EPL Talk » football

Can Diamanti Emulate Di Canio?

David Schiavone — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:17:19 +0000

Can Diamanti emulate Di Canio?

Can West Ham United’s new Italian talent have the same impact on the Hammers as club legend Paolo Di Canio did between 1999 and 2003? Gianfranco Zola signed Alessandro Diamanti for a fee of around £6 million in the summer. Big money for an untested player especially in light of West Ham’s supposed financial handicap. But it could prove to be a smart acquisition by Zola in light of the past weekends game.

After scoring a controversial penalty against Liverpool on Saturday he has been thrown into the limelight for the wrong reasons. Chris Waddle who commentated on the match for ESPN UK was convinced that Diamanti touched the ball twice – as he took the penalty- but the Italian himself is adamant he scored a legitimate goal, “I don’t care what TV shows. It deserved a goal. I don’t believe I touched it twice. I was trying to hit it down the middle and that is what happened.” I will leave you to make up your own mind.

Signed from Livrono in Serie A, Diamanti was a star in Serie B last year, guiding the Amaranti to promotion with six goals in the final ten matches of the season as the Tuscan side went up via the playoffs. He is also accustomed to scoring magnificent long-range efforts, such as the edge of the box volley for Livorno against Triestina.

His current boss has likened the player to himself and former Hammer, Di Canio, as Zola told Italian sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport: “He’s a cross between myself and Paolo Di Canio.” These are large boots to fill given the standing Di Canio has amongst the West Ham faithful and after the performance against Liverpool he showed that the potential is most definitely there.

Alessandro Diamanti is a very pacy player with fantastic ball control and explosive shot, with the added bonous of being a set-piece specialist, it appears West Ham have unearthed another Italian gem. He is somewhat of a late bloomer, spending most of his career so far in the lower divisions of Italian football with hometown club Prato, and it wasn’t until he befriended Fabio Galante who recommended him to the Livrono chairman.

More recently, for West Ham reserves he banged in two magnificent free kicks in a 6-0 rout over Birmingham, after almost six months out. It is his goals but also his personality that will win over the fans, Diamanti stated on joining, “I chose West Ham because the club have the tradition of playing great football. Also, because the West Ham fans are really passionate and that is the way I am.”

Once full match fitness is achieved he will be a real thorn in the side of Premier League defences. You have been warned.

The Damned United Movie Trailer: Now Available For US Release

The Gaffer — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:10:00 +0000

The Damned United will be making its cinematic debut in the United States on a limited release this September 25, 2009 in New York City and Los Angeles.

And now Sony Pictures has officially launched the movie trailer for the film. It’s quite a bit different than the UK version. The US version focuses more on the dynamic of Brian Clough’s battle to unseat Don Revie from the power of being the best and most successful manager in English football at that time.

Sony Pictures has also launched a website to coincide with the upcoming launch of the film in the United States at http://www.sonyclassics.com/thedamnedunited/ The number of features is extremely limited right now, but I’m sure more information will be added in the next few weeks.

Darren Bent’s Rant Goes A-Twitter

Ethan Armstrong — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:57:00 +0000

When I first heard of Twitter, I thought it was a dirty verb, like: “Get Twittered!” or “Go Twitter yourself!” (And maybe there’s still potential for that.) Turns out it’s a social networking website. And it has undeniably become the Next Big Net Thing.

In addition to allowing friends to keep up with each other’s day-to-day goings-on, all kinds of organizations from restaurants to sporting clubs to Ashton Kutcher are learning to use its free marketing potential to promote themselves. EPL Talk’s own The Gaffer uses it to keep folks current with our site’s updates.

But alongside the benefits, there’s plenty of room for error as well. Controversy arose this week when Tottenham Hotspur’s Darren Bent used Twitter to vent his frustration over stalled transfer talks. He reportedly posted the following items on his Twitter account:

“Why can’t anything be simple? It’s so frustrating hanging around doing jack s**t. Seriously getting p***ed off now.”

“Do I want to go to Hull City, no. Do I want to go to Stoke, no.”

“Do I want to go to Sunderland, yes. So stop f*****g around, Levy.”

