Beyond The Pitch

We are joined once again by Premier League commentator Ian Darke for his take on the murky outcome of a Manchester United and Chelsea encounter that seemed more of setting the stage for a long season than establishing key points to watch as the transfer window closes and clubs begins to solidify behind new managers and new arrivals this summer. We examine the questions of what could emerge in the market for players like Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney, but also whether other early talking points such as a lack of presence by Shinji Kagawa and the Manchester United wide players might mean more activity could happen there. We also explore the matter of North London in advance of that derby as Arsenal continue to not deliver needed reinforcements while Tottenham continues to set the stage in advance of the Gareth Bale sale with a high number of quality signings of an emerging class of player which might, in fact, place an even bigger challenge at the feet of Andre Villas-Boas as too many changes at once might surpass the sum of this new talent. We close on a new season commentating the Premier League for Ian Dark with BT Sport, the challenge of preparing for a season where more and more foreign talent is appearing and the players that he is looking forward to seeing in 2013-14.

Joining for his fifth extensive episode on the show is grassroots and youth development superstar Tom Byer direct from Beijing where he has been busy linking up with Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan FC in a new initiative to deliver a new technology driven message to a part of the world where the challenges to increase participation have never been more daunting and the potential this staggering. This is, after all, a work in progress and as the Head Technical Advisor for the Chinese School Football Program Office and its Official CFA Grassroots Ambassador, on goes the remarkable story of an American player once shut out of the US system who went abroad to the Far East to become perhaps the top US youth coach in the world, reaching a whole generation of Japanese players via television and now expanding his influence all across Asia and into a part of the world where sport was once thought counter-intuitive to education. As one of the most influential youth coaches in the industry today, not only did the Chinese FA reach out for his unique services, but also he has been profiled numerous times by FIFA Futbol Mundial and continues to redefine what will become the best practices and truly most accepted ideas in the global grassroots marketplace as he continues to merge technical training with technology in ways never imagined. In this episode you will discover a few new wrinkles in the Tomsan story including new paradigms for development, more focus on technology and how he has begun to reshape and even reconsider how and when young players should be exposed to ball manipulation skills, the building blocks of technical development for players and of all shapes and sizes and all walks of life. Over the past 20 years, Tom Byer has been conducting events in more than 2,000 locations with a total of 500,000 children participating. Adidas honored him with its Golden Boot award, which he accepted after the 1998 World Cup draw in France for his many contributions to grassroots and youth development in Asia and he remains as the only such coach to have received this prestigious award.

Joining Anto and Nico to discuss a recent Chicago Fire blog on its own website is Daily Herald reporter and editor Orrin Schwarz, who helps us dissect what was written by its own Communications Director and asks a number of questions that on the surface appear better to have been answered internally, while opening the club to all forms of national scrutiny including the likes of Deadspin, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times. Again, at the core is an editorial piece entitled, What It Means to be a Part of the Fire Family, so we begin to unravel a bit of that question with not only Orrin Schwarz but our own Nicolino Di Benedetto who was once a PR Manager in 2001-02 and performed that very important function for not only the Fire, but also the MetroStars and the league office. We dig into the matter of personnel decisions, connecting to the stars of years past, why Frank Klopas is so vital to the organization and begin to discuss what happens if the playoffs are not reached and what could begin to unravel should the club lose its last link to its past identity in its very popular head coach. This is not just about the head coach, but a case study in how organizations win today in sport and how the key differentiator in salary cap sports is the consistent theme that runs throughout a franchise. We also take a look at the year turned in thus far by striker and savior Mike Magee, new arrival Egidio Arévalo Rios and attempt to answer the speculation raised by this poorly timed and crafted editorial that seems to reflect a football club in search of an identity and lacking a deep connection to the Chicago sports scene knowing the tone and personality of Chicago sports fans.

