O’Neill’s All-England Midfield
After almost a decade of mid-table obscurity, things are finally starting to look bright for the resurgent Aston Villa under Northern Irish oddball Martin O’Neill. In recent weeks they have beaten the mighty Chelsea and then the stubborn Everton both 2-0 and find themselves in 8th place with a game in hand over their nearest rivals. The team has an even balance, combining a strong work ethic with the willingness to get bodies forward often and what’s more, it full of young English talent!
Boss O’Neill believes he has a future England midfield in the making at his disposal this season with summer signing Nigel Reo-Coker (23) and newly christened England maestro Gareth Barry (26) flanked by the tricky Ashley Young (22) and the explosive Gabriel Agbonlahor (20). Following some early season sporadic displays of genuine quality it is becoming ever more difficult to disagree with him. If O’Neill can coax a maintained consistency from his team and also keep the highly rated players at the club Villa could yet make Europe come May.
Nigel Reo-Coker had clearly gone stale at West Ham where he was largely, and unfairly, blamed for the club’s poor form last season. He has found a new lease of life at Villa Park and is showing the form that made him England u21 captain and drew serious interest from Manu Utd and Arsenal. Reo-Coker is at his best marauding forward with the ball through the centre of the pitch, where he can demonstrate the strength and power he has in abundance (with and without the ball) and is capable of a scoring tally around the double figures mark.
Alongside Barry, Reo-Coker has developed a great understanding and the pair share responsibility, covering each other when the other goes forward to join attacks. Barry proved with his recent England performances what a fine passer and midfield shield he provides and fully deserved his chance for his perseverance to get his chance at the top level and for his loyalty to Villa. He rarely gives the ball away and is vital in keeping simple possession for his side which has controlling and demoralising effect on opponents. He also takes a dangerous corner and has shown icy composure as Villa’s penalty taker for the last few seasons. Barry’s commitment to his club side has been commendable, when he showed great form for several seasons although was continually overlooked by the England selectors. He could have easily joined a top four club to enhance his reputation but stuck it out and kicked on when Martin O’Neill revitalised his self-belief. How he has seized his chance now has given hope and inspiration to many other players from the less desirable clubs that, proving if you work hard you will reach the top no matter where you are playing.
Ashley Young decided to make the step up in club size when he left Watford during the middle of last season, although he again rejected chances to join more fashionable clubs (i.e. Tottenham were said to be keen). Young felt regular football at Aston Villa would be more beneficial in the long run than fluttering in and out of the side elsewhere, and how right he was. Now, as he seems to be finally settled up north, the Villa winger has already broke into an England squad. However, Young is far from the finished article and needs to improve on his decision making with the ball at his feet. Often, he tries one too many tricks, doesn’t get the ball into the box from wide areas and plays with his head down a little. This is something that always comes with age though, and his play is reminiscent of Christiano Ronaldo in his early days at Old Trafford where the initial play was excellent but there was no end product. The pace and potential is there in spades though.
The final piece of Martin O’Neill’s all-England midfield jigsaw is also certainly not short of pace. Gabriel Agbonlahor is the brightest prospect of all at Villa Park and could go on to have a great career. At only 20 there is plenty of time for Agbonlahor to improve but his raw quality has already put paid to some of the world’s best defenders. He has a real eye for goal and is a natural finisher - the way in which he purposely deflected in his side’s second goal against Chelsea last week was very clever. His electric pace sees him outstrip most defenders and currently this is perfectly matched to Villa’s counterattack plays. However, his hold up play and first touch need work and needs to protect the ball in possession better. Agbonlahor may prove to be a difficult character too, as he showed slight attitude problems when he went AWOL from England’s U21 European Championships in the summer. He has since reconciled with u21 boss Stuart Pearce (who’d want to be on the wrong side of psycho?) and is back in the squad. He recently announced that he is targeting a call-up to the full side and is obviously not short of confidence, ambition or a bit of arrogance too, ‘Gareth, Ashley and Scott (Carson) have been rewarded for their form with an England call and that’s what I intend to do.’
It is still early days in the Premier League season but much of the credit should be directed to Martin O’Neill for putting faith in these young players and for creating an English spine to his team. The former Celtic boss is a great motivator and his enthusiasm has instilled genuine belief in the team, he can get the best out of players lost in the wilderness and transforms them into fighters willing to die for the cause. If the midfield quartet can stay together and steer clear of injuries Aston Villa may have a very good season. England may also have a very promising future too.
