tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192624886047186262024-03-05T12:39:03.881-08:00Final WhistleSam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-70441712290414377582014-01-22T16:14:00.000-08:002014-02-23T10:50:32.240-08:00Giant killings aplenty at the Australian Open yet two familiar faces remain<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The start-of-season major is at the semi-finals stage and has seen the return to form of Federer, a wounded Nadal soldiering ominously on and shock after shock in the women's draw.</i></span><br />
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It should have been a procession for Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic. According to the bookies, anyway: both were installed as odds-on favourites before the tournament began. But the mighty fell, and left a chasm in the men's and women's draws. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">Much of the rest of the game's elite failed to capitalise, as if destabilised by the tremors from the top. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">Maria Sharapova, two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka and David Ferrer all exited. For five consecutive matches, the lower ranked player prevailed. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">Rafael Nadal, the only top three player left in either draw, refused to be the sixth domino.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">But then the carnage of the seeds resumed. Roger Federer, looking reborn, claimed the scalp of recovering fourth seed Andy Murray. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">"When he was serving for the match I raised my level, because I had to," Murray said. It summed</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;"> him up to a tee. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Murray, too often and to his detriment, totters along at an unthreatening level, and only hits peak form when forced to by a more ambitious opponent. He has to fall behind to harness his best tennis. The England football team are the same. It is why the so called group of death they have landed themselves in may bring the best out in them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">The seed slaying started with Williams losing to the 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round. Williams was hindered by a back injury. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.901350021362305px;">"I almost pulled out. I'm such a competitor, I probably should have," she said. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.901350021362305px;">The women's second seed, Sharapova, perhaps still drained from a three and a half hour second round tussle, lost a day later. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.901350021362305px;">Only Juan Martin Del Potro was missing out of the men's top eight seeds in a fierce quarter-final line-up. But the landscape of the draw changed dramatically once all the matches had been played.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.901350021362305px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.901350021362305px;">Stanislas Wawrinka's refusal to crack as Djokovic stayed with him until 9-7 in the final set was an outstanding display of determination. Wawrinka kept grinding away at the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.901350021362305px;">three-time defending champion, never lost his cool nor looked out of his depth. His reward was to end the world number two's run of 14 consecutive grand slam semi-final appearances.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">Nadal battled with a sizeable blister on his left hand,</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.98714256286621px;"> struggled to find his usual impeccable timing, and was second best for the majority of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">his last eight match</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">. Grigor </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">Dimitrov was killing points off early, especially on serve, by sending Nadal out wide and hitting a winner into an empty court.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;">Yet the world number one found a way to progress. At one set all, Dimitrov recovered from a break down in the third to force another tie-break. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was where the pendulum swung: Dimitrov stalled at set point on his serve and Nadal romped through the fourth. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98714256286621px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so here we are. With the women's draw wide open, and two old adversaries preparing to face off at the latter stages of a grand slam once again. Nadal and Federer contested their first grand slam match at the French Open semi-final in 2005. Nearly a decade has passed and they are still ruling the roost.</span></span>Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-59172578584617823332014-01-21T06:12:00.000-08:002014-01-21T08:28:03.322-08:00Is Juan Mata worth £37m?On Monday evening, news broke that Manchester United were lining up a record-breaking bid for essentially the team who beat them on the weekend's reserve attacking midfielder, Juan Mata.<br />
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It was, by miles, the biggest piece of gossip of the January transfer window so far. United fans were sent to sleep dreaming of a player who holds the potential to resurrect their season.</div>
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The Guardian asked readers: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/poll/2014/jan/21/juan-mata-transfer-manchester-united-chelsea-bid" target="_blank">Is Juan Mata worth £37m?</a> </div>
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It was a straight-forward question. But a complicated one that can be considered three ways: is he worth £37m to Chelsea, is he worth £37m to United, and is he worth £37m in today's hyper inflated transfer market?</div>
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The answer to the first part is a resounding no way <span style="font-family: inherit;">Jos<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.654545783996582px;">é</span>. </span>This is a player who has started only half of the club's Premier League campaign and has been left out in crunch games. £37m is a considerable amount to reject for a sub.</div>
