Roy Hodgson: The Right Choice for England

With the announcement that Roy Hodgson has been approached by the FA over the vacant managerial role, there has been a mixed reception. He is an immensely experienced and respected figure around Europe, who has had much success as a manager. He has past international experience, which is a big part in his favour – international management is very different from club management.

It was widely expected that Harry Redknapp would get the job and many pundits and media figures have spent the past few months extolling his virtues. However, it is important now that they get behind Hodgson, if he is confirmed as getting the job.

Roy Hodgson has the experience and respect to perform well in the England job

Concerns about his style of play are also often quoted, particularly from Liverpool fans. However, while his Fulham and West Brom sides have put in some memorable gritty, defensive performances, they have also played some very attractive football, and he simply was not given the time or patience at Liverpool to bring in his players and implement his style of football.

Indeed, at Liverpool, he was given far less time and far less funds than the club’s supposed savour, Kenny Dalglish. If we compare their performances, Dalglish has a winning percentage of 48.6% compared to Hodgson’s 41.9%, but has a net spend of £46.2m to achieve that in contrast to the £2m profit that Hodgson made during his time at the club.

Roy Hodgson is one of those rare English managers that has spent significant time in Europe learning his trade. He was appointed to his first managerial role in 1976 at the age of 28 by Swedish side Halmstads. Having just avoided relegation the previous season, they were almost universally tipped to finish rock-bottom. However, in one of the biggest shocks in Swedish history, Hodgson comfortably led them to the league title. To this day, he still classes this as his greatest achievement. Following another title two years later, he moved to Bristol City, but struggled due to the club’s financial problems.

In 1985, he took over at Malmö, whom he led to five straight league championships, becoming a hero to the fans there, who have unofficially named a part of the new stadium after him. He was offered a lifetime contract at the club, but felt he wanted to move on and challenge himself in new competitions. He moved to Switzerland, managing Neuchâtel Xamax to victories over Celtic and Real Madrid, before being offered the national team role in 1992.

He turned Switzerland into a very strong international outfit, reaching the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup

He led the country to third in the world rankings and the 1994 World Cup, their first in almost 30 years. The feat was all the more impressive considering their group contained Italy, who would go on to finish runners-up, and a Portugal team, featuring the likes of Fernando Couto, Vitor Baía and João Pinto. They went on to qualify from the group stage, but lost in the last 16 to Spain. Qualification for Euro ’96 was fairly straightforward, but Hodgson left in November 1995, before the tournament to join Inter Milan.

Despite the club having started poorly, he led them to a 7th placed finish that was good enough to qualify for the UEFA Cup. The following season he led them to a 3rd placed finish and the final of the UEFA Cup, where they lost on penalties to Schalke. He didn’t have a team of star names, but a strong physical approach proved successful. However, fearing the sack due to not winning the Scudetto, he moved to Blackburn Rovers that summer.

Following a 6th placed finish in his first season, he was being tipped as a future England manager, but a terrible start to the following season saw Blackburn bottom of the table at Christmas, and Hodgson looking for a new job. Spells at Inter, as technical director, Grasshoppers, Copenhagen, Udinese and Viking followed, whilst he was shortlisted for the England job, but lost out to his good friend Sven-Göran Eriksson.

He returned to international football with Finland, where, despite not being able to lead them to Euro 2008, he was hailed as a success, having kept them in contention until the last round of games – a feat virtually unheard of in Finland. However, he rejected a new contract to take over at Fulham.

Having kept Fulham in the Premiership, he led them to a European final within three years

Having kept Fulham in the top division against the odds in his first season, he built a solid team that he would lead to the club’s highest-ever league finish of 7^th in the 2008/09 season. The following year, he would go on to reach the Europa League final, having beaten Juventus, Shakhtar and Hamburg on route, before succumbing to Atletico Madrid in the final.

After an unsuccessful spell at Liverpool, where he was never accepted due to the shadow of Kenny Dalglish, he moved to West Brom, where he led them to their highest finish in three decades of 11^th last season. Indeed, this season, they sit in 10^th position, only three points behind Liverpool in 8^th.

His respect on the continent is so great that he is regularly approached by UEFA’s technical study groups to analyse systems and styles, and to educate and advise future generations. He was one of the pioneers of zonal marking, showing his ability to push the boundaries of tactical theory. This aspect could be one of the leading reasons why the FA have picked him out as their man.

