Sunday, 28 February 2010
Saturday, 27 February 2010
What A Rubbish Strip
Nike say shirts for the nine International teams wearing its gear at this summers tournament including Brazil, Portugal, Holland and the United States would be made out of polyester recycled from used bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites.
Nike, which dominates sales in athletics and basketball, is mounting a major campaign to win a bigger share in soccer, the world's most popular sport. "We are equipping athletes with newly designed uniforms that not only look great and deliver performance benefits, but are also made with recycled materials, creating less impact on our environment," said Charlie Denson, president of Nike Brand.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Before The Playstation.......
Summertime, and schools out for seven glorious long weeks. What can we do? em football, football and em football. Here's a nostalgic look back at some of the long forgotten games we used to play, see if you remember a few.
There was the old favourite 20 a side game with everyone wearing different coloured tops so it was impossible for anyone to pick out a team-mate with a pass, with the park having jumpers for goalposts and no boundaries which meant the pitch could be a quarter of a mile wide!
Another was played with just two of us, we called it Curby, you would find a road preferably a quiet one with high curbs. You throw the ball to try and make it bounce back to you off the curb, this scores a point then you would move into the middle of the road and try from there for two points.
Wembley or Wembley doubles, it's played in one set of goalposts with one designated goal keeper, with as many outfield players as you wish. It was played in rounds basically if you scored then you were through to the next round with the person not scoring being knocked out at the end of each round.
There is so many more but thats my top three, ok I'm off outside for a game of keepie uppies
Left Back Needed
This leaves Fabio Capello with a serious selection problem as first choice left-back Ashley Cole broke his ankle in Chelsea's 2 - 1 lose against Everton and won't be back until May at the earliest, with the finals starting on the eleventh of June, it is unlikely he will make the squad.
So this leaves the England left-back slot up for grabs, let's take a look at the candidates.
Leighton Baines, although a former under 21 international he is uncapped at full level but has been a regular in the Everton defence for the past two seasons. "I think Bainesy on his day is a match for any of them and I know Fabio Capello knows about him. He is certainly in and around the reckoning" David Moyes.
Stephen Warnock, has been capped by Capello but still very inexperienced at the top level. Warnock has performed exceptionally well for Aston Villa this season, his team have the meanest defence in the Premier League.
Joleon Lescott, the versatile defender can play either centre-half or full back and has been capped nine times by England, but has been in and out of the Manchester City team this season, having failed to recapture the form he showed at Everton last season.
Gareth Barry, the most experienced option Capello has at left-back with thirty five caps but has been playing as a holding midfielder for years now. He has been outstanding when played in midfield behind Lampard and Gerrard.
James Milner, Only twenty four years old but has been involved with the international set-up since he was sixteen, hard worker but not a natural left-back.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Football Freestyling
Beating 30,000 competitors to be crowned Freestyle King UK Champion, Abbas Farid has earned the reputation as a pioneer of freestyle and has set a new Guiness World Record of 88 heel juggles in sixty seconds. This guy is unbelievable, he was invited to the San Siro to freestyle with Ronaldinho and while Abbas was showing off his latest moves, Ronaldinho just stood there applauding him.
If you get a chance, you have got to have a look at some of these guys Palle, Jeremy Lynch, Billy Wyngrove, John Farnworth, Jeon Kwon and many more.
Bridge Makes Himself Unavailable
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Why England will win the world cup.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
First Ever International Fixture
Incredibly all eleven Scottish players were selected from Queens Park FC, the top Scottish club of this era. Queens are still playing in the Scottish Third Division to this day and are the only amatuer club in the Scottish league. The England side consisted of players from nine different clubs with three of those representing Oxford University.
Paying an entrance fee of a shilling, the crowd totalled 4,000 but they had to wait as the kickoff for this eagerly awaited contest was delayed by twenty minutes due to fog. The Scots lined up in dark blue jerseys with the thistle embroidered with the English team in white shirts with the three lions on their chests.