The sometimes controversial Irish pundit may be known for making a few outlandish statements of his own, but Eamon Dunphy joins BTP to give us his view on the biggest shorelines and soap operas facing the Premier League as the season gets underway, a season in which the biggest spenders have not only bought well and early, but have also seemed to purchase tranquility and unity as well. We begin with Manchester United and the sizzling triangle between Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney and David Moyes where the ghosts of seasons past have been gift-wrapped and deposited on the door step of a new manager seeking to build his own bridges to a new era at Old Trafford. This includes the self-failures by Moyes, the poorly directed campaign at the end of the 2012-13 season to mark the end for Rooney as it was the end for Sir Alex himself and the lack of options left in the season ahead but the potential of a regretful sale, perhaps to Chelsea who would consider this acquisition to tip the scales with Manchester City for Premier League dominance. We also look at the situation as it was between Luis Suarez and Liverpool where the contract and circumstances made it an easier outburst to corral and contain, then off to the matter of what could be destructive at Arsenal as fans clearly have begun to turn on Arsene Wenger in a campaign that could get a lot worse should the club not start the season well. We examine what Wenger is getting right, what he seems to be missing and what really was lost when David Dein left the football club and whether we need to re-evaluate the genius label with this point in mind.

Long the target of many of the biggest clubs in world football, Ajax and Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen has been an extremely elusive prospect while delivering the kind of performances for Frank de Boer that have now placed the club on the verge of some remarkable history and have the club dreaming of even more success on the European stage should the UEFA Champions League draw be more favorable in 2013-14 than years past. This is a special time at Ajax where a number of young and talented players remain to give this generation a chance to win silverware and compete against the top sides in the sport and much of that success can be pinned on an in form Eriksen whose decision making process serves him not only on the pitch, but also away from the glare of his performances and overwhelming expectations. Simply put, a young and successful career can be as easily derailed as it can be made with right and wrong decisions as gatekeeper and it becomes very clear when speaking with this emerging player that he has been considering each and every move quite carefully ever since choosing Ajax as the destination to further his football education. We also examine the role of Frank de Boer and his influence on this team, the people who influence and advise Christian Eriksen and we dig into if Denmark can secure that playoff spot for the World Cup and we also relive what his favorite achievement at Ajax has been thus far. What you will get to know is Christian Eriksen as a player and a person and his story is a lot more than just a transfer target for the clubs with the biggest budgets. This is an Ajax playmaker who has been compared already to some of the biggest names in the sport and is now on the verge of exploding on the world stage given his talent, production and unique place in one of the great clubs in the sport.

International presenter and co-host for The Express at BeIN Sport Kay Murray joins Anto on a whirlwind tour of the big three leagues that open in August across the continent including the key shorelines and massive changes facing the French, Spanish and Italian games as massive football brands collect talent while super clubs have been left to reset this off-season with managerial and wholesale changes which shall make our football in 2013-14 suspect to shock outcomes. We begin in France where the arms race between Monaco and PSG is just part of the story as Marseille seems to have smartly reinforced in a key area or two and we examine the challenges facing Claudio Ranieri in terms of a promoted team with massive changes and the type of big spending that could land in him in a heap of trouble quick if expectations are not met. We also examine the ever-changing world of La Liga where names and transfer targets change, but the name of the game remains the same - for now, this falls on the shoulders of new arrivals Carlo Ancelotti and Gerardo Martino who both appear to be the right men at the right time, but each has questions in terms of filling in a couple of largely exposed weaknesses and what we might expect at least in La Liga where draws are more like losses the two superpowers and often determine the champion. Then we turn to the most fascinating story of all and that is where the story of Serie A begins and this might just be the most interesting title battle of all as six teams look set to contest for the three Champions League slots as Juventus seeks a three-peat against the seismic moves from clubs such as Roma, Fiorentina and Napoli. We also factor in the true wild card in the deck with SuperMario and AC Milan who will strengthen late in the window yet again and might just be the most unpredictable superclub in the game at the moment, flawed defensively but blessed with a youthful attack that might be a bit underestimated. We close on the public display of disaffection between Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo to examine both sides of the soap opera and examine whether The Special One is seriously The Happy One in England of if he is simply biding his time before he strikes yet again.

