As a kid growing up in the 90s my image of a football coach or a manager was an elder gentleman
with grayed or balding hair, a little round in the middle and having a semi permanent scowl on his face either barking orders in a British winter or standing quietly on a warm Mediterranean night with smoke choking the air surveying the scene. The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Gerard Houllier, Vincente Del Bosque, Sven Goran-Eriksson, Sir Bobby Robson, Marcelo Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni and Jupp Heynckes are frankly what I was use to. All of these gentlemen have lifetimes upon lifetimes of games managed between them. As I’ve aged, these men who were already for lack of a better word “old,” even when I was a kid started to fade away from the touchlines. Del Bosque and Eriksson the only two from the bunch that are still currently actively mentoring. A natural turn of events and as their ilk expired the likes of Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini, Didier Deschamps and Pep Guardiola finessed their way into the managerial wing. Bringing with them a tidy, clean and stylized look to the pitch. Well groomed, sharp eyed and ushering a zest and zeal to the sidelines. Maybe I can’t articulate it as much as the real students of the game but they made an ancient sport more streamline. Pep Guardiola certainly had a solid playing career but I have to be honest I can’t remember seeing him ever playing. The more decorated Didier Deschamps I certainly recall stroking the ball around for those powerful France sides of the past. Roberto Mancini as a player I only go by what people said of his career and as Jose Mourinho, he was nothing more than a lower leaguer in his playing days. My relationship with these men are recent, simply because coaching for them is all I know of them. They are the successors to the Fegusons and Robsons and now they've started a trend and their brand seems to be the one in vogue.
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and for now England’s Roy Hodgson’s are true relics of the game. The parental, father-like coach is being phased out either naturally due to retirement or being pushed aside by these younger minds. Sounds a little outlandish but I ask. Why haven’t we seen the likes of Alan Curbishley or Harry Redknapp doing anything significant in the last few years? If we start to research maybe that claim doesn't seem so far fetched. As the popular adage goes “time waits for no man,” coaches like players retire too...they simply can not carry on forever and as for them being forced out...well you be the judge! It is hard to say from my end. Yes, the hot new thing is to have a new kid on the block coach but elder statesman like Carlo Ancelotti and Fabio Capello are still among the best managers still in circulation so a few holes can be poked in that theory.
One could argue that the older manager maybe more pricy than his younger counterpart, which is a fair assessment with the better young guns like Guardiola and Klopp the two that buck the trend. I find that most clubs in these new financial times play the guessing game. Banking that a bright new young savior will rescue them which is odd from a traditional business standpoint. Elder coaches tend to demand a higher wage so financially offering a greener guy new to the role of coaching a smaller fee can only have an upside most teams hope. It has worked some of the time, prime example coming in the form of Atletico Madrid’s appointment of Argentine Diego Simeone a few years ago. His salary has no doubt increased due to the bevy of titles he has already delivered to capital club. On the other end of the spectrum the rookie coach can lead an already established side into wilderness of relegation and financial irresponsibility. Former Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood can attest to that. Being deployed at Tottenham was a blessing in disguise as the London club were too stable to really suffer from the newbie’s teachings. However you place him at Aston Villa and what you got was a sacked manager and a historically strong club on it’s sick bed ready to slip into relegation. Villa are one of the founding clubs of the old English 1st Division a team never to be relegated. Through financial mismanagement on the part of ownership by either not investing in on field talent and Tim Sherwood’s hiring...which I also cite as financial mismanagement this an old pillar of English will fall. A young inexperienced manager who didn’t have the know it all at the time has ultimately led to the destruction of a club’s honored status. Aston Villa will be relegated this season of 2015-16 and Sherwood would had had a huge part to play in that. Aston Villa wasn’t in most recent times a side a-washed with money but what little change they did have they could had gone out and get a manager who had the a little gray hair and proven track record. If they did maybe Villa would not be smarting. Simeone and Sherwood are just different sides of the coin when it comes to the youthful managerial debate.
