Amaçlarına ulaşabilmek için her şeyi mübah gören hatta masum çocukları dahi katletme hesabının yapıldığı kan donduran ihanet planında en çok dikkat çeken bu nottu.

El yazısı notta, Türkiye’yi bitirme planına “uygundur” deniliyordu. Altında da bu planı uygulayacak bir kişi görevlendiriliyor ve “Kadir Paşa koordine etsin” yazıyordu. En son da görevlendirme yapan kişinin parafı vardı.

Bugün gazetelerde ve haber sitelerinde “o koordine etsin denilen” şahsın Koramiral Kadir Sağdıç olduğu yönünde iddialar ortaya atıldı.

Kadir Sağdıç’ın ismi daha önce de darbe söylentileriyle gündeme gelmişti. Geçen yıl internete düşen bir ses kaydında Koramiral Sağdıç olduğu öne sürülen kişi “her 20-25 yılda bir ülkede darbe yapılmalı” diyordu.

Kamuoyu Koramiral Kadir Sağdıç’ın adını askeri okulda usulsüz olarak sınıf geçirme iddialarıyla da hatırladı. Ancak asıl merak edilen Türkiye’yi Kafesleme operasyonu için uygundur parafını atan kişinin kimliğiydi.

Türkiye daha önce bizzat Genelkurmay Adli Müşaviri tarafından itiraf edilen Andıç belgesinde komuta kademesinden bir çok kişinin parafını ve imzasını görmüştü. Ancak son paraf, o belgelerde görünen 12 parafla benzeşmiyor. Türkiye, ülkede kaos oluşturmak için hazırlanan bir cunta belgesine “uygundur” deyip, “eyleme geçilsin” talimatını veren şahsı merak ediyor.

Am trecut pe langa Lansdowne Road, stadionul national in reconstructie al selectionatelor de fotbal si rugby ale Irlandei, situat undeva in sud-estul Dublinului, la o aruncatura de bat de plaja la Marea Irlandei, si mi-am amintit de o toamna mult mai rodnica a “tricolorilor”.

Se intampla in 11 octombrie 1997, pe acest Lansdowne Road pe-atunci tot mai invechit, ca Romania sa risipeasca abia primele puncte intr-o excelenta campanie de calificare la Coupe du Monde 1998. “Tricolorii” soseau la Dublin cu un procentaj 100%, noua victorii din tot atatea jocuri, printre care si un 1-0 “cheie”, acontat in ajun de Pasti, in Ghencea, contra irlandezilor, cu Adi Ilie marcator.

In octombrie '97, Romania remiza pe vechiul Lansdowne Road din Dublin, 1-1 in Irlanda, la finele unei impecabile campanii de calificare. Lansdowne Road e de vreo 2 ani in reconstructie iar acum pe terminate, un urias de beton si sticla, pe cand Irlanda se pregateste de barajul cu Franta pe cealalta mare arena dublineza, Croke Park, in vreme ce Romania va viziona Mondialul la televizor. Asa se intoarce roata...

Pe Lansdowne Road, Gheorghe Hagi a marcat deja in minutul 8, si doar golul egalizator al lui Tony Cascarino, din minutul 38, a spulberat procentajul maxim in grupa opt a preliminariilor. 1-1, cu Hagi ulterior inlocuit in minutul 83, de Ilie Dumitrescu. O, tempora.

Egalarea reusita de “Cas” este pomenita in scurta radiografie a preliminariilor, pe pagina oficiala rezervata turneelor finale mondiale si a calificarilor tinuta de www.fifa.com , forul fotbalistic mondial, pentru simplul motiv ca defilarea Romaniei in respectiva campanie a fost de neegalat. Doar Germania, Spania si Norvegia, dintre europene, aveau sa se califice si ele pentru Mondialul din Franta fara vreun esec la activ. 

Romania a castigat grupa cu 28 puncte din 30 posibile si un golaveraj grozav, 37-4, cu zece puncte avans in fata Republicii Irlanda, care era apoi invinsa la baraj, 1-1 si 1-2 cu Belgia, in drumul spre Franta. Erau de fapt primele preliminarii cu manse tur-retur de baraj pentru clasatele pe locul doi in grupe…

Au trecut 12 ani de la toamna cu recolta aproape maxima si in seara de 10 octombrie 2009 “tricolorii” ieseau cu capul plecat de pe Maracana belgradeana: 0-5 in penultimul joc al preliminariilor pentru World Cup 2010 din Africa de Sud. Din 11 octombrie ‘97 pana in 10 octombrie 2009 multe asadar au luat-o la vale. Procentajul din preliminariile incheiate cu un succes in fata Insulelor Faroe a fost slab iar pozitia ocupata, a cincea, dupa sarbi, Franta, Austria si Lituania, este o dovada a reculului evident al fotbalului romanesc, mai ales la nivelul selectionatelor nationale.

Dupa generatia lui Hagi, una remarcabila, cu cantecul de lebada in sferturile de finala ale C.E. din Belgia si Olanda, in anul 2000, tot mai putin “a venit din urma”, iar calificarea la Euro 2008 a fost mai degraba exceptia care intareste ideea ca Romania s-a indepartat de crema capilor de serie, de selectionatele de calibru. A redevenit echipa oarecare, cel mult fericita nevoie mare in rarele ocazii aidoma preliminariilor pentru Euro ‘84 cand reusea rasturnarea “carului mare” Italia in drumul spre Hexagon.

Si te-ai dus, dulce minune. Nimic nu e vesnic, traieste si savureaza clipa. Si apreciaz-o la adevarata valoare…

Uriasul Croke Park, cu 82.300 locuri, aici intr-o macheta din muzeul de prezentare de la stadion, din incinta Gaelic Athletic Association, patroana a hurlingului si jocurilor Galice disputate pe arena, va gazdui in 14 noiembrie mansa tur a barajului pentru C.M. 2010, Irlanda - Franta. Ar putea fi ultimul meci oficial al fotbalistilor in gazda la GAA cu al ei hurling, inaintea intoarcerii in toamna viitoare pe Lansdowne Road. Si poate ca sortii ii vor retrimite pe "tricolori" in Dublin, acum, ca sunt intr-o urna valorica inferioara

In Football Made in UK, publicat in Fotbal Vest dupa incheierea grupelor preliminare din Europa de calificare la C.M. Africa de Sud 2010, am facut o paralela intre traseele unor frati si cele ale unor selectionate…

Nu doar Ryan Giggs cu cetina tot verde inca inscrie, ci si fratele sau Rhodri, in doua runde calificatorii succesive din Cupa Angliei, iar aidoma contrastului intre traiectoriile carierelor lor se evidentiaza si diferenta de la esec la victorie data de sosirea selectionerilor straini la unele reprezentative.   

Sambata s-au implinit doi ani de la o seara amara pentru Albion in preliminarii, Rusia – Anglia 2-1, deznodamant ce ni-l confirma atunci, inaintea aterizarii, capitanul aeronavei pe ruta Budapesta – Londra. Mi-am amintit candva saptamanile trecute de acea reactie parca impacandu-se cu soarta a unor englezi de la bord, tot in aer fiind si dandu-mi-se sah cu o intrebare legitima lansata de o tanara nu neaparat amatoare de fotbal.