The FA are gearing up for the opening of the new National Football Centre in Burton, designed to be the base for coaching and development in this country. The knowledge that Hodgson possesses in working to develop all levels of the game is far superior to that of Harry Redknapp, the other leading candidate, and shows a more longer-term thinking from the FA than has previously been shown.

Harry Redknapp was expected to be first choice, but appears to have been passed over for the job

Redknapp’s CV is not as stellar as the media have been making out either. Admittedly, getting Tottenham into the Champions League was an excellent achievement, although it did not come without a relatively high expenditure. Other than that, he only has one trophy to his name – the FA Cup with Portsmouth – a success that bankrupted the club.

In the end, it is likely to be this more overall approach from Roy Hodgson that has appealed to the FA. They will have seen the impact of long-term planning in Germany, and with the new Burton project set to open this year, Hodgson will be seen as the focal point to organise everything together.

It would be good for the FA to announce that Hodgson is guaranteed a job until the end of the 2014 World Cup to give him the safety net to build a solid platform for future generations, and for the media to accept him as the England manager, rather than reject him from the beginning, simply for not being the media-darling Harry Redknapp.

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Aston Villa Summer Transfers

It has not been a good season for Aston Villa and the squad needs a great deal of work in the summer. Were I to be the manager rather than Alex McLeish, here is my analysis of the squad and the moves that could led to improvement next year.

Goalkeepers

Shay Given has had a solid season as Villa’s first choice keeper. He missed seven games through injury earlier in the season, but other than that, has been pretty reliable. While he may not be the most commanding of keepers, it is not a position that requires urgent attention in the summer.

Brad Guzan has been at the club for almost four years now, but it looks unlikely that he will remain at Villa Park beyond the summer. He is reportedly asking for around £25k per week to sign a new contract, which for a backup keeper is an unnecessarily high amount.

It sounds as though the likely replacement as the number two choice keeper is set to be Marian Kello. Formerly the first choice keeper at Hearts, he fell out with the hierarchy at the Scottish club and is available on a free transfer, probably on wages of around £10k per week, equalling a small decrease in the wage bill compared to the current level, and significantly cheaper than renewing the Guzan deal.

Marian Kello would be a cheap and solid number two to Shay Given

As the third choice keeper, there is the young Swiss keeper, Benjamin Siegrist. A promising young talent, he was named the best keeper at the 2009 U17 World Cup, and has been solid in the title-winning reserve side.  I would be looking to let him go out on loan to get regular first team football, but with a clause to allow Villa to recall him if there is a crisis in that position.

Defence

The defence could do with some work over the summer. Carlos Cuellar is out of contract, and it remains to be seen whether the club will renew his contract. There are also several other players who could find their positions under threat.

I would be looking at offloading Stephen Warnock and James Collins from the defence. Warnock has been a shadow of the player that he was in his first six months at the club, and was even dropped earlier in the year. Given he is earning around £40k per week, the money could probably be better used, and a transfer fee of around £4m would not be overly unrealistic for the former England international.

James Collins has had some excellent matches in his Villa career, but can also be a bit of a liability at times. I think one of Collins or Dunne has to go, and it is the big Irishman that I think would be a better option to keep at Villa Park. Similarly to Warnock, Collins is believed to be on around £40k per week, and reported transfer fees in the papers in January were suggesting around £5m. Around £4.5m could be a more realistic fee though, and Martin O’Neill is believed to be interested in bringing him to the Stadium of Light.

By moving those two on, it would free up around £80k on the wage bill, as well as around £8.5m in transfer fees. It would leave Richard Dunne and Ciaran Clark as the two remaining senior central defenders, with Nathan Baker as backup, plus Eric Lichaj and Alan Hutton at fullbacks.

Clearly some reinforcements are required. The first player I would be looking at is Manchester United’s young Brazilian fullback, Fabio. Sir Alex Ferguson has already revealed that he is looking to let him go out on loan to a Premiership club next season, and I think Villa could do much worse. He has plenty of energy, provides an option going forward, and he would not cost the club much in wages or a loan fee.

Fabio would be a solid option on loan, giving Clyne time to settle into the Premiership

I would also be looking at bringing in Nathaniel Clyne from Crystal Palace. He is another young fullback with a promising future, and given his contract is expiring in the summer, he would be available for a nominal fee. The question is how he will cope with the step-up to the Premiership, but the presence of Fabio will allow him to be eased in, ready to become the first choice at the beginning of the following season.

