Field #4

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WILFRIED ZAHA

EVERTON ASSESSING THE CHANGES UNDER MARTINEZ

INTERVIEW WITH THE MAN UTD AND ENGLAND WINGER

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WRETCH 32

ASTON VILLA

INTERVIEW WITH WRETCH 32 ON ARSENAL AND WENGER

NIGEL SPINK DISCUSSES LAMBERT’S NEW-LOOK SIDE

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WILFRIED ZAHA

SUNDERLAND:

ASTON VILLA:

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MACKEM MODIFICHE

NIGEL SPINK

MUSA OKWONGA

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PAUL GRECH

ANDY GREEVES

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20 EVERTON:

QATAR 2022:

ASSESSING MARTINEZ

ENGLAND’S TIME?

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GRAHAM RUTHVEN

NICK MILLER

28 WRETCH 32 PAUL GLEESON

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Welcome ONE OF THE SEASON’S EARLY FEATURES HAS BEEN INNOVATION AT TEAMS LOOKING TO DEVELOP NEW FOOTBALLING IDENTITIES, AS THIS ISSUE LOOKS TO EXPLORE THROUGH TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CHANGES CURRENTLY HAPPENING WITH EVERTON, SUNDERLAND, ASTON VILLA AND ENGLAND.

Roberto Martinez’ start at Everton has perhaps been a little uninspiring and though his side have had a lot of possession, there has been little threat to opposing teams. Martinez though is looking to maneuver Everton through a stylistic u-turn and after an excellent transfer window he will now be confident of fielding a side in line with his footballing ambitions.

Sunderland too have started a programme of rejuvenation.

After the pick n mix transfer policy days of Steve Bruce’s tenure, Sunderland fans will no doubt be inclined towards pessimism when faced with large scale changes to the playing staff. This time though the transfer dealings are overseen by a respected backroom team. Valentino Angeloni, the Director of Football recruited from Udinese, has a track record in delivering high quality without big budgets. The setup at Sunderland can provide resources which far outstrip what was available to him at Udinese and put him in a good position to replicate his Italian successes.

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As has become customary in England, transfer deadline day was manic, confusing and as drawn out as ever. For some teams - notably Everton and Arsenal - confusion gave way to hope and optimism as both announced impressive signings to end what at times would otherwise have been a torrid day.

Manchester United, on the other hand, ended the window not knowing if it had been a success or failure. For them, deadline day was less about who they signed and more about the failed transfers that littered their pre-season. Only time will tell whether Fellaini is the answer to their midfield limitations.

Greg Dyke’s assertion this week that England should target winning Qatar 2022 has been met with much derision, both amongst fans and the press. But, why not?

International football often hinges on luck; one mistake or a single moment of genius can decide the destination of the title - Greece’s victory in Euro 2004 being perhaps the best example of a team who through a combination of luck and dogged tactics won against all expectation.

With St George’s Park complete and a promising crop of young players coming to the fore, who knows? Maybe Qatar 2022 could be England’s year.

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One of the players England will be looking towards for future World Cups will be Wilfried Zaha. In our interview inside, he tells Musa Okwonga of his hopes and aims for his time at Manchester United. Learning from those at his new club and continuing to develop as a player seem high on his list of priorities. His big move will certainly give him every opportunity to improve his game and realise his potential, which can only be good for England fans.

Crystal Palace fans must have mixed feelings about Zaha’s departure. Whilst a player with his game-changing ability could be vital when looking to stay in the Premier League, his large transfer fee allowed Ian Holloway to buy 16 new players this Summer.

With the internationals over, club managers around the Premier League can stop fretting that their players will returned crocked or that they will continue talking to the local press with a freedom not afforded to them under the watchful glare of the clubs PR guru.

This weekend will be particularly important for David Moyes. After the debacle that was transfer deadline day and the defeat to Liverpool it is essential they take all three points against Crystal Palace; United fans will also be eager to judge whether Fellaini is a fitting recruitment for the champions elect.

Elsewhere, there are several teams who need to pick up points this week; particularly Sunderland, who have played exactly how you’d expect a newly assembled team to, with a grave sense of unfamiliarity.

