Monday, December 14, 2009

The Title Race - Balancing Quality with Belief

What an odd weekend!

For as long as anyone can remember football’s talking heads have sat scratching their chins, philosophising about the psychological aspect of the game and how much confidence affects a result.

As an Arsenal fan I cringe when we lose and an ex-player or sympathetic pundit puts a clumsy defeat down to ‘a lack of confidence’.

I mean for chrissakes. These are athletes who are the best of the best of the best. Of the hundreds of millions of young men who play football week in week out, they are in the top 500 bracket.

Confidence shouldn’t even be a factor anymore; if you get that far and still don’t believe in yourself, there’s something very wrong with you.

Well at least, that’s what I thought until I witnessed Chelsea’s self belief crumble, as their previously watertight defence conceded nine goals in three games.

A side so bullishly self-assured choked in an unlikely sequence of fixtures: embarrassed by Blackburn, defeated by vulnerable Man City, frustrated by lowly Apoel Nicosia and stumped by struggling Everton.

It’s difficult to put such dips in form down to tactical error or lapses in concentration when your team is topping the league, undefeated in Europe. A poor result can be carried by the mightiest club like a wound, a chink in the armour exploited.

Or it can be shrugged off, as Manchester United have historically done so astutely, and accepted as a brief lapse before full focus it placed on victory in the next game, an immediate return to glory.

Perhaps it is testament to how long United’s players have spent together that they possess such resilience. Who would bet against them putting Wolves to the sword midweek, quenching the frustration of defeat by raining goals on the away end?

Chelsea’s squad is certainly very familiar with itself, but they have a new manager now and are still learning how to be Ancellotti’s Chelsea, diamonds and all.

Arsenal has suffered from continuous transition in recent years and seem to be settling into themselves finally.

Any step backwards has been followed by two steps forwards, and the team’s response to Wenger’s half time dressing-down at Anfield confirms the emergence of that elusive backbone so long sought after.

Meanwhile, despite having a huge squad and a midfield to die for, Spurs still don’t actually believe that they really could challenge for the title (they really could) and followed their astonishing obliteration of Wigan with two draws and a defeat.

On the basis of quality alone Chelsea will win the league, but on the balance of quality and self-belief then it will be United.

If the other contenders can tip the scales in their favour we could have a very interesting title run-in, in a league which is wide open like never before.


Enjoy the mid-week games.



AP

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Defeat - Introspection - Improvement - Success

ON SUNDAY afternoon, Didier Drogba dispatched a perfectly flighted free kick into the corner of Almunia’s net and sealed a victory which brought Arsenal’s latest weakness into cold focus.

Before the game, I’d been preparing a blog entry centred on the Gunner’s physical shortcomings. I was going to make a detailed comparison between the stature of the Invincibles squad 03/04 and the current team, and point out why this meant we lose matches like the game against Sunderland the previous weekend (which I didn’t even watch!) and why we’d struggle against Chelsea.

But having observed our defeat against the Blues I realised I’d got it wrong…or more accurately, only got it 15% right.

We did very little wrong in terms of our performance. We passed well, kept possession convincingly and physically held our own. Song looks increasingly like a Mascherano figure, an excellent ball-winner with superb distributional skills. Fabregas, Nasri, Denilson and Arshavin are all fighters and put paid to the flimsy argument that we are a soft team.

All three of the goals scored against us were undeniably unstoppable, and the Gallas/Vermaelen partnership continues to improve. This wasn’t a defensive issue either by the way.

No, our shortcomings came from the most unlikely source. Despite a large goal haul this season our multi-pronged attack was completely impotent. As a result of the loss of a single player, Robin Van Persie, the ability to convert the many openings we created into goals, or even shots, escaped us.

Van Persie is a menace. He thrives on tricking and tormenting defenders, getting in their face, twisting and turning and using his brain as well as his feet to combine telepathically with the equally cerebral Fabregas. This is why everyone apart from Arsenal fans cannot stand him.

Eduardo has brains and talent too, but is non-confrontational and bounced off the brick wall Chelsea presented us with like a tennis ball.

Bendtner, who has been looking more and more capable recently of providing a similar service to RVP, was injured and unavailable. Premier League winning teams don’t become useless because two of their strikers are crocked.

