Sit down, shut up! The case for standing spectators in English football

The recent announcement that the Scottish Football Association are willing to give the idea of standing spectators a shot, has divided many football fans across the country. Some are completely against the idea; others think it’s just what the English game needs.

As some of you may know, I rarely come down on the side of anything to do with Scottish football, but in this instance I’m in complete agreement with the SFA, and I’m starting to ask the question, why is our own FA so adamant that we wont be following suit?

The Yellow Wall

These extra fans are surely great for business, as they generate extra income for the clubs, but they too must contribute to a far more impressive atmosphere during games (Dortmund’s Südtribüne terrace is nicknamed the ‘Yellow Wall’ in reference to its intense atmosphere).

Standing areas in the English game would benefit the average fan too, a standing ticket is likely to be substantially cheaper than a seated ticket, which, given the current economic climate is surely something that every football fan would appreciate. As I’ve previously mentioned, more fans in standing areas would undoubtedly lead to a better atmosphere. Personally I am always a little embarrassed to compare English stadium atmospheres to those on the continent, in comparison we’re silent!
 

A new record high attendance was set at the DW

It’s not a great surprise though, with the average age of an English Premier League supporter creeping ever closer to 50, there is a frighteningly low percentage, lower than 10%, of fans under the age of 24. Football, the once working class game, has been priced out of the reach of most.

It also seems fairly ridiculous that only the Premier League and Championship have to have all seated stadiums. Baring in mind that currently Charlton, a side with a 27,000 capacity stadium, and as recent as last season, Southampton, with a capacity of more than 30,000, would have been allowed standing areas for their fans, so any argument about crowd size can be dismissed.

In fact, the government’s ‘Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds’, which details the requirements for standing areas, states (among an exhaustive list of regulations) that as long as the amount of people allowed into a standing area “is counted and strictly controlled, according to the capacities set for those areas.” Then terracing is perfectly acceptable, if not as preferable as seating. The same document does acknowledge that the provision of seating does not ensure the safety of spectators. In fact, as more and more fans are choosing to stand in seated areas, particularly away fans, there is still a prominent danger that clubs are almost completely unable to prevent.

Standing backwards is the new sitting forwards

Football has come a long way since the 1980’s and so has its policing stewarding and general ground safety. You only have to glance at the 200 pages of the ‘Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds’ to acknowledge that a horrific disaster like the one at Hillsborough in 1987 is one that can, and in all probability would be able to be avoided.

Certainly in Germany, Shalke 04’s stadium, complete with standing section, has seen no injuries or incidents in the ten years that it’s been in use, Borussia Dortmund don’t even keep records on injuries sue to their infrequent nature.

While in this country there is still a lot of trepidation around the idea of standing terraces, due to the awful events at Hillsborough, the fact remains that properly overseen, and well maintained, standing terraces can improve the atmosphere, lower ticket prices and bring the game back to the working classes, where its history lies. I look forward to seeing how the Scottish teams get on with it and hope it’s as successful there as it is on the continent.

Where are they now? (A look back on the 10 players that had to move)

Back in August, I made a list of people that had to move before the summer transfer window shut. Just before the January window opens, I’m going to look back at the players and see where they are now.

10) Adam Johnson

The situation:
He is still only getting his 20 minute cameo appearances and he shouldn’t be happy with this. Mancini has hinted that it is his attitude that is the problem, but when he is getting goals and assists nearly every time he makes an appearance, there isn’t much more he can do to prove his worth. Maybe Mancini just doesn’t like him, and after all, the Italian might be finding it hard to fit him in with Nasri, Aguero, Ballotelli and Silva all fighting for a similar sort of spot.

The future:
Should look to move in January to a club that would appreciate the talent he clearly has.

9) Nicklas Bendtner

Just keep your head down and focus Nicklas...

The Situation:
Nicklas got his move (albeit on loan) to a new club. Sunderland were the lucky so and sos. This was his opportunity to prove to the world that he can score the goals that talks about and ultimately become a valuable asset at a club. However, all he has done so far during his time at Sunderland is prove that he isn’t as good as he thinks he is, but is as rubbish as most people thought he was. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to a new manager being installed after his close friendship with Bruce was part of the reason behind his move.

The future:
Could very nearly be classed as a flop for his new team, but this could well be down to Bruce’s poor start to the season. Has a lot to prove after Christmas.

8) Darron Gibson

The Situation:
A major injury to Gibson ruled him out of a transfer or any sort of football until recently. However, to be part of a Man Untied team that lost to Crystal Palace at home is something that no one would want on their CV. He could be in with a chance as United’s injury list grows especially as Fergie appears to be a fan of the young centre midfielder.

