Categories
EPL

Newport vs Wrexham Preview

An all-Welsh Affair at Rodney Parade

 

For the second time in 28 days, Newport County and Wrexham will clash in what promises to be a fiery all-Welsh affair at Rodney Parade.

 

Graham Coughlan’s team will be on cloud nine after securing an FA Cup Fourth Round tie with Manchester United following a confident 3-1 win at Eastleigh mid-week, but they will need to keep focus as they host one of League Two’s form teams.

 

When the two sides clashed on December 23rd, Wrexham took all three points, with second-half goals from James Jones and Elliott Lee wrapping up the win. However, it was not a comfortable victory for Phil Parkinson’s men by any means, with narrow misses from Omar Bogle and Seb Palmer-Houlden in the first half nearly giving the travelling Exiles early goals.

 

All the ingredients are there for a thrilling encounter at Rodney Parade, a stadium that has proven a difficult battleground for many in the division. The question is, can Wrexham make it two for two against their Welsh rivals?

 

Newport Form & Analysis

 

The Exiles have been one of League Two’s most unpredictable sides this campaign. They come into the game off the back of consecutive away wins. First, they registered a 1-0 win away at Doncaster, with a late Seb Palmer-Houlden goal being the difference maker, before they went to National League Eastleigh and won 3-1, with goals from Will Evans, Aaron Wildig, and James Clarke sealing their passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

 

However, their form at home has been mixed. Their last outing saw them draw 1-1 with 10-men Eastleigh, while their previous game at home ended in a 4-2 win over Forest Green, with Coughlan’s men coming back from 2-0 down against ten men. However, that scoreline doesn’t tell the full story, with the team struggling to get going when up against 11, falling 2-0 behind.

 

It is difficult to judge Newport’s season as a whole at this stage. Injuries to key players have meant Coughlan has had to deal with selection headaches throughout the campaign. Seb Palmer-Houlden, Harry Charsley, and Kyle Jameson are just three key players who have been on the sidelines at different points in the season, with the latter finally returning to the team on the bench against Eastleigh.

 

One man who has received plenty of recognition at Newport this season is Will Evans. The former Bala Town striker, plucked from the Welsh Leagues by the Exiles, has netted 18 goals in all competitions this season, including 15 in the league, and he will be hungry to grab his second of the week on Saturday.

Wrexham Form & Analysis

 

Wrexham arrive at Rodney Parade in ferocious form. Phil Parkinson’s team have lost just two of their last 17 games, and are flying high at second in the table. 

 

They will feel full of confidence following wins against promotion rivals Barrow and AFC Wimbledon so far this month, as well as a 1-0 smash-and-grab FA Cup win in a cagey derby clash with Shrewsbury Town.

 

Wrexham will journey to South Wales without any fresh injury worries, but they will be without Jacob Mendy, who is on international duty at AFCON with The Gambia.

 

Elliott Lee, one of the league’s best players, was instrumental in Wrexham’s win last month and has played a key role in victories over Wimbledon and Shrewsbury in recent weeks. James McClean, never one to shy away from the limelight, has also been crucial for the team, establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.


Verdict

 

Newport County are one of the hardest teams to predict in League Two. The Exiles have put the likes of Stockport County and Charlton to the sword this season but have stuttered against teams like Barnet and Harrogate at Rodney Parade.

 

Both teams have momentum, and Newport fans will hope Wrexham’s poor history at Rodney Parade continues. However, I can’t see Wrexham being slowed down just yet. A tight Wrexham victory is my prediction here, with both teams hitting the net.

 

Prediction: Newport 1-2 Wrexham

 

 

Categories
EPL

Reading FC in Turmoil – Sell before we Dai

Reading in Turmoil

 

A mid-April 2012 night saw thousands of Reading fans triumphantly march onto the Leasing Car Stadium pitch, as the Berkshire club returned to the topflight of English football for just the second time.

 

Fast-forward just under 12 years to the present day, however, supporters are marching onto the very same pitch in completely juxtaposing circumstances.

 

Reading Football Club, now 21st in League One, has gradually devolved to become the EFL’s club at greatest risk of extinction, a place frequented by Bolton Wanderers, Derby County, and Bury in recent years.

 

Chinese businessman Dai Yongge purchased the Royals in 2017 with seemingly realistic ambitions of making the club a mainstay in the Premier League, having yo-yoed between the first and second tiers for much of the ten seasons prior.