OK that’s a little harsh. We will come up against defences as well organised once in a blue moon. But those blue moons will rise again this season.

Wenger had his beady eye on Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh in the summer. Judging by his Champions League performances this season he would have proved useful during this difficult period.

At the same time, the gaffer refuses to bury his squad beneath new signings, giving everyone in the first team breathing space, and with six strikers on the books, he was justified in not bringing the Moroccan to the Emirates.

So in reality, no WRONG decisions have been made here, but Chelsea have brought to attention a chink in the armour which must be repaired.
Wenger says:

"I didn't feel we were in the need to buy anybody but we will be out on the market that is for sure now.”

After being accused of being too proud for his own good on various occasions it looks like this time he’s managed to swallow it, representing an ambition for success that matches the fan’s hunger for silverware.

So we keep the trust, and move onwards and upwards.

Happy advent.

AP

Monday, November 30, 2009

The Enemy - Live at Manchester Apollo (for Manchester Evening News)

Here's my most recent review for the Manchester Evening News. This time The Enemy play Manchester Apollo.

http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/reviews/17435_swaggering_charm_from_the_enemy


Sure.



AP

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Alberta Cross - Taking Control (single, reviewed for Citylifers.co.uk)

Treacherous band Alberta Cross hails from London but jumped our sinking island to go to New York and get famous.

It seems to be working out for them as ‘Taking Control’, first single from debut album Broken Side of Time, is a bit of a treat.

It’s bluesy, gushing indie squirting from the vein of Kings of Leon, but their shimmering, crashing chord sound and pounding drums betray their Englishness.

There’s a lot of promise here and we’d do well to stake our claim to these guys before the yanks call dibs.

Eamon McGrath - 13 Songs of Whiskey and Light (review for Citylifers)

As Eamon slurs through smoke-shredded throat, “Well I got myself a drinking problem now, but I blame it on the town,” during the jagged and shadowy ‘Desperation, Alberta’, you’ll get butterflies and register that this album is superb.

This Canadian fella has only just hit his twenties, that’s the scary thing. He sounds like he has the burden of an entire lifetime on his shoulders, and damn he knows how to make you feel every tear of it.

After easing you in with the piano-lead ‘Welcome to the Heart’, he catches you off guard with ‘Machine Gun Cowboy’ and its sneering folk-punk sensibilities. He growls moodily, “I’m going up to heaven soon,” and Cobain is up there somewhere listening thinking that maybe things weren’t so bad.

The psychedelia of ‘Last Man Standing’ flows into drinking song ’Cadillac Rosetown’, past the majestic sway of ‘Holy Roller’ and into that first song I mentioned.

Bonus points are added for the song title ‘Darby Crash and Burn Guitars’ before the album draws to an increasingly sombre close.

It begins to feel momentarily like the whole thing is in danger of fizzling out, before the absolutely sublime ‘Ecstasy Railings’ drags you helplessly into a blissful coked up coma, a serene drug-ballad that book-ends the release perfectly.

13 Songs of Whiskey and Light is in fact merely a compilation of old material released in anticipation of Eamon’s first album proper, to be titled Peace Maker. You have every right to be excited.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Metronomy re-release debut album (written for Citylifers.co.uk)

Metronomy - Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe)

Music that sounds like a computer going insane is a bit of a hard sell.

When my computer goes potty and starts emitting unearthly forlorn bleeps it makes me want to kick the ridiculous contraption to pieces, whilst laughing maniacally.

Kudos to Metronomy then for managing to change a very similar sound from an object of annoyance into a very cool object, an object that could turn up uninvited to an exclusive party in a city penthouse and be mysterious and make girls swoon.

This is in fact a re-release of the Devon duo’s first full length, this time including four bonus tracks lumped onto the end as an incentive for the dubious.

Each of Pip Paine’s eerie offerings of cascading electro has its own weird theme; Danger Song sounds like an 80s computer game trying to hypnotise you.

Black Eye/Burnt Thumb, meanwhile, sounds like a demented digital fairground ride, while The 3rd is R2-D2 having a mental breakdown.

