Skills tests spreadsheet

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Mark Payton (Editoral Director, Haymarket Consumer Media).

Mark Payton studied journalism at the London College of Printing in the late 80s, before cutting his teeth for two years as a reporter with a local London newspaper.

Mark has edited in just about every specialist magazine market, including photography, motoring, music, caravanning and even personal finance. He edited Haymarket’s two flagship buyer’s guides – What Car? and What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision – during the mid-90s, then took on Stuff when Haymarket bought the title from Dennis in 2000.

Mark become digital editorial director of Haymarket Consumer Media (HCM) in 2006, with responsibility for the editorial quality of company’s growing portfolio of websites. In 2010, he became editorial director of HCM, with responsibility for all of its print and digital content.

Mark lives in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, and can bore for England on the subjects of gadgets and magazine data tables.

http://www.haymarket.com/management.aspx?company=4

Preston News Map

This is a map of news reported by the Lancashire Evening Post in the Preston area. Each bubble contains a link to the relevant story from the Lancashire Evening Post website (lep.co.uk).

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Pictures of Deepdale stadium.

These are images that I took of Preston North End’s stadium, Deepdale. I have tried to catch the stadium from it’s best side, with the team name and crest clearly evident.

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A.S. Roma vs. Internazionale – Supercoppa Italiana preview.

The new Serie ‘A’ seasons begins on Saturday with a familiar showdown between the top two teams in Italian football, last season, with A.S. Roma taking on Internazionale in the Supercoppa Italiana. This will be Internazionale’s sixth appearance in a row and A.S. Roma’s fourth in five. In fact, in each A.S. Roma’s last three appearances, they have faced off against Internazionale, winning twice. It is fair to say followers of Italian football are sick of the sight of these two fighting it out against each other, but this seasons contest has a few sub-plots to rekindle interest.

The first is that Internazionale have a new manager. Following the Champions League victory in Madrid, which sealed a historic treble, José Mourinho chose to move in permanently at Santiago Bernabéu, taking charge of a flailing Real Madrid. His replacement is Spaniard Rafael Benítez, who was relieved of his position at Liverpool, following an indifferent campaign, where the Reds finished seventh. Benítez now has the impossible task of following up what Mourinho achieved, one that is seemingly impossible. His first port of call is to win ‘Mourinho’s trophies’, the Suppercoppa Italiana and the European Super Cup, in which Inter’s participation came about on the back of Mourinho’s successes. Benítez has not made too many changes to what was the best squad in Europe, last season. The only significant deal was to bring back Jonathan Biabiany from his loan spell at Parma, with whom he impressed. Amantino Mancini, Kerlon, Victor Obinna and Nelson Rivas have also returned from their respective loans. Other than that, Luca Castellazzi has arrived on a free transfer from Sampdoria, who will act as reserve goalkeeper following Francesco Toldo’s retirement, while the exciting Philippe Coutinho has signed from Vasco da Gama, but they are deals that were sealed before Benítez’s arrival. Giuseppe Sculli (Genoa) looks likely to be Benítez only addition, as a replacement for the prodigious Mario Balotelli, who has signed with Manchester City. Benítez has the unenviable task of using Mourinho’s squad, but putting his own stamp on it. That will be difficult and the Supercoppa Italiana is the first competitive game he has to demonstrate the changes he intends to make. The pressure is on Benítez and he needs to get off to a positive start.

The second interesting sub-plot is A.S. Roma’s most prominent summer addition, Adriano. Following mental and physical problems that forced him out of Internazionale and back to Brazil two years ago, the Brazilian has returned to Italy. He is on a strict training schedule and claims he is ready to rise back to the top, again. There is no doubt an element of risk in signing him, given the problems he could cause to a tight-knit and close squad like Claudio Ranieri’s, but the rewards he could potentially reap outweigh the negatives. On a free transfer he has the potential to be the signing of the summer and his first mission will be to take down his old employers. Adriano’s relationship with Internazionale is frosty at best and he will be desperate to prove to Massimo Moratti that he should have been stood by. The reception the forward gets from the Interista will also be interesting. What better way, though, for Adriano to announce his return than by putting down Inter. Should he fail to perform, questions will be asked of Ranieri’s wisdom in bringing him back. The pressure is on Adriano and like Benítez, he needs to hit the ground running.

The third point of interest in the Argentinian international Nicolás Burdisso. The defender spent last season on loan with A.S. Roma and performed magnificently, almost leading i Giallorossi to the Scudetto. Ranieri has been desperately trying to sign Burdisso all summer, but Moratti has played hardball. With A.S. Roma’s crippling financial state, an agreement seems unlikely to be reached. This has frustrated Burdisso and Ranieri, causing friction between Inter and A.S. Roma. It will be fascinating to see whether Burdisso is involved on Saturday. Benítez, perhaps, is not one for playing games, but Ranieri expected to have Nicolás in his side and seeing him lining up as an opponent will be frustrating. There will be a Burdisso is the A.S. Roma squad though, with Nicolás brother Guillermo having signed on loan from Rosario Central.

