|
|
What we learned this week… Stroppy Sir Alex Ferguson is biggest diva in football
Let's all just calm down a bit. Robin van Persie is not Lionel Messi, Phil Jones is not Diego Maradona and the Red Devils boss is not always right about everything
25 Nov 2011 07:45:00
Getty Images
By James Daly
Sir Alex loves a bit of drama
WWLTW can only assume that aside from being a fan of American Civil War history* Sir Alex Ferguson is also a big lover of glossy soap operas from across the pond because he has a knack of copying some of the TV stars' greatest moves. When he isn't doing the classic "we're not talking" (see his feud with the BBC that lasted nearly a decade) or having people removed from his manor (see the clip where he sneakily got a journalist banned from Old Trafford) or challenging the very being of time and space (see the final minutes of EVERY game for the last 20 years at Old Trafford) he is doing the classic storm off set - perfected by every soap drama diva since Joan Collins in Dynasty.
This week the surly Scot walked out of a press conference; not when he discovered he had been cut off from the family fortune, or that the the baddie was the mild mannered janitor all along, but when a journalist had the cheek to suggest his side were struggling in the Champions League this season. Not an unreasonable question with United drawing three of their five games and sitting second in a group they had been expected to walk.
But you'd have thought the hack in question had accused Fergie of shooting JR, judging by his reaction. "Are you serious?" he snorted back. "We're not struggling," he added before storming out with a bemused smirk on his face.
It begs the question; what's the point in asking Ferguson anything?
*He went to Swansea University to peruse their 3,000 books on the subject on the eve of his side's 1-0 win against the Swans.
Van Persie is awesome, but he's still not as good as Messi
Oh Arsene. Arsene, Arsene, Arsene. WWLTW loves you loads for everything you have done for English football, the Head Teacher look and the ability to see something but at the same time not see it at all. But comparing Robin van Persie to Lionel Messi is just silly times. Yes, the Dutchman is in the form of his life, has scored 35 goals in 36 domestic and European games and has mysteriously managed to get rid of those grey hairs that were creeping into view, but he is not Lionel Messi.
Neither is he Cristiano Ronaldo. The La Liga stars have consistently been the best two players in the world for the last few seasons while the Dutchman has struggled to keep constant pitch time, owing to a number of tricky Achilles injuries.
And even while in this calendar year Van Persie's stats are beyond impressive, they still fall short of Messi (41 in 43) and Ronaldo (42 in 40) who continue to lead they way and, crucially, win stuff with their clubs (admitedly Messi far more than Ronaldo).
So let's just keep the comparisons to a minimum, yeah?
Phil Jones isn't quite as good as everyone makes out... yet
We do love a fad in the UK; yo-yos, sudoku, stonewashed jeans. Just some of the things WWLTW has tried and failed to adopt over the years. But the latest fad in the world of English football seems to be to build up the young talent breaking through to a monstrous level after it became alarmingly apparent that the current crop of granddads in the England team were nowhere near good enough anymore. And yes, while the Three Lions do have some very talented, fresh faces youngsters coming through let's not get carried away. Phil Jones' display for Manchester United in midweek was so calamitously bad, it showed that perhaps we should be a bit more patient.
After a decent outing for the England full squad in friendlies with Spain and Sweden, the future of the defender-come-midfelder-come-marauding-box-to-box-player-who-wont-stop-running-Forest-Gump-style had already been laid out and ended with him lifting the World Cup for the Three Lions.
But after a hilarious own goal just a minute into the 2-2 draw with Benfica and then an awful backpass that led to David de Gea giving the ball away for the Portuguese side's equaliser, it's clear young Jones has plenty to work on.
That's not to say he is a bad player, far from it, he has the ability to be a great, but let's just give the lad a bit of time to grow and adapt before we start writing him into the history books he? He needs to get rid of those terrible highlights for a start.
Middlesbrough show there is life in football after disaster
A wonderful story from the north east appeared this week where former Middlesbrough defender Gary Parkinson has been handed a role as the club's scout. Nothing out of the ordinary here until you learn he has locked-in syndrome which renders him completely paralysed apart from the ability to blink.
In an extraordinary display of determination, Parkinson, who played more than 200 times for Boro, has devised a way of communicating by blinking with his wife and kids and now assesses DVDs of potential transfer targets every day.
"We were determined to give Gary a role, where he could feel involved," said Boro boss Tony Mowbray. "Not only that, I genuinely value his opinions about the game. We let him have a look at some of the players who come to our attention and it gives Gary something to concentrate on. Long after he ceases to be headline news, we will still be there for him."
Fantastic stuff that - after a few trying weeks for football - proves it really can have a positive effect in peoples' lives.
Sir Alex loves a bit of drama
WWLTW can only assume that aside from being a fan of American Civil War history* Sir Alex Ferguson is also a big lover of glossy soap operas from across the pond because he has a knack of copying some of the TV stars' greatest moves. When he isn't doing the classic "we're not talking" (see his feud with the BBC that lasted nearly a decade) or having people removed from his manor (see the clip where he sneakily got a journalist banned from Old Trafford) or challenging the very being of time and space (see the final minutes of EVERY game for the last 20 years at Old Trafford) he is doing the classic storm off set - perfected by every soap drama diva since Joan Collins in Dynasty.
