Mes: enero 2022

Mark Hughes was born 1 November 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales. He joined Manchester United at the age of 14 and made his debut for the Old Trafford club as a substitute in a 2-0 home win against Port Vale in October 1983. In 1985, he finished as top scorer with 25 goals in 55 appearances as well as helping United to win the FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Everton.

After spending six years with Manchester United, Mark Hughes decided to move on to the continent signing for Catalan club Barcelona for £2 million. However, he was a disappointment in his only season at Barcelona and was subsequently loaned out to Bayern Munich for the 1987-88 season. In May 1988, the Wales international returned to Man Utd for a fee of £1.8 million and once again he proved to be a reliable marksman. He found the back of the net on two occasions as the Reds drew 3-3 with Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup final, before a brilliant goal from Lee Martin in the replay gave Alex Ferguson his first major trophy since he was appointed manager at Manchester United in 1986.

The following season Mark Hughes got his own back as he scored both goals against former club Barcelona when United won the 1991 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Having netted 119 times in 345 appearances for United, Hughes eventually joined Chelsea in a £1.5 million deal in 1995. He also starred for Southampton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers before he finally announced his retirement in 2002. A natural entertainer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals for his native country. While remaining a full time player, Mark Hughes was appointed as Wales manager in 1999 and carried out his duties until 2004 when he took charge of Blackburn Rovers.

«It can be difficult to pinpoint who would make it as a manager. For instance, nobody here thought Mark Hughes would become a manager, never in a million years, and we all thought Bryan Robson was a certainty to be a top manager.»

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson

With the World Cup now having been and gone we could have expected an influx of summer performers to the Premier League clubs as has happened following recent World Cups and European Championships. This summer though, movement has been slow. The highest profile move to a Premier League club thus far was the recent announcement that Chelsea’s Joe Cole is transferring to Liverpool. Whilst Cole fits the criteria of a World Cup performer this move was likely to have been initiated before the World Cup and based on reputation rather than World Cup matches.

The financial climate of the Premier League has changed considerably with public records of large leveraged debt at Manchester United and Liverpool, Arsenal have never been traditional big spenders under manager Arsene Wenger and the situation at Chelsea is uncertain but it is clear that Roman Abramovich has slowed his spending in the last two seasons. This leaves Manchester city has the obvious candidates to spend big on World Cup stars whilst Spurs may want to consolidate there new standing as a top four side with some new faces.

With many of the fancied players (Kaka, Messi, Drogba, Rooney, Ronaldo) relatively under performing this summer the World Cup the hottest property is Germany’s Mesut Ozil. The speedy 21 year old is contracted to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. With Michael Ballack gone from the Chelsea midfield they may see his replacement at International level this summer as the man to fill the gap at Stamford Bridge, however Chelsea interest in a player is likely to stir attention at Manchester City who have so far spent big money on Spain’s David Silva, Germany’s Jerome Boateng and Ivory Coasts Yaya Toure. However Ozil is likely to attract interest from mainland Europe too. Whilst he may not fit into the Barcelona midfield with their interest firmly on Fabregas he may be a target for fellow giants Real Madrid or closer to home Bayern Munich.

Uruguay surprised many this summer with the stand out performers being strikers Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan. Forlan is tried and tested in the Premier League when he found life tough to cope with at Manchester United scoring just 17 goals in near 100 appearances, he may get a second chance with another club if he can be tempted to leave the Spanish league that seems to suit his style of play. Suarez netted a phenomenal 49 goals for Dutch side Ajax and should Ajax manager Martin Jol make the rumoured switch to Fulham then don’t be surprised to see his star striker follow him to Craven Cottage.

World Cup’s gone by have been an opportunity for African players to showcase their talents to the watching football world, however this time around with the exception of Ghana, African performances were subdued so a minority of players are likely to have stirred Premier League interest. Of course, a large majority of Ghana’s squad already feature in European leagues so are likely to carry the inflated price tags that has Premier League chairman running scared of.

So to conclude, a slow start to the transfer window (with the obvious exception of Manchester City) and don’t expect things to change too quickly, it is likely to be a pre-season of consolidation and looking within teams own youth ranks rather than a vast period of recruitment.