It certainly is going to be an interesting encounter, with more at stake than simply been the curtain-raiser to the new Serie ‘A’ season. Following their impressive showing at last weeks Trofeo TIM, Internazionale will begin the contest as favourites. Benítez will likely stick to Mourinho’s 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 and has a full strength squad at his disposal. Ranieri men should not be under-estimated though and aside from Adriano, there is also the talented Fábio Simplício now in his squad, who arrived on a free transfer from Palermo. The key for Ranieri is whether he can get the front three of Adriano, Francesco Totti and Mirko Vučinić working cohesively. If he can, then that could give A.S. Roma the edge.

Prediction: A.S. Roma 2 – 1 Internazionale

Time to get it right for Juventus

A season that began with such hope will end, at best, with Juventus finishing in fourth place. La Bianconeri currently sit in fifth spot, one point behind Palermo and one ahead of Sampdoria, whom they face in a crunch match tomorrow evening.

Juventus began the season by sacking Claudio Ranieri and appointed club legend Ciro Ferrara as permanent manager. Ferrara had led the team for the final two games of the previous season, with his side defeating Lazio and Siena to secure a second place finish. Ranieri moved on to A.S. Roma and this season has done an outstanding job in the capital. La Maggica are currently in third place, six points behind leaders Internazionale, whilst they also made the knock-out stages of the Europa League and are in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia (TIM Cup), where they currently hold a 2 – 0 first leg advantage, over Udinese. Ranieri has achieved this despite not spending any money over the summer. Stefano Guberti arrived on a free (from Bari), while Nicolás Burdisso was signed on loan from Internazionale. In January, Luca Toni was also signed on loan, from Germans Bayern München.

Ranieri’s success makes a mockery of Juventus’ own transfer dealings. They invested €24 million in Werder Bremen’s Diego, €25 million on holding midfielder Felipe Melo, from Fiorentina (as well as deals for Marco Marchionni and Cristiano Zanetti) and €2 million on Fabio Grosso (Olympique Lyonnais). Antonio Candreva and Martín Cáceres were loaned in from Udinese and FC Barcelona respectively, while Fabio Cannavaro returned to the club on a free transfer. Despite this level of investment, Ferrara could never get the team to work efficiently and was unable to get the best out of Diego, who he had chosen to build his team around. An early season 3 – 1 away at Ranieri’s A.S. Roma was nothing more than a false dawning.

Ferrara was subsequently sacked as Juventus fell out of the Scudetto race and were eliminated in the group stages of the Champions League. Alberto Zaccheroni was appointed on a deal till the end of the season. ‘Zac’ has steadied the ship, losing only one league game in ten, but alarming inconsistency has remained, with Juventus twice in a week throwing away three goal advantages (against Siena and Fulham). Under Zaccheroni, Diego has been more prominent, but Cannavaro and Grosso have disappointed and are regularly benched. Felipe Melo has also continued to under-perform and it is unlikely that he will remain, next season.

The aim now is for Juventus to qualify for next seasons Champions League. From then on, important decisions must be made.

From the current squad, Cannavaro, Amauri, Antonio Chimenti, Jonathan Zebina, Zdeněk Grygera, David Trezeguet and Michele Paolucci should all depart, as well as loanees Cristian Molinaro, Tiago Mendes and Sergio Almirón. Candreva and Cáceres have impressed sufficiently enough to be signed permanently. The priority then is a new forward, with Sampdoria’s Giampaolo Pazzini top of the list. André-Pierre Gignac of Toulouse and Edin Džeko (VfL Wolfsburg) are also options, as well as 1. FC Köln forward Lukas Podolski. Raffaele Palladino is expected to be re-signed in exchange for the permanent transfer Domenico Criscito, to Genoa, too. In defence Philippe Mexès (A.S. Roma) and Rafinha (Schalke 04) are under consideration, but the most likely addition is Bari’s Leonardo Bonucci. The are also links to Bordeaux playmaker Yoann Gourcuff. The French international, who was discounted by Milan, would be an interesting addition, but one that puts serious doubt over the future of Diego, as the two could not co-exist in the same formation.

The most important deal Juventus will do this summer will regard the choice of manager. Zaccheroni has done a reasonable job, but he is only a short-term measure and would have had to do something extra special, such as win the Europa League, to be offered the job permanently. Fiorentina’s Cesare Prandelli is the favourite and would be my personal choice. He has over-achieved with Fiorentina, creating a team that can now compete with the best in Europe. He is an expert at handling young players and adopts an attractive brand of football. Liverpool’s Rafael Benítez is another candidate, as could be Bordeaux’s Laurent Blanc.

