Thursday, 14 November 2013

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How Jorge Sampaoli has rekindled the embers of Chile's Bielsa years | Jonathan Wilson

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST

Chile have their swagger back under their Argentinian coach, who will put his attacking side to the test at Wembley on Friday

In his four years as national coach, Marcelo Bielsa did not just make Chile the most watchable side at the 2010 World Cup, he also gave them an identity. Chile were early adopters, regular participants in the first South American championships, but they had never had a defining characteristic, something that marked them out as discernibly Chilean. Between 2007 and 2011, though, they became discernibly bielsista, all 3-3-1-3 and hard pressing, with all the triumphs and disasters that entails, from groundbreaking wins over Uruguay and Argentina to a 3-0 home defeat to Paraguay.

Bielsa left after Jorge Segovia was elected president of the Chilean federation (although his victory in the ballot was later annulled), but his legacy lives on, first under Claudio Borghi and then, far more enthusiastically, under Jorge Sampaoli, another Argentinian and a self-confessed Bielsa disciple. He has not yet adopted the mumbling delivery and the granny-glasses; his trademark, rather, is a baseball cap: a devout Bielsista disguised as Tony Pulis.

Sampaoli was born in Casilda, a little less than 30 miles from Rosario, where Bielsa was born. He joined Newell's Old Boys just as Bielsa was enjoying his brief run in the first team in 1977, but a double fracture of the leg ended his career at the age of 19. He went into coaching, first with Aprendices Casildenses and then with Belgrano de Arequito, whom he led to the local championship in 1996. It was that season that proved his breakthrough, not only for his success but because of a photograph that appeared of him in the Rosario newspaper La Capital. It showed him bawling instructions at his side from the branches of a tree overlooking the ground, after he had been denied entry to an away game. The president of Newell's, Eduardo José López, was impressed by his commitment, and put him in charge of Argentino de Rosario, effectively a feeder club for Newell's.

Finally, in 2002, he got his first chance with a professional club, being appointed by Juan Aurich of Peru. In his first game, against Universitario, they led 1-0 until the 88th minute but ended up losing 2-1, and things did not get much better. He was dismissed after eight games, only one of them won.

That, though, at least put him on the map, and he pursued an itinerant career though Peru, Chile and Ecuador before, in 2011, arriving at Universidad de Chile. It was there that everything clicked. A feature of the purest Bielsista teams is that they seem to find it impossible to sustain their form consistently, but when they do find form, the results tend to be spectacular. For a time in 2011, La U were easily the best side in South America, and on form one of the best in the world. Playing sometimes with a back four and sometimes a back three, but always with a playmaker behind two forwards who pulled wide, they savaged teams, pressing high and attacking with great pace and verve. The principles were overtly Bielsista: high pressing, triangles of passes and vertical attacks down the flanks. And, like Bielsa, Sampaoli is a great researcher of the opposition, using the software package Kizanaro to analyse patterns of play so as to direct his teams pressing more precisely.

La U won both Apertura and Clausua, but it was in the Copa Sudamericana that they really shone, going unbeaten in all 12 games, scoring 21 and conceding just two. They won the Apertura again the following year and reached the semi-final of the Copa Libertadores before being outscrapped by Boca Juniors.

There was a sense then that there was little else Sampaoli could bring to La U and, after Chile had lost successive qualifiers to Ecuador and Argentina in October last year, it was little surprise that he was appointed as Borghi's successor. A defeat away to Peru was not the best start, but Chile won five of their last six games (and were 3-0 up in the other, away to Colombia, before collapsing to a draw) to finish third in the group and qualify comfortably.

There is a swagger about them again, Sampaoli's wild eyes and attacking philosophy beginning to rekindle the embers of Bielsa's time. "I believe that the only way to succeed is by uniting players with a love of playing," Sampaoli said. "You try to inspire in them a love of the shirt derived of enjoyment, not obligation. When you succeed in this individualistic society, it is by committing to something intangible, with humility. That allows everybody to come together; the social or cultural background of the people involved doesn't matter."

Sampaoli has said that he knows "80%" of the squad he will take to Brazil, and sees the games against England at Wembley on Friday and Brazil in Toronto on Tuesday as key to finalising his plans. There is a friendly scheduled against Germany next March, although that could change depending on the World Cup draw. The calibre of opponents is indicative of his positivity, and he insists Chile have a chance of winning the World Cup.

"It's safe to say that Chile are contenders," he said. "History says that in World Cups people always list the same favourites and names, but we will be as competitive as possible. We will not change how we play. We will not allow ourselves to be modified by our opponents. We have to want it more than opponents, to surpass them in spirit. We will go mano a mano against anyone. Our idea is to surprise opponents who are used to having opponents play against them in a certain way."

It was in 1989 with a 0-0 draw against Chile that England friendlies probably reached their nadir. Only 15,628 turned up to see the silk and steel front pairing of Nigel Clough and John Fashanu, the lowest ever attendance for an England game at Wembley. Friendlies have improved recently anyway – Scotland, Ireland and Ghana brought raucous backing, while Spain are Spain and Brazil are Brazil – but no game in which Sampaoli is involved would ever be a drab affair of two games going through the motions. He has proved that his high-octane style works against South American opposition; Friday will give some indication as to whether it works against northern Europeans.

Jonathan Wilson

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Mexico v New Zealand - live!

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 02:27 PM PST

MBM report: Can New Zealand get a result at the Estadio Azteca in their World Cup play-off first leg?

Paolo Bandini

Karanka the right man, says Gibson

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST

• Chairman hopes new head coach can offer 'Spanish influence'
• José Mourinho recommended Boro job to his old assistant

Steve Gibson has defended his decision to make Aitor Karanka Middlesbrough's first foreign manager by arguing that the appointment is an inevitable consequence of football's increasing globalisation.

Middlesbrough's owner knows that in overlooking a raft of available English coaches in favour of the Spaniard he has probably dismayed Greg Dyke, the Football Association chairman, but he remains convinced José Mourinho's former assistant at Real Madrid is the right coach to lead Boro back into the Premier League.

"It's about self-interest," said Gibson, who sacked Tony Mowbray last month before determining to alter Boro's entire culture with a foreign appointment. "Greg Dyke's got his self-interest which is the FA and I've got my self-interest which is Middlesbrough Football Club. I'm an Englishman and I always want Englishmen to do well but this is the right decision for me. And maybe our English footballers can learn from the Spanish influence. The greatest football-producing nation of this generation has been Spain.

"This is a real change for our club but football is global now – we're all one. In the past I've been accused of being a little Englander but the game has become global and we were searching for a first-class coach. We set down a clear template of what we were looking for and Aitor was the outstanding candidate."

The 40-year-old Karanka – a former Real Madrid central defender who spent three years assisting Mourinho at the Bernabéu – is a highly regarded coach in Spain, where he previously enjoyed a successful stint in charge of the national under-16 side.

Like Gibson, Karanka has close links with Jorges Mendes, the football agent, and Peter Kenyon, the former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive. Indeed, along with Mourinho, Mendes and Kenyon helped steer him to Boro rather than Crystal Palace, who coveted the Spaniard as Ian Holloway's successor.

"José Mourinho recommended to me that I should come to Middlesbrough because he believes in this project," said Karanka. "I've spoken to José about 10, or maybe 20, times in the last two days."

Gibson also sought counsel from Chelsea's manager. "José Mourinho said to me 'just get him'," recounted an owner busy building relationships with some leading European clubs including Atlético Madrid and Juventus, which should lead to mutually beneficial loan arrangements.

