Football transfers: Of player ambitions, club aspirations and owner evaluations!

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After the conclusion of the regular footballing season, you can safely say that the perennial transfer merry go-round has well and truly begun. With the wheeling-dealing clubs running after player swaps to get through their desired transfer targets and the richer ones flaunting their proverbial 'moneybag', the current transfer window has more become an auction than a pursuit. With over the moon figures being shelled out for players and more importantly clubs going lock,sock and barrel to meet the respective wage and contract demands, the essence of the beautiful game is somewhere lost in the cheque book. The essence being the football player. Gone were the days when a club used to respect a player's ambition and understand that in his tenderness when he first kicked the ball, he too had a club in those young, dreamy eyes that he wished to play for. He too was....

Will Carrington send another class of '92 to battle La Masia?

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Demolition, capitulation or strangulation call it whatever you want, Barcelona's fourth triumph at the zenith of the European Stage most certainly deepened the wounds that were inflicted in 2009. With the fullbacks surprisingly refusing to let off their midfield patch, Barca really gave United what they deserved, a lesson in the beautiful game. It is not like United haven't done the same, it was virtually the same set of individuals if not better that were left high and dry at their own fortress in the semi-finals of 2007-08 edition and saw a vintage Paul Scholes strike to end their hopes of featuring at the Luhzniki Stadium in Moscow for the final. But what you say in 2011, was something different. Matching wavelengths, eye contact to make the crucial pass, feet movement which signaled the runner to make his sprint. The Barcelona players never had to shout or....

Bossy Barcelona have it their way.. Yet again!

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Jose Mourinho was an outnumbered enemy, almost like an outcast shouting in the governing council for justice, but very conveniently he was denied! Convenience, the word sounds as easy as its usage. The El-Clasico feature in the Champions League saw little good, lots of bad and an overdose of ugly. Not a single second was missed on telly, and whatever was missed was splashed out on tabloid photos. Yes, Jose Mourinho was right, Real Madrid were conveniently given a raw deal and Barcelona were conveniently let-off scot-free on a lot of instances. The Pepe red-card, which is under the UEFA scanner; the Dani Alves bust-up; the fracas created by Wolfgang Stark were all tiny pieces of the puzzle leading to the preferential treatment. True that bust-ups and offences happen in the heat of the moment, but since when did racism figure in this list? UEFA....

Red is the colour, United is the name!

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In the 'Theatre of Dreams' that is Old Trafford, Stretford End is one of the more famous stands in world football. What is so special about Stretford End you say? Well, for starters, it is the home within the home, the barrack if you may. But more importantly on the terrace of the stand are iconic banners, banners which are dedicated to the loyal and unforgettable footballers who donned the red and graced the picturesque turf. All the earlier banners that have been displayed at the marquee terrace are all then taken on the back wall of the Stretford End. The latest one reads, 'Giggs, tearing you apart since 1991' When Manchester United played Chelsea for the title at Old Trafford on Sunday,a flag hung right next to the Stretford banner, a flag which summed up the reason why Chelsea came, couldn't see and were clobbered. ....

Love em, or hate em, United are still top dogs of Europe!

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If ever there was a warning signal that needed to be sounded, Manchester United did ring it and how! Inflicting the biggest semi-final defeat on Schalke at Old Trafford, United turned the tables on the brash Barcelona side proclaiming, 'You want us, come get us'! All season long critics and detractors wouldn't stop churning out anti-United tirades, but what should have brought down the Red Devils has only fueled their desire to now bring them at a point where the cynics are at a loss of words! Such is the fabric of the Red half of Manchester at M16, Sir Matt Busby Way that the bigger the adversity the stronger the will to overcome. A man who has contributed to this legacy of 'cometh the hour, cometh the Reds' phenomena has been a certain Scot who has been at the helm of affairs at the most valuable....

Of Barcelona's play acting and the 'El-Farcico'

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After Barcelona and Real Madrid played the fourth and the final installment of the El-Clasico in the semi-final second leg of the UEFA Champions League, few could argue that the charm of the encounter was well and truly lost. Rash tackling, play-acting, off and on-field bust-ups marred what was supposed to be the most awaited fortnight in club football. Over the course of the four clashes, Barcelona was definitely the better team on the field with Iniesta and co. leaving Real and the capacity audience bewildered, but the same Barcelona also gave glimpses that they too have a dark side to their game, they too will do anything to win! The return leg of the La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu failed to impress as the teams canceled each other all throughout the second half, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw and Real's title hopes....

EPL 2010-11 is disappointing yet intriguing

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Upon the final whistle at the Emirates, Arsene Wenger was a man at a loss of words and in a turmoil of emotions after his twinkle-toed turks beat the heavy-footed Manchester United. He could have smiled that Arsenal finally did cross the finish line before United for the first time in the season in all competitions, but what use was it for a team who have already lost ground in the race for the title, and the most they did was give their London rivals Chelsea a shot in the arm, with the Blues looking to steal the title from Manchester at Old Trafford. He could have complained that the win had come very late and a string of 'what if's' would have followed but that wouldn't have added any leverage to the Arsene Wenger stock. The tumultuous demeanour of Arsene Wenger summarised just how the fight....

Who is Jose Mourinho in the Champions League?

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Ever since shooting to dizzying heights of footballing spotlight by famously knocking out a dominant Manchester United in the Champions League last-16 tie, Jose Mourinho never lets you know his true self. From a man buzzing with confidence after winning the Champions League with Porto, to the Jose Mourinho at Chelsea where, after winning the second consecutive Premier League crown with Chelsea, he nonchalantly threw his winners' medal in the crowd, as if to say, "It's ok, I'll win another one next year". Or his tenure at Inter Milan where he was a visibly silent version of himself and still reached the pinnacle of Italian football success by winning every piece of silverware on offer, even the Champions League. Yes, the Champions League. The only single competition in all of the world where the only Jose Mourinho we have seen is tactically observant, mindful of the opposition,....