England – Page 10 – FOOTBALL BOOK REVIEWS (FBR)

Book Review: Come Sunday by George Nelson

Background and concept

Every four years sixteen European nations compete for the Henri Delaunay (European Championship) trophy. During the summer of 2012, photographer George Nelson set out to visit a number of London venues, (bars, restaurants, clubs and churches), screening Euro 2012 matches. His aim was to ‘follow’ every team with its London residing supporters and capture each experience in pictures.

There were only two self-imposed restrictions. One was a minimum of one venue to each participating nation and the second was the omission of England supporters, bringing down the number of locations to fifteen. The latter was a conceptual choice, as the gathering of immigrant collectives lay at the hub of this venture. The Euro 2012 project also serves as a demonstration of the London’s uniquely diverse make-up, locates several subtleties in cultural variation, yet more than hints at a universality in our relationship with ‘the beautiful game’.

From this vast palette, George settled on a single location in which to centre his book and the first Tatum Special publication. ‘Come Sunday’ hones in on the Italian Euro 2012 experience. On three Sundays* that summer Italian supporters gathered at C’asa Italiana – a penalty kick away from their Basilica-style Church, St Peter’s – as Clerkenwell reclaimed its ‘Little Italy’ status.

* 10 June 2012, Group C, Italy 1 – 1 Spain

24 June 2012, Quarter-Final, Italy 0 – 0 England (Italy won pens 4-2)

01 July 2012, Final, Italy 0 – 4 Spain

Review

In December 2013 Monte Fresco died at the age of 77. It’s a name that many people won’t recognise, although undoubtedly many will remember his work. Monte was an English sports photographer, and one of his most famous images was that of Vinnie Jones ‘tackling’ a young Paul Gascoigne.

Despite the fact that our screens are awash with football from all over the world, photographs which capture a moment, an emotion or are breath-taking, challenging or beautiful, will always have a place in ‘the people’s game’.

George Nelson in ‘Come Sunday’ has looked to focus on the fans rather than the action on the pitch. Nelson shared three games with the Italian fans, including those which saw, qualification from Group C, the drama of a penalty win over England and the disappointment of defeat in the Euro 2012 Final to Spain.

The book consists of thirty images which capture this journey. Nelson succeeds in conveying the emotion and drama of both victory and defeat, without an image of any of the games. Instead the ‘high and lows’ are conveyed through the expressions and body language of those gathered in Clerkenwell.

Nelson is successful in capturing more than just the football, in that the essence of family and community is evident, as the pictures portray the old and the young, men and women, all united in supporting ‘their team’.

One of the other themes which emerge from this collection is the idea of football as a religion. Not only are the images captured on a Sunday (the traditional day of rest), but the location is linked to the local Catholic church.

The great thing with the images is that you can initially focus on the central figures, but then also can revisit the pictures and understand what is going on in the background, so getting a feel for the context. For instance, the last image in ‘Come Sunday’ shows a mother, coat in hand, ready to take her children home. On the screen in the room, Spanish striker Fernando Torres celebrates victory in the Final as he takes his own child on a lap of honour.

It is a small tome, but is a collection of pictures you’ll want to look at again and interpret for yourself.

* * * * * * * * *

For more information about George Nelson and to buy ‘Come Sunday’, follow this link

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Book Review: The Fabulous Baker Boys: The Greatest Strikers Scotland Never Had by Tom Maxwell

When England manager Roy Hodgson recently suggested that he would be monitoring the progress of Manchester United’s Belgian youngster Adnan Januzaj, the issue of international player eligibility was once more in the news.

Nowadays in this country, supporters are used to seeing players born in different countries turning out for England whether it is football, cricket, rugby league or rugby union. However, the rules governing eligibility have not always been as they are now and this issue is central to the latest book by Tom Maxwell, ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys: The Greatest Strikers Scotland Never Had’.

In 1938, George and Lizzie Baker were living in New York and on 11 April that year their first child Gerry Austin Baker was born. However, when the Second World War broke out in September 1939, the family returned to England to settle in Liverpool, where in July 1940, Joseph Henry Baker was born. Merseyside wasn’t to remain home for long, as the Germans blitzed the port area of Liverpool. Six weeks after Joe was born, Lizzie took the young boys to Wishaw near Motherwell and this was where the family settled and grew up.

Both boys were talented young players and in 1955 Gerry made his debut for Chelsea in the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup. In the same year, Joe played for Scotland Schoolboys playing against England and Wales. However, from this point the path the brothers journeyed on was not as might have been predicted.

Joe was never to pull on the blue shirt of Scotland after 1955 and instead because of the place of his birth, it was ruled he could only play international football for England. So it was that Joe went on to make 5 appearances (scoring 4 goals) for the Under 23s and gained 8 full caps (scoring 3 goals). Indeed Joe played in the opening England game in January 1966, although ultimately he was destined not to be part of the World Cup squad.

