After yet another horrendous display in recent times, which saw Arsenal capitulate against a well organized machine called Bayern Munich in their Champions league round of 16 tie at the Emirates stadium on Tuesday, there is not even an iota of doubt as to which side are now firm favourites to advance to the quarter finals.

Arsenal were totally dominated by the runaway Bundesliga leaders in the 3-1 first leg defeat, and now definitely look unlikely to turn things around at the return leg in Germany.

It was the same old story repeated against the Bavarians, as a mix of bad defending and missing out on crucial chances in front of goal ensured yet another night of European misery for the long suffering Gunner fans.

Though Lukas Podolski did get on the scoresheet for Arsenal (a soft goal at that!), goals from Tony Kroos, Thomas Mueller and Mario Mandzukic ensured that the Germans were going away from London with a quarterfinal spot all but in their grasp.

Tuesday’s mauling meant Arsene Wenger’s side, who currently lie fourth in the Premier league, will in all probability endure yet another one of those ‘trophyless’ seasons which have become an Arsenal hallmark over the years.

Winning the Premier League (the writer can’t help but suppress a laugh!) is almost an impossibility, as Arsenal trail leaders Manchester United by a massive 21 points, and with chances of gaining silverware almost nil this season, Wenger’s side will now have to settle for yet another one of those ‘third-fourth place’ battles with local rivals Tottenham Hotspur (who are four points ahead of the Gunners) to ensure Champions league qualification (groan!) for the upcoming season.

So what exactly has gone wrong with Arsenal since the good old heady days of the ‘invincibles’?

Wenger’s side consisting of stalwarts like Thierry ‘King’ Henry, Robert Pires and the ‘gigantic’ Patrick Vieira was considered as one of the best sides, both in England and Europe, and achieved the impossible by winning the league title in 2003 without losing a game all season.

That earned them the tag of the ‘invincibles’, with Wenger’s side going on to achieve great things in the 2006 Champions League tournament, firstly by knocking out Spanish giants Real Madrid (what a goal by Henry!) and later Juventus (this time Vieira was on the opposite side with the Italians and was given a footballing lesson by his predecessor at Arsenal, a young Cesc Fabregas!), and reached the final, only to be edged out by Barcelona who denied the Gunners a maiden title thanks to two late goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti.

But that final in France proved to be the start of mediocrity for Wenger’s side, who are now nowhere near the class of 2003, and forget the Champions league, they have not even won the FA Cup since 2005.

That triumph over Manchester United (Arsenal won on penalties after the game finished 0-0) remains Wenger’s last piece of silverware, and since then North London has not seen a single trophy in their now dormant cabinet for eight long years.

The best they could muster was during the 2009 season, when they reached the Champions league semifinals, courtesy some gritty displays, but were brushed aside by Alex Ferguson’s rampant United side consisting of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

On the domestic front, Arsenal have slowly but surely slipped away from Premier league’s ‘elite four’ since the long gone era of the ‘invincibles’, and now resemble a club struggling to stay afloat amongst ‘money fuelled’ title challengers, such as Chelsea and Manchester City.

The rise of big spending clubs like Chelsea has also contributed to Arsenal’s recent downward spiral!

Though Arsenal’s long running trophy drought is definitely a matter of grave concern, atleast for the North London faithful, Wenger is no slouch of a manager, as the veteran Frenchman, despite the loss of talismanic players like Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, has done his level best to keep the club in the running for atleast a top four spot in the Premier league.

Wenger, with his famous reliance on young talent, has helped the Gunners become a club of repute, starting from the late 1990′s till the early part of 2000, and is mainly responsible for whatever success the London club has seen during his tenure till date, and though players like Henry, Vieira and the rest of the ‘golden generation’ were mentored towards future greatness by the versatile Frenchman, he still was terribly unlucky in not getting the required funds to build up a side consisting of high priced stars, a la City, which would have definitely helped Arsenal challenge for a few more trophies.

Henry and Pires were a part of Arsenal’s famous ‘invincibles’!

Wenger is accustomed to Arsenal’s now common ritual of high profile players exiting for the sole reason of ‘disappointment’ at the Frenchman for not winning anything of note at the club for a long time.

Cash-rich City has bought off almost half of Arsenal’s so called ‘stars ‘(Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and the list is a huge one!) in recent times, as a major player exodus from North London to the blue half of Manchester has proved to be a decisive factor in the Gunners’ current lack of quality firepower to disturb top class opponents like Bayern.

Though the current side has youngsters like the impressive Jack Wilshere, the gifted Aaron Ramsey and the speedy Alex ‘Ox’ Chamberlain, the newer bunch just do not have the required expertise of say a Nasri or even an Emmanuel Adebayor (former Gunner and City ‘loyalist’!)  to handle crunch matches, like the recent FA Cup tie against second tier Blackburn Rovers, which Arsenal lost 1-0, where an experienced campaigner could definitely have made the difference for Wenger’s ‘boys’.

New signings Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, though great goal scorers, are definitely not a patch on Van Persie, whereas other additions such as Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta cannot be placed in the same league as Fabregas.

Tomas Rosicky stands out as the only player who can dictate play in midfield, thanks to his impressive vision and passing, and the Czech playmaker’s form will prove to be a decisive factor for the Gunners for the remainder of the season.

And defending is definitely not Arsenal’s forte, as was shown by Bayern on Tuesday, with Bacary Sagna and Per Mertesacker not exactly the kind of players who can put in a crunching tackle and play it rough to unsettle opposition forwards, when needed.

Wojciech Szczesny does offer a ray of hope for Wenger, as the shot-stopper did manage a few good saves against Bayern, and prevented the Germans from making it a no-contest.

So come three weeks time, and it will definitely be an ‘acid test’ for Wenger and his now demoralised side, to punch above their weight, and if not for a miracle, atleast salvage a decent result at the Allianz arena.

And if they do manage the former, fans can start chanting “In Arsene we trust“, once again, with their heads raised sky high!

As Oscar Pistorius faces charges for the alleged murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the ‘Blade runner’s’ ongoing trial comes just on the heels of Lance Armstrong‘s doping saga.

Local police found Pistorius, along with a bloodied and motionless Steenkamp at the couple’s posh Pretoria apartment last week and believe that the double amputee sprinter may have shot the 30 year old model at least twice with a 9mm gun found at the spot.

Though reports have confirmed that the gun is registered in Pistorius’ name, the former Paralympic athlete maintains that he shot at Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder, and has vehemently denied the charges levelled against him.

Pistorius’ arrest comes as a major shock for fans of the London Olympic semifinalist, especially since he was considered as a national icon in native South Africa, considering his achievements in the international track and field arena.

The 26 year old athlete became the first ‘disabled’ man in sporting history to compete in the Summer Olympics, where he finished fourth in the 400 meter finals against able bodied opponents.

Pistorius’ case, though a grave one, is in stark contrast to another ‘fallen icon’, American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was recently banned and stripped of his seven ‘Tour de France‘ titles for doping.

Armstrong, a ‘legend’ in world cycling, till his infamous confession on live television (‘The Oprah Winfrey’ show), despite doping his way to cycling ‘glory’, has never been embroiled in a controversy as serious as Pistorius’.

Though it all fell apart for the Texan cyclist when he finally decided to reveal the rampant usage of drugs and steriods during his time with the US Postal services team, unlike Pistorius, Armstrong may never have to go behind bars, despite having his reputation in tatters now.

On the other hand, Pistorius, though highly unlikely to prove his ‘innocence’, may not have the same ‘luck’ as Armstrong had; i.e. escaping with a ban in competitive athletics, as the South African may possibly serve up a life sentence if found guilty in the ongoing court proceedings.

Armstrong confessed to having taken illegal drugs and steroids on Oprah Winfrey’s popular talk show.

Armstrong, though a ‘cheat’, pulled out a Pandora’s box after his revelations, which resulted in a life ban from professional cycling for the Texan, after exposing a sophisticated doping charade run in American cycling from years immemorial.

After Armstrong’s confession, major sponsors such as Nike decided to back off from associating themselves with the ‘disgraced’ cyclist, with his ‘Livestrong’ foundation for cancer patients also taking a major hit.

Armstrong, who inspired an entire generation of cycling enthusiasts after his remarkable recovery from cancer, isn’t a celebrated figure any more, at least in the world of professional cycling, and has a dark and uncertain future as of now.

On the other hand, Pistorius, though not a doper by any means, has achieved all of his glory in international athletics purely through his hard work and dedication and despite a clean reputation on-track, may just have to pay heavily for a moment of sheer madness, which cost someone her life.

Now only time will tell whether ‘heroes’ like Pistorius and Armstrong can rise again, especially after falling so hard off a well built pedestal of fame, which though difficult, is definitely not impossible to achieve.

And who knows, the ongoing turmoil may prove to be a blessing in disguise for both ‘icons’ for reclaiming some of the lost glory back in the near future!

Lennon’s side were outclassed by the in-form Italians at Celtic park, as goals from Alessandro Matri, Claudio Marchisio and Mirko Vucinic ensured a miserable night for the ‘Bhoys’.

Though Celtic now have a mammoth task at hand in Turin, football has had instances of teams coming back from 3-0 or 4-0 deficits, most notably Liverpool in the 2005 Champions league final!

So this writer has come up with a list of teams whom Lennon and his men can take inspiration from, while they wait till next month before heading off to Italy!

1. Liverpool vs AC Milan( 2005)

Starting off with the mother of all comebacks!

Liverpool looked down and out against a rampant Milan side in the final at Istanbul, after being 3-0 down at half time.

A first minute Paolo Maldini goal, coupled with Hernan Crespo’s twin strikes (39th and 44th min), meant Milan were on course for a seventh European title.

But that was only till the first half, as Liverpool bounced back into the tie in a space of seven magical minutes and made it 3-3.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard scored a well placed header past Dida in the 54th minute, and Vladmir Smicer added a second two minutes later, with a long range strike past the Brazilian keeper.

Liverpool were handed a lifeline in the 59th minute, as a clearly rattled Genaro Gattuso brought down Gerrard in the Milan penalty area, which resulted in a penalty for the Reds.