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Wilfried Zaha AFTER HELPING CRYSTAL PALACE TO PROMOTION LAST YEAR, WILFRIED ZAHA FINALLY MADE THE MOVE TO MANCHESTER UNITED THIS SUMMER. MUSA OKWONGA CAUGHT UP WITH THE YOUNG WINGER TO DISCUSS HIS MOVE, HIS AMBITIONS AND HIS DEVELOPMENT AS A PLAYER.

Wilfried Zaha, though still only 20, has swiftly risen through football’s ranks. The Ivory Coastborn forward has already made his debut for England and helped Crystal Palace to gain promotion to the Premier League. His exploits at the South London club gained the attention of Manchester United, who signed him for £15million earlier this year. Zaha has joined a club with a proud tradition of flamboyant, match-winning wide men, and whilst goals are still emerging as part of his game - he netted 18 times in 143 matches for Crystal Palace - his skill, balance and ambition are reasons why the Old Trafford crowd eagerly awaited his unveiling. After a promising pre-season tour of Asia, of which he was arguably the star, I met with him at his new Manchester home, to discuss the exciting season ahead.

“I think in the Championship it’s just way more physical, really. And you just have people rushing at you more. At international level I think you get more time on the ball. Other teams get into better shape.”

You’re playing bigger and bigger games now you’ve played play-off finals, for England, at Manchester United you’re going to be playing in front of massive crowds every week. The morning of a game, what’s the process you go through?

“To be honest, I don’t really have one. I just - I just thank God every day, really. I just thank God and just go to work. I don’t have any thing that I do. I just go out there.”

Doesn’t sound too stressful.

You’ve got a lot of tricks and different skills. Which players were your main influences when you were growing up?

Ronaldinho, Ronaldo… just any player with real flair really. Any player who just had that skill to them.”

“Ah, well it is stressful! [Laughs] Once you’re out there with all the fans screaming, and whatever they do! [Laughs] But you just have to get on with it.”

Do you ever hear that?

What are the main differences that you’ve noticed between playing in the Championship and at international level?

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“Yeah, I hear everything! [Laughs] But you just have to zone it all out.”

WILFRIED ZAHA

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Let’s fast forward to the end of your career: you’re looking at your trophy cabinet. What do you want to see in there?

“Everything! Literally. That’s what I’m aiming for, that’s what I practice everyday for. So I’d love to see every trophy I could win in there. ” You seem to be a very keen student of the game, and you’re always looking at other players to see what you can learn. Which forwards impress you most at the moment, and why?

“The players that I’m playing with so far, like Robin van Persie, [Danny] Welbeck, Nani, [Wayne] Rooney, all those types of players.

I think it’s just their experience. They’ve all been playing the game for years. ” How are you finding training there at the moment?

“Well, it’s faster; the passing, everything.

And just, the quality on the ball, really. If you give someone time on the ball, if you don’t close them down or whatever, they’ll do a clinical pass or they’ll score. There are just more quality players here, who make more quality decisions really. ”

“To be honest, this is my first season, so [in terms of ] scoring goals I’ll be happy with whatever I get really. I’m just going to see how it goes this season and try to establish my place in the first team. The off-thepitch stuff is all new. On the pitch, it just reminds me of how I started off at Crystal Palace really. I wasn’t playing [regularly], I was in and out. But [then] I got comfortable with my team-mates. I reached that point at Palace where everyone knew what type of player I was. I would do 20 tricks, five might not work, but the rest would work.”

When you’re playing a particular defender, do you watch them on DVD beforehand, or do you work out how to play them during the game?

“No DVDs or anything. I work out what I’m going to do in the first five minutes of a game. Either I try and run them to see if they’re fast, or try a trick against them to see if they go. During the first ten minutes of a game, that’s when I realise what I’m going to do against a defender. ” That quickly?

“Yeah.”

You’ve got Ryan Giggs in the dressing-room. What are you hoping to learn from him? Have you had any conversations with him already?

