10 favourite sporting moments of 2010

won't be writing much, just watch and enjoy.


10. England winning the twenty20 World cup against Australia





9. Tshabala goal vs Mexico in the World cup opening game. Great goal, even greater moment for South Africa




8. Mayweather's top performance vs Shane Mosley after the initial  shock of nearly hitting the may




7. Diego Milito's man of the match performance vs Bayern Munich in the Champions league final




6. Chris Ashton brilliant try vs Australia

 


5. 2010 AFL grand final ends in a draw. One of the best matches I've seen in any sport.



4. New Orleans winning the Super Bowl against Indianapolis Colts. This touchdown in particular





3. England retain the Ashes down under!




2. Barcelona's demolition of Real Madrid 5-0. Superb!



1. Just watch... nuff said

English sport in 2010 - The good and down right ugly, part 3

Credit HERE

It won't get any happier than this for reviewing english sport in 2010. It really been a great year for cricket, winning our first ICC World trophy in Barbados. Then we beat that feat when retaining the ashes down under.

Wasn't sure what to expect when the T20 World cup came around in the summer. England are an unpredictable team at times, and we've seen it all before. Of course we lost to hosts the West Indies, but only because of the D/L method.

It got better and better for England and we even beat the holders, Pakistan, by six wickets followed by South Africa by 39 runs. We were looking good and taking out some tough opposition.

Our fielding was top class and so was our bowling, all this was too much for the aussies. We won by seven wickets with three overs remaining. A fully deserved world title victory and was only the start to England's great year.

Credit HERE

Then we had the Ashes in Australia, could England retain the little urn down under for the first time in 24 years? Of course we could!

Alistair Cook has been the star run scorer and grabbed a double century in the second innings of the first test to save a draw after a poor first innings. Things would only get better in the second test.

In Adelaide we continued the momentum from the first test and won by an innings with a total of 620 runs and Kevin Pietersen scored a double century. A great test for England, but this momentum wouldn't carry on to Perth.

Australia were the better team in Perth and England needed to bounce back in Melbourne and we did brilliantly. It was performance worthy of the MCG and we were worthy and proved the much better side in all aspects of the game.

Winning by a massive innings and 157 runs it was a victory that emphasised the massive year it has been for English cricket, fully deserved and one man deserves the plaudits.

Andy Flower, since taking the reigns in 2009, has brought England a long way. Winning the Ashes in England, taking us to World cup glory in the West Indies, and now retaining the ashes. It has been a great year for English cricket because it is being run properly and the right people are in charge.

Its all in place to carry on in 2011, hopefully starting by winning the fifth ashes test in Sydney, then hopefully a good showing in the one day World cup.

Cricket is in complete contrast to English football, we actually have something to shout about on the world stage of sport. I think the success will carry through in 2011. BARMY ARMY!

English sport in 2010 - The good and down right ugly, part 2



Credit Here

 After the depressing year of Football it's time to lighten things up abit with English boxing in 2010.

2009 saw both Amir Khan and David Haye win World titles so 2010 was all about defending them, which they did successfully.

Amir Khan defended his Welterweight title against Paulie Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden. He won his fight in the United States in the 11th round after a dominant performance.

His next fight was much tougher and would test his so called 'fragile' chin as went up against Marcos Maidana. It was a fight that proved critics wrong and showed that Khan really is a great fighter. A young fighter that will only get better.

David Haye defended his World title twice, once against Ruiz and then against hapless Audley Harrison. What was disappointing was there was no Klitchko fight, we'll have to wait until 2011 for that. This was still a decent year for Haye who has finally shut Harrison up, unfortunately not stopped wanting to fight.

Thankfully it wasn't his last year of boxing, that will be 2011, so hopefully it will be a better year and the Hayemaker will be able to retire happy.

Carl Froch is the third English World champion at the end of 2010 after he defeated Arthur Abraham by points decision. He dominated from start to finish as he regained the WBC super-middleweight title. 2010 has been a stepping stone year for Froch has he looks to continue his success in 2011.

Sky are interested in showing his future fights, his next one being Jamaican Glen Johnson, so it looks to be good year ahead and 2010 was a massive jump foward to help get to this point. He will surely get the spotlight he deserves.

