They say that you should never go back in football, no matter how romantic a move it will be, it is more than likely that it won’t work out in the long run. There have been plenty of players and managers who have returned to their former club only to come to regret that decision. However, that doesn’t stop Premier League stars failing to learn from others’ mistakes and getting swept up in the romance of a return to old pastures. Tottenham and Newcastle seem to be two of the main culprits of this, but there are lots of other clubs who have fallen foul of a failed return, too. Most recently there has been talk of a return to Liverpool for ex-manager Rafa Benitez, but there’s only one way that could go, surely? Anyway, here’s ten of the most disastrous returns in football.
Click on Robbie Keane below to see the TOP TEN
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Pick over a current world eleven? Easy. Decide upon the worst FA Cup final suit in the history of Wembley clashes? No problem. Choose from a list of classic football video games and identify a winner? Impossible.
I thought this was going to be the most fun article ever. The idea of smashing out hours of qualification drama on FIFA: Road to the World Cup with a fledgling Trinidad and Tobago side and once, just once winning the league title on Pro Evolution Soccer 5 sounded incredible.
Alas, my task was a little tougher than I thought it might be. Can I justify including Steven Gerrard’s Gameboy Advance game in the list, even though no one will have heard of it? Can I possibly get a mention in for ‘Michael Owen’s World League Soccer’ and the painstaking banter between the forgotten Peter Brackley and Ray Wilkins every time there is a lull in play?
I know I can’t possibly please everyone, but all of the games on this list are absolute masterpieces, one way or another- let me know your favourite…
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10: FIFA Street (2005)
Presumably inspired by the Nike advert from the 2002 World Cup, FIFA Street was EA Sports’ attempt at trying to bridge the gap between themselves and the phenomenally successful Pro Evolution Soccer series.
Released in between their 2005 and 2006 editions, the game never really took off, and was a little too complicated, however there was enough about it to admire its inventiveness. Putting Peter Crouch on the front cover, however, was not the smartest move in the world…
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9: FIFA 2000 (1999)
By the turn of the century, the FIFA series was almost untouchable. Helped by a number of turkeys released around the same time, such as; ‘Michael Owen’s World league Soccer’ and ‘This is Football’, the game franchise was a significant force to be reckoned with. This edition, released in October 1999 managed to pack in the first comprehensive season mode and the ability to unlock classic teams.
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8:World Cup Italia 90 (1990)
Not quite the game that started it all off, but one of the first attempts to try and tie in a major tournament with a video game release. Sega’s Mega Drive was not renowned for its sports simulators, however there was much here that later games would build on.
The interface is very reminiscent of arcade soccer games that adorned cinemas, leisure centres and airports throughout the 1990’s, and for a game that is over 20 years old, the concept and graphics hold up well.
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7: FIFA RTWC (1998)
Back when I first acquired a football game for the PC, my main requirements were that the goalkeeper could get sent off and that you could give every player on your side a peroxide blonde haircut in tribute to the Romanian side that donned the look in that year’s World Cup.
Sadly, the holy grail of the goalkeeper getting sent off was still some years away, however this game remains very close to my heart. A meticulous qualification process was available to those with patience, and the database of players and teams from across the world was unrivalled. The commentary of Des Lynam, Andy Gray (R.I.P) and John Motson was also world class.
6: Pro Evolution Soccer 2 (2002)
Who would have known that a game which referred to West Ham as ‘Lake District’ would go on to be such a major success? The Japanese company, Konami, were responsible for the creation of the Pro Evolution Soccer (Winning Eleven) Series and in the early years of the PS2 implementation, rose to become FIFA’s biggest rival.
Games snobs initially refused to play PES because of the lack of licencing on any of the top sides or players, however the addictive nature of the series took off, even with a control system which was in direct contrast with its rival.
Played now, the game feels very dated, but the framework for success was laid here for more illustrious successors.
