Fulham's Hodgson is a man apart

Posted by Jon Champion on 24/09/2009

I am prepared to wager that the final whistle at the end of last season was both the best and worst of moments for Roy Hodgson. Fulham’s hugely-respected manager had just guided the famous old club to the highest league finish in its history – 7th in the Barclays Premier League was beyond even the wildest of expectations – but with it came a passport to Europe that he could be forgiven for cursing.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Europa League is a good place to be, but for a club such as Fulham, the Premier League comes first, second and last on any list of priorities.

Finishing as loftily as they did reflected positively on a small squad that was fully stretched dealing with 38 games. Hodgson’s men claimed some notable scalps along the way. Manchester United fell at the Cottage and so did this Saturday’s visitors for ESPN’s live game - Brede Hangeland’s goal was enough to see off Arsenal and give Fulham only their second win over the Gunners in 43 years.

But as the manager puts his charges through their paces at the Motspur Park training ground, the chances of a repeat victory are surely compromised by the amount of football they’ve already played.

With a squad no bigger than last season, Fulham have contested more games than any other Premier League team. The Arsenal match will be their twelfth, and five of those have been in the Europa League, starting against Vetra in Lithuania some two and a half weeks before the domestic campaign began.

Thank goodness, then, that Fulham have such a clever manager guiding them. I first came across Hodgson during his stint at Blackburn more than a decade ago, and subsequent encounters at major tournaments, where he dissects matches for UEFA’s Technical Committee, only confirmed the initial impression that here is a man apart. Someone with whom you can discuss any topic. He has a view on Freud as well as Ferguson and can appreciate the art of Matisse as easily as that of Murphy.

A grounded and rounded individual, for too long a stranger to English football, Hodgson is now showing the Premier League what it could have had years ago. Blackburn acted in haste when things went sour, other clubs dared not take what they regarded as a risk, but Fulham’s gamble, if it ever was, seems to be paying off handsomely.

His team selections – 9 changes for the visit to CSKA Sofia, 11 for the Carling Cup at Manchester City – are a tacit admission that the Premier League is the only competition that really counts for Fulham.

So when Fulham and Arsenal emerge from the unique passageway that masquerades as a players’ tunnel at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, both sets of players should be fresh and ready to give their all. Of course, Arsenal have a Champions League game to consider only three days afterwards, so Arsene Wenger’s selection may be more complicated than Hodgson’s, but two of Europe’s most respected coaches will relish the challenge of outwitting one another, and hopefully those of us watching at the ground and via ESPN will be the main beneficiaries.

From Kenny to Milla via Calzaghe

Posted by Ray Stubbs on 23/09/2009

Celtic's game at St Mirren and Arsenal's trip to Fulham are live games coming up on ESPN but just before the next fixture lists arrive there is the opportunity to look back over the events of the last week.

ESPN's coverage of the UEFA Europa League kicked off with Celtic's game in Israel and the arrival of Kenny Dalglish as an analyst created a similar reaction to Kevin Keegan's debut in the studio. Having such respected and authoritative figures as regulars in the ESPN team is a great bonus for our programes. When Celtic slipped to defeat from one-nil up it left me wondering why they hadn't pushed more for a second goal that would have settled the result in their favour.

There is a footnote to Europa League night. A post-match glass of wine discussing Celtic's performance included a chance meeting with former world boxing champion Joe Calzage - a very nervous Joe Calzaghe - on the eve of the bell going on his Strictly Come Dancing contest. It left Kenny and I smiling that the man who had no fear about entering the ring was quite wound up about climbing through the ropes into a ballroom.

Saturday brought the goalless draw in the SPL game between Kilmarnock and Hibs. ESPN's Colin Hendry was on "card counting" duty in the studio and was struggling to keep up. Fellow guest Mark Hateley was concerned that, for the second Saturday running, Rangers had let precious points slip away.

That all led to a debate that will continue. The physicality of the game is important but what is the right balance? Yellow cards over the ninety minutes went into double figures and led to two red cards. How long will it be before "enforced substitutions" will be a sanction at the disposal of referees to try and prevent three or more red cards a game?

An hour after the Kilmarnock-Rangers game finished, we were back in the studio for West Ham versus Liverpool. The moment former Hammers boss Alan Curbishley saw the West Ham team-sheet he warned that Zavon Hines could cause Liverpool problems with his pace. Kevin was keen to point out that every goal Liverpool had conceded had come from, or as a result of, a set piece. Both ESPN studio guests were proved right.

