BORUSSIA DORTMUND- A STORY OF TRUE LOVE

by Joey Davies
@theonejoeyd

The celebrations at the final whistle created images. A visual narration of a tale greater than any scribe or essay-writer could ever contemplate.

Jurgen Klopp's emotional dash on to the field at full time brought back memories of Jose Mourinho's own pitch invasion at the Nou Camp when he took his Inter side into the Champions' League final.

And his Borussia Dortmund players' desperation to climb the fence to embrace their die-hard supporters in the yellow wall of the Sudtribune epitomised the adoration they possess for one another- indeed the club's motto is Echte Liebe, meaning 'true love'. It is a bond unrivalled by many clubs, including those who have witnessed wealthy tycoons and oil magnates step in and create a managerial revolving door while spending extortionate amounts of money not only on players but paying off a substantial index of discharged employees.

Die Schwarzgelben (the black and yellows) are a sporting institution from the Nordrhein-Westfalen region, not too far from the Ruhr valley- one of the most densely populated metropolitan areas in the entire European landscape. Of course, this is a huge advantage for Borussia in terms of attracting support as the most successful club in the region with one European Cup to their name - and the only other German outfits to lift old big ears were Bayern Munich, with four titles and Hamburg's solitary success back in 1983 inspired by a certain Kevin Keegan.

However, the club's ownership model is financially sound. 50% of its shares belong to its members- loyal fans. Ticket prices are excellent value and in some cases are as cheap as watching Tranmere, while their average attendances are even higher than Bayern's, even though the Bavarian giants' fanbase stems the globe whereas Dortmund's current success is only just slowly attracting the 'glory hunter' from far beyond its own country.

Due to the excellent crowds and the astute business decisions not only off the pitch but on it courtesy of Hans-Joachim Watzke, the club's general manager, Borussia is now one of the most valuable football clubs in the world. Watzke was brought in to save the club after it made a calamitous error in floating shares on the stock market in 2005. But here's the deal, and it's something I strongly admire in the Bundesliga- their rules on club ownership make it almost impossible for an oligarch to come waltzing into town and seize the heart and soul from Die Schwartzgelben. 

In the summer, Borussia's net spend was just £308,000. Whilst they invested a sizeable fee in recruiting the fantastic technician Marco Reus from Borussia Monchengladbach, they only did so because they sold Japanese forward Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United for a similar price. They went like for like. They will spend wisely and not recklessly. Reus has fitted into the team like a heartbeat. Polish goal-getter Robert Lewandowski cost around £4m from Lech Poznan in 2010, while his national compatriots Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek were drafted in for a combined £3m- indeed the latter was a free transfer! The club's scouting team has worked consistent masterstrokes. 

When you add in homegrown products like Mario Gotze- one of the most talented magicians in European football, and the reliable Marcel Schmelzer at left back, then there is a diverse flavour and it is all engineered to perfection by the passionate yet articulate Klopp, with an emphasis on fast-paced technical attacking football, built from the back with the occasional quick counter-attack thrown in. It is in a nutshell, a manifestation of the evolution of German football since Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Low teamed up to help revamp the production of its youth systems.

'Kloppo' as he is known by the Sudtribune, has demonstrated that determination and faith in a project can deliver fruitful results. After leading Mainz 05 to its first ever Bundesliga promotion and achieving qualification for the Europa League during their tenure, his stock was impressive when Borussia took a punt in the summer of 2008. The club had been going through a bit of a lull in fortunes having finished 13th in the 2007-08 campaign, and Klopp's first season yielded a sixth placed finish alongside a DFB Supercup- contested between the Deutscher Meister and the DFB-Pokal winners, a la the Community Shield. His second term ended in fifth spot.

Now for Borussia Dortmund, a club that won the European Cup in 1997 when Lars Ricken famously lobbed Angelo Peruzzi in Munich's Olympiastadion, that might not be considered good enough by some. But the hierarchy remained faithful to 'Kloppo' and have been rewarded with two consecutive Bundesliga titles, the second of which was achieved alongside a DFB-Pokal- Borussia's first ever double.

