Last weekend was a family affair at Wembley as Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool went up against his cousin Anthony Gerrard’s Cardiff City in the League Cup final. While one family member was going to be pleased and one disappointed, it turned out that Anthony would be absolutely distraught.
The match itself was an enthralling one as both sides held a lead at one point (Cardiff in the first half and Liverpool in the second half of extra time). But the sides couldn’t be separated and so a penalty shootout would decide the winner as both Gerrards stepped up to the spot.
Steven Gerrard took the very first penalty, which was brilliantly saved by Cardiff goalkeeper Tom Heaton, but by the time Anthony stepped up as the 10th penalty taker, he needed to score to keep the Bluebirds in it.
In what was heartbreak for Anthony, he missed and handed the victory to Liverpool. Here’s Steven Gerrard consoling his cousin after the match, but what is Stevie G saying to Anthony?
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I certainly don’t want to over simplify our role, but for me PR has always been about;
1. Understanding the story
2. Understanding the media
3. The relationship that you have with the journalist
From a personal perspective, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some fantastic journalists (many of whom I still deal with) and some great brands and clients. While this doesn’t automatically make me the next Matthew Freud, it has allowed me to gain an important understanding of the media beast, what components need to be present to make a good story and the angles that the media will be interested in.
Like any good agency, Lineup Media has to be fully aware of the daily news topics and what the media are covering (club news, player speculation and match incidents). We get our daily news intake from the national newspapers, online sites, Twitter and the radio.
Having a news overview allows us to make a decision on what relevant PR opportunities we have at our disposal and how we can turn these into coverage opportunities.
In the case of clients like FFC, we work closely with them to create PR-able stories, which follow the current news agenda and focus around stories we think are of interest. A good example of this are the Fan Polls created on the FFC site. These not only reflect topical footballing issues but also give us a true indication of what real fans are thinking.
So how do we work with the media?
As you’d expect from the World’s favourite sport, football is covered in all of the UK’s main national media – print, broadcast, online, social – and thanks to the likes of David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, the sport has migrated from being purely back page news, to a more favourable position within the national news agenda.
The ‘celebrity’ footballer has also allowed PR’s an even greater opportunity, being able to target entertainment pages, fashion sections and gossip columns.
Targeting the online media, some stories can now go live within 20 minutes of being first sold in!
Our ‘pitch’ technique is all about understanding the media you are speaking to, ideally knowing the journalist you are about to call and knowing what the key points of the story are – meaning you grab the journalists interest from the start. There is nothing worse than having to ask if a journalist is still on the other end of the phone (which of course has never happened to me).
Knowing the above will allow the journalist to make a quick decision on whether it’s something that would be of interest. Just because one media isn’t interested, it doesn’t mean that another one won’t be!
With all of that said, we are only human and sometimes don’t always hit the sweet spot. It’s at these times we are happy to discuss with the journalist what it is they are looking for and what would work best for them – let’s not forget, a bit of give and take is how all good relationships work.
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Whether we’re working with online journalists, national newspapers sports desks or men’s magazines, it is all about offering them content that their readers will enjoy reading and engage with.
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Ali Sheik is the founder of Lineup Media, a national PR agency specialising in sports, consumer, food, digital and travel clients. A calm and logical Arsenal fan, he is happy with Arsene Wenger and knows that success is only a season away.
Gerard Houllier has not ruled out the possibility of luring Manchester United striker Michael Owen to Aston Villa.
The Frenchman, who worked with the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle United star at Anfield, will officially begin work at Villa Park next week, after being confirmed as the permanent successor to Martin O'Neill.
"He has always been in my thoughts," Houllier told Canal+."I like him (Owen ), as a player and a man.
"I went to Liverpool on September 4 for Jamie Carragher's testimonial and I saw Michael play a half of football. He still has the legs for it."
Meanwhile, Owen has hinted that he would welcome the chance to leave Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old, who has not started a Premier League or Champions League match since January, admitted:"You can only do your best and prepare and train well, so that you're ready when the manager calls on you. After that, it's up to the manager who he chooses.
"It sounds easy, but probably the most difficult thing is not playing for a couple of weeks and then all of a sudden getting called up and being mentally and physically right to perform well.
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"At the end of the season, I'll look and think, 'Was I happy with the amount of games I was available for? Did I score enough goals in the games when I played?' and 'Did I play well enough in those games?'