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Then there is the selling to a rivals argument: Chelsea shouldn't show the same reluctance as United displayed in the summer when they refused to sell them Wayne Rooney for any price. With United lingering in seventh place, Chelsea could hand over a vital weapon to be used to take points off their title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, which could swing the championship race in their favour.</div>
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The answer to the second part is quite the opposite. Mata would be doubly as important to United than he is to Mourinho's Chelsea. If Mata can steer the defending league champions into fourth place, the only outcome that would constitute success of 2013-14, then he is undoubtedly worth the fee.</div>
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Finally, the third part assesses the player's individual quality, and there is no doubting Mata's credentials. This is a player who has been Chelsea's star performer across the past two campaigns, who has won nearly every trophy in football.</div>
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It is a deal that works for all parties. In a climate where Andy Carroll is worth £35m, Fernando Torres £50m, Edison Cavani £55m and - wait for it - Marouane Fellaini £27m, Juan Mata is surely worth £37m.</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-9351260219011341762014-01-10T11:47:00.000-08:002014-01-10T16:58:15.132-08:00How's your year going?It is hard to imagine anyone in sport making a worse start to the new calendar year than David Moyes. After six straight wins at the back end of December, Manchester United began 2014 with three consecutive 2-1 losses.<br />
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United had not lost this many in succession since the end of the 2000-01 campaign, when the league title was secured.<br />
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Other records have been broken in the six months since Sir Alex Ferguson retired from football. Unfortunately for Moyes, however, they are not favourable ones.<br />
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Another 12 match unbeaten streak, engulfing the whole of October and November and which saw United beat league leaders Arsenal and thump Bayer Leverkusen 0-5, was abruptly ended by consecutive home losses to Everton and Newcastle.<br />
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That run was preceded by a struggling West Brom side outplaying United at Old Trafford and securing their first win there since 1978. Newcastle, similarly, had not won at Old Trafford since 1972 until this season. Swansea had visited Old Trafford 10 times and never won, but knocked United out of the FA Cup at their first hurdle, something that only happened once in Ferguson's 26 years in the competition.<br />
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But perhaps the most hurtful loss for Moyes - of five home ones already this season - was the 0-1 to former club Everton. Moyes' successor, Roberto Martinez, accomplished what he failed to do in 11 years: win at Old Trafford. In 45 away matches against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, Everton were winless under Moyes, drawing 18 and losing 27. Martinez managed it at the first attempt.<br />
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'The Chosen One' Moyes has shown glimpses of promise while at times cutting a poor fit for one of the biggest jobs in world football. Winning runs have been established and shattered by losses to teams that in the past had been swatted aside. It is an amazing spectacle that is unfolding week after week at United from a neutral's perspective.<br />
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For David Moyes, it is a dream that is quickly turning into a nightmare.<br />
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Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-16086471678011913822013-12-17T10:29:00.000-08:002014-01-06T15:07:40.271-08:00Trigger happy Premier League chairmenWith less than half of the unpredictable and fantastic 2013-14 Premier League season passed, one quarter of clubs have changed their managers. Four have been sacked while another departed by mutual consent.<br />
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As BT Sport battles with BSkyB for rights to televise matches, more and more money becomes invested in football, and thus the importance for clubs of guaranteeing success becomes ever more pronounced.<br />
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This season has seen chairmen crack down on their clubs' managers with unprecedented severity. They are no longer allowed a series of losses while the team adjusts to a new style of play. If a new swathe of players is brought in, they are expected to deliver instant results.<br />
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Failure to pass this latter test has resulted in, or at least contributed to, Sunderland and Tottenham departing with their bosses.<br />
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The media, this season, have too been faster than ever to shine their spotlight on an underachieving manager. Arsene Wenger was 'in crisis' after the opening day loss to Aston Villa. Andre Villas-Boas went from delivering modest success to leading the sack race in one heavy defeat by Manchester City.<br />
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In the weeks that followed it was David Moyes, after consecutive home defeats, whose credentials were being examined. Then Villas-Boas's Spurs lost 0-5 to Liverpool and was out of the job the following morning.<br />
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In a cooler, less trigger happy climate, any of the departed managers could still be in their jobs. Here's why the five who have gone should have remained:<br />
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<b>Paolo Di Canio (Sunderland), sacked after five games</b><br />
• Took the reins from Martin O'Neill, who left after winning only two points from a possible 24. Di Canio was an immediate hit, recording back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Everton, and eased Sunderland to safety over Wigan Athletic.<br />
