Do one Dave: Beckham's retirement is best for both parties

Not content with introducing a new club badge for next season, Paris Saint-Germain will also be taking the radical step of changing the club name.

Yes it’s true, from next season David Beckham’s PSG will be reverting to plain old PSG, with the news announced earlier today that the former England skipper will be retiring come the end of the season. Sadly for Joey Barton’s Marseille, such a change seems less likely down south. Good luck with that OM.

Boules D’Or will be available for PSG’s last two matches, against Brest on Saturday and at Lorient next weekend, so expect him to be all over any free kick in the vicinity of the opposition half as he looks to end his fairytale career with a goal. In fact, such is the worldwide sycophancy shown towards Beckham that I half expect Lorient’s players will be trying to help him find the net too.

Contrary to the impression conveyed in this blog and my tweets, I am not a big Beckham hater. In fact I always used to stick up for him when he was England captain, and the whole celebrity thing never bothered me when he was a decent player, which he undoubtedly was.

The problem is he ceased to be a decent player some time ago, and since joining PSG his contribution on the pitch has been minimal. He can’t run, he can’t tackle and he can’t shoot very well, and aside from moaning a lot and pinging the odd nice-looking cross-field pass out to one of the full-backs, it’s hard to remember anything significant he’s done in a PSG shirt.

So the prospect of him hanging around next season was not one that filled me with joy, not least because he is blocking up a squad position for players much more deserving. Without Beckham there is more chance that Clement Chantome will get a run of games in his proper central position rather than being shifted out to the right. Chantome has his detractors among the PSG fans, but I like him a lot and, according to OptaJean, he is Ligue 1’s most accurate passer. The Parisien Xavi? Maybe not, but still a pretty fine effort:

92% - Clément Chantôme has the best passing accuracy in Ligue 1 2012/13 (1+ game played). Caviar.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) May 13, 2013

There’s also the prospect of Adrien Rabiot returning from his loan spell with Toulouse. Rabiot’s future has been up for debate, with the player supposedly considering a move away from Paris. With the prospect of Beckham blocking his path to the first-team having diminished, hopefully he’ll be happy to stay and will be given a bit more game time next year. Rabiot may only be 18, but Ancelotti rates him highly and anyone who’s seen him glide around the pitch will know he has star quality. It would be a crime if another team were to benefit than that.

So yeah, today’s news is probably best for all concerned. Becks can ride off into the sunset before his ageing legs weaken any further, and PSG will benefit from the exposure and “prestige” that will inevitably surround his final game.

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PSG: CHAMPIONS OF FRANCE - 24 hours of joy, illness and violence

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN: LIGUE 1 CHAMPIONS.

Ok, so it took 19 years - and the GDP of a small African country - to get there, but PSG are Champions of France once more and boy does it feel good. I'm sure I wasn't the only one walking round with a permanent grin on my face yesterday.

To make things even better, Jezza Menezza was hero of the hour as PSG secured a 1-0 win over Lyon on Sunday night to clinch the title and spark wild celebrations at the Stade de Gerland. Thiago Motta won possession in midfield and found Zlatan, who in turn played in Menez. He did the rest with a cool angled finish past OL stopper Lopes. After scoring such an important goal, I'm sure the whole world will see Jezza for the hard-working, dedicated, ego-free team player that he is underneath. Maybe.

But it wouldn't be the PSG way to celebrate this magnificent achievement in a happy and drama-free fashion. First came the news that Director of Football Leonardo had been taken to hospital with a stress-related illness. Leo had been pictured in the aftermath of the Lyon match having a heated discussion with Zlatan Ibrahimovic over the striker's reluctance to leave the party and go and take a drug test, which just goes to show that it's pointless arguing with Ibra if you value your life.

Anyway, Leo is back home now and reportedly on the road to recovery, get well soon you charming little Brazilian. It's probably lucky he wasn't at the victory parade in Paris yesterday, as this would have undoubtedly sent his blood pressure soaring again.

The parade started well enough, with the squad on an open-top bus saluting thousands of people who lined the streets of the capital, waving flags and letting off fireworks and flares. The players were obviously loving it, Mamadou Sakho in particular seemed to have achieved the highest state of happiness I've ever seen in a single human being. It soon became apparent, though, that security wasn't the best, with chavs on mopeds having free reign to zoom around the bus and one over-exuberant supporter even trying to jump off a balcony and onto the top deck.

Things really started going downhill when the players reached their destination, the Trocadero. There was barely time to lift the trophy (above) before the players were whisked away back-stage, and fights started between fans and police. The police are - obviously - blaming the crowd, who they say charged the podium where the players were standing, then got violent with officers who tried to reinforce security.