Almost universally praised as perhaps a landmark and transcendent player acquisition for Major League Soccer across the hyperbolic mainstream, we take a more nuanced view of the Clint Dempsey deal in light of our prediction in July that his next move was indeed MLS has his best value could be found in returning to the very league which helped him launch his career in the Premier League from New England Revolution. Reportedly featuring a large commitment of 41 million USD in transfer fees and wages, we dig into some of the issues that beg further analysis including whether a 30 year-old player should be considered in his prime as soccer player, whether there is a risk longer term in terms of ongoing imbalances in wages against the existing collective bargaining agreement, a perceived lack of transparency with player rules from the league office and whether placing the highest paid MLS player on FieldTurf in Seattle is an unnecessary risk. We examine all of these issues, who should be considered the real winners in this move and whether his arrival in MLS must be considered a serious concern for Jurgen Klinsmann and his player selection for Brazil 2014 next summer. We also look at the effects of artificial surfaces, in general, and whether this purchase of Clint Dempsey from Tottenham should be considered as transcendent as the league wants all of us to believe it is, asking all the important questions and how Dempsey improves the fan experience for a Seattle Sounders franchise that seems to have already maximized its potential to its fullest.

Against a rather bold landscape where big marquee signings have eluded several top sides, Oliver Kay of The Times joins us to discuss the sudden turn in the Premier League where fans and supporters appear on the verge of a number of high profile transfer sagas between English superpowers including Luis Suarez and Wayne Rooney as the next giant pieces to be moved or resist moves given what is now available for starpower players. Think inaction and now reaching for disgruntled stars and into that breach steps Liverpool and Suarez who tap dance around loyalty clauses and triggered bids with Arsenal who failed to land the massive transfer target set as an objective by Ivan Gazidis, a war of words now involving FSG principal owner John Henry and a shifting set of factors which have touched of the first serious saga this off-season in England. We also discuss the state of the Premier League race as it stands today, whether first year manager David Moyes is truly the key factor some want him to be at Manchester United, how two late transfers could impact a repeat attempt at league title glory and whether Manchester City might just be the team to watch. We also, once again, descend into the matter of Arsene Wenger and his inability to land top targets and left unable to shift from being a selling club to one that can truly compete in the marketplace, but always under the watchful eye will be Jose Mourinho at Chelsea who clearly has Wayne Rooney in his sights and appears poised to land one more telling blow late in the transfer market.

Joining the show in advance of the first glimpse of David Moyes as the new first team manager is Manchester United and England defender Phil Jones who helps us gauge how the new season is about to kick off and how expectations will remain at the same lofty standards even though Sir Alex Ferguson has left the touchline - simply put, same it might be a new era, but the same expectations will be in place. Yes, it might be a period of transition and it has played out all off-season and pre-season as it always does at Old Trafford, getting prepared for the grind and objectives borne of the same objective of being competitive on all fronts, but there is a sense that new leaders will now have to come forward and young players will need to exert their influence in the coming months and years ahead. One of those players is Phil Jones, of course, who has been lauded by many past legends and current players as one to watch in the future as he has cut his teeth at the club on a trajectory far quicker than mere chronology would suggest. Arriving from Blackburn Rovers in advance of the 2011–12 season, Phil has made huge and important strides as both a defender and defensive midfielder and should have an important role to play for his country as England looks to land a blow during Brazil 2014. We discuss his career, the transition, getting prepared for the new season and his rapid ascent at Manchester United, among many other ideas and topics that have emerged since the transition began in May.

