Why the Italian Grand Prix Could Prove Crucial

With dramatic Grand Prix weekends becoming the norm so far this season, it's becoming ever harder for teams, driver, the media and fans alike to decipher just what happens and why in the world of Formula One 2012. Whether it be on-track action, off-track rumours, F.I.A stances or just simply coming to terms with yet another Vettel helmet design, this F1 season has been relentless thus far.

 So it was no surprise come late-Sunday afternoon that questions outweighed answers, as the Autodromo Nazionale Monza had as ever played host to another thrilling Italian Grand Prix, with a swarm of questions and debates surrounding the cockpits of practically every driver currently participating in the f1 circus. Why then? In years gone past the timing of Monza's role in F1 shortly after the summer break, has allowed the Italian venue to become traditional platform for teams and drivers to announce their intentions with regards to drivers and staff for the forthcoming season. However, this season more than any other in current memory, that simply hasn't been the case.

 Some what appropriately, lets start from the top, and the man single handedly responsible for the stall in the drivers market: Lewis Hamilton. Comments from well-respected BBC F1 pundit Eddie Jordan shortly after the Belgium Grand Prix suggested that Hamilton is set to swap Mercedes power next season for, well, Mercedes power, in the form of the German marque's works team. Jordan went on to exclaim that Hamilton's proposed move would be made all the more harmonious by Michael Schumacher's rumoured imminent retirement. Despite the outspoken audacity of Jordan's comments, the move would make sense from a marketing point of view; since the start of year Hamilton has become the product of the XIX entertainment company, or to put it frankly, a management company driven by making Lewis as rich as possible. From their point of view, and to what is now common knowledge in the paddock, financially speaking Mercedes would be able to offer a much more financially lucrative offer to Hamilton then that of McLaren's contract renewal offer, as the latter attempts to reduce costs in response to the economic downturn. 

 Away from financial wrangles, Hamilton would almost certainly be more competitive in a McLaren next season, with the team being perhaps the sports most established front-runner alongside Ferrari for decades, and on the back of a 2012 season in which their car so far has been jostling for the 'quickest car' title consistently, unlike that of Mercedes' somewhat mediocre WO3 challenger.

With this in mind, and on the back of a dominant win in Italy at a seemingly delicate stage of contract negotiations, could Hamilton now be ultimately convinced to stay with the Woking based team? I'd personally like to think so.

 Despite the intense focus on Hamilton's future of the course of the weekend, it wouldn't be the Italian Grand Prix without the prime focus of course being placed on Ferrari. Come the end of Saturday afternoon, the team and tifosi alike found themselves in a spin, with Championship leader and Ferrari's adopted son Fernando Alonso set to line-up 10th on on the grid, with the massively under-performing and seemingly out-going Felipe Massa an impressive third behind the two McLaren's. A ray of hope for the Brazilian's hopes of staying at the Maranello team beyond this season maybe? 

