The English footballer has often flattered to deceive. He is an enigma, a player who has always been surrounded by an over-excited media. Over-hyped, but often underwhelming. Any teenager who makes the cut to feature for a top-flight team is often burdened with the weight of expectations straight away. Some would argue that this is commonly prevalent across the globe, but it is even more so for the English, since they are a breed of footballers who are constantly expected to achieve success, as they play in the most competitive league set-up in world football. This weight of expectation directly manifests itself in the form of tremendously inflated transfer fees. English footballers have often been the subject of highly inflated transfer bids, and this phenomenon shows no signs of slowing just yet.

Darren Bent is a classic example. Bent has always been a journeyman. A man who was Charlton’s player of the season in 2006, was the subject of a club record 16.5 million pound bid from Spurs. Although he did decently at Spurs, he was always facing competition from the likes of Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov. This led to his transfer to Sunderland for 10 million pounds in 2009. After a successful spell with the Black Cats, he surprisingly handed in a transfer request, and then moved to Aston Villa for a massive 24 million pounds. Despite a promising start to his Villa career, Bent has once again encountered stiff competition from the likes of Benteke and Weimann. Which is strange, because you’d expect that a man worth 24 million would have no problem breaking into the starting eleven at Viila. Some predict that Bent may start seeking pastures new, sooner or later.

Take the case of David Bentley. Bentley, in his youth displayed such proficiency and skill on the ball, combined with a deadly crossing ability, that he was touted to be the next Beckham. After an extremely successful spell at Blackburn Rovers under the stewardship of Mark Hughes, Bentley took the Premier League by storm. His performances in Lancashire led to a move to Tottenham Hotspur, for a fee greater than 15 million pounds. However, subsequently, Bentley’s form suffered at Tottenham and he found himself falling down the pecking order. Subsequent loan spells at Birmingham, West Ham and even Russia ensued but the David Bentley of old never materialised.

Shaun Wright Phillips, in his early days at Manchester City, was voted Young Player of the Year for four years in succession. These awards heaped tremendous amount of expectations on him, also identifying him as a potential talent. This led to his transfer to Chelsea for a whopping 21 million pounds in 2005 and although he did a decent job under Jose Mourinho, he soon found himself playing second fiddle to both Joe Cole and later to Salomon Kalou. The boy with the big future never quite managed to find his niche at Chelsea, and subsequently left the London giants to join City for 8 million, that is, for not even half his initial price tag.

The most expensive English footballer of all time, Andy Carroll has also failed to live up to his standards thus far. After a stunning spell with Newcastle United, when he guided the Magpies back to the Premier League, he moved to Liverpool for 35 million pounds.

Although he still has a bright future ahead of him, and has plenty of time to prove himself as a potential world class player, he has definitely left much to be desired thus far. Currently on loan at West Ham, Carroll has begun to rediscover some of his old form, but is still plagued by injury and inconsistency. Now criticised by the same media that once hailed him, Carroll would feel that he has a point to prove to his detractors.

I have not made a mention of Stewart Downing here. Enough and more has been said about him already.

Of course, one cannot be overly critical of the English. The likes of Wayne Rooney, who moved to Manchester United from Everton for 27 million, and Rio Ferdinand, who, back in the day, moved to United from Leeds for 28 million, went on to do quite well for themselves.

But there is no escaping the fact that any talented English youngster always comes under the spotlight, and eventually becomes the subject of an enormous bid. Take the case of Wilfried Zaha (some would argue he is Ivorian), who is being chased by a whole host of clubs at the moment. One would not be surprised to see him move to a big club for an inflated fee. Which really begs the question, are young players really worth such big money, no matter how talented they are? Shouldn’t clubs have noticed this trend and stopped paying such big money? Because more often than not, these footballers have fallen short of expectation; short of where they should have been.

One answer is that perhaps clubs pay more to sign English talent not because they are necessarily worth that much, but because they need to pay the big bucks, to stave off competition from other potential suitors. And of course, in England, there is a natural affinity for English players. The same can be said for players of other nationalities in their nations as well. So that’s probably why these burn-a-hole-in-the-pocket type fees don’t surprise us any more. Don’t be surprised if you see such moves going through this winter too. Anyway, it doesn’t look like a trend that will buck soon.

