Micro-Moments: You Snooze You Loose

WTF (What the fudge) are micro-moments?

Micro-Moments coined by Google defines it as “An intent rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need – to know, go, do or buy”. Micro-moments occur when people turn to their mobile devices to explore, discover, research and buy products. The powerful microcomputers (mobiles) in the pocket are training brands to deliver exactly what the consumers are looking for when they are looking for it.

 Source: Think with Google

These moments mentioned above are trigger points for companies to act on converting their customers. In other words, the faster companies react in these windows of opportunity the more likely there is a chance of conversions, sales, and revenue.

According to GSM real-time intelligence data, over 5.13 billion people own smartphones around the world.  This makes mobiles an indispensable part of our daily lives, so much so that we might forget to have a meal during the day but almost never forget our mobile phones.

People are over-reliant on mobile phones with having the urge to check the phone every time. Google has become an integral part of smartphones addiction. And every time the information is needed, we just ‘Google’ it. Google has become the sole source for gathering accurate information. Impatience’s, immediate action, instant gratification, and impulsiveness are some of the descriptors of consumers behavior today.

Companies are studying consumer’s behavioral patterns to move ahead of the competition when consumers experience micro-moments. To reach the right consumers having this micro-moments Micro-marketing is used and become an important part of the Mobile marketing strategies for companies to fulfill consumers micro-moments.

An example of when micro-marketing is used by a marketer is when a consumer is waiting at an Adidas store to buy a pair of shoes. He’s waited a long time for these new kicks and willing to drop a few hundred dollars on them. But he wants to confirm the reviews of the shoes before buying them but can’t find a salesman or more likely to search for reviews using the mobile phone in his pocket. There is an announcement that the store will be closing in 5 mins and hence he needs to make his decision quickly.

In desperation, he turns to Google and begins searching for the reviews of the new Adidas shoes. Within the search engine ad words, gender, age, income is all getting analyzed based on the location of this consumer. And while scrolling to the reviews an Ad of the same pair of shoes at a lower rate than the one at the store catches the consumers eye. This Ad showed the pair was 30$ cheaper than the store and decided to head back home and purchase the product online.

At this very moment, a marketer somewhere around the globe won the battle for this consumers’ micro-moment. Google realizes using Micro-marketing in moments when consumers expectations are high gives companies a better chance to capture their attention.

Mobile is not only a source of information but now being used as a tool for shopping as well. According to Statista  the following share of the population in Emerging markets have shopped at some point online via mobiles in 2018 (China 74%, Indonesia 76%, India 60%, Thailand 71%) on the flip side only (Australia 37%, United States 44% Canada 35%) of the population in these markets have shopped online via the mobile phones in 2018. There is a clear gap seen between regions where mobile marketing and mobile shopping are trending and prospects of future market potential.

More companies are fighting to capture such micro-moments of consumers by changing strategies internally and by learning from their competition. The days before smartphones dominated the market was easier to inspire people with traditional marketing techniques. The process has become far more complex and with consumers becoming more proactive in searching for answers companies too need to get one step ahead and learn about the evolving consumers by implementing different micro-marketing techniques in their Mobile marketing programs.

Marketers need to focus on the following techniques while using micro-marketing as part of their social media marketing strategy. Some of these techniques helped companies like Clorox, Booking.com & CVS Health

1. Analyze the current mediums of reaching customers and if those avenues are getting exposure, the number of views on YouTube, traffic, and followers on Instagram,  reviews of products on third party websites, influencers impressions.
2. Building awareness of the target audience by viewing brand perception from consumers point and company’s perspective and finding the gap to further improve current campaigns.
3. Target early-adopters to have an advantage since technology is improving more micro-moments are up for grabs. Keeping up with the changing trends will be key to grabbing micro-moments and winning customers online.
4. Identify consumers “I want to buy” moments and Deliver relevant content

 

What other techniques apart from the ones mentioned above can companies use to capture consumer micro-moments?

 

Sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/280134/online-smartphone-purchases-in-selected-countries/

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/why-phones-are-addicting-according-to-former-google-exec-2017-8?r=US&IR=T

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/micro-moments/how-micromoments-are-changing-rules/

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-immediate-need-mobile-experiences/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/348398/mobile-device-usage-product-research-in-store-shopping-worldwide/

 

Pour, Slurp, Burp, REPEAT!!!

Today we’re going to be discussing everything beer. A drink loved by many and can satisfy different types of taste buds. The evidence of the origin of Beer can be dated to the Far East Asian region and later lager brewing arose in the 15th Century in Bavaria. Bing, J et. al(2014) and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world after water and tea. India was introduced to Beer by the British in the 18th century. Since then Beer has come to be a popular drink among Indian consumers. Indians, in general, prefer Strong beers up until different breweries began popping up in the country introducing more variety. Most companies mass-produced beer in India and that trend had been going on for a very long time. The likes of United Breweries (47.8% market share), Anheuser-Busch InBev (20%) etc are companies controlling the majority of the Indian market which is mass-produced. Beer & Cider Industry Profile: India (2019)

Craft Beer arrived on the Indian shores only in 2009 with a few brewpubs opening in Delhi and Bangalore. Ankur Jain (the Beerpreneur behind Bira91) realized how the Indian market was dominated by Mass breweries and a niche market for Craft Beer was untapped. After spending time in the United States where Craft Beer held a major market share in the country. The idea of entering the niche Craft Beer market in India thus began to take shape.

The Indian consumers are relatively slow to adopting something new unless gift wrapped and presented in an extravagant manner.  And Bira91, a new brand of craft beer was introduced to the Indian consumers’ gift wrapped in a similar way targeting the young urban population with a focus on taste, flavor, and quality. Indian consumers prefer strong beers in a 650ml bottle sold in retail outlets. But Bira91 was introduced to turn conventional wisdom on its head by doing the exact opposite, with the revers B as seen below in the logo signifying just that and the 91 is the country code of India.

Source: https://www.bira91.com/

Bira91 first reached the Indian consumers through Pubs and Restaurants instead of the traditional route of being sold in retail outlets. It was available only in the city of Bangalore with a lot of focus on brand’s merchandise being sold wherever Bira91 was served. Bira91 beer came in 330ml bottles with more flavored varieties and resonated with the urban Millenials due to its trendy packaging. This craft beer became a product many Pubs in the city wanted on their beverage list at any cost. Bira91 sold out very quickly due to the buzz it created.

Source: Bira91 Youtube Channel

Word of mouth and Scarcity of the product were the two major factors that led to Bira91 becoming the most popular craft beer in the country. There were no marketing campaigns involved. The brand connected with the consumers because of a trendy and quirky look and taste like no other beer on the market. There were not many pubs that had access to Bira91 and with scarcity involved more urban consumers wanted to try it and even local restaurants were willing to pay a premium in order to stock the beer. Many restaurant and pubs lost customers if Bira91 wasn’t available. Bira91 became a drink every Millenials wanted in their hand, making a product scares made the product even more popular. The buzz Bira91 created led to its rise in the Indian Craft Beer space which was a niche market.

