Brian Clough once said that “If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass in the sky.”
I’ve never apologised for the style of football I want to see, with more teams playing one-touch passing football with an emphasis on flair and invention.
Many clubs’ supporters are brought up believing in a particular style of football, and good attacking football was an Everton tradition. During our glory days anyway.
Brian Clough was a genius who always had his sides playing attractive passing football, both at Derby where he enjoyed his first great successes, and then at Nottingham Forest, where he enjoyed even more success.
The playing staff changed over the years but the style of football did not.
The debate on the direction of English football has raged on, more or less, since the 1950s. And part of it has been on style of play and players’ technique.
Traditionally, clubs like Everton, Tottenham, West Ham, West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest were associated with attractive football in some form or another, and those clubs’ supporters were brought up demanding such.
As were Liverpool with their “pass and move” game, for that matter.
And no doubt, in the 60s, 70s and 80s there always were English footballers whose technical gifts were the equal of any on the world.
In recent Championship seasons, this debate has come to the fore, particularly when WBA and Stoke City were vying for promotion. Mowbray’s West Brom side played the club’s much cherished one-touch passing game, while Stoke were considered exponents of the crude and direct “Route One” game.
And both sides, while struggling at a higher level, have still made a better fist of things than Derby ever did. But this is a moot point.
Certainly Mowbray hasn’t been helped by a lack of Premiership quality centre-backs and strikers.
If West Brom were the darlings of purists for their football last season, then this season’s darlings have been Swansea City.
Roberto Martinez, a Spanish journeyman footballer who achieved cult status at Wigan Athletic, took over the Swansea job in 2007, and in his first full season in charge, led the South Wales club to the League One title = their first promotion to the second tier of English football since the John Toshack era (in which Swansea briefly graced the old First Division).
Even if Leeds had not been deducted 15 points, they wouldn’t have overhauled them.
They have been, quite simply, a revelation in this season’s Championship.
With just six League defeats thus far, only arch-rivals Cardiff City have been harder to beat with four defeats, but also racking up eight consecutive League draws, which I believe is a record.
Where Swansea have won plaudits is for their marvellous brand of one-touch passing football. It’s scintillating stuff to watch, not unlike the brand of football that brought Spain its first major trophy in 44 years.
If they were to manage what seemed improbable even at the season’s start and win promotion to the Premiership, then Martinez should emerge as a candidate for manager of the year.
Of course, with the debate on the direction of English football continuing to rage on, it’s become easier than ever to wish teams well that commit themselves to playing a more attractive “Continental” style of play.
Alan Buckley was able to do this in his first two spells at Grimsby Town, a side playing neat and attractive football with limited resources in what is now the Championship.
Peterborough United, under the management of Darren Ferguson, have been something of a revelation in League One and boast an outstanding talent in George Boyd, whereas even in the rough-and-tumble of League Two, sides like Bury and Exeter City have won plaudits for their footballing principles this season.
English football is in need of a technical revolution, but it needs to start from the bottom upwards and not with the top clubs in the land.
Am I sounding like Craig Foster here? Absolutely not.
But while I have never been one to agree with Foster, it’s fair to say he isn’t totally wrong. He just has gone about it the wrong way.
David V.
Guest
Players like Bryan Robson and David Platt were also box-to-box players, and were far superior. As were Colin Bell and Alan Ball. And countless others. To me, Gerrard is the biggest fraud in the game's history and this is the crux of the matter here.
Colin N
Guest
You're only dismissing his qualities because you're an Everton fan. He has a superb strike on him, works hard, has scored plenty of goals this season and is a good passer of the ball, not to mention his positional play, which is the area that often goes un-noticed. You can't compare him to Fabregas, Scholes and Riquelme because they are different players, who rely on their technical qualities.
David V.
Guest
Versatility can also be a byword for not being good enough to play one position. I don't give a damn about pace or work rate- to me those are overrated qualities. Also, his tackle on Naysmith was shocking.
dasilva
Roar Guru
I think that Gerrard is a versatile player. not as good dribbler, passer as those players you mention. But he has more work rate and can tackle. He can play as defensive midfielder to a second striker nad is a more versatile player then all the players you mention. Has the complete range of tools to his game I agree he's not in the 1st or 2nd tier of greatness but he is not a poor player..
David V.
Guest
Tell me honestly, what does Gerrard have that players like Fabregas, Pirlo, Riquelme, Scholes and the like (genuine playmakers), and past greats like Maradona, Zico, Brady, Platini, Panenka, etc don't have? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He is devoid of vision, touch, grace, culture, and all the essentials that make a true class midfielder. He runs around like a headless chicken and needlessly gives the ball away. Dreadful is the word to describe every aspect of his game besides scoring a fluke goal here and there.