“De ce nu interzice regulamentul angajarea la nationale a antrenorilor straini?” M-am fastacit la cat de mult poate fi pomenit fotbalul in avioanele lumii globalizate dar mi-am amintit “momentul Moscova”. N-ar fi rezistat raspunsul asa incat mi-am spus doar in sinea mea ca e lasata astfel o portita nu numai unor selectionate africane in haos tehnico-tactic ci si unor mari si stravechi natiuni pierdute cu firea pe dreptunghiul verde.

Hiddink a pavat atunci nesperat Rusiei calea spre Euro 2008, punand la punct Albionul care-l desconsiderase si dandu-le insularilor idei sa caute un altfel de Eriksson. Olandezul, semifinalist cu esticii la Viena si reamintind de ascensiunea lusitana a grecilor lui Rehhagel, e acum la barajul pentru Mondial, unde Anglia e déjà in carti cu un italian ce a facut uitat rateul lui McClaren. “Dar nu e drept, nici normal!” parca mi-a citit ea gandurile.  

Dar cam ce mai e drept si firesc in lumea asta? Cinstita a fost oare ciopartirea fostei Iugoslavii? Deloc. In plan fotbalistic insa, rezultantele au confirmat potentialul valoric al acelor meleaguri, noua Serbie calificandu-se en fanfare la prima incercare iar Slovenia si Bosnia-Hertegovina stand cot la cot la poarta cu mai potente financiar federatii ungandu-i pe alde Hiddink, Rehhagel ori Trap.    

Ii observam in avionul spre Albion pe sarbii cu Rugby League in piept in lunea imediat urmatoare spumosului 5-0, tineri volubili, dezinvolti si surazatori in ciuda contuziilor de pe maini si fete ori a gleznelor umflate, si-mi ziceam ca putin le pasa de nevoia de vize prin Europa. Srbija. Sunt altfel dar cat de aidoma recentilor lor vecini, croatii, la capitolul darzenie si determinare.

Iar Republika Hrvatska ne va lipsi in Africa de Sud, lasandu-i loc poate unui Shevchenko amintindu-ne de somniferul Elvetia – Ucraina 0-0 si penaltyuri. Va lipsi exuberanta unui chitarist cu cercel in ureche ce din postura de fundas cu 3 goluri marcate in preliminarii califica in premiera Croatia la un turneu final mondial, Coupe du Monde ’98, unde sesarul nonconformist avea sa ia bronzul in numele a nici 4,5 milioane locuitori serband doar 7 ani de la independenta tarii. Lijepa nasa domovino ii cantase de 44 de ori “in iarba” iar dupa nici un deceniu, la nici 40 de ani, acum antrenorul tot cu cercel era si mai mandru pe Wembley. Slaven Bilic isi savura revenirea pe-o insula unde se remarcase in aparare…

Unii, cu “sange” si mandrie, iau bronzul la mondial si apoi inving in Templu, altii, desi cu resurse multiple, asteapta peste patru decenii o medalie, din care in ultimii cam 18 ani abia ca s-au calificat cu autohtoni la carma de doua ori. Asa ramane… Straini ca si Capello sunt necesari dupa retragerea lui Bahramov, fie ca-i drept sau stramb. Babilonie.

Iar pe cand Don Fabio califica la pas Albionul, fratele mai mic al unui fotbalist de zile mari egala pe o scena mult mai restransa, intr-un nestiut joc de Cupa Angliei. Era pentru a doua oara in duelul Salford City – Blyth Spartans, scor 2-2, cand gazdele din liga Unibond North isi ofereau sansa unei rejucari pentru accederea in al patrulea tur de calificare al F.A. Cup si totodata ultimul inaintea primei runde propriu-zise.

Da, Rhodri Giggs, extrema de 32 ani leita lui Ryan, egalase la doi pentru amatoarea din Greater Manchester, dupa ce cu doar patru zile inainte, in minutul 82 al jocului din turul precedent al Cupei Angliei, cu Hyde, marcase unicul gol, suficient pentru calificarea valorand 4.500 lire sterline.

Amintesc suma, maruntis pentru vedetele lui Don Fabio, caci Salford chiar se alesese cu sediul incendiat si istoria de pe pereti cenusa, in opinia localnicilor de mana necuratului. Dar admirabilii fani ai oaspetei Hyde au strans pentru Salford 180 lire in galetusa… fara apa iar Rhodri Giggs & Co s-au aliniat in aceasta marti in rejucarea de la Blyth, cu speranta prezentei intr-unul din cele 32 jocuri ale amintitului tur patru, oferind o miza crescuta, de 7.500 lire. Si tot la 4 zile distanta…

In cursa e si fosta echipa a lui Rhodri, FC United of Manchester, dupa 3-3 acasa si 1-0 in rejucarea de peste doar doua zile, la Stalybridge Celtic, unde a deplasat 1.923 fani. Rezista si Hendon cea in chirie langa Wembley, de care scriam recent, dupa 0-0 acasa si 9-8 la penaltyuri in rejucarea la Ashford. Si vor intra sambata in scena si cele de liga a cincea, printre care nume ca Wimbledon, Luton Town, Cambridge United sau Oxford United.

Cu sau fara Rhodri in Fourth Qualifying Round? Ryan Giggs a cucerit Cupa Angliei de patru ori, a marcat in fiecare campionat de la lansarea Premier League in ’92, a batut recordul de aparitii la Man United al lui Bobby Charlton chiar in finala de la Moscova, dar Giggs nu e numai unul.

Si amatorul Rhodri inscrie pe drumul spre Wembley. Pe aceeasi cale, Ryan a marcat de 10 ori, intorcandu-se intr-un Templu in care juca in ’89 in echipa scolara a Angliei, contra Germaniei Federale. Apoi, peste ani, 12 goluri in 64 selectii pentru Tara Galilor in contul unspearului nascut in Cardiff si cu bunic din Sierra Leone. Anglia n-a putut avea zvarluga ce maine-poimaine face 36 ani, “strainul” Capello nu-l vrea pe unul ca Almunia iar brazilianul nu merge la Mondial. Eduardo.

La baraj, Irlanda v Franta, Grecia v Ucraina, Rusia v Slovenia si Portugalia v Bosnia. In 14 si 18 noiembrie.

Yazı yazasım var ama bu kez her zaman olduğu gibi tek konsept üzerine gidemeyeceğimi düşünüyorum. Etrafta olan olaylara ve takip ettiğim konulara dair ufak tefek yorumlar yapmayı düşünüyorum ama bu kez de yazacağım yazının twitter denilen ne işe yaradığını anlamadığın acayip icada farklı zamanlarda eklenmiş tweetlerin bir araya toplanmasından farklı olmayacak sanırım. Tabi şu an böyle başladığım yazı sonuna yaklaştığımda çok çok farklı olabilir. O yüzden azcık sabredin.