 

Yongge purchased the club with the promise of serious investment just days after the Royals booked their place in the Championship play-off final. With Premier League football returning to the Leasing Car Stadium just a game away, many supporters felt the club was at the dawn of a new ‘golden era’ under Yongge’s investment.

 

But it wouldn’t work out like this. The Royals, narrowly beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town in the final at Wembley Stadium, have been on a slope of dramatic decline littered with point deductions, transfer embargos, and unpaid wages since.

 

So, what’s gone wrong at Reading?

 

Despite Yongge’s inherited side just missing out on promotion, he remained determined to see Reading become a competitive Premier League football club in the coming years. He ambitiously invested tens of millions of pounds over the next five seasons, but alarm bells were already ringing.

 

The spending appeared risky, ill-informed, and without a coherent, identifiable strategy. It was a stark contrast from the managed growth and boardroom planning of previous owner John Madejski, who took the club from near oblivion to the Premier League.

 

Meanwhile, Reading’s ownership appeared clueless in recouping appropriate transfer fees for their most prized assets. Despite increased spending across the industry, only one of Reading’s ten highest player sales has occurred during Yongge’s stewardship of the club.

 

By 2021 the club was spending 234% of its revenue on player wages and appeared no closer to reaching the Premier League, having dropped into the bottom half of the Championship in three of the previous four seasons.

After a transfer embargo was placed on the club in 2021 for breaches of financial fair play, Yongge realised Premier League football was no longer an attainable goal and thus cut spending dramatically.

 

The results of continuous mismanagement of the football club and spending cuts have been deadly. Reading have been docked a total of 16 points across the past three seasons for breaches of financial fair play, unpaid player wages, and failing to adhere to terms set by the EFL after previous point deductions.

 

At the end of the 2022/2023 season, suffered relegation to League One for the first time in 21 years.

 

Since relegation to League One they have made further controversial and unprecedented spending cuts. In the last month alone assistant manager Andrew Sparkes has been one of several of the coaching team to face redundancy, while integral players have been listed for sale without the consulting of Manager Ruben Selles or Head of Football Operations Mark Bowen.

 

 

Who are ‘Sell before we Dai’?

 

The off-field turmoil, continuous decline, and serious risk of liquidation has resulted in Reading supporters forming the pressure group ‘Sell Before We Dai’.

 

Their goals, as stated on the pressure group’s website, are “to encourage Reading FC owner Dai Yongge to sell up to a new owner before more damage is done to the club we know and love. Our objective is for a secure and sustainable future Reading FC’.

 

In September 2023, Sell Before We Dai organised for over 200 tennis balls to be thrown onto the pitch during the 16th minute, creating an artificial storm that haltered play for several minutes.

 

The 16th minute is of particular significance to Sell Before We Dai, because it represents the number of points deducted under ownership of Yongge. Members are eager to point out that had the club not received a point deduction during the 22/23 campaign, they’d still be in the Championship today.

 

With the off-field situation rapidly deteriorating and the club dangerously sat in League One’s relegation zone, the persistence and scale of the protests have only increased.

 

While tennis balls have had a prevalence at many of Reading’s home games this season, last Saturday’s home game against Port Vale saw something staggering happen. The fans stormed the pitch during the 16th minute resulting in the game being abandoned.

 

Sell Before We Dai claims the pitch invasion wasn’t pre-meditated, but a natural manifestation of the frustrations of many Reading supporters.

The sight of the pitch flooded with supporters no doubt evoked memories of unlikely promotions to the Premier League during the Madejski era and perhaps perfectly encapsulated how this club has fallen in recent years.

 

Reading is not known for having a bohemian, rebellious, or anti-authoritarian fanbase, so the very presence of such large-scale protests should tell outsiders all they need to know about the severity of the situation in Berkshire.

 

 

 

Categories
EPL

‘The Manager the Supporters Wanted to Keep’

What’s Next for Steve Cooper?

 

With memories of Brian Clough’s two-time European Cup-winning sides becoming ever more distant in the minds of the Nottingham Forest fans.  How many were lucky enough to be alive in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, following the once globally recognised Nottinghamshire club?  Forest had become something of a chore for many in the 21st century.

 

After relegation from the Premier League, a division where Forest had spent much of their history, was confirmed in 1999, fans were subject to a generation of torture aimlessly lingering in the Championship, and even a three-year shift in League One.

