A week for the goalies. We have Lehmann again who left the field to answer nature’s call. Let’s say he was pretty “PEE”ved about it.
Cartwheeling Goalie gets Pwned!
With the 2010 Cup's Jabulani ball (‘to celebrate’ in isiZulu), Adidas claims it has surpassed its own Teamgeist from 2006 in constructing the roundest and most accurate ball ever played. See how it's made inside.
And you thought a ball was just a ball? From the iconic 32 panel black and white Telstar introduced in Mexico City in 1970 to the latest unveiled today for South Africa, the goal for Adidas, naturally, has always been to build a better ball. Soccer players want a ball that feels good on the foot and flies predictably no matter where on the ball it’s struck. Teamgeist achieved its improvements by reducing the number of panels from 32 to just 12, by thermally bonding the panels thereby eliminating inaccurate stitching and by forming the outer panels in 3-D versus making them flat and bending them into shape.
Jabulani takes another step towards perfection with just eight EVA and TPU panels that provide a 70% larger striking surface due to fewer seams. While the Teamgeist ball was great for strikers, many goal keepers complained that the ball's aerodynamics created a lack of rotation in the air, making its path at times erratic, like a knuckleball. Jabulani attempts to stabilize the flight pattern of the ball through what Adidas is calling ‘aero grooves’, essentially long indentations along the panels. The grooves divide the ball up into additional pseudo-panels but by molding the grooves Adidas can achieve consistent location and shape to achieve optimal flight. The surface of the ball has also been covered with raised nubbins to help with tactile feel on the foot.
While Adidas would not provide numerical flight data, it claims that robotic kicking and wind tunnel testing at Loughborough University in England and at its own football lab in Germany show that Jabulani is its most accurate ball. To be sanctioned FIFA Approved, a ball is only subject to a handful of more static tests, which the Jabulani ball obviously meets.
• Circumference: FIFA Standard: 68.5-69.5cm, Jabulani: 69.0 +/- 0.2
• Roundness: Diameter is measured in 16 different locations. FIFA Standard: max 1.5% difference, Jabulani: max 1.0% difference
• Water Absorption: A ball is pressed and rotated in water 250 times: FIFA Standard: max 10% weight increase. Jabulani: 0% weight increase
• Weight: FIFA standard: 420-445 grams, Jabulani: 440 +/- 0.2 grams
• Uniform Rebound: The only dynamic FIFA test, the ball is dropped ten times onto a steel plate from a two meter height. The difference from the lowest to the highest bounce can be no more than 10 cm. Jabulani bounced in a range from 143 to 149 cm.
• Loss of Pressure: Air pressure measured three days after inflation. FIFA Standard: 20% max loss, Jabulani: 10% max loss
For a unique look into complex manufacturing steps to create the ball, see the video below.
Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2009-12/science-behind-jubulani-adidass-2010-world-cup-soccer-ball
The draw for the Fifa World Cup 2010 in South Africa is finally here.
From the looks of it, England have it quite easy. Group G is the one to look out for. Definitely the Group of Death. Ivory Coast have the misfortune again to be placed in the Group of Death. If Brazil and Spain win their groups, they can’t meet until the final. The easiest of opposition to overcome on paper often turn out to be the most dangerous underdogs on the pitch. So, it’s not easy to predict what happens. However, I’d like to think Spain have the strongest team on paper.
My heart says England but my mind says Spain to lift the World Cup. So let’s see what happens. 188 days to go. BRING IT!
American “soccer’s” FEMALE Vinnie Jones
Retard BRUSHES teeth in the stadium
Apparently the world’s fastest goal (2 seconds)
Every week I'll try and get you the most bizarre/outrageous news, pictures, videos and funny bits and pieces of football from around the world. Here is this week's set:
Marlon King who is on loan at Hull from Wigan is jailed for 18 months and FIRED from Wigan for sexual assault and bodily harm. Serves him right. Ironically, he was celebrating his wife's pregnancy at a bar!
Mistaken Identity. 'nuff said!
Roberto Martinez should learn from his Spanish counterpart Rafa Benitez and not indulge Sir Alex in "mind games"
Jens Lehmann gets pwned by ballboy. LOL
“Every boy wants to be in his boots and every man wants to be in his Missus” LOL.
The ONLY time I’ve seen Posh SMILE!
I came across this REALLY good article about Ryan Giggs. Must read for every football fan.
