Short hungry for success at Ferencvaros
When I heard Craig Short had been appointed coach of , I immediately thought the former centre-half would make a good topic for a blog.
As far as I was aware, the ex-Scarborough, Notts County, Derby, Everton, Blackburn and Sheffield United man had retired from the game for good after leaving the Blades in 2007.
A brief internet search revealed he had started , which further piqued my interest.
Just what had lured him to Budapest?
Alas, my request for an interview was blocked, the PR company in London I was eventually put in touch with informing me that things work differently in Hungary.
Short (centre) is hoping for a top-six finish at Ferencvaros this season
I didn't really think I was asking all that much and was miffed to say the least. By way of a compromise, I was offered the chance to send some questions by email. The PR man in London assured me the press department at Ferencvaros would put them all to Short and let me have a transcript of his answers.
I wasn't convinced. You don't get much feel for a subject without speaking to them. You cannot ask a follow-up question either if you feel they have said something of interest.
Still, I fired off a load of questions and forgot about it, especially when my wife went into labour a month early.
When I finally returned to work, I was pleasantly surprised to find a 2,400-word document sitting in my inbox. Not only did it contain answers to my questions, there were also several photos of Short and some of his signings at Ferencvaros.
One of those is former Stockport, Leeds and Crewe striker Anthony Elding, who has found the net six times since his arrival in January and is now the club's second-highest scorer this season.
and Tommy Doherty, best known for his spells at Bristol City and Wycombe, have also strengthened the British connection at Fradi, as the club is widely known.
The and was managed by prior to the appointment of Short.
It was former boss Davison who originally invited Short to join him in a coaching capacity in September 2008.
"It was a very difficult decision as my two girls are in England and being away from them does not get any easier," said Short.
"But it was too good an opportunity to miss. I look at myself now and think how lucky I am to have a job in football while many of my former team-mates are still out of work."
Short, who always struck me as an honest, down-to-earth footballer, the sort of player who would stand his round in the pub and might feel a touch embarrassed if someone asked for his autograph, knew next to nothing about Ferencvaros before his move.
He phoned former Blades team-mate and Ferencvaros striker Paul Shaw for information and also started reading up on the club.
What he discovered surprised him. Ferencvaros, in his words, were "basically the Manchester United of Hungarian football", having won their domestic title 28 times and reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1975.
However, the club had fallen on hard times. When Short arrived there in September 2008, they were in the second tier.
They won promotion last season with a record number of points but Davison left in November after a series of disappointing results. Short was given the opportunity to succeed him, initially on a short-term basis .
"Bobby was a massive help when I arrived because I was new to coaching," added Short. "He was very cool and supportive, so it was sad to see him move on."
The two men spent a lot of time together - there was one weekend last year when they watched five English games on satellite - so Short had a slight feeling of trepidation about replacing Davison.
Yet the 41-year-old knew it was too good a chance to turn down.
Davison's tenure ended with supporters registering their frustration in a very physical way. Then Short's opening match in charge, against Diosgyor on 1 November, was abandoned with Fradi trailing 3-1 after a minority of the club's fans rioted on the pitch.
Elding has been a success since his move to Hungary in January
"The media and fans of Hungarian football are very demanding," concluded Short. "But since that match, the response of the supporters has been good, particularly over the last few games."
His side are undefeated in their seven fixtures since the season resumed after the winter break, although six of these have been draws. They will have to find the winning habit on a more regular basis over the final eight games if they are to achieve Short's aim of a top-six finish.
At least the signing of Hungarian full-back in January has gone down well with the fans, while the manager has been impressed with the performances of Serbian centre half Djordje Tutoric since he arrived during the winter break.
Short has found the style of football more defensive that he experienced as a player in England, with away teams often content to play with 10 men behind the ball and hope for a goal against the run of play. But he has been impressed with the technical level of home-grown players.
Rarely recognised while coach, Short's promotion to manager has resulted in regular appearances on television. Supporters often approach him now, too, mostly to chat in English, demonstrating their excellent knowledge of the English Premier League.
