Rooney’s ban threatened to deny the tournament one of its most marketable players, and so UEFA stand accused of double standards after seemingly setting rules according to financial sway.  Perhaps this is a harsh criticism in the light of the fact that a one match ban is mandatory and anything more is down to UEFA’s discretion as to whether Rooney’s act was a genuine assault.

Rooney’s behaviour represented the kind of petulance that the game could do without if it’s to set an example to the rest of society, but to put the onus on footballers for society’s woes could seem futile.  Footballers are role models, whether they like it or not, but how accountable are footballers for wider social problems, and how much is their very own behaviour a reflection of how society is?  But that’s a broader question of personal accountability.

Whether Rooney should be selected for Euro 2012 is a divisive issue, but what Rooney does represent is England’s only truly world class player.  Could a combination of Ashley Young, Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge and James Milner drive England to glory?  Probably not, therefore England’s best chances of success seem to be dependent on whether Rooney can emulate his club form at national level.

England have some excellent young modern style ‘number tens’ in the likes of Sturridge, Milner and Cleverly, but it would be fair to say that this list of players isn’t in the same class as the Iniesta’s, Xavi’s, Modric’s and Mata’s of this world.  Rooney can be.

On the other side of the coin, those who believe Rooney should be dropped might point out that Capello’s perseverance with the ‘old guard’ is holding England back – the Italian could do well to take a leaf out of former Spain manager Luis Aragones’ book and clear the decks:  In the 90s, the Spanish team was mainly constituted of Real Madrid players, and Raul was the golden boy of Spanish football.  Other players felt sidelined and Spain plodded along as perennial underachievers.  Many argue that Spain’s fortunes changed when Aragones took the impossible decision to drop Raul.  The national side could start afresh, and a new set of players untarnished by failure and led by the likes of Xavi, took up the baton.  Spain’s success is obviously down to far more than that one decision, but it seems valid to draw parallels.

It must also be noted that when England won the World Cup they thrived on losing Jimmy Greaves, who in the run up to the tournament, had scored 44 goals in 57 games.  Hurst replaced Greaves and the rest is history.

It must be remembered that Rooney is still only 26, and to put him in the same bracket as the likes of Terry and Lampard is unfair.  Rooney is one of the finest talents England has ever produced, and without credible back-up, to drop him could be to squander our chances.  It seems Capello was only calling UEFA’s bluff when he aired the possibility of not selecting Rooney, but it has certainly provoked debate.

Real and Barca are the obvious two big sides in Spanish football, and between them, they have dominated La Liga. Real represent the Castilian region and Barcelona represent the Catalan region. The Castilian region is synonymous with government and power, and the Catalan region sees itself as a competing seat of power.

The rivalry extends deep into history and peaked during the Spanish Civil War. Madrid was strongly tied to Franco’s regime and although the victims of his power spread throughout Spain, Madrid and Barcelona came to represent the ideological divide. Many of Franco’s adversaries were in Barcelona, and the city was one of the main threats to his power.

The Catalan culture is glaringly individual. It only takes a brief walk around Barcelona to realise that there is a strong sense of difference. The abstract Gaudi architecture and the endless works of art show a city that is keen to stamp its authority through individual expression. If you are planning a trip to Barcelona, why not use www.spainticketbureau.com and add an essential trip to the Nou Camp to your itinerary?

Barcelona and Real Madrid make up much of the national team due to their domestic dominance, although club rivalries will often come before national team bonds. Take last season’s volatile Champions League final as an example. Many think that the only way the current Spanish team will lose superiority is if internal rivalries take hold, borne out of El Clasico tensions.
To see El Clasico is to see one of the world’s major sporting showpieces. Visit www.spainticketbureau.com to discover ticketing information on a host of La Liga games.

Unit stakes: Unit stakes is a very popular betting system. In its simplest form, punters will set up pre-arranged amounts of cash that will be used for certain types of bets. This combats the commonly occurring problem of over-betting in betting systems, where a punter places too large a bet on a losing proposition. This results in being cash-short on other, potentially more lucrative, betting propositions.

The Martingale System: This betting system is traditionally associated with the casino classic roulette, however, it is becoming used more and more within the domain of organised sports betting. The Martingale System simply calls for a doubling of the original stake every time a bet is lost; for example, if a wager of £10 is lost on a specific bet, the next bet that is made by the punter should be of £20, regardless of the event being wagered on.

