No surprises at Old Trafford but UEFA cup proves more difficult for English sides

Celtics hopes of Champions League progress are hanging by a thread after a crushing defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford. The English champions delivered a convincing display to show the gulf in class between the two sides although there were legitimate offside doubts for United first two goals. However, one could hardly complain at the result and it leaves Celtic with just one point from their first three games, six points behind both United and Villarreal.

The Bhoys were under strength and it clearly showed as both teams took the field at Old Trafford. Celtic were nursing a dismal away record in the Champions League and they never looked like improving it. That being said, the men in green and white can point to some debatable decisions for United first two goals, both netted by Dimitar Berbatov.

The first came after half an hour. Nani’s corner was flicked on by John O’Shea, into the path of Berbatov, who coolly stuck out a leg and in the ball went. However, the masses of Celtic fans were left nursing a sense of injustice, as it appeared Berbatov was heavily offside. Just after half time, there was more controversy as United doubled their lead, again through the expensive Bulgarian.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s vicious free kick was palmed away by Artur Boruc and Berbatov pounced – again from an offside position. By the time Wayne Rooney had added a fine third, Celtic were way adrift. Unlucky maybe, given the nature of the first two goals, but Celtic rarely threatened and could hardly argue at the result. They did have one or two moments to pipe up – Aiden McGeady forcing Edwin van der Sar into an early stop but this was as good as it got for the away side.

Gordon Strachan was in a generous mood afterwards, describing Man Utd as ‘the best team in Europe they have played’. He also refused to blame the officials, noting that his side were second best anyway. The travelling Celtic fans will have reflected his views. The Bhoys couldn’t have been faulted for their effort and determination but it was easy to tell which side were European champions. Sometimes, even a team’s best just isn’t good enough.

So, what now for Scotland’s sole European representative? Well, if the UEFA Cup wasn’t a priority before Tuesday night, it will most definitely be now. Celtic appear to be a in a direct battle with Aalborg for third place in the group, with both sides on a solitary point. They host Man Utd and Villarreal at Celtic Park in the next two games before a crunch match away at their direct rivals Aalborg. Celtic appear capable of securing that third place spot but they have failed to score in the group stages so far and will have to improve vastly in order to extend their European adventure this season.

Elsewhere in Europe, the English teams performed admirably. Arsenal showed great attacking strength in blasting aside Fenerbache 5-2 away in Turkey. The Gunners young guns showed great promise in a fine display and Arsenal appear set up to coast through their group. The same can be said of Chelsea, who dominated their 1-0 home win over Italian side Roma. John Terry headed home the winner in a lacklustre game in which the home side were rarely threatened. Liverpool travelled away to Athletico Madrid in arguably their toughest game and came away with a point. Robbie Keane had put the Reds in front only for Simao to equalise for Athletico late on.

The UEFA Cup didn’t represent as much success for English teams however. Tottenham suffered a disappointing 2-0 reverse at Italian side Udinese. Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes suffered a rush of blood to the head in giving away a penalty to the home side. Jamie O’Hara was sent off for Tottenham and as the visitors pushed forward, Udinese scored on the break. Tottenham’s calamitous season continues. Things were worse for Portsmouth in Portugal as they went down 3-0 to Braga. They could hardly be blamed for the first goal – Braga’s Luis Aguiar cracking a fantastic free kick past David James but Pompey didn’t really look like getting into the game and will have to improve drastically for their next game: the massive home tie with AC Milan.

There was one ray of success for English teams as Aston Villa defeated Ajax of Holland at Villa Park. Villa were ahead through skipper Martin Laursen only to be pegged back by Thomas Vermaelen’s header. However, Gareth Barry slotted home the winner from Ashley Young’s corner to give Villa a great start to their group.

With the way things are going, Celtic could very well be joining their British counterparts in the UEFA Cup later on this season. One thing is for sure, they will need to step up, at least, a few gears.

(scotzine.com, 2008)

Who Doesn't Love a False Dawn?

So the inevitable finally happened, and Senor Ramos was given the boot. Hardly surprising, given the teams diabolical start to the league season. Ramos is obviously a talented coach but he never really sparked in England, that Carling Cup win aside. For various reasons, Ramos was unable to get the best out of his players and you always got the unnerving feeling that he was often using players he had not chosen. In summary, it was like Ramos never had full control over what he was doing.