On my one and, so far, only visit to Budapest, it would be fair to say I found communication to be an issue, but most of the players at Fradi speak English while Short himself is trying to learn Hungarian.
He clearly enjoys living in Budapest, too. He describes Hungary's capital as cultured and cosmopolitan, with friendly people but a more relaxed pace of life than England. He has even been able to partially satisfy his desire to sail at nearby Lake Balaton.
The Yorkshireman is contracted until June and plans to sit down with the club at the end of the season to discuss his future. But, in his answers to me, it became clear that, as manager of Fradi, it is unwise to look too far ahead.
In my final question, I asked Short what is the most interesting thing about being manager of Ferencvaros?
He replied it was not knowing what was going to happen next. That, I suspect, is why he left the tranquility of Windermere for the uncertainty and excitement of Budapest.
Hello, I'm Paul Fletcher and I mainly write about life in the Football League. I have a great enthusiasm for a whole range of sports and love to spread the word about the great game of rugby league. You can also follow me on .
Comment number 1.
At 16th Apr 2010, dominic wrote:Nice article, always interesting to read about brits abroad in football as there are, oddly in my opinion, too few of them. Are there many of british managers working abroad as I really can't think of many except Steve Mac who is doing terrific at Twente.
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Apr 2010, thebrownbunny wrote:I have been living in Budapest for the last two and a half years. It's a fantastic city, but the football on show in the Soproni liga is of a very poor standard.
Craig has done a decent job since taking over full time at Fradi. It will be interesting to see if he stays on beyond the end of the season.
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Comment number 3.
At 16th Apr 2010, ColdplayOasisBeatlesSmithsVerve wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 4.
At 16th Apr 2010, Phil wrote:Elding is a truly dreadful player. If he is flourishing there, then the standard must be Division 2 or even conference! Incredible
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Comment number 5.
At 16th Apr 2010, Robert wrote:Interesting article, but what on earth is going on with all the typos and grammatical errors?! My students here in Germany make fewer mistakes! But then maybe English is not Paul Fletcher's native language either? If so, I apologize.
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Comment number 6.
At 16th Apr 2010, SpursNW wrote:i've no knowledge of the Hungarian League whatsoever. however, even if it is as poor as an earlier poster says: -
a) good luck to Craig Short for at least giving it a go - surely better to be employed and learning the management side of the game out there than out of the game and not given a chance over here?
b) if he does come back at some point to manage in UK, at least he'll have a good idea tactically of how to break down heavily defensive teams - a skill defo needed whatever the level
c) also, any chairman employing him might have a link to some technically gifted, reasonably priced players?
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Comment number 7.
At 16th Apr 2010, hunspur wrote:Interesting article indeed! The quality of football in the Hungarian league is truly awful for the most part. From time to time there are some quality games and world-class goals, but on the whole it is rather poor as a spectacle. Debrecen in recent years have been the best team - and they were somewhat unlucky not to pick up a single point in the CL this past season (they scored a good number of goals at least). The Újpest - Ferencváros rivalry is the most fiercely contested derby in the country - if Mr. Short's charges can give a good account of themselves in those games that would give him a huge boost to prolong his stay with the club.
Oh, on a different note:
I think it is unforgivable for a journalist to use the hungry-Hungary "pun." That's just the laziest thing I can think of from people who write for a living.
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Comment number 8.
At 16th Apr 2010, Geoff wrote:#1 - Stuart Baxter is in charge of the Finland national team, he used to also be in charge of Latvia.
Other than him I'n not aware of any more. Good luck to Short. i think it's a great idea for managers to work abroad, I think the career prospects are much better.
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Comment number 9.
At 17th Apr 2010, Adam wrote:I used to live in Miskolc, home of the mighty DVTK (or just the simple Diosgyor as you refer to them in your article) and I know first hand what football means to the people of Hungary. They used to get around 10000 supporters in the second division and everyone used to talk about them in the city. I wish Mr Short the best of luck in raising the profile of football in the country. It needs Fradi to perform well!
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Comment number 10.
At 17th Apr 2010, Paul Fletcher wrote:Now then - thanks for the comments.