Midfielder
Guest
Question What league has income from overseas sales more than it domestic league what league has the most money. The EPL must be doing something right.. Without questioning that the Pom's need to lift the style side of there game a tad .... are we measuring all leagues all matches with the same mark sheet. ... For me the Man U V Arsenal matches over the last few years, Liverpool V Chelsea , come on great games... Gerrard a poor player, there is not a club in Europe who would not want him in there squad.... that IMO says it all no further comment needed.
David V.
Guest
Of course, when English people speak out it's considered racial hatred, but when the French, Italians or Irish do it's free speech. Can you blame the Brits for wanting out of the EU?
Colin N
Guest
"Nevertheless i think platini has a point that too many foreign players hamper youth development. Maybe platini should drop the english prospective and promote his ideals from a global or european problem instead of an english problem." I agree, both that it hampers youth development and that it should be European crusade rather than a English crusade. IMO, he has a vedetta against England, but it doesn't entirely surprise me. However, it's frustrating when Platini and Blatter (who described Ronaldo as a slave to Manchester United), always blame the English clubs. As a neutral fan of the Premiership and a supporter of all the English clubs in Europe, I was very smug when two English teams got to the European final last year, to the obvious disappointment of Platini. It does frustrate me, as an England fan, to see too many foreigners in the EPL, but then again, when you hear the likes of Blatter and Platini talking about the English game the way they do, it sort of reinforces my desire to see the English sides win the European cup, with or without the foreigners.
David V.
Guest
Or does Platini have some kind of racist vendetta towards England? Football does bring out the worst of people's prejudices.
dasilva
Roar Guru
Colin N thanks for pointing out the actual stats. I was mostly approximation by memory. I just did somegoogling 2007 where about 70 % in Iraly, 66 % in Spain, 45% in England. In 2008 it was 63% in italy, 61% in spain and 37% in England Must have dropped even further in the three leagues in the following year, if spain really is 45% then that's a massive jump and perhaps shows that this is a beginning of a global trend. Nevertheless i think platini has a point that too many foreign players hamper youth development. Maybe platini should drop the english prospective and promote his ideals from a global or european problem instead of an english problem
David V.
Guest
Foreigners have been prominent in Spain for years. Italy only lifted its ban in 1980, English clubs only looked at foreigners from 1978 onwards when Dutch and Argentine imports were the flavour of the minute. The problem is that too many mediocre foreigners come into the big leagues, not the cream of the crop- because back when there were more restrictions, only the absolute cream of the crop made it- the likes of Brady, Platini, Zico, Ardiles, Mühren, Maradona, etc.
Colin N
Guest
La Liga is 40% and steadily declining, not 75 and Italy is around 60% and yes the EPL is 35%.
dasilva
Roar Guru
Colin N I heard this argument before. I think PLatini is looking not really looking at the top 4 and the Champions League Their problem is the entire league About 75 % of Serie A, La Liga are Italian, spanish respectedly. In EPL yhou get about 35%.
Colin N
Guest
Yep, Real Madrid only had three Spaniards in their team and Inter only one Italian, so why isn't Platini criticising them for their lack of 'home-grown' players? If Fifa was to implement a quota system, I'm sure most of the 'top 4' (apart from Liverpool) would be ok and perhaps the the likes of Real and Inter wont. How I use to see it, is that the English sides took in the top European players and the Italian and Spanish sides snapped up the top South American talent. However, we have seen a slight shift recently whereby the English sides are buying the best talents in the world, ahead of the other top European clubs. However, as a neutral I can categorically say that Gerrard is a great player and a great servant to Liverpool and England.
David V.
Guest
No jealousy- just telling the awful truth about Gerrard's talent- or complete lack thereof.
jimbo
Guest
David, haha - a bit of red v blue jealousy there? :) Gerrard single handedly won Liverpool the Champions League trophy . . . with a little help from Harry Cool of course!
David V.
Guest
Not currently, I meant historically. Look at the 1986 squad- not a single Liverpool player, and FOUR Everton players were in there! :) Of course, Gerrard shouldn't even be considered a footballer.
Brian Munich
Guest
Re Liverpool players for England : a bit of a non-event considering you're only talking about two candidates - Gerrard and Carragher. They had more Spaniards in their team than Real Madrid this morning!
David V.
Guest
That's part of the problem, players like Carrick, Huddleston, Bullard, O'Neill, Howard, etc aren't given their fair chance for England are they? And isn't it amusing that England have done pretty well when no Liverpool players were playing? :D
Colin N
Guest
I'd agree that there is a lack of perhaps technically gifted English players, but I think players with these qualitites are starting to come through. I'm a big fan of Tom Huddlestone who has a great touch and distributes the ball well, but possibly doesn't get round the park that well. A couple of other Tottenham players who seem to be techincally gifted and who have generally impressed me the few times I've seen them is Dean Parrett and John Bostock. You can add the likes are Mark Randell, Jack Rodwell and Jack Wilshere to that list. It seems to suggest that there has been a shift in emhasis in some (not all) age grade coaching