespread assumption that Pearce’s policy has left them at an immediate disadvantage, on the field anyway.

Spending as it were as a simple notion has very different ramifications for different spenders. Often it’s those who orchestrate the finances, with inept and short sighted vision however honest the intentions may be, that lead to the demise of proven clubs. Opulence and raw external spending power (though set to be capped by UEFA Financial Fair Play) is a whole different ball game. For the latter, Manchester City’s title win is testament to the English pound. City were in the championship only 10 years ago, but the meteoric rise for the Blue half of Manchester which begun in 2008 makes the bottom-half of the table struggles in the other six-years a distant memory. For the former, look no further than Leeds and Portsmouth, who between them have an F.A cup win in 2008 and a Champions League Semi-Final in 2001. With stints in League One to their names now since, both are still looking to find their way back to the magic 20.

Outfits who haven’t quite found the balance over the years have managed to gain the undesirable tag of a ‘Yo-yo club’. These particular clubs enter the Premier League and can only muster a one-season stay before relegation, a cycle which becomes increasingly hard to break. Birmingham City for instance are what you would call the forefathers of these undesirable collectives having done the dreaded yo-yo 12 times, the most of any club in top-flight history, four of which since the Premier League’s inception in 1992.

Last season Norwich City, Swansea City and QPR became the first three clubs to all avoid the drop in their first season following promotion. QPR actually finished 17th and survived by the skin of their teeth despite spending the most out of the three teams, conversely defying Manchester City’s formula. Backed by Tony Fernandes, the hoops made big signings in Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips and at the time relatively proven (one season) Premier League goal scorer DJ Campbell.

Swansea entered the Premier League the way they exited the Championship, playing free-flowing football from front-to-back with an attractive and determined approach inspired from purist Brendan Rodgers. Their refusal to change their approach was seen by many as a recipe for failure as West Brom, a team many had described as a footballing outfit down the years, tried to play the game in the same vein but couldn’t match up to the League’s proven quality. Swansea, could and did.

Norwich went for a different route. Not relying on money and big summer signings, the Canaries are quite possibly the best ‘team’ to emerge from the lower leagues and indeed back-to-back promotions ever. Grant Holt and Steve Morrison went from lower league and for a while non-league football to amassing 24 league-goals between them in England’s highest league. Supplied by a team who had very little to no Premier League experience, they showed that determination and fight coupled with organisation can make them a very hard team to beat.

Stoke are a team who too sport a style that while not aesthetically pleasing, combats the league effectively and has a record to prove it. A stubborn and fierce back-line is the foundation for a very direct and physical team who often out-work and out-muscle their opponents. Like Rodgers and Paul Lambert, Tony Pulis found a style which suited the players he had at his disposal and used it to get themselves established in the division and haven’t looked back. Now capable of funding moves for Internationals like Peter Crouch in excess of £10m and a Europa League campaign in this history books, it shows the growth their prolonged four-year stay in the top-flight has done for the club, however ugly it is.      

Stability is what every club craves when embarking upon this journey, and teams like Norwich and Stoke have shown that having the desire and fight to compete is half the battle. Swansea all the more admirably showed that if you can play with the best then have the courage to do it week in, week out. Results like home wins against Arsenal and Liverpool would pay testament to such a tribute.      

West Ham, Southampton and Reading are all teams who have seen what the Premier League is all about down the years, and have all experienced their fair share of relegations. Under different guidance from board level down to the dug-out, it will be interesting to see what ideas they will adopt to ensure they don’t make the dreaded swift return from whence they came. If they do want to take a leaf out of Swansea or Norwich’s scrap-book – utilise the strengths of the players you already have, trust a plan, organise it, and be prepared to fight.

Transfers: Who's coming and going? Post Tounament Transfer Alert

As Euro 2012 turns into another memoire in Football’s rich, historical tapestry, the subsequent epilogue preaches almost immediately to the domestic scene and the race to win the inevitable transfer battles.

Champions League winners Chelsea wasted little time exerting their new found status on the market by acquiring in-demand Belgian Eden Hazard from Lille from under the noses of their free-spending Manchester rivals. German winger Marko Marin was secured before the season’s end and it appears with rumours of Hulk and Gregory Van der Wiel firmly in the East-London side’s sights, as well as a reported £16m deal for Andre Schurrle being turned down by his employers Bayern Leverkusen, it would seem Stamford Bridge and indeed Roman Abramovitch are in a free spending mood once more.