Chisora had a chance to make it four english world champions, however Vladimir Klitchko pulled out of that bout due to injury. That was disappointing for the english Heavyweight, who because of Haye may have to fight amongst Brits before he gets another shot.

We also saw the continuing rise of James DeGale as he successfully became the British Super-Middleweight champion, defeating Paul Smith in Liverpool. An impressive 9th round TKO that proved he has the 12 round stamina and can go on to bigger and better things soon.

Towards the end of 2010 it has been looking good for English boxing, 2011 may be even better. There is no doubt that English boxing is in a good way at the moment and it will get better.









English sport in 2010 - The good and down right ugly, part 1



At first I was going to do a review of a multiple of sports in one blog, but that was going to be too long. I have split it into different part to make it a lighter read.

So here it is my multi-sport review for England in 2010 and I am going to start with the football just to get the 'down right ugly' out of the way in part 1.

Credit 

English football was looking good in 2009 and at the start of 2010. England  had a good World cup qualifying campaign and Wayne Rooney was scoring goals.

As for the premier league the standard did not look too bad, but I think what we saw in the Champions League changed that. Liverpool went out of the group stage after a very poor showing. Chelsea were not good enough to beat eventual champions Inter Milan. Arsenal were victims of the shift in power to La Liga  when thet were taken a part by Barcelona and Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp. Manchester United were knocked out on away goals by Bayern Munich in the Quarter-Finals.

A poor showing in comparison to the last five seasons that saw an English team in the final each year. The first evidence of the decline in quality of Premier League teams. This has continued this season in my opinion and the league is more competitive for it.

Teams have caught up with the old big four with Liverpool down and out. You may say its more exciting, and I can see why but the league is a poorer quality now and the style of football is nothing to shout about. Then you consider the players.




Credit

  The World Cup in South Africa showed England for what they are. Overrated, under-skilled players who talk the talk but could barely walk in South Africa. This isn't helped by the media, but the point is the standard of English players is average.

It finally exposed the cracks in the development system in England, however no change was made until the game against France.

Again outplayed, outpassed and were made to look silly. Finally it was announced that the Burton Academy will be built to try and improve the standard of English football.

After the World Cup the attention was on Rooney who continued his poor form. He announced he wanted to leave the Manchester United and then quickly change his mind, another bad sign for English football that agents have more control over players than managers. Tevez did the same and the fans were proven fickle and forgave them both.

The biggest worry is the amount of teams in financial trouble and other problems Owners bring. This season has seen Sheffield Wednesday come close to administration only to be saved by Milan Mandarich, and Plymouth Argyle are close to being the first professional team since 1992 to go into liquidation.
Owners have caused problems in the top flight aswell. Mike Ashley became Public enemy number one yet again when he sacked Chris Hughton and the new owners of Blackburn did not waste much time after they sacked Sam Allardyce.

It really has been a poor year for English football and depressing. Football has become a business English football is paying the price. Our youth system, in fact football in England full stop, is poorly run and the cracks continue to show. No longer "the best league in the world" and the "home of football" is in a bad state.

We even failed in our bid to host the 2018 World Cup, however the contraversy surrounding that opens up a different can of worms all together. I won't go there.

The Burton Academy has been given the go ahead though, the only silverlining on this very dark cloud. Hopefully 2011 will be a better year, but I doubt it.

Ronaldinho, The Great

Picture by - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Darz_Mol

It has been revealed recently that Ronaldinho has agreed terms with boyhood club Gremio and will be saying goodbye to europe.

Anyone can easily talk about the good, bad and the ugly sides of Ronaldinho's career, but I'm going to remind myself and everyone about the good... the great.

Not much of a mainstream name whilst he was at Paris St Germain, his first European club, but he exploded onto the world stage in 2002 helping his country win the World Cup in Korea/Japan.

Of course I will always remember his goal vs England in the Quarter-Final (which was an accident!) which left me a stunned 10 year old boy. Even though I was young I could still see the talent that we would later see a lot more of.

After his impressive World Cup eyes turned and the bigger clubs in Europe started their bidding war. He was close to a move to Manchester United if you believe reports, but his destination was to be Spain and a great shame that the Premier League missed out.

