…The Two Wheel Testicle Tour

Demoralising headwinds, monster climbs, aching muscles, driving rain, sleet, and even temperatures  dipping into single digits have not been enough to stop the ultra motivated, but novice cycling duo that are Adam Tann and Daniel Huggins.  As I write, their Two Wheel Testicle Tour should be on it’s way to Liverpool on Day six of their epic challenge to visit every Premier League ground in the England in eight days!  

Why have these two childhood friends, who have never even owned a ‘proper’ bike until a month ago, decided to put themselves through 850 miles of pain, I hear you ask?  As you’ve probably guessed from the name of the challenge, they’re trying to raise money and awareness for male cancer charities with Orchid Cancer the main beneficiary of their fundraising effort.

Adam is one of my best friends and back in 2006, when we were teammates together at Leyton Orient, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer after finding a small lump.  To say it was a shock to myself and the rest of the team was an understatement.  You think you’re invincible in your mid-twenties, and ‘Tanny’ was (and still is) one of the fittest guys I know, so it came from absolutely nowhere.  Testicular cancer was something I had never given a second thought about up until then.  Luckily for him, us footballers are quite body aware (or maybe we’ve just always got our hands down our shorts!) so he caught the cancer at a very early stage and received some of the best treatment available.  After an operation and a single pioneering treatment of chemotherapy called ‘Carboplatin’ which was developed by Adam’s surgeon and one of Britain’s top oncologists, Professor Tim Oliver, he was back playing competitive football just four months later.  An incredible achievement in itself – it was particularly fitting that Tanny ended up scoring the goal in the away win against Bradford that more or less secured our League One status after a tough relegation scrap toward the end of that season.  I’ve no doubt his positivity and mental toughness rubbed off on the rest of us during that campaign.

Cancer has also affected the life of the other half of this unlikely long distance cycling duo.  Dan has lost family members to the disease and his motivation to do something positive to help fight its indiscriminate nature is just as strong as Adam’s.  They were teammates as youngsters at Cambridge United, and although Adam still plays and Dan is reasonably fit, they wanted to do something outside their comfort zone that would make people sit up and take notice.  I think they’ve certainly achieved that.

Relieved to have arrived at the  Appletree Guesthose in Bath

My wife Laura and I met up with them in Bath on Tuesday night after they had just completed a particularly grueling 130 mile ride from Reading via Southampton.  The lads admitted that the leg had been the toughest so far.  The rain hadn’t let up all day, they were soaking wet and had been in the saddle for almost 12 hours, something which would become the norm over the following couple of days.  They were warmly welcomed into their lodgings for the night at the Apple Tree Guest House by the owner Les.  After a quick shower and protein shake their day was about to improve, although they’d have been forgiven for thinking it was getting worse as I handed them both some random spare clothes of mine to change into before heading out to help them refuel.  Dan looked particularly fetching in my old training bottoms and hoody, while Tanny got slightly the better part of the deal as he squeezed into my skinny jeans.  The flip flops they had brought with them finished off the look nicely and although they were both walking like John Wayne, they were in good spirits.

Refuelling at Bill’s

Over some juicy burgers at Bill’s restaurant in Bath where the staff were amazingly supportive and generous, they recounted their adventure so far and you can read more about it here on the blog that they’re attempting to update at the end of every day – that is if they don’t fall asleep mid post.  They’ve been taken aback by the kindness of strangers at every stop and even had unexpected support from a couple of Premier League stars as well.  Swansea striker, Michu, was happy to pose for photographs and my friend, the always approachable and all-round good guy, Steven Reid, met up with them at West Bromwich Albion.

Nice to Michu

Every day their legs get a bit stiffer and it gets harder for them to get up and do it all over again, but after today (Friday) they’ve ‘only’ got two more left on the road. First they visit Wigan and the Manchester clubs before heading for the North East where they’ll tick off Sunderland, before finally completing the tour at Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park on Sunday evening.

