Welcome to The Footy Way, a blog about everything football – or soccer for those of you without any passion for the game. This is something I’ve been mulling over for a while, with the game being one of my greater passions. I’ve played, refereed, coached and traveled to be around the football and embrace every aspect of the game with one simple mindset: purity. I love nothing more than watching graceful passing, crunching tackles, players making lovely off-the-ball runs and the passion that everything from a cheeky heel flick to the bulging of the old onion bag (net).
Admittedly and proudly, I am a Manchester United supporter. While I have for United a level of passion that borders the spiritual, I’ll always write with a measure of reason and objectivity, as well as a broad approach to the topic of football; after all, such is The Footy Way. A bit more background though. My father is from the Manchester area of the UK and growing up I was from a young age showered with gifts sporting Man United’s Red Devil mascot. I watched games here and there, but was always more interested in hockey at such a tender and naive age...shame. I do recall watching players like Beckham, Giggs, Scholes and the Neville brothers make their way into the United starting eleven, showing something a bit special on the pitch. They did so while demonstrating a real tenacity for the game that seemed to go infect the crowd as they played attractive, attacking football.
The first game I truly recall watching, in all its glory for the moment and horror for the legacy, was during the 1998 World Cup. It was at Ali’s Sports Bar with John Halligan, the both of us wearing our England jerseys, sitting under-aged and revelling in the moment as we were watching a game at a bar like a couple of TRUE supporters. It was during that game, England v. Argentina, that I truly felt for the first time that my gut absolutely wretch as David Beckham was shown a red card, England were defeated on penalties, and I was left gasping.
Since that time, I’ve slowly become more and more infatuated with football. Having been raised in a society more glorifying of hockey, I was sheltered from huge portions of the world’s game. There were those moments that nurtured the passion though, like Manchester United’s miracle Champions League over Bayern Munich in 1999; scoring two goals in stoppage time to turn seemingly assured defeat into European glory and a treble season. Bless.
So, I hope you take the time to have a read of the posts to come, as they’re sure to touch on every aspect of football: ranging from the uneven approach of La Liga, to the realities of MLS, the determination in facing the Russian winter, and the joys of Brazilian beach football – to name a few.
The weekend ahead looks about as lovely as it can get for a football supporter – especially those of neutral colours. Sunday shows promises a derby clash with Chelsea, having let ruthless and clinical form slip away from them over the course of the past month, look to rebound (again) against the in-form and slick Tottenham Hotspur. Also on Sunday, Team Scotland looks to maintain its current spot as league leaders. Much has been made of the recent proficiency of Dunn and Guin in front of goal, while the real question remains: will Bell finally find the back of the net, or is he destined to go the way of David Nugent and anonymity? Davis looks to further his credentials as the league’s top keeper and with the new sponsors chipping in for a new goalie kit, he looks all the part.
Monday offers the duel between Manchester United and Arsenal, with both clubs vying as title contenders once again. Will Rooney recapture his mojo? Is Fabregas fit to start? Can Nasri maintain his brilliance against a determined back four? Will Walcott have earned as spot in the starting eleven after his performance mid-week? Will the physical presence of United overwhelm the Arsenal midfield? One thing that can be said with certainty, the title ambitions of both clubs means this should be an open game.
Back to Chelsea, there is something fundamentally the matter with the London club. It’s not, as some in the football media have suggested, merely a matter of collapse and chaos for the Blues. Nor is it what some have called an eventuality; the idea that at some point, like roulette, you’re eventually going to land on a bad spell of form. Instead what we’re seeing is a lack of steel amongst a team that mainly consists of grizzly veterans of the game, who have perhaps lost the appetite for breaking down the tough and young opponents they are playing week after week. Time will tell.
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