Saturday, January 9, 2010

Of lions, 'game' keepers, books and Africa


Kingborough Lions United are looking for a goalkeeper.


Jason Voss has joined Tilford Zebras, while the club’s under-19 keeper is unavailable this season.


Kingborough has David Leamey, of course, and he has been training well, but coach Geoff Freeman is keen to have back-up and to make his keepers fight for places in the seniors.


“It’s disappointing to lose some good young keepers from last season,” Freeman said.


“David Leamey has been training well, but it is important that we have someone to provide competition for the senior jersey.”


The Lions are into full pre-season training, with sessions at Calvin High School in Sophia Street on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6.30pm until 8pm, and on Sundays from 11am to 1pm.


All sessions finish with a 'cool-down' period at Kingston Beach.


“All sessions consist of fitness work devised by our strength and conditioning trainer, Marcello Marchioli, and ball work and small-sided games,” said Kingborough’s Warren Iles.


“Numbers have been good so far with at least 30 players at each session.


“If anyone is interested in trying out for a goalkeeping position, they should phone Geoff Freeman on 0428 295 426, or just roll up at one of the sessions.”


*****


South Hobart coach Ken Morton is also on the lookout for a keeper.


He has Sam Kruijver fit again after he missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, as well as Mark Moncur, but he wants cover for both of these experienced custodians.


South Hobart leave on Thursday for Melbourne and will play a South Melbourne Hellas youth side that evening.


They will meet the South Melbourne senior side at Bob Jane Stadium on Saturday and return home on Sunday.


South will send a youth side to Wollongong near the end of January, while David Smith may bring a Northern New South Wales youth side to Hobart in about the middle of January to play South Hobart’s youth side.


*****


If you’re looking for something inspirational to read while you’re waiting for the season to start, here are some suggestions.


“Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics”, by Jonathon Wilson, is the story of the tactical development of the game and deals with the methods of some wonderful characters and coaches who have been hugely influential over the decades. AC Milan, under Arrigo Saachi, would always do a training routine where five defenders played against ten opponents and the ten could never ever manage to score.


“A Cultured Left Foot: The Eleven Elements of Footballing Greatness,” by Musa Okwonga, is a marvellous read and some of the anecdotes are just riveting, including one about Rivelino and Pele.


“Forza Italia: A journey in search of Italy and its football”, by Paddy Agnew, is a must for anyone interested in Italian football, culture and journalism. You'll never look at Serie A in the same way.


“The Lost Babes: Manchester United and the Forgotten Victims of Munich”, by Jeff Connor, may not make pleasant reading for present-day rabid Manchester United fans, but it puts things into perspective in terms of how some modern-day clubs might be regarded as just business corporations.


“Salaam Stanley Mathews”, by Subrata Dasgupta, is magnificent. It’s more than just about an Indian boy’s love of football and cricket. It’s also about the migrant experience in Britain and the cultural conflicts that afflict both Indians and Britons and how both groups can be discriminatory towards each other.


“El Diego”, By Diego Maradona, with Daniel Arcucci and Ernesto Cherquis Bialo and translated by Marcela Mora Y Araujo. What makes the man tick? Read this before the World Cup in South Africa starts.


“Brilliant Orange: The neurotic genius of Dutch football”, by David Winner. Ever wondered why the Dutch play such good football but rarely, if ever, win anything? Find out in this book. What are some of the greatest Dutch players doing now? One lives quietly in a village in Holland and spends his time fishing and thinking very little of football. He thinks a lot of pundits talk rubbish about the game. Another talks about his time at AC Milan and of how he and just one other defender could always combine to keep up to five opponents scoreless in a training routine.


“Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer”, by Garry Nelson. Ever dreamed of being a football star on the world stage? Well, this is a reality check and sums up how it is for most footballers who don’t make it to the very top.


“Best and Edwards: Football, Fame and Oblivion”, by Gordon Burn. A fascinating comparison between George Best and Duncan Edwards, the former who squandered his talents in many ways, and the latter, who died before he could show the world how great he really was. There is a small link with Tasmania here in that Best played here twice, while local Huon Valley resident Gordon Nutt, the former Arsenal player, played against Edwards in the last game the Busby Babes played in England before the Munich air crash. United beat Arsenal 5-4 that day at Highbury before 63,578 fans and Nutt made at least two of the Gunners’ goals.


