A fine tradition continued

A couple of months ago on this blog, I described what I termed "The Reading Way". Summing it up succinctly, I put it that each club has their own way of doing things and going about their business. Part of the Reading way was to put their fans through the wringer and to induce despair wherever possible.

As a result for all the last day heartbreak whether it was in regard to relegation battle failures (Derby '08) or play off final calamities ('95 or '01), Reading fans had developed a kind of self defence mechanism of refusing to believe that success was around the corner as the Reading way is to promise you that success but then have it snatched away at the very end.

This phenomenon is well explained here over at the wonderful Tilehurst End blog, examining the differences in the hopes that different generations of Reading fans had for the game yesterday. Broadly speaking, those fans who had been to Wembley or Cardiff before were much more pessimistic about our chances than those who hadn't. Once bitten and all that.

However, I'm sure even those fans that suffered the twin heartbreaks of Bolton and Walsall, were drawn into believing that maybe, just maybe, the mother of all play-off final comebacks was on when Matt Mills smashed home his header to make it 3-2 with 25 minutes to play yesterday afternoon.

However once again, the Reading way was in evidence. Even the most pessimistic of fans was drawn into the tantalising story arc that we were about to put away all those horrible play-off memories in the most glorious way possible. The optimists and the pessimists, the new fans and the old, the wet-behind-the-ears and the grizzled-seen-it-all-'super'fan' were united in this searing new found belief that the comeback was on.

But the Reading way was reasserted, the hope was taken away. Perhaps it was the moment Jem Karacan's deflected shot cannoned off the post and Noel Hunt couldn't stick away the rebound. Perhaps it was the slow reassertion of themselves on the game by Swansea after Darren Pratley came on. It was certainly the ball hitting the back of the net for that fourth Swansea goal. Whatever time it was, the faintest of faintest hopes that Reading generated in those 20 minutes after the break, was snatched away, leaving the game to be filed under 'Play-off misery'; the right post of the West stand Wembley goal was destined to join Tony Rougier's head and Stuart Lovell's right boot in the Reading FC play-off final hall of infamy.

The fairest result was the one which the game ended; we were second best for 70 minutes and made to look very average by a team that were simply better than us both on the day and throughout the season. We were even lucky to finish with 10 men after Zurab Khishanishvilli's foolish trip on Nathan Dyer for the first penalty wasn't punished with a second yellow card. No blame on the referee can be used here. We were done for pace on countless occasions and our inspirations during the second half of the season (Shane Long and Jimmy Kebe) couldn't make their quality show after being successfully shackled by the Swansea backline.

This wasn't the same kind of heartbreak experienced in 1995 or 2001 where we were the better team throughout the season than our opponents and cruel misfortunes of fate snatched away glory. This was a heartbreak built on hope rather than expectation; the hope of an exceptional second half of the season and an exhilarating period of 20 minutes at the start of the second half at Wembley and the hope that a team with whom we, the fans, have a connection with (as so many of the 18 players involved yesterday have developed at the club before our eyes) would get a shot at the Premier League and wouldn't be broken up in the style of so many play-off losers before have.

Perhaps it is our fault for being tempted into believing that the impossible might be made possible.

However, I wouldn't have it any other way. These disappointments are what makes a club and what makes a fan base. The hunger and the drive to avoid feeling that low again. The defeat in Cardiff was followed the next season by promotion; losing out on a play-off place at the end of the 2004/05 season (and seeing a promoted Wigan side celebrate at the same time) arguably made the 106 team in 2006. Taking that feeling and channelling it into something positive; make it happen next year boys and then it's another element to add to the unique 'Reading way'.

On footballing elation

Happiness can come in many different forms and can have different lengths in how long it lasts. Find a fiver? Soon you’ll be cursing yourself for spending it on a couple of pints. Eat a delicious meal? After the last bite, it’s over. The most intense and natural form of happiness, the orgasm? Over before you know it, though the high remains for a while after.