In terms of his club career, Joe was widely regarded wherever he played. He started his professional career with Hibernian and in four seasons, amassed 141 goals. This lead to a single season stint at Torino, where he was seriously injured in a car crash, in which Dennis Law was also involved. Baker returned to England and had an impressive four season stay at Arsenal where Joe scored 100 goals. However, partway through his last season at Highbury (1965/66) he moved onto Nottingham Forest and stayed at the City Ground until 1968/69. His tally of 49 goals might not have been as prolific as his returns at his other clubs, but Joe became something of a cult figure down by the Trent. With Joe approaching his 30th birthday he moved to Sunderland for the 1969/70 season as his career started to wind down. The following season he returned to Scotland and Hibernian, finally retiring from playing in 1973/74 after a two season stint at Raith Rovers. Joe’s record makes incredible reading, as from 615 club appearances he scored 372 goals – an outstanding return.

Brother Gerry never settled at Chelsea and returned to Motherwell. However, he found opportunities difficult to come by and he moved to St. Mirren scoring an impressive 66 goals in 81 games. His exploits attracted clubs in England and Gerry had a two season spell at Manchester City before returning to Scotland and Hibernian in 1961/62, just as Joe left the club. However in 1963/64, Gerry left Easter Road and once more moved ‘south of the border’ to help Ipswich Town gain promotion from Division Two, enjoying a productive spell at Portman Road, before moving to Coventry City. It was whilst at the Sky Blues that Gerry gained international honours for the USA. He played in 7 games for the land of his birth, scoring twice and was part of the side that fell short of qualifying for the 1970 World Cup Finals in Mexico. Gerry ended his professional career at Brentford in the 1969/70 season before playing for Margate (as player-manager), Nuneaton Borough, Bedworth United and Worcester City. Gerry’s club career saw him score a highly impressive 201 goals from 409 games.

Writer Tom Maxwell tells the story of their respective remarkable careers in an engaging and intimate way. The excellent research and quotes from the brothers and players of the era, means this book is a personal yet interesting insight into football during the 1950s and 60s both in Scotland and England.

But for the eligibility rules of the late 1950s, Scotland would have had a very different international forward line.

Between them, 1,024 appearances, 573 goals – ‘the Fabulous Baker Boys’ indeed.

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Book Review: After Extra Time (‘Dirty Leeds’ Uncut) by Robert Endeacott

This book is an absorbing mix of fact and fiction that details the factual life of Leeds United and the fictional life of a young Leeds fan throughout the Don Revie era. The fictional life of Jimmy O’Rourke is set amid real events both at the club and in the city of Leeds which adds context to the footballing narrative of Don Revie’s transformational time as manager of the club from 1961 to his departure to take up the England manager’s post in 1974.

Through the life of Jimmy O’Rourke we see that the ‘Dirty Leeds’ tag applies more to working-class life in Leeds in that period than a description of the football team’s ethics as the city starts to implement the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution; a particular issue for populous industrialised cities at that time. Jimmy and his Gran show us the dour existence and steely determination of working class citizens of 1960s Leeds and, as much as you will be moved by the seemingly endless mishaps and footballing heartache that was, ironically, Leeds Utd’s most successful period, you will also find that the author handles events in Jimmy O’Rourke’s life such as aspiration, injury and bereavement in a very touching and believable way. These, like the character itself, are described in a very ‘Leeds’ style (far from melodramatic, quite matter-of-fact; no-nonsense yet not without feeling).

Thankfully the book doesn’t preach on football matters, nor does it avoid controversial incidents or resolutely argue the innocence of Leeds United or its fans but it quietly and unassumingly (in that ‘Leeds’ style) puts the key events into perspective. Crowd trouble (a grenade at Millwall is my favourite), on-field misdemeanours and allegations of bribery are evident throughout the Football League and teams other than Leeds suffer the type of fixture congestion that not even today’s TV companies could dream up. As a consequence, without overtly defending Leeds, the book highlights the fact that the FA had much more to deal with than a few raincoat-clad middle-aged men with comb-overs arguing with a ref on the Elland Road pitch after a controversial West Brom goal.

The book clearly sets out to honour not only Don Revie but also less well-known characters that helped build the team, the club and its facilities; Harry Reynolds the Chairman and Ces Burroughs the Groundsman are revered by the author who clearly has some knowledge of their lives and the role they played at the club. It is here however that the book lets you down slightly; this knowledge leads you to mistakenly believe that you will subsequently receive some previously unknown detail about the club or the goings-on inside Revie’s office that would shed new light on the well-known events of that time.

The additional 50,000 words that the author has re-instated from the first ‘Dirty Leeds’ book give this unabridged edition more detail and texture and it flows through this historic and turbulent period with all the footballing information you need (without being reduced to a dry account of each season), and with a simultaneous view of real life in and around both Elland Road and the city of Leeds. It is a comprehensive review of the Leeds United’s Don Revie era but is written with imagination and emotion. Whether a Leeds fan or not, my advice would be (in that ‘Leeds’ style); read the book, it’s not bad at all.

Paul Gowland

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UEFA 2012 European Championship: Day 5

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Group D

France (1) 1 – 1 (1) England

I said yesterday that I wasn’t nervous before the game and to be honest it stayed that way during the ninety minutes. Was it lack of expectation? Or was it that being a Fulham fan and from the evidence of the two England friendly games to date, that I knew Roy Hodgson would make England an organised and functional unit? Whatever it was, yesterday was rather a pleasant watching experience – something I’ve not felt or said about England games in tournament play over the years. I’m not saying the Three Lions are going to stride imperiously to taking the 2012 title, but it was an encouraging display. There will be critics and for my part, I worry that that style of play where the team has to work so hard in that heat may catch-up with players. However, it was a real ‘team’ performance and players looked like they understood their role. Wednesday will be no easy task, but England must go and look to expose the Swedish defence as Ukraine did. Finally, besides the performance on the pitch, a real bonus for me yesterday was that the England ‘band’ was not allowed to play after stadium officials confiscated their instruments. Long may it continue!