"You look at highlights of the season, did we win anything, things like that. But I wouldn't put any goal or appearance totals out there because, at a club like this, you never know when the manager is going to use you."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester City are getting tough with Carlos Tevez and have informed the Argentine that he will only be leaving the Etihad Stadium on their terms and not his. Tevez has two and half years left on his contract and City have suggested they will not budge on their asking price and will continue to discipline the striker if he fails to fulfil his contractual obligations. It is reported that his dispute with City has cost in the region of £9.3m to date; fines that Carlos Tevez is looking to appeal.
Carlos Tevez’s standoff with Manchester City has reportedly cost him a staggering £9.3m in the past few months. The Argentine apparently has until the end of the month to appeal against the fining with the Premier League – Guardian
Chelsea and QPR will issue statements ahead of their cup clash at the weekend in an attempt to defuse a potential volatile situation – Guardian
Fabio Capello is set to call-up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into his next England squad. The Italian was in the crowd at the Emirates on Sunday and was impressed with what he saw in the Arsenal winger – Guardian
Steven Gerrard believes there needs to be a change in attitude within the Liverpool squad. The Reds captain feels those underperforming need to take a long hard look at themselves to ensure that Liverpool can turn their fortunes around – Daily Telegraph
Mario Balotelli will be driven out of English football by referees, according to his agent. Mino Raiola has suggested that while his client is content in England, he may look to move to another country if referees continue to victimise him – Independent
Paul Lambert believes that Jonny Howson has all the ingredients to be a ‘great’ for Norwich City. The Canaries boss feels his latest signing from Leeds United has all the attributes to be a top class Premier League performer – Independent
Arsene Wenger is reportedly part of a two man shortlist to replace Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The Portuguese manager told a press conference that he is unsure whether he will still be at the Bernabeu at the end of the season, which may see Madrid renew their interest in the Arsenal boss – Daily Mail
Liverpool are reportedly keen on Udinese’s Chilean international Mauricio Isla, as Kenny Dalglish looks to freshen up the Reds squad in the January window – Daily Star
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Chelsea have opened talks to sign Genk winger Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgium youngster is one of the country’s hot young prospects and the Blues are keen to tie him down to a deal that will initially see the player be loaned back to Genk for the rest of the season – Sun
It seems that in the modern game, money is everything. This fact is noticeable as the firing of managers has become more and more commonplace. Bosses, hungry to see their money turned into success, do not have the patience to wait for a side to develop. We saw this earlier in the season as Sam Allardyce was fired by the new management at Blackburn just days after their take over.
At the other end of the spectrum, we see players with increasing power over their clubs and managers. This season there have been controversial transfer requests by both Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. Both sagas were resolved with an increased contract being agreed and it seems that players these days kick up a fuss and say they will leave a club unless they get paid extraordinary amounts of money that they feel they deserve.
Thirdly, we have seen the face of the Premiership change in the last ten years thanks to ‘Sugar Daddy’ Chairmen, who come to England with the ambition of turning a club into the ‘biggest’ in Europe. All the while spending millions of pounds and being seemingly unperturbed by the debts they create.
I might draw a bleak picture, but on the positive, football is at the dawn of a new era. In 2013, FIFA will implement the financial fair play rules. This will result in clubs only being able to spend what they make from football. It will also put considerable pressure on clubs who continually run at a loss to become self-sufficient. And prevent Chairmen spending their own money on wages and transfer fees.
There has been an on-going debate in the history of football about what makes a club ‘bigger’ than another. Some feel it is trophies, other feel it is supporters. But we now live in a world where money, it could be argued, dictates the size of a club. It is assumed that the financial fair play rules will allow the clubs who make the most money through football to become more successful and penalise those who rely on a financier for investment. Therefore, football may once again begin to see the rise of the ‘biggest’ clubs, who create the most revenue and not just the richest who spend the most.
After 2012, when clubs can only spend what they earn, each revenue stream will become even more important to a club. There are currently three main revenue streams through football; match-day income, commercial deals and broadcasting deals.
My investigation into the finances of modern football will see the analysis of the three aspects of each club’s revenue. I will be going through statistics published over the last 8 years in ‘The Deloitte European Football Money League’ and see what changes have occurred and why. It is thanks to the work of Deloitte that I have been able to do this and all facts and figures concerning revenue come from their reports. I am going to begin by looking at the match-day revenues of the top clubs in Europe.