Like most Brazilians you could see how much he enjoyed his football, the smiling assassin just never stopped smiling. He played samba football at it's brilliant best, a truly remarkable player who did so much in his 5 years with the Catalunya giants.

Two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super cups, a Uefa Champions League and lets not forget all those individual awards including FIFA World best player two years running in 2004 and 2005. He couldn't be touched by any player in those two years, the undisputed best player in the World.

He now says goodbye to Europe as a fading talent, in a similar fashion as most Brazilians before him. He is one of my personal favourite players and I don't think I am the only one.

I don't think we can forget the passion he had for the game, his celebrations alone show his enjoyment and also the passion he has whilst playing football and he was a better player for it. We shouldn't forget how great he was. I certainly won't.

Make sure you watch the video below!

How important is the FIFA World Club Championship?

Picture by-Tales.ebner

On Saturday Internationale Milan won the FIFA World Club Championship. This completed a great year for Inter, but how important is this title?

On their website they display the title of world champions and rightly so as this short tournament declares the world champions, but there are those who are basically not bothered.

Is it just for the simple confirmation of the title that teams take it seriously or is it becoming the most important title. Is it more important than winning the Champions league?

There has been the Intercontinental championship in the past, but it was never considered seriously as a major trophy. Scenes for each winner of the new trophy shows the importance to teams.

Tears and celebrations that only suggest that this is a prestigious prize and the top of club football. I personally remember Pepe Guardiola's tears of joy as Barcelona completed their perfect season and year.

It maybe attitudes of different countries, particulary England where it seems its not catching on. Well for fans besides Manchester United when they won the trophy in 2008. In my opinion it is becoming a bigger deal, and the more the competition is around the more important it will become.

Teams that win it will in the future be able to look back at winning the FIFA World Club Championship as big as an achievement in Europe as winning the UEFA Champions League.

the best league in the world?...

The debate continues over which league is the best league in the world. However not everyone can agree to what factors matter when deciding.

It maybe the quality of football, how entertaining it is, or which league contains the best players and all these link to value for money. What I notice is that there isn't a league in the world that can claim their best for each category. Lets break it down.

1. Entertainment- Now this leads to the question what makes a league more entertaining? I think pace, how competitive each match is and also the quality of football being played.

I don't think there is any doubt that when it comes to entertainment the Bundesliga is right up there. Quick paced like the Premier League but a better quality of football with more technical ability on display. This ticks almost all the boxes for entertainment.

No doubt that La liga has some fantastic football throughout the league rivaled by no other league and for the majority the games are competitive. Besides the top 2 the league is quite competitive aswell. It is also relatively quick paced.

The Premier League is a very fast paced league and the games are almost always competitive even when it comes to the top teams. The quality of football is up for debate, personally I don't think it is up there with the best. If you compare the recent Man United vs Arsenal tie with El clasico, it just doesn't come close. However it was a lot more competitive.

2. Talent on display- Is the best league in the world simply the one which attracts the best players? Or is this just a small factor in a bigger picture?

La Liga in the last couple of years has surpassed the Premier League when it comes to attracting the best players. More and more are preferring life in sunny Spain than England. The 3 finalists for this year's Ballon D'or are from La Liga, then you have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema (who both chose Real Madrid over staying or moving to Man United), Villa, Kaka... the list just goes on.

Italy used to be a popular destination for star players, but although there are still some like Ibrahimovic and Sneijder it has fallen behind in the past decade. As for the Bundesliga they have their own to shout about, but like Serie A it falls short in comparison to the Premier League and La Liga.

3. Value for Money- An important factor which is fed by the talent on display and the entertainment.

The Premier League is often criticised for its prices and probably rightly so. You watch matches from leagues like La Liga, Bundesliga and sometimes even the lower leagues in England you wonder why the prices are so high.

Borussia Dortmund are currently top in Germany yet a ticket in the Yellow Wall, the biggest stand in the world, costs on average only £13.This kind of pricing leads to the highest average attendance for a football league and the 3rd highest of all sports at 41,904.

So I don't think there is any doubt here that Bundesliga is the best value for money.

