FAT LADY SINGS EARLY DOORS FOR PUP IDOLS
Reflections by Pup Supremo Manlio Trovato
ITALIAN MODEL INSPIRES DREAM
It was all set for a great World Cup. Captain Mainwaring (whose name was quite a challenge for me to pronounce in my team talk!) was taking care of the squad across the channel, leading a disciplined preparatory training. I was flying to Utrecht on the Friday night and I had all my plans worked out: team tactics and strategy was all embedded into a beautiful mathematical model. Through resolution of double integrals, Fourier transformation and a few limits, I realised the stunning results: the Pups were to meet the Lags in a dream final! What a World Cup to look forward to. Not to mention the growing excitement within the Pups team for the new and revolutionary award (sponsored by me): should we have reached the final: a Pup Idol would have been elected and rewarded with a fashionable iPod. Wow, I couldn’t wait.
On Saturday morning the team looked surprisingly fresh and ready to go. It was time for a quick word with Paul Mainwaring to finalise the starting formation. He gave me some useful insights on the team fitness and a couple of precious suggestions to make the team more aggressive. And immediately I knew that I had made a very good choice in selecting Paul for the role of the team captain. Due to lack of goalkeepers, I decided to wear the gloves, well covered by Paul Mainwaring, Jeff, Jezz and Simon in defence. In midfield Suranga was going to make the ball flow on the left, Gurch was ready to make good runs on the right and James and Craig were going to master the midfield. Finally Jazz and Nigel were playing up front.
SUPER NOOBLES PROVIDES A BENCH MARK
GROUP D: ENGLAND PUPS 2-2 HOLLAND 'C'
Scorers: Badeshia, Banoub
Despite speculation from the press that we had an easy group, we all knew that at international level there are no easy games. Besides, some of the teams in our group could turn out to be a nasty surprise. So we started our World Cup facing Holland C with the appropriate focus and discipline. The first team talk revealed my planned strategy: we were going to play in the classic four-four-two, keeping the team as compact as possible (with the smallest possible distance between our last defender and our last striker at all times), playing off-sides but without abusing it, using the sides when attacking, having a striker well positioned in the centre of attack to facilitate passing from midfield and a second striker, Jazz, free to move about.
It was all set, however our start was very disappointing. The Pups started slow and Holland C proved to be well positioned on the pitch. The first half we struggled to create serious chances, whereas Holland C scored two well taken goals by slipping the ball through to their strikers breaking our off-side trap. This is not the start we had prepared for, but somehow it was useful to shake the team off.
After a quick team talk, the second half was a different story: the Pups were back! Craig took a great free kick from outside the box, but the keeper spilled it and they just cleared it for a corner with three men running in. Then it was James who played a lovely ball to Jazz, who controlled the ball on his chest and struck a stunning half-volley from just outside the area [1-2]. The Pups were now on fire, but with only a few minutes to go we needed another goal, and Holland C was closing down all spaces.
We needed a change: I called Paul Banoub, who came in for Nigel, and he made his mark straight away. Jazz took the ball and provided a sweet assist to Paul who scored cynically and without hesitation [2-2]. And perhaps the most impressive thing of this goal was the celebration that came afterwards: all Pups were running towards our happy striker in celebration! What an important goal, certainly one to remember. The Pups had shown good character, and also had the chance to win the game a few seconds to go, when Craig stole a ball from midfield and almost scored after a long run.
READING GROUP DEFEATED BY GOOD BUCK
GROUP D: ENGLAND PUPS 4-1 READING
Scorers: Fazel, Badeshia, Banoub (pen), Buck.
After a deserved rest, we were back on the pitch playing Reading, who had shown to be a solid squad in beating Leatherhead B in their first match. Jake started the game, giving Simon a break, and Nich was upfront with Jazz, giving fresh legs to our front line. This time we started much better and played some decent football. The midfield struggled to cope with their skillful central midfielder at times, and Reading were dangerous on a couple of occasions, but our keeper (ahem, myself) made two great saves and kept the Pups in the game.