Ukraine (0) 2 – 1 (0) Sweden

This game was ultimately about two forwards, for Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimovic and for the Ukraine, Andriy Shevchenko. In a goal-less first-half, the two best chances feel to these famous protagonists. Shevchenko was played into the box after a lovely move, but when clear dragged his shot wide. Ibrahimovic came even closer when a cross found him unmarked just outside the six-yard box, but could only guide his header against the post. Into the second-half Sweden made the breakthrough on fifty two minutes. Ukraine never dealt well with a Larsson cross, which was played back in by Kallstrom where Ibrahimovic calmly steered in from close range. However, within ten minutes the game was turned on its head – quite literally. On fifty five minutes Yarmolenko crossed and Shevchenko showed more determination than his marker to head in the equaliser. Then on sixty two minutes from a corner, the Ukrainian striker was more alert than the Swedish defence to flick in another header at the near post. Sweden though continued to press with three good chances falling to Ibrahimovic, substitute Elmander and Mellberg, but the co-hosts hung on and France next travel to the cauldron in Kiev on Wednesday knowing they are in an emotionally charged encounter. On a final note, sitting at home, he noise levels at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev were quite unbelievable at times – it must have been incredible to be in the ground.

The competition starts today in terms of the second round of matches and when the fates of teams takes more shape. In the first game tonight, Greece play the Czech Republic at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw. A draw wouldn’t eliminate either team, but the Czech Republic will be desperate after their dismal showing against Russia, to get back on track. If Greece play the way they did in the second-half against Poland it could be interesting.

The later kick-off at the National Stadium in Warsaw will see Poland take on Russia. In the BBC preview to the game they detailed the historical significance of the fixture. “…In Warsaw you could be forgiven for thinking that Poland’s army is going into battle with near neighbours Russia. Local papers have gone to town with references to their victorious 1920 battle against the Bolshevik Army, fuelling simmering nationalist sentiments ahead of this ‘eastern European derby’…The highly-charged match also falls on Russia Day, a national holiday, and some Russian fans plan to march from the city centre to the stadium – potentially provocative…” Russia know that a victory tonight would all but guarantee progress to the knock-out stages of the competition. Poland seemed to struggle under the pressure of being co-hosts and meeting the expectation of the home fans. If Russia get the first goal, it could be a very difficult night indeed for Poland.

The opening round of Euro 2012 has been open and entertaining, the second round of games brings more pressure so fingers crossed the drama and excitement continues.

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UEFA 2012 European Championship: Day 4

Monday 11 June 2012

Sometimes life gets in the way of a football and so it proved last night as I was out having a few drinks and a meal. Therefore my watching of the fixtures yesterday was restricted to glimpses, in between eating, fetching drinks or whilst sat chatting, of a very small television perched above the bar. It would make for an alternative if not quite convincing reporting of the games.

At bar…game not yet kicked off…return to seat…blue shirts against red shirts, must be Italy and Spain…Italian player clutches head at missing chance…Spanish player clutches head at missing a chance…return to bar…half-time, 0-0…return to seat… Balotelli substituted…man in blue shirt runs round frantically waving arms – Italy 1-0…man in red hugs ball and runs towards half-way line, Spain 1, Italy1…red and blue men stand in a huddle and mock fight…end of game…eat…Salmon, Smoked Haddock & Lobster Croquettes with a yoghurt and caper dressing…Wild Boar Burger with a lime and chilli mayonnaise, fried onions, house ketchup and crisp seasoned chips…return to bar…Half-time – Croatia 2, Republic of Ireland 1…return to seat…man in shirt resembling tablecloth shots hit post and goalkeeper and goes in…Croatia 3, Republic of Ireland 1…end of match…Adrian Chiles and Irishman with sad face…

Group C

Spain (0) 1 – 1 (0) Italy

So what did the BBC highlights on the internet offer? Well, 3 minutes and 9 seconds, of which the first half was three efforts on goal from Italy (Pirlo, Cassano and Motta) and the second-half started with a Spanish efforts from Andrés Iniesta. Next was shown a glorious chance for Balotelli which he wasted after allowing the defender to get back and make a tackle. ‘Super’ Mario was then substituted and replaced by Di Natale, who minutes later latches onto a ball from Pirlo to superbly finish and put Italy ahead. The Spanish equaliser is shown next with a lovely intricate move finished by Fabregas. The next clip has Torres through on goal but being stopped by Italian keeper Buffon, followed by a glorious chance for Di Natale to claim a second. The highlights close with another Torres chance, which he clips over. Both sides were probably happy to settle for a point and look to seal qualification from the Group against Croatia and the Republic of Ireland.