The new wave of coaches coming through sit a little odd for me at the age of 27. Currently Sampdoria’s Vincenzo Montella, Bordeaux’s Willy Sagnol, Real Madrid’s Zinadine Zidane and my personal favorite Deportivo la Courna’s Victor Sanchez are all players who saturate my childhood memories. How many times have seen Victor deliver a cross to Walter Pandiani or Diego Tristan in the Champions League that led to goal sending the Depor fans at the Riazor into pandemonium? Montella saving Roma from defeat with a last grasp equalizer in the Serie A for me is still vivid image in my mind. Willy Sagnol hustling up flank for Bayern Munich and France to go snatch a the ball from some other worldly striker that thought is so fresh for me. As for Zidane! Pick a game and I will tell you about it...I am getting older, this is true but seeing these guys running the show at their respective clubs is surreal for me because I still see them as when I was a little boy. Victor was my hero and so many good feelings for me personally involve him kicking a ball. Now he is the one telling people to kick a ball and the child in me wants him to do just as well. Maybe this article is a little pointless in that I’m not just highlighting new coaches coming into the frame and older ones panning out of view but rather showing me a glimpse of my life and how I saw the game then and what I see now.
I have been writing on this little blog for a while now and it just dawned on me that for the five or six years I’ve been your scribe. Seems like the other day I started this thing. In that time many topics were mulled over. Nations, goalkeepers, clubs, tournaments, video previews and even the odd jersey. I've ran the gamut but as I look back and I'm almost horrified that I didn’t give the full attention to a part of the game that means so much. The shame on my part has sullen me as if I loss a a true love or if I ran out of my revered Frosted Flakes and I do like me some Tony. Dramatics aside and I frankly can’t delay the topic any further because I may not have the writing skills to do so and I have to admit I am a bit rusty so pardon me. In all my time writing on this website, I don’t think I have ever done a solo, detailed piece on a defender. It never tugged at me to do it. Goalkeepers I see as heroes so I had no problem flashing a light on them plus I was a goalie back in the day. Forwards are the glamour boys of the game. The ones the fans come to see. So yet again that was a no brainer. In midfield there is so many ways to play the game as a result I had a wide cast to choose from. Defending is not sexy. Not in any sport. So forgive me for not hoisting the men of the back line in the limelight. I have tons of admiration for what defenders in this sport and what they have to put up with and I think it is high time we start to pay homage to the position.
Name: Layvin Kurzawa
D/O/B: 09/04/1992
Place of Birth: Fréjus, France
Position: Left Back
Height: 5’11ft
National Team: France
National Team Debut: France vs Albania (Nov.14 2014)
Club Team(s): Étoile Fréjus Saint Raphaël 1996-2005, Association Sportive Aixoise 2005-2007, AS Monaco 2007-present*
Layvin Kurzawa is not only the latest addition to the excellent French fullback brigade, he also has a name that I can not pronounce for the life me, so my chances of replacing the likes of Ian Darke on commentary look bleak. Kurzawa’s football career however looks far from dreary. Edgy, speedy, good ball control, a cerebral attacker from fullback and a young man with attitude. All tangibles that his country has benefited from at youth level and will certainly reap when and not if becomes a mainstay in the senior setup. These are bold claims I am making and I say simply that the crux of my argument for Layvin Kurzawa can be seen in his most recent performances in the 2014-15 campaign and prior to that in his youth career.
