The Editor of County Matters Magazine Annie Chave was recruited by the BBC to be an on air commentator. In her fourth column on Prost International, she writes about her debut on the national stage.
See: Annie Chave joins Prost International
The 2023 county season has begun at last, and the long warm days of championship cricket stretch ahead of us. But the first round, at the beginning of April, saw a weak sun battling bravely with a frosty wind, and only the hardened supporter was up for the four-day challenge; blanket, thermos, woolly hat and coat as their county armour.
Somerset’s first game was at home to Warwickshire, and, as a result of the lingering effect on the outfield of a rain-drenched March, the first day was abandoned. The ground was not just wet, more beach-like with its generous spread of sand attracting the gulls.
It looked unlikely to go ahead at all, but, thanks to the hard work of the ground staff and the open-mindedness of the umpires, who agreed to a 40-yard boundary in front of the Trescothick Pavilion, the game got underway on the second day.
And so my first BBC assignment – to commentate on days three and four of the game – changed to coverage of days two and three of an old-fashioned three-day match.
It’s impossible to count the number of times I’ve paced my well-trodden lawn as I’ve listened to Anthony Gibson describe, in escalating agitation, a Somerset collapse, a nail-biting victory or a perilous draw. It’s part of the summer. No, it IS summer. To join that voice and become the anxiety-provider, well, that was and is unbelievable to me.
The BBC County commentary has echoed through my home for many years, and I’ve always cherished the emotions and delight it brings.
In the changing world, this much-loved service has had to move with the rapidly evolving times. Adaptation has included the employment of a more diverse group of commentators. Thanks to my experience of commentating with Guerilla Cricket, I was lucky enough to be one of the people invited to take on the role of ‘third voice’.
The role, as described to me, would ‘allow the fellow commentators to have a break but also to provide a neutral voice’. I managed the first just by being there, but the second was tricky. It is, I discovered, incredibly hard to change your mindset from ‘we’ to ‘Somerset’.
On my first day I joined Anthony and his well-established dialogue with Warwickshire’s Clive Eakin.
“I’ve never done ball-by-ball”, I say, but then I’m on and, before I know it, it’s my voice that’s heard describing Josh Davey bowling from the River End.
In my head I’m juggling with good-length balls, hook shots, fielders’ names, fielding positions, the weather, the scoreboard, the score, the local knowledge, the key facts in a player’s stats, the comment I heard on the train, the seagull in a box as I passed on the way to the ground, the fact that Brian the Cat is back. It’s trickier than you think to get them all out in a coherent order, and to decide whether or how to fit them in at all.
Warwickshire were ahead for most of the game, but at the start of the final day a 5 o’clock handshake looked likely. But then, starting off 108 behind in their second innings, Somerset fell to 127 for 6, making hard work of building a big enough lead. For a Somerset fan, it was a tense last session (it’s lucky I’m a neutral!).
It was thanks to a mixture of bad light forcing Warwickshire to use slow bowlers only and a mature not-out innings of 66 from an impressive Tom Lammonby, assisted by a belligerent Craig Overton, that the chance of a win was lost. So yes, a handshake ended what was my first ever game ‘on comms’.
And for me? Yes, errors a-plenty, but learning and growing in confidence through the two days. As I joined the hardy, satisfied homeward crowd, I went back over the game in my head, practising commentary, feeling a bit like a batter rehearsing the shot they had wanted to play on the way back to the pavilion with their middle stump knocked back.
In a thoughtful daze I got to the station, where I joined Vic Marks, ex-England and Somerset all-rounder, who had been summarising the game as the newest employee of the Somerset Live Stream.
“It’s a lot easier on Test Match Special”, he says. “They’ve a lot more commentators and summarisers, so you get more time off.”
I couldn’t have asked for a better companion to voice my concerns and discuss the day’s play with. My first experience of braving the BBC bandwagon and of being the mouthpiece for the many listeners to know what it’s like, in the moment, to be at my beloved county ground.
Helping underprivileged children through sports journalism
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Sir Alf Ramsey was blindsided by an FA committee, Kevin Keegan quit in the Wembley toilets, Roy Hodgson announced he was gone 20 minutes after losing to Iceland. As with politics, most England managerial careers end in failure, even Sir Alf, still the only one to win a trophy.
It has been something to ponder for Gareth Southgate as he contemplated his future at home in Harrogate this last week. The 52-year-old has come closer than anyone to ending the years of hurt, taking a team humiliated in successive tournaments to a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final. But now he was thinking, ‘do I have the desire for another two years?’
It seems that he does. Which is good news. His record, and the successful re-setting of England players’ relationship with the national team and its fans, is why Southgate should continue.
His reservations centred on the difficult period last summer when a jaded team suffered a string of poor results, notably the 4-0 defeat at home to Hungary after which a section of the crowd called for him to quit.
That was bitterly ironic since one of the main criticisms is that Southgate is defensively-minded. At Molineux it was Hungary who camped in defence, breaking away to score on the counter-attack. England had more than two-thirds of possession, ten shots to six and six corners to none. Hungary were clinical, but they were not attack-minded.
The other charge, that he is not up to it tactically, is mostly levelled by people who have never taken a coaching session in their lives and have no concept of how complex setting up a team is. There was little wrong with Southgate’s tactics at the World Cup, even in the USA game, when the team underperformed, he effectively shut down the midfield to ensure England got a draw – which was all they needed.