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• The team was radically overhauled in the summer. Over a full team's worth of new recruits were brought it, and while the fiery Italian's widely maligned political views may have communicated the wrong message about Sunderland's brand, ultimately it was Di Canio's inability to embed them into a winning outfit which cost him.<br />
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<b>Ian Holloway (Crystal Palace), resigned after eight games</b><br />
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• Won promotion from an especially competitive year in the Championship.</div>
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• Squad appeared to lack Premier League quality, and Holloway felt he wasn't the person to ensure top-flight survival.</div>
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<b>Martin Jol (Fulham), sacked after 13 games</b><br />
• Built a healthy squad of young and old players<br />
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<b>Steve Clarke (West Brom), sacked after 16 games</b><br />
• Led West Brom to their record points tally and an eight-place finish.<br />
• Beat Manchester United away.<br />
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<b>Andre Villas-Boas (Tottenham), sacked after 16 games</b><br />
• Led Spurs to their record points tally (73).<br />
• Sold a player for a world-record fee<br />
• Left Spurs with the highest win percentage of all Spurs managers since 1899.</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-12827395969901743252013-12-16T15:46:00.001-08:002014-01-06T14:48:47.445-08:00The Premier League's knee-jerk culture is growing out of handAndre Villas-Boas became this season's fifth Premier League manager to lose his job on Monday morning. Steve Clarke was the fourth, just two days earlier. The league is not yet at the halfway stage.<br />
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There are similarities between the two in the circumstances leading to their dismissals. Neither were abject failures; if anything, the opposite is true. Both led their sides to their clubs' highest ever points tallies in 2012-13. Villas-Boas was a point away from usurping Arsenal for fourth spot, while Clarke masterminded West Brom to a remarkable eighth-placed finish.<br />
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Spurs' total of 72 points was the most ever recorded by a team that finished outside the top four. They were edged by their north London rivals and Chelsea, who recorded 75 points. The manager had succeeded yet failed: Spurs chairman Daniel Levy's ambition of turning Spurs into a Champions League side would have to wait another year. Villas-Boas wasn't given the chance to better his total.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXfceL38AaqP_kJjFhTTIymsscdp4qjALZtay6ffe7bdnu8PFPzt-0NJAbq5f-PGL5CqW1pTtkErl99Fh1CIEolUYrfF3u30i2sko_5D8keqRQ0KCETrPVlOKnaNUp2lDzxsIUJkzT2s/s1600/levy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXfceL38AaqP_kJjFhTTIymsscdp4qjALZtay6ffe7bdnu8PFPzt-0NJAbq5f-PGL5CqW1pTtkErl99Fh1CIEolUYrfF3u30i2sko_5D8keqRQ0KCETrPVlOKnaNUp2lDzxsIUJkzT2s/s1600/levy.jpg" height="302" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Daniel Levy fired AVB after only 16 games of the new season; photo by Doha Stadium Plus</span></div>
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West Brom finished one place below the 'super seven' last term. The points gap of 12 between them and Liverpool, who finished seventh, is so great that it could be said that West Brom under Clarke won a 'league of the rest'. To break the monopoly of those seven would be an achievement of staggering proportions.<br />
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The following campaign was destined to be tougher for both clubs as each lost their star player. Gareth Bale and Romelu Lukaku contributed 38 goals last term combined.<br />
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West Brom replaced Lukaku, a battering ram of a centre-forward who could finish too, with Victor Anichebe. It was a like-for-like swap in positional terms, yet a severe reduction in quality.<br />
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Spurs sold Bale, the league's most devastating attacking force since Cristiano Ronaldo, for a world-record £86m. They spent a large chunk of this on Erik Lamela, but expecting an immediate impact from a 21-year-old who just altered cultures is unrealistic. Meanwhile, Andros Townsend has been less productive than his eye-catching performances would suggest.<br />
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Spurs spent the remainder of this money, and £21m more, on six others. They were expected by Levy to go straight into the first team and deliver instant success. But settling so many players into a team takes time. Levy is not a former footballer and clearly does not appreciate this.<br />
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A manager should be allowed to finish the season. When the team has been totally overhauled, and is one point better off than at the same stage last season where they went on to record their highest ever points tally, the manager should be afforded until the season's end at least to achieve his goals.<br />
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Villas-Boas might have avoided the sack if he applied some damage limitation in matches against Manchester City and Liverpool. Steve Clarke might still be at West Brom if they had beaten Chelsea. These are such small margins. The knee-jerk reactions of Premier League chairmen, giving managers no room for failure, is getting out of hand.</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-67402672644035242512013-11-20T11:00:00.000-08:002014-01-06T14:37:52.666-08:00Ill prepared England set up to fail<i>England 0-1 Germany</i><br />
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The World Cup is only three matches away and England are still far from sure of their strongest XI. What is needed in this situation is friendlies with teams who will allow the players on trial to showcase - not stifle - their talents.<br />