'When I were a lad, we painted the touchlines and didn't sell our own weddings...' Ryan Giggs, the veteran who has played in every one of the Premier League's 16 seasons, tells Mike Pattenden why £120 a week did him no harm.
Nothing quite spells out the difference the Premier League has made on the game of football than players’ wages.
Ryan Giggs – an ever-present fixture for Manchester United throughout the 16 years the Premier League has been going – was on a mere £120 a week in his first pro season in 1990.
‘I started on £29, which was the basic YTS wage, but my first proper pay packet was about £120. I’d not long left school so it was a fortune. My mates were still at college and I was earning more than a hundred quid a week.’
Conservative estimates now put Giggs comfortably on £75,000 a week – an astonishing 62,500 per cent wage increase.
Since its inception, the Premier League has changed beyond recognition – and Giggs has seen it all.
He was only 18 when he helped United to the title in the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1992–’93 and he has scored in every season since.
Ten days after the final league match of last season, he broke Bobby Charlton’s appearance record with his 759th game for the club. He has played an important role in every one of their ten (now 11!) Premier League wins.
Giggs is also quite unlike any perception one has of the modern footballer – he doesn’t ask for payment for this interview, he turns up when he says he will and is unerringly polite.
The modern age of footballers as overly pampered, spoilt millionaire ‘slaves’ is a heady contrast to the world the teenage Giggs found himself thrust into.
‘My job was to clean the apprentices’ changing room,’ he recalls.
‘They were left last and the place would be a total mess. I’d collect the bibs, cones and first-team balls. I had to pump them up and once I put in too much air.
'Our then-goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, came in looking for me because they were flying all over the place.
'Youngsters don’t do that any more – God knows why not, they should. They should be cleaning boots and painting lines on the pitch or whatever. It disciplines you and teaches you respect.’
Are young players spoilt and over-paid now?
‘People like Rooney and Ronaldo get away with murder now – stuff they wouldn’t have got away with when I was 19.
'Football has changed. It’s just jokes, but Wazza (Rooney) will say things like, “I want to be captain.” The kind of thing you wouldn’t dream of saying when you were that age.
‘Clubs have to invest for the future which means paying 16-year-olds a lot of money to keep them.
'When I came through, money wasn’t an issue – all I wanted was to play for Manchester United.
'Young players today are eventually going to find out the hard way about losing money on cars and flash suits they only wear once.’
In today’s modern game, the ‘Chelsea method’ – paying huge amounts to increasing numbers of foreign players to instantly bolster a squad – is also increasingly popular.
‘Some managers are forced to pay over the odds for players because they don’t have the time to develop a squad,’ says Giggs.
‘They’re desperate to buy a team and maybe fans then see players at their club who don’t deserve to be there.’
So is the President of UEFA, Michel Platini, correct when he states that the Premier League is simply buying the best players to the detriment of the rest of the world?
It was ever thus, thinks Giggs.
‘Fifteen years ago, players were going to Italy and their clubs dominated,’ he says.
‘Now, the best players come to Britain and we have the best league – it’s
a great spectacle.
'It’s fast and furious, but there’s decent technique. The spotlight is on everyone and patience is in short supply. You have one bad game and it’s a disaster.’
Giggs is talking to Live as he relaxes on his bed in a Johannesburg hotel room during the club’s pre-season tour of South Africa.
However, much of his summer has been spent making a film looking back on his stellar career.
Entitled True Red, it takes him back to his early days when he took his mother’s name rather than Wilson, the name of his black, rugby league-playing father.
He is also reunited with the man who first spotted his potential, Dennis Schofield, a Manchester City scout who ran Dean’s Youth FC.
‘That was the reason to do it,’ Giggs nods. ‘It brought back a lot of happy memories. I met a lot of people who helped me as a kid.’
He also recalls the day when Alex Ferguson turned up on his doorstep to spirit him away from Manchester City’s academy.
‘My first memory of the boss always comes back to me,’ he says.
‘I was playing a practice match and glanced up to the office windows and there was Alex.
'I was awestruck by him. One of the first things he said to me was I had all the coaches here to help me with football matters but if I ever needed anything outside football, the door was always open.
'He helped me because that time was a tricky one for me. My mum and dad were splitting up and he knew that.
'That was one of the things that stood out about him, knowing your mum and dad’s names. Little things like that made you want to play for him and sign for United.’
Rather than rose-tint the past, Giggs also recalls the bullying he was subjected too because of his mixed-race background.