However, the Achilles heel of being a well run club that lives within its means, is that squad depth and rotation will be disadvantageous compared to rivals with humongous resources and this season Klopp's side have struggled a little to juggle defending their domestic crown alongside their exciting quest to conquer Europe's mountains, and subsequently it has allowed the wealthier Bayern Munich to regain the mantle of Deutscher Meister.

But will they care if they end up picking up the UEFA Champions League at Wembley Stadium? You bet your life they won't. And if they do, and I desperately hope they do, then it ought to convince Jurgen Klopp to stick around and snub any billionaires wafting roubles in his face. This is a club that, as the motto says- encourages love and unity. He is in a place where he is revered by supporters and players alike.

To achieve the miracle, his squad still face a mountainous climb- not only are their Der Klassiker rivals from the south lurking, but La Liga's super-heavyweights as well. Achieving victory would be a dream- but after the momentum-generating scenes at the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday night it is far from impossible.

Borussia Dortmund is an eminent illustration of everything that is genuine about the beautiful game. I can experience a vision of English football encouraging sound ownership models, affordable ticket prices, fan involvement and supporter representation at boardroom level, but I guess all it will ever be is a remote pipedream. As Bill Shankly once famously uttered: 'At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.'

And that iconic quote typifies how football is regarded at the Westfalenstadion, on the banks of the river Ruhr.

THE BOAT RACE INTERESTS A MINORITY- BUT WE COULD CHANGE THAT

by Joey Davies

@theonejoeyd

First of all, congratulations to Oxford for winning the 159th annual university Boat Race at a canter.

It is their 77th Race victory- a number that on the surface, constitutes a dynasty of success, consistency and efficient domination.

Or does it, when you realise they have only been competing against Cambridge since the inaugural event in 1829 and their opponents have won it 81 times and lead the series. Now, I know the race is a historic part of British culture, but does it really affect enough people for it to be considered a legit sporting event? For me it is not quite the same when you have nobody to root for in a particular sport.

When only two universities can enter teams, and both happen to be the strongest educational institutions in terms of academic reputation, then it suggests a bout of elitism. Given the unarguable fact the majority of university students in the United Kingdom do not attend either Oxford or Cambridge, why would they care about the Boat Race?

Now I'm a man of tradition but I can endorse change when it is for the better. I'd like to see a revamp of the race and here are my suggestions:

1. The first suggestion is that the Boat Clubs of Oxford and Cambridge agree to waive the Joint Understanding that governs the race, which would enable changes to its constitution.

2. I would enable any educational institution in the UK that possesses university status to be eligible to take part. There are 109 universities in the country. Of course, all of them might not enter a team, but it gives them the opportunity to compete and expand the interest in the event.

3. Chances are there would be a sizeable amount of applicants, so let's have four qualifiers the weekend before, two on the Saturday and the other two on the Sunday, with a maximum of eight participants in each. Eight boats is a perfect fit- it gives the challengers plenty of space and doesn't leave the River Thames an overcrowded cluster!

4. The top two in each qualifier go through to the final- the Boat Race itself, the following Sunday. The best university team wins the title and if it is an unfashionable name, then great! It bestows them with national media exposure and is a consummate method of presentation to potential students and financial backers.

Limiting the race just to Oxford and Cambridge means only they are affected by the result. As someone who completed a degree at a more obscure university, I would certainly root for its team in a national competition if it was allowed to partake. As would students up and down the country if their own academic establishment were involved. So let's stop being prehistoric and revolutionise!

It would be the perfect opportunity to increase popularity and numbers taking part in the sport of rowing, at a time when Great Britain's Olympic team dominated the waters of Eton Dorney last summer. It would provide us a possiblity to produce even more rowing champions far beyond the next Games in Rio.