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However, in Chile and Germany, the FA picked too tough practice opponents. So tough, in fact, that England failed to register a shot on target in the second match against Germany. Even more depressingly, this was essentially Germany's reserve team, as Mesut Ozil, Manuel Neuer, captain Philip Lahm and vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Sami Khedeira were all missing. Germany's final bullet in the chamber, Thomas Muller, was an unused sub.<br />
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Against Chile, England faced a lose-lose situation. The danger of their South American opponents was drastically underestimated: Chile are a well-drilled unit, assured of their best team and with a clear focus to the way they play. It was a situation where had England won, they wouldn't have received the credit they deserved, while a loss would see the team slated and put on a downer for the tougher task of Germany.<br />
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This invaluable two-game opportunity for the players to gel was wasted. Playing for your country should be the pinnacle in any sport, but the international scene can be daunting. Only Adam Lallana emerged from the match against Chile with credit; his Southampton teammate Jay Rodriguez looked at sea, while Fraser Forster never looked comfortable and was shown-up for the second goal by a world-class forward in Alexis Sanchez.<br />
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Before these two games, England were on a ten-game unbeaten streak. They hadn't lost in 2013. In February, Jack Wilshere delivered an electrifying performance that helped England defeat juggernauts Brazil.<br />
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Now they end the calendar year after being defeated twice at home, and failing to score in either game. It has seriously darkened the mood ahead of next summer's World Cup. The FA could have guarded against this simply by scheduling matches against more forgiving opponents.Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-68982863584786962352013-10-25T03:02:00.003-07:002013-10-28T04:38:05.783-07:00Ashes: England win down under in 2010-11<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The five Tests, each in 50 words</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">First Test: 25-29 Nov 2010, Brisbane, the Gabba</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>Test drawn after play on days 1, 2 and 4 was reduced due to bad light
and/ or rain</b></i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Records and rain fell. Pete Siddle decimated England from 197/4 to 197/7
with a 26<sup>th</sup> birthday hat-trick. Australia struggled before
Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin hit a Gabba-high 307 run sixth-wicket
partnership. Andrew Strauss (110), Alastair Cook (235 not out) and Jonathan
Trott (136 not out) topped it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Second Test: 3-7 Dec 2010, Adelaide, Adelaide Oval</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><i>England won by an innings and 71 runs</i></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Australia struggled as Simon Katich was run out before facing
a ball, and captain Ricky Ponting went for a
first-ball duck. Cook continued his magnificent form and Pietersen
hit his Test highscore of 227. England declared on 620/5 and won
their 100<sup>th</sup> Test over Australia with Graham Swann’s tenth
five-wicket haul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Third Test: 16-20 Dec 2010, Perth, WACA Ground</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><i>Australia won by 267 runs</i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">England’s only blip. After two Tests of batting excellence, they managed
only 187 and 123. Mitchell Johnson was brought in by Australia to stop England,
but it was Ryan Harris who cut them down to size with figures of 6/47. Johnson
(62) ended up top scoring in the first innings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Fourth Test: 26-30 Dec 2010, Melbourne, Melbourne Cricket Ground</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><i>England won by an innings and 157 runs</i></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">England, back on form, retained the Ashes. Australia yielded only 98 in
their first innings, their lowest MCG total, and all ten wickets were behind
the stumps catches. England responded with 513 – Jonathan Trott hitting 168 not
out – despite Peter Siddle taking 6/75. The 415 run deficit was too great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Fifth Test: 3-7 Jan 2011, Sydney, Sydney Cricket Ground</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><i>England won by an innings and 83 runs</i></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Australia’s batting woes were highlighted when Johnson top scored again
in the opening innings. England amassed 644 in response, with 189 from Cook, who earned the man-of-the-series award for his 766 runs. James Anderson took 7/127 across
Australia’s two innings. It was England’s first Ashes win down under since
1986/87.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-42159566032501792542013-10-21T13:50:00.000-07:002013-10-30T10:08:52.065-07:00Arsenal score a unique team goal <div dir="ltr">
<i>Arsenal vs Norwich, Premier League, 19 October 2013</i><br />
<br />
It was like something out of Star Wars. Arsenal sliced through Norwich with a series of Jedi-like outside-of-the-boot flicks. The result was Jack Wilshere scoring one of the most mesmerising goals the Premier League has seen.<br />
<br />
It happened so quickly that even the commentators failed to keep pace with it. The Norwich defence had no chance. 'Wilshere to Cazorla to Giroud... Back to Wilshere, Giro..., Wilshereee!' Arsenal were a blur of brilliance.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
The move started deep in Arsenal's half, with Wilshere gaily skipping a challenge before spreading the ball to the left. Kieran Gibbs and Santi Cazorla hurried it up and infield where the magic happened.<br />
<br />
Cazorla gave it back to Wilshere, who had journeyed from just outside his own box to threatening Norwich's. Wilshere steadied himself before releasing the ball and setting off again.<br />
<br />