‘Kids at school knew my father was black and I would get racist taunts. At my school there weren’t many pupils with different backgrounds.
'I wouldn’t wish the abuse on anyone. I was a quiet, shy person and sport offered somewhere to escape and something to look forward to.’
Giggs also has mixed memories about his father from that time.
‘Everyone’s childhood shapes who they are and what they do, and it was two sides of the story with my dad,’ he says.
‘I didn’t like the relationship he had with my mum but there was another side where I looked up to him. My dad was my first hero.
‘I think my parents’ split may have contributed to that inner steel where I can block things out.
'When I was playing football, I never thought about the arguments between my mum and dad. I get on with my dad but I’m not going to let myself get close to him again because it would hurt my mum and people who mean a lot to me.’
Giggs’s eventual breakthrough into the Manchester United first team established him as a regular player and a pin-up – ‘I’d go to book signings and there would be roads blocked and traffic jams.’
That kind of attention also bought the inevitable downside: his share of tabloid kiss-and-tell stories and two stalkers.
‘I was a lad growing up in public and it was a culture shock,’ he explains.
‘I was cocky, confident; I’d just left school and I wanted to go out with my mates and have lads’ holidays. Then you get recognised and followed or photographed. Girls sell their stories to newspapers.
'I rapidly realised it was something I didn’t really like so I made a conscious effort to settle down and keep a lower profile.’
Last year, Giggs married Stacey Cooke – he is father to five-year-old Liberty and 22-month-old Zach – in a low-key wedding much at odds with David Beckham and Wayne Rooney’s huge affairs, which were sold to glossy magazines for millions.
He is scathing about these big-money deals.
‘We earn more than enough money from football and sponsorship, so who needs still more?
As Giggs’s undeniable skill bought him plaudits on the pitch, off it he began to indulge in that other pastime of footballers – cars.
‘When I first started I had a club car – a Ford Escort 1.1 Mexico – but as soon as I could I bought my dream car, a BMW 3 Series. I’ve had a few since then. I bought Porsches and Ferraris, clothes and booze.
'These days I spend my money on my house, holidays and school fees.’
On Sunday, August 17, as Manchester United prepare to open their 17th Premier League season against Newcastle United, Giggs will hang his clothes on the same peg in the same corner of the changing room at Old Trafford.
He is aware that he can’t go on forever and has spent part of this summer taking his coaching A Licence at Lilleshall. Giggs, 34, is now happy being the old head passing on his experience.
‘I was lucky when I came through because I had players like Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce around me who were a great help,’ he says.
‘They’d put an arm round me. If I’d had a bad game in London or the manager had had a go at me and there was a four-hour bus journey home, I’d sit at the back and sulk.
'Then one of them would stroll back and sit with me and say things like, “Don’t worry, you can put it right next week. The Boss only does it because he wants you to be a better player.”
'They’d give you a little lift and it’s something I try to do now to younger players. It can be putting an arm round them or giving them a kick up the backside.’
It’s difficult to imagine Giggs kicking anyone up the backside but you don’t rewrite the record books as regularly as he has without passion and, for Giggs, winning the league title this season is just as exciting and important as it was 16 years ago.
'When I were a lad, we painted the touchlines and didn't sell our own weddings...' Ryan Giggs, the veteran who has played in every one of the Premier League's 16 seasons, tells Mike Pattenden why £120 a week did him no harm.
Nothing quite spells out the difference the Premier League has made on the game of football than players’ wages.
Ryan Giggs – an ever-present fixture for Manchester United throughout the 16 years the Premier League has been going – was on a mere £120 a week in his first pro season in 1990.
‘I started on £29, which was the basic YTS wage, but my first proper pay packet was about £120. I’d not long left school so it was a fortune. My mates were still at college and I was earning more than a hundred quid a week.’
Conservative estimates now put Giggs comfortably on £75,000 a week – an astonishing 62,500 per cent wage increase.
Since its inception, the Premier League has changed beyond recognition – and Giggs has seen it all.
He was only 18 when he helped United to the title in the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1992–’93 and he has scored in every season since.
Ten days after the final league match of last season, he broke Bobby Charlton’s appearance record with his 759th game for the club. He has played an important role in every one of their ten (now 11!) Premier League wins.
Giggs is also quite unlike any perception one has of the modern footballer – he doesn’t ask for payment for this interview, he turns up when he says he will and is unerringly polite.