Kurzawa was born in the coastal city Fréjus in the southeast of France and naturally got his first involvement with football within the city’s borders. Etoile Fréjus Saint Raphaël is first port of call. The Frenchman spent his junior years there from 1996 to 2005 before switching to the Association Sportive Aixoise. While there he spent a further two years honing his skills before he made the biggest move of his career to date to the principality joining AS Monaco. Kurzawa landed in Monaco in 2007 and has already been through it all the French club. Successful debuts in Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue. Challenging the elite of France for the Ligue 1 title, going head to head with the likes of Paris Saint Germain, Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Marseille week in and week out. Let’s not also forget him flying up the flank in the UEFA Champions League every other Tuesday at 3pm on your television. Check your local listings. As glorious as that sound Kurzawa did suffer relegation with the ritzy Fontvieille side back in the 2010-11 season so it’s not all been rosy.
The fact of the matter is there isn’t much to write on a Layvin Kurzawa when it comes to the international scene. All I can basically say for now is he has represented France at various youth levels and as recent as 2014 he has become the full French international. France in recent times has had an amazing left fullback situation. Patrice Evra, Benoit Tremoulinas and Lucas Digne all threats to Kurzawa’s left back birth in the French national setup. Especially Digne, who is around the same age as our protagonist and is just as explosive and looks like he is more solid defensively. In the years to come I wanted to bet that these two will be dueling each other for French left back spot for a long time.
I think I’ve praised Kurzawa enough it's time to look at the situation that faces him. Colombians James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao, players who he has played with while they were at Monaco both left the club, well in the latter’s case not completely but he did leave. These are world class players and there is still some good players left at the club but fact remains at least for now footballers of James ilk do not want to commit to place where the stadium is half empty. Which the Stade Louis II often is. They don’t want to play in a second tier European league, which Ligue 1 has become and mostly they want to play on a more grandiose stage. As beautiful as Monaco is she cannot offer fame these players seek. So my questions is how long will Layvin Kurzawa be content with his lot at Fontvieille? How long will it be before the clubs of Italy, Spain, Germany and the cash laden England come calling? It’s funny how Monaco are so heavily bankrolled by millions if not billions but yet there money can’t push them to the immediate success they crave. Kurzawa will go. Just a matter of time.
They are so many cliches about goalkeepers. Some say they are crazy, oddballs and prone to moments of madness but few ever say that the position is easy. Well if you are in the minority good for you and I can't deny the fact that goalkeeping is extremely hard. I take this stance from personal experience and plain old logic. Growing up I wasn't the quickest across the ground so I could be a forward or a fullback. I didn't have the stamina to be a midfield man and the idea of playing center half seemed boring, after all I was a kid only interested in having fun...goals are fun not booting a ball in the air from the back. The only viable option, was for me to be in goal...plus I was only kid in my age group to own a pair of proper goalie mitts so by default or by fate I was chosen to don the "Number. 1," jersey. As for the training, the games and my skills let's just say I had fun despite fetching the ball from behind me most of the time. It was hard. Simple. Which brings me to the logical part, everyone isn't cut out to be a keeper. The mental aspect of it is one thing but the skills one has to acquire just to cover the basics is almost unreal. Also it's a known fact that keepers mature far slowly than outfield players. So while your best friend who plays in midfield is ready to play with the big boys at U-17 level you are stuck with the U-13s at the summer camp. Honestly I have a ton of respect for goalkeepers having been an average one myself and I think they need to be cut a little more slack.
Name: Stephane Ruffier
D/O/B: 09/27/1986
Place of Birth: Bayonne, France
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6'2ft
National Team: France
National Team Debut: France vs Norway (2010)
Club Team(s): A.S. Monaco 2005-2011, Aviron Bayonnais F.C 2005-06, A.S. Saint Etienne 2011-present
The back drop to Stephane Ruffier's career is as textbook as it gets. Like a number players Ruffier started playing the game at his hometown club suiting up for the local outfit. Aviron Bayonnais began to school the Frenchman from early, at the age of six to be exact. Initially, Ruffier entered the academy as a forward but due to necessity or by fate he was chosen to play in goal due to academy's lack of players in that position. Ruffier's name started to be waved about even as a kid having had stellar performances at Bayonnais' academy even guiding the U-13 side to glory in the Coupe de Pyrenees, a local tournament. His showing in the tourney grabbed the attention of fellow French outfit Montpellier who gave Ruffier a trial albeit an unsuccessful one.