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5: Championship Manager 2 (1995)
Before the 2004 Eidos/ Sports Interactive split put paid to this top selling franchise, Championship Manager, was a humongous hit for football fans. Like Sensible Soccer, it was the first game of it’s kind with creators Paul and Oliver Collyer, designing the game from the confines of their bedrooms.
Starting slowly, the series exploded with the release of Championship Manager 2. Implementing many of the key features which adorn management games today, the 1995 release remained popular even after more updated versions were made available.
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4: FIFA 2010 (2009)
When the Playstation 3 finally hit shelves in the first quarter of 2007, the big question surrounded how EA Sports and Konami would deal with the transition from PS2 to PS3.
FIFA games from the early noughties had become formulaic and to be honest, pretty dull. As always they were a visual treat, but the ability to bend the ball in on the volley from 40 yards every game quickly became mundane.
When PS3 came along, everything changed. Konami struggled to transfer the fluidity of the PS2 hits when developing a visually more impressive product for the new console. EA Sports were quickly ahead, learning from many of the mistakes they had made in the PS2 era.
FIFA 2010 was an amalgamation of the best parts of the franchise’s visually stunning past, and the addictive playability that had contributed so much to the success of EA’s rivals.
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3: Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (2006)
I once sat down with a friend at university and had a race to 100 (ish) wins on ‘Pro Evo 6’ over the course of a term. It was the sort of titanic tussle that I will look back on with my grandchildren and explain how I gave away a 35-6 lead and recovered from being 95-70 behind to draw level at 99 apiece.
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There was something about Pro Evo 6 that compelled you to keep playing. It had neither the technical wizardry of recent FIFA Playstation 3 versions, nor the endearing loveableness of earlier Konami incarnations, but it was just so damn addictive.
Despite drinking enough Red Bull to believe that Tal Ben Haim might actually be a decent central defender, taking the shoulder buttons out of my controller because I believed it made Michael Ballack run faster, and not showering for three days I eventually lost the series 105-103. Needless to say, I struggled with the ladies that term…
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2: Football Manager 2005 (2004)
After being the product of the Eidos/ Sports Interactive split in 2004, Football Manager has set new standards for sport’s management games. Quite simply, the level of detail and control afforded the armchair fan is insane.
Sports Interactive have done particularly well in creating a consistent interface across each edition which they still release on an annual basis. The biggest advantage over competitors, however was the introduction of the network game, linking armchair fans all over the world. Millions of courses, degrees and exams have been failed the world over as a result of this particular feature.
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1: Sensible Soccer (1992)
When I took a straw poll of my friends’ favourite games on this list, Sensible Soccer was the first name on everyone’s lips.
When you look at the game’s level of invention, it is not hard to see why it remains such a popular title. Originally released for the PC, later 3D versions were released, however, it was this basic, birds eye view of the football pitch that initially won over fans.
The 1994 release of The Sensible World of Soccer was later named as one of the ten most important video games ever created by a Stanford study. Most uniquely, SS managed to transfer it’s charms across all platforms and systems- a feat that both FIFA and PES have yet to manage.
Six players have been provisionally suspended from Mexico’s national football squad after they tested positive for a banned substance.Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defensive pair Francisco Rodriguez and Edgar Duenas and midfield duo Antonio Naelson and Christian Bermudez all returned positive tests for clenbuterol while Ricardo Osorio – also suspended – had already been ruled out of the tournament due to a medical condition, prior to the finding.
Mexico are participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this month, with all five players banned from taking any part in the country’s clash with Cuba on Thursday.
Mexico will now play the rest of the competition with 17 players left in the squad and the players could be hit with bans of up to two years if found guilty.
“What the federation must do is analyse the case and determine what happened,” Mexico Football Federation general secretary Decio de Maria said.
“I repeat, there is no responsibility or negligence about this matter, I hope this is an accident and we have to demonstrate it to solve this.”
New Bayer Leverkusen manager Robin Dutt has declared his intent to win the title ahead of the new Bundesliga season.Dutt, who lead Freiburg to a ninth-placed finish last season, has replaced former boss Jupp Heynckes who has headed to Bayern Munich.