The modern age of footballers as overly pampered, spoilt millionaire ‘slaves’ is a heady contrast to the world the teenage Giggs found himself thrust into.
‘My job was to clean the apprentices’ changing room,’ he recalls.
‘They were left last and the place would be a total mess. I’d collect the bibs, cones and first-team balls. I had to pump them up and once I put in too much air.
'Our then-goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, came in looking for me because they were flying all over the place.
'Youngsters don’t do that any more – God knows why not, they should. They should be cleaning boots and painting lines on the pitch or whatever. It disciplines you and teaches you respect.’
Are young players spoilt and over-paid now?
‘People like Rooney and Ronaldo get away with murder now – stuff they wouldn’t have got away with when I was 19.
'Football has changed. It’s just jokes, but Wazza (Rooney) will say things like, “I want to be captain.” The kind of thing you wouldn’t dream of saying when you were that age.
‘Clubs have to invest for the future which means paying 16-year-olds a lot of money to keep them.
'When I came through, money wasn’t an issue – all I wanted was to play for Manchester United.
'Young players today are eventually going to find out the hard way about losing money on cars and flash suits they only wear once.’
In today’s modern game, the ‘Chelsea method’ – paying huge amounts to increasing numbers of foreign players to instantly bolster a squad – is also increasingly popular.
‘Some managers are forced to pay over the odds for players because they don’t have the time to develop a squad,’ says Giggs.
‘They’re desperate to buy a team and maybe fans then see players at their club who don’t deserve to be there.’
So is the President of UEFA, Michel Platini, correct when he states that the Premier League is simply buying the best players to the detriment of the rest of the world?
It was ever thus, thinks Giggs.
‘Fifteen years ago, players were going to Italy and their clubs dominated,’ he says.
‘Now, the best players come to Britain and we have the best league – it’s
a great spectacle.
'It’s fast and furious, but there’s decent technique. The spotlight is on everyone and patience is in short supply. You have one bad game and it’s a disaster.’
Giggs is talking to Live as he relaxes on his bed in a Johannesburg hotel room during the club’s pre-season tour of South Africa.
However, much of his summer has been spent making a film looking back on his stellar career.
Entitled True Red, it takes him back to his early days when he took his mother’s name rather than Wilson, the name of his black, rugby league-playing father.
He is also reunited with the man who first spotted his potential, Dennis Schofield, a Manchester City scout who ran Dean’s Youth FC.
‘That was the reason to do it,’ Giggs nods. ‘It brought back a lot of happy memories. I met a lot of people who helped me as a kid.’
He also recalls the day when Alex Ferguson turned up on his doorstep to spirit him away from Manchester City’s academy.
‘My first memory of the boss always comes back to me,’ he says.
‘I was playing a practice match and glanced up to the office windows and there was Alex.
'I was awestruck by him. One of the first things he said to me was I had all the coaches here to help me with football matters but if I ever needed anything outside football, the door was always open.
'He helped me because that time was a tricky one for me. My mum and dad were splitting up and he knew that.
'That was one of the things that stood out about him, knowing your mum and dad’s names. Little things like that made you want to play for him and sign for United.’
Rather than rose-tint the past, Giggs also recalls the bullying he was subjected too because of his mixed-race background.
‘Kids at school knew my father was black and I would get racist taunts. At my school there weren’t many pupils with different backgrounds.
'I wouldn’t wish the abuse on anyone. I was a quiet, shy person and sport offered somewhere to escape and something to look forward to.’
Giggs also has mixed memories about his father from that time.
‘Everyone’s childhood shapes who they are and what they do, and it was two sides of the story with my dad,’ he says.
‘I didn’t like the relationship he had with my mum but there was another side where I looked up to him. My dad was my first hero.
‘I think my parents’ split may have contributed to that inner steel where I can block things out.
'When I was playing football, I never thought about the arguments between my mum and dad. I get on with my dad but I’m not going to let myself get close to him again because it would hurt my mum and people who mean a lot to me.’
Giggs’s eventual breakthrough into the Manchester United first team established him as a regular player and a pin-up – ‘I’d go to book signings and there would be roads blocked and traffic jams.’
That kind of attention also bought the inevitable downside: his share of tabloid kiss-and-tell stories and two stalkers.
‘I was a lad growing up in public and it was a culture shock,’ he explains.
‘I was cocky, confident; I’d just left school and I wanted to go out with my mates and have lads’ holidays. Then you get recognised and followed or photographed. Girls sell their stories to newspapers.