When they complete this incredibly gruelling challenge, they’ll have done something pretty incredible.  Two guys who have basically jumped on their bikes with very little training and attempted something that would test the most experience cyclist.  They’ll have earned every penny of the sponsorship money that has and will be donated, so please give what you can to these two inspiring individuals I’m proud to call friends.

You can sponsor them here and I know they would really appreciate any twitter messages of support for the final push.

@AdamTann | @Hugster22

…Sir Alex Ferguson

Some facts and figures for you…

• 13 Premier League titles
• 49 trophies
• 71 years old
• 27 wins from 34 games so far this season
• 84 points
• On course for a record 96 points
• Gets up at 6am to go to work

You’ve probably already realised the impressive statistics above relate to arguably the greatest football manager of all time; Sir Alex Ferguson.  But these numbers (the BBC have compiled a more in-depth numerical analysis here) can only tell you part of his incredible story.  They won’t tell you how he managed to instill and nurture a winning mentality after he captured his first league title for Manchester United in 1993, 25 years after their previous title success.  Nor will they hint as to what he said in his half-time team talk that inspired one the greatest comebacks in sporting history – the incredible Champions League victory against Bayern Munich in 1999.  They can’t tell you how he really feels after leading Manchester United to their 20th title, less than a year after their City rivals stole it from under their noses in the dying seconds of last season and watched as they painted his adopted city sky blue.  You can probably guess though.

Photograph: Manchester Evening News

These are the pieces of the story in between the numbers, the bits that aren’t so clear-cut, although numerous words have been written in an attempt to describe one man’s desire to keep on winning.  How he pushes himself and those around him to their absolute limits.  His ability to recycle a team over 27 years, but still have the same core beliefs and achieve the same level of success.  To prove critics wrong and keep up with the changing face of the most dynamic game in the world at boardroom level and most importantly at the coal face.  I could go on and on.  But what I find most interesting, and it’s the same thing that intrigues me with all the great managers I currently admire, Morinho, Guardiola, Klopp, is his relationship with his players.

Some may still associate him with the ‘hairdryer’, his temper and his utter ruthlessness when it comes to dealing with his multi-million pound earning stars, and I’ve no doubt that that dimension of his character still exists. It has to.  It’s too simple to look at his man management in black and white.  if you do, then his enigmatic rule might even be interpreted as dictatorial.  But it’s the grey areas in between that I think give us the best clues to his consistent success over the years.

Somehow he seems to keep players happy.  Even those who aren’t playing regularly come in and do a more than adequate job for him, and you never hear of any real unrest coming out of the Old Trafford dressing room.  No-one’s too big a name to be dropped – just ask Wayne Rooney!  How does Sir Alex do this?  Well, he may actually be in the minority of managers that believe honesty is the best policy, instead of sitting down in front of you, doing their best to avoid prolonged eye contact, and giving you some bull-shit that they think you want to hear.  If one of his players doesn’t want to accept the truth, keep their head down and work even harder for an opportunity,  which he probably will get, then quite simply they’ll be out the door.  He gives them confidence, he has a belief in every one of them, that’s why they’re at Manchester United.

David de Gea is a prime example.  His manager quite rightly left him out of the team in the early part of the season and the press certainly didn’t make life easy for the young Spaniard.  However, Ferguson always believed in him.  Can you imagine having Sir Alex Ferguson in your corner?  It’s no wonder De Gea has silenced his critics.  The way he handled Andy Carroll’s ariel assault last week is a perfect example of the transformation he has undergone this season.

Sure, it’s probably more acceptable to a player to be sitting on the bench at Manchester United than it would be for someone at a lesser club.  The incentive that’s always there of being part of a side winning trophies and writing history can, in the short term, be enough to balance out the lack of actual game time, but good players want to play consistently and no doubt those like Javier Hernández will want to contribute more next season.  However, Alex Ferguson will have made it very clear to the Mexican Internationalist that even though he has had limited appearances, his contribution of eight goals has played a part in delivering the club’s 20th title.