Although Arsenal’s prized asset Robin Van Persie seems all but certain to leave the Emirates this summer after refusing to extend his contract, the Gunners made efforts to improve their squad before the conclusion of the European Championships. Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud of Germany and France respectively have joined the ranks in what fans would have hoped as added cavalry for Captain Robin, however it’s now apparent following the Dutch marksmen’s revelations the duo now appear to be set to fill the huge void left by the talisman, or certainly attempt too.

Under the guidance of all-footballing scholar Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool have indicated they may have one, possibly two deals wrapped up before the end of the week. Whether the Anfield coffers are going to be quite so steeply delved in to is another question, yet every scouser will be hoping the logic and represented value for money will be somewhat more strategically thought out this summer following the Liverpool hierarchy estimating Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson to be around £75m in the last 18 months. It’s almost certain Liverpool will attempt to increase the quality in their squad before FIFA impose their congruent restrictions on transfer revenue.

Bar one Asian in and one Asian out at Old Trafford, the Manchester clubs are yet to make their major plays this summer. City will undoubtedly want to keep up their momentum and impose themselves on Europe as they failed to do so spectacularly last season. Negating their domestic prowess, The Citizens struggled to impact Europe in the face of their European counterparts and will have no problem investing in new talent to adapt after securing the Premier Division title which adds credence to their project and vision. It would have been patently absurd to suggest Manchester City ruling England and then Europe five or so years ago, now though colloquial enough, City have entered the bracket of the elite through not only finances, but stature that only winning big competitions can bring – as Chelsea’s Champions League trophy will testify.

Tottenham have also made early strides in the transfer window with the capture of free-scoring midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, despite an apparent agreement in place with Swansea the club whom he made his temporary home for the second half of last season. Following Rodgers exit from the Welsh side’s helm, Tottenham didn’t waste a breath in usurping their league rivals to the Icelandic international’s signature. Jan Vertongen, the ball playing Belgian defender, has also been brought in from Ajax to reinforce an ageing back-line. Rumours of Emmanuel Adebayor’s permanent £5m imminent arrival are also central in the media this week.

Newcastle have secured Coventry’s young starlet and Championship ‘apprentice of the year’  Gael Bigirimana on a 5-year contract signalling their intension to build for the future, much like the signing of James Milner in the past. Bigger deals directed particularly towards defensive reinforcements will be needed though for Newcastle to compete amongst the elite as they did last season. Everton, Ipswich and Spurs have all shown breaking or even challenging for the top four doesn’t equate to longevity.

While at this point approximately 6 weeks away from the beginning of the season a lot of deals lend themselves to mere speculation, this is a good chance to reflect on some deals which have gone terribly wrong after such exciting tournament promise the preceding summer. Only time will tell if the same mistakes will be made for the 12/13 campaign, but below are some famous examples of years gone by where clubs gamble on tournament stars:

Stephane Guivarc’h (Newcastle)

Actually named the worst Premier League striker of all time by the Daily Mail, Guivarc’h was prolific in his homeland of France for Guingamp, Rennes and Auxerre, which lead to him leading the line in France’s successful 98’ World Cup win. Despite scoring no goals at the tournament, then Newcastle King Kenny Dalglish decided to splash close to £10m on the 28 year-old 6’1 target man (Kenny knows how to judge the worth of strikers doesn’t he??). After managing four league appearances and one goal, the St. James’ faithful couldn’t stand the appalling control no more. Clearly out of shape, Guivarc’h was relegated to the bench, and frozen out completely by Dalglish’s successor Ruud Gullit. After arriving in August, by November the striker had jumped ships to Rangers north of the border, where believe it or not he won a domestic treble in his first season, but again yielded less than one goal every four games. Interestingly, Guivarc’h means ‘swift stallion’ in the Breton language (a dialect in France) to which much of the French media found great irony in.

