Stoke City – Characteristic tenacity, a new boss and a worrying trend
To use a football cliche, our draw with Arsenal brought the reward of a ‘hard earned point’. We rarely looked likely to trouble the Arsenal goal, similarly, our opponents were stifled by our characteristic tenacity. There were several phases of the game during which our midfield struggled to handle Arsenal’s movement but our back four were focused and played with discipline. The one worrying aspect of our defensive play is how often we lunge into tackles. At Reading Dean Whitehead saw red for two unnecessary challenges. On Sunday Huth and Wilkinson steamed into tackles and, as well as receiving cautions, gave away free kicks in very dangerous territory. Wilkinson stayed on his feet, had he slid in his may well have been a straight red. As a team we are physical but that needn’t equate to recklessness.
Geoff Cameron made an encouraging start to his Stoke City career. He broke Arsenal’s midfield play up well and made simple passes to maintain possession. Again it was Michael Kightly who looked our most potent attacking threat. Kightly also threaded a defence unlocking ball through for Jon Walters… a rare delight from a Stoke player!
So, two games gone and two points earned. A solid if unspectacular start to our season. Meanwhile Arsenal will be painfully aware that the season has barely begun and they are already seven points behind the leaders.
The next league game is at Wigan. In all fairness it’s a game we should set out to win. The away form must improve and Saturday will be a good way to send the message out that we are no longer a soft touch on our travels. It’d be a relief if we have some new personnel in time for that game.
Last week Football Federation Australia appointed ex rugby league supremo David Gallop as their new CEO. Gallop is an established respected sports administrator having held the same role as head of the National Rugby League. The move has been generally well received. While it does seem to be a good appointment the whole spectre of administration of football in Australia continues to be draining.
On arrival here in 1996 I was looking forward to acquainting myself with the Australian game. The main TV show which covered local football issues was an hour long magazine programme on a channel called SBS on Monday nights. The first time I watched, most of the show was taken up with a radical discussion regarding an internal issue in the corridors of power. Over 16 years later the ongoing internal wrangling in football’s corridors of power continue to cast a dark shadow over our game. The game here won’t fulfill it’s rich potential until headlines are made by players instead of administrators. I hasten to add that I, along with all football supporters, wish David Gallop every success in his new role.
It’s disturbing to see the pre season here in Australia tarnished by crowd violence. In Australia some youngsters have a sickening infatuation with the whole culture of football related thuggery. I overheard some talking excitedly about trouble at a game and asked them why they were so fascinated by people bashing each other peoples heads in…… they didn’t know. As a teenager, many of my contemporaries regarded becoming involved in fighting almost as a natural progression…. as if it was a rite of passage. I specifically remember, even as a nine year old, standing in Glebe Street watching Millwall and Stoke’s hooligans fighting and being confused that so many people felt the need to smash people’s faces in over what was, essentially, wanting a different team to win a game of football. Violence at football has resulted in lives damaged, people even killed. It has given police the excuse (but not justification) to treat supporters as second class citizens. There is nothing positive about football violence.
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid have made a shaky start to the season. A defeat and a draw are not what was expected at the Bernabeu. While they were crowned champions last season, Mourinho was appointed to bring the European Cup to Madrid. The semi final exit to Bayern Munich hangs in the air. If form doesn’t improve quickly the managers position may be called into question. What could save him could be the huge question of who could possibly replace him. At Real Madrid style and panache are as important to the culture of the club as their illustrious historical trophy haul. In choosing Mourinho they effectively made a U turn. Mourinho’s brilliance is motivation and tactical manoeuvring. His teams, as successful as they are, haven’t always played exhilarating thrilling football. The pragmatism and attention to detail being the cornerstones of his glittering career. Real Madrid is known to be a notorious managerial graveyard. If the internal politics become too much and he walks away he’ll be able to do so with reputation intact and will still be able to pick up a job at another European powerhouse. When he was appointed the Galactico was the manager. He was the one that couldn’t possibly fail….. and nobody is more aware of that than Mourinho himself. That Jose isn’t stupid!