“He basically plays in the same position as me, so he just tells me to work harder; if I lose the ball, I should run back. To show the team that I’m a team player, so they’ve got that trust in me. ” Obviously, you’ve scored your fair share of important goals in your career. Do you have any goal target for this year, and if so, what is it?

Interview by Musa Okwonga Photography by India Hobson Wilfried Zaha wears Nike Tech Fleece throughout - available from Nike.com

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WILFRIED ZAHA

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Mackem Modifiche PAUL GRECH ON THE BACKROOM CHANGES AT SUNDERLAND AS THEY LOOK TO REPLICATE UDINESE’S RECENT SUCCESSES.

Whenever there’s a debate about who is doing it right in the transfer market, two clubs are routinely held up as prime examples. There’s Porto, the perennial Portuguese champions who have made a fortune off their ability to develop South American talent before selling them off for ridiculous mark-ups.

Then there’s Udinese. The Italian side’s story is perhaps more intriguing because, unlike Porto, they weren’t one of the country’s traditional big clubs making their rise all the more remarkable.

Up till the early nineties, most of their history had been spent playing in the Serie B or lower. Then they began striking it lucky finding one talented player after another.

When the latest star was sold off – invariably at a huge profit – his place would be filled by some unknown who would go on to prove to be just as good. Eventually, people started realising that there was nothing lucky about Udinese’s finds but that these were the result of a highly effective scouting network.

Inevitably, such a realisation also led to clubs trying to replicate Udinese’s system. Some did this by studying their methods but others were more direct, attracting people who held key roles in their network.

Valentino Angeloni is one such man. For four years he was one of the key advisors for South America and Eastern Europe, with only Andrea Carnevale, the club’s chief scout, being ahead of him in the system. His work was impressive enough to attract the attention of Inter who tasked him with heading their scouting network.

It was a prestigious role and a huge step forward for Angeloni, but not enough to keep him in place when Sunderland came offering the job of technical director.

The Italian revolution in the North East had started months earlier. Ellis Short had been friends with Roberto de Fanti for some time, occasionally asking him for advice about transfers. When the decision was made to part ways with Martin O’Neill and to start putting in place a more European set-up, it was to De Fanti that he turned, naming him Director of Football.

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SUNDERLAND

“Eventually, people started realising that there was nothing lucky about Udinese’s finds but that these were the result of a highly effective scouting network.”

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Up till that point, De Fanti had been working as an agent, largely representing players from Scandinavia as well as Eastern Europe; regions where you would expect clubs trying to be ahead of the curve to look.

Indeed, that’s how one would imagine Sunderland to position themselves. Before leaving Udinese, Angeloni described their process by saying “we try to anticipate the market by having detailed information from all over the world. The aim is to arrive a couple of years earlier than others to study in detail every single player.” It is easy to see Sunderland going for a similar strategy; bridging the gap with the richer clubs in the league who can go for ready made stars by discovering stars of their own.

The players brought in this summer – of eight nationalities hailing from nine different leagues offer a glimpse of the width their network will look to cover. But these were most likely names that they had earlier jotted down in their notebooks rather than the result of a fully operational system.

another four Italian scouts Antonio D’Ottavio, Massimiliano Mirabelli, Raffaello Papone and Franco Pulin.

Yet it will take time for this system to mature.

Time and patience. Both should be granted because, if a provincial side can beat the giants of Italian football and get to the Champions League by working in this manner there’s no reason why a club with Sunderland’s infrastructure shouldn’t make a success of it.

“We try to anticipate the market by having detailed information from all over the world. The aim is to arrive a couple of years earlier than others to study in detail every single player.”

That will take time. Udinese’s system is elaborate; DVDs of around two hundred games are monitored every week and that is how players are first spotted. Once a player impresses, scouts are sent to watch them more closely for six or seven games. It isn’t simply the playing qualities that they try to evaluate but also their character, sourcing as much information on the player as possible. Only once all that work is done is a decision made.