Other betting systems: Another notable sports betting system is the common strategy of betting the same percentage of your bank account. For example, a punter may decide to bet 2% of their bank account on every bet. For further sports betting information go to Coral Sports website, where you can find the latest news and football results. Coral is popular with sports and football betting fans and is a reliable betting provider.

Sports Direct Arena

The decision to rename has naturally been welcomed with hostility by fans and football purists alike.  English football is in economic transition.  In the past, a football team was something of a public heritage business, built and sustained on the backs of rich local benefactors, supporters and local communities.  In recent years globlised business and market forces have seized football, which had stood as one of the last bastions of community minded business, run at a sustenance-level for the people.  Ticket prices were affordable and the choice of whether to go to the match could be made spontaneously on a Saturday afternoon.  Football was the pastime of the working classes.  

The modern day club is a multi-national business, based on ruthlessly exploiting every avenue of the market.  Billionaire owners, global branding, and ‘profit maximisation’ are the order of the day, making it easy for the ordinary fan to feel sidelined.  We are told that if we want our clubs to compete on the pitch they must compete financially – which the modern fan does not fail to realise – but how much of a clubs soul is sold in the process?

Ashley, it must be stressed, deserves applause for his attempt to make Newcastle “self financing”, but he seems to have overstepped the mark in selling a heritage that was built by the fans, and for what…

Ashley claims the renaming rights along with a dual shirt sponsorship deal could net up to £10million; a new player in modern terms. 

In a commercial sense, Ashley should be asking how much the renaming could damage his brand in the long term.  Newcastle is not a club associated with on-field success – no major trophies in 42 years is testimony to that.  They are a club whose “brand” is synonymous with tradition and nostalgia; the famous black and white stripes, the passionate support, and, St James’ Park.  In undermining a rich history, Ashley could be undermining what Newcastle United is.  With the absence of silverware, heritage is an inherent part of their brand and therefore all Newcastle have; leaving you asking the question of whether Ashley’s idea is merely symptomatic of the greed and monetary short-termism endemic in the financial sector. 

On a social level, local institutions like St James’ provide cultural identity: a sense of belonging that binds us to our forefathers and builds a sense of community and common purpose: real, “Big Society”.  On the pitch, the decision could disrupt a fine start to the season.

Mike Ashley’s decision seems particularly pertinent, at a time when the average man is becoming more and more disenchanted with how the world of big business seems to operate with increasing disdain towards our interests and values.  At 119 years old, St James’ Park is a secular cathedral which bridges generations, and in many people’s eyes renaming it is classless and tantamount to sacrilege.

Pardew's latest cut price import

The current state of affairs is a far call from the trophy signings of the Freddie Shepherd era, when Newcastle became a dinosaur’s graveyard for the likes of Patrick Kluivert and Michael Owen.  High fees and astronomic wages resulted in relegation and financial misery.

Now, defying expectation, at lunch time on Saturday Newcastle jumped above Man United and into second place in the Premier League.  It’s hard to judge how good a team is with no household names but Newcastle are doing what good teams do – consistently seeing off inferior opposition in a workmanlike inevitable fashion. 

The backbone of the team -Tiote, Coloccini and Cabaye represents one of the best spines in the league.  Tiote and Cabaye must be the envy of Alex Ferguson who lacks the kind of midfield bite and industry that this emerging duo offers.  Whereas Fergie looked to buy Sneijder for around £30 million, Newcastle picked up Cabaye and Tiote for a relative pittance.

The French foreign legion – Cabaye, Obertan, Ben Arfa and Marveaux – all look like worthy additions to the Newcastle squad.  But it may be too easy to say Newcastle have tapped a cheap French market.  True, Cabaye looks to be the buy of the season, gleaned directly from the French league, but Ben Arfa has been unfortunate with injury so has rarely played, Obertan was bought from Man United, and Marveaux has mainly featured on the subs bench.

The secret to Newcastle’s success runs deeper; for the first time they have a team who work for each other, something of a rarity in the champagne world of Premier League football.  The Premier League is burdened with high profile superstars and inflated egos.  Playing for personal glory outweighs personal sacrifice.  Individual flashes of brilliance are put above the continental style team ethic which is based on a subtle form of ‘technical ability.’  Barcelona’s Xavi and Iniesta are understated superstars plying their trade in a pass and move team game.  Get the ball and give it quick is their ethos. 

