British Media Doesn't Get It

Martin Samuel's column last week which our own BC John responded to in a classy fashion is the final straw with me in trying to understand the majority of the football writers in the United Kingdom. Samuel's article points out the major flaws in the reasoning of most British writers when evaluating the rest of the football world. I would never make the case Major League Soccer is a better product than the Barclays Premier League, but in reality the products are very different and the football is very different. That's why trying to subject the evaluation of the quality of MLS to a decidedly English standard is wrong and smacks of poor journalism. In his piece which appeared in the Times of London, Samuel clearly didn't take the time to research anything about any of the players in Major League Soccer who have not either played in the Premier League or are not English. Simply because a player has spent his club career playing exclusively in the Americas (like Boca Juniors legend Guille Baros Schelotto now with Columbus of MLS) or played in Spain and Italy but not England (Like Cuahatomec Blanco, Carlos Pavon, and Javier Morales) doesn't mean he is not a quality footballer who plays the game at a high level. Perhaps Samuel needs to consider he hasn't seen many of the players he's never heard of in England because of the style of play in the PL and yes the weather.

Comparing Major League Soccer to English Football is in some ways like comparing International Basketball to the NBA. Much like the NBA where many of America's top stars are developed (since prior to the recent rule change regarding age in the NBA Draft, so many top American stars skipped college where they actually learn the game from top basketball coaches) the flow of the game and general tendencies of the players is different than in the international game. That's why the US has had so much trouble recently winning big tournaments in a sport that was completely dominated by the US prior to the early 1990s. Major League Soccer's season is played during the hottest months of the year in the U.S. Players who excel in MLS tend to be the types who can hold the ball and have the stamina to play 90 minutes in oppressive heat. This reality naturally favors players from Latin America, who because of geography and the style of play have excelled in MLS. English Football is played largely in the air and at a fast pace in more pleasant weather. Does the faster pace mean the players are better? Not necessarily, because Serie A whose style of play more closely resembles MLS than that of the English Leagues produced the 2006 World Champions, with the entire Azzuri roster save one player playing their club football in Serie A.

Could English players of an average quality come and dominate MLS as many in the British press have speculated? The answer is a resounding no, Here are some examples of former English footballers who came to MLS and flopped.

• Steve Howey played 191 games for Newcastle United and 76 for Manchester City before coming to MLS at age 31 in 2003 to play for Steve Nicol and New England. Howey had been capped five times by England as a Senior International in "A" matches. Yet Howey lasted four games in MLS and was quickly looking for work again in England. He landed with Bolton of the EPL before being let go and playing in the Championship with Leicester City.
• Steve Guppy was another player capped by England at the Senior National Team level. In 2004 he came to the US and started for DC United in the highest rated game ever for the league on ABC, when Freddy Adu made his debut. Less than two months later Guppy, whose lack of quality touches and inability to play the Latin brand of Football DC United has become known for was released and he signed with Leeds United.
• Mark Wlson was a highly touted English midfielder that even played for Manchester United in a Champions League match. After a failed stint at Boro, he came to the US and flopped totally at FC Dallas, demonstrating an inability to cope with the summer heat. He was released when the club signed Shaka Hislop, my next footballer to discuss.
• Shaka Hislop was a top keeper in the Premier League. The English born keeper choose to play for his parents home nation of Trinidad and Tobago and he has been excellent for the national team and of course had a great World Cup. Hislop even started the FA Cup final in 2006 for West Ham just weeks before his awesome World Cup and a month before he signed for FC Dallas. Hislop however only started matches for the Hoops when Argentine net-minder Dario Sala was injured or suspended, and when Sala was suspended most recently, Hislop was beaten out in training by American youth team keeper Ray Burse Jr. Hislop has now been released by FC Dallas.
• In 1995 Paul Rideout scored the winning goal for Everton in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. Two years later Rideout with a decent amount of fanfare signed with MLS and was allocated to Kansas City. A year later after scoring only one goal in league play Rideout was released. He is now back with the Wizards as the coach of the clubs U-18 team.
• Chris Woods was one of the best goalkeepers in England during the 1990s. His play with Sheffield Wednesday and the National Team was outstanding. Woods career with Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday was near legandary. However when he arrived in MLS as a big signing in the league's first year he had trouble judging the ball flight and looked miserable. He was eventually replaced by Marcus Hannehman who had been signed from the Seattle Sounders of the A-League. Woods returned to England to play in the EPL with Southampton and Blackburn.

