For some reason, yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage felt brutal and traumatising. It left me in complete and utter despair. It even made me shed tears. After a sleepless night, where I spent most of the time searching for answers to Liverpool’s substantial problems, I still feel sick as I have come to the realisation that a top four finish is simply beyond us.

Liverpool had to beat Fulham in order to put real pressure on the top sides in the Premiership. Having failed miserably, Kenny Dalglish’s men will be trailing Tottenham by 11 points should the Londoners win their game in hand. It will be near impossible to catch the top three as things stand, and despite having recently pulled off some great performances, notably against Chelsea and Man City, there is no cause for optimism.

There are three key reasons for this.

1)   CONVERSION RATE AND SERVICE

We are not scoring goals, and far too many players are below the standards expected. Luis Suarez is playing well. Always on the move, always busy tormenting opposition defences, but that is it. Despite creating a number of chances, the Uruguayan’s conversion rate is poor. Quite obviously, Suarez lacks service.

More poignantly, what has happened to Stewart Downing since making the switch from Aston Villa to Anfield in the summer? Fair enough, the England wide man has hit the woodwork three times so far this season, but where are the goals? Where are the lethal crosses that penetrate the box, creating chances for his teammates? Downing used to be the undisputed king of assists in the Premiership, now he cannot even make the slightest impact.

Liverpool’s left side is struggling, notably through Downing’s lack of sharpness, but also due to the apparent lack of understanding between the impressive José Enrique and the former Middlesbrough man. They need to gel. Fast.

It is not any better on the right, where Dalglish is trying to find that winning formula. Jordan Henderson has not been convincing, while Dirk Kuyt can only be used in tough away games where we need that extra man in our defensive line. If the Dutchman is to be used, Liverpool are forced to change their attacking constellation to make it work. The last option appears to be Craig Bellamy, who has been great for Liverpool, coming off the bench to change games. Still, Liverpool’s attacking  patterns are not exactly carved in stone.

However, the most significant problem for Liverpool is called Andy Carroll. He is not only a problem, but a £35m liability. There is no doubt that the big Geordie might become a great No. 9 one day, but Liverpool have not got time on their hands for that to magically happen overnight. Carroll clearly needs games, but Liverpool cannot afford to base their attacking play on an immobile giant whose real talent seem increasingly questionable.

During yesterday’s match, it became clear that Carroll is not cut for this level, at least not at this stage of his career. His movement is the least flattering, and he seems to want crosses served on a silver plate. Not once did I see Carroll attack or anticipate crosses in the air. There is just nothing to his game, not even basic technique which ought to allow him to burst forward with the ball at his feet.

Sometimes you could get away with it, provided your work-rate remained consistently astonishing, but that is not exactly the case with Carroll, is it?

2)   TACTICS

Worse yet, Dalglish seems to get the tactics wrong, as proven yesterday at Fulham. It is all about making the most out of the personnel available, and in my opinion, the Liverpool manager is at fault for a number of poor results this season.

Liverpool are at their very best with aggressive pressure high up the pitch, applying effective triangular link-up play between the likes of Suarez, Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez and Kuyt – all incredibly mobile players with fantastic work-rate and stamina. Against Fulham, where Senderos and Hangeland kept matching Andy Carroll in the air, Liverpool should have opted for a more dynamic, fluid system that challenged Fulham’s back four on the floor.

Instead, Liverpool were forced to use significant amounts of energy by chasing second balls, and breaking up Fulham’s slick passing, conducted from the middle of the park and out wide through their impeccable skipper on the evening, Danny Murphy. Liverpool found themselves stretched far too often, which effectively is the recipe for disaster.

Liverpool have always struggled against (on paper) inferior opponents. If you cannot go to Craven Cottage and get three points, you will be unable to compete at the very top. It is already proving difficult for Liverpool, having failed to win at home against Sunderland, Swansea and Norwich.