That would mean Alan Hutton, Eric Lichaj, Nathaniel Clyne and Fabio all battling for the two fullback slots, which gives plenty of quality and cover.

The first central defender I would be looking at would be the Dutch Brazilian, Douglas. He is available on a free transfer from Steve McClaren’s Twente, and is one of the best defenders in the Dutch league. However, there are a number of other clubs that would undoubtedly be interested and Villa would have to move quickly.

The second player would be Brighton’s Lewis Dunk. The young central defender has been excellent this year. He appears to be very comfortable on the ball, while he is excellent in the air and should bulk up as he gets older. He was linked with Liverpool in the winter, but I suspect he would be available for around £3m in the summer, which would certainly be a risk worth taking.

Lewis Dunk has been excellent for Brighton and would be a great prospect for the future

This would leave Richard Dunne, Ciaran Clark, Douglas and Lewis Dunk fighting for the central defensive slots, with Nathan Baker as a more than capable back-up. It might even be worth allowing him to go out on loan to a Championship side to gain more experience at first-team level.

With the loan of Fabio and the Bosman signings, the total expenditure on transfer fees would be around £3.5-4m, leaving money left over after sorting the defence. The wages saved from offloading Warnock and Collins should pretty much cover these new signings as well, giving a stronger and deeper squad for the same cost.

Midfield

The midfield also needs extensive work. Having lost Gareth Barry, James Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing in recent seasons, as well as the health problems for Stiliyan Petrov, this area is both light on numbers and quality.

Jermaine Jenas will be returning to Tottenham after his ill-fated loan spell at Villa Park, which will obviously not bring in any transfer fees, but will free up £40k per week on the loan budget. Coming back to Villa will be Jean Makoun, after his season at Olympiakos. He has missed a chunk of the season there due to injury, but reports have suggested that the Greek club might be willing to make the move permanent.

Makoun could be staying at Olympiakos permanently having struggled in the Premiership

Given that he is earning around £50k per week, if Olympiakos could be persuaded to pay around £4m for him, I would be tempted to cash in on him, predominantly to free the money for wages.

Fabian Delph has also returned from Leeds due to an injury. Although he has shown brief flashes of his talent, I remain sceptical that he can do it at the top level. I think that if an offer of £2m were received, either from another low-level Premiership side or a Championship team, it would be worth accepting it, thus reducing the wage bill by another £20k.

Despite his improvement this season, I would also be looking at moving Stephen Ireland out. While he has been much better this year, for £80k per week, he should be producing far more. I think were Villa able to get an offer in the region of £4.5m for him, it would certainly be worth cashing in on him.

So, in moving those three out, it would free up £190k per week on wages, as well as around £10.5m to use on transfer fees. However, it would not really weaken the existing midfield, given Jenas and Delph have barely featured recently and Makoun has been out on loan the whole season. The only loss would be Ireland, although his form has been slightly sporadic at times.

This would leave Chris Herd, Barry Bannan, Marc Albrighton, Charles N’Zogbia and Gary Gardner as the only remaining midfielders in the squad. Personally, I would be looking at letting Gary Gardner go out on loan to the Championship for the season to gain more first team experience before throwing him into the Premiership as a regular, leaving just the four midfielders.

Clearly plenty of reinforcements are needed here. The signing of Brett Holman, the Australian winger, from AZ has already been announced, and he should provide added quality and competition on the wing for N’Zogbia and Albrighton.

Luciano Narsingh has been creating goals for fun in the Dutch league over the past two years

However, I would also be looking at bringing in an extra winger to add further competition, particularly as Albrighton is yet to really push on after a good first season last year. My suggestion would be Heerenveen’s Dutch winger, Luciano Narsingh. The winger is only 21, but was joint-top of the assist charts with Christian Eriksen with 16, and tops the charts again this season with 20 assists in 30 matches. He is very quick and good at running with the ball, whilst clearly having a good final ball. Heerenveen have already indicated that Narsingh is likely to leave in the summer, and a fee of around £4.5m should be enough to tempt him over to Villa Park.

That would give four good players battling for the two spots on the wing. Moving onto the centre, we currently only have Chris Herd and Barry Bannan. The first signing has been much mentioned by fans – that of Mohamed Diamé from Wigan. Available on a free transfer, he is a solid holding midfielder, strong in the tackle and is comfortable on the ball, as one would expect from a player who has spent three years working with Roberto Martinez. He would also provide a physical presence to what is currently a pretty lightweight midfield.