 

Upon dropping into the third tier the former champions of Europe would embarrassingly lose a play-off tie with now non-league Yeovil Town in 2006. When Forest eventually did return to the Championship, fans were subject to a decade of mediocrity. Forest largely operated as the divisional archetype of the fallen giant struggling to seriously impose itself on the league. Going through a series of managers failing to make any kind of meaningful connection with the City Ground faithful.

 

In 2020 fans would’ve been forgiven for giving up altogether on a return to the Premier League. Forest, sitting in 6th at the start of play on the final day of the season, would throw away a three-goal lead resulting in the Nottinghamshire club missing out on their first play-off campaign in nine years.

 

Steve Cooper arrives at Forest

 

With a historic footballing city devoid of hope and ideas, lying in 17th place in the Championship, the board placed faith in the man who, ironically, devastated the hearts of Forest fans in 2020, Steve Cooper. The Welsh-born manager took advantage of Forest’s final-day capitulation, as his Swansea side snuck into the Championship’s final play-off position. Three years prior Cooper demonstrated his potential as a manager on the international stage, guiding England U17’s to World Cup glory for the first time.

 

Despite relative early success and promise in the game, it was unclear just how much of an impact Cooper could make on the seemingly cursed sleeping giants. Cooper’s tenure at Forest got off to a solid start, losing just once in his opening 15 Championship fixtures to quieten worries of relegation. Though, after January’s FA Cup win against Arsenal was followed up by defeating arch-rivals Derby County in the league. It was clear something was brewing at the City Ground. The unity, excitement, and momentum of Steve Cooper’s attacking style of football had fans whispering – ‘promotion?’

 

The momentum continued to grow through Spring. Steve Cooper’s men looked like winning every day they stepped on the pitch and by April a once seemingly unlikely promotion charge now had an air of inevitability about it.

 

Forest would dramatically beat Sheffield United on penalties in the play-off semi-final, before seeing off Huddersfield at Wembley in the final. As the final whistle blew the stadium erupted into a sea of hysterics. The pain, suffering, and frustration of a torrid 20-year absence from the Premier League was unleashed into a kind of ecstatic relief so rarely seen to this extent in English football.

 

Premier League dismissal

 

After an influx of summer signings by the board replaced many of Cooper’s play-off heroes, it was always going to be an uphill task to maintain the unity and togetherness formed in the season prior. Nonetheless, despite being amongst the favourites to go down, Cooper’s Nottingham Forest ended their first season back in the Premier League comfortable from the threat of relegation.

 

Cooper’s second summer as a Premier League manager was met with more controversial new signings by the Forest board, leading critiques to question how the Welshman could possibly integrate so many new bodies into the squad. Sitting in 16th after a run of four straight defeats, it felt for many like an unpopular, perhaps harsh dismissal wouldn’t be too far away.

 

Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Fulham felt like a grim confirmation that supporters were about to lose the hero who so sensationally returned the club back to the promise land. “Stevie Cooper. Stevie Cooper. Forest are magic” was emotionally sung by supporters for 15 straight minutes as if all involved were acutely aware of what was to come.

 

After a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham the following week the fairy-tale story finally ended – Steve Cooper was sacked, and Forest were left to negotiate Premier League life without their talisman. Cooper’s dismissal, though clearly harsh, is a perfect embodiment of the hire and fire approach to management in modern football.

 

The generational memories Steve Cooper gave to Nottingham Forest supporters will surely never be forgotten

 

What’s next for Cooper?

 

Steve Cooper was far more than someone who just relied on momentum through creating an emotional response with supporters. The former England U17 and Swansea City coach has consistently delivered exciting football and demonstrated the ability to motivate, develop, and galvanise modern players.

 

Cooper’s U17 World Cup-winning team gave a young Phil Foden the platform to showcase his technical brilliance for the first time. Meanwhile, at Swansea City, where Cooper achieved successive Championship play-off campaigns, he was accredited for large parts of the developments for now England international Marc Guehi. Most notably at Nottingham Forest, Cooper’s leadership transformed youth talent Brenan Johnson into a £47.5M man for Tottenham Hotspur.

 

What is striking about Cooper is, unlike many coaches’ renown for developing young talents, he often matches it with winning football. With a youth World Cup, three championship play-off campaigns, and a year’s survival in the Premier League, the manager, still only 44, has created the perfect springboard to land his next big role.