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Match-Day Revenue of Premier League clubs
Match-day revenue makes up a third of most team’s total revenue. One would assume that the most important factor of match-day revenue is the size of an average attendance. If a club sells more tickets, it makes more money. But things in European football are not as straightforward as that.
Interestingly enough, the most supported League in Europe for the last 10 years has been the German Bundesliga.
Competition
Average Attendance (2008-09)
Bundesliga (GER)
42,565
Premier League (ENG)
35,600
La Liga (SPN)
29,124
Serie A (ITA)
25,304
Championship (ENG)
17,891
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It is apparent that in German domestic football average attendances are very high. Firstly, there are a lot of huge grounds; 11 German clubs have an average attendance of over 40,000. The Premier League, on the other hand, has only 6, (Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea). One reason for this is that the 2006 World Cup, hosted by Germany, meant that many German clubs benefited from stadium redevelopments while England have not hosted a major European tournament since Euro 1996.
Yet, despite having the highest average attendances, German clubs did not make the most money through match-day revenue in 2010.
2010
Match-day
£m/home game
Average
£/attendee
(pos.)
revenue (£m)
attendance
1
R. Madrid
128.1
–
74,894
–
2
Man United
122.4
3.6
74,304
48
3
Arsenal
114.7
3.5
59,765
59
4
Barcelona
97.8
–
77,913
–
5
Chelsea
82.1
2.4
41,422
58
6
Bayern Mun.
66.7
2.7
68,853
25
7
Liverpool
52.4
1.6
42,863
37
8
Hamburger
49.3
1.9
55,240
29
9
Tottenham
44.9
1.5
36,240
41
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The German clubs’ lack of dominance is interesting. This is because the average money spent by a person per game (£/attendee) in Germany is dramatically lower than in England. Cheaper tickets allow German clubs to achieve larger crowds, but reduce their match-day revenue.
We, in England, are paying a lot more to watch a game of top flight football than our equivalent in Germany. In 2010, Manchester United earned 25% more each home game than Bayern Munich despite having a similar average attendance. It costs a person, on average, £23 more to go to Old Trafford than the Allianz Arena in Munich. This is why Manchester United achieved a total match-day revenue of £55.7m more than Bayern Munich in 2010 despite averaging only 5,451 more people each home game.
It is also important to notice that the teams whose revenues are highest have new grounds. English clubs make more money than those in Germany not just because of ticket prices but also because of corporate spending. But those with the largest corporate facilities make the most (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal).
Obviously the amount made through corporate hospitality has increased the £/attendee figure. Therefore this number is not directly reflective of ticket prices. But ticket prices in the last 5 years have clearly risen, and will continue to do so as clubs strive to earn more money from home games.
However, due to the £/attendee of supporters in England, clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham still make more on match-days than German sides Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 and Hamburg. These teams all have stadiums capable of holding more people and average attendances of 73,097, 61,361 and 54,744 respectively. But still do not make as much as the top English clubs.
Importantly, Liverpool and Tottenham may feature in the top 10, but make less than half the money of the highest ranking teams. These two clubs are able to earn more than German clubs who have big crowds but not able to compete with the biggest clubs from Spain and England because they cannot house as much corporate hospitality. This is because their grounds were built before such emphasis was given to this stream of income.
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The statistics show that Anfield and White Hart Lane have reduced Liverpool’s and Tottenham’s capability for financial growth in the last 6/7 years. But neither has seen its growth stunted as much as Chelsea.
2003/4
Match-day
£m/home game
Average
£/attendee
(pos.)
revenue (£m)
attendance
1
Man United
92.4
2.43
67,500
36
2
Chelsea
80.9
1.91
39,700
48
3
R. Madrid
62
1.49
67,600
22
4
Barca
57.8
1.30
62,000
21
…7
Arsenal
51
1.17
36,600
32
8
Liverpool
39.9
1.00
41,800
24
…11
Tottenham
29.9
0.78
34,100
23
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In the 2003/4 season, Chelsea made the second most amount of money out of any side in Europe on match-days. However, they now rank 5th and make less than 1% more than they did 6 years ago. While Real Madrid has seen its match-day revenue increase by almost £65m (95%), and Manchester United £30m, Chelsea’s has grown by just £2m. So Chelsea used to earn £18m more than Real Madrid a year in match-day revenue, now they earn £46m less.
