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barroldinho Blog

Back from Blogger’s Block…

Posted on September 5, 2011 1:33 am

Well, I missed the Premiership prediction season. Trust me, I wanted to do one, but blogger’s block, widespread moaning and groaning over “predictability” and not having the time to assess every team in the League put me off. Plus I’ve been far too busy.

I missed the back end of the transfer season, but my aforementioned stance on media gossip stood true as usual. If it seemed fantastical, it usually was.

I missed Robbie Keane’s transfer, though what is there to say about that other than to thumb our noses at the Anti-Arena brigade who claimed he wouldn’t move to fix the forward problem at LA Galaxy and that despite being top of the league a year after winning the Supporter’s Shield and two after losing the MLS Cup final on penalties, he should be fired.

No he shouldn’t and by the way, there’s nothing wrong with LA Galaxy’s style of football in 2011.

Am I alone in being excited by the injection of youth to Manchester United’s line-up? I know it’s early days and wouldn’t want to jump the gun, but seeing our youthful additions work so well so quickly has had me enjoying the team more than I have in years. Not that I haven’t been enjoying the continued successes of recent years or that I don’t realise it’s early days for this bunch, but there’s a whole new element of fun in these proceedings.

It’s also refreshing in an age where billionaires are buying trophies in what must be the most unfulfilling way possible to see your team achieve.

That would be my current gripe actually; I’m reading articles, message boards and blogs that seem to be lauding up these events as a chance for “smaller teams” to break the “dominance” of the “elite”. Well, as much as I would like to see UEFA or FIFA take steps that allow other teams in the door, handing Manchester City or Malaga a mountain of funds is not a very good way of doing it. I mean, does anybody actually thing of Chelsea as a “smaller club made big” anymore? Not that they were tiny pre-Abramovich, but they’re already pencilled in when reference is made to football’s modern upper-echelons.

Say what you will about Man Utd, Arsenal, Barcelona or AC Milan, whatever dominance they had, they earned fair and square. Financial Fairplay will only stop the nouveau riche while the Champions League “Market Pool” (prize money linked to TV revenue, which basically means Man United and Chelsea will usually earn more money than APOEL Nicosia, even if the Cypriots somehow managed to ever win the competition) will maintain an eternal gap between the haves and have-nots.

What actually needs to happen and is probably due around now, is for the game’s biggest clubs to take a step back and realise that they have a responsibility towards Football as a game and look at ways to promote competitiveness.

But having just broke my blogger’s block (okay, it wasn’t the best entry in the world, but it’s a start), perhaps I’ll brainstorm about the best and most unlikely methods clubs might use to achieve that.

In the meantime, lets relax and watch this compilation of Juan Pablo Angel’s memorable contributions to LA Galaxy’s 2011…

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