James was continuously distributing good balls to the sideline and to our strikers, so it was not a surprise that he set up Nich for our first goal, who scored from a poorly hit shot that the keeper fluffed. Then Jazz scored with a header from a well taken free-kick by Craig in the first half [2-0]. The team was looking good. Suranga and Gurch were providing good support on the sides, James and Craig were after any ball in midfield, and Jazz and Nich were certainly causing headaches for the Reading defenders. And our defence at the back was looking stronger than ever, with Jeff winning every ball in the air, and Jezz playing the centre back role with confidence, whereas Captain Mainwaring was continuing to inspire the team with his runs on the left and Jake was making a brilliant contribution on the right.
Reading were struggling against a solid Pups team. Nich, very active up front, gained a ball and while he was about to kick it, got pulled down in the penalty area. Penalty! Something for Paul Banoub, who transformed the penalty in style [3-0]. But then our Super Noobles couldn’t resist his temper and, taken a little bit too much by his own enthusiasm, showed the finger in anger to the Reading goalkeeper. The referee didn’t like it and told him off, and quite frankly he deserved it. But the same referee had much worse eye-sight, when he failed to see my hand ball, outside the penalty box. I was the last man, trying a desperate save on the Reading striker who broke through our off side trap: surely the ball hit my face. I am sure it did. So I stayed on the pitch.
The Pups were in good control of the game, but my heart softened when I saw the so-named “mini-Manlio” (the Reading number 4, displaying a hair look remarkably similar to mine!) taking a free kick from just outside the box. And so then it was 3-1. But only a few minutes after, Buck killed the game: Suranga and Banoub combined to play the ball to James who scored a well deserved goal [4-1].
GROUP D: ENGLAND PUPS 5-0 LEATHERHEAD 'B'
Scorers: Badeshia, Buck, Taylor, Fernando, OG.
After the second game the team had regained confidence and, in the last game of the day, they were passing the ball with confidence and leading the game as a well-oiled team. New fresh legs came in this game, with Stephen and Henry making good runs on the sides and Lurch providing much needed fitness! In the first half the Pups dominated the game, scoring five goals.
James inspired the first goal, by serving Jazz who scored his third goal of the day: with one goal per game, he was certainly making his contribution count. Then it was Buck himself, who made the most of an overhit pass which bounced over the Leatherhead B’s goalkeeper in goal in a comedy fashion. Then Leatherhead’s Dan Sweryt poked the ball out from under Banoub's feet into Taylor’s path near the penalty spot. Craig controlled the ball shifting his weight, and blasted it right down the keeper's throat - he couldn't stop it [3-0]. The Pups were on a roll. Simon set up Suranga for the fourth goal: the youngster scoring after controlling the ball on his chest and stretching to hit the ball on the volley. Nicely done. Finally it was Craig with his long throw who procured our fifth goal: Leatherhead’s Matt "Conmeister" Conway rose to put a bullet header into his own net [5-0].
In the second half we conceded ourselves the luxury to play a slow game and save some precious energies. We had qualified for the quarter-finals by winning the group. Very well done! Everyone was happy, until Captain Mainwaring came up with a rather shocking observation: even if we had lost the first game, we would have gone through, so Banoub’s goal against Holland C was technically less and less important. Banoub was in shock… But I am sure he knew that, although not important for the points, his had been crucial for the morale. Then it was time for a barbeque, where raw meat was served, before retiring to the hotel. A challenging day was ahead of us the next day.
JEZ SLOWS DOWN AS BUCK STOPS HERE
Quarter-Final: ENGLAND PUPS 1-0 ENGLAND NIPPERS
Scorers: Badeshia.
Things were now getting serious: there were no second chances from quarter finals. After a little bit of suspense, the penalty shots decided our next enemy: the Nippers. Their team was much more solid than we thought and our attack had trouble getting through. But then it was the never tiring James Buck who was giving serious headache to the Nipper defenders and skillfully procured a free kick. Craig Taylor took it and calibrated a nice ball to Jazz, who scored a repeat of the Reading goal [1-0].
The Nippers didn’t lose their shape and kept coming forward. They were certainly a good side, probably the best we had played so far, but they could do nothing against our strong defence. Jeff was winning every ball and calling the offside trap with Swiss precision. Jezz was closing down on all balls and Paul Mainwaring and Jake were giving an absolute no-go to the Nippers sideliners. But Jezz was tired and he feared for his hamstring. He looked at me and said: “Do I look any slower?”. “Jezz”, I replied, “how could you possibly…”. So he didn’t lose his heart and kept going till the end of the match.