It would seem Juventus have one more chance to get it right. Those in charge of Italy’s most illustrious club have made poor decisions. It is a far cry from the days when Luciano Moggi and ‘the trident’ led Juventus to glory. La Bianconeri must recover and challenge at the top end next season. This summer will be amongst the clubs most important yet.

Italy Euro fate now in the hands of Inter and Juve.

The possible repercussions of another campaign of Italian failure could be more serious than a dent in National pride.

Last season, not one Italian team qualified for the Quarter-Final stage of the Champions League, despite A.S. Roma, Juventus and Internazionale all making it through their respective groups. All three crashed out against English opposition, further enforcing the changing of the guard at the top end of European football.

In the UEFA Cup (now Europa League), Milan, Udinese and Sampdoria all made it through the group stage and were joined by Fiorentina in the last 32, who dropped out of the Champions League, following a third place finish in Group F. Only Udinese managed to make it through, defeating Polish side Lech Poznań and then holders Zenit Saint Petersburg ( in the last 16), before succumbing to Werder Bremen, in the Quarter-Finals. Udinese were the only Serie ’A’ representative in Europe who appeared in a Quarter-Final, an unacceptable outcome for Europe’s ‘third strongest’ league. The Semi-Finals consisted of an all-German affair between Udinese’s conquerers Werder Bremen and Hamburg, with the former going on to eventually be defeat in the Final by Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk.

Looking to this season and the signs are already ominous. Milan were humiliated by Manchester United 7 – 2 on aggregate and although the Rossoneri created more than enough chances over the two legs to win the tie, the lack of strength in-depth was evident. As soon as it was clear that Alessandro Nesta and Alexandre Pato would be unavailable for the second leg, few gave Milan much hope. This was not necessarily a strong United performance, but their depth of squad proved key. Fiorentina also crashed out, albeit in more controversial circumstances, on away goals to Bayern Munich. They first leg was marred with incident, with Massimo Gobbi dismissed harshly and the winner (the game finished 2 – 1) was scored with Miroslav Klose standing three yards offside. Klose himself and Mark Van Bommel may well have been sent off earlier in the contest. Fiorentina won the second leg 3 – 2. Bayern Munich were second best for a lot of the 180 minutes, but like Manchester United had enough depth and individual brilliance to see them through. Internazionale are the final Italian hopefuls, holding a slender 2 – 1 advantage over Chelsea, ahead of Tuesday’s night second leg, at Stamford Bridge.

In the Europa League, Genoa and Lazio fell at the Group Stage’s, while A.S. Roma lost 6 – 4 on aggregate to Greek side Panathinaikos. The only representative left in the competition is Juventus, who fell at the Group Stage in the Champions League. They defeated Ajax 2 – 1 in the Last 32 and now hold a 3 - 1 first leg advantage over Fulham, in their Last 16 encounter.

The fate of Juventus and Internazionale is of great importance. German teams have performed impressively over the last number of years in Europe and as such, have caught up Italy in the UEFA coefficients. This season they also look strong. Bayern Munich are through to the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, while VfB Stuttgart still have a chance of joining them, although they will have to win at Camp Nou, against FC Barcelona. In the Europa League, Hamburg, VfL Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen have all gained favourable first leg results in their respective ties, as they look to progress to the Quarter-Final stage.

It is likely that Italy will require both Juventus and Internazionale to reach the Semi-Finals of their respective competitions to keep them ahead of Germany in the rankings. Juventus appear to be taking the Europa League seriously and have to be considered among the favourites for the competition. Fulham cannot be discounted yet, but Juventus must be confident of progression. Internazionale’s situation is more tricky, but the ‘Mourinho factor’ could give them the vital edge against Chelsea. Defeating The Londoners would give perennial self-doubters Inter the perfect boost going into the latter stages of the competition. The squad is good enough to win it, but the mentality has always lacked. Mourinho’s job may also be on the line, should Internazionale be eliminated.

The next two months will be crucial for the future of Italian football. There is a certain irony that the nations two most disliked teams hold the key to Italy remaining among Europe’s elite. Both have the ability, but do they believe?

No Way Ray!

Current French National team manager Raymond Domenech has been linked with the Juventus job.

It is widely expected that the current occupant, Alberto Zaccheroni, will not see his deal extended beyond the summer, regardless of whether he leads La Bianconeri to a top four finish.

Domenech himself is also expected to be without a job come the summer, once he has led France at the World Cup.

However, his unpopularity in Italy and outspoken nature against La Nazionale make the possibility of a deal unlikely. Also, given the calibre of opposition for the job, should Zaccheroni be relieved, Domenech would be considered one of the weaker candidates.