'I rapidly realised it was something I didn’t really like so I made a conscious effort to settle down and keep a lower profile.’
Last year, Giggs married Stacey Cooke – he is father to five-year-old Liberty and 22-month-old Zach – in a low-key wedding much at odds with David Beckham and Wayne Rooney’s huge affairs, which were sold to glossy magazines for millions.
He is scathing about these big-money deals.
‘We earn more than enough money from football and sponsorship, so who needs still more?
As Giggs’s undeniable skill bought him plaudits on the pitch, off it he began to indulge in that other pastime of footballers – cars.
‘When I first started I had a club car – a Ford Escort 1.1 Mexico – but as soon as I could I bought my dream car, a BMW 3 Series. I’ve had a few since then. I bought Porsches and Ferraris, clothes and booze.
'These days I spend my money on my house, holidays and school fees.’
On Sunday, August 17, as Manchester United prepare to open their 17th Premier League season against Newcastle United, Giggs will hang his clothes on the same peg in the same corner of the changing room at Old Trafford.
He is aware that he can’t go on forever and has spent part of this summer taking his coaching A Licence at Lilleshall. Giggs, 34, is now happy being the old head passing on his experience.
‘I was lucky when I came through because I had players like Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce around me who were a great help,’ he says.
‘They’d put an arm round me. If I’d had a bad game in London or the manager had had a go at me and there was a four-hour bus journey home, I’d sit at the back and sulk.
'Then one of them would stroll back and sit with me and say things like, “Don’t worry, you can put it right next week. The Boss only does it because he wants you to be a better player.”
'They’d give you a little lift and it’s something I try to do now to younger players. It can be putting an arm round them or giving them a kick up the backside.’
It’s difficult to imagine Giggs kicking anyone up the backside but you don’t rewrite the record books as regularly as he has without passion and, for Giggs, winning the league title this season is just as exciting and important as it was 16 years ago.
To all those who wondered what all the fuss was about derbies, well you should have witnessed one today - The Manchester Derby. Boy 'o boy did it have everything - from pre-match trash talk to post match altercations. From pathetic defensive errors to brilliant goalkeeping and to top it all, a controversial super sub goal from an ex-Scouser.
Michael Owen's winner. Another Solskjaer in the making?
City fans keep speaking about the "Denis Law game" which led United to relegation. I'm sure after today, Michael Owen's 96th minute goal will have to compete with that.
"That" goal
United fans point out that City have gone several decades without winning a major trophy, whereas City fans claim United do not actually come from Manchester. Whatever may be the reasons, it is clearly evident that the RED half of Manchester is more successful in terms of trophies and derbies. Of the 152 derbies that have been played so far, United have won 62 and City 41, the remaining 49 games finishing as draw.
Although Michael Owen stole the headlines, to me today's man of the match was Darren Fletcher (very closely contested by Shay Given) His work rate and commitment was commendable. He played with complete passion and showed us why SAF rates him so highly (ignoring the fact that he's a Scot)
Fletcher's 2nd goal
Money can buy you players but it can't buy you a team. It was very evident in today's game. Individually, City players were really good. However, as a group, I did not see any sort of team play(they are a newly assembled team, I know!) Of the 11 players on the pitch for City, 10 of them were bought recently! However, they really got into the game and gave Utd a good fight. I personally enjoyed Tevez getting booed every time he touched the ball (which were very few) I don't know how committed he is to City but I did not see the usual passion from him. He did not even attempt to tackle Evra, his best buddy in the club and he was definitely a shadow of his former self. Maybe he was unfit but I'm sure he is regretting his move. The fans who worshipped him one season ago now loathe him. But hey! Atleast he did not do an Adebayor.
I'm hoping Foster comes good immediately because stupid mistakes like the ones he made can be very costly. Will he be another Fabien Barthez or a Peter Schmeichel? Well, time will tell.
The BLUE half of Manchester definitely did see RED. Let us see how this season unfolds. The games are getting feisty and deliciously unpredictable but one thing is for sure - we'll have one heck of a year of football!
Michael Owen's winner. Another Solskjaer in the making?City fans keep speaking about the "Denis Law game" which led United to relegation. I'm sure after today, Michael Owen's 96th minute goal will have to compete with that.
"That" goalUnited fans point out that City have gone several decades without winning a major trophy, whereas City fans claim United do not actually come from Manchester. Whatever may be the reasons, it is clearly evident that the RED half of Manchester is more successful in terms of trophies and derbies. Of the 152 derbies that have been played so far, United have won 62 and City 41, the remaining 49 games finishing as draw.
