A big season for...Michael Tonge - football

No longer merely a promising youngster, midfielder Michael Tonge enters the new season at Sheffield United with nearly 300 appearances under his belt for the Blades.

Now 25-years-old, Tonge came to prominence during an unforgettable 2002/03 season at Bramall Lane as part of the United side that reached two cup semi-finals (netting twice against Liverpool in the league cup semi-final 1st leg) and also came within one game of reaching the Premiership.

Since then his name has regularly cropped up in the transfer gossip pages, something that has not changed this summer with Sunderland in particular named as a potential suitor.

Tonge remains in South Yorkshire however and although his loyalty to the Blades is commendable, the nagging doubt remains that no top-flight club has been sufficiently convinced of his qualities to make a bid that cannot be turned down.

His one season in the Premier League of course saw Sheffield United relegated and like a number of his team-mates, Tonge appeared to be feeling the hangover of that during the first-half of the 2007/08 campaign.

The arrival of Kevin Blackwell revived his fortunes to an extent although a return of only 1 goal during the season was a disappointment.

Now approaching what should be his peak years as a footballer, Tonge will be expected to spearhead a promotion push at Bramall Lane this time around and ensure, whether that is succesful or not, that he is playing top-flight football in the 2009/10 season.

Teething troubles for Rangers ahead of European return

Luton Town go into 2008/09 with a 30 point deduction, unless any of their appeals fall on sympathetic ears. If that penalty stays it begs the question of who would part with money to watch the Hatters next season?

The Football League hierarchy might not have noticed the credit crunch but it's a fair bet that most Luton fans- and crucially their casual followers -have. With spending constricted how many irregular football fans are going to spend their cash watching a team effectively condemned to the drop from August?

Simple geography makes it plain that Luton is in a position to offer many other football options- indeed the League itself plonked a rival club up the road in Milton Keynes.

No one doubts that there were irregularities at Kenilworth Road but the penalties being paid are positively draconian. The League are giving no incentive to the consortium that have taken over the club- or what was left to take over. Presumably the League administrators are cushioned by the knowledge that there are many full-time professional outfits in the Blue Square Premier these days, only too happy to step into the breach.

Luton fans are innocent in this, as were Leeds and Rotherham fans before them, yet they are expected to turn up and pay hard-earned money to watch a competition stacked against them from the start. The diehards wll be there but the next generation and the occasional supporter will be somewhere else every Saturday- and promising young players won't sign contracts with the Hatters, threatening their long-term stability.

Brian Mahwinney claims to protect the 'integrity of their competitions' but in what sense are Luton, now consigned to League Two, trying to gain an advantage at the moment? The 20/20 group is trying to save soccer in Luton not trying to flout rules and extract money from the game.

If the League falls back on the 'rules are rules' argument then the rules are stupid if they continue to penalise a club years after the initial errors were made and the perceived attempt to gain an unfair advantage was happening Luton are two divisions down from where they were so it's hardly been a cunning master plan.

If the League are indifferent to Luton's plight and are sanguine that another club can just be admitted to replace them then they should just say so and we can be spared any crocodile tears about balancing the needs of fans against wider considerations.

The fact is most football fans- even those whose clubs can benefit from the deduction- believe the punishment of Luton has gone too far and is making a farce of the competition whose integrity the league is defending.

If the League is concerned at the number of clubs falling into financial adminstration it might look back on the part it played in ITV Digital fiasco when any knowedgable fan could have told them that the sums promised to clubs from that deal were ridiculous and bound to break down.

Draw a line under the saga from here on in, put an amnesy in place for the current crisis clubs and limit deductions to 10 points in future, or relegation for more serious situations. At least then the demoted sides have a chance to survive and the 'integrity' of the competition is preserved.

Teething troubles for Rangers ahead of European return

Just a matter of weeks after their epic UEFA Cup run ended in defeat at the hands of Zenit St Petersburg, Rangers are back in European action at the end of July with a Champions League qualifier against either Kaunas of Lithuania or Santa Coloma, the champions of Andorra.