"We have links with other clubs. Some links we want to talk about, some we don't," said Gibson, who trusts Karanka may be able to persuade Mourinho to do him a few favours when it comes to loaning out Chelsea players. "We've got a link-up with Atlético Madrid and we've actually placed some of the youngsters from our academy into Madrid.

"They're all Middlesbrough lads who've come through our system but they've not seen an alternative lifestyle. We thought it would give them a good insight, shake them up a bit to go to Spain for three months and see another culture. It's not a holiday, they're working hard, in the evenings they have Spanish lessons for two or three hours. It's a proper cultural exchange. Lads from Atlético will be coming over later in the season."

Karanka very nearly swapped Spain for north-east England in 2005 only to see a mooted move to Steve McClaren's Boro fail to beat the transfer deadline. "It was the last day of the window," recalled McClaren's latest successor. "I had a call at 5pm and we didn't have time to sign the contract. Middlesbrough wanted me and I would have loved to come here but it was not possible at that time."

Back then Boro were in the Premier League, had won the League Cup a year earlier and were a season away from reaching the Uefa Cup final. Today, though, Karanka has finally arrived at the club's international-calibre training facility near Darlington with the team eight points short of the Championship play-off places and only five above the division's relegation zone.

As desperate as their new manager is to join three other former Mourinho proteges, André Villas-Boas, Brendan Rodgers and Steve Clarke, at the helm of a Premier League side, Boro's return to the elite may, realistically, take time.

"The aim is to take Boro into the Premier League and I hope it's soon," Karanka said. "It's difficult to say if it will be next season. We are in November, we will try to do everything well from the first day but it will be difficult."

He has already studied DVDs of all Boro's games this season and compiled a preliminary squad evaluation, with Jonathan Woodgate in particular catching his eye. If the erstwhile England centre-half can stay fit – an admittedly big if – he will surely be integral to a philosophy big on building from the back, patient passing and possession retention.

"The players here are good," continued Karanka. "There is a player who played in Real Madrid, Jonathan Woodgate. He is important for the team, for the club. He is from here. With Woodgate, we are going to build a good project to get promotion. I also know our academy is brilliant and I believe 100% in promoting youth."

After watching Boro slide, almost imperceptibly, from national prominence to relative anonymity under Gareth Southgate, Gordon Strachan and Mowbray, Gibson remained a little more circumspect, a bit more pessimistic. "We want promotion as quickly as realistically possible," he said. "But we're so handicapped this year. We're so far off the pace. Are we good enough? I don't know. The talent has to be there. If the talent isn't there you can't manage it in. There's no magic wand. Aitor's worked very hard over the last few weeks in terms of evaluating the players and the way we've played. He's perhaps more optimistic than me."

Louise Taylor

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Glasgow City 2-3 Arsenal | Women's Champions League quarter-final match report

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:47 PM PST

• Glasgow City 2-3 Arsenal (2-6 agg)
• Gunners reach final eight for 11th season running

Arsenal swept into the Champions League quarter-finals for the 11th season in succession, England's top team of the past decade proving far too strong for a Glasgow City side attempting to reach the last eight for the first time.

Shelley Kerr, the Arsenal's manager, said: "Reaching at least the quarter-finals in every year the club has appeared in the Champions League is a fantastic record and it's great to have done it again.

"Credit to Glasgow, they made it hard for us tonight and after their early goal it took us a while to settle into the game. But experience told in the end, the girls stayed calm throughout and they saw the tie out with no real panics."

Saturday's 3-0 first-leg win had provided a helpful cushion for the Gunners as Glasgow, despite giving their visitors a scare with a Suzanne Lappin goal after just three minutes, were unable to make the most of home advantage and the continuously loud backing from a packed and partisan Petershill Park crowd.

The Gunners equalised through the left winger Rachel Yankey and then took the lead through Jordan Nobbs before the a late goal from City captain Rachel Corsie brought the scores level again. But a stoppage-time goal by the right-back Alex Scott gave Arsenal a hard-earned win on the night and a 6-2 aggregate victory that summed up the English team's superiority over the two legs.

The Scottish Premier League champions were visibly devastated after being totally outclassed in the first leg, but they made their mission impossible seem not quite as daunting for a little while following Lappin's third-minute opener, the striker heading home from Jess Fishlock's corner.

But the Gunners restored their three-goal aggregate-lead when Yankey, moving on to a 12th-minute pass from midfielder Kim Little, cut in to fire a 15-yard shot into the top corner of the net.

Arsenal's away goal swung the tie firmly in their favour, but Glasgow gamely kept themselves in the tie as first midfielder Denise O'Sullivan and then Fishlock forced the goalkeeper Emma Byrne into saves. And four minutes before the interval Byrne had to make a good stop from winger Sarah Crilly.

Arsenal's composure never wavered, however, and after Ellen White and the central defender Gilly Flaherty had goal-bound efforts blocked, Nobbs edged the visitors in front after collecting Little's fine 69th-minute pass.

City pulled themselves back into the game when Corsie forced the ball in from Fishlock's 79th-minute free-kick, but three minutes into added time Scott collected a Yankey pass to round off a comfortable aggregate win.

After failing to finish in the Super League's top two Arsenal must win the Champions League to appear in next season's competition. "It's the end of a very hard season and right now we just want to enjoy the fact that we're through to the quarter-finals," Shelley added.

"It's becoming more difficult each year, domestically as well as in the Champions League, with so much investment now going into the women's game. But we aim to keep ourselves among the top teams in Europe and we'll look to go as far as we possibly can in the Champions League."

Birmingham City moved just as convincingly into the last eight, a 5-2 second-leg win against the Russian side Zorky at St Andrew's sending Blues through 7-2 on aggregate.

Early goals by the strikers Isobel Christiansen and Kirsty Linnett made the tie virtually safe, though Zorky hit back to make it 2-2 by the interval as the striker Maria Ruiz and the central defender Ashley Nick found the net.

Second-half goals from the left-back Kerys Harrop, Linnet and the winger Mel Lawley saw Blues safely through to what will be their first appearance in the quarter-finals.

Tony Leighton

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Derby County sell Pride Park naming rights to iPro

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:21 PM PST

• Derby will receive £7m over 10 years
• First game at iPro Stadium will be on 7 December

Derby County have sold the naming rights to their Pride Park stadium to the new global sports drink company, iPro.

The deal, which is believed to be one of the biggest independent deals by a club in Football League history, will net Derby £7m over 10 years.

It will see the renaming of Pride Park, which has been the club's home for the past 16 years since moving from the Baseball Ground, to the iPro Stadium.

Derby will play their first game at the newly named iPro Stadium when they host Blackpool in a televised Championship fixture on 7 December.

"To ensure that Derby County remains as competitive as possible we need to explore all forms of revenue generation," said the club's chief executive and president, Sam Rush. "Stadium naming rights is a key asset for the club and we are delighted that we have been able to reach an agreement with iPro."


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Jordan 0-5 Uruguay

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:55 AM PST

• Jordan 0-5 Uruguay
• Composed Uruguay unfazed by raucous home crowd

Passion, desire and unity, it turns out, can carry you only so far. This was the biggest game in Jordan's football history, but they were undone by a Uruguay side who remained admirably unfazed by a raucous crowd and had the quality to take the chances that came their way.

This was a comfortable victory and next week's second leg should be no more than a formality at which Uruguay will book their place at the World Cup, where they will be one of the eight seeds.

This was a crowd primed, at least at first, to be positive about everything: when the goalkeeper Mohammad Shatnawi threw himself forward to punch away a dinked Luis Suárez free-kick he could easily have stood still and caught, the place went wild. It got even more excited after 18 minutes as Odai al-Saify's mishit cross forced Martín Silva into an awkward save at the near post.