The next signing would be Beñat Etxebarria from Real Betis. A second holding midfielder, he came through the youth ranks at Bilbao, before making his name at Betis. He was a key part of Betis’ promotion campaign last year, and has been one of their better performers in La Liga this season as well. He has chipped in with four goals and four assists in addition to his harrying presence in the centre of the park. He would likely be available for around £4m.

Herd, Diamé and Beñat should provide a solid core to the midfield allowing a slightly more creative player to float. Barry Bannan would be the closest that currently exists in the squad, but I would suggest taking a risk in this position. This risk would be Holman’s current AZ teammate, Adam Maher.

Maher is only 18-years old, but has really sparkled this season, with eight goals and six assists in his breakthrough season. His game is centred around passing and movement – he has excellent vision and has the technique to execute the passes – while he has excellent dribbling abilities with both feet. While he is still young and a little lightweight, this could be worked on as he gets older, and he looks a real prospect.

Adam Maher would be a risk, but it could be an inspired signing

While he would undoubtedly be a risk, it could be one that pays off. A fee of £6m may seem a lot for an 18-year old, but his wages would not be astronomical, and if it failed to pay off, he would certainly have some resale value. Were it to pay off, he could be an excellent player for years to come.

These three signings would cost around £14.5m, but the wage bill would still be reduced significantly, while the squad would certainly be no weaker, and potentially much strengthened.

Strikers

There is not a huge amount of work that needs to be done in the striking department. Emile Heskey will almost certainly leave in the summer, freeing up £40k per week in wages. Similarly, I would be looking to try and move Nathan Delfouneso on, given he has not really progressed as hoped for. If a fee of around £1.5m was possible, I would certainly take that.

That would leave Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann as the three remaining strikers at the club. There is plenty of ability and potential there, but I think one additional striker as a different option would be ideal. Bent has the finishing ability, Agbonlahor has the pace, Weimann has the work-rate, but there is not a real physical presence amongst them.

Steven Fletcher would be a good addition to the Villa front line

I would be tempted to look at Steven Fletcher from Wolves. Even in a struggling Wolves side, he has reached double figures for each of the last two seasons, and he features pretty highly in terms of aerial performance amongst strikers this season. Wolves would be looking to recoup much of what they paid for him, so an offer of around £6m should hopefully be enough to clinch his signature.

Conclusion

These moves would hopefully strengthen the squad, as well as laying a base for future development with plenty of younger players getting an opportunity. In terms of expenditure, we would be looking at recouping £21m and spending £23.5m, giving an overall net spent of just £2.5m. Clearly, were there to be additional funds to spent, slightly higher profile targets could be drawn up. In terms of wages, we would be looking at cuts of around £350k per week, while I imagine the new signings would probably be looking at around £270k per week, giving an overall reduction in the wage bill as well.

Shay Given would be the obvious option in goal, while he would two of Douglas, Clark, Dunne and Dunk in front of him, with two of Hutton, Clyne, Fabio and Lichaj on the flanks. Plenty of solid options and depth there. N’Zogbia and Narsingh on the wings, backed up by Albrighton and Holman gives good attacking options, while Herd, Beñat and Diamé provide the holding option in midfield, with Maher or Bannan creating the chances ahead of them. Finally, any combination of Bent, Agbonlahor, Fletcher and Weimann up front gives various options and goals.

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Football in Lebanon: From Violence to Unification

Football in Lebanon is a curious thing. Both a unifying forces and a potential spark for sectarian violence.

When Lebanon faced the UAE in their final group match in the third qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup, the country came to a standstill. Pupils were given the day off school, shops closed and the bars were packed. With the opportunity to qualifying for the final round for the first time in their history, the entire population congregated around television sets.

However, this is a country where there was an entire stadium ban on the domestic league for six years, stretching from the aftermath of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, until 2011 when the Lebanese government, inspired by the success of the national team, overturned the decision.

Following the assassination of Rafik Hariri, there was a stadium ban throughout the Lebanese domestic league

Following the crisis in 2005, the government banned supporters from attending matches in the domestic league, due to a fear that club rivalries would descend into a full-scale armed conflict. In Lebanon, the majority of clubs are financed by political parties and are linked to specific religious confessions.