Xabi Alonso, who had his initial shot saved by Dida, smashed the resulting rebound into the net, which meant the scores were level at 3-3, and the Liverpool fans in the stands went into a frenzy.

Though Milan pressed hard later on, some fine Liverpool defending (by Jamie Carragher in particular!), along with Jerzy Dudek’s great form under the bar ensured that the tie went into extra time.

It was the same old story repeated in extra time, as Milan looked hell bent on finishing the Reds off, only for Dudek to stand between the Italians and a goal.

The Polish keeper was in superb form as he kept Milan at bay, which included a great point blank save off striker Andriy Shevchenko in the dying minutes of the game.

So on came penalties, and with the crowd behind the Reds, a nervous Serginho and Andrea Pirlo missed for Milan, whereas Djbril Cisse and Dietmar Hamann were spot on for Liverpool.

John Dahl Tomasson and Kaka made amends by scoring for the Italians, while John Arne Riise missed for Liverpool.

With Smicer successfully putting his spot kick past Dida, up stepped Shevchenko to take the all important penalty for the Italians.

And ironically, the Ukranian, who had scored the winning penalty in the 2003 final against Juventus, missed this time around, managing only a weak effort which was comfortably saved by Dudek to spark off celebrations in the Liverpool camp.

For the record, Liverpool won its fifth ever European cup after that miraculous night in Istanbul, whereas the Italians got sweet revenge, two years on, in the Athens final, when a Filippo Inzaghi double helped them to a 2-1 win over the Reds!

2. Deportivo La Coruna vs AC Milan (2004)

Another game involving Milan!

The defending champions had beaten Deportivo 4-1 in the first leg quarterfinal at the San Siro, with Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko and Andrea Pirlo scoring for the Italians.

Milan had run rings around the Deportivo defence, with Kaka scoring twice in a lopsided contest against the Spaniards.

Come the return leg at the Riazor, and it was all but expected that the Italians would cruise towards a second successive Champions league final.

But they faced a completely different Deportivo side this time around, as the Spaniards put up an attacking masterclass of their own, and thrashed Milan 4-0.

Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron, Albert Luque and Fran were all on target, as Deportivo dominated the tie from start to end and humbled the mighty Italians .

Milan did not know what hit them, as they surrendered meekly to the Spaniards who became the first ever team to overcome a three goal first leg deficit in Europe.

Deportivo clinched the tie 5-4 on aggregate and went on to reach their first ever Champions league semifinals, whereas Milan were left eating humble pie!

3. Monaco vs Real Madrid (2003)

French side Monaco were hosting the ‘Galacticos’ of Madrid, after being swept aside 4-2 in the first leg quarterfinal at the Bernabeu.

Madrid had put up a commanding display in Spain, and an impressive four goal burst in the second half ensured that Carlos Queiroz’s side went to France with a comfortable lead.

Though Monaco did get two crucial away goals, thanks to Sebastian Squillaci and Fernando Morientes (on loan from Madrid), overturning a two goal deficit was nevertheless going to be a tough ask.

Raul Gonzalez piled on more misery for the home team after scoring midway through the first half, but a well volleyed goal from French winger Ludovic Giuly ensured that Monaco were still in the game, going into the break.

And the French side came out firing on all cylinders after halftime, as Madrid old boy Morientes scored a fine header past keeper Iker Casillas in the 48th minute to put Monaco ahead, and left his side needing just one more goal to win the tie on the away goals rule.

Giuly, who was playing the match of his life, then sent the Stade Louis into delirium in the 66th minute, when he converted a Hugo Ibarrara cut in to score Monaco’s third and put the French side ahead on away goals.

Stung by Monaco’s sudden counterattack, Madrid poured men forward in search of a much needed goal, but failed to score later on as the French side recorded a famous win and set up a semifinal clash with Chelsea.

Monaco repeated their heroics against the Londoners, winning 5-3 over two legs of action packed football, and reached the final, only to lose out to a Deco inspired Porto!

4. Manchester United vs Juventus (1999)

It is not for nothing that Manchester United are known as the ‘Comeback Kings’.

And they showed why, as Alex Ferguson’s side launched a stirring comeback and scored thrice after being 2-0 down against Juventus, in the second leg semifinal at Turin.

Earlier, United needed a last gasp Ryan Giggs goal to escape with a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford, which meant they had their work cut out in the return leg at Italy.

Juventus were 2-0 up in just under 11 minutes, thanks to the wily Filippo Inzaghi who scored both goals in his classic predatory style.

Though United looked down and out after Inzaghi’s double, skipper Roy Keane started pulling the strings in midfield, trying to get the Red Devils back into the contest.

And it bore fruit, as the Irish midfielder headed a David Beckham corner past Juve keeper Angelo Peruzzi in the 24th minute to give United a glimmer of hope.

With the score at 2-1, Keane later got booked (a yellow card) by referee Urs Meier for a harsh challenge on Zinedine Zidane, which meant a suspension from the final, if United managed to qualify.

But United got right back into the contest as Dwight Yorke headed in Andrew Cole’s cross in the 34th minute to make it 2-2, and give Ferguson’s side the away goals advantage.

Juventus were clearly rattled as they desperately tried to claw back into the contest in the second half, only for some tight defending by Keane and his men to keep the Italians at bay.

As the Italians searched for a game changing goal, it was United who had the final laugh as they scored in the 83rd minute after a fine display of counterattacking football which saw Yorke rounding off the hapless Peruzzi and leaving Cole to tap in the third, and the eventual match winner.

A deflated Juventus never posed any serious threat after that goal, and at the end of the final whistle, it was United who were to play in the final after sealing a memorable win, 4-3 on aggregate.

A ‘Keane-less’ United later went on to create history at the Nou Camp, as ‘super subs’ Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunar Solksjaer scored twice in stoppage time to help Ferguson’s men pip Bayern Munich for a historic European Cup win!

5. Olympique Lyon vs Dinamo Zagreb (2011)

And finally to cap it off with a match which many believe was rigged!

Lyon were playing Zagreb in their final group game, with almost no chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

The French side, who were third in their group, needed a seven goal win in Croatia plus a favour from leaders Real Madrid, whom they required to beat second place Ajax by atleast a three goal margin.

Though Madrid did their part by shutting out Ajax by a 3-0 margin in Amsterdam, still a seven goal win against the bottom placed Croatians looked highly unlikely.

Zagreb, who were down to ten men after Jarko Leko’s red card in the 28th minute, scored first through Mateo Kovacic in the 40th minute, giving Lyon an even bigger mountain to climb.

Though Bafetembi Gomis equalised for Lyon just seconds before halftime, a knockout berth still looked an impossibility for the French side.

Come the second half and Lyon launched into an attacking blitz straight away, trying to achieve ‘mission impossible’.

Maxime Gonalons got a quick second for Lyon two minutes into the restart, and with the pressure on the Zagreb defence mounting, it was Gomis who proved to be the game changer, scoring two quickfire goals in the space of four minutes to leave the Croatians in tatters.

Gomis, who was partly aided by some weak Zagreb defending, scored in the 48th and 52 minutes to complete his hat trick, the fastest ever in a Champions league tie!

Lyon were now leading 4-1, and what seemed an impossibility just before the tie was now definitely within reach, as the French side started pouring men forward to get the remaining three goals.

And the pressure paid off as Lisandro Lopez scored Lyon’s fifth goal in the 64th minute, whereas Gomis scored a sixth (and his fourth of the game!) past the hapless Zagreb keeper, Ivan Kelava, in the 70th minute.

Jimmy Braid wrapped it up for the French side as he scored the all important seventh goal off a Lisandro flick in the 75th minute, meaning Lyon had just completed the impossible against a battered Zagreb!

A demoralised Zagreb later were just content on playing out the remainder of the tie, which meant Lyon were progressing to the knockout stages after a sensational second half goal blitz, and the Croatians exiting the competition, after conceding 22 goals in the group stages; a Champions league record!

Though there have been many other classics, such as Werder Bremen’s incredible 5-3 win over Anderlecht in 1993 and Galatasaray’s backs to the wall win over Real Madrid in 2001, the writer feels the above matches surely deserved their place in the top five list of Champions league comebacks!

Disclaimer: All views expressed are those of the author’s and do no necessarily reflect those of the site.

The prodigal son returns!

Wednesday’s fixture also means that Madrid wizard Cristiano Ronaldo will face his old club long after moving on from a dream six year spell at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo, snapped up from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 by Ferguson, went on to become a legendary figure at Old Trafford, thanks to his outrageous talent of embarrassing Premier League defenders week in and week out with a wide array of skills, and also his goal scoring prowess.

Ronaldo spent six successful seasons at United (2003-09) and won the Premier League (2006, 2007 and 2008) and the Champions League (2008) under Ferguson.

The last meeting between the two sides was way back in the 2003 quarterfinals (second leg) at Old Trafford, during Madrid’s famous ‘Galacticos’ era.

Though Madrid lost the tie 4-3 thanks to an inspired performance by David Beckham (two goals, including a trademark freekick!), the 3-1 win at the Bernabeu in the first leg ensured that they edged the Red Devils 6-5 on aggregate.

That match will always be remembered for Madrid striker Luiz Ronaldo’s masterful hattrick, which prompted the Old Trafford crowd to give the Brazilian a standing ovation.

But come Wednesday, instead of the long gone era of the ‘Galacticos’, Madrid will field a line up which, apart from Ronaldo(Cristiano), cannot be compared to the class of 2003.

Mourinho has seen better days

Angel Di Maria, Xabi Alonso and Fabio Coentrao, though good players, cannot be mentioned in the same breath of say, a Zinedine Zidane or Raul Gonzales.

United, on the other hand, may prove to be the more stronger team, considering they have the deadly duo of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, both capable of causing problems for the Madrid defence.

On the domestic front, it is a stark contrast in fortunes for the two sides, as Madrid have fallen a massive 16 points behind league leaders Barcelona, whereas United have opened up a huge 12 point gap over chasing Manchester City.

So going by current form, it looks like Madrid have no chance of retaining the La Liga this season, and also will not have it easy against an in-form United, who are fresh off a 2-0 victory over Everton.

