United. But for how long?

Lots of talk in the aftermath of Manchester United's shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Leeds that Sir Alex Ferguson should finally call it a day. In a few weeks or months, these same supporters will probably see the error of their ways and long for the opportunity to retract such comments. It is, of course, the hysteria talking. Regarding the Cup defeat, many observers have failed to identify the geographical rivalry that has constantly existed between Leeds and Manchester. The War of the Roses dates back to the 15th century - the battle involving Lancashire and Yorkshire. Like true warriors, Leeds came to Old Trafford armed with passion, determination and a stereotypical Cup fighting-spirit, safe in the knowledge that United's chequered history with 3rd round 'minnows' gave them hope of an upset. Was it as much of a surprise as analysts, experts and commentators have made it out to be? When examined in the context of United's overall performances season, no it wasn't.

There are deep-rooted issues at Old Trafford that need urgent attention. This season, Liverpool have paid the price for allowing problems simmer and fester and go unaddressed for too long while Ferguson has been slow to move things around before, most notably during Chelsea's domestic dominance under Jose Mourinho - believing the likes of Roy Carroll, David Bellion, Kleberson, Quinton Fortune and the much-maligned Djemba-Djemba were Manchester United-quality players.

This is a side hoping to win an unprecedented four League titles in a row and so clearly, the team's day-to-day motivation is not what it was, even say, eighteen months ago. This side has been crowned European and World champions while Fergie has taken great pride and pleasure in building yet another Championship-winning squad - the minority rescued from the burning embers of a mid-decade breakdown. However, this summer, Ferguson needs to make some incredibly big decisions and those decisions depend on how honest he is in assessing his sides' performances this season as well as his own. Regarding the team, they've been a pale shadow of the magnificence of 2008. A lack of vigour, speed, aggression, vitality and ability has contributed to an inconsistency that breeds mis-interpretation. Sure they can knock five past Wigan, four past relegation-bound West Ham and Portsmouth but what challenge is that? When the challenges have been placed in front of them, United have buckled - brushed aside at Anfield, beaten at Stamford Bridge. Warning bells rang loud against CSKA Moscow - torn apart through 65 minutes before being rescued by a deflected Antonio Valencia effort that was going well-wide.

United have had injury problems but Rio Ferdinand's performances before his prolonged spell on the sidelines hint at a distinct drop in form in both regular centre-halves. Nemanja Vidic, weirdly crying off during the warm-up prior to the Leeds game thereby belying his tough-man image, may very well be on his way in the summer. Like Ronaldo before him, Vidic's body language and attitude seem to be altered - the behaviour of someone with one one on the exit. Elsewhere, Fergie's reluctance to spend over the odds on players last summer is ironic as two players surely on their way out of Old Trafford are Anderson and Nani - the duo costing United over 30 million pounds in 2007. The former another Brazilian flattering to deceive in the Premier League, the latter's only similarity to Ronaldo was his Portuguese nationality. Both player's best moment in a United shirt was scoring penalties in the Champions League shoot-out win over Chelsea in 2008.

The Dimitar Berbatov situation also demands urgent analysis. His first season went relatively well, achieving double figures in the scoring charts though he ensured a tough time from fans who remain bemused at the figure he cuts on the pitch. When people counter-act with, 'Well, Eric Cantona never tracked back and looked the same petulant, moody European', a quick riposte usually follows like, 'At least Cantona scored and made goals'. And that's the reality. The Bulgarian is suffering this season, the pressure has got to him - admitting as much in a BBC interview recently. But Ferguson is a stubborn man and believes Berbatov to be the perfect player for United. Except, he's not being the player United want or need. There seems to be some confusion over where Berbatov plays and what his best role is - at Spurs, Robbie Keane played a deep, roving role as Berbatov took up a traditional number nine position though he could find himself smacking home a shot from thirty yards as well as tapping in from close range - that was just a gifted player using his natural ability. At United though, at least this season anyway, he's being pushed farther and farther back towards his own goal as United attempt to let Wayne Rooney lead the line, penetrating centrally. If United deployed Berbatov like they did with Ruud van Nistelrooy, though operating a little deeper, it would free up Rooney a little more to pop up on the fringes as a proper number 10. Like how Rooney scored his second goal on this unforgettable night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSNwxVejLHc

Whatever happens come the Premier League and Champions League this year, it promises to be an interesting summer at Old Trafford. For a change.