Although Michael Owen stole the headlines, to me today's man of the match was Darren Fletcher (very closely contested by Shay Given) His work rate and commitment was commendable. He played with complete passion and showed us why SAF rates him so highly (ignoring the fact that he's a Scot)
Fletcher's 2nd goalI'm hoping Foster comes good immediately because stupid mistakes like the ones he made can be very costly. Will he be another Fabien Barthez or a Peter Schmeichel? Well, time will tell.
The BLUE half of Manchester definitely did see RED. Let us see how this season unfolds. The games are getting feisty and deliciously unpredictable but one thing is for sure - we'll have one heck of a year of football!
Why on Earth would a striker who complained about not getting enough chances quit a club and join another which has over 9 centre forwards?
Only Carlitos Tevez can answer that. The ONLY logical motive behind that is $$$$. How does one expect to play first team football when there are 6 strikers vying for the same spot? (Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Benjani, Robinho and Adebayor) He could have easily signed for Chelsea but then, he would have to fight very hard to fend off Anelka, Kalou and Drogba which is hypocritical really and moreover, City have obviously offered a better pay packet.
"Manutd did not do enough to keep me"
It is not only disappointing but annoying. Football has become a game of monopoly. You have a player signing for a club and saying he would do his best to win everything possible and the next day he's saying the same at a rival club. You cannot expect managers to coax and cajole players into staying with the club and with a squad as big as ManUtd, first team football is not your birthright. Yes, Tevez is a lion and plays with his heart on his sleeve but at the end of the day it is the manager's call. It is agreed and assumed the manager knows best. You cannot sulk and leave just because you were benching a few games.
I was convinced when Tevez signed for United he would stay on to become a legend. Boy was I wrong! Who does he go and sign for? Manchester City! He was controlled by Kia and Maradona is his go between. He scored 5 goals in the league last season, he made 52 appearances for United last year (how he says he didn't play enough is laughable) and Kia wanted a total of 34million for him. Righty o! You will miss the Champions League music though Carlos. You have definitely let your fans down by letting your bloated ego come in the way.
Another example is Kaka. When he declined City's offer, everyone (including yours truly) praised him for saving football and calling him the Messiah and yada yada. He said his heart was always with Milan and would never leave for money. Well done Kaka. It has been two years since Madrid won anything and I'm hoping it will be longer.
Meanwhile, arguably Madrid's most famous No 9, Alfredo Di Stefano is in no doubt who is the best player in the world – and it's not the winker.
Oh and P.S. I officially don't like Madrid anymore!
Only Carlitos Tevez can answer that. The ONLY logical motive behind that is $$$$. How does one expect to play first team football when there are 6 strikers vying for the same spot? (Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Benjani, Robinho and Adebayor) He could have easily signed for Chelsea but then, he would have to fight very hard to fend off Anelka, Kalou and Drogba which is hypocritical really and moreover, City have obviously offered a better pay packet.
"Manutd did not do enough to keep me" It is not only disappointing but annoying. Football has become a game of monopoly. You have a player signing for a club and saying he would do his best to win everything possible and the next day he's saying the same at a rival club. You cannot expect managers to coax and cajole players into staying with the club and with a squad as big as ManUtd, first team football is not your birthright. Yes, Tevez is a lion and plays with his heart on his sleeve but at the end of the day it is the manager's call. It is agreed and assumed the manager knows best. You cannot sulk and leave just because you were benching a few games.
I was convinced when Tevez signed for United he would stay on to become a legend. Boy was I wrong! Who does he go and sign for? Manchester City! He was controlled by Kia and Maradona is his go between. He scored 5 goals in the league last season, he made 52 appearances for United last year (how he says he didn't play enough is laughable) and Kia wanted a total of 34million for him. Righty o! You will miss the Champions League music though Carlos. You have definitely let your fans down by letting your bloated ego come in the way.
Another example is Kaka. When he declined City's offer, everyone (including yours truly) praised him for saving football and calling him the Messiah and yada yada. He said his heart was always with Milan and would never leave for money. Well done Kaka. It has been two years since Madrid won anything and I'm hoping it will be longer.
Meanwhile, arguably Madrid's most famous No 9, Alfredo Di Stefano is in no doubt who is the best player in the world – and it's not the winker.