4.Best Teams- Who has the consistently best teams up and down the league? the quality of the teams must be a factor.

La Liga's top 2 are undoubtedly better than any top 2 in  Europe. The standard of the Premier League is in decline, so the top teams just don't seem as threatening. As for the Bundesliga that has been turned on its head this season, and its not the only league.

However if you look up the down the leagues in each it becomes complicated. Is the Europa League an indication of who has the best teams just below the top 3 or 4? I think so and for that reason in my opinion Spain and Germany beat England.

But possibly the mid-table teams are better, or they seem it because they give a good go at the top teams, however that could be another indication on top teams becoming less difficult to beat. Tough one to answer but I think overall Spain wins in the quality of teams catergory.

So to conclude I think it is down to opinion. Is it entertainment? then what entertains you. For me if you're going for entertainment then the Bundesliga is the best, fast pace and good quality football whats not to like. Bundesliga is the best value for money aswell.... and best run.

Best quality in football, players and teams then its La Liga. Watch a Barcelona game and you won't want to go back to the Premier League, saying that watch a Bundesliga game it will be difficult to go back. Think what      I can confirm is that in my opinion the Premier League is NOT the best league in the world.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/11/bundesliga-premier-league - Bundesliga vs Premier League.

Victory from co-operation...

Frederick Manligas Nacino (Opusdeiphotography)

UFC 124 saw George St Pierre face-off against Josh Koscheck with GSP's Welterweight title on the line in Montreal. It turned out to be an MMA fight like no other.

The video above tells the whole story of the fight, a dominant striking performance from probably the P4P best fighter in the world, GSP. What is different about this fight is how controlled it was by the jab of the champion. Something never seen as much as this in MMA.

What made GSP's jab so good? some might say like a boxer. Pierre has always been seen as one of the great  strikers in the UFC so surely he didn't need much          work. Only a boxing mind such as the great Freddie Roach could see shortfalls in George's stand up.

Too stiff and square to be a totally effective stand up so GSP worked with Roach and the results are there to see. This shows that boxing and MMA do not have to compete, they can work together because the results can be great.

As for GSP himself, it shows he is still growing as a fighter which for the rest of the MMA world is a frightening prospect. Who can challenge GSP now? This also shows that MMA is still growing as a sport and is a sign of things to come. You can expect the jab to crop up more frequently from now on.

Déjà vu - further proof of owners causing the problems

Picture by - John Dobson











Chelsea have been here before with Roman Abramovich, undermining the manager leading to an implosion at chelsea. The question is why didn't he learn from the mistake the first time?

In 2006/2007 season Manchester United win the title from Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, the start of the season after showed a poor start for the blues. There were rumours of unrest behind the scenes after Abramovic allegedly bought players Mourinho didn't want, including Shevchenko. Sure enough Mourinho left shortly after the rumours started and in came Avram Grant.

2010/2011 season now and we're seeing it again, Ray Wilkins was sacked by Roman, and Anchelotti has been given an assistant hes only just met for the first time. Since Wilkins' dismissal it has gone all wrong for Chelsea's season after starting so well. You may say it is down to injuries but even without Lampard and Essien in the past it has never been this bad.

The strikers get the chances and don't put them away like against Birmingham, If you score one goals against them it is more than likely you won't lose. Not the Chelsea we've been used to since their first title winning season.

Anchelotti's job doesn't look safe and it is down to the owner undermining the manager. It shouldn't happen, manager should have control over their staff and the team. If the owner goes over the manager's head there is only one way it is going to go and thats down the pan. The fact Abramovich has done it for a second time and hasn't learnt his lesson shows he is not really football wise, and probably not the best owner for Chelsea anymore.

This is however just one example of ownership ruining clubs. You just have to look north to see the problems Liverpool and Manchester United have had. Football is a business now, and it is ruining the sport.

close to perfection...

Picture by - Firasusmo

All the build up in the world would not have prepared us for what happened in the latest El clasico.

Camp Nou, a perfect setting for a near perfect performance. Barcelona delighted its' home crowd once again just over week after their 8-0 win over Almeria. It is amazing how they topped their record equalling away win.