It is such a system that Sunderland will be looking to replicate and already the building blocks can be seen coming together, not just with Angeloni and De Fanti but also with the appointment of

Type by Evan Lelliott

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SUNDERLAND

Words by Paul Grech

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Nigel Spink BUOYED BY AN OPENING DAY VICTORY AT ARSENAL, ASTON VILLA FANS ARE HOPING 2013-14 WILL BRING BETTER FORTUNES FOR THEIR SIDE WHO WERE CAUGHT UP IN A RELEGATION DOG-FIGHT LAST SEASON. VILLA PARK LEGEND NIGEL SPINK TELLS ANDY GREEVES WHY HE THINKS THERE COULD BE BRIGHTER TIMES AROUND THE CORNER.

It was a miserable Christmas 2012 at Villa Park.

Having had their worst ever Premier League defeat (0-8) inflicted on them at Chelsea on December 23, 2012, they were then beaten 4-0 at home by Tottenham Hotspur. 12 goals against and none scored in two games for the relegation threatened team.

Things didn’t get much better in the New Year either as they suffered the embarrassment of being knocked out of the Capital One Cup by then-League Two side Bradford City on January 22.

Come May, the Villians would at least avoid the drop, finishing five points and three places above the bottom three ensuring their 103rd season in the top-flight this campaign. This summer, Villa managed to stave off interest in their prize asset, striker Christian Benteke, who subsequently went on to score twice in Aston Villa’s 3-1 opening day victory at Arsenal on August 17. They also performed well against two of the Premier League’s leading lights Chelsea and Liverpool without getting the points to show for their efforts.

“It was a great start to the season with Aston Villa beating the Gunners and in all honesty, they were unlucky to lose to both Chelsea and Liver-

pool,” says former Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink, who made 361 league appearances for the club between 1977 and 1996. “They’ll certainly think their performances were good enough to get at least a point in those games. Still, if you’d have offered Villa three points out of their opening three matches, I think they’d have taken that given the teams they started against.”

It’s a home game up next for the West Midlanders, who welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park this Saturday. Paul Lambert’s men finished above the Magpies in the Premier League last season on goal difference, but failed to beat them during the campaign. A 1-1 draw at St James’ Park

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ASTON VILLA

“Libor Kozak arrived from Lazio on the transfer deadline day and I guess his arrival represents what the club are trying to do, in bringing youngish talent in for moderate sums of money and develop them into top players.”

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was followed by a 2-1 win for Newcastle at Aston Villa in January.

“With no disrespect intended, I think Villa will look at Newcastle as being a team they need to beat at home if they want to improve on their finish in the league last season,” says Spink. “Villa have performed well in their opening games, so you want to keep that level of performance high and get the results to go with it. Newcastle are an attacking team and they like to go forward, so hopefully it will be an open, entertaining game and of course, a Villa win!”

Having retired from his role as a goalkeeper coach at the end of the season – having worked for the likes of Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland and Bristol City – Spink is a corporate host in the hospitality areas at Villa Park on a match day. From that lofty viewing position, he likes what he is seeing on the pitch currently.

“I’ve been impressed with Paul Lambert and I think there’s a good feeling around Villa Park now that the club is moving in the right direction,” he smiles. “The fans have been very understanding of the situation they have been in of late and didn’t get on Paul’s back at all last season which is so important. Recognising that the team is going forward, everyone is happy to give it time to see this project through.

“Villa have got a decent and well balanced squad. Libor Kozak arrived from Lazio on the transfer deadline day and I guess his arrival represents what the club are trying to do, in bringing youngish talent in for moderate sums of money and develop them into top players. Obviously, Kozak might have been earmarked as a potential replacement for Christian Benteke earlier in the summer, but it’s great he’s staying put.”

While progress would appear to being made at Villa Park, ambitions and achievements at the club are long way short of what was achieved during Spink’s 19 years there as a player. The goalkeeper was involved in the squad, though never played, during the 1980-81 season that saw them win the old Division One (now Premier League) title and on May 26, 1982, made only his second competitive

appearance for Aston Villa in the biggest of occasions – a European Cup Final. Replacing the injured Jimmy Rimmer after just nine minutes, Spink kept a clean sheet as Villa scooped the premier European club trophy with a 1-0 win. He also has winners’ medals from the European Super Cup in 1983 and the League Cup in 1994.