El-Hadji Diouf (Liverpool)

Following Senegal’s surprise performances and in particular their victory over World Champions France at the 2002 World Cup, several of the African minnows unknown stars rose to prominence and quick. At the top of those emerging stars was the apparently silky skilful El-Hadji Diouf, who had been going quietly about his business in France prior to the tournament. Liverpool decided Diouf was worth a punt, a £10m punt at that, and snapped the forward up sharply after the World Cup’s conclusion. Diouf made 80 appearances for Liverpool in two seasons, and consistently frustrated the Kop for his inability to deliver in the final third, and indeed beat players at all with his wasteful flicks and tricks. In 2004, Bolton took the controversial converted winger on loan and that was the end of the ill-tempered Diouf at Anfield, but not the UK. Spells at Bolton, Blackburn, Rangers, Doncaster and Sunderland followed, each new pasture as irrelevant and non-descript as the last. One thing probably not noted on Diouf’s scouting report prior to his switch to Merseyside is his fondness for a spit or two at other players and fans, and indeed a token court appearance every season or so.

Kleberson (Manchester United)

Brazil secured the 2002 World Cup in Germany with the potent three R’s heading the attacks – Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho. However head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari declared Kleberson was ‘the driving force behind the Brazilian national team’ at the World Cup. His performances tempted Manchester United to lure the playmaker from Athletico Paranaense for £6.5m as a replacement for Chelsea bound Juan Sebastian Veron. Much was expected of Kleberson and he simply couldn’t deliver to United’s high standards, only managing 20 league appearances in two seasons due to injury and lack of form. It wasn’t long before Fergie was shipping the Brazilian off to Besiktas in Turkey and started to rebuild. A season after Kleberson’s arrival, Eric Djemba-Djemba also arrived at Old Trafford dubbed the new Roy Keane. How those two never lived up to those tags aye!

R’n’B & Hip-Hop Update – Breezy scores first UK number 1 LP

Chris Brown released his fifth studio album ‘Fortune’ on June 29th and managed his first number one in the UK. The controversial R’n’B star hasn’t for one second hid amongst all the scandal surrounding his and then girlfriend Rihanna, nor since the well-publicised altercation with Drake, which also seemingly centred around Rihanna (Women are the common denominator here Chris). Through his perseverance and refusal to succumb to public and media scrutiny and condemning of the highest level, Brown’s talents have continued to shine.

The Virginia-born star has kept himself firmly in the limelight, forcing his talents and creativity on the nay-sayers ears with irrepressible results. Brown is simply a musical constant, if he isn’t releasing a new album, it’s a mixtape or a feature. He’s possibly the most current artist in today’s monopoly of genres, personified by his market savvy to utilise the dance movement to his advantage and incorporate those tracks on his albums. He then releases them as lead singles and thus gains the financial rewards of the mainstream fanbase – smart.

Sadly for Brown on this effort, the quality is just lacking. Critics everywhere have panned ‘Fortune’ and as much as the 23-year-old is one of my favourite artists today, I feel inclined to do the same. Out of 10 professional reviews within the industry, Brown only managed 2 out of 5 stars maximum, with MusicOMH giving it zero stars out of five. The New York Times billed it as unfoaviourable, as did Time magazine. Spin magazine gave it a very tame 4/10 while Entertainment weekly mustered a C-, which they say and I quote ‘is at a push’.

The track listing for this album is just all wrong. Two of my recommendations for downloads this week are actually Chris Brown tracks, but they didn’t even make the album. Brown or indeed his advisors have become to fixed on the capital rewards for dance songs and have compromised what made Brown popular, his innovative urban interpretations. ‘Turn up the music’ just sounds like a generic club song, it’s very listenable but it’s like he looked at ‘Yeah x3’ and thought that worked before, if I just put a token few of those on my album we’ll do ok.

Tha Bizness produced ‘Strip’ is a good track, however it got leaked so long ago now it’s one you’d skip past and not really give it the worth it should if you’re a real Chris Brown fan. ‘Baseline’ and ‘Till I Die’ are also good tracks (I find it hard to dislike anything Wiz Khalifa is on) but a handful of tracks isn’t enough when you’re a global star like Chris Brown. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here, what’s more important to someone like Chris Brown as this stage in his career, the sales or the reviews?  I suppose legacy wise you can stand by your sales, but the fans will tire of mediocre efforts sharpish.

Tracks

Chris Brown – Cali Swag

This Jahill beats joint has a great beat and baseline, you’d have to be mad to not feel it. The Roc Nation producer is so hot in the game right now, and at 23 has the world at his feet. You may recognise the ‘Jahill Beats, holla at me’ at the beginning of the song as his calling card. I normally slate Brown for rapping after so many lacklustre efforts before, but he brings it hard and fast on this track and delivers for just over two minutes solid with a well put together flow. I’ve had this track playing on the regs.

