EPL Talk » Nicky Butt

Lucas Leiva Is Not a Flop, At Least Not Yet

MJ P. — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:45:13 +0000

At age 22, Zinedine Zidane was playing in the Intertoto Cup with Bordeaux. At that same age, Éric Cantona had just got a move from Auxerre to Marseille. Rivaldo had just moved from Corinthians to cross-town rivals Palmeiras in São Paulo.

With the money involved in today’s game and globalized scouting networks, such players would already have been with one of the European giants before they had the chance to establish themselves in their local teams. It’s hardly a surprise when the major European clubs get linked with and buy an obscure teenager in South America, who is tagged as the “new Messi” or “Ronaldinho’s heir.”

But potential doesn’t always translate to development. Equally still, little promise can develop exponentially.

Zidane, Cantona, and Rivaldo’s cases show that it’s not how much you achieve in your early 20’s that defines the rest of your career. These players all stayed in familiar surroundings before making the step up to a major European club. It was only until their mid-to-late 20’s that these players became giant names in world football.

Of course, there are always precocious youngsters who make the grade early on. Perhaps because their game relies on speed, like the two Ronaldo’s or Messi. Perhaps because their physique develops more quickly, like Rooney.

But early spark doesn’t always illuminate the rest of a career. Nicky Butt anchored the midfield for Manchester United in the 95/96 season with Roy Keane and that partnership always came out on top in physical battles. Paul Scholes, who had a much smaller frame than Butt and was frequently deployed further up the pitch, was sparingly used. Today, Nicky Butt plays for Newcastle United, Paul Scholes for Manchester United.

Lucas Leiva is 22 and is already at Liverpool. It is presumptuous to say he will be as successful as Scholes, Zidane, Rivaldo, Cantona, or even Nicky Butt. But to say he won’t turn out to be fine player is equally unfair. He has been thrust on the biggest stage earlier than some of the greatest midfielders of their generations. He has already played in a Champions League quarterfinal, captained Brazil’s U-20 team, finished runner-up in the league with Liverpool, and been capped for the senior Brazil national team.

For us to label him as a flop is premature. A player doesn’t have to progress at Messi’s rate to become a world class player. Lucas deserves time and Liverpool fans should wish the best for him, however much he may struggle now or in the coming years. He is only 22 and already plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world. He is certainly on the right track.

Alfredo di Stéfano was 27 when he crossed the Atlantic to join Real Madrid. When he was voted European Footballer of the Year for the second time, he was 33. The next year, he won the last of five consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Where was he before joining Real Madrid? Colombian football.

Even the greatest need time to develop at their own rate. So does Lucas.

Can The Arshavin Talk Finally Stop And Sky Clean up on UK Rights

Johnathan Starling — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:40:55 +0000

Well we know the Andrei Arshavin deal according to the Premier League is complete, but how much trouble was there in completing this deal?

It seems that lawyers had to be called in to make sure everything was in order as this deal was finally competed almost twenty-four hours after the deadline. What’s making this deal even more questionable is that reports are coming out that paperwork submitted to the FA post the five pm deadline had ‘small issues‘.

Now I’m pretty sure the FA and Premier League are going to continue to say this deal is valid, but I have just a few questions that I think need answering by the FA.

1) Since Arshavin was already in London on Monday, why was this deal green lighted for a post five pm completion other than the fact the fee wasn’t agreed upon?

2) So the FA are saying it’s okay to ratify a deal when forms aren’t completely filled out?

3) If this deal was for a club like Hull City, West Bromwich Albion, ect, would the FA had been so kind to green light the move?

While I will be so happy once this is all said and done, some serious questions need answering. Sadly, I don’t think we will get any of those answers. Again, we aren’t talking about this had the deadline simply been midnight.

So Sky Sports have won four of the six TV Rights packages for the 2010-2013 seasons. What is good news for the Premier League is their fears of having to take a pay cut on the rights in the UK are for naught. The deal Sky made for the four packages they have won will guarantee that with the other two packages, the sum of the packages will at least match what the current deal is. The only question about the last two packages is…will Setanta and ESPN partner on getting those last two packages?

Other Stories.
Frank Lampard’s red was rescinded. There’s a shock…not.

Here’s another one of Rafa’s crazy rants. This time about Robbie Keane. Hey Rafa, have you for one second stopped to ask yourself this question…did you properly know how to use Keane? It seems to me you were trying to jam the square peg into the round hole…it never works.

But Rory Smith of the Telegraph comes out in response of Rafa’s comments with a statement about the lack of options up front for Rafa should there be a single injury.

Could this be why Fulham got rid of Jimmy Bullard? Bullard’s only played one game for Hull City, and has already needed a knee scan.

So Sam Allardyce has made a promise to Roque Santa Cruz…keep Blackburn in the Premier League and you can go. I wonder if that’ll be motivation enough to start scoring the goals again.

Looks like Criag Gordon will have to be content until the summer with being Sunderland’s number two.

Nicky Butt will be staying at Newcastle United until the end of next season. I wonder if he’ll call it a day after that?

How To Make Newcastle United A Successful Club Again

The Gaffer — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:58:55 +0000

Contrary to popular belief, Newcastle United is not a poisoned club. Nor are they jinxed with injuries. At worst, they’re a poorly run club who has made one bad decision after another after another.

With news that a Nigerian consortium are interested in buying Newcastle, Toon fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that current owner Mike Ashley only has a limited time in charge. A new owner, whether they’re from Nigeria or another country, is inevitable, but simply changing owners won’t be enough to change Newcastle’s fortunes.

Instead what’s needed is a sound plan that is backed by financiers willing to spend money in the transfer window coupled with an understanding and desire to embrace the Geordie spirit.

It’s time for the passionate Geordies to feel like their club is theirs again instead of being run by a “cockney mafia” (Ashley and Wise). Dennis Wise needs to be sacked as soon as the takeover occurs as well as executive Derek Llamblas. But what’s crucial is that the new owners of Newcastle United bring in someone to the club who has a deep connection with the city.

I don’t feel there’s a Geordie out there who has the experience needed to manage the club at the highest level. Instead, the new owners need to convince someone like Alan Shearer to come in again as an assistant manager to work with a world-class manager.

Newcastle fans need a charismatic leader who knows his football and has a passion for attacking football as well as the ability to know when to play gritty football to pull out a result.

The list of managers available that fit those criteria are few and far between. One candidate that should be considered is Roberto Martinez, manager of Swansea, who has transformed the Welsh club into a side playing beautiful and effective football even in the “kick and run” Championship League.

Martinez has made shrewd transfer signings in the summer. Plus he has the experience of playing in England and managing in the country albeit at lower levels with the Swans.

No matter who the next manager will be, he needs the financial backing in the January transfer window to bring in star talent as well as to replace the dead wood (Alan Smith, Cacapa, Shola Ameobi and Nicky Butt) and trouble makers (Joey Barton).

Ultimately where it matters the most is on the pitch where the Magpies need a massive confidence boost as well as hunger to win. Earlier in the season, Newcastle showed glimmers of hope but there’s still so much work to be done before Newcastle United is anywhere near a decent side.

No matter who the new owner is, they need to improve communication with the fans and players. The club needs to have a plan with realistic goals that they can share with its fans so that they’ll be patient, to an extent, and that everyone will be working towards a common goal. With Newcastle, there is hope. The sooner they get an investor who is qualified to run the club, the better.