So what chance Villa ever competing for such top prizes like that again?

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ASTON VILLA

“Villa will look at Newcastle as being a team they need to beat at home if they want to improve on their finish in the league last season.”

“You can’t rule out Aston Villa going for top honours like the European Cup in the future, even though it seems a long, long way away at the moment,” answers Spink. “Villa are one of the big clubs in this country, in terms of fan base, the size of their stadium and history and they could become a giant once again. Over the next few years they want to get back amongst the top six in the Premier League, where they’ve been many times before.

From there, who knows.”

Words by Andy Greeves Type by Evan Lelliott

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Assessing Martinez AFTER A SUMMER OF CHANGE AT GOODISON PARK THE ONUS IS NOW ON MARTINEZ TO BUILD ON THE SUCCESS MOYES HAD AT EVERTON. CAN HE SUCCEED? GRAHAM RUTHVEN CERTAINLY THINKS SO.

Outrage took root at Goodison Park this summer.

Unwelcome change sparked protest and unrest within the Everton ranks as David Moyes, the club’s manager for 11 years, departed to take over from the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

But Moyes was not the primary source of angst. That instead came from the ill-advised decision to strip the club’s badge of its time-honoured tradition, to bring the crest in line with those of “other major sporting brands.”

In fact Moyes’ exit has for the most part been absorbed rather pragmatically on Merseyside, with the swift appointment of Roberto Martinez proving somewhat popular.

That is not to say Moyes won’t be missed.

Chairman Bill Kenwright’s despair at losing his manager was obvious when the television cameras were pointed at his face in light of the development. Martinez, though, will progress Everton in a stylistic and footballing sense; although whether he will improve results forms the central crux of a fundamental debate: what does football value more – style or substance?

Moyes was often unfairly typecast as a figure of attrition, perceived as founding his style of management on a tireless work ethic and determined doggedness. But in spite of this reputation the Scot

has left a possession-based, dynamic side for his successor. The transition should be seamless, but will Martinez’s lauded style of play finally translate into results? Can he sustain the relative level of success achieved with such modest resources under Moyes?

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EVERTON

“Martinez still suffered the indignation of relegation with the Latics last season. Indeed the 40 year old’s record in the top flight is questionable, winning just 38 of 152 matches, giving him a meager win ratio of 25%.”

Ironically by appointing Martinez Everton now boasts a more successful coach, by the gauge of silverware tally, with Moyes having infamously never won a major title as a manger.

But although Martinez’s astonishing FA Cup triumph with Wigan Athletic last May suggests he possesses sufficient pedigree to take on such a position, concern over his league performance as a manager taints the Spaniard’s CV.

While he staved off the drop for three years at Wigan, on consistently the lowest budget in

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the Premier League, Martinez still suffered the indignation of relegation with the Latics last season.

Indeed the 40 year old’s record in the top flight is questionable, winning just 38 of 152 matches, giving him a meager win ratio of 25%.

Yet Martinez has earned a top-level reputation through admirable commitment to his footballing principles. His enthusiastic and engaging personality makes him a popular figure within the game, perhaps masking his flaws as a tactician.

“Martinez deserves his opportunity at an established Premier League club, but to succeed he may have to concede some of the acute principles that got him that chance in the first place.”

Defensive resolution, or the lack of it, remains an elusive quality for Martinez as a coach. That blind spot will be further scrutinized should he fail to improve on that weakness having inherited accomplished defenders like Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines.

Martinez’s resistance in holding on to Baines in the face of intense interest from Man Utd gave an indication of how seriously he considers Everton’s chances this season, keeping the core of players that have delivered consistently under Moyes.

While claiming victory on the Baines front, Everton were eventually forced to sell Marouane Fellaini, as Moyes returned on deadline day to snatch the midfielder for £27.5 million with just minutes of the window left.

But despite the loss of the lanky, languid Belgian Martinez can claim to have strengthened his squad over the summer with a number of astute captures.