5-0 demlolition over their greatest rivals may sound like a perfect perfomance but it would have been 8 or 9 if it was truly perfect. They out played, out passed, out ran and out shone the "new galacticos", which quite frankly looked pathetic to the great galacticos which included Ronaldo, Zidane and Figo.

In my opinion it was a victory for football, and what football should be. Home grown talent, the perfect brand of football, what every football fan dreams of their team of being, and why football is such a loved sport. Almost the complete opposite to Real Madrid who represent some of the darker sides of what football can be.

Millions upon millions spent on talent not brought through by your own country let alone by the academy. The attitude that the players showed was disgraceful, Cristiano Ronaldo pushing Guardiola was just one huge display of disrespect. Like everyone says El Clasico is a clash of cultures.

Barcelona is the one example in club football of why we love this sport, the one example of youth system and policy that every team should aim to emulate.

 A team and performance close to perfection, can and will anything ever come close to this? Only perfection

Its about time...

picture by - Jbmg40

July, 27 2010, 70th minute in Bloemfontein. Thomas Muellar scores to make it 4-1 to Germany against England. Outclassed, completely humiliated, surely a wake-up call?

I remember Chris Waddle on 5 live. Furious and rightly so, England were obviously technically inept compared to the Germans. Everyone was asking how do the Germans keep coming out with such talent? Well its obvious, their youth development is light years ahead of ours. Chris Waddle, Graham Taylor well... everyone on 5live got it.

Now after such a humiliation you would  think the FA would realise we need a new development centre and take after Germany because it works! No nothing happened until now.

November , 17 2010, exactly 5 months after, England are outclassed by France in a 2-1 defeat at Wembley.
Les Bleus, back from world cup shame, turned around by Lauren Blanc showed off the talent they do have. More people were waking up to the reality that our player development and our players are just not up to standard. Finally forcing the FA to approve the National football academy in Burton-on-trent, to start building in January and finished in 2012.

Finally seeing sense, a move 10 years too late, but a step foward at least. Open in 2012... Bring on World cup 2030!!

The sporting weekend in one blogpost

picture by - http://www.flickr.com/photos/loura/


This weekend of sport has seen a lot of talking points across a number of sports. football, rugby, boxing and F1 all come to mind

We'll start with the highly anticipated fight between David Haye and Audley Harrison in the best of enemies. David wanted to finally shut Audley up and Harrison, well.... he wanted to shut David up.

So much talk before the fight from both and of course the favourite was the Hayemaker. Only one would come good on his promises, and it wasn't the southpaw.

The worst 1st round i've ever seen and of course it was part of both plans. No punches thrown at all, boos rang round the MEN arena. The 2nd round was slightly better from Haye he tried a few more punches, but Audley still no sign of taking a risk.


The 3rd round was more like it from Haye, on the front foot and landing bombs, Harrison offered nothing. He hit the canvas got back up quite bravely, but Haye never let up and a few more shots forced a stoppage.

Haye of course was asked about the Klitchkos. He said it is coming and lets hope so aswell.

Chris Ashton brilliant try

After getting over the initial shock of the result this put a huge smile on my face. Absolutely fantastic performance to crush the aussies at Twickenham.

The video above shows the pick of the tries from Chris Ashton, who was absolutely fantastic and the Captain Lewis Moody lead the team brilliantly.

Definately the best performance under Martin Johnson and his second over the wallabies as manager, England just need to build on that and keep it up with world cup in New Zealand less than a year away.

picture by- inkiboo

The title race was cracked wide open in the premier league in unbelievable fashion and Liverpool were unable to take any momentum from their win over Chelsea

Starting with the early kick-off on Saturday, Manchester United fought back from 2-0 down vs Aston Villa to draw 2-2. Another draw to add to their unbeaten record this season. Vidic was the hero in te 85th minute after Macheda was able to get one goal back.

That same day Liverpool were beaten 2-0 away to stoke, a dreadful performance carrying on the theme from mid-week. Why haven't they been able to push on from such a great result against the champions? Is it now time to turn to the manager? It's hard to see how their season can get up and running.

After United dropped 2 points Arsenal had a chance to take advantage, which they did with a 2-1 win away to Everton. A deserved victory which saw Fabregas grab what would be the winner due to Cahill's consolation in  the 89th minute.