Walter Smith moved quickly after the double blow of defeat in Manchester and Celtic's SPL title win to beef up his side's attacking options, signing Kenny Miller from Derby County, Kyle Lafferty from Burnley and former Hearts striker Andrius Velicka.

The transfer trail has since gone cold however with Rangers' status in Scotland and on the European stage counting for little it seems against the backdrop of an increasingly wealthy Premier League and Championship in England.

Fulham's £4m valuation of midfielder Steven Davis has halted progress on a deal for the Northern Ireland man while Watford's Danny Shittu talked himself out a move to Ibrox this week with some hefty wage demands.

That leaves Smith short of bodies in midfield and at the back, a situation worsened by the pre-season injury blow suffered by skipper Barry Ferguson.

And although his options have increased in attack, the return of Miller to his former club (via Celtic) has caused problems, with reports of a negative reaction from some fans during the pre-season tour of Germany.

Star men such as Allan McGregor and Carlos Cuellar remain though, with one of the financial upshots of last season's heroics being that Rangers have not had to fend off too much interest in their key men.

McGregor and Cuellar will again be important figures while David Weir will again be asked to defy his age at the heart of the defence.

Early progress in the Champions League shouldn't be too much of a mission but Smith knows his side need a fast start in the SPL to blow away the demons of the final few weeks of last season.

Increasing the size and quality of his squad is a must if that aim is to be squared with matching Celtic's achievements in reaching the last 16 of the European Cup.

Hot Babe EURO 2008 Suporter almosts nude

Sorry for the delay, but I just couldn't get to the Euro photos of the day until now. Yeah, I know, I know, it was only the final, but hey, what can I say. Well, in case you missed it, Spain ended a 44-year drought and won its first major international title since 1964 with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Germany in Vienna on Sunday. Here are some final images:
First, ze Germans:

That's a flaggy dress:

Nice hair in front:
The reality of the loss is setting in:

Euro 2008 Top 10 Goals

Here is one fan's opinion of the top goals from this year's Euro 2008 tourmanent won by Spain over Germany. Some good stuff here. The video comes courtesy of AOL Fanhouse, which goes into more detail about what it all means, including the techno song (is that the right term?) accompanying the highlights. Definitely could have done without that one. If you want better quality, you can try double clicking on the video to open the YouTube page and then clicking the "watch in high quality" link below the video.

Here's someone else's compilation though it's interesting that there's not one goal on this list by a player from the Netherlands. There is some overlap though:

They think it’s all over… It is for the time being!

Euro 2008 is over, pre season transfers have begun in earnest, and as the footballing brains of Europe settle down to the domestic season, and the distant thoughts of qualifying for World Cup 2010, it is with some reluctance we leave behind the fervour of the last few weeks. We’ve seen some magnificent football, skills that would befit any of the world’s great stages, and some truly breathtaking solo performances.

One can only relent that the fluid, free-flowing football of the Dutch was cut short in the Quarter Finals, but who could deny the plucky Russians their dues. Turkey summed up the spirit of do-or-die heroic comebacks, and Spain led from first to last with a sublime team of precociously talented individuals.

It’s been hectic, but on behalf of myself and Tom, I can thoroughly say we’ve enjoyed every minute of this tournament. We’d like to thank you all for getting involved with us over the last few weeks. From the casual reader email, to the comment hungry amongst you, those who have posted about us, or simply downloaded the wall-chart – thanks!

And for anyone pining for an excellent way to fill the next few weeks before the domestic season kicks off again, why not get involved in Ole Ole’s exciting new development. Starting the week of 21 July, their Fantasy Football game features 6 different leagues including an exclusive European Super League that combines all the top European leagues in one game so you can pick players from any of the top clubs in Europe and put them in a single team. Fans have the opportunity to manage a team of players from the 2008/09 Bundesliga, English Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

Awesome – oh and it’s free, it’s fun, and it’s competitive (with prizes to be won)… So sign up now, and we’ll see you soon.

Aragonés gets it right for overdue win

If the talent was always there for Spain to lift a major trophy – and their record of perennially winning youth tournaments suggests that is true – then by sheer logic there must have been key differences in this shimmering squad that allowed them to take UEFA EURO 2008™ by storm.