“The Second Most Important Job in the Country”, by Niall Edworthy, is the story of England’s managers, from Sir Walter Winterbottom’s tenure from 1946 to 1962, through to Sir Alf Ramsey (1963-1973), Don Revie (1974-1977), Ron Greenwood (1977-1982), Sir Bobby Robson (1982-1990), Graham Taylor (1990-1993), Terry Venables (1994-1996) and Glenn Hoddle (1996-1999). Only the prime minister has a more important job in England. If only the same applied in Australia!


“Arsene Wenger: The Professor”, by Myles Palmer. Everyone knows who Arsene is, and what he has achieved, so this should appeal to more than just Gunners fans. Wenger actually coached Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan before becoming supremo at Highbury (and now the Emirates), so there is a tenuous link with Tasmania in that Nagoya Grampus Eight came to Hobart for a two-week pre-season training camp in 1993 (not while Wenger was in charge, though).


“Football Memories”, by Brian Glanville, the doyen of world football writers. This is Glanville’s reminiscences of 50 years of covering the world game. I always need my weekly fix of Glanville’s column in the on-line edition of “World Soccer”. Previously, I’d have to wait four weeks for his column in the monthly magazine, “World Soccer”. Brian first helped me to get published in “World Soccer” in London (and to get paid for it) with articles about Craig Johnston of Liverpool, Dominic Longo of Cercle Brugge, and Hans van Breukelen, the Dutch international goalkeeper of Nottingham Forest. We’ve kept in touch now and then since and the 'inside' stories he can tell are sensational.


“On the Corinthian Spirit: The Decline of Amateurism in Sport”, by D J Taylor. Describes the changing moral universe, with its implications for sport and everything else in the world. Thierry Henry should read this book.


“A Strange Kind of Glory: Sir Matt Busby and Manchester United”, by Eamon Dunphy. The status of the author alone should make this a ‘must-read’.


“Bob Paisley: Manager of the Millennium”, by John Keith. A painful experience for any Liverpool supporter because Rafa Benitez is now at the helm. The foreword is by Kenny Dalglish.


“The Real Arsenal: From Chapman to Wenger”, by Brian Glanville. An absolute necessity for all true Gunners fans, this is the unofficial story of Arsenal. Such books are always much more interesting, especially from a writer of Glanville's calibre, than are the sanitised official histories put out by clubs.


“For Club and Country: The Best of The Guardian Obituaries”, by Brian Glanville. A wonderful example of this specialised form of writing. Glanville writes footballers’ obituaries for The Guardian newspaper.


*****


In what may be an ill omen for the World Cup in South Africa, three Togo national team players have been injured in a machinegun attack on the team bus on the eve of the African Cup of Nations tournament, which kicks off in Angola tomorrow.


Several players were badly injured and the Togo team, understandably, now does not want to compete in the tournament.


Togo were due to open their campaign against Ghana (Australia’s opponents in the World Cup) on Monday.


The incident occurred as the bus carrying the team crossed from the Democratic Republic of Congo into Angola on Friday.


It is a miracle that no-one was killed in the attack.

28 comments:

Uncle Steve said...

I believe Tom Sherman is keen to take up a keepers role at a club after his outstanding extra time display in last years state finals playoff against South Hobart.

Maybe King is a good option for him.

Anonymous said...

Walter,

Unfortunately the bus driver was killed in the attack in Angola.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/09/2788761.htm

Anonymous said...

sounds ominous for the south and kingborough keepers

Anonymous said...

Interesting that Voss has gone to Zebras... I wonder If it was his decision or If he was asked?

Look out Kaden...

mr john murphy said...

FYI - with NT Eagles pulling the plug, Sth Hobart went ahead with a 'full bottle' intra-club seniors vs youth practice game today at Wellesley. Final score 6-4 to a very strong seniors team (only G. Upton missing) - I think I know which team would be most satisfied with that result.

Chuq said...

Off topic Walter - but the "Calcium, Deadened and Braised" post has been deleted? You weren't threatened by the Merc were you?

Anonymous said...