 That ray turned into a blinding beam come the end of lap one on the Sunday, with Massa up to second having passed Button, and hanging onto the coat-tails of race leader Hamilton. How quickly hopes can be dashed; come the end of the race, Massa found himself in a poor fourth place, having been overtaken by team-mate Alonso, and perhaps more significantly, the man tipped to snatch his seat next season, Sergio Perez...
 Mr.Perez. Many peoples tip to represent the prancing horse alongside Alonso in 2013, despite comments from Luca De Montezemolo earlier this season stating that the Mexican simply has a 'lack of experience' not worthy of his famous race team for the mean time. These comments came as a surprise and continue to echo around the paddock, with Perez having achieved two podiums (one of which came at Monza, in front of the Tifosi, on Ferrari home turf...), displayed a wise head on young shoulders on the track, aswell as demonstrating a spectacular talent at understanding and nursing this seasons' Pirelli rubber time after time, and often gaining big points for himself and Sauber as a result. All these aspects to Sergio Perez are aspects which Felipe Massa of late can simply not claim, So with this in mind, not to mention his position in the Ferrari Young Drivers Program, it is no wonder that Perez continues to impress and be tipped.
 The only other candidates for the seat seem to lie within the Force India set-up, with Nico Hulkenberg and Paul Di Resta being equally impressive throughout this year and seasons previous. Out of the two however, it would be thought that Hulkenberg would be favoured should the phone-call from Maranello reach the Force India motor-home, with Di Resta being tied-up with rival marque Mercedes in terms of career guidance aswell as contractually most probably too.
 Having left Monza then, common sense from a purely sporting point of view would suggest that Hamilton will stay with McLaren, leaving a door open for Di Resta to join Mercedes should Schumacher, as widely expected, walk away from the sport for good shortly after the final race in Sao Paulo.
 As for Ferrari? Well, Monza only went to highlight Massa's inability to perform at the very sharp end of the grid, leaving tails wagging in reference to Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. However, it could well be case of which driver is prepared to accept only a one-year deal, with current World Champion Sebastian Vettel believed to be in-line/agreement for a move to Ferrari come the start of the 2014 season, and the new generation turbo era.
So, all taken into account, one would believe that crucially, Hamilton's win, Perez's perfect performance, Massa's demise and Di Resta's continued pace during the Italian Grand Prix could well be sticking points in the competition for race seats come the end of the remaining eight races, and the start of 2013. 

My thoughts: Rodwell to City

Oh dear. This can only end badly for all concerned. Here we have Jack Rodwell, one of England's many promising stars of the future, who has seemingly decided that joining Manchester City is the perfect next step for him in his blossoming career. One can only assume that poor old Jack doesn't have Adam Johnson's mobile number...
If anything, it's saddening to see that the Evertonian has joined the vast majority of professional footballers plying their trade in Europe currently, in following their wallet as appose to the best 'career' choice for them as a footballer. Rodwell made noise shortly after joining City on Sunday about it being a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'- really though? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for what? Training all week in anticipation for 90 minutes on the bench every weekend? I mean sure, Nigel De Jong may well be on his way out of Eastlands (good riddance quiet frankly), and should the likes of Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, or David Silva get injured, maybe he'll get some half decent game-time under his belt. But for one of England's most promising players, is that really what he/we should come to expect? We've seen it with the likes of SWP and Walcott in the last decade or so, both of which are far from the finished article of which they at one point both appeared to be striving for.
This is one of the fundamental issues with English football as it currently stands, it's almost as if the juggernauts of the sport are suppressing young talent purely for the sake of a half-decent back-up player for any given position on the field, which im sorry, is wrong.
 We, as a pessimistic nation, are often criticising the somewhat elderly age of our national teams starting XI compared to the likes of Italy and Spain's squads. In these nations, young players are at the very heart of Starting XI's throughout club-leagues, regardless of how much noise the wallet of a wealthy chairman makes.which im afraid is simply not the case in English football today. I can't but help but fear that Rodwell's probably ill-fated move to Man City, illuminates this disappointing fact.

Reading Revolution

So far this summer, the transfer window has remained generally dormant. Besides the re-enactment of the French Revolution being led by Paris Saint-Germain and their newly formed/forming squad of superstars, next to nothing has really made the back page of any tabloid or the scrolling yellow bar on Sky Sports News worthy of  any sincere attention in terms of transfer headlines. As always, the rumours have been rife and optimistic to say the least: 'Carroll to AC Milan!' or of course the now long-lived 'Sneijder to sign for Manchester United' story which always stirs up a comically naive response of excitement from the raft of deluded United fans.

Saviour Sir: Sir John Madejski, the man
responsible for Reading's prestige

 As much fun as the rumours may be, heres to hoping that the window itself get's into the full swing of things before too long. However, there is one team that has seemingly gone against the torrent of sealed wallets at most clubs thus far, and that team is Reading F.C. Since John Madejski became chairman of the Royals in 1990, the club has gone from strength to strength in terms of financial stability, with Madejski's influence having plucked the Berkshire club from the jaws of the receivers, and helped it to become an well-established club towards to upper realms of English Football. With Steve Coppell as manager, Reading entered the Premier League for the first time in their 135-year history in 2005, winding-up eighth at the end of an impressive campaign; this earn't the club many plaudits- including yours truly. Ultimately, Reading fell victim to the now common 'Second Season Syndrome', and dropped back down into the Championship, where they remained until their victorious 2011/12 season, setting themselves up for another shot at the big time this coming August.