Martinez insists the signing of James McCarthy from Wigan wasn’t made with the impending exit of Fellaini in mind, but his arrival at Goodison Park will upgrade Everton’s central options regard-

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less, as will the astute capture of Gareth Barry.

Romelu Lukaku, signed on a season-long loan from Chelsea, will reinvigorate an attacking line that had become stale with Nikica Jelavic leading it. If Everton were considered to be one exceptional forward away from European qualification last season Martinez might have found that figure in Lukaku.

As such Martinez will not have to overhaul Everton’s identity to align his new team with his own personality and principles. The Spaniard’s micro-Tiki Taka style of play should be comfortably adopted by Everton’s technically adept midfield core, with forwards like Kevin Mirallas and Lukaku giving Martinez a level of attacking threat he could barely envisage at Wigan.

Martinez deserves his opportunity at an established Premier League club, but to succeed he may have to concede some of the acute principles that got him that chance in the first place.

Everton will revisit the redesign of the club’s badge at the end of the season, vowing to re-evaluate and gauge supporter opinion before coming to a compromise. If Martinez fulfills his unquestionable potential as a manager at the top-level he’ll be able to watch the unrest from a distance, just like he did this summer.

Words by Graham Ruthven Type by Evan Lelliott

EVERTON

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Qatar 2022: England’s time?

LAST WEEK, GREG DYKE RATHER BOLDLY SUGGESTED THAT ENGLAND SHOULD AIM TO WIN THE 2022 WORLD CUP IN QATAR. MOST SCOFFED, AND GIVEN THE CURRENT MOOD AROUND OUR NATIONAL TEAM, WITH SOME REASON. HOWEVER, NICK MILLER THINKS IT MIGHT JUST BE POSSIBLE...

WINTER WORLD CUP

At present, due to the obvious practical concerns about playing football in 50 degree heat, the 2022 World Cup looks like it will be in the winter – that is to say, slap-bang in the middle of the English domestic season. While this will provide some logistical issues for the Premier League, it will at least eliminate one of the frequent excuses for poor English performance at major tournaments – that due

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to a lack of winter break, all the players are too tired after nine months hard football with little/no break. “It’s like when you’re driving a car,” said Fabio Capello recently. “If you stop halfway to put fuel in then you’ll definitely get where you want to go, but if you don’t then there’s always the chance you’ll be running on empty before you reach your goal.”

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ST GEORGE’S PARK

After years of fudging, poor planning, obfuscation and the rest, the £100 million St George’s Park is finally open. Finally, following the closure of Lilleshall in 1999, England has a centre for the development of football

in this country. It’s as much a place for coaches as it is for players, and for a country the size of England with the somewhat limited resources at its disposal, coaching is key.

UNDER 21S NOT AN INDICATOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE

Shortly after Dyke’s speech, England’s Under 21s beat Moldova 1-0. The reports of this game generally opened with sentences along the lines of ‘Win the World Cup with that lot?

Good luck Mr Dyke...’ However, performance at youth level is rarely a reliable predictor of success for the seniors. For example, Spain did not even qualify for the 2002 European Championships, a tournament won by Switzerland.

If we are to assume that Under 21 success +

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nine years = senior success, then 1998 U21 victors Romania were surely nailed on for the 2006 World Cup and Slovakia should’ve cleaned up in 2008 or 2010.

International tournaments are often random and confusing affairs that are not governed by logic. This of course is not proof that England are certainties to lift the trophy in Qatar, but neither is the current mediocrity of our youth proof that they won’t.

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LOW EXPECTATIONS

At present, the expectation on the England side is still high. Artificially high, you might say, and Dyke’s proclamation doesn’t help such matters. However, it’s being chipped away at - as gradually more and more people become realistic that England are not the world-beaters of yore, expectations are

lowered. So maybe that will help out. One of the frequent mysteries encountered by successive England coaches is why players who get to the very top of the club game can be so cowed when representing their country. With a generation raised on lowered expectations, this fear could be banished.

HEY, WHY NOT?

Look, international football isn’t often logical.