Now, to be fair, Liverpool were desperately unlucky not to win yesterday. They did more than enough, but that in itself does not cut it. Dalglish should have started with Downing, Maxi or Kuyt, which would have put a whole lot more pressure on a highly organised Fulham side.

3)   EXPECTATIONS AND PRESSURE

Fans demand improvement and results straight away, and keep forgetting about the fact that Liverpool is a club in transition. Considering what the Reds have gone through in their recent history (Benitez, Hicks, Gillett and Purslow), it is not surprising that Liverpool are a bit inconsistent.

You have a new manager, new concepts and ideas. How long should it realistically take for the players to grasp the vision of Dalglish and Steve Clarke?  The squad had been revamped, but they are yet to gel in accordance to the expectations of both fans and media. Perhaps the pressure of instant success is rubbing off on the players?

There are many questions.

How are they dealing with the absence of European football? Do the players believe that they can go ahead and secure qualification for the Champions League this season? If that is the case, how are they responding mentally to the fact that the club remains firmly behind the top three?

The only way forward is to get stuck in. Nothing comes for free in the Premiership, and progress will be secured eventually through diligence and character. It is possibly a bit far-fetched to suggest that Liverpool stand a chance of finishing in the top four. Obviously, that is what we all desperately crave, but is it fair on the club?

Personally, I feel that the best is still to come from Liverpool. What happens when Suarez, Downing and even Carroll start firing on all cylinders? If Steven Gerrard can get back to his best, what will happen then? However, I fear that it will be too little, too late.

Go debate.

Et IK Start i fullstendig krise reiser til Ålesund og Color Line Stadion i det som blir klubbens sjette cup-semifinale. Med seg på charterflyet har de representanter fra næringslivet, samt et knippe feststemte supportere. Stemningen er jovial, og forventingsfull.

ÅLESUND (NRJ): Start-trener Mons Ivar Mjelde har fått et kjærkomment pusterom. De neste 90 minuttene handler nemlig verken om desperat poengfangst eller nedrykksstrid. Det er en historisk cupfinale som står på spill, og de gulkledde sørlendingene som for tiden ligger sementert på bunnen av eliteserietabellen, har alt å vinne. Trykket er dermed lettet foran årets største kamp.

– I dag snakker vi ikke om taktiske disposisjoner eller hvem som spiller. I dag handler det kun om å senke skuldrene og gi gass, for vi skal til Ullevaal, det er helt sikkert, forteller en kampklar Mjelde til lokalradioen mens det spaseres standhaftig mot ankomsthallen på Vigra flyplass i Ålesund.

Kanskje det er akkurat det som er nøkkelen i kveldens batalje: å senke skuldrene. Det gjenstår imidlertid å se om spillerne mesterer å kanalisere tankene mot det postitive. Negativiteten ligger som et tjukt lag over Sør Arena om dagen, og de fleste har satt synet sitt mot 2012. Bakgrunnen for dette ligger i utgående kontrakter, usikker fremtid, og ikke minst det utenkelige – å se for seg en hverdag i Adeccoligaen, den illeluktende og fryktede søppeldyngen i norsk toppfotball.

Hvis Start og Mons Ivar Mjelde derimot klarer å løfte de mentale sperrene, kan kveldens kamp vise seg å bli viktigere enn man kanskje umiddelbart ser for seg. For en cupfinale vil selvsagt være et enestående høydepunkt i både klubbens og spillergruppens rikholdige historie, men å sikre en fornyet kontrakt i Tippeligaen vil trolig henge høyere. Hvis det imidlertid går mot det som alle frykter, er det godt å høre at spillere som Jesper Mathisen og Espen Hoff ønsker å få klubben opp igjen på første forsøk.

– Vi spillere må ta ansvar, det er vi som har fått klubben i denne smørja. Jeg vil egentlig ikke flytte fra Sørlandet nå, og jeg er forberedt på å bli med ned [i Adeccoligaen]. Når det er sagt skal vi klamre oss til håpet mens vi enda har det, for nå handler det om å få ut det potensialet som bor i oss før det er for sent, sier Hoff.

