July 2008 Archives

A 2-0 win which could have been three, four or five had we taken our chances and had offside decisions go our way was another good run-out for us last Saturday against Corinthian Casuals.
The performance was workman-like against a team who didn't really push us too much, however it was a case of players getting minutes on the pitch and improving our match sharpness.
With goals from Gaz Davies and Jon Fisher-Cooke it means that in the two games we've played, all our strikers have found the net which is a great boost for their confidence and with Steve Bowes returning from holiday, the competition for places up front is fierce.
Two wins against opposition who were supposed to be 'superior' to us has perhaps brought home to the players how far we've come and it is most definitely a trend we want to continue into the season.

Congratulations to Ched Evans for putting pen to paper on a new deal at Manchester City following his impressive form for both club and country towards the end of last season. Its great to see that players from this area can go on to be successful and I hope that many more from this area go on to professional clubs.

Interest to note that Michael Chopra will receive no further action for his sending off in Sunderland's friendly against Sporting Lisbon when Wayne Rooney faced a ban following his red card against Porto two years ago.

I've wondered for some time now what it is about Michael Carrick that just doesn't make him appeal to supporters, pundits and even England managers. Two league titles and a European cup since his arrival and still his qualities are shunned for his 'faults'. His quietness is seen more as the mark of anxiety than calmness, his ability to score goals from midfield is questioned despite Scholes managing only two as did Owen Hargreaves and Anderson not scoring any (Carrick incidentally scored two).
The only reason I can find as to why Carrick may not yet have proven his doubters wrong is that despite his success, more is expected of a United number 16.

Our victory on Saturday in a 3-1 win over Prescot Cables was surprising given the game was our first for over two months.
Expecting a real challenge to get us back to match sharpness, we perhaps surprised ourselves by producing some excellent football and carrying on from last season in terms of chances created.
Also, despite having five first team regulars unavailable, we managed to field almost two separate teams without allowing the quality of our play to drop. The debut of Bevan Humphries showed that his experience may well be invaluable to us this season and adds another option to what was the best defence in the Cymru Alliance.
With players unavailable the friendly gave the opportunity for lads to stake a claim for a first team place and Gaz Davies two goals and Ben Rowley's performance in goal would have done them no harm.
And then to training...
After the performance of the lads on Saturday we were rewarded by probably every footballers worst nightmare- the bleep test. A test designed to test your fitness, will power and lung capacity its an exercise carried out up and down the country at clubs during pre-season.
I must admit I've faired better but there was a good standard set by the lads and with the games now coming thick and fast, we will hopefully see the fitness levels required for the WPL.
This Saturday we host Corinthian Casuals in a game which we will again use to get match sharpness but also to maintain a winning habit we had last pre-season and carried through to the start of the campaign.
The hard yards we put in at this stage of the season will contribute to us be raring to go once the season kicks off.

Maybe it was because I wanted to carry on straight away following last years Prestatyn Town success. Maybe it was the hangover from United's double triumph that left me wanting more. Maybe it was watching a tournament with no interest whatsoever with noone to support when they play in-gur-land. But there was something that made me really want to play this summer.
The arguments for and against have been debated on forums, on the terraces and in the clubhouses as the idea of a summer league to replace the WPL has slowly gathered speed.
After having nothing to do for the past couple of months I admit now that I've become a fan of the idea. Rhyl's Marc Lloyd-Williams spoke recently of the advantages Bohemians had ahead of Rhyl in terms of fitness through already being half way through their season and its obvious that if welsh clubs want to progress further in European competitions they need to give themselves more of a chance against foreign teams.
I personally enjoy playing in the summer, many lads don't, but for me its a welcome break from blustery conditions on boggy pitches and freezing temperatures. I feel a summer league will produce better attendances, better coverage and better football.
Would more supporters turn up to a game where they can enjoy the game without the fear of hypothermia? I'm not saying conditions at this present moment in time are fantastic, but certainly better than in winter. One mate of mine mentioned clashes with the World Cup and other tournaments but that would only last for a month at most.
Attendances would improve because those who have season tickets for clubs in the north west and cannot attend local games would do so if they had the opportunity during the summer.
The quality of football would improve I believe because the state of the pitches would be in better condition and more indusive to passing football on the ground. There would be the possibility of attracting players from the English leagues on a loan basis during the post season and if the quality of football improved then the coverage of the game would perhaps improve especially during the months where sport channels struggle to fill their schedules.
I know there are strong arguments against such a move but what I'm saying is that before we dismiss it we take the time to look at whether it can benefit the game in Wales both as a premier league and for teams competing in Europe.
A summer league maybe a big step but could well be a much needed step in the right direction for welsh football.

AT some point during this battle of wills between Sir Alex Ferguson and Ronaldo or Ferguson and Calderon or Ferguson and Schuster, something will have to give.
Surely there will come a point when the man who sent the likes of Beckham, Hughes, Ince and Kanchelskis will say: "Enough's enough."
The fiery Scotsman has said often in cases like this when players have sought to leave HIS club that it's important to keep players who want to play for United. It is with this in mind that in years gone by we would have seen Ronaldo thrown out of United to join his friend Gabriel Heinze, who incidentally saw United as a 'stepping stone'.
But Ronaldo so far is breaking the mould and Ferguson it seems for now, is allowing it.
Many United supporters look for certain things in true 'reds'. They look for passion, desire, a willingness to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team. United supporters look for players who will score equalising goals then fetch the ball from the net and rally the team to get the winner and when that winner comes, go straight up to the United supporters and kiss the badge on the shirt.
Looking back, I fail to remember Ronaldo do either.
Perhaps the treatment of Ronaldo by both Ferguson and the 'influential' Carlos Quieroz has added to Ronaldo's ego. You wonder whether the shoulder shrugging and sulking has gone on more since the departure of a certain Mr Keane.
But it has been allowed to go on. Ronaldo has been allowed to stop when his shirts been tugged and expect a decision. He's been allowed to hold his arms up in despair and look to the heavens after a poor pass when others run past him to get the ball back.
Ronaldo has been fantastic for the previous two seasons and United supporters won't ever forget the contribution he has made in terms of entertainment and of course goals. But many may view his comments about 'white kits' and 'dream moves' as a step too far.
The news filtering through now about the possibility of Ronaldo staying is another twist in what by now is a tired saga. If Ronaldo stays and lines up for United against Newcastle then will all be given? Ferguson would have, maybe even David Gill and the Glazer's; but United supporters may still ask why he didn't just say he was staying in the first place.
A phenomenal player he has been and he could go onto be the greatest ever but United supporters look at legends who wore the shirt and the badge with pride.
After this summers antics its perhaps become more apparent that all Ronaldo has worn with pride is the name on the back of his shirt.

Welcome everyone to my new blog where I will be commenting on all things football. From my experiences with Prestatyn Town as we make our debut in the Welsh Premier League to footballing matters on a national and International scale I'm likely to have an opinion on it.

Following on from last season's column in the Visitor, I hope you will enjoy my comments and reactions as the 08/09 season fast approaches and the anticipation builds. Only this time, you can have your say by leaving me a comment and letting me know what you think about football whether you've just got back from a Welsh Premier, English Premier or Blue Square Premier league match drop me a comment.

Enjoy pre-season and don't worry there's another fantastic season of football just around the corner.