Now, it remains to be seen as to whether an off-colour Madrid do manage to beat Ferguson’s men over two legs of high quality football and possibly win the tournament, something they have not done since 2002.

Till then, it’s game on at the Bernabeu on Wednesday!

As reports by the ‘Europol’ (Europe’s law enforcement agency) show that almost 700 professional football games ‘may’ have been fixed in recent years, by leading betting syndicates from Asian countries, the ongoing investigations bring back memories of the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal, which had hit Italian football in 2006.

Juventus, at the heart of the scandal, were demoted to Serie ‘B’, and were stripped of their two league titles (2005 and 2006), whereas other clubs such as AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were punished heavily too.

Though Italy redeemed itself by winning the World Cup that very same year, the scandal, the first in many years, sent shockwaves across Europe.

Juventus later won the Serie B title, and made a swift return to top flight football, thanks to stalwarts like Alessandro Del Piero and Pavel Nedved.

So, as the Europol continues its investigations for traces of fixing in recent matches, a Champions League group game involving Liverpool and Debrecen in 2009 has come under the radar, for alleged involvement by Asian bookies.

Debrecen keeper, Vukasin Poleksic, was allegedly approached by bookmakers to let in more than a goal against the Reds at Anfield.

But Liverpool won 1-0, and though nothing could be proved against Poleksic, he later confessed that he was approached by bookies on many occasions, to throw matches, and was given a two year ban, for failing to inform authorities.

Poleksic may just be one of many players ‘influenced’ or ‘paid up’ by international bookies, to perform poorly, and as recent reports show, a Singaporean bookie named ‘Dan Tan’, may be the ring leader behind this world wide betting scam.

Poleksic has been approached by bookies on many a occassion!

Tan, who goes by his original name of ‘Tan Seet Eng’, has previously been involved in fixing matches throughout Europe, and also has a big gang of bookies, who fix matches at his beck and call.

Though an arrest warrant has been issued by the Interpol against Tan, he still remains unharmed in his native Singapore, protected by connections to ‘powerful’ people in the country.

Also, former bookie Wilson Perumal (who was arrested for aiding Tan), confessed that the Singaporean gets his orders from an even bigger boss called as ‘Mr X’, the head honcho of match fixers in Asia.

Perumal, who was arrested in Finland, was a part of a huge betting ring run in Asia!

Perumal, arrested for fixing games in Finland, is just a small part of a huge betting syndicate, which may just come into light, provided the Europol and other crime fighting agencies like the Interpol, do succeed in gathering enough evidence against people like Tan.

And it certainly will be a day to rejoice if match fixing does get rooted out of football and sport as a whole, restoring some much needed integrity back to the ‘beautiful game’

19-year old Varane, who looked in great touch against Barcelona, scored a late header to put Madrid level in last week’s Spanish Cup semifinal against the Catalans.

Varane recieved praises from footballing pundits for his classy display in the 1-1 draw, and has also been earmarked for future greatness by the legendary Zinedine Zidane.

However, only time will tell whether the young defender can live up to all the hype surrounding him, as there have been instances in the past, when many a ‘promising’ player have faded into mediocrity (Andrei Arshavin?).

So the writer has come up with a list of players, who after that initial spark of brilliance have long since gone into obscurity.

1. Ryan Babel

A product of the famed Ajax academy, Babel was touted to set the Premier League on fire, after moving from Amsterdam to Liverpool.

Blessed with great pace and trickery, the young winger had an impressive first season at Anfield, reaching the Champions League semifinals with the Reds, only to lose out to an inspired Chelsea.

But the Dutchman failed to click later, becoming more of a peripheral figure at the club, with few goals and even fewer first team appearances.

A frustrated Babel was later sold off to Bundesliga club Hoffenhiem after four seasons with the Reds, which yielded just 22 goals in 91 appearances.

Babel scored just six goals during his two-season stay in Germany, and was then offloaded off to his childhood club Ajax.

Babel is currently on a one season contract with Ajax, but it is highly unlikely that the Dutch winger will ever fulfill the once great things so expected of him!

2. Tomas Brolin

Does the above name ring a bell?

Yes, he is the very same portly Swede who became an overnight sensation after scoring a stunner against England in Euro ’92.

Brolin, after a successful stint in the Serie A with Parma, later joined Leeds United, with the ‘Whites’ eager to taste success in both the Premier league and Europe.

Though he did well initially, injuries and disagreements with then coach Howard Wilkinson made sure his stay at Elland Road came to a premature end.

Brolin could only manage a mere 4 goals off 20 starts for Leeds and was loaned off to Swiss club FC Zurich for a three month spell in the interim.

Brolin exited Elland Road in controversial circumstances, and later went on to join Crystal Palace, to quietly end a so called ‘promising’ career!

3. Sergiy Rebrov

Tottenham Hotspur had signed Ukranian Rebrov from Dynamo Kiev in 2000, beating stiff competition in the transfer market.

Rebrov had earlier formed a lethal partnership with Andriy Shevchencko, as the duo terrorised defences across Europe with their goal-scoring exploits.

Though Shevchencko later moved on to Serie A giants AC Milan and made a mark for himself, the same cannot be said of Rebrov, as he endured a miserable time at White Hart Lane under then coach Glenn Hoddle.

Rebrov went from potential star in the making to a bench-warmer, scoring just 10 goals in 60 appearances during a four season stay at Spurs.

The Ukranian later quit Spurs and changed a host of clubs, including West Ham United and Fenerbahce, but could never recover his glory days of yore.

Rebrov rejoined Kiev in 2005 and did show glimpses of his earlier form (20 goals in 53 appearances), but later moved on to Russian club Rubin Kazan in 2008.

Kazan won the domestic league title in 2008, with Rebrov scoring 5 goals in 31 appearances.

Rebrov retired from all forms of football after a solitary season in Russia, but still remains an enigma of sorts, especially after a chequered footballing career!

4. Albert Luque

Great things were expected of Spain’s Luque, as the young winger had helped Deportivo La Coruna reach their first ever Champions League semifinals in 2003, after a miraculous comeback against Ac Milan in the quarterfinals.

‘Depor’, who had lost 4-1 away in the first leg against Milan, staged a remarkable comeback at the Riazor to win 4-0 and edge out Milan on aggregate.

Luque scored in that memorable tie, and soon went on to establish himself as a player of top quality, with clubs lining up to sign the Spaniard.

Newcastle United were successful in getting his signature, and a bright future was expected of the youngster in the Premiership.

But it all went wrong, as an injured hamstring ensured that the Spaniard would spend most of his time recovering, away from the pitch.

An injury plagued Luque played only 21 games, and managed just a mere goal(against Sunderland), in a two season stay at the Tyneside.

After leaving Newcastle, Luque moved on to Dutch club Ajax, but could never achieve anything of note, and finally ended his footballing career in Spain, after being released as a free agent by Malaga!

5. Kleberson

Described as a ‘driving force’ by his coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Kleberson was part of the famous Brazilian team which won the World Cup in 2002.

Manchester United snapped up the Brazilian from Atletico Paranaense, for a six and a half million pound fee, to replace Argentine flop Juan Sebastian Veron.

Two years later, the Brazilian was on his way out of Old Trafford, after scoring just 2 goals in 20 appearances, and was promptly sold off to Turkey’s Besiktas.

Though injuries played a major part in Kleberson’s failure to click at United, the Brazilian nevertheless was poor during his limited time at Old Trafford, and was percieved as a bigger dud than Veron.

Kleberson, who now plies his trade for Flamengo in the Brazilian League, never recovered his golden touch, and has made only a handful of appearances for the ‘Selecao’ post 2002!

Though the list of players who have failed to shine after an impressive start is huge, the writer feels the above mentioned players definitely are worth the top 5 list!

The Blues got a throw-in late on in the match (81st minute) and as Eden Hazard went on to collect the ball from the sidelines, the Swansea ballboy funnily lay on it in an attempt of time wasting.

Hazard blew both his lid and Chelsea’s slim chances of a comeback as he kicked out at the kid in frustration and was given his marching orders by referee Chris Foy.

Hazard is not the first athlete who has lost his cool in tense situations as there are countless other cases of sports personalities pushing the self destruct button, after either losing a game (John McEnroe!) or having had a heated altercation on the pitch (Zinedine Zidane!).

So the writer has come up with a list of athletes who have had some moments of sheer madness, ranging from the hilarious to the ugly!

1. David Nalbandian (2012)

Argentine Nalbandian was playing Marin Cilic in the final of the Aegon Championships in London, with the former World No 3 making one of his umpteenth comebacks in professional tennis.

Though Nalbandian won the first set, he lost both his nerve and serve in the following one and furiously kicked out at an on-court advertisement hoarding.

But the hoarding flew at a nearby linesman and left him bleeding after piercing through his shins.

Nalbandian was disqualified from playing any further in the match and had to forfeit his tournament prize money despite giving an apology to the linesman!

2. Zinedine Zidane (2006)

This maybe the most famous outburst sport has ever seen!

France were playing Italy in the 2006 World Cup final and the match was to be Zidane’s last ever in a ‘Les Blues’ shirt.

‘Zizou’, who was in great form throughout the tournament, put France in front early on (7th minute) with an audacious penalty over keeper Gianluigi Buffon, only for Marco Materrazzi to level things up for the Azzuri with a 20th minute header.

Though both sides failed to score later on forcing the game into extra time, a moment of madness by the French skipper virtually cost them a second World Cup title.

Zidane placed a ferocious headbutt onto Materazzi’s chest after a war of words with the defender and was sent off by referee Horazio Elizondo ten minutes from time.

France did hold on with ten men and took the tie to a shootout, but the loss of Zidane was clearly evident as Italy won the shootout 5-4, with David Trezeguet missing for France.

The win ensured that Italy won its fourth ever World Cup trophy and though it left the French heartbroken, Zidane was later awarded with the ‘Golden Ball’!

3. Goran Ivanisevic (2000)

Ivanisevic, along with his serve, also has a big temper!

And it was clearly evident in the Samsung Open in Brighton when the fiery Croat broke not one but three (yes three!) rackets during a second round match against Korea’s Hyung-Taik Lee.