Republic of Ireland (1) 1 – 3 (2) Croatia

2 minutes 57 were offered for the highlights of this game. It opens with a Croatia corner which is never really cleared and a looping header from Mario Mandzukic somehow beat Given in the Irish goal. The action switches to a free-kick from Aiden McGeady which is headed home by Sean St Ledger to bring the game level. Croatia are then seen back on the attack and Given is forced into a full length save from Mandzukic. The highlights of the first-half end with Jelavic scoring from close range and the Irish claiming offside. Into the second-half and Shay Given’s miserable day is complete when a second Mandzukic header found the back off the net, this time via the head of the Irish keeper as the ball bounced back off the post. A penalty shout for the Irish is shown when Robbie Keane is brought down. The clip closes with an effort from Croatian Rakitic, and two from Andrews for the Republic, one a header and the other a shot. No luck for the Irish today and with Italy and Spain to come, it’s not looking good for them.

Today closes the first round of games with Group D and France against England, followed by Ukraine versus Sweden. With less that five hours to go, I can honestly say that I’m not nervous…Que Sera Sera

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UEFA 2012 European Championship: Day 3

Sunday 10 June 2012

The Ukraine got its first games underway on Saturday in Group B and with it the first shock of the tournament.

Netherlands (0) 0 – 1 (1) Denmark

Prior to kick-off in Kharkiv, the BBC showed a feature about the Danes unexpected triumph at Euro 1992. Surely history doesn’t repeat itself? Well, for the first twenty minutes, the Netherlands looked at ease stroking the ball around as Robben, Van Persie and Afellay all had chances for the Dutch. Then completely against the run of play, Denmark attacked down the left, the move looked to have broken down, but a ricochet saw the ball fall to Krohn-Delhi who cut inside a less than tight Dutch back four to fire through the legs of keeper Stekelenburg and give the Danes the lead on twenty three minutes. The Dutch continued to attack and create chance after chance, but a combination of good goal-keeping from Andersen, dogged defence and a bit of luck – Robben hitting the post, meant Denmark went in at half-time with a 1-0 lead. The second-half followed a similar pattern to the first as the Dutch dominated and created numerous chances, even a double substitution with the introduction of Huntelaar and Van der Vaart with just under twenty minutes remaining couldn’t change the fortunes of the Netherlands. The Dutch knew their luck was out when late on a good shout for handball in the area was turned down. Should the ‘new’ goal-line officials have seen it? Well if they didn’t, what is their role? In a season when we have seen teams dominate possession and chances but not win (like the Barcelona v Chelsea Champions League games), here was another example. The stats told us that the Netherlands has 29 attempts on goal, but only six on target, the Danes had 8 efforts on goal with 4 on target. The most important figure of course was the final score-line and now Group B has become a real dog-fight.

Germany (0) 1 – 0 (0) Portugal

In Lviv, Germany emerged winners over Portugal. Germany created their best chances in the first-half when getting down the flanks with Gomez the main German threat. However, Pepe had an excellent chance for Portugal when his shot hit the bar before bouncing down on the goal-line. Germany just shaded the first-half, but the teams went in at 0-0 at the break. The deadlock was broken on seventy two minutes when a cross from Sami Khedira was headed in by Gomez, who had lost his marker Pepe. Portugal did respond with Nani clipping the crossbar with a cross-come-shot and Neuer making good saves from Ronaldo and substitute Varela late-on. However, Germany held on for the win and now look forward to Wednesday and the game against bitter rivals in the form of the Dutch.

Tomorrow the last of the first round of games comes to an end as Group D begins. In the opening game France take on England, with Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine later. The French have been European Champions on two occasions, the first on home soil in 1984 when beating Spain and in 2000 when overcoming Italy 2-1 in dramatic fashion. However, apart from that their record is very mixed. France did not qualify for any tournaments between 1964 and 1980 as well as 1988. In 1992 and 2008 Les Bleus did not make it out of the Group stage. In 1996 France did make the Semi-Finals but lost out 6-5 to the Czech Republic. 2004 saw France fall to Champions elect Greece 1-0 in the Quarter-Finals. More recently, France have quietly and confidently been going about their football business and racked up friendly wins in 2012 against Germany, Iceland, Serbia and Estonia. They could be the dark horses of the competition.

England…well yes, we know we haven’t won anything since 1966 and yes we blow it on penalties more often that not. So unsurprisingly our European Championship record is to be blunt, very poor. In 1960 England didn’t enter and didn’t qualify for 1964. In 1968 England qualified for the Finals after the results of the 1967 and 1968 Home Internationals series were combined and saw them through a point ahead of Scotland. In the Semi-Final against Yugoslavia England lost 1-0, but finished third in the tournament after beating the Soviet Union 2-0. In 1972 and 1976 England failed to qualify for the Finals but did make it to Italy for Euro 1980. However, a draw with Belgium, a loss to Italy and a win over Spain were not enough to see the Three Lions progress. 1984 passed England by, but England made it to Germany in 1988 and probably wished they hadn’t as they lost all three Group games (against the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union) to finish rock bottom. 1992 in Sweden was again another tournament to forget. England drew their opening two games 0-0 (against Denmark and France) and could have qualified for the knock-out phase if they had beaten Sweden. David Platt gave England an early lead and they lead 1-0 at half-time, however two second-half goals send the hosts through and left England bottom of their group for a second successive tournament. 1996 is well documented and we fell to those old foes Germany and penalties in the Semi-Finals. In 2000 England self-destructed in spectacular fashion on two occasions. Firstly, in the opening Group game against Portugal, England had a 2-0 lead after eighteen minutes, which by fifty nine minutes had turned into a 3-2 deficit. Secondly, in the final Group game needing only a point to progress, with the score at 2-2 in the last minute, Phil Neville needlessly conceded a penalty and Romania scored to progress at England’s expense. In Portugal four years later, England came through their Group and faced the hosts in the Quarter-Finals. In a see-saw game that ended 2-2, England once again blew it on penalties 6-5. 2008 and England didn’t qualify after the calamitous defeat at Wembley to Croatia in their last qualification game. Who knows what to expect in 2012? As Roy Hodgson rather wonderfully put it, it will be the “…most terrific or torrid three weeks…” of his career.