In the second half we created quite a few chances, but couldn’t score. With a few minutes to go, the Nippers came close with a free kick just outside the box. Then the referee called the end. Of course, I thought, it has been written: the Pups have to continue their route to the dream final! The team had spent a lot of energies, with Suranga, James and Craig chasing every ball and really making a real difference on the pitch. With Gurch making extremely good runs on the side, Jazz and Nigel kept the Nippers defence busy. But for this we had to pay a high price: James had pulled his hamstring (this was for real) and his World Cup was over. We didn’t need this.
OUT AFTER DAMNED SPOT KICKS
Semi-Final: ENGLAND PUPS 1-1 HOLLAND ‘B’ (AET; 3-4 on penalties)
Scorers: Banoub.
Then it was the semi final. We ended up playing Holland B, who managed to get through the semi final by breaking bones and tearing tendons. The tension was building up, but the Pups were up for this and ready to go. I knew that Holland B’s strength was their midfield, so decided to bring in some big guys and fresh legs: Lurch, Suranga, Jazz and Craig would form our midfield line, with Nich and Banoub up front. Our defence line was our strongest with Captain Mainwaring, Jezz, Jeff and Jake. Myself in goal, of course.
The Pups started well and it was not long before they took the lead. Super Noobles scored, blocking a clearance from them: the ball ricocheted of his foot after their keeper attempted to clear and bulleted into the bottom corner of the net [1-0]. Then Holland B started pressing more but our defence was not easy to pass, as Jeff was winning every ball in the air. But he could do nothing when, 30 seconds before the end of the first half, their right winger delivered a sweet cross to an attacker caught un-marked between Hatton and Gow, who headed it into the net for the equaliser [1-1].
In the second half the Pups pressed on, and created many chances but the ball wouldn’t enter the net. Something is not going according to plans, I thought, but surely my mathematical formulation was clear: we had to play the dream final against the Lags. There were no other options! Jazz had a free kick tipped over the bar in spectacular fashion by the Dutch keeper. Then Craig had a goal-bound volley blocked by the back of a defender. Finally Banoub had a well placed shot touched round the post. They also came close when they narrowly missed with a very well struck free kick from the left of our box.
But the score wouldn’t budge. It was 1-1 at the end of the extra time. We were going to penalties. Craig took the first one, and was fooled by the keeper moving well in advance and he scuffed the ball just past the left post. Banoub’s was tucked away in the right hand corner. Hoyzone went for power but saw his ball crash against the bar. Gurch placed it nicely on one side, but it didn’t help. Holland B didn’t miss a single penalty and were through to the final.
What went wrong? I was puzzled. My theory had to be right, but there was an obvious flaw… And it was too late when I realised it. The Lags had already played their semi-final with Italy and lost in extra time. Hence they were scheduled to play the 3rd/4th place final, and of course we were bound to play the dream final with the Lags. The model was right, only it was the wrong final!
THE WRONG FINAL
3rd/4th Place Play-off:
ENGLAND PUPS 3-0 ENGLAND LAGS
Scorers: Nat, Fazel, Taylor.
Well, it had to be played. Perhaps it was the “wrong” final, but it was going to be a show final with an extraordinary display of talent. And it was. Pups and Lags were playing good football, passing the ball around and entertaining the crowd. Banoub inspired the first goal, by winning a ball, engaging in a little dribble and passing the ball to Gurch who put in a world class goal, with a left foot 18-yard drive into the top left [1-0].
The Lags fought back and created a couple of chances, but they could do nothing as the Pups were well positioned on the pitch and blocked all Lag’s attacks. Suranga was dominating in the midfield and he put it in until his last drop of energy. Then Nich intercepted a backpass from a Lag defender and tucked it past the keeper for our second goal [2-0]. Finally Craig had some left over energies for another goal: he robbed a lag defender 30 yards out, burst past two more defenders and took on Stevey Oliver before slamming the ball home with his left foot [3-0]. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite like “the dream final”, but it was certainly a good one, which celebrated our well deserved third place (yet again) in this World Cup. A World Cup that, after all, we truly enjoyed.