Daily Archives: May 1, 2015

Brazil must learn past lessons to take control of its future

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epaselect BRAZIL SOCCER FIFA WORLD CUP 2014
“Maybe – and I speak from a position of curious ignorance – the Australian game is going through one such moment with the successful launch of the A-League, qualification for FIFA World Cups, the move to Asia and hosting of this year’s AFC Asian Cup. Perhaps historians will look back on this time as the vital moment in the development and mass popularisation of an Australian football culture, the time when all the pioneering work of the likes of Les Murray and Johnny Warren really started to bear fruit. In the development of the Brazilian game, it is clear that the 1930s have a magic place. At the start of the decade, Brazil lagged miles behind Uruguay and Argentina as South America’s third force. By the end it was a different story. Third place in the 1938 World Cup in France had opened the planet’s eyes to the rise of the men in (for just over another decade) white shirts.” World Game – Tim Vickery

Pellegrini Out?: Evaluating Manchester City’s Manager Options

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“Manchester City is teetering on a crisis. Since the new year, when they were tied with Chelsea atop the table , they have struggled, and are now sitting 13 points behind the soon to be champions. Not only that, but the team has looked poor doing it, showing little drive or defensive structure. Manchester City supporters are questioning his leadership and ability to motivate his players. The agent of city’s star midfielder, Yaya Toure, called Pellegrini ‘a good coach, but a weak manager.’” Soccer Politics

José Mourinho and the issue of ‘boring’ and ‘immoral’ football

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“Then a team are 13 points clear at the top of the table and have been manifestly the best side in the league that season, perhaps it’s only natural that others should look for sticks with which to beat them. In Chelsea’s case, it’s because some apparently consider them boring, a point Arsenal fans made with gusto during last Sunday’s 0-0 draw – you hope, given their past, with at least some semblance of irony. José Mourinho’s riposte this week was magnificent.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Chelsea’s style contrasts recent Premier League winners but is not new

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“All things considered, Chelsea’s draw vs. Arsenal on Sunday was an archetypal Jose Mourinho way of effectively wrapping up the Premier League title: a goalless draw away at your title rivals, and a couple of digs at the opposition manager after the match, which prompted a debate about what constitutes ‘boring football.’ The consensus, it appears, is that Chelsea have regressed since the start of the campaign, in terms of playing style, at least. Before Christmas, Mourinho’s side played a fluid, attacking, energetic style of football that surprised many as it utilised the assists of Cesc Fabregas, the dribbling of Eden Hazard and the power of Diego Costa.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Book review – Stuck on You: The Rise and Fall… & Rise of Panini Stickers by Greg Lansdowne

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Stuck_on_You_cover_part
“As the subtitle of this book implies, the art of sticker collecting has been making a comeback in recent years. Author Greg Lansdowne cites research claiming that during the summer of 2014, over $4million was spent on eBay by bidders on items that matched the keywords ‘Panini World Cup’. Indeed, the album released by Panini for last summer’s tournament in Brazil appears to have been a welcome turning point not only for the company, but for the industry as a whole. Stuck on You therefore comes at a time when invigorated collectors old and new are eager to engage with one of the oldest practices of the dedicated football fan. The book begins with an exploration of this renewed enthusiasm. Ironically, this is best encapsulated not by conventional sticker collectors but by an English couple, Alex and Sian Pratchatt, in their successful attempt to draw each player into Panini’s 2014 World Cup album.” Football Pink

amazon, amazon – UK

Constantine

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“Constantine, the eastern capital of Algeria, is situated atop two steep plateaus some eighty kilometres inland of the Mediterranean coast. Seven suspended bridges run over and above the menacing gorge below, connecting the two crags at various points. During the colonial era, Constantine was a roughly divided city. One plateau was generally reserved for Europeans and the other for the indigenous. In a reflective letter addressed to everyone and no one, my paternal grandfather recounts how he managed to find work in Sidi Mabrouk, then a neighbourhood exclusive to European police families in Constantine.” In Bed With Maradina

The miracle season of Hellas Verona

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“Thirty years ago, Hellas Verona concluded Italian football’s greatest fairy-tale. On May 12th 1985, the club travelled to Atlanta looking for a point that would secure them their first, and to date only, Scudetto. A one-all draw saw the team return home with the trophy, their place won in the hearts of generations of Veronese and a special page for them in the history of the sport.” backpagefootball

Teeing up Ligue 1’s relegation scrap

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“European football can be classified roughly into three to four categories: title contenders, teams competing for the other Champions League spot(s), teams competing (or avoiding) for the Europa League spots and teams trying to survive relegation. As the season moves closer and closer to its conclusion, the relegation fight gets more and more important.” backpagefootball