I do not hail from either Oxford or Cambridge nor have I ever visited these parts, hence I did not even bat an eyelid at the race this year. However if we can convert it into a National Boat Race with all 109 UK universities permitted to register a squad of rowers, and metamorphose a tedious, elitist two-team Thames stroll that makes the Scottish Premier League seem unpredictable into a fiercely competitive countrywide tournament, then we can glamorise it, heighten its television audience and make it a true 'crown jewel' of British sport.

THE TENNIS HIERARCHY HAVE GONE TOO FAR WITH THE SURFACE HOMOGENISATION

by Joey Davies

@theonejoeyd

As I type this, Andy Murray has just defeated a brave, gritty David Ferrer 2-6 6-4 7-6(1) in the final of the Miami Masters saving a match point in the twelfth game of the third set. It was a mental triumph for the Scot who has gathered his ninth Masters Series trophy and 26th career title.

But that does not tell the whole tale. In just under three hours in sweltering heat and brutal humidity, both players played some long, lethal, joint-damaging points. The combination is deadly and potentially career shortening, the more matches of this type we see on court.

Ferrer was cramping in the decisive tie-break and Murray himself suffered from considerably inhibited movement in the whole of the third set. Because the bounce of the court is so sticky and high, it was impossible to construct points with winning tennis because the ball kept returning over the net like a game of Pong. When you combine that with the conditions both men had to handle this afternoon, and the pain they felt at the end of the match, you know something simply must be done.

Murray himself received a violation for breaking the rule of 25 seconds maximum in between points in the tie-break because he was so dead on his feet. The rule can make sense but not in a situation of that magnitude.

Tennis is a sport, a form of entertainment that we all want to enjoy. But we do not want to turn it into an inhumane brand of barbarism. These guys care and want to win prestigious championships and prize money but by putting down ultra-slow courts week in week out, we are causing harm to their bodies.

Back in the 1990s there were some extremely quick surfaces which favoured those with gigantic serves who would rush to the net to put away any returns that flew over. This is the reason the ATP have given for slowing down the majority of the courts on the tour today even though there were still some slow tournaments back then such as Miami (albeit a bit quicker than current Miami) and the clay courts were still as gritty, high bouncing and brutal as they are now. So why replace the beautiful spectrum of diversity, with a status quo that favours the same players who no longer have to adapt and overcome conditions disadvantageous to their style of play?

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the greatest champions in sporting history, let alone tennis. Their achievements, fanbase and aura are beyond question and the quality of their play over the years has been nothing short of scintillating. They have tasted success in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York- meaning they have achieved a career Grand Slam. Phenomenal. But would they have found it more difficult to complete the set if the hard, clay and grass courts had been more diverse in speed? Novak Djokovic only needs a Roland Garros victory to join them in that pantheon. Yet Andre Agassi is the only other man in the Open Era, which began in 1968, to accomplish the Career Slam, and Rod Laver the last man to do it before him, prior to the Open Era.

Federer at least, is not a player who favours long rallies featuring miraculous defending. He is an elegant first-strike player, who prefers to shorten points. And he himself stated in November during the ATP World Tour Finals, that he was against surface homogenisation: “Just make quicker courts, then it’s hard to defend. Then attacking style is more important.

“I think sometimes quicker courts do help the cause. I think it would help from time to time to move to something faster. That would help players learn different styles, to realise that coming to the net is a good thing, not a bad thing.

“I’ve played on all different speeds. But I think some variety would be nice, some really slow stuff and then some really fast stuff, instead of trying to make everything sort of the same.

“You sort of protect the top guys really by doing that because you have the best possible chance to have them in the semis at this point. But should that be the goal? I’m not sure."

Now it would be the simplistic option to accuse Federer of being selfish because at his age of 31, the most realistic opportunity for him to overcome rock-solid athletes like Rafa, Novak and also Andy Murray (who despite possessing outstanding defensive ability and immense anticipation tends to be far more exciting to watch on a quicker court than an ultra-slow one) are faster, low-bouncing conditions.

Roger is absolutely spot on. Now in 2013 we have a mammoth personality-filled top end of the game with legends like himself and Rafa, and also guys like Djokovic, Murray and Del Potro winning grand slam titles, but it is a lot easier for the status quo to remain as it is because of the way the surfaces are laid down.