 

Cooper attracted the interest of Crystal Palace in 2021 and tabloid speculation suggests the South London club could go in for him once again if Roy Hodgson is to face the sack in the coming weeks. Crystal Palace’s strong youth academy and stable Premier League infrastructure would surely be a place where the Welsh manager could continue to grow his already strong reputation in the game.

 

Cooper’s next managerial step maybe with half an eye on longer-term prospects. If Cooper can really excel in the Premier League, there’s every chance he’ll be among the candidates to replace England manager Gareth Southgate, who many feel will step down after this summer EURO 2024. With a background at the FA, an understanding of the St George’s project, and a strong ability to unite teams and their supporters, there will be few better placed to continue Southgate’s impressive work with the national team.

 

 

 

Categories
EPL

The importance of grassroots football for player development

Elite football in the United Kingdom is thriving. Since the birth of the Premier League in 1993, the top tier of English football has grown to become the most-watched sports league in the world.  It is producing billions of pounds of revenue each season, but not enough supports grassroots football.

 

When we consider the essence of the ‘beautiful game’ itself, it can feel, at times, like we’ve lost the traditional notion of what a football club should mean to its local community, at least at the very highest level anyway.

 

Football clubs were first established in the 1870s for those in the local area who wished to play. The game gradually became popularised, as football fever swept the country. Thousands of spectators were willing to pay to watch their local team home and away.

 

The success and unity of the local football was an emblem of local pride and identity. It became a shared place of worship for those on the pitch and the loyal fanbase that followed them across the nation’s terraces. In its purest form, football clubs represent a community asset of shared interest.  These were often in industrial towns and cities where there is an absence of exterior investment to fulfil further identity needs.

 

It is therefore easy for many to feel somewhat alienated when we see the global super product that the Premier League has transitioned into today. VAR halts play as every micrometre of contact is hyper-analysed.  The smallest clubs have the financial capabilities to tempt players from some of Europe’s finest clubs.  Ticket prices have risen to such an extortionate extent that managers regularly question what demographic of supporters still has the means to purchase match tickets.

 

With the highest form of the game often sometimes a little lost, unaffordable, and lacking in genuine connection with its community, the funding and preservation of grassroots football is as important today as it ever has been.

 

Impact of Grassroots on the Premier League

 

For almost all of us, even those on the field in the games of the highest profile, grassroots football represents the first experience we have with the sport. It’s the first kick of a ball at your local team.  The fond childhood memories of muddy pitches in the rain, and the lifelong friends that were made along the way. Without the opportunity to learn the game through grassroots football, there is no Premier League.

 

While by the age of about 11, the best player on the team had often been pinched by the professional academy in the area, they’d be usually released a few years later. Then they re-enter the wilderness of grassroots football. Some, thanks to the quality of the football pyramid in the UK, managed to bounce back and forge a career in the professional game.  Charlie Austin, Jamie Vardy, and Michail Antonio are just three examples of players who played grassroots football through their teens and early 20s and still found a way into the Premier League.

 

Impact of Grassroots football on the local community

 

Not only does the next Jamie Vardy need enthusiastic amateur coaches, opportunities to play on decent facilities, and a place to develop bonds with teammates, but so does the rest of the footballing society. For many children, coaches can be positive role models to learn elements of team building, resilience, and determination. Adult men and women often need grassroots football for social connection, personal fitness, and an escape from the stressful nature of 21st century life.

 

Grassroots football should be an opportunity for belonging, community and learning for all its members. With elite football becoming more sanitised and less affordable for many, it is crucial that funding is available to produce the next generation of amateur coaches, players, and spectators.

 

The Premier League, as earlier alluded to, is a billion-pound industry with clubs capable of spending astronomical transfer fees on new signings every single summer.  Simultaneously non-league clubs fold due to financial constraints leaving gaps in local communities. Pitches aren’t available for children to play on at the weekend, and coaching courses aren’t as accessible as they are in some of our European counterparts.

 

The disparity of wealth between the Premier League and general grassroots football without doubt needs reconsidering. 

Categories
EPL

Is Wayne Rooney’s Career in Management Already Over?

It’s been 20 years since a fresh-faced, raw, 16-year-old Wayne Rooney propelled himself into the national consciousness with a screamer against Arsenal on his professional debut. Rooney, at least the footballer, never appeared to look back from this moment, winning multiple Premier League titles, a Champions League, and an array of personal accolades in a glistening career, leading many to consider him amongst England’s greatest-ever attacking players.

