Steven Gerrard’s role model status under threat

(courtesy of Wikipedia)


The darling of English football and Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard (pictured above) has been charged with assault and affray after a fracas at a Merseyside nightclub early Monday morning.

Five other men were arrested along with Gerrard, near the Lounge Inn in Southport.

A 34-year-old man was taken to hospital with facial injuries following the alleged incident.

Hours earlier, Gerrard had been a two-goal hero for Liverpool, heralded as the club’s driving force in their emphatic 5-1 victory over an abysmal Newcastle side.

In a season that promises much for Liverpool and much for their devoted and long suffering captain, as they look make history by clinching the Premiership title, it is peculiar timing for such an occurance to take place.

But perhaps it is a sign that his ego might have got too big. When you are worshipped to the extent that Gerrard is, is it that surprisingly that it might go to his head, and on this occasion take his idol-like status one step too far.

The Times reported that Gerrard asked the alleged victim Marcus McGee to change the music at the club, and then asked for the music card that operates the sound system.

When Mr McGee refused, Gerrard apparently elbowed him - “although this is not known if this was deliberate or not” – which then sparked a brawl.

Reign in expectations

But perhaps it is our own expectations of a football player that have to be reigned in.

Gerrard’s loyalty to Liverpool and his skilful and passionate approach to the game have led many a pundit this season to willingly profess their desire for him to win the title – irrespective if the other ten players deserve it.

After all, he has shown that rare quality seen nowadays in the English game – he has stayed at his club.

Gerrard resisted the temptations of ready-made trophies at Chelsea and has done it the hard way, captaining a side that has never really looked like genuine title contenders until this season.
He has always performed for his club when it mattered most. It was Gerrard that scored the equaliser against West Ham in the FA Cup final in 2006, it was Gerrard who scored the first goal in Liverpool’s sensational comeback against AC Milan in the Champions League final in 2005.

Despite all this, Gerrard is just a bloke who makes mistakes. Perhaps it is time for us to appreciate his football, but show less partiality to the individual.

Should referees be allowed to call players by their first names?

(courtesy of Wikipedia)

As referee Howard Webb (pictured above) beckoned over to Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard in the fractious game at the Emirates yesterday, he called him “Steven” – because yes, that’s right, that’s his name.

But would he have shown the same familiarity to let’s say Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna if he was requesting his attention. “Bacary! Bacary!” I think not.

A simple note perhaps, but one that raises the issue of inconsistency in refereeing.

In March this year, when the FA were amidst yet another of their ineffective ‘Respect the Ref’ campaigns, Chelsea and England left-back Ashley Cole turned his back on referee Mike Riley as he called over to him “Ashley!” after a heavy challenge on Tottenham’s Alan Hutton.

I remember Mike Riley sounding so meak as he repeated his name, and then finally producing a yellow card which was widely viewed as lenient for a dangerous, studs-up tackle.

Calling out of surnames in army fashion – irrespective of a player’s nationality - could perhaps be a more authoritative and consistent way of communicating with players.

At least this way Mr Webb might show some consistency to one area of his refereeing.

Sam Allardyce is back, but is this a positive appointment for the Premier League?

(courtesy of Wikipedia)

The return of Sam Allardyce (pictured above) to the Premiership after almost a year’s absence was hardly a shocking one. Rather it carried a sinking feeling of inevitability.

Allardyce was a dismal manager at Newcastle United. Securing just two points out of a possible six from bottom of the table Wigan and Derby, spelt the end of the Toon Army’s patience.

He’d been unable to produce the attacking football they crave. Managing Bolton Wanderers is far different to managing a club with lofty ambitions and an expectation that they should get there fast.

He failed, but then so many others have done before him and the media and the Premier League were unlikely to judge their ‘Big Sam’ too harshly for too long.

No, sure enough, a year on, another club has called upon his robust approach to combat the early signs of a relegation bound season.

Blackburn Rovers will now stay up

And it is highly likely that Blackburn Rovers will now stay up. Allardyce was drafted in by the Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams because of his experience of keeping Bolton Wanderers up in two successive tough seasons in the early years of the millennium.

That bottom of the table dog-fight, is where Big Sam excels. Digging in, and digging deep. Certainly admirable in one way, and definitely necessary to some teams that will never have the resources to be high flyers.

But should Sam Allardyce’s style be a blue print for the English game?

Gary Speed, Kevin Davies and Kevin Nolan were all integral players to Sam Allardyce’s outfit at Bolton. Their physical, determined and sometimes undeniably thuggish approach made the Reebok Stadium an unwelcoming place for any visiting team.

Many pundits and journalists often saw Arsenal’s inability to play their football there – quick, flowing and nimble, a sign that they lacked that physical edge to win an English title.