Sweden’s involvement in the European Championships only really starts from 1992. In 1960, the Swedes did not enter, and between 1964 and 1988 didn’t qualify for the Finals. As hosts in 1992, Sweden drew with France, before victories over Denmark and Sweden took them through to a Semi-Final against Germany. The Swedes were always behind in the game and eventually bowed out 3-2. The Blagult (The Blue-Yellow) didn’t make it to England in 1996, but have qualified for all the tournaments since. At Euro 2000, Sweden finished bottom of their Group with just a point from a 0-0 draw with Turkey. Four years later in Portugal, the Swedes topped the Group where the first three all finished on five points, but their superior goal difference took them through, courtesy of a 5-0 win over Bulgaria. In the Quarter-Finals, Sweden exited to the Netherlands 5-4 on penalties. In 2008 an opening Group win over Greece was their only joy as successive losses to Spain and Russia meant no further progress for Sweden. Qualification for Euro 2012 was achieved as best runners-up after collecting 24 points just behind Group winners the Dutch. Sweden won every home qualifier including a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands. However away defeats in Hungary and the Dutch meant the Swedes missed out on top spot. Coming into this competition, Sweden beat Serbia and Iceland in friendly internationals. The Swedes will be awkward customers and will make things difficult for Ukraine in the opening game.

Co-hosts Ukraine only come into existence in 1992 (after the Soviet Union break-up) and have not qualified for any European Championships to date. They of course will be urged on by their home fans in these Finals, but as Poland found in their opening game, the weight of expectation can have a paralysing effect. Indeed, Sweden are the type of team who could indeed ruin the Ukrainian party. It could be some start to the week!

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UEFA European 2012 Championship: Preview

As summer stills attempts to make its mind up about whether to actually show up this year, June sees the beginning of the UEFA 2012 European Championships, hosted by Poland and Ukraine. The award of the event to these countries has divided opinion. UEFA President Michel Platini, unsurprisingly, is fully supportive of taking such a major tournament to new territories. However, Theo van Seggelen (Secretary General of the World Players Union, FIFPro) is concerned that the abiding memory of the Championships could be more about racism and violence than events on the pitch. This assertion is based around work carried out by FIFPro and highlighted at the Soccerex 2012 event in Manchester and covered recently by the BBC’s Panorama programme. It is a very real concern and UEFA must be holding it’s breath at what may ensue over the next month.

On the pitch, the general consensus is that there is no pressure on England going into the tournament as the expectation from the media and football public is low. The tournament has been swallowed up amidst the Jubilee Celebrations and the impending Olympics; perhaps it is no bad thing. Preparation has hardly been ideal for the Three Lions, with the appointment of a successor to Fabio Capello left in limbo for months. Then once appointed, Roy Hodgson received a less than overwhelming response from some sections of the media and fans. For my part I think it is a good appointment given that The FA were totally sold on having an English manager this time around. Hodgson has good experience at club and international level and I just hope he isn’t subject to the sniping that marked his brief time at Anfield. Of the England squad picked by Hodgson, it has a very familiar look about it and it will surely be the ‘last hurrah’ for the likes of Terry and Gerrard. There hasn’t been a great deal of luck with injuries either, as the squad has seen Ruddy, Barry, Lampard and Cahill all have to withdraw and there has also been some background dissent at the non-selection of Rio Ferdinand. Will adversity work for or against England?

In terms of how the 2012 competition pans out, I can’t see the shocks and emerging of an underdog to win, as happened earlier this year in the African Cup of Nations. Having said that, Denmark in 1992 and Greece in 2004, showed that upsets are possible. However in 2012 for me the European ‘big guns’ of Spain, Netherlands, Germany and Italy will be the ones to beat and in terms of the Groups, this is who I expect to emerge to the knock-out Phase:

Group A: Russia and Czech Republic.

Group B: Germany and Netherlands.

Group C: Spain and Italy.

Group D: England and France.

Tomorrow Poland face Greece at the National Stadium in Warsaw, in the opening fixture, with Russia and the Czech Republic playing later in the day at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw. Co-hosts Poland do not have a great track record in the European Championships, and have only ever qualified for the Finals on one occasion, that being in 2008. In their Group games the Poles lost to Germany and Croatia and drew against Austria. Poland won their last warm-up game 4-0 against Andorra, but will be under tremendous pressure from the home fans to get a winning start to their campaign against Greece.