This is partly because Stamford Bridge can only hold 41,841 people. Furthermore, Chelsea had already maxed out their earning potential 5 years ago and have been unable to grow since. This has caused them to dramatically fall behind other major European teams, in terms of revenue made on match-days.
In 2003/4 their £/attendee was significantly higher than any other side in Europe. This is because Chelsea led the way in improving its corporate facilities at Stamford Bridge. Corporate hospitality saw attendees paying more to watch a game. This, in turn, led to a higher average £/attendee and a higher revenue. However, by 2010 other sides have caught up, and overtaken Chelsea. Since Chelsea had already maximised its earning potential in this region, it has not improved it since 2002, and is now lagging behind.
On the other hand, reasons for such extensive growth of other clubs are due to development of the corporate and entertaining facilities, as well as increases in capacity and average attendance. For example, from 2001-2005, the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid underwent massive development. While the capacity may have only been increased by 5,000 seats, behind the scenes there was a huge overhaul. New VIP and corporate facilities were installed as well as modern panoramic escalators, restaurants and bars. The effect of such implementations is that average match-day spending has more than doubled.
In England, Liverpool and Tottenham have been able to increase their revenue slightly by increasing the amount people spend on match-days. But this has been achieved through inflation of ticket prices and every other team has done the same. Both clubs have older grounds and have not been able to significantly increase their non-ticket profits on match-days. That is why they have fallen behind in recent years years.
In the last 6/7 years, Liverpool’s growth of match-day revenue is only is only c.25%. On the other hand, Arsenal have moved stadium allowing a huge increase in average attendance and the amount of corporate hospitality the stadium can host. They now make more than 100% more each match-day than they did 5 years ago. With the top clubs playing as many as 30 home matches a season this is a hugely significant amount of money.
These figures show that the bigger clubs in Europe cannot increase their match-day earnings unless they increase their stadium sizes and dedicate more space to corporate facilities. The older stadiums just don’t have this space either for seats or corporate hospitality. Since most successful clubs already sell out their stadiums every game, more than ever, a modern stadium is vital to a club looking to maximise earning potential. It is clear that the only way Tottenham, Chelsea or Liverpool are going to reduce the gap in match-day revenue between themselves and Manchester United and Arsenal is by moving to a larger, more modern stadium. On the other hand, it is a positive thing for English football that the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United can compete with any side in Europe in terms of match-day revenue.
Some things in life will never change. As they say, the only things in life that are certain are death and tax collectors. What they don’t say, however, that they probably should, is that, whatever you do, wherever you go and whatever your life brings up, Manchester City will always, but always, let you down by shooting themselves in the foot.
I was genuinely worried that, with the investment of Sheikh Mansour and some of the best talent that had signed for the club over this and last summer, the City team would lose touch with their roots and start doing normal, sensible things that normal, sensible football clubs do. I am delighted to see that, especially after the result at The Stadium of Light, my fears were totally unfounded.
How could I possibly have thought that City might have stopped doing stupid things? There had only been two games of the season, but the warning signs were missing… There was a stout, if limited offensively, performance at Tottenham and a dominating and strong performance at home to Liverpool. Two strong teams and two good displays, leading to four points…
Maybe the warning sign of City’s eventual “shoot-yourself-in-the-foot” moment was that there were no warning signs. It’s a new one, I’ll give them that. It’s gone on the list, just after having a player sent off for licking an opponent’s nose and just before being knocked out of the FA Cup by a balloon. And yes, Andy Morrison was once sent off for licking Stan Collymore’s nose.
But missing an open goal, being denied by a world class save, dominating one half before being dominated the other, looking nailed on for a goalless draw, conceding a 94th minute penalty with a needless grapple on a player not likely to reach the cross that had gone into the box and losing doesn’t quite hit the top spot of “shoot-yourself-in-the-foot” moments for City, but it’s right up there with the best of them. Along with losing the replay of a game that was rained off when City were leading 6-1. And being the only club to score over 100 and concede over 100 goals in one season.
It doesn’t quite match up to losing to Bolton, despite having hit the post and bar seven times (twice with the same header) and nor does it compete with losing at home to Middlesbrough, despite the visitors being camped in their own half and not having a single shot on or off target.
You’d think I’d react better to my team throwing away a game in the final minutes, bearing in mind it happened in three of the four Manchester derbies last season. But apparently I still get annoyed… No, frustrated… No, hysterically cheesed off by it. Nevermind, though, because City will stop doing it soon when they start doing normal, sensible things, just like every other normal, sensible club.