Şu ara en çok konuşulan konuyla başlamak istiyorum. Türkiye-Ermenistan arasında protokol imzalandı. Tabi olması gerektiği gibi öncesinde 1-2 saatlik bir krizle beraber. Ben daha büyük bir şeyler bekliyordum ama neyse ki çabuk atlatıldı. Bu protokolün imzalanması sırasında Dışişleri Bakanı Ahmet Davutoğlu’nun gülümsemesi, fakat Ermenistan Dışişleri Bakanı’nın inatla sert davranmaya çalışması gündemi bir süre meşgul etti. Tabi daha sonra protokolün kendisinden daha çok konuşulan maça çevrildi gözler. Siyasi açılım falan denildi maç ama bu maç öyle bir olaydı ki medya için, açılımın da protokolün de barış girişimlerinin de Karabağ sorununun da geride kalmasına yol açtı. Bütün Türk Medyası önceliğini Sarkisyan’ın Bursa’ya gelip gelmemesine verdi. Burda garip olay şuydu, bu süre içerisinde haberleri izlediğim hiç bir kanal Sarkisyan’dan Ermenistan Cumhurbaşkanı diye bahsetmedi. Sürekli Sarkisyan denildi. Garip olan olay ise, sanki Ermenistan’ı tanımıyormuşuz gibi ya da daha bir kaç gün öncesinde aynı diplomatik belgeye imza atılmamış gibi davranılmasıydı. Tamam her şekilde medya titiz olmak zorundadır ama insanların sıfatının verilmesi gerektiğine inanıyorum. En azından haberlerin başında Ermenistan Cumhurbaşkanı Sarkisyan denilse ve geri kalan kısımda kullanmamış olsa yine anlaşılabilir bir durum olurdu ama tamamen silip atmak hiç bir kanal için doğru değildi bence.

Bu arada tüm Türkiye milli maçlara kilitlendi. Dünya Kupası şansımız devam etmeliydi ama zaten oynadığımız futbol şahsi kanaatimce o kadar kötü ki, bence böyle bir şans baştan beri yoktu. Çünkü A Milli Futbol Takımımız ne sahadaki oyunu kontrol edebiliyordu, ne de belli bir taktik çerçevesinde oynuyordu. Tek cümleyle özetlemem gerekirse, bence bir takım ya İspanya, Brezilya, İngiltere gibi sahada hep güçlü, yöneten olabilmeli ya da bizim gibi bunu yapabilecek oyunculara sahip değilse en azından Yunanistan gibi sıkı savunmaya yönelip, 1-0 olsun bizim olsun diyebilmeli. Tabi bir takımın performansını etkileyen bir sürü dinamik vardır ve bir takım sadece bir (bu gibi) cümleyle oluşturulamaz bunun farkındayım ama bir bakın, kendince bu kadar iddialı bir takımın duruma göre taktik değiştirmeye çalışması ama becerememesi biraz saçma değil mi? Ya beklentileri düşük tutmak ya da yüksek beklentiyi karşılamak için iyi futbol oynuyor olmak lazım. Bu kadar büyük beklentinin kaynağı da anlaşılabilir tabi. 2002′de gelen dünya 3′lüğüyle kazanılan güven, arada başarısız bir dönemde sürekli “daha önce başardık yine başarabiliriz” diye gazlanan bir takım, Euro 2008′de bu başarısızlıkların arkasından beklenilemeyecek kadar düzgün oynayan, mantalite olarak neredeyse tamamiyle yenilenmiş bir ekip… Bu sürecin arkasından 2010 Dünya Kupası’nda üst sıraların hedeflenmesi normaldi. Nasıl kura çekilirse çekilsin “dişimize göre çıktı”, “güle oynaya tur bizim” diyen medya da bunun üzerine eklenince rehavet çökmesi doğaldı. Rehaveti geçtim, 3 büyük takımın bazı futbolculara yıllardır duyduğu anlamsız güven de A Milli Takım’ı etkiledi haliyle. Son yıllarda takip etmediğim ligden bazı oyunculara daha iyi alternatifler çıkacağını düşünüyorum. Bırakın A Milli Takım’ı, bir Fenerbahçeli olarak görmek istemediğim, futboluna anlam veremediğim Selçuk Şahin ve aynı şekilde Galatasaray’a pek de bir katkısını görmediğim Sabri Sarıoğlu bunlarında başında geliyor. İsim saymak kolay, kötü maçtan sonra kötülemek de kolay ama bir taraftan abartmak da kolay. Zamanında Tuncay Şanlı’ın Fenerbahçe taraftarı ve medya tarafından abartılması durumunu şimdi Arda Turan yaşıyor. Sürekli gaz veriliyor oyunculara. Hiç bir zaman kötü olduğunu söylemedim Arda’nın ama şu da bir gerçek ki, ne kadar iyi olsa da kendisine sürekli pozitif bakan bir fan grubu var ve “dünya starı” yakıştırması yapmadığınız sürece garip karşılanıyor ve hatta futbolla hiç alakanız yokmuş gibi nitelendirilebiliyorsunuz. Dünyada Ronaldinho gibi oyuncular gözden düşerken bizim Arda Turan’a sıkı sıkıya tutunmuş olmamız abes kaçıyor haliyle.

Değinmek istediğim bir başka konu Cengiz Semercioğlu’nun bugün Hürriyet Kelebek’te yazmış olduğu yazı (link). Linke bakmak istemeyenler için kısaca özetleyeyim. Cengiz Bey katıldığı bir lansmandaki davet edilen bloggerlardan bahsetmiş. Bu yazının önemli olduğunu düşünüyorum. Daha önce de bloglar hakkında yazılar çıkmış olsa da, “Blogger da sarı basın kartı alabilmeli” başlıklı bu yazı Türkiye’de geleneksel gazeteciliğin yeni medya düzeniyle ilişkisini ilk defa işliyor. Dünyada daha önce davetlere, toplantılara bloggerlar çağrılmış, bloggerların yazdıkları haber kaynakları olarak kabul edilmiş olsa da Türkiye’de ilk defa birisi gazeteci kimliğiyle bunu yazıyor (sanırım ilk). Medya devlerinin önemli bir kısmını kaybetmeye başladıkları haberleşme hizmeti gittikçe bireyselleşiyor. En ufak bir kaza görüntüsü de olsa insanlar kendi aralarında paylaşıyorlar ya da birbirlerini haberdar ediyorlar ve bu şekilde kimse günlük olayları öğrenmek için gazete, tv gibi mecralara ulaşmak zorunda kalmıyor. Tıpkı MJ’in ölüm haberleriyle ilgili dünya devlerinin gösterdikleri kaynak internet siteleri ya da daha günlük bir noktaya inmem gerekirse, bir kaç gündür Bilkent Üniversitesi’nde ortaya çıkmış domuz gribi gibi. Viral olarak yayılan haberler önemine göre yerelden ulusal ya da uluslarası hale geliyor, medya da haberleri yetiştirmek için biraz geç kalıyor. İşte bu yüzden medya şirketleri arasında yeni trend herkesin kendi haberini sunması. Gönderdiğiniz haberin kabul edilmesiyle muhabir olmanız ya da CNN’in yaptığı gibi haberi sunup videoyla gönderdiğiniz takdirde o haberin internette, zaman zaman da televizyonda sizin sunumunuz ile yer alması işleri daha hızlı hale getiriyor. Her ne kadar çok blog olsa da ve bu bir haber kirliliğine yol açsa da, yeni medya düzeninin bu şekilde oluşacağını söylememek yanlış olur. Bu yüzden de Cengiz Semercioğlu’nun yazısını yeni nesil gazetecilerin teknolojiyle iç içe olmalarına bağlıyorum.(Bu şekilde de konuyu bitirirken Mehmet Ali Birand tavrı yakalamış oldum.)

