This post has nothing to do about the Birmingham match, but I wanted to mention Simon Davies - a class act, who's currently stuggling to exert influence. He strikes me as the type of player that requires the team around him to be playing well, and won't take the game by the scruff of the neck and up the tempo himself. Hopefully, the corner's been turned, and we can have top half players in a top half team.
I just wanted to poke attention toward Simon Jordan's Observer column. Jordan is the Chairman of Crystal Palace, and speaks about the game with a rare flash of reality. In this article he talks about young Southampton star Theo Walcott:
Theo told the media he's 'ignoring' the transfer talk for now because 'my parents will help me out with that - and so will my agent.' And what does his agent reckon? 'He's an ambitious lad... he'd be very flattered to speak to clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool.'
The worst thing about this boringly familiar pattern is that the pushiness, the kudos-chasing, the desire for an instant move almost never starts with the player.
And who's the agent? Yes, you've guessed it, Mr Paul Stretford.
Jordan speaks no nonsense, and also takes on the media:
I'm always surprised by Selhurst's reputation. Where's worse? The boardroom at Withdean is a scout hut. And if you want to build a stadium out of pop rivets and MDF, go and look at the Den. At least 60 grounds should be in that list below us. So why do the media relish slagging off Selhurst so much? There's one big reason: the media facilities aren't that great. And why's that? Because the media have consistently had a go at me for the last five years, so I took their biscuits away.
He even provides a wake up call for us fans:
Why has none of the blanket press analysis this month pointed out that ticket pricing is actually so low in top-level football that it's economically unrealistic?
Here's the key accusation: clubs are charging high prices for a laboured product because they're run by greedy, short-sighted morons. OK, there are a few of those in football, but the majority are doing an impossible job well. I keep hearing the phrase 'fans pay the players' wages', but fans need to know gate receipts don't come anywhere near doing that.
In football, as ever, reality is not optional.
Why do football commentators address the viewers as if they have the maturity of 12-year-olds and the intellects of baboons? Because they assume that they are football fans.
Posted by: dearieme | November 01, 2005 at 01:36 AM