There was speculation it wasn’t really Bent’s account (I was hoping it would prove to be Steve Bruce’s), but today Bent owned up to his posts when he apologized on Tottenham’s official site:

“I appreciate that transfers are seldom straightforward and are often complex. However, after a long period of waiting following my withdrawal from the plane to China, I had become incredibly frustrated by the time these things take and I posted inappropriate comments on my Twitter site.

“I allowed my emotions to get in the way of my better judgement. I regret my actions and did not intend to offend Daniel Levy or anyone with the nature or the content of my posting.”

Bent’s retraction aside, does this mean Twitter will play a bigger role in our football media terrain? Will we see players and managers using Twitter to wind each other up? Complain about refereeing decisions? Flush out transfer speculation? Will we be reading articles every week about professional football Tweets?

The possibilities are endless…

A_Zaki: I was completely onside. Linesman was drunk. Time to sulk.

RafaBeni: Getting nervous. Bought Xabi case of Rioja in case he’s on fence.

Fergie99: TiVo’ed Rafa’s latest press conference. Hoping for rant pt 2.

BexInLA: Took Landon bowling to ease tension. Kicked his arse. Oops.

City_Hughes: Players in place. Time to shop for chemistry.

J_Barton: Anybody know a good lawyer?

In 1998, when I started going to the University of New Hampshire, AOL Instant Messenger was the big rage. We were bent over our computers all hours of the day, keeping up with old friends from home and getting to know new ones at school. I remember many the awkward moments and endless misunderstandings that come too easily with such brief, faceless, voiceless interaction. We learned some big lessons. Like: sarcasm is hard to convey over the internet. And: always talk about the big issues in person. Eventually, we succumbed to communicating using the away message function (the message one left when away from Instant Messanger: at the library… at the dining hall… surfing for porn…) in an attempt to avoid the real-time electronic faux pas. These “status updates” became the template for today’s Tweets.

Later, this desire for online social networking gave birth to sites like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook. Each one seemed to catch on for a while before getting knocked off the perch by the next. But Twitter seems to reach all the way back to Instant Messenger and amplify that concept to a mass scale.

Bent’s comments might have once been some quiet griping to personal friends. No story there. But today it gets broadcast the world over. Anyone who’s paying attention gets wind of his complaints. And it ends up on all the media sites as the controversy du jour.

As we demand more and more information in shorter and shorter bursts, it’s easy to get caught in the stream. The lesson those in the public arena need to learn—similar to what we students learned at University long ago—is despite the ease of transmission, you need to watch your words. Now more than ever. The world is potentially listening.

Oh, by the way… keep an eye my upcoming can’t-live-without-it social networking site: TweetMySpaceBookster.com™. It’s going to be huge. Coming soon to a laptop near you.

Do We Really Need A New Football?

Ethan Armstrong — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:00:03 +0000

Football’s magnificence lies in it simplicity. The rules, the tactics, the culture have adopted their own complexities over the years, but boots, nets, linesmen, banners and songs all become luxuries when we acknowledge the lovers of the game would play in the mud in bare feet if they had to. Pick two kids anywhere on the planet, give ‘em a football and kick ‘em out of the house for a few hours and those tykes’ll make a game of it. Rocks and sticks become goal posts. Any patch of open space makes a pitch and a round ball is all you need. That’s why it’s the world’s best loved sport.

So it baffles me when a football governing body introduces a “new ball” as UEFA did for the champions league final. Frivolous new technology in a sport of beautiful simplicity. Okay, UEFA: what have we got here?

The Adidas Finale Rome utilizes PSC-Texture™ which entails a series of bumps on the surface of the ball which is supposed to create a better grip for the players’ boots, thus making it easier to play with in inclement weather conditions.

Right.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to progress. I just hate when it interferes with the purity of the game.

If you can make goal-line technology work: fine. Put a sensor in the ball so we know when it crosses the line, etc.. If the change doesn’t affect the movement of the ball, it’s no problem. If it helps us clarify dubious goals and such without stopping the match for video replay, that’s a reasonable technological innovation. But if the weight of the sensor, say, somehow stunts the speed of the ball as it moves across the pitch or if it drastically alters its trajectory from a free-kick or corner, then I have a problem with it.

Watching the players try and get their feet around the Rome Finale ball was painful at times. The movement from freekicks and corners was markedly different, and the ball’s track across the pitch seemed stuttered and inconsistent. The technology interfered with play. Anyone could see it.