But those, really, were scraps of comfort. Jordan never mounted the sort of early surge the throbbing stadium might have lifted them to, and Uruguay always looked the more composed side. Suárez had already almost played in Christian Stuani when his 22nd-minute cross from the right found Edinson Cavani at the back post. His header was saved by Shatnawi, who was again perhaps needlessly spectacular, the ball rolling across goal for Maxi Pereira to stab in.

There were flickers of quality from Jordan, but there was a tendency to panic when there was the chance of a decisive pass, the local favourite Khalil Baniateyah in particular prone to hitting wildly speculative efforts from preposterous range.

The sense was of Uruguay biding their time, playing within themselves, just waiting to pick off the home side. Sure enough, five minutes before half-time, Cavani cleverly dummied a throw from the left to create space for Nicolás Lodeiro, who slipped a pass for Stuani to add the second.

Even the arrival of King Abdullah shortly after half-time provided only a temporary lift. Ahmed Ibrahim shot wide from close range after 51 minutes and, if he had converted, perhaps Jordan might have been able to mount some pressure. As it was, Uruguay simply bided their time and scored a third, Lodeiro clipping in Cavani's cut-back from the edge of the box.

Cristian Rodríguez thumped in a fourth and in injury time Cavani whipped in a fifth from a free-kick, by which time the crowds had long since started heading for the exits, all optimism having drained away.

Jonathan Wilson

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Keane responds to Ferguson's 'lies'

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:06 AM PST

• 42-year-old relishes new role as Republic of Ireland No2
• 'I work hard and push people. Sometimes I've got that wrong'
• Roy Keane's 10 greatest outbursts

Roy Keane has responded to criticism from Sir Alex Ferguson by saying he intends to defend himself against people's "lies".

The 42-year-old former Ireland captain conducted his first press conference since accepting the offer to become the new Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill's number two on Wednesday afternoon, and was quick to defend himself against the perception that he is a combustible character, insisting he is not an animal who needs taming.

Keane admitted he might have to rein himself in at times, but asked about O'Neill's determination to allow him to be his own man, he said: "There's nothing to tame. I'm not some sort of animal, you know what I mean? I'm a footballing man, I like to work hard and push people, and sometimes I suppose I have got that slightly wrong on one or two occasions over the years. But generally speaking, I look back and I think I have got a lot of it right."

Ferguson was particularly scathing of Keane's character and managerial abilities in his recently published autobiography. While Keane refused to respond directly to the former Manchester United manager, he hinted that he will do so in the future.

"The beauty of football is that everybody has opinions and I've no problem with that," he said. "The issue I have is when anybody who seems to talk about me or has issues with what I've said in the past will just tells lies about me. That's when I'll come out and defend myself.

"I'm not going to sit here and defend myself regarding Alex Ferguson, that's for another day. I'm not really going to get into that too much. Football is about opinions, no problem about that, but when it's lies that's when you come out and say something. Today is not for that. Today is about talking about getting back involved with the Irish team with Martin, all positive. It's not an area I want to go at today."

Keane, who joked that O'Neill "makes me look like Mother Teresa", admitted that there were areas of his man management that could be improved.

"Yes, there are areas I need to look at, particularly as now I'm the assistant, when to step back, and hopefully I get that right as well. But I am also there to push the players and put demands on the players, like we did today in training.

"We have got some good players and sometimes the players themselves are the last to realise how good they are. We have got some really good young players and we have got to push them and put demands on them because from my own experience, I used to like that. I used to like people pushing me.

"That's the name of the game from when you're a kid. My manager from when I was a kid at [boys' club] Rockmount - 'Come on, you can do better'. I loved it, it was great.

"But obviously, there's a way of speaking to people, I understand that, there's a way of getting that message across and how you put the demands on them.

"You have to treat people with respect and hopefully the players from the last few days will appreciate that."

Keane insisted that his negotiations with the Football Association of Ireland chief executive, John Delaney, had been "straightforward" despite his previous criticism of the Irish official. "I'm going to disappoint you, it was straightforward. The past is the past. It's about working with Martin and the team," he said.

Andy Hunter

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Fifa urged to help French footballer being 'prevented from leaving Qatar'

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 08:57 AM PST

• Zahir Belounis claims he is being denied an exit visa
• Fifpro calls on Sepp Blatter to help player resolve legal dispute

Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, has been asked to intervene in the case of French footballer Zahir Belounis, who says he is being prevented from leaving Qatar in a contractual dispute with a local club.

The international players union, Fifpro, has written to Blatter saying that it remains "deeply concerned about Belounis's precarious situation", and called for action.

It said Belounis, 33, is stranded in Qatar, with his wife and two daughters, and being denied an exit visa until he agrees to drop a legal case against his former club, Al-Jaish, over his claim of almost two years' unpaid wages.

In a personal letter to Blatter, Fifpro's secretary general, Theo van Seggelen, calls for Fifa's urgent intervention.

Van Seggelen said: "Fifpro insists that Belounis be allowed to leave Qatar and receive his wages immediately."

At the very least, Van Seggelen added, he should be freed, able to play for a new club and be guaranteed that he can claim his unpaid salary in a case before Fifa's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC).

The Fifpro board member Mads Oland and representatives from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are to travel to Qatar soon to meet the Belounis family and force the issue of their release.

According to Fifpro, the Belounis case is a violation of basic human rights. It said Belounis joined the Qatari side Al-Jaish in 2007. He later extended his contract until June 2015 but from November 2011 the club stopped paying his salary.

The club, it said, then put him under pressure to terminate his contract and sign a document confirming he was owed nothing by them. Belounis refused, concerned that his signature would invalidate any claim.

In Qatar – controversial hosts of the 2022 World Cup – an employee is unable to leave the country without an exit visa which the employer has to obtain.


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The Fiver | There's much more to Middlesbrough than Chris Rea and Paul Daniels

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:58 AM PST

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THERE'S MORE TO DO THAN CAN EVER BE DONE

Turn on Elton John. You know you want to. Because this is one of those times when there's nothing to do but tear open your shirt, wipe a tear from your eye and warble along to The Circle of Life, despite not yet being drunk. That very tune was no doubt pumped full blast this morning through the PA system at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium as the appointment of the former Athletic Bilbao stalwart Aitor Karanka as Boro's new manager gave a vital symmetry to a story that the Fiver might otherwise have ignored. Admittedly, that symmetry might not have seemed so vital if anything more interesting was going on but this is international week, so Boro it is.

There's so much more to Middlesbrough than Chris Rea, Paul Daniels and the Dorman Museum's impressive Thorpe Thewles collection of Henry II and Henry III silver pennies. There's also a convenient connection to the Wolverhampton-born Fred Pentland, who played for Boro without distinction for several years after the first world war before heading to Bilbao, where he became a coaching icon. The man affectionately known as El Bombín because of his insistence on wearing a bowler hat at all times remains the most successful manager in Bilbao's history. He led the club to six major titles and a famous 12-1 victory over Barcelona, and all thanks to a dynamic pressing and short-passing game the like of which had never been seen in the Spanish league. Nor in Middlesbrough, come to think of it, but that's what Karanka has come to change. It's the Circle of Life, see.

"This is my first job and it is the best thing that I can do because I have found a club like a family with big facilities with a big stadium, with big supporters, it's a very important day for me," simpered Karanka at his inaugural press conference. Of course, the 40-year-old has not come directly from Bilbao – he has amassed an array of coaching experience since hanging up his boots, much of it under José Mourinho, for whom he served as a No2 at Real Madrid for three years before the Special One was bumrushed back to Stamford Bridge. Mourinho is said to have been influential in Karanka getting the Boro gig, having recommended him to Boro boss Steve Gibson and recommended the club to Karanka, who was also being courted by Crystal Palace. It's quite a catch by Boro, and a kick in Palace's crown jewels.

