It is currently the winter break for the German Bundesliga, and what better time to review the season thus far. You only need to take a look at the table to realise that this season's competition is not running absolutely to type. The team that currently occupies the top spot is the previously unheralded and relatively unknown (TSG) 1899 Hoffenheim.
Over a pint in my local recently the conversation turned to the so called “hard man,” John Terry, and his tears after missing a penalty in the Champions League final. It got me thinking about the days when men were men and the role of the enforcer in a football team was as important as the goal scorer.
In times gone by these characters were commonplace, but now I fear the days of the hard man are over. With players in the top flight so valuable and highly paid maybe they are gone forever. It’s a damn shame.
How entertaining would it be to see Cristiano Ronaldo step-overing his way into a two-footed tackle by Stuart Pearce? Or Frank Lampard catching a Norman Hunter left hook?
Manchester City were very publicly snubbed by Kaka, missed the boat on Lassana Diarra and have been quoted exorbitant prices that they aren't willing to pay for Valencia duo David Villa & Silva. The sheiks will no doubt be delighted however that City boss Mark Hughes did manage to snare his Welsh compatriot, the meek and mild mannered Craig Bellamy. Is £14 million for the fiery nomadic hitman good value? You be the judge.
Bellamy started his career at Norwich where he showed much promise amid several spells in the treatment room, injury curtailing him to just 84 appearances in 4 seasons. His 32 goals for the Canaries seemed a good enough return for Coventry boss Gordon Strachan, who signed him for £6.5 million.
The 4 goals put past Numancia on Saturday night took Barça's goal tally to 63 in just 20 games, meaning they are now well on course to break the 102 strikes Bobby Robson's Ronaldo spearheaded squad racked up in ‘97.
Forty five of those sixty three (over 71%) have come from Eto'o (19), Messi (14) and Henry (12) and the sparkling trio were all over the scoreboard again on Saturday night, with Messi grabbing 2 and an assist. The Camp Nou did endure a goaless first fifty minutes in which Numancia had a goal disallowed, but within the hour they were two up, and 15 minutes later it was 4-1 and game-over.
The Liga Sagres struck new low this week as only 514 people showed up for Estrela Amadora’s game with Rio Ave.
If a figure like that needs putting into perspective, the lowest ever attendance in England was 469, which happened at a game between Thames and Luton Town in 1930.
Although it is somewhat amusing to imagine such a paltry number of people at a top flight game in Western Europe, it’s really quite tragic in that it highlights the appalling shabbiness of the Liga Sagres.