Ronaldo may be the current FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or holder, but Di Stefano believes he has been surpassed by his compatriot Lionel Messi.
'Those who argue don't know anything about football, and I am a lover of football,' he said.
Kudos to that! What a nice welcome from the Madrid honorary president.
Oh and P.S. I officially don't like Madrid anymore!
136 million pounds/160 million Euros/220 million dollars/1063 crore rupees!
That is how much Real Madrid have spent in 3 days for TWO players and arguably the best players in the world. However, there's a difference. Kaka can play in any club and still be the best. Ronaldo, well, when he first arrived at Manutd let's just say he was Nani with better step overs.
Football will never be the same again if players are bought and sold at outrageous prices. Where are the Maldinis, the Scholes', the Gerrards?
Bought at 12m and sold at 80m. Ronaldo's value has increased 6 times in a matter of 5 years and surely credit for that (partially, if not fully) goes to SAF. From a diving, winking baby,
It'll be hard to say he'll be missed but SAF clearly has his task cut out to find a replacement for CR7. The same was said when Beckham and Nistelrooy were sold, and they were quickly forgotten. This will DEFINITELY be the case with Ronaldo too. Karim Benzema or David Villa at the front with Rooney/Tevez and Ribery and Valencia on the wings will be more than enough to fill the void created by Ronaldo.
With 80m from Ronaldo's sale(which is said to be a football deal rather than a commercial deal) and the yearly transfer kitty of 20-30m pounds, SAF can easily buy who he wants to. Apart from this, Fergie could get more if he plans to sell Nani & Fraizer Campbell. So if everything is added up, United have atleast 100m pounds to spend. Ofcourse, Fergie is no Abramovich or Perez. He'll buy players only if he needs them and will not think twice if they are worth their tags.
Ronaldo will definitely get lost in the oblivion of SUPERSTARS at the Bernabeu. His prissy fits for not getting the ball will definitely not work because the game will not be centered around him. He will not find the joy of getting booed and marked by at least 2 defenders. If Ronaldo seriously thinks he's going to get a situation at Real Madrid where his team mates will be doing the donkey work for him as has happened at United in the past couple of seasons he needs to think again.Ronaldo will find it much tougher in Spain than he might think because if he hasn't got the hard workers around him then he won't get as much time to work his undoubted magic.
Enough said, he probably gave everything, won everything he possibly could, and left the club at his peak.
Atleast the EPL has seen the best of Ronaldo. I only pity the LA liga for what is to ensue. To the 2nd best league in the world. Viva Ronaldo!
Football will never be the same again if players are bought and sold at outrageous prices. Where are the Maldinis, the Scholes', the Gerrards?
Bought at 12m and sold at 80m. Ronaldo's value has increased 6 times in a matter of 5 years and surely credit for that (partially, if not fully) goes to SAF. From a diving, winking baby,
Ronaldo went on to win the Ballon d' Or and umpteen number of accolades and clearly became one of the best football players in the past 2-3 years.
It'll be hard to say he'll be missed but SAF clearly has his task cut out to find a replacement for CR7. The same was said when Beckham and Nistelrooy were sold, and they were quickly forgotten. This will DEFINITELY be the case with Ronaldo too. Karim Benzema or David Villa at the front with Rooney/Tevez and Ribery and Valencia on the wings will be more than enough to fill the void created by Ronaldo.
With 80m from Ronaldo's sale(which is said to be a football deal rather than a commercial deal) and the yearly transfer kitty of 20-30m pounds, SAF can easily buy who he wants to. Apart from this, Fergie could get more if he plans to sell Nani & Fraizer Campbell. So if everything is added up, United have atleast 100m pounds to spend. Ofcourse, Fergie is no Abramovich or Perez. He'll buy players only if he needs them and will not think twice if they are worth their tags.
Ronaldo will definitely get lost in the oblivion of SUPERSTARS at the Bernabeu. His prissy fits for not getting the ball will definitely not work because the game will not be centered around him. He will not find the joy of getting booed and marked by at least 2 defenders. If Ronaldo seriously thinks he's going to get a situation at Real Madrid where his team mates will be doing the donkey work for him as has happened at United in the past couple of seasons he needs to think again.Ronaldo will find it much tougher in Spain than he might think because if he hasn't got the hard workers around him then he won't get as much time to work his undoubted magic.
Enough said, he probably gave everything, won everything he possibly could, and left the club at his peak.
Atleast the EPL has seen the best of Ronaldo. I only pity the LA liga for what is to ensue. To the 2nd best league in the world. Viva Ronaldo!