I'd love to put my hand up to have a go with Borough or South but knee ops and pending outbound expatriation will mean this will be the first season in 7 years that I won't play. Damn. It feels weird. I'm going to miss football dearly.

Walter said...

Chuq, you're very perceptive.

Coxy said...

voss has chosen a great club ;)

Walter said...

The latest is that three people - the bus driver, the Togo assistant coach and the team's press attache - were killed. A goalkeeper was seriously wounded and has been flown to a hospital in South Africa.

The only thing that saved the team was that the rebels attacked the first bus in the convoy. That bus was carrying the team's kit and other equipment. The players were in the second bus and had the rebels opened up on that first, probably everyone would have been killed. As it is, six players have been wounded.

Adebayor is reported to be on his way back to the UK already and the team seems certain to withdraw.

Football follower said...

The rebels have said star players are fair game and so players such as Essien and Drogba are in real danger. I don't think the tournament should go ahead.

This raises concerns about South Africa, a country where there are 50 murders a day!

Jason Voss said...

Anonymous 4:11

To answer your question it was a mixture of both.

Anonymous said...

Re Books..Can I suggest "The damned United" by D.Peace. The movie is coming out in February

Anonymous said...

I think the only people that should be worried by the Voss move should be the Zebras Reserve defense...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvUYwu6ygXM

Walter said...

Anonymous (12.03am), of course you can suggest books. "The Damned United" is, by all accounts, a good read. The movie will be well worth watching, too.

My list was books that I have read and wanted to recommend.

If readers have other titles that they like and would recommend, please mention them in a comment.

Rage against the machine said...

It will be interesting to see how Voss goes at Zebras but what will be even more interesting will be how Zebras copes with Voss Senior.

Has Bubbles pulled the pin all together??

Jason Voss said...

I am pretty sure the Zebras will not have any problems with Voss senior and I dont really know why there would be any problems in the first place

Anonymous said...

quality kick in that youtube vid, I can't stop laughing

Tommy said...

I read Brilliant Orange years ago - it's an absolute fantastic read, I wholly recommend it to all, especially those that are fans of Dutch football from the Total Football era.

grand master not so flash said...

Thought I saw Voss jr at sunday's South vs Taroona practice game - thought he might have heard that Kenny Morton is looking for another back up keeper - after all you cant stockpile too much talent, can you?

Richard Bennett said...

"the damned united" is the best football themed movie I have seen. the actors have captured the characters brilliantly and the story of the clough/taylor relationship is based on the book written by a close confidant of both men.

we will not see the likes of them I'm sure in the future. although game is more of a business now what manager could take a club like Norwich, Crystal Palace level at the moment to win the premier league within 3 years. They did that twice.

Unknown said...

Bennett, Clough was a raging queen who frequented nancy boy bars in the midlands all the time

Richard Bennett said...

madmcglone
yes but he was "our" raging nancy boy queen and footballing genius/ miracle worker.

if mary mackillop is getting sainthood the pope needs to look at the miracles in the midlands 1968-1988. although cloughie would have knocked it back untill his equal could present it too him. john paul aint' in that league.

Richard Bennett said...

by the way how are you coping with the weather macca?

it's a bit like a balmy glasgow day here.

Unknown said...

The weather here is horrendous, no respite predicted either. Copenhagen was a waste of time. I've lost interest in soccer, I reckon my time down there had a profound effect on me, watching talentless idiots pulling on the shirt due to halfwitted coaches rubber stamping their presence on the field. I used to love the game, booze and depression didn't help either. I'm sure you know what I mean. As far as Clough was concerned, the man was as heterosexual as the singer from "right said fred" and I take back my utterings. Messrs Huigsloot Eamonn Kelly and Farrell Shaw were the only guys who ever came up to me and said thanks for playing mate. Anyway enough self pity. Good to see South Hobart getting success and not falling by the wayside like calies.

Unknown said...

ps I Jock Stein in the cannonisation process too

Richard Bennett said...

as always cutting to the chase macca. I'm hearing ya.

a little ice on the wrist and keep the fluids up we need you in top form for the blog.

R U Serious Ref said...

The Damned United is well worth the watch gentlemen. Very FUNNY