I’m not saying that one is better than the other, just that there is an important difference.

What is the difference between the two?

Well, it’s in the words. A fan likes something, a supporter actively supports it. A regular fan wouldn’t drive 5 hours to support the FC Bayern Amateure in the cold March rain.

What do Supporters do differently?

Passion. Dedication. Loyalty.

Take a club like Bayern Munich for example. We have by far the most fans in Germany, but only a small group of true Supporters. The fans buy lots of merchandise and visit the home matches, and usually refer to the team, not the club. The fan idolizes players, but often knows little about the club’s history. When a club doesn’t do well, more and more seats will be empty, whereas the section of the Supporters is as full as ever.

The Mindest

A Supporter loves the club, not the team and its players. Those are mercenaries who do not identify with the club and will transfer as soon as more money is offered.

To a Supporter, it’s all about the club, not the team.

A fan sees this as a hobby or casual entertainment. But Supporters take it seriously. No matter where or when the club plays, or how important the match is, the Supporter is there. A lot of times this means sacrificing other aspects of his life – work, school, family, friends. That’s because words like loyalty and honor still have meaning. A Supporter will defend the club’s name if necessary, without getting it into trouble.
To the Supporter the club is a lifestyle.

The Supporter supports the team throughout the entire match, regardless of the score or the performance. Because the team needs the support the most when things are not going well. That is not to say that displeasure can’t be voiced. But the support of the team always comes first.

Simply singing or shouting is not enough. Every word uttered and every song sung has to be filled with all of the Supporter’s energy and passion. Even if the players on the field don’t care, it is done for the club’s honor and for all of the Supporter’s honor.

Sing until your lungs burn and you are ready to puke.

Supporters looks at everything the club does objectively and is not afraid to be critical. It is up them to protect the club’s values and integrity and to carry them on with their actions.

Should a decision of the club clashes with the Supporter’s believes, but benefits the club in the long run, the Supporter has to put his own interest aside.

Everything the Supporter does has to be in the club’s best interest.

All of these traits are vital. I have known people who went to every FC Bayern match, but didn’t support. There were those who sang passionately, but only cherry-picked a few matches a year. Not to mention the ones that were too drunk to even make it into the stadium, or those who only want to fight.

Unfortunately there seems to be a war going on against the Supporters/Ultras across Germany. The clubs want to replace us with customers who will shell out money without asking questions or criticizing. The clubs’ identities are slowly taken away. But this is for another article.

In every football-playing country, there is a league system. The most competent clubs play in the top division league. The sport being the most popular one in the world, top-tier football leagues are watched by the crazy fans from all over the globe. In fact, the most exciting league matches find the highest number of viewers. These five leagues are as follows:

· Barclays Premier League

· Spanish League or La Liga

· Italian League or Serie A

· German League or Bundesliga

· French League or Ligue 1

Among these five leagues, Barclays Premier League is considered the most exciting one. A decade ago or so, Serie A was widely considered the most competitive league in the world. However, things have changed over the last few years since Manchester United lost their monopoly. The Red Devils – Man U are often referred to as their famous nickname – were simply unstoppable under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson. Once their golden era is over, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal are some of the big names dominating the English Premier League landscape.

This 2015-16 season, Leicester City have emerged as the Premier League champions. Premier League is no longer predictable like what we have been watching in Serie A or Bundesliga where Juventus and Bayern Munich have been champions for several years in a row. In addition to the above-specified names, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Southampton are other big names in the first-division English League. Tottenham have finished their campaign second on the league table. Chelsea have suffered a lot and failed to make a great start to the last campaign. It led to sacking of their manager Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea or the Blues managed to drive themselves back from their woeful run under manager Guus Hiddink but due to their earlier drop, they failed to break into the top four. According to reports, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are among the 20 wealthiest clubs in the world. These leagues are most televised in a number of countries. The TV rights earn the clubs millions of pound. The prize money earned by the league winner is the best in any country. The players earn the most attractive wages that can be offered in any league.

History of English League

English League has become the giant one after starting as a small one in the 19th century. They have also earned success in the European competition. Years ago, the star players from Brazil and Argentina used to prefer playing in the Serie A or La Liga. They did not think twice to snub offers from Premier League in order to show their skill in other countries. The story is completely different now. Both the Brazilian and Argentinean players now love to ply their trade in the Premier League. In fact, the star players from several football-playing countries are now eager to prove themselves in England.

