Winning Mentality Rolls On

After a stuttering opening weekend of the Premier League, the English domestic campaign is finally off and running and already a familiar trend has emerged across the divisions. Away from the top-flight two proverbial sleeping giants on the south coast are leading the way in the Championship and are proving how important the psychological aspect of the beautiful game really is.

Southampton and Brighton were the top two teams in League One last season and it's easy to see why. Both were metronomically consistent when it mattered. In Southampton's case it took the introduction of Nigel Adkins to arrest their early season slump and give their campaign the shot in the arm that ultimately ended in promotion. Brighton, under the guidance of Gus Poyet went from divisional relegation candidates to league champions in the space of 12 months. Even south coast rivals Bournemouth surprised many by making the League One play-offs and giving themselves a shot at back-to-back promotions

Now, with three wins from three, supporters of both Southampton and Brighton are getting used to looking up. Victories havn't been by the odd goal either: most recently Saints won 5-2 at Ipswich while the Seagulls ran out 3-1 winners at Cardiff City. Hardly results easily predicted by the bookmakers. With both sides having made very few changes to the playing staff, is the winning mentality instilled into these promotion-winning squads the key ingredient in ensuring success? The evidence certainly seems to point that way. As progressively more teams are starting to prove at the highest level, you can often win a game in your mind before winning it on the pitch.

Most famously of course the efforts of Norwich City in achieving successive promotions has seen them once again rubbing shoulders with the elite. What price both Southampton and Brighton repeating the Canaries' success...?

The Fabregas/Nasri Conundrum

It's that time of year again. Football fans up and down the country are tinkering with their final 'Fantasy Football' line-ups, journalists and pundits are churning out prediction tables and broadcasters play endless season preview advertisments as we trudge ever nearer to the big kick-off.

If there is one thing that has disappointed me over the last few months, it is the distint lack of buzz around any serious transfer activity. With the rumour mills running on full power it seems as if the transfers of even players like Sergio Aguero to Manchester City seem to have passed by with the nonchalance of a harbour clerk ticking off bags of grain as they are unloaded from a ship.

The one transfer story that has dragged on like a poorly written soap is the imminent departure of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas to his boyhood heroes and reigning European champions, Barcelona. The Catalan giants have flirted with Fabregas for a number of seasons now and I, for one, feel that his departure will help rather than hinder Arsene Wenger.

Talismanic, creative and inspirational club captain he may be, but it is sheer folly to keep Fabregas at a club where he no longer wishes to stay. With Samir Nasri due to depart north to join the blue half of Manchester, the speculatation over both players' futures will surely clear the air of frustration at the Emirates and allow Wenger to invest the money in areas where the Gunners are seriously lacking.

GOING UP, GOING UP GOING U......STAYING WHERE WE ARE?

While football fans of a certain age may remember the last time Queens Park Rangers were in the top flight of English football, it will be refreshing for the game in this country if they make the inevitable step up a division. Or will they?

The story which has been festering for a while relates to the signing of Alejandro Faurlin way back in 2009 and the question of third-party ownership. In principle this third-party ownership nonsense is exactly that: complete and utter rubbish. Either a club owns a player, or they don't. The catchphrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it" comes to mind...

If however, they are found guilty of breaking any rules then the sanction (should you choose to believe a certain tabloid newspaper) could be a 15-point deduction. This would see the Championship leaders drop into the play-offs with both Cardiff and Norwich set to take the two automatic promotion slots. This scenario would be disastrous for a club that would have sealed a definite return to the land of milk and honey. Denying a club a promotion spot is nothing new and, as a Swindon Town fan, the events of 1990 still grate to this day.

After beating Sunderland 1-0 in the 1990 play-off final at Wembley, Swindon were all set to take their place alongside the elite of the First Division. However, the game's governing body found the club guilty of financial irregularities specifically making illegal payments to players. While bigger clubs often practised this sort of thing, making an example the division's newcomers was the perfect way to sending a warning shot across the bows of the big boys. Swindon paid the price: members of the board were jailed and the club were demoted two divisions which, after an appeal, was reduced to just one demotion, effectively keeping the club in the Second Division.

Rumour has it that schemes like this were behind the top flight's split from the football league. So if you read between the lines, Swindon Town Football Club were one of the reasons that the Premier League exists today! The inquest is due to report its finding over the next week or so but one thing's for sure if you're a QPR supporter: it's squeaky bum time on and off the pitch.



(pictures courtesy of footballunited.com and http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/ )

THE WONDER OF GIGGS

Welcome to the new, re-vamped (sort of) version of the newly named Trequartista blog *pause for applause*. With a renewed outlook on blogging, it seems rather appropriate to write about someone who has quite simply been Mr Consistent throughout his career.

Giggsy, The Welsh Wizard - whatever you wish to call him, Ryan Giggs is a name synonymous with Manchester United and their protracted period of success. At the ripe old age of 37, he is still playing his part in Sir Alex's trophy-winning machine.

I remember him in his prime bamboozling full-backs with the magical combination of skill and pace (as well as those quite frankly awful adverts for Reebok boots in various football magazines). And who could forget that wonderful solo goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park.

It was amazing to think that against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter final, he provided the assist for all three of United's goals across the two ties AND played all 180 minutes. He puts his longevity down to yoga. If he has an ounce of business sense about him, then expect to see "Ryan Giggs Yoga" DVDs coming to all good retailers sometime soon.