And despite Leverkusen automatically entering the group stages of the Champions League after last season’s second-place finish, Dutt will not be happy unless his side improve again this season.
“I didn’t come to Leverkusen to turn a second-placed team into a fourth or fifth-placed team,” Dutt said.
“We must aspire to improve even further. If we don’t get into Europe, we’ll have had a bad season. If we get into the Europa League, it’ll be average. If we make it into the Champions League, it’ll have been a good season.”
“If we can win a title, it’d be fantastic.”
Leverkusen have returned to training more than six weeks out from the start of the new season, but Dutt is keen to have plenty of time with his players as he looks to implement a new game style.
“I decided long ago that I wanted to integrate the existing concept into a system which will allow us to be more flexible. It’ll make us less predictable,” he said.
“Six weeks is absolutely normal for me. It’s actually not that long for a coach considering not all the players are there to begin with.”
Leverkusen joined newly promoted Augsburg as the earliest sides to start their pre-season in Germany.
Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera has joined Galatasaray from Lazio on a five-year contract, for a fee of 6.75 million euros.The 25-year-old joined Lazio in 2007 from Nacional of Montevideo, but initially found life difficult with the Rome outfit, where he was even benched in favour of veteran Marco Ballotta.
However, he displaced Juan Pablo Carrizo in goal during the 2008/09 season, going on to become an integral part of the side.
Managing to transfer his form to the international stage, Muslera has won plaudits worldwide following his performances in this month’s Copa America.
The goalkeeper has penned a long-term deal with the Turkish club, where he will pocket two million euros a year, and compete with Aykut Ercetin for the role of Galatasaray’s first-choice shot-stopper.
In other transfer news, Fulham have signed Czech midfielder Marcel Gecov from Czech side Liberec.
Gecov’s agent Jiri Mueller said on Wednesday the 23-year-old defensive midfielder signed a two-year contract after undergoing a medical, and Fulham have an option to extend the initial deal for one more year.
Liberec spokesman Lukas Vana said the formalities over the 500,000 pound transfer were expected to be concluded shortly.
Europa League champions FC Porto have continued to strengthen for the new season with the 13 million euro acquisition of versatile Brazilian Under-20 international Danilo Luiz da Silva.
The 20-year-old, who can play at right-back or in midfield, arrives from Santos FC on an undisclosed fee fresh from helping his club win the Copa Libertadores.
Danilo will arrive in Portugal after the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Colombia, where the America FC youth product will represent Brazil, having been part of the side that retained the South American title in January.
Danilo is Porto’s sixth signing of the summer – wingers Juan Iturbe, Kelvin de Oliveira and Djalma Campos, goalkeeper Rafael Bracalli and striker Kleber Pinheir having previously joined the club now coached by Vitor Pereira.
Porto take on Barcelona in the UEFA Super Cup on August 26 in Monaco and will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign in the group stage.
In the Championship, former Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Hull midfielder George Boateng has signed a one-year deal with Nottingham Forest, rejoining former manager Steve McClaren.
Boateng, 35, spent last season with Greek club Skoda Xanthi.
2 years ago it was considered blasphemy. Only the odd, slightly mad or slightly too drunk, radical Arsenal fan would suggest that Arsene Wenger should go. The suggestion would be met with cold stares and cold shoulders along the Holloway Road. Nobody questioned the leadership of Professor Wenger.
That was four years after Arsenal’s last silverware, the barren spell has grown to six and the unrest is more widespread. Disillusionment was so rife by the end of last season you would think Arsenal were heading for relegation. The players made a lap of honour to an abandoned stadium. They were dark times for the Gunners.
The problem, most Arsenal fans believe, is Arsene Wenger’s inability to improve his squad in the right areas. The problem seems so clear, the solution so simple. This is the cause of such frustration.