Post-match it was a race to Heathrow for me to catch the last flight to Newcastle so I could slowly trudge around the roads of Tyneside as one of the 50,000 entrants for the inspiring Great North Run.

Standing on the start-line brought an opportunity to talk to Hull City boss Phil Brown. Losing at home to Hull the day before meant the Tigers had four points from six games. After six games last season it was eleven.

The Hull boss is always approachable and I got the impression he is ready for the almighty scrap that lies ahead. It's anyone's guess who will be fighting for Premier League safety. At the finish line there was another Premier League figure to talk to. Whereas Hull have found points hard to come by so far, Burnley have nine from six games so former UK government communications chief Alistair Campbell is delighted with his team's start to the season but mindful of the storms that lie ahead. Burnley are away at Totenham this weekend while Hull play at Anfield.

For me it was another quick sprint to the airport to catch a flight to Switzerland. It was on Monday morning at FIFA headquarters in Zurich that I was able to meet Cameroon striker Roger Milla, the player who brought a smile to the world of football on its greatest stage.

It was during Italia '90 that Roger performed his famous celebratory dance around a corner flag. It set the world alight and took goal-scoring celebrations to a new level. For the 2010 World Cup, FIFA and Coca Cola are backing a special award that will go to the player performing the best goal-scoring celebration.

Helping launch this initiative which will result in Coca Cola investing in water "supply" and "purifying" projects all over Africa. Roger re-created his famous dance, and with a smile on his face lay down the challenge that to date he doesn't believe anyone has rivalled his goal-scoring celebration of just-on 20 years ago. Peter Crouch et al, the ball will be in your court.

Saturday will be here before we know it. A last-minute goal at home to Hearts puts Celtic top of the SPL table going into an away game at St Mirren that's live on ESPN. Frank McAvennie will be alongside Colin Hendry in the studio. It's a midday start for ESPN MatchDay Live and a 5 o'clock start for the live coverage of Fulham's home game with Arsenal. Moritz Volz will be alongside Kevin Keegan in the ESPN studio and we hope you'll be able to join us.

Regards to all.

Access all areas

Posted by Rebecca Lowe on 18/09/2009

It was great to become part of the ESPN team over the summer and (if for some strange reason you haven’t been watching so far!) my role is co-host of the Premier League games. That involves all 46 games this season and being ESPN’s presence at the stadium. I try to get as much access as I possibly can - to players, the managers and the club. It’s my ambition to give supporters things that they haven’t seen before.

The unique thing we are trying to achieve with the Premier League coverage, which hasn’t maybe been done before on other channels, is access. Obviously ESPN is an American-based company and over in America the amount of access they get is quite alien to us. I was told that in MLS a month or two ago, Kasey Keller, the former Tottenham goalkeeper, was playing for Seattle Sounders and he got injured in the middle of a game.

The match was stopped to allow him to get treatment and the ESPN reporter went on the pitch and started to interview him as he hobbled off! In he went into the physio room, sat with him as he got strapped up, carried on the interview and walked back with him all the way back to between the sticks, then the game carried on.

It’s amazing. Can you imagine this weekend if Robert Green gets injured, on I go with my microphone, everyone is waiting as I walk across the pitch? I’m not sure that the Premier League in this country will ever take to that. I’m not sure we will get that far. However, we have already made great strides this season.

When we did Burnley’s trip to Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, I did a two-minute tour of the dressing room. I was amazed to be in there and I’m quite lucky, but I think for those fans at home it was a real insight. We saw the bathroom area, the warm-up area, even Frank Lampard’s locker with his name engraved on the front, and really gave people a view into a world they rarely get to see. That is what we are trying to achieve. We are trying to break new ground and be different.

When I covered Blue Square Premier games for a previous employer I often interviewed managers during the game - try doing that with Fergie. But at some point this season, and I have already pinpointed which game it is, I am going to try my Blue Square magic on a manager. I already know what manager it is, but I’m not going to say who because I will probably fail and I don’t want to set myself up for a fall! But I will try to speak to a manager during a game. I think I might be able to twist this manager’s arm, so look out for that viewers!