By all means be physical, a team like Bolton is never going to beat Arsenal at their own game. But be lawful, stick to the rules, do not kick, elbow, fowl to get a result.

There was no doubt that Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish set his pack out with a definite mentality to stop Arsenal when they played them in February this year.

That game was shrouded by an infamous tackle from a Birmingham player Martin Taylor on Arsenal striker Eduardo. His leg was broken and he has been recovering ever since.

Clearly Alex McLeish never intended for his players to go in that hard. But the tackle exemplifies the mentality of a team that was sure to be fighting relegation come May, and was desperate to take points off the then Premier League leaders.

But then looking at the newcomers to the Premier League now, the more robust teams like Stoke and Hull, are faring considerably better than the well-intended but ultimately light-weight West Bromwich Albion.

Get points in any way we can

On his appointment, Sam Allardyce reflected that it was important to get points in any way that they can. Understandably a team’s survival in the league is paramount to their fans and club.

But if this means the end to inteligient, nimble, daring football in the Premiership, as the world’s most talented look to leagues where they’ll be better protected, then the quality of the English game will surely suffer.

What is a rescuing strike?

Since when was a winning goal in the sixteenth minute of a game, a rescuing strike?  

Yes, a goal in injury time could rescue crucial points for a team, like let's say, Manchester United's Vidic's 92nd minute tap in against Sunderland at the weekend.

But surprise surprise, Times Online decided to use the word 'rescue' in an Arsenal headline, perhaps feeling it would be less credible for a Manchester United side to be needing saving. 

Lack of biting edge

Both Arsenal's home game against Wigan and Manchester United's against Sunderland finished 1-0 and showed signs of a lack of biting edge.  

And yet Times journalist, Brian Granville at the Emirates Stadium, selected the more derogatory of headlines in:  "Adebayor strikes to rescue sluggish Arsenal" compared to Jonathan Northcroft's more positive slant for Manchester United in "Nemanja Vidic keeps United on track".

Arsenal needed a win to follow-up on their victory at Chelsea last weekend and regain some consistency and confidence.  But United too looked until the dying minute, that they were to produce a third goalless draw in five games.  

Both sides were culpable for missing chances - Arsenal's Denilson and Adebayor both hit the post and van Persie shot wide on a few occasions.  United's Berbatov headed high from six yards out.  

Northcroft himself said that United "so nearly paid for a tired, uninspired performance" and yet it is Arsenal that is described as "sluggish" as they missed chances to cement their lead.

Surely both teams could be deemed a little sluggish, but now back on track. 

Roy Keane stands down as Sunderland manager

Ex-Manchester United captain, Roy Keane (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

After a hundred games in charge, Roy Keane resigns as Sunderland manager.

Following a 4-1 drumming at home to Bolton Wanderers last weekend, and five defeats out of the last six games, Keane’s resignation feels inevitable.

In his 27 months in charge, Keane saw the club promoted from the Championship and saw off relegation from the Premiership last season.

That is no easy feat.

Particularly when you consider that Sunderland was his first managerial job.

At 37, he was the youngest Premiership manager, and heralded as one for the future, and yet London radio station, talkSPORT, were questioning today if he would ever return to management.

Where did it all go wrong?

Given his inspiring and combative performances as a former Manchester United captain, people expected him to transfer this approach to his players when he became manager.

And when Sunderland won the Championship title in 2007, Keane’s winning mentality certainly looked like it was rubbing off.

Run out of ideas

But this season, Keane seems to have run out of ideas.

Highly supportive chairman Niall Quinn invested heavily in the squad in the summer, bringing in experienced, able Premiership players like Steed Malbranque from Tottenham Hotspur and Anton Ferdinand from West Ham.

More of a surprise than Keane’s resignation today, is that ‘Mr Motivator’ hasn’t been able to get more out of his talented squad.

Nyron Nosworthy is a powerful defender that can make life hard for the best of attacking players.

The rather weighty midfielder Andy Reid - often dropped this season – has great passing vision and movement and makes things happen in the midfield.

And Pascal Chimbonda – despite inconsistencies – did put in some impressive performances for Spurs at right-back and I would have thought a disciplinarian like Keane might have able to keep him under control.

Kenwyne Jones

Sunderland’s opening part of the season was undoubtedly hampered by the injury to their brilliant centre forward – Kenwyne Jones.

Certainly Keane’s best purchase as manager from Southampton for 6m, any of the top four would be lucky to have his pace and assists.

Roy Keane is a proud man, and therefore it is unsurprising that he resigned if as he himself said, he felt he’d taken the club as far he could.

Timing wise, a fixture against his old boss Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford this weekend, seemed a good one to miss given the club’s current decline.

Hopefully the pundits are wrong in thinking he might not return to management. His honesty will be missed.