Then again the funereal feel of final album track New Toy betrays the fact that Metronomy isn’t just a weird object, but a sensitive one, making it naturally even more appealing to women.

Top prize goes to bonus song Hear to Wear though, an anthem composed from what sounds like monophonic ringtones, and reminds me of some nightmarish, cheap advert on late night TV, but is in fact wonderful.

It’s a right old fish full of kettles this one, but fascinating and strangely stirring. On second thoughts don’t take it to a party, just sit in your room, listen, and be seduced

Rise Against review for Manchester Evening News

I'm a music journalist as well would you believe!

Here's my review of hardcore punk act Rise Against's gig at Manchester's Apollo, written for the Manchester Evening News.

http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/reviews/17399_rise_against_present_a_political_struggle



AP

Thursday, November 12, 2009

City, Hughes, and Consistency Blues

IT IS OFTEN said, generally in a slightly limp, apologetic manner, that the secret to winning the Premiership is consistency.

It’s a disappointing conclusion to reach but generally an accurate one. Gung ho attack minded theatrics are punished on the break and suffocated to death by focussed defending. The fierce underdog battles with every sinew in its body but falls foul of stringent officials and fleet footed foreigners.

This season Chelsea, scarily, has conceded a mere eight goals (one at Stamford Bridge) and rifled in 30, a statistic second only to Arsenal’s record breaking quota (plug).

The locks have been changed, and the new key to success isn’t turned by grinding out results, playing-badly-yet-winning-one-nil ala Manchester United, but instead sending more teams than not running from the turf squealing, with their tails between their legs and a significantly diminished goal difference.

We’ll come back to that.

To say the wheels have fallen off Manchester City’s campaign to sheepishly stick its tongue down the throat of the top four for the first time is premature. They’ll be fourth if they win their game in hand and only seven points shy of the leaders.

Momentum has been lost though. Five points out of fifteen have been won from their last five matches, with seven goals beating Given. Robinho, despite Sparky’s insistences to the contrary, is by most accounts unhappy and wanting out. The team’s notoriously impatient fans have tasted the golden nectar of…consistency!....and are getting itchy trigger fingers, with crosshairs settled shakily on Hughes’ head.

Of course, this is all nuts. To say City have advanced as a club this season is like saying the human race has come on a bit since the Stone Age. Their performances against Arsenal and United were superb and their squad has more depth than Liverpool’s (cough).

But the bar has been lifted. City is a team in transition that has the finances to morph into pretty much any form necessary, but with the two London teams at the top waking up to the fact that consistency can be achieved the beautiful way (there’s my original point, I knew I left it here somewhere) there may have to be many more millions spent before the title can be bought.

Is City a defensive side? No. Attacking? Yes, and an impressive one at that, but still a long way off their peers. And how many revolutions of the Eastlands doors, one wonders, can their dressing room tolerate before the legendary team spirit which it has purportedly developed begins to wilt.

The rhetoric coming out of the club suggests they will always twist rather than stick, and any players not pulling their weight will not be suffered.

Their bed has been made but The Citizens are tossing and turning, restless with the excitement of their new found wealth. Maybe suggestions that it would be their ultimate undoing weren’t completely born out of jealousy.

Have a good weekend,


AP

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Clantenburg Blunders, but Sir Alex is taking the Mick

Everyone mellows with age. At a relatively tender 25 years old, I am certainly less petulant and reactionary than I was when I was 18, and even then I had more composure than my 15 year old self.

Sir Alex Ferguson is 67. He should be so laid back he is horizontal. He already has legendary status in the world of football, he’s a millionaire and he still has a luxurious retirement to look forward to.

Why then, one wonders, does he still act like a toddler who’s been denied access to his Nintendo DS by mummy after being badly behaved and getting his knees all dirty in the shops?

I can’t help but think back to Arsenal’s game against United at Old Trafford, when Wenger was sent to the stands after kicking a bottle in frustration; an action that seems completely innocuous when compared to Fergy’s embarrassingly dramatic outbursts.

Fair enough, Mark Clattenberg is probably the worst referee in the Premier League at the moment and barely seems to be able to get through a game without making a preposterous decision.

