Soccer Europe |
- Rinat Akhmetov: Richest owner in football
- Liverpool: Transfer Round-Up
- Hearts-Liverpool: A rivalry with no spark in a cup nobody wants
- Europa League Love – Getting Down With Nogometno Društvo Mura 05
- Barcelona and Real Madrid: Who’ll come out on top?
| Rinat Akhmetov: Richest owner in football Posted: 22 Aug 2012 07:56 PM PDT
The world's 39th richest person did just that. Ukrainian steel and mining tycoon, Rinat Akhmetov is the owner of FC Shakhtar Donesk. With a net worth of over $16 billion, Akhmetov earned his spot as the second richest owner in sports and the richest owner in football. As a son of a coal miner, Akhmetov has come a long way, but is making his billions in a related area. By taking advantage of Ukraine's private actions, he has been able to pick up five coal and energy outfits within the past year. These additional industries have helped him and his company, DTEK, control over 60% of energy and coal production in the Ukraine. Needless to say, DTEK is the largest privately owned energy company in the Ukraine. After acquiring FC Shakhtar Donesk, Akhmetov began investing heavily in the players and also the facilities. With this extra attention and support, the club's status improved. Under his command they became: Premier League champions in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011; Domestic Cup champions in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2011; and Super-Cup champions in 2005, 2008 and 2010. They play in a $400 million stadium, Donbass Arena, which Akhmetov built in 2009. That year Shakhtar went on to win the UEFA Cup. More recently some of the 2012 UEFA Euro games were hosted in FC Shakhtar Donesk's stadium. Money may not be everything, but it sure does help win titles. |
| Posted: 22 Aug 2012 05:34 PM PDT
With the transfer window reaching its latter stages, the relative inactivity on Merseyside is worrisome to the fans. Despite a flurry of rumors, Brendan Rodgers has only brought in three senior players to offset the sale of five more, thus far. That is all the more troubling given Liverpool’s familiar failings in their opening EPL match against West Bromwich Albion. With that in mind, fans in the Kop will be keeping their fingers crossed that a few of the following deals come to fruition in the next week or so: -Andy Carroll The new manager has made it abundantly clear that there is not a starting place for the big Geordie. However, he does not appear to be willing to lose the former Newcastle man at a cut price rate. The Express says that the club would rather have Carroll sit out an entire season over the possibility of cashing in at a discount by the deadline. Things appear to be at loggerheads for now. West Ham, Fulham and Aston Villa have reportedly made sufficient bids with the striker unwilling to accept. Meanwhile, the player is keen on Newcastle, whose submitted fee is far below Liverpool’s quoted rate. -Clint Dempsey This transfer appears set to go down to the wire. The American forward sat out Fulham’s opening EPL match in an effort to force a move away from Craven Cottage. Unfortunately, Liverpool are yet to make an official bid. The Mirror quotes the asking price at £7.5million. The Reds may have to sell Jay Spearing and Charlie Adam to raise the funds. -Adam Johnson The Mirror has Liverpool looking at Manchester City winger Adam Johnson as another option out on the flanks. They will have to beat out the likes of Sunderland, Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton for his signature. No word yet on which way the former Middlesborough winger is leaning. -Nuri Sahin The Turkish international appeared to have made the decision to choose Arsenal over Liverpool, in a loan deal that would see him leave the Bernabeau. Yet, with the deal stalling things may be opening back up. The Independent quotes Jose Mourinho as claiming that it’s still a three horse race between the two aforementioned clubs and Tottenham. -Hector Herrera Finally, the race is heating up for Mexico’s 22-year-old Olympic star. Both Manchester United and Liverpool are interested in acquiring Hector Herrera before the window is up. The Mail reports that the Red Devils are ready to “hijack” the deal with a £10million move. Liverpool will have to act swiftly if they still maintain hope off signing the talented youngster. All in all, the Reds look to be more active in the final week of the window than they have been, however, there is no concrete evidence that another player will be moving to Merseyside in the coming days.