Robert - English is very much my first language, albeit northern English. All blogs are carefully written and subbed before they are published so they should be 'clean'.
hunspur - The laziest piece of journalism ever? Touch harsh that one. I mean, he is genuinely hungry to succeed, that is why he is out there. I thought it was too good an opportunity to miss.
As for Craig Short - it is definitely an interesting story and if it proves to be the start of a successful management career then it will fully justify his decision to go out there.
As a couple of people have pointed out, not that many British players/managers move abroad to further their career, certainly not in comparison with the extent to which people from other nations are prepared to travel to realise their ambitions.
Working abroad hasn't done Roy Hodgson any harm and I have to say that if I was a footballer/manager (unlikely, I know), I would jump at the chance to spend some time abroad.
As for Anthony Elding, he wasn't having a great time of it in England before moving to Hungary, where he has found the net regularly. Probably tells you quite a lot.
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Comment number 11.
At 17th Apr 2010, Red_Rooster wrote:3. At 7:54pm on 16 Apr 2010, Mike Aram wrote:
close to first. now to read the blog
This plague of people vying to be first to respond to blogs is bad enough, but to admit defeat whilst also admitting you haven't even read what you are aspiring to post first on...possibly the saddest response I have ever seen on the whole ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ site.
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Comment number 12.
At 17th Apr 2010, bladewalker wrote:As a Sheffield United fan I have mixed feelings about the connections we have abroad, which include Fradi, Chengdu Blades in China and links with Central Coast Mariners in the Australian A-League. We have managed to get some good sponsorship deals for shirts and stands, but judging by the above posts and the fact that Elding and Paul Shaw score freely in the Hungarian league, we aren't going to be seeing any decent players coming in from them any time soon.
Also, it's not great to think that money McCabe could have been spending on the Blades is being pumped into these sideshow projects.
Good blog Paul. Did you ask Craig about the club's links to united?
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Comment number 13.
At 17th Apr 2010, Walking On Soft Ground wrote:"Short, who always struck me as an honest, down-to-earth footballer"
Honest isn't how I remember him - he always seemed to be the player pulling shirts, stopping free-kicks being taken quickly, getting in peoples faces, etc.
One of the most irritating players I can remember!
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Comment number 14.
At 17th Apr 2010, Wiener Student wrote:As Czech, I would agree the standards of Central European leagues are pretty low, although you still can get the occasional interesting player here (amongst all the flops), sometimes not even a local one. Of the latest, Edin Dzeko comes to mind: this guy played for our FK Teplice, a club that usually finishes 3rd-5th in the Czech league (you may still run across a picture of Edin in a yellow shirt). He scored fewer goals over here than in Bundesliga, btw, which I would put down to the theory that a poor league can stifle true talent, but not kill it. It could also suggest that it may not be all that easy to score here: most teams play dreary defensive football, creative players are a no-no (potential ones would often leave the league aged 18-20), and survival in the top tier is usually guaranteed by a host of 0-0 draws and a few odd wins.
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Comment number 15.
At 17th Apr 2010, Arsenal Column wrote:@ 13:
Honest, usually means limited ability but tries to make up for it with gamesmanship tactics against the primadonna footballers. In short - Short.
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Comment number 16.
At 17th Apr 2010, michael wrote:Craig Short one of the most irritating players ever? Please, you can't have seen much football if he's up there in your list of irritating players. As for 'limited ability', we're talking about centre backs here. Their job is, primarily, to be big and obstruct opposition attacks; whether that's just aimlessly heading out a crossed ball, sticking out a leg, or just getting in the way. Very few centre backs, even the current 'big names', actually have anything more than very limited footballing ability compared to their colleagues in other positions.
I met Craig when he played for Rovers, and he's a genuinely good guy; down-to-earth and unpretentious. The Premier League would be a much better place if there were more players with such characteristics.
All that aside, I wish him, and any other English ex-player who takes a similar route, all the best, and I hope he is given the time to establish himself and develop his managerial skills.
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Comment number 17.