There are legitimate questions to be asked about substitutions, but it is easy to be wise after the event. He has earned the right to continue.
Yet the Football Association should still be actively thinking about the succession plan. However England fare in Germany at Euro 2024 it seems likely Southgate will step away and the FA should use the time until then wisely.
Their selection of Sarina Wiegman to lead the women’s team may suggest otherwise, but picking an international manager is an inexact science. Such a perfect candidate is rare.
The FA have tried every conceivable type since Ramsey but stumbled across the most successful, Southgate, as a stop-gap after Sam Allardyce – himself picked because the FA appeared to have run out of ideas and alternatives – was the victim of a newspaper sting.
Southgate had a modest club record as manager but two advantages. Having run the under-21s he knew many of the talented young players coming through the academy pipeline. An England international under Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle and Sven-Goran Eriksson, he knew the demands of international football, how heavily the shirt weighed upon England players, and how important it was to ease that burden.
There is no one out there with that particular combination, but several candidates who have elements.
Of ex-players Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are the most obvious while Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper has a successful background in England age-group teams.
Add Steve Holland who has acquired much knowledge as Southgate’s assistant – and worked with six Chelsea managers, but has not picked a first team since an unhappy spell at Crewe Alexandra 14 years ago.
Then there are Chelsea’s Graham Potter, Newcastle’s Eddie Howe and Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers, none of whom have international experience (though Potter coached in Sweden) but are clearly excellent coaches.
The next England manager ought to come from one of those eight. England should be able to produce a national manager from within its own system (which includes Welshman Cooper and Northern Irishman Rodgers).
When Bobby Robson was England manager he handed part-time roles with the under-21 and B teams, respectively, to future England managers Venables and Graham Taylor.
The FA now employ full-time coaches at age-group level, and utilising a modern Premier League manager this way is likely to meet opposition from their own club and rivals.
Nevertheless, there ought to be a way to ensure possible successors have advance insight into the challenges of managing England, whether it be by making observational visits to St. George’s Park during international get-togethers or regular briefings with Southgate. Such a brains trust could be mutually beneficial.
Southgate has changed expectations of the England team, and for the most part the atmosphere around it. When he does go the FA need to make sure that, unlike after 1990 and 1996, even 2006, the momentum is not lost.
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Former England international Paul Parker is the fifth and latest columnist to sign up for Prost International.
Paul played 19 times for England, representing them in the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy. He famously provided the assist for Gary Lineker’s goal in the semi-final against Germany.
At club level he won the first ever Premier League, winning two EPL titles overall. With Manchester United, he also won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Charity Shield. While starring in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side that won the inaugural Premier league, he started 31 EPL games and even scored a goal in a 4-1 win over Spurs.
He won the FA Cup in 1994 at Wembley against Chelsea. Before that, he was a legend in West London, playing 153 games for Fulham and 125 for QPR.
The former defender is still a welcome guest at both clubs, working for their TV stations and broadcasting to their fanbase regularly. He is among a select group who receive a warm welcome at both London rivals.
He has also written a blog on Eurosport.
[See: Paul Parker: https://web.archive.org/web/20140808014657/https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/paul-parker/qatar-2022-farce-could-destroy-football-know-142332266.html]
Given his broadcasting work however, Paul will become Prost International’s first ever vlogger, recording his views directly to camera.
Paul said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be part of Prost International’s platform, especially to become their first ever vlogger.
“It’s a new journey for both me and them as I’ve never done this before. Learning together is an integral part of any sport and I love a challenge.
“Opinions on TV these days can be a little sanitised but this opportunity gives me the ability to speak directly to fans on matters affecting England and club football in the game I love.
“I’ve met Prost International journalists at a few games and know their dedication to independent coverage.
“Also their commitment to giving opportunities to aspiring journalists is very rare in the industry these days but I was especially impressed with their social commitment and their involvement in the project to give society’s least privileged children a chance to go to University.
“No other site is doing anything close to that, so it feels like I’m working for a site also gives back to the game.”
Paul joins journalist Glenn Moore, cricket writer Annie Chave, talkSPORT’s EFL analyst Kartik Krishnaiyer, and educator/author/journalist Chris Lepkowski in the Prost International columnist stable.
His first vlog will appear on August 15 and look at the prospects for Manchester United, Chelsea, QPR and Fulham.
This week, Glenn Moore looks back on the EUROs and asks is women’s football the new men’s football or the new cricket?
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Glenn Moore is World Soccer’s women’s football columnist, who has reported from the Lionesses’ last four tournaments. He is also the first regular columnist on Prost International, kicking off our new series earlier this year.
Hard though it is to believe it was suggested in the euphoric wake of England’s 2005 Ashes victory that cricket could be ‘the new football’.
That never seemed likely and when asked the question on a sports new programme, I countered it was more likely to be the new rugby, referring to the union code’s trajectory after Jonny Wilkinson kicked England to 2003 World Cup glory.
There would be occasional headline moments, but for the most part the sport would remain within the confines of the already converted.
So it has mostly proved. The national team continues to attract attention when things go well (or very badly), but the domestic game drifts along in the shadows, to such an extent it often seems the national governing body are attempting, in their desire to find a new audience, to kill the county game off.
