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WIN! choiceforSpineLine,courtesyofArtofFootball318 SPINELINE:“‘144games,0 defeats’referstothenumberofgamesIanRushnettedinduring
hisfirstsevenyearsatLiverpool– withoutlosingany,”saysDuncanDandie.Nailedit!#FFTSpineLineNORESTFORTHEPRIVILEGED
I don’twanttosoundlikeyourtypicalmemberof
the‘geta realjob’brigade,butI feellikePremier
Leagueplayersandbossesdiscussinglongseasons
anda lackofrestreallyneeda realitycheck.Tales
ofyear-longcampaignsandshortsummerbreaks
holdlittlewaterconsideringtherewasbarelyany
footballforthebestpartofthreemonths.I concede
thatplayersmaynotbein absolutelypeakcondition
duetoanincreasedamountofgamesina shorter
time,butthosemoansfallondeafearswhenmany
clubsarefightingfortheirverysurvival.
DanielWood,viaemailTHIN SQUAD Holders Al Hilal were kicked out of the
Asian Champions League after coronavirus left them
with only 11 fit players – and three were goalkeepersFIVE’S A CROWD
I’ve always been a bit suspicious
about references to ‘Europe’s top
five leagues’. Are these the richest?
The most competitive? Those with
highest attendances? Mostly, I just
assumed they were UEFA’s five
highest-ranked leagues according to
the coefficient. France is fifth, but
that doesn’t tell a full story. Ligue 1
used to be one of the world’s most
competitive, spawning five different
champions from 2008-12 – but that
all changed after Nasser Al-Khelaifi
took over PSG. Since then, the club
have won seven Ligue 1 titles and
five French Cups, but such national
dominance hasn’t translated into
European glory. In fact, French clubs
have been in only four European
finals since 1999-2000 – fewer than
Portugal, a country where sides have
far less money. The reality is that
there is a huge chasm between the
Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga,
Serie A and everyone else. Perhaps
it’s more logical to talk about a ‘big
four’ – or include the Eredivisie and
Primeira Liga to make a ‘seven’.
Their clubs have fared much better
in Europe. Anything else is unfair.
Carlos Rebelo, via emailFEVERISH EXCITEMENT
Each summer, before a new season
starts, I get out my glasses and read
Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch – forever
a fabulous book that describes one
obsessive supporter’s lifetime of
loving Arsenal. Despite being a Leeds
fan, I found myself identifying with
that strong connection between
a football club and its supportersFourFourTwoUKFourFourTwoTHE VIEW FROM THE STAnDS
Is there an issue you feel
strongly about? Contact us:even more throughout this terrible
coronavirus pandemic. The enforced
break that fans are taking from their
traditional match-going experience
will only make attending again that
much more special, and no one
will take it for granted. Here’s
hoping we can all soon
safely return to our
grounds – because
football really isn’t
football without us.
Ezra Finkelstein, via emailUNSPLIT LOYALTIES
Why is commentary more about
opinion these days than who’s on
the ball? Partisan pundits have been
exposed. Get me back to a ground –
armchair fans are welcome to it...
Lawrence Price, via emailHow difficult was it as Shakhtar boss
after the war started, when a lot of
players refused to return to Ukraine?
Agents tried to get players out of the
club. One night, I was woken at 2am
and told, “The players want to leave.”
I was angry. I explained everything to
the boys. I told them I’d do everything
to help them leave for big teams, like
I’d always done - but not like that, not
by running away. I was lucky, as those
I needed more were convinced to stay.
How is your relationship with all of
the world’s top managers?
If anyone needs any information about
a player, of course we speak. Recently,
I’ve developed a close relationship with
Sir Alex Ferguson. We often chat – at
UEFA meetings, we were the oldest!
You’re now in charge of Shakhtar’s
biggest rivals, Dynamo Kiev. Why?
I missed coaching after departing the
Turkish national side, and felt great in
Ukraine before. Dynamo have a lot of
youngsters and I want to get the best
out of them. Shakhtar was an amazing
story for me, but it’s in the past. I can’t
forget what happened there, but I’m
a professional manager. Dynamo was
in a tough moment, so I wanted to do
something good for the team.
Dynamo’s ultras held protests about
your appointment. How did you feel?
I don’t have any problem with the fans.
I’m aware this challenge isn’t one that
anyone could take. I hope the fans will
reconsider and appreciate my courage
of doing what I did. I want to work day
after day, and I hope my health allows
it. I think people over the age of 70 will
understand me best and be my biggest
fans! It takes courage to do what I did.
Emanuel Rosu
[email protected]