At 17th Apr 2010, GrahamB wrote:Hungarian clubs have a long history of English coaches, going back to (and beyond) Jimmy Hogan at the time of the first world war. Fradi fans also have a long history of being hard to please - one of the coaches in the twenties remarked that they wanted endless attacking, so a 2-0 lead often ended in a 4-3 defeat - and a connection with right-wing fans that the club has tried, with varying levels of success, to break.
It'll be a tough baptism there, with possibly unrealistic expectations, but if Short can succeed at Ferencvaros, he'll have an impressive addition to his CV.
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Comment number 18.
At 17th Apr 2010, buymespresso wrote:I like the PR ways of Hungary - it gives the respondent time to answer questions without having to worry too much about journalists trying to trip them up and embarrass them for the sake of a headline. I hope the custom spreads.
It's nice to see that Jimmy Hogan has successors in Middle Europe.
Never realized that there was any continental club with a British owner either.
What on earth are the coach's kids still doing in England? Hungary's a great place to grow up, and kids learn languages faster than adults. Especially the second most difficult-to-learn language (after Basque) in Europe.
Good article.
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Comment number 19.
At 17th Apr 2010, Paul Fletcher wrote:Good to see the references to Jimmy Hogan, who was raised in Burnley but managed all over central Europe and was a huge success at MTK in Hungary. He pops up every now and again in Jonathan Wilson's excellent Inverting the Pyramid.
buymeespresso - Hmm, not too sure about that, gives interviewees the chance to duck answering tricky questions and it is difficult to get a feel for your subject when the interview is via a Q&A.
As for Craig Short being a dirty or dishonest player - I don't have him down as being that way, certainly not an outright cheat of the sort that tries to con the ref etc
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Comment number 20.
At 17th Apr 2010, bald-in-guelph wrote:Interesting article Paul.
In response to buymespresso's comment. Celtic also have a similar link to an eastern European club. Can't remember who it is. I think their owner also owns this other club.
Celtic will loan players out there and there's also a link with the manager too.
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Comment number 21.
At 17th Apr 2010, Irelands Secret Weapon wrote:13. At 11:28am on 17 Apr 2010, ExiledDevonRed wrote:
"Short, who always struck me as an honest, down-to-earth footballer"
Honest isn't how I remember him - he always seemed to be the player pulling shirts, stopping free-kicks being taken quickly, getting in peoples faces, etc.
One of the most irritating players I can remember!
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Did you ever play the game, or just make judgements on people who play the game?
Craig Short wasn't the cleanest player in the world the physical side of his game was his strong part, no offence intended but if football was played without players like Short then there would be no competitive edge!
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Comment number 22.
At 17th Apr 2010, you wrote:I know that Bob Houghton is manager of the Indian national team and Bruce Rioch managed Aalborg for a short time. The smaller leagues in europe are all suffering because the champions league is rigged to give the big teams all the money and group spots whereas the champions of Hungary and soon Scotland etc will have to go through qualifying rounds and 2nd place in england, spain, italy etc all go through automatically. this is the reason for a lack of quality.
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Comment number 23.
At 17th Apr 2010, Zackerious wrote:#1 - To add to Bob Houghton at India and Stuart Baxter at Finland.
Bryan Robson is coaching Thailand
Gary Smith is managing Colorado Rapids in the MLS with Steve Guppy as his assistant
John Gregory is coaching a side in the Israeli top flight.
David Booth is head coach at title chasing Mahindra United in the Indian I-League
Neil Emblen is player/manager at Waitakere United who are in the O-League (Oceania champs league) final and the final of the NZ league.
Stephen Constantine is managing a Cypriot side that just got relegated.
Adrian Heath is coaching Austin Aztex in the USSF Div 2 (equivalent of Championship on US football pyramid)
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Comment number 24.
At 17th Apr 2010, Zackerious wrote:Forgot to say that Anthony Elding scored an absolute screamer from 30 yards going straight into the top corner this week so he obviously has some talent. Most of his other goals have been tap ins or headers though.
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Comment number 25.