A centre-back, a goalkeeper and a striker that isn’t Nicklas Bendtner is all that’s required, yet summer after summer, Wenger signs a couple of promising youngsters and leaves the same gaping holes in his squad, ready to be exposed by another gruelling season.
This summer is unravelling much like those before, despite Samir Nasri challenging Wenger to show ambition in the market, he has signed the 19 year-old Charlton right back Carl Jenkinson and Lille’s Ivorian striker Gervinho (who may, finally, be the Bendtner replacement).
After six years without a trophy, it is fair to ask the question, would it be a backward step for Arsenal if Arsene Wenger left?
I believe it would, I believe that what Arsene Wenger manages to squeeze out of his squad every season is phenomenal. Everything about Arsenal football club screams Wenger, those are his players, many of them nurtured by him and his staff, it is his squad, his stadium, and the fans watch his football. (The Emirates fans are known for booing the long ball). Attempting to place another man into the perfectly Wenger shaped driving seat at Arsenal would be a painful, destructive process.
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To the layman the squad looks thin, in recent years it has often looked worryingly thin in August only to surprise everyone, except Wenger himself, by still challenging for the title in February. Another man would no doubt feel the need to throw serious money at it. And whilst perhaps Wenger should too, he has shown his squad to be capable of competing with the best ever since he took control at Arsenal.
Replacing Wenger would take Arsenal back to the foetal position, a huddle of cub scouts missing their akela. There are no leaders in that group, no brave John Terry’s. There is a footballing philosophy, one that has driven Wenger’s transfer dealings for years. Pace and passing, pace of passing, either way, he has built a team to play a certain way, to replace him would be suicide, bringing in a non-believer would negate this team’s ability.
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It makes sense to call for Wenger’s head, it is the role of football fans to be fickle and scathing and constantly demanding, irrespective of what has come before. Arsene Wenger has not won a trophy in six years, and even though he has provided Arsenal with 13 years of fantastic football, it is inevitable and essential that he be questioned. He is a long way from his invincibles.
He is however, the beating heart of Arsenal football club, he is the one constant from the doubles at Highbury to the big European nights at the Emirates, Wenger has presided over it all. Arsene may be a stubborn man, refusing to compromise his own beliefs, but his beliefs are now so intertwined with Arsenal football club, it would be disastrous to separate them.
It is easy to call for a replacement and then impossible to think of one who would be an improvement. It may be a frustrating time for Arsenal fans but it is only because Wenger himself has lifted their expectations so high.
Every season we see footballers making the move from established Premier League clubs to one of the bigger clubs and regularly these players soon find that life is not always as good as they hope it will be at their new club. They go from star players to squad players in the space of a few months. I believe that more players should realise that is better to play for a good side than sit on the bench at a great side despite the huge amounts of money the transfer may give them.
When Robbie Keane secured a £20 million transfer to his ‘boyhood club’ Liverpool in 2008, he probably hoped that is was a chance to win major trophies however it turned into a nightmare as he was played in the wrong position and only scored 5 times. The Irish international returned to White Hart Lane in January 2009 but since then his career has gone downhill with spells out on loan at Celtic and West Ham United. The 31-year-old must now regret leaving White Hart Lane after a season where he won the player of the year award as since then his career has been on a downward spiral which he doesn’t look like recovering from anytime soon.
Look at the probable transfer of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and it obvious to see he will face formidable obstacles at the Nou Camp in the form of Iniesta and Xavi for a starting berth. Will he really want to settle for a place on the bench after being the first name on the team sheet at the Emirates. He only needs to look at other big money moves to see that the grass is not always greener.
The perfect example of a player that has found that life is not always better after a move is £50 million man Fernando Torres as his mistimed switch to Stamford Bridge has none nothing for his career. Torres left Anfield in search of more silverware and the chance to win major trophies, something he did not achieve last year and thus far it appears that he would have been better off remaining at Anfield.
