Ronaldo, IL FENOMENO

Ronaldo; Credit HERE

On this Valentines day, February 14th 2011, the original Ronaldo, il fenomeno, retired. It brings the career of a legend to an end, arguably the greatest striker/player of all-time.

He started his professional career in his home country of Brazil, where he played for Cruzeiro. He made 14 league appearances that season and scored 12 goals. However, when you add in cup competitions and the goals he scored in Campeonato Mineiro 1994, the total came to 44 goals in 44 appearances.

Before joining Cruzeiro, Ronaldo was turned down by the team he supported as a child, Flamengo. Fortunately Jairzinho saw his great potential and gave him his chance. Cruzeiro went on to win their first Copa  do Brasil championship.

He was picked for Brazil at the age of 17 in the 1994 World cup, but never played. It was at the World cup where another Brazilian legend, Romario, advised a young Ronaldo to join PSV Eindhoven to kick start his European career. So after just one season at Cruzeiro Ronaldo signed for PSV, where he would carry on his scoring success.

In his first season in Holland he managed a 35 goals in a total of 36 appearances, picking up the Eredivisie top goalscorer award. 18 years-old and running riot, the footballing world was beginning to see the class that everyone would soon see more of in the future.

Unfortunately, his second season in Holland was injury ridden, Ronaldo managed just 21 appearances, however he did score 19 goals. It would be his last season with PSV and he finished his career there by winning the Dutch cup.

The next step up was Barcelona, the Catalan giants, his first spell in Spain was probably his best in his career. The World was about to take note of IL FENOMENO. His first season at the Camp Nou he achieved a goal scoring record that blew everyone away, an incredible 47 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions. Until the 2008-2009 season, Ronaldo remained the last player to score more than 30 goals in a La liga season.

He became the youngest FIFA World player of the year in 1996, and he capped off the season by helping Barcelona to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. A truly marvelous season. His time at Barcelona was brief, and in the summer he moved to Inter Milan after failing to re-negotiate a contract with Barca.

His success continued, he won the World player of the year for a second time in a row. In Italy he started to develop his game even further, he racked up more assists and started taking and scoring free-kicks and penalties. He was becoming the most well rounded player in football.

In 1999 in a game against Lecce, Ronaldo fell to a serious ruptured tendon. An injury that would plague his career and in his first comeback vs Lazio in the first leg of the cup final, after just seven minutes he was injured  again. Two operations and many months of rehabilitation kept him out of the game and was just what he needed to comeback.

In 2002 Ronaldo returned in fantastic fashion and his player of the tournament performance at the World cup in Korea/Japan, helped Brazil to their fifth World crown. He finished top goalscorer of the tournament, including the two goals that won the final against Germany.

It lead to his third World player of the year title and a 39 million euros move to Real Madrid, where he would become a part of a Galaticos team which included Zidane, Figo and Raul. Further injury problems marred his time at Real Madrid, however he still helped los Blancos to two La liga championships, the intercontinental cup and Spanish super cup.

One of his greatest moments in the white of Real Madrid was his Hat-trick vs Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions league. Marked by a standing ovation from all corners of the ground as he was subbed off. A great performance by a great player.

Injuries disrupted the rest of his career, which lead to weight issues that forced him out of favour at Real Madrid. His career took him back to Italy where he played for AC Milan and then back home to Brazil. He finished off his career with Corinthians, and he will be sorely missed.

He finishes with a career total of 352 goals in 515 games and the World cup all-time top goalscorer with 15 goals.

Skill, pace, balance and an eye for goal like no other. He has the ability to take on players like Maradona and the incredible talent of scoring for fun like Pele. People still say Maradona or Pele is the greatest of all time, in my opinion Ronaldo, R9, Il Fenomo, is the greatest of all time!.

Watch this video, which proves my point

A wise look at Super bowl XLV

Vince Lombardi
Credit HERE

Sunday sees the Green Bay Packers face-off with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dallas to determine the winner of Super bowl XLV. When trying to decide who I think will win I decided to think who the wise choice would be. They did not come much wiser than Vince Lombardi and that is where I seeked guidance.

The former coach was at Green Bay for almost a decade in his career as a coach and he won two Super bowls and five NFL championships, as well as being inducted into the hall of fame in 1971. And of course the Super bowl itself is named after Vince Lombardi.

With all that experience his wisdom has more authority than anyone, and because of that I will look at some of his genius to help me pick a winner.

"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society. "

It will come down to this most important fact. The only problem is how can you decide between the Steelers and the Packers based on team work? Furthermore both teams have, as Lombardi puts it, 'complex football defenses'. It is one of the main reasons why they are both where they are. In this case it will be down to the better defence on the night, who can step up when it really matters?