This will be the fourth appearance for the Greeks in the Finals. Their debut came in 1980, where they drew 0-0 with West Germany, but lost to the Netherlands and Czechoslovakia. Greece had to wait 24 years before qualifying again and what an incredible tournament they had. In the Groups Stage, Greece beat hosts Portugal 2-1, drew 1-1 with Spain and went through on goals scored after a 2-1 loss to Russia. In the Quarter-Finals, the reigning Champions France were beaten 1-0 to set up a Semi-Final meeting with the Czech Republic. The game went to extra-time and a single goal was enough to see Greece into the Final. Incredibly the Greeks overcame hosts Portugal 1-0 with a goal from Charisteas to become European Champions. However in 2008 it was a rather different story for Greece as they lost all three Group games, to Sweden, Russia and Spain. Greece qualified for this tournament after topping a Group containing Croatia, Israel, Latvia, Georgia and Malta. The Greeks were unbeaten winning seven games and drawing three. However, going into their last friendly before Euro 2012, Greece had not won in four games, before a 1-0 win over Armenia provided a boost ahead of tomorrows game.

Russia (in the guise of the Soviet Union) were the first European Champions in 1960 beating Yugoslavia 2-1 and had an impressive record in the early years, finishing runners-up in 1964, fourth place in 1968 and runners-up in 1972. There were then barren years until 1988 when they reached the Final only to lose to the Netherlands. As the political situation changed in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union broke apart, by the time the Euro 1992 arrived a team that represented the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up, competed in Sweden. In the Group games, the CIS drew with Germany and the Netherlands before bowing out with a 3-0 loss to Scotland. As Russia emerged as a footballing entity they qualified for Euro 1996, but finished bottom of their group, losing to Italy and Germany before ending with a draw against the Czech Republic. Eight years later in Portugal, Russia again finished bottom of their Group after losses to Spain and Portugal, although they did beat eventual Champions Greece 2-1 in their closing game. Four years ago, Russia had their best showing in recent years, reaching the Semi-Finals before bowing out to three second half goals from Champions elect Spain. In qualification for Euro 2012, Russia topped the Group in which the Republic of Ireland were runners-up. In their last warm-up game, Russia impressively overcame Italy 3-0.

As Czechoslovakia (prior to the political break-up in 1992), the country had a rather hit and miss European record, in that between 1960 and 1992, they failed to qualify for six of the nine tournaments. However, when qualifying they had an impressive record. In 1960, Czechoslovakia having lost to the Soviet Union in the Semi-Finals, beat France to take third place. Sixteen years later Czechoslovakia won the competition, overcoming West Germany winning 5-3 on penalties. Another third place was achieved four years later, overcoming Italy 9-8 on penalties. As the Czech Republic the team has qualified for every Finals from 1996 to date. In England in Euro 1996, they made it to the Final, only to lose to Germany. In the tournaments of 2000 and 2008, the Czech Republic didn’t get beyond the Group stage, but in 2004 got to the Semi-Finals only to lose to eventual Champions Greece in extra-time. Their qualification for this years tournament was sealed through the play-offs with a 3-0 aggregate win over Montenegro. Their last outing before this tournament ended in a 2-1 defeat to Hungary.

The opening round of games in any tournament are invariably cagey, as nobody wants to get off to a losing start, so part of me says that the two opening fixtures will end as draws. Let the action commence…

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UEFA 2012 European Championship Finals – The Draw

Friday 02 December 2011 (08.45 am)

Later today the draw for the UEFA 2012 European Championship Finals takes place in Kiev. Sixteen teams will be drawn into four Groups from four seeded pots. Each Group will be made up of a team from each Pot. From Pot 1 Poland have already been drawn in Group A and Ukraine in Group D for logistical reasons. This leaves Netherlands and Spain from Pot 1. Pot 2 contains England, Germany, Italy and Russia. Pot 3 consists of Croatia, Greece, Portugal and Sweden, with Pot 4 made up of the Czech Republic, Denmark, France and Republic of Ireland.

This morning the various forms of media will be highlighting the best and worst case draws that England could finds themselves with. For instance the BBC see the best case scenario as being drawn with Poland, Greece and Czech Republic with the worst case scenario would see England in with Spain, Portugal and France. To me it makes no real difference, as if you are going to win a tournament you have to play and beat the best teams irrespective of what stage you play them at.

Rest assured though that Signor Capello has already got his excuses in early as he has been banging on about how tired the players will be since the 2-2 draw with Switzerland back in June this year. However, for now the tournament is 6 months away, but tonight the pressure will be cranked up slightly as The Three Lions will know who they will be facing come June 2012.

Friday 02 December 2011 (7.00 pm)

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic.

Group B: Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal.

Group C: Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia.

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England.

Well it could have been worse and to use that football cliché, ‘on paper’ we should qualify, but this is England we are talking about! The Group featuring Sweden, France and Ukraine will bring back memories of Euro ’92 when England were also paired with the Swedes (who were the host nation), the French and the Danes. England under Graham Taylor finished bottom of the Group, with 0-0 draws with both Denmark and France and then a 2-1 defeat to Sweden. England with a team including Tony Daley, Andy Sinton and Carlton Palmer went ahead in the fourth minute through a David Platt goal. However, strikes from Eriksson and Tomas Brolin, ensured the hosts progressed and condemned The Three Lions to an early plane home.