Are back, it seems. Time for the Azzurri to finally qualify for next year’s World Cup. With any luck we’ll be able to seal our qualification against the Republic of Ireland this coming Saturday – however, if we fail to get the result we need (just a measly draw) we’ll be leaving it to our last qualification match, against Cyprus, a week from today. Personally, I think that Italia is perfectly capable of coming away with wins in both Dublin and Parma – despite the fact that I also believe that Marcello Lippi has continued to make a cock-up of his squad selection.

I’ll be the first to admit that after the disappointment of the Azzurri under Donadoni at the Euros last summer, I was amongst those clamouring for the return of the ‘Silver Fox’ – but this qualification campaign has been a disaster so far and I am not sure that what was good for us in 2006 will be good for us in 2010.

il Rino e la Volpe

Some Italians might want to shoot me for this, but seriously, what is Gennaro Gattuso doing in the Italian National squad? I mean, I loved the guy in 2006 – back then he was the perfect mediano, charging all over the midfield, winning balls and forcing mistakes from the opposition. It is not the fact that he is now 31 years of age so much that he simply does not have the legs under him needed to go charging around the pitch like that anymore. Instead of the bulldog who fought so voraciously, putting his heart and soul into his game for his country two years ago, we now have Rino Gattuso, the rhinoceros who charges about so clumsily and blindly, costing his nation many dear mistakes. The same could be said for Gianluca Zambrotta, whose bombing runs up the flank used to be the terror of any opponent – his legs too seem to have left him, and while his runs are still fantastic, he is slower coming back and too often caught out of position. Even Andrea Pirlo, the small midfield genius with the perfect touch, has shown a form of late that is but a shadow of his play in 2006. I am not against the inclusion of veteran players in the Azzurri shirt – Fabio Cannavaro has made an outstanding case for his continued inclusion this year (but is suspended against Ireland anyways).

What disappoints me is Marcello Lippi’s continued inclusion of players who are no longer the men they used to be (or who are simply mediocre); leaving out more talented, creative players because they do not fit into ‘the system.’ The unwillingness to include creative players such as Antonio Cassano (perhaps the most talented forward in all of Italy) reveals Marcello Lippi’s tactics for what they are – not in fact, tactical at all, but rather political.

It seems that while the ‘Silver Fox’ is still around, so will be these old boys, these 2006 World Cup champions who may no longer be worthy of their place in this squad. Lippi refuses to acknowledge the importance of individual performances, choosing instead to focus entirely on players who fit like cogs in a machine – but the machine is broken. Italy has serious problems in the final third in the pitch, and Lippi’s search for an answer to these questions belies the personal and political bias through which he sees his squad. Why does Fabio Quagliarella continually receive call-ups despite having been in nothing but dismal form of late for both club and country?

The strongest case against the inclusion of Cassanata.

And another thing. The fact that he would be willing to call up Amauri, once the Brazilian receives his Italian passport, is to me ridiculous. This is a man who is not even an oriundo – not even of distant Italian ancestry – why should he be included ahead of Antonio Cassano, an Italian boy from Bari? I do not mean for this to seem xenophobic, but there is no explanation for this. Cassano has been a prima-donna in the past, yes, but he nonetheless possesses far more skill and all-around depth than Juve’s Brazilian striker. A good coach chooses a squad that he knows will work well together, this is true – but a good coach should also be able to look beyond his own personal feelings and recognize talent and potential when he sees it. I am not speaking only of Antonio Cassano – what of Palermo’s Fabrizio Miccoli, or Cassano’s teammate Giampaolo Pazzini?

Hell, why don’t I just come out with it and suggest Francesco Totti? The man is second in the Serie A goal tally at the moment (6), behind only Antonio Di Natale (who already has a place in this weekend’s squad and 9 goals), why even should he be selected behind Amauri, who has 0?

What I’m trying to say, folks, is that even though we are so close to qualification for South Africa 2010, we have a long way ahead of us. And if we want to find a World Cup at the end of that dark, winding road – we’d better make sure our guide knows the way.

Hej på er,

På fredag chattar jag med tidningen Mobils läsare. Hoppas ni har lust att ställa frågor – nu börjar det verkligen dra ihop sig mot lansering den 6 oktober.

Du kan börja ställa frågor redan nu men det är ju såklart roligare att chatta i realtid.

Ställ även frågor på bloggen som vanligt. Länken till chatten finns nedan.

Vi hörs på fredag!

Peter

Chatta med Microsoft på fredag kl 15

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Windows phone, Windowstelefoner, Marketplace, My Phone

今日、リージェント・ストリートを歩いていると、どこかからたくさんのだみ声がが聞こえてきた。よくみると、赤と白の格子模様のそろいのシャツを着た集団が、ピカデリー・サーカスの噴水前に集まって、気勢を上げている。そう言えば、今日はサッカーのワールド・カップ（W杯）2010予選のイングランド対クロアチア戦があることを、ふと思い出した。クロアチア人のサポーターたちは、皆ビールを飲みながら、歌ったり叫んだり、赤ら顔でだいそう盛り上がり、辺りはスーパーの買い物袋とビールの缶が散乱していた。

クロアチアと言えば、イングランド・チームがEURO2008（UEFA欧州選手権）予選で敗れ、まさかの本戦出場を逃した因縁の相手。だから、サッカー発祥地の自負を持つイングランド・チームの、来年夏のワールドカップ本戦出場にかける意気込みは強く、イタリア人コーチ、ファビオ・カペッロのもと、欧州予選で負けなし8連勝中。今日も、グループ２位のクロアチアと対戦し、5−1で完勝。見事、屈辱のEURO2008予選での雪辱を果たした。あんなに盛り上がっていたクロアチア・ファン、今頃はやけ酒だろうか。

When we were walking down on Regent street, we heard screaming and shouting from somewhere. We looked around, and saw that a large group of people in white and red cross stripes shirts gathering around the fountain in the middle of Piccadilly Circus. Then I realized that there were a World Cup 2010 qualifying match England versus Croatia tonight. Red-faced Croats supporters were singing or shouting in high spirits with beer cans on their hands. There were supermarket plastic bags and beer cans all over the place.

Croatia is the team that ended England’s hopes of reaching Euro 2008, and hurt the pride of England as the birthplace of soccer. Therefore the England team must feel an enormous pressure to go to World Cup 2010. So far England team has been doing great under the Italian coach Fabio Capello. England beat Croatia by 5-1 tonight  and made a record of an eighth successive win of a qualifying campaign. England got their pride back and secured qualification for next summer’s World Cup in South Africa. The Croats supporters we saw today probably get drunk again in disappointment now.

England book finals place.

Wembley revenge on Bilic’s men earns trip to South Africa

The build-up to the game had been as much about avenging the infamous defeat to Slaven Bilic’s side on home soil which shattered hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 as it had been about booking a spot in South Africa next summer.

With that in mind, England started like a team intent on revenge and their visitors could not cope with the pace and purpose as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard scored two goals apiece, while Eduardo replied before Wayne Rooney hit a fifth.

The Three Lions came roaring out of the traps and in the eighth minute Josip Simunic hopelessly clobbered Aaron Lennon, starting in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips, inside the penalty area and Lampard made no mistake from the spot.

