The Window Closes; Clamped Shut and Stifling

What a crazy night of events for BPL fans. Here’s a recap of the most notable in my opinion.



1. Oil Money for Man C

With money dripping from their nostrils, it was about time the BPL was graced with some oil money from Arabia. What an introduction it was too –a hijacked £32.5m deal for Robinho, with an audacious £135m bid for Cristiano Ronaldo lined up (what a story that would be). This could very well mean another club making an appearance in the Champions League other than the Big Four. Definitely one to keep our eyes and ears out for.


2. Weird Spurs

They now have a decent goalie, a great defensive line-up, a decent midfield and a dismal front-line. This is a complete reversal from the kind of team they were last season. If you look up the word erratic on the dictionary you will see Tottenham Hotspurs beside it. I can’t really see Bent and Pavlyuchenko making big splashes in the league this season, and Ramos is essentially a “cup manager”. A UEFA league placing this season will be an excellent result for them, but they could get more if they can get some rhythm going forward.


3. Messiah Crucified (edited)

After just eight months, barely enough time to prove anything to anyone, Keegan has been sacked. A tad bit unfair to Silver-Hair, who has had his differences with the board over the post-season; and it was ultimately a clash of personalities that led to his dismissal. Perhaps he could take the job of Paul Ince when Blackburn is threatened by relegation twenty matches into the season, or even Ole-Bristles Rafa’s potentially vacant job (who himself has had his fair share of boardroom bust-ups).

Edit: Looks like he was not sacked after all. There is still some justice left in this world. Or so i thought...

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Money is the name of the game in this era of football and I see no slowing down of it. Titles are beginning to be bought as more and more Abramovic-es pop up. They may say it’s a hobby, but it’s actually big business, and a chance to write your name in popular history. Could this progress happen at the expense of the traditional values associated with sports like excellence, human development and the (mythical) level playing field? The pervasiveness of capitalism and its inherent consequence of stratification strangles sporting tradition. So just make sure you support the right team. If that team you support has billionaire funding (read Chelsea and now Man City), a Prime Minister’s backing (read AC Milan) or a whole city behind them (read Real Madrid) then you are on the right track as long as they got the moolah.