Ivanisevic smashed his first racket after dropping serve to Lee and went on to lose the first set 7-5.

Though he did manage to win the second set, Ivanisevic’s temper got the better of him as he destroyed two more rackets in the third set after losing out crucial points to the Korean.

Ivanisevic received a code violation and was deducted a game point for his angry outburst.

But the best was yet to come as a disillusioned Ivanisevic ran out of rackets to break and had to forfeit the match to a jubiliant Lee!

4. Jose Offerman (2007)

Long Island Ducks’ Offerman was facing up to Brideport Bluefish pitcher Matt Beech in a minor league baseball match, with the 38-year-old veteran harbouring hopes of returning to Major League action.

Offerman had previously played Major League Baseball in 2005 with the New York Mets and was also a two time former All Starrer.

A good performance in the minors would have helped him get back amongst baseball’s finest before putting an end to his illustrious career.

After slamming a home run off the first pitch, Offerman got hit on his left leg by Beech’s second, prompting a wild outburst by the veteran.

Offerman ran upto to the pitcher’s mound and angrily assaulted Beech twice with his bat, also injuring Bridgeport catcher John Nathans in the process.

Beech surprisingly ended up with only a broken finger, whereas Nathans was rushed off to the hospital after suffering a concussion.

It was one of the ugliest scenes ever in modern day baseball as Offerman was ejected from the game and arrested by city police on the spot.

Offerman was later embroiled in legal proceedings with the aggrieved Beech after being slapped with a case of second degree assault!

 5. John McEnroe (1981)

McEnroe and his famous ‘You cannot be serious!’ moment!

And last but not the least, comes the legendary John McEnroe!

McEnroe, always a colourful character, was famous for his short temperedness which led to many a hilarious moment both on and off court.

But the best of the lot was definitely during the 1981 Wimbledon Championships when the American swore and ranted at chair umpire Ted James during his second round match against Tom Gullikson.

It all started with James calling a McEnroe serve out, which infuriated the American to such an extent that he went on a ranting spree against the umpire, leaving the crowd in splits.

McEnroe ended his tirade with his now famous quote ‘You cannot be serious!’ against James and was deducted two game points.

But the American went on to defeat Gullikson and had a dream run to the final where he defeated Bjorn Borg to win a memorable first Wimbledon title!

There have been many such incidents of sports personalities losing their cool over the years, with either a close call or a heated argument on field being the cause of discontent.

But the writer feels that the above mentioned outbursts were definitely worth a read, for no sport is complete without entertaining ‘rebels’ like Ivanisevic and McEnroe!

As Stoke City’s Jonathan Walters endured a miserable time in the 4-0 defeat against Chelsea on Sunday(netting two own goals and missing a penalty late on in the match), the writer can’t help but recollect players who have had similar such horror shows in the past.

Sunday’s game gave Walters the dubious distinction of being only the fourth player in the Premiership to have scored a brace of own goals(after Gary Breene, Jamie Carragher and Michael Proctor).

So inspired by Walters, the writer has come up with a list of players who have similarly had some really unfortunate moments  in the past, in games which they would like to forget as soon as possible!

Argentina were playing Colombia in the Copa America in 1999 and striker Martin Palermo, who had scored a brace in the previous game against Eucador, looked in fine touch.

Argentina won a penalty just five minutes into the game and it was Palermo who strode on to take the kick.

But it went horribly wrong as the veteran blasted his kick against the crossbar, handing Colombia a lifeline.

Colombia later took the lead through an Ivan Cordoba penalty and also had Hamilton Ricard missing one.

In a match of twists and turns, Argentina won a second penalty fourteen minutes from time with Palermo taking it again, looking to make amends for his earlier miss.

But the veteran striker missed once again as he hit his shot over the crossbar and squandered a chance to get his side level.

Colombia, who scored quickly through Edwin Congo and Johnnier Montano to take a 3-0 lead, later gifted Argentina a third penalty in the dying moments of the game for a supposed handball, with Palermo once again striding forward to take the spot kick.

And it was yet another miss as Palermo had his shot saved by keeper Miguel Callero, prompting celebrations amongst the Colombian players as the veteran striker walked off in despair after a hattrick of misses!

Woodgate had a horror debut for Real Madrid in which he first scored an own goal and was later sent off!

Real Madrid had signed Jonathan Woodgate from Newcastle United in 2004 and the young centre-back was already being hailed as the next Fernando Hierro by sections of the Bernabeu faithful.

Woodgate didn’t play a single game in 2004 due to injuries and only made his debut the following season in a league match against Athletic Bilbao.

Though he was given a warm reception by fans at the onset, it turned out to be a night to forget for the defender as he first scored an own goal and was then sent off at the hour mark for a foul on Joseba Etxeberria.

But his sending off didn’t matter much as Madrid won the tie 3-1, thanks to a brace from Raul Gonzales.

Woodgate’s debut was probably the worst ever in footballing history. The Englishman later quit Madrid due to injuries(he played only nine league games!) and made a move back to the Premier League with Middlesborough!

Carragher scored twice at the wrong end against Manchester United in 1999!

This is one match which Liverpool old boy Jamie Carragher would want to forget.

A young Carragher scored not one but two own goals in a hotly contested tie against old rivals Manchester United at Anfield.

The first one came in the 3rd minute itself after Carragher tried to head a Ryan Giggs cross clear but instead, deflected it past keeper Sander Westerveld to gift United the opener.

Though United later scored through Andy Cole in the 18th minute, Sami Hyypia pulled one back for the Reds five minutes later with a fine header.

But United virtually won the game just before halftime when the unlucky Carragher scored a second own goal by deflecting in a David Beckham freekick to make it 3-1 for the ‘Red Devils’.

Liverpool did score through Patrick Berger later on as the game progressed but United did enough to hold on to a 3-2 lead and complete a night of misery for Carragher and the Reds!

Ferdinand looked out of sorts against Leicester in 2000; seen here with teammate Matthew Jones

Everyone knows how good a player Rio Ferdinand is after his admirable displays over the years for both Manchester United and the English national team.

Ferdinand, though now a stellar figure in English football, had a torrid debut for Leeds United against Leicester City in 2000, when a three goal blitz in the first half from the ‘Foxes’ had the young defender and the Whites’ defence looking completely out of sorts.

Ferdinand, who was at that time bought from West Ham United for a record 18 million pounds, looked all at sea against a strike force comprising of Robbie Savage and Ade Akinbiyi.

Though Leeds scored a consolation goal later on through Mark Viduka and lost the match 3-1, Ferdinand was subjected to taunts of ‘What a waste of money!’ from the disgruntled ‘Whites’ supporters.

But the English defender has since silenced critics with his innumerable match-winning displays for both the club and the country and has become one of the Premier League’s all time great defenders!

Clark had a dismal game in the 8-0 defeat against Chelsea

This one’s from the ongoing season.

Chelsea hosted AstonVilla at Stamford Bridge in December, with new coach Rafael Benitez expected to get the Blues back in the Premier League title race.

Villa came into the game on the back of a six match unbeaten run and were hoping to revive a sagging season so far.

But it all went awry from the 2nd minute itself when Villa centre-back Ciaran Clark was outpaced by Fernando Torres, who gave Chelsea the lead through a fine header.

Chelsea later ran riot through the entire Villa defence, with Clark particularly being outrun and outwitted by Torres and the impressive Eden Hazard.

The Irish defender had a nightmarish game against the Blues in which he couldn’t win a single tackle nor header and also gave away a second half penalty by bringing Oscar down in the box.

The only positive for both Villa and Clark was the save by keeper Bradley Guzan off the resulting spot kick from striker Lucas Piazon in a match which the Blues dominated from start to finish.

Chelsea routed Villa 8-0 with Clark and his teammates wondering as to what really hit them!

Though there have been many such instances of players failing miserably in an odd game or two like Sunderland’s Michael Proctor, who scored a brace of own goals quite funnily against Charlton Athletic in 2003, the writer feels the above mentioned players are definitely worth a mention in the top 5 list!

It has been ten long years since Andy Roddick won the US Open.

Roddick had beaten Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets in the 2003 final at Flushing Meadows and an American tennis resurgence was very much on the cards.

Along with Roddick, a host of American youngsters such as James Blake and Taylor Dent showed great promise in the International tennis circuit and looked set to be the ‘Golden Generation’ of American tennis.

Serena and Venus Williams were rising, winning matches by the dozen (Serena had won both the Australian and Wimbledon titles in 2003), and were dominating the women’s game.

Roddick finished 2003 ranked World No.1, and American tennis looked set to have a bright and shiny future.

But fast forward to 2013 and America does not have a single male player ranked in the world’s Top 10 going into the Australian Open.

The only seeded player in the men’s draw at the upcoming Australian Open is the young Sam Querry (World No. 22).

Big serving John Isner and Mardy Fish have withdrawn from the tournament (an injured knee for the former and heart problems for the latter) and Querry will lead the American contingent in Melbourne.

Querry is the only seeded male player in the upcoming Australian Open

So what really happened to American tennis after 2003?

The rise of a certain Roger Federer is definitely a factor, as the Swiss maestro displaced Roddick from the No.1 spot after winning the 2004 Australian Open.

And Roddick never got it back, as world tennis saw the start of a ‘Federer era’ post 2003, during which the Swiss maestro completely dominated the men’s game.

Federer proved to be a virtual juggernaut, brushing aside competition at will and none of the top ranked players including Roddick looked like ending his dominance.

Roddick did reach two consecutive Wimbledon finals (2004 and 2005) and the US Open final in 2006, but was beaten by Federer (playing at his peak then) on all three occasions.

The closest Roddick came to winning a second Slam was in the 2009 Wimbledon final, when he had a marathon five set battle with Federer (the last set going to 30 games!) only for the Swiss ace to clinch a thriller.

Federer has beaten Roddick in four slam finals

After that loss, Roddick never came close to winning a Grand slam title again, and called it a day after losing to Juan Martin Del Porto in the fourth round of the 2012 US Open.

Though the women’s game still has the Williams sisters soldiering on despite stiff competition from players of the newer generation, the same cannot be said of the men’s game.

