|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Lazio as good a bet as any
Posted: Monday February 21, 2000 05:13 PM
Terry Baddoo is co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International. He will answer you questions every Tuesday. Lets go straight to the questions.
Could Lazio get the Seria A championship? Well, second in the table with 13 games to go, would suggest Lazio has a good chance of taking the title, even if last weekend's draw with Parma, which ended the Rome club's five-match home winning streak, has allowed Juventus to take over at the top. However, the second half of the season is always tougher than the first in any league, and with Lazio's continued committment in the Champions League, it will be the strength in depth of their squad that will be the deciding factor. They certainly have it up front, with men like Ravenelli and Inzaghi to call on. But whether that applies across the spectrum is hard to say. It's obvious that the mental pressure of the situation is starting to get to them, as the recent complaints about biased refereeing voiced by club president Sergio Cragnotti have shown. But 13 games is still a long way from the finish, and if they can get a good result in the upcoming game with A.C Milan, there's no telling what it will do for their confidence.
Now while I applaud the swift action of those committed to beating the cancer of racism in sport, I'm also a great believer that those involved in sport -- in any capacity -- should not be held to a higher standard than the rest of society when it comes to the law. With that in mind, I found myself in a dilemma -- if you don't outlaw racist comments from the bigot in the bar who sees everything in terms of color, creed or religion, then how can you punish his sporting counterpart for voicing the same jaundiced views?
I have been following John Barnes' career since his days with Watford, his class and work ethic have always been his trademark. I am sure he was implementing those qualities to his players, but obviously they did not respond. Do you think John Barnes will be managing next year? If so, where?
Were there any other reasons why Barnes got sacked? Those who've read my column know I think the John Barnes sacking was premature, but I can't agree with you that his work ethic has always been his trademark. As a player Barnesy was certainly a talent, but in my view he was a wasted talent who could have been a world-beater if he'd lost weight, worked harder, and was altogether more aggressive in his approach to the game. Did he display those qualities at the Celtic manager? I don't know. What I do know, as I said in my piece, is that second-place at this stage of the season is none too shabby, and whatever his methods, he'd earned the right for a little more leeway. What went on behind closed doors is anyone's guess. From the tone of Kenny Dalglish's announcement of his sacking, in which he praised John's managerial qualities, I assume Kenny was happy with the footballing side of things. So I can only assume that it was a less hands-on member of the Celtic hierarchy who wielded the axe. His motive? You tell me. Will Barnes return to football? I expect so. But I think it should be with a club without the high expectations of Celtic, which would have enough patience to allow John to build a stylish team that doesn't necessarily win trophies every year. Perhaps then we'd see what Barnesy can really do.
Do you think that Liverpool will once again become the dragon of World Soccer? The dragon of world soccer? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? A Lion of world soccer, I've heard of. But a dragon? If that means do I think they'll be hot stuff any time soon, my answer is no. They don't have the arrogance of the Liverpool teams of old. They don't have the team spirit of the old days. And, with respect to Mr Houlier, their manager lacks the true grit of previous Liverpool bosses who were raised believing in the Anfield trenches. That's not to say they'll never win anything. I just think their days of dominance are gone forever.
Why do you suggest that goal scoring celebrations should be stopped in return for the restoration of the game's dignity? Surely one of the most memorable scenes from past world cups is Marco Tardelli's exhuberant celebration during the '82 world cup final. Because they're stupid, pre-planned, choreographed ballets, not spontaneous celebrations. It's like, where's the camera? OK let's crawl, dive, dance. It wastes time. It's usually embarrassing, just watch Frankie Hejduk's rendition of a Bob Marley skank if you doubt that fact, and above all it's been done. Let's go back to the old days of a raised hand, a pat on the back, and let's get on with the game. You've scored a goal, not cured cancer.
You're kidding right? Celtic is in a crisis. How long have you followed the SPL? Finishing 2nd in the SPL for Celtic and that crap club is like finishing in the mid-tables. For the crisis -- have you noticed Rangers have won 9 of the 10 titles in the 90s and the Celts only 1? If that's not a crisis for Celts, I don't know what is. As I said in the piece, if beating Rangers is all that matters, then winning the league 9 times out of 10 or 99 out of 100 doesn't mean doodly, does it, because apparently the rest of the contenders are a bunch of stiffs. If the SPL is just a Mickey Mouse league with just two teams and a load of makeweights, then that's the crisis, not the fact that John Barnes five-minutes at the club has failed to turn the Celts into world-beaters. Incidentally, my Scottish connections are more solid than you realize, so I know what it means to win up there. I just don't necessarily think such knee-jerk reaction to a modest "failure" does anyone any good.
Which domestic league would you consider the best? Italy for style and sophistication. England, for pace and aggression. Mexican, because living in the USA, it's the only one I get to see at home on a regular basis. OK, it's not the greatest football in the world, but there's nothing like putting your feet up on a Sunday afternoon and watching Necaxa. That's what I always say. Do I sound sad or what?
| |||||||||||||||||