Pleasure P feat. Tyga – I love Girls

Both these artists are capable of making a hit, so when I saw them together I had high hopes. Both delivered how I imagined and the beat accompanying the piano is a great blend. Not sure about the chorus mind ‘I love girls, I love girls, I love girls so much I think I’m lesbian-onest, just being honest’. Don’t know what he’s trying to achieve by blending lesbian and honest…if I’m being honest.

August Alsina feat. Lloyd – Sucka for Love

This is a good song as it’s quite original, and has a very listenable melody. August is obviously quite the pessimist on love, but his vocals are certainly strong. Lloyd as always brings his very unique and soft voice to the fray. I was a huge fan of Lloyd around the Street Love album, I hope he manages an effort to rival that soon. I’ll be keeping my eye out for Alsina too; he joins the likes of Brandon Hines and Raheem DeVaughan striving to make their way out the mid-card pack with underground efforts.

R. Kelly & Jerimah – Misunderstood

I like a finger-snap joint. Kells record speaks for itself, and he is well regarded to know his way around the studio producer wise too, making hits in what he calls the Chocolate Factory. The consistent key change in this song keeps it interesting as well as the back and forth between R. Kells and Jerimah who is certainly establishing himself, and holds his own alongside such a legend like R. Kelly.

Chris Brown feat. B.O.B & T-Pain – Get Down

A very infectious beat and hook, I was in to this effort after the first minute I listened. B.O.B comes through with a smooth and clever delivery which certainly adds to the track that was crying out for a rapper. Much like Cali Swag, this is a track which shouldn’t have been overlooked.

Other tracks to give a go are Frank Ocean – Sweet Life, which Pharrell co-produced and resonates with easy listening R’n’B purists so effortlessly. If you don’t know about Frank Ocean, get to know. Nas feat. Amy Winehouse – Cherry Wine showcases Nas and his famous flow at its best. The sample of Winehouse suits the tempo of the song, and Nas delivery is so sharp. Jadakiss feat. Yo Gotti & Young Jeezey – Trafficking is one for you harder hip-hop fans as you will be able to tell by the artists before you listen. It’s a grimier beat with a repetitive chorus, but I like the verses and the tone of the song. Enjoy.

England's Summer Debrief

Much has been made of England’s performances over their four-game journey at this summer’s European Championships, and while it’s open to interpretation and debate the majority of the nation’s eyes have cast themselves towards Brazil 2014 for some scant optimism.

Before the tournament commenced some of the Three Lion’s darkest sceptics would have taken delightful glee in the promise of winning Group D and securing a quarter-final berth. Given the pool of players at Roy Hodgson’s disposal, and indeed the manager’s appointment in spite of the nation’s cries for Harry Redknapp, England’s expectations were for the first-time in recent memory rock-bottom. Having said that, a nation of our pedigree, stature and historical value to the game seems whatever given circumstances will retain an air of expectancy and the tag of one of the ‘world forces’.

Sure enough, as England grew into the tournament and the results surpassed the pre-summer pessimism, our ambition grew and the nation united – typically. The penalty-loss to the Italian’s as heart-breaking as a shoot-out always is, made for the spawning of England’s decadence in many eyes. Plenty of emotion is easily attributed to opinions in the aftermath of such a draining process the nature of penalties emanates, but still sections of the media have called for a complete overhaul of the national side – is that right?

Avoiding defeat against a then undefeated in 21 French team was more than what most hoped for an opener. Showing character to come back from 2-1 down with 20 minutes to go against renowned bogey team Sweden to win 3-2 gave credence to the apparent spirit Hodgson and his players had praised in the their press conferences. Being able to overcome a host nation with not only a stadiums worth of support, but an entire country to progress in spite of their opponents, showed the diligence and grit needed to get the necessary job done. All very commendable attributes and traits you would hope to find in a national team, what we lacked however in conjunction with those abilities was the class and quality the other countries evidently had.

I’ve heard people say after watching the Spain v Portugal game and indeed the Italy v Germany game we would have been better off facing the Spaniards. That’s such a basic outlook on it, that’s like saying if Italy wins the whole thing, then we are better than Germany and Spain because we didn’t lose in normal time to them. Portugal took the game to Spain which was a great watch, but we don’t have a Ronaldo to scare them with, or even Nani who was very impressive in possession. We aren’t capable of taking the approach Portugal did, our game was all about surviving and poaching, that’s it.