For example, Al-Ahed is backed by Hezbollah, while Al-Nejmeh and Al-Ansar were closely linked to the assassinated former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. Christian majorities tend to support La Sagesse and Salam Zgharta, while Shabab al Ghazieh is a Shia Muslim side, while Safa Beirut is linked to Druze party politicians.

These tensions have often broken out into violence, with players and coaches as well as fans targeted. Just one example was that in 2007 where Al-Nejmeh’s Hussein Dokmak and Hussein Neim were killed in a roadside bombing on their return from training.

However, the recent upsurge in the national team’s fortunes, combined with the lowered sense of tension in the country as a whole has seen fans allowed back into the stadia, and the new season has been greeting with record crowds as people flock to see live football once again.

Theo Bucker has turned around the fortunes of the Lebanese national side

Three events will mark the rise of the Lebanese national team from the ashes though. The first was the decision to appoint Theo Bucker as the coach of the national side. The German, who enjoyed a successful playing career in his homeland has coached a number of teams around the Middle East in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Kuwait. Often compared to his countryman, Otto Rehagel, who led Greece to the European Championships, he has brought a professionalism and tactical nous to the Lebanese team that they have never had before.

However, the biggest boost that Bucker has brought was his success in coaxing Youssef Mohammad and Roda Antar, two former Lebanese national team captains, back into the fold. Mohammad, a former captain of FC Koln in Germany, and Antar, who enjoyed many successful years in the Bundesliga with Hamburg, Freiburg and FC Koln, have been instrumental in the success of the national side over the past twelve months.

Roda Antar was coaxed back into the national set-up by new coach, Theo Bucker

The second event was their stunning 2-1 victory over Asian powerhouse, South Korea. Coming into the match, Lebanon were on the back of several impressive results including a 3-1 victory over the UAE and a 1-0 victory against Kuwait. However, nothing had suggested what was to come.

In front of over 40,000 fans at a packed Cite Sportive, Lebanon did not simply sit back and defend – they tried to play good football. Inspired by captain, Roda Antar, they came out of the blocks flying. Five minutes in, Ali al-Saadi had the ball in the South Korean net, sparking delirious celebrations amongst the home supporters.

However, Koo Ja Cheol would soon equalise from the penalty spot and it looked as though everything was back to normal. The Koreans had beaten Lebanon 6-0 in Seoul six months earlier, and it seemed only a matter of time until they took the lead.

It appeared, though, as if nobody had told Lebanon the script. On the half hour mark, Mahmoud al-Ali was brought down in the area, and Abbas Atwi stepped up to restore Lebanon’s lead.

Ali al-Saadi gives Lebanon a shock lead against the South Koreans

In the second half, the expected barrage came. Ziad al-Samad in goal was magnificent, as were his defenders – Walid Ismail, Ahmad Zreik and al-Saadi. However, Lebanon were able to hold on for a magnificent victory and move to second in the group and within touching distance of a historic place in the final qualifying round.

The third event was the culmination of this part of the campaign. Despite losing 4-2 to the UAE in their final group match, South Korea’s victory over Kuwait guaranteed the Cedars’ a place in the final round of qualifying for the first time in their history.

The foreign players in the team have made a huge difference to the fortunes of the Cedars. The experience of Sweden-based Abbas Hassan in goal has proved a calming influence, while Youssef Mohammad has been a rock at the heart of the defence. The star of the team, though, is the captain, Roda Antar. Having played for over eight years in the Bundesliga, the creative midfielder is the driving force behind the whole team. In the words of Bucker, “if Antar plays, we win. He is 50 percent of the game.”

The recent success of the national team has brought a number of local-based players to the attention of foreign scouts. 21-year old holding midfielder, Haytham Faour, inspirational in the victory over South Korea, has been linked with several French teams.

Hassan Maatouk is another who is receiving rave reviews. His record of 13 goals in 24 appearances for the national team is comfortably the best of Lebanon’s strikers, and his record of 89 goals in 120 matches domestically shows that he knows how to score goals. He currently plays for Ajman in the UAE, where Maradona has described his as one of the league’s outstanding players. Linked with Dortmund and a host of French sides, a move seems likely in the summer. At only 24-years old, he has plenty of time left to improve.

Hassan Maatouk is being linked with moves to Europe in the summer

While, in Lebanon, the Premier League continues to be the most talked about topic, the national team and the resurrection of the domestic league means that Lebanese football is beginning to come back from the ashes. With thousands flocking back to domestic matches following the lifting of the ban, violence has thus far been pleasantly absent from proceedings.