“The conclusion you can draw is that there won’t be more any more events like this in a public place for Paris Saint-Germain,” said Paris Police chief Benard Boucault afterwards, and indeed a planned river cruise on the Seine was swiftly cancelled.

The club was also quick to release a statement condemning the events at the Trocadero: "The party was spoiled by a few hundred troublemakers who have nothing to do with football and even less with those that fill the Parc des Princes on match days with such passion and enthusiasm and in total security.

"Paris Saint-Germain is more determined than ever to build a huge European club, worthy of the French capital, and far removed from those intent on trying to destroy that dream."

It's an awkward situation for everyone. The club can say that these people have "nothing to do with football", but history suggests that there is a sizable minority of violent berks within our fanbase. Despite the efforts made in recent years to keep them away, they will still come out of the woodwork from time-to-time, and when they do you have to take some responsibility for them.

But its too easy for those in authority to just blame the supporters. In my experience the French police are not a nice organisation, and I imagine many of the officers on duty at the Trocadero yesterday were only too happy to get the chance to wield their batons and their tear gas canisters.

It seems to me the parade saw an unfortunate coming together of two groups of people who like a fight: one group wearing uniforms and carrying riot shields, and the other supposedly representing our great club. The title celebrations will continue on Saturday when we face Brest at the Parc des Princes, and lets hope yesterday's scenes can be put to bed without too many recriminations.

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Thiago Silva "shove-gate": No one takes credit from PSG's Diner de Cons

I don’t really get French films.

To me they seem to fall into two categories: arty misery-fests with copious sex, self-harm, and destruction, or stupid comedies set on beaches or camp sites.

Falling into the latter category is a particular favourite of my wife’s: Le Diner de Cons. This is literally a film about a group of men who bring the most idiotic people they can find together for a dinner. Hilarious japes ensue.

Anyway, so far this week at Paris Saint-Germain has felt a bit like a Diner de Cons, with people queuing up to make themselves look like idiots.

Predictably, PSG failed to all-but win the title on Sunday by only managing a 1-1 draw against struggling Valenciennes. In fact it needed Alex’s late header to salvage even a point from the match after Gael Danic had opened the scoring.

The real story of the evening was PSG skipper Thiago Silva’s red card, awarded for a “shove” on Alexandre Castro. I add the inverted commas with good reason, as it was a push that carried about as much force as your average shot from Peguy Luyindula. In fact it would be more accurate to say Silva was red-carded was gently placing both his hands on the referee’s chest in a slightly accusatory fashion.

Yesterday the Brazilian was handed a two-match ban following the incident, while Leonardo is also in hot water after appearing to barge into Castro during the half-time interval. You can see footage of the incident here if you’re so inclined.

Leo has been suspended from attending matches while the incident is investigated, and potentially faces a ban of up to a year, while PSG could also be deducted points because of his conduct.

Perhaps the least culpable figure in this tale of stupidity is the man who started it all off, Thiago Silva himself. While physical contact with the referee probably isn’t advisable, he is the team captain, and you can understand why he was frustrated at not being able to get the referee’s attention.

Which leads us on nicely to Mr Castro. In a season where we have seen some truly rubbish refereeing performances in Ligue 1, his was complètement merde with a capital M. Sadly, refs increasingly seem to want to make a name for themselves when they do our matches, showing that they can put the big names in their place. There may be some merit to this approach, but Castro made a series of baffling decisions, and seemed unwilling to enter into any dialogue about why he was doing so. Our players are not shrinking violets (more on that later) but they deserve to be treated as fairly as any other team, and if the referee had kept his cool and been a bit more open we might have avoided this whole episode.

That’s not to excuse Leonardo though. "It's the delegate in front of me, with a black ear-piece, who blocked my path. It's him who pushed me into the referee," Leo whined in L’Equipe. "Look at the pictures: I don't touch the referee with my shoulder but with my back. Because I was the one pushed. It is me who was assaulted. The referee doesn't have the face of someone who's been attacked. That's because there was no violence on my part."

Have a look for yourself and then decide whether you believe his version of events:


Regardless of who pushed who, you have to wonder what on earth Leonardo was even doing there in the first place? He’s a director of the football club, not a player or coach.
He then went on to have a big rant about the nasty referees who have it in for us: "It went beyond all logic,” he said.

“It's annoying as we have four players suspended and get another red card. If it continues like this, we'll find ourselves with ten players suspended and no team.