At one point there was a shortage of Bira91 due to the brand becoming an overnight success with the young consumers in India. The company was forced to scale up its business in other cities due to the demand and began expanding. Slowly Bira91 started different campaigns to further boost its presence in the market by introducing Sub-brands like Bira Freeflow festival, Bira91 Fools Festival, Bira91 hot sauce in an attempt to create a stronger brand association in the mind of consumers.

The hype is real!

We’ve finally launched the Bira 91 merch shop. Go and check it out now! https://t.co/JrW5LVgh0X pic.twitter.com/weqQJL2G6G

— Bira 91 (@bira91) July 27, 2018

Source: Twitter account: Bira91

Bira 91 has had successful social media campaigns, for instance, the brand rolled out an opportunity for Bira 91 fans to showcase their creativity and augment their brand recall with the help of their brand mascot. By taking a screenshot of a blank template of the Bira 91 mascot, participants could then color the mascot any way they liked and send in the entries to the brand by uploading their entry as an Instagram post and tagging Bira 91.

A snapshot of the campaign below.

 

 

 

Source: Bira 91 Instagram account

 

During the ICC cricket world, 2019 Bira91 became an official partner of the event. The brand had huge customer engagement on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Source: http://www.socialsamosa.com/2019/07/cwc19-bira-91-world-cup-strategy-review/

And add to the Buzz Ed Sheeran was seen drinking a Bira91 beer at the event but the company didn’t capitalize on this opportunity and losing out a window to make a bigger impact with this kind of exposure during such an important event.

Guess what! #EdSheeran drinks Bira. 😅 @bira91 #ENGvsAUS pic.twitter.com/cWGAXbyF9V

— Sathya Bhat (@PSathyaBhat) June 25, 2019

Source: Twitter

 

In a span of 2 years, Bira 91 became the most talked-about and loved craft beer in the country. A brand urban millennial consumers in India love to drink and associate itself with. I do believe word of mouth is an effective tool to market products and with social media trending today, the combination can surely help brands reach a wider audience.

Do you think Word of mouth marketing is more powerful than traditional advertising? Why?

 

Other Sources: https://www.euromonitor.com/beer-in-india/report

https://www.bira91.com/

Bing, J., Han, P., Liu, W., Wang, Q., & Bai, F. (2014). Evidence for a Far East Asian origin of lager beer yeast. Current Biology, 24(10), R380-R381.

MarketLine Industry Profile: Beer & Cider in India. (2019). Beer & Cider Industry Profile: India, N.PAG. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=134358616&site=ehost-live&scope=site

 

 

 

 

Harley Davidson: Ride Hard Live Free

For any company’s product to succeed it is essential to have customers engaging with the product through its communications. This engagement can be tracked through the number of impressions it receives, retweets, shares, comments, likes on social media or google analytics.

That being said the consumer behavior plays an important role for a marketer to understand the behavior pattern of its audience. In consumer behavior Motivation, Ability and Opportunity Theory plays helps in understanding the target audience.  A marketer needs to understand what affects the consumer’s motivation to make a decision.  Motivation may not be useful unless the consumer has the Ability to process the information and then make a decision. The last factor affecting whether the consumers’ motivation will result in an action is the Opportunity to engage in the behavior.

The Harley Davidson Community

In 1983 the company faced extinction and twenty years ahead it is in the Top 50 global brand valued at $7.8 billion. Harley recognized the brand need a community that gave the customers a sense of belongingness. It was a group of ardent riders that loved riding motorcycles and formed a lifestyle that resonated with the brand as well.

A short video on what the owners feel being a part of the Harley Owners Group.

There is Motivation for the customers to purchase the product. Ability to process information through the brand’s communications and community that gives consumers sense belongingness. And Opportunity to be a part of an exclusive group of Harley Davidson owners.

A short clip on the Brand community at Harley Davidson.

The video talks about Brand communities being a pool model that makes the values of the brand explicit and people affiliated with those values. Customers love to have an affiliation towards a brand they admire and social communities promote customer engagement. The fact that the group is an exclusive one only for Harley Owners, the customers have an emotional connection with the brand and likeminded people.

The Harley Davidson Owner’s Group has been credited from saving the company from bankruptcy and regarded as the most successful community engagement effort by a company. The community group initiative has become an example for other companies to learn about engaging the customers to a brand that they feel good to be a part of.

An emotional connection to the Harley Davidson brand is a very important reason for customers to have motivation towards making a purchase decision.  However, the company hasn’t been able to build on its success with slow growth in sales and other competitors in the same segment like Triumph bikes, Ducati and Royal Enfield.

Problems

Currently, Harley Davidson has been growing at a very slow rate. The key problems identified after research suggests the brand has few problems.

a) Lack of Digital presence

The company has yet to immerse itself in the digital age. The key attribute of the brand is the customers prefer the personalized experience they get when they visit a Harley Davidson Store. Harley has yet to improve its presence on social media and having a lack of visibility has been a reason for not growing at a rate which was wanted by their executives.

b) Aging customer base

Most of the owners of the motorcycle are people who are married or who earn higher than average. Most of the communications for the brand have been targeting consumers towards the older generation. Hence most millennials have yet to become a part of this worldwide communities. The younger generation earns less and hence having motorcycles that are less expensive and lighter are key to tapping into that new segment for the brand.

c) Integrating both online and offline experience

Currently, there is a gap between the online and offline experience that potential customers have. It is essential to have an omnichannel retail strategy for the brand to flourish again. Having a better retail strategy will ensure the community that saved the company once will be the reason it grows if these issues are resolved by the brand.

A good marketer will always know what its consumers expect from the brand. And today’s consumers are far more difficult to please hence it is important to have good attributes for a brand. After-sales service is good but having consumers become emotionally attached to a brand is a great asset for a company like Harley Davidson.

What do you think Harley Davidson should do apart from the ideas mentioned above to improve its overall company presence in the market?

via GIPHY

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

Other sources

https://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/can-harley-davidsons-community-revitalize-the-brand-yet-again/

https://hbr.org/2009/04/getting-brand-communities-right

https://www.harley-davidson.com/au/en/index.html

 

 

The Social Media Rubik’s cube

The evolution of the internet has changed the way people consume information on different kinds of devices. Social media has become an integral part in terms of new content consumption. Organizations and individuals today have their own page on different platforms. Competition is much more unpredictable and fiercer. Consumer behavior on social media changes frequently and hence it is important for organizations to keep up with changing trends.

Kristina Heinonen in her paper published in the Journal of Consumer behavior (2011) discusses the motivation behind the changing consumer behavior on social media platforms. She developed a conceptual framework for consumers narratives on their social media activity.

Figure 1. Consumer social media activity

The activities were categorized based on consumer inputs and consumer motives as seen in the figure above. The 15 social media activities emerged were divide into 3 categories depending on the motivation level of the consumers. This model helps understand the major reasons why so much content is consumed on the internet.

Figure 2. Organization Responses to consumer social media activity

The author also added another framework above that helps organization segregate ways in which it wants to target its customers and what kind of content is required based on consumer preference. This can help form strategies to increase social media engagement, improve product awareness with a lot of fresh content.

Zomato Logo

 

Zomato is an Indian restaurant search platform and discovery service found in 2008 and currently operate in 24 countries worldwide including Australia.

