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Mike Martin

Listed below are comments made by Mike Martin between Wednesday, 15th April 2009 and Tuesday, 13th October 2009.

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Hiddink's Russian revolution still on track 11:50pm on 13 Oct 2009 #1: Are the current crop really so much more talented than the squad from the 2002 World Cup? Aside from Arshavin and Zhirkov, are the present day team really better than Alenichev, Mostovoi, Karpin, Beschastnykh and Onopko? Semak, Semshov, Sychev and Kerzhakov were all around in those days too but Oleg Romantsev, the 2002 coach, was no Guus Hiddink. The difference now is that Russia look tactically astute, with Hiddink making the wing backs attack which is so crucial in the modern international game.
Carl Baker and Stockport - an example to us all 2:29pm on 15 Sep 2009 As a supporter of both Chelsea and County I see both worlds and it is nonsense to suggest that there is no real passion towards the top of the pyramid. County beating Rochdale at Wembley in 2008 felt neither more nor less special than, say, Chelsea winning the FA Cup in 2009. Chelsea have not always been a successful side and those of us older than 14 can remember when winning the 1997 FA Cup felt like as good as it would get.

County has always had a special atmosphere at Edgeley Park, it is one of the friendliest grounds in England and I know that Stockport pubs welcome visiting supporters before matches. We have a small following as we are dwarfed by two massive clubs in Manchester – we used to play home matches on Fridays to avoid missing out on spectators in the days when working people could afford more than one match on a weekend.

If there is a criticism of Premier League culture, it is that fans of opposing clubs may not be so respectful towards a bereaved opposition player as those in League One. Winning the Premier League and the Champions League is treated like the only thing that matters. As a Chelsea fan I'm proud to say that we, on the whole, still value winning domestic cups and still support England, unlike many Manchester Utd and Liverpool fans who see the international game as a distraction.

There is a bond between players and fans at the top level, despite what people may think. I recall the applause for England's support after the Andorra match, when the London transport strike had made the match difficult to reach.
Dunga shows way to Maradona 4:55pm on 14 Sep 2009 Maradona has too impatient a temperament to be an international manager. He keeps making stupid half-time changes and has picked over sixty players since he started (although this does include players in one wholly home-based squad for a friendly against some also-ran nation: Panama, I think).

As a result Argentina have no time to even try to become a cohesive unit. Their performance against Paraguay lacked shape, even before Juan Sebastián Verón was sent off. He also has unfathomable prejudices against certain players like Cambiasso and Higuaín and is too keen to pander to irrational nationalism by picking Argentina-based players. This is what Brazil used to do under Luxemburgo and Leão and it nearly cost them a place at the 2002 World Cup. There is a reason why Cambiasso, Higuaín and Demichelis play in Europe and players such as Domínguez, Battaglia, Braña, Palermo and Schiavi are back home in Argentina and that is quality.

Presuming Verón is suspended for the Peru match, and that Gabi Milito is still injured, I'd pick the following XI:

Romero - Zanetti, Demichelis, Díaz, Papa - Rodríguez, Mascherano, Cambiasso, L. González – Higuaín, Messi SUBS: Andújar, Otamendi, E. Insúa, Gago, Dátolo, López, Agüero

What do you think, Tim?
Dunga shows way to Maradona 4:52pm on 14 Sep 2009 Maradona has too impatient a temperament to be an international manager. He keeps making stupid half-time changes and has picked over sixty players since he started (although this does include players in one wholly home-based squad for a friendly against some also-ran nation: Panama, I think).

As a result Argentina have no time to even try to become a cohesive unit. Their performance against Paraguay lacked shape, even before Juan Sebastián Verón was sent off. He also has unfathomable prejudices against certain players like Cambiasso and Higuaín and is too keen to pander to irrational nationalism by picking Argentina-based players. This is what Brazil used to do under Vanderlei Luxemburgo and it nearly

Presuming Verón is suspended for the Peru match, and that Gabi Milito is still injured, I'd pick the following XI:

Romero - Zanetti, Demichelis, Díaz, Papa - Rodríguez, Mascherano, Cambiasso, L. González – Higuaín, Messi SUBS: Andújar, Otamendi, E. Insúa, Gago, Dátolo, López, Agüero

What do you think, Tim?
Carl Baker and Stockport - an example to us all 3:25pm on 14 Sep 2009 As a County fan I'm glad Baker is getting the plaudits he deserves. He has been our best player this season and arguably the best in the division despite the chaos in his family life.

However, I don't agree that stories like this are exclusive to lower leagues. I recall Frank Lampard, Wilson Palacious and Titi Camara all playing for big Premier League clubs following family deaths; Lampard scored the winning goal in a Champions League semi final just days after burying his mother. Premier League clubs might not donate 30% of their wealth to charity but they do set up charitable foundations. Look at Ulises de la Cruz back in Ecuador or Didier Drogba in the Ivory Coast. Good stories about Stockport may not sell players but, frankly, heartwarming stories about Premier League clubs don't either, that's why the Sun prefers headlines like City Twitty Ban Ban about Adebayor and so on.

Chelsea gave Scarborough FC, then my local league side, some financial assistance a few years ago (not that Scarborough did any good with it) and I think Olof Mellberg bought signed shirts for every Aston Villa away fan at his last match for the club.
Battle for 2015 08:54am on 28 Jul 2009 South Africa, judging by the Confederations Cup, is simply too crime-ridden to even countenance giving them the RWC. I fear for the fans at the FIFA World Cup next year. And the SARFU could not even sell out the Lions Tour matches, so a SA World Cup would lose even more money for the IRB.
The fine tuning of pre-season 3:38pm on 01 Jul 2009 Fletch, will you have rights to a match on the last day of the season, at the same time as one on Sky? That would be great viewing.
Chile plot course for South Africa 2010 2:37pm on 08 Jun 2009 Hi Tim,

Thought Chile were good in Paraguay but what has happened to Claudio Maldonado, one of the best holding midfielders in South America?
Old Firm departure would be ruinous 4:48pm on 21 Apr 2009 Old Firm in England? Don't need them, don't want them. Look at what happened in Manchester after the UEFA Cup final. Given the extra TV money, Celtic and Rangers could probably compete after a couple of seasons but that's not the point. I've no doubt that Standard Liège would be better off playing in the French league, or Vitesse Arnhem in the Bundesliga but that's not the point. Scottish teams should play in the Scottish league.

And get Berwick Rangers in the Blue Square North, where they belong.
Hiddink holds his nerve 6:57pm on 15 Apr 2009 It was a great game for the neutral but, in terms of pure quality, Chelsea 4 Barcelona 2 in 2005 was leagues better.

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