At 17th Apr 2010, dominic wrote:Personally I liked the hungry-hungary pun. Not comic genius but a nice pun and gave me a chuckle, let's not be too critical. Thanks to the people who replied to my post, there are a good few more then i though although not many have much of a reputation here or throughout the world. I think a spell abroad could only be helpful for a young english manager even if it's working as an understudy. Football is increasingly globalised so I think that having experience of a different footballing culture can only help to expand knowledge and skills. Certainly with the likes of Barca showing a very unique approach to player development that could be adopted by english coaches and the like.
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Comment number 26.
At 17th Apr 2010, 1978 Shoot league ladders wrote:The kind of player whose 'gamesmanship' is overlooked if he's English and highlighted if not.
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Comment number 27.
At 17th Apr 2010, saintpeach wrote:Good read, Fletch. I met up with the boys at Ferencvaros the other week and they're loving it, especially Anthony Elding who still seemed rather bewildered by the attention. The club sponsored my charity hitch hike, called Bummit, from Sheffield to Budapest, giving me a signed ball and shirt to auction. As well as that, I was given a grand tour of the stadium, which they plan to redevelop very soon. All-in-all it seemed a very well run club with very passionate fans. I hope they, and the English lads, go far.
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Comment number 28.
At 17th Apr 2010, col029 wrote:Interesting article, Paul. Seems a shame that we don't hear much about British players/coaches working abroad. I think the language barrier may be part of it, from my experience a lot of Europeans have English as a 2nd language whereas I think us Brits see a 2nd language as a waste of time. Why learn Spanish when most Spaniards you're likely to meet speak English?
As for Jimmy Hogan, a couple who drink in my local knew him personally and said his funeral was a who's who of football history (Puskas, Di Stefano, Matt Busby etc). Apparently he revolutionised the way football was played back then.
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Comment number 29.
At 17th Apr 2010, MightyMagyars wrote:20. At 4:10pm on 17 Apr 2010, bald-in-guelph wrote:
Celtic also have a similar link to an eastern European club. Can't remember who it is. I think their owner also owns this other club.
Celtic will loan players out there and there's also a link with the manager too.
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That is Újpest, which happen to be Fradi's fiercest rival.
The Hungary-hungry pun is very tiring for a Hungarian, but that' how it goes...
Good article, though.
Fradi supporters are very cautious vith McCabe, many of them fear that he is only interested in the valuable area around the Fradi stadium.
He insists, though, that it is easier to bring Fradi to the Champions League tha Sheffield United.
At least Fradi was there once in the group stages of the 1995-96 CL season.
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Comment number 30.
At 18th Apr 2010, aadam wrote:Just because Elding scores more than he used to in England, it doesn't mean that the Hungarian league would be worse than the Conference or League 2. They are completely different. Elding's work rate and intensity may be average in England but exceptional in Hungary and he's adopted to a quicker game which is a big advantage. On the other hand, his technical abilites are below the Hungarian standards. Also, he plays beside István Ferenczi who had a very successful spell at Barnsley a few years ago - I don't think Elding has ever had a partner like him.
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Comment number 31.
At 18th Apr 2010, Gordon Brown wrote:Just a heads up for other ex English pros playing or managing abroad. I live in New Zealand and we have Neil Emblem (Man C, wolves, Palace), Jonathan Gould (coventry, celtic) and David Bardsley (Watford, Walsall)all involved in the National Coaching set up. Micky Phelan (Wimbledon, Man C) was also here last season but I think he has now moved on. Keith Prichett (Watford) also lives here and has a Regional Coaching role.
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Comment number 32.
At 18th Apr 2010, MightyMagyars wrote:One more addition: Short's predecessor Bobby Davison was actuallly persecuted by the fans, so he left the managerial hot seat.
Sorry, I don't want to completely hijack the post, but there are so few opportunity to read about the Hungarian football in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ (well, understandably on many levels).
The Hungarian clubs became feeders of big clubs recently. Apart from the above mentioned examples, there are MTK, which has close links with Liverpool (they have 3 players: Németh, Simon, Gulácsi):
The biggest Hungarian player in the Premier League is Zoltán Gera, and he left actually Fradi for WBA then switched to Fulham. He is a bit of an unsung hero of their good form this season, his partnership with Zamora makes wonders. But Zamora and his possible inclusion in the England squad in the WC has stolen the show.