It's all over now, baby blue...

Goal! Hand! Whistle! Cheat! Thief! Scandal! Robbery! Disgusting! Replay! Fair play! Legacy! Embarrassed! Mortified! Ashamed! Tainted! Over?

Yes, it's over. The cliché-ridden aftermath has been inevitable but necessary. It has been a bitter blow. The reaction has been a mixture of anger and anxiety - played out like a scene from a school-yard kick-a-bout. Henry's blatant handling of the ball at the far stick was comical, as was Martin Hanssen's (and his linesman's) inability to see it. Shay Given raced to the ref, furiously thumping his arm, valiantly attempting to persuade Hanssen to discount the goal. The rest of the Irish players followed, wildly gesturing with their hands. But the decision had been made. Henry had got away with it. And just like in school, Ireland couldn't answer back. They knew they'd been wronged. This had been an injustice. They'd seen it with their own eyes. But this was it. The game was over and it wasn't fair. Tears followed, eyes furrowed into the lights of the Parisian night. There was nowhere to go. Except to the mixed zone and to go public with the anger and anxiety. Lots of words, lots of bytes. But just a moral victory. Just.

There have been calls for the game to be replayed. Calls for the French Football Federation to 'do the right thing'. Lots of words. This won't happen but it makes us feel better, doesn't it? It makes us feel better that the whole world is on our side, that we're right to feel the way we do. It helps with the anxiety - that situation whereby we have so much to say and too little time. It's like being present at a funeral of a dear friend - 'It's okay, we know what you're going through. It's all going to be alright'. It reassures us. We are the good guys. We are the 'real' winners.

But, what is winning? Is it succeeding at any cost, a ruthless victory? Experts and analysts everywhere constantly talk about the great teams doing what it takes to win. Going that extra inch. Thierry Henry went that extra inch. Yes, it was an illegal act and a damning indictment of the current status of professional sport. But, he got away with it. In the same situation, would the FAI agree to a replay? No. Why would they? The mistake wasn't Henry's. Retrospectively perhaps, he feels he made a mistake because of what's followed. But not in the moment. In the moment, he instinctively used his hand to set up a goal for a team-mate. And they won the game. In similar situations, it's said that players should put pressure on referees to make decisions on the spot - particularly in relation to penalty kicks. On Wednesday night, Henry put pressure on the officials to make a call. And they got it wrong - the mistake was simple human error. And at least two of the match officials must take responsibility for that. There should be FIFA sanctioning and an apology should be given to the Irish team, management and to the country at large. The governing body have kept sheepishly and unashamedly quiet since the incident and this behaviour is both outrageous and unacceptable.

Sport, like everything else, is a reflection of society so should people be so surprised that cheating, robbing, lying, etc exist in a sporting environment? This has long since been a Darwinist world where we do anything to get ahead. Politics, justice, health, arts, entertainment, you name - when you reach the top, you've normally left many dead bodies in your wake. What if an Irish player 'cheated' to score the winning goal last Wednesday night? Would we be bowing our heads in mass embarrassment, as the French would like to have us believe they're doing? I think many Irish supporters would like to think they'd take the moral high-ground. Honestly, I think we'd behave exactly as our continental counter-parts - mortified, but relieved and thankful we're heading to the World Cup. Is that immoral? No. It's just natural.

Do Ireland need a miracle?

