Total Footblog: The Crossroads of Global Football & American Soccer covers every aspect of the game from international competitions and the world’s best leagues to the game at home, here in America. It was born out of my blog about the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, which was called From The Field: The Big South African Soccer Game Drive. All the posts from that blog, from the game commentaries to our 25 days of adventure, have been included here. But this new one is more about the game than any particular travel experience.
There will be travel. But the focus is on the EPL, Serie A, La Liga, MLS, and Champions League. I’ll also cover international competitions, such as Euro 2012 and the build-up for Brazil 2014. And you can be sure there will be plenty of commentary on teams, players, coaches, strategies, games, leagues, and the sport itself.
I will try to post stuff weekly, but keep in mind that this not a commercial entity (at least not yet, but I’m certainly open to offers). Also, I will do my best to keep this blog error-free - including facts, grammar, and spelling – but I am only human, like the refs. If you spot anything, my email address is listed below.
I would like to thank my brother Max, and my nephews Aiden & Sean, who have shared two World Cups with me, and countless games in between. I’d also like to offer posthumous props to my dad, who fostered our love of the game and travelled with me to three World Cups. I’d also like to thank the folks at the Mustang Internet Cafe in Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, where much of the original blog was written. And many thanks to the band Goldfish, who always seemed to be playing in the background.
I should note that I originally planned to call this blog Barnstoneworth United, after the famed fictitious club from Ripping Yarns classic Golden Gordon. If you’ve never seen this television treasure, take the time to watch the entire episode on these three YouTube videos. It’s essential.
To be honest, I really wanted to call this blog Creating Space, because I think that is the one tactic that today’s game lacks most - and the one tactic that could best overcome the proverbial parking of the bus. But, of course, some wanker is cybersquatting on that domain.
So I opted for the next best thing, Total Footblog, which is a play off Total Football. For the unenlightened, Total Football was pioneered by the Dutch in the early 70s as a term to describe how AFC Ajax and eventually The Netherlands national team created a system of play in which every field play could support one another. Each learned to play every position, so that if one player went forward then someone would be able to cover them in the back.
It may seem a bit quaint these days, with attacking backs like Sergio Ramos and Maicon. But there was far more discipline in that original system, ensuring that the overlapping players were covered and the team retained its shape instead of leaving itself vulnerable to a counterattack. Total Football has since evolved into what some call “Tiqui-Taca,” which reflects the same basic principle but adds the element of short, quick passes – constantly moving the ball around the field until an opportunity can be exploited. The two teams which have best represented this modern version of Total Football are Arsenal FC in the English Premier League and FC Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga.
Finally, in case you haven’t noticed, this is not your typical blog. Instead of writing pithy little posts (though you will find some of those), I tend to prefer longer articles. You don’t see much of that these days, online or in print. But just because only a handful of players could put he ball in the net this summer doesn’t mean we should widen the posts.
My literary influences include those I admire: M. Bowden, A. Bourdain, N. Chomsky, A. Dershowitz, T.L. Friedman, E. Hemingway, S.M. Hersh, H. Hesse, J. Kerouac, H. Miller, A. Nin, E.A. Poe, J.D. Salinger, J.P. Sarte, W. Shakespeare, H.S. Thompson, M. Twain, K. Vonnegut, T. Wolfe, B. Woodward, F. Zakaria, and H. Zinn. Unless otherwise attributed, the photos (including the header, which is a mural I photographed on Kloof Road in Cape Town) and video were taken with my Nikon D90, SeaLife DC1000, or iPhone. Visit Flickr for the photos and YouTube for the videos. And if you are curious as to how I pay my bills given that this is not a commercial site, you can visit my marketing consultation site to learn more about me and my professional background.
The Style & Approach of This Blog How to Contact Us
All content is © All Rights Reserved. None of it – neither the text nor imagery – should be reproduced in any way, and unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