However Wayne Rooney has found that life can be greener on the other side as since his move to Man United from Everton, he has won a Champions League trophy and four Premier League titles while becoming one of the biggest names in world football. Rooney is the example of a player who was right to move on and leave the smaller club when he did, however this is quite unusual in the football world.
Another former Everton player Steven Pienaar has not has as much success at his new club. He has has only played 12 games in six months since his transfer to Spurs and has failed to really make an impression in North London. The South African captain has gone from being an important first team player at Everton to a squad player at Spurs, was the move for increased wages really worth it?
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I do wonder if Keane Or Pienaar were given the chance to turn back time and not leave their former clubs when they did would they do this or have the financial benefits been enough to make them think it was worthwhile, even though their career has been hampered.
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The desire to move to a bigger club is not just driven by the player’s greed for trophies and money but also by agents who know they get a cut of the transfer and they have little interest about their clients career development. However more often than not, careers can stagnate after a big money move and although the grass may look greener on the other side recent transfers have proven that is not always the case.
Follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney for more football debate and chat.
Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley is taking his career progression in his stride and has maintained that he is the same player that played for Wigan last season.
The 22-year-old has started all of the Premier League champions’ first three matches this term, and has been called up to Fabio Capello’s England squad for the Euro 2012 qualifying fixtures against Bulgaria and Wales.
Despite this, the Basingstoke born man is not getting carried away, and keeping his feet on the ground.
“Although I feel I improved in pre-season, I am still the same player and the same guy. Just because I am playing in United’s first team, that doesn’t all of a sudden make me a great footballer,” he told The Guardian.
“It is a bit strange when people are talking about you but in my head I am still the same footballer who was sent out on loan to Wigan last year. The only difference is that I am turning out for Manchester United now.”
Sir Alex Ferguson has added a number of younger players to his squad over the summer, and Cleverley has confirmed that the more inexperienced men in the team are keen to follow in the footsteps of United sides of the past.
“Nobody wants to get too carried away, but this is a youthful squad and it is exciting to be part of it.
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“Some of us younger lads don’t know what it is like to win the Premier League yet but that is where the experience of others comes into it. A few older players left the club in the summer but we have still got experience in abundance,” he concluded.
You could see it coming. Soon after the story broke, there was a certain inevitability about the whole thing, and last Friday Garry Cook finally succumbed to the media pressure over his email gaffe and resigned, to the delight of millions.
Cook has never been a popular man in the press, or with other clubs’ fans. Seen as prone to gaffe after gaffe, keen on CEO-speak and too business-oriented, his departure will gain little sympathy. And on over a million pounds a year that’s fair enough. The press had had it in for Cook for a while as he had lied to them about finding a successor to Mark Hughes – they obviously expected him to openly tell them they were looking for a new manager.
I am not sure when football club CEOs and board members became big news in football. The likes of David Dein and Peter Kenyon led the way by having a high profile, linked to the fact that many like them and David Gill at Manchester United sat/sit within the FA and various European club committees.
And Cook was certainly high-profile, sometimes unwittingly. Overseeing one of the most talked about football stories of our time, he brought unprecedented growth in the club and its global profile, sometimes talking in the style of the marketing man that he is, a style that grated with many, who still see football clubs as some close-knit local community-type operation. Welcome to the 21st century. You might recoil at the thought that football is all about money and global profiles and marketing, but it has been that way for decades – that’s not Cook’s fault, and with the dawn of the Financial Fair Play regulations, Cook and the owners knew that City had to expand their profile and increase marketing in order to compete. He did his job, and he did it well, also helping to bring the best set of footballers to the club for a generation (possibly ever).
So like the game around him, Cook was about the money – some of his football ideas are to be dismissed, but he wasn’t there at City for that. Every top club (and many others) has someone like Cook now – just because they don’t say as much as Cook did publicly doesn’t mean they’re not doing the same things and thinking alike.
But Cook offered something else too that you won’t see mentioned. Most people know only half the story.