Dent disappeared after showing initial promise, whereas players such as Isner, Blake and Fish cannot be put in the league of potential Grand Slam champions.

The newer batch of American players has Querry and Donald Young, along with the rising Ryan Harrison(touted as a potential star), who may form the newer generation of American tennis.

With ‘A Rod’ retiring and the Williams sisters struggling to keep up pace with younger players (it has been two years since Serena’s French Open win), America does not look like winning a singles Grand Slam title anytime soon, at least on the men’s side.

And there exists every possibility of American tennis starting and ending off with Andy Roddick and his 2003 win!

Though others such as Everton and Chelsea had an easy time winning their respective games, the writer has come up with a list of some great cup games in the past where Goliath has taken a hammering from David!

1. Reds freeze at St George’s lane!

Skuse scored the opener for Worcester

Liverpool were facing Worcester in a third round cup tie at the Southern League(a rung below the Conference) side’s St George lane ground in 1959.

Worcester had beaten fancied Millwall in the earlier round, but were expected to roll over in submission against a strong Liverpool side(then playing in the Second Division).

In freezing conditions, egged on by a record crowd of 15,000, striker Tommy Skuse put the hosts ahead after just nine minutes.

Liverpool who struggled to equalise, fell further behind in the 81st minute when Geoff Twentyman scored a bizzare own goal by lobbing past his own keeper.

Though Twentyman quickly rectified his error minutes later with a goal from the spot , a frantic Liverpool could not score again as Phil Taylor’s side went out, giving Worcester a famous win!

2. Wrexham edge Gunners at a Racecourse thriller!

Thomas scored from this freekick to put Wrexham ahead!

It was a matchup between the best and worst of English football.

Fourth division Wrexham were set to face mighty Arsenal at their Racecourse ground, with George Graham’s Gunners firm favourites to hand out a footballing lesson to Brian Flynn’s side.

Wrexham had finished bottom of the Fourth Division in 1992, and had miraculously escaped relegation to the Conference(Aldershot took their place and were expelled due to bankruptcy), which meant Brian Flynn’s side would stay on for a season longer in the top flight.

On paper, the Arsenal side consisting of stalwarts such as David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn would have ‘murdered’ Wrexham, but as Flynn put it ‘the game wasn’t being played on paper’.

Arsenal had scored through Alan Smith in the 43rd minute and were coasting towards victory in the second half.

With nothing to lose as the game progressed, Flynn’s side started attacking Arsenal in search of an equaliser and got a freekick in the 82nd minute.

On stepped 37-year-old Welsh veteran Micky Thomas to take the kick, and he left Arsenal stunned as he fired into the top corner past Seaman’s despairing dive.

That goal turned the tie on it’s head as Wrexham scored yet again in two minutes after Steve Watkin latched on to a Gordon Davis ball and scored past Seaman to make it 2-1 and put the game past Arsenal.

Though Wrexham were knocked out by West Ham United the following round, the win remains greatest ever in the club’s history!

3. ‘Crazy gang’ topple Liverpool at Wembley!

Wimbledon upset fancied Liverpool in the 1988 final

Liverpool, reigning league champions and ‘the’ team to beat in the whole of England, were up against Don Howe’s Wimbledon in the 1988 FA cup final.

Wimbledon, nicknamed the ‘Crazy gang’ for their rough and no-nonsense style of football, were in their maiden Cup final after a dream run, but still were not given a chance against the Reds who had players such as Ray Houghton and two-time English player of the year John Barnes.

But despite the odds stacked against them, Howe’s side started off confidently and shocked the champions as Lawrie Sanchez put Wimbledon in front with a looping header just before halftime.

Stung by the goal, Liverpool came out strongly in the second half and earned a penalty which striker John Aldridge strode to take.

But Aldridge lost his nerve and missed as ‘Dons’ keeper Dave Beasant pulled off a spectacular diving save to his left.

That save turned the tie on its head as Liverpool could not find a way past some dogged ‘Dons’ defending for the rest of the match and went down 1-0 to give Howe’s side a historic cup win!

4. ‘Cherries’ on top at Dean court!

Bournemouth pulled off a major shock by beating United in 1984; here Graham scores the ‘Cherries’ opener

Bournemouth were a side playing in the Third division in 1984 and had a young manager named Harry Redknapp at helm.

The ‘Cherries’ as Bournemouth are famously known were to entertain mighty Manchester United, managed by Roy Atkinson in a third round fixture at their Dean court ground.

United, who were the current cup holders, had previously been knocked out of the League Cup by unfancied Oxford United(third division) and were looking to avoid another upset against Redknapp’s side.

The first half ended goalless with little or no attacking threat from either side.

United attacked the home side from the onset of the second half to score early and put matters to a close.

But Bournemouth suddenly hit top form and they started taking the game to United.

Redknapp’s side were a completely transformed outfit in the second half with forwards Trevor Morgan and Ian Thompson running rings around the United defence.

Even ‘Cherries’ fullback Everald La Ronde looked dangerous with his darting runs which unsettled Atkinson’s side.

And the home side took the lead at the hour mark when Milton Graham took advantage of some slack goalkeeping by United keeper Gary Bailey to score and send the 15,000 crowd into a frenzy.

United were left stunned after that goal and fell further behind a few minutes later after Thompson took advantage of a slip up by Bryan Robson to score the second and invoke a pitch invasion.

The match was temporarily called off for five minutes with police intervention needed to clear the pitch of crazy Bournemouth fans.

United never got back into the match after the restart as Bournemouth held out to claim a famous win!

5. Toffees ‘sink’ at Gay Meadow!

Jemson scored twice to send the Toffies packing!

David Moyes’ Everton travelled to Shrewsbury Town for a third round tie in 2003.

Everton, with a host of experienced Premier League players such as Richard Wright and Thomas Graveson, also had a young Wayne Rooney in their ranks and were expected to run riot at Gay Meadow.

It was an emotional reunion for both Kevin Ratcliffe and David Moyes with the former being an ex-Toffee captain(the most successful one till date!) and the latter having had played for the Shrews during the early stages of his footballing career.

The game started in wet and muddy conditions with Everton playing center backs in all four defensive positions(due to injuries to Joseph Yobo and Kevin Campbell).

Everton never looked like a team of Premier League stature as they allowed the Shrews to attack, giving them ample space and possession.

Thomas Graveson and Scott Gemill looked out of sorts in the Everton midfield and Wayne Rooney wasn’t clicking either.

Shrews striker Nigel Jameson looked in great form as he forced a couple of fine saves from Richard Wright.

Luke Rodgers was giving Jameson ample support as the duo troubled Wright and the Everton defence in the first half.

The Shrews who looked like the more dominant outfit got a freekick in the 38th minute owing to a foul on Rodgers by Graveson.

And Jameson put his side in front, curling a 20 yarder past the outstretched hands of Wright to leave Moyes’ side stunned.

Moyes brought in Niclas Alexandersson for Graveson after the break hoping to get a better performance in midfield.

The move paid off as Alexandersson levelled it for Everton as he slotted past Shrews keeper Ian Dunbavin courtesy an assist from Gemmill on the hour mark.

With the scores level at 1-1, the game later resembled a boxing match with both sides attacking to score a second.

But it was the Shrews who scored late on as Jameson glanced a header past Wright from an Ian Woan freekick to clinch a memorable win for his side and send the Toffees out of the cup!

Though there have been many more memorable cup games like Sutton beating Coventry City in 1989 and Barnsley beating both Liverpool and Chelsea in 2008, the writer feels the above mentioned matches are definitely worth the top five list!

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/09/the-five-greatest-fa-cup-upsets/feed/ 0 011032 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/04/great-bowling-spells-in-cricket-history/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/01/04/great-bowling-spells-in-cricket-history/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:58:54 +0000 Vineet19 http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1144900 As South Africa shot down the Kiwis for a measly 45 (their third lowest total in Test history!) at Cape Town, courtesy Vernon Philander‘s 5/7, the writer couldn’t help recollecting memories of similar bowling performances.

Though Philander was aided by lively bowling conditions plus some inept batting by the Kiwis, nevertheless it was a great display of fast bowling which has now put the Proteas in the driver’s seat.

Philander’s fifer wrecked New Zealand!

Here is a list of some great bowling spells from the past!

1. McGrath’s fifer sends the Pommies flying at Lords!

McGrath dismantled England at Lords!

England had got off to an amazing start at Lord’s in the first Test of the 2005 Ashes series, after the Aussies had found Stephen Harmison (5/43) too hot to handle and were bundled out for a lowly 190.

It was England’s best ever start in an Ashes series for years and was probably a great opportunity for Michael Vaughan’s side to clinch a 1-0 lead against the old enemy.

But Glenn McGrath had other plans as he put on a bowling masterclass by dismissing five English batsmen in the space of 31 deliveries to leave England reeling at 21/5.

It was bowling at its best as McGrath dismissed Marcus Trescothick (caught behind),  Andrew Strauss (caught behind), Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell and Andrew Flintoff (all bowled) with unerring accuracy to swing the Test back in Australia’s favour.

McGrath’s spell left England spellbound as they were bundled out for 155 in their first innings.

Australia put up a strong 384 in their second innings and set England an imposing 420 run target to chase.

But it was not to be as a demoralised England crashed out for 180 (McGrath had a 4 wicket haul) to give Australia a huge 239 run victory and a 1-0 lead in the series!

2. The name’s Bond, Shane Bond!

Australia were facing New Zealand in a Super Six tie of the 2003 World Cup at Port Elizabeth and had won all seven of their previous group games.

An upset win against the World champs would have ensured a semifinal spot for the Kiwis, and it seemed a real possibility when Shane Bond unleashed a spell of blistering pace which left the Aussie top order in shambles.

Bond, who bowled at breakneck speed, took 6/23 in his 10 overs and reduced Australia to 84/7.

An eight-wicket 97 run stand between Andy Bichel and the ever reliable Michael Bevan rescued Australia as they managed to reach a respectable 208/9 in 50 overs.

Though Bond made a mark for himself in international cricket after the six wicket haul, the Kiwis could not muster similar heroics with the bat as they crumbled for 112 against an inspired Brett Lee (5/42) and Glenn McGrath (3/29) to lose by 96 runs.