In a word, yes. Last Saturday's result was a sickening one for Ireland to swallow but, was always likely to happen with the way the side was set up. With Lawrence and Duff both in wide positions, the impetus was handed to the French full-backs to get up and support Henry and Anelka at every available opportunity. Sagna did most of the counter-attacking throughout the opening half before Evra realised that Lawrence's sole purpose on the pitch was to prevent the United full-back from getting forward - Lawrence never even attempted to take on Evra and was happy to stay on the half-way line for the majority of the game. Clearly he was under strict instructions but I don't think it would've been too much to ask for McGeady to have been handed a start in the home fixture. Granted, the Celtic wide-man has been patchy for his international side but, he has the ability to get past his man and deliver a decent ball into the box. He also has the ace up his sleeve of being able to play on both sides. Lawrence and Duff played to a certain standard we've grown accustomed to throughout Trapattoni's tenure with Ireland - passionate, hard-working and distinctly average. Sure, they probably quelled a decent amount of potential raids by France down each flank but it was to the detriment of Ireland's chances of scoring goals from open play. This is knock-out and Ireland needed to score at least once at Croke Park

In Ireland's five away games during the group-stages of qualification, they amassed a total of six goals, scoring twice against Georgia in Mainz and Cyprus in Nicosia. In Ireland's four play-off ties of the modern era, they've scored a total of one goal away from home - Ray Houghton's header against Belgium in 1997. They've never won a game away from home in a play-off situation, going down 2-1 against Belgium that night, losing 2-0 to Holland at Anfield in 1995, defeated 1-0 by Iran in Tehran back in 2001 and drawing 0-0 with Turkey back in 1999. What are the chances of heading to St. Denis on Wednesday and scoring even once? You can do the math...

So, how do Ireland need to approach the second leg if, like Trapattoni has said, there'll be no change in personnel? The first thing is decide what role Robbie Keane is going to have. Last Saturday, he was anonymous (yet again) and didn't seem to understand where he was playing or what role he was fulfilling. Doyle occupies the hard-running target man position while Keane just seems to play a little behind him in the hope of winning the occasional flick-on or knock-down. His role is so central, the actual tactics back-fire on the Irish because he's so far up the pitch leading to frantic running back when defending. Keane is the talisman within this side and needs to firstly, find out what his role is and secondly, deliver a calibre of performance on Wednesday that he's been unable to deliver for his country for the vast majority of his career. If Keane believes he's a good enough footballer to play in a deep-lying '10' position, dictating the offense, then let's get him in that position. On Wednesday, Duff and Lawrence will be given instructions to push further forward so Keane will have more of an outlet to link up with the wide-men than he's had all through Trap's time in charge. We need goals on Wednesday and cannot simply rely on set-pieces to get them. Let's take on the French and create chances.

That is the second thing Ireland need to do - try everything they can to test Hugo Lloris, a terrific goalkeeper but, as his side's recent 5-5 draw with Marseille in Ligue 1 proved, not unaccustomed to errors. Andrews and Whelan both had efforts from distance get Lloris busy last Saturday - Ireland need to pepper his goal on Wednesday night and who knows? Maybe, just maybe, an early goal could come Ireland's way. However, if the French take an early lead, game over.

Finally, Trapattoni needs to get the key decisions right. Last Saturday, selection was an issue - perhaps he was right to start both Lawrence and Duff but, one thing's for sure, when Ireland needed a goal, it was McGeady who came on. Irregardless, on Wednesday, Leon Best cannot be brought into the game with the majority of the second half still to be played - this is knock-out and Kevin Doyle needs to play the full 90 minutes of every international. The gulf in class between the starting eleven and the bench became horribly evident when both Best and Stephen Hunt entered the fray - neither finding the rhythm or pattern, Hunt finding it difficult to keep control of the ball and find a team-mate with a pass. These mistakes can't be repeated on Wednesday. If they are, it's not going to end well.

Chelsea v Manchester United: Immediate feedback...