[Annie Chave: Skyscapers hover over county cricket/]
Can women’s football, its star shining brightly after England’s triumph in the Women’s Euros, break this pattern? Or is it the new cricket? Reappearing in the spotlight when a major international tournament comes along, but otherwise restricted to the margins while the travails of Manchester United absorb the columns and airwaves?
“The product has been good enough for some years now, full-time training having raised technical, physical and tactical standards, especially in goalkeeping which had previously been a weakness.
What I had underestimated was the level of misogyny”
Parity with the men’s game is clearly out of reach, but there is reason to believe women’s football will become relatively mainstream with coverage outstripping that of men’s rugby and cricket.
That there are some matches on terrestrial television will help (with most others free-to-air on the FA Player). That avoids cricket’s error in restricting itself to subscription coverage. More significant is that the country is already in thrall to football, and most fans dedicated to individual club ‘brands’.
Having first watched a women’s international in the flesh in 2009, an England defeat to Italy in the Euros in Finland, I have always felt that once the product was good enough people would want to watch it.
The product has been good enough for some years now, full-time training having raised technical, physical and tactical standards, especially in goalkeeping which had previously been a weakness.
What I had underestimated was the level of misogyny.
Many, many football fans were simply not prepared to countenance women in football, especially talking and writing about or playing it. And plenty of those within the game were not keen either, from the traditional wing of the Football Association downwards.
It has taken success to break down that barrier; success and exposure.
England’s run to the semi-finals of the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada was the start, despite the difficult kick-off times. Another two major semi-finals followed, each adding converts, before this summer’s triumph created an explosion of interest in print and on the airwaves.
With the BBC throwing their huge resources behind the tournament, and newspapers and websites jumping aboard, come the final most people in England knew the Lionesses were playing – and more than 20 million watched them win.
Now comes the hard part, turning that interest into bums on seats in the Women’s Super League.
Average WSL attendances last season were below 2,000 compared to above 3,000 in the season before Covid-19. That can be partially, but not fully explained by a reduction in usage of parent (men’s) club grounds which in 2019-20 attracted some big attendances. But even stripping those out gates were down.
“Harnessing the passion fans have for the parent club could also lead to a rise in aggressive tribalism. Rather like the Hundred in cricket that could drive away existing fans, for many of whom women’s football represents a safe space.”
Early signs for this season are promising with clubs reporting a big uplift in season ticket purchases and advance sales for matches such as Arsenal-Spurs at the Emirates. The question is can this be sustained as winter bites and inconvenient TV-dictated kick-off times – a problem in the women’s game as much as the men’s – take effect?
Hopefully. The WSL has been laying foundations, developing rivalries, traditions and support-bases. It also increasingly resembles the Premier League, for good and bad, in participant clubs.
It is also very cheap compared to watching men’s football and much easier to get tickets. Now fans have seen the quality of elite women’s football will many of those priced out by the men’s game be tempted to watch the women, both in the WSL and second-tier Championship?
The FA and the clubs will hope so, but there is a risk. Harnessing the passion fans have for the parent club could also lead to a rise in aggressive tribalism. Rather like the Hundred in cricket that could drive away existing fans, for many of whom women’s football represents a safe space.
Supporting a team does not have to mean denigrating and threatening the opposition. I went to Bristol v Bath in rugby union’s premiership last season. A local derby with plenty of rivalry, but more than 23,000 fans mingled without aggro.
Women’s football is like that at present, but can it remain so as it draws in more fans of the men’s game?
The key to becoming a mass audience sport is ensuring it does.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Former Birmingham Mail Correspondent, Communications Expert, Author and current BCU Sports Journalism Lecturer, Chris Lepkowski debuts for Prost International with an insight into “the frenzied cattle market of player migration.”
See: Chris Lepkowski joins Prost International
Football transfers used to be so simple: a player with a strained smile would stand for photos in front of a sponsors back-drop and provide a few anodyne quotes about how delighted he was. Job done. Not anymore.
Since the introduction of the transfer windows in 2002, the frenzied cattle market of player migration has increasingly become a micro-industry within football itself. It has also changed the way news is delivered by the written media.
We are all at the mercy of ‘monitoring’, ‘keeping tabs on’, ‘linked with’, ‘scooping for’, ‘talks progressing’, ‘preparing a bid’, ‘leading’ or ‘joining the race for’, ‘wantaway’, ‘advanced talks’, ‘personal terms’, ‘closing in on’, ‘set to sign for’ and the one we all wait for: ‘Done deal’. All of this while we’re being hypnotised by the Sky Sports News ticker. And don’t we absolutely love it?
When asking my first-year BCU Sports Journalism students in 2019 about the reporters they admired, most went for the obvious names: a series of national journalists, any number of local ‘newspaper’ (in the traditional sense) reporters or the occasional broadcaster.
When I asked the same question a few months ago at least half of the cohort cited Fabrizio Romano. The transfer specialist has more than 10 million Twitter followers. In social media context, he’s bigger than Tottenham Hotspur (6.5million followers) and 13 other Premier League clubs.
Transfers have become a social media play-thing. Some outsource to specialist production firms, some use their own resources and staff. Clubs fall over themselves to find new ways to promote their new players. Ben Mee’s arrival at Brentford was accompanied by an arty video. Charlton parroted TV sitcom The Office to announce the arrival of David Payne, the third Swindon player they had signed. The video was swiftly removed following a sense-of-humour failure in Wiltshire.