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| Hearts-Liverpool: A rivalry with no spark in a cup nobody wants Posted: 22 Aug 2012 11:15 AM PDT
Growing up as a Liverpool fan in the nineties, I still maintain a lot of affection for this competition – despite it’s obvious flaws. Unlike most other generations of Liverpool fans, as far as Europe was concerned, I was brought up on a steady diet of humble pie, served with the regularity of a David James howler. Defeat at the hands of Brondby in 1995 was probably my defining moment following football as a child. I couldn’t understand how a team whom I knew so little could inflict such damage on those whom I held in such high esteem. A few abject seasons of incomprehensible defeats, against a team that now plays amateur football in France (Strasbourg) and one that spent the last five seasons in the Segunda divsion in Spain (Celta Vigo), taught me that victory on the continent would not be swift in forthcoming, even if you weren’t going up against the bigger teams. In between all that we did have a glimmer of success, a magnificent run in the Cup Winners Cup was cut short at the semi final stage by Paris Saint Germain. The demise of this competition shortly after also compounded the problems now prevalent within the structure of the Europa League. After all that heartache – all the conditioning that indicidated how hard a task it was to win in Europe – Gerard Houllier made the impossible possible. If the Europa League/UEFA Cup has one thing going for it, it has – and will continue to be – the perfect proving ground to any team that wants to go on and make waves in the Champions League. Mourinho and Benitez both did so at Porto and Valencia respectively, becoming back to back managers who were triumphant in both competitions in back to back years. That 2005 triumph might not have been possible were it not for the experiences gained during that epic treble season of 2001. From the third round onwards, Liverpool locked horns with teams that have become Champions League regulars – until you get to the final that is. Olympiakos, Roma, Porto and Barcelona were dispatched on the way to Dortmund and when it was all over not only had a new generation of players gained the knowledge of what it takes to win on the grand stage, it had also introduced my generation of fans to the kind of success our elders took for granted. Twelve years on and despite best intentions – along with a name and format change – the attitude toward what was the UEFA Cup is at an all time low. Last season, both Manchester clubs had a race to see who could be the quickest team to be knocked out in fear that it would dampen their chances at winning the title. Martin O’Neill incurred the wrath at Aston Villa by fielding a reserve team in a game they could have won. Harry Redknapp’s attitude at Tottenham toward it was one of a man who caught the trophy in bed with his wife. The problem with this line of thought is that – given the way co-efficients are worked – if enough managers had that kind of attitude, England could end up losing it’s fourth place in the Champions League – but that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. It would however be a fitting irony if the managers desperate to finish in the top four sacrificed their Europa League campaign, only for fourth place to grant you a place in the same competition next year. As far as this rendition is concerned, we are one game away from the group stages. The chance to for fans to visit cities across Europe that we might not normally get to see is one that appeals greatly. There’s only so many times you can play Marsielle or PSV, as seemed to be the case every season in the Champions League. What would normally be a fairly pedestrian qualifying encounter has been given a little extra spice with the reds being sent north of the border to Edinburgh. Though the travel arrangements will suit Brendan Rodgers in that his team will not have to fly half way across Europe and back before an important league meeting with Manchester City, certainly the first leg at least proposes to be more of a traditional cup tie that we’ve seen provide shocks aplenty over the years. Following on from the horror show against West Brom on Saturday, Rodgers’ hand may have already been forced in regard to selection for this game. Daniel Agger – suspended following on from his red card – is virtually assured a starting place but he could be the only one. The idea of giving certain players who failed to impress on Saturday another run out is a valid one, were it not for the visit of the reigning Premier League champions to Anfield just three days later. Borini, Downing and Martin Kelly are among those who need to get what happened at the Hawthorns out of their system but whereas the likes of Gerrard and Suarez could also have fingers pointed at them are more likely to be rested in spite of this. The likes of Sterling and Andy Carroll will also – for differing reasons – be keen to get on and impress and also Rodgers will hope Jose Enrique will also be back in contention following his injury. Much has been made of the state of Scottish football over the summer. Rangers’ demise has left a hole in the top flight, one that Hearts are more than capable of filling. They have – for the second year running – been drawn against English opposition and will be looking to do a better job of keeping the tie alive than the five goal demolition they suffered at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur last season. There was a time when any meeting between and English and Scottish side was heavily anticipated, that has long since passed. Despite Swansea and Everton recently doing business with Scottish Premier League players, for too long now they have been just about good enough for the Championship, which is indicative of the way the quality has declined over the years. The television companies will do their best to try and distort reality and portray this as a match for the ages when in reality it’s now become little more than a novelty, which for them this case only exists as the opposition in question are not either Rangers or Celtic. Despite the hype of the Champions League, or lack thereof in regard to it’s counterpart – the Europa League still counts for something. I’m sure the Atletico Madrid fans, who have seen their team win it twice in the last three years have no such contempt for it. Much closer to home even, this time last year Birmingham City fans went on an adventure the likes of which they never thought possible. Our season is unlikely to be definied by our adventures in and around the continent this year, even if Hearts do manage to triumph over two legs. At the moment, being in the early stages of the season, there’s very little in this competition that excites as there are so many obstacles to pass before winning it even becomes a posibility. The thought of ending the season in Amsterdam with that trophy held aloft, however is something that really excites. Tradition may not be all it used to be, but winning trophies will never get old. |