The pitch wasn't the best due to the heavy rainfall that had descended on Glasgow for the previous three days but nothing could deter the expectant crowd that attended.
Reports from the game show Scotland had the edge with superior running and dribbling skills as was expected due to the Scots eleven all playing for the same club side. Players of this time predominately dribbled with the ball as there was no mention of any passing moves in any reports of the game. Although Scotland had a goal disallowed in the first half, the umpire stating the ball had gone over the tape which was used before crossbars were brought in, the game ended in a nil - nil stalemate.
This was the start of a great football rivalry between the two countries which has seen them play 110 times with England winning 45 times, Scotland winning 41 games with 24 draws.
Teams-
SCOTLAND: all Queens Park | |||
1 | Robert W Gardner captain | ||
2 | William Ker | ||
3 | Joseph Taylor | ||
4 | James Thomson | ||
5 | James Smith | ||
6 | Robert Smith | ||
7 | Robert Leckie | ||
8 | Alexander Rhind | ||
9 | Billy MacKinnon | ||
10 | Jimmy Weir | ||
11 | David Wotherspoon |
ENGLAND: | |||
1 | Robert Barker (Hertfordshire Rangers) | ||
2 | Ernest Greenhalgh (Notts County) | ||
3 | Reginald de Courtenay Welch (Harrow Chequers) | ||
4 | Frederick Chappell (Oxford University) | ||
5 | William Maynard (1st Surrey Rifles) | ||
6 | John Brockbank (Cambridge University) | ||
7 | Charles Clegg (Sheffield Wednesday) | ||
8 | Arnold Kirke-Smith (Oxford University) | ||
9 | Cuthbert Ottaway (Oxford University) (c) | ||
10 | Charles Chenery (Crystal Palace) | ||
11 | Charles Morice (Barnes) |
Soccer Players Salaries
Top 3 - Soccer Players Salaries
By: Niv Orlian
The question as to whether or not athletes in general and soccer players in particular, should be earning the kind of money they're earning is more vibrant then ever these days, with clubs paying their players incredible amounts of money each year.
The comparison to other sports is also very relative. A gymnast will train all his life, miss out on a lot of his younger years only to be able to handle a world class performance, but he will still not win as much in his lifetime as one of the highest earning soccer players makes in a year. But that's the market's call and there's no "fair" in sales share.
Getting back to our topic, it's somewhat difficult to judge exactly how much a player makes simply from his club salary, because many wage details are private, due to obvious reasons. As a club manager, you want to create complete harmony in your team and with all of them knowing that player gets paid twice as much as the rest, won't help you out with that.
The highest earning soccer players can also be affected by having their salaries publicly available, because at every less than bright performance, they'll be confronted with a "My God! He really should have played better for the kind of money he's making" type of exclamation from fans, media and fellow players.
A soccer player's income also comes from several other sources than simply his wage. For example, the best ever soccer players always made more money from endorsements and ads than their wages; take a look at David Beckham if you don't believe me.
Other contractual bonuses will also earn them a fair amount. For example, many strikers that are confident in their ability to play regularly and score will have contract bonuses for each goal, assist or for a total number of goals at the end of the season, while agreeing for a lower wage cutout.
However, considering all of the above, it would be logical to say that the highest earning soccer players are also the ones with the highest wages. A club will want to keep a player that brings in incredible amounts of money through endorsements and merchandise sale, so they will offer him a high salary. According to Forbes Magazine, here are the top 3 earners:
Ronaldinho ($29.5 million, salary + endorsement deals) - one of the most famous and nonconformist personas in soccer, Ronaldinho has become the trademark of playing soccer as a game, not as a business. His constant smile while playing and his tricks made him one of the most popular figures today, despite the fact that he's not as handsome and clean-cut as Beckham or Kaka. Ronaldinho is also widely considered one of the best ever soccer players, despite the fact that he still has many years to play for AC Milan, or his future clubs.
