Well the big, but perhaps not surprising news this week, was the sacking of David Moyes at Manchester United. I usually would not feel sorry for anyone associated with that club, however, Moyes seems to have been on a hiding to nothing taking on the position after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. He was cursed with injuries to key players like Van Persie and he did not have the opportunity to make any significant player purchases. Ferguson’s support for him seems to have not translated to any form of assistance within the club. Having said that, by all reports, he has not assisted his position by making changes to the coaching staff which appear to have been unpopular with the players and it would also appear he hasn’t engaged the players on an interpersonal level. It is ironic that his demise followed a second loss to his old side Everton, who, with largely the team he established, are pushing for a Champions League position. It will be interesting to see if he gets another major position as a manager. I think based on his time at Everton he at least deserves another chance.
The big issue in the AFL at the moment seems to be the congestion prevalent in games and the game suffering as a spectacle as a result. Well I went to the Essendon -v- St Kilda game last Saturday night and it was not necessarily the congestion that was the problem, it was the pointless kicking backwards and sideways by both clubs, particularly Essendon. This led to what I felt was one of the most boring games of football I have ever attended where the scores were relatively close. I didn’t check the stats, but in the first half there would have been around twenty tackles between the two sides. It was like watching circle work at training or like soccer getting a team on the break. The second half was a bit of an improvement, but not by much. I think if coaches serve up too many games like that then the game will lose spectators and the TV audience. Having said all of that, I watched the latest instalment in the Hawthorn v Geelong rivalry on Monday and while there was some congestion in that game, what a great game in a long line of great games between these two clubs.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning the Stawell Gift. Has there ever been a closer Gift? I doubt it, all of the participants going over the line within two tenths of a second, amazing!
Have a great long weekend!
I was watching the friendly between the Socceroos and Japan during the week and I considered that Australia created the best of the chances in the first half, but didn’t have sufficient strike power or effectiveness to take advantage of those chances.
improves and it is improving, more strikers will come to the fore. I raised the name of Tommy Juric last year and I still think he has the most potential of the younger brigade. Watching the game also got to me to thinking about how many of the current national squad would make it into the 2006 World Cup squad. Putting aside Tim Cahill, I think perhaps only Mile Jedinak could justify inclusion.