This performance helped Bond better his previous best against the Aussies (5/25 at Adelaide in 2001).

 3. Ambrose has the Aussies jumping at the WACA!

West Indies had come into the fifth and final Test match of the Frank Worrell trophy at Perth after clinching a thrilling one run victory at Adelaide to level the series 1-1.

With the score at 58/2, David Boon and Mark Waugh looked to steady the Australian innings and set them up for a good first innings total.

Then started the Curtly Ambrose show, as the giant pacer produced a devastating spell in which he dismissed seven Aussie batsmen for just one run.

Ambrose’s victims (Boon and Waugh included) were all either caught behind by the wicket-keeper or the slip cauldron.

Ambrose’s spell was probably the best ever by a West Indian bowler in Test cricket, and it ensured that the Aussies were bundled out for 119.

Richie Richardson’s men later went on to take a huge second innings lead and won the match comfortably by an innings and 25 runs, clinching the series 2-1.

4. Akram swings it around for Pakistan!

Akram swung the 1992 final in Pakistan’s favour; here seen appealing for Derek Pringle’s wicket

Graham Gooch’s side were tottering at 69/4, chasing a stiff 250 set by Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup final in Melbourne.

Neil Fairbrother and Allan Lamb had put on 72 for the fifth wicket and looked like pulling off a famous win for the English.

Skipper Imran Khan then decided to bring Wasim Akram back into the attack in the 35th over, hoping for a breakthrough.

And the move paid off as Akram produced a vicious out-swinger to shatter Lamb’s off stump and produced an equally stunning in-swinger the very next ball to castle Chris Lewis.

England never recovered from those two dismissals and were soon all out for 227.

Pakistan won its maiden World Cup title and Akram was named Man of the Match for his heroics!

 5. English hero ‘Beefy’!

It was the 1981 Ashes series and England had levelled the six match series 1-1 after winning the third Test at Headingley, thanks to Ian Botham’s now famous 149.

In what turned out to be a low scoring fourth Test at Edgbaston,  a less than impressive batting performance by the English saw them set a lowly 150 run target for Kim Hughes’ men to hunt down.

Australia were cruising along at 105/5 and it looked only a matter of time till the Aussies were 2-1 up in the series.

Skipper Mike Brearley, seemingly at a loss for ideas, tossed the ball to Botham.

And Botham responded as he produced a magical spell, dismissing five Aussie batsmen for just 1 run and helping England snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Aussies didn’t know what hit them as they were shot out for 121 and lost by 29 runs.

Botham hit 118 in the next Test at Old Trafford as England won and went on to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.

The series turned Botham into an overnight English hero (Botham scored 399 runs and took 34 wickets) and was later rechristened as ‘Botham’s Ashes’!

Though there have been many memorable bowling spells in both Test and One Day cricket, such as Anil Kumble‘s ten wicket haul against Pakistan and Fred Trueman’s 8/31 against India way back in 1952, the writer feels the above mentioned spells were definitely worth a mention!

Though Sunday’s knock proved to be in vain, as Pakistan had an easy 6 wicket win, the following five knocks weren’t:

India were playing Pakistan in Vishakapatnam (2005) and had lost Tendulkar early on, when a young Dhoni made his way to the crease.

Pakistan were looking dangerous with pacer Naved ul Hasan in top form and there was every chance of India getting skittled out cheaply.

But Dhoni put all such fears to rest as he tore into the Pakistani pacers and hit an amazing 148 off 123 balls (15 fours and 4 sixes), and formed two match-winning partnerships with Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid (96 and 149 for the second and fourth wickets respectively).

Dhoni’s sudden assault took the Pakistani pacers by surprise, as India went on to finish with a huge score of 356 and registered a comfortable 58 run win.

Six months later, India took on Sri Lanka at Jaipur. The Lankans batted first and left India with a target of 299 to chase, thanks to a superb 138 by Kumar Sangakkara.

India were left with the same scenario once again, as Tendulkar got out cheaply to Chaminda Vaas and Dhoni joined Virender Sehwag out in the middle.

It was Vizag repeated once again as Dhoni came out firing all cylinders and smashed home an unbeaten 183 (15 fours and 10 sixes) off 145 balls.

Dhoni’s knock was brutal to say the least, as he bettered his previous best of 148. The Jharkand lad put on important partnerships with Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh as India won comfortably with six wickets in hand and almost four overs to spare.

The knock remains the highest ever score by an Indian wicketkeeper in ODIs till date.

It was the final of the 2011 World Cup and the entire country watched on with bated breath as India took on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede. India had last won the World Cup way back in 1983 and had been humiliated by Australia in the 2003 final. Winning at the Wankhede would have meant India exorcising the ghosts of 2003 and giving a fitting farewell to Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing in his last World Cup.

A classy 103 by Mahela Jayawardene propelled Sri Lanka to a challenging total of 274.

Chasing 275, India looked in all sorts of trouble as a charged up Lasith Malinga dismissed both Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar early on to leave India reeling at 31/2.

Though Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli steadied the innings and took India past the 100 run mark, Kohli fell with the score at 114, and to everyone’s surprise, Dhoni promoted himself up the order and walked in to bat.

The move proved to be a master stroke as the skipper put on a match winning 109-run partnership with Gambhir, which took the game away from the Lankans.

After Gambhir’s departure (a fighting 97), Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh put on 54 for the fifth wicket; Dhoni sent the entire country into delirium when he smashed home a six off Kulasekara to win India only it’s second World Cup.

Pakistan had scored a mammoth 288 in the 3rd ODI at Lahore (2006), courtesy Shoaib Malik’s ton(108) and Abdul Razzaq’s fighting 64.

Chasing 289 in overcast conditions, India lost Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan early on to Mohammad Asif, who was swinging the ball around devilishly.

Though a masterful 95 from Sachin Tendulkar ensured that India did cross the 150 run mark, with India tottering on at 190/5,  Dhoni joined forces with Yuvraj Singh.

And what followed next was a treat for batting fans as the two creamed the Pakistani bowling all around the park, adding 1o2 in just 13 overs.

Dhoni hit 13 fours in a quickfire 72 off 46 balls and was provided able support by Yuvraj (79 off 87 balls) at the other end, as they finished off the match, with Dhoni slamming a four off Razzaq.

India later went on to win the series 4-1.

Very unlike the above mentioned knocks, the 44 at Adelaide against the Aussies in 2012 ranks amongst one of Dhoni’s calmest knocks under pressure.

India were chasing a challenging 270 run target in the fourth match of the CB series and lost Gautam Gambhir with the score at 178/4. Dhoni joined Suresh Raina and put on 61 for the fifth wicket which helped steady the Indian innings. After Raina fell, Dhoni put on 18 more with Ravindra Jadeja which ensured that India needed 13 to win off the last over.

And what followed was a frantic finish as he hit nine runs in two deliveries off Clint Mckay(6, 3), and powered India to a thrilling win.

It was the same old story once again for Liverpool, as they went down 1-3 away to Stoke City- the latest loss in a not-so-great season for the Reds so far.

Though the Reds had earlier taken a lead in the second minute through a Steven Gerrard penalty, goals from Jonathan Walters and Kenwyne Jones ensured that Brendan Rodgers’ side will now have a mountain to climb to even challenge for the top three.

This was Liverpool’s sixth defeat of the season and they now lie in 10th spot, below Swansea.

Though Liverpool do not look like winning the league any time soon, the club faithful have had a long and agonizing wait (22 years since they last won the league!), with the 2008-09 season being the closest Liverpool have come to winning the league (second to Manchester United despite finishing with 86 points- a club record).

Footballing pundits have come up with many theories regarding Liverpool’s fall from grace, which range from the selling off of important players like Xabi Alonso to frequent managerial changes(Rodgers is the fourth Reds manager after Rafael Benitez’s exit).

With the exception of the Europa League (Liverpool have qualified for the knockout stages as group winners), the current season looks likely to be an encore of the previous four for the Reds.

It all started when American owners George Gillette and Tom Hicks took over after Liverpool’s stunning 2005 Champions League win, in mysterious circumstances, as Anfield was then dreaming of Gerrard and manager Rafael Benitez bringing back the glory days of yore.

Steven Gerrard had established his name as a club legend after the sensational win over AC Milan in Istanbul and the Reds looked like a team rising from rivals Manchester United’s shadow with a spectacular FA Cup win over West Ham United to add to a great EPL season where they finished third.

Gillette and Hicks beat off stiff competition from other competitors like The Dubai International Capital Group to become owners of Liverpool.

That probably started the club’s rapid slide in both English and European football as the new owners had little experience in managing a professional sports outfit.

Their failure to connect with the Anfield faithful, plus differences with then-manager Benitez, meant the Spaniard had a hard time during the American owners’ regime.

The main aim of Gillette and Hicks was probably to make profits by buying out the club, and it backfired miserably.

Benitez, who was looking to build on the momentum of Liverpool’s sudden success, was not given a reasonable wage budget during the transfer window, which meant the Spaniard could not buy the players on his radar, such as Slyvian Distin and Stevan Jovetic.

This prompted Benitez to sell off midfield stalwart Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid for a huge amount(30 million pounds) to ensure a reasonable wage budget for some big signings (read Gareth Barry).

It is a different matter altogether that Benitez failed to bring in Barry to Anfield and also had a host of other players leaving the club (Craig Bellamy, Andreas Dossena), which left the squad considerably weakened.

Alonso’s departure was probably the turning point for the club, as it left a huge gap in the midfield, for Benitez could not bring in a player of the Spaniard’s quality.

Despite his differences with the club owners, Benitez almost won Liverpool the league in 2008-09, and was sacked after a mediocre 2010(7th place).

The Spaniard later revealed that he felt like a ‘bank manager’ during his time in the ‘Gillette-Hicks’ era, and was relieved to have been sacked.

Liverpool almost went under administration after a High Court battle in 2010, which resulted in Gillette and Hicks’ ouster from the club for financial issues.

Fans led a sigh of relief when John Henry of the Fenway Sports Group(FSG) took over later, and now hope that the club can rise again from the financial mess caused during the ‘Gillette-Hicks’ era.