En seier på Color Line stadion i kveld kan vise seg å bli katalysatoren for Starts resterende sesong. En kollektiv triumf som et avansement til cupfinalen gjør naturligvis noe med en prestasjonsgruppe. Man får plutselig smaken av suksess, av seier, og kanskje mest av alt, positivitet. Enhver oppegående realist vil avfeie denne profetien med det samme, men en fotballromantisk idealist vil samtidig smake på den iboende kraften av optimisme. Og den kraften skal man dyrke, helt til siste spark en mørk høstkveld i november.

Start må vinne minst fem av sine syv siste seriekamper, ikke fire som klubben selv har uttalt. Dette med grunnlag i Starts håpløse målforskjell. I lys av årets prestasjoner virker det som en umulig oppgave, men det er altså denne mye omtalte semifinalen som kan vise seg å være det berømmelige esset i Mjeldes stadig tynnere erme. Start skal på papiret kunne slå samtlige av de gjenværende motstanderne, og den første av mange ‘cupfinaler’ kommer allerede til søndag, da Lillestrøm står på motsatt banehalvdel.

Folk snakker gjerne om mirakler i fotball, og det er vel forholdsvis trygt å påstå at det har skjedd større mirakler i dette vakre og dramatiske spillet. Vi lever i håpet, i likhet med alle som har et bankende hjertet for klubben. Og tenk, hvis Start klarer bragden i å både overleve i Tippeligaen og avansere til Ullevaal, vel da vanker det faktisk europacup-spill på Sør Arena neste år.

Hvem hadde vel trodd at klubber som Atletico Madrid og Tottenham ville svippe innom Kvadraturen i løpet av neste sesong?

Oppturen begynner forhåpentligvis i kveld på Color Line stadion i Ålesund. Kl. 22.15 vet vi svaret.

I love Tariq Panja of Bloomberg, I really do. His cutting-edge journalism has given me a number of eureka-fuelled moments, particularly during the messy High Court battle between Liverpool FC and its former owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. It has been quite a while since I last heard from Mr Panja in relation to the Reds. Thank fuck for that. As much as I love his work, it is a sign of promise that Bloomberg are no longer as interested in the club’s financial hardship. Why? Well, for starters, Liverpool is now completely debt-free, and only in a few months, the club has effectively gone from full-scale civil war and alleged bankruptcy to economic stability.

Some people appear to have forgotten about that. Some people even think that Liverpool might challenge for the title this year. Well, I guess it is safe to say that there are still a lot of lunatics out there. Remember that this is the very first pre-season in which Liverpool have had a sense of calm, where the manager have had financial backing in the transfer market (albeit without being able to compete for players at the very top end of the scale like Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United), and where a number of our key players have had their first proper holiday in three years.

Things are looking good for Liverpool, but not ‘title winning’ good. John Henry of Fenway Sports Group, the club’s principal owner, today said that Kenny Dalglish’s men will be looking to secure a Champions League spot this year, and that aiming for the Premiership crown would be somewhat ‘premature’. Well said. It is going to be a massive campaign for the club and its supporters, and focus must be on ‘under promising’ and over achieving’.

But is Champions League qualification really a viable target? Here is my thoughts on all six CL competitors, and my educated guess on how the top four mini-table might end up come May 2012.

Manchester United

Last year’s position: 1st
Prediction for 2011/12: 1st
In: Phil Jones (£18m from Blackburn), David de Gea (£20m from Atlético Madrid), Ashley Young (£20m from Aston Villa)
Out: Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes (both retired), Wes Brown (£6m to Sunderland), John O’Shea (£5m to Sunderland)
Positives: Sir Alex Ferguson has got the biggest and most competitive squad in the league. If the Dutch £35m-rated midfielder Wesley Sneijder joins the club from Internazionale, the reigning champions’ summer spending will have reached over £90m. Clear-cut favourites for the title, with attacking prowess galore  and the world’s finest centre-half, Nemanja Vidic, leading the way from the back four.
Negatives: Manchester United were prone to injuries last year, but still managed to clinch their 19th league title. The club’s biggest challenge will be to keep all players happy (and fit). David de Gea only possible weakness, still largely unproven at this stage.