Every transfer is a creative opportunity. Since 2019 Roma, for instance, have marked each player signing alongside a video featuring the faces and details of missing children – with the aim of generating publicity that could result in someone, somewhere, offering valuable information about their whereabouts.
? ??????? | Paulo Dybala ???
The club is delighted to confirm the signing of the world-renowned forward!
We also hope this video can help continue to raise awareness in the search for missing children all around the globe. ?
#ASRoma | @ICMEC_official pic.twitter.com/eb0TXYXamk— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) July 20, 2022
Any club daring to post any non-transfer-related tweets risks being met with a series of replies demanding they ‘announce’ the latest player they’ve been linked with. Football fans don’t want football news anymore – they want transfer news.
And then we have the self-appointed ITK amateur ‘reporter’. The ITK is someone who regards themselves as being In The Know. It may be someone who has a mate working in the ticket office, knows the groundsman, or has spotted a player checking into a local hotel. The ITK will generally be trusting one or two people, with little thought or care of any consequences if they get any details slightly wrong. And if their transfer information comes off, and the player signs, my God do we know about it.
What of the demand placed on local journalists or national reporters covering specific regional patches?
A journalist’s role is piecemeal. He or she will be liaising with club communications staff, texting managers, WhatsApping players, speaking to the agents and many sources you’ll never get to hear about – all to try to establish a clear picture of where a player pursuit might be at any given point. It’s their job to do so.
The correspondent will be legally trained, well-networked and will have spent several years being eased into their craft.
Journalists are social media brands, with their performances measured by the strength of their Twitter numbers and interactions with an engaged audience. Some sports writers have even started delivering their transfer news behind paywalls –such is the entrepreneurial spin-off of player movement. Media organisations will quite happily churn out transfer speculation because it generates clicks. And clicks mean more revenue, which keeps the finance department happy.
Reporters are moving and living targets, with an expectation they’ll be across their own Twitter accounts during every waking moment. News of an imminent signing is met with a series of ‘Joe Blog at the far post’ or memes that you should never search for on a work computer. Any reporter late to the transfer news, or pouring cold water over a rumour, risks being the target of personal abuse in quicker time than it takes
to say ‘Dunning-Kruger effect’.
With society being more mental health-aware, it is worth a gentle reminder that social media and football transfers can be a toxic mix. In the fast-moving culture of player recruitment what wasn’t a story 10 minutes ago might be a big back-pager in half an hour’s time…and then might be off again. Few will blame the clubs, agents or players – but they’ll happily go for the messenger, trigger poised. Wellbeing management has become an unfortunate by-product for media practitioners, all because of the football fan’s mania for transfer news and speculation.
And yet, somewhere deep within the walls of any given training ground or football stadium will be a social media editor frantically plotting how to deliver news of your club’s new full-back.
All because we just cannot help ourselves.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Chris Lepkowski is the latest columnist to sign up for Prost International.
Chris has over a quarter century experience writing about sport after initially starting out as a journalist for the Bromsgrove Messenger/Advertiser before moving to Haymarket’s Motoring News in 1998 as a national racing correspondent. He later joined Autosport.com, being one of the first multi-media journalists within that sector.
From there Chris moved on to football joining FourFourTwo.com, being one of just three full-time staff members on the football magazine’s all-new all-singing-all-dancing website.
A move back to the Midlands saw Chris take up a role on the Birmingham Mail sports desk and the iconic Sports Argus title, primarily as the West Bromwich Albion reporter, while also filling in for others.
At that time, he covered characters such as Trevor Francis, Graham Taylor, Steve Bruce, Gary Megson, Bryan Robson and Glenn Hoddle were pounding the West Midlands’ technical areas. As the decade evolved, he embraced the shift from working as a traditional newspaper reporting into multi-media journalism.
In 2014, Chris took a step out of journalism to take a role as head of media & content at West Bromwich Albion for a little under two years. He subsequently worked as communications manager for a politician and a multi-national firm, while working matchdays freelancing for the national press including the Sunday Times, Times, Daily Star and Mirror.
In more recent times he has contributed to The Blizzard, FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes and written two books, with the third book, ghosting the autobiography of a footballer, among his projects.
He has also guested on Turkish TV, Arabic media, BBC WM, BBC Midlands Today and been a contributor to, and host of, football podcasts.
He joined Birmingham City University as lecturer in sports journalism in 2019, before taking over as course director in 2021.
Chris said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be part of Prost International’s platform – one that not only offers a potential pathway for the journalists of tomorrow, but gives a platform to those of us who should know better.
“At BCU we instil an ethos that our young undergraduates are journalists studying at university, rather than being university undergraduates who happen to be studying journalism.
“I’ve worked in communications. I’ve worked on the front line of a Premier League football club and fought fires for a prominent politician, but the most rewarding experiences in my career have been as a journalist news-gathering and breaking stories. There is no better thrill than delivering new information to an engaged audience.
“I have been privileged to serve during a time when the industry underwent a shift from traditional newspaper journalism into multi-media practice – where reporters not only became digital, audio and broadcast practitioners, but also embraced social media and became brands in their own right.
“I can only endorse Prost International for creating networking and opportunities into what I still believe is the best industry in the world: journalism.”