Juventus President Jean-Claude Blanc has denied been in contact with Domenech, stating in an interview with L’Equipe: ” I have not met or even crossed paths with Domenech lately and I haven’t spoken to him.”

“I saw him the last on September 30 at Bayern Munich-Juventus in the Champions League, but we didn’t talk then either.”

“There is absolutely no chance that he will be the next Coach of Juventus.”

The favourite remains Cesare Prandelli, whose Fiorentina side were beaten by Juventus 2 – 1 at Artemio Franchi, on Saturday.

Inconsistent, frustrating and unwanted, yet could A.S. Roma’s Júlio Baptista be involved in a summer tug of war between two Milan giants?

Júlio Baptista was signed by then A.S. Roma manager Luciano Spalletti in the summer of 2008. The forward was unwanted by Real Madrid and left Arsène Wenger uninterested after an indifferent loan spell with Arsenal. Wenger had finally got his hands on a player who had initially spurned his advances for a switch to Los Merengues, a year previously. Baptista never settled into English football and aside from a four goal cameo in a League Cup fixture against Liverpool (he also missed a penalty), he never produced the level of performance Wenger had expected from him.

Nevertheless, A.S. Roma President Rosella Sensi entrusted €9 million in the forward. It was hoped that he could offer an alternative to the injury-prone Francesco Totti, while Mirko Vučinić was attracting interest from Manchester United and it was unknown whether Sensi, given A.S. Roma’s struggling financial situation, would be able to turn down a large bid.

Baptista started brightly with La Maggica, netting a brace in the Champions League against Bordeaux and scoring the winner in the Rome derby. However, his form soon dwindled, as Spalletti looked to rotate Baptista around positions and the team as a whole struggled. He was amongst the main culprits (in the eyes of the unforgiving Italian media) for A.S. Roma’s Quarter-Final Champions League exit to the Brazilians previous club Arsenal, when he missed a simple opportunity late in the second leg, which would have seen A.S. Roma progress, and then proceeded to miss a penalty in the shoot-out (Arsenal won 7 – 6).

This season, Baptista has been little more than a bit part player under new manager Claudio Ranieri. The club had wanted to off-load him in the summer, but only Milan were interested and only in a loan deal. Baptista has seen himself left out at the expense of local talent such as Alessio Cerci and Stefano Okaka-Chuka. Ranieri does not seem to have a place for Baptista, while the players contribution, when involved, is minimal.

Despite his inability to win-over Ranieri and the Rome faithful, Baptista may find himself involved at the top end of the Italian game, come next next season. Both Leonardo at Milan and José Mourinho at Inter are keen admirers and are expected to follow up their interest in the summer. Mourinho tried to sign the Brazilian in the January transfer window, but a deal could not be reached and he eventually settled for Parma’s Kenyan prospect McDonald Mariga, who would have joined Manchester City, had he been granted a work permit. Milan only recently, through comments from Adriano Galliani, have enforced their interest. With Clarence Seedorf now 35 years-old and the unlikeliness of a permanent deal for David Beckham, the Brazilian represents an interesting proposition.

So what it is that has both Milan clubs so interested in Baptista, whilst he also remains very much in the plans of the Brazilian National team coach, Dunga. Baptista is physically well built and on form can be unplayable, with his domineering structure (it is understandable that Wenger assumed that he would be able to cope with the physical nature of English football). He is also versatile. He made his name as a holding-midfielder with Sevilla, while he adopted numerous midfield roles with Real Madrid and has been used as a forward and second striker with A.S. Roma and Brazil. He can strike with great power, can pass effectively and is useful from dead-ball situations. However,  it is his tactical discipline that attracts Mourinho and Dunga most. During  the 2007 Copa América, Dunga used Baptista as a second forward. He netted three goals in the competition, including the opener in the final against Argentina. It was during this game that he highlighted his abilities as a tactical player, working hard to prevent Argentina playing out of defence and making it difficult for the back players to feed playmaker Juan Román Riquelme. Brazil won the game 3 – 0.

His problem at A.S. Roma is that Ranieri wants too much from him. He expects Baptista to contribute offensively in the manor that Totti and Vučinić do, with a constant supply of goals and assists. This was the Baptista of old, the one that tempted Real Madrid to part with €24.5 million. A.S. Roma cannot afford to accommodate such a player. He is a different proposition now. He is tactically disciplined and can adapt to a variety of positions. He is better suited as a component in a large machine, rather than one of the main facets of a smaller one. A.S. Roma are desperate to cash in and alleviate themselves of his vast wages. Both Milan sides are waiting to pounce, while Dunga appears set to use Baptista as an important option in the upcoming World Cup. It could be a busy summer for a player who seems unwanted in Rome.