England has also further tournament experience with the French. At Euro 2004 in Portugal, England opened their Group campaign against France. Three points seemed in the bag as on 90 minutes, as England was leading with a first half Frank Lampard goal. However, Zinedine Zidane had other ideas and scored twice on 91 and 93 minutes to snatch victory…sacré bleu!

So history certainly isn’t on England’s side. For now, lets just park it for 6 months. Que sera sera….

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Book Review: Johnny Haynes (The Maestro) by Martin Plumb and Ken Coton

As a football fan, there are games and players from the past that you wish you had been able to see. For me attempting to pick just one Fulham fixture where I wish I could have attended is a mightily difficult task. However, when it comes to the player I most wish I could have seen, well that it a different matter – quite simply, John Norman (Johnny) Haynes. The Maestro played his last first team game at Craven Cottage on Saturday 17 January 1970 against Stockport County. It wasn’t until two years later that I made my first visit to The Cottage, by which time Johnny was gracing the football fields of South Africa. Therefore in reading and reviewing this book I make no apology that I have done so as very much a Fulham fan and with an eagerness to discover so much more about this legend.

The first thing to say about this book, in its physical sense, is that it is an object of beauty. This A4 sized tome, rather like Haynes’ himself exudes class. The portrait of Johnny on the cover is classic in its simplicity, whilst inside the reader is treated to a layout, text and paper quality that is a joy to behold. I fell in love with the book even before reading a word; as an object it is in itself a quality item.

So does the content live up to the aesthetic qualities of this publication? Before the main chapters of the book, there are usual forewords, acknowledgments, and contents pages. However, there is also a Notes to the text page, which I found invaluable. The reason being is that it puts into context what football was like during the 1950’s and 60’s; an incredibly different beast both domestically and internationally to that which current fans watch and understand. The main body of book itself is split over thirty-two chapters, which apart from the first three follow Haynes’ life chronologically. The first three chapters each take a different perspective of aspects of Johnny Haynes the player and person. So within the opening part of this publication the reader is given a summary of the footballing attributes, the all-round sporting ability and a look at Haynes’ overall character. Indeed, the authors of the book (Martin Plumb and Ken Coton) ensure that this volume isn’t simply a sycophantic view of the Fulham favourite, as in chapter three, A Jekyll and Hyde character? they explore and acknowledge that, “…like all exceptional talents his (Haynes’) greatness came as part of a complete package alongside his faults and frailties…”

Chapters four, five and six, look at Johnny as a boy and his progression through school and district teams to England Schoolboy Honours and his eventual signing of professional forms for Fulham. Chapter seven begins a season by season (and game by game) analysis of Johnny Haynes’ career, starting with the 1952/53 season and his debut on Boxing Day 1952 against Southampton at The Cottage. The year on year approach allows the reader to see each season progress and Haynes’ part in it. Therefore we see each significant milestone in its timeline. Over the coming seasons, whilst Fulham continue to battle for promotion from Division Two, Johnny goes from strength to strength as England B, Under 23 and Full Honours are attained, as well as playing for the Football League Representative team and taking part in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup for the London XI. His development is such, that by the 1956/57 season at the age of 21 Johnny Haynes is made Fulham captain.

The following campaign in 1957/58 was a case of near, yet so far. Fulham ultimately missed out on promotion and were beaten in the FA Cup Semi-Final after a replay, to a Manchester United team emerging from the shadows of the Munich air disaster. That summer Johnny Haynes played for England in the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden. After the near miss of the previous year, in 1958/59 Haynes leads Fulham to promotion in Bedford Jezzard’s first season as manager.

It is interesting to reflect that with Fulham having been promoted to the First Division and Haynes made England captain during the 1959/60 season that all seemed right with the world. However, it could be seen as the start of a period of struggle for Fulham which obviously had an impact on its captain and focal point. From this season onwards each year The Cottagers battled relegation from the top flight until in 1967/68 they ran out of luck. During that time much happened to Johnny Haynes. In terms of his England career, his finest hour came on April 15 1961 when he led England to an astonishing 9-3 victory over Scotland at Wembley. He then experienced his second World Cup Finals tournament in Chile in 1962. However, England departed at the Quarter Final stage 3-1 to Brazil. He very much split the football critics of the time, with opinion divided on whether Haynes was the right man around which England should play.

For Fulham, Haynes famously became the first £100 a week player in 1960/61, against a background of transfer speculation and another failed FA Cup Semi-Final. At the start of the 1962/63 season Haynes was involved in a serious car accident in which he broke bones in both legs and damaged a cruciate ligament in his right knee. Whilst he did recover to continue his playing career, in later life Haynes observed, “…it was the cruciate ligament in the right knee that did for me. They used to stitch them together, but it didn’t work like the operations today. For me it was a big struggle and I was, more or less, playing on one leg…”

This was obviously a turning point in the career of Johnny Haynes and as a reader I felt a sadness as he struggled with the injury, the loss of his England career (and ultimately any chance of selection for the 1966 World Cup winning squad) and the constant battle to keep Fulham in the top flight. Rumours surfaced again during these years of a transfer away from The Cottage and Haynes endured testing years during the management reign of Vic Buckingham. As if the relegation in 1967/68 of Fulham was bad enough, the following season offered no respite in Division Two. The Cottagers would ultimately suffer a second successive relegation. They were indeed desperate times down by The Thames. The madness and sadness of it all is summed up in the following episode from the game against Carlisle United in February 1969. Fulham were playing poorly and manager Bill Dodgin was about to replace Malcolm Macdonald with Jimmy Conway. However, “…Johnny Haynes suddenly walked off the pitch with a shrug of the shoulders and disappeared into the tunnel…the truth was that Haynes was totally fed up with the whole episode and since every member of the team was playing so badly, and anyone could have gone off, he decided to make the decision himself and go…”