The Premier League's bottom club have now been shunned by Martin O'Neill, Tony Pulis, Chris Coleman and Karanka. Oh, and the former Manchester United coach René Meulensteen, who today decided to become head coach at Fulham instead. "I have spent many hours talking with Martin Jol and we share a vision of how football should be played and how players should be developed," hurrahed Meulensteen as Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker tried to outrun a training cone. Palace are wondering where to turn next for a new manager. Unconfirmed reports suggest the increasingly frantic club may be on the verge of extending their search to cover the guest list of Richard Keys and Andy Gray's Al Jazeera show.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The two put their stake in writing, with local leaders and fans witnessing the deed. Dhabasani, married to three wives with five children, fainted at the end of the match on realising Arsenal had lost the game 1-0. On Monday, several Manchester United fans stormed Dhabasani's home and threw him and his family out" – Ugandan newspaper, The Observer, reports how an Arsenal fan lost his house in a bet over last weekend's game.

FIVER LETTERS

"So, the England team are slumming it in Watford (yesterday's Fiver)? The town probably can't believe its luck. First, Bilderberg Group, now England. One's a fantastically wealthy group of people, many of whom are past their sell-by-date and clinging on to past glories, looking to dominate the world but with very little chance of succeeding, and the other is a predictable punchline. And, as any self-respecting (!) Fiver reader knows, a predictable punchline is the best punchline" – Matt Dony.

"Re: Gavin and George using the Fiver to swing their metaphorical handbags about their names (Fiver letters passim). Can't we just create a sitcom called Gavin and George and be done with it? Their catchphrase will obviously be based around various mangled attempts to say the phrase 'people in glass houses …' The ongoing themes of the show, other than the bane of living with each other, could be a) football, b) the masculine quality of a name, even feminine ones, and c) inappropriate phone calls from Weird Uncle Fiver. The love interest, sporadic obviously, would come from Guardian Soulmates. Sometimes the shows just write themselves. Who'd play the lead roles?" – Grant McPhee.

"Perhaps George would like to follow in the footsteps of another famous George and attempt to change his name to T-Bone?" – Stephen Yoxall.

• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our letter o'the day is: Stephen Yoxall, who wins a copy of Football Manager 2014, courtesy of the very kind people at Football Manager Towers. We've got enough copies to get us through this week, so if you haven't been lucky thus far, keep trying.

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

We keep trying to point out the utter futility of advertising an online dating service "for interesting people" in the Fiver to the naive folk who run Guardian Soulmates, but they still aren't having any of it. So here you go – sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly romantics who would never dream of going out with you.

BITS AND BOBS

Roy Keane says his new Republic O'Ireland job means its time to drop his fence-sitting, happy-go-lucky image. "I spent years trying to please everybody and trust me it's a waste of time and energy."

Egypt's Al Ahly will sell striker Ahmed Abdul Zaher after he used a four-fingered hand gesture linked to supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. "I didn't mean to cause political excitement. All I meant was to honour the dead," he parped.

Rickie Lambert is narked after Chile's Alexis Sanchez "told" the Express that England's players are "soft". Unsurprisingly, Sanchez's Mr 15% says his client didn't. "You can't buy motivation like that to be honest," fumed Lambert. "It's his opinion, we'll take it on board and we'll be looking forward to the game on Friday."

Meanwhile, $tevie Mbe and Kyle Walker are out of Friday's Chile friendly, Daniel Sturridge has minor foot-knack, Frank Lampard's got a cold and Michael Carrick is out with Achilles-twang. Otherwise, all is well.

And Chelsea are reportedly still coughing up £130,000 every week to ex-manager Roberto Di Matteo.

STILL WANT MORE?

How well do you know your World Cup posters? Test your knowledge with our quiz.

Speaking of Knowledge, this week's column features football and philately.

Daniel Taylor on Hodgson's choice: Ashley Cole or Leighton Baines. To which the answer is surely … Luke Shaw.

Ewan Murray argues that Fraser Forster deserves an England debut after his form in Europe.

Having already explained about D1ck Knight's last crusade at Brighton, Amy Lawrence rattled out more splendid prose on France's World Cup play-off with Ukraine.

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

A nine-year-old German showboater achieves instant twinkle-toed Fancy Dan YouTube success.

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Paul Doyle

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Gerrard and Walker out for England

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:53 AM PST

• Captain nursing hip problem but expected to face Germany
• Right-back unable to train after requiring injection in foot

Steven Gerrard expects to lead England in next week's friendly against Germany but will miss Friday's game against Chile at Wembley as he continues to receive treatment on a back problem.

The Liverpool midfielder had an injection this week and was absent on Wednesday as 23 players trained under Roy Hodgson's eye at London Colney, working instead on his rehabilitation in the gym.

Gerrard was joined in the gym by Kyle Walker, the Tottenham Hotspur right-back who required an injection in what is thought to be a foot injury and will also miss this week's fixture, and by his Anfield club-mate Daniel Sturridge.

The striker is being assessed on a daily basis but there was heartening news for club and country after a scan on his foot injury revealed there had been no calcification and he had merely suffered heavy bruising. Although Sturridge has not been ruled out entirely of the Chile match, it seems likely all three will be in contention against Germany. That will leave Frank Lampard captaining the side in the first fixture, at which he will receive his "golden cap" to celebrate a century of appearances, even though the Chelsea veteran is suffering himself from a heavy cold and was also unable to play a full part in training.

The Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere featured in the session after recent ankle trouble and is expected to play against Chile, with Hodgson speaking at lengthto Arsène Wenger on the sidelines ahead ofbefore training and discussing the state of the 21-year-old's fitness.

These games are viewed as opportunities for Hodgson to experiment with selection and blood players before the World Cup finals in Brazil, with the likes of Southampton's uncapped Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez, Everton's Ross Barkley, Jordan Henderson of Liverpool and Manchester United's Phil Jones expected to feature.

Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill are recognised as the first-choice centre-half partnership having started each of the national team's last six fixtures, though Hodgson may be tempted to hand Jones an opportunity there against Chile. The Football Association is on course to attract a crowd in excess of 60,000 for that fixture, with ticket sales to edge beyond 80,000 for next Tuesday's more eagerly anticipated visit of Germany.

Meanwhile, the English and Polish Football Associations have been fined by Fifa after Polish fans lit flares during the World Cup group match last month. The Poles must pay SFr30,000 (£20,450) and the English FA a third of the amount for failing to prevent the disturbance.

Dominic Fifield

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Touré rejects talk of being unhappy at City

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:44 AM PST

• Ivory Coast midfielder insists he is 'happy' at club
• Rodney Marsh claims 'rumblings from within camp'

Yaya Touré has played down rumours that he is unsettled at Manchester City.

Rodney Marsh, the former City forward, claimed on Wednesday that Touré was not content at the club. However, the midfielder, currently away on international duty with Ivory Coast, took to his Twitter account to insist he remained committed to Manuel Pellegrini's side.

"Hey buddies, don't listen to the rumours, I'm happy at city," Touré, who signed a fresh four-year contract in April, wrote on his @Toure_yaya42 account. "The Touré brothers are in Casa and are missing Manchester," he added along with a picture of himself and his brother, Kolo.