Wednesday 26 September 2007
Tuesday 25 September 2007
Rotation, Rotation, Rotation…
Currently it is the turn of Liverpool fans to be the latest supporters completely mystified by bizarre tactical squad rotation. In the summer Fernando Torres arrived at Anfield for a club record £26.5million signing and has worked like a Trojan to adjust to the more physical and demanding aspects of the English game. He was duly rewarded with a fine solo goal against Chelsea and a brace against Derby County and it looked as though the Spaniard was finding his feet nicely. Then Rafa Benitez had a brainwave – the rotation system! Why not, thought Rafa, rest a player who was developing relationships with his team mates, creating and scoring chances, and replace him with workman-like, ball-chasing strikers (albeit good players in their own right) Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt.
Now, while I feel there is nothing wrong with the concept of rotating a squad when you have the task of fighting for silverware in 4 different competitions, there is also without question, a time and a place for doing so. Liverpool remain in a strong position in the league table as it stands, although they may have been topping the Premiership had they got two wins from the games Torres was omitted from (Portsmouth away and Birmingham City at home). Not only did the team draw these games but no goals were scored either, hardly enriching the confidence of Messrs Crouch, Kuyt and Voronin. It is always a gamble to rotate the squad and it is a ploy Benitez has stuck to ever since his appointment at Liverpool. When it works the results are notable - squad players can seize a chance, senior members can rest and the manger is labelled a tactical genius. Sami Hyypia agrees, ‘Everybody knows the manager likes to rotate and he isn’t going to change his style. Nobody said anything about that when we were winning games.’ Also while many Liverpool fans will give Benitez a hard time for this error, the exact circumstances are never fully known in these situations (i.e. slight injuries, non-football related matters, etc).
Benitez has four quality strikers at his disposal, in Torres, Kuyt, Voronin and Crouch, and his man-management skills will be tested to the full this season in order to keep them happy, hungry and match fit. Torres is undoubtedly his prize asset though and he should be playing as often as his mercurial talent can cope with. Torres has been likened to Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, which is a comparison of the highest quality and one which is not easily handed out in those parts of the country. The technically flawless and effortlessly graceful overhead kick attempt from the edge of the box on Saturday provided another wonderful cameo and will surely convince his manager that such talent should not be kept so cruelly hidden from view.
Now, while I feel there is nothing wrong with the concept of rotating a squad when you have the task of fighting for silverware in 4 different competitions, there is also without question, a time and a place for doing so. Liverpool remain in a strong position in the league table as it stands, although they may have been topping the Premiership had they got two wins from the games Torres was omitted from (Portsmouth away and Birmingham City at home). Not only did the team draw these games but no goals were scored either, hardly enriching the confidence of Messrs Crouch, Kuyt and Voronin. It is always a gamble to rotate the squad and it is a ploy Benitez has stuck to ever since his appointment at Liverpool. When it works the results are notable - squad players can seize a chance, senior members can rest and the manger is labelled a tactical genius. Sami Hyypia agrees, ‘Everybody knows the manager likes to rotate and he isn’t going to change his style. Nobody said anything about that when we were winning games.’ Also while many Liverpool fans will give Benitez a hard time for this error, the exact circumstances are never fully known in these situations (i.e. slight injuries, non-football related matters, etc).
Benitez has four quality strikers at his disposal, in Torres, Kuyt, Voronin and Crouch, and his man-management skills will be tested to the full this season in order to keep them happy, hungry and match fit. Torres is undoubtedly his prize asset though and he should be playing as often as his mercurial talent can cope with. Torres has been likened to Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, which is a comparison of the highest quality and one which is not easily handed out in those parts of the country. The technically flawless and effortlessly graceful overhead kick attempt from the edge of the box on Saturday provided another wonderful cameo and will surely convince his manager that such talent should not be kept so cruelly hidden from view.
Monday 24 September 2007
Memorable Mourinho: the football psychologist
Jose Mourinho has provided some classic quotes during his time in Enlgish football, from the enraging and amusing to baffling and ludicrous, the 'special one' will no doubt leave us longing for a successor to the Pied Piper of the Press. Here are a selection of his greatest quips...