Even before the Etienne Capoue deal was signed and delivered by Tottenham, Daniel Levy and Spurs have repeatedly defined the early stages of the Premier League transfer window with a number of clever sales and buys that seem to prepare the ground for what may come next in the Gareth Bale coronation at Real Madrid, followed by the collateral damage of a very murky top four prospectus in the English top flight. However, in stark contrast, many of the other top four candidates for the 2013-14 season have yet to land the type of distinguishing moves which would indicate a firm favorite or alteration in the overall pecking order as Manchester City and Chelsea appear to have nudged out a bit given the combination of changes in managers and their potential to land their clear targets during this closed season, with Jose Mourinho clearly playing a game of cat and mouse with Manchester United as he seeks to land Wayne Rooney late in the window. Then there is the matter of Arsenal which seems to have left it too late and is faced with the real prospect of not landing the big target once stated by Ivan Gazidis with a substantial transfer war-chest and an organizational-level inability to deliver the kind of breakthrough talent after consecutive seasons of a surplus in the transfer market from high profile sales. In part one we set the stage for the last month of the transfer market in the Premier League, introduce a new and important partner to the broadcast, then we move to segment two where your questions direct both the content and context of the episode where concerns about top four in the Premier League is considered, the newest managers with the highest potential for immediate success is probed and we try to get underneath the bluster at Arsenal where a large number of supporters keep asking serious questions about who exactly is responsible for not delivering the quality that the team-sheet must have to be competitive on all fronts, even though Arsene Wenger suggests otherwise.

The world seems alight whenever the name of Luis Suarez is invoked during the summer transfer window and part of that is due to his behavior on the pitch but also his clear value in terms of what he can bring to a football club with some extremely rare skill and capabilities that place him just beneath the top players in the world. However, Liverpool have bigger concerns at the moment and it really boils down to whether he can be sold to a club outside of England at a premium fee so that quality can be brought back into the club as replacements, but even more importantly weighing all the risks downstream knowing he is one of the top drawer attractions in the Premier League yet seems just one more suspension away from completely turning the market options at Liverpool into complete and utter chaos. We bridge all these talking points including many others when it comes to the matter of Luis Suarez and also take a deeper look into FSG and whether the actions match the words about reaching for that surely treasured top four slot that would deliver Liverpool back into the big money nights at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League. Gareth Roberts of the Anfield Wrap and Well Red Magazine is our special guest and he arrived completely locked and loaded to give us the breakdown and vantage point from Liverpool Football Club having joined them for a pre-season tour in Australia.

Lost against a landscape of big money transfers that have happened and the promise of huge flashy transfers that failed to materialize, an arms race has gone on in Serie A quite like no other top level European league where clubs have used foreign cash for a couple of marquee stars to fuel the arrival of a new quality signings that may have just turned Italy into the most compelling race in 2013-14. There is now a logjam of teams at the top of the pack all fighting for the three lucrative Champions League slots, but even more importantly a number of recognizable names in the sport who have all come together in places such as Fiorentina, Napoli and Roma where the secret might not yet be public, but the balance of power does appear on the verge of shifting for a number of reasons. Joining Anto for a discussion into what has begun to take place is Janusz Michallik of ESPN FC who helps dissect many of the key moves in terms of players and managers arriving in new destinations, why the net transfer spend will appear so deceptive given several key factors and whether some late moves the biggest clubs could turn everything into more chaos knowing just how valuable that European TV money is to Serie A clubs who now split a market pool as a bigger percentage of their turnover. Yes, the marketplace is beginning to alter conventional wisdom in Italy, but so are the ways that patron-sponsored clubs now approach the first edge of FFP break-even and these new realities are no better exemplified than the odd transfer moves and decisions being made at AC Milan where delays in securing Honda with sponsors and Champions League qualification seems to have bogged them down temporarily. With one month still to go in the summer transfer period we look at all the big movers in Serie A, decide on a provisional winner and look to what could be the most intriguing domestic title battle in 2013-14.