Players with big serves, sumptuous ball-striking and extravagant net techniques are being short changed because there are so few tournaments for them to accumulate ranking points or achieve any major tournament success. Whilst the ATP continues to advocate its homogenisation of the tour, tennis becomes a game of fitness, endurance and conditioning rather than all-court skill, when there should be a combination of everything- there's that diversity word again.

Hard courts are the worst surface to be playing marathon slugfests on, too. Some of the physical grind-a-thons that Rafael Nadal has been involved in are most probably a significant contribution to his chronic knee problems. While these hard courts continue to operate at the speed they are on, we are only risking the loss of these outstanding players to retirement at a young age.

So my plea to the ATP is this: Speed up hard courts, for the sake of the sport of tennis. It will benefit everybody- players and spectators alike. It will prolong the careers of players who entertain us all, and also provide us fans with more diverse tennis, with a chance for all playing styles to excel. I am not demanding ice rinks where the serve flies out of the stadium at 300mph, I just do not want to see matches like today's where both Andy and David looked like they were about to die during the trophy presentation. 

Former US Open champion Andy Roddick and current pro Ivo Karlovic both agree with me too having tweeted the exact same concerns. I only hope their voices prove to hold a more sizeable weight than an ordinary follower of the sport like myself.

CHASING PEANUTS ON THE WIRRAL

By Lee Wilcox

@efcrgreat

It would be pretty fair to say that most people in this country view rugby union as a southerner's game. Just don't mention that to any of the good folks of our wonderful Wirral who spend their free time chasing a peanut across muddy fields up and down the peninsula.

From Hoylake to Ellesmere Port you can find hardy souls who love this rugby code.  More so than the league version of the game which most people do associate with northerners.

It is true to say that our top union side (Caldy) currently ply their trade in the fourth tier of the English game which isn't too bad I suppose when you consider that our top football side play in the third tier of the national game.

Caldy were actually desperately unlucky last season not to have climbed a level when they lost in extra time of their play-off final.  Had they won the game then they would now be on a level par with Tranmere Rovers.

This season hasn't been the best for the Paton Field side as form has been sporadic and they currently sit mid-table in National League 2 North.

Down one tier in National League 3 North, Birkenhead Park are having a torrid season, beaten 10-24 at home by Harrogate last time out, they really need a result at home to Sandal this Saturday if they are to have any hopes of escaping relegation.

Below Birkenhead Park in North One West, Wirral are fifth while Anselmians are in big trouble sitting third from bottom.

Lower down the scale in South Lancashire / Cheshire 1 there was supposed to be a derby match between Hoylake and New Brighton last weekend but the snow put paid to that.  New Brighton would have gone into that game confident being the form team out of the two.  Hoylake started the campaign really well while Brighton's form was patchy but there has been a complete role reversal in recent months.

The last match between the two in November was a very close call with Brighton edging it at Hartsfield 19-18 so whenever this game is rearranged for, it should be a cracker.  New Brighton are currently fourth in the table while Hoylake are 1 place and six points behind their Wirral neighbours.

Our two sides in South Lancashire / Cheshire 2 are struggling at present with Wallasey tenth and Oldershaw thirteenth in a fourteen team division.

Finally in South Lancashire / Cheshire 3, it looks very healthy for our local sides with Port Sunlight sitting pretty at the top of the pile, Ellesmere Port are third, Prenton fourth, Oxton Parkonians sixth and Capenhurst ninth.  This Saturday sees Parkonians entertaining the table-toppers in what should be a very keenly fought contest.