Re-Build: Gaffer Brian McDermott has
re-built Reading's
Premier League aspirations

 For me, it's not the well-respected manager (Brian McDermott) or the the beautifully orchestrated style of football that Reading play that sounds them out as probable survivors come the end of this coming season. Of course they're huge contributing factors, let's not be naive and overlook them, but what Reading have over other clubs so far this summer is a scale of player-investment that should impress/worry any football fan/player/manager of the other 19 Premier League teams preparing for their own season ahead. McDermott has for example seen his defensive ranks bolstered tremendously via the arrival of the experienced Nicky Shorey, who returns for his second spell having played for West Brom and Nottingham Forest. In comparison to Shorey's experience is the signing of Adrian Mariappa, a promising young centre-back who lets not forget, was subject to serious interest from the likes of Everton and Arsenal as recently as January. Mariappa's youthful promise and expectation can be a likened to that of Chris Gunter; Gunter was Nottingham Forest's single most reliable player last year in the Championship, making his desirable Right-Back position his own in a team and league clearly beneath his own exceptional talents. Gunter's strength and  excellent crossing ability from the right has the potential to form nothing short of a dream-partnership with Reading's new target man...

On The Ball: Like Pogrebnyak, Reading were on the ball in
securing the talented strikers' services for this coming season

Pavel Pogrebnyak. The man from Russia who set the Premier League alight during his loan-spell at Fulham shortly after the festive period concluded last season. 'Pog' scored 6 goals from 12 starts during his shortly lived time at Craven Cottage, and demonstrated his more-than capable ability to adapt and succeed in the Premier League in years to come. This clearly alarmed Reading more so than others, not only because of the attacking threat he clearly poses, but the 'free transfer' label the Russian had attached to him since his time at Fulham expired. Judging by last seasons evidence, not only statistically but to the naked watchful eye, Pogrebnyak should have been a man being begged for by every club. Not doing so has seen Reading make quite possibly one of the finest transfers in years.
 Gareth McCleary and Danny Guthrie complete Reading's expenditure so far this summer, or more to the point, less of it. Yes, that's right, these two players have also been snapped up by Reading for zilch pounds. McCleary's pace and technical qualities are lethal, not only because of his own ability but with the right/left wing partnership likely to be held by McCleary (right wing) and current squad captain Jobi McAnuff (left wing) in the Royals starting XI. With the previously well-showcased attacking talents of Danny Guthrie in the centre of midfield, Reading look on paper to have all the bases covered in each third of the pitch.
Many will question whether or not McDermott has made enough signings who have proven themselves at the very top level, not to mention the compatibility of bringing so many young players into an already well-oiled team. Reading played the best football out of anyone last year, I liked to think of them as a functioning Arsenal, all-be-it at Championship level. However, like Arsenal, will Reading's 'carpet football' be destroyed by the influx of players and higher level of competitors? I hope not, I really do.
Reading's promising hopes for the coming season are all down to a matter of 'if'. IF McDermott can seamlessly place without disruption, these high-profile new signings into his already successful 'team'. IF he can carry on playing the beautiful game the way his team has previously known best. And IF an ultimate lack of Premier League experience proves to be meaningless come the conclusion of a gruelling season, amongst the hunger and shear promise of a team largely made up of youthful stars.

It's Been A While

It's safe to say that with A-Levels, university preparation, work commitments and a number of other activities/events taking place over the last few months, any input into my blog has somewhat sub-sided. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you think I tend to write a blur of rubbish), im pretty determined to start utilising this blog once again, and would appreciate any efforts in reading my entries, discussing them, providing feedback or simply helping me to build up a respectable rapport online through sharing and following TracksideOffside! Many thanks guys.
 Right, ahem,  begging over with; I'll get planning and writing...

