Champions League: Thank You, Stevie and Rino

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Oh Snap! Champions League Level Smack Talk
Published 5/8/2007 by Bob at The Offside
... ave everything under control. Both of those things stem from one key factor: neither Mourinho nor Benitez made it as a player. That has made them channel all their vanity into coaching. Those who did not have the talent to make it as players do not believe in the talent of players, they do not believe in the ability to improvise in order to win football matches. In short, Benitez and Mourinho are exactly the kind of coaches that Benitez and Mourinho would have needed to have made it as players. That is another interesting theory that may be partially true although Arsene Wenger never did much as a player and he coaches a style that is more to Valdano s liking. There are also other examples of great players who have been lousy managers. Again, Valdano is almost on the mark, but gets full credit for raising an interesting subject and for verbally smacking two managers who are used to doing the smacking. Finally, there is some good chatter, and rehashing of old quotes, between

Steven Gerrard Tops the Football Autobiography Table
Published 5/22/2007 by Bob at The Offside
... | May 22nd, 2007 Now that the season is over for most football players in the UK they can get down to their other business: writing autobiographies that shed light on their 20-plus years of existence. Mercifully, this year s crop of football books will be less abundant than the World Cup-inspired lot we shall last year. How did those books end up doing? Did anyone actually buy them or will they be used as toilet paper in the years to come (side note: in Kazakhstan I used old science textbooks, which I would thoroughly recommend you avoid)? Topping the football autobiography sales charts is none other than Liverpool s Steven Gerrard. Apparently people near and far have been eager to read his slagging of Gennaro Gattuso among other things. Further down on the list is Wayne Rooney, who will earn a shot at redemption when he publishes the next four installments of his life. He should