The political situation is Lebanon is notorious for its ability to descend into conflict in an instant. However, for now, it appears that football is doing its part to unite a country, divided by ethnic and religious differences. The success of the national team has provided an inspiration to grassroots football in Lebanon, which in turn is doing its part to bring people together peacefully. While there is a long way to go, the beautiful game could be set to help heal the wounds of many years of war and conflict in Lebanon.

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Laura Trott: Star of the London Olympics?

At only 19-years old, Laura Trott has shot to prominence as one of the potential stars of the London Olympics over the last week.

Having been part of the women’s team pursuit team that won gold and smashed the world record twice in a day, she followed it up by clinching her second gold medal in three days when she won the women’s omnium. At this moment in time, she is the only member of the British cycling team that is guaranteed the opportunity to win multiple medals at the London Olympics.

Laura Trott could be set for multiple gold medals at the London Olympics this summer

Wearing her traditional union flag nail varnish, she does not match the general impression of a leading cyclist. At only five foot tall and eight stone in weight, it makes one wonder where she finds the speed and power that has propelled her from nowhere to the brink of greatness. She was only promoted into the senior programme of British cycling last year, yet she is now a strong favourite for a brace of gold medals in the velodrome this summer.

Her upbringing has hardly been simple. Born with a collapsed lung, she was kept in special care for six weeks, developing an asthma problem at the same time. She took up cycling to build up her strength, but also showed promise as a trampolinist before health problems ended her participation. “I kept passing out randomly in mid-air, so obviously it was too dangerous to carry on.”

One of the other problems that she has are vomiting attacks, brought on by high stomach acid levels. They afflict her after almost every race and intensive training sessions, but she has learned to deal with it over the years. Indeed, she laughs it off when she is invariably asked about it after every race.

At the World Championships in Melbourne this past week, the impact that she made was in stark contrast to her diminutive figure. Seven weeks ago, the British trio of Trott, Jo Rowsell and Dani King set a new world record for the team pursuit of 3 minutes 18.184 seconds. However, in the qualifying in Melbourne, after the Australians had lowered that record, the British trio smashed that, recording a time of 3:16.850 to set up an intriguing final.

The question was not whether the record would fall – it was by how much. At the half-way point, the Australian trio had a lead of over 1.5 seconds. However, there was no panic from the Brits and they steadily clawed back the gap before pulling away with seeming ease. In the end, they won by over a second, smashing the world record. The joy on their faces was clear as the time flashed up on the big screens – 3:15.720.

The British team pursuit team broke the world record twice in a day to win gold at the World Championships

Two days later, Trott returned to the velodrome to attempt to win the omnium, a new event recently introduced to the Olympics. It combines endurance, sprint and solo disciplines to create a single overall classification over a two-day period.

By the end of the first day, Trott held the overall lead. She had won the 200m time trial, finished eighth in the points race, formerly her weakest discipline, and had won the elimination event.

Nerves plagued her throughout the night. "My head was going round, what if this happens? What if that happens? What if I crash in the scratch race? It will be all over. This morning I felt like I had a hangover. The dope control came round at 8.30am. I was already up because I couldn't sleep."

She returned to the velodrome on Saturday morning determined not to throw it away. She began by clinching third place in the individual pursuit, edging further ahead of her Australian rival, Annette Edmondson. She merely ensured she finished ahead of Edmondson in the scratch race, before underlining her dominance with victory in the 500m time trial to clinch the overall gold medal.

Trott won individual gold in the omnium, winning three of the six disciplines

Only two years ago, she was hoping for an Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. However, a first senior gold medal in the 2010 European Championships gave her hope of breaking into the squad for 2012 and she has not looked back. A brace of European gold medals in 2011 followed before her golden World Championships last week.

She has an infectious personality and, if she is not one already, could become a household name come the end of the Olympics this summer. If she does not win those two gold medals, it will not be through lack of effort. Her pugnacious attitude is summed up in one quote: "Too many girls just pussy-foot around. I just get stuck in."

Regardless, the 19-year old pocket-sized Cheshunt cyclist is one to watch, not only in the summer, but for many years to come.



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Serena Williams - Predictably Unpredictable

Almost everything about Serena Williams appears to be a curious contradiction.