What? A boy can dream.
While disappointing, annoying, frustrating and hysterically-cheesed-offing, the defeat at the Stadium of Light isn’t such a terrible turn of events. Chelsea lost away at Wigan, Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham (as well as two defeats to City) last season and they won the title. I don’t think one defeat that, as a City fan, you would have expected as a victory before the game is any cause for concern… after just three matches. There are 105 more points to play for and I would dare to say that no team will win all 105 of them.
It’s not panic stations just yet. It’s not like it’s eight draws in a row, or defeats at teams that end up being relegated, or being knocked out of the cup by a last minute goal to your nearest rivals, or being unable to beat Stoke in three attempts in a month, or losing your first choice goalkeeper with three vital games to go. They are the ingredients for a terrible season, after all. Or maybe not, actually.
I don’t think many people will have expected a Sunderland victory, especially when the game got to half time. But I also don’t think many people would have had Wigan down for winning at White Hart Lane; not after conceding 10 in their opening two games and conceding nine on their last visit to Tottenham. City will lose games most people expect them to win again this season, and Wigan will also lose games most people expect them to lose this season, too. And that wasn’t a typo.
This season, City will play worse than they did at Sunderland and win. They will also concede a last minute goal again in the not too distant future. The season is decided over 38 games, not on three games. I don’t think anybody should be too downhearted until it’s mathematically impossible to win the league/finish fourth/finish sixth/finish in the top half/stay up (delete as appropriate for your personal City ambitions).
And, anyway, City are two points up on the corresponding fixtures from last season. And I’m clutching at straws there, so I guess I should stop there before I mention that Darren Bent’s big toe was offside in penalty incident or that Roberto Mancini was clearly the most stylish and best dressed manager on any touchline this weekend.
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Former France International defender Bacary Sagna says he is very excited about the upcoming season and the next step in his career.
The ex-Arsenal and Man City full back, who starred in Italy’s Serie A in recent months whilst playing for minnows Benevento, is upbeat about joining a new club and beginning a new adventure elsewhere.
Sagna told FootballFanCast.com: “I signed a short term contract with Benevento and did this in the knowledge that I was joining a club who were very much cut adrift at the bottom of the table at the time.
“It was the challenge that intrigued me more than anything else but despite a big effort from the players, it was ultimately not enough to save the club from relegation.
“The highlight of my time there was the victory at the San Siro against AC Milan, that was a special night for the club and I will always remember the Benevento fans, who are so passionate. They always made me feel very special and because of those wonderful fans, many of whom had been messaging me asking me to stay, perhaps my heart ruled my head a little as I left the door open to possibly staying with them.
“Unfortunately, local reports that I have agreed to sign a new deal with the club are inaccurate and somewhat wide of the mark as my time there has now drawn to its natural conclusion.
“I have always been an optimist and I can’t wait to begin working with a new group of people, to make a new group of friends, to listen to fresh ideas.”
“The last few months of playing in Serie A have brought some great compliments from players, coaches and media pundits about my football and it is always nice to attract those kind of comments from respected people within the game.
“I have always lived a clean and healthy life. I have continued to maintain my own fitness regime outside of my club duties and I am feeling as good as I have ever done. I feel strong and positive that I have another two or three years of playing top level football still in me.
“I am in the fortunate position that I am a free player so there are several options open to me. Exactly where my next challenge is going to be is unknown at this moment but in football you must always have the burning desire to win, to keep improving, to be one hundred percent professional.
“If you have that, all things are possible for a club. I still hold my own ambitions and my next move will be to a club that thinks likewise. You must never lose the ambition to keep improving, no matter what position you hold in life.
“I have always been an optimist and I can’t wait to begin working with a new group of people, to make a new group of friends, to listen to fresh ideas.
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“Football brings many wonderful things into your life. I have just returned from Prague after playing in Tomas Rosicky’s farewell match at the weekend, it was a fantastic occasion and it was so great to catch up with Tomas and so many former team mates again.
“It was a real joy to be part of that.”
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
West Ham United are on a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, but their positive stretch could hit a snag this weekend, according to Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas.
David Moyes’s team are due to face Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
In most cases, top-flight teams tend to rotate their squads in the early rounds of the competition.
In West Ham’s case, they may not have a choice as the East London outfit have a number of injuries to contend with.
Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic are currently on the treatment table with injuries.