Hmmm...Where do we start? United's second loss to a top-four side in quick succession, their London rivals move five points ahead and, possibly more ominously than both those things, level on points with Arsenal with the Gunners having played two games less.

But, some very positive aspects to United this afternoon - not least that their performance was right up there as one of their most impressive so far this season. It was the visitors that bossed midfield - doing to Chelsea what they had hoped to do to their bitter Northern rivals. The effectiveness of Darren Fletcher, who was at the fulcrum of every stifling of the Chelsea diamond, cannot be overstated. Missing him at Anfield was a momentous loss, not least because of the usual incredibly high standard of his play when against the top domestic sides. Today, the Scot and Carrick finally seemed to gel as a pair, with the latter's ball retention and passing completions of a particularly good standard. Anderson contributed his combativeness to proceedings from a little higher up the pitch, making it difficult for Michael Essien to (a) settle on the ball and (b) charge up the pitch on those rampaging runs we've come to expect from him. Ballack and Deco could never get a rhythm going with the Portuguese' ineffectiveness ensuring his inevitable withdrawal while Lampard was patrolled excellently by John O'Shea.

So, United will be frustrated with the defeat, of that there's no doubt. But, in the long-run, this performance can provide Sir Alex Ferguson's side with the ammunition with which to finally ignite their season. Their central defensive problems, so apparent mid-week against CSKA Moscow, were extinguished today - the conceded goal a result of a poor refereeing decision and some super finishing by the Chelsea captain. Their midfield was solid and determined with Carrick's early-season patchiness non-existent and with Rooney as a leading man, they always have a chance. But, there are still problems.

The end product from Valencia is still poor, as is his inability to cut inside when counter-attacking - his pace is frightening but can be dealt with easily by opposing full-backs who know how to marshal down the touchline. On the other side, there is a huge gap that needs to be filled sooner rather than later. Giggs today was effective and is always a natural leader but his deputies, namely Nani, have not proved their worth. Park is a useful squad member while Tosic is still incredibly unproven at the highest level, despite his clear talent and potential. The Berbatov question still lingers and puzzles though a side that includes the Bulgarian is surely a better proposition than one that excludes him.

So, where does this leave the Premier League title-race? Chelsea look to be well set-up, especially over the next number of league games - Wolves at home, Arsenal away, Man City away and Everton at home. They should be looking to take 10 points from 12 and then prepare for an incredibly simplistic-looking festive season that takes in encounters with Everton, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Fulham. United's next few games probably shouldn't be viewed as difficult though an away trip to West Ham in early December could prove problematic. For Arsenal, today's result could prove a major positive in their quest to feature prominently in the run-in though games with Chelsea and Liverpool before the Christmas fixtures could lead to dropped points and a tail-off in their current emphatic displays.

Plenty of time left though. Plenty of talking points too, no doubt.

Pejic at Vancouver...

It takes about fifteen minutes to reach the Swangard Stadium from downtown Vancouver. A SkyTrain ride to Patterson, followed by a brief stroll through Metrotown’s Central Park leads you to the beams that light up the corner of Kingsway and Boundary. With the autumnal reds and oranges, the uber-white of the Whitecaps entrance and the dyed green-like quality of the sod, someone’s been messing with the contrast levels out here. It’s the Caps against the Portland Timbers, United Soccer League semi-final play-off first leg. In HD.

This is the First Division of Major League Soccer. And this is where Shaun Pejic currently plys his trade. Following a defensive crisis that saw the departures of a couple of long-serving players, the Whitecaps needed cover quickly. The former Welsh Under-21 international had been at York since February on a short-term deal but following contract talks he was released from Kit Kat Crescent and come the start of August, he was on a bus to Portland with his new Whitecaps team-mates. He watched from the stands as his new side lost by a solitary goal in front of almost 11,000 at PGE Park – the same attendance that was at Wembley back in May when Pejic togged out for his final York appearance in their 0-2 FA Trophy final defeat to Stevenage.