Then  to Stamford bridge, Sunderland the visitors you'd think a win for Chelsea. With Essien, Lampard and Terry all out it wasn't to be. 3-0 win for the black cats who move to 6th and fantastic performance. If it wasn't for Cech in the Chelsea goal it would have been more.

So what now for the title race? Chelsea are there for the taking again but still no one can sustain the pressure. We'll have to wait untill next weekend to see if more pressure is mounted on the champions.

Plymouth Argyle vs Oldham Athletic - football can be cruel

Oldham Athletic

The Green army were in good voice and Plymouth Argyle knew they had a chance to win it. Going to the game against Oldham I learnt and realised a couple of things.

Firstly how far the game in England has come since even Oldham were in the top flight in just 1992, looking at the stadium now you would never have thought it. And most of all that football can be cruel.

Plymouth only had themselves to blame, N'Gala was sent off after just 5 minutes and Oldham converted the penalty. Just 2 minutes after Noone equalised, I would say that got the fans going but they were already singing like they were winning.

Plymouth looked the better team even with just 10 men but things got worse just before half-time when Arnason was sent off for an elbow. 9-men. Plymouth fans were outraged, and the referee to be fair had a shocker all match.

Second half and i'm not sure any one in the stadium could believe it when Bradley Wright-phillips put Argyle a head with a brilliant finish. 2-1 with 9-men, surely we couldn't hold on.

64 minutes and the constant Oldham pressure paid off 2-2, Oldham fans finally started to sing but that only lasted 5 minutes. For Plymouth the hard work started and Noone could have put the Pilgrims ahead, in front of goal and he hit it straight at the keeper.

They looked like they were going to hold, every player ran themselves out of steam, the Argyle fans never stopped singing (including myself). 93rd and 94th minute 2 goals that broke Argyle hearts. Gutted. The proudest part was the Green Army's support, Still singing at 4-2, still singing at full time. Applauded by the Oldham fans.

Man of the match- think I should say men- Bradley Wright-phillips, Craig Noone and Reda Johnson

Phil Vickery...such a shame

Like many others I was sad to hear that Phil Vickery has been forced to retire because of the consistant neck injury. It is a shame he has been forced to retire with it not being on his own terms.

No doubt a legend for England as a World Cup winner in 2003 and he truly is one of the great England talents to be brought through.

picture by - Hanham Bath

It was a real blow for a man hoping to push his way back into the England set up for the World Cup in New Zealand next year and of course for a player with a true passion for the game of Rugby. He is a much loved legend from Cornwall and will hopefully be seen soon on the screens working for television... of course he won't enjoy just watching the match.

His retirement means there are only 4 remaining starters from that historic match in Sydney back in 2003 are still playing top flight rugby. Steve Thompson, Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Ben Cohen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/london_wasps/9134492.stm
Very good video on this page from the BBC

Not surprised at all, but who will win?...

Picture by - Якушкин Иван

The 23-man short list for the Ballon D'or world player of the year have been announced. Not one english man on the list and rightfully so. Only three premier league players are on the list, which shows a change in the wind of world football.

World champions Spain dominte the list with 7 players, Iniesta especially is a huge contender for the big prize. Afterall it is usually a World cup winner who clinches it. What about the dark horses?

If the prize is not awarded to a World cup winner then you automatically think of Lionel Messi. However Diego Forlan has had an incredible year, winning the Europa league and being named player of the World cup in South Africa.

Sneijder is also a huge contender. Winning the treble with Inter Milan, being instrumental in the Netherlands journey to the World cup final, even though it ended disappointingly.

In my opinion Andres Iniesta will be awarded the crown of Worlds best player in Zurich. The award for world coach of the year will also be presented. Jose Mourinho is surely the only one who can take that?

World Player of the Year nominees:

Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Julio Cesar (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller (Germany), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Holland), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Holland), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).

World Coach of the Year nominees:

Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea), Vicente del Bosque (Spain), Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Pep Guardiola (Barcelona), Joachim Low (Germany), Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan/Real Madrid), Oscar Tabarez (Uruguay), Louis Van Gaal (Bayern Munich), Bert van Marwijk (Holland) and Arsene Wenger (Arsenal).