Into the Spaniard’s place, steps Harry Redknapp. Spurs have apparently given Portsmouth £5 million in compensation and have this time avoided the shambles that took place in trying to secure Ramos’ signature, this time last year. Redknapp brings with him a great deal of experience. Often known as a ‘wheeler-dealer’ type manager, Redknapp does have a knack for plucking obscure players out of nowhere and turning them into greats.

Redknapp’s only black mark on his career was when he left Portsmouth to join bitter rivals Southampton, only for them to be relegated. He promptly returned to Pompey and has transformed them into a tough, challenging Premier League side, culminating in their FA Cup success last season.

Perhaps, what is more satisfying for Spurs fans, however, is the fact that much maligned Sporting Director Damien Comolli has also left the club – and will not be replaced. In a frank and forthright open letter to the Tottenham fans on the club website, chairman Daniel Levy spoke about this and how Tottenham have reverted to the traditional English system of management. For years, Spurs have employed a sporting director and it never seemed to pay any rich dividends. One could argue that it cost Juande Ramos his job.

Comolli’s shoddy handling of the Berbatov affair left Ramos short of strikers, a plight which eventually lead to his downfall at Tottenham. Redknapp will now be the man responsible for signing players and it is a system which makes more sense than the previous one – the manager signs the players HE wants.

Levy is an often criticised chairman. Spurs fans generally don’t like him for the businessman like way in which it appears he runs the club. But his honest views given on the Spurs website today paint the portrait of a man who may simply just want the best for his team. He may have made mistakes, but find me a chairman who hasn’t? Levy has brought Tottenham back to the way they believe the club should be run and until that policy backfires, he should be given something of a break from the barracking Tottenham hordes.

He should also be praised for his choice of managerial appointment. Redknapp has never managed a club the size of Tottenham, but he is adept at getting results for teams that desperately need it. And make no mistake, Tottenham are in severe need of points to lift themselves from the mess they find themselves in.

Should Tottenham expect the world from Redknapp? Probably no, not right away, at least. Patience is, indeed, a virtue and one that the most suffered of Spurs fans should dig deep to find. Redknapp’s priorities should be to stabilise and then to build this club back to its former glories. It may take time but Redknapp is likely more equipped than most others to do it.

It’s the start of yet another new dawn at White Hart Lane. One can only hope, for the sake of their fan's sanity, that this one provides at least a modicum of success.

Celtic ploughing a lone furrow for Scottish teams in Europe

With the awful European campaign attempted by Rangers this year and the usual failure in the UEFA Cup of Scotland’s ’second best’ sides, the sole representation is Celtic FC. And even their participation in Europe’s premier competition looks to be coming to an end at the first hurdle after a poor start to the group. A goalless draw at home to unfancied Aalborg was followed by a defeat away to Villarreal and it doesn’t get any easier for the Bhoys - they travel to Old Trafford this week to take on the English champions Manchester United.

Should Celtic fans be giving up all hope? Judging by the last time these teams played, then the answer is a resounding no. Needing a win to progress from group stage of this very tournament two years ago, Celtic took the spoils by one Shunsuke Nakamura goal and a penalty miss from Louis Saha. Given, this time out there will be no passionate Glasgow crowd to urge them on.

However, the corresponding fixture at Old Trafford still brought a modicum of Scottish success. After taking the lead, Celtic were pegged back by two Louis Saha goals only for Nakamura to bring it back at two-two with a wonderful free kick. Celtic matched their opponents for most of the game that night and were stunned by a late United winner from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The writing may be on the wall already for Gordon Strachan’s men. Strachan has already conceded that Celtic have ‘a mountain to climb’ to reach the last sixteen and that preparation for the UEFA Cup may be a more realistic ambition. However, that may be easier said than done. Aalborg were a team Celtic expected to comfortably beat and they struggled. It is difficult to see the Bhoys gaining any points out of the two clashes with Man Utd. Therefore, Celtic may be faced with the task of winning their last two games in order to stay in Europe.

United surely look the classier outfit going into Tuesday’s game. Fired by the golden strike force of Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov, Cristiano Ronaldo and the in-form Wayne Rooney, United appear capable of scoring at will. Their defence has rapidly improved since that cold night in Glasgow two years ago and Celtic will have to work tirelessly to break them down.

The game has also been marred by events from last season’s UEFA Cup final, in which Rangers were defeated by Zenit St Petersburg. Over 100,000 Rangers fans made their way south of the border to Manchester and the ensuing trouble on the streets after the game made for ugly reading. Now, ticketless Celtic fans are being told to stay at home in an effort to prevent the possibility of scenes witnessed last May.