"They're trying to hold us back. With five players out, it's more difficult. We've got three games left and need a win."

Personally I don’t think he’s got much chance of convincing referees not to send off our players because, er, we’ve already had a few players sent off in the past. Perhaps a better use of his time would be to have a look at the conduct of the team on the pitch, which isn’t always particularly befitting of Champions-in-waiting. Also, we have more money and a bigger squad than anyone other team, no-one is going to be sympathetic if a few of them are suspended.

This should be a week of excitement and anticipation, with the title only three points away. But sadly many people looking at PSG from the outside will see a club lacking class, an occurrence which is all too common these days.

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Time to party like it's 1994? Looking back at PSG's last Ligue 1 triumph

Sunday could be the day the inevitable is confirmed and Paris Saint-Germain are crowned Ligue 1 champions.

The maths are so simple even the most bone-headed of UKIP voters could work it out: If Marseille fail to win against Bastia and we beat Valenciennes on Sunday night then the champagne can start flowing in Paris. And Qatar. Even if/when OM win 1-0 against the Corsicans, a PSG victory pretty much wraps things up due to our goal difference advantage of 35.

PSG’s long history of incompetence means this will be our first title since the 1993/94 season. Who remembers 93/94? Not me, I was 11 and more concerned about whether Cambridge United would qualify for the Division Three play-offs (they didn’t) than what Artur Jorge’s Rouge-et-Bleu squad were up to.

But what a squad it was. People go on about the amount of big names we have now, but check out this list of players: Lama, Kombouare, Le Guen, Roche, Guerin, Valdo, Ginola, Rai, Weah. That’s a decent spine by anyone’s reckoning, and it was no surprise that the campaign ended in glorious fashion.

The previous season had seen PSG finish second behind Marseille, though President Bernard Tapie’s player-bribing activities subsequently saw OM stripped of their title. In a wonderfully French turn of events, PSG’s owners, Canal+, declined to take the title instead for fear that they would alienate subscribers in the south. It all sounds very messy and a bit corrupt.

Onto 93/94, and Jorge's trademark facial hair was looking particularly bushy as he sniffed a first PSG title win since 1986. He kept the bulk of his 1992/93 squad together, but bolstered his forward line with the addition of future Watford striker Xavier Gravelaine from Caen, and Brazilian maestro Rai, who arrived Sao Paulo for a fee of $4.6million. The attacking midfielder, who would go on to spend five glorious years at Parc des Princes, distinguished himself on matchday eight against Montpellier, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win and pulling off coup du foulard – or Rabona as it’s known in the rest of the world – passing the ball to a team-mate by kicking it from behind his standing leg. Top tekkers, as they definitely didn’t say in 1993.

In the early matches of the season PSG were not showing signs of league-winning form. A 1-0 opening day loss to Bordeaux set the tone for a patchy beginning to the campaign, which included just three wins in their first seven games and a 1-0 defeat to Marseille, who at this stage looked likely to defend their ill-gotten title.

However, Jorge’s men soon kick into gear, and impressive 4-0 win over Auxerre (who would go on to finish third) set the tone for an unbeaten run that would last for 27 games, a Ligue 1 record until it was busted the 12 months later by Nantes. All the more remarkable was that this was achieved without captain Kombouare, who ruptured his cruciate ligament in training at the end of September causing him to miss the majority of the season.

That 4-0 result wasn’t particularly characteristic though, as PSG’s success was built on a series of 1-0 victories, with future coaches Le Guen and Brazilian Ricardo proving to be rocks at the back alongside Roche. Just 22 goals were shipped all season, a miserly record the class of 2013 look set to match.

Up top, David Ginola was providing the team’s principle attacking threat, and finished the season top scorer on 18 goals. You may remember that 1993 was the year France lost 2-1 at home to Bulgaria, thus failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. The blame for this failure was placed firmly on the shoulders of Ginola, who gave the ball away carelessly in the run up to Kostadinov’s winning goal. The mercurial winger answered his critics in the best possible fashion, scoring the opener in his next match to set PSG on the way to a 2-1 victory at Toulouse.

PSG’s good league form was achieved alongside a foray to the latter stages of the Cup Winners Cup, though this was terminated by eventual winners Arsenal in the semi-finals. The unbeaten Ligue 1 run continued unabated, and only came to an end with six matches of the season to go, when Nantes gave us a taste of what was to come the following year by administering a 3-0 tonking.

But by then the Ligue 1 title was pretty much in the bag, and it was secured in front of a packed Parc des Princes when Ricardo nodded in a Valdo corner to seal a 1-0 win against Toulouse. The final whistle saw fans invade the pitch to celebrate the title success – little did they know how long they’d have to wait for another one.