Rugby Union English System:

Level 1 - Aviva Premiership

Level 2 - Championship

Level 3 - National League 1

Level 4 - National League 2 North (Caldy)

Level 5 - National League 3 North (Birkenhead Park)

Level 6 - North One West (Wirral)

Level 7 - South Lancashire / Cheshire 1 (New Brighton, Hoylake)

Level 6 - South Lancashire / Cheshire 2 (Wallasey, Oldershaw)

Level 7 - South Lancashire / Cheshire 3 (Port Sunlight, Prenton, Oxton Parkonians, Ellesmere Port, Capenhurst)

THERE ARE FIVE GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS AT THE TOP OF THE GAME YOU KNOW

by Joey Davies
@theonejoeyd

Right now, tennis has never been more popular. Sure, there are aspects of the sport that traditionalists like myself are dissatisfied with, but to the casual fan the personalities at the top of the game have never been more marketable and appealing.

This is mainly on account of the so-called Big Four of men's tennis- the legendary Swiss maestro Roger Federer, winner of 17 Grand Slams, the Spanish topspin warrior Rafael Nadal who has 11 of his own, the new dominant force from Serbia, Novak Djokovic, whose Slam collection is currently at six and Britain's own Braveheart Andy Murray, whose identification alongside the aforementioned trio was legitimised in his 2012 Olympic gold medal and his first Grand Slam championship at the US Open.

However, there is one trivia question many cannot decipher the answer to- who is the only player besides these elite athletes to have won one of tennis' grandest prizes in the last seven years? Well after a splendid run in this week's Indian Wells Masters 1000 event, those who did not know, now certainly do.

Juan Martin Del Potro, who was on the junior tour at the same time as Murray, achieved an extremely underrated accomplishment at the 2009 US Open when he defeated Nadal and Federer back-to-back to secure the title- he annihilated Rafa 6-2 6-2 6-2 and then in the final against Roger he managed to outlast the man with the most Grand Slam titles in the history of the sport and subsequently enter the champions' pantheon.

Because regardless of what misguided tennis 'connoisseurs' may opine with regards to players with even one Slam, even just obtaining one is a phenomenal feat- especially in this era where the physical endurance levels and emphasis on fitness and conditioning are so intense. Del Potro defeated two of the greatest players of all time to win his US Open, and that warrants irrefutable kudos.

Why has he not backed it up, you may wonder? Well after the 2010 Australian Open, the first major after his glorious triumph in New York, he suffered a severe wrist injury which kept him sidelined from the ATP Tour that year for eight months, and he was unable to defend his US Open. Sure, we shall never know what circumstances would have occurred had this not happened, but his loss to the tour was influential. In 2011, his first full comeback year, it took a while to reach a strong level of play, but he had his share of positive moments such as the semi final in Indian Wells and an admirable effort against Nadal in the 4th round of Wimbledon. Last year it was the very best players getting in his way in the important tournaments, and more niggly injuries.

As a personality Juan Martin is extremely likeable and complimentary towards his peers, including Murray, whom he once experienced a bit of needle with in their first senior match in Rome back in 2008. They are now good friends. At Indian Wells this week they competed against each other for the first time since Del Potro's wrist agony and the Argentine, fittingly in a week in which his countryman Jorge Mario Bergoglio secured the papacy in the Vatican, came from a set down to gain his first hard court win over the Scot (his only other victory had been attained on red clay) in what was an impressive mental triumph over the current US Open champion.

But that was not the end of it- he then recovered again from dropping the opening set to overcome current world #1 and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, ending his 22-match winning streak and reaching the final to face Rafael Nadal. As I write this, the match has yet to take place, but regardless of the result, Del Potro has demonstrated again, after serious bad luck on the injury front, why he has won a Grand Slam championship and why he is a perfectly valid challenger to acquire more. He is the unarguable fifth best player on the planet- not David Ferrer, who has worked very hard in spite of his limitations, but offers absolutely zero threat to the real top four. However, 'Delpo' as he is known by his fans, offers plenty of that and more.

Come Roland Garros time, Juan Martin Del Potro's name will be considered among the contenders and rightly so. He is a great competitor and champion and deserves more respect and acclaim than he receives from those who assume there are only four great champions on the ATP tour in the present.