Going back to the overhaul, what evidence is there to say that’s correct? The frustrated fan’s first argument would be to say that this generation have had their chance. Perhaps they have, but the younger generation can inspire the older and visa versa so a blend is healthy, down the years maybe the youth hasn’t been introduced at the right times or in the right positions in whatever system, you can analyse it all day. However a few players at this tournament, one Italian in particular, have shown that age doesn’t equate to relevance by having prominent roles in their squads.

Andrea Pirlo (ITA) – comfortably in my opinion the best centre midfielder at these Championships thus far. The Juventus playmaker has been the linchpin of every attack the Italians have conjured, having complete control of the midfield in every outing. At 33 years-of-age and 88 caps deep, Pirlo is no newcomer to the scene and has been long regarded as a top midfielder around Europe from his time in the A.C Milan midfield. In an Italian team though which doesn’t sport as many stars as yesteryear, he has flourished into a role alongside the impressive tough-tackling Danielle De Rossi where everything seems to go through the ball-playing visionary. The days of Totti, Del Piero and Vieri getting all the play are firmly gone, and for Pirlo that’s good news.

So, who should England retain moving forward into this revolution? Hodgson has already suggested there will be major changes to the squad come the World Cup qualifiers with the media suggesting only Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart will retain their roles moving in to the next campaign. Below are some of the names to consider:

·         John Ruddy

·         Jack Butland

·         Micah Richards

·         Phil Jones

·         Kyle Walker

·         Chris Smalling

·         Kieran Gibbs

·         Jack Rodwell

·         Tom Cleverly

·         Jack Wilshire

·         Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

·         Adam Johnson

·         Ross Barkley

·         Daniel Sturridge

·         Danny Welbeck

Out of those 15 players, Micah Richard’s is the only player with over 10 caps. And excluding John Ruddy (25) where keepers’ age isn’t quite as essential, the oldest outfield players there are 24. Assuming Joe Hart and Wayne Rooney are dead certainty’s that takes the number to 17 for a squad of 23. Where does that leave Theo Walcott, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gary Cahill, Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Andy Carroll and so on who are either 30 or under leaving plenty to offer? They appear to be stuck in limbo of the new era and a failing one.

Its players like Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker, John Terry and Ashley Cole who now find themselves looking over their shoulders. Yet that’s more implied through their age than performances, because I believe and many would agree those four were arguably the top four performers of Euro 2012 for England. Danny Welbeck and Joe Hart also deserve recognition, but the senior players really took on board Hodgson’s philosophy and battled courageously each game. A midfield trio of Wilshire, Parker and Gerrard is the stuff dreams are made of. It would just have superb balance much like a back four with perhaps Jones and Terry? Partnering players of that calibre and experience is invaluable.

Whatever direction England go next, there IS room for the likes of Gerrard and co. and I would hope Hodgson’s post tournament remarks of Gerrard carrying on the captaincy are true and just. While a total overhaul would castrate those who have tried and failed, introducing those players to the squad give the management three maybe four tournaments to blend them and make them the essence of a ‘team’. The old guard can definitely help them pass and carry the torch. The six I would add to that squad for the next match would be Gerrard, Parker, Cole, Terry, Walcott and Carroll. That might not be the long-term additions, but off the back of a tournament where before this summer I would have thought Ashley Young had invented himself in to a firm starter, disappointments can’t go unnoticed.

It will be exciting either way no matter how radical the changes are to see if Hodgson stays true to his word, will he pick a generation of players to play counter attacking football? Will it be a new exciting England? Who he picks will signal his intentions early doors – so if you see Lee Cattermole appear out of nowhere prepare for another two years of soaking up pressure. Nothing would surprise me with England!

Five things different so far for Hodgson's Boys

England progressed into the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 last night at the summit of Group D thanks to a 1-0 win over co-hosts Ukraine.

With expectations at an all-time low leading up to the tournament, England have pleasantly surprised with their adopted Hodgson formula and result first, performance second attitude. The two go hand in hand ordinarily, but The Three Lions have finally realised how to grind out victories and win ugly.

This new England aren’t without their faults though, and were it not for some divine luck in Donetsk on Tuesday night, Ukraine could easily be progressing and England could have been heading back to Heathrow sharp. The Ukrainians bossed the game for large portions possession wise and territorially pinned England back regularly, particularly in the first half. A trend England has become familiar to in all of their last six games.