Jorge and his amazing moustache were gone at the end of the season, with the Portuguese coach returning to his homeland to boss Benfica. Nearly 20 years later, and it seems the next man to guide PSG to title glory, Carlo Ancelotti, will not be hanging around either. Plus ca change…

(NB: I couldn't have written this article without referring to http://psg70.free.fr/, a wonderful PSG nostalgia site. Check it out if you can read French. Or use Google translate.)

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Evian 0-1 PSG: St Beckham sees rouge as rogue ref goes card crazy

Last night I went to see some ballet.

This is not a regular occurrence: I'm not really a ballet kind of guy (is anyone?) but it was the wife's birthday treat so I could hardly send her on her own. And to be honest I was pleasantly surprised - it was graceful, at times moving, and put me in a relaxed mood ahead of the new working week.

Alas we got home in time for me to catch the end of Evian vs Paris Saint-Germain, which immediately wound me up as tightly as a coiled spring. I switched it on just in time to see David Beckham get his marching orders for a daft lunge on Youssef Adnane. By this point Marco Verratti had already seen red for mouthing off - I know, I didn't believe it either - and then at the final a mass brawl erupted over nothing in particular.

I know it's done thing to condemn such behaviour as disgusting, shameful, nonsense etc, but I always find it quite amusing; I think football should go down the ice hockey route and just let them fight it out till they're done without fear of recrimination. Alas referee Olivier Thual doesn't appear to be of this point of view, as he dismissed Evian's Khlifa, then waited a full ten minutes after the final whistle to show a red card to Salvatore Sirigu for his part in the melee.

Sirigu was throwing his hands about indiscriminately during the big fight, and it seems his rush of blood will cost him dearly, with L'Equipe et al suggesting he's facing an eight-game ban. This seems a bit harsh to me, but then we live in a world where a gentle bite on the neck is worth a ten-game suspension, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It will be a shame if Sirigu misses the culmination of the season, given that he's been one of our best and most consistent players in the last two years.

Verratti and Beckham, on the other hand, I have little sympathy for. Verratti's mouthiness is well known, and this was bound to happen sooner or later. Ancelotti looked absolutely furious with him as he trotted down the tunnel, and hopefully this will be a lesson to him and he'll learn to reign it in a bit.

I've seen many people on Twitter suggesting Beckham's dismissal was harsh, but a player of his experience should no better than to raise his foot like that. He didn't make contact with Adnane, but regardless the referee was well within his rights to send him on his way. Personally I won't shed many tears if he misses the title celebrations because he's really contributed very little to our impending success.

And that success is very much impending after last night's match, which saw us move to within one victory of the Ligue 1 title thanks to Javier Pastore's well taken goal.

"We did not start with much intensity, but after 20 minutes we controlled the game," said Carletto afterwards. "We scored a fantastic goal with a lot of movement, but we could not find the second and that made Evian confident and gave them hope to equalise. After the red cards for Marco Verratti and David Beckham we lost a bit of control. With a nine point cushion the title is very close."

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Evian vs PSG: Ancelotti plays it cool as PSG seek to quench their title thirst

Despite the best efforts of Paris Saint-Germain's well-oiled PR machine, talk of Carlo Ancelotti's future has still over-shadowed the build-up to today's match at Evian.

As we noted on Wednesday, speculation has increased about the Mister's future this week, with reports on Friday suggesting he has informed the club of his intention to leave for Real Madrid in the summer.

Ancelotti has denied this, but despite the positive spin being furiously applied on the official website, he still came out of his pre-match press conference sounding decidedly uncommitted.

"I love Paris. I love Paris Saint-Germain and the lifestyle here," he said. "The work is going well. The atmosphere is good, but none of that means anything for the future. I have a contract here. No decision will be made before the end of the season.

"There are a lot of rumours at the moment, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't have any news. Like I have already said, I want to finish the championship and win the title. I will wait until the end of the season before discussing it with the club and making a decision. We still have time to decide what will happen.

"It is not true that I ever said I wanted to leave Paris. I've got no update. The media talk about Real Madrid and other clubs, but I haven't spoken to anyone because I am always very clear and honest with my board of directors."

Clarity and honesty are not two of the first words that come to mind when you think of the PSG board of directors, who have undermined Ancelotti on a number of occasions this season. Given some of the treatment he has received you wouldn't blame Carletto for scampering off to the Spanish capital at the first opportunity.