‘Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.’ – June 2004 opening press conference
‘For me pressure is bird flu. It’s not fun and I’m more scared of it than football.’ – Jose refuses to be drawn into mind games with Ferguson
‘Three years without a Premiership title? I don’t think I’d still be in a job.’ – The infamous feud with Rafa Bentiez begins
‘Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you call in England a voyeur.’ – Mourinho enrages the Arsenal’s French boss
‘It is not possible penalties against Man Utd and it is not possible penalties in favour of Chelsea. If somebody punishes me because I tell the truth it is the end of democracy. We go back to the old times.’ – Homage to Shankly Mourniho proves it is more than just a game
‘No eggs, no omelettes! It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket some are more expensive than others. So when the Class1 eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there you have a problem.’ – Mourinho’s team selection issues combined with Eric Cantona-style philosophy is a recipe for disaster
‘Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.’ – June 2004 opening press conference
‘For me pressure is bird flu. It’s not fun and I’m more scared of it than football.’ – Jose refuses to be drawn into mind games with Ferguson
‘Three years without a Premiership title? I don’t think I’d still be in a job.’ – The infamous feud with Rafa Bentiez begins
‘Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you call in England a voyeur.’ – Mourinho enrages the Arsenal’s French boss
‘It is not possible penalties against Man Utd and it is not possible penalties in favour of Chelsea. If somebody punishes me because I tell the truth it is the end of democracy. We go back to the old times.’ – Homage to Shankly Mourniho proves it is more than just a game
‘No eggs, no omelettes! It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket some are more expensive than others. So when the Class1 eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there you have a problem.’ – Mourinho’s team selection issues combined with Eric Cantona-style philosophy is a recipe for disaster
24th September - All Eyes on Chelsea
It’s been quite some week in football over the past seven days, we’ve seen Chelsea’s ‘special one’ Jose Mourinho depart from a fraught clash of egos at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal returned to their scintillating, free scoring form of 3 years ago and Man City’s Stephen Ireland has taught us a valuable moral lesson. Outside the Premiership, the UEFA Champions League and Cup competitions have begun with notable peaks and troughs for the British clubs involved.
This week at the Bridge…
So Jose Mourinho’s imperious reign at Chelsea FC is over, much to the disbelief of Chelsea fans and players alike (Didier Drogba is reported to have burst into tears upon receiving the news). In keeping with the style of the enigmatic coach, he left in typically controversial and emphatic manner. A sudden announcement was made early Thursday morning, ‘Chelsea and Jose Mourinho have reached an agreement to part company today by mutual consent.’ And with that (and a £25 million handshake) he was gone. Chelsea fans despair. Over the last few weeks there had been signs that a storm was brewing within the club, as the team began to lose points on the field and the Portuguese’ his patience off it. Exasperated, anguished pitch-side reactions (notably against Blackburn) followed by a subsequent failure to publicly back Roman Abramovich favourite Andreiy Shevchenko may have fast-tracked the manager’s exit and proved the final insult his Russian boss. Moruniho’s self-belief and sizeable ego clearly grated on Abramovich, who will now take a more active role in team affairs with new coach Avram Grant, a source close to Abramovich confirmed, ‘It is the Russian way: they like to be the boss when they are paying for things.’
Israeli Avram Grant, whose previous managerial C.V. includes very little outside his homeland, faces a tough battle to hold onto his newly found job as manager of one the richest clubs in the world. He will have to win over the support of both fans and players, who at present, appear to be firmly in Mourinho’s camp. Mourinho bought in a lot of the current squad, nurtured and mentored them and a strong bond was forged, particularly with Lampard and Drogba, who he showed unquestionable faith towards when heavily criticised. The January transfer window might prove a busy one for Chelsea in both directions and Grant will have to win the favour of Terry, Carvalho, Lampard and Drogba in order to keep the spine and morale of the team intact over the next few months. When Grant arrived at Old Trafford on Sunday, looking sleepless and dishevelled, his forlorn expression was that of a man who knew he was on borrowed time already. The result seemed inevitable and from the movement Jon Obi Mikel was harshly sent off after half an hour there was only ever going to be one winner. Carlos Tevez’ first goal was also hard on Chelsea, coming well over the designated stoppage time at the end of the first half and the late penalty for a soft foul on scorer Louis Saha summed up Chelsea’s luck and conveyed the broken will at the club right now. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for Avram Grant, thrown in at the deepest of deep ends, where he will clearly be little more than a lap dog for his Russian boss.