And as long as he can remain healthy and schedule adequately, he may yet add to his Grand Slam trophy cabinet in the not too distant future.




by Joey Davies
@theonejoeyd

THE PREMIER LEAGUE LET FANS DOWN AGAIN LAST WEEKEND

by Joey Davies

@theonejoeyd

Someone explain to me why the Premier League scheduled a full programme on FA Cup quarter-final weekend knowing full well several of its clubs would be in action at that stage of the competition?

In a season with no European Championship or World Cup upon its conclusion, there is no tight squeeze to fit fixtures into dates. And despite Champions League, Europa League and Capital One Cup commitments, there have been a few free midweeks this season where last weekend's league schedule could have been played. UEFA apparently don't want any re-arranged games clashing with European matchdays even if the clubs involved are not in any of their competitions, which is laughably obtuse.

Not only did the clash with the quarter-finals spoil the Saturdays of fans of Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham who should have had a game to go to, but it adds another midweek rescheduled game to the clubs left in the Europa League, adding more crippling weight on their schedules that could well affect their chances of success. Manchester United drew with Chelsea, yet nobody had an idea what date it would be played on after Chelsea completed a turnaround against Steaua Bucharest to advance to the Europa last eight- and get this, there are no available midweek dates between now and the FA Cup semi-finals, to be played on the weekend of April 13/14. 

How incompetent and inexplicable can both the FA and Premier League possibly be? Demonstrate a semblance of unification, and pull out the requisite stops to help your clubs succeed on a fair playing field both domestically and on the continent. 

Now Chelsea will be facing United on Easter Monday, two days after a trip to St Mary's to face Southampton in a Premier League fixture, while the replay is three days before the Blues take on Rubin Kazan, who originate from the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, in Europe's secondary competition. Luckily it's at Stamford Bridge, probably an unusual situation where being at home for the first leg is the beneficial outcome. Why on Earth couldn't the Premier League and the FA organise a decent fixture programme?

Then again, the vibe I receive from the Premier League is it only cares about lining its pockets. The Liverpool-West Brom fixture taking place on a Monday three days before the Reds were due to travel to St Petersburg to face Zenit is a case in point- Sky TV was blamed, but it was the league's authority that has the power and they did nothing to help its club in Europe. What happened? Liverpool understandably tired towards the end in Russia and conceded twice which ultimately cost them the tie on away goals after a stirring effort at Anfield in the second leg.

I heartily request that the Premier League would actually show a modicum of common sense and consideration for both its clubs and the supporters- whose loyalty in spite of extortionate ticket prices deserves better, but maybe it's too much to ask.

Joey Davies

@theonejoeyd

THERE MAY BE DIFFERENT WAYS TO PLAY THE GAME, BUT NOT DIFFERENT WAYS TO REFEREE IT

by Joey Davies

@theonejoeyd

Another phrase I have heard over and over since United's Champions League exit is how a foul can be a yellow card in England yet a red on the continent. This nonsense has to stop. Rules are rules. The FIFA rulebook is not the Qu'ran, where people interpret its teachings in a different manner depending on which region they were born in or which branch of its religion they adhere to.

The law is the law in any country, and the officials should be using the exact same methods to arbitrate across the globe. Dermot Gallagher said he would not have sent Nani off for his challenge, whereas former World Cup final referee Pierluigi Collina backed Cuneyt Cakir's decision. The consistency is non-existent.

England seems to have a reputation for leniency when it comes to rough and tumble or aggressive tackling, but a middle ground needs to be instilled between the way the game is managed on British pitches and the grassy knolls of mainland Europe.

Why not go international and allow foreign referees to come and take charge of a few Premier League contests? Our own officials in return would be given the chance to gain some valuable experience abroad at the same time. That would allow FIFA to develop a philosophy of refereeing that all footballing nations and cultures could subscribe to.

If foreign players are allowed to come here and do what they're paid to do, why can't referees? FIFA's regulation that domestic leagues can only be officiated by people of its nationality is, in my opinion, a primary symptom of why there are different cultures of refereeing instead of one international philosophy.

The FIFA rulebook can be downloaded online- we just need the international refereeing community to interpret its teachings in the same, consistent fashion.


by Joey Davies
@theonejoeyd