English football league is marked by both pace and skill. Every year, a new club wins the Premier League title and that makes the charm of watching the league alive.

The draw for this season’s UEFA Champions League last 16 has taken place and it certainly produced some mouthwatering encounters to look forward to. These games will take place on February 24th & 25th with the return legs two weeks later on March 10th & 11th. Here is the full draw as it was drawn in Nyon, Switzerland:

Chelsea v Juventus

Villarreal v Panathinaikos

Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid v FC Porto

Lyon v Barcelona

Real Madrid v Liverpool

Arsenal v Roma

Inter Milan v Manchester United

The current champions Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson face their old friend, the former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho and his Inter Milan side who were knocked out by Liverpool last year at the same stage. Mourinho had made it clear he wanted to draw one of the English «big four» clubs and he certainly got his wish, with the first leg to be played at the San Siro. The game at Old Trafford will no doubt revive memories of Mourinho’s famous celebration, as he ran down the touchline back in March 2004 when his Porto side scored a last minute equaliser that sent United crashing out of the Champions League. Of course Mourinho and Porto went on the lift the trophy that season beating Monaco in the final.

Sir Alex Ferguson is also looking forward to the tie as well. Ferguson believes it will be very interesting to come up against Mourinho as he has a character with a good personality. Contrary to what used to go on between the two when Mourinho managed Chelsea, Ferguson also said that he has always got on well with the now Inter Milan manager. It didn’t take long for Mourinho to also start the psychological word games by talking up Man Utd. He stated that he wanted to be drawn against the best and that he got the European champions. Man Utd could also be crowned World Club Champions in Japan this weekend too. Meanwhile another of the English teams, Liverpool, were drawn against the current Spanish champions Real Madrid and their new manager, ex Tottenham boss, Juande Ramos. The former Tottenham manager has only just taken over at the Bernabeu and will no doubt be looking forward to his return to England with the 9 times winners Real Madrid. Liverpool have the perceived advantage of the second leg at Anfield due to finishing their group on top. The tie is a repeat of the 1981 Paris final, which the English side won 1-0 thanks to a goal by defender Alan Kennedy. That was the last time these two giants of European football have met in a competitive game.

The draw also provided Italian coach Claudio Ranieri the chance of an emotional return to London and Stamford Bridge, against his former club Chelsea, last year’s beaten finalists. Ranieri is now the manager get Italian giants Juventus. Ranieri was a popular figure at Stamford Bridge before being replaced by non-other than Jose Mourinho in 2004. This despite Ranieri guiding them to the Champions League semi-final, where they lost to Monaco, who as mentioned above were then beaten by Mourinho and Porto. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will have the first leg at home as they take on AS Roma. The Arsenal manager believes the Gunners, just like every other team now left in the competition, has a good chance of lifting the trophy in Rome come May. Despite both those difficult ties for Arsenal and Chelsea, they will have breathed a huge sigh of relief as the draw was made as they could have been paired with the current favourites Barcelona. They will have been extremely happy to have avoided the Catalans however, as mentioned above both Arsenal and Chelsea face difficult ties against AS Roma and Juventus respectively.

The «unlucky» team to draw Barcelona were the French champions Lyon and looking ahead to the game, their sporting director Bernard Lacombe admitted that they were very worried. Lyon couldn’t have been handed a more difficult game.

The Spanish team Villareal, which finished second in the group stages behind Manchester Utd, were handed, what on paper at least, looks one of the easier ties. They will face the Greek side Panathinaikos which pipped Inter Milan to top stop in their Group. So, Panathinaikos will equally be relived they didn’t finish second, as Utd would have been awaiting them. Former champions, and I suspect a dark horse for this season’s cempetition, Bayern Munich, will play the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon and in the final tie of the round another Portuguese team Porto will go head to head with another Spanish team, Athletico Madrid.

There truly are some great games to look forward to in early 2009. No doubt there will be plenty of drama and a few shocks, the UEFA Champions League never disappoints once it has entered the sudden death knock-out stages.