The Hereford-born centre-back, a product of the Wrexham youth set-up, fell out of favour at the
Racecourse following relegation to the conference and the arrival of Dean Saunders. Having only broken into the first-team in 2002, Pejic settled into the side just in time for promotion to the 2nd Division and prospered under Dennis Smith. Though injuries cut down his progress, he featured prominently throughout the Football League Trophy winning season before a cruciate ligament injury sustained in August 2005 was a further blow to Pejic’s hopes of establishing himself in the Wrexham XI. A steady partnership alongside Steve Evans was what followed Pejic’s rehab though the arrival of Brian Little as manager, coupled with relegation to the Conference ensured the centre-back would eventually struggle for game-time and it was inevitable that a move was on the cards. Back in February, Pejic (along with ex
central-defensive partner Evans) was released and was picked up by Martin Foyle’s Minstermen.

Pejic’s time with the Whitecaps started impressively. He made his debut in a scoreless draw at home to Carolina Railhawks, afterwards stating how he was impressed with the standard saying it was on par, if not better than that of the Conference, particularly when it came to the technicality and quickness of the players. His new boss, former Icelandic international Teitur Thordarson, seemed pleased with his new acquisition outlining how ‘he (Pejic) wins everything in the air, is tactically very good and plays safely and surely’. The good start went hand in hand with the Whitecaps eventual play-off qualification and with Pejic at the heart of the defence, the club went on a run of just one defeat in ten games. Here at the Swangard Stadium on this October evening in British Columbia, the Whitecaps secure a 2-1 semi-final first-leg victory over Portland in front of a crowd of 4,500 with Pejic looking assured, calm and steady at the back. A 3-3 second-leg draw followed just three days later with the Caps facing Canadian rivals,
Montreal Impact, in the play-off decider.

There was to be no fairytale ending to Pejic’s first season in Vancouver though. In the first leg of the play-off final, his own-goal provided Montreal with a lead they never relinquished – eventually beating the Caps 2-3 at the Swangard. A week later, an elementary mistake from Pejic led to his 28th minute straight red card and saw the Impact move to 4-2 in the series from the resultant penalty. They eventually took the final and the USL -1 Championship 6-3 on aggregate.

One might think that the United Soccer League (or the MLS for that matter) represents a professional graveyard for former ex-English League players. Cynics will point at Justin Fashanu and even David Beckham as examples of ex-shining lights, living out their final years within a sub-standard North American environment. But one thing’s for sure – despite a long-held worldwide reluctance to accept the sport’s existence in this part of the world, it’s still here. And against the odds (and arguably in contrast to its British counterparts), doing more than merely surviving.

Following the inevitable demise of the North American Soccer League in 1984, soccer’s future here looked over. As Hugo Sanchez, Peter Beardsley and Franz Beckenbauer all headed to Mexico ’86, the North American teams they each had romantic dalliances with were no more. The San Diego Sockers, Vancouver Whitecaps and, most illustrious of all, the New York Cosmos, had succumbed to a waning national interest in the sport, subsequent falling numbers at the turnstiles and the harsh reality that seducing big-name legends of the beautiful game was to the long-term detriment of North American soccer. These were the wilderness years.

And yet somehow, Canada were at Mexico ’86. Without a domestic team in a professional league, they held that gorgeous French side of Platini, Giresse et al scoreless until the 79th minute of their opening group game and belied their international experience at the highest level despite exiting the competition at the earliest stage. The man responsible for the international sides’ success was the former England and Blackpool goalkeeper Tony Waiters who had led an unfancied and unfashionable Vancouver Whitecaps to an unprecedented NASL title back in 1979. As the sport self-destructed south of the border, the quiet northern neighbour slipped into the soccer spotlight for a fleeting moment in the summer of ‘86. It was to be twenty years before the country was involved at the highest level of North American soccer again – when Toronto FC were granted an MLS franchise.