The Future:
This all depends on the transfer market movements of Sir Alex. He could well be shipped out on loan to a struggling club, such as Bolton if a new central midfielder is bought in. Or as mentioned previously he could indeed be given his chance to shine. Either way, the second half of the season will be an important part of Gibson’s career. Will he be able to cut it in the premier league?

7) Wayne Bridge

Due to a lack of team mates he's been like his since September 1st

The Situation:
Oh Wayne. Why must you annoy every football fan up and down the country? It’s people like you that generally give footballers a bad name. Not registered in Man City’s premier league squad, not registered for their European squad and not played a single minute of football this season as he sits behind Kolarov and Clichy in the pecking order at the Etihad. Rather than getting off his bum and agreeing to a loan move – two of which were accepted by City in the summer – he is more than happy to do nothing and pick up his big fat pay cheque which arrives every month.

The Future:
Should retire from football and do something decent like give all his money to charity – but as that is not going to happen. He should either leave City on a free transfer to a club that could really do with his services or drop down a division and be the big fish in a smaller pond.

6) Federico Macheda

The Situation:
I’m not a fan of Macheda, and if you follow me on Twitter you’ll already know this. Ever since he burst onto the scene against Aston Villa, he’s done very close to bugger all. Even a loan spell back to Italy for Sampdoria produced a grand total of 0 goals from 16 appearances and ended with the Italian club getting relegated.

He came back to United and said he’ll fight for his place. This season his place at United has only be awarded to him due to injuries to Berbatov, Welbeck, Hernandez and Owen. Fergie seems to have lost a bit of faith, and the game against Crystal Palace would have done much more harm than good.

The Future:
I personally would love to see him moved on. If United buy another striker in the window, he’ll be gone. Otherwise, he’ll be keeping his ridiculous place as United’s 6th choice striker. Sir Alex hinted that he’ll be loaned out in January. Let’s hope this comes with the option of making the move permanent.

5) Nedum Onouha 

"Just go, walk out the door"

The Situation:
In the summer, I gave Onouha some credit for going back to Man City and saying he would fight for his place – although I did also suggest this was daft, as his club is Man City. I suggested he should have looked for a move to Blackburn or Sunderland – either of these clubs would have benefited greatly from the youngster in their backline. He has made a grand total of 0 league appearances for City, and has been pushed further down the pecking order after the arrival of Savic.

The future: 

A simple conclusion here, he’s young and good. I was very annoyed to see he hadn’t moved in the summer. He needs to get a move in January and get back to his best. He has the potential to be a future England defender, but this potential will not be fulfilled unless he is playing regular football. He desperately needs a move whether it be permanent or on loan.

4) Daniel Sturridge

The Situation:
Well, I guess it’s nice to be wrong from time to time. “The Chelsea forward has to go on loan somewhere where he will be the focus of the striking options.” That’s what I said last time out, how wrong I was.

The loan spell at Bolton proved he can score goals, the continual disappearance of Fernando Torres’ form, the sulking nature of Anelka and the early season injury to Drogba meant that Sturridge was thrust into the limelight of Chelsea striking options. Boy did he take his chance, recently he has proved that he can play a wide role when necessary and has been given these roles ahead of the likes of Malouda and Kalou. AVB seems to trust the young Englishman, and he is reaping the rewards with 7 goals in 11 league games.

The Future:
He has proven his worth to Chelsea and it seems Capello has begun to take note. He is in with a great chance of going to the Euros so long as he can keep scoring goals. Glad to be proved wrong and also very happy that he has managed to force his way into the team on a regular basis.

3) Joe Cole 

Joe Cole - Liverpool + (Lille - escargot) = Happy Joe

The Situation:
I described Joe Cole as a fall from grace, looking back, this could be a bit harsh. Injuries and poor club performances hampered how he settled into Liverpool. He made the right choice in gaining a season long loan move to Lille. By all accounts he is doing well for them and has blended in well forming a particularly potent and dangerous partnership a Mazy Drivel favourite Eden Hazard.

The Future:
A good move for a good footballer. Hopefully some time on the continent maybe able to get some of the flair back into his game. I’m glad he took my advice and did something to revive his career.

2) Jermaine Jenas

The Situation:
I questioned why Jenas was still at Spurs in the summer, he wasn’t playing at all, and even his own fans seemed to hold a fair bit of contempt for him. Luckily he moved on. Injuries unsettled his start at Villa Park and have continue to play havoc, but Villa might have just seen enough to make the deal permanent.