England to their credit though has a new sturdy resolve that in recent campaigns has been missing. When you cast your mind back to World Cup 2010 and Germany’s crushing 4-1 win over us, England limped out of that game, out-done, out-fought and out-classed. The game may have been different had Lampard’s clear goal stood just before half-time making things all square. Then again, last night could have been different if John Terry was adjudged to not get there in the nick of time, which contrary to the score line, replays suggest he didn’t.

England in my opinion can and will get better too. James Milner and Ashley Young have both disappointed thus far in their wide roles going forward, but have the rigid discipline Hodgson appears to seek from his wide men in supporting Gerrard’s and Parker’s endeavours in the middle. Finally our options from the bench too offer something different, a new dimension to what we had previous. Instead of switching good players for other good players, we now have fast players to bring on for industrious ones, or tall, powerful players for direct, nimble ones. As shown in Carroll and Walcott’s introductions for Welbeck and Milner respectively. These players allow us to change our approach and have new ideas and initiatives. Not lie before when lumping Crouch on and lumping it forward was considered a new option.

Below are five reasons I believe things are different for England this time around, and why we shouldn’t fear facing the Italians this Sunday in the last eight.

1.       Steven Gerrard performing as a captain – The Liverpool skipper has long been mooted an England captain but lost out to the stalwart centre-backs John Terry & Rio Ferdinand. Amidst some unsavoury racial accusations, neither of those two were able to lead the country this summer and the door opened for the already Scouse legend. Gerrard has been nothing short of immense in protecting the back four with the dedicated Scott Parker, who both are in the top 5 this tournament for blocks and interceptions for midfielders. I also think being out of the spot light has helped John Terry’s game no ends. The Chelsea Champions League winner has looked a lot more assured just concentrating on his own game. Three assists for Gerrard suggest a good return for the role he is providing.

2.       Revitalisation in the right areas – Danny Welbeck’s introduction has been crucial to the new system being installed. His willing running and enthusiasm up tops has given England the dynamic aspect they lack with less mobile forwards. His pace worries defenders, and his movement on top of that make him an intimidating prospect. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another who impressed greatly against France. He’s a massive option with his youthful buoyancy and will have every reason to think he’s competing hard with the indifferent Ashley Young for a slot against Italy. Andy Carroll looks 100% committed on the pitch too and whilst he brings his standard aerial presence, it’s been noticeable that on the deck the Geordie has been mixing it with some big tackles and tidy touches. Refreshing all round from the new additions, which I feel is rubbing off on the older generation.

3.       A hungry Wayne Rooney – Manchester United’s leading marksmen enters the tournament without the hopes of the entire nation burdening him as he sat back and watched the first two games in which England effectively coped without him. As the Scouser has stated, seeing the team succeed without him gave him extra drive to come back and contribute. Scoring against Ukraine was a good start, although Wazza knows he is capable of much more than that performance. A very different position to that of South Africa 2010 where after a massive haul for United, Rooney was expected, not hoped to deliver great things.

4.       Balance – The England team has solid partnerships all over the pitch for once. For year’s manager after manager insisted on playing Gerrard and Lampard as a pair, and to be fair judging on how colossal each have been for their respective clubs, you’d be inclined to think you could make it work. After nearly a decade of evidence though, it doesn’t. Gerrard and Parker have make a terrific pairing in this system, using their determination and spirit as a duo to break attacks and put their bodies on the line – finally sporting behaviours a fan would hope you associate with traditional Englishmen. The forward pairings so far have worked too, with Welbeck’s lively nature working off Carroll’s intense physical presence and Rooney insistence on dropping deep. Joleon Lescott deserves a mention too. Being quicker than Terry as he evidently is, Lescott has swept and marked supremely well so far. A couple of positional errors have been cause for concern, but Terry’s anticipation and presence has spared his blushes, like all great pairings do.

5.       Roy Hodgson – Obvious I know, but the former West Brom gaffer has done a fine job moulding a collective group of players into a team – a fine art on the international stage. After his spell at Liverpool, I like many, wondered if Hodgson had issues handling big players and expectations. He certainly has dispelled the former, and entering this tournament with no expectations makes the latter redundant. Following our progression though, all of a sudden people are optimistic and hopeful. What the fans will appreciate though is if he can keep the spirit and passion going through the ranks. That’s been a refreshing trait in this team, even if the football hasn’t been as attractive and fluid as a purist might like.