 

Using the above framework, I was able to conclude that Zomato’s target consumer wish to apply knowledge, share opinions and reviews as seen in Figure 1 and fall under the participation and information grid. Hence for Zomato,it was clear it needed to create a platform for its customers to give real-time review, share pictures and create a social media platform where food bloggers and so-called foodies can express their love for food.

Zomato has a very diverse type of business model to earn revenue and keep the social aspect as well. Zomato uses Community Model which is based on user loyalty, the more you review restaurants and add photos the more points and levels you gain. You can also connect with other users on the platform. Apart from that restaurants advertise on Zomato through a pay-per-click method that generates revenue based on the number of clicks. Recently Zomato also started a Subscription-based model in Australia called Zomato Gold that charges a semi-annual fee of 39AUD and an annual subscription of 59AUD. With this membership, users can now get a dish free with a dish they order and every two drinks free for every two drinks purchased.

 

Source: Snapshot of my personal Zomato account.   Follow me !!!!!

All in all, Zomato has a very robust mobile application and website that keeps like-minded people on one platform and share opinions and reviews on the food. It provides food delivery service and different offers for people dining out as well.

Food bloggers will not only blog on Zomato about the restaurants visited but also share their opinion and photographs on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Consumers on social media prefer information before using any product or service. Hence nowadays it has become important that such platforms help promote new services and products but also get customer reviews from experts before trying it out.

Consumers on social media are very opinionated and have strong views hence for organizations to have the right strategy in place to understand how consumers react before going public with any information is crucial.

Do you think organizations will ever be able to predict the way consumers react to information shared over social media?  What more do you think organizations can do to help with this dilemma?

The Evolution of social media in the 21st century

By definition, social media marketing is a form of marketing that involves creating and sharing content on different social networking sites in order to fulfill brand and marketing goals.

Windows and Apple developed the initial operating system that rivaled each other and fast forward decades later both the companies have had a part to play in the revolution of what social media is today. Initially, social media was made for people to communicate with each other and being able to connect over long distances.

However, today companies have their presence on social media and use different strategies to reach the right audience, but are more diversified and costly. Most companies use around 5 components while allocating the budget towards social media marketing.

1. Content creation: The average human attention span of a human is lesser than a goldfish hence it is extremely important for companies to spend wisely for new and visually appealing content.
2. Software and tools: Google AdWords and keywords are extremely important to understand consumer behavior and enable the right posts to reach the audience. Regularly updating the websites and microsites are also extremely crucial to be ahead of the competition.
3. Paid advertising: This form of advertising on social networks have proved to be a success with entrepreneurs small business as well as large multi-national corporations. Most of the social media sites have a section for a paid advertisement. This enhances the visibility of the brand and reaches the right demographics.
4. Paid Partnerships: Influencer campaigns and co-branding campaigns are extremely important where top influencers are paid to promote a particular brand. This not only helps the brand to reach a new audience but also helps to influence consumer behavior through associative techniques
5. Training: Online training modules are also becoming increasingly important due to the constant progress that the digital world is going through. Hence, training resources like LinkedIn learning, Google digital garage, facebook one-day workshops helps improve the teams’ skills and knowledge.

A good example of a social media strategy used by Nike with their campaign #Breaking2 created a social media storm with new launch of the shoes that helped legendary runner Eliud Kipchoge go close to running a marathon under two hours and also featured Colin Kaepernick in the Just Do It campaign, who at that time was a controversial athlete yet the company backed their athlete and emotionally connected with their audience. Nike has always had such captivating campaigns that disrupt the competition and use new strategies to engage their audience over different social media platforms.

The use of hashtags has been able to generate a lot of attention on social media through Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Companies use special hashtags for their social media campaigns to develop interest, strengthens brand image, help categorize the audience.

Another example of the power of Hashtag is the #Metoo Movement that gained a lot of momentum on social media with its fair share of controversies along with it. Yet the level of engagement it had with the audience all around the world was astonishing.

Social media influencers have a unique way of engaging with their audience through special hashtags they use while posting any content on their social media pages.  Companies are willing to pay top stars like Beyonce and Kim Kardashian per posts to be associated with them due to their digital presence.

User-generated content is another way companies have been able to make their customers their advocate. Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook is huge when it comes to user-generated content. Instagram accounts of vloggers and influencers are always adding new content so that the audience always has something to talk about and hence increasing the buzz.

Even as an individual building a personal brand is important. Over the past few years through sports and extra-curricular I did try and enhance my own Instagram account through my passion was running, there was an offer from Adidas India to become an influencer for Adidas Runners Mumbai. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out since I was moving to Melbourne. However, since then I learned how important it is to have a good social media presence if you want to associate yourself with different brands.

“Fake it till you make it” don’t you think firms or individuals are responsible for misusing social media to portrait a lifestyle or liking towards brands that in reality aren’t that good. Has the evolution of social media become more of an illusion of what reality actually is? Would like to hear your thoughts on this.

 

The GodFather : The Beginning of a new Legacy

“I adapt my idea of football to my players, not adapt my players in my idea of football.” Antonio Conte

Fresh from the thumping victory over Man United. Chelsea look like a team ready for any challenge thrown at them. Chelsea players don’t look like a shadow of themselves while they were under Jose Mourinho.

Back when Jose Mourinho was appointed as United manager he surely made it clear that every United fan needs to forget what happened in the past 12 months , probably including his sacking during his second spell at Chelsea. Looks like everything Jose was in the news for is being over shadowed by Anotio Conte. The passion that seen Jose running the touchline after Porto winning the champions league. The famous Jose-Wenger push and shove. All of that can wait Antonio Conte has just put himself right there with the best. Improvise, Adapt and Overcome that’s what Conte did during his time at Juventus and now extremely visible during their game against United.

Conte was surely going to make alot of head turns with his managerial versatility,thinking and adapting quickly during the 90mins. Something Mourinho was valiant throughout his time as a manger.He surely did show a glimpse of the same by benching club captain and record scored Wayne Rooney.But unfortunately the cracks go deeper than just benching Wayne.

Conte started life at Chelsea after a successful yet contentious Euro Championship. Pre-season at Chelsea began with a loss while trying to implement the 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 4-2-4 formation. The players at Chelsea surely were so fixated with Jose 4-2-3-1 that it become difficult to get free flowing football out of that group of players. With AC Milan next they shifted from the 4-3-3 to 4-1-4-1 while chasing the game.Chelsea were 3-1 winners.

The dynamism and fluidity of football was something that can win you games and new recruit N’Golo Kante was surely going to benefit from this.Playing to his strengths the team has been able to exploit Kante’s presence on the field.Conte did know how to use players like Pogba,Pirlo and that’s something Jose is trying to figure out as he is still searching for a partner for Pogba. The midweek game against Fenerbache Pogba did partner Carrick and they dictated the terms of play and eventually won 4-1 . Why did Jose not opt for the same midfield pair only he can elaborate. Jose looks like a fallen angel along with United, rigid approach, defiant tactics ,lack of ability to turn defence into attack extremely similar during Louis Van Gaal tenure and a little prowess to bench either of the two new recruits with their failure to perform consistently.This is what cost them the match against Conte’s Chelsea.