Manchester City

Last year’s position: 4th
Prediction for 2011/12: Runners-up
In: Sergio Agüero (£38m from Atlético Madrid), Stefan Savic (£8m from Partizan Belgrade), Gäel Clichy (£7m from Arsenal)
Out: Too many to bother, including Jô on loan to Internacional and Shay Given to Aston Villa for £8m.
Positives: Roberto Mancini’s men have been in constant progression. For the first time, the squad looks capable of challenging on all fronts, particularly with the addition of superstar Sergio Agüero (more on him here). Edin Dzeko may step up to the plate too, along with Mario Balotelli who looked sharp against Inter last night. James Milner did not have the best of seasons last year, and will definitely come stronger this time around. Add that to Yaya Touré and David Silva, and you get the idea of just how strong Man City will be.
Negatives: Two words … Carlos. Tevez. Mancini must sort this mess out, as it will inevitably cast dark shadows upon the Skyblues’ title bid. His replacement has already arrived, but how long will it take to get to grips with the physical side of Premiership football? Although the squad looks solid, the team may very well get severely affected by injuries. Expect a few tantrums in relation to a certain Mario Balotelli as well, who went on record today in the Gazzetto dello Sport about his reported ‘unhappiness’ in Manchester. Will player power make or break City’s chances? Mancini’s authority is the key.

Chelsea

Last year’s position: 2nd
Prediction for 2011/12: 3rd
In: Thibaut Courtois (£8m from Genk), Oriol Romeu (£5m from Barcelona)
Out: Nothing major yet.
Positives: If we choose to believe Frank Lampard, Chelsea are currently flying on a cloud of ‘freshness’ injected by new manager Andre Villas-Boas. There is something about the Portuguese 33-year-old managerial hot-shot. Perhaps some youthful inspiration is what Chelsea needed with an ageing squad?
Negatives: Well, the squad is not getting any younger. Michael Essien is already out for several months after getting injured in pre-season. Fernando Torres is still a huge question mark, while Didier Drogba cannot possibly be carrying all the offensive weight again this year. Desperately need new signings. Finally, will Villas-Boas handle the pressure? This is a huge step up in his career, and Roman Abramovich is not the most patient club owner… Chelsea will be really difficult to predict, but the squad has enough talent to qualify for the Champions League. Anything else would be epic failure.

Liverpool

Last year’s position: 6th
Prediction for 2011/12: 4th
In: Jordan Henderson (£22m from Sunderland), Charlie Adam (£8m from Blackpool), Stewart Downing (£20m from Aston Villa), Aleksander Doni (free from Roma).
Out: Paul Konchesky (£1.5m to Leicester)
Positives: The whole club is booming under the leadership of Kop icon Kenny Dalglish. The second part of last season showed that Liverpool can compete with any team in the Premier League, and that the squad may not be as terrible after all. Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson have cost over £100m, but now, at last, Liverpool will have squad depth (consisting of young, British players hungry for success) to cover injuries. Liverpool will also have the advantage of fresher legs without European football this year. It will be tight, but I think Liverpool might just pip ahead of Spurs for that decisive, all-important fourth spot.
Negatives: The pressure will be on as Sunderland face Anfield for the first game of the season later this month. John Henry will not tolerate anything else bar Champions League qualification, hence the importance of the new players gelling together quickly. Inspirational skipper Steven Gerrard will not be back until September, and remains a big question mark. Meanwhile, Liverpool are unable to sell fringe players to release funds for a new left back and a centre-half. Certain areas are still prone to injury, particularly at the back and up front. The situation with Alberto Aquilani and Raul Meireles is not good either, and could cause a slight stir.