For me Green Packers wins this round. With Aaron Rodgers they have the better quarterback, and the team work the better for it. As for the defence both have one that can make the play when it matters most but the Packers, throughout the play-offs, drove them to Dallas with a number of match winning plays. None more important than BJ Raji's touchdown against the Chicago Bears.

"The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual. "


'Achievements', only one of these teams has had multiple achievements in recent years and that is of course the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two Super bowl titles in the last five years, looking to make it three in six. A dynasty with the experience that could take them to victory, they have been through all this before and know that the 'combined effort' is what wins titles.

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up. "

Both teams have come back from losses obviously, but I think what is more impressive is how the Green Bay Packers have come back. Losing to Detroit Lions in week 14 and the New England Patriots in week 15 was almost a crisis for the Packers, they needed to win both of their last two games. Against the Giants and their biggest rivals the Chicago Bears it was never going to be an easy task.                                                                                    

They overcame New York with a massive 45-17 victory and managed to beat the Bears 10-3. What was more impressive was their 48-21 victory against the Falcons, a team with a 13-3 record. They lost two games in a row and they have come back stronger, topped off with winning the NFC Championship @ Chicago.

Another obstacle they have overcome in a general term is the loss of Brett Favre. They have moved on, they were down without him but the Packers, with Rodgers as quarterback, are a well lead team. Not many thought they would be able to fill the gaping hole that was left by Favre.

"Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence."

Confidence is key in any sporting match, at this stage both teams will be full of confidence so it all depends on  which team asserts themselves earliest. The team who receive the ball first have the first chance but Aaron Rodgers is not one to play aggressively from the start, although the Championship game vs the Bears was an exception.

I believe Pittsburgh will be the more assertive early on, as they were against the Jets. The confidence will also come from the big match experience the Steelers have, which is why familiarity with how to play at the Super bowl is such a key factor in who will win.

It is because of this I think the Steelers will win. Wisdom is the theme of this blog post, and with their previous appearances in recent Super bowls I believe Pittsburgh are a team full of wisdom that will win them the game. Proven big game players in the biggest game of them all. That alone is enough to swing my view.

Ryan Giggs - 37 years young

Credit HERE

 Talks of plans to add another year to Ryan Giggs' contract at Manchester United at the age of 37 would provoke questions if it was any other player. However this is Giggsy and it is more than justified.

In the same week as the story of a new contract came about Manchester United beat Birmingham in an impressive 5-0 win. Although Berbatov got a hat-trick and with that man of the match, Ryan Giggs also put in a very good performance topped off by a goal.

In the season  where he has clocked up his 600th appearance, Giggs himself wants to carry on at United. With performances like the one vs Birmingham, where he also bagged an assist, and his  substitute show vs Blackpool it is no wonder Manchester United still want him.

Probably man of the match for United at Bloomfield Road, although that might not be saying much based on first half performances. However as soon as Giggs came on for Gibson he changed the game. Partially because Man United had more width to their formation with him on the wings, but also because he still has an attacking urgency which he can still execute.

If you look at this Chalkboard you can see the concentration of Ryan Giggs' passes vs Blackpool, which is why he changed the game for Manchester United. In the attacking third, making things happen as he has done for so long. The very fact alone that Giggs can still perform well in this manner and help Manchester United come back from defeat like he has done for so long is enough to earn him new contracts each year.

It is amazing that he continues to play so consistently well it is almost routine and yet we are still left surprised. He has still scored in every Premier League season and is still needed by Manchester United. In the past few years players like Gary Neville have become less of an asset with no real need to keep in the squad, but having Giggs, along with Scholes, in the team is still very much a benefit for Manchester United.

At the age of 37 there are not many teams in the Premier League, if any, that would not mind having this man in their team. Still a game changer, still a winner and still hungry for more. How many 37 year old players can still say that about?

Packers and Steelers earn their tickets to Dallas

Credit HERE

  Last night saw the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers  seal their places in Super Bowl 46. It was far from easy for both teams, but their impressive defence was enough to see them through.

NFC Championship game

It was a match that saw a 90 year old rivalry continue, Packer vs Bears was not to be missed. Packers received the ball and they drew first blood.

The opening drive took Green Bay into the end zone, Quarterback Aaron Rodgers ran it in from one yard. The Packers had a lot of success to Greg Jennings, who finished the game with eight receptions and 130 receiving yards.

The second touchdown came in the second quarter with rookie Starks running in from four yards. 14-0 at half-time, but the score did not reflect Green Bay's dominant performance. This made the second half much more interesting.

What the Bears did not want is their Quarterback Jay Cutler to get injured, however this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Todd Collins came in,  but not for long and was replaced by third string Caleb Hanie.

The Bears did not score until the fourth quarter and with that the momentum shifted, Chicago looked the more likely to score the next touchdown. 14-7 Green Bay looked like they were going to be made to rue missed opportunities.