Chelsea have been a breath of fresh air eversince Conte was appointed. Players like Hazard, Matic have been rejuvenated under Conte.Adding David Luis their backbone looks strong. Everything Jose is Conte is more of an upgraded version in my opinion. Surely Conte has had his fair share of doubts over the years which manager hasn’t.But with being the only Italian team to go unbeaten an entire season is something only Arsene Wenger can relate too in the Premier League. Giving Jose benefit of the doubt his Chelsea side did do wonders during his first spell.Every title winning squad down the years has had a back bone to build on and for Conte it was Andrea Pirlo during his spell at Juventus. Even though Pirlo was such an influence to his title winning team. Conte didn’t include him in the Italian squad along with Giovancio as they both moved to Major League Soccer. Conte did show gutts on how serious he was with players opting to play for leagues such as MLS which are far behind in terms of technicality and level of playing compared to the likes of la Liga ,Italian and Premier league.

Conte as a player was known for his gritt, temper,intensity and aggression but also for his sublime passing accuracy, longer range efforts. Beginning his managerial career he surely did inculcate the same in his teams. Most notably Juventus where Pirlo and Pogba were the master tacticians during that period. Accuracy in passing mixed with quick decision making and clear eye for goal upfront which made them a force to reckon with but somehow they failed in Europe.

Chelsea and Conte is more like rebound relationship reaching new horizons. Conte has surely given Chelsea that freshness and unpredictability that has lacked in the team in recent years. Matic and Kante proving their worth along with the wall Consisting of Luis Cahill , Courtious and flair of Hazard,Victor Moses,Pedro tormenting defences and Of course tough nut Diego Costa who has been lethal this season, they surely are a team that can get that Premier League title.

Next two months will surely show what Chelsea can do and how good they are. They play Spurs and Man city in a span of 8 days. New year begins at Hart Lane and then Leicester city along with Liverpool and Arsenal in-between this is entertaining Hull City at home.

One thing’s for sure drama will be at an all-time high. Chelsea can surely take Arsenal Liverpool and City on with that kind of lethality in the squad as they showed against United.

July 30th-The Day Zlatan Called & Manchester United listened

The buzz surrounding probably the biggest transfer in football from marketing and brand value stand point was finally revealed. Zlatan has finally stated on his social media pages his next destination will be Manchester United.

Even before an official club statement made, Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to announce that he will be playing at the Theatre of Dreams. This clearly shows who holds the aces in this transfer deal. Old Trafford a sacred place where the likes of Giggs , Ronaldo , Beckham , Paul Scholes, Best, Sir Bobby Charlton and Eric Cantona have played and become club Legends in their own right.

The speculation surrounding his transfer to Old Trafford began was right before the Champions League final and have been grabing headlines ever since. Zlatan does what Zlatan wants.

Zlatan is said to have alot of similarities with Eric Cantona Legend at United . Many United fans thrilled to have got their man even without Europe this season. Such is the Humongous Stature of the club.
In 1992 Man United found themselves struggling against the likes of Aston Villa, Blackburn, QPR and needed some adrenaline rush quickly, they finally found it in the shape of 26 year old Eric Cantona from Marseille. With extreme footballing ability and a strong personality to match that. They found a rare gem and over the next five years would set United in total destruction mode no matter who the opponent was. It was total mayhem.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Fast forward to 2016 after another miserable season with the sacking of Louis Van Gaal and No Champion League. United were back to the rebuilding phase .The controversial yet successful Jose Mourinho on board, United have again hit a big jackpot Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Already being compared to the tough, cocky Eric Cantona. Zltan surely has built his reputation over the years for footballing ability, strong personality in the dressing, cocky one liners and lethality in front of goal.

Eric and Zlatan always did what they wanted when they wanted and in whatever way they wanted. In the age where PR builds you and breaks you, Zlatan surely knows how to get the world to listen even without saying a word.
Qualities that make both men who they are include Arrogance, vision on the field, lethal feet, aggression, ridiculous Skill and never ending determination and unpredictability.

Comparisons between Eric Cantona and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are endless he seems more like a reincarnation of Cantona if you ask me. But interestingly Cantona came in as 26 year old lad hungry for success and Zlatan clearly past his best days with nothing to prove to the world only time will tell how things pan out for him as well as the Club. Zlatan always played against the rule book and needless to say it has served him well.

The Transfer Deal “A Smoke Screen“.

The flip side to this transfer would definitely be if the gamble to get Zlatan to Old Trafford will pay dividends, or would he end up just like Falcao.
His recent performance at the Euros has certainly not done him any favours.
But knowing Zlatan and his will to prove people wrong, there is a defiance in him and will to succeed that has got him success everywhere he went.

Will Zlatan’s move be regarded in the same lines as Rudd Van Nistelrooy. Eric Cantona or be with likes of Di Maria, Juan Sebastian Veron , Radamel Falcao who failed to live up to the hype remains to be seen. One things for sure everyone will have their eye on Zlatan and his time in the English Premier League will surely not be dull.
United have in the past gone for players well past their prime namely Laurent Blac who joined United between 2001-03 season only finding the net once in 48 appearances as a and fellow Swede Henrik Larsson who joined United on loan back in 2007 but didn’t seem to be much of a success back then.

One of the reasons for Zlatan’s transfer to Manchester United was Jose Mourinho and the man who “he would die for” as mentioned in his autobiography. With him by his side he surely will make alot of headline in the months to come along with the Portuguese. United’s rivalry with Man City at an all time high with Guardiola on the blue side of Manchester, the Manchester Derby this year will be bigger than the El Classico for sure.

Ibrahimovic has always done things on his own terms. But as it’s said Money Doesn’t always bring happiness ” Zlatan has always had the odds stacked against him yet he rose up from the ashes to win everywhere he went.

“The Most hated player at the Most Hated Club managed by the Most Hated manager in the world & supported by the Most Hated Fan’s in the world.”

The Bloated Transfer Market

The biggest club in England can afford such type of a transfer as the Club has become more of a Brand in the recent past. Ed Woodward the clubs executive vice-chairman has done alot to strengthen the grip on the commercial aspect of the Game. So worst case senerio this plan doesn’t work the shareholders won’t be really bothered as Jersey sale ,sponsorship, Television deals all play a major role building the brand Manchester United and getting revenue on their investments. Manchester United stocks surely have gained few points after this announcement.

Recently Manchester United have turned alot of head not for their playing style or trophies but more so by the huge sums of money paid in the transfer Windows bring in wealth of talents for jaw dropping amounts of money with likes of Di Maria, Anthony Martial, Mata , Fellani, Memphis Depay, Eric Bailey and Now Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Some have reaped fruit like Robin Van Persie who came in the team and hit the ground running but he did have experience in the premier league, and same would be expected of Ibrahimovic even without experience in the Premier League, with his leadership skills and unpredictability surely the dressing room will be more lively than before similar to the time when Eric Cantona and Roy Keane were in there.

With the Toughness of the Premier League made alot of careers go up in smoke. We will have to wait and see how the Premier League treats Zlatan. Zlatan a born Leader and Winner always sailing against the tide. The World will finally see what the Swedish is truely made of in the Toughest League in the World as well the Toughest League Zlatan has ever played.

The Longevity of Ryan Giggs at Man United comes to an End.

After nearly 30 years at Man United helm Ryan Joseph Giggs has finally decided to call it a day at the Theatre of Dreams. Beginning his career at rivals Manchester City in 1985 and then joining Manchester United on his 14th birthday in 1987. Ryan made his senior debut in 1991 and went on to score 168 goals for the club, he was also named interim player-manger after David Moyes was sacked. Later upon the arrival of Louis Van Gaal, he was appointed Assistant Manager. Finally after the much awaited arrival of Jose Mourinho as manager for United ,Giggs has decided not to take up a role under Jose and has put his foot off the pedel and decided end his career as a coach at United.

Champions League 1999 against Bayern Munich

             Image taken from dailymail.co.uk

This decision will have alot of tongues wagging, whether it was the right decision or not. But with the background of Jose Mourinho and his ever famous antics at Chelsea and becoming a villain in the football world. It’s fair to say it was probably the right decision. Not forgetting Jose was offering a only a bit part lower level coaching role at United mainly bridging the gap between the youth academy and first team. A man with such wealth of experience as a player in one club, it’s a bit harsh with such treatment and probably deserves better.

Ryan Giggs Trophy Cabinet
The Most decorated player in English Football till date with  13 Premier League Trophies, 4 FA cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup , 1 FIFA Club World Cup as well 9 Community Shields.

Early Days as a Player in Man United
Started as Left winger, his pace tormented the opposition, just ask Dean Austin and Jason Cindy of Tottenham at the Tender at of 18 years. Probably not many give him credit for his free kicks than one should. With the Likes of Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo in the fray Giggs didn’t need to take up that responsibility. But after Ronaldo left in 2009, Ryan was once again given that responsibility and once again against Tottenham at White Hart Lane Giggs swirled his Magic curling the ball in the top right corner of Carlo Cudicini’s Goal. It was a reminder to everyone that even at this age he still had what it took at such a high level.

Ryan Giggs Stats.
1) Ryans giggs scored a staggering 127 Goals with his left foot another 22 with the Right, 18 with the head and one with his knee unconventional yet effective.
2) Highest assist in the premier League with 131. Holds the record for the quickest United goal in 15 seconds.
3) Giggs has made 151 appearances in the Champions League which behind 3rd behind  Xavi(157) and Cassillas(158).
4)Only player to play in 19 champions League campaign.
5) Giggs hasn’t been shown a red card in a single game of his playing career at Man United but surely has more Yellow card (37) than Winnie Jones.

             Image taken from Mirror.co.uk

What next for Ryan Giggs?
Probably Giggs will surely be up the pecking order to manage some Premier League Club and not be on the sideline of a coaching staff of any team.
With the amount players turning managers it seems like a walk in the park but  just ask Gary Neville if it really was that easy. On the other hand Zidane has seen success in such short time with winning the Champions League with Real Madrid. He was in charge of Real Madrid Castilla as well Assistant Manager before getting the nod for Manager at Real Madrid.
Ryan Giggs still needs some time working  under an experienced manager before taking the leap of manager. Currently working as a TV pundit for the European Championship, another year under a seasoned manager and Giggs would be ready to take up the challenge of managing a Top European Club.

AIFF- The Humpty Dumpty Of Indian Football

Current Senerio of Indian Football is at a Cross roads for very odd and different reasons. Everyone of the top hierarchy have one goal Improve the quality of Indian Football. Yet there has been alot of road blocks hindering that.

Gurprit Singh Sandhu is arguably the only Indian plying his trades abroad and recently created history as well by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the Europa League. Most Indians playing for the National Side play in the Domestic League and with the level of the Domestic League not really a success in terms of quality on the field as well financially.

AIFF have many a significant amount of changes though the entire system which have not really been favourable for alot of clubs which have played in the National League and forced them to shut shop which include the likes Mahindra United, Churchill Brothers, Mohamddam Sporting, JCT etc. Recently goan clubs with so much history  have also decided to exit the I-League which surely raised alot of eye brows.

Goan clubs have been the most consistent In terms of number of teams from the state in the I League and National Football League started in 1996. Goan clubs combined have won more titles than all teams from other states put together. This clearly shows the importance of clubs like Dempo, Sporting Club and Salgaocar FC are to the growth of Indian Football.

Indian Super League, Premier Futsal ,I-League are surely attracting alot of interest from all over the world but with no Fixed blueprint in place , Indian Football is surely running on Trial and Error and even Top Management don’t seem to know which way is the right way.

From a Personal Point of view the level of Football played in Goa at the Local Level can be surely compared to the I League. Playing any local Inter Village match as it’s called in Goa can give a hint of Talent in abundance Goa has to offer to Indian Football. North East too have a really strong football background and not to forget Bangalore.

With India set to host the U-17 World Cup, there is sense of excitement, but at the same time with the revamped National League , Improvement of Infrastructure still at a low. One doesn’t know what lies ahead of Indian Football. Grassroots have been given alot of emphasis right after the Indian Super League was started. Lack of Stadiums in Metro cities and lack of open spaces to build new ones are a major concern.

Practice Makes Perfect

A-League in Australia took nearly a decade to get where they are at the moment and so did the Major League Soccer – MLS but right now it has surely done things right which their respective National Teams are benefiting from. United States are currently playing in the Copa America Centeniro and have been playing attractive football thanks to their German Coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

I-League a Victim ?

AIFF have surely done things right as well wrong. Firstly they have certainly enforced the proposal of the new format of the ISL on all I League clubs, this can be evident with Pune FC and Bharat FC shuting shop last year even 2014-15 I League runner-up Royal Wahingdoh have shut down due to these so called Guidelines to improve Indian Football. The new rules favour all the ISL teams and have not been made keeping in mind with the I-League counter part even after FIFA made it clearly I League would be the Numero Uno League in the Country.

Breeze Surrounding the New Dawn for Football in India

The New format is certainly favourable to the ISL’s existing teams with no Relegation for the first 10 years. Taking Indian Football ahead at the expense of demoting the I League is surely not the best of decisions and in my opinion not on level playing field for the clubs.

Politics has been and always be there in any sport for that matter in India. The dominance of politics is hindering the growth and development of Football in India. Fortune favours the Brave and yet this fight isn’t over. The outcome of the revamped League will be interesting to see. AIFF will have to answer alot of questions which have been flooding alot if Newspaper’s lately.
 
Current senerio of Indian football doesn’t seem to have an silver lining as yet. AIFF needs to step up and address the issues at hand rather than denying the allegations and go into hiding. Only time will tell how Indian Football will develope.

Goa : From A Goan Perscpective

Ever since a child Goa has been extremely close to my family and myself,reason being our ancestors hail from this tiny state in India.

More renowned now for the Night life and Beaches. And off course the ever jaw dropping Scenery. Goa has been and will always be a place where tourists flock in abundance.

Growing up, visiting Goa so frequently and never realising how surreal and important it would become in my life. Goa always gives out an aura of love and peace and the local Goans are proof of that. Goans in general have a very simple life and live like there is no tomorrow. Off late the new generation in Goa is often influenced by the Western Culture that is more visible than its roots. Growing up it’s only natural for everyone to get influenced by the changing trends and surroundings.

In my childhood the month of May meant for a long vacation to Goa as it was the start of Summer Vacations and not because of any fancy Beach or Party but just to enjoy the the idea of living with the calm and slow life Goans are so famous for living. As a Child always thought it was a whole new country which made the thought of going to Goa all the more exciting. And off course getting to meet my cousins.

The 12hour train journey and the wait for visibility of the colour of Red mud was a clear sign that we have officially entered Goa. Commuting might be a tad difficult as their local taxi’s do not run according to the meters like Mumbai Taxi’s. A sign that getting you’re wallets ransacked was surely the one of the things as tourists do not always know the exact distance but with time that has surely stopped.

As a child, mornings in Goa would usually begin at 7am with Morning Mass at  a church nearby Siolim a small village near Mapusa Market, after which either some breakfast which included soft loafs of bread and A couple of Fried eggs or some Goan delicacies like Curry and Bread. The entire day would probably go by playing in the fields with a pet dog named “Tiger” as I can recall. Feeding the pet hens, ducks was also an integral part. Not forgetting the swine which was also just being feed until it would be made into some pork vidalu/ pork roast/Port Sorpole (All Goan Delicacies ) for a special occasion that is Church Feast or the day the church was built, which happened to coincide with our summer vacation. Snakes are something we would usually found in the fields or near any Farm animals. One should not be alarmed if they encounter snakes because it is extremely normal out there. By the end of the day the most important job was getting all the farm animals in their respective cages. As there was always danger of them being eaten by wild animals.

Other days during the vacation would go either by visiting relatives or my cousin’s school which would really be kind of a big deal in my childhood. Trying to remove coconuts from a coconut tree was another way I would pass time helping my uncle,watering all the plants in their entire garden which was probably one acre in size. Going fishing in the wee hours of the morning prior to the sunrise was really something which I always looked forward to and these Fishermen didn’t have a fancy mechanical fishing rod ,it was just a long wooden stick with fishing cod along with small shrimps as bait. The idea of fishing seems really exciting but the outcome of that is really not the same. It’s alot more difficult than it looks.

Something’s which a City bred kid would relate to if visited the old Portuguese type houses, was having a Bathroom and Toilet being built outside the house which was atlest 50-80 meters away. Always gave me the creeps to go there in the night. Taking a shower outside in the open by the trees is something not everyone is comfortable with but it surely is worth the experience particularly when one has  to remove water out from the well with a depth of atlest 3-4 floors. Every House have their own well or atlest every 2 houses have a well. Till date the houses in Goa rely on well water and it is still a manual job while some have installed the automated pumps. Rain water harvesting is extremely famous here. One of the best things which I always looked forward to prior to my trip to Goa suggest joy of jumping in a well or just having a bath with that fresh well water.

Waking up to the chirps of birds in morning in Goa as a child and breakfast being prepared by my grandparents was something I did really miss alot while in Bombay. Goa can treat you differently in different months of the year. What I mean to say would be in December it’s full of lights, music, sing songs and Dances not forgetting the nightlife and parties . Whereas if you visit Goa during or before the Rains it would feel like Paradise with almost everything covered in Greenery. Probably the best memories I’ve had was during the monsoon season in Goa, it surely isn’t very expensive on the wallet and not crowded with tourists. You would just have the regular localites going about their day to day chores.

Today the real essence of Goa is completely lost. Not many would embrace Goa for what it was but rather many have become so influenced by the Western Culture they forget their roots. Goa has become so commercialized that all we get to hear is “The Alcohol and Fuel cost a dime” Night life is something which has been around for many years in Goa but off late it has become a neusance to the locals. While Tourism is at the highest peak right now yet not many would be able to view Goa in its true sense like in the eyes of any locals. While Goans have managed to take advantage of this boom in tourism and food is becoming abnormally high just like the Metro cities.

Transport can a bit of a bother for people who aren’t used to local transport, I certainly loathe the transport system in Goa but it if you enjoy a joy ride I think that will be a perfect way to do that. They do have two wheeler taxi’s if that isn’t fun ,I wonder what is. They do have local buses which usually have a certain time to come and this does not run on any fancy app like most Metro cities.

Even though Goa has become such a hotspot for Tourist, they will surely not get such experiences, probably they may get charges for that now.Even after growing up and endless visits to Goa I just can’t seem to get enough and so many unseen places still yet to be discovered. If you get a chance to Visit Goa I suggest you pack up and head there.

Corporate world can be a freshers nightmare

What are the different pointers  that freshers need to keep in mind while searching for a suitable job. How graduates  get manipulated when they are offered such jobs. How youngsters get carried away with higher salary than usual offered.

Some professionals like Chartered Accountants, Company Secretary, Law Students are usually paid higher salary as compared to a B.com, BMS graduate. There are exceptions where salaries can be high and can be the real deal. But that’s rare or depends on the College and their placements.

The cooperate world is not all fun and games as it may seems from the outside. There is a whole lot going on inside. It’s a whole new ball game.

Today’s youth have a misunderstanding that only high salaried job’s are worth. But as tempting as it may seem, some of thoes jobs offering high salary for a fresher graduate can be fake rather false promises.
As it’s said promises are made to be broken. There are companies offering good salary along with alot of work.  But where there is good there has to be bad.

Few companies are there searching for cheap labour and promising good pay but delay payments, have payments made in installments. These are signs to quickly find an alternative as this may get worst if such decisions are delayed. Alot of freshers don’t get their salary in the end and repent later. Beware of foney smal time companies looking to make profit on fresh and educated graduates. You might fall prey and be termed as “Educated Illiterate”

Few mistakes today’s Freshers make while searching for a job :-

1) Look for jobs where peers are working
2) Follow the crowd (most frequent)
3) More money = Good job
4) Rushing into finding a job and take    whatever comes first.
5) Doing an MBA or MMS without knowing one’s own strengths and weaknesses.
6) Over Thinking if no job offers come their way and getting workedup
7) Listening to everyone’s opinion but their own thoughts.
8) Refusing to work below a certain salary limit without considering the job description or knowledge one can learn.

Few tips to overcome such such barriers :-

a) Cut some Slack.
b) Give the mind some thinking time.
c) Don’t rush into making decisions.
d) Patience is the key.
e) Do what interests you.
f) Don’t be afraid to go against the tide.
g) Self Confidence brings the best out of people.
h) Start researching.
i) Don’t compare yourself to others, everyone will bloom when it’s their time.
j) Salary isn’t everything, knowledge is bigger than money.
k) You either Earn to Learn or Learn to Earn

Berlin Date for Juventus and Barcalona

Finally the nightmare for Real Madrid and Gareth Bale in particular was over. 1-1 it ended on the night at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Juventus held their nerve and enjoyed the host scuffing chance after chance, finally Juventus reaped fruit of their first leg advantage and won on aggregate. Juventus is going to Berlin. They will meet Barcelona in the final.

Ikea Casillias joined Xavi as the joint all time leading appearances in the Champions League. Gareth Bale had another forgettable night in the white shirt. Paul Pogba returned from injury to setup Morata’s goal. Madrid just couldn’t add to their lead and alot of missed chances confirmed their fate againts Juventus.

Many United fans would realised what a mistake it was to let Pogba leave and Last night he proved all the doubters wrong. After having being told by the United management in 2012 that “his time will come”. Sir Alex also wasn’t afraid to ses the back of Pogba and fast forward a few years ahead, it’s Pogba in the Champions League Final and United can only watch and still only managed to seal only 4th place which needs them to qualify for the Group stages of the Champions League.

There will be a few Former United players playing at the Berlin final , that include Tevez, Evra,  Pique and debatable Pogba who made seven appearances which were all from the bench and not a single start.

The stage is set for the two current best teams in Europe to face eachother in Berlin on June 6th.

Teams United can face in Champions League Qualifying round

Right after the final whistle at Selhurt Park there was a sense of relief among the away fans and the United entourage as they had virtually qualified for Champions League.

With Liverpool’s failure to beat Chelsea, Liverpool were almost certain to miss out on champions league next season. With a inferior goal difference and need to win both their games with high goal ratio and hopeing United loose both

Man Utd’s can still hope for a higher position but they need to rely on results of Man City and Arsenal. With Arsenal losing to Swansea at home. There is a glimmer of hope but the Gunners have a game in hand.

If table stay as it is after all the games United still will have a tricky task at hand to qualify for the group stages of the Champions league.

The last time United had to qualify was in 1998 against Polish Champions LKS Lodz which the then premier league runner ups weren’t likely to loose.

With United likely to finish 4th they will still avoid the likes of 4th place Spain and German teams and 3rd place Italian team, but could still face Monaco/Lyon/Marseille/Ajax/Sporting Lisbon whichever finish fourth or Turkish powerhouse Fenerbache/Galatasaray/Besiktas. Russian giants CSKA Moscow or Shakhtar Donetsk could be tough opponents for United.

With Memphis Depay already agreed to join United after some quick movement from United to strike a deal with PSV. Still a few more players look certain to join United before the transfer window shuts, United hope to finish their transfer activity before the Champions League draws take place on 7th August.

And hope there is no panic buys inorder to avoid another early slump in the Champions League.

Provided all the transfer activities go as per schedule and United have a full squad before pre-season there would few doubters about wheather United would struggle to qualify for the group stages.

Gareth Bale from “Mr Invincible” to “Mr Invisible”

           Picture from sports keeda

How did the fairy tale of Gareth Bale’s Transfer to the Bernabeu turn into such a nightmare? Where did it go wrong for the Former Spurs Hotshot? Will there be any resurrection in a Madrid Jersey or another club will come calling next summer only time will tell.

Transforming from a traditional left back at Spurs to left Winger in a Madrid Shirt. Bale has come along way but the past six months his world record transfer to Real Madrid has turned out for the worst for him.

Being labelled as selfish during a recent game where he preferred to take a shot on goal rather than pass to Ronaldo which frustrated him.

Even Carlo Ancelotti has not been quite happy with Bale’s recent form on field he preferred to use him more from the bench than in the starting 11.

Bale surely has scored and assisted this season but he has not got the love he should have got for his contribution. The fans clearly showed their dissatisfaction with Bale when he left Bernabeu in his car and few fans gathered and started hitting the windows,  lucky enough he drove off quick before it could get any worse.

             Picture from goal.com

But above all of that the game against Juventus was surely something that tops his worst game in a Madrid shirt.
Ancelloti gave Bale a chance and was brought it at Central Attacking Midfield role. Ramos was made to play along side Toni Kroos deep but that backfired completely.
Real Madrid Losing on the night 2-1 againts the Old Lady from Turin.

The talk of the night was the inability and the failure of Garth Bale to be of any use on the field. He hardly did any damage to the Juventus defence. Even Roy Keane had his say on Bale’s performance “You can’t win a  game with 10 men” “Gareth Bale gave Real Madrid nothing tonight”.

Even after Real got one goal back through None other than Ronaldo during the celebration Bale looked more like a lost sheep in the flock. He lacked confidence in is own ability. He certainly suffers from low morale and recent injury hasn’t done anything good either.

How does Bale turn around his life at Madrid, time is certainly running out and with the summer transfer window round the corner.

It would be naive for Madrid to cash in, but for Bale it would be a calculated risk to move away. Man Utd and Chelsea will surely try their luck if Bale becomes available and considering Bale has his family back in England it would be only logical for him to head back after his spell at Madrid.

Jose Mourinho the best there is, The best there ever will be ?

Will there be another manager like Jose Mourinho with the success rate he has had over the 15 years of his managerial career ? Is Mourinho the greatest ever manager to manage a football team ? Cese Fabregas certainly think so.

Right from the moment Jose Mourinho was confirmed to be heading over to chelsea for his second stint, there was a sense of fear among every manager especially the ones in the top 4.

Louis Van Gaal the man who was instrumental and had an influence over him at the start of his life as a manager, knew exactly what Jose would bring to the premier league.

Notable mention to Arsene Wenger who knows exactly what Jose is all about as his team of invincibles were dethroned by Mourinho’s Chelsea team in his first year as manager.

Fast track a year ahead and Jose Mourinho has delivered in his first season of his second stint at Chelsea. With Fabregas choosing Mourihno over Wenger and Man United having their own issues with injuries and trying to adapt to the Dutchman’s philosophy. There wasn’t really any challenge from any other team in the premier league.

Spur and Man City did really well along with Arsenal to try and challenge Chelsea for the tittle but none of them were a match for “A Mourinho Master Class”.

There were alot of critics suggesting Chelsea were boring and Pellegrini also criticising Chelsea for not playing beautiful football and winning the league the way Man City did it a year earlier.

Here are few of the key moments in the league where Chelsea won the league.

1) Chelsea remained unbeaten in their first 23 games winning 17 and drawn 6. Winning 3-0 against arch rivals Spurs.

2)Chelsea beating Man United 1-0 despite having least possession of the two 33% , their lowest of the season.

3)Beating Arsenal early  in the league 2-0 memorable for the Wenger-Mourinho Pushing and Shoving.

Jose is the true Joker in Premier League. He has mastered the art of winning. Even though the total squad comprised of just 22 players in the entire season considerably low their his counterparts. Jose still managed to use the resources very well.

Jose Mourinho may have weird ways of doing his job but at the end of the day it’s the results that matter. With 3 games still to play Chelsea will look to give some youngsters a chance.

Do you think Jose Mourinho is Boring? Do you think he is the best there ever will be?

Feel free to comment and share the post if you have liked it. A feedback would be obliged.

Cricket Move over Time for Football to get front row seats

Winds Of Change has finally arrived in India……

India a country where Cricket is has been the leading sport for a long time even though Hockey is the national sport and where Football is nowhere even close to either of them. The Land where Sachin Tendulkar is worshiped as God, where Cricket has been on top with the worlds best as well as Hockey which gave some great moments, but Football hasn’t managed to captivate alot of golden moments like the World Cup win in Cricket or the Olympic Golds in Hockey  under The Great Dhyand Chand

ISL making small steps towards building a greater future for Football in India

 

India may have one of the oldest cup tournaments in the world in the form of the Rover Cup but that has not done any good for the progress made for football in India. Even though in the last decade there has been a large amount revenue from Television and Sponsorship coming from Asia and India playing a large role in that.

The first 27 matches were watched by a total 34.65 million viewers on the Sony Six network, compared with 44.9 million viewers for the entire 2010 World Cup.

These Stats can be alarming considering the sudden rise of in terms of Viewership and Revenue that has been generated from India during the World Cup. 

 

The Indian Super League or the ISL which is going be functioning the same way the A- League and MLS. A total of 8 Teams which are Franchisee owned and name after Major Tier 1 Cities. The Response the ISL has got so far has been astounding with alot  of Football Legends signing up.Mumbai City Fc have managed to accquire the services of Nicholas Anelka, Freddie Lunjberg and most notebly Manuel Friedrich who was a part of the Borussia Dortmund Team for the 2013-14 Season. Raul Garcia has signed for Atletico De Kolkata after a colaboration with Spanish Giants Atletico Madrid.Italy’s World cupper Del Piero has signed for Delhi etc.

This is the magnitude at which the Newly formed ISL league will be and this is a delight for the Indian fans to finally get a glimpse of what Football at the top level is.

List of Players which have Joined the ISL

Atletico de Kolkata: Marquee Player- Luis Garcia

• Apoula Edel – Armenia – Goalkeeper
• Sylvain Monsoreau – France – Defender
• Jose Miguel – Spain – Defender
• Borja Fernandez – Spain – Midfielder
• Jofre Gonzalez – Spain – Midfielder
• Jakub Podany – Czech Republic – Midfielder
• Arnal Llibert – Spain – Forward

Team Chennai: Marquee Player- TBD

• Gennaro Bracigliano – France – Goalkeeper
• Bernard Mendy – France – Defender
• Jairo Carvajal – Colombia – Defender
• Cristian Gonzalez – Spain – Midfielder
• Bojan Djorjic – Sweden – Midfielder
• Bruno Pelissari – Brazil – Midfielder
• Eduardo Silva – Spain – Striker

Delhi Dynamos FC: Marquee Player – Alessandro Del Piero

• Marek Cech – Czech Republic – Goalkeeper
• Henrique Dinis Oliveira Dias – Portugal – Defender
• Bruno Herrero – Spain – Midfielder
• Gustavo Marmentini dos Santos – Brazil – Midfielder
• Pavel Elias – Czech Republic – Midfielder
• Mads Junker – Denmark – Forward
• Morten Skoubo – Denmark – Forward

Team Goa: Marquee Player-  TBD

• Jan Seda – Czech Republic – Goalkeeper
• Gregory Arnolin – France – Defender
• Youness Bengelloun – France – Defender
• Bruno Filipe Tavares Pinheiro – Portugal – Midfielder
• Miguel Bruno Pereira Herlein – Portugal – Forward
• Edgar Carvalho Figueira Marcelino – Portugal – Forward
• Miroslav Slepicka – Czech Republic – Forward

Kerala Blasters FC: Marquee Player- David James

• Cedric Hengbart – France – Defender
• Raphael Romey – France – Defender
• Erwin Spitzner – Brazil – Defender
• Victor Herrero Forcada – Spain – Midfielder
• Michael Chopra – England – Forward
• Iain Hume – Canada – Forward
• Pedro Adriano Veloso Gusmao – Brazil – Forward

Mumbai City FC: Marquee Player- Nicolas Anelka

• Andre Matos Dias Pereira – Portugal – Goalkeeper
• Pavel Cmovs – Czech Republic – Defender
• Johann Letzelter – France – Defender
• Ilias Pollalis – Greece – Defender
• Jan Stohanzl – Czech Republic – Midfielder
• Francisco Javier Fernandez Luque – Spain – Midfielder
• Diego Fernando Nadaya – Argentina – Forward

North East United FC: Marquee Player- Jaon Capdevilla

• Massamba Lo Sambou – Senegal – Defender
• Tomas Josl – Czech Republic – Defender
• Isaac Chansa – Zambia – Midfielder
• Do Dong-Hyun – South Korea – Midfielder
• Guilherme Felipe de Castro – Brazil – Midfielder
• Cornell Glen – Trinidad and Tobago – Forward
• Luis Alfredo Yanes Padilla – Colombia – Forward

FC Pune City: Marquee Player- David Trezeguet

• Bruno Cirillo – Italy – Defender
• Emanuele Belardi – Italy – Goalkeeper
• Ivan Bolado Palacios – Spain – Forward
• Saidou Mady Panandetiguiri – Burkina Faso – Midfielder
• Omar Andres Rodriguez Martinez – Colombia – Midfielder
• Andres Felipe Gonzalez Ramirez – Colombia – Defender
• Park Kwang-IL – South Korea – Midfielder

 

Will the Indian Super league bring long term success and longevity to Football in India only time will tell.

 

 

What does European Football without Manchester United mean? Does it make a difference or not ?

The year Champions League will be played without the Mighty MANCHESTER UNITED.

When David Moyes was appointed the manager of Manchester United there were alot of expectations from him, considering he had was the only long serving manager after Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger. But football is a brutal world .Everything came falling one year league champions next year 7th place finish and Moyes was sacked even before the season ended.

No Champions league , the was the reality Old Trafford had to face once the season ended. As much as United will miss the champions league , the champions league will miss United considering the Tv Viewership United bring along with them.

A Large Part of the United matches was the reason the ratings reached such astronomical levels in the past years. So used to success under Sir Alex and now no champions league will be a great loss. No Champions league meant more commercial partner all over the  globe just so that the money coming from the champions league had to be redirected else where.

The all Glamourous U.S Tour and major sponsors like Chevrolet, Addidas ( from Next season) Apollo tyres to name a few. Even without Champions league united have managed to get big names this season with the like of Rojo joining after his successfull World cup campaign. The most notable Angel di Maria from Madrid for a British Record fee 59mil was a master class but with the deadline day on ,United have apparently Reach an agreement with Monaco over the Transfer of Columbian International Radamel Falcao which is either a Loan deal or Permanent no offical comment.And not to forget Daley Blind a memeber of Louis Van Gaal’s world cup squad also joining.

With that being said with more movement in the  transfer window What do you think?

Is Manchester United’s Absent from this years Champions league A huge loss considering their Financial Presence and Big names going to miss being on the grand stage of them all.

It’s For you all to decide. 

Please feel free to comment or suggest …………..

 

Is Spending so much money Destroying Talent ……………..

Today Clubs are spending gianormous amounts of money for players without thinking.Manchester City first started spending money left right centre just like Real Madrid trying to be like the Galacticos. But modern Day football has started Over Pricing players to a great Extent, right from Carrol and Downing to the Latest Manchester United pair Herrera & Shaw. These two players in particular have great amount of talent but these young players havn’t proved themselves at the international stage.

Borrusia Dortmund , Atletico Madrid are great Examples of a club that identifies talent and get them at a cheap price and later on sell them for a Profit. ( special mention Arsene Wenger) but he too Broke  the bank of Ozil. Today Ridiculious amounts of money can get you World Class Players but that doesn’t mean you get Silverware.Man City could vouch for that until the Last minute winner by Sergio Aguero in the Dying minutes of the game against QPR.

Psg and Monaco have literally overvalued alot of players just because they have the Finacial power. But with Fifa getting the finacial Fair Play into Picture there surely will be alot of clubs that will be trying to balance the Books of Accounts.

From Quatari Owners to Russian Oil Billionaire football has taken a turn for the worst in terms of Money being in vested wrongly into Players which havn’t proved themselves. Only time will tell if this problem will be settled.