Giroud wedged it to him and Wilshere, on the run, glanced it back. Giroud then hit an exquisite through ball on the half volley for Wilshere to step in to and side foot past a bamboozled John Ruddy. The duo had eclipsed no less than five Norwich players with beautifully incisive combination play.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
This was tiki taka gone mad. An aerial and accelerated version of the one-touch passing that Barcelona have popularised.<br />
<br />
Arseblog remarked "I mean, really. I don't think I've ever really seen anything like that.<br />
<br />
"It was a once in a lifetimes series of clips, chips and dinks built around devastatingly effective movement."<br />
<br />
It truly was. A goal that would neutralise the meaning of hyperbole. That would deserve to win any goal of the week, month, year or beyond competition.</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-11045804937138707362013-10-11T02:47:00.001-07:002013-10-21T14:00:19.849-07:00La Liga under-23 starlets<style>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><i>Research for FourFourTwo magazine</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Marc Bartra, Barcelona centre-back, born 15
January 1992</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In a summer in which Barcelona were hurling huge bids in a desperate attempt to sign an established centre-back, Bartra coolly remarked that “</span><span lang="EN-US">perhaps the club <span class="spellcheck">doesn</span>’t
need to buy another". And </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">when a spot in the side became available due to an injury to Javier Mascherano</span>, the La Masia graduate backed his statement up with some statistically remarkable performances. After his first two
league games of the season, Bartra had registered: a goal, 94% passing
accuracy, over six tackles and interceptions, and six clearances. He was dominant too: winning 83% of
tackles and 70% of aerial duels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Koke,
Atletico Madrid central midfielder, born 8 January 1992</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The stocky Jorge
Resurreccion (Koke) has played in every Spanish youth team, from the U16s to
U23s. After a fine start to the new campaign, Koke has put himself in contention for a starting place with the seniors as they prepare to defend the World Cup. </span><span lang="EN-US">The Atletico <i>todocampista </i>leads the assists chart after eight games with six, and has scored two. </span>He takes free-kicks and corners and is both hard-working and disciplined. Spain are in need of reinvigoration and Koke's do-it-all approach could be the perfect remedy. His name means resurrection, after all.<br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 19.1875px;">Léo Baptistão</b><span style="color: black;"><b>, Atletico Madrid striker, born </b></span><span lang="EN-US"><b>26 August
1992</b></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The Brazilian showed enormous potential in an
injury-disrupted first season at Rayo Vallecano and was snapped up by Atletico
in the summer, whom he scored the winner against in a 2-1 win. Having lived in
Spain since 16, he may follow in his teammate Diego Costa’s footsteps and
obtain Spanish citizenship, where he will be called up immediately to the U21
side. At club level, however, Baptistao faces a mean task to oust the even meaner Costa as Atleti's leading attacker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alberto Moreno, Sevilla left-back, born 5 July
1992</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">An ever-present in
the excellent Euro U21 Championship winning side, Moreno was called up to the seniors for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers against Belarus and Georgia in October, after making only 16
first team appearances with boyhood club Sevilla. On the same day, Sevilla moved quickly to resign Moreno until 2018. The new deal contained a 30m euro buyout
clause as the club saw the risk in losing him for cheap, like Valencia with Jordi Alba. Indeed, Moreno is very much a left-back in the mould of Alba: short and fast, eager to join the attack when possible but rarely neglects his defensive duties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pablo
Sarabia, Getafe midfielder, born 11 May 1992</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In a golden age of Spanish attacking
midfielders, Sarabia is one of the hottest talents. He is versatile and can
play on either flank or in the hole, and possesses excellent long-range shooting and supreme
skills. He captained the U19 team to their Euro 2011 Championship win and is a Real Madrid youth
product, who have a buyback option on Sarabia after selling him to Getafe in 2011.
It is highly likely Real will exercise it should Sarabia
turn his raw potential into ability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Cedric,
Real Betis right-winger, born 8 March 1992</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Possibly the bargain of the summer – and
the player paid the fee himself. Cedric bought out his contract from Liga
Adelante side Numancia for a meager 1 euro 20
cent! The </span>5’6” winger joined Real Betis where he has made an
instant impact, shredding Madrid’s back line before setting up Vidal Jorge Molina
for a lead at the Bernabeau, and he nearly repeated the trick only moments later.
With electric dribbling and composure to pick the right pass, expect big things from
the little Congolese.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Antoine
Griezmann, Real Sociedad left-winger, born 21 March 1991</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">One third of a
fearsome front-line that fired Real Sociedad to their first top four finish
since 2002-13, Griezmann combines rapid acceleration with close dribbling.
Check out his overhead kick against Lyon in which Sociedad dismissed the French
side 4-0 on aggregate to reach the Champions League group stages for proof of
his technical brilliance. Griezmann scored the only goal as Sociedad beat Deportivo on the final day of the season to secure
fourth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Iñigo Martínez</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>, Real Sociedad centre-back, born