| Europa League Love – Getting Down With Nogometno Društvo Mura 05 Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:17 AM PDT  With three rounds of Europa League qualification UEFA in the bag, the first leg of the play-offs gets under way on Thursday. Sixty-two squads will be battling for a coveted spot in the group stage. While there are plenty of notable clubs in action during the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-offs, (Anzhi Makhachkala, Lazio, Marseille, Inter Milan, Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao, to name a few) there is one club that deserves attention, Nogometno Društvo Mura 05. As the tournament stands, the Slovenian outfit is the only squad making its European debut still remaining from the first qualification round back in early July (the other three clubs still alive from that stage – FK Zeta, Rosenborg BK and FC Twente all have European history). In other words, the club known simply as ND Mura are the minnows, the underdogs, the nobodies, the men who are ‘livin’ the dream’. In the underdog spirit of the Europa League, ND Mura is the squad you should care about. The club was formed just 7 years ago and plays its football in Murska Sobota, a town of 11,679 people in the depressed Mura region of north-east Slovenia. Three quarters of the region is covered with field crops, but the geographical position and inferior infrastructure make it Slovenia’s lowest GDP per capita (EUR 8,500) and the highest rate of registered unemployment. The inadequate infrastructure is evidenced by the club’s ground, the Fazanerija City Stadium, which has merely 3,782 seats but with standing room, can hold up to 5,000.  Given the economic disadvantages of the area, the club’s road to Europa League qualification was both ironic and fortuitous. After finishing the 2010–11 Slovenian Second League in fourth place, they received an invitation to the Slovenian PrvaLiga because the three clubs that finished ahead of them (Aluminij, IB Interblock and Dravinja) were all forced to decline promotion due to financial reasons. Last season Mura entered the PrvaLiga with the modest goal of avoiding relegation and they miraculously finished in third place, good enough for a spot in the Europa League. Thus far, the 2012-13 PrvaLiga season has not been as kind to the Muraši, who currently sit in the basement with no wins, one draw and five loses. ND Mura’s Europa League play, however, has yielded much better (and again, fortuitous) results. In the first qualifying round they drew 0-0 with Baki of Azerbaijan before roaring back in the second leg to win 2-0 behind goals from Mate Eterović and Nusmir Fajić. The second qualification was against CSKA Sofia and The Black and Whites drew 0-0 and 1-1, advancing on an 18th minute away goal by Apostol Popov. The third qualifying round pitted the club against tricky Ukrainian side Arsenal Kyiv. Arsenal won the first leg 3-0 but UEFA overturned the result because the Kyiv side played Eric Matoukou. Matoukou was ineligible after failing to serve his full 2 match ban, stemming from a red card he received while playing for KRC Genk in August 2010. Therefore, UEFA awarded Mura the 3-0 win. In the second leg Arsenal was unable to close the aggregate gap, managing only a 2-0 win over their Slovenian opponents. At this point, if your heart is not going out to the players and fans of ND Mura, you might be a robot. When the likes of Tommaso Rocchi, Mauro Zarate, Miroslav Klose and the rest of the Lazio squad waltzes into town for tomorrow’s match you can guarantee that the Fazanerija City Stadium will be rocking. Here’s to hoping the good times keep rolling for the people of the Mura region.
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| Barcelona and Real Madrid: Who’ll come out on top? Posted: 22 Aug 2012 06:01 AM PDT
Despite the departure of the hugely successful manager, Barcelona’s playing squad retained massive amounts of quality, featuring the bulk of the Spanish national team who won Euro 2012 as well as the best player in the world, Leo Messi, thrown in for good measure. It fell to assistant boss Tito Vilanova to gather up the reigns and lead a new charge for Los Cules, to add further trophies to their hoards won of late. Vilanova has seen left-back Jordi Alba and central midfielder—though likely to play central defence—Alex Song join his ranks this summer, and boasts a fearsome depth in his squad. The squad, and the manager, will have one very immediate task appointed to them: regain their La Liga title from Real Madrid. For the first time since 2008, Real got their hands back on the league championship trophy after three consecutive wins from the Catalan outfit, thanks largely to a 2-1 away victory at the Nou Camp in April 2012. Always a feisty affair, El Clasico has in recent seasons been even more fiery than usual and the two managers of the clubs this season have already clashed in the past—remember this? [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] Interesting indeed should be the matchup in mid-October when the two will clash in La Liga as head coaches for the first time, but even before then there is the small matter of the Spanish Super Cup—a two-legged affair which the two clubs will contest after winning the league (Real) and the Copa del Rey (Barcelona) last season. For their part, Real Madrid have yet to add to their squad this summer, though it is still expected that Luka Modric will join Mourinho’s team before the close of the window. So what should we expect? Fireworks and fantastic skill no doubt, but it might just be that, despite the talent available to them, Barcelona need a year to get to grips with Tito’s methods; not that they will be likely too different from Pep Guardiola’s but every manager is his own man, and there will be bumps along the way as the former assistant himself becomes acquainted with his new role. Mourinho has a similarly gifted squad, but has—and gives to his team—an unmatchable and unshakeable belief and confidence that his methods are the right one, his arguments are the right ones and that his players are the best ones. All too often he’s absolutely spot on—and so it will continue to prove this season, with Real Madrid retaining their crown at the top of La Liga. |
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