He joins Glenn Moore, cricket writer Annie Chave and broadcaster Kartik Krishnaiyer in the Prost International stable.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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In his second column on Prost International, Kartik Krishnaiyer celebrates American Independence Day by ssessing the chances of the US Mens National Team (USMNT) in the upcoming World Cup.
Broadcaster and author Kartik Krishnaiyer becomes PINT’s second guest columnist
USA fans watch a World Cup qualifier in Nashville
Photo: Kassel Leventhal/Prost Amerika
July 4th is US Independence Day. It is the day in 1776 that thirteen largely insignificant British colonies declared their independence from the mother country. In fact, Britain had 27 total colonies in North America and the Carribean at the time, so less than half left the Empire at that moment. But it stands as the day Americans commemorate as the birth of their country.
With this in mind, for England to be drawn into FIFA World Cup Group B with Wales and the United States has to be a bit of a nightmare scenario.
Facing a former colony and a constituent nation of the United Kingdom is rife with all sorts of intrigue. But even more, from a football standpoint, it will prove difficult. Wales is very good and battle-tested, something we have months to ponder over, while the US is a radically changed side from past editions.
Before we get to breaking down the US, it’s worth remembering that England’s track record when matched up with Wales or the US in a major tournament isn’t great.
Wales won its Euro 2016 group that included England (despite losing to England in heartbreaking fashion in the group), and advanced the semifinals of the tournament – while England was embarrassingly put out by Iceland.
The last time the US and England were grouped together in a World Cup, the USA had an experienced side that played pragmatically and England under Fabio Capello were trying some new things after missing Euro 2008.
What resulted was one of the worst matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a disjointed affair marred by Rob Green’s howler and England’s inability to stay on the front foot after an early goal. The USA won the group on goal difference, but neither side really left a mark on the tournament.
In 2022, both sides look very different.
The United States is currently managed by Gregg Berhalter, a former Crystal Palace defender, who is quite frankly a hard-core ideologue when it comes to tactics and style.
Unlike past US teams, which were pragmatic, shifted formations based on opponent and often played defensively, Berhalter prefers an attacking style of football and a positionally-based 4-3-3.
For years, a debate has raged in the USA as to whether the US needed a “distinct style of play,” like Spain or the Netherlands or should just play to its strengths which are desire and fitness.
In Berhalter and his boss, Men’s National Team General Manager Earnie Stewart, the US has implemented a very Dutch style of play, fulfilling the wishes of many who felt the US would never reach an elite level by being a defensive-oriented side.
This has created some difficulty as integrating players into a distinct style at international level, who play in a different manner for their clubs has not been as smooth as perhaps hoped.
Under Berhalter, the goals are often stylistic. His view is if the US plays the right way with strong positional discipline, tactical rigidity and dominance in possession of the ball, results will follow.
His model is very clearly the Ajax school of football and therefore, it’s no surprise he prefers the 4-3-3 formation. Thus far results have been uneven under Berhalter, but it can be argued like in club football, implementing a system takes time though you could argue a national team, with limited training time is not the place for such rigidity. But there is no question that the US tactical discipline and positional play has consistently improved since Berhalter took over in late 2018.
Christian Pulisic in action for the USA
Kassel Leventhal / Prost Amerika
This is in direct contrast to England, where Gareth Southgate has continued to be very pragmatic, and seems to constantly experiment with new formations and ideas.
Southgate is criticized for his perceived conservative approach – but the truth is very few swashbuckling sides, that lack defensive solidity have actually won major tournaments in recent years.
The US will attack, almost constantly in matches. This is in direct contrast to past US teams. For example in a 2016 Copa America semifinal loss vs Argentina, the US didn’t take a shot.
Now, the US is in a different paradigm, but one which is wholly dependent on tactical nous and increasingly vulnerable to being beaten on the counter-attack, which against Wales in particular could be a dangerous way to setup.
The key figures for the US, generally play for top club sides and all are under the age of 25 – Christian Pulisic of Chelsea, Weston McKennie of Juventus, Sergiño Dest of Barcelona, Tyler Adams of RB Leipzig, Gio Reyna of Dortmund, Tim Weah of Lille, and English-raised Yunas Musah of Valencia.
Brenden Aaronson who has been transferred to Leeds United this summer is an increasingly influential figure as is Fulham’s Antonee Robinson. Robinson grew up in England but opted to play for the US.
However, the USA’s most consistent player at the club level the last few years, John Brooks of Wolfsburg is nowhere to be found in Berhalter’s plans of late. Brooks has been omitted from the past three squads for whatever reason, leaving Berhalter scrambling to find a consistent central defensive pairing.
The other trouble spot as it is today for so many national sides is the number 9.
The US has cycled through five centre-forwards in qualifying and Concacaf Nations League, none of which have made a real impression. The favorite to start for a while was Ricardo Pepi of Augsburg but of late Berhalter has been looking for any player who might stick.
It’s also worth noting that despite Berhalter’s desire for a tactically sound side, US teams today look more disorganized than heading into every World Cup since 1998.
Some of this might have to do with the relative youth of the side, but probably more critical is the need to master another tactical setup in limited national team training sessions. It’s often said, national team managers keep tactics simple for a reason, but Berhalter has an opposite view. It should be noted that Berhalter will have time to drill the squad tactically during the weeks leading into the World Cup.