On the other hand, we haven't pulled up too many trees on the pitch this season, so it's debatable whether his departure would be a massive blow. Yes we're top of the league, but this hasn't been a vintage year for Ligue 1, and it's worth noting that PSG's current total of 70 points would have seen us trailing Montpellier at this stage last season. The fact that we have a six point advantage - potentially nine after tonight's match - says more about the standard of the opposition than anything else.

Molding a bunch of expensive individuals into a team isn't an easy job, and it should be noted that Ancelotti has created a side that functions well most of the time, particularly in defence. But we still have a lot of deficiencies, and crucially these don't seem to be being resolved. A coach of Ancelotti's experience and reputation would undoubtedly be a loss, but on the basis of his work in the last 18 months I don't think it would be a loss that would set the project (sorry) back unduly.

If he does leave, it's looking increasingly likely Ancelotti will go as a Ligue 1 winning coach. PSG need six points to clinch the title, and will be hoping to pick up three of those at Evian tonight.

The water boys beat us on penalties in the Coupe de France recently, the latest in a series of underwhelming results PSG have achieved against the league's lesser lights. Evian striker Kevin Bérigaud believes lightning could strike twice.

"The Coupe de France and Ligue 1 are completely different competitions," said Berigaud, showing an admirable grasp of the competition structure in France.

"They are playing for the title and we are fighting for our survival. We need to play well, but nothing is impossible and we can win again."

Aside from Thiago Motta, who is serving his latest suspension, PSG have a full squad to choose from, with Lucas Moura available again after his rib injury. Kick off in Annecy is 8pm English time.

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The Rumour Mill: Ancelotti's future unclear as AC Milan and Juventus are warned off PSG stars

Like Clash singer Mick Jones, Carlo Ancelotti appears to be caught in two minds: Should I stay or should I go?

Rumours linking the Paris Saint-Germain boss with a switch to Real Madrid have been swirling around for some months, and L’Equipe today says a deal to take the Italian to the Bernabau is “90 per cent done.”

You can see why Ancelotti is undecided: On the one hand he could move to a vastly wealthy club, with huge expectations, temperamental superstar players and complex internal politics. On the other he could stay at an, er, vastly wealthy club, with huge expectations, temperamental superstar players and complex internal politics.

"We want Carlo to stay, but first of all we have to win the league," said Leonardo of his coach. "That's our absolute priority. After that, it will be up to Carlo to decide and to see whether or not he wants to continue at the helm of PSG."

Not exactly a heartfelt bid to keep Carletto is it? I’ve always felt that Ancelotti would be with us next season, but now I’m not so sure.

Anyway, Leo has been busy talking to the press this week, and the gist of his various interviews is EVERYONE IS STAYING HURRAH FOR US. Ok, I’ve paraphrased somewhat, but PSG’s director of football denied reports that he is going to head a summer exodus back to Serie A, along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (linked with Juventus), Ezequiel Lavezzi (AC Milan) and Marco Verratti (Juventus again).

"I will be staying at PSG, and I've never had any intention of leaving," said Leo. "Ibra will still be with Paris next season, that's quite clear."

A move to Juventus would, according to the Gazetto dello Sport, involve Zlatan taking a massive paycut from €12 to €7million per season. I’m no mathematician, but this doesn’t sound like a great deal to me, though I’m sure with a bit of economising here and there the Ibra family could probably get by. Maybe he’ll have to sell a car or something.

Zlatan himself seems worryingly keen on a move, though this may be because he is traumatised after being snogged by Renato Civelli in Sunday’s match against Nice. If I had an amorous Civelli on my tail I’d probably want to leave the country too.

“I’m tied to Paris Saint-Germain by a contract,” remarked The Swede, sounding like a middle-aged housewife referring to her loveless marriage.

“However, to be wanted by Juventus, if that is true, would be an honour because they are a fantastic club, for whom I have already played.

“Their team is strong and they have a great project. However, I’m here in Paris and I’m thinking about winning the title with PSG.”

Zlatan’s new strike partner/replacement could be Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, who has reportedly agreed terms on a summer switch to the Parc des Princes. However, Leo has poured cold water on this rumour too.

"The Uruguayan is not our goal this summer," said Leo. "You should not expect a sensational transfer market [from PSG] because we already have champions."

Expect to see Cavani turning up at the Parc des Princes in July then.

PSG are certainly going to need at least one striker at this rate, as Kevin Gameiro looks increasingly certain to quit the club. Lyon are the latest club to show an interest in the former Lorient front man, who is understandably disgruntled about spending most of the season with his butt firmly nailed to the substitutes bench.

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