And the current season under coach Rodgers may just be the perfect time to launch a comeback!

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/29/gillette-hicks-the-reason-for-liverpools-fall-from-grace/feed/ 0 02576 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/27/crickets-most-famous-sledging-incidents/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/27/crickets-most-famous-sledging-incidents/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:30:06 +0000 Vineet19 http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1117577 As Ishant Sharma and Kamran Akmal had a go at each other in the midst of a tense India-Pakistan T20 tie at Bangalore on Tuesday, the mind went back to some of world cricket’s famous fights and sledges, which range from the hilarious to ugly.

Cricket has always been known as ‘The gentleman’s game’, but on-field sledging has always been a part and parcel of the sport.

From a young Sachin Tendulkar showing Abdul Qadir and the Pakistanis as to who really was the boss, to the infamous McGrath-Sarwan shouting match at Antigua, cricket has had it’s own share of on-field spats.

Here is a list of some famous on-field clashes which have made headlines over the years.

1.  Prasad shows Sohail the way out!

Out you go: Prasad clean bowls Sohail in 1996!

India were playing Pakistan in the quarterfinals of the 1996 World Cup, and openers Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar were tearing the Indian bowling apart while chasing an imposing  288 run target (thanks to some late Ajay Jadeja heroics!).

After hitting Venkatesh Prasad for a couple of fours, Sohail mockingly gestured Prasad as to which part of the pitch he should bowl to.

The rest is history as a charged up Prasad sent Sohail’s stumps flying the very next delivery and returned the favour by gesturing Sohail the way out to the pavillion!

That dismissal turned the tie on its head as India outplayed Pakistan for a memorable win.

2.  Tendulkar is the ‘man’!

Wonder ‘kid’!

The year was 1989, which saw ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar debuting against Pakistan and facing bowlers of the calibre of Wasim Akram and Imran Khan(at the ‘tender’ age of 16!).

Though, Tendulkar was initially jeered by the Pakistani players for being a ‘kid’, his famous assault on legendary spinner Abdul Qadir in the Peshawar ODI made the Pakistanis eat humble pie.

After Tendulkar had hit Mushtaq Ahmed for two sixes in an over, an incensed Qadir challenged Tendulkar to ‘take on a man’ (Qadir).

Tendulkar duly obliged and hit Qadir for four sixes in his next over, which left Qadir whimpering like a kid and the little genius beaming like a ‘man’!

3. Hughes gets Miandad’s ticket!

Well, i got your ‘ticket’ mate!

This one is the most hilarious of the lot.

Pakistan were playing Australia in a test in Adelaide and pacer Merv Hughes was at the receiving end of some barbs from Javed Miandad.

Things got even uglier as Miandad called Hughes a ‘fat bus conductor’ and almost went into a fighting match with the Aussie pacer.

But Hughes had the last laugh, as after dismissing Miandad he couldn’t help but quip to the batsman, “Tickets please!”

4. The ‘Barmy Army’ sticks it up the Aussies!

Brett Lee gets some treatment from the ‘Barmy Army’ in 2005!

English cricket’s most devout followers, the ‘Barmy Army’ decided to have a go at the struggling Aussies from the stands during the historic Ashes series in 2005.

Here are a few gems that were reserved for Pointing and co!

Are you Bangladesh in disguise?

He is fat, he is round, he bounces on the ground, Shane Warne!

Nonetheless, England had a memorable Ashes that summer!

5. Trueman shows his lighter side!

And last but not the least, this one is dedicated to English fast bowling great Fred Trueman.

Trueman, who was known for his lethal pace, once dismissed a young batsman in an English county game.

The batsman who was probably just starting off in English cricket, later complimented Trueman for bowling a beauty.

To which Trueman replied: “Aye, and it was wasted on you!”

***

There have been countless other incidents of opposing cricketers trading humorous barbs and even going plain crazy sometimes (Remember Sreesanth and his antics against the South Africans?).

But the writer feels the above-mentioned incidents definitely are worth remembering for every cricket fan, as a bit of on field banter definitely livens up the game!

Following the 3-0 thrashing by Juventus in Turin, which has left current European champions (yes you read that right!) Chelsea on the verge of an embarrassing group stage exit, Italian Roberto Di Matteo has become the latest manager to get the sack in the Roman Abramovich era.

Di Matteo, who had famously coached the ‘Blues’ to their maiden European title the previous season, has turned from hero to zero, following defeat in Italy.

Matteo’s exit brings to mind other famous casualties  which include Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. Now, the current champs definitely need a miracle to advance to the knockout phases.

And even if they do (providing Shakthar Donetsk do them a favour by beating Juventus), reaching the final once again looks like a bleak prospect.

Juve players celebrate a goal in the 3-0 defeat of Chelsea in Turin

Though a Europa League spot is scant consolation, considering their famous win over Bayern Munich in last year’s final, the fact remains that Abramovich and the club management are in need of a reality check, as di Matteo becomes the eighth manager to be seen off in nine years of the Russian tycoon’s ownership.

If Mourinho and Ancelotti got the boot for failure on their part to help the club taste European glory (despite helping the club win the Premier League title), di Matteo’s sacking has come as a shock for both players and fans alike.

Mourinho and Ancelotti are two famous managers to have been sacked during the Abrahimovich era

The only blunder di Matteo made in Turin was probably playing Eden Hazard as a ‘false forward’, a tactic which backfired miserably, for scoring past Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon is not something which happens everyday.

Hazard, a natural winger, found the going too tough against physically dominant defenders like Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, and was easily shut out by the Italian defence for the rest of the game.

Hazard had a night to forget against the Juve defence

Former Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez will now replace di Matteo as coach, and it remains to be seen whether the Spaniard can survive the Chelsea hotseat, which has become the equivalent of a time bomb ticking away in recent years.

Former Liverpool coach Benitez has replaced Matteo as the Chelsea manager

Now irrespective of whether Chelsea win the Premier League or even the Europa League (which they look to be resigned to compete in barring a miracle in the Champions league) this season, the once coveted job in world football has turned into a managing graveyard of sorts during Abrahimovich’s reign at the London club.

And the writer strongly feels that if money can help a club acquire star players and even managers, it definitely cannot buy you everlasting success in football.

Good luck Mr.Benitez!

The name’s Zlatan, Zlatan Ibrahimovich.

After scoring a stunner of a goal against England at Stockholm, an overhead kick from 35 yards out, ‘Ibra’ has proved that goal scoring is an art, and the giant Swede is an artist of the game.

Though the goal reminded fans of some great finishes in Ibrahimovich’s career, most notably his ‘Kung Fu’ style backheeled goal against Italy in Euro 2004, it may be too early to place ‘Ibra’ in the pantheon of modern footballing greats, just on the basis of one spectacular attempt.

‘Ibra’ exults after scoring the ‘wonder goal’ against England!

Now Ibrahimovich is no ordinary player and there is enough proof of his talent, as his impressive resume of nine league titles in four different countries show, he still cannot be compared to say a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of pure talent.

Ibrahimovich, for all his talent on the field, also has a knack of grabbing headlines and being in the spotlight, as was evident during his time at Barcelona.

Ibrahimovich, initially a big money signing for the Catalan giants (50 million pounds!), turned into a forlorn figure during his time at the Nou Camp,with few first team appearances and even fewer goals.

The Swede fell out with then Barca coach, Pep Guardiola,  as he made a hasty exit from the La liga to the Serie A (on loan to AC Milan), after just one season (Barca won the league that season!).

A ‘disgusted’ Zlatan later hit out on Guardiola and Barca’s ‘school boy’ footballing system in his bio ‘I am Zlatan’, and revealed his ‘unhappy’ days at the Catalan club.

Ibrahimovich has a great history of  doing things his ‘own way’, and the most hilarious incident must definitely be the one during his time at Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, when a young Ibra impersonated a police officer and attempted to arrest a man in search of ‘business’ in Amsterdam’s famous red light district.

Another incident was during his time with AC Milan, when in a moment of madness he kicked team mate Rodney Strasser in the back for no apparent reason, during a training ground session.

Ibrahimovich shows Robinho why exactly he holds a Taekwondo black belt!

His run ins with Guardiola made for good headlines, as both had personalities as different as chalk and cheese.

The fiery Swede and the calm Spaniard could never get along, as Ibra called Guardiola a ‘philosopher without balls’ and many other unmentionables, while the former Barca coach admitted to having heaved a sigh of relief after loaning the Swede off to Milan.

Ibrahimovich’s other notable quotes include letting former Aston Villa striker, John Carew know that he can play better football than the Norweigian with an ‘orange’ and telling reporters that he plays football ‘Zlatan style’.

Love or hate him, Ibrahimovich is a player who just cannot be ignored for all his talents on the  football pitch (ask Joe Hart!) and his larger than life persona.

And the man who once turned down an ‘audition’ at Arsenal, also holds a black belt in Taekwondo!

Alexandre Pato (L) of AC Milan shoots and misses a penalty during the Serie A match between AC Milan and ACF Fiorentina

And it looks like some Milan ‘fans’ took Shankly’s quote way too seriously, after they surrounded and threatened Brazilian star Alexandre Pato in his car, during his way out of the San Siro, following Milan’s 3-1 defeat to Fiorentina.

The fans were apparently disgruntled over Pato missing a penalty and Milan going down timidly later in the match.

Andres Escobar

Pato’s case brings to mind many such incidents, where players have been attacked (or killed) by fans for having the odd bad game or for reasons like scoring an own goal, which sends your team out of the World Cup.

Yes, the writer is referring to Colombia’s Andres Escobar, who scored an own goal against the United States in the 1994 World Cup, which lead to Colombia’s ouster from the tournament.

Escobar later had to pay with his life for his ‘mistake’, as he was shot down by members of a Colombian drug cartel, for the World Cup exit had supposedly caused heavy gambling losses to the powerful mafia bosses.

Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas is another guy who had incurred the wrath of a Mexican drug lord during his time at Primera division team, Club America.

Cabanas was shot in the head at a bar in Mexico City over an apparent dispute  and had to be rushed off for an immediate craniatomy surgery.