David Beckham ($29.1 million, salary + endorsement deals) - no presentation required, Beckham is more than just a soccer players for close to a decade now. His recent move to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid for an impressive transfer fee was well worth it, since American finance analysts agreed that the transfer would soon turn to profit, as Beckham shirt sales and other endorsements would soon earn the club their money back.
Ronaldo ($23.4 million, salary + endorsement deals) - the ex-phenomenon, the chunky Brazilian who impressed the World with his speed and goal-hungry attitude is not at the peak of his game anymore. Despite his declining form, Ronaldo remains one of the central figures in today's soccer, as he has an established name and image for over a decade.
About the Author
Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer. Learn more about famous soccer players here.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Top 3 - Soccer Players Salaries
Monday, 22 February 2010
Torres and Gerrard wanted at city
I dismissed this story as papertalk but it is looking more and more likely that this may actually happen!
A backpage lead is the rather eye-catching claim that Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook is intent on signing Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
According to some papers, 'There are those at Anfield only too aware of the threat from City, not least to Liverpool's two biggest stars. After the false dawn of Thakskin Shinawatra, the pledges of owner Sheikh Mansour are proving to be no mirage.
'That sends out a compelling message to both Torres and Gerrard - that they may have to re-evaluate their futures in the summer.'
Hmm. But it's the next couple of lines that really stands out:
'It's not even a secret within the City corridors of power that the hierarchy are plotting a £140million double swoop for both Torres and Gerrard this summer.
'City officials are already planning how they can pull off what would be one of the most audacious transfer coups of all time.'
£140m? Could Liverpool to afford to turn that down?
Harvard of Hooligans
The Argentine sports daily Ole is reporting that Argentina’s football hooligans are now in the business of exporting their knowledge abroad to countries like Colombia and Mexico. For a few greenbacks, members of Argentina’s barras bravas will fly to your country and teach you how to be the best hooligan you can possible be.
The report said a leading fan from Mexico’s Pumas UNAM had twice visited Buenos Aires to obtain first hand experience of the methods used by the notorious Boca Juniors supporters club known as “La Doce” (The 12th man).
He stayed in a top five-star hotel and continued the exchange via e-mail after returning to Mexico, the report added.
Rafael Di Zeo, leader of La Doce, was quoted as saying: “As far as the world’s hooligans are concerned, La Doce is Harvard. They come here to learn.”
Sunday, 21 February 2010
World's top ten fat footballers revealed
Brazilian footballer Ronaldo has acquired a new record - topping the list of the world's fattest footballers.
According to The Sun, Ronaldo tops this list because of his achievements in an over-sized body.
The double World Cup winner and three-times World Player of the Year has been tipping the scales for years now. Knee injuries have also not been kind to the former AC Milan striker but neither has his love of food, says the tabloid.
The other nine are as follows:
1. William Foulke (Chelsea)
2. Micky Quinn (Coventry)
3. Jan Molby (Denmark and Liverpool)
4. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary and Real Madrid)
5. Neville Southall (Wales and Everton)
6. Neil Ruddock (Tottenham Hotspurs)
7. Andy Reid (Ireland and Sunderland)
8. Tomas Brolin (Sweden and Leeds)
9. John Hartson (Wales)
CAPELLO WAS SCARY - ROONEY
The Worst Refereeing Decisions Ever
The Worst Refereeing Decisions Ever
By: Patrick Omari
Ask anyone what the hardest job in football is and you'll get a myriad of different answers. Maybe it's being a goalkeeper or a manager, perhaps the chairman is the hardest job? Well without doubt the hardest job is that of the referee. It has been said that the best referees will go unnoticed as the game is played, and there is certainly a grain of truth in that statement.
Do your job well and people will be talking about the match rather than about your performance. However if you make even one mistake then expect abuse, bad press and even punishments. It is a fine balancing act and without the advantage of slow motion replay and time to ponder a decision the referee must make the right call in the heat of the moment. While pundits have the opportunity to look over an incident in slow motion from a multitude of angles, the referee does not have this chance, making his job all that more difficult.
