EPL Talk » The Forgotten Men

The Forgotten Men: Dietmar Hamann

The Gaffer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:30:18 +0000

With all of the attention focused on Manchester City’s latest acquisition, defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong — signed from Hamburger SV for a fee believed to be around £18 million — spare a thought for the latest forgotten man at Eastlands, Dietmar Hamann.

Just as left back Wayne Bridge pushed Javier Garrido and Michael Ball to the bench, while the arrival of Craig Bellamy means that forwards Daniel Sturridge and Felipe Caicedo will get very little playing time, the signing of Dutch international de Jong is bad news for Hamann. Sure, Hamann is injured and is likely to be out for three months. But even if he was fit, it’s doubtful the German midfielder would play much of a part in the second half of the 2008/2009 season.

At 35, it’s probable that this season will Hamann’s last in England and top flight football. His contract is due to expire at the end of this season.

Hamann’s career in England began in 1998 when Newcastle manager Kenny Dalglish signed the German international from Bayern Munich for £5.5 million. At Newcastle, Hamann made 23 appearances before signing for Liverpool in 1999 for a transfer fee of £8 million.

It was at Liverpool where Hamann came to prominence playing 191 times for the Merseyside club over a seven year period. While at Liverpool, Hamann scored the last goal at the old Wembley Stadium when Germany beat England 1-0 on October 7, 2000. And he played a key role in one of the greatest football matches ever — Liverpool’s historic Champions League victory against AC Milan in 2005.

In 2006, Hamann joined Manchester City where he has made 54 appearances for the club.

Unfortunately, Hamann has failed to make much of an impression lately under the management of Mark Hughes. In November, Hamann was one of two players who refused to warm up in the 2-2 draw against Hull City. After ignoring to come on as a substitute, Hamann was demoted to play in a reserves match a few days later.

In the 2008/2009 season, Hamann has only had five league appearances for City. In his last game for the Citizens, Hamann came on as a substitute in the January 3rd loss against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. Hamann’s last contribution was a poor one when his throw-in went straight into the City defence and to the feet of Forest player Joe Garner who scored past Joe Hart to make the final result 3-0 to Forest.

De Jong will bring a much needed boost to Manchester City’s defensive frailities. In Euro 2008, de Jong partnered with Dutch midfielder Orlando Engelaar. The duo were particularly effective during Holland’s shock 3-0 win against Italy.

The Forgotten Men is a new series from EPL Talk which shines a light on the players who are often overlooked and forgotten about when so much of the media focus is on a club’s big new signing. Follow ‘The Forgotten Men‘ series today.

Giovani Dos Santos: The Forgotten Man

The Gaffer — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:30:32 +0000

When Jermain Defoe walked on to the hallow turf of White Hart Lane Tuesday night, the former Portsmouth striker was met with a rapturous applause from the faithful Tottenham fans. One man who was unlikely to cheer Defoe’s arrival was Tottenham colleague and fellow striker Giovani Dos Santos.

While Defoe was paraded in front of his fans, Dos Santos sat on the bench for the entire 90 minutes of Tottenham’s 4-1 win against Burnley in the Carling Cup semi-final. For the Mexican international and son of a Brazilian footballer, this has been a common occurence for Giovani. In the season thus far, he’s started only two Premier League matches, and made just four Premier League substitute appearances. A dismal record indeed for a player Spurs paid Barcelona £4.7 million for his services.

Granted, Giovani has been hampered by an ankle injury since October, so he hasn’t had a chance to shine at White Hart Lane, but with the arrival of Defoe, the continuous improvement of Roman Pavlyuchenko and the insurance policy of having Darren Bent available on the bench, there isn’t room for a player of Giovani’s salary at Spurs. Then there’s Manchester United loanee Fraizer Campbell who, to illustrate how low Giovani is on Harry Redknapp’s pecking order, played against Burnley instead of the Mexican striker.

Even though Defoe is in the limelight and Dos Santos is a fading memory, the Mexican striker has generated interest with Mexican club Chivas who have enquired about securing Dos Santos on a loan for the remainder of the season.

There’s no doubt that Giovani can regain his form and match fitness at a different club than Tottenham Hotspur. The 19-year-old has the skill necessary to succeed whether it’s as an attacking midfielder or second striker. He is, by far, a lightweight player, so the wisdom that Damien Comoli showed in signing the starlet has to be questioned especially in a very physical league such as the Premiership.

Over the next week as Defoe is paraded in front of the national press and on television, spare a thought for one unlucky Mexican striker. A man who came to Spurs at the wrong time under the wrong manager, and who now finds himself under the tutelage of a manager who doesn’t believe in him. He is the forgotten man, another in a series of players who are overshadowed by new signings in the January transfer window.

Javier Garrido: The Forgotten Man

The Gaffer — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:00:29 +0000

The transfer window has been open a few days but there’s only one signing that has been announced thus far in the Premier League and that’s the Wayne Bridge move from Chelsea to Manchester City for an undisclosed sum thought to be around £10 million.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the big news of the new signings in the transfer window, but what is often overlooked by major news organizations is who the new signing is likely to replace. Some poor sod is often pushed out to the substitute’s bench. Or, worse yet, to a lower league club. All of the attention goes to the big name new star, while everyone forgets about “that other bloke.”

In Manchester City’s case, that poor sod is left back Javier Garrido who, if he stays at Manchester City, will unlikely see a starting place in the side unless Bridge gets injured or rested for a UEFA Cup match AND the same thing happens to fellow left-back Michael Ball.

Garrido joined Manchester City in the 2007 August transfer window for £1.5 million and has made 37 appearances for the club after coming from Real Sociedad. One of his few shining moments for City was the stunning free kick he scored in October 2008 against Liverpool in the 2-3 defeat.

In the 2008-2009 season, Manchester City’s defence has gone from bad to worse with some dreadful performances. City currently has the seventh worst defence in the Premier League this season. They’ve been letting in an average of 1.50 goals per match, and the figure rises to 1.90 when calculating away matches.

Garrido’s last appearance for City was in their embarrassing performance against Racing Santander in the UEFA Cup. In the league, he continues to sit on the bench without being played. The last time he played in the Premier League was November 30th in the 1-0 loss to Manchester United. And so far this season, he has also had 10 league appearances.

While Garrido isn’t the only player to blame, his form has not been fitting a Premier League of City’s calibre (or what they should be achieving). He has been particularly exposed this season down the left wing for City, especially against Racing Santander.

Throughout the January transfer window, I’ll be taking a look at “The Forgotten Men,” and Javier Garrido is the first in the series. So while all of the cameras and lights are shining on the new transfer signings, spare a thought for the men who see the writing on the wall.

Let’s not forget the other Manchester City player that needs to be worried about the signing of Wayne Bridge, and that is Michael Ball, City’s other left-back who has started the majority of matches for City as left-back this season. Last season, Garrido was the left-back who started most matches and it was Ball who was eyeing his position as a substitute. But this season, Hughes had shown more faith in Ball than the Spaniard.