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Comment number 33.
At 18th Apr 2010, Robert wrote:Seems I managed to read the article before it had been checked for typos etc... It's much more pleasant to read now. A good article, and the content is the most important thing after all!
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Comment number 34.
At 18th Apr 2010, Zackerious wrote:I have found the link to Anthony Elding's wonder goal. Did any fans from his former clubs in England see him ever do this!
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Comment number 35.
At 18th Apr 2010, Donkeyshed wrote:Always fascinating to read of Englishmen managing/playing abroad. @ Gordon Brown (New Zealand): Don't wish to be too picky but- as a Man City fan- Neil Emblem certainly never played for City and it was Terry (not Micky) Phelan. Sorry.
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Comment number 36.
At 18th Apr 2010, Rob04 wrote:Celtic also have a similar link to an eastern European club. Can't remember who it is. I think their owner also owns this other club.
Celtic will loan players out there and there's also a link with the manager too.
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That is Újpest, which happen to be Fradi's fiercest rival.
The Hungary-hungry pun is very tiring for a Hungarian, but that' how it goes...
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Celtic do have a link with Újpest and Willie McStay spent most of the season managing them before resigning and returning home because the club failed to pay players wages since x-mas,
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Comment number 37.
At 18th Apr 2010, cena_nuff wrote:Also @ Gordon Brown its Darren Bazeley formally of Wolves, Watford and Walsall
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Comment number 38.
At 19th Apr 2010, MMOGS wrote:Good Blog Fletch. I'm in the middle of Inverting the Pyramid at the moment and it is a great read. Jimmy Hogan's methods weren't really appreciated in Britain so he went to Europe where he is revered greatly. I think he is known generally as the Father of football in Central Europe.
Also, I watched a lot of Short in his time at Everton in the mid to late 90's and wouldn't describe him as a dirty player. He was a centre half as people have mentioned and wasn't ever going to be whiter than white but he wasn't one for remonstrating or berating officials etc and seemed to be a good egg generally. I wish him the best of luck out there.
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Comment number 39.
At 19th Apr 2010, dannytrfc wrote:Another interesting blog Paul! Keep up the good work!
It’s always intrigued me – the lack of English or British players going abroad and even more so coaches and managers. There’s only 92 jobs for them, so why not try your hand elsewhere? Short’s example would be prime, as he will surely have more chance of getting a decent job in England with the experience he’s gained in Hungary than if he’d sat around and gone on courses in England, so good luck to him.
To add to the list of English players abroad, Tranmere legend Chris Greenacre joined New Zealand outfit Wellington Phoenix in the summer and is, unsurprisingly, now a fans’ favourite with the A-League club.
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Comment number 40.
At 19th Apr 2010, Zackerious wrote:Here is a good link with a list of all the current English Footballers plying their trade abroad.
Although a few additions to the link that are coming down the grape vine:
Luke Rogers is on the verge on signing with New York Red Bulls.
Tony Stokes has been allowed to return home from Ujpest in Hungary and will leave in the summer on a free.
There are rumours that former Boro youngster Nathan Porritt has/is returning to England after a spell at Belenenses, that's still unconfirmed at the moment
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Comment number 41.
At 20th Apr 2010, Green1899 wrote:Greetings from Hungary!
Here are a video, if you want to see what kind of atmosphere Ferencváros fans can made:
Our English players (for example Elding) are admire it, because they never see like these in England.
We can make hell for our rivals...
On the 30th of April our most hated enemies (Újpest FC) will come to us, and it will be the match of the year. :)
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Comment number 42.
At 20th Apr 2010, Green1899 wrote:Phil wrote:
" Elding is a truly dreadful player. If he is flourishing there, then the standard must be Division 2 or even conference! "
Any team from Division 2 can be qualify in the Europian Champions League? Because Ferencváros was there ...
And for example, in 2004 Ferencváros beat Millwall in the UEFA Cup.:
That's the problem with a lot of Englishman. They are confident and contemn the rest of the world from England...
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heezablade wrote:
"... we aren't going to be seeing any decent players coming in from them any time soon."
Are you sure?