17 May 1991</b></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Few players, if any, can claim scoring a better first league goal than Inigo Martinez. In the 61st minute on October 2011, Martinez struck an equaliser from his own half against
bitter Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao. Remarkably, the mobile defender repeated the trick a month later, only this time in the 90<sup>th</sup>
minute to secure a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3-2 win at Betis. Had
a wonderful 2012-13 season: provided the stability for Real Sociedad’s
counter-attacking game that resulted in a fourth-placed finish and formed a
formidable partnership with Marc Bartra at the Euro U21 Championship
that didn’t concede until the final. Now in the senior squad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Richmond Boakye, on-loan Elche striker, born 28 January
1993</b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The striker is a
winner: his goals helped Sassuolo to the 2012-13 Serie B title and promotion to their first
season in Serie A in the club’s 91 year history. Boakye has been sent on loan to play</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> for Elche</span> this season and has already scored an equalising goal against Real
Madrid. He was promoted to the Ghanian first team after playing just seven games for
the U20s. A cool customer in front of goal, he takes his time but always seems
to find a corner, and could become prolific. </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US"></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-27859328416834495562013-10-10T20:18:00.000-07:002013-10-21T14:00:56.485-07:00What's in a badge?<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Research for FourFourTwo magazine</i></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cagliari Calcio</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzVgNh-nPly5r1YQEyFQ4ZWZW4rW_xq2tbXPBaCnykEqAI0KcmDqdS-Q6-_owxgKPuhqjSFTPsHTQRLkAVLnMRaZ1vfl0jsRgD1xGXuJaeuTtMhUx91ZoF7lSyGTiYVA0x3GsEaWPNKE/s1600/Cagliari-Stemma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzVgNh-nPly5r1YQEyFQ4ZWZW4rW_xq2tbXPBaCnykEqAI0KcmDqdS-Q6-_owxgKPuhqjSFTPsHTQRLkAVLnMRaZ1vfl0jsRgD1xGXuJaeuTtMhUx91ZoF7lSyGTiYVA0x3GsEaWPNKE/s320/Cagliari-Stemma.png" width="320" /></a><span style="color: red;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;"><u>The <span style="color: blue;">colours</span></u></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></u></span>Drawn from the Stemma (coat of arms) of Cagliari. The red refers to the
House of Savoy and in particular Victor Emmanuel II, who ruled Sardinia from
1849-1861 before becoming monarch of Italy for 17 years. The blue is drawn from
the sea and the sky, which surround the enormous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Castello</i>, the historic centre of Cagliari. Cagliari’s nickname? The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rossoblu</i>. Figure that one out.</span></div>
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<u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexZkNhRVDM0-LgCpVeStbSiPfkY5OnS4Ueh23gnB2lQq9yBqFKVGfFyQ3j_Yrj0kl2eBMVMc7Sf_8r1ggZZGBXJ_T7nnVtQGmajG2kZWOT6VjLif4KJWuYmw-v9lUCQiAhfiHH-CD1SM/s1600/Flag_of_the_Italian_region_Sardinia.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexZkNhRVDM0-LgCpVeStbSiPfkY5OnS4Ueh23gnB2lQq9yBqFKVGfFyQ3j_Yrj0kl2eBMVMc7Sf_8r1ggZZGBXJ_T7nnVtQGmajG2kZWOT6VjLif4KJWuYmw-v9lUCQiAhfiHH-CD1SM/s320/Flag_of_the_Italian_region_Sardinia.svg.png" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The heads</span></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></u>Inside the oval is the Flag of Sardinia. It features four blindfolded
heads, which symbolise the victory of the Sardinian people over the Moors, who
attempted to invade the island. However, when the heads on the flag were turned
from left to right and the blindfolds replaced by headbands in 1999, Cagliari
decided not to amend their logo. Merciless. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The cross</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The cross is, in fact, a discoloured St George Cross. Spanish legend
says that St George appeared at the Battle of Alcoraz with four severed heads
of Saracen kings. Calgiari’s badge up to 1970 had a red cross, but the colour
was phased out with a later version only having the vertical stripe red, and on today's badge the cross is gold.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The laurel wreath</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Wreaths symbolise different things across cultures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Rome, it is a martial victory and
wreaths are used to crown a successful commander’s triumph. The wreath that
encircles Cagliari’s badge is a complete one and is unlike ancient wreaths, which have historically been a horseshoe shape.
Cagliari FC literally rest on their laurels.</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2o2z4h5-mMjnW4fW-vuVqPEQKbfZXmQLNfF9jOAxV4ozKdkhjOAqPR8Cl9ZIH5HrOGUQCU2V8c2skNmLPv2KYfMEmgdkoC8pZCbxywDeRSD5P2hXDjrB3oML35qoALpxjtAtsFLWkbmQ/s1600/cagliari-calcio.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2o2z4h5-mMjnW4fW-vuVqPEQKbfZXmQLNfF9jOAxV4ozKdkhjOAqPR8Cl9ZIH5HrOGUQCU2V8c2skNmLPv2KYfMEmgdkoC8pZCbxywDeRSD5P2hXDjrB3oML35qoALpxjtAtsFLWkbmQ/s320/cagliari-calcio.png" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-82143918845334747802013-06-21T08:17:00.002-07:002013-10-10T20:21:47.314-07:00The boom of Latin America's latest megastar<i>Two games was all it took for the star of Brazilian football to shatter any negative preconceptions held about him. </i><br />
<br />
Neymar
began the Confederations Cup under enormous pressure. He was expected
by the most expectant of footballing nations to lead the Selecao to a
third consecutive triumph at the tournament – of which they are hosts.
Their belief in the 21-year old Neymar was grounded in the swapping of shirt numbers
with Oscar, which saw the former land the esteemed number ten jersey.<br />
<br />
Brazil see Neymar as their messiah, the one to lead them to glory.<br />
<br />
Added
to that, he had to justify to the rest of the football-watching world
the 57m euros that Barcelona recently shelled out to sign him.<br />
<br />
Shoots
too often, unproven in Europe, doesn't pass enough, a ‘YouTube player’
and forgets he has teammates are some of the charges levelled at Neymar.