One last point may be completely unknow to English audiences given their long standing and storied rivalries with Scotland, Germany and Argentina. A rivalry with England exists in the minds of American soccer fans.
Given the interconnected nature of the English and Welsh football cultures in addition to other political factors that fuel rivalry, England’s chief rival in this group is obviously Wales.
Brenden Aaronson celebrates his goal against Canada
Photo: Kassel Levanthal / Prost Amerika
But the United States also views England as a rival, perhaps out of envy, a big brother complex which the states doesn’t share with the likes of France, Germany or Spain. It’s also worth noting at this point that the Premier League is more popular among television viewers in the US, than either of two major US domestic leagues, MLS or USL are. This fuels a greater interest in England and as a result a greater envy.
Group B has the prospect of being super-competitive and marked with different styles of football as well as some real rivalries. It should be fun.
And I haven’t even mentioned Iran!
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The Editor of County Matters magazine Annie Chave makes her debut as a columnist on Prost International. Inspired by a day watching cricket at Chesterfield’s scenic Queens Park, she wrote her thoughts on the threat to England’s grounds by plans to take cricket matches abroad.
See: Annie Chave joins Prost International
If you enter Chesterfield’s Queen’s Park via the footbridge, past the Barbara Hepworth ‘Rosewall’ Sculpture, the boating lake and the extensive parkland, take a moment to pause on the grass bank by the beer tent.
Through the tips of the copper beeches you will see a glimpse of the well-known crooked spire of St Mary and All Saints. Just a glimpse it might be, but it’s what that old characterful spire symbolises that makes you catch your breath. It towers above a scene that is so quintessentially English; the lush green of a county cricket out ground, surrounded by trees and bathed in a hush of expectation.
It is so important to the town that the local football club, Chesterfield FC, carries the nickname ‘the Spireites’.
Just three days after Derbyshire CCC hosted Middlesex CCC at this ‘festival of cricket’, Tim Wigmore published an article in the Independent on 17 June about a radical overhaul being mulled over by the ECB.
The idea mooted is for county championship games to be played overseas in the UAE, Sri Lanka or West Indies. The two main reasons cited were to help with the lack of spin in this country and to ease pressure on the domestic schedule.
As a county member this is a hard menu suggestion to digest.
“… these idyllic days are numbered. We are losing our grounds annually. County fixtures are being cut to make way for the new brand, the beer snakes, endless renditions of ‘Sweet Caroline’ and for betting companies to line their pockets.”
If, by playing these early season games it means that the championship still has a suitable number of games to make it a viable tournament, then of course I’d rather this then see it reduced to only ten games, but the bonuses for being a county member are becoming pocket sized and I’m afraid this may be a part of the plan.
The shadow of skyscrapers now hovers as a menacing backdrop over the crooked spire.
As a Somerset CCC Member I’m not alone in my joy when, with steaming coffee in hand and winter clouds looming, I pore over the county fixtures and my crammed calendar for fixtures in the season to come.
Fans enjoy the day’s play at Queens Park
Photo: Annie Chave
Like many, it becomes a bit of an addiction and a way to escape the throes of winter by filling your diary with games and plotting your county map. Queen’s Park was a new ground to me and it didn’t disappoint.
There were a good number of fans from both sides and an air of real expectancy, but coupled with that, there was a whisper in the air that spread throughout the ground, ‘this is what county cricket is all about’ it said and it echoed throughout that tree-lined park and ricocheted off Shan Masood’s perfectly timed cover drive.
But these idyllic days are numbered, we are losing out grounds annually, county fixtures are being cut to make way for the new brand, the beer snakes, endless renditions of ‘Sweet Caroline’ and for betting companies to line their pockets.
I spoke to Jon Filby, Chair of Sussex CCC and he explained that:
“I’m not against the proposal to start the season overseas where the pre-season training is being undertaken, but this needs to be in addition to a minimum of seven home championship matches and a minimum of seven home T20 Blast games”.
Of course, this is the crux, a county ground is a business and how does that business run without the revenue from the home grounds? And if this is the financial reality what does this possible future mean for the out ground?
The fewer games there are the less the out grounds are required and the festival games, which, let’s face it require a lot of organisation are lost in the need to consolidate the finances. It’s fans that lose out, they lose out on an experience like no other.
Queen’s Park was an epitome of English county cricket of course, the older generation of mainly white males, sat in isolated numbers, prerequisite backpack and hat, well-thumbed scorecards and essential binoculars but it was much more than that.
A group of school children were invited to welcome the players on at the start of the match, each one high fived as they passed, a never forgotten handprint. People passing through the council owned park paused to take in the scene. Cricket teams converged in endless conversation and the town bustled with importance.
Derbyshire CCC winning an exciting see-saw game was incidental in its importance.
To keep space for these wholesome festival grounds in an ever-changing world is what matters and to keep making them accessible, to keep pushing the demographic so that those missing chairs are filled with a wide-eyed future star.
Perhaps then we can still glimpse a spire or two outlined in a backdrop of glistening skyscrapers.
Helping underprivileged children through sports journalism
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Annie Chave is a cricket journalist and broadcaster.
She has been commentating on International Cricket via Guerilla Cricket for the past five years – a gig which led to working for Line & Length Network live from the Barbados Kensington Oval in January 2019 for the West Indies v England.
In November 2019 she helped set up a quarterly magazine, County Cricket Matters.