Marsh earlier told TalkSport: "People close to Manchester City tell me Yaya Touré is not very happy and he's one of their great players. When you start to hear rumblings from within the camp, and you see the way Touré played last weekend [at Sunderland], when he was strolling around and didn't look interested, I'm wondering now if it will all go a little bit the other way.

"It looks like they're throwing billions of pounds at players but keep coming up short. I think this season could end in tears at Man City."

Jamie Jackson

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Rickie Lambert: England players looking forward to Chile clash – video

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:15 AM PST

England striker Rickie Lambert reckons manager Roy Hodgson will make some changes in the team to face Chile on Friday

Daniel Taylor on Hodgson's choice

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:59 AM PST

With Cole looking vulnerable and Baines excelling, the England manager has described the left-back position as one of the more difficult selections of his professional life

By his own admission, even Roy Hodgson will admit he is not too sure what to do. The last time the subject cropped up, breaking bread in a downstairs suite at the Soho Hotel the day after England had assured themselves of a place at the World Cup, there was even a mention of the Peter Shilton-Ray Clemence option. Ashley Cole or Leighton Baines? "Maybe I will be able to rotate them," Hodgson said.

The dynamic has changed since then. Cole has lost his place at Chelsea, the unlikely fall-guy for some public criticism of the team from José Mourinho, while Baines has quietly been going about the business of trying to establish himself as the eminent English left-back. Even the most ardent admirer of Cole would probably have to acknowledge that, a month from his 33rd birthday, he has never looked more vulnerable since establishing the position as his own, 12 years ago.

Hodgson has described it as one of the more difficult selections of his professional life. The England manager has always used Cole, fitness permitting, on the occasions that really matter, but his tone had changed after the Montenegro and Poland games. Baines had excelled and Hodgson, for the first time, said there was no longer a clearly defined first-choice player for the position.

He mentioned, again, the possibility of alternating the two players, à la Shilton and Clemence, but a manager usually likes to be decisive and Cole is in new territory when Chelsea are currently using a right-back, César Azpilicueta, to fill his usual slot. The momentum, more than ever, is with Baines.

It has been coming. Since the start of last season, a look through Opta's figures will confirm Baines has the more accomplished statistics in just about every department. His success rate in tackles in the Premier League this season is 82.4% compared to Cole's 72.7, and 79.3 to 73.4 the previous year. Baines has won 70.7% of what are classified as "ground duels", as opposed to 55.2 for Cole, whereas last season it was much tighter, 61% to 58.2.

Cole has the better figures when it comes to the accuracy of passing and crossing but Baines has overtaken him this season when it comes to aerial duels. Then consider Baines's extra attacking input. The figures are skewed a little by the fact he has played 49 league games over the two seasons, compared to Cole's 40, but the disparity is still considerable. Baines has put over 289 crosses and created 130 scoring chances. Cole's figures are 59 and 25. Baines has a better ratio of goals, shots and assists and a 57.7% success rate taking on opponents while running. Cole is some way behind, on 18.2%.

Sometimes, though, too much credence is given to these numbers. How about the statistic that tells us Cole has 105 caps' worth of experience incorporating three World Cups and two European Championships? Or perhaps we could tot up the number of trophies he has won compared to his rival. Champions League games? That would be 103 since 2000, against zero for Baines. As for the number of occasions Cole has played head-to-head against Cristiano Ronaldo and come out on top – well, which defender can say he has handled him any better? That performance against Portugal in Euro 2004 is one of the outstanding individual displays by any England defender, too often forgotten because of everything else that happened in the same match.

Cole's temporary removal from the team at Stamford Bridge has not been preceded by a longer malaise and he was the first player Hodgson identified for acclaim after the goalless draw in Ukraine in September. There is also the fact, as Joe Hart can testify, that Hodgson likes to be loyal to his players, especially when he thinks they are loyal towards him. Even Phil Jagielka, Baines's team-mate at Everton and one of his closest friends, has said it would be tough on Cole to lose his place, on the basis he has rarely put a foot wrong for England.

Yet Cole's position is undoubtedly weakened by the fact he has been left out of two games since Mourinho condemned Chelsea's performance at Newcastle. Mourinho has not gone through any pretence of a make-believe injury, as so often happens, and it would be interesting to see how the past couple of weeks might influence a vote in the England dressing-room.

In 1978, with Ron Greenwood favouring Clemence, the London Evening News conducted its own survey of strikers and attacking midfielders. Of 22 players, nine voted for Shilton, two for Clemence (one being his Liverpool team-mate David Johnson) and 11 said they could not decide. If the same were to happen now, a quarter of a century later, the result would inevitably tell Hodgson he, too, needs to play the man in form.

One of the questions at his press conference on Thursday will be whether there is any value experimenting with both players in the same team against Chile. The injury to Danny Welbeck, the left-sided attacker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, opens a place that Baines, one suspects, could fill with distinction. Yet there is also a good possibility Hodgson will kill the idea stone-dead. He has not mentioned it during 19 months in the job, but he has spoken many times about the importance he gives to using players in their club positions.

Baines, approaching his 29th birthday, has built up some portfolio in his 21 caps, far removed from the player who once talked about not even feeling comfortable in his ability to play for Everton, let alone the national side. Cole, on the other hand, brings the kind of seen-it-all-before knowhow and defensive expertise that maybe his rival does not possess. The mind goes back to that goal-line clearance he made for Chelsea, in Napoli's Stadio San Paolo, in February 2012, and its importance in their triumphant Champions League season. Or if you want a more recent example, his performance in the final of the European Super Cup against Bayern Munich. Baines is maybe the better choice against unremarkable opponents, when the emphasis will be on attacking and he would have the licence to break forward with those penetrative overlapping runs. Cole might have the superior credentials if England play one of the World Cup favourites and Hodgson wants solidity and experience. So perhaps there is actually something in the idea of rotation.

"Both have their supporters. Both are fantastic footballers. Ashley has been a lynchpin for so long. He has 100-odd caps. But Baines has always been appreciated. I am not going to say one is No1. It does give the manager a headache because I have to decide on one and whoever I choose will divide opinion."

That was Hodgson after the Poland game. He left it there and his tone was of someone who wanted to give it more thought. Baines against Chile, then Cole against Germany, might be one option. Whatever happens, England are fortunate to have two fine players competing for one position. But two does not go into one and someone is going to be disappointed.

Daniel Taylor

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Keane's return – as it happened

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:54 AM PST

Roy Keane attended his first press conference as the Republic of Ireland No2. Jacob Steinberg followed it

Jacob Steinberg

Jay Rodriguez enthused by England call-up – video

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:46 AM PST

Southampton's Jay Rodriguez looks ahead to England v Chile, where he hopes to make his international debut after being called up to the England squad

France unite as task of beating Ukraine to World Cup becomes No1 priority | Amy Lawrence

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:08 AM PST

All talk of disharmony and revolt has been put to one side as Didier Deschamp's men prepare for a crucial play-off

It is truce time in France in the buildup to a play-off against Ukraine that has to be about looking forwards and not back. The relationship between Les Bleus and the French public is still touchy because of the after-effects of the regrettable players' revolt that stank the place out during the 2010 World Cup. The disconnect between squad and the rest of France has a tendency to flare up, and recent incidents with Patrice Evra and Frank Ribéry lashing out angrily prompted old disenchantment to bubble back to the surface.

For background, the latest shenanigans revolve around Evra's verbals directed at a group of television pundits in which he described the likes of World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu as "tramps … lying to the French people". Then Ribéry launched himself at Gérard Houllier in the dressing room after France had thrashed Australia 6-0 in a friendly game. Houllier had made a backhanded compliment about the team's most important player in France Football magazine – "Ribéry is without doubt a technical leader … but he's not a world-class player who's going to make the team win like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo" – and Ribéry wanted to ram those words down Houllier's throat with such force members of the coaching staff had to intervene as tempers boiled.