I am by no means claiming MLS is on the same level as the Premier League. What I am trying to point out is that the league and its style of play are dramatically different from that of English football. To assume as many do that any English player with any accomplishments whatsoever can dominate in MLS has been dis-proven by fact. Additionally the theory that any international playing in MLS is simply not good enough to play in the English Premier League is again folly. Names such as Ryan Nelson and Shaun Bartlett among others should lay rest to that arrogant notion of many in the British press.

Major League Soccer is different than the English Premier League. The writers in Britain that understand that more quickly will be doing their readers and their nation a service. Much of England's problem on the international football scene stems from a lack of understanding or appreciation of continental football or the beautiful game the way it is played in Latin America or even in the United States.

Jonathan Starling Responds to the Arrogance of uninformed English "Journalists"

Here is the link to the offensive column: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article2343925.ece?openComment=true#comments-form

Here is Jonathan's Letter:

If this can please be forwarded to Martin Samuel, I will be greatly appreciated. I'm going to choose my words carefully simply because you seem to be as ignorant on the American sport scene, yet feel the need to comment on them. After reading your latest column today, I couldn't help but ask myself how stupid you really are as a journalist, more so as a columnist. It's either stupidity or plain jealously and quite frankly I can't figure out which it is. Over the years of reading the various red tops and broadsheets from the UK, it all pretty much reads the same way...everything American is bad while everything we do is just a class better...when it could very well be the exact opposite.However what takes the cake with me is your latest stupidity piece (I can hardly call it a column as it feigns ignorance of the highest caliber) and how you sadly think it's a legit piece of journalism. My questions to you are simply this, why bother watching the league if you could care less about it? Why bother writing a column when all you have done is speak the same lines as the red tops and why you feel the need the need to sink to their level. And ask yourself this question, why does your national Football Association manager still feel the need to recall a player who he said would more or less never get another game again when your Barclay's Premier League is suppose to have all these top class English players (could it be because said top class players are worthless)? Actually while I'm thinking about it, why did the English Premier League feel the need to remove the English from it...could it be because you as a nation are embarrassed at the fact that there are less English players playing in the Premier League than in any other county in the big four, probably more? Reading through this article I agree with the premise of how stupid Alexi Lalas comments were, as do most Americans who read and saw them and agreed with FIFA. However he is right in saying this is not a semi-retirement home as players have to have more fitness (gee what problem that has become for your very own National Team...can't say it isn't a shock) to get through a season with most of the games played between 29.4 and 43.3 C, while traveling thousand of miles on road trips. While you bash Tim Lovejoy, he made a point on his Soccer USA program that (and this is just league matches and remember the Premier League has more fixtures than Major League Soccer) clubs in MLS on the furthest point travels a little more than five times the distance than Newcastle United or Portsmouth do. Care to explain that one as I'm sure you didn't know that statistic.And I laugh at the players who you think are considered stars in this league? What did you do, just glance at the rosters and only pick out those players who were in the Premier League? Because that is simply laughable at best. I go to Shaka Hislop as my primary example. Was the number one keeper at West Ham United (even started in the FA Cup Final) his final season in the Premier League, for 83 minutes kept England without a goal as keeper of Trinidad and Tobago and yet it took two very fluke goals to beat them. And finally on Shaka Hislop, care to explain why he was the number 3 keeper at FC Dallas and only played with number one keeper Dario Sala was suspended, and do you also care to explain why a youth keeper beat him out for the number 2 position? And while I'm thinking about it, can you possibly explain to me why 4 keepers in your league are Americans? While I'm thinking about it, I would almost guarantee no English keepers would even sniff a first team job in MLS, considering the blunders your goalies love to make week in week out. Now I also see you feel the need to take a swipe at Sky Sports News (another thing I notice, you only seem to bash those bastions of capitalism in England? Is it because your too scared to have the BBC revoke your TV license). Sure you can blame the fact Beckham is in the league for them putting up the the records of those teams involved, however they have been doing this long before Beckham was signed for the Galaxy. Sure you may be asking yourself how the hell I know this, that answer is as simple as Americans getting one hour of Sky Sports Through the Night every single night to follow the Premier League. I find it comical though that you are trying to now justify the Welsh Premier League and the League of Ireland as legitimate leagues. If your looking for true stars in Major League Soccer, start taking a look at Jamie Moreno, Juan Toja, Dwanye DeRosario, Cuahuhtemoc Blanco, Christian Gomez, Taylor Twellman (who will be in the Premier League in January, mark my word), Carlos Ruiz, Ricardinho, Jonathan Borstein, Maykel Galindo, Sacha Kljestan, Ante Razov, and let us not forget about Boca Juniors legend Guillermoe Barros Schelotto (who turned down offers from Europe to play for MLS). Now if you did the research, you would find out that oops none of these players at keepers. I avoided them for the simple fact that 85 percent of keepers playing in MLS are worlds better than any keeper England has produced in the last 40 years. While I'm thinking about it, do you care to answer how is it your rivals do much better in world competitions? Let's take a look at Germany, they play a tried and tested system that has survived over the years. Let's take a look at Italy, as dirty as the English think it is, play a tried and tested system. I'll even take a look at France, as boring and dull as it may sound, play a tried and tested system. When is the last time England have had a tried and tested system? Also why is it that England feel they have to take friendlies seriously when 90 percent of other countries use friendlies to see who fit their systems? I'm going to conclude here as I could end up writing a prose that could end up being longer than the drivel you wrote. All I'm going to say is this, would you want Americans judging the Premier League on the merits of Derby County, Birmingham City...and even Watford and Charlton Athletic last season? Would you want Americans judging the quality of the Premier League based upon Manchester City v Charlton Athletic from last year? If you wouldn't want us doing that, why do you care to judge this league based upon the worst team in Major League Soccer at present? Also care to explain why Germany's C team (and could you name more than 5 of them) beat England's A- team at what your nation consider a fortress? Johnathan Starling