 

Despite the aggression, technical brilliance, and a clear knack for winning so often displayed in Rooney’s playing career, it was a surprise, to some, that the former Manchester United legend wanted to try his hand at management. Throughout much of his playing career, there was a perception that the Scouser was slightly uncomfortable with fame and the media.

 

First opportunity in management

 

Nonetheless, and perhaps admirably, Rooney set his sights on “trying to manage at the top level”. In January 2021 Rooney was offered his first opportunity in management with financially struggling Derby County in the Championship. The Rams had become acclimatised to finishing in and around the play-off positions of the second tier, but with the club struggling off the field, it immediately appeared an uphill battle to keep the club competitive in the upper reaches of the Championship.

 

After starting the 2020/2021 campaign as a player-coach, Rooney was promoted to full-time head coach mid-way through a torrid campaign. Despite winning just one of Derby’s final 15 games, it was enough to ensure another year of Championship football at Pride Park. The following transfer window saw then-owner Mel Morris place the club under administration and thus opportunities to improve a struggling squad were limited. Despite accumulating an impressive 55 points from their 46 Championship fixtures, a 21-point deduction saw Wayne Rooney’s side relegated to League One at the end of the season. Rooney then resigned in search of new opportunities.

 

While the headline story was relegation, Wayne Rooney gained many admirers during his 18-month spell at Derby County. With a board unwilling to communicate, Rooney acted as a single spokesperson, and a rare beacon of hope for Derby County supporters during challenging times for the football club. Not only Rooney’s dedication, but also his communication skills, something that had previously been questioned, saw him develop a great rapport with supporters and players alike.

 

Move to the MLS

 

The intense nature of keeping a troubled Derby County in the Championship may have prompted Rooney to try his luck in a less pressurising environment – the MLS.  Rooney took over at DC United, whom he represented towards the end of his playing career, a club that had stagnated in the MLS for the past few seasons. DC supporters, similarly to Derby County, viewed Rooney as a saviour to help revitalise their club, or at least keep it afloat. However, after failing to lead the Washington club to the MLS play-offs, a mutual agreement saw Rooney’s American stint come to an end.

 

After Rooney’s first 139 games in management across spells with Derby County and DC United, the former Champions League winner had picked up just 38 wins from 139 matches.

 

Birmingham City

 

It was therefore somewhat surprising to see Rooney appointed by Birmingham City so soon after leaving DC. The decision of Chief Executive Gary Crook to  replace John Eustace, whose strong early form saw Birmingham City sit in a play-off position, with Wayne Rooney split the Blues fanbase tremendously. Not because many were particularly averse to Rooney, but because there was no justifiable reason to remove a popular manager in good form.

 

Rooney, who was frequently compared to the successes of his predecessor, knew he wouldn’t be looked upon favourably if he failed to hit the ground running. After defeat in his first two Championship matches, Wayne Rooney’s side were booed off at full-time against Hull City, as supporters let their frustrations at the owner’s decision to replace John Eustace known. This trend continued as Birmingham City’s form nosedived under Rooney’s stewardship. After just two wins from his 15 games Rooney was sacked by the St Andrews club, leaving them 12 places lower than when he arrived just 83 days prior.

 

Rooney, though insists he still wants to become a manager at the top level intends to take some time out of the game, ‘Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback’

 

Can Rooney still become a top manager?

 

With fellow 21st century English footballing icons Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard experiencing some initial success before seeing their managerial reputations somewhat hampered after difficult stints with Aston Villa and Everton respectively, there appears to be a growing narrative in the UK that great players don’t necessarily become great managers.

 

This is only reinforced by the recent relative success of British ‘coaches’ in the Championship, with former England U17 manager Steve Cooper and Graham Potter, who landed his first senior coaching role at 32, recently winning unlikely promotions to the Premier League despite not experiencing long, glittering playing careers. There is a popular belief that the best British managers are now “new age” tacticians, rather than former players who succeeded at the highest level.

 

After an unsuccessful stint at Birmingham City, Rooney, who claims he’s “preparing” for his “next opportunity”, may have to do something Gerrard and Lampard so far haven’t been prepared to do – drop into the bottom two tiers of English football. It is important that Rooney, if given the opportunity, chooses his next move carefully.