For a long time the British had a warped view of what technique actually was.  A sublime volley or an overhead kick was tagged as technical ability.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew values genuinely technical players blessed with first touch, a quick pass and clever movement.  Add to this a relentless work rate; Cabaye and Gutierrez are two of the hardest working players in the league.  They both have undoubted ability but base their games on discipline, industry and pass and go football.

Newcastle are not modelled in the style of Barcelona or Spain in the fact that they haven’t adopted the modern 4-2-3-1 system, although they are fluid.  The key to their success is largely due to an unshakeable team bond and a willingness to sacrifice for the cause, mixed with affordable ‘technical ability’ in its most genuine sense.

Silva: the modern forward

The Premier League’s top sides seem to have adopted what could best be described as the 4-2-3-1 formation.  It emulates the continental Barca style, based around a possession game and most importantly, building slowly from the back.  The English interpretation has brought goals galore amongst the top teams; possibly due to the unique way we seem play it with a high defensive line.  Man United 8 Arsenal 2; Chelsea 3 Arsenal 5; Man United 1 Man City 6.

We now have a multitude of attacking players in our game, who play in the position we used to call ‘the hole.’  The worlds leading scorers are all of the Rooney, Messi and Ronaldo ilk; who are neither forwards nor midfielders.  Our teams duly set out with three or four free roaming ‘number 10’s’ who are hard for opposing defences to track. 

Played effectively it’s difficult not to see the 4-2-3-1 formation prevailing with the right personnel.   If the opposition defence drops off they leave the front four with space to express themselves; if the defence push up towards the half way line they invite the through ball.  It’s a no win situation and perhaps the best way to counter it is to match it.  Man City have somewhat perfected it by installing Barry and Toure behind the midfield as defensive lynchpins, whilst the front four work hard to “swarm” the opposition in order to regain possession. 

Some Premier League teams may find it hard to adapt, as ‘possession at all costs’ and patient build up is not an English characteristic.  Our game is in transition.  In English stadiums sideways and backwards passes are greeted with roars of disapproval, defenders take no chances and aim for row Z, and keepers still have a tendency to kick the ball long.  Fabio Capello recently reprimanded England’s defenders for wasting throw-ins in their own half by aimlessly hurling the ball down the line looking for a header – a nonsensical waste of possession to a continental manager but perfect sense to an English player.

The result being, dazzlingly open encounters between the top sides, and pundits making the case for a more resolute defence.  Man United have already reverted back and forth to formations that err on the side of caution, with Rooney dropping back into midfield: The Man City rout may have exposed United’s lack of personnel for the 4-2-3-1.

Man City are England’s current top side and therefore will be given the imperative to dictate the way our game is played as other teams attempt to match their success.  Chelsea have already outlined a new type of technical strategy and others will surely follow.

City Mastermind Roberto Mancini

A shell shocked Man United were ran ragged by City’s free flowing link up play, which culminated in six away goals.  Following the dismissal of Jonny Evans, Mancini’s men combined craft, industry and some of the most incisive forward play the league has ever seen to stake their claim as early title favourites.        

Mancini has fashioned what appears to be a perfectly balanced side.  They have a heavyweight midfield presence in Barry and Toure, who are both exceptional forward thinking players in their own right but are happy to provide an anchor to the imperious quartet of Milner, Balotelli, Silva and Aguero. 

Man City are blessed with the most attacking options at their disposal in the Premier League.  Tevez, Dzeko, Nasri and the much under rated Adam Johnson are all first choice options for any other side.  It may not be implausible to speculate that in the whole of Europe, Man City are second only to Barcelona in terms of collective talent.

Man United lacked a box-to-box dynamo of the Paul Scholes mould.  Rooney as always ran all day but was isolated by a lack a midfield presence to support him, leaving Ferguson to rue missing out on the signing of Sneijder in the summer.

This game established City as a genuine European force, and marks their arrival on the domestic scene as a real contender to United’s monopoly.  More importantly, it could instil the belief and indeed arrogance necessary of a championship winning side.  Man United have of course been soundly beaten and lost titles before, but there is an underlying feeling in the English game that they have never come up against a team so well equipped financially, managerially, and in terms of talent. 