Love or hate Moruinho, he will nevertheless be a big loss to the English game. The confident, fashionable and cocky style rejuvenated and revolutionised how a modern day manager should interact with the media, leaving them enthralled and hanging on his every word for much of his time at Chelsea. Mourinho also forced other clubs to reassess the commitment and level of consistency required for top level success and undoubtedly improved the quality within the Premiership. In his first season he left the chasing pack in his wake and while Man Utd managed to come back stronger as a result, it has taken other teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool a few seasons to engrain the necessary quality to challenge at this higher intensity.
For all those sad to see Mourinho go, there will be a Spaniard and a Scot up north who will be gleefully raising a glass to the Portuguese’ safe journey home, while back in London a Frenchman and a certain Ukrainian will not lose any sleep over Chelsea’s loss.
Thierry Who?
Meanwhile, as the seams start to come apart at Chelsea, London rivals Arsenal look back to their best as a Cesc Fabregas inspired team head both the Premiership table and scoring charts. The imaginative, visionary and now combative midfielder Fabregas has orchestrated Arsenal to 3 wins in the last week, with the team scoring goals. The Spaniard himself has bagged 6 goals in his last 6 games for the Gunners, a feat last matched by the now departed Thierry Henry back in April 2000. Arsenal have dropped only two points this campaign, thanks to a howler from Jens Lehmann to draw 1-1 at Blackburn. With Lehmann now on the bench, cursing his goalkeeping adversary Manuel Almunia ‘he has never won us any important matches’, Arsenal have taken to rediscovering the form that not long ago made them unstoppable.
The team have finally stepped out of the awe-inspiring shadow of leading goal scorer Thierry Henry and the much-hyped potential of their young stars is being realised with devastating results. Emanuelle Adebayor, who for all his work-rate last season looked incapable of ever finding the net consistently now has 5 in 3 games after 2 against Spurs (including a Drogba-esque long range volley) and 3 against Derby County on Saturday. Boss Arsene Wenger revealed he had spoken to Adebayor at the start of the season, saying simply, ‘At 23, its time to play.’
Arsenal have been highly praised of late and are undoubtedly the form side in England, however their recent opposition has been weak (Pompey at home, troubled Spurs, and Derby at home), the true test of their title credentials will come in a month’s time when they face Liverpool and Man Utd in quick succession. For the moment, Arsenal fans will just enjoy their good run and will rightly say that they can only beat the side’s put out against them. Incidentally, they did comfortably defeat a highly capable Sevilla side 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Fabregas is writing a new chapter in Arsenal’s history, enabling the club to stop pining and put to bed the ghost of Thierry Henry. Comparisons in the media with France legend Michelle Platinit are mounting and if he and Arsenal continue in this form he may just turn out to be one of the finest midfield players of his generation.
Brief News
Man City’s Stephen Ireland was left red-faced and rightly humiliated after falsely pronouncing three of his family members dead in an attempt to secure compassionate leave so he could miss an Ireland EURO qualifier. Ireland asked manager Steve Staunton and the Irish FA time to grieve for his grandmother who had passed away. They agreed but soon found out that she alive and well, Ireland responded by stating that it was his grandmother on the other side of the family and was allowed time away from the team. However, this was found to be false after the woman in question threatened legal action when she read about her death in a local newspaper. Ever the resilient Ireland then claimed it was his grandfather’s separated partner who had died. When the IFA found this too was a lie Ireland decided to come clean, ‘I decided at that stage that I must tell the truth and admit I told lies.’ With David Beckham far a-field and protected by vigilant mediators, farces such as this are a welcome reminder of the fantasy world and molly coddled way in which footballer players mind’s work. In fact, the real reason Ireland had wanted time away was sadly due to his girlfriend having a miscarriage – easily reason enough to grant such leave.