Such stuff makes certain members of the France team who were implicated as trouble makers in South Africa not so easy for everyone to love. This wrestling with emotions towards the team is a tricky business. On the one hand, Evra, Ribéry, Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri still drag around baggage. On the other, the majority of the current team are likeable enough professionals who don't deserve to be caught up in the malodorous dramas. "That's the dilemma," notes Erik Bieldermann of L'Equipe Magazine. "That gives you a headache. People try to be behind the team, but the shadow of South Africa is there."

But this week everybody has agreed to put on their shiniest smiles for the good of France. Negativity simply has to be shoved on to the back burner. Critics feel compelled to shut their mouths. Journalists know this is not the time for poisoned pens and indignantly tapped keyboards. Fans are focusing only on the outcome of the play-off. Players want to keep their heads down and concentrate on beating Ukraine to earn that ticket to Brazil. The French economy needs it, French morale needs it, French football needs it, with a home tournament coming up in the shape of the 2016 European Championship.

This sensation of pulling together was evident as thousands queued overnight for tickets to the second leg of this tie at the Stade de France on Tuesday night. The television audiences are expected to be huge. As the media gathered this week at Clairefontaine they were told queries about any of the recent outbursts were off limits, and they respected the request. There was, for a change, no debate about unsavoury subject matter.

The French camp was open on Monday, but then Didier Deschamps re-organised the usual routine to have three closed sessions before the trip to Kiev in the interests of what the coach described as "tranquility". No distraction. No tension. "For us to be together, for everything to stay between ourselves, can create something extra," explained Rio Mavuba hopefully.

France have found a fresh rhythm and have been playing more liberated attacking football in the buildup to this play-off. A long, goalless run between March and September was demoralising, but 13 goals in their past three games has helped to unblock them. They have been spread around as well, which has helped all-round confidence. Karim Benzema ended his barren spell, Olivier Giroud has been scoring, while Ribéry, Yohan Cabaye and Paul Pogba have all chipped in from midfield. All of them have been scoring freely for their clubs, too.

With Loic Rémy pushing for a start, that brings the number of players with an eye for goal at the moment up even more. "The group feels good after the last few games," says Pogba. "We are preparing calmly."

It is symbolic of the improvement that the biggest technical decision – whether to pick Benzema or Giroud up front – is a competition between two players who have stepped up their game recently, rather than an attempt to deal with what was a problem area when France couldn't score.

There is no great fear of Ukraine, especially as France won comfortably in Kiev during Euro 2012. Deschamps is keen, though, that nobody has a shred of complacency. Everybody remembers how a France team that were expected to beat the Republic of Ireland in the same situation four years ago suffered a dreadful scare and ultimately progressed with the aid of Thierry Henry's handball. "We're not up against a team of tourists," said Deschamps. "Ukraine are on a good run of form, and they concede few goals."

The France coach insists nothing less than maximum effort will be tolerated: "The highest level is about aggression, intensity, physical commitment. France will need a strong performance to qualify."

Although 2016 is not at the forefront of anybody's minds at the moment, as soon as the play-offs are decided a debate about how best to prepare for the home European Championship will become more important. If the worst case scenario happens against Ukraine, it will be time to think about changes (and most intriguingly of all, there is a lobby group campaigning strongly to see their dream of Zinedine Zidane in charge for a tournament in France).

If France do make it to Brazil, will they take their most experienced group, or use it as an opportunity to prepare young players who may well be at the forefront of the team in 2016? The likes of Pogba, playing so well for Juventus, Raphaël Varane of Real Madrid, and Antoine Griezmann, the under-21 player at Real Sociedad, are the tyros to make sure France continue to think about the future, and not the past.

Amy Lawrence

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Meulensteen joins Fulham as head coach to work with Jol

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:54 AM PST

• Dutchman shared in Manchester United success
• Club hails 'one of best coaches in the world'

Fulham have moved to arrest their alarming slide down the Premier League table by appointing René Meulensteen as head coach, ostensibly to work alongside the manager, Martin Jol, in the hope his arrival serves to galvanise an ailing first-team squad.

The club's new owner, Shahid Khan, has been consistent in his public support of Jol despite the team having lost seven of their 11 league games to date this term, and the last four matches in all competitions culminating in Saturday's 4-0 capitulation at Liverpool. That defeat cast them below the relegation cut-off going into the international break and, with arguably few viable candidates available to take up the managerial reins, has now prompted a radical reshuffle of the coaching structure.

Convincing Meulensteen, who had worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United from 2007 before leaving Old Trafford in the summer following David Moyes's appointment, to move to south-west London rather than take up a role as director of football with the Qatar national set-up was key to that overhaul. The move, first mooted two months ago, has been instigated with Jol's blessing and the new man was quick to insist he had spent "many hours" talking with his compatriot prior to accepting the position, even if his arrival effectively dilutes the manager's powerbase at the club.

The 49-year-old will take his duties on the training pitch with immediate effect, adding to Jol's coaching staff of Michael Lindeman and Billy McKinlay. The hope is Meulensteen provides a spark to revive a team that has been floundering since they thrashed bottom-placed Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last month, though further scrutiny will be placed on Jol's position if the next sequence of results – starting with the visit of Swansea City before games against West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa – do not prompt an improvement.

The Dutchman, whose role at United is rather underplayed in Ferguson's recently published autobiography, began his coaching career at NEC Nijmegen before spells in the Middle East and an initial five-year role at United as a youth and reserves coach. He returned to Old Trafford after a brief period with Brondby to rise to the role of first-team coach. "We are all delighted to welcome René to Fulham," said the club's chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh. "There was always going to be a battle for René's services and, with the assistance of our chairman, Shahid Khan, we have been able to bring one of the best coaches in the world to Fulham."

Indeed, Meulensteen has made no secret of his desire to manage in his own right since departing United and, should Jol depart in the future, there would be a framework in place to replace him if required. For now, however, the pair are looking forward to working together. "I have spent many hours talking with Martin Jol and we share a vision of how football should be played and how players should be developed," said Meulensteen, who spent just 16 days at the Russian club, Anzhi Makhachkala, this summer before departing as they sought to reduce their wage bill. "It is our job to make sure we can bring this vision to life on the pitch for the fans."

The Dutchman had been contacted about the vacant managerial position at Palace last month but was quick to declare he had no interest in the role at Selhurst Park. The Premier League's bottom club continue sounding out potential candidates to succeed Ian Holloway, who resigned over three weeks ago, as they seek to make an appointment during the current international window. Interest in the Wales manager Chris Coleman has waned, Tony Pulis has indicated a reluctance to take on the role, Martin O'Neill has linked up with the Republic of Ireland while Aitor Karanka has joined Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Palace have spoken to their former manager Iain Dowie, who left the club controversially in the summer of 2006, and have also discussed the role with Dynamo Moscow's head coach, Dan Petrescu, with the recently recruited sporting director Iain Moody playing a leading role in the process to pinpoint a new manager.

Dominic Fifield

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European leagues review: players, teams and tactical talking points

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:44 AM PST

Best XIs from the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, plus analysis of Newcastle's new passing approach

Premier League team of the weekend

Player of the weekend: Tim Krul, who made 14 saves at White Hart Lane, the most of any goalkeeper in a single match in Europe's top five leagues this season.