Gerrard then doubled Fabio Capello’s side’s lead 10 minutes later when the Liverpool captain meet an inch-perfect cross from the excellent Lennon to give Croatia goalkeeper Vedran Runje no chance.

Lampard added a third in the 59th minute when nodding in a Glen Johnson cross and Gerrard also grabbed a brace when getting his head to a looping pass from Rooney in the 66th minute.

Eduardo replied for Croatia in the 73rd minute after a bit of a scramble, but Rooney restored England’s four-goal cushion when grabbing a simple goal in the wake of a mistake from Runje with 13 minutes remaining.

ou, comment Domenech a tué Gomis !!

Le 27 mai 2008, la France joue un match amical à Grenoble face à l’équateur, en préparation de l’Euro 2008 qui doit débuter quelques jours plus tard. Comme à son habitude, Raymond Domenech a alors décidé de sortir de son chapeau un nouveau joueur qui sera Bafétimbi Gomis.

Cette sélection en elle-même n’est pas une véritable surprise. Gomis vient d’effectuer une bonne saison, avec 16 buts au compteuren 35 matchs joués avec l’AS St-Etienne. Le problème, c’est le moment de cette première sélection, et ce qui va se passer en à peine 3 semaines.

Gomis participe donc à ce match contre l’équateur en entrant en jeu en début de deuxième mi-temps à la place de Djibril Cissé. Complétement détendu, il n’a rien à perdre. Il sait que s’il veut espérer faire partie de la liste des 23 joueurs retenus pour l’Euro 2008, il doit tout donner et faire un excellent match. Et c’est ce qu’il va faire. Avec deux beaux buts, il gagne le match à lui tout seul.

Pour Domenech, c’est une véritable aubaine car Gomis correspond parfaitement au profil de joueurs qu’il recherche. En effet, avec les mises à l’écart des Trezeguet, Giuly et autre Pirès, Domenech ne recherche désormais que deux catégories de joueurs: des titulaires en puissance et des remplaçants qui n’espère pas mieux de toute façon. Car la principale peure de Raymond Domenech, c’est de ne pas savoir gérer son groupe, de ne pas pouvoir gérer les égos de chacun face à une éventuelle non titularisation. Pour un sélectionneur de l’équipe de France, c’est un manque flagrant de qualité managériale.  Quand on sait l’importance de regrouper un maximum de qualité dans un groupe, on doit savoir imposer son autorité, et ceci dans n’importe quelles circonstances.

Gomis va donc entrer en jeu pendant l’Euro 2008 en remplaçant Nicolas Anelka contre la Roumanie pendant les matchs de poule. Et là, le résultat va être catastrophique. Totalement absent, il manque tous ses contrôles, et a l’air complètement perdu sur le front de l’attaque des bleus. Et pourtant, il est “le” joker de l’équipe de France. Son entrée ne va donc rien apportée à l’équipe de France, bien au contraire. Elle va plomber la fin de match contre les roumains car celui qui était censé entrer en jeu et aider ses partenaires à gagner va finalement entraîner une perte totale de confiance de l’ensemble de l’équipe qui va vite se rendre compte que la victoire est impossible.

Mais comment en aurait-il pu être autrement ? Gomis a fait une bonne saison, oui, mais il est encore jeune et sans dénigrer l’AS St-Etienne, il n’a encore jamais connu la pression des grands rendez-vous. Gomis a fait un bon match contre l’équateur, oui mais c’était l’Equateur justement, et il a pu évoluer sans aucune pression. Or pour son entrée en jeu face aux roumais, la pression, il va en avoir comme il n’en a jamais eu. Premier match en bleu lors d’une véritable compétition, il doit entrer en jeu et est donc censé délivrer son équipe. Le pari de Domenech va donc se révéler être une véritable désillusion pour tous les supporters des bleus. Mais, je me répète, comment en aurait-il pu être autrement ? Ce qui devait arriver arriva, mais Domenech, totalement incompétent et tellement sûr de ses choix, ne s’en ai jamais rendu compte.

Voici donc encore une énorme bévue de notre sélectionneur nationale. Une bévue qui aura participé à un Euro 2008 catastrophique pour les bleus, et plusieurs mois de totale perte de confiance pour Bafétimbi Gomis une fois de retour dans son club.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Juventus ended their Peace Cup campaign on Sunday evening, losing in the final to Aston Villa. The shot stopper, however, believes it was a positive experience for the side, although he would liked to have come home a winner.

“We have just returned to Italy after a long and fruitful spell in Spain. There is obviously some regret as to how it ended,” he said through his official website.

“I am convinced it helps to win and bringing home the trophy would have aided us in dealing with the many upcoming commitments.”

The Bianconeri missed a whole host of chances during the match and then were undone in a penalty shoot-out, losing 4-3 to their opponents.

“At the end of the game, I almost laughed, thinking that even when I save some penalties we cannot win. Well, this means we will have to try even more. I just want matches to end after 90 minutes!”

Juventus face Chievo in the first round of the Serie A calendar on the weekend of August 22.

Source:

Goal.com

According to Goal.com Gianluigi Buffon is considered one of the top players of this years Peace Cup. “The old, reliable stopper was beaten just once from open play, with it otherwise taking penalties to pass him.” is what they had to say about him. He shares this honour along side Mauro Camoranesi and Giorgio Chiellini.

Full Story here

Those are some insane reflexes!

Sitting home nursing a severe case of laryngitis brings out the worst possible pangs of wanderlust.
I know Tokyo is less than a fortnight away, but y’know, Europe is numero uno for this girl.

So, back to the home-bound issue. In a bid to quell the bubbling wanderlust, I turn to my arsenal of travel pictures.

Here’s Salzburg, June 2008.
Where I met some of the coolest people, cheered on the side of the Swedes for their EuroCup match against the home side and of course, did the compulsory skip around THE gazebo.

Curiously, my picture underwhelms the real sheer contrast and the smile that this moment brought me.

Toboganing!
(I wanted to belt out THE HILLS ARE ALIVE, inspired by the spirited Maria von Trapp. Tad corny, that would have been)

The cutest vikings you’ll ever find!
(The Swedes won, by the way)

You’ve got to love a city where the policemen at the fanzone pledge their allegiance by dressing to the occasion.

Cheering on the home team is a family affair.

The friendliest twins I’ve ever met. They were speaking to me in German and I was replying in English.
But somehow, we all understood one another.

White balloons across the street from Mozart’s birthplace
(I presume the bike owner ran out of red balloons)

Salzburg ♥
I’ll be back, before you know it.

Still wondering where this £100m in revenue the city council reckons can be made from hosting a World Cup is actually going to come from.

We already know that all the big money from TV rights goes to FIFA, not to host cities. Similarly cash from ticket sales, another big earner, is divided between FIFA, the FA and the football clubs concerned, leaving no room for a significant return on the council’s investment in the tournament.

However, last week Gary Hopkins likened the costs of hosting the World Cup to those of the Bristol Harbour Festival. Was he referring to the fan parks that are required as part of the bid?

Perhaps these are the cash cows the council’s expecting to make big money from?

Let’s take a closer look then: the Harbour Festival costs approximately £400,000 for a three day event in a single location and it’s attended by around 250,000 people.