Former Arsenal striker Nicholas believes that West Ham will face a difficult task when they take on the League One outfit.
In fact, the Scotsman believes that the Latics will earn a replay at the London Stadium.
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The 56-year-old predicted a 2-2 draw with Sky Sports:
“The one upset I can see occurring from the Super 6 line-up is Wigan’s game against West Ham. David Moyes has his injury problems with Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll all sidelined, so he’s very limited to what he’s got to pick from.
“I don’t think Paul Cook will be too worried about disrupting the flow for their Sky Bet League One title push when they’re at home, so I think they will have a real go and can earn a replay at the least.”
Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made an approach to sign Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf, according to the Guardian.
Solskjaer worked with the former Manchester United forward during his time as Molde manager, and now hopes to do the same in the Premier League.
The Bluebirds have already been active during the January transfer window, with Norway international Magnus Wolff Eikrem joining the club from Heerenveen, while a deal for Mats Moller Daelhi is expected to be completed with Molde before Saturday’s crucial clash with West Ham.
Solskjaer now hopes he can bring in Diouf to add more firepower to his Cardiff frontline for the second half of the season.
A Hannover spokesman confirmed Cardiff had approached the Bundesliga club about the possible signing of Diouf.
The Welsh club are reportedly willing to pay around £2.5million for the 26-year-old, who has managed an impressive total of 30 goals in 61 appearances for Hannover.
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His spell with Manchester United was not so successful however, as Diouf managed to make just five Premier League appearances over the course of three years at Old Trafford, managing just a single goal.
“They will pose a threat this evening to Arsenal’s proud record of never having lost a Champions League encounter to foreign opposition at the Emirates.”
These words from the Arsenal programme were all too poignant come the end of Wednesday night. That proud record of the Gunners had disappeared by then, as Schalke continued what has been a glorious last week.
So they’d won away at their arch rivals and Champions of Germany, Borussia Dortmund – impressive. Their victory at the Emirates wasn’t too bad either. Because for the second time in five days, Schalke came away from home and outclassed top opposition. It’s easy to write off Arsenal’s performance as insipid but in all honesty, the side from Gelsenkirchen made them look that way. Schalke kept their discipline so well that it wasn’t until a minute before the end of the game that goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall had to make a save.
The home side had threatened in the first half. Atsuto Uchida looked vulnerable at times as the Gunners poured down the left hand side but anything that went into the box was dealt with by Joel Matip or Benedikt Höwedes. Any hopes Arsenal had of breaking down their visitors were effectively ended when Huub Stevens brought on Jermaine Jones for Marco Höger at half time.
Jones was unlucky to not be picked for the Revierderby at the weekend, having been in good form this season. His presence on the pitch at the Emirates seemed to fix any leaks there were in the first half as Arsenal could not create a clear-cut chance in the second.
Schalke weren’t having such problems as they probed down either flank, and it was down the right hand side where they were having most joy. André Santos cut a lonely figure as time and again, Jefferson Farfan, or Uchida, found space down the right to deliver into the box. It should have produced a goal at the end of the first half but last season’s top scorer in the Bundesliga, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar put wide from just a few yards – an altogether puzzling experience.
If Arsenal expected to get away with giving another great chance to a man with the nickname “The Hunter,” then they were mistaken. Huntelaar lashed in a one-on-one in the second half to give Schalke a deserved lead in London.
Suddenly the home side had an urgency about them which hadn’t been present for the previous 75 minutes. Schalke weren’t worried though as they killed off the hosts five minutes from time. As on Saturday in Dortmund, their second came from a simple counter attack. This time Ibrahim Afellay finished off Jefferson Farfan’s cross, setting off a silent fire alarm across the Emirates as the home faithful disappeared swiftly into the night. In one noisy corner of the stadium, celebrations were under way. It had been another great night for Schalke.
In truth, it had been a great night for the Bundesliga as well, especially with Borussia Dortmund’s victory over Real Madrid. It’s commonplace to hear the division being praised for its fans, for its atmosphere, for the stadiums and in general, for the sensible policies in place in German football. Yet performances in Europe, excluding Bayern Munich, have belied the quality of football in the country. Wednesday night proved to Europe just how capable the likes of Schalke are.
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Domestically, the Gelsenkirchen outfit are seven points behind Bayern in the Bundesliga title race but having ended Arsenal’s proud record at the Emirates, Schalke showed they have nothing to fear.