It's this attitude to the game that has made him so endearing to the wider umbrella of football supporters. His discipline on and off the pitch should be an example to professionals everywhere. If more of his fellow players adopted his approach then footballers would enhance their battered reputations. Sadly, in a world dictated by money, a combination of red top newspapers and a play-boy lifestyle will ensure that most high-profile footballers won't follow in Giggs's footsteps.

So all the more reason to celebrate the career of Ryan Giggs! The last in a dying breed of down-to-earth, black boot wearing, old-fashioned, no nonsense, honest footballers.

(Picture taken from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

Napoli To Spoil Milan Parade?

It has been such a long time since my last post it seems rather appropriate to be writing about something other than English football. Recently the game on the continent has really grabbed my interest, even though I can only watch the odd game.

Although Barcelona's exploits in La Liga have mesmerised me so much that they could captivate someone with no attention span, it is the Italian game that has so captured my imagination in recent weeks. Having honestly thought that Juventus might seriously challenge for the Scudetto this season (and maybe even win it) their fall from the upper echelons of the table has been spectacular to say the least. Even with Gigi Buffon back between the sticks, the Old Lady cannot seem to get back on the horse and is slowly falling further behind the pace-setters.

So now my allegiance has switched to Napoli. Their once-great side that was led by Diego Maradona in the late 1980s had to suffer the ignominy of relegation a few years ago but now, under Walter Mazzari, they have given the top of Serie A a welcome breath of fresh air with their presence alongside the two Milan giants. They face Milan in the San Siro next Monday in what should be a proverbial crackerjack of an encounter.

The rosso-neri toiled in midweek and lost to Spurs in a thrilling Champions League encounter. Napoli on the other hand, managed to draw with Villareal and even managed to give Liverpool a scare when they visited Anfield earlier this season. Milan were touted by some to run away with the Scudetto. I get the feeling that Napoli might show their hand on Monday night. The San Siro may be a tough place to go but I, for one, will most certainly be watching.

(Picture: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/)

Leave Lower League Terraces Alone!

It was a shock to read an article on the BBC Sport website this morning, reporting that Scunthorpe United would be forced to convert their ground to an all-seater stadium under Football League rules. Should the Iron stay up this season, it will be their third season in the old Second Division which would automatically activate the ruling that every club in the top two divisions must have an all seater stadium.

Glanford Park is a real match-box of a ground. With a capacity of just over 9,000, it is surprising that a local MP's call for Scunthorpe to be allowed to keep their terrace is likely to be overturned by the blazers at the Football League.

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Hillsborough, Lord Taylor's report that recommended all-seater stadia and the abolishment of mass terraces has caused a fallout that is still felt nearly 20 years on.

Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin makes two valid points. Firstly, the one terrace at Glanford Park is hardly akin to the vast expanses of terrace we used to see like The Holte End at Villa Park, Highbury's North Bank (pictured right) or Old Trafford's traditional Stretford End. Secondly, Scunthorpe's attendences even in the Second Division are a touch over 6,000 - a number of supporters that some clubs would take to away games.

Hillsborough was probably the biggest tragedy to hit football but is it now time to be sensible. Clubs on the continent use a mixture of terracing and seating depending on the magnitude of the game. Borussia Dortumund are a fine example of how to manage large crowds. The Westfalen Stadion has the largest terrace in Europe yet they manage to avoid any sort of trouble.

Terraces have a long-standing, almost romantic association with the beautiful game. With a lot of the hooligan element now gone is it time to trust supporters again? Grounds like Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium are now far too developed to introduce any sort of terracing again but in the lower leagues and particularly at places like Glanford Park, it would be of no benefit to anyone see such a small terrace shut just for the sake of the do-gooders.

Click Here to read the afore-mentioned article

(Pictures: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ and http://www.goonersworld.co.uk/

Lion Ousted By Promise Of Russian Bear

As the dust settles on what has been a hectic World Cup bid, many English football fans are now screaming for the head of Sepp Blatter and the rest of the FIFA voting commitee that awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals to Russia and Qatar respectively.

FIFA has a long history of wincing whenever it comes to dealing with English football and this, combined with the accusations of corruption and collusion appears on the face of it to have done significant damange to England's bid. According to sources inside the auditorium in Zurich, there were rumours that the media furore over the bid was a contributing factor and, in all honesty it is hardly a surprise that this sort of excuse has been found.

But the selection of Russia as a host nation is certainly an interesting choice. Many are angry that, compared to the other four 'finalists', the Russian bid was the weakest and presented the highest risk (in FIFA jargon), therefore were not deserving of such an honour. The only flag the Russians had flying in their favour was the opportunity for FIFA to broaden their horizons and award the finals to a nation that had never previously hosted a European or world football tournament before.

This, I beleive is the key point for everyone to understand. The Iberian bid were said to have quipped that they could host the tournament next month had FIFA desired and, in all honesty, the same can be said of both the English and Belgian/Dutch bids too. Russia have yet to build the infrastructure that would support such a grand tournament which immediately puts them at a disadvantage. With freezing, harsh winters gripping the country for almost half the year, it won't be easy to ensure construction goes smoothly. However, like him or loathe him, Sepp Blatter's vision for FIFA is commendable. Football has such a global appeal that it can help heal the deep scars Russia still carries over from the Soviet era.

The beautiful game simply has to spread its wings. Let's hope that the Russians can deliver their promise of a truly memorable and history-making world cup.

(Picture: http://www.toffs.com/)