As for the remaining positions, I believe Spurs might pip Arsenal to fifth place, while Everton finish just behind the North London rivals. It is going to be one hell of a season, with more profiles, more drama than ever before.

What a momentous, jaw-dropping spectacle this was supposed to be. It was supposed to the night where Cruyffian football prevailed. It was supposed to be the El Clasico of a century, in which good locked horns with evil, and beauty faced the beast. In the end, we were served total shambles, as a destructive and cynical Real Madrid set out to break up Barcelona’s synergic movement by deploying a flat 4-6-0. The Catalans responded through histrionic play-acting, which, ultimately, marred this great footballing occasion throughout its 93 feisty minutes. 

Barcelona, powered by the greatest ever footballer in history, Lionel Messi, came out on top, and will take a fully deserved 0-2 lead back to Camp Nou ahead of next week’s second leg. While the whole world is talking about the magical Messi, I would rather concentrate on how José Mourinho went into meltdown in his post-match interviews. Having been sent to the stands during the game, he was automatically banned from speaking to the press by UEFA. Not only did the Portuguese protagonist ignore this, he effectively buried himself deep into trouble by delivering a scathing attack on everything from his nemesis, Josep Guardiola, to the German officials, and UEFA itself as an organisation.

The Daily Telegraph got hold of his sensational quotes. Here is a breakdown of what Mourinho said, followed by my comments on how much of a lunatic the ‘Special One’ has become:

“If I say to (the referee) and to UEFA what I think and feel, my career ends today. One day I hope to get an answer to the question: why?”

“We’ll go there with pride, without Pepe who did nothing, without Ramos who did nothing and the coach who can’t be on the bench. If we score a goal they’ll kill us again. It’s a result that is impossible.”

>>> Err, Pepe was correctly sent off for a dangerous studs-up lunge on Dani Alves, while Sergio Ramos clearly obstructed Messi who was through on goal. Yellow card all day. And as for Mourinho’s dismissal? Well, he sort of begged for it, did he not? For me, Mourinho has lost it completely here.

“Today showed we have no possibility. And my question is why? I’ll live my whole life with this question but I hope one day to get the answer.” 

>>> Mourinho is going from bad to worse on this one. His insinuation that the powers that be may be embroiled in some sort of twisted conspiracy tale to protect Barcelona is simply pathetic.

“Why in a game that was equal did he do what he did? But he won’t answer, he’ll go home because he doesn’t have to answer to anyone.”

>>> The loony-meter is going off now. The referee did brilliantly, and if anything, he should have sent-off Marcelo for stamping on the stranded Pedro inside Real’s box.

In essence, it should hugely interesting to follow UEFA’s reaction to this over the next few days. And oh, do not forget about next week’s second leg. Should be just as feisty, if not even more scandalous as Real Madrid look to get their revenge. Best of luck.

ENERGY (NRJ) Kristiansand og NRJ Norge er som kjent stolte sponsorer og samarbeidspartnere av Palmesus, den vidunderlige festivalen som hver sommer avholdes på Bystranda i Kristiansand. I dag ble årets headlinere presentert, og det er utvilsomt den største og mest eklektiske line-up noensinne for den flotte gjengen som står bak det hele. Det er nesten litt råflott; kanskje også noe overveldende, men mest av alt rørende vakkert og gåsehudfremkallende at vi nordmenn får servert følgende maktelite under sommerens festivitas:

KELIS // FAR EAST MOVEMENT // FEDDE LE GRAND // THE DANDY WARHOLS //  LARS VAULAR // QUENTIN MOSIMANN

Det betyr bare én ting: skaff deg billett til Palmesus 2011 allerede i dag, for det blir garantert kamp om plassene når denne gjengen setter sitt preg blant svaiende palmer og hvite sandkorn 15-16. juli i år! Billetter får du her!