Whatever happens against Italy on Sunday, England has exceeded what one could have hope for before this stage. I would bet the majority of the nation would have thought we would have played second fiddle to the French in group standings, who now face the unenviable task of tackling reigning champions Spain. This is a time to be proud of what we’ve achieved so far with this current crop and simply back the boys into battle on Sunday. This isn’t the strongest Italy team for a long time either, and with Captain Giorgio Chiellini apparently side-lined with a thigh injury England can afford to be optimistic. Best case scenario, England head to the semi-finals to face the German’s and rectify 2010 and directly Euro 1996.

R’n’B & Hip-Hop Update – Sample Special

Music is something that has to constantly evolve and progress to stay fresh and exciting for us fans out there. New genres are often inspired from other well established types of music. Evidence would point to how you  can see R’n’B in the mainstream has strayed into dance/club music. Drum and bass has timid relations to funky house and even old school garage. If you look hard enough there’s plenty of interlinking in the industry. One of the most used and famous is the link between old school R’n’B/Soul music to modern day Hip-Hop.

Kanye West is perhaps the most famous proprietor of this fad using samples in almost every song he produces, like Michael Jackson’s – ‘PYT’ evident in his hit ‘The Good Life’ with T-Pain, as well as sampling Luther Vandross – ‘A House Is Not a Home’ in the global smash ‘Slow Jamz’ which he produced and featured on for Twista.

On my usual rummage for new tracks, I came across a track from Don Trip featuring R’n’B’s new star Jerimiah called ‘Still Got Love 4 Ya’. It’s a very decent track in its own right if you like laid back rapping with a smooth chorus, as so many ‘gangster’ (if that term really still applies) rappers seem to be attempting. I noticed the track straight away from one of my favourite early 90’s groups headed up by world famous producer Teddy Riley, Guy. ‘Let’s Chill’ was the first release from their 1991 album ‘The Future’ which although went platinum, wasn’t as successful as their monster self-titled first album.

Listening to the song got me thinking about other songs that have been released in similar vein in recent times. Below are 10 songs with heavy early late 80’s/early 90’s influence with a modern twist on them which can still find themselves very welcome in today’s market.

Plies Feat. Ashanti – Want It, Need It. (Sampled from Dwele – On Two Occasions)
Boxie Feat. Juelz Santana – Let Me Show You. (Samples The Jackson 5 – Show You The Way To Go)
Chris Brown – She Ain’t You. (Samples Michael Jackson – Human Nature)
Ray-J Feat. Papoose – Sex You Up. (Samples Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up)
Pleasure P – First Time. (Samples DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Summertime)
Lil Romeo – My Cinderella. (Samples Shai – If I Ever Fall In Love)
G-Unit Feat. Joe – I Wanna Get To Know You. (Samples Marvin Gaye – Come Live With Me Angel)
Karina Pasian Feat. Sammie – Brokenhearted. (Samples Brandy – Brokenhearted)
Amerie Feat. Lloyd Banks & Trey Songz – Brown Eyes. (Samples Mint Condition – Pretty Brown Eyes)
Smitty Feat. Chris Brown & Mario – Tell Me (Samples The S.O.S Band – Tell Me If You Still Care)

I believe Chris Brown’s – She Ain’t You and G-Unit’s - I Wanna Get To Know You are the only one’s out of that list to be released into the charts so if you haven’t heard or aren’t familiar with the rest, get at them!

Before I go I have a couple tracks fresh out this week I’ll mention as well as some old R’n’B tips if you fancy a Youtube adventure.

Tone Trump Feat. Beanie Sigel & I-Know Brasco – We Winning.

Although I would argue none of these rappers are particularly winning in the grand scheme of things, this track has got a catchy beat and likeable chorus. I normally switch off when a bunch of commercially mediocre rappers jump on the same track, but I remember Tone Trump from his track with Akon – Hands in the Sky, so I gave this a chance and I’m glad I did.

Lola Monroe Feat. Wiz Khalifa – Gettin’ To It.