For example there is Gábor Gyepes (Cardiff City) or Zoltán Gera (Fullham - Premier League !!) in English football. And they came from Ferencváros to England...
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Give a little bit more respect for our more than 110 years old, historical club.
Ferencváros for ever!
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Comment number 43.
At 20th Apr 2010, Walking On Soft Ground wrote:Irelands Secret Weapon wrote:
13. At 11:28am on 17 Apr 2010, ExiledDevonRed wrote:
"Short, who always struck me as an honest, down-to-earth footballer"
Honest isn't how I remember him - he always seemed to be the player pulling shirts, stopping free-kicks being taken quickly, getting in peoples faces, etc.
One of the most irritating players I can remember!
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Did you ever play the game, or just make judgements on people who play the game?
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Well unfortunately I never played professionally! Just very minor Sunday league, so yes I have played.
Don't get me wrong, I hate the fact that football is being turned into a non-contact sport. It's a physical game and should be played as such. But you can play it as such without all the shirt-pulling, etc.
And
16. At 1:12pm on 17 Apr 2010, RoverGringo wrote
Craig Short one of the most irritating players ever? Please, you can't have seen much football if he's up there in your list of irritating players. As for 'limited ability', we're talking about centre backs here.
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I didn't say he has 'limited ability', must have been someone else.
I admit he's not as dislikeable as some - El Hadj Diouf (apologies for any mis-spelling), Bellamy, C. Ronaldo, etc. but still irritating!
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Comment number 44.
At 20th Apr 2010, 0nceablue wrote:Good article Paul - and I'm with you on your description of Mr. Short as "honest". Although he was sent off for Everton against Feyenoord for elbowing Ronald Koeman, I don't see that as any great slur on his character - quite the opposite. Which Englishman wouldn't have had a swing at RK if the opportunity presented utself!!
Also, criticism by "Robert" of your spelling had me scratching my head, as it looked fine to me. Anyway, at least he had the good grace to retract - but should still "apologise" for using "apologize" in his initial post. We're not a US State yet - despite the best efforts of Microsoft!
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Comment number 45.
At 22nd Apr 2010, blwalker wrote:hi paul,firstly i would like to say its a good article and allows english people a quick insight into what english people are trying to achive abroad,
but i can`t believe how negative and synical english peoples views are towards somebody who is trying to succeed or do something good in life, you have a guy trying to do well in football abroad, a group of english players trying to succeed in life,a journalist trying to praise them, then you get people critising the journalism and the ambition and quality of the individuals. but thats english culture to be take a synical view on things rather than be praiseful for somebody succeeding
im an englishman but currently living in slovenia, and playing some football down here,the slovene leagues arent the best,but they are good,and we hear a lot about ferencvaros as hungary is the neighbours, so i say fair play to all the brits abroad in hungary
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Comment number 46.
At 25th Apr 2010, aries22 wrote:#5 Robert - where are all the typos and grammatical errors? Has this article since been re-edited and corrected? As a teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL) I can see none. If perhaps you are referring to an absence of commas, I find commas can hinder the flow of a text. If you are familiar with the works of Graham Greene, arguably the best British novelist of the twentieth century, his works contain several notable grammatical errors. Poor writing or poor editing? Greene himself was a noted editor (Charlie Chaplin's autobriography, amongst a multitude of works) yet his English was at times less than might be expected of a writer of such stature.
Good blog, Paul, and I trust your wife and child are doing well. Can you do a blog on Steve McClaren next about his time at Twente Enschede?
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Comment number 47.
At 25th Apr 2010, aries22 wrote:Dearie me - "autobriography"! See? Fire the editor!
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Comment number 48.
At 25th Apr 2010, aries22 wrote:#33 In that case, forget the entire first paragraph of #46!
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Comment number 49.
At 24th May 2010, lingsbord wrote:Nice article Fletch, hope the little 'un's doing well.
Just to add a note to Craig Short's situation, there's a new ruling in Hungary insisting that all coaches must have their UEFA coaching badges from the start of next season and Craig doesn't have his yet. As a result he's hoping for an extension, to give him the time he needs to complete the courses, or he'll have to resign.
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