However the Packers were gifted their next touchdown as Hanie was intercepted by BJ "the Freezer" Raji, who completed the touchdown. With the Green Bay offence struggling, the defence had to step up and they did so perfectly.

Green Bay, however, became complacent. Almost immediately after Chicago scored the first passing touchdown of the match ironically from the third string Caleb Hanie. Short pass to Bennett for 35 yards and the touchdown.

21-14 and a very nervous finish to the game for the Packers. Again it was down to the defence to keep Chicago out and for the third time in four matches Green Bay win the match with an interception. Again showing the defences ability to step up when it really matters.

So game over, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers reach the Super Bowl, showing that they have moved on from Brett Favre. Most of all that Rodgers is the leader of this team.

AFC Championship game

Credit HERE

In the AFC Ben Roethlisberger reached his third Super Bowl as the Pittsburgh Steelers survived a second half come back from the New York Jets.

If you wanted to define the cliche 'a game of two halves' you would just need to point out this match as a prime example. The Steelers dominated the first.

Like the Packers, Pittsburgh scored with their opening drive but like always running down more time on the clock. Nine minutes was the time elapsed when the Steelers scored the opening touchdown. Judging by just that drive it already looked like a tough night for the Jets.

New York couldn't find their rhythm, which is credit to the steel curtain for Pittsburgh. The next score was only a field goal for the Steelers, however unlike the Jets they looked like scoring on every possession.

The next touchdown came from some improvisation from Roethlisberger who ran in from two yards, 17-0. Just 47 seconds later the Steelers' defence continued to assert their dominance and forced a fumble from Sanchez, which was recovered by William Gay who scored the touchdown. 24-0 and it looked game over.

What changed the outlook of the game for the second half was New York Jets being allowed good field position and converting the field goal. 24-3 going into half time, but there was a slight wind beneath the Jets' wings.

If New York were going to turn this game around they needed a big play early, and Sanchez delivered. A bomb down field to Holmes for a 45 yard touch down, 24-10 game on?

Pittsburgh's defence were keeping the Jets out, a battle on the edge of the end zone was won by the Steelers. This could have meant the game being all over for the Jets but the Pittsburgh offence continued to struggle. A simple snap was too much to handle at this time and Roethlisberger fumbled and was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

The next drive was critical for New York if they were going to complete the comeback, and not even the steel curtain could stop them on this drive. Jets were down to the red zone and a simple pass from Sanchez to Cotchery was all that was needed. Pittsburgh needed to get going on the offence.

The success to seal the game was down to some great scrambling from the Steelers' Quarterback with a big play on two minutes to go. Short pass to Antonio Brown who pushed out of bounds after a gain of 14 yards. A couple of kneels and game over.

Heart break for the New York Jets who tried their best to recover, but it wasn't enough. Like the Green Bay Packers, the Pittburgh Steelers' defence stepped up when it mattered.

Premier League 5 a-side team

Credit HERE

Struggling to think of something to blog about as I sit in my room at university starved of sports coverage, I thought back to a question funnily enough first asked by a maths teacher of all people and then asked by others since. Who, from the Premier League, would be in your 5 a-side starting line up.

When you are first asked it may seem straight foward, but when you get thinking it is actually quite difficult. You need to take into consideration the size of the pitch then the roles of defenders and strikers that would differ to 11 a-side.

Starting with the goalkeeper. As you can see in the picture the goals are not very high, so a keeper who is quick to the ground is vital. Then of course it is the quick reactions that come into account. For me Joe Hart is the man for this job. Quick reactions, gets low very quickly and is great in one-on-one situations. The video below demonstrates this.
























Next the defenders. When thinking of the centre back you have to consider the rules more than anything, no slide tackles, no overhead so in my book no Nemanja Vidic. You also need someone can chip in with goals aswell, so perhaps not necessarily an actual CB in real life. In this case Yaya Toure is my man in the centre. Strong, good tackler, good feet and can pass a ball as the short video below shows.
























You will also need two wing backs that can get foward, create chances and defend, tough to choose. I think for this, although might be debatable, down the right hand side I will go for Rafael Da Silva. Very attacking minded Brazilian, but I don't think there is any doubt he can defend. The video below again shows some of his stuff.

Down the left I think it has to be Gareth Bale. Former left back turned left midfielder who can score goals. He is also a good defender. Alongside that his pace, skill etc.




Now the striker. You need a striker who can get back and defend as well as hold the ball upfront. Although there are already plenty of City players in this, it is hard not to go with Carlos Tevez. No, I am going with Tevez, I have played 5 a-side with a player who plays like Tevez (not as good of course) and he was un-playable.

