Jonny Gould Interviews: Peter Withe Part 3 (of 4)

Here's Part 3 of Peter's career story covering the magnificent season when Aston Villa became champions of Europe as the club was rocked by the sudden departure of Ron Saunders.

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United rattle the European Champions - but can they finish the job?

New Wembley builds a new legend

Keep your eye on the prize!

Believe me, they give off some heat!

It was a momentous week even for Wembley standards. The Venue of Legends staged the world's two biggest club games in three days, then an international.

Nothing, not even the World Cup beats the Champions League Final for quality and now probably, glory as the pride of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund squared up.

A winner now, contrast to a year ago

Dortmund togetherness in defeat

The other big game, measured by sheer prize money was Crystal Palace against Watford for the keys to the Premier League and a £145m boost to the balance sheet.

The Champions League Final gets bigger every year. The switch from midweek to Saturday night takes it into the cultural mainstream. From Saint and Greavsie to Ant and Dec, if you like.

The moment the new champions were crowned

The opening ceremony starring a fully-fledged medieval battle between the red forces of Munich and yellow of Dortmund complete with bow and arrows, was kicked off with West End star, the War Horse.

Honestly, ITV missed a huge trick not broadcasting it in their Saturday night output.

Live flares from Bayern fall on fans below

Instead, they stuck with the foursome of drony Philistines pontificating on the irrelevant "could happen" points. While Adrian Chiles and Roy Keane swapped soundings, the choreography outside was literally marvellous. 

And the game didn't disappoint either. Bayern took their chances where Dortmund didn't and the master unlocker, Arjen Robben set one up and scored the other in the 2-1 win.

So often, this was a textbook demonstration of how to attack against how to defend.

Medieval warfare: the opening ceremony

But in Bayern's win, we're witnessing a change of guard at the top of European football. To win it a year after the disappointment of losing to Chelsea in their own stadium is a mark of a mighty setup. Follow that Pep Guardiola! 

War Horse from the West End 

Palace's win over Watford was more cagey. No one was going to be responsble for triggering tears in the boardroom. As it was, the headlines made were more romantic than the match.

39-year-old Kevin Phillips came off the bench to score the most valuable of his 280 career goals against the club where he made his name in his last game before retirement.

Wilfried Zaha was so often the difference for Palace, with his clever touches on the floor and even brainier short-passing. But Manchester United will observe he needs to build on his game, just as Cristiano Ronaldo needed to in his first days at Old Trafford. 

The semi-final vanquished were Real & Barca

England v Republic of Ireland rounded off the crowded fixture list as the FA's 150th anniversary game commemorated darker days between the two countries. It was the first fixture between the two since that ill-fated night in Dublin where crowd trouble brought the game to a premature end.

Frank Lampard's goal-trail continued. His 29th international strike puts him just one behind Alan Shearer in the all-time scoring parade. Who says the Chelsea midfielder can't go on and score half a dozen more for his country? 

New Wembley is building its legend slowly but surely. It's just seven years old, but the atmosphere, particularly in the two club games was noisy, excitable and befitting the occasions. 

For a modern building, it has a soul.

What future the angry man of Arsenal?

It’s been a week to forget for Arsene Wenger – out of the FA Cup and now staring Champions League exit in the face too.

Kick the bottle, Arsene.

He was in a strop ahead of the Bayern Munich news conference too.

Arsenal have become the world’s biggest selling-club. Wenger developed amazing young talent – but sold them to major clubs.

Now the Gunners' model of always qualifying for the Champions League, putting winning trophies in the shade – has come home to roost.

Bayern Munich were so much better than Arsenal - so what future for the club and their manager?

listen to ‘It's @smoothbreakfast Sport pondering Wenger's future’ on Audioboo

BEWARE: This podcast contains nuts!

Each morning on Smooth Radio at 6.30, 7.30 and 8.30, I give you the sports news straight! Well, as much as is possible when Arsene Wenger goes off on one.

Because after defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup, it's the Champions League which remains as the only trophy Wenger can win this season. It's a trophyless streak which has lasted eight excruciating years.

Since the FA Cup win in 2005, Manchester United and Chelsea have both won eight trophies apiece - including the Champions League.

Wenger lives and breathes his Arsenal life. It hurts!

Here's my bulletin the morning of the Champions League last-16 tie between Arsenal and Bayern Munich, as the strain definitely showed on the Professor!

listen to ‘Good Morning Sports Fans! CONTAINS NUTS (audio with Wenger) @smoothbreakfast’ on Audioboo

Also on Soccermongery:

Arsene Wenger is football's Basil Fawlty!

Chelsea's unexpected last chance Champions League saloon!

When Carlo Ancelotti's double winners crashed out of last season's Champions League, his fate was sealed as seemingly were those of Drogba, Lampard and Terry. But after an astounding volte face by owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea stand on the edge of their finest hour:

listen to ‘#cfc drink from the unlikeliest of all last chance Champions League saloons’ on Audioboo

We're heading for a transfer market crash!

All the signs are there... we're heading for a sharp correction in what big clubs are prepared to pay for top talent.

That might seem an odd thing to say at a time of screaming tabloid headlines.

The world record transfer fee has been smashed twice this summer: Kaka's £56million and then £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo to both join Real Madrid obliterated the £47m which took Zizou from Juventus, also to the Bernabeu.

Carlos Tevez is off to Manchester City for over £25million.

And the action won't stop there: Bayern Munich are holding out for over £60million for their French midfield star, Franck Ribéry.

It's such a huge bounty that only three clubs can afford him. Freespending Real plus Manchester United and Chelsea. But Bayern's board know: If not now, when? the time is ripe for a financial killing at the expense of the world's biggest clubs.

Ahead of a crash, every market throughout time reacts in the same way; an intense inflationary bubble followed by interminable financial heartache. The Western World's property and London's Art Market to name but two.

And the same question always seems to be asked in the months leading upto disaster: "Is the Art/Property/Transfer Market recession proof?"

And the answer is always, "Emphatically, NO!"

I'm willing to make a prediction that Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer fee will be the high bar for a decade.

Sir Alex Ferguson remarked in a recent news conference just how maddening prices have become. Aside from being an accessory to creating the new excitement, he claims he's putting the shutters up as far as buying is concerned this close-season.

In the US, it's basketball's close-season and all the talk surrounds lower wages and fees to reflect economic reality.

If revenues from TV, the Champions League, gate receipts and merchandise start falling (some of those are more volatile than others) then the transfer market, which is the most volatile confidence indicator of all - will crash and burn. It happened in 1981.

Manchester United and AC Milan sold well.

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