Anyway, clubs that do intend to continue this trend have been forewarned, that sometimes, a fledgling starlet might not reach the heady heights once promised.

It is a shame, really, because people only ever remember the transfer fee if a player fairs poorly.

Indeed, based on recent evidence (read:Fernando Torres) one must anticipate, even expect a few big transfers come January. Here are some candidates who might be wearing new colours next month.

1. Demba Ba

The big Senegalese striker has a rather peculiar clause in his contract which allows him to leave the club for a mere 7 million pounds. That probably explains why vultures are circling over Tyneside. Ba has been a silver-lining in an otherwise dull season for Newcastle thus far. He might opt for pastures new, should the right offer come in. Liverpool are said to be interested in acquiring his services, and Ba looks like a very good prospect for the Anfield side.

2. Marouane Fellaini

Although the burly defensive-midfielder received a 3-match ban for headbutting Ryan Shawcross, one cannot question his skill, and more importantly, the physical presence that he lends to any side. Also, for a midfielder, he does score a good amount of goals. The likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have their eyes on the Belgian, with both clubs looking for some reinforcement in the heart of midfield. And if a big offer does come in, Everton may just decide to cash in on their prized possession.

3. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Huntelaar is very likely to leave Schalke this winter, having only six months left on his existing contract, and the race is on to acquire his services. The Dutch marksman has been linked continuously with a move to Arsenal. Inter and Liverpool have also been identified as potential suitors, and Schalke would possibly prefer to sell him on the cheap, rather than letting him leave for free over the summer.

4. Theo Walcott

The Theo Walcott transfer saga has been well chronicled in the media already, with the player and Arsenal reportedly refusing to come to an agreement over a new contract. If this situation is not resolved soon, one would not be surprised to see Walcott depart the Emirates in the winter. Chelsea have been linked with a shock swoop for the England international, although it is difficult to see where and how he would fit into the Chelsea midfield.

5. Darren Bent

Darren Bent has endured a pretty tough season at Villa. A man who was Aston Villa’s club-record signing has found a starting berth incredibly hard to come by this season, being below both Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann in the pecking order. QPR and Liverpool are said to be lining up bids for the 28-year-old. Fulham have also been linked with the Englishman.

6. Radamel Falcao

‘El Tigre’ has taken the world by storm this season, having netted 17 goals in 15 games for Atleti this season in La Liga, including five in a single game. The Colombian is a natural goal-machine and speculation has been cast over his future with the Madrid side time and again this season. With Chelsea reportedly interested in Falcao, and obviously willing to shell out the big bucks in order to sign their man, it may make for the biggest move of the window, should it be completed.

So, these are a few deals worth keeping an eye on. Which moves do you expect to see happening this January?

Blackburn Rovers owners Venkatesh Rao and Balaji Rao look on during the Barclays Premier League.

The takeover of a perennially overachieving club, just about staying afloat, was complete. The Indian fowl and poultry giants had managed to acquire a stake in a Premier League club, thus perhaps establishing a precedent for many other Indian companies to follow suit. It was a move that was expected to throw Indian football, and footballers, into the limelight. To perhaps, someday, provide a chance for an Indian kid to play in the Premier League. It was, to put it in a slightly, well, exaggerated fashion, a license to dream! It was also an opportunity for an Indian Corporate to set their feet on stranger shores, and to see how well their partnership with English football, in general, would work out.

Thus, when the takeover was complete and all the excitement had died down, one expected the owners to get straight to business. To bring in a few new faces to replace some of the old legs, give a boost to the existing youth systems, and generally give the club a bit of a facelift. Basically to get to business. And get to business they did. Just not in the way one expected. The rather shocking decision to give their existing manager Sam Allardyce the sack provoked typical outrage from the Rovers fans, and some rather incredulous reactions from the likes of Sir Alex and other top-flight managers. To sack a man who had a guided an underfunded club, being run on little more than a shoestring budget, to a tenth place finish in the best league on the planet, and a Carling Cup semifinal the previous year, was a feat in itself. Perhaps the owners and Big Sam did not share a common ideology on how to take the club forward. So perhaps one could let them off the hook there. But instead of appointing another equally experienced manager who had the know-how on how to extract the best out of an underfunded, overachieving team, they went on to appoint Steve Kean, a relatively unheard-of Scot, who was promoted from first-team coach to manager. Some would rather cynically point out that this was perhaps a ploy from Venky’s to cut their wage bill. Others backed the move then, hoping it would prove a master-stroke. Either way, it was a very, very controversial decision.