Nobody is bigger than the club.
My tribute to the season that was (and will be):
A trophy less season for Arsenal & Liverpool. Two clubs I LOVE to HATE.
Glory glory Manutd!
Answers to the previous quiz:
- Sir Matt Busby (English football's greatest manager)
- Bob Paisley (Stayed with Liverpool for nearly 50 years as a player, coach & manager)
- Sir Alf Ramsey (The only England manager to lift the World Cup)
- Bill Shankly (The 2nd greatest Scottish manager)
- Sir Alex Chapman Ferguson (Manager of the Century)
Identify these epoch making managers:
1
2
3
4
After a short hiatus, FLSB (read Footy: Lock, Stock, Barrel) is back and with a new look. Trust me, I'll be posting more regularly now.
Here's a quiz. Identify these logos :
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
Image 6
I hope Fergie has learnt his lesson from the FA Cup defeat. Blaming the pitch or the referee won't do. Sorry Fergie! We lost. Bottom line.
By pulling a Rafa, Fergie tried to "rotate" the team, playing only TWO first team players - Vidic & Ferdinand. We all know by now "rotation" is hardly fruitious. Ask Benitez, he'll tell you.
I'm really gutted United got ousted in penalties and Berbatov needs to show more desire. If anyone saw his penalty they would know. What a lazy twat! I hope he pulls his socks up and shows us why he's worth 30 mil. Enough said, Everton deserved their win. Determination did it for them.
Meanwhile, here's some FA Cup Trivia:
The FA Cup is the longest running competition dating back all the way to 1871.
The old Wembley staged the first FA Cup Final in 1923 and had its last FA Cup final in 2000.
Curtis Weston, at 17 years 119 days, is the youngest finalist in the history of the Cup. He played for Millwall against Manchester United in 2004, substituting for Dennis Wise.
Only two players have appeared in the FA Cup Final for three clubs. Harold Halse for Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and Ernie Taylor for Newcastle, Blackpool and Manchester United
The record number of accepted entries for The FA Cup is 661 teams in 2004.
The first televised F.A. Cup was 1937: Sunderland v Preston North End.
Eric Cantona made history in the 1994 final when he became the first and so far only player to score two penalties in the final.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in FA Cup history with five victories in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.
Queen’s Park are the only Scottish side to reach the FA Cup Final. They did so in consecutive years, 1884 and 1885, but lost both games
By pulling a Rafa, Fergie tried to "rotate" the team, playing only TWO first team players - Vidic & Ferdinand. We all know by now "rotation" is hardly fruitious. Ask Benitez, he'll tell you.
I'm really gutted United got ousted in penalties and Berbatov needs to show more desire. If anyone saw his penalty they would know. What a lazy twat! I hope he pulls his socks up and shows us why he's worth 30 mil. Enough said, Everton deserved their win. Determination did it for them.
Meanwhile, here's some FA Cup Trivia:
The FA Cup is the longest running competition dating back all the way to 1871.
The old Wembley staged the first FA Cup Final in 1923 and had its last FA Cup final in 2000.
Curtis Weston, at 17 years 119 days, is the youngest finalist in the history of the Cup. He played for Millwall against Manchester United in 2004, substituting for Dennis Wise.
Only two players have appeared in the FA Cup Final for three clubs. Harold Halse for Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and Ernie Taylor for Newcastle, Blackpool and Manchester United
The record number of accepted entries for The FA Cup is 661 teams in 2004.
The first televised F.A. Cup was 1937: Sunderland v Preston North End.
Eric Cantona made history in the 1994 final when he became the first and so far only player to score two penalties in the final.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in FA Cup history with five victories in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.
Queen’s Park are the only Scottish side to reach the FA Cup Final. They did so in consecutive years, 1884 and 1885, but lost both games
Here is my ultimate dream team :
Click on image for a better view
Answers for quiz 8:
Click on image for a better view
Answers for quiz 8:
- Alex Curran - Steven Gerrard's wife
- Abbey Clancy - Peter Crouch's girlfriend
- Caroline Celico - Kaka's wife
- Joanna Taylor - Danny Murphy's wife
- Alena Seredova - Gianluigi Buffon's wife
Identify these WAGs! You can rank them also if you like =P
And the answer for the previous question is KARREN BRADY - the managing director of Birmingham Football Club. Also holds the honour of being the youngest managing director of a UK public limited company.
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