A week of two halves

It's been a dramatic few days for two of Malta's top football stars.

While Michael Mifsud's move to Bristol City was collapsing dramatically at the start of the week, Justin Haber was busy fulfilling a lifelong dream by signing for Sheffield United at the end of it.

According to media reports, up until last Sunday Mifsud's transfer from Coventry looked a sure thing. A £1.5 million fee had been agreed between the clubs and team manager Gary Johnson spoke publically about how he believed the 'mosquito' was just what his team needed.

Mifsud then spent the weekend in Bristol getting a feel for the place (not hard to do considering it's one of the most picturesque cities in England) and it was fully expected that pen would be put to paper on Monday or Tuesday.

But then the deal collapsed in a manner more befitting a Middle East peace summit.

City boss Johnson blamed it on strange negotiating tactics by Mifsud and his advisers, and said he didn't want a player on his books who was not 100 per cent committed to the team.

But then again, he would wouldn't he? He's hardly likely to blame either himself or his club for the breakdown in negotiations. It's only natural he would point a finger at the player and his agent.

Of course the natural reaction to Johnson's comments is to wonder if, just maybe, Mifsud was being a bit greedy or asking for clauses in his contract that were just plain unreasonable.

Although Mifsud and his representatives have kept diplomatically quiet on the issue so far, I am fairly positive that this wasn't the case. As a player he is driven by ambition rather than cash and I think that is where the real issue lies.

Because, let's be brutally honest here, does anybody really think moving to Bristol City would have enhanced his ambitions of playing in the top flight? Can it really be considered a step up the football ladder?

True, they had a good season last time round but they are relatively new to the Championship and are hardly what you could comfortably describe as a 'big' team. Personally I don't see them achieving much more than mid-table mediocrity next season, with or without Michael on board.

Which makes you wonder if Mifsud wasn't being pushed into the move by Coventry. With just a year left on his current deal, the club knows it will get nothing for him next summer when he will be able to leave on a free transfer. So it makes sense to try and get some cash back now rather than wait for its asset to be worthless. One thing that has to be pointed out at this stage is that Mifsud never formally asked for a transfer, so that in itself should make his side of the story more interesting when we eventually get to hear it.

Simply put, at 27, Mifsud is approaching his prime and his next move needs to be the right one. He needs to join a club whose ambitions match his own as, if he signs a long-term deal, it could well be where he ends his career.

The reality is that the collapse of this move should not be seen as a setback. It is, to use an old cliché, a blessing in disguise, and Mifsud will go on to bigger and better things. To that end, it's nice to know his management team has his best interests at heart.

In fact, the only real loser in this whole issue is the local entrepreneur who right now is probably trying to cancel his order for a thousand City shirts with MIFSUD printed on the back. Trust me, there will be one out there somewhere.

However, with all due respect to Mifsud, the news that really got me excited this week was Justin's move to the Blades. For Mifsud, the current career confusion is just part and parcel of being a football star and the media games that go with it.

But for Haber, signing for Sheffield United was more than just a massive step up the career ladder - it was the culmination of a journey that has taken him a decade to complete and seen him ply his trade all over Europe.

The Maltese international goalkeeper has had his sights set on playing in England since he was old enough to catch a ball. While it would have been easier, and more financially lucrative, to give up that dream and sign a long-term contract, Haber refused to simply 'settle'.

And that determination saw him take short deals in France, Bulgaria, Belgium and Greece as he continued his efforts to force his way into the English game.

Two years ago it looked like he had finally made the breakthrough when he went for a trial at Bramall Lane. But, despite impressing, the then Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock decided not to offer him a contract.

Many people would have given up at that point and resigned themselves to being another nearly man. But not Haber. He redoubled his efforts and got himself a determined new agent in Carly Barnes who genuinely believed in him. So the quest continued.

For once, this is a story with a happy ending and it is a perfect tribute to the man himself. I know Haber personally and am proud to call him a friend. You would struggle to meet a nicer, more genuine man or a more dedicated footballer.

A few months ago when I was chatting to Haber he said there was a sign in the dressing room at Bramall Lane which says 'Never Say Die' and he was using that as his inspiration, his driving force.

That today he is sitting on a two-year contract with that very same team should be an inspiration to us all. Proof that if you want something badly enough then hard work, honesty and determination can make it happen.

Of course, it won't be easy at United for Haber. He joins as third choice keeper and will have to dislodge the likes of Irish international Paddy Kenny to make it into the first 11.

But if he shows the same sort of determination in Sheffield as he showed in getting there, you just get the feeling nothing is beyond him.

The beauty is, he has joined a team going places, and I am not just saying that because it's the team I have supported since birth.

Sheffield United are one of the most progressive clubs in England with a chairman who is determined to make them a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.

They have bought or tied up deals with clubs all over the globe including China, Hungary, Brazil and Australia and they themselves are pushing for promotion back to the top flight this season.

Haber has got his foot in the door at exactly the right time. Let's just hope Mifsud gets his foot in a similar door sometime soon. Or maybe even the same one...

It's not the winning...

The Olympic Games are just days away and finally the focus is shifting away from politics and pollution and onto more sporting issues. That's not to say those issues aren't important. Of course they are. But the Olympics by its very nature need to rise above the former and preferably stay below the latter.

Because, at the end of the day, the Olympics are all about the competitors. For thousands of athletes, taking part in the games is the culmination of years of effort, dedication and training. People who have devoted their lives to their discipline finally get the chance to live the dream by taking part in the world's biggest and most spectacular sporting event.

And the Maltese are no different. We may only be sending over six athletes but for each and every one of them this will be an experience they will never forget. Something they can tell their grandchildren about.

I was chatting to a colleague the other day and he was questioning how much sense it makes to send athletes to the games when you know they have no realistic chance of coming home with a medal.

This highly competitive person is one of those who passionately believe it is not the taking part that is important, but the winning.

Although, generally speaking, I would agree with him, I think the Olympics are an exception to that rule. You don't go to the Olympics just to win - that is a privilege reserved for only the very best. You go to the Olympics just to be there.

The games are about nations coming together, about international differences being forgotten, about man competing against man and woman against woman on a level playing field.

Just because we have little chance of coming home with a medal - and with people like shooter William Chetcuti around, there is always a chance - that in no way means we shouldn't be there.

In fact, I would go as far as to suggest it means the very opposite. If we ever do want to return home from an Olympics with one of our team clutching a gold, silver or bronze, then we need our athletes and coaches to be gaining every possible ounce of experience.

They need to go to the games and not just take part, but use the whole thing as learning process. They will be surrounded by some of the most talented athletes on the planet and that is the perfect place to learn your trade.

Malta may not come back from these games laden with medals but the team will return with more experience and understanding of what it takes to be the very, very best. And that will only be of benefit to the long-term aspirations of our athletes.

No Spain, no gain

That's it. It's official. I want to be Spanish. First Euro 2008, then Wimbledon, now the Tour de France. Is there any sport this nation isn't good at?

There have been times over the years when one country or another has gone through a sporting purple patch - I recall Australia being unable to lose anything a short while back.

But I don't think I have ever seen so much success for one nation in such an intense period before. Then again, as an England supporter, it's hardly surprising this whole 'success' thing feels a little weird to me.

The last time England enjoyed a multi-sport winning streak Long John Silver had both legs and an egg on his shoulder.

Pass the paella.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com