Ryan Giggs has been the heartbeat of Ferguson’s reign for well over a decade, and looks set to lead his manager’s quest for glory for another season at least.  Ferguson though, acknowledges every player’s part in the club’s success over the years.  Take Wes Brown and John O’Shea for instance.  With all due respect to them, they were never going to be remembered by the United fans in the same way that the likes of Gary Neville or Steve Bruce undoubtedly are.  However, I’ve no doubt that Ferguson would be hard pushed to distinguish between either pairs’ contribution when it comes to breaking down the parts his players have played in his many victories over the years.  As mentioned in an excellent piece by Daniel Taylor in the Guardian, ‘Everybody contributes’.

At Old Trafford on Monday night, Robin van Persie  spectacularly made sure his first season at his new club ended with silverware.  The champagne in the dressing room still had it’s fizz as Ferguson waxed lyrical on the seemingly unlimited potential of his star player and what he’s achieved this season, while also cleverly sowing the seeds for a possible new breed of multiple champions when he singled out Phil Jones and Rafael da Silva for special praise.  I can only imagine the confidence with which Jones will approach next season with his manager’s words of encouragement ringing in his ears; he probably wishes it was set to begin the day after this campaign ends.

Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

Like Giggs, Scholes and Beckham before them, these young Manchester United players will see Sir Alex as a father figure.  I’m very aware that sounds a bit cheesy, but bear with me.  The reason I use that tired phrase is because of my relationship with my own Dad.  I said in my wedding speech that big Archie was ‘harsh but fair‘ and anyone who knows him would understand exactly what I meant; with no explanation.  Black and white.  Right or wrong.  Was I afraid of him?  Yes, but not in a physical way – although I did get a sore behind on a few occasions, and those were well deserved I must add.  My biggest fear was letting him down, and it still is.  I think Manchester United’s players will testify to how strong a motivation that can be.  The hairdryer might be used more sparingly nowadays, but you can be certain that it isn’t Sir Alex’s only weapon of choice in his mission to add to those numbers above.

…Athletic Club Bilbao

I didn’t realise It had been so long since I posted. A busy schedule of training and a sizeable University project are the reasons behind my neglected blog. However, Athletic Club Bilbao’s impressive demolition of Manchester United has forced me out of hibernation.

How can I resist to comment on football as good as this; such a perfect team display of skill and determination. As far as I’m concerned, it’s what the game is all about and Bilbao’s performance against the reigning English champions was a fine example of how it should be played.

Compliments have poured in from all over the world in response to the spaniards’ 5-3 aggregate win over Manchester United that saw them reach the quarter final of the Europa League.

The plaudits had already started rolling in after Athletic Club’s 3-2 victory in the first leg in which United manager Sir Alex Ferguson honestly admitted during his post match interview that his side had been ‘well beaten’ on home soil. As the Channel 5 interviewer apologised for cutting short the conversation in order to keep to the running schedule, Fergie looked relieved to be giving up air time for Steven Seagal. No doubt much to the delight of Seagal fans everywhere but also to the annoyance of those who like to see Sir Alex under pressure in front of the cameras after a defeat.

But this isn’t about Man Utd. Athletic Club continued where they left off at Old Trafford and finished the job convincingly in front an adoring and passionate home crowd in Bilbao. Their ecstatic fans even had the courtesy to chant Ryan Giggs’ name when he was substituted and applauded Wayne Rooney’s wonderful consolation goal, content in the knowledge that their team had just produced one of the finest all round performances in a European competition this season.

I’ll go as far as to say it’s one of the best I’ve ever witnessed and that’s the reason I’m writing this post. Performances like Athletic Club’s not only excite me but restore my faith in football.

The beauty for me wasn’t just the high level of technical ability on show, which has become a standard expectation for games featuring teams from La Liga, but in the execution of an overall team performance with work-rate and determination at it’s core. There’s nothing better than watching a team when it’s so obvious that every player is working so hard for one another. For me, being part of a squad with that ethos can be as a good as it gets for a player. It’s no coincidence that the most enjoyable period of my career was during my time at Leyton Orient where we had just that. There were players with skill that could change games and get us a result when we needed it, but we all knew that we could rely on each other to give everything we had, every game. If you were having an off day, you could be certain that your team-mate was doing his best to help you out because he understood that you would do the same for him. That sort of mentality breeds confidence, where you can go into any game safe in the knowledge that you’re all in it together and an atmosphere like that in a dressing room brings out the best in people.

