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The Official Football (Soccer) Thread
Elano:
Is Big Phil losing the plot?
Is Luiz Felipe Scolari losing it? It depends on what "it" is. If it is the calm air and the composure with which he charmed his English hosts in his first few months as Chelsea coach, you would have to say that the answer is yes.
Scolari spent much of last night at Goodison Park looking like a man who felt the world - or at very least Phil Dowd, the referee - was against him. He was furious at Dowd's (correct) decision to send off John Terry for a wild challenge on Leon Osman and at the subsequent bookings for Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole for minor acts of dissent. As the half-time whistle blew, Scolari followed Dowd down the tunnel, asking him: "Are you afraid? Are you afraid?"
Afraid of what, exactly? There are many referees who allow themselves to be bullied or intimidated when refereeing matches involving Chelsea or indeed Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United. Dowd is few people's idea of the perfect referee, but he showed last night that, no, he was not afraid to send off Terry. Certain players - quite often high-profile England players - seem at times to get away with challenges and behaviour that others would not. Dowd was correct in applying the letter of the law on this occasion.
On the Times website this morning, there were numerous comments on Terry's red card, some saying things like "it was a yellow card, nothing more." Sorry, but check the rule book. It's here if you want it (go to p117). Check what constitutes serious foul play. Watch that tackle again. Ask yourself whether Terry "endangered the safety" of Osman. It did. It was an honest attempt to win the ball and it was not more than a split-second late, but it was dangerous and these days that means a red card. Players, managers, supporters and indeed journalists would do well to check up on the rules once in a while.
Incidentally, here is how it was reported on Chelsea's website, an organ that is not known, shall we say, for its objectivity. "Suddenly a 50-50 ball was contested midway inside the Everton half by Terry and Osman, the Chelsea skipper catching the winger on the ankle with a boot off the ground. There was no surprise when referee Phil Dowd, waving away all but Terry, produced a red card." It is the most honest appraisal we have heard from the Chelsea contingent. Whoever wrote it should be afraid.
Anyway, back to Scolari. His sense of injustice was severely misplaced. Forty-five minutes after the final whistle, Chelsea's head of media, Steve Atkins, climbed three flights of stairs to the top of the Main Stand, to tell the assembled reporters that: "None of the management team feels able to come up. They have issues with a number of the decisions and feel it would be better if they did not comment because they might get themselves into trouble."
Whatever. This is not the Scolari we saw in the opening weeks and months of the season, all smiles, bonhomie and earning praise for his willingness to speak in a language he has not yet mastered. His job is not to be convivial with the media, but his mood and behaviour in front of the television cameras - or not, as it happened last night - has deteriorated just like his team's form in recent weeks. Recent weeks have seen him lurch into the paranoia that characterises many of his managerial rivals and, while Sir Alex Ferguson's conspiratorial rants often seem measured, there has been something erratic about Scolari of late.
Is he losing it? If we are talking about the ability to manage, then of course the answer is no. He is a man who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup while facing fierce criticism about his methods, with some accusing him of "killing the beautiful game". Criticism and controversy should be nothing new to him. But there is the growing suspicion that he is not handling it quite as calmly as he should be. Genuine grievances are all very well, but a silent protest at Everton last night was really rather small-minded.
It makes you wonder how he would react if faced with a genuine crisis, if being undermined by his players (as happened with Avram Grant at times last season) or by the club's hierarchy (as happened in the closing months of Jose Mourinho's and Claudio Ranieri's tenures). Scolari looks big enough and strong enough to deal with any nonsense - and the clever money would still be on him landing one of the big prizes in his first season at Stamford Bridge. But some of his recent behaviour just makes you wonder.
K.Dub:
We drew again.. Can't believe it.
KURUPTION-81:
--- Quote from: K.Dub on December 27, 2008, 08:25:45 AM ---We drew again.. Can't believe it.
--- End quote ---
poor midfield, no experience or leaders thats arsenals problem, plus wenger.
Elano:
new cast 1 5 liverpool 8)
da_notorious_mack:
--- Quote from: KURUPTION-81 on December 28, 2008, 04:35:02 AM ---
--- Quote from: K.Dub on December 27, 2008, 08:25:45 AM ---We drew again.. Can't believe it.
--- End quote ---
poor midfield, no experience or leaders thats arsenals problem, plus wenger.
--- End quote ---
co-sign 2nd time in as many weeks theyve been lucky to take a point...actually feel wenger needs to adress the problems at the club instead of fabricating stories about referees
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