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Listed below are comments made by Albiceleste_fan between Monday, 3rd November 2008 and Monday, 14th September 2009.

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Dunga shows way to Maradona 3:04pm on 14 Sep 2009 Tim,

It is interesting comparison that you have brought out.
I would throw in Pep Guardiola into the mix as well.
He is, in some sense, a middle ground between Diego and Dunga.
A passionate coach and additionally committed to building a professional side.

Interestingly, one of the most inert performances of Barcelona and , in particular of Messi, came in the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
In that game, Pep looked a bit too animated and almost lost the sense of being a coach. He looked more a Maradona, if you like.

In my opinion, this impatience of Maradona on the touch-line (in addition to the tactical mistakes he might have made), really rubs on to the players. A quick look at the performance of the most important players for Argentina in this side - Messi and Mascherano - reveals that. Messi almost fitted seamlessly in the game against Getafe 2 days back- a contrast to the disaster with Argentina. Similarly, Rafa Benitez is probably the last person to get stuck in passionate pitch antics ala Diego.

This probably brings me the point. Are the players finding it hard to adapt to this admittedly different approach (a bit less professsionalism and a bit more passion and energy) of Diego to what they have being finding as the norm in their usual clubs ?
Maradona learning the hard way 11:36am on 07 Sep 2009 Tim,

I enjoy reading your articles, I agree to some of your opinion.

Firstly, I am completely with you that Maradona took over the team, when it was not in good shape. Additionally, the round of fixtures were tougher for him than for Basile. He surely is learning as well.

A couple of points though.

1. The centre-back pairing (in the game against Brazil) had a combined experience of 1 international cap. Was it the right time to try it especially when Samuel is at-least playing (and by all accounts playing well ) for Inter. There is also Gonzalo Rodriguez of Villareal. Additionally, Garay has more exposure at the top flight than the 2 who started. Then there is the curious case of starting with Heinze, Brazil have even openly told in the past (in Copa America-07 I think )that they will exploit his weakness. And they did it every time. I guess at the very least a different player could have been tried.

2. How about starting Tevez. His contribution so far: 1 goal (a tap in against Venezuela) in 11 qualifier games with 2 sending offs.

3. Finally, you maybe right about the target-man issue but it is also true that neither Diego Milito nor Lisandro nor Cavenaghi (you forgot about him) nor Higuain have been given sufficient chances either in the qualifiers or in the friendlies. In fact, one can argue that very rarely a target-man has even started (since WC-06) to be judged fairly. It also somehow defeats the purpose of using width (Maxi Rodriguez and Datolo) without any target-man.

I know very well it is easy to sit in the comforts of my home and pass opinion about the situation. But somehow I clearly get the feeling that Maradona does not seem to have a concrete plan in mind.

my 2 cents.
The final frontier 2:31pm on 16 Feb 2009 Tim,
Nice article.
Would like to chip about coaches from the Americas.

I feel that some of them have done pretty well. Pelligrini in Villareal has done a terrific job, granted his side has a lot of South Americans but he has really done a great job with them. Javier Aguirre (he is not really a South American but then he is from outside Europe) also did wonders (minus the last 1+ month) with Atletico Madrid. Zico also has done very well in Turkey.
Just 3 recent examples.

But then with Chelsea it is very different from either of these clubs. Did the additional pressure of managing one of the top club sides in the world was a factor ?
Tim, do you think the style of football also contributed to the fall of Scolari. As probably he is not too familiar with the way Chelsea play (a great deal of it was based on the athleticism and pace of their forwards, ). I havent watched Chelsea too much this season but from whatever I did see I felt they were not too sharp on the break.
Coming to Maradona's defence 5:59pm on 04 Nov 2008 Why is the title of the blog changed ?.

I dont see anything wrong with the previous one. It is the opinion of a person and he gives his reasons.
Coming to Maradona's defence 11:52pm on 03 Nov 2008 #125:

Cheers mate. I have really enjoyed this discussion as it progressed.

Well, I will agree with you to some extent. Maradona did cheat.
But from what I get from the article by Tim, it is that Maradona was subjected to being cheated at-least as much as he cheated.
I think one has to hold the acts of Maradona in perspective.

I think the drug intake is interesting. Tim makes a point about "God" and all that.
Please bear in mind that we are dealing with probably an immature individual at that time (despite his age).
The fairy (hyperbole at times) tales and the ghosts of 1986 resurfaced and it was too much for Diego. This was, as Tim notes, an important factor in the drug intake as well.
And unlike other forms of PED mis-use, I feel this is different.
So it is not a case like Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery whose claim to fame was as a result of PED's.
I think this point was probably getting mixed up in the course of our discussion.