 

Derby County’s financial position proved too difficult of a task to deal with, while DC United had been starved of any success in recent years. Meanwhile, John Eustace’s bizarre dismissal at Birmingham City put Rooney under pressure from minute one. If Rooney is prepared to drop further down the footballing ladder, he must ensure it is with a club with a relatively stable ownership structure. This may finally give the 38-year-old the opportunity to combine the unity created at Derby County with sustained winning football.

Categories
EPL Premier League

Has Jobe Got the Potential to Reach the Heights of Jude?

Has Jobe Got the Potential to Reach the Heights of Jude?

 

“50 first team appearances as a second year scholar. It’s a decent start’ Jobe’s father, Mark, understatedly tweeted after his youngest son made his 50th senior appearance at the stripling age of just 18. But with Real Madrid superstar and Ballon d’Or favourite Jude Bellingham as an older brother, it can be easy to ignore how comfortably Jobe has transitioned into men’s professional football.

 

Jude, three years senior to Jobe, already has the world at his feet. Winning the UEFA Golden Boy award in 2023 and having the English national media purring at not just his almost Zidane esque eloquence displayed on the biggest stage, but his humility, leadership skills, and the way he seemingly remains grounded despite arguably starting his career in a more sensational way that any English player has ever done before.

 

Settled upbringing

 

It is important to notice that while Jobe, at his tender age, has not dazzled on the global stage, he has many of the same personality traits admired about Jude and experienced the same settled childhood his Real Madrid brother accredited for his early success.

 

Speaking in a 2020 documentary with Birmingham City, the club where the brothers rose through the youth ranks to make their debut, Jude cited loving parents, the strong emphasis they placed on the brothers schooling education, and the freedom to express himself creatively helped round him as a person.

 

Teachers and coaches shared gushing reviews of the Bellingham parents, Mark and Denise, for their intelligence and dedication to helping their sons. Coaches claimed they were not invasive, as many parents of academy starlets can be, but desperate to learn as much about the industry to help guide their sons through the early stages of their careers.

 

Clever planning

 

As evidenced by Jude’s carefully curated career, transfers have been made at the right times and for the right reasons to clubs that will facilitate development. Jobe will benefit equally from his parents’ guidance and knowledge of the industry to make the correct moves.

 

We can already see this coming to fruition after the youngster left Birmingham City for a fresh start with Sunderland last summer. Then manager Tony Mowbray had built a reputation in recent years for playing expansive football, giving opportunities to young talents, and allowing them to make mistakes.

 

Upon arrival at Sunderland, it was clear that Jobe wanted to build his own legacy and break free from the looming shadow of his Real Madrid brother, opting to accompany his no.7 jersey with Jobe rather than Bellingham. Undoubtedly a move not done out of any disrespect towards his family, but an enticement of the dedication to prove himself in his own right and not simply be the younger brother to Jude.

 

Progress at Sunderland

 

So far, the younger Bellingham brother is moving along the right track. This season Jobe has managed 4 goals in his 25 Championship appearances, displaying versatility in various tactical roles such as operating as a false 9, a traditional striker, and even dropping into deeper midfield areas. While, perhaps, Jobe would like to claim a position and make it his own, he possesses a similar range of physical and technical attributes his brother, which made it difficult for BVB coaches to work out the area he would best flourish in.

 

What stands out most to former manager Tony Mowbray is Jude’s eagerness to learn ‘His greatest asset is he wants to learn. He’s 17 but he asks questions every day of the coaches – why am I doing this? Where do I go? What do you want me to do? He’s a joy to work with really and I’m just so pleased he’s scored some goals and helped the team win.’, the 60-year-old former Sunderland manager suggested.

 

So, how far can Jobe go?

 

While Jobe would like to add more goals to his game, at 18 he’s made an impressive start. His list of admirers is growing, Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring his progress, and Real Madrid are reportedly considering adding a second Bellingham to their collection. Jobe has all the right traits but is still very young and raw, so time will tell just how far he can go.

 

Categories
EPL Premier League

Should VAR be given the red card or is it working well?

Since its introduction by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in 2018, the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the higher levels of professional football has been met with varying degrees of acceptance, reluctance, disappointment or despair across the game globally.


The original intention was, of course, to assist match referees in their decision making but only in the event of a ‘clear and obvious error’ or a ‘serious missed incident’. These events or incidents only include Goal/no goal; Penalty/no penalty; Direct red card (not a second yellow card or caution); and Mistaken Identity (if a
referee cautions or sends off the wrong player).