Salvador Cabanas

Though, doctors had to call off the surgery midway (as they found it too risky to remove the bullet lodged in Cabanas’ brain), he has made a miraculous recovery over the years (with the bullet still lodged in his head though, a header here or there can prove to be fatal), as he took part in a tribute match between the Paraguayan national side and Club America, and still continues to play for Paraguayan third division side, 12 de Octubre.

And last, but not the least, the most shocking incident will have to be one involving former Arsenal youngster, Sam Kanu.

Kanu, who retired from the game early owing to a knee injury, was left battered after a race related attack.

Kanu, who worked as an entertainment officer for the London Mayor and had set up a club for aspiring street footballers after ending his footballing career, is now wheel chair bound, with brain damage and loss of speech, after the horrific attack.

Sam Kanu(image credit: keywordpicture.com)

Though, there are players like Mexican midfielder Juan Carlos Silva (who escaped after getting shot on his buttocks by a druglord) and Cabanas, who have managed to hold on to their precious lives, after incurring the wrath of the so called ‘football loving ganglords’, others like Escobar and Kanu were not so lucky.

Though, football was and always will remain as the ‘beautiful game’, fans (and ganglords) must remember that there is more to life than just playing and winning a game of football.

Else, like Cabanas and Escobar’s cases show, football can definitely become the difference between life and death!

Shakhtar had twice pulled back into the game, courtesy some clinical finishing from Willian, and with the scores locked at 2-2, Chelsea looked like heading for an early exit from this season’s tournament.

But Moses lived up to his name, as he put a classy header past Shakhtar custodian Andriy Pyatov, late in injury time, which ultimately proved to be the match winner.

Moses’ late winner bought back memories of the late goal heroics of former Red Devil Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (the famous 1999 Champions League final of course!) and Manchester City‘s Edin Dzeko (versus QPR last season!); arguably two of the most famous substitutions ever to be made in club football history.

Moses played ‘Super sub’ for Chelsea against Shakthar!

Though footballing history has many such instances of substitutes coming on late to score a last gasp winner or an equaliser, the fact remains that a substitute is still a ‘substitute’.

Ask Cesc Fabregas of Barcelona.

The Spaniard, a product of the Catalans’ famed ‘La Masia’ academy, for all his prodigious talents, still struggles to make it to the Spain starting eleven, thanks to Spain’s famous midfield duo of Xavi and Andreas Iniesta (Fabregas can take consolation from the fact that unlike Juan Mata and Mikel Arteta, he at least comes on as a sub!).

Former France international Vikash Dhorashoo is another guy who has spent most of his international career as a substitute.

After getting booed and jeered by the ‘Les Blues’ faithful for replacing the legendary Zinedine Zidane in a pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico at the Stade De France, Dhorasoo had to warm the bench during most of France’s run up to the 2006 World Cup final (Ironically, Dhorasoo started in each of France’s qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup!).

A frustrated Dhorasoo later went on to make a documentary film called as ‘Substitute’, with friend and film maker Fred Poulet.

Dhorasoo cuts a desolate figure during the 2006 World Cup!

The film reveals how Dhorasoo felt like a ‘football player who could not play football’ and many other frustrations the player had to face during his time with the ‘Les Blues’.

Dhorasoo, who is famously named as ‘The French footballing philosopher’ and ‘The guy who replaced Zizou’, and Fabregas, are just two of many players in professional football who, despite having great talent and skill, have to play second fiddle to more skilled players.

As the good old saying goes, ‘Everything is fair in love and football’, there certainly is no reason for players like Fabregas and Dhorasoo to stop loving the game, as coming on as a substitute and making a mark with a late winner or equaliser has a glory of its own.

And Chelsea’s Moses will definitely agree with this writer on that fact!

Did Mourinho crack the ‘Barca code’ in 2010?

As Neil Lennon and the whole of  Celtic park went into euphoria after Celtic’s stunning 2-1 victory over Barcelona on Wednesday night, the most amazing part of the ‘Bhoys’ historic win was the massive difference in ball possession between both sides (89% – 11% in  Barcelona’s favour!)

Though Celtic keeper Fraser Forster was undoubtedly the hero of the game with his world-class saves,  Barcelona failed to break down the Celtic citadel despite having attacked the goal throughout the game.

Forster probably had the game of his life against Barcelona!

The game bought back memories of Barcelona’s Champions league losses against Chelsea (last season) and Inter Milan (masterminded by Jose Mourinho, who coined the ‘Parking the Bus’  phrase after that famous win in the 2010 semifinal!), with both teams having adopted an ultra defensive approach against the Catalans.

Even, lesser known teams like Rubin Kazan and Shaktar Donetsk have managed to beat Barcelona in recent times using a defensive approach, which raises the question as to whether adopting an ultra-defensive approach is the only way to beat Barcelona.

Now though there are numerous teams like Rangers and Stoke City which play a physical and defensive game, day in and day out in their respective leagues, only to be beaten by a far superior team like say Arsenal (barring the odd upset or two), playing ultra-defensively looks like the only logical approach for a weaker team against stronger opposition.

Playing defensively or ‘Parking the Bus’ as it is called, implies a team putting all of its players in its own half to wear out attacking teams like Barcelona and Arsenal.

Chelsea ‘Parked the bus’ in their win over the Catalans last year!

Though footballing purists have always scorned upon such defensive tactics, labelling it as ‘anti-football’ and against the ‘spirit of the game’, the fact remains that fighting fire with fire against a team of Barcelona’s calibre will definitely backfire badly (Ask Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal side which got blown away by ‘four goal’ Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp in 2010!)

The writer, after observing Celtic’s victory on Wednesday night, feels the following ‘Five step guide’ is the key to beat a team like Barcelona!

1. Allow Barcelona possession!

As Lennon and his boys proved on Wednesday night that to win football matches teams need to score as well, allowing Barcelona possession and relying on a strong counter attack must be the first and foremost strategy against the Catalans.

Amazing statistics from Wednesday’s game!

2. The entire eleven must defend well

The next step would be in all eleven players ready to hold on to their positions and defending well (really well!) Chelsea’s win in last season’s semifinal is a classic example, where even creative and attacking players like Juan Mata and Frank Lampard acted as the situation demanded, holding on to their positions and putting up a good defensive display.

Despite being a creative player, Mata did well defensively against Barcelona!

3. Try to take Barcelona as wide as possible (they are least effective from the wings.)

Though Barcelona boast of the best midfield and attack in the world, statistics reveal that the Catalans are not that effective when on the wings. Roberto Di Matteo probably took note of this last year, when his Chelsea side pressurised the Catalans in playing wide for the majority of the game, thus leaving them with the only option of passing sideways.

Forcing attacking players like Iniesta on the wings remains an integral part of the ‘Five step guide’!

 4. Have a good counter attacking game.

This one is a must against Barcelona, as trying to fight fire with fire will definitely result in disaster against the Catalans. Chelsea demonstrated it perfectly with Didier Drogba, as he played his role to perfection, troubling and tormenting Barcelona’s defence whenever Chelsea attacked on the break.

Chelsea used Drogba to good effect against the Catalans last year!

5. Hope for the best!

Messi got a bit unlucky by missing his penalty aggainst Chelsea!

And last but not the least ‘Hope for the best’, as a little bit of luck is always needed in a game of football!

Though the above ‘Five step guide’ is just the personal opinion of the writer, in the end, football is a game which is to be played instinctively and not with strategies and tactics!

As Manchester City proved last season, if not for happiness, money can certainly help you win the Barclays Premier League. With that, football fans may rightly wonder about the changing dynamics in world (read European) football.

Roman Abramovich started the trend of multimillionaire owners taking over a mediocre football club (read Chelsea) years back, and now European football looks in danger of a sudden ‘Qatari’ invasion.

Apart from Chelsea and City, other notable takeovers include that of French club Paris Saint Germain and Spanish side Malaga, both having Qatari owners.

Though, the sudden interest in European clubs from the middle eastern Sheikhs and oil magnates is all but evident, is money really the be all and end all in football?

Now, though money does help clubs like City and PSG beat traditional big spenders (Real Madrid, Barcelona) in the transfer market (City’s spending spree and PSG’s buying of stars like Javier Pastore and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is testimony to the fact!), it certainly does not seem like a worthy solution for winning trophies consistently.

City’s meek group stage exit in their inaugural Champions League season (City are almost out this season too!) shows however that though well-invested money and big signings can help you win a trophy initially, it certainly does not guarantee you footballing immortality.

On the contrary, ‘poorer’ clubs like Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and French side Montpellier have proven the ‘more money-more trophies’ theory wrong by performing way better than City and PSG.

Dortmund, which is enjoying a great European season (despite selling off prized assets Nuri Sahin and Shinji Kagawa), can be an example of a club managing to succeed in Europe despite having no great finances to show for (Dortmund have won the last two Bundesliga titles!).

Even Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam, though not a traditional money spinner, have proved that having a great youth academy (Ajax has one of Europe’s best youth systems) plus good club management can make a club competitive enough in European football (City fans will vouch for the fact after the recent 3-1 humbling in the Amsterdam Arena!).

The best example is that of Montpellier, who surprised footballing pundits by finishing ahead of PSG to win the French league last season.

Olivier Giroud was the chief architect in the minnows’ surprise league win (21 goals and 9 assists), when all the talk revolved around PSG dominating French and European football.

Giroud helped Montpellier to its maiden French league title!

Even English club Newcastle United, with an impressive scouting network and some great homegrown talent have made their mark by finishing fifth in the previous Premier League season.

However, though clubs like Dortmund, Montpellier and Newcastle may manage to perform well for a season or two despite their apparent lack in finances, the money factor can definitely not be counted out in football, as having a strong financial backing has its own set of advantages.

Now it remains to be seen whether the likes of Dortmund and Montpellier can carry on their successful run in the years to come, or just fade away into mediocrity after temporary success.

Only time will tell whether success in football depends upon having a cash rich owner who can splurge and bring in the star signings, or whether it lies in forming a great youth system which produces good home grown talent, a la Dortmund and Newcastle.

So, irrespective of whether the likes of City or PSG win the Champions League or not in the near future, European football definitely looks set to be a battle between the ‘richer Goliaths’ and ‘poorer Davids’!