Students Unite!!!

I'm a bit pissed off. Why? Because I've found out this week that the government is attempting to raise the minimum cap of student fees from £3,000 to £5,000. Over 50% of uni chiefs around the country are in favour. Oh no but that's not all, some want there to be minimum of £20,000 per year. Yep you read that correctly. £20,000. Per. Year

Now considering the current global financial situation, is this really the best solution? According to the BBC today, 2009 is set to be the worst year economically, with the first 'shrink' in the global market for 60 years. So clearly the best option is to take money from people who are more likely to be debt (then again surely everyone is these days).

Now, I'm in a reasonable the way things currently stand. Yes, I'll be in debt when I finish my degree but at the moment, I think I've done a decent job at managing my money. But if my student fees were to increase to near £5,000 then I might struggle.

I've read studies that many people in lower class families are struggling to get into universities due to the current costs. So clearly by increasing the costs, the middle class bias and the gap will widen. Shouldn't it be determined by how clever you are rather than how much the family earns.

Former Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, who attempted to raise uni fees in 2004 admits that the recession will clearly have an impact on any decision making regarding an increase. If he sees it why can't Gordon. Oh I know why, we have to find the billions that the bankers lost somehow. I'm sure that the government would argue something along the lines of "better resources, teaching etc" but I doubt it can actually get that much better.

I doubt it will go through but if it does, I wont be happy, and I'm sure the 1 million other undergraduates won't exactly be thrilled either.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7946912.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7937083.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/17/university-tuition-fees-rise

The Demise Of The Galaticos

I decided to not watch the Liverpool vs Real game last night, mainly due to the fact that I had already made plans and also because every time I watch Liverpool in the Champions League, they always find a way to pull something out of the bag. And in the words of Cilla Black, "Surprise Surprise", an emphatic 4-0 win, which was fully justified.

Now, most of the British press have gone for the "Rafa's done it again" sort of story but I'd rather focus on the feeble opposition (I watched the highlights and I saw enough), the once brilliant Real Madrid

At the beginning of the decade, Los Blancos were feared by effectively all European teams due to their star studded line-up: Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Raul (and possibly David Beckham) to name but a few. Even some players, who weren't renowned for selling shirts, such as Claude Makelele (who i rate very highly, maybe not so much now) and Michael Salgado were key to the system that Real Madrid played.

But now, the team looks a shadow of its once great side and Real Madrid haven't made it past the last 16 since 2004. Real Madrid Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic summed up what happened last night with this quote, "We were nowhere to be seen. And we should be very worried because we have left a very bad image of ourselves."

There are many problems and many people to blame for this. Ramon Calderon is one of them. The former Real President who promised that Real would return to their 2000-2003 glory period by announcing several players on his wish-list. Kaka, Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo, all rumoured to have agreed deals with him but nothing ever materialised. I feel sorry for Real fans because he promised them so much and all they got Higuain and Gago. To be fair he has made some good signings, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben for example, but the majority have been flops.

His best and worst decisions revolve around one man, the current England manager, Fabio Capello. First, making him manager was a brilliant decision especially after the debacle of Carlos Queiroz (a great assistant but never a great manager) and various others. He tried to change the system by being defensively minded, like any Italian would. But he was criticised by many pundits for ruining what Real was based on - stylish football. He still won the league in the 06/07 season on the last day and was sacked in the aftermath, pretty illogical if you ask me. Hey, what is Real's foolishness is England's possible glory.

I think the only way Real can once again become a European great is by focusing on their defensive frailties. It was evident last night that they couldn't defend. They brought in 2006 World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze (I'll leave my problems with him aside for now) to bolster their aging defence. It hasn't worked at all and it isn't helped the fact that Juande Ramos is their manager.

Another issue is passion. Only Iker Casillas had a good game last night, it should have a been rout, but he was in inspired form. The rest of the team just sat back and allowed Liverpool to do what they do best. I think many of the squad should look to Alfredo Di Stefano, a Real legend who scored 216 goals in 282 appearances, for their inspiration

To be fair, Real are the current holders of La Liga but there isn't much chance of them retaining their title with Barcelona as runaway leaders. It seems that they are trying a Wenger method of building youth players up to become future greats. But like Wenger has found this season, you need experienced players in the side as well, or you become lambs to the slaughter. I'm sure in a few years, Real Madrid will be back among the greats of Europe but without change, that won't happen.

Image credited to Acebuche at http://www.flickr.com/photos/24957237@N04/2551250256/

Carling Cup, why bother?

The League Cup has always been seen as the least prestigious of the trophies on offer to the clubs of the Premier League, especially the so called "Big Four". And yesterday's final proved this.

Manchester United are on course for 5 trophies this season, an unprecedented feat, after their penalty shootout victory. As a Man United fan, you would think I'd be estatic with another trophy in the Old Trafford cabinet, but I'm not really that fussed.

I'm pleased that Sir Alex uses youth and fringe players in the tournament to give them valued experience. It's a tried and tested formula that works for the majority of the bigger clubs, except Liverpool, who often fail against lower teams (this blog will often contain a Liverpool joke at some point)

This years cup campaign has unearthed new United talents such as Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck who have both shown their great potential in the red shirt. It has also allowed Tomas Kuszczak and Ben Foster to establish themselves as Edwin Van Der Sar's sucessor in the United goal.

I think my main problem with the League Cup is that the competition shows the gulf between the reserves of the big sides and the somewhat mediocre teams. A prime example being Arsenal's teenagers 3-0 victory over Wigan earlier this year and I remember thinking what is the point of all this.

Apart from Spurs, who won the cup last season due to Avram Grant's ineptness, the last team outside the 'Big Four' to win it were Middlesbrough under the guidance of the now Dutch Steve McClaren and look what happened to him.

I think the main reason why managers choose not to care about the cup is down to the chairmen, who would rather take the money of Premier League survival than a outside chance of European success. Many purist fans would love a cup day out at Wembley but the fact is the game is purely about money and not entertainment.

Anyway, rant over, the game itself turned out to be damp squib of a game with only fleeting chances for both sides. I'll gladly admit Spurs were unlucky and exposed the usually excellent Patrice Evra down the right hand side with Aaron Lennon. It was probably their biggest game of their dreadful season but they made a good account of themselves and I don't see them being in the relegation dog-fight for too long.

Jonny Evans continues to impress me at the back and I believe he could fit into any side in the Premier League and play every game. Unfortunate that Nemanja Vidic is playing out of his skin.

On a side note, according to various newspapers today, Ben Foster used an certain generic MP3 player (I hate endorsing this company so I won't) to work out which way Jamie O'Hara would go on the penalities, as goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele stored Tottenham's past penalities to aid his goalies. Initiative or Cheating? You Decide

Image credited to WowtheWorld at http://www.flickr.com/photos/singapore_spur/3319959723/