Kelis (US)

Far East Movement (US)

Fedde Le Grand (NL)

It seems increasingly likely that Liverpool will go ahead and secure the services of Rennes’ enigmatic midfielder Sylvain Marveaux on a free this summer. Some even claim that he’s signed for the club already, having spotted the French youngster at Anfield with Damien Comolli earlier in the season. I’ve never seen Marveaux play in Ligue 1, so I don’t have anything sensible to say about him, but I did ask my dear Twitter-comrade Bastien Leclair (@puchkin_b) to write up a scouting report on this injury-plagued attacking midfielder. Thankfully, he duly delivered, and now we can all have the pleasure of getting to know Liverpool’s new signing a little better from footballing perspective. Enjoy!

Words by Bastien Leclair

I was asked to put together a blog regarding Rennes’ Sylvain Marveaux, the Reds’ long awaited Bosman signing in view of next season. While some uncertainty remains regarding his arrival at Anfield , it seems fair to say that a move to anywhere else than Merseyside would be a surprise, if not a relative upset from the part of the attacking midfielder.

So I’ve first thought of writing a portrait of the player, but this has already been done and you could find much information on his career, his goals, his stats or his recent difficulties in Rennes across the web. Instead, I preferred to try and put together a report on the player, providing you with the sort of information I think Liverpool fans would like to know regarding his skills, his attitude on and off the pitch, his strengths and weaknesses, and his particularities.

PHYSICAL ABILITY

He has pace, deadly pace, he is very capable of eliminating a defence on a single acceleration. He will take the ball and go through knocks and shocks to reach his target, a goal or a good pass. He can stay on his legs, no doubt about it, and although he isn’t of the strongest build he shouldn’t be worried with the strength of English defenders. His game made of acceleration can lead him to natural fatigue in the closing stages, but when in good shape he is perfectly able to contribute 90 minutes week-in week-out and bring his fair share of goals and assists.

In fact, his weakness lies inside. While he rarely gives up on the pitch himself, his body has been regulating things for him. He is an athlete, a powerfully legged sprinter, and his thighs have often been a strain to his progression. In summer 2008, after a good first season and a disappointing second term, he picked up a benign thigh injury during a France U21 game. Recovery should have been straightforward, but instead he met calcification issues and was forced to undergo surgery… he would miss the following 8 months. Tough luck can strike anyone, true, but the same thing happened to him once again this season, and a minor thigh muscle strain against Brest in November was enough to rule him out for the rest of the current campaign.

TECHNICAL ABILITY

Are you looking for a left foot? His can do everything you could dream of. He can pass, control, dribble, deliver or shoot with surgical precision. Sylvain Marveaux has taken Ligue 1 by surprise in 2009-2010 with his ability to regulate Rennes’ game, and despite his positioning on the left, he certainly was Rennes’ real playmaker throughout the season. He can take free-kicks like this one, deliver assists or make the difference by himself relying on a fantastic left-foot (Video). And his ability and elegance when dribbling through an adverse defence is something one rarely sees and thoroughly enjoys…

He relies nearly exclusively on his left foot however, and his right foot and head are of no use in his game. In fact, Marveaux will always look at placing the ball back on his left foot even for a simple pass, and will often lose the opportunity to deliver or build on the momentum he could have gained on his opponent. Also, Marveaux will invariably lose a challenge in the air. He hasn’t got the jumping ability, the timing or the stature for those aerial contests, and he isn’t usually that bothered.

INTELLIGENCE

Marveaux was trained as a central midfielder, and this is something one can very easily realise when watching him twirl across a square expanding from the left touch-line to the centre of the field. He mainly plays in a left winger position, but he isn’t anything like a left winger. And although it could not quite be branded a lack of intelligence, he lacks many of the qualities required of a true winger and especially the tactical finesse required to exploit the flank with full efficiency.