The Future:
Glad he moved and can hopefully obtain a permanent move away from White Hart Lane. Injuries seem to be an issue at the moment, and this is the only thing that could hinder a successful spell with Villa. Being ruled out possibly for the rest of the season is a big blow, but he’d still be worth a gamble next summer for a minimal (if any) fee.

1) Shaun Wright-Phillips

HA!

The Situation:
I put Shaun Wright-Phillips as my number one player who had to move in the summer, and I’m glad he did. His career has reignited itself at QPR and Neil Warnock has picked up yet another bargain. He had become a forgotten man at Man City and the influx of better younger talent had made it even easier to forget about him.

The Future:
QPR could be the last hurrah for Wright-Phillips. He is an out and out winger, and a player that I’ve always admired. He has pace and the ability to run and beat his man. QPR was a great move for the little man. I’m Glad he seems to have settled in London and has put in some good performances for the hoops so far this season.

Five things we learned this weekend

Chris Foy and his assistants will be refereeing the Scottish Under 9’s next week

Chris, Chris, Chris. That was abysmal wasn’t it, you know it, I know it, and anyone who tuned into Ford Super Sunday knows it. Ok you can maybe be forgiven for the odd throw-in going the wrong way, goal kicks instead of corners, maybe even the maulings in midfield getting waved on. But, when you don’t spot a deliberate handball on the goal line you cannot be forgiven, rule out a goal that is at least two yards onside you cannot be forgiven. When you send off Kaboul but not send off Woodgate, you cannot be forgiven. I don’t think many can disagree with the criticism being laid at Foy’s door. It’s just a shame that he’ll never have to explain his decisions.

Chris you look startled , have you just seen a replay of the handball?

Spurs could have extended an unbeaten run if the officials were up to a decent standard today, unfortunately for them it wasn’t meant to be, goal-line technology debate anyone? I hope Longmoore Tigers have better luck next week in the Scotland Road JFL U9’s next weekend!

Arsenal are lucky they don’t have to rely on Gervinho or Walcott for goals, yet

Gervinho may be most well known for having the highest hairline in Premier League football, don’t worry Joleon, you still have the worst. But he’s getting more and more of a reputation for being the most panicked man in front of goal. He does oh so well to get into these positions, he has a good turn of pace, he can dribble he can even pass. What he can’t do however is hit the back of the net. He seems more panicked than when you’re time is up at the supermarket checkout the receipt has been handed over but you’re not quite packed up yet!

The comb forward, you're kidding no one.

Walcott might possibly be the fastest player in the Premiership; it’s just a shame for both club and country he’s not the most clinical. He can often be found whining that he’s being played out of position, “I’m not a winger” well you’re definitely not a striker with your performance in front of goal. Theo, stay on the wing it gives you an almost believable excuse for why you aren’t scoring more goals.

Thankfully for the time being they have Robin leading the line. The man just scores and scores, and scores. I made the unfortunate error of actually listening to the ramblings of John Motson on Match of the Day and heard him bleating about a record van Persie was closing in on, ‘the most Arsenal goals in a calendar year’. John, have you forgotten that football works in seasons and that calendar year records are completely irrelevant? Call me; I’ll explain it to you.

Michel Vorm is currently the signing of the season

Some people have mentioned Scott Parker as the signing of the season, but I think even Man Utd, the Premier League thieves could have sounded out his as a possible signing, actually, why didn’t they? But you show me someone who had heard of Michel Vorm before this season and I’ll show you a liar, or someone who has a wider footballing knowledge than me.

Firstly, he cost £1.5 million, that’s so cheap that Everton may have even been able to afford him. To put it into perspective, David De Gea cost £18.9 million and he’s not even as good as Vorm.

Vorm had an unforgiving start where he conceded four goals away at Man City. To the untrained eye you may think, he’s had a shocker. Yet he made eleven saves, more than any other ‘keeper in a single game during the 10/11 season.

We're walking in the air...

He has also lived up to his nickname as ‘The Penalty Killer’ saving two penalties in the league so far. To add some more stat-age to the party, he’s kept seven clean sheets in the Premier League this season, more than any other ‘keeper and has made thirty-eight saves so far this season, more than any other ‘keeper. So I’m going to put it out there, Michel Vorm is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, shall we start taking bets for what club he’ll be playing at next season?

Martin O’Neill – A welcomed return to the touchline

I really missed Martin O’Neill. It’s great to see him on the sidelines and back in the dugout. The straight talking, hard working and energetic manager is back and managing his boy-hood club Sunderland. A win in his first game sounds like something out of Hollywood but the quietly spoken genius pulled off a superb comeback.

