Time for a little football

The 2009/10 season is nearly underway: preseason games are winding down, managers are starting to swagger for the press, transfers are flying from team to team and league to league. The first games take place August 15...but the day we all await? Sunday, August 16 -- United at home to Birmingham.

It's been mentioned a time or two that Manchester United is The Best Team Ever (TBTE) and here's why: their many trophies, awards, and acolades* aside, it's the United mentality that I like, and that comes down to manager Sir Alex Ferguson. In this age of constantly shifting managers, Fergie's been with United for 24 years. Twenty-four! A loyal bloke himself, his philosophy is to find players who not only are gifted with good feet, but who are passionate about the game and want to play for the club... not the divos most interested in money. For example, taking a look at his squad, my favourite player is Ryan Giggs, a United player since 1990; Neville and Scholes who came along in '91; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who played with United for 11 years and now looks after the reserve team...and so on. Yes, Ferguson has money to spend, and spend it he does - when he sees fit. He's also willing to let players go, when other money comes calling, believing that feet follow the heart, and a player not committed to his club isn't worth the money anyway. A few big transfers this summer are proof of that.

While I love to talk about TBTE, it's the mad transfers and the obscene amounts of money that I want to talk about. I know this ugliness is infesting other sports as well - such as the NHL and a certain Sens player, but I'm sticking to football (soccer, if I must use the word!).

The biggest news has been Real Madrid, Spanish winners of more awards than I care to count, affectionately known as Los Galacticos (the superstars). They pull in more than 300 million British Pounds a year, so they certainly have money to spend, and spend they certainly do, to the tune of 263 million pounds this summer so far. 65 were for Kaka, 94 for Ronaldo...only 35 for Benzema...and poor old Granero? A paltry 4 mil. Poor guy... to know you were worth less than 1/20th as much as that other guy.

On the English side, Manchester City has been courting some big names, using money as their inducement. Perhaps, having placed10th last season, they believe money is all they have, to tempt players over their side? Having spent well over 50 million on just three players and an additional undisclosed sum for the high-maintenace Adebayor, they recently lost a friendly 2-0 to the Orlando Pirates. All I have to say is: good luck to them... and I hope '09/10 shows that money doesn't win trophies.

Chelsea has also been known for splashing out on big name players, having piles of Russian oil money behind them. They've been importing and discarding managers in the hunt for silverware. Unlike City, they've been consistently at the top of the table, and have won twice in the past five years. Despite the money, I have the sense that there is club pride among the players. Captain John Terry, for example, is being courted by City with an offer of one million a month, but he seems firm in his commitment to Chelsea, the club he's been with since the age of 14. I hope I don't hear that he made the switch. I like the guy, think he's a natural team captain, and is a gifted midfielder. I always see him talking to, or patting the heads of, the kids that lead the team onto the pitch before a match. The money behind City, however, are determined to get him, 'whatever the cost'.

The thing about money in sport, is that it overlooks the heart factor. A team of players who are proud of the crest on their jerseys, dedicated to their manager, proud of their club's history will be able to win a game in injury time from being 2-0 down. A team with players who are there for the paycheque will find themselves kid-gloving primadonnas, and having to use the enticement of bonuses and bigger salaries. Where's the honour in that? The sportsmanship? What happened to the love of the game? Playing for the fun of it?

For sure, it's a bloody decent way to make a living, and a bloody decent living at that. There's heaps of money to be had in the gate receipts, the sponsorships, and the media contracts. But at the heart of it, it is 22 men kicking around a ball because as wee little boys they loved the game and spent every daylight hour practicing their drills. The players who haven't forgotten that fact, are the ones I like to watch. Here's to Ryan Giggs and John Terry!

*For example: 11 Premiership titles...and the Premiership was founded 17 years ago. Only 3 other teams have ever won even one Prem.