La Liga team of the weekend

Serie A team of the weekend

Bundesliga team of the weekend

Ligue 1 team of the weekend

Tactical talking point: Newcastle's change in style

After back-to-back wins against Chelsea and Tottenham, you could forgive Newcastle fans of being optimistic going into the international break, with the club sitting ninth in the Premier League after an inconsistent start typical of their form over the past year.

Not only did Alan Pardew's side secure shock victories in their last two matches, but they kept clean sheets after having leaked goals too freely at times this season. While the latest shut-out can be largely attributed to an outstanding performance from Tim Krul, with the Dutchman making 14 saves to keep Spurs at bay – the most in a single game in Europe's top five leagues this season – there has been a notable shift in mantra this campaign that seems to be benefitting the team as a whole.

Their playing style last season left a little to be desired at times, leading to some discontent from fans. Newcastle played the most long balls in the Premier League in the 2012-13 campaign, and while a fair portion of the blame for a lack of real cutting edge was directed Papiss Cisse's way – only five teams scored fewer goals last season than Newcastle's 45 – the team weren't really helping the Senegalese striker.

Their penchant for the punt upfield rarely paid off and, while Papiss Cissé is a relatively decent physical target, his strength doesn't come in the air. Indeed, of the 78 players to compete in over 100 aerial duels last season, the he had the worst success rate (28%). That may have been down to a lag from the style of play when the likes of Andy Carroll and, to a lesser extent, Demba Ba were in the side, but it was something that needed to change.

This season Newcastle have attempted the fewest long balls in England's top-flight (470). The swing in philosophy could hardly have been more dramatic. One need only look at the same fixture against Tottenham last season to notice as much. Gareth Bale won that match for Spurs, but Newcastle didn't help themselves by playing it long. They were quick to clear their lines, which can be forgiven, but at times they were far too willing to bypass the midfield. Pardew's men attempted 69 long balls back in February, but that figure dropped to 43 on Sunday. They are clearly playing with a little more confidence following a similar scenario against Chelsea the week before.

Newcastle kept the ball well enough against José Mourinho's men, completing 80% of their passes. They attempted 42 long balls compared to Chelsea's 70. They played quick on the counter, without resorting to pumping the ball forward aimlessly, and they got their just rewards. Loïc Remy, who is well suited to fast, counter-attacking football, has been key to such a shift in ethos.

The Frenchman has the best conversion rate of all Premier League players with more than three goals this season (26%). His seven goals this season mean that Newcastle are no longer relying on Cissé. It's worth noting that the misfiring No9 hit a similar purple patch shortly after his arrival, but his form subsequently dropped off.

With Remy now sharing the burden, the fans will hope that his potential strike partner eventually comes good once again. One thing's for sure, both will be thankful that Newcastle's "kick and rush" game has been tailored and, while there's room for improvement, Pardew seems to have his side on the right track.

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Andros Townsend describes the thrill of his England debut against Poland – video

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:11 AM PST

Andros Townsend talks about his impact in his international debut last month and the upcoming fixtures against Chile and Germany

Only when Manchester United fail will fans reveal respect for the club | Paul Wilson

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 04:55 AM PST

You should attract admiration not hatred for setting records. But people will always want to take top teams down a peg or two

Hate is a strong word to use about sport, and though there was nothing particularly remarkable about Phil Jones's recent assertion that Manchester United are spurred on by the number of people willing them to fail, it is worth considering how many other sports "hate" their most successful institutions.

You wouldn't get it in cricket, naturally, because that wouldn't be cricket. Rugby union is altogether too chummy a world for its adherents to go around hating each other, and while it is true that Wigan rugby league club made itself quite unpopular about 20 years ago by hoovering up all the available talent and winning everything in sight season after season, in that instance the very survival of the sport was being threatened.

Even then it was quite difficult to hate Wigan for having Martin Offiah on one wing and Jason Robinson on the other, with Shaun Edwards or Henry Paul somewhere inbetween. There was far more to admire than dislike, though the admiration became somewhat grudging when all suspense began to disappear from cup finals and title races.

It is possible to detect a certain amount of antipathy towards regular winners in individual sports – John McEnroe was not everyone's idea of an ideal tennis champion, for instance, and ditto with Michael Schumacher in Formula One or Miguel Indurain in cycling – but once again hate would be far too strong a word.

It is in the nature of spectator sport to feature favourites and therefore anti-favourites. If it is possible to have heroes then it follows there will be anti-heroes. That much is normal. But football does like to push the boundaries of what is tasteful and acceptable.

Plenty people do hate Manchester United, and while most of the most rabid cases will usually turn out to be Liverpool or Manchester City supporters, football should be worried about the more general tendency within the game for young fans to identify their enemies more vehemently than they stick up for their own side.

There is something decidedly odd about football compared with almost any other spectator sport. Nowhere else do you see faces contorted with such anger in random shots of the crowd behind a linesman's flag or a substitution about to be made. You would never guess these people have paid to watch an afternoon's sport, it frequently looks more like they have been herded into a football stadium and told they will have to pay to get out.

Of course this could simply be the passion that makes the English Premier League so distinctive from anywhere else, but if so it is a destructive passion, mostly directed at referees, opponents or underperforming members of the side ostensibly being supported. And the overriding feature of modern football in England, painfully evident from even the most fleeting visit to the blogosphere, is the amount of hatred and bile around for people who see things differently, ie support a different club. The present generation of football fans, some of whom in fairness are finding it much more difficult to attend games than was usually the case in the past, tend to define themselves more by who is disliked than who is appreciated.

Yet one doubts whether Jones was really talking about true hate, or even the increased levels of impatience and intolerance on the terraces. He was simply referring to the ABU (Anyone But United) syndrome that has been discernible since it became clear around the turn of the century that Sir Alex Ferguson had turned his side into a winning machine. "Everyone hates the best clubs, it is as simple as that," the United defender said.

It is probably not quite as simple as all that. Most people affect to dislike Chelsea, for example, but not because they are one of the best clubs. It has more to do with the fact that they were the archetypal football Flash Harrys in the 60s, before a period of penury under Ken Bates that the rest of the game greatly enjoyed. They are resented to a certain extent now because of Roman Abramovich's money and José Mourinho's abrasive style, though most fair-minded football followers – no, I don't know where to look either – would concede Chelsea these days add something to the gaiety of nations that is the Premier League. And so do Arsenal, who only kill you with pure football, and have never been hated in all the time Arsène Wenger has been at the club, not even when going through a whole season undefeated.

What that incredible run did do was put pressure on the other leading clubs to bring it to an end the following season, which Manchester United duly did and everyone outside Islington was happy. Even though that game in October 2004 came to be remembered as the Battle of the Buffet after tensions overspilled at the end, there was no particular hatred for either side, just a high dose of intense sporting rivalry. You do not attract hatred for setting new records at the very top level of sport, you tend to attract admiration. But people will want to see the very top teams taken down a peg, that is in the nature of competitive sport. That is perfectly healthy. Apart from a few thousand Evertonians no one really begrudged Liverpool their success in the 70s and 80s. They deserved it.

They were not hated for it, though it was felt the domination was beginning to chafe and it is a somewhat similar situation with United now. There are undoubtedly people who think they have been at the top for too long and it is time for a change, but the minute United do become an ordinary team again and hopes of a seamless managerial transition are abandoned, the last two decades will be enshrined for all time as one of the glories of English football. A golden era is much easier for the rest of the game to love once it is over. That is what David Moyes is up against.

The majority of football fans in this country do not hate Manchester United, they feel privileged to have witnessed the Ferguson years. But they will only admit that once the period has been wrapped up and sent off to a museum. While Moyes and his players are fighting a lonely battle for continuity, outsiders would not be too upset by a natural break.