Sunday’s game was a resounding blow that Man United will not forget but it isn’t unparalleled. 

Newcastle fans would remind you of 1996 when they beat (an 11 man) Man United 5-0.  Newcastle were clearly the best team in the league with Beardsley, Shearer, Ginola and Asprilla in their prime, but nevertheless they surrendered a 12 point lead to the experience and guile of Ferguson and his team.  Doubt set in and Newcastle imploded following Keegan’s famous TV rant.  City must now lead from the front and display the fortitude and responsibility to keep their nerve where others have failed.

 It may be wise to exercise caution when predicting the end of Man United’s domination… 

PH

The start of the Galacticos era started when Florentino Perez was introduced as the new president of the club. This was based on the promise that he would sign Luis Figo from their main rivals Barcelona. This promise was carried out to the tune of £38.7million. At this time the club already had superstars such as Raul, Roberto Carlos and Casillas. The addition of Figo ignited Madrid’s ambition and saw them claim the league title in 2001.

In 2001 Madrid signed arguably the best player in the world at the time, from Juventus for a record £44million. Zidane soon showed his quality at Madrid winning the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in 2002 and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003.

In 2002 Madrid followed their adopted policy in signing the worlds best and bought Ronaldo for £26million. Ronaldo soon became the goal-scoring machine he was famous for and helped Madrid to win the 2003 La Liga title. On his way Ronaldo scored an amazing 23 goals in his first season at the club.

In 2003 David Beckham was bought for £25million and enhanced his icon status around the world. With Beckham’s set pieces Madrid played the best football in Europe.

The team of Galacticos was famous for its beautiful football, making the game look easy. They would tear apart teams defences, scoring breathtaking goals. One of the most memorable was in the 2002 European Cup final by Zidane. Raul also assisted with a bundle of goals becoming the highest scorer in European Cup history.

After 2003 the Galacticos almost vanished overnight, a team of egos quickly erupted and the success on the pitch failed to match the success of the field. The Madrid Galacticos were one of the best La Liga teams in history if not one of the world’s best.

Real Madrid still boast some of the greatest players in the world such as Cristiano Ronaldo, former world player of the year Kaka and younger stars such as Mesut Ozil. If you want to travel to Madrid and watch the galacticos in the Bernabeu then you can purchase tickets through Spain ticket bureau.

Current thought around the football world is asserting that Barcelona will be the dominating force in football for the future. However, Gary does not subscribe to this line of thinking. On the contrary, Gary is quite confident that Manchester United will rise in status and prove to be quite a contender for the current European champions. Neville feels this way even though recently in May, Manchester United was beat quite well by Barcelona in the Champions League final. This is the second time in the last years that Barcelona has emerged victorious over Manchester United.

Prior to his retirement in February, Neville himself has accrued 10 winners’ medal while at Old Trafford. He just doesn’t believe that Barcelona will dominate in the upcoming years. Despite the fact that the many are calling Barcelona the greatest club of all time, Neville is sticking to his belief. Neville agrees that working toward a championship is a difficult road. However, he believes that Manchester United will continue down the path and finally reach their destination. HE firmly believes that some football teams like Manchester United and Real Madrid will eventually be able to get past Barcelona in the next few years. He believes the Barcelona will find things becoming increasingly tough for them as other teams grow and make their way. After all, he adds, everything happens in cycles.

Gary Neville also shared his thoughts about new Manchester United player, Ashley Young. Since his arrival from Aston Villa, Young has made quite an impression. Neville believes that joining Manchester United will provide Young with a setting in which he can expand his skills to the next level. By playing with better players, Ashley Young is bound to learn from them and at the same time improve upon his skill set. Neville also points to the fact that Young will get the ball more now in better playing areas of the field.

One area of the site will provide information regarding football score. Their service will cover all of the major leagues in both Britain and across the European continent. Some leagues included are the Premier League, the Football League, Serie A, La Liga, Champions League and Bundesliga. Score coverage will also provide updates on tournaments not just isolated match-ups. International tournaments will also be included. Expect to find score for the European Championship, international qualifying games and grand scale events like the World Cup. When matches conclude, final scores are posted immediately.

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