While he could make the best out of his pace and skills alternating runs down the wing and cuts through to centre as a Nani or a Valencia, Marveaux is compulsively attracted to the centre, no matter what. Cutting out is certainly all right, but cutting out from the left when you only have a left foot can sometimes be a handicap. On top of this, his crossing ability is nearly inexistent, and he will always favour a central or individual solution to a transmission to his left back running up the field. The decision is sometimes justified by a scoring action (10 goals and 5 assists last season) but an ability to open eyes to options other than the obvious would be a definite added value to his game.

On the other hand, he sometimes showed an ability to pick up the perfect pass in sometimes spectacular style, and his runs without the ball are often well-inspired and making the assist an easy exercise for his team-mates. With the good guidance and advice, he could certainly correct some of the defaults above and show more of these flashes of superb vision.

ATTITUDE

Again, despite his talent and ability, Marveaux could improve loads on this field. In a 4-3-3 system such as Rennes’ and in most modern tactical set-ups (In which full backs are called to play a major attacking role) defensive work is a necessity for the attacking flankers. Not only failing to notice the wing-rushes of his left-back counterpart, Marveaux has often been blamed for failing to accomplish his defensive work, whether it is an initial pressing or returns to cover the flank. As a result, great moments of solitude for the men standing behind him, such a Carlos Bocanegra, often let alone to deal with two or three opponents last season, without a hope to see his team-mate rush to his rescue.

Rennes Manager Frederic Antonetti himself admitted that Marveaux’ lack of work was acceptable as long as his attacking input remained as impressive as it was last season. Many coaches could rightfully consider some of Marveaux’ attitudes on the pitch as disrespectful to the team effort.

As a graduate of Rennes Academy having gone through the youth teams at the club, Marveaux may well be receiving too much indulgence for his ineffective defensive work. His self-confidence is high, maybe a bit too high, and the wise words of a manager able to make him question himself and his work for the team could be a massive boost to his career. He is able to do the work however, and even started his Ligue 1 career covering for injuries at left back. Little doubt he will give more in that field if a starting eleven position was to be at stake.

OFF THE PITCH

As far as I know, the latest former Rennes player ever to have played for Liverpool was El Hadji Diouf. No worries there. Few players bear a natural talent comparable to the Senegalese’s, and I wouldn’t think Marveaux’ raw talent really is up to that standard, but even less players have an attitude and temper as negative as Diouf’s. Sylvain Marveaux is certainly a modern football player, liking his nights out, his cars, his caps (he loves caps) and all the good things life has to offer to a wealthy young man. He has never made any headlines for wrong reasons however, nor did his brother Joris (who plays in Ligue 1 for Montpellier), and his off the pitch attitude should certainly not be any worry towards his recruitment by the Reds…

Han er verdens beste skiløper, og skisportens ultimate redningsmann. Alt stemmer med Petter Northug. Han har personligheten, han har modellkjæresten, og han skaper overskrifter overalt han setter fot. Er det noen andre i skisportens historie som har hatt større verdi for et samlet pressekorps, med den kulørte avdelingen inkludert?

Alberto Tomba? Sjanseløst.

Absolutt alle nordmenn har en eller annen tanke om denne 25 år gamle trønderen – fra skilegender som Oddvar Brå og Bjørn Dæhlie til statsminister Jens Stoltenberg, dronning Sonja og kioskinnehaveren på hjørnet. Det samme gjelder for svenskene, finnene, en god del russere, samt et knippe andre vintersportsnasjoner.

Når over 150 000 mennesker stiller opp for å hylle ham under en medaljeseremoni på Universitetsplassen i Oslo blir det hele åpenbart: Petter Northug er den største stjernen vi har i Norge. Uansett sport, oppnåelse eller beskjeftigelse.

Han er gullgutten fra Mosvik, og verdt flere hundretalls millioner for FIS, det internasjonale skiforbundet.