Who knows what’s going to happen next week, never mind in nine years. The majority of the players in this current England side will no longer be there, unless Frank Lampard finally nails that cryogenic freezing and is

thawed out for every game to hammer in goals from midfield. It could happen. Keep the faith. Don’t be so terribly cynical about the whole thing. Let’s join hands and celebrate the impending glorious success of our glorious national team. Probably.

Words by Nick Miller

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QATAR 2022

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Wretch 32 DESPITE HAVING A NEW ALBUM IN THE CHARTS WRETCH 32, LIKE MOST ARSENAL FANS, SPENT MUCH OF THE SUMMER WORRYING ABOUT ARSENE WENGER’S PINCHPENNY TENDENCIES. THOUGH WITH THE LATE ADDITION OF MESUT OZIL HE HAS REGAINED SOME CONFIDENCE IN HIS SIDE’S CHANCES.

Up until around 10pm on transfer deadline day, Wretch 32 shared the same pessimism as most Arsenal fans at the clubs uncertain start to the season and asked the same question: why, if the money is available, aren’t we spending?

As always, Wenger had spent the majority of the summer in a cryptic mood; insisting that Arsenal were in the market for players but only those who would improve the squad and, more importantly, represent value for money.

“I’m not the type of guy who when it’s not going well will want to kick him out. But there’s been a few seasons now where it’s not really been working out so it is kind of getting to the point where it’s like, either pull up your socks or get someone else in who’s prepared to. At least get in the quality of players and push them to win each week.”

At this point for Wretch 32 a.k.a Jermaine Scott Sinclair it was beginning to feel a bit like groundhog day as Wenger repeated the same mantra: ‘we ended the season really well with this group of players.’ As Jermaine explained though, it’s an excuse that’s starting to wear thin with fans of the club, especially those who remember Wenger’s trophy-laden early spell at the club.

Since we spoke last week Wenger has done precisely that, bringing in Mesut Özil from Real Madrid for a club record £42.5 million. It’s exactly this kind of marquee signing that Arsenal have avoided in recent years, with Wenger preferring to buy at the lower end of the market. Despite the obvious brilliance of Özil, many Arsenal fans have been left wondering why additions weren’t made to other areas of the squad, particularly the defence and midfield where they still look light on numbers and quality.

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WRETCH 32

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“I don’t know the reason for it, to be honest.

Maybe he [Wenger] is is going to write a book on it and tell us his thoughts. He doesn’t say much when it comes to the trophy drought. Maybe when he’s retired he’ll reveal all and we’ll be like ‘Oh, yeah.

It makes sense now.’ But until then we’re all going to be scratching our heads.”

Although optimism has swept across the Emirates this week, many fans are still left wondering what has happened during the preceding eight seasons since they last lifted a trophy. For many, including Jermaine, the main gripe is Wenger’s apparent happiness at achieving fourth place, sometimes at the expense of lifting silverware.

growing confidence of Wretch 32 as an artist as he takes on themes of growing up and maturing.

“It’s been nice, you know. It’s not the record I’ve had played the most but to be fair it’s a record that grows on you, there’s a message in it that I want to get across...I just wanted to show that there’s some people that have nothing but have everything and that’s the important thing, not the Ferraris and material items.”

“Yeah, I think it’s a long time since we were actually in the running for the title. I never thought that we would be a club happy to finish fourth.

Unless you’re going for number one, then it’s a joke. It isn’t fair to the fans either, we’re a Champions League club and the winner of so many cups in the past; for us to not go for them would be an injustice to ourselves.”

But with Flamini re-signed - and looking just as good as when he left for the San Siro five seasons ago - and Özil on board, there is reason to be optimistic; for the first time in a while Arsenal are now targeting more than a fourth place finish.

As for Jermaine, his own personal goal this year is to continue the upward trajectory his career has taken since the release of Black & White in 2011.

The first single from his unnamed third album reached number six in the UK charts; his latest release Doing OK gives a further indication of the

FIELD — ISSUE 04

‘Doing OK feat. Jacob Banks’ is out now, the second single from Wretch 32’s forthcoming third studio album.

Words by Paul Gleeson Interview by Paul Gleeson arranged by Shoot Music Promotion

WRETCH 32