Ronaldo scooped both the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year Awards last week and he deserved them. He’s finally grown up, stopped most of the grandstanding and become an essential part of Man United’s team.
But while his award was fair, the Team of the Year that was also announced was more like Sham Of The Year. Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra (all Man Utd); Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo (all Man Utd) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool); Didier Drogba (Chelsea) and Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham). Do you see a theme here?
No James, No Reina, No Hahnemann, no Howard, no Finnan, no Terry, no Carvalho, no Lampard, no Taylor, no Carragher, no Lescott, no Fabregas, no Arteta, no Lennon. Chelsea have the best defence in the league this year, conceding fewer goals than anyone else, yet no-one but United players get a look in on the back line and most of midfield.
And upfront, who is the only significant Man United player missing? Potato-faced Wayne Rooney...who according to the Premier League’s own Actim stats is second only to Drogba as the best striker in the Premiership. And obviously the most hated among his fellow professionals...
Just fyi, Actim’s Team of the Season is Reina, Finnan, Carvalho, Ferdinand, Lescott, Ronaldo, Lampard, Fabregas, Barry, Rooney, Drogba... which looks a lot better to me, but if it helps persuade Sir Alex Ferguson to retire this season with a smile on his face then I guess it’s a means to an end.
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We launched our Aussies in action overseas feature this weekend where we follow the fortunes of as many of our overseas pro players as we can. If you’ve not seen it yet, have a look here. It’s about as comprehensive a round-up as you can find, complete with full match reports. (And I’m indebted to ace_helicopter for his help in keeping me right!)
But scouring the internet to get the latest news on our Aussies abroad throws up a few interesting discoveries... According to Alvin Ceccoli’s Wikipedia entry, he’s “happily married to someone who looks like a lady, with kids and a newsagent called Julian.” It’s obviously the work of a prankster – but begs the question...why? Raise your game, hoaxer. We want funny, not just bizarre. Thanks.
Meanwhile his club website at Pierre Littbarski’s Avispa Fukuoka is completely in Japanese. Running it through a translator to find out if he got a game reveals their last match featured players called Fube Demonstration, The Rattan It Is Clear One, Will Feather Area, Hill Earth, Large Shine, Greenery Happiness Ocean, Tiger History, Wheat Rice Field Harmony, Furthermore Gold, Forest Conquering and our own personal favourite, Healthy Hardness.
We also liked how the Tukoshima’s reserve goalie’s name, translated, is Loyal Retainer. He was born for a life on the bench. Oh, and Ceccoli didn't get a mention but they won 1-0.
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Meanwhile, back in the A-League, Sydney appear to be naming anyone in Europe whose contract is up at the end of the season as a potential marquee player. Fowler, Okocha and now Cocu. They’re obviously determined to put the bling back into Bling FC but I seem to remember similar speculation last season...and look who they ended up with then. Oh, that’s right...no-one.
But the best news of all out of Sydney is that they are ditching the amateur hour plastic chairs on the sidelines for the next A-League season. Ticketing problems apparently ruled them out previously, but now they will have the proper dugout hutches they’re currently using in the Champions League.
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Times might be tough in the A-League with cash-strapped clubs, but at least it’s not as bad as in Croatia where sponsors pay in sheep. According to Ananova news, defender Ivica Supe scored 16 times this season for third division Zagora FC unaware that the club's sponsor, Josko Bralic, a local shepherd, had promised a sheep for every goal scored by a defender. "It was a surprise, I just don't know where I will keep them. And I am expecting to score more by the end of the season," said Supe, 29. "We are only a small club, and we could not get anyone else to sponsor us," said a club spokesperson. "There is no industry in the area, it's only a small village, and we were delighted when Mr Bralic offered to support us with sheep"
But while his award was fair, the Team of the Year that was also announced was more like Sham Of The Year. Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra (all Man Utd); Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo (all Man Utd) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool); Didier Drogba (Chelsea) and Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham). Do you see a theme here?
No James, No Reina, No Hahnemann, no Howard, no Finnan, no Terry, no Carvalho, no Lampard, no Taylor, no Carragher, no Lescott, no Fabregas, no Arteta, no Lennon. Chelsea have the best defence in the league this year, conceding fewer goals than anyone else, yet no-one but United players get a look in on the back line and most of midfield.
And upfront, who is the only significant Man United player missing? Potato-faced Wayne Rooney...who according to the Premier League’s own Actim stats is second only to Drogba as the best striker in the Premiership. And obviously the most hated among his fellow professionals...
Just fyi, Actim’s Team of the Season is Reina, Finnan, Carvalho, Ferdinand, Lescott, Ronaldo, Lampard, Fabregas, Barry, Rooney, Drogba... which looks a lot better to me, but if it helps persuade Sir Alex Ferguson to retire this season with a smile on his face then I guess it’s a means to an end.
++++
We launched our Aussies in action overseas feature this weekend where we follow the fortunes of as many of our overseas pro players as we can. If you’ve not seen it yet, have a look here. It’s about as comprehensive a round-up as you can find, complete with full match reports. (And I’m indebted to ace_helicopter for his help in keeping me right!)
But scouring the internet to get the latest news on our Aussies abroad throws up a few interesting discoveries... According to Alvin Ceccoli’s Wikipedia entry, he’s “happily married to someone who looks like a lady, with kids and a newsagent called Julian.” It’s obviously the work of a prankster – but begs the question...why? Raise your game, hoaxer. We want funny, not just bizarre. Thanks.
Meanwhile his club website at Pierre Littbarski’s Avispa Fukuoka is completely in Japanese. Running it through a translator to find out if he got a game reveals their last match featured players called Fube Demonstration, The Rattan It Is Clear One, Will Feather Area, Hill Earth, Large Shine, Greenery Happiness Ocean, Tiger History, Wheat Rice Field Harmony, Furthermore Gold, Forest Conquering and our own personal favourite, Healthy Hardness.
We also liked how the Tukoshima’s reserve goalie’s name, translated, is Loyal Retainer. He was born for a life on the bench. Oh, and Ceccoli didn't get a mention but they won 1-0.
++++
Meanwhile, back in the A-League, Sydney appear to be naming anyone in Europe whose contract is up at the end of the season as a potential marquee player. Fowler, Okocha and now Cocu. They’re obviously determined to put the bling back into Bling FC but I seem to remember similar speculation last season...and look who they ended up with then. Oh, that’s right...no-one.
But the best news of all out of Sydney is that they are ditching the amateur hour plastic chairs on the sidelines for the next A-League season. Ticketing problems apparently ruled them out previously, but now they will have the proper dugout hutches they’re currently using in the Champions League.
++++
Times might be tough in the A-League with cash-strapped clubs, but at least it’s not as bad as in Croatia where sponsors pay in sheep. According to Ananova news, defender Ivica Supe scored 16 times this season for third division Zagora FC unaware that the club's sponsor, Josko Bralic, a local shepherd, had promised a sheep for every goal scored by a defender. "It was a surprise, I just don't know where I will keep them. And I am expecting to score more by the end of the season," said Supe, 29. "We are only a small club, and we could not get anyone else to sponsor us," said a club spokesperson. "There is no industry in the area, it's only a small village, and we were delighted when Mr Bralic offered to support us with sheep"