Pressure is mounting on Martin Jol at Spurs with many feeling his position as manager is becoming untenable. The beleaguered Dutchman has seen several high profile names been touted as his successor (Juande Ramos, Jose Mourniho) despite the fact that he still holds the reigns at the North London club. Tottenham ended the week still in the relegation zone on just 5 points after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Bolton after a brief return to winning ways in UEFA Cup on Thursday, a 6-1 thrashing of A Famagusta.
Following several shock deaths of professional footballers, cabinet minister Andy Burnham will look into the sudden, worrying rise. Heart failure has caused the death, in the last month, of Sevilla’s rising star Antonio Puerta and Clive Clarke of Sunderland was lucky to survive a similar incident. Burnham said, ‘To lose young, apparently healthy people suddenly to heart failure is devastating for their families, and I hope we can look at ways the threat can be reduced through more research.’
Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov has been steadily increasing his stake in Arsenal FC as her attempts to takeover the club. Last Monday Usmanov raised his stake to 21%, although large shareholders Danny Fiszman and Stan Kroenke are reluctant to sell and the club is unsurprisingly opposed to a hostile takeover. Usmanov owns Red and White Holdings, whose chairman is David Dein and if his bid for ownership of the club is successful, Dein is likely to return to Arsenal in some capacity.
This week at the Bridge…
So Jose Mourinho’s imperious reign at Chelsea FC is over, much to the disbelief of Chelsea fans and players alike (Didier Drogba is reported to have burst into tears upon receiving the news). In keeping with the style of the enigmatic coach, he left in typically controversial and emphatic manner. A sudden announcement was made early Thursday morning, ‘Chelsea and Jose Mourinho have reached an agreement to part company today by mutual consent.’ And with that (and a £25 million handshake) he was gone. Chelsea fans despair. Over the last few weeks there had been signs that a storm was brewing within the club, as the team began to lose points on the field and the Portuguese’ his patience off it. Exasperated, anguished pitch-side reactions (notably against Blackburn) followed by a subsequent failure to publicly back Roman Abramovich favourite Andreiy Shevchenko may have fast-tracked the manager’s exit and proved the final insult his Russian boss. Moruniho’s self-belief and sizeable ego clearly grated on Abramovich, who will now take a more active role in team affairs with new coach Avram Grant, a source close to Abramovich confirmed, ‘It is the Russian way: they like to be the boss when they are paying for things.’
Israeli Avram Grant, whose previous managerial C.V. includes very little outside his homeland, faces a tough battle to hold onto his newly found job as manager of one the richest clubs in the world. He will have to win over the support of both fans and players, who at present, appear to be firmly in Mourinho’s camp. Mourinho bought in a lot of the current squad, nurtured and mentored them and a strong bond was forged, particularly with Lampard and Drogba, who he showed unquestionable faith towards when heavily criticised. The January transfer window might prove a busy one for Chelsea in both directions and Grant will have to win the favour of Terry, Carvalho, Lampard and Drogba in order to keep the spine and morale of the team intact over the next few months. When Grant arrived at Old Trafford on Sunday, looking sleepless and dishevelled, his forlorn expression was that of a man who knew he was on borrowed time already. The result seemed inevitable and from the movement Jon Obi Mikel was harshly sent off after half an hour there was only ever going to be one winner. Carlos Tevez’ first goal was also hard on Chelsea, coming well over the designated stoppage time at the end of the first half and the late penalty for a soft foul on scorer Louis Saha summed up Chelsea’s luck and conveyed the broken will at the club right now. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for Avram Grant, thrown in at the deepest of deep ends, where he will clearly be little more than a lap dog for his Russian boss.
Love or hate Moruinho, he will nevertheless be a big loss to the English game. The confident, fashionable and cocky style rejuvenated and revolutionised how a modern day manager should interact with the media, leaving them enthralled and hanging on his every word for much of his time at Chelsea. Mourinho also forced other clubs to reassess the commitment and level of consistency required for top level success and undoubtedly improved the quality within the Premiership. In his first season he left the chasing pack in his wake and while Man Utd managed to come back stronger as a result, it has taken other teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool a few seasons to engrain the necessary quality to challenge at this higher intensity.
For all those sad to see Mourinho go, there will be a Spaniard and a Scot up north who will be gleefully raising a glass to the Portuguese’ safe journey home, while back in London a Frenchman and a certain Ukrainian will not lose any sleep over Chelsea’s loss.
Thierry Who?