It is important to note that VAR decisions are made by appropriately qualified match officials who are watching the game via live broadcast in an isolated room in a central location far from the match venue. This removes any emotional context from any decision by VAR that the actual match referee might be experiencing from either or both sets of supporters in the actual stadium.


The actual definition of ‘clear and obvious error’ might be a major point for discussion simply because many of the decisions that are scrutinised often seem much less clear and certainly not obvious, despite the use of video examination which is often slowed to less than match speed without giving obvious conclusions to aid the referee in his initial verdict. Often, VAR recommendations are made to the match official that are unobvious to the naked eye when viewing at ground level in the heat of the contest.


For all those invested in a particular game, the sheer elation of a goal being scored, and subsequent celebrations, can often be muted as the decision is mooted by VAR and the match referee. More importantly, games (and associated league points) have been won or lost by decisions that have later been adjudged, after great scrutiny, to be blatantly incorrect.


Given the seemingly current disappointment with VAR from many aspects of the game’s shareholders (e.g. players, coaches, spectators), there appears to be three options available to IFAB with regards to the future of VAR:


‘Play On’ – IFAB continue with VAR in its existing format; it may not be perfect, but it gets more decisions right than not and more than assists a referee to make more accurate decisions than would occur without VAR intervention.


‘Yellow Card’ – IFAB proceed with caution and with considered amendments to the current VAR model. It could perhaps allow spectators, players and technical staff the opportunity to hear the discussions between the match referee and the remote VAR (as in Rugby Union) to potentially better understand the mechanics behind each decision referred to or taken up by VAR.


Perhaps the VAR model could also be enhanced with the inclusion of a former professional player on the VAR panel who has appropriate experience of playing at the respective level of the game at the highest level of domestic or international football depending upon the type of game being observed. The inclusion of a former player may add an additional dimension to the decision-making process by giving a player’s perspective of any given situation outwith the laws of the game (e.g. the timing of a challenge, malicious intent, intrinsic or extrinsic factors affecting the player’s actions).


‘Red Card’ – IFAB negate the use of VAR completely and return to the historical methods of trusting the match officials, managed by the referee, to come to their decisions without the need or assistance of an external influence.


These options are no doubt discussed on a regular basis by IFAB as they seek the most efficient and accurate methods by which to effectively manage and officiate each game involving VAR. In so doing, they hold the key to making the Beautiful Game an even more enjoyable experience.


What would be your preferred course of action regarding the future of VAR: Play on; Yellow card; or Red card?


This key issue affecting football, and many more like it, could be taken to the millions of spectators and fans who enjoy the game to seek their personal opinions. Directors Box, the exciting new football go-to application, offers fans the opportunity to create their own polls and petitions relating to their specific club or country, or more generic football matters, to gather and measure supporter opinion.


In addition, Directors Box offers a one-stop tool for all football fans by facilitating immediate club-specific news, game updates, competitions and much more!

Categories
EPL Premier League

Is Fan Ownership the Model Answer to Club Management?

Football is known globally as ‘The Beautiful Game’, although it can often be an ugly industry.

 

Football has its unfortunate history of corruption and mismanagement when even the most powerful individuals and organisations have fallen foul of the laws of governance.

 

In order to negate such nefarious individuals or groups from purchasing and thus controlling clubs, the English Premier League, English Football League and Scottish Football League instigated a ‘Fit and Proper Persons Test’ in 2004. In the case of the EFL, they administer a 3-point ‘Acquisition of Control & Owners’ & Directors’ Test.

 

Despite these tests, clubs have fallen into the hands of persons who have not had the best interests of the football club, nor its supporters, at heart. Indeed, due to sheer mismanagement of these owners, some clubs have been penalised by points deductions and subsequently forced into relegation and or administration.

 

At club level, the outcomes often far exceed the mere financial punishments afforded to the offending institution. And the individuals who often pay the greatest price are not the club owners nor the shareholders, but the die-hard fan for whom the club means everything. These fans have typically supported their respective club since being introduced to the game, often by parents or other family members, and as such, the club has a rich heritage not only in the town or city in which it is situated, but throughout the family’s history. Each supporter is not only invested traditionally and emotionally, but also financially by the regular and expected purchasing of tickets, replica kits, merchandise, etc., all of which help the club to gain revenue.

 

The effect of a poorly performing team on the pitch is disappointing enough to most fans, but to see their club potentially demise as an entity and go out of business completely is unthinkable.