Football is similar but the feeling tends to last longer. A win on the Saturday tends to make your weekend whilst a midweek win makes you go into work happy. The equivalent of the orgasm, in terms of intensity, is promotion; a huge outpouring of emotion in one fleeting moment (no innuendo) that continues to linger throughout the Summer.

Play-offs (and knock-out football as a whole) however are something altogether different; one off games are where beyond happiness occurs (and indeed, beyond sadness). This is the realm of elation and despair; where the pressure is so intense that the sense of relief at the end of it magnifies the emotion felt at the result by 100 times.

When Reading won promotion to the Premier League in 2005/06, it was such a foregone conclusion that there was no pressure when the eventual promotion and winning of the league was confirmed. Sure, the outpouring of emotion at the length of time supporting the club was finally rewarded with top flight football, but this was different, the happiness had already been coming out of every pore as the knowledge that promotion was assured sank in more and more. This was happiness and joy but not the height of emotion, for me anyway.

Promotion or a cup won (or indeed lost) is thus far more emotional and draining than a league being won or relegation occurring, provided these aren’t last day of the season events, the relegation at Derby proving this.

The last time, as a Reading fan, I felt like this depth of emotion was in the aftermath of the 2001/02 season when we played Brentford in, what was essentially, a play-off to see who would get the second automatic promotion spot to Division One; that was elation as the referee blew the final whistle and Reading fans poured onto the pitch of the Madejski Stadium after watching the game on a purpose built big screen.

Tonight was elation as it had the key ingredients of it being a one-off game and the prize being so huge as Wembley is still a wonderful reward by itself. Even being away from home, in a half empty Student’s Union, didn’t dampen the feeling.

What makes the feeling even more intense is  therelatively short period between the play-off semi final and the final, compared to the winning of promotion and playing in the higher tier the next season. Thus, my current feeling oscillates between wondering how ecstatic I’ll be should we triumph but dreading the feeling should we lose. Only time will tell but 12 days is too bloody long nonetheless.

Emphatically Wrong

For the last three months, I’ve been getting large amounts of stick from (in no particular order) my other half, my housemate, my cousin, various other mates for writing off the rest of Reading’s season way back in February.

The jist of my argument was that we were too one-dimensional and reliant on Shane Long, Jobi McAnuff and Jimmy Kebe with the rest of the team lacking creativity and being a bit too workmanlike to sustain a promotion challenge. Cue us going on an unbelievable run at the end of the season, with one defeat in 15 games catapulting us into the play offs.

Despite this, I still had the feeling that we weren’t quite good enough and that we were going to be found out at some stage by teams who would double mark our wingers and stop the service to Long thus neutering our attacking threat. Perhaps it was some sort of self-defence mechanism to not be allowed to believe that we had a chance to get promotion through the play-offs. After all, four times bitten, very much shy by now.

After tonight, one can’t help but think that this view was completely wrong. Tonight was the perfect away performance; this generation of Reading fans equivalent of THAT away day at Prenton Park where Tranmere were blown away three goals to nothing by Nogan, Lovell et al in the glorious 1994-95 season.

Spectacularly solid at the back, barring some scares, and devastatingly effective on the counter attack, one could not have asked for more from this team. Cardiff looked to collapse under the pressure of their own fans and their play-off history whilst this Reading team rose magnificently to the occasion; even with a full back at right wing and three of our four first team wingers absent.

From back to front, there were standout performances aplenty. Adam Federici dealt with everything that came at him, although most of it was indeed, straight at him. Zurab Khishanishvilli and Matt Mills, particularly the latter, had the dangerous Cardiff front pair in their pockets all game long. Jem Karacan and Mikele Leigertwood harried, hassled and if you will be hard pressed to find a blade of grass on that pitch not covered by one of them. Jobi McAnuff and Shaun Cummings, were exactly what they needed to be; willing to help out their full backs and providing a threat on the break, capped off by McAnuff’s superb coup de grace. And what to say about Shane Long? The man has simply been a revelation this year and his first goal showed the new class and composure he has found in front of goal and his penalty showed his guts and bottle. As in the first leg, he single handily terrorised the Cardiff defence, particularly the experienced Kevin McNaughton.