Many of those who hadn't followed his progress at Santos in the
Brasileiro even claimed that the transfer was only founded on the
masterful work of his PR team.<br />
<br />
These criticisms were
answered within three minutes of the tournament beginning. As Siphiwe
Tshabalala and Philipp Lahm had done before him, Neymar began a
tournament with an iconic opening goal for the host nation, a stunning
strike that span up and away from the reach of the Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.<br />
<br />
If a few sceptics remained, Neymar went
closer to appeasing every one of them when he scored a second early opener in
Brazil’s following match. This one was of equal brilliance, a
perfectly-met left-footed volley in the ninth minute against Mexico. But
it was in stoppage time when he gave the greatest demonstration in the tournament to date of his
remarkable individual quality.<br />
<br />
From
an unthreatening position on the left side of the pitch, Neymar glided to
the edge of the box, only to be met by two defenders who were obstructing his entrance. Then with a swish of his feet so
impossibly quick that it is hard to observe what trick he had conjured
even in slow motion, he sliced through those in his way and laid on a
tap in.<br />
<br />
The best players are judged most critically on
their performances in major tournaments. A strong display in a World
Cup is the only remaining barrier from Lionel Messi claiming
the title of greatest of all time. One more rival to Messi’s
hopes of achieving this has emerged, as Neymar has certainly proved he
is capable. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOv-jzoEK0xxBHhyphenhyphenqOZXPw3M5hoS_QfpWuHpolYuviKY8TdfLiQOtS4xWUUHE9os8ySIZZohJKu8-rVtn8hPx5ix9W0n2_cLYQ0wUg5UvuEW97WHLdpXcbc4PejItrBhabKZ4BEBnCtA/s1600/Neymar+by+Jefferson+Bernardes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOv-jzoEK0xxBHhyphenhyphenqOZXPw3M5hoS_QfpWuHpolYuviKY8TdfLiQOtS4xWUUHE9os8ySIZZohJKu8-rVtn8hPx5ix9W0n2_cLYQ0wUg5UvuEW97WHLdpXcbc4PejItrBhabKZ4BEBnCtA/s1600/Neymar+by+Jefferson+Bernardes.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Jefferson Bernardes</span></div>
------------<br />
<br />
While Neymar’s star has risen during the Confederations Cup, another South American’s has floundered.<br />
<br />
Edinson
Cavani has been the subject of speculation linking him with a transfer
to Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid. Napoli have turned down
bids of 40m euros plus Fernando Torres from Chelsea already, and are
waiting resolutely for his release clause of 63m euros to be
met in full.<br />
<br />
Cavani has yet to score in this year's
Confederations Cup and spurned excellent chances from almost identical
positions against Spain and Nigeria. Each time a floated free-kick reached
the head of the most clinical striker from last season's Serie A, but
Cavani failed to direct the ball at goal on either occasion.<br />
<br />
He
was guilty of another glaring miss in the match against Nigeria.
Similar to the one Diego Forlan converted, only this time falling on the
striker's preferred right foot, Cavani shanked an ugly shot that rose
high and wide.<br />
<br />
With only 14 goals in over 50
appearances for his country, Cavani needs to summon his club form if
he is to justify on the grand international stage the price tag that his
South American counterpart Neymar has done so emphatically. Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-9006604733442399512013-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:002013-11-17T15:33:44.844-08:00Never say die United - the embodiment of Ferguson's psycheOn a final day when only one position was left
to fight for, Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out from football management with a hand in another
record of sorts. For once, it was one of entertainment not
achievement: the Premier League's first ever 5-5 draw. The manager
who brought 38 trophies in 26 years to a single club could set new
landmarks without meaning to.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It was fitting for Ferguson's final
season that one of Manchester United's greatest
traits under his stewardship – their never-say-die spirit – was evident on so many occasions. The number of late
winning goals they scored was startling.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In their third match of the campaign,
two Robin van Persie goals at 87 and 90 minutes transformed a loss into a
win against Southampton. Two games later, a van Persie penalty at 81 minutes against
Liverpool secured another victory. Having struck a lateish winner against Chelsea, Javier Hernandez did it again versus
Villa, 87 minutes in. Van Persie's free-kick in stoppage time away to
Manchester City opened up a six-point lead over their rivals and
Hernandez came off the bench to score in the very last minute against
Newcastle on Boxing Day.<br />
<br />
And all these came in the first half of the
season.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The amount of points United gained from
losing positions would have been shattering for their opponents. Leading teams often faced in the latter stages of a match a hungry United gunning for them, hunting them down and displaying a deeply ingrained will to win. Inevitably it would end only one way: with United wrestling the points from their possession at the last gasp. United recovered to win
29 points from losing positions this season, the second highest total
in the league's history.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Last year's title winners Manchester
City threatened, but failed to find their highest gear. They moved to
top of the table on November 17 when they thrashed Aston Villa 5-0,
and were unbeaten until their 16<sup>th</sup> match.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But their loss to United in the dying seconds of the game, inflicted by
the player Roberto Mancini craved, was an almighty blow from which City could not
recover.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
United proved that last season's collapse of form, where they surrendered an eight point lead in April, was an anomaly. Indeed, finishing a campaign strongly
has been another characteristic of United under Ferguson. The ability to front-run, combined with a hatred of being behind, made United the ultimate psychologically tough side.<br />
<br />
In 2013, Ferguson ensured there would be no repeat of last year's failure, and United