The perfectly manicured, fashion-obsessed glamour girl image off the court is the polar opposite of the fiercely competitive and emotional person that she becomes the moment she steps on court. She will be remembered for her tirades at the officials, most famously in the US Open final last year and the US Open semi-final in 2009, but she rarely argues line calls, and even apologises if she incorrectly challenges a decision.

Her occasional high-profile spats with umpires are in contrast to her normal professional demenour

She also splits followers of ladies tennis into two separate fields. Her detractors argue that she shows little appreciation for the game of tennis that has brought her the fame and fortune. Her recent comments that she does not really love tennis will simply add fuel to the fire. Her fans argue that she is one of the greatest talents to play the game. The fate of the likes of Hingis and Capriati, both of whom burned out far too young, supports Serena’s decision to play a much-reduced schedule.

However, despite her long and regular absences from the game, the expectations on her shoulders when she does step on court are unlike anything else. There is almost no other player who could miss several months, then return as one of the strong favourites for a Grand Slam title.

Last summer at Wimbledon, she lost to Marion Bartoli in what was only her second tournament after eleven months out of the game. The same Marion Bartoli that is a top 10 player and former Wimbledon finalist. Yet, the shock at the result spoke volumes. Despite all the circumstances, no matter how much tennis she has missed, nobody expects Serena Williams to lose. Ever.

She certainly has the X-factor that almost no other player in the ladies game seems to have. Whenever she does not play, the result is always tempered by the fact that Serena was not there. When she does play, you often feel that the majority of opponents are beaten before they step onto the court.

 

She has that presence on court. Whether it is her build, whether it is her list of honours, whether it is simply the buzz around the ground when she plays, there is a degree of intimidation for her opponents. Ana Ivanovic has admitted as much.

Ivanovic has admitted that Serena is an intimidating opponent on court

When Serena was asked about it, she replied, “No, I don’t try [to intimidate her opponent]. I just am. I am who I am. I don’t know whether that’s intimidating or not. I am just me.”

The most stand-out quality that Serena possesses is a supreme confidence in her own ability. The key lesson that she learned from her father is simple – that she was born to be the best. Her game is certainly helped by her serve – almost unrivalled in the history of women’s tennis. 

However, the most important aspect of her game is her fighting ability. She has such unshakeable confidence in herself. Whatever the situation in a match, she never accepts that she is beaten. Indeed, she rarely gives an opponent credit when she wins – she believes that every match is on her racquet. If she has lost, it is because of how she has played, rather than how her opponent has played. If she plays well, she will win. That is her mind-set. No questions, no doubts.

The attention that her occasional outbursts receive, though, is interesting and raised a couple of questions. She rarely loses control, but when she does, it is certainly memorable. However, she is hardly the only tennis player to lose control in such a way. Her fellow countryman, Andy Roddick, is renowned for his rants at umpires. Even Roger Federer on rare moments has snapped with officials, telling the umpire to “stop showing me your hand. Stop telling me to be quiet. I don’t give a **** what he said.”

Could it be a gender issue? Could it be a racial issue? Or is it just a Serena issue?

Is it that we don’t expect to hear the kind of things that she is saying from a woman? That women should be more lady-like in such situations. Could it be the fact that to a predominantly-white audience, her actions appear more threatening?

The question of whether Williams is treated different from the other top players due to her race is always there

If one of the other top players – say Maria Sharapova or Caroline Wozniacki – had said the same things, would the reaction have been different. The commonly-held stereotype of the angry black woman that has been built through popular culture could have influence the reaction to Serena’s outbursts. 

Race issues have always bubbled under the surface throughout the career of Serena Williams. The constant references from commentators, fans and pundits alike to her ‘brute strength’ and ‘intimidating presence’ all have racial undertones, while her long-running boycott of the Indian Wells tournaments show she is not afraid to stand up for her beliefs.

Regardless of everything though, it is impossible to understate the impact that she has had on the women’s game. She has recently entered her thirties, but few would bet against her adding to her 13 Grand Slam titles. Even if she plays little outside these tournaments, she will still be in the elite group of players that are talked about as potential champions.

It all goes back to the constant contradictions. Beauty and power. Perfectly manicured, yet fiercely emotional. Most importantly, predictable, yet unpredictable. Every time she steps on the court, you know exactly what you are going to get. Yet, you also know anything could happen.

It is riveting television. It is the attention that only one player can draw. That player is Serena Williams.

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