I also conduct the pre and post-match interviews and it is not easy to speak to managers when they have lost. It is all about getting the tone right. It is all about the moment they first walk into the interviewing room. When David Moyes first strode in after Everton lost 6-1 to Arsenal I could tell by his body language that he was obviously furious, but he was also in shock. So the last thing you do is start chitter-chattering away. It is crucial that you stay out of their way. There is nothing an interviewer can say after a defeat, and especially one like that, that will make them feel anything other than more annoyed.

But it does not always work out like that. After Aston Villa beat Liverpool, Rafa Benitez was great. I was concerned because Liverpool had not had a great start to the season but I met him pre-match and he was a real gentleman. He is one of the nicest managers I have interviewed. He is warm, genuine and respectful and he was the same post-match.

I will be encountering Rafa again for our live ESPN game between West Ham and Liverpool and I think it will be a good match. Both teams play good football, Upton Park has a great atmosphere and Liverpool’s travelling fans are fantastic. I’m really, really looking forward to it and hope you are too.

Do you want to ask ESPN's Premier League co-host, Rebecca Lowe, any questions about life behind-the-scenes at England's elite clubs or any wider issues affecting the game? Leave all your comments and queries below.

Finding it hard to manage?

Posted by Jon Champion on 17/09/2009

Gianfranco Zola describes his stewardship of West Ham as his "project", and this weekend's ESPN live game against Liverpool marks a year in charge at Upton Park for London's favourite Sardinian.

When Alan Curbishley - one of our studio guests this Saturday - departed the club, dismayed by the actions of owners in financial distress, his team lay 5th in the Barclays Premier League. Zola's first season saw the Hammers finish 9th. Now they find themselves in lower midtable, yet still there is a feelgood factor surrounding the "project". League position doesn't necessarily bear direct correlation with any perception of progress.

Zola is blessed with a steady supply of eggs from the same "golden goose" that so helped his predecessors, namely the famous West Ham Academy, run so ably by Tony Carr. Last season, eight graduates appeared in the first team and three more made it as far as the bench. Financial realities may dictate the eventual sale of home-grown talent, but not before these players have assisted the club's development, just like Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard before them.

The manager's method involves an alliance between this youthful supply line and a collection of seasoned foreigners. Last season they included Diego Tristan and David Di Michele, who brought experience and depth to the squad at key moments. This week, Zola added the well-travelled Mexican striker, Guillermo Franco, to a cosmopolitan group already containing Italian Alessandro Diamanti and Chilean Luis Jimenez. The input of Technical Director, Gianluca Nani, is clear for all to see.

At Liverpool, Rafa Benitez has no such help and nor would he want any. Benitez is lord and master of all he surveys from the window of his office at the Melwood training complex. Political battles have been fought and won to earn that position, so one can only wonder how frustrated the Spaniard is by the endless travails of the club's American owners. No sooner had Liverpool announced a recession-busting commercial deal with the Standard Chartered bank than newspaper reports were suggesting that Tom Hicks wants to sell a minority stake in the club. Hardly the stable background that all managers crave.

On the pitch, Liverpool have been underwhelming so far. Two 4-0 wins over Stoke and Burnley have failed to assuage the doubts created by the opening-day defeat at Tottenham and the home loss to Aston Villa. Wednesday's Champions League victory over Debreceni was at best workmanlike. The visit to the Boleyn may provide a more accurate barometer reading.

And whilst West Ham and Liverpool lock horns, spare a thought for an iconic figure from both clubs' recent past. Sixteen miles down the A13, Julian Dicks, terminator turned left-back, makes his managerial debut with Grays Athletic in Saturday's Blue Square Premier fixture against Altrincham. One year after Zola became only the 12th manager in West Ham's history, Dicks starts life as Grays' 14th manager in three years. Maybe Benitez doesn't have it so bad, after all?

Saturday's old pal's act

Posted by Jon Champion on 10/09/2009

So, South Africa it is then. Supine Croatia, super England. And England's Mister Big at Wembley was the smallest player in the Barclays Premier League. Someone with a sympathetic streak officially measured Aaron Lennon at 5'5". They would have been better served putting a radar gun on him and measuring his speed because this jet-heeled flyer is proving far too quick for most opponents this season.

Come Saturday and the visit of the ESPN cameras to White Hart Lane for the game of the weekend, Lennon will again be the focus - a winger on centre-stage. It'll be Patrice Evra's turn to try to shackle him, something he conspicuously failed to do when Tottenham met Manchester United in last season's Carling Cup Final.