It’s seen as worthwhile because it attracts visitors from outside the city who might otherwise not come; it provides some local businesses with the opportunity to book stalls at the event; and local bars, restaurants, pubs and the like benefit because visitors can pop in and out of the event and have a drink or a meal in central Bristol.

No one really knows if it’s the big economic engine some claim but the arguments made for it at least stack up.

But the Harbour Festival is also an event that doesn’t make you stay in the same place for a long period of time. Unlike a football match, which is essentially a two-hour event where the spectators remain within an enclosed area for its entirety and then make their way home.

So how does a World Cup fan park compare to a festival?

The capacity of a fan park is likely to be at least 20,000 (as it was in Hanover and Leipzig although Hamburg’s was 50,000 and Berlin’s over 100,000) and there must be at least 1 sq metre for each individual. So a 20,000 fan park will need to be at least 2 hectares, roughly half the size of the existing Bristol City football club site, and will probably host around 600,000 fans over the tournament.

And – as with all costs associated with hosting the World Cup – the cost for setting up and running the park falls not to FIFA, not to the FA but to the host city.

Although there’s plenty of strict rules courtesy of FIFA. They say these publicly funded fan parks have to be open throughout the tournament – that’s for 31 days compared to 3. The fan park has to be fenced with a security perimeter and have an ‘exclusion zone’ around it where the host city must ensure that no commercially branded goods are sold except those of the FIFA’s official sponsors.

Because FIFA’s official sponsors have the fan parks included in their sponsorship deals. This means no competitors will be allowed to sell either in the parks or in the ‘exclusion zone’.

To enforce this, each host city must, as part of its Host City Agreement with FIFA, set up and staff – at their own expense! – a Rights Protection Programme Team to safeguard against any breaches of sponsorship agreements.

For example, Coca-Cola – a regular World Cup sponsor – will be allowed to sell soft drinks in the fan park while McDonalds – another regular sponsor – will sell the food.

Other second level “local” sponsors can be involved as long as the main sponsors do not identify them as “competitors”.

In South Africa there will also be “unofficial” fan festivals but even here the sponsors must not be competitors of the main FIFA sponsors and if other products are allowed to be sold (for example tea or coffee) they must be sold in unbranded containers.

So a strict comparison between the Harbour Festival and the World Cup might be that if it costs us £400,000 to run a three day event it might cost us £4m to run a 30 day event … And funnily enough … The South African town of Rustenberg has calculated that it will cost nearly £4m to run it’s 20,000 capacity fan park during next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

The revenues, meanwhile, look set to be heading not to local businesses – like the Harbour Festival – but to multinational interests.

Indeed, the more you look at this, the more it seems like the World Cup Bid is an excuse to spend public money tobenefit of major corporations like Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Anheuser-Busch.

The fan parks – that will be paid for by us – are a good example.

Many local pubs and bars in Bristol made quite a bit of money during the last World Cup by putting up big screens and showing the games so that the vast majority of fans who didn’t travel to Germany could still enjoy the match in a group atmosphere.

But the fan parks will be attracting these same fans away from local bars and pubs to fenced off areas where the food and drink on offer will be provided by the official FIFA sponsors or “non-competitive” local sponsors backed by a council “Rights Protection Programme Team”.

As a result of this, “premium” prices of up to 50% above normal prices can be charged. For example in the European Championships in 2008, the normal price for a beer in Austria was 3-3.5 euros (£2.50 – £3.00) but in the fan zones it was priced at 4.5 euros (nearly £4.00).

So the fans get ripped off while local businesses lose out to global interests. In Germany in 2006 around 18 – 21 million fans attended the fan zones, the overwhelming majority of whom were locals …

Hoy hace un año, Logroño vivio una explosión de alegria nunca antes vista cuando la Selección Española de Futbol logro vencer en la Eurocopa de Austria y Suiza con su increible y precioso juego. Las fuentes y las plazas se llenarón de gente loca de alegria. Hoy hace un año de eso, tambien estamos a poco más de un año del dia 11 de julio de 2010, dia en que podremos celebrar nuestro primer Mundial

Imagenes : larioja.com

The newsreader put on his most earnest face, smoothed down his moustache, looked into the camera and read from the autocue. Never mind that this was TVE, supposedly the sober voice of serious, straight news. “Spain”, he said, “will play Italy. The same old Italy; the Italy that never plays football but always wins.” As the tape rolled, a voice testily told how the Italians, “champions of the world and champions of luck”, had beaten France thanks to the fact that “destiny favoured them yet again”. The Azzurri, agreed Marca, are the team with “seven lives”.

No side provokes such distaste in Spain as Italy, whose football is derided as cynical, dirty and boring, somehow illegitimate. As José Ángel de la Casa, for decades the voice of the Spanish national team – a kind of tranquil John Motson without the obsession over his dinner, the sheepskin coats or those heh-heh moments – admitted with a hint of discomfort: “As a nation, we have always shown contempt towards Italian football.” Not just because of the chance but also because of the “cheating”. Now and over the next few days, that will become more evident than ever.

The Italians, declares this morning’s Marca, “are experts in ‘the other football’, the maestros of time-wasting, of destroying games and subterranean play”. The paper’s cover runs with the photo of Luis Enrique, blood covering his shirt, after Tassotti smashed his nose all over his face in the penalty area at the end of the 1994 World Cup quarter-final, an elbow that “still hurts Spain”. “If there is an image that sums up Italy v Spain meetings it’s the bloody face of a crying Luis Enrique after getting an elbow that referee Sándor Puhl didn’t see – or didn’t want to see,” Marca snipes.

“Italian cheating once again went unpunished, but at least they got what they deserved by losing in the final with two historic penalty misses from their great stars: [Roberto] Baggio and [Franco] Baresi”, Marca continues, picking on two innocent men, while the front page headline warns: “Italy, we have not forgotten this.”

They can say that again: as Roberto Palomar puts it, everywhere he looks he sees Luis Enrique and from now until Sunday’s match there will be no escape as the telly goes into smashed-nose overload. “I go to fill the car with petrol and there’s Luis Enrique vomiting blood behind the pump; I go to take a piss and there’s Luis Enrique in the cubicle, doubled over, cleaning the blood off his disfigured face; I climb into bed and there’s someone there next to my wife – it’s Mauro Tassotti”.

The same Mauro Tassotti who won that day – and that’s kind of the point. Italy, as Palomar argued, is a ghost that haunts Spain. Despite the bravado, despite the implicit threat on Marca’s cover, Italy don’t just inspire loathing, they inspire fear too. Lots of it. There is a hint of getting your excuses in early about the Spanish media today. And there is little hiding the disappointment when they look at Romania – the speedboat Jim Bowen says they could have won – and then back at the Italians they’ve actually got. One headline this morning simply screamed “No!”. “Italy, always Italy”, sighed El País. And on the radio they were asking an uncomfortable question: “Are you shitting yourself?”

The answer was yes. Last night’s result was the last thing the Spanish wanted: Luis Aragonés said it, the press said it and the online polls said it. José Vicente Hernáez signed off from yesterday evening’s preview on Marca TV with a: “Do us a favour Holland, lose! Come on Romania!” Never mind the ethics, he spoke for everyone. Romania would have been perfect; a creaking France, just about acceptable; Italy, a disaster. “They’re not the opponents we wanted, that’s for sure,” mumbled Aragonés. AS likens Italy to the beetle-tick that stalks the Austrian mountains, ready to deliver a fatal blow with a single bite. As Álvaro Arbeloa put it: “Italy are always the same: they scrape through and then win the tournament.” Which would of course mean beating Spain.