Athletic’s player’s hunted in packs. They pressed high up the park, denying the visitors any respite, even in United’s defensive third. When the ball was recovered the home side’s tempo never dropped. Bilbao attacked at pace with the man in possession having numerous passing options as his team-mates burst a gut to join in. They should’ve added a few more goals and at 2-1 when the scoreline looked comfortable (as much as it can do against never-say-die United) not once did they lower their standards. Substitute Toquero, typified this attitude as he harried to close down United’s defender’s well into injury time.

There was a time when there was a perception held by many that the British game was too fast and physical for a lot of continental sides to cope with. In the past, our home nation sides have achieved many a European victory thanks to the ‘get your sleeves rolled up’ attitude. Athletic Club are the latest team to prove that the top European sides have many more dimensions to their game and are not just technically brilliant.

Marcelo Bielsa has moulded his young side into serious Europa League contenders. Currently they occupy seventh place in La Liga but that’s no mean feat for a club that only employs players with a Basque heritage. Could this explain their obvious desire and work ethic for the team and each other? Possibly, but Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola has hailed Bielsa as ‘currently the best coach on the planet’ so the Argentine must be doing something right. He has instilled a team ethic that is inspiring to watch.

It helps when you have the quality of the likes of player of the tie Muniain in your ranks. And it doesn’t hurt that Llorente had the audacity/confidence to despatch a 50 yard diagonal ball first time on the volley for the opening goal. Bielsa looks not only to have motivated his players to give everything for the cause but has shaped them tactically into a formidable unit. So much so that Man Utd could have been forgiven for thinking they were playing against a hungrier, fitter, more confident version of themselves. One that puts me in mind of a past United side with Roy Keane at the helm.

That comparison is maybe doing a disservice to Athletic Club who are a truly modern outfit perfectly suited to the game in it’s present form. A better more current reference to the Bilbao style of play can be found closer to home. Barcelona are the best example of the perfect hybrid of hard work and outrageous technical ability. Don’t even think of telling Guardiola that his team is a one man show. It’s true, Messi is the best player on the planet and his two mates, Iniesta and Xavi are a more than worthy support act but even with this abundance of footballing talent, Barca like Athletic Club, are greater than the sum of their parts.

Manchester United certainly played their part in a hugely entertaining cup tie but Athletic Club’s dominance in both legs over England’s finest has certainly got people at home questioning the overall standard of supposedly the best league in the world.

I can’t wait to watch Athletic Club Bilbao in the next round. Hopefully Channel 5, who’s coverage of the Europa League featuring Jim Rosenthal, Pat Nevin and Stan Collymore has been excellent, will show the latter stages of the competition. I do love a bit of Steven Seagal but surely more of Athletic Club’s own combination of action and adventure will be enough to keep the viewers entertained.

…Sir Alex’s Ultimate XI

This weekend Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated 25 years as manager of Manchester United. It’s an unbelievable achievement and probably one we’ll never see again in modern football.  During his time at Old Trafford Fergie has won everything there is to win and has established United as one of the biggest clubs in the world. I’m not a Man Utd fan but they play football the way it should be played and it’s been great to watch them over the years, especially in Europe.

There have been some amazing players in the United team during Ferguson’s time in charge which got myself and the lads in the Dunfermline dressing room wondering what his best eleven would be out of all those stars. As you can imagine there was a fair amount of debate but here’s my pick of the best of Sir Alex’s reign;

Schmeichel

G. Neville              Pallister                    Bruce                      Irwin

Beckham                 Keane (c)                  Scholes                   Giggs

     Rooney         Cantona

There were some tough choices, (leaving out Bryan Robson was one of them) and maybe this team wouldn’t necessarily work in that formation but I squeezed in who I thought were the best players.

What do you think, would your’s be any different? Let me know by commenting below…