But the most important component is the manager. Pulling a play-off position out of a shoestring budget has been nothing more than a miracle but let’s not focus on the politics of it all. The team spirit imbued in this team is exceptional, has could be seen at full time whistle. Like in 2005/06, this is a team that generally cares about one another and this makes them more than the sum of their parts. The combination of academy graduates and experienced pros have gelled well together and the lack of a genuine superstar probably helps too. It is this spirit and probably lack of fear from the younger players that gave the team the edge over the frightened-looking Cardiff team.

So, ahead of the final? Despite myself, after tonight, I’m starting to believe that this team is the real deal. The grit and talent shown tonight says to me that this team has a chance in 12 days time but, come what may, this team has exceeded all expectations this season and it is testament to what McDermott has built that our season is still alive.

Questions remain despite the fine

As the players, staff and fans of Queens Park Rangers rightfully celebrate their Championship victory, the club have also confirmed that the FA has fined them £875,000. This is as a result of the news the FA confirmed earlier today that the club have been found guilty of two of the seven charges aimed at QPR and their Chairman Gianni Paladini.

Thankfully, the Chairmen of both Swansea City and Cardiff City have both confirmed that they have no intention of appealing the decision which will allow the Championship play offs to go ahead as planned with no appeals process delaying the games.

This confirmation hints that the FA have made the correct decision as both clubs feel it is not worth pursuing the matter.

Two pertinent questions remain however. Number one, why did the FA release this information on the morning of the last day of the Championship, 45 minutes before kick off? Something dramatic must have happened between Friday afternoon (when the decision was meant to be announced but was delayed) and Saturday morning for the information to be released at this time. What or who forced the information out at this time?

And secondly, at what point will the FA announce what rules QPR have been found guilty of breaking? Will these be swept under the carpet on a day to break bad news?

The importance of this is not to be underestimated as the regulations that the club broke (explored here last week http://www.footballfriendsonline.com/blogs/2011/5/1/what-to-do-with-a-problem-like-faurlin.html) have either been broken before by other clubs in the past and so have precedent when it comes to judgement or the charge of covering up the third-party ownership when it came to registering Faurlin which can be seen as the most important, has never been broken before so the ramifications are huge for the future.

The fact that the punishment QPR have received is a fine hints to me that the charges they have been found guilty of is related to third party ownership as this is the same punishment West Ham received for the Tevez & Mascherano affair.

Should this prove not to be the case, when the announcement of which charges QPR have been found guilty of comes around, the ramifications for the future is huge as it may lead to claims alleged at the FA of hypocrisy should precedent for rule breaking not being followed.

We probably haven't heard the end of this.


 
In other news, a story explored in this column a couple of weeks ago regarding Birmingham City and the possibility of their place in Europe being taken away from them has been resolved.

The issue came from an independent audit all Premier League clubs must take part in as a result of the Portsmouth situation last year. Birmingham's auditor stated concerns about the ownership structure of the club and the club's recent share activities.

The most recent one of these activities was a share release with a deadline of this month that was meant to raise £17.3 million. The share release appears to have made £3.63 million, dropping the club's owner, Carson Yeung, stake in the club from 24.9% to 23.3%. Yeung put in an extra £4 million earlier this week but this would still appear to leave a £10 million hole in the finances aimed to be raised from the share release. Yeung also revealing the club's debt stands at £27.7m.

The issue appears to have been resolved with the club being granted its licence to play in the Europe League but this observer wonders how a club's ownership structure can appear clearer after the club's owners % of the shares has dropped.


 
And finally, news from the south of Wales where Cardiff City and Swansea City are set to change the way in which Welsh clubs are governed.

Historically, Welsh clubs have been dealt with the FA of Wales when it came to both on field and off field regulation but this looks set to change with the two Championship sides looking to submit themselves to the powers of the FA.