On the face of it, Spain shouldn’t be worried. In fact, they should be relishing the opportunity to bury those ghosts against a team that – as the commentators reminded us 37 times in the final 10 minutes last night – will be without Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso. After all, after two games for every team, Spain had completed more passes than any other country, and a higher percentage too. They are No1 in attacks, No1 in shots and No16 (in other words the best) in shots faced.

Better still, for all the talk of short, precise, slow build-up and despite its visceral defence from the talibans of tiki-taka (pass and move), Spain have scored six goals this tournament – five from breaks or, let’s face it, aimless hoofs; one from a set-play. This time, there’s real pace, a cutting edge, a will and a way to do it differently. And a bit of luck too. Spain have some semblance of togetherness at last, a team Cesc Fabregas can’t even get into, after Aragonés sensibly recognised that his five-man midfield didn’t work, and consequently they have David Villa – the new kid on the block, the revelation of world football who’s only been the best striker in Spain for four years.

And yet, apart from Cuatro TV – whose “come on!, yes!, yes!, yes!, you can do it!, go on!, yes!, that’s it!, that’s it!, good!, that’s the way!, oh yes!” commentary sounds more like the soundtrack from a saucy film than five blokes narrating a football match – the Spanish have been strikingly calm about the tournament so far. Sure, they’ve been delighted with what they have seen. But so often bitten for once shy, there’s been little of the tub-thumping from the last World Cup, when they promised to retire Zinedine Zidane three games before Marco Materazzi actually did and announced themselves the best side in the tournament after a single game.

Not least because there’s a recognition of their failings. Attack may be the best form of defence but there are fears about the back four, about the weakness of Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena and the huge dip in form of Sergio Ramos. There’s concern too about the anaemic performances of Andrés Iniesta and an unusual recognition that, even as Spain prepare to play tonight’s match with the rare luxury of fielding a team of subs, they’ve not actually won anything – the message conveyed by players and press alike. The real stuff starts here; the very point at which Spain normally end.

If Romania awaited, they might now have begun to believe. But it’s Italy. And as the editor of AS put it: “Italy don’t scare me, they terrify me.” Italy. Spain’s bete noire (even if their last competitive game was that one 14 years ago). Italy. The side seemingly best equipped to undo Spain’s technical yet lightweight midfield. Italy. In the quarter-final. On June 22. The team they have not beaten in a competitive match for 88 years. At the traditionally insurmountable hurdle, the stage they have not passed in 24 years. On the same date that they have been knocked out for each of the last three tournaments.

Happily, there is one, big difference this time. Not the absence of Tassotti – after all, the man with the razor-sharp elbows will be on the bench on Sunday – but the absence of the other sadly decisive man from that day in the US. This time, Spain have David Villa and Fernando Torres, not Julio Salinas.

This post originally ran on sister site Project 2010.  It’s a good piece that addresses a hot subject in US Soccer.  Thus, I have reposted it here.

We’ll admit that we have never been Bob Bradley’s biggest fans, but we’ve also tried to refrain from calling for his head.  That was until the Brazil match.  Given the US’s performances over the past few weeks, it has become doubtlessly clear that our current coach is not the man for the job.  While all of our problems can’t be attributed to Bradley, we have a number of problems for which he is either partially for fully responsible:

SQUAD SELECTION – If you look at our history of posts, it’ll be pretty apparent that we tend to disagree with Bradley most of the time–we’d prefer more opportunities for Cooper and fewer for Hejduk, for example.  These are admittedly minor disputes.  But Bradley continues to make more and more indefensibly poor decisions.  Players like Pearce, Johnson, and Kljestan have been given numerous opportunities long after they lost their form.  The worst of all is Beasley.  Bradley’s decision to give him a start against Brazil–three games after it was abundantly clear that he should not be seeing the field any time soon–is absolutely unforgivable.

TACTICS – I don’t like the 4-5-1.  One can make a valid argument about why this is a perfectly fine formation, but it’s becoming quite clear that the US are unable to execute it effectively.  Even against poor opponents, most of our goals come from set pieces–not from the run of play.  It is extremely hard to score goals when you play a formation and set of tactics that are designed solely to stifle the opposition.  Against top competition (England, Spain, Argentina, Italy, and Brazil), we have now allowed 9 goals and scored only 1 off a penalty.  Egypt is comparably talented (arguably less), yet they are able to take the game to teams like Italy and Brazil.  This is because they are willing to take a risk and play creative, attacking soccer.  To those who say we don’t have the tools, I would retort, despite what we see in Bradley’s system, (Michael) Bradley, Feilhaber, Torres, Adu, Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore would benefit greatly from a more offensive approach.

While it is very difficult to find an effective system that utilizes all of the best available players in their preferred positions, it is important to mold your tactics and formation around the players you have available to you–not the other way around.  These have become the norm: Dempsey as a right winger; Donovan as a left winger; Beasley as a left back; Bradley as a strict defensive midfielder; Kljestan as a defensive midfielder; Altidore as a lone target striker; Bocanegra as a center back; etc.  There is no reason that we should have so many players playing out of position on a regular basis.  As a coach, Bradley should be most concerned with figuring out how to get the most out of each of his players, not how to jam them into his preferred formation.

MOTIVATION – In 3 of the last 4 games, we have given up the first goal in the first 7 minutes.  In 4 of the last 5 games, we have gone down 0-2, 0-3, 0-1, and 0-3 before scoring a goal (if we scored at all).  The team is obviously not coming out of the locker room ready to play.  Obviously Bradley can’t be blamed entirely for this, but it is a clear problem that he has failed to address.

DISCIPLINE – Again, this cannot be blamed entirely on Bradley, but there is something very wrong with a team that consistently tackles hard and lunges in late.  Not only are we giving up too many free kicks in dangerous positions, but we’re receiving far too many yellow and red cards.  You don’t want to let teams like Brazil and Italy walk all over you, but keeping 11 men on the field should be a priority.

WHO WE SHOULD BRING IN – I know this is vague, but it should be a proven coach from outside the US Soccer system.  The problem with the USSF is that it’s the ultimate “good old boys” network–everyone seems to be a lifer.  For years, our only hope to stay competitive was to play a stifling brand of soccer that usually keeps games close against superior competition (and unfortunately keeps games close against inferior competition, too).  Everyone in the system is intimately familiar with this style (NOTE: Wilmer Cabrera might be the exception to this rule), and it is not the style that’s going to take us to the next tier in world soccer.  We need a fresh perspective.  We need someone who doesn’t already have a set of favorites.  We need someone who is willing to approach the USMNT (not the entire USSF, mind you) and rebuild it from scratch, best utilizing the tools we have available to us.  A big task–yes.  But with about a year until the World Cup, it is still possible to accomplish this task.  I’d say, if we’re going to get rid of Bradley, we should do it right now.  If, however, we’re only planning to replace him with the next in line in the USSF, I’d say don’t bother.

This brings me to another point–the idea that we need to have someone who knows the “quirky” US system. I don’t buy this at all. In fact, I want someone who knows nothing about the system. I don’t understand why, when so many people acknowledge that there are so many problems with player development in this country, these same people demand someone who “gets it.” All that does is further the problem.