Paul Wilson

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Fraser Forster deserves England debut after form in Europe | Ewan Murray

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 04:27 AM PST

An England start against Chile would be just reward for Fraser Forster given the continued troubles of Joe Hart

Surprise regarding the arrival of a goalkeeper who plies his domestic trade in the Scottish Professional Football League in an England No1 shirt rather misses the point.

Fraser Forster's form against St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen is irrelevant in the context of his international rise to prominence. Performances for Celtic against the best club sides in Europe have been the ones to elevate Forster to the position where Roy Hodgson can no longer ignore him.

Even when Alan Pardew once sniped about the standard of football Forster was encountering in Scotland, the Newcastle United manager was being unfair. Forster is subjected to pressure and expectation which affects those clubs for whom trophies are a necessity; therefore Celtic, and not Newcastle.

If, as anticipated, Forster is handed an England debut against Chile on Friday evening, he will join elite company. Until now, Alan Thompson is the only player to earn a full England cap when donning Celtic colours.

There are similarities, but also stark differences, between the circumstances of Forster and Thompson. For both, European football has been pivotal to their call-ups.

Thompson was a key part of Martin O'Neill's Celtic team, which progressed to the Uefa Cup final in 2003. The claiming of English scalps en route to that Seville showcase, Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool, catapulted Thompson into his home nation's consciousness once again. As a left-sided midfield player, Thompson held appeal to Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Forster's brilliance against Barcelona, in particular, since Celtic returned to the Champions League last season has bestowed a similarly high profile on the 25-year-old.

"The fact is Fraser has Champions League football, not a lot of goalkeepers have that and he has performed fantastically," says Neil Lennon, Forster's club manager.

"He has more than proven his capabilities of being in the England squad. We are playing the cream of Europe and have been for the past two seasons. Even before that, in the Europa League, Fraser produced world class performances.

"So there shouldn't be an argument. I don't think there is, now."

While Thompson's appearance in a 2004 Gothenburg friendly marked a solitary cap, at 30 years of age, Forster has both the chance and potential to begin a long journey with England. Not only is Forster's age in his favour, but Joe Hart's continued troubles render it illogical for Hodgson to consider Forster as anything other than a serious challenger to the Manchester City man.

Nine years ago, Thompson entered an England camp which he soon discovered was riddled with club cliques. International football, he learned, could be a lonely business for an outsider. The suspicion that Eriksson wanted Thompson to play his way out of, rather than into, his thoughts for Euro 2004 never really disappeared.

Forster, conversely, has told those close to him how much he enjoys England's current set-up. He has been made to feel welcome and relishes the opportunity to both work alongside and compare himself with other top-level goalkeepers.

Lennon cites Forster's agility and temperament in big matches as his finest attributes. Lennon also correctly points out the marked improvement in Forster's kicking since he first arrived in Glasgow as a nervous player who hadn't been exposed to regular first-team action at a club of anywhere close to Celtic's size.

Lennon has a track record in improving the value of players such as Forster. Celtic's goalkeeping coach, Stevie Woods, is also a positive, day-to-day influence on Forster's career. Forster has been good for Celtic but there should be no doubt that the Scottish champions have had an equally strong influence on a player who had earlier bounced around English lower league clubs on loan deals.

Anecdotal evidence suggests Forster's hopes of dislodging Tim Krul as Newcastle's then second-choice goalkeeper were undone by an error in a reserve match. Alan Shearer, then Newcastle manager, had earlier found his goalkeeping coach unable to call which of the duo was best placed to deputise for Steve Harper.

Not that Newcastle were of urgent mind to sell Forster; it was the desire of the player himself to attain regular first team football that played a significant part in the move to Celtic.

The promotion of Krul, it has to be said, hasn't done those at St James' Park much harm either.

From Lennon's point of view, Forster's sprawling 6ft 7in frame and the recommendation of Paul Lambert, who managed the goalkeeper at Norwich City, were crucial factors. Thompson, too, had encountered Forster when a coach at Newcastle.

The automatic assertion that Forster will move to the Premier League in the not-so-distant future is a leap of faith. Forster has spoken of a desire to test himself in a foreign land and there is no shortage of interest from abroad. Benfica have been the most public with their overtures towards Forster, but they are far from alone. A current salary in the region of £1m per year will hardly prove problematic to those looking to coax him away from Glasgow.

Nonetheless, Forster has earned the right to dictate his own destiny. His imminent England appearance merely endorses that, and hands Hodgson plenty to ponder.

Ewan Murray

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Uruguay v Jordan World Cup play-off preview – video

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 04:04 AM PST

Managers Óscar Wáshington Tabárez and Hossam Hassan talk to reporters before the crucial World Cup play-off

Chelsea 'still paying ex-manager Roberto Di Matteo £130,000-a-week'

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:18 AM PST

• Italian reportedly on full pay 12 months after sacking
• Di Matteo has been linked with return at Fulham

Roberto Di Matteo is still being paid £130,000-a-week by Chelsea as the club continues to foot the bill for his sacking 12 months ago, according to reports.

The former manager did not agree a pay-off settlement when he was axed as manager last season, and the Daily Mail reports the Italian will continue to be paid in full until June 2014 unless he takes another job before then.

That, however, seems unlikely given Di Matteo has reportedly turned down several offers both in the Premier League and from abroad since his departure, while there are few clubs who could match the lucrative £6.76m annual salary he was earning at Stamford Bridge.

Di Matteo was linked with the Sunderland job before Gus Poyet's appointment and he is seen as a possible replacement for Martin Jol at Fulham should the Dutch manager leave Craven Cottage.


theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Middlesbrough appoint former Real Madrid assistant Aitor Karanka

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:09 AM PST

• Karanka, 40, joins Middlesbrough as head coach
• Says: 'Mourinho recommended me to come here'

Middlesbrough have confirmed the appointment of the former Real Madrid assistant Aitor Karanka as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Karanka, who had also been linked with the vacancy at Crystal Palace, left Real this summer following José Mourinho's departure.

Middlesbrough's chief executive, Neil Bausor, said: "We are delighted that Aitor has decided to further his coaching career with Middlesbrough. He brings with him some fantastic experience as a player and as a talented young coach. We are all excited about working with him."

Karanka, a 40-year-old former Real Madrid central defender, has seen his path to the north-east smoothed by the influence of Jorge Mendes, his agent, and Peter Kenyon, the former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive, both of whom advise the club's owner, Steve Gibson.

The Spaniard takes charge with Boro just five points clear of the Championship relegation zone.

"It is a very important day for me," he said. "This is my first job and it is the best thing that I can do because I have found a club like a family with big facilities, with a big stadium, with big supporters, it's a very important day for me.

"It is my time. I have been, for three years, with José Mourinho and I think he supported me every day. I learned with him and his staff and I'm ready now."

Karanka spoke in glowing terms of Mourinho, who persuaded the 40-year-old to coach Middlesbrough.

"You can learn everything on the pitch and off the pitch and the changing room. He's the one," Karanka added. "He's the person who's supported me for months. He recommended me to come here because he believes in this project, like me."

Gibson said he had searched far and wide to find the best successor to Tony Mowbray, but was confident that the club's first non-British coach would be a success.

"Football isn't foreign anymore, it's global, we're all one. In the past I've been accused of being a little Englander but football has become global and we were searching for a first-class coach.

"Where that search takes us can't be in our backyard, can't be in the north-east and can't be in England, it's got to be global. We set down a clear template of what we were looking for and Aitor was the outstanding candidate."


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Win tickets to England v Chile

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:07 AM PST

Answer a simple question and you could be off to Wembley to watch some live international football

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