She became the magazine’s Editor and Director in March 2020, and it has just published its 11th issue. In 2021, on the back of the magazine’s success, she started a County Cricket Natters podcast with regular livestream/BBC broadcasters, Sam Dalling and Dan Whiting.
She is the Cricket Supporters’ Association Somerset County Cricket Club Representative, and is also a Trustee for Googly Fund a fantastic initiative, giving grants to friendly cricket teams.
Recently Annie’s passionate support for the county game saw her inadvertently thrust into the spotlight when former England international Kevin Pietersen launched an unprovoked personal attack on Twitter.
While Annie responded with grace and courtesy, the South African’s tweet only increased her outreach and public awaress of County Matters.
Annie has written articles for the Cricketer, including book reviews. She has also appeared on numerous podcasts and written for many blogs.
“I was delighted when Prost International invited me to join their columnist team. Their commitment to covering the county game at this crucial time is vital; especially as they are a multi-sports site that covers other sports along with the counties. That’s a good ally to have.”
“To them, county cricket matters.
“Best of all, the nearly all the journalists they send to the county grounds are young with their writing careers in front of them. Prost is creating the next generation of county cricket writers. This is very important.
It also turned out some of my older colleagues already working in cricket journalism knew of Prost and had very good things to say. Personally I’m also excited to have a new platform to put the case for the cricket causes I believe in.”
Annie is the third guest to join our columnist series; following Glenn Moore and Kartik Krishnaiyer, whose pieces appeared on June 13th and June 20th. Her first column will appear on Monday June 27th.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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In his debut column on Prost International, Kartik Krishnaiyer assesses the chances of the three promoted sides; Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
Broadcaster and author Kartik Krishnaiyer becomes PINT’s second guest columnist
In the period from 2018 to 2021 each season a newly promoted side from the Championship finished in the top half of the Premier League. Wolves seventh place finish in 2018-19 was followed up by Sheffield United’s eight place finish in the COVID-interrupted 2019-20 season and Leeds United finishing 9th in the 2020-21 season.
Last season, 2021 Promotion playoff winners Brentford surprised many by finishing lower mid-table, but the two automatically promoted teams in Norwich and Watford went right back down with a whimper. As time goes on and financial gaps widen between not only the top flight and the Championship but within both divisions, the advent of yo-yo teams is likely to continue.
Fulham
The Cottagers have now garnered the reputation of a yo-yo side. Grant me a moment as an American to relish the return of Fulham to the top flight of English football, as one of the peculiarities of the game in this country is that you find Fulham fans everywhere, and are more likely to stumble upon one than upon a West Ham, Aston Villa or Newcastle supporter in this nation.
Fulham’s last promotion came under Scott Parker, a decorated former player who had effectively drilled the side into playing organized, yet highly unattractive football.
Fulham’s promotion playoff final victory over Brentford at Wembley (side note: How cool was a West London Derby at Wembley even if there were no fans due to COVID?) was met with derision by many experts who felt the Bees were more prepared to compete in the Premier League – a view that proved credible based on Fulham’s relegation the next season, followed by Brentford’s promotion and strong first season in the top flight.
In hindsight, Fulham’s fate was sealed in both of its most recent promotions by handling the summer poorly – in 2019, Fulham overspent virtually buying a new squad. In 2021, they spent late and while Parker got many of the players he wanted, he had no time to effectively change the style of play and develop continuity.
Marco Silva’s Fulham side were among the most watchable anywhere in England in the 2021-22 campaign. Aleksandar Mitrović is often derided for being incapable of replicating his Championship success in the Premier League, but in Silva, he has a manager whose system plays to his strengths.
He will be fine. Mitrović may well be one of best pure number nine’s anywhere in English football right now. If you don’t believe that, check out his recent contributions for the Serbian National Team, who went from missing a 24-team Euros, to being one of only ten automatic UEFA qualifiers for this winter’s World Cup.
Speaking of internationals playing at a high level, Welsh midfielder Harry Wilson who has been a maestro for various Championship squads on loan from Liverpool has been signed permanently,. This is a big boost. for Silva. In Silva’s system, central defenders are key and they are not of a Premier League standard currently, but with a core that’s fought the battles before, and a manager with a clear system that works with this group, there is cause for optimism that the Cottagers stay in the division this go-round.
For a more local view, I contacted Louis, the founder of FulhamFanTV.
Here is his perspective:
“It’s going to be a difficult season For Fulham but with the right tactics and solid recruitment it could be a very positive season.
“Fulham will need to strengthen a few key positions especially back in defence, a new CB will give the squad more solidarity and confidence. This should in turn help the whole squad.
“The signing of Williams on a permanent deal should be high priority given how well he seamlessly fit into the squad.
“Fulham should look to continue the style of play into the new season, building on an already solid foundation.”
AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries were a slick side as built by Eddie Howe and his longtime number two Jason Tindall, both former Bournemouth players who had a clear playing style and preference for a certain type of player.
The squad punched above their weight for years and were relegated on the final day of the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season.
“Bournemouth on paper have the best squad of the three coming up”
Scott Parker moved from Fulham to Bournemouth in the summer of 2021 and while he got the Cherries back up, Lloyd Kelly stood out as Parker’s efforts to build a defense solidity as a platform for promotion were successful. But the side needs more consistency from its midfield which has several intriguing pieces and tends to build-up attacks slowly, not that different from the Howe-era, but with a much more robust defensive shape.
