Football Corner

The fourth of my Footballing Interview's comes from Swiss Toni over at a very very good blog called CheerUpAlanShearer (I would recommend you look at it). You may of read my other interview's but if you haven't the interview's are about all the recent topics in football. I hope you enjoy the latest installment.

The Interview:

FC: First of all, do you think that goal-line technology should be brought into the game?

ST: Hm. Interesting question. On the one hand, it seemsridiculous in this day and age that mistakes asfundamental as this can be made. Did the ball crossthe line or not? It's a simple enough thing toresolve with technology isn't it? On the whole, Ithink that it would be a bad thing. May I make acricket analolgy? Run outs are now routinely referredto the third umpire to make a decision, even when itis patently obvious if they are in or out.

This addsdelay to the game. In a 5 day game, this isn't toobad, and it does add to the spectacle. They recentlytrialled extending the use of technology in cricket tohelp adjudicate on things like lbw decisions, and itwas generally thought to be a bad thing, as itsignificantly slowed the game down, and because theumpires get things right 99/100 anyway.

I think thesame thing applies to football. I think referees getit right most of the time, and if you give playersanother avenue of appeal, they will use it all of thetime. First it will be goaline decisions, thenpenalty decisions, then off-sides.... no. I think itwould be a bad move. The game works fine without it. Ask me again when it costs England the world cupfinal rather than winning it for them!

FC: Do you think Chelsea's money in the game is good or bad?

ST: As the supporter of a smaller club (WolverhamtonWanderers), I find it really quite funny that sideslike Arsenal and Manchester Utd are moaning aboutbeing priced out of the market by Abramowich'sbillions. They are only experiencing what the rest ofus have known for years, and I don't feel in the leastbit sorry for them. Anyway - Chelsea may be able toafford anyone they want, but it remains to be seen ifthey can keep them all happy.

Do they want a squad full of Winston Bogardes, happy to sit in the reservesand take the cash, or do they want a team ofthrusting, ambitious professionals? If they want thelatter, then they will struggle to keep them all happy- I think the departure of a player like Scott Parkeris significant: he is an England international and hefelt he had to leave to further his career. We have also heard rumblings from players like William Gallasand even Arjen Robben.... how soon before SeanWright-Phillips moves on? Footballers and football clubs are greedy and grasping and will always take themost money available, and at the moment that lookslike it will always come from Chelsea. It will balanceitself out over time though. They can still only play11 men at a time. Mourinho is the real key forChelsea - Ranieri had the money but not the talent!

FC: Who in your eyes is the best player in the world + best young player?

ST: Best Player in the World - Zinedine Zidane, still. Not only does he have the best haircut in worldfootball, but I have never seen a player so talented with the ball *and* so effective. He's got all the tricks, but he's not a show pony. Magnificent player. I was luckyenough to see him play in Madrid, and what struck me was how he managed to beat players withoutactually moving the ball, just with the movement ofhis body. Amazing. Make the most of him whilst he'sstill playing. (actually, I was mistaken for Zidane whilst I was in Madrid... possibly this was due to myhairline and my height rather than my amazing ballcontrol)

Best Young Player in the World - has to be Rooney doesn't it?

FC: Who do you think will win the Champions League?

ST: Champions League - Juventus were my tip at thestart of the season and I'm sticking with it.

FC: Who do you think will win the UEFA Cup?

ST: UEFA cup - I have no idea. This seems to be completely passing me by. I hate the way that you can drop out of the European Cup and into this as your safety net.... totally devalues it for me. Not bothered at all who wins, although the Liverpool v Alaves final was one of the best games I have ever seen.

FC: Who do you think will win the Premiership?

ST: Wigan. Oh alright. Chelsea.

FC: Who do you think will win La Liga?

ST: La Liga is a great league - and I love the fact that Osasuna are currently top. I'd love to see them win it, but I suspect that Barca will win it again. I'm a Real Madrid man, but the lack of a proper defence will keep on costing them.

FC: Who do you think will win Seire A?

ST: I support Roma here, but I think Juve will win it again. Just too strong.

FC: And finally, out of those three leagues which one do you think is better?

ST: I find Italian football a bit boring, and I have memories of switching off the Milan derby in the early-90s to watch Peterborough playing someone on ITVsimply because it was a more entertaining game. TheSpanish league can be fantastic to watch, but it can also be variable. I love watching Madrid simply because they have some of the most wonderful players in the world, but are always prone to self-destruct because they won't play a proper defence (Salgado and Roberto Carlos are wingers really and so we often see Leeds-reject Raul Bravo anchoring the defence. I hope Woodgate gets fit so we can watch him try to make adifference. Most games Iker Casillas is the only thing that keeps them in games. He's the luckiest goalkeeper I have ever seen - the ball just seems to hit him). The premiership is helter-skelter, but the quality is generally poor. I watch it the most and I am the most familiar with it, but it is generally fairly predictable, and is now dominated by middle of the road teams like Bolton, Charlton andMiddlesborough. Fair play to them, but they are no texciting to watch. That's a bit of a "none of theabove" answer, isn't it?

My thanks to Swiis Toni.

Oh and by the way if you would like to read the other interview's please check around in my archives!