Meanwhile, as the seams start to come apart at Chelsea, London rivals Arsenal look back to their best as a Cesc Fabregas inspired team head both the Premiership table and scoring charts. The imaginative, visionary and now combative midfielder Fabregas has orchestrated Arsenal to 3 wins in the last week, with the team scoring goals. The Spaniard himself has bagged 6 goals in his last 6 games for the Gunners, a feat last matched by the now departed Thierry Henry back in April 2000. Arsenal have dropped only two points this campaign, thanks to a howler from Jens Lehmann to draw 1-1 at Blackburn. With Lehmann now on the bench, cursing his goalkeeping adversary Manuel Almunia ‘he has never won us any important matches’, Arsenal have taken to rediscovering the form that not long ago made them unstoppable.
The team have finally stepped out of the awe-inspiring shadow of leading goal scorer Thierry Henry and the much-hyped potential of their young stars is being realised with devastating results. Emanuelle Adebayor, who for all his work-rate last season looked incapable of ever finding the net consistently now has 5 in 3 games after 2 against Spurs (including a Drogba-esque long range volley) and 3 against Derby County on Saturday. Boss Arsene Wenger revealed he had spoken to Adebayor at the start of the season, saying simply, ‘At 23, its time to play.’
Arsenal have been highly praised of late and are undoubtedly the form side in England, however their recent opposition has been weak (Pompey at home, troubled Spurs, and Derby at home), the true test of their title credentials will come in a month’s time when they face Liverpool and Man Utd in quick succession. For the moment, Arsenal fans will just enjoy their good run and will rightly say that they can only beat the side’s put out against them. Incidentally, they did comfortably defeat a highly capable Sevilla side 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Fabregas is writing a new chapter in Arsenal’s history, enabling the club to stop pining and put to bed the ghost of Thierry Henry. Comparisons in the media with France legend Michelle Platinit are mounting and if he and Arsenal continue in this form he may just turn out to be one of the finest midfield players of his generation.
Brief News
Man City’s Stephen Ireland was left red-faced and rightly humiliated after falsely pronouncing three of his family members dead in an attempt to secure compassionate leave so he could miss an Ireland EURO qualifier. Ireland asked manager Steve Staunton and the Irish FA time to grieve for his grandmother who had passed away. They agreed but soon found out that she alive and well, Ireland responded by stating that it was his grandmother on the other side of the family and was allowed time away from the team. However, this was found to be false after the woman in question threatened legal action when she read about her death in a local newspaper. Ever the resilient Ireland then claimed it was his grandfather’s separated partner who had died. When the IFA found this too was a lie Ireland decided to come clean, ‘I decided at that stage that I must tell the truth and admit I told lies.’ With David Beckham far a-field and protected by vigilant mediators, farces such as this are a welcome reminder of the fantasy world and molly coddled way in which footballer players mind’s work. In fact, the real reason Ireland had wanted time away was sadly due to his girlfriend having a miscarriage – easily reason enough to grant such leave.
Pressure is mounting on Martin Jol at Spurs with many feeling his position as manager is becoming untenable. The beleaguered Dutchman has seen several high profile names been touted as his successor (Juande Ramos, Jose Mourniho) despite the fact that he still holds the reigns at the North London club. Tottenham ended the week still in the relegation zone on just 5 points after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Bolton after a brief return to winning ways in UEFA Cup on Thursday, a 6-1 thrashing of A Famagusta.
Following several shock deaths of professional footballers, cabinet minister Andy Burnham will look into the sudden, worrying rise. Heart failure has caused the death, in the last month, of Sevilla’s rising star Antonio Puerta and Clive Clarke of Sunderland was lucky to survive a similar incident. Burnham said, ‘To lose young, apparently healthy people suddenly to heart failure is devastating for their families, and I hope we can look at ways the threat can be reduced through more research.’
Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov has been steadily increasing his stake in Arsenal FC as her attempts to takeover the club. Last Monday Usmanov raised his stake to 21%, although large shareholders Danny Fiszman and Stan Kroenke are reluctant to sell and the club is unsurprisingly opposed to a hostile takeover. Usmanov owns Red and White Holdings, whose chairman is David Dein and if his bid for ownership of the club is successful, Dein is likely to return to Arsenal in some capacity.
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