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
This week the surly Scot walked out of a press conference; not when he discovered he had been cut off from the family fortune, or that the the baddie was the mild mannered janitor all along, but when a journalist had the cheek to suggest his side were struggling in the Champions League this season. Not an unreasonable question with United drawing three of their five games and sitting second in a group they had been expected to walk.
But you'd have thought the hack in question had accused Fergie of shooting JR, judging by his reaction. "Are you serious?" he snorted back. "We're not struggling," he added before storming out with a bemused smirk on his face.
It begs the question; what's the point in asking Ferguson anything?
*He went to Swansea University to peruse their 3,000 books on the subject on the eve of his side's 1-0 win against the Swans.
Van Persie is awesome, but he's still not as good as Messi
Oh Arsene. Arsene, Arsene, Arsene. WWLTW loves you loads for everything you have done for English football, the Head Teacher look and the ability to see something but at the same time not see it at all. But comparing Robin van Persie to Lionel Messi is just silly times. Yes, the Dutchman is in the form of his life, has scored 35 goals in 36 domestic and European games and has mysteriously managed to get rid of those grey hairs that were creeping into view, but he is not Lionel Messi.
Neither is he Cristiano Ronaldo. The La Liga stars have consistently been the best two players in the world for the last few seasons while the Dutchman has struggled to keep constant pitch time, owing to a number of tricky Achilles injuries.
And even while in this calendar year Van Persie's stats are beyond impressive, they still fall short of Messi (41 in 43) and Ronaldo (42 in 40) who continue to lead they way and, crucially, win stuff with their clubs (admitedly Messi far more than Ronaldo).
So let's just keep the comparisons to a minimum, yeah?
"I can fly!" | Yeah, even so, you're still not as good as Messi
| What we will learn this weekend... |
 Arsene Wenger will refuse to shake old nemesis Martin Jol's hand after his side drop points at home to Fulham, and then claim it was because he couldn't see the Dutchman outreached palm from where he was standing.A goal will be disallowed during the first half of the big clash of the weekend between Liverpool and Manchester City game despite having crossed the line, tempting Fifa to announce during half-time they are bringing forward the arrival of goal-line technology again - having moved the introduction date from 2015, to 2013 and now 2012 - to the beginning of the second half. Someone will use the phrase "six-pointer" when describing the action between Sunderland and Wigan and WWLTW's soul will die a little bit inside. |
We do love a fad in the UK; yo-yos, sudoku, stonewashed jeans. Just some of the things WWLTW has tried and failed to adopt over the years. But the latest fad in the world of English football seems to be to build up the young talent breaking through to a monstrous level after it became alarmingly apparent that the current crop of granddads in the England team were nowhere near good enough anymore. And yes, while the Three Lions do have some very talented, fresh faces youngsters coming through let's not get carried away. Phil Jones' display for Manchester United in midweek was so calamitously bad, it showed that perhaps we should be a bit more patient.
After a decent outing for the England full squad in friendlies with Spain and Sweden, the future of the defender-come-midfelder-come-marauding-box-to-box-player-who-wont-stop-running-Forest-Gump-style had already been laid out and ended with him lifting the World Cup for the Three Lions.
But after a hilarious own goal just a minute into the 2-2 draw with Benfica and then an awful backpass that led to David de Gea giving the ball away for the Portuguese side's equaliser, it's clear young Jones has plenty to work on.
That's not to say he is a bad player, far from it, he has the ability to be a great, but let's just give the lad a bit of time to grow and adapt before we start writing him into the history books he? He needs to get rid of those terrible highlights for a start.
Middlesbrough show there is life in football after disaster
A wonderful story from the north east appeared this week where former Middlesbrough defender Gary Parkinson has been handed a role as the club's scout. Nothing out of the ordinary here until you learn he has locked-in syndrome which renders him completely paralysed apart from the ability to blink.
In an extraordinary display of determination, Parkinson, who played more than 200 times for Boro, has devised a way of communicating by blinking with his wife and kids and now assesses DVDs of potential transfer targets every day.
"We were determined to give Gary a role, where he could feel involved," said Boro boss Tony Mowbray. "Not only that, I genuinely value his opinions about the game. We let him have a look at some of the players who come to our attention and it gives Gary something to concentrate on. Long after he ceases to be headline news, we will still be there for him."
Fantastic stuff that - after a few trying weeks for football - proves it really can have a positive effect in peoples' lives.
Follow James Daly on 
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
Inside Goal.Com
-
Omission of Ferdinand & Richards bites back at Hodgson
The Manchester United man's absence from the Three Lions squad continues to dominate debate after the Chelsea defender is ruled out and Liverpool youngster called up in his place
-
Mock the Weekend: Euro 2012 a push too far for Cahill
The Three Lions can count themselves fortunate not to be clouded by Italy's off-the-field problems, while Eden Hazard fails to live up to his own billing at Wembley
-
Why England are injury-ravaged before a tournament
The absence of Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and shows just how much club commitments take their toll on the national team as Euro 2012 looms
-
Hodgson’s headaches: How to utilise Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Arsenal starlet has proved himself capable on the big stage and effective in a number of positions for his club, but how much will he be trusted at the Euros?
-
The Premier League targets in Euro 2012 Group A
With the transfer rumour mill set to kick into a frenzy throughout this month's European Championships, Goal.com looks at which players could be heading for England this summer