The issue comes from the Welsh clubs playing in English competitions but falling under different disciplinary procedures and different regulations from their English club counterparts. This produces situations (such as earlier this year when a post-match incident occurred in the tunnel between Cardiff and Reading) where English clubs are disciplined faster due to the different processes of the FA and the FAW, thus punishing clubs in different manners.

The actual shape of the reform is yet to be confirmed but it looks as if a peculiar discrepancy in the discipline process in British football looks set to be rectified.


 
This post also appeared on the Football Friends website at http://www.footballfriendsonline.com/blogs/

When does extraordinary in sport become ordinary?

At what point in sport does the extraordinary become merely ordinary in sport? Can it be pinpointed? What are the factors that determine it? How can a seemingly impossible record at one point in time, been seen as the benchmark for average (relatively speaking) not longer than thirty years later? Are there any records in sport that will be forever extraordinary and beyond being broken?

Of course, some achievements in sport will remain extraordinary for the foreseeable future and beyond that, probably until the very end of time itself. Bradman’s batting average, Jack Nicklaus’ record number of golf majors, Just Fontaine’s 13 goals in a World Cup Finals and Rocky Marciano’s undefeated 49-bouts in his career as heavyweight champion of the world. These records are so exceptional it would take a rare combination of genius talent, longevity and luck to beat them.

However, the only reason, for example, that Nicklaus’ record remains is because of the implosion of an extraordinary talent in the shape of Tiger Woods. Woods was on course to smash the 18 golf major titles of Nicklaus but for the damage done to his game after the revelations about his personal life which essentially heightens Nicklaus’ achievement even more for having both the skill and the mentality to achieve what he achieved.

However, that said, who would have thought pervious beacons of human sporting achievement would have been broken? Like the 10 second barrier in the 100 metre sprint. Likewise Roger Bannister’s four minute mile, widely perceived at the time to be beyond the capabilities of the human body. Juan Manuel Fangio’s five Formula One World Championships. Roy Emerson’s record number of tennis Grand Slams. Fred Trueman’s number of Test wickets. All of these landmarks have been broken by, or will be broken by, many different people many times, despite being the benchmarks for excellence in the past.

So does this mean that the original record was that outstanding or merely ordinary? Probably a combination of the two, outstanding in the context of the era in which it was set but it has since been overtaken by a new benchmark for excellence due to a number of factors.

The most primary of these factors is quite obvious as advancements in science and medicine have made their mark on sport over the last thirty years. This has allowed sportsmen and women to reach a higher level of performance for a longer period of time, allowing them to have a longer career and more opportunities to win things.

Despite the increased need to be truly extraordinary to beat opponents who have access to the same benefits of science, the statistics still say speak for themselves at the end of careers and this is compared to performances in the sport in the past. More (or less depending on the sport) equals better, the standard of opposition is not measured in the history books hence the hypothetical arguments such as how good would George Best have been in the modern era of increased protection for talented players or the vice versa of how would Lionel Messi cope in the conditions Best played in. The easiest way to judge and compare the quality of sportsmen and women in a historical context is through statistics as the previously mentioned situations are merely hypothetical. Stats are all we have got.

Perhaps the areas of sport which can be quantified lend themselves to this kind of judgement far easier as comparisons are ready made for the comparer. What about on field sporting achievements? The 30 yard screamer into the top corner of the goal? The six hit back down the ground over the bowler’s head? The perfect try (I don’t know what this would look like, as has been established this blog is not a follower of rugby)? The hole-in-one on a par three?

I would argue this comes down to the regularity of their occurrence and the perceived quality attached to their execution. For example, the 30-yard screamer in football is relatively rare and the better a player is the better the chance he or she can execute the technique consistently and intentionally, therefore more excellence is attached to it. Compare that to a six in cricket which can be achieved by any player with a bit of strength and a good eye and is an increasingly common feature in cricket through Twenty20, ergo, not so extraordinary anymore.

It is through these prisms we perceive what is and what is not exceptional in sport and these prisms are constantly shifting due to factors as wide ranging as scientific and medical advancements to the relative amount of occurrences  of the achievement to own personal value judgements and favouritism based on knowledge of the context in which they are set and/or emotional attachment.