Tevez can of course score goals, but as we have seen in the Premier League and for Argentina he works hard and is very strong. Everything you want in a 5 a-side striker, watch the video below as a justification.



So that is my Premier League 5 a-side team starting line-up. Comment with your starting line up or what you would change.

The Tweeting opinion

Credit HERE

Ryan Babel has become the first footballer to be charged by the F.A. for improper conduct because of something posted on twitter. Madness.

He is not the first sportsman to be at the centre of a social networking controversy, in fact he wasn't the only one in that week. Glen Johnson had to remove a comment made about Paul Merson.

It is not just football, in August 2010 Kevin Pieterson faced disciplinary action after comments he made when being left out of the T20 squad. Now fair enough if they are out of line, like Glen Johnson was, but sometimes jokes are taken too seriously.

There is now further talk of a censorship on sportsman posting their opinions on twitter, but when the Guardian opened the question up to readers online after Kevin Pieterson's comments the results were decisive.

87.9%  voted sportsman should not be banned from using twitter, good to know we're not all going mad then. At the end of the day they are people and have a right to use any social networking sight they choose. Furthermore they should be allowed to express their opinion on matters in their sport, freedom of speech and all that.

If we take the Ryan Babel situation as an example, it is a joke taken too seriously. What makes it even more ridiculous is that in the same week Theo Walcott admitted to diving in Arsenal's F.A. cup tie with Leeds United, yet Babel is charged by the F.A.

The F.A. should spend less time punishing players for having an opinion and more time punishing those who cheat and try and stamp it out of the game.

Sportsman do need to be careful of what they say on twitter because of the media attention on accounts, however they should not be completely censored or punished for expressing opinions. Babel is not the first one to comment about referees, however he is the first to be punished. That is wrong.

My tweeting opinion is that sportsman, like everyone else, have their own opinion. Governing bodies of sport should not punish them just because a tweet hurts their feelings, especially when they have failed to regulate everyone.

They should expect criticism just like players do in all sports, because as we all know they are far from perfect.

Simply the best, but did he deserve it?

Credit HERE

Lionel Messi has won his second Ballon D'or and with it his second World player of the year title in as many years.

According to Optajose Lionel Messi scored the most goals (42), made the most assists (15) and completed the most dribbles (166) in Liga BBVA 2010. However the decision still received criticism.

If you include the Champions League Messi actually scored 54 goals and made 16 assists, so why the controversy? There are those who argue Xavi, who finished third, deserved the title.

Xavi was actually voted World Soccer player of the year and the argument in favour of Xavi winning the title is of course his instrumental role for Spain in the World Cup and his influence in the Barcelona side.

Sid Lowe wrote for the Guardian 'Lionel Messi is the world's best player but Xavi deserved Fifa's award', but I always thought the award went to the 'world's best player'. Lionel Messi is the world's best and in my opinion that is why he won the award and deservedly so.

It is the first time a player who hasn't won the world cup in that world cup year has still won the award since 1974, the fact that the World cup had no bearing this season shouldn't be a surprise. Trophies normally have an effect on the vote, but when Sneijder missed out on the top three it was clear that would not be the case.

It should be based on the entire year, and based on that Messi comes up trumps for many. 12 braces, five hat-tricks and one quadruple then add all the assists and we have a complete player. He has won world player of the year twice and he is only 23 years-old.

He has matched Ronaldinho's achievement of winning the title twice and should now be considered as one of the greatest players of all time. He will go on the win- God knows how many - more Ballon D'ors and maybe eventually he will seriously be considered as THE greatest of all time.

He is the best player in the World and therefore deserved it.

Will it really be a Dream team?

Credit HERE

Amidst all the talk over Beckham's loan deal to Tottenham, the Daily Mirror have reported that 'Harry and Becks lined up as our 2014 dream team'. Dream team, really?

As good as a role model Beckham might be to the younger players and how well Spurs are doing in the Premier League at present, I am not convinced and I will tell you why.

Away from all the abstract talk of 'because Harry is English he can inspire the team' and so on, reality is what we should consider. The Reality is you cannot spend millions on players for your national team, as Harry has done at Spurs, you deal with what you are given and in England's case it is not much.

Say what you like about Capello, but it was not his fault for our poor showing in the World Cup, he did what he could with an overrated team. That was cruise through an easy group and struggle when it comes to the big tournament. We have a limited amount of players of an international standard to pick from, and they are not of a high international standard.

I do not think Harry will do any better than Capello because I do not think he is a better manager. You may say his man-management compare to Mr Fabio will be key, but I say it won't matter. Without the quality players we will not succeed and that comes down to player development and teams in the Premier
League actually bringing young English 'talent' through. Unfortunately that rarely happens.

I'll also say if Harry Redknapp and David Beckham do take over the England I will love to be proven wrong.

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.