Change of attitude
First, factor in a magnificent coach. Many will forget that Spain entered the finals with their media grumbling about the nature of two friendly victories over Peru and the United States. All the while, however, Luis Aragonés was refining his team, deciding that Marcos Senna, not Xabi Alonso, would start, and continuing the process of educating his troops. The message was: if you can play well and win, all the better, but if you cannot play well for any given reason, then win anyway. When that lesson was put into practice it produced a seismic shift in Spanish football – achieved by a 69-year-old who knew better than everyone else.

'Not much football'
When Sir Bobby Robson was coach of FC Barcelona, he would always cite the day his side scored seven times in a home win only to be greeted by the headline: "Lots of goals but not much football". It was endemic in Spanish soccer that winning was not enough and so the national team often defeated itself in search of style to go with victory. Aragonés taught differently and Spain bought the logic. Next came the realisation that if you are more technically skilled, fitter and more united than your opponents – and have the game already won – then you can add the brio and dash which Spain supplied in buckets and which prompted claims they now play 'total' football.

Right decisions
The engine for Spain's mighty victory in Vienna came from a run of 22 unbeaten matches since 2006, with confidence and attitude growing by the month. But this had to be fuelled by Aragonés making correct decision after correct decision. The starting lineup was always right, with the substitutes wisely chosen and introduced at the appropriate time. For example, midfielder Cesc Fàbregas was one of the players of the tournament yet he started only two games. And even though this was at the end of a long, hard club season, Aragonés chose to use double training sessions every three or four days – was it a coincidence, then, that Spain finished more strongly than every opponent?

Sweet harmony
Moreover, in an echo of Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup triumph, an already harmonious atmosphere in the camp was enhanced by the courteous treatment of the press and the symbiotic relationship that developed out of this. Central to everything, though, was the unity within Aragonés's 23-man selection – whether it was because of those that were absent, or just pure luck that the group were perfectly suited to one another, their togetherness was the spring to success at crucial moments.

Perfect blend
Goalkeeper Iker Casillas and midfielder Xavi Hernández had told euro2008.com that the intense pressure of delivering for the senior national team could undo a Spanish title charge, as so many times before. Here in Austria and Switzerland, however, La Furia Roja turned potential into power, and this strength proved irresistible. There was harmony in the squad, the coach was the unquestioned leader, the media were onside, and the nation understood that Spain would play the Aragonés way. And here, the coach was fortunate to have wonderful individual players to bring his own work to fruition: Casillas, the leader and penalty saver; Fernando Torres, the worker who made the difference in the final; David Villa, the tournament top scorer; the inimitable Fàbregas; and talented youngsters such as David Silva, Andrés Iniesta and Santi Cazorla.

Golden boys
Some had honed their skills in the UEFA Champions League, others had toughened up in England's Premier League. However they got there, though, they formed a golden generation for Spanish fooball, with plenty more vibrant young talents already knocking at the door. This could be just the beginning, and if so, what a wonderful way to start.

Xavi emerges as EURO's top man

Spain midfielder Xavi Hernández has been named the Castrol Player of the Tournament for UEFA EURO 2008™ after his stirring displays helped his country to the title.

Technicians' approval
The 28-year-old FC Barcelona player appeared in five matches at the finals, scoring once in the semi-final against Russia, as Spain earned their first major international success since beating the Soviet Union to win the 1964 UEFA European Championship. His ability to dictate the pace of the game from midfield brought him to the attention of the UEFA Technical Team who decide upon the Castrol Player of the Tournament, taking into account votes from the public. UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh said: "We chose him because we think he epitomises the Spanish style of play. He was extremely influential in the whole possession, passing, penetrating kind of game that Spain played."

Growing reputation
The 1-0 final victory over Germany in Vienna marked Xavi's 63rd cap for Spain since his debut – made together with team-mate Carles Puyol – against the Netherlands on 15 November 2000. He had been an unused squad player with Spain at UEFA EURO 2004™ in Portugal but was a first-team regular by the time of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and showed maturity and no small amount of brilliance in Austria and Switzerland.