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6469282,00.html

Agents are too big an influence...

If anyone was going to talk about agents this week it was going to be Sir Alex Ferguson. There is no doubt that Wayne Rooney was, how Ferguson described, "ill advised". Why are agents such a big influence?

Don't football players have a mind of their own? Can't they think for themselves? Rooney this week its been Nicholas Anelka so many times before. Why can't a player just say no I think you're wrong. These type of players, who are so easily persuaded, maybe a small minority but so many agents are the source of the trouble.

Ferguson said : "Agents live in their pockets nowadays and for some reason they have an influence on the players which I think is a big change in the game..." now not even one of the greatest managers who has ever lived can get his head around it, so i'm going tohave big trouble.

Of course maybe the agents shouldn't get the blame, surely it's the players fault for not thinking for himself. However agents may take advantage of the knowledge that players put so much trust in such professionals when advised they can't ignore it. The relationship between agent and player is effecting the relationship between player and club and even manager.

"...you know the player you don't know his agent." maybe the relationship between the club/manager with agents should be the thing to improve.

To watch the interview go to this link - http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6467559,00.html




Picture by - Gordon Flood

Top four always shifting...

Picture by-Ed Schipul

Before the weekend the top 4 looked quite unusual. Manchester City in 2nd with Tottenham 3rd, Arsenal 4th and Manchester United nowhere to be seen. The contest for the top 4 is wide open and is shifting every week.

Spurs were first up in the early kick-off on Saturday against Everton. Tough game on paper and it turned out that way in reality. Everton managed a draw, leaving Spurs to drop 2 points, maybe their trip to the San Siro earlier in the week was tiring.

Chelsea were at home to Wolves, expecting 3 points, they ran out 2-0 winners to seal their place at the top for another weekend with Man City hot on their tails. It turned out to be a very good weekend for Chelsea.

Manchester United travelled to the Britannia Stadium, always a tough place to win, and win United did. Still the only unbeaten team in the Premier League, after all the recently drawn games 3 points were vital. Even more so after the Wayne Rooney saga in mid-week which is even more ridiculous as he nurses an injured ankle in the sun of Dubai.

A new hero was to make another mark as a United player, Javier Hernandez with 2 very good striker's goals and a very hardworking performance. Almost Tevez like. United took the lead with an unusual finish from Chicarito only to again let the opposition back in it in the 80th minute. It looked to be the same old story for the Red Devil's season so far, until in the 85th minute when the little Mexican strook again to secure all 3 points. Maybe the start of United's season

The big game was at the City of Manchester stadium where the big money spenders took on Arsenal. City were favourites for many to win this tie but the odds stacked against them when Boyata was sent off for a professional foul. Arsenal brilliantly took full advantage of the situation and ran out 3-0 winners thanks to Nasri, Song and Bendtner.

What does this weekend tell us about the race for the top 4? Only that it's going to be a long season and any slip up from any team will be crucial. As for the genuine title contenders, at the moment its Chelsea on their own, no one is able to sustain constant pressure on the table toppers.

Heavyweight division shaken up again!

UFC 121 saw Heavweight champion Brock Lesnar face Cain Valazquez for the heavweight title. What happened shocked many, myself included.

The start was what we expected and what looked to be the theme for the duration of the fight. Lesnar on the attack, asserting his dominance, which looked like it was working as he landed a flying knee.

Cain Valazquez has worked his way to this title shot and he weathered an almighty 265lbs storm. He wasn't about to waste his opportunity.

Valazquez turned the fight around with some great take downs and picking his shots effectively. He had Lesnar stumbling, Cain jumped at the chance to finish the fight and won by TKO in the first round. A shock to all critics who said he was too small and lesnar will be too powerful. I was a critic proved wrong.

This win well and truly shakes up the heavyweight division. Will Lesnar get a rematch? will Carwin have another shot at the title, his first at Cain Valazquez? or Will Frank Mir return from the brink and take his chance at the title whilst Lesnar is off the heavyweight throne?

http://uk.ufc.com/news/Velasquez-Stops-Lesnar-Wins-Heavy-Title