Furthermore the pressure on Premiership managers to succeed is enormous, especially at the top and the bottom of the table. Everyone gets frustrated when the decisions go against them and the odd rant, stamping of feet (or clipping of a bottle) should be understood and overlooked.

But Sir Alex crosses a line with his consistent foul-mouthed tantrums, standing toe-to-toe with officials and subjecting them to the kind of verbal abuse that belongs in the stands, not in an exchange between two people in a professional position.

I know it’s not just me. Our living room groaned collectively when Sir assumed the position during the United-Chelski match today and unleashed another volley of hatred at the official. Even the easy going Michael Owen rolled his eyes as his boss hauled himself out of his seat and lumbered towards the touchline.

At first it was amusing, now it’s boring. And the only kind of punishment that’s going to stop Sir doing this is not one that tickles his pocket, but that hurts his team and his reputation. How about a 3 match ban, preventing him from attending his team’s performance? He could communicate instructions to Mike Phelan via telephone, like Rafa when he had kidney stones.

Further poor behaviour should lead to a points deduction for his team.

I guarantee that if this was implemented he would behave himself and the spirit of professionalism and RESPECT (remember that campaign?) in the game would be protected.

I was going to talk about other things, but I’m tired and start my new job tomorrow.

Keep the faith,
AP

Monday, November 2, 2009

Liverpool's Plight, Neutral's Delight

LIVERPOOL Football Club are currently a wildebeest writhing on some desolate savanna in the clutch of a famished lion. Or a motorway wreckage, all twisted metal and flames, with a rescue crew scrabbling desperately for survivors.

For the neutral observer, it's a guilty treat.

This isn't what you think. I support Arsenal, and while I have no love for The Kop there is no malice to be found either. Only the occasional raised and slightly irritated eyebrow at an uncanny ability to win matches in the dying moments.

But Liverpool's unhappy plight is a thing of intrigue.

Despite not having won the league since 1990, a huge club will always be a huge club, and Liverpool are, well, freeking massive. Every season the expectation on the shoulders of Rafa Benitez to win silverware is enormous. He has delivered the Champions League trophy which has earned him a lengthy stay of execution, but his lifeline is running out.

The feelings of many football observers were echoed by former Anfield ace Ronny Whelan in a recent interview on Irish television:

"He wants to win the European Cup so he can get a job in Europe. For me, his days have got to be numbered at Liverpool.

"He's taken players off who are the only players who are going to give you a chance of winning the game.

"And he drags them all off because he's got a game on Wednesday.

"When I saw the team I thought he's not bothered about this game. He's putting all his eggs in one basket and I can't see why he's done it."


Benitez's Jenkyll and Hyde style of management can often be forgiven, laughed off or even saluted as quirky providing the latter stages of tournaments and the upper echelons of the top half of the table are reached.

But their last seven matches have seen league defeats dished out by Chelsea, Sunderland and Fulham, Champions League loses to Fiorentina and Lyon, an exit from the Carling Cup at the hands of Arsenal and only a victory over a United side who hardly turned up at Anfield in their favour.

So tomorrow night when Liverpool travel to Stade Georges Lyvet to take on Lyon for the second time in their Champions League qualifying group, us neutrals suddenly become savages, vultures, circling this wounded beast and hungry not for its flesh, but simply for the spectacle of it's demise.

The winds of change have blown strongly in the Premier League of late. The top four is in a state of flux, and many at the start of the season predicted, not entirely unjustly, that us Gunners would finally plunge from grace.

But where new defensive partnerships and Alex Song have given us a backbone, the loss of Alonso and injuries to Gerrard and Torres have robbed Liverpool of theirs.

If a new order is to be brought in, we won't know until Christmas at the very soonest, and not really until April. But the prospect of such a change fascinates us as fans of the sport, especially here in England where the status of the 'Big 4' is so deeply entrenched.

For me, in a more competitive season than we've experienced for a while and with Rafa's boys lying nine points adrift at the beginning of November, things are far from set in stone and Liverpool are not by any means out of the title race.

But defeat tomorrow would be catastrophic in terms of this season's Champions League bid and hugely demoralising for a club already in free fall.

There's something about watching bad things happen to other people that we find comforting, for better or worse. But a cornered animal is often at its most dangerous.


AP