The next club to come in for the keeper was Monaco in 2002 where Ruffier signed a youth contract with the side. In the principality, under the tutelage of goalkeeping coaches Jean-Luc Ettori, Andre Amitrano and Andre Biancarelli, Ruffier flourished and soon there after he was promoted to the club's Campionnat de France amateur in the country's fourth division. While there he notched ten appearances in the 2003-04 season and in the following campaign was named the first choice keeper where he made 17 appearances. Monaco was determined to see Ruffier play regularly and so sent him on loan to a familiar Bayonnais in the 2005-06 season. Ruffier's homecoming saw him take hold of the side's No.1 jersey. That season he played all 38 league games for his hometown club but despite his resilience between the sticks Ruffier could not keep relegation at bay, Bayonne finished 17th and were relegated and he returned to Monaco. His outing at Bayonne was enough to merit him his first professional contract and in May 2006, he inked a three year deal with Monaco thus making him the understudy to Flavio Roma in goal for the 2006-07 season. Roma's injury free campaign meant Ruffier didn't see a minute of action that season. However his chance came in the following the year. Three games into the 2007-08 season Roma suffered injury while playing against Metz paving the way to make his top flight debut in the same game. Adding to the occasion was the fact Monaco had won and a Ruffier earned a coveted clean sheet for his side. That same season Ruffier managed 12 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit and the following campaign, then coach Ricardo Gomes named him his "No.1." A successful season ensued as Ruffier managed 11 shutouts in his 36 starts and even helped his team to a semi final birth in the Coupe de France. Now a star performer for Monaco, Ruffier set his sights on glory and in the 2009-10 the custodian amassed 15 clean sheets in 32 Ligue 1 games and his super form trickled over to the Coupe de France where he steered Monaco to the final only to be bested by a very good Paris St. Germain side. The 2010-11 season brought promise former coach Guy Lacombe handed the captain's armband to the Frenchman but Ruffier's elation ended prematurely as he picked a season ending groin injury against Saint Etienne. Ruffier could only watch from the sidelines as the Monte Carlo based club went into free fall and with out him ultimately crashed out of Ligue 1 into the second tier of French football.
Ironically following Monaco's retreat into Ligue 2 it was Saint Etienne that offered Ruffier a route back into the first division where he has been to date. At the moment Ruffier is a stalwart at "Les Verts," having taken over from club legend Jeremie Janot.
Internationally Ruffier has immense competition from the likes of Hugo Lloris, Cedric Carrasso, Steve Mandana, Mickael Landreau and Sebastien Frey. Ruffier earned his first and only cap so far for his country when he played against Norway in a friendly on August 11th 2010. After France's tumultuous time in the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 where player unrest marred the country's play that subsequently led to "Les Bleus," failure in the tourney. New coach Laurent Blanc shook up the French squad and a benefactor was Ruffier who was apart of Blanc's plans through his reign with the national team.
In my opinion Stephane Ruffier is one of the premier goalkeepers in the world. When Jeremie Janot left Saint Etienne after 16 years of excellent service many at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard may have been concerned but Ruffier has laid to rest fears. Ruffier may not be as charismatic as his predecessor, very players are but he his a character and that is very rare nowadays in a team oriented football world. Personality and antics aside the man from Bayonne possesses wonderful tactical awareness to go along with a stiff hand, he isn't a flapper when he comes for crosses he does so with bravery and isn't afraid to pip the ball of attackers feet if they are in range. What I like about this guy is that yes, he hams it up for the camera when he flings himself through the air but he is a tough guy. He gets kicked every which way and is good for a shoulder barge or jump kick from an opponent or two a game. Stephane Ruffier is a battler and turns into the hulk when he concedes...my type of keeper.
