Sparky’s Column

Pro League big names

Most of the attention in the Pro League is on the big names, Cannavaro at Al Ahli and Yeste at Al Wasl have had more column inches than most this season. Yeste has been a revelation for Al Wasl and is well worth the entire back page but this week I want to focus lower down the league. Kalba have struggled to establish themselves this season but they have had one shining light, Gregory Dufrennes is leading the line for the struggling East coast side. His celebration usually involves picking the ball up from the goal and sprinting back to the halfway line as Kalba try to claw their way back from another defeat. Despite the often inevitable defeats I have been impressed by the Frenchman this season. Where has this gem of a player appeared from? The answer is right here in the UAE. He has shone in the second division for Dubai club and Kalba for a number of years. He was firing in goals left right and centre for Kalba as they powered towards promotion. The haul for the season included a spell where he scored 9 in 3 games. He has been a thorn in the side of defences across the country, continuing where he left off at the end of last season. I wonder how long Kalba will hang onto the player who has been the star in a struggling side.

 

A story has emerged this week that Al Ahli are in pursuit of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. This source of this revelation is The Sun newspaper in the UK. If you are unfamiliar with the publication then I can tell you it is more closely associated with sensationalism than serious journalism. I would not be getting my Al Ahli shirt printed up with Giggs 10 just yet. It would be great to see a player like Ryan Giggs here in the UAE and the Manchester United association would bring more fans through the gates. I can just imagine him in the centre of midfield, with the time and space he would get it would be a joy to watch. I get the feeling a few more players will be linked with teams here as January approaches and the European winters get colder.

 

This weekend the Etisalat Cup takes centre stage as the league fixtures take a break. The group stages should see some of the lower placed teams do well as they are not going to lose as many players to international duties. That being said the usual suspects usually come good in the latter stages of the competition but before that hopefully a few of the smaller clubs will have their day in the sun.