Fast forward to April 2012, and it became painfully obvious that Kean was, whether through his own fault or otherwise, unable to keep Blackburn from spiralling down toward that gaping abyss, the relegation zone. And then they were gone. On the seventh of May, 2012, following their loss to Wigan, Blackburn went down. Down, after eleven years spent in England‘s top flight.

One could be forgiven for wondering if Mr. Kean would retain his job for the next season. What with all the passionate cries of ‘Kean Out’, and even some cries of ‘Venky’s out’, and with the release of chickens onto the turf at Ewood park, the end seemed inevitable for Kean. A foregone conclusion, some would say. Yet,despite poor results on the field, owners Venky’s remained loyal off it, giving Kean two contract extensions and providing him with decent funds in the transfer market.

A common sight at Ewood Park, as fans protest against their former manager and club owners.

This support was in stark contradiction to what was displayed by the Rovers’ faithful. At a time when their support was most needed by their players, they were hardly in the mood to stand by their team. Frequently calling for Kean’s sacking, the fans were often accused to be the prime perpetrators of a hate culture at Ewood Park, often resulting in rallies against the management. Some would argue that the poor performance of the club on the pitch, combined with the…unnecessary, sacking of Allardyce was a contributing factor. Even so, it was clear that the fans were in no frame of mind to put up with what they were being dished out. And post-relegation, the cries for giving Kean the boot had reached fever-pitch. And yet, he stayed. And he was involved in Blackburn’s much publicized 8 million pound acquisition of Jordan Rhodes, heading into the Championship season. And with due respect to Mr.Kean, they started off well, assimilating 16 points from a possible 21.

Yet, the support, the goodwill was hardly forthcoming. Despite a decent start to the season, and despite having a squad that looked like it could easily take that step back up into the Premier League, the fans remained vengeful. This was seen in the poor attendances at Ewood Park earlier this season. Poor attendances, to revolt against the owners and the staff. These poor turnouts led to a concern over the finances available to the club, and concern over their depleting coffers. Yet the axe never fell on Kean, and Venky’s continued to trust in him, and themselves continued in their capacity as owners.

But eventually, his time was to come. And come it did. Although, again, not in the way one would expect .In the last week of September ’12, amid concerns of fan revolt, and depleting finances, Kean tendered his own resignation. And it came in a very sad, abrupt fashion. Just when one thought that things, on the pitch at least, were taking a turn for the better. And yet some accused him of chickening out (forgive the pun).

Although, for his rather graceful exit under pressure, one must cut him some slack.Indeed, his final words were,”It is with deep regret, given my hard work and service for the club for a number of years, that I have been forced to resign as manager of Blackburn Rovers with immediate effect, due to my position as team manager becoming untenable.I wish to thank all the players and coaching staff for their great support and the majority of the fans, who now see their club heading towards an automatic promotion position back to the Premiership. I wish the club all the very best for the rest of the season.”

Blackburn manager Steve Kean looks on before the Barclays Premier league game.

The fans, as expected, welcomed his resignation, and a statement from the BRFC Action Group read,“Following 654 days as manager, 373 days since the first protest, 74 matches, 37 defeats, one forfeit, one relegation, a third board of directors, three assistant managers and a community in mourning, today will go down as the day when Blackburn Rovers was liberated from the man who has brought a whole club’s supporter base to their knees with tears.” There might be an element of truth in there. Perhaps we must feel for the fans too.Or is their statement simply exaggerated? Make of it what you will.

Some would argue that his resignation has come in both too early, and too late. Too early into a long, arduous Championship campaign which must culminate in promotion, to save the club from a Portsmouth/Leeds United type of situation. And too late, because the club are no longer plying their trade against the big boys in the top flight.