How to solve a problem like Faurlin

Yesterday, or last Saturday if you are one of their fans, Queens Park Rangers won promotion back to the Premier League, ending an absence of 15 years or so. Or will they?

As you may have heard, it's been in the news a little bit over the last week or so, QPR have a FA hearing hanging over them regarding their midfield Alejandro Faurlin and alleged third party ownership. Overall, there are seven regulations the club are charged with breaching, including "providing false information when the player was registered" and making payments to an unauthorised agent.

At the time Faurlin was registered, the Football League had no rules regarding third-party ownership so they passed the case on to the FA who did have regulations in place following the Carlos Tevez affair. Faurlin was registered with the FA, however, the Association allowed QPR to buy out the third-party ownership in January of this year to allow Faurlin to continue to play legally while the case was pending.

This raises the question of how QPR managed to register Faurlin as a player with the FA despite knowing that there was a third party involved in the player's ownership, hence the charge levelled at QPR and Gianni Paladini (the club Chairman) of providing false information to the FA both at the time of Faurlin's signing and his contract extension in October 2010.

There is no precedent for the FA to follow when passing judgement on this case though similar previous incidents can provide context. For example, late last season, Hartlepool were deducted three points and fined £10,000 for fielding an illegible player, Gary Liddle, in a 2-0 win against Brighton, presumably being deducted that number of points due to the victory gained with Liddle in the team. Similarly, earlier this season, Hereford and Torquay were fined three points and one point respectively for both fielding illegible players in the same game, which Hereford won (again, hence the number of points deducted).

These cases show previous punishments for players being registered incorrectly; that the points accrued with the illegible player being deducted, entirely reasonable in the above contexts. As Faurlin has played in 80 games for QPR, if these precedents are followed, the FA would have to deduct all of QPR's points gained, with Faurlin in the team, up until the third party ownership was bought out by QPR in January.

But, fielding an illegible player is not the only rule that has been broken by QPR; the issue of third-party ownership is also in play. The most obvious precedent for this is the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano signings to West Ham United in 2006. The Premier League's decision in 2007, verified and scrutinised by an independent panel, to not dock West Ham points hints that a points deduction for QPR is unlikely. However, a later tribunal related to this case ruled that West Ham would have to pay £5.5 million in compensation to Sheffield United (who were relegated in the season Tevez played for West Ham) as the Hammers were liable for the loss (financial and footballing) suffered by the Blades.

If this is applied to QPR, this could open up a huge can of worms as the 2^nd to 7^th clubs in the Championship could claim that Faurlin's illegibility gave QPR an unfair advantage in finishing first in the league, thus denying other clubs an automatic promotion place or a play off place and the financial loss that comes from this.

Finally, the issue of concealing the true nature of Faurlin's registration to the FA (by hiding his third-party ownership) is a case without precedent for the FA to follow so it will be very interesting to see how this rule breach is judged.

The FA have also shot themselves in the foot by deferring the judgement so late in the season, with the hearing to begin on Tuesday and a verdict being delivered three days later. If the hearing had taken place as soon as possible after the rule breach was noted, as in the cases of Hartlepool, Hereford and Torquay, the ramifications would not be quite so huge as the outcomes of the season (promotion and relegation) would not have been decided already. Furthermore, should a points deduction not occur, the FA will face accusations of 'bottling it' and allowing clubs to break rules with only a fine (a certainty to be imposed in this situation at the very least) to punish them, which is below a slap on the wrist for modern mega-rich football clubs.

For my money, I have a funny feeling the FA are only going to hit QPR with a heavy fine and, possibly, a five point deduction which will look a bit threatening until you realise it basically has no impact on the outcome of where the title or promotion ends up.

The fact that the case involves Neil Warnock, a man who heavily criticised the FA for their handling of the Tevez affair back when he was Sheffield United manager, only adds an extra layer of intrigue to the whole story. Very much a case of watch this space.


 
This post also appeared on the website of Football Friends Magazine www. footballfriendsonline.com/blogs/