marched unflappably to an elusive 20<sup>th</sup> league title. </div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-74814203124652695432013-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:002013-02-13T00:49:37.081-08:00Brutal Juventus strike as Celtic run out of steam<i>Champions League last 16, first leg: Celtic 0-3 Juventus</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Football can be ruthless. Celtic played with spirit and considerable effort yet were comprehensively beaten by Juventus, whose three away goals render the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie all but meaningless.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To an outsider it would have looked like daylight robbery, but the truth is that Juventus were merely professional and executed their game plan to perfection. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A third minute goal from Alessandro Matri meant Celtic were always on the back foot and forced to chase the match, which they attempted commendably. Celtic responded to the early set-back in a positive manner by restricting Juventus's time on the ball with intense pressing and closing down. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This proved to be a high risk tactic. For much of the game it looked as if Celtic's moment would eventually present itself, but Juventus are an incredibly fit side who rarely fail to end their matches in the ascendancy. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When Celtic inevitably began to tire at the latter stages of the game, they were picked apart. Juventus had conserved their energy and unleashed it when fatigue was starting to set in for Celtic, who reaped no rewards for all their hard work.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Celtic manager Neil Lennon described the defeat as a "harsh reality" but said "some of the young players will learn a lesson from it". This lesson applies to all of Europe: beware of Juventus, innocuous at times, and deadly at others. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Monday evening West Brom pulled off the ultimate snatch and grab when they defeated Liverpool 2-0, despite only taking four shots all game in comparison to Liverpool's 23. Juve may have done the same to Celtic tonight, but make no mistake, it was fully intentional. </div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-88194113096856785882013-02-07T08:00:00.001-08:002013-02-07T12:45:06.674-08:00Wilshere's England - a force to be reckoned with<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">International friendly: England 2-1 Brazil</i><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a tendency with England to get carried away following an unlikely win or convincing performance, thinking that they just set themselves on course for world domination. This time, however, there may be genuine reason to get excited.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The side that defeated Brazil on Wednesday evening struck a perfect balance of youth and experience, with the last of England's 'golden generation' showing they are not yet looking to retirement. But most promisingly we saw that the young guns were more than ready for the international challenge.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">None more so than Jack Wilshere. The Arsenal midfielder was electrifying every time he got on the ball, and is exactly what England needed at Euro 2012. With the qualities Wilshere brings - guts, determination, passion - it is hard to believe that England would have folded in the way they did against Italy, before exiting with a whimper at the first knockout stage. Wilshere wouldn't have allowed it.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roy Hodgson described what Wilshere brings as "energy, mobility and enthusiasm". He has so many strings to his bow and the superlatives have already come flooding in. Against Brazil he inspired the nation to victory with relentless eagerness. England have missed a player who shows no fear and is willing to take the game to his opponents.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wilshere is mature beyond his years and this showed in the way he congratulated Wayne Rooney on his opener. Despite being Rooney's junior in terms of experience, Wilshere patted him on the head almost in the way a captain would. With this small gesture he appeared to demonstrate his pleasure at the team for performing to his standard. It was an interesting moment that revealed his natural leadership qualities.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every team needs a player they can look to for a moment of inspiration. Someone who will not fold no matter what the pressure, a heartbeat that remains constant. At just 21 and in only his seventh match for his country, Wilshere has shown he can be that player.</span></span></span></div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-66322512831379977092013-01-30T21:26:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:11:51.374-08:00Good riddance to a troublemaker<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has been a two-and-a-half year nightmare for Roberto Mancini, but the game is now up for Mario Balotelli, and the Manchester City manager can say good riddance to the troublesome striker.</i><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too often Balotelli appeared to behave more as a celebrity than a footballer, and allowed his profession to play second fiddle as fulfilling showbiz duty appeared to be of the utmost importance. During his time at Manchester City, the most talked about incidents involving Balotelli happened off the pitch. The most famous image of Mario may well be of him partying with Paris Hilton in Ibiza.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having been offered a chance to prove himself again at Milan, Balotelli needs to distance himself from hedonistic indulgences and study how a serious sports person, such as Jessica Ennis, behaves. In a professional sense, Ennis is the anti-Balotelli. When on the Graham Norton Show alongside Ricky Gervais and Daniel Radcliffe, Ennis talked passionately about her training, brought her Olympic heptathlon gold medal to show and share, and left the joke cracking to the others.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Acting foolishly isn't her domain and she made no attempt to pretend it was. Were Balotelli on the show Norton could have quizzed him about the time he set fireworks off in his bathroom and nearly burnt his house down in the process, or when he threw a dart at a youth team player at training, or whether the fake Santa driving around Manchester handