Winter Tryouts 2013

The United team is combining with the Glens and preparing for the President's Cup in March. It is not having open tryouts but interested families should email the coach and set up to attend winter practices. The Tigre team has several openings. It will be having tryouts on Feb 9th at Crocker in the morning, exact time TBD. In its first year in CCSL Prep, it took 2nd place, and is playing some very nice soccer. Tigre has been to one tournament so far on its own but many players have guested for other teams at tourneys.

In Search Of Johan Cruijff…

If Rinus Michels and his men instigated the rise of ‘Total Football’, then surely Johan Cruijff was the total footballer. As complete a player as you will ever lay eyes on, Cruijff was a creature of sublime footballing beauty, ability and creativity, ghosting around the pitch when without the ball and floating past opposition defenders with a consummate ease and a panache that only he has ever mastered when with it. A footballer with an unprecedented and since unrivalled blend of passing ability and range, positional awareness, finishing ability and breath-taking close control and technique, he became the living embodiment of a footballing philosophy that would come to define a nation and an era.

On the 15th November 1964, a handful of dedicated AFC Ajax Amsterdam supporters would make the trek back from Groningen with a glimmer of hope in their hearts. They had witnessed the first moments of the fledgling career of the maverick that was and is the great Hendrik Johannes Cruijff. A 17 year old prodigy on the cusp of greatness would cross the white line for the first time that day as a boy and hear the final whistle as a man. He netted what proved to be a mere consolation in a 3-1 defeat to their northern opposition but it was plain for all to see Ajax were going places if they could harness his ability. They soon would.

Ajax would finish that campaign at their lowest ebb for a generation but a year on, under the new stewardship of visionary head coach Rinus Michels and with an invigorating brand of almost telepathic football being forged at De Meer, the Amsterdam side would be well on the way to their eleventh Eredivisie title. Michels’ masterstroke was to reintroduce and evolve a tactical system previously known as ‘Organised Disorder’ that was first utilised by the great Boris Arkadiev and his team three decades before.

The idea was that each player was technically and tactically able and aware enough to occupy any position on the pitch. Players would constantly rotate, making them virtually impossible to mark. Whereas Arkadiev perfected an early version of the back four during his time at the helm of Dinamo Moscow, Michels chose to set up his side in a fluid 3-4-3 formation not too dissimilar in initial shape to that which Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has used to great effect in cementing Wigan’s top-flight status in the last year or so on British shores. I should be careful, however, not to compare that great Ajax side too heavily to today’s pride of Lancashire – Michels’ creation was a system relying far more heavily on individual flair and footballing awareness.

For the tactic to truly work, quality personnel was essential in all areas of the pitch and Ajax finally starting to reap the rewards of their youth setup, of which Cruijff was the cream of the crop, coupled with some shrewd acquisitions, allowed Michels’ new-look Ajax to hit the ground running.

Cruijff was at the centre of it all. He was the pivot, the crux, the man who pulled all the strings. He could operate as anything or anyone from a false 9 to a metronomic presence in front of the defence if ever required to. He could use his stinging pace out wide and was as natural a finisher as the best centre-forwards of the day.

He truly epitomised the side that came to rely so heavily on him and it came to pass that six Eredivisies, four Dutch Cups and three consecutive European Cups after Cruijff’s debut, Ajax’s transformation was complete with Cruijff running the show throughout. He and Ajax were forever immortalised, even before the total footballer’s eventual move to Catalonia was ever even mooted.

Cruijff was more than just a footballer, though. He was a character – there was and has never been another Johan Cruijff in that or any respect. That’s probably for the best. A man with an opinion on anything and everything, Cruijff seemed to have an allure, a gravitas that transcended football. He had an irresistible knack of coming out with hilarious quotes and nuggets for journalists and fans alike to chew over. He could enchant thousands of people not only with his feet, but also with the conveyer belt of sound bites that was his mouth. Despite this, Cruijff never seemed to revel in the limelight. He was not a man of great education and his grasp on his mother tongue, although quirky, left much to be desired. He was not cut out for the media attention he garnered and he soon started to grate with football supporters in the Netherlands.

Often derided from the terraces as greedy during his time at Ajax and even overthrown as club captain by his own teammates there, the illusion of him as the perfect man faded as his football became more and more cultured. That is not to say that he was a wholly unpopular character, quite the opposite. He still had that unexplainable pull amongst his core supporters worldwide.

His international stock grew along with his brand and every time the world caught a glimpse of his talents on the international stage, the mystery and intrigue grew in every country. Cruijff grew to become a cult figure, his famous turn – amongst other things moves of his – now has its place in football folklore, and although memories of Cruijff the player slowly fade, the memories of Cruijff the man will never be forgotten.

Although it was Ajax that gave Cruijff his break, it was at Barcelona where he started to lay the foundations for his footballing legacy. Although he was unable to match his freakish Eredivisie goal scoring record in the famous colours of the Catalan giants, he grew to become a true legend of the game during his time there. A first and only La Liga players’ medal and a third Ballon d’Or in his first season immediately helped endear him to the Blaugranes faithful.

Reunited with Rinus Michels in 1976, Cruijff continued his excellent form. The two developed an almost symbiotic relationship over the course of many years. Cruijff was convinced Michels was the main contributor to his footballing education and development, “I always greatly admired his leadership. Both as a player and as a coach there is nobody who taught me as much as him. He was a sportsman who put the Netherlands on the map in such a way that almost everybody still benefits from it. There is no one I learnt more from than Rinus Michels. I often tried to imitate him, and that’s the greatest compliment one could give,” he once said of the great teacher.

Michels was unable to bring home any titles during his second stint at the helm of Barcelona but his influence was indisputable. Total football was to blossom in Spain for the first time and when Cruijff and Michels departed in 1978, with the goodbye gift of a Copa del Rey, the wheels had already been set in motion for the unprecedented success Barca would experience in years to come. Johan Cruijff would himself return to the Camp Nou in a managerial guise a decade later.

He would use the in-vogue 4-3-3 formation as the catalyst to develop his ‘tiki-taka’ vision – a high intensity, possession based system which Barcelona still faithfully use to this day. Providing the basis on which Barca’s great teams of the twenty-first century now under Tito Vilanova and in recent years Pep Guardiola and Frank Rijkaard have flourished is just another feather in Cruijff’s cap and one for which he is not given enough credit. The jury is out on whether his legacy is his greatest achievement but what is certain is that the footballing landscape today would be unrecognisable were it not for him and his brilliant footballing vision and ingenuity.

After two uninspiring years chasing the dream in the land of the free, Cruijff’s career seemed to be petering out. As the North American Soccer League began to crumble around him, you could have been forgiven for believing the sun was setting on his playing days. After negotiations with Leicester City collapsed at an advanced stage, Cruijff eventually made his return to Europe with Spanish second tier outfit Levante.

However after an injury plagued spell with the side, he was given the chance to make an emotional return to his boyhood club Ajax and begin a renaissance of his career. Two more Eredivisie titles followed, with the undoubted enduring image of his second stretch in Amsterdam his outlandish penalty routine with teammate Jesper Olsen in 1982.

After being unable to keep the dream going due to a contractual wrangling in 1983, Cruijff took a gamble and signed with Ajax’s arch-rivals Feyenoord, sparking anger and dismay amongst the Amsterdam side’s supporters and officials. The gamble paid dividends as he enjoyed a dream final season, helping Feyenoord to their first title in a decade and a Dutch Cup to boot. Johan Cruijff only ever played 48 games in brilliant orange but he bowed out of the glare of the professional game as a thirty-seven year old and as one of the few great men to grace the hearts and minds of every one of the crazy gang that is the footballing fraternity.

After the glory and the fun and the games of Johan Cruijff’s playing and managerial years, the man himself has somewhat slipped into the shadows. His public contributions to the beautiful game are growing few and far between and unlike many of his contemporaries, such as the exquisite libero of the 1970s Franz Beckenbauer, he has not continued to remain at the forefront of people’s minds – notwithstanding his role on Ajax’s supervisory board.

However, perhaps, this is understandable. Cruijff is not a man who feels the buzz of fame. He does not feed off the lifeblood of cut and thrust football in the same way he used to. To this end, he took up the leisurely managerial post of the Catalonia side in 2009 – a commitment that means one match a year to oversee and a peculiar undertaking in so much as he has some of the most gifted and well-known players of our time – Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Valdes and Bojan to name but a few – at his disposal, yet he cannot even begin to trouble public consciousness with them.

Maybe this is the perfect job for him – lurking outside the bubble of fame. However, even mystery surrounds him in Catalonia with sporadic reports of his resignation appearing a few weeks ago. Despite hopes that he will return for one last hurrah, it appears, “The tooth of time has done its work,” as he himself put it.

He is no longer the man he once was. The world has probably seen the last of Johan Cruijff and how gut-wrenching that is. It would have relished the chance to have seen an awful lot more.

By Jack Chatterton

Goal of the day

Prior to last night’s visit of Stoke City, a well-drilled West Ham defence had only conceded one goal from a set-piece so far this season. That changed with this cleverly worked goal from Jonathan Walters. Note the decoy run by Peter Crouch and the subtle NFL-style block by Charlie Adam. Not exactly a thing of beauty but one has to admire the attention to detail.

Here’s the goal reviewed and dissected by Gary Neville

Coming to a head

The strained relationship between Fernando Llorente and Athletic Bilbao deteriorated further on Monday as player and club differed in their accounts of his failure to attend a scheduled press conference.

Relations between Llorente and club president Josu Urrutia have deteriorated since the striker declined to extend his contract last summer.

He had been due to appear at the regular post-training press briefing alongside teammate Jon Aurtenetxe, but the left-back faced reporters alone.

Athletic used their official Twitter account to announce that “as well as Aurtenetxe, Fernando Llorente should have appeared, but Llorente refused to go out”, but the player said he had already agreed to do a TV interview at that time and could not be in two places at once.

The incident happened after Llorente had been criticised by some Bilbao fans and journalists for acknowledging cheers from Real Madrid fans during Saturday’s 5-1 defeat at the Bernabeu. That came as Madrid’s Ultras directed anti-Basque chants at Athletic players.

The striker was also criticised on Twitter for posing for a photo with international teammate Iker Casillas in the dressing-room after the game.

“It is all nonsense,” he told Telebilbao. “When I came out to warm up, the stand where I was gave me a big round of applause. I wanted to make a gesture of appreciation because they know that things are not going well for me at the moment.

“They know me from the national team, and it was a gesture of affection. The insults to Gurpe and Susaeta came from a different area of the stadium. I am totally against those chants – no team-mate deserves them.

Unlikely peace maker?

On the subject of the Israel-Palestine conflict, advice on the issue has come from an unlikely source. Joey Barton, last seen berating the “sad little men” running the FA after they refused to include the first game Marseille played after he moved to France on loan from QPR as part of his 12-match ban, has shared his thoughts on the current situation.

More surprisingly is the fact that he retweets some politically sensitive comments, name-checking the likes of Noam Chomsky, and questioning the western media’s conventional wisdom on the issue.

“Yes, one does find the Israelis’ position highly hypocritical…” he tweets

Political football

A proposal by Croatia coach Igor Stimac that acquitted generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac perform an honorary kick-off at the start of a World Cup qualifier between the two nations on March 22 in Zagreb has been greeted with fury by Serbian officials.

Short of the Pope kicking off an Old Firm game, it’s difficult to imagine a more incendiary gesture to mark the start of a football game.

Serbia coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, a Serb born in Croatia, said Monday his team would boycott the match if the two are allowed on the field.

”I believe that neither FIFA nor UEFA will allow that they take the starting kick-off,” Mihajlovic said. ”However, if that happens, we won’t play the match. That’s the only way they can defeat us.”

On Friday, the two generals were freed by the U.N. tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of charges of being responsible for war crimes against Serbs during a 1995 Croatian military offensive that resulted in hundreds of dead and hundreds of thousands expelled.

The decision to release the two – hailed in Croatia and denounced in Serbia – further strained relations between nations that fought a war in the 1990s.

Croatian football federation President Davor Suker, a former team-mate of Stimac, said the coach ”needs a spanking” for the proposal.

”We have to lessen the tensions and that’s how we have to behave,” Suker said. ”We have to show that we are a civilized state. We have to show respect toward Serbia.”

With diplomatic skills like that it’s a wonder that Stimac hasn’t been consulted for his thoughts on the current crisis in Gaza.

Teixeira influence continues to cast shadow over Brazil

World football has not heard the last of Ricardo Teixeira, the long-time Brazilian football supreme deposed early this year but still apparently pulling strings from his exile in Miami.

Teixeira fled Brazil under the increasing weight of investigations and allegations – all denied – into the commercial deals undertaken during his reign.

He had been president of the Brazilian football confederation for 23 years and an 18-year member of the FIFA’s all-powerful excutive committee.

Before his departure the 65-year-old former son-in-law of ex-world federation president Joao Havelange ensured that his own personal choice, Jose Maria Marin, took over as new president of the CBF and as chairman of the 2014 World Cup local organising committee.

Now it has been revealed that Teixeira accomplished another manoeuvre to secure the extension of his infuence within Brazilian football.

Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo has spoken out on a number of occasions in favour of a ‘democratisation’ of Brazilian sport out of concern at the lengthy tenures of power controlled by the likes of Havelange, Teixeira and Olympic committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

In fact, two weeks before resigning in March Teixeira brought forward the next CBF presidential election from 2015 to April 2014, two months before the World Cup finals which Brazil will host. The change was pushed through by Teixeira, senior CBF vice-president Marin and their ally Marco Polo del Nero.

The latter is another CBF vice-president and the man who has taken over Teixeira’s seat on the FIFA exco; he is also considered the likely long-term next CBF president since Marin, at 80, is seen as only an interim appointment.

The move has been attacked by both media critics and by one of Teixeira’s most vocal  opponents Romario, the former World Cup winner turned Deputy.

Romario sees the manoeuvre as a means of ensuring that the ‘Teixeira gang’ would maintain their grip on power whatever the outcome of the World Cup, both on and/or off the pitch. Clearly, if Brazil’s national team fail to win a record-extending sixth Cup in front of their own fans the CBF command would face nationwide attack.

But, if Marin and Co had been re-elected in that April of 2014, they would be well placed to ride out the storm.

Via both his Twitter and Facebook accounts, Romario has urged Rebelo and state President Dilma Rousseff to intervene – and he has retracted earlier comments welcoming changes at the helm of the CBF.

Romario said: “I wish to withdraw, publicly, everything I said about the present management [of the CBF]. I thought that we had eradicated a cancer, but we have discovered two new ones. I believed that the CBF had changed but it has changed for worse. That is case for the Federal Police and the Government department.”

Earlier this month Romario demanded answers about the TAM affair when the airline quit as a sponsor of the CBF after revelations about a secret clause in the contract setting out the terms of payment to companies owned by a friend and business associate of Teixeira.

Catch-22 for Romario, over the election issue, is that Marin and Del Nero can tell Rebelo that, in bringing forward the next CBF presidential ballot, they are merely complying with his stated wish for greater democracy . . .

By Keir Radnedge

Brazil keeper on trial for murder

The trial of Flamengo goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes, charged with orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of an ex-girlfriend, has opened in the town of Contagem.

Bruno, who was captain of the Flamengo team that won the Brazilian championship in 2009, is accused of ordering the kidnapping his former girlfriend, model Eliza Samudio, before killing her, cutting her up and feeding her remains to dogs.

The deceased had earlier been involved in an ugly custody battle with Bruno, which resulted in him being convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 4 and a 1/2 years in jail.

Bruno now faces a second trial on charges he ordered his ex-girlfriend’s death.

The lawyer representing the player said he remained confident that his client would walk out a free man.

”Bruno is tired of being in prison,” lawyer Rui Pimenta told O Globo. ”He is ready to walk out and go eat some rare barbecue.”

The defence’s argument is that there can be no murder charges because Samudio is, in fact, alive. Pimenta says he will produce proof that Samudio is living in Eastern Europe.

All of which bodes for an captivating, albeit supremely depressing trial.

World Soccer Daily: 10 stories you need to read, 19th November, 2012

Real Slim not shady

Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, has taken control of struggling Spanish club Real Oviedo.

Slim, estimated to be worth $69 billion – give or take a few billion - agreed to invest €2 million for a majority stake in the third division club, which had been facing bankruptcy before a fundraising effort from fans generated more than €1.5 million in the space of two weeks. For a man of his means, €2 million is just loose change.

Oviedo confirmed on Saturday that Slim had decided to become the new majority shareholder because of the club’s “history in Spanish professional football and above all for the extraordinary support of its fans”.

The club added: “This challenge and ambition is strictly a sports investment and one that looks to benefit the club and its fans. [The investment] will try to support Oviedo’s players so they can reach their goals and the club can reach the division that corresponds to its history and values.”

The club statement added that Slim plans to use the club “to create synergies and exchanges between Spanish, Mexican and Latin American football”.

Arturo Elias Ayub, director of strategic alliances at Slim’s Carso and Telmex groups, said that interest in Oviedo had been sparked by the fans’ efforts to save their club.

“We have been following the movement (to save) Oviedo, which I would say has been global, and we thought it would be interesting to join in,” he told AS.

Which should act as an inspiration to supporters of imperilled clubs.

Death threat

Police are investigating allegations of death threats being made to Sunderland midfielder James McClean.

The Derry-born was criticised for not wearing a poppy – the symbol commemorating British war dead – on his shirt during Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat to Everton last weekend.

Booed by a number of Sunderland fans when he came on as a substitute in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Fulham, McClean has also been subjected to death threats via social media.

Cody Lachey, a 29-year-old bouncer from Manchester who claims to have served in the army posted bullets on the player’s Twitter page and wrote to Sinn Fein newspaper An Phoblacht, saying “he deserves to be shot dead and + body dragged past the cenotaph.”

Which, even by the neanderthal standards of people who talk the language of the death threat, seems a little extreme for something that isn’t even a crime.

“I wanted him dead,” said Lachey, as reported by the Derry Journal. “But there’s no threat from me to James McClean now, although I can’t be held responsible for what other people may do.”

“I think he’s [McClean] a f***ing disgrace. I know I’ll end up in trouble and maybe in prison over this but I’m willing to go to court, that’s how strongly I feel.”

Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill said his player would not be put off by the booing.

“James will deal with it”. ONeill said. “It’s a free choice. James has lived with a lot of things, and he’s getting death threats now, which doesn’t help.”

Quote of the day

“We are not a team yet. We have to change something, and I will do. The attitude of the players will change. I am very annoyed. We’ve just lost two games at home and this is not possible for a team that wants to win the title. I’m not afraid to say we’re in crisis. We have to get out of it quickly.” 

PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti is unhappy with his players after seeing his PSG suffer a 2-1 home defeat to 9-man Rennes.

Eye of the storm

Remarkable footage has emerged of a tornado ripping off roof and destroying the Estadio Dr. Francisco Vieira, home to Portuguese minnows Silves.

Eight people were hurt and hundreds left homeless when the tornado hit the Algarve coast.

Of course, anyone who had the misfortune to have watched football at Sunderland’s former ground, Roker Park, will dismiss this as a light squall.

Goal of the day

Stunning shot on the turn by Bologna’s Alberto Gilardino against Palermo.

Miss of the day

Diego Milito somehow missed this sitter from close range against Cagliari.

Shevvy cuts to the chase

Former Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has turned down an offer to manage the national team.

“I believe that today leading the national team of Ukraine is a somewhat premature step for me,” Shevchenko, the leading scorer for his country with 48 goals in 111 appearances, said in a statement published on the Ukrainian Football Federation’s web site.

“I hope the leadership of the Football Federation will understand my decision,” he added.

Shevchenko, 36, who played for Milan and Chelsea as well as Dynamo Kiev, retired after his country’s exit from the Euro 2012 tournament which they co-hosted in June.

He was offered the national coaching job a week ago. The post became vacant when Oleg Blokhin, the previous coach, accepted an offer from Dynamo Kiev.

Snoop Around

Rod Stewart could soon face competition for his place as Celtic’s leading celebrity supporter. US rapper Snoop Dogg (now Snoop Lion) was so impressed with the Scottish champions victory over Barcelona that he has decided that he wants to invest in them.

“I got a lot of interest in soccer,” Snoop told the Daily Record. “It’s not a new thing for hip-hop stars to invest in sports teams, but it is a new thing for hip-hop stars to invest in soccer teams.

“I didn’t catch the whole Barcelona game, but I watched the highlights. I know Barcelona are a big deal, and it shows Celtic are a big deal as well.

“I see how passionate Celtic fans are about their team, and I could see myself making an investment if any of the board wanted to sell.

“I haven’t really thought how much. I don’t need to run a soccer club but enough of a percentage to get me on the board so I can be heard.

“I want to bring a bit of Snoop to things.”

The rapper then added that one of the first things he would do as a member of the Celtic board would be to sign his friend David Beckham “for a season.”

Trouble in paradise

As German football continues to enjoy increased attendances, greater financial prosperity and enhanced global appeal, figures released by the local police show that it also faces a growing hooligan problem.

The police report said the 2011-12 season had the highest number of criminal proceedings in 12 years, almost double the amount of injured fans and a more than 20 percent rise in police work hours compared to the previous season.

Moreover, there appears no sign that the problem has peaked, with the number of violent incidents appearing to be increasing exponentially.

A total of 8,143 criminal proceedings against individuals were launched during the last season compared to 5,818 the previous one while the number of injuries almost doubled from 843 in 2010-11 to 1,142.

“There is nothing to indicate that there is a turning point and a decrease of violence-ready potential within fan groups from Bundesliga to the regional division clubs,” the report of the police’s central information point for the deployment in sport (ZIS) said.

“For criminal proceedings, injuries and work hours these are the highest figures in 12 years. On top of that criminal proceedings were up 70 percent, work hours up 40 percent and injuries up 120 percent from the 12-year average.”

The German football league (DFL) came up with its “secure stadium experience” concept recommending tougher entry checks but the proposals were immediately rejected by  some fan clubs last month, who said fans were not consulted in the process. Cue a DFL U-turn and a promise to seek fan input before re-submitting a proposal next month.

Finally…

Former Manchester United player Kenny Morgans has died at the age of 73.

The Welshman, a survivor of the Munich air disaster of 1958, died in hospital over the weekend after becoming ill on Saturday.

Morgans made his debut for United at the age of 18 and travelled to Belgrade for the ill-fated European Cup trip two months later.

He was found among the wreckage of the aircraft by two journalists, five hours after the official search had been called off.

Morgan recovered from his injuries and went on to resume his playing career, although he left Old Trafford in 1961 and spend the remainder of his career in Wales with Swansea City and later Newport County.