It was great to see him kicking every ball and winning every header in his technical area and then jump around like a lunatic when first David Vaughan scored his screamer and the Seb Larsson produced his injury time winner.  It was when I saw these celebrations that I realise how much I missed O’Neill.

Welcome back Martin O'Neill

It takes a brutally honest manager to say that “there are still dark times ahead for Sunderland… it’s not all going to be fine now we’ve won a game”. Many other managers may have felt the need to get carried away and promise a winning streak. But after just winning his first game at a new club for the first time in 18 months Martin O’Neill is smart enough to realise that a lot of work is needed. I think the fans will appreciate his honesty.

So, Welcome back Mr O’Neill! I never really knew it, but by Jove I missed you.

Injuries reveal Newcastle’s mediocre squad

Well, it was bound to happen, no-one really thought that Newcastle could keep themselves in the top four did they? Well, Newcastle fans probably did but then they still think their club is up their with the best of them, the fools.

Injuries to key players this season have meant that Alan Pardew’s side have been stretched to pretty much breaking point and fielding two full backs at centre half against Norwich was undoubtedly their downfall. Grant Hold had a field day as time and again he was allowed to stroll unnoticed in the box and put the Toon Army to the sword twice as Norwich secured a fairly unlikely win.

He's finally matured into a defender to be proud of

The players who took their seat on the bench in other positions can hardly inspire much confidence in the North East either; Alan Smith, who’s played about 8 seconds of football in the last year, Lovenkrands who is at best a commonwealth 100m bronze medallist and the young and untested Sammy Ameobi don’t give the impression that they would make a great impact.

With Tiote, Gutherie, Collochini all carrying knocks, and Steven Taylor out for the rest of the season. Pardew will be hoping that Mike Ashley will stuff his oversized hand into his pockets and find some pennies to throw at, let’s face it, the French market. They’ve already unearthed some gems there and really need to do so again to bolster their ranks come the New Year.

The season so far...

Commentators and pundits keep referring to the performance of last season, Man City are X points better off than this time last year, Sunderland are only Y points worse off than this time last year. But how comparable is this? These teams would have played different teams in the same period as last year as is the way of the fixture list. 

Ooh!

So a more comparable form of research would be, how well are, say Newcastle doing compared to the results attained against the sides they’ve played so far this year, last year. Well I’ll tell you, they are currently 17 points better off in the comparable fixtures. Not bad for a manager who was labelled a puppet by some sections of the media (me, and yes I’m the media!). It was to be expected they’ve had a marvellous start to the season. This form of analysis can also form a benchmarking process for clubs, last season yes we beat these teams, let’s keep it up again this year, but disappointing results against XYZ can be improved on.

Now Newcastle are at the top of the pile of most improved club of the 2011/12 season, in fact there are only seven clubs who have achieved better results so far this time around. Unsurprisingly we have Tottenham Hotspur and Man City next in line, both 9 points better off so far, and both are flying high at the top end of the table pushing for glory more in line with a bygone era. Other success stories (albeit with a pathetically small margin) Liverpool are 3 points better off, King Kenny is really impressing now isn’t he. The much chastised Tony Pulis, the hard up David Moyes and the eternally criticised Arsene Wenger have all led their sides to a singular point improvement on last year. 

Not smiling now are you Bruce. Actually is that a smile?

With only 7even improvements on last year there are 13 failings and one club has already wielded the axe. That dishonour falls to the lowest placed club on the table (I’m their Managerial consultant don’t you know) Sunderland AFC are currently 10 points worse off in 2011/12. With Bruce now out of a job having found himself at the foot of the table...who are next in line to lose their jobs. Well there are two likely candidates Bolton and Blackburn, who are 4 and 5 points worse off. The surprising third candidate is The Don, the Spurs fans favourite, Martin Jol. Fulham are 5 points adrift from where they were last year, is the pressure mounting on Jol’s head? If so the press certainly haven’t latched on to it yet (Martin if this somehow gets read by more than the usual two people - cheers Mum, cheers Dad - and the media start calling for your head, I’m sorry, I still love you).

Now of course these results can now be extrapolated, if each side were to replace these new and (sometimes) improved results in last year’s table and keep the other results how would that table now shape up I hear you ask...well let me tell you, better than that, let me show you!

  Excluding promoted clubs

So...

The mighty Spurs are in the Champions league, well done them.

Man City have won their first Premier League title, congratulations.

Arsenal, welcome to the Europa League, have fun.