Yet another female rapper trying to make a name for herself. The days of Da Brat and Lil Kim’ were so long ago that all between them and now was Ludacris’ DTP (disturbing the peace) rapper Shawna, who had one song noteworthy tops (Getting’ some head remix is alright actually). However since Nicki Minaj burst on to the scene it seems the mainstream taboo is broken and record companies are trusting the chicks on the mic once more. This is another hard-hitting robotic kind of beat which I must credit Monroe’s for lacing a flow which takes precedence over the banger.

To leave you with, below are five R’n’B/Hip-Hop tracks I remember grabbing off mix-tapes a few years ago and popped up on my shuffle giving me a delightful reminder of how good they were. If you haven’t heard them, get on it.

·         Elijah Harris Feat. Game – Keep Breaking My Heart

·         Donnell Jones – Baby It’s You

·         Sean Garrett Feat Lil. Wayne – Girlfriends Ringtone

·         Chris Brown & Tyga – G-Shit

·         Boxie Feat. Dave Bing – I’m In Love

Euro 2012 Window Shopping

With the group stages drawing to a close, speculation is already surfacing in the media about potential swoops for some of Euro 2012’s emerging stand-out performers. So far the European Championships haven’t been quite as straight forward as one would think if reputation and form were anything to go by.

Holland, the third favourites at the beginning of play, are now out as Portugal and Germany progress through to the last 8. Russia’s exit from Group A is another surprise as Dick Advocaat’s men failed to overcome seemingly more humble opponents in hosts Poland, Greece and Czech Republic – with the latter two making their way to the quarter-finals.

Ireland are also already out after not covering themselves in glory in their opening two efforts, one of them albeit against reigning champions and favourites Spain, leaving Croatia, Italy and indeed Spain to fight it out for the top two spaces.

Group D finds England in a similar position to that of Russia on Saturday where after amassing four points, going into the final game a draw will be enough to see them through, defeat however will see co-hosts Ukraine usurp the Three Lions and take their place probably alongside the French.

To name a few, Mario Gomez, Steven Gerrard and after last night’s brace Cristiano Ronaldo have turned in performances to match the stature their reputation commands. Whilst not every big name can say the same, there have been a few players to step in from the apparent wilderness and do no harm to their stock what so ever. Czech Republic’s Gebre Selassie, France’s Mathieu Debuchy, Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic and Poland’s Lukasz Piszczek have all had noticeable performances without being household names.

Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec) – Although born in Czech Republic, Selassie’s family are all of Ethiopian descent. He became the first player of African descent to play for the Czech’s last year in 2011 and has gone on to firmly establish himself as the countries number one right-back. His energetic runs down the right hand side which displays his great pace are a trademark of Selassies. Apparently on Werder Bremen’s radar, being based in the Czech league which is hardly lucrative makes him an interesting proposition price wise.

Mathieu Debuchy (Lille) – Hot on the heels of Eden Hazard’s departure to the Premier League, it appears Lille are going to lose another one of their prized assets to across the channel. Rumours before Euro 2012 suggested Debuchy was Tyneside-bound with Alan Pardew looking to replace contract rebel Danny Simpson. However, since stepping into the breach left by Bacary Sagna’s broken leg, Debuchy’s raiding runs down the right with his diligent defending have earned rave reviews on the international scene. Having all the attributes a modern full-back should, it’s rumoured Debuchy has alerted Real Madrid and indeed Hazard’s new employers Chelsea.

Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg) – The 26 year-old Croatian forward is a real handful for defenders with his constant running and work-ethic as well as his knack for popping up in the right areas at the right time, as three goals in the tournament so far would testify. Also at 6”1, as Ireland found out, Mandzukic is more than capable in the air and has been leading the line for Wolfsburg since a certain Edin Dzeko’s departure to Premier League champions Manchester City. Reports in the media suggest that whilst there is interest in England, Malaga in Spain and Juventus in Italy are leading the chase.

Luckasz Piszczek (Dortmund) – The rampaging right-back has been on the German football scene for just over 8 years now, but has only really made his mark within the last season or two at Dortmund. Arriving on a free-transfer in 2010, the Pole instantly started making a name for himself for getting beyond his wingers and delivering dangerous crosses. Truckloads of pace and an engine to match, it’s no wonder Manchester United and Chelsea are being linked with a move for the 27 year-old.

Following the completion of the group stages on Tuesday, I’ll re-evaluate the contenders for this summers finals, as well as providing a list quite opposite to this one – the biggest flops to be bought off the back of a tournament. And yes El-Hadji Diouf, you are in it.