Lalas Attacks "Inferior" EPL

Alexi Lalas makes some excellent points in his discussion with the Guardian, but it is obvious the British media wants to turn him into a laughing stock, and make him appear to be the stereotypical American. Check out the entire interview:

http://football.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,330046416-103,00.html

Parting Thoughts on the EPL Campaign

I am thrilled a small club in a small town like Wigan Athletic has stayed in the Premiership for a third straight year. But without Paul Jewell they won't stay up next year and like Bradford City who Jewell unbelievably kept in the EPL for two years they may end up in League One or Two before long. Since Jewell left Bradford City they have been relegated three times. In the same period he has had Wigan promoted twice. Does anyone really have a better resume for England Manager?
Fulham made a mistake firing Chris Coleman and hiring Lawrie Sanchez. They have to be considered leading relegation candidates for next season.
Something amazing and somewhat disturbing will happen if West Brom beats Derby next week at Wembly. Since I have been following English Football in the late 80s, three clubs that went down from the top flight have never come right back up. In fact, I asked a friend of mine who has followed English Soccer since the 1960s and he doesn't recall it ever happening.
I'm wondering if anyone really wants Joey Barton. Then again their is a constituency for Robbie Savage.
I'm hoping West Ham find a way to convince Carlos Tevez to stay for one more season. Once Tevez got going he was fun to watch despite all of the goings on off the pitch.
Gareth Southgate ought to be on a short leash at Boro. From my perspective he has shown little managing ability thus far.
Spurs fifth place finish was remarkable considering how badly they underperformed during much of the season. They started slowly and then in February got beat 4-0 by Manchester United at White Hart Lane. Quite honestly, Spurs have a good enough squad to crack the party of the big four and I certainly hope they can do it next season. (in the interest of full disclosure I picked Tottenham to finish ahead of Man United this year so I have egg all over my face on that pick.)
Sammy Lee's stewardship of Bolton could lead them to flirt with relegation next season. I am shocked he was selected so qucikly to take the reigns.
Sunderland will finish in the top 10 next season. You heard it hear almost first!
If England or Liverpool don't hire Jewell the next time either manager spot is open, the FA needs to pursue Steve Coppell.
England didn't qualify for the Youth World Cup in Canada this summer, but it's still worth watching for EPL fans. Scotland did qualify and a usual the USA's youth teams qualify for major competitions with more ease than its senior teams. This World Cup maybe Freddy Adu's last great chance to make a mark on the world stage before he floats into the obscurity of an also ran on a small market MLS club. Johann Smith who is owned by Bolton and several Americans playing in Holland and Germany will be on the US Squad.