With the form Utd are in however, there shouldn’t be that much motivation for Celtic’s fans to stream southwards.

Where Scotland have just the one team involved in Europe this year, England have plenty. Arsenal will hope to build on their good result against Porto but may find it tricky away in Turkey to Fenerbache. Liverpool face a hard evening when they travel to the Spanish capital to play Athletico Madrid. Fernando Torres will miss the game with his old team due to injury and Liverpool will face their toughest European challenge yet this season. Chelsea face Roma at home and will need a victory after the poor draw away to Cluj.

Three English team will play in the UEFA Cup this week with Aston Villa hosting Ajax as the showpiece game. Ajax are no longer the force they once were but Villa will be taking nothing for granted and will be going all out to secure the three points. Tottenham travel to Italy to face Udinese, in arguably their toughest match of the group. Spurs are in poor form and will hope to use the UEFA Cup as a springboard to kickstart their season. Portsmouth face Braga away in Portgual, having narrowly beaten Braga’s compatriots Guimaraes in qualifying.

All in all, it appears to be a decisive week for British teams in Europe.

The above article was written by our new Champions League/UEFA Cup Blogger Mark Tilley

(article for www.scotzine.com)

Europe a haven from domestic turmoil?

Columnist Mark Tilley on his hopes for the crunch tie in Krakow

If there's one thing that can console the most suffering of all Tottenham fans, it's a European night. Throughout the stuttering starts of the last few seasons, the early UEFA Cup games generally are a great release for fans and players alike. So, as Juande Ramos takes his battle hardened troops to Poland for the second leg against Wisla Krakow with a slim advantage, should Spurs fans be expecting triumph? And what could and should befall Ramos if the worst happens?

Recent rumblings in the media point to Ramos being on the edge of the managerial comfort zone, or at least dangerously close to it. The disenchanted cries from Tottenham fans at Portsmouth (they chanted 'you don't know what you're doing' towards the Spurs bench) on Sunday do indicate a growing lack of faith in the Spaniard. The main concerns are his apparent inability to settle on a best eleven. His insistence on playing just the one striker continues to baffle as it is crystal clear that neither Darren Bent or Roman Pavyluchenko are capable of playing in such an isolated role.

Both strikers also appear to be suffering from a lack of confidence - one assumes that this will subside with a goal or two but time isn't on their side. Also, Ramos appears to have little or no faith in Frazier Campbell, the last minute makeweight in the Berbatov transfer fiasco. Campbell came on to good effect in the first leg and set up Darren Bent's winner but has been sparsely used by Ramos. Surely two of these three strikers should be played in unison?

With consistency being something of a buzz word in sport these days, one could point an accusatory finger at Ramos. Much like fellow Spanish boss Rafael Benitez, Ramos has chopped and changed his team all season to the point where no team selection has played more than one game consecutively. Ledley King's ongoing injury concerns do allow for some leniency but the continuous rotation of the full backs is a mystery. One game it could be Benoit Assou Ekotto on the left, the next it could be Gareth Bale. One game Vedran Corluka could line up on the right, only to have Chris Gunter playing the next match.

Another large concern with fans is the apparent prioritisation of the UEFA Cup by Ramos and the Tottenham coaching staff. Key players have been rested for important Premier League games with the full intention of playing them in Europe. Ledley King was not played at Portsmouth yet is likely to lead the team out in Krakow on Thursday. Whilst trying to win a continental competition is very admirable - Spurs appear the best qualified to do it out of England's other UEFA Cup representatives - nine out of ten fans would prefer progress in the league.

Surely the financial gains and the appeal of confirming our status as the fifth best team in England are more motivating? Given the choice, most fans would probably want to avoid the ignominy of seeing Tottenham neatly sandwiched in the middle of the table alongside the likes of West Ham and Middlesbrough. If Ramos really wants to win the UEFA Cup, as he did twice with Sevilla, then fine. But neglecting the Premiership to appease this plan would be a fatal mistake.

For the time being Ramos is under the spotlight. Tottenham should beat Wisla Krakow - they hold a two one advantage and Wisla's away goal shouldn't really pose a problem as Tottenham should be able to outplay them. But taking their eye off the ball and messing it up could mean disaster for these beleaguered players. Not to mention their coach.

(article for www.tottenhamhotspur-mad.co.uk)