Another article from akvbcfc.

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Maradona? Madonna could do better.
What do you think of, when you read the name Diego Maradona? Great player. That goal against England. That other goal against England. Drugs. A career that ended in shame. A manager…Hold on, what was that last one?

Yep, Diego Maradona, if you did not already know, is the current manager of the Argentina national side. However, Maradona has proved that great player does not equal great manager. Maradona’s Argentina suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Bolivia. Yes, BOLIVIA. Maradona’s side lacks fluidity, talent, aggression and a tactical nous. Maradona sets up his side in a 3-3-1-3 formation, which beggars belief when you study his team selection. He used Gago, the Real Madrid central midfielder as a wing back, and Juan Sebastian Veron in the absolutely crucial playmaker role. You would think that in this formation, the playmaker needs to be someone with vision and creativity…i.e. not Veron. Juan Riquelme is perfect for this role, but, he is not in the team. Why? He fell out with Maradona and so the coach refuses to pick the midfielder.

Up front, Maradona plays Aguero, Tevez and of course, Messi. However, it seems that no-one has told Maradona that none of the three players pass the height limits to ride the rollercoasters at Alton Towers.

Maradona’s side look like they don’t know what they’re doing, and their passing is disjointed. The team lacks the spark that Maradona often provided to the sides he played for. There are numerous players who make the transition into management, but it is often thought that great players do not make great managers because they expect players to do things that they cannot. They said it about Johan Cruyff. They said it about Keane. They said it about Maradona. They said they were doomed to failure. You know what, they were right.

The Work Starts Here Stu
Stuart Pearce deserves a lot of credit. Why? Apparently, we have no talent in this country. Apparently, we can’t produce decent youngsters. Apparently, we are doomed to failure.

Try telling that to Pearce’s lions. England’s Under 21 side thrashed Azerbaijan 7-0 in the last warm-up game for Pearce’s side before the European Championship. And this really is Pearce’s side. Pearce has matched the undoubted talent of the likes of Adam Johnson and Mark Noble with the sheer determination and strength of Fabrice Muamba (who still can’t pass a ball – but we still love him) and Lee Cattermole.

Yep, this game was only a warm-up. However, Pearce deserves enormous credit for the way that he has moulded this side and encouraged them to express themselves whilst wearing the three lions, something that many previous managers of the Under 21s and the national side have failed to do.

Mr Capello has attributed great importance to the Under 21 side and Pearce has relished the great responsibility placed upon his shoulders. Pearce loves his country, and his passion shines through in everything he does.

The fact that Pearce won the club vs country row surrounding Theo Walcott shows how people are starting to take the manager serious. As a result of Spain’s recent successes, the penny has dropped in this country and the importance of the National youth set up has finally been realised. Capello wanted Walcott to play for the senior side, and Pearce respected that, but he still named Walcott in his side for the European Championships, an act that would have been inconceivable under past regimes. Pearce means business.

 He has created a fantastic team and his young lions go off to the Championships with a chance of victory. The work starts here for Pearce, but whatever happens during the tournament, he must be given an enormous amount of credit for the job he has done.

Maybe Britain does have talent after all.

Disgraceful Behaviour
I’ve always liked Celtic. A good club, run by good people. Maybe I was wrong. The way that Celtic have gone about appointing a new manager has shown a clear lack of respect for other clubs. This is being highlighted by their approach for West Brom manager Tony Mowbray. For a number of weeks, Celtic have chased the manager and unsettled him…through the papers. It has only been very recently that they have made a formal approach for the manager.

The fact that Celtic have done their business in public is appalling. They have tried to unsettle Mowbray, creating a rift between the manger and chairman, allowing Celtic to sign the manager ‘on the cheap’.

This is not the way to do business. It’s not right. Celtic should know better.

We Don’t Like Cricket…We Love It?!
The Twenty20 World Cup has been a breath of fresh air for sports fans everywhere, and there have been a succession of enthralling games in a tournament where giant killings have proved to be the norm. Like 20-20? Yep. Love it?

Maybe. Better than football? Take a hike. (Addition by Kev – well I LOVE cricket, so there! )

By akvbcfc
Please visit my website, for more of my views on the beautiful game.