As Oliver Kay of The Times astutely tweeted: What I found endearing about Cook was that he cared about the fans. Very few do. And it’s not just a £ thing. Do other rich clubs care?
And he did care. There are endless stories of how Cook has helped City fans – sorting out complimentary tickets for games, spending endless hours chatting to fans and listening to their opinions, doing impromptu ground tours for visitors, and generally putting himself out when he didn’t have to. Most CEOs wouldn’t. He was the only guy that realised that an indoor ticket office in Manchester might be quite a good idea.Those that call him a buffoon tend not to have met him.
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Introducing Uwe Rosler into the Manchester United Hall of Fame was a simple slip of the tongue. Unfortunate, and badly timed, but still just a slip of the tongue, and the pathetic overreaction by a minority of City fans was saddening. Defending Thaksin Shinawatra and saying he was a great guy to play golf with wasn’t the best idea, but he could hardly not defend his owner when questioned. Let’s be honest, most City fans defended Shinawatra until we realised he was doing more harm than good and that his excuses no longer stood up to analysis.
And for the record, Kaka did bottle it. So there. When the press are taking the side of Silvio Berlusconi, then you know there are agendas at play. Cook’s comment was borne from frustration at the underhand methods Berlusconi used to scupper the deal, but he probably learnt that day to bite his lip a bit more in future.
As for the email saga, the whole thing stunk. Its sudden release 11 months after the event should set the alarm bells ringing. Onuoha’s mother’s assertion that seeing the email was worse than getting cancer is possibly the most ridiculous comment of all. Week-long media coverage sealed his fate, but he sealed it too by not coming clean at the time. The email itself was not a sackable offence – we have all made similar mistakes and said some nasty things in our time. It should also be seen in the wider context of the ongoing difficult contract negotiations and we do not know what else was said between the three parties – I am not excusing the mail, though I fail to see how it mocks cancer, but don’t think he lost his job because of it. After all, this was a private email, where things are said that you wouldn’t say in public – and that applies to everyone. His fatal error was trying to cover the whole thing up – once he did that he was doomed, and can have few complaints. If he had owned up at the time and apologised, it could have blown over. There were rumours that Cook was going anyway- that he would be moving back to America to be with his family who were already there. Manchester’s two restaurants eventually wore them down too.
You see, throughout all the claims of the club’s brashness, a lack of class and new levels of arrogance, the fans have never been looked after better. With a world-class team, world-class media production, fan interaction and low ticket prices (and even the best football kits ever) City fans have been spoilt, and Cook helped make it all happen. The club will hire someone else and move on (Inter Milan technical director Marco Branca is rumoured to be Mancini’s choice), but be sure of one thing – he will be missed, and has left a wonderful legacy for the club. And if fans of other clubs didn’t like him, well to be honest, who cares?
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Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has praised Mario Balotelli, and stated that the rest of the players at the club support the attacker, regardless of his off-field antics.
The Italy international has brought controversy with him to England since his move from Inter Milan back in August 2010, with the latest incident being the use of fireworks in his bathroom on the eve of Sunday’s Manchester derby.
However, on the pitch the striker cannot be faulted; Balotelli bagged a brace in the Etihad Stadium outfit’s 6-1 demolition of United at the weekend, making it six goals in five games for the youngster.
Despite the forward’s unpredictable nature, the England international goalkeeper has revealed that Roberto Mancini’s men are 100 per cent behind him.
“I think we were all a bit unsure last season, outside and inside, what he was about,” Hart stated to City TV.
“I think he has grown as a person and accepted who and what he is in this team. He is someone we look to. All the hype that comes with Mario is standard procedure. That is the beauty of football, that is what he is.
“You get these characters and sometimes it is frustrating to be with him, but not so much this season.
“His head is really screwed on and we are all 100 per cent behind him. I think everyone is delighted he is getting the right kind of love he deserves,” he concluded.
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City sit top of the Premier League after their impressive victory on Sunday, and take on Wolves at home next Saturday.