Let’s look at former San Jose Earthquake Guus Hiddink as an example. (Yes, I’ll admit it. He would be my dream choice. And yes, I know he’s not available.) Do you really believe that the player development infrastructure in South Korea is the same as it is in Holland or Russia? I really doubt it. Yet he went to South Korea and Russia, shook things up, and got these teams playing as a unit and above their ability. While Russia has good individual talent, as a whole they are not much better off (if at all) than the US.  Yet they were able to make a great (and entertaining, unlike some teams…cough…Greece…cough) run at Euro 2008, fearlessly running at supposedly superior teams. I realize that Hiddink is arguably the best manager in the world, and that not every new foreign coach would have this effect, but that is not my point.  He was able to succesfully step into unfamiliar systems and shake things up. And it would seem that not knowing the system–the ability to approach his job with a fresh set of eyes–was key to helping him accomplish this.

WHY BRADLEY PROBABLY WON’T GET FIRED – There seem to be two ways to get fired from the US head coaching position:

1. Fail to qualify for the World Cup

2. Fail to get out of the group stage of the World Cup

The first is extremely unlikely to happen, so almost all coaches get at least 4 years to implement their systems.  Confederations Cup, Gold Cup, Copa America, and other like competitions don’t mean too much to the USSF.  As long as we continue our streak of World Cup qualifications, all is OK.  Here’s the scary part…

If, by some miracle, Bradley gets us to the knock-outs of the World Cup, prepare yourselves for four more years.

We’ll admit that we have never been Bob Bradley’s biggest fans, but we’ve also tried to refrain from calling for his head.  That was until the Brazil match.  Given the US’s performances over the past few weeks, it has become doubtlessly clear that our current coach is not the man for the job.  While all of our problems can’t be attributed to Bradley, we have a number of problems for which he is either partially for fully responsible:

SQUAD SELECTION – If you look at our history of posts, it’ll be pretty apparent that we tend to disagree with Bradley most of the time–we’d prefer more opportunities for Cooper and fewer for Hejduk, for example.  These are admittedly minor disputes.  But Bradley continues to make more and more indefensibly poor decisions.  Players like Pearce, Johnson, and Kljestan have been given numerous opportunities long after they lost their form.  The worst of all is Beasley.  Bradley’s decision to give him a start against Brazil–three games after it was abundantly clear that he should not be seeing the field any time soon–is absolutely unforgivable.

TACTICS – I don’t like the 4-5-1.  One can make a valid argument about why this is a perfectly fine formation, but it’s becoming quite clear that the US are unable to execute it effectively.  Even against poor opponents, most of our goals come from set pieces–not from the run of play.  It is extremely hard to score goals when you play a formation and set of tactics that are designed solely to stifle the opposition.  Against top competition (England, Spain, Argentina, Italy, and Brazil), we have now allowed 9 goals and scored only 1 off a penalty.  Egypt is comparably talented (arguably less), yet they are able to take the game to teams like Italy and Brazil.  This is because they are willing to take a risk and play creative, attacking soccer.  To those who say we don’t have the tools, I would retort, despite what we see in Bradley’s system, (Michael) Bradley, Feilhaber, Torres, Adu, Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore would benefit greatly from a more offensive approach.

While it is very difficult to find an effective system that utilizes all of the best available players in their preferred positions, it is important to mold your tactics and formation around the players you have available to you–not the other way around.  These have become the norm: Dempsey as a right winger; Donovan as a left winger; Beasley as a left back; Bradley as a strict defensive midfielder; Kljestan as a defensive midfielder; Altidore as a lone target striker; Bocanegra as a center back; etc.  There is no reason that we should have so many players playing out of position on a regular basis.  As a coach, Bradley should be most concerned with figuring out how to get the most out of each of his players, not how to jam them into his preferred formation.

MOTIVATION – In 3 of the last 4 games, we have given up the first goal in the first 7 minutes.  In 4 of the last 5 games, we have gone down 0-2, 0-3, 0-1, and 0-3 before scoring a goal (if we scored at all).  The team is obviously not coming out of the locker room ready to play.  Obviously Bradley can’t be blamed entirely for this, but it is a clear problem that he has failed to address.

DISCIPLINE – Again, this cannot be blamed entirely on Bradley, but there is something very wrong with a team that consistently tackles hard and lunges in late.  Not only are we giving up too many free kicks in dangerous positions, but we’re receiving far too many yellow and red cards.  You don’t want to let teams like Brazil and Italy walk all over you, but keeping 11 men on the field should be a priority.

WHO WE SHOULD BRING IN – I know this is vague, but it should be a proven coach from outside the US Soccer system.  The problem with the USSF is that it’s the ultimate “good old boys” network–everyone seems to be a lifer.  For years, our only hope to stay competitive was to play a stifling brand of soccer that usually keeps games close against superior competition (and unfortunately keeps games close against inferior competition, too).  Everyone in the system is intimately familiar with this style (NOTE: Wilmer Cabrera might be the exception to this rule), and it is not the style that’s going to take us to the next tier in world soccer.  We need a fresh perspective.  We need someone who doesn’t already have a set of favorites.  We need someone who is willing to approach the USMNT (not the entire USSF, mind you) and rebuild it from scratch, best utilizing the tools we have available to us.  A big task–yes.  But with about a year until the World Cup, it is still possible to accomplish this task.  I’d say, if we’re going to get rid of Bradley, we should do it right now.  If, however, we’re only planning to replace him with the next in line in the USSF, I’d say don’t bother.

This brings me to another point–the idea that we need to have someone who knows the “quirky” US system. I don’t buy this at all. In fact, I want someone who knows nothing about the system. I don’t understand why, when so many people acknowledge that there are so many problems with player development in this country, these same people demand someone who “gets it.” All that does is further the problem.

Let’s look at former San Jose Earthquake Guus Hiddink as an example. (Yes, I’ll admit it. He would be my dream choice. And yes, I know he’s not available.) Do you really believe that the player development infrastructure in South Korea is the same as it is in Holland or Russia? I really doubt it. Yet he went to South Korea and Russia, shook things up, and got these teams playing as a unit and above their ability. While Russia has good individual talent, as a whole they are not much better off (if at all) than the US.  Yet they were able to make a great (and entertaining, unlike some teams…cough…Greece…cough) run at Euro 2008, fearlessly running at supposedly superior teams. I realize that Hiddink is arguably the best manager in the world, and that not every new foreign coach would have this effect, but that is not my point.  He was able to succesfully step into unfamiliar systems and shake things up. And it would seem that not knowing the system–the ability to approach his job with a fresh set of eyes–was key to helping him accomplish this.

WHY BRADLEY PROBABLY WON’T GET FIRED – There seem to be two ways to get fired from the US head coaching position:

1. Fail to qualify for the World Cup

2. Fail to get out of the group stage of the World Cup

The first is extremely unlikely to happen, so almost all coaches get at least 4 years to implement their systems.  Confederations Cup, Gold Cup, Copa America, and other like competitions don’t mean too much to the USSF.  As long as we continue our streak of World Cup qualifications, all is OK.  Here’s the scary part…

If, by some miracle, Bradley gets us to the knock-outs of the World Cup, prepare yourselves for four more years.