From kick-off, the difference was blatant . Barca gave up a quick free throw in dangerous territory because what should have been a simple pass from Valdes missed its man and went out to touch. Almost the same thing happened to United after Eto’o scored. A routine pass to van der Sar went well wide and Barca earned a corner kick.

As with the ball used in the 2006 World Cup, change has altered the path of the ball and forces the players to change how they play. In 2006, fewer seams altered the spin of the lighter ‘Teamgiest‘ ball and gave it an unpredictable trajectory. Keepers had their hands full (or not) keeping tabs on where the ball was going.

At least FIFA used the Teamgeist for the entire World Cup, though. UEFA waited until the Champions League final to introduce the Finale Rome. Yes, the name of the ball presaged that move. But perhaps we could have been using an Adidas Groupstage Rome with the same technology at the start of the competition so the players could get used to it.

While any of the United and Barca players who represented their country in last summer’s Euro have already been exposed to PSC-Texture™ in the form of the ‘EUROPASS‘ ball, the thing still seemed an alien concept on the day as players were clearly not used to the ball’s movement.

But the issue ultimately goes back to the concept of simplicity.

We don’t need this ball.

Playing in bad weather is as important a tradition for football as anything. And its the same soaked pitch for both sides. Until Ronaldo or Messi develops webbed feet and gills, it’s not as if one has advantage over the other. The ball’s goosebumps, dimples, pimples, whatever they are: not needed. “They are scientifically proved to allow better control in all weather conditions.” Yeah? Well, they invoked poor control on a sunny day at Wembley.

It didn’t change the outcome, as both sides had to struggle with the thing equally. But it forced them to change how they played and adjust to a new ball with little preparation.

Embrace simplicity, UEFA. The ball is round. You kick it. You can even do this without a high-tech nuclear powered boot designed by NASA. I promise.

We don’t need more whistles and bells on our football. I say, don’t &%#!@ with perfection™.

Five Facts to Explain Fulham’s Premier League Resurgence

tyduffy — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:57:53 +0000

One year ago, Fulham was arguably the worst team in the Premier League not named Derby. The club showed little holiday spirit, sacking Lawrie Sanchez just four days before Christmas. New manager Roy Hodgson needed a great escape, scraping to 36 points and safety on the season’s final day.

This season, however, Hodgson has revolutionized Fulham, currently sitting comfortably mid-table on 26 points with a game in hand. Here are five facts to explain Fulham’s resurgence this season.

Ferocity at the Back: Americans have a saying, “Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.” Fulham are nowhere near title contention, but a vastly improved defense has proved pivotal. Halfway through the current season, Fulham have allowed just 14 goals in the 19 matches. That’s fourth best in the Premier League, behind only Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. If Fulham maintain that pace, they would allow 28 goals. They shipped 60 the previous year. Fulham are far more competitive and have their backline to thank.

Fortress Craven Cottage: Fulham’s 2008-09 model has the requisite fragility away from home. They’ve failed to win in nine attempts, although they have drawn five. However, Fulham have been spectacular at home this season, winning six and drawing three of their ten matches. Only Manchester United and Liverpool have fared better at home this season than Fulham.

Overcoming Squandered Investments: Fulham spent serious moolah over the summer, nearly £20m, to revamp their striking with Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora. Despite their success, the duo have been largely ineffective, combining for only five goals in 33 combined appearances. American forward Clint Dempsey has four times as many goals as Bobby Zamora, with barely more than half as many pitch minutes. Fulham’s success has been despite not because of this substantial investment.

A Steely Run: Fulham, though only winning three, are undefeated in their past nine matches, last losing to 1-0 to Everton on Nov. 1. This run of matches saw Fulham play top tier sides, such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa. They also played more talented teams, such as Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham twice. Fulham may fade a bit, but those fifteen difficult points could stave off relegation.

Backbone Against the Big Five: These fixtures are often overrated. For a team out of the title race six-pointers, they matter not more than any other match. However, Fulham, with a victory against Arsenal and draws with Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa, are undefeated in these matches. They conceded just two goals in the four matches, both against Chelsea. Tangibly, Fulham gain six points, but the value of the confidence earned is considerable.