The blame, of course, cannot be placed squarely on the shoulders of Kean. Perhaps it was gross mismanagement by Venky’s, and their ignorance in football related matters that put Blackburn in such a mess in the first place.

As far as the future of the former Premiership champions is concerned, one can only hope for the best. Notwithstanding the Indian connection(which, actually, may be in jeopardy itself), one does not like to see clubs like Blackburn; hard-working  disciplined, and having the desire to make the best of what they have, languishing in the lower divisions. With the likes of Ian Holloway and Tim Sherwood being linked with the vacant managerial position, one can only hope that the club gets back on its feet again, and soon.Because whoever steps in to fill the vacancy at Ewood Park, will have quite a ‘bird’en, err, burden to bear.

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/17/fair-play-or-fowl/feed/ 0 03162 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/07/the-next-gen-series-a-visionary-idea/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/10/07/the-next-gen-series-a-visionary-idea/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:17:26 +0000 Hariprasad http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=817332

For many football fans, there is no greater joy than to see their own youth make the step up from the youth ranks into the first team. For a club to blood their own  youngsters, to see them wear the badge proudly, and to represent their club, is a pleasing sight. For the youngsters themselves, there is no greater joy than to have their names printed on the back of the shirts they worship, and to represent their club on the pitch. It’s a childhood dream, realized.

The youth systems, in England, and Europe have undergone some serious revamping over the last decade. Every team possesses above par, if not excellent youth academies. Many youngsters have made the step up to the first team, achieving staggering success. With the tremendous investment in football clubs, there is also a huge emphasis laid on youth development. The likes of Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Tony Adams have been part of this revolution. The youth academies of clubs like Barcelona and Ajax stand testament to the idea of youth football development.
With the introduction of the new under-21 league in England this term, to which we must devote another article entirely, we are now upon a new era in youth football.

But a persistent complaint has always been that the youth never get a platform to showcase their talents, to compete on the national or continental levels, and to challenge themselves against the best in their age groups. This forces clubs to loan out their players to lower division clubs, which may be, at times, a baptism of fire for the young starlets. Many a times, these youth are simply shunted out on loan season after season, which leaves them frustrated, and they end up leaving the club. With this view in mind, various domestic U-19 and U-21 leagues, and now, the Next-gen series has been introduced, and following its inception last year, has picked up a serious following this year.

What is the Next-Gen series? The Next-Gen Series heralds a new era in competitive, featuring the next generation of world-class players who have been trained by some of the greatest clubs in Europe. The competition has already kicked off this season, and in addition to last season’s participants, features the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea,and Juventus . Twenty four teams compete with the quest to become the champions of Europe. The twenty-four clubs are divided into six groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the four teams finishing 3rd who have amassed the most points will enter the knock-out stages, which would eventually culminate in the final. Last season saw Inter emerge champions after beating Ajax on penalties. The series aims at pitting the best youth players against each other, and to introduce youngsters to the spectacle that European football is.

So how does this new competition help football clubs. It’s quite simple, really. Clubs get to test the level of their youth academies against those of their rivals. They get to exchange ideas and information regarding youth system development. It also allows them to let their youngsters stay on at the club, and not be loaned off elsewhere for regular football. To-be managers pursuing their coaching badges have an opportunity to test themselves at the continental level and expand their horizons, thereby introducing them to newer techniques and tactics unique to various other nations. Next-Gen is more than just a tournament for teenage talent, it is an opportunity for everyone involved in the youth system of a club to be part of a continental spectacle. For those of us who followed the tournament last year, the series offered us a taste of what is to come in the future. And this is just the beginning.

In a nutshell, the Next-Gen series has laid the foundations for a phenomenal change in youth football in Europe. Who knows, we might catch a glimpse of the next Zidane, Nedved or Messi in this competition, or perhaps we might see the next Mourinho, or Guardiola (who incidentally had a stint managing the Barca youth team himself!).

Suffice to say that the Next-Gen series is the way forward for aspiring youth teams in Europe. And the good thing is, it’s here to stay.

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