 

Certain clubs incorporate a representative body of their supporters on the board of directors and others offer or incorporate a certain lower percentage of shares to their Supporters’ Trust as a way of showing belonging and loyalty to the club’s fan base whilst also giving fans a voice to be heard on certain club decisions.

 

Other models exist in Europe where the supporters’ membership body own the minimum of the controlling 50 plus 1% of shares as well as, and despite, external investment. These clubs are often shown as ‘best-practice’ in that they manage to keep costs to fans to a minimum (tickets, refreshments, memorabilia) whilst still enjoying profit in the boardroom and success on the pitch.

 

Some other clubs are family owned and have been traditionally passed from generation to generation to ensure that the club is looked after in the best interests of owner and supporter alike.

 

The models of ownership vary from club to club and country to country and the most effective method is always debatable. Would you prefer your club to adopt a 50 plus 1% fan membership-owned model or are you happy with it being owned and run by an external concern?

 

This key issue affecting football, and many more like it, could be taken to the millions of spectators and fans who enjoy the game to seek their personal opinions. Directors Box, the exciting new football go-to application, offers fans the opportunity to create their own polls and petitions relating to their specific club or country, or more generic football matters, to gather and measure supporter opinion. In addition, Directors Box offers a one-stop tool for all football fans by facilitating immediate club-specific news, game updates, competitions and much more

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EPL Premier League

Fan Engagement is Essential for the Future of Football

Supporters are the lifeblood

Football club owners, managers, coaches and players are generally transient.  Their tenure at any given football club is relatively short term compared to its fan-base. Fans typically remain loyal for life and be its constant lifeblood.  Fan engagement is essential to keep satisfied supporters.

 

Generational inheritance of support for a club is usually handed down through heritage of family ties.  Often by way of an informal introduction by a relative or close friend, or by simple geographical location.

 

Its a lifelong commitment

Support for your team is usually a lifelong commitment. This can range from the exceptionally committed fanatic who attends every game, home and away, season after season.  Or,  the occasional supporter who might follow the club’s fortunes and daily business from afar, probably online.  They take more than a passing interest in the club’s affairs both on and off the field of play. Regardless of their supporter status, all fans are invested in the club at varying levels of commitment. 

 

Given that fans are the indispensable factor of a football club, it would therefore be prudent practice by all clubs to engage with their supporter base on a regular basis.  This ensures that supporters’ views are considered by their respective club’s board of directors.  This theory is one of the recommendations of the recent of the Fan-led Review of Football in England (2022).  This was endorsed in the corresponding Government white paper.

 

As with any successful business model, listening and acting upon your customers’ requirements and suggestions should be a fundamental principle to ensure customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction would probably bring even further investment by football fans both emotionally and financially. 

 

Fan Engagement

Fan engagement caters for the supporter’s needs before, during and after each game. This should be a premium end-to-end service. This service might include the following:

 

Pre-match: In the days leading up to the forthcoming game, fans will want updates. These updates would include team selection, injuries status, ticketing, travel arrangements, opposition information and analysis.  Also potential participation in quizzes, score forecasting, polls, projected team line-up, likely goal scorers, etc.

 

In-match: During the game, fans attending the game at the stadium will a high-quality customer experience that caters for all their needs. Ideally, the club will provide all of the services that a supporter will want, and to negate them having to use third party services, be it refreshments, catering, merchandise, entertainment, etc. Fans who are unable to attend the game in person will want minute-by-minute match updates incorporating team line ups, commentary and scores. 

 

Post-match: After each game, fans might want to check on results from other games in their respective league. They may check the latest league table, discuss the game with other like-minded supporters and possibly hold a poll or petition directly relating to the recent game or wider club matters. 

 

Given football’s global reach to an estimated 3.5 billion fans, the responsibility by clubs (and national teams) to ensure a premium fan engagement experience should surely be a priority for all of the industry’s gatekeepers. 

 

Directors’ Box an app for football fan engagement

Directors’ Box, the exciting and excellent new go-to football fan engagement application.  This takes football to the millions of spectators and fans who love the ‘Beautiful Game’ whilst actively supporting football at the grassroots level.

 

The platform offers a one-stop tool for all football fans by facilitating immediate club-specific news, game updates, interactive competitions and much more! 

 

Directors’ Box encourages fans’ opinions and offers supporters the opportunity to create their own polls and petitions relating to their specific club or country.  They can also engage in more generic football matters, to gather and measure supporter opinion.