Vancouver have featured in the USL for the best part of two decades – originally it was the American Professional Soccer League, then the A-League.Cast in the shadow of Major League Soccer, the United Soccer League’s top division isn’t so much a poor relation but has long since had to deal with the threat of an MLS expansion and the inevitable poaching of the its biggest sides. The fear is not without valid foundation. The most successful of the league’s teams since its conception - the Seattle Sounders - were awarded a top-flight franchise in 2007 and made their debut in Major League back in March with 32,500 people in attendance at Qwest Field.Portland Timbers were awarded their franchise earlier on this year too and will begin their tenure in the Major League in 18 months time while the Montreal Impact’s much-mooted move to MLS is an inevitablity. One other side USL side will soon be joining the Timbers in the illustrious Premier Division of North American soccer – the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Caps will return ‘home’ in 2011 – their rich soccer heritage, sports-mad city and lease agreement on a renovated BC Place – a 60,000 capacity all-purpose stadium currently hosting Canadian Football League side the BC Lions. It was at BC Place where the John Giles-managed Caps played their NASL home games in the early eighties. Those days of sell-out crowds, glamour players and big games under the lights still remain as history. For both the Vancouver Whitecaps and Shaun Pejic, there’s hope for a repeat. Soon.

Apologies...

Hello all,

Because of a recent move to Vancouver (where I'll be spending the next year), the last number of months have seen absolutely zero new content from me here so deepest apologies for that.

However, above is something I did whip up recently for our friends at Wrexham AFC about Vancouver Whitecaps centre-back and former Red Dragon, Shaun Pejic...

Beckham finally stands up for himself...

The original Welsh wizard, Billy Meredith, the mercurial talisman of Manchester rivals United and City, was once described by The Manchester Guardian newspaper as having such incredible ball control and trickery that the matches he played every Saturday 'were his (Meredith's) one means of communion with his fellow men.'

His breaking bread with fanatical followers is now stuff of legend - an early example of public relations nous or a natural response from a man so revered that his transfer between local rivals failed to affect his legendary status as darling of the beautiful game? As much as the current crop of runts-of-the-litter wannabees and 'gonna-bes' lend themselves to immediate cynical judgment and condemnation, at the turn of the century, football was played by gentlemen with a sparkle in their boots more so than a glint in their eye. They still had chinks in their armor back in the early 1900s though one must argue that nowhere was it as sharp, formal and immoral as is so prevalent in the modern arena. Meredith was famous for chatting to spectators as the action unfolded on the other side of the pitch but was also implicated in a match-fixing scandal for which he received a two-year ban.

I began thinking of Billy Meredith upon watching the footage of David Beckham's recent confrontation with a group of supporters who attended LA Galaxy's friendly with Milan. Clearly unhappy with the Englisman's loan spell with the Rossenieri, fans of theMLS franchise booed Beckham every time he touched the ball and proudly displayed signs that read - "Go Home Fraud" and "23: Repent", "Hey Becks, Here Before You, Here after You, Here Despite You" and my personal favourite, "Is evil something u are ... or something u do?" As the half-time whistle went, Beckham headed for the vocal band of supporters with a degree of purpose not seen in the player since his now infamous flick-out at Argentine Diego Simeone in Saint-Etienne back in the summer of 1998. He gestured toward one man in the crowd, easily interpreted as 'why don't you come down here and say that to me?', which our merry friend duly did with both a steely eye and rather surprisingly, agility akin to that of a cat. And then security came.