Wigan, you’ve bucked the trend of finishing 16th fantastic achievement Roberto!

Uh-oh Sunderland...getting a bit close to the wire there isn’t it! 

Will this be how it ends...who knows. All we can do is sit back and enjoy watching it unfold.

Josh

#OneLastGame

When the idea of #OneLastGame was first mentioned by journalist Iain Macintosh, we all thought it was a great way of winding down the clock before the latest Football Manager game was released. Little did we know it would lead to us traveling over 350 miles to watch a game of football in North Wales.

The idea was simple: take control of the lowest ranked team on Football Manager 2011 and guide them to as much glory as possible within five seasons. The winner of this competition would receive a VIP trip to Bala to watch the boys in action! Josh (@coullj) won the league, Dave (@nicholls33) won the league, Jim, (@JimCalver1) won the league, Owain (@pulpsong) managed a very respectable 11th, and then was sacked. Still Josh’s abilities enabled the four of us to pick up the tickets.

The date was set: we chose the game against Neath FC as the game to watch. This was due, in part, to Neath’s ‘superstar’ Lee Trundle.

The journey was going to be a long one, we had to stop over in Bristol to pick up one of the Drivelling Wizards, and so in total, we were going to drive 360 miles just to get to Maes Tegid.

Having lost Jim, as he’d just become a father, we set off. An overnight stop at Bristol and we made our way to Bala.

The journey through Wales was spectacular, especially through Snowdonia. Hills and valleys rolled out in front of us, and the sun pierced through the clouds making the national park look like a far away magical land.

However once we heard the truly devastating news about Gary Speed, the rest of the journey was spent in stunned silence.

We arrived to a warm welcome at Bala. Gareth Moon, the club’s hospitable front man greeted us like old friends and gave us an enthusiastic tour of the ground. We just had enough time for a quick cuppa before taking our seats to watch the action unfold.

The Three Drivellers in all their glory.

Some heavy overnight rain had made the playing surface slow and boggy and in the early stages of the game, the players struggled to keep hold of the ball. Neath had the better of the opening period, Lee Trundle displaying a touch of class and flair to set up a couple of chances, the closest of which skimmed the top of the bar. Bala’s cross bar had to come to the rescue for a second time, as Chris Jones took aim from a free kick on the edge of the area.

Bala defended resolutely and began to get a hold of the game. However the home side struggled to make any real impact in the final third. Their long balls were easily intercepted by the ever present, man mountain, Matty Rees.

With no luck in the air, Colin Caton’s boys changed their game plan and used the wings to their advantage. Young left back Rees Darlington put in a sterling performance both going forward and defending, every Bala attack looked dangerous when the youngster got involved. Darlington could even have bagged himself a goal but his shot clipped the top of the bar before flying over.

An injury just before half time forced Bala to make a change. Winger, Peter Doran, picked up a nasty looking knock and had to be carried off. Stephen Brown, who had shown glimpses of brilliance in the first half, was switched to the right wing, as the explosive Stef Edwards was brought on. 

Brown setting off on another mazy dribble.

The whistle went for half time and we all retreated to the relative warmth of the pavilion to be treated to more tea and a slap-up buffet lunch. They know how to treat a man in North Wales I can tell you.

The second half started brightly for the home side, the substitution gave Bala more impetus and they began to take control of the game.

Mark Jones was instrumental in feeding delightful balls out to both flanks and Brown caused the Neath right back all sorts of problems as he danced down the wing time and time again. He was unlucky not to score as he weaved into the box and fired just wide. Edwards’ searing pace created several chances for the home side, and they must have thought they were in front as a cross from the left wing found Brown in acres of space with the goal at his mercy, his shot, however, squeezed agonisingly past the post.

Neath did manage to create some chances of their own, and has a bit more spark going forward once the completely ineffective Lee Trundle was brought off. Bala’s Terry McCormick was called on to make a heroic save to keep Neath at bay and some strong defending from right back Stuart Jones frustrated the visitors until the final whistle.

A Big save, from Big Terry.

Even though we weren’t treated to any goals, the game was fast paced and exciting and Bala’s hospitality was first class. In the bar afterwards, we chatted to the team’s manager and Chairman, both of whom were happy with the performance, with good reason too; that result guaranteed the North Wales club a spot in the top end of the table as the league splits in two.

We really enjoyed our mammoth trip to Bala, and were told that many people visit from all over the country, to take in the sights of Snowdonia, or for a stag do weekend. Take it from us, In Bala, £6 to watch the Lakesiders, will be the best money you’ll spend all weekend.