Once again the summer transfer window is under the microscope with football commentator and pundit Janusz Michallik as we take yet another look at the big market teams in England and Spain who continue to shape in which order the dominos will continue to fall now that many of the giant moves have already taken place at some of the big spenders this off-season. This is where the likes of Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas continue to drive much of the speculation and consistent rumours in terms of potential interlocking moves between leagues and clubs where clear needs exist for several high profile managers working in their first season with some of the largest football clubs in the world. We begin with a lack of star power arriving in the Premier League this off-season which seems to run counter-intuitive to the new broadcasting revenue arriving by means of the new Sky and BT contracts, then we examine many of the ongoing transfer sagas with some background into each and which factors could prove telling in the coming days and weeks. We also explore the apparent failures at both Arsenal and Manchester United this closed season as the big and defining move for strikers and midfielders respectively have not materialized either by first order plan or clear back up strategy to date. This includes a deep look into potential Suarez and Rooney moves, how the Fabregas discussion may by the longest saga to solve of all because it involves a delicate balance between promises issued and kept by Barcelona and why the consistent threat to move in Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be the final big piece for a club like Real Madrid who might decide that Luis Suarez is not a risk work accepting. Loads here on the open moves on the chess board, how they could be resolved and what the factors could be as we dig into the implications and ramifications with some big managerial reputations in the balance in a World Cup year.

Once again it is time to dial up another supershow that covers all the important talking points and trends from the rising force that is Asia and its football and joining in to have this discussion is top correspondent John Duerden who gives us the up close and clear look at the many facets of the Wild Wild East. At the core of the discussion is the high number of summer tours that have kicked off in Asia this summer as many of the top European football brands have descended, but may be running into a high water mark in terms of flexing their commercial muscle and sense of entitlement in this exploding marketplace, a football mad region that adores its favorite clubs in England and beyond, but yet almost tolerating Western impressions that Asia only offers a cash cow to clubs desperate to cash in. Clearly there is demand for tickets and exposure to top flight footballers each and every summer, but the promoters on the ground may be doing more harm than good and it might just be time that the AFC begins to establish rules and best practices before damage is done. Also in this episode we examine the East Asia Cup and how national identity and talent levels were reinforced throughout the tournament and what regional powers Japan and South Korea must now address to maximize their appearances in the World Cup a year from now. We also discuss the imminent arrival of Japanese midfield superstar Keisuke Honda who appears headed to AC Milan where his skill and mindset will be of immediate use to a club searching for more creativity in attack, how Guangzhou Evergrande might just be the strongest team in Asia as Marcelo Lippi seems set out to win the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League as a prelude to assuming control of the Chinese national team and then we close on a look at the top East Asian club leagues including Japan and Korea before rounding out our discussion into the election of a new AFC president and the near term objectives he will have in his first term.

With another Premier League season upon us in less than a month, Arsenal legend and new NBC Match Analyst Lee Dixon joins us stateside to have a look at what has ben a surprisingly quiet transfer period for Arsene Wenger given advanced expectations and clear needs by the football club which seems to have clear and present needs just to retain top four in England. We examine the potential change in direction that Arsene Wenger once appeared set to make in advance of the 2013-14 season, sending a signal into the marketplace that Arsenal would compete for some of the bigger names who were sure to emerge like Gonzalo Higuain, yet now find themselves left chasing the likes of Luis Suarez who would have once seemed untouchable given his price tag and controversial nature given the priorities at the club where solidarity and harmony in the changing room remain paramount. We also examine the lack of big signings overall in the Premier League as the very top names appear more set to chase their football on the continent and why that may be the case, why David Moyes appears to have found a problem with his handling of the media in the Far East and how that could come back to haunt them down the road. We also evaluate the potential for Cesc Fabregas and his potential move to Old Trafford, a move that has certainly become more complex now that Tata Martino has become the new manager and may have his own ideas on succession planning for Xavi Hernandez and why the loss of David Gill at Manchester United made that deal and many other so much more difficult to pull off as the demands inside a transfer market in advance of a World Cup year mandate that all top level business is best handled sooner rather than later. Lee Dixon was an English international earning 22 caps and began his career with Burnley in 1982, playing for Chester City, Bury and Stoke City before joining Arsenal in 1988 where he remained for the rest of his career, retiring in 2002. He was part of four League Championships, three FA Cup wins, a European Cup-Winners Cup and a league cup.