The Maestro did have a testimonial game on April 28 1969 and a crowd of nearly 25,000 came to celebrate the career of Fulham’s greatest ever player. However, the occasion was tinged with sadness; “…many tributes were made to the maestro – Johnny the Greatest, the Magician, and the miracle Worker. The club conceded that the decline in their own status had probably coincided with the inevitable decline in Haynes’ own career…”

In the 1969/70 season Johnny Haynes played his last first team game in Football League Division Three in a 1-1 draw against Stockport County in January 1970. Fulham sought to rebuild the team for the remainder of the season and the following year would be promoted to Division Two without Haynes. Whilst that was the end of his career at The Cottage, Johnny Haynes moved to South Africa and played until the mid 70’s at Durban City, Durban United, Durban Celtic and finally Maritzburg.

In 1985 Haynes returned to Britain, settling in Edinburgh for the remainder of his life. He never took up a role as a football pundit or really become involved in the game in any real way. However, his love for Fulham never diminished and he was a leading figure in the successful bid to save the club during the dark days of the 90’s. Thankfully he was around to see Fulham promoted to the top flight of English football and visited The Cottage on a number of occasions. As a mark of Haynes’ contribution to the world of football, in 2002 he was an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame.

The final two chapters of the book close the story of The Maestro. Chapter thirty-one is an excellent section of statistics covering his Fulham and England career, whilst Chapter thirty-two is the Epilogue. This details the events of October 2005 when a car accident lead to Johnny’s death and also contains tributes from across the football world.

Fulham renamed the Stevenage Road stand The Johnny Haynes Stand with the dedication taking place on August 26 2006 at the home game against Sheffield United. On October 18 2008 a statue of the Legend was unveiled before the home game against Sunderland. Martin Plumb and Ken Coton have produced a brilliantly researched book which sits alongside these as an equally fitting tribute to Johnny Haynes – The Maestro.

For copies of this book and other Ashwater Press publications, please go to: http://www.ashwaterpress.co.uk/

Category: Reviews | 2 Comments

2011/12: ECQ Group G – England v Wales (Wembley)

The Friday night win by England in Bulgaria was made all the sweeter by Wales victory over Montenegro on the same evening. These results meant that England now had a lead of 3 points at the top of the Group going into their home game against the Welsh. A victory at Wembley would all but seal qualification for England; anything else would mean a nervy final fixture in Podgorica next month.

Whilst pleased that England came away from Sofia with a win, the assertions by some quarters of the media that this was a ‘new dawn’ from a ‘young England’ has left me a touch apprehensive. The reality is that Bulgaria are a pretty ordinary international team, yet still tested England. This result and indeed the performances in this Qualifying campaign have left me feeling that up against the top world sides in the major competitions England will continue to struggle.

As the game approaches tonight, I have that feeling in the gut that it won’t be plain sailing tonight. Wales will have their dragon-tails up after their victory on Friday night and would like nothing less that denting England’s hopes of Qualification at Wembley. Many people consider that England failed to Qualify for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany because of the 1-1 draw in the final fixture against Poland on a damp October night in 1973. However, Wales played their part in ensuring England didn’t make it through. Having beaten Wales 1-0 in Cardiff in November 1972, Sir Alf Ramsey must have thought his England team would do the double over The Dragons when the Welsh came to Wembley in January 1973. Wales hadn’t read the script and lead on 23 minutes through a John Toshack goal. Norman Hunter did level the scores just before half-time, but England couldn’t find a winner in the second half and their World Cup dream was coming apart at the seams. Nine months later and it was kaput. Signor Capello you have been warned.

Well the only positive thing to say is that England won the game. As with many others who have just witnessed the 90 minutes at Wembley, I am left with a feeling of disappointment and no little relief. The opening 30 minutes England had plenty of possession, but it was mostly in the defensive third of the field. When on the ball they looked ponderous, lacked movement and were without ideas or inspiration. Is it just me, but are James Milner, Gareth Barry or Stewart Downing really international class footballers? The ten minutes before half-time when Ashley Young scored offered some hope, when there appeared to at last be a vibrancy and purpose about their play. Indeed for the opening ten minutes of the second half, England took the game once again to Wales and I was hopeful that a second goal would follow. However, that was as good as it got for Capello’s team as they withered away in the remainder of the game. Wales took control and England were unable to retain any sort of possession. The Dragons were comfortably the better team in the second half and but for Rob Earnshaw missing what can only be described as a ‘sitter’, would have deservedly taken a point from this fixture.

As is it England travel to Montenegro next month knowing a point will see them through to the 2012 Euro Finals in Poland/Ukraine next June. However, you can only agree with the Welsh fans who by the end of the game were taunting their English counterparts by chanting, “…Fourth in the rankings, you’re having a laugh…”

Category: Football Features, UEFA 2012 Euro Championship | LEAVE A COMMENT