Given the fine line between making the right decision and making a bad one in football it comes as no surprise that sometimes the referee gets things hideously wrong. While there may be an excuse for a bad decision sometimes the one given by the referee just can't be explained. This article looks at some of the worst decisions ever made by football referees and should give some backing for calls of video replays being used during games to aid the officials.
Diego Maradona's second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup is often hailed as one of the greatest goals of all time. His first goal has become known as one of the most bizarre. As the ball was played high into the penalty area the diminutive Maradona managed to out-jump England keeper Peter Shilton and put the ball into the net.
Television replays clearly showed Maradona using his hand to beat the goalkeeper to the ball. The goal should never have stood and England were beaten 2-1 and knocked out of the World Cup with Argentina going on to win the tournament, showing just how much a bad refereeing decision can impact a team and a competition.
Generally regarded as a good referee, if a little prone to errors, Graham Poll committed one of the strangest refereeing mistakes in recent memory at the 2006 World Cup. During the match between Australia and Croatia Poll booked Josip Simunic twice without sending him off, eventually giving him his marching orders for a third yellow card at the end of the game. The mistake would see Poll sent home from the World Cup and his eventual retirement from tournament football, stating that this incident was his reason for stopping.
Standing out among all others as the strangest decision a football referee has made is the goal that Reading scored against Watford in 2008. The ball was hooked wide of the goal, but cleared away from the area. The linesman and the referee somehow gave a goal, despite the ball being a foot wide and never even touching the net.
The referee, Stuart Attwell, later claimed that it was an optical illusion that made it look like the ball was inside the goal. Illusion or not, it is one of the most bizarre goals ever awarded and will surely be remembered for many years.
Another goal mouth incident is next up and it's almost a direct opposite of the Reading incident. In 2005 while playing for Tottenham Pedro Mendes hooked the ball from the half-way line into the Manchester United goal. Goalkeeper Roy Carrol fumbled the ball before clawing it out from behind the line. The ball was over by about a foot but the officials said that it was not a goal.
Television replays confirmed that the goal should have been allowed and Spurs should have won 1-0 and taken three points from the game. The disallowed goal sparked a debate over whether replays should be used to aid decision-making and based on this game it certainly has a strong case.
These are some of the worst and the strangest decisions that I can remember, and they present a strong case for the addition of television replays to help officiating top-level matches. It must be remembered, however, that for the most part referees do an excellent job and games pass by with barely a mention of the man in the middle.
It is just an unfortunate situation that any error can so drastically change the course of a game, and even a season. Using replays to help the referee seems like a reasonable idea and in most cases wouldn't slow the game down much at all. Surely it's much better to get the right decision than save thirty seconds?
About the Author
Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Gatwick hotels, Airparks Birmingham and Birmingham airport parking.
(ArticlesBase SC #582870)
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - The Worst Refereeing Decisions Ever
Your first pair of boots
These shoes, costing four shillings [approximately £100 in today's money] were made by his personal shoemaker, Cornelius Johnson, in 1525.
Dr Hayward found them in a list of the king's clothes made when he died in 1547.
Sadly we don't know what the football boots looked like so we cannot compare them with those worn by David Beckham or Ronaldo. However, it is not likely they were anything like the boots worn today. Historians think they were probably heavier than the normal shoes of the time and made of especially strong leather.
They needed to be strong because football during the 16th century, when Henry VIII was king, was a very tough game. 'Football in Tudor times was a very vicious game, with no teams and no rules, so it was not a game for gentlemen, 'comments Dr Hayward. According to a Tudor writer called Sir Thomas Elyot, it was a game of 'beastly fury and extreme violence'.
It is known that it was especially popular on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and Henry VIII even tried to ban the game because it so often led to riots and violence.
Behaviour generally, it appears, has improved over the ages! or has it?
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Friday, 19 February 2010
About me
- Ryan
- Welcome along to my wee tartan corner of the blogosphere, a place where I blog about all aspects of Scottish life.Travel, culture, people, history, humour, you name it I blog it.