It was nice to see Beckham behave in a manner easily related to. Long since diluted and churned out as a key player in the bland, robotic arm of world football's public relations and marketing department, Beckham finally appeared to behave like an actual human-being. Many will insist that in the situation, he should've turned his head, his cheek and irrational thinking and simply trooped off but many have never found themselves in the same scenario. Sometimes, idiots need to be treated with the derision they deserve and in this case, an idiot wearing a baseball cap back to front should feel the brunt of extra retribution. Like the Cantona incident at Selhurst Park fourteen years ago, many players feel that an eye-for-an-eye response goes a long way to potentially eradicating the virus of disgusting and over-the-line verbal abuse, most notably inflammatory comments relating to ones family, sexuality or personal loss.

Do I think Beckham should've hit him? That depends on what the guy said because if 'supporters' think they have a God-given right to come to a football game, or any type of public display be it sporting or otherwise, and hurl vindictive and hurtful abuse at another individual, they should be made an example of. And I don't mean ejected from the arena and handed a ban for twelve months. These parasites will never learn, clearly displayed by Galaxy 'supporters' interviewed minutes after the incident. One 'fan' actually says 'We boo a lot of players - they don't come out and challenge our guys' before another man, calls Beckham 'stupid' for 'calling out a drunk fan'. He continues by outlining that Beckham is a professional and should've kept himself under control. And right there lies the problem - how dare a footballer react to abuse from a brainless group of stereotypical US sports fans - clueless but ruthless owing to their genetic self-belief that everything they speak is the truth.

If these 'supporters' were asked why they were abusing David Beckham, many would say that it's because of the lack of respect he has paid to the LA Galaxy owing to his loan move to AC Milan. I've got my own thoughts on the Beckham commodity and there's not enough space here to go into it but suffice to say that I think that the experiment hasn't worked and Beckham knows it - the effect the move has had on him as a player is worrying and even short stints training with Arsenal and five months with AC Milan renders a bigger debate - that a country's relationship with a sport cannot be traced to the introduction and subsequent role of one player. It's a short-sighted and unimaginative solution to a problem that's been in existence now since the World Cup of 1994. And if MLS chiefs believe that Beckham, Juan Pablo Angel, Temoc Blanco et al are well-placed to co-exist in a mundane and colourless environment, they really are in dire need of re-evaluating things. The real heroes of the MLS in its current state are players like Kenny Cooper, Ricardo Clarke and Conor Casey - guys who the League should be marketed around. Though it's inevitable that the continued over-reliance on NASL-type big player/big-money transfers and media hooplas is thought of as a necessary evil in order to attract attention and investment. But, the MLS needs to back itself more and have faith in its ability. Sooner rather than later, the US are going to get to the quarter-finals of a World Cup and a conveyer belt of talent will continue to grow as football develops amongst the glitterati of leafy subarbia and taps into the political sphere of 'soccer-Moms'.

Where, you may be asking, does Billy Meredith fit into this diatribe? Well, English League football during his time centred around local figures, loved and appreciated by respected clubs' supporters, no matter what jersey they wore. It was a thread that continued into post-War Wembley days out - the likes of Stan Mortensen and Stanley Matthews were beloved by football fans in general while the outpouring of widespread emotion following the Munich Air Crash was a reflection on how appreciated Busby's Babes were on a country-wide scale. It was really only the political tension of the late 70s and early 80s that pushed hooliganism to an obscene level and paved the way for modern day howling and arms-wide remembrance of the '58 disaster by Manchester City fans as well as 14 year old boys being charged with homophobic abuse aimed at Sol Campbell as well as the incredible ignorance to racism in Spain, as perpretated in the direction of Thierry Henry, Emile Heskey and Lewis Hamilton.

So as much as Meredith nattered to supporters when his side were on the defensive, I wonder how he'd react to the current impasse between players and supporters? He abhorred the influence of money within the game and took a leading role in the formation of the Player's Union but something tells me that he wouldn't have simply stood to one side if a fan aimed some venomous comment in his direction. He'd take the tooth-pick out of his mouth and respond with a clever quip before spending the rest of the game weaving and slaloming down the wing, safe in the knowledge that the game needed him more than he needed the game. Remind you of someone?