One of my overriding concerns about The Cherries is the sheer number of players they have on the books, including many veterans who would expect playing time. It should also be noted for Premier League fans who loved to deride his performances when a teenager, that Dominic Solanke has really come good the last two seasons in the Championship, and at 24 is entering his prime years.
Bournemouth on paper have the best squad of the three coming up.
But does that always matter? Generally it doesn’t, and the Cherries were too inconsistent for me at times last season. Still, they have a good chance at survival and Parker despite seeing Fulham relegated two seasons ago, impressed with his in-match tactical acumen that season, that often rescued points or turned potential losses into draws. That will be key for Bournemouth this season.
Jacob Tanswell covers AFC Bournemouth for Dorset Live Online. He noted:
“Plainly, Bournemouth and Scott Parker need to continue the direction of travel from the Championship, rather than deliberately change.
“Parker installed a framework based on defensive solidity – patient build-up play with at least five players behind the ball – while looking to counter attack quickly. This should garner success in the top-flight, given teams will be more inclined to attack Bournemouth and therein leave increased space at the back.
“Recruiting at least one consistent centre back to partner Lloyd Kelly and an attacking creator to thread balls through to Dominic Solanke will be key.”
Nottingham Forest
I could bore readers with a soliloquy about Brian Clough and Peter Taylor but will save that for another time.
But this is important, as Forest being back in the top flight is a special event for many of us who revel in the history of the English game.
Since Forest were last up in the 1998-99 season, not only has Clough passed away and Forest gone through numerous high-profile coaches and multiple owners, but they have had to look on as near-rivals Leicester City have won four domestic trophies including a Premier League title that may have just knocked Forest historic 1977-78 First Division title from the line of the most improbable.
In talking to Forest fans the last few years, a grudging respect has developed for Leicester, as they’ve proven the only non-”Big Six” side in England that’s able to regularly compete for European places and the odd trophy. Now Forest gets its own shot at glory.
Steve Copper is a manager that showed his quality at Swansea getting the Swans to back-to-back promotion playoffs despite virtually no investment from an ownership group more interested in quickly flipping youth players for a profit. Cooper came to Forest when they were the worst side in the division early last season and miraculously guided the side to promotion.
Cooper’s style of football is easy on the eye and utilizes pacey, yet skillful wide players as good as any setup outside the very top clubs in England.
Wales’ Brennan Johnson has emerged as a legitimate superstar under Cooper, a player that is likely to be on the radar of the top clubs on the planet within the next 12-24 months. Johnson now has a Premier League campaign with Forest and a World Cup with Wales to put himself on everyone’s short list.
Brice Samba appears likely to move on having rejected fresh contract terms, but in his stead might come Dean Henderson, and straight away that gives Forest a keeper with Premier League experience and England aspirations.
In fact, a good start to the season might put Henderson on the plane to Qatar. However with restrictions on loan players, it’s possible Henderson being loaned from Manchester United to Forest would mean the excellent James Garner won’t himself return on loan from United. This would be a blow for Cooper. It is possible that Garner could be bought outright, and that’s a move Forest has to make if they want to keep the solidity from the second half of last season.
Forest were promoted with a number of loan players, similar to Aston Villa in 2019.
That Villa team then overspent in the summer in a manner similar to Fulham the previous summer and only stayed up by the skin of their teeth the final day of the season with a draw at London Stadium.
Recruitment is the key. Forest will have a tough task, but being back up after over two decades in itself is a cause for celebration.
Scott Eley is East Midlands Editor on Prost International:
“If last season’s achievement through the playoffs was considered miraculous, Steve Cooper will need to work further magic to keep Forest in the Premier League starting with a vital summer transfer window.
“Forest used the loan market to great effect last summer but now face the heavy reality of losing outstanding performers in Djed Spence, James Garner, Keinan Davis, Philip Zinckernagel and Max Lowe.
“The squad is certainly looking threadbare and add to that Lewis Grabban is out of contract and star keeper Brice Samba has just rejected fresh terms. To makes things a little trickier for Cooper, Forest will also be restricted to just two loan players as Premier League rules specify.
“In CEO Dane Murphy, recruitment has been a huge area of improvement and Forest will feel confident that between him and Cooper, players of real quality will be added to the squad. Forest are looking light in each department and there could be a number of new arrivals to bolster and replace outgoings.
“A defender with pace, an experienced midfielder with pedigree and at least two proven strikers are must haves.”
Which of the three has the best chance of staying up?
Conventional wisdom says Bouremouth, but I believe Fulham under Silva have a style and a platform to stay up. Fulham has a more complete squad, with the exception of an imposing centre-half than they did in the previous two trips to the top flight.
Who could go down if Fulham and/or Bournemouth and Forest stay up?
That’s a conversation for another day, but will tease that discussion by saying Leeds United face a critical summer for recruitment and turning over a squad built by Marcelo Bielsa to play a style of football that will suit new Manager Jesse Marsch. Brentford also come to mind, but given they have excelled at recruitment since the mid 2010’s, I think they find a way to get the right players in.
Perhaps Southampton have the most to do?
But again this is a conversation for another day. Thanks for indulging me and I hope we can keep the conversation going throughout the next several years!
A new guest columnist will appear next week
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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