That was noted by the coaching staffs of both clubs and was raised before the most recent meeting of the sides, an extraordinary League fixture at Old Trafford in late April. Spurs led 2-0 that afternoon and were making the champions look pedestrian until the unfortunate intervention of Howard Webb. England's top referee awarded a penalty when Michael Carrick tumbled in the vicinity of Heurelho Gomes, and Ronaldo's spot-kick offered Manchester United a route back into a game that had looked beyond them.

22 minutes later, United had scored five to keep their title pursuit on course, and Webb's admission that he got the big decision wrong was of little solace to Tottenham. Everyone makes mistakes, Webb fewer than most, but Spurs fans will point out that if their team had won that day they would have qualified for Europe.

Football being what it is, though, all that is ancient history and the challenge for Messrs Redknapp and Ferguson this weekend is to galvanise players who have travelled the world in the cause of their countries over the past ten days. At the Carrington training ground, the staff are used to the post internationals routine. At Spurs Lodge, it's still something of a novelty to have fourteen players away, indeed Redknapp claims that he's only had one fit first team player available to train. Given the number of coaches available to a Premier League team these days, David Bentley will never have had so much attention!

The Tottenham manager relishes visits from Manchester United. Go back 25 years on his CV and you'll find one of the great FA Cup upsets. Redknapp's Bournemouth humbled Ron Atkinson's United at Dean Court and ever since, there's been a special edge to Redknapp against the Reds.

That expends to his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. There is genuine affection and respect between the two. An hour before kick-off, both are more interested in racing than football. Encounter them in the tunnel and their first question will concern the 2-15 at Lingfield rather than anything to do with Liverpool. But come kick-off they are consumed by their real passion.

One from Glasgow, the other from London's East End...The Guv'nor from Govan, Mr. Popular from Poplar. Last year their teams fought out a draw at White Hart Lane and so pleased were both managers that they indulged in a hug on the touchline BEFORE the final whistle. Tottenham's ambitions, exemplified by Lennon's rise, have sharpened since then. Roll on Saturday teatime...

International relations

Posted by Jon Champion on 03/09/2009

So, the opening exchanges of the Premier League have whetted the appetite nicely, and now comes the opportunity to draw breath and take stock as the focus switches to the international scene. You would think that club managers would welcome a week's break, especially after the closure of the transfer window, but ask any of them what's occupying their thoughts right now and the answer will be the same - the threat of injuries.

Mr. Average Premier League Manager can just about get his head around the validity of World Cup qualifiers, but games like England v Slovenia send him into meltdown. The concept of an international friendly is anathema to anyone who's job is to coax and cajole the best out of high-maintenance footballers over a club season that could involve sixty matches. When Fabio Capello was in charge of Milan he saw the conflict of interest from a different perspective; all he now cares about is finding the personnel to reach South Africa and then challenge when England get there.

As an assiduous watcher of Premier League games, Capello - like the rest of us - has no doubt been enjoying a fascinating opening to the season. What has he, and indeed what have we learnt so far?

Arsenal appear stronger than touted; the younger players have trained on and Arsene Wenger's "project" seems on course. Liverpool have had a turbulent start with one good performance, one adequate display and two moribund outings, failing to quell the questions over the reliance on Gerrard and Torres and a perceived lack of depth in the squad. The jury is still out on Manchester United post Ronaldo. Manchester City look capable of threatening the top four, Tottenham likewise, but the clearest signal of all has come from west London. Anyone who saw ESPN's coverage of last weekend's dismissal of Burnley cannot fail to have been impressed by Chelsea's fluency of thought and deed. This time last year, Big Phil Scolari was being lauded as the man who had given Chelsea an extra dimension. Twelve months on, Carlo Ancelotti seems a safer bet to lift them back to former heights.

My main reservation concerns the age of the team. Six of the starters against Burnley were over 30 whilst the average age was 29 years and 290 days. Thereagain, no club is more associated with pensioners than Chelsea!

Further down the table is beginning to assume some sort of vague shape, but it is still dangerously early to be making any firm judgments. The next few weeks will tell us much, starting with ESPN's next live Premier League game, Tottenham against Manchester United on Saturday, 12 September. Matches don't come much more attractive than Challengers versus Champions, and we'll take a closer look at the game in this column next week, but for now the focus is on the World Cup, and even a Premier League manager might acknowledge the importance of that.