Match Report: Ipswich Town 1-2 Leicester City

Leicester City secured only their second run of back to back victories on bank holiday Monday, after overcoming Ipwich Town 2-1 in a closely fought encounter.

Nigel Pearson continued with the same starting XI that successfully defeated Doncaster Rovers only two days earlier in a convincing 4-0 victory, despite having a now again fully fit Andy King and Paul Gallagher at his disposal. Long-term injury victim Martyn Waghorn continued to miss out on the first team, despite resuming full training over the course of the build-up to the bank holiday weekend.

Both teams started the game with an early lead in mind; Jason Scotland for Ipswich going close with a drilled 25 yard effort prior to David Nugent’s right footed effort from the edge of the box sailing harmlessly wide of the target. The Tractor Boys followed up on Scotland’s early effort by pressurising Kasper Schmeichel into making good saves from a powerful Josh Carson shot and a well worked free kick by former Sunderland man Gary Leadbitter. Despite sustained pressure from the home side throughout the first half, Leicester certainly didn’t shy away from goal, attempting to make hay by inducing the use of the wing; with the pace of in form wingers Lloyd Dyer and Ben Marshall threatening the Ipswich goalmouth. However, a calm and collective display of defensive excellence by Carlos Edwards restricted the two wing men’s influence up front, and ensured the home side had the better chances in the first half.

With the half time whistle in sight, the intensity of the game increased; initially thanks to a well deserved goal for Paul Jewell’s men with Jason Scotland scoring with a well struck effort from the edge of the penalty area to beat a powerless Schmeichel and fly into the bottom right of the goalmouth. Ipswich Town 1-0 Leicester City.

It seemed as if Ipswich had scored at what can only be described as an ideal time on the brink of half time, however, as the cliché exclaims: ‘a team is most vulnerable after they have scored’. Leicester made sure this tired old cliché still has life in it thanks to a deflected free-kick by Ben Marshall which hit the back of the net in first half injury-time; stunning fans, players and commentary teams alike. Ipswich Town 1-1 Leicester City.

Nigel Pearson played a brave hand during half time, deciding to make a double substitution which introduced Andy King and Paul Gallagher in place of Danny Drinkwater and Lloyd Dyer respectively. Pearson’s bold tactical change appeared to be a straight player swap as opposed to a change in formation. Immediately, the substitutions were seemingly a wise move by Pearson, as Leicester began to dominate the encounter. As per usual, it was the partnership of Beckford and Nugent leading the Foxes’ bombardment on goal, with Beckford in particular going close on the 50th minute mark with a close range effort being superbly saved by Arran Lee-Barrett inbetween the sticks for Ipswich. Despite being yielded a yellow card thanks to an unfair challenge on Lee-Barrett by half time substitute Andy King, Leicester dominated. Moments after a Paul Gallagher shot went unbearably close for City, the former Blackburn winger turned provider after an in-swinging cross from out wide connected with the awaiting head of David Nugent, and subsequently hit the back of the net with a powerful presence. The goal sent Leicester into a precious lead, and meant that Nugent has now scored 6 goals from his last 5 games at Portman Road. Prolific. Ipswich Town 1-2 Leicester City.

Holding onto leads on the road has not been a strength of late for Pearson’s side, but they looked strong going into the game’s final quarter – with centre backs Sol Bamba and the excellent Wes Morgan marshalling the defence well and Nugent working tirelessly in tandem with Beckford to disrupt the Ipswich service. Gary Leadbitter let rip from distance 15 minutes before time forcing Schmeichel to wave the well taken effort past the post, in Ipswich’s only real clear cut chance on goal prior to the full time whistle. The home side’s relentless and a desperate pursuit of an equaliser nearly furthered their downfall as Jermaine Beckford’s close range dinked shot was saved again by an impressive Lee-Barrett after a clever chip from late substitute Steve Howard sent Beckford through on goal.

Despite the efforts of both teams, the game remained as it had been following Nugent’s 57th minute header as it proved to be the winner, with Leicester City winning for the second time in two days and maintaining their stuttering push for a play-off slot with just four fixtures remaining. Full time: Ipswich Town 1-2 Leicester City.