Og det kan selvsagt ikke gå upåaktet hen i jantelovens mekka. For mens de fleste andre nasjoner hadde forgudet Petter Northug for den han er, blir han raskt gjenstand for kritikk og spekulasjon på hjemmebane. Her i Norge skal man nemlig holde kjeft, og utvise verdighet i henhold til noen forskrudde normer fra en annen tidsepoke.

Skjønt, innerst inne elsker Ola Nordmann alt denne mannen foretar seg. Ola Nordmann elsker å vinne, og spesielt over svenskene. Problemet for den internasjonale skisporten er at dette er og blir en minoritetssport sett i sammenheng med andre verdenssporter.

En hel verden vil aldri la seg engasjere av en nabokamp mellom Norge og Sverige, spesielt ikke når det ser ut til å prege hvert bidige mesterskap. Skisporten, med langrenn i høysetet, må først og fremst besørge at den nåværende interessen blir vedlikeholdt. Det er mer enn nok.

Introduksjonen av eksempelvis sprint og Tour de Ski har allerede gjort underverker, men det må mer til for å forsterke og øke interessen for internasjonal langrenn. På et eller annet vis må sporten klare å dyrke frem en profil som vekker begeistring langt utover landegrensene her i nord-Europa – en slags Usain Bolt, Michael Schumacher eller Mike Tyson.

Vent, han er jo her allerede! Og han har kommet for å bli. Han er trolig noe av det største som har skjedd vår nasjon siden Olav den Hellige, men for skisporten er han enda større. Vi snakker Messias her. Messias fra Mosvik.

PS: Denne artikkelen er ikke sponset av Red Bull.

For en del år tilbake fant legene en ondsinnet Satan i ryggen min. Det var den største prolapsen i L4/L5 som legene noensinne hadde sett, og MR-bildet henger fremdeles på røntgensenteret i Tollobodgata som en uhyggelig påminnelse om hva som en gang holdt å gjøre meg lam. NAV fløy meg inn fra London til hasteoperasjon i Oslo. Men kirurgen turte ikke operere meg. Det var en altfor stor sjanse for at dette ville ende i tragedie. Derfor ble jeg sendt med første fly til Trondheim og St. Olavs hospitalet, hvor inngrepet endelig skulle finne sted. Oddsen var ikke på min side, men etter operasjonen kunne jeg heldigvis konstatere at de grusomme, skytende smertene var vekk. O jeg hadde fortsatt følelse i beina. Siden den gang har jeg vært helt fin. Inntil i går. Tilbake var de samme smertene, like fort som styrken i ryggen forsvant. Plutselig kan jeg ikke engang holde mitt eget barn. Det finnes nok et prolaps der inne. Nok et monster. Nok en helvetes kamp. Men denne skal jeg også vinne! Unner ikke engang mine verste fiender slike smerter. Game on! 

First leg
Rygg 0-1 Ketil

Second leg
Ketil 1-0 Rygg

Extra time
Ketil 0-0 Rygg

So, my wife and I decided to hit Moscow for NYE in 2010, and we weren’t in any way disappointed. Pacha Moscow lived up to its billing as ‘one of the world’s most glamorous and beautiful nightclubs’, with its Red Square location and prestigious cliental. After a wholesome Russian NYE meal with our extended family, we grabbed a cab and arrived at Nikolskaya Street just in time for countdown. What an experience that turned out to be! Shortly after President Medvedev’s speech, the club exploded in a twisted, yet perfect plethora of house music, confetti, gorgeous dancers, ballerinas, gymnasts, and weird trannies dressed in some sort of BDSM christmas outfits. Gotta love it! Check out the video that I made based on the poor recordings from my iPhone. Trust me, it’s worth it!

Oh, and I gotta hand over my sincere gratitude to the lovely staff at NRJ Moscow, who not only put me on the guestlist, but provided tickets for all sorts of amazing events during my fifth consecutive visit to the great, big Russian capital city. If you haven’t been to Moscow – go!

Only time will tell. For now, it’s back to the trauma.