I also feel that Maradona has really suffered a lot personally. In-fact, his own views (after he completely rehabilitated) of his life post-football is very scathing.

Probably, the person who might have wished/hoped all the glory and the associated sycophancy be not on him (which resulted in his downfall) might very well have been Diego Maradona himself.

Just my take that is.

PS: I am off for tonight :-), I will try to join tomorrow.
Coming to Maradona's defence 11:08pm on 03 Nov 2008 #114:
I have never taken your comments in a negative way.
And I genuinely meant it. I didnt have much idea about it.
I dont know where you got that from that I was being sarcastic.

I clearly got the feeling that you were undermining his achievements, from your earlier posts that is.

Bringing the moral fabric, I think leads one to his own then. Doesnt it ?.
Which takes me back to the comment of mine that got deleted but I am sure you will recollect it. I will put it in this way then.

If you are questioning Maradona on the moral fabric part and rightfully so may I add.
Then if you do indeed read through the biographies of some of the more renown players (some of whom you had referred to in your earlier post) you will find that not all is black and white as you deem it.

Now, I cannot name them here, as I have to do it from the top of my head, and I might as well get another notification.
Coming to Maradona's defence 10:01pm on 03 Nov 2008 #97:
Unfortunately, for some reason my comment is not displayed and I dont have a copy of it as well.

I never condoned it, did I?.
I told that he was rightfully punished.

The reason I brought other players, probably the reason BBC edited it out, was to point out that -look you know he did it. But, did you know that such players also committed such acts. Probably not , is my guess. And accounts in a biography of a legend probably IMHO constitute proof.This still doesnt give a free-pass to Diego and he is guilty.

But to equate the way he played the game and the moment of magic he brought on to drug usage is too simple. For the reason that football being such a money-spinner these days, like the way athletics has been hit by PED's football too it too would be flooded with such "athletes".
Just like athletes took "inspiration" from the previous generation and most notably Ben johnson, there would have been a ton of Maradona's so to say.
Have we got one still ?

This means that there is something else that is needed to make a mark than stamina and all the stuff that you keep talking. That was my essence of the post.
The fact that players like Messi, Aguero, Tevez, Rooney, Villa, Robinho, Riquelme, Pirlo, are not even by a relaxed stretch of imagination athletes, so to say. But are still such magnificant players who are proven match winners.

And thanks for the info on the effects of Ephedrine, never knew about it.
Coming to Maradona's defence 9:09pm on 03 Nov 2008 Bringing the dope scandal of 1994 is very interesting.
Of course he did take it and in-fact he was arrested in 1991 as well for possession of cocaine.
He was rightfully given the punishment, no doubt.

But I feel a lot of players have gotten away with it.
Reading through Ruy Castro's biography of the legendary Garrincha there are more than direct references to "tablets" given to players before the game. if I remember correct.
And there are accounts of match-fixing as well.

Another instance is that it is very well known that Christian Vieri used to snuff.
And there are lot more examples.

Will all these players also be branded as drug cheats ?.

The game of football is not thankfully athletic, as Maradona displayed with that second goal against England it is lot more artistic. Drugs dont help there.

Look, I am not comparing or flaming countries/players. Just feel that one player is being tainted and his achievements degraded because of his dark-side, which should rightfully be criticized. But not at the expense of taking away his achievements.
Coming to Maradona's defence 6:03pm on 03 Nov 2008 #25

Who is defending wrong with wrong.
What Tim is saying is that if you get the wrong end of the stick you will try to give it back in the same way. If you want to call it wrong dont forget to call everything wrong. And in this case it is the elbow of that English defender.
Why are you not commenting on it.

The rest of your rant is typical.
And he did take it on the chin and moved on. Else he too would have let loose an elbow back on that defender.

And talking about Maradona, dont forget
that tackle by the Butcher of Bilbao. That was one of the craziest tackle a footballer can suffer.
Coming to Maradona's defence 5:39pm on 03 Nov 2008 @16

I think the first part of your comment is well addressed in the blog. How about the elbow by that Terry Fendwick. The funny thing is everybody talk about the "moment of cheat" from Maradona but do not comment on that elbow. That was a straight red. I remember that commentator, an english one that too, yelling about the elbow.

As far as grace is concerned, sure he didnt admit it that time. But, he paid a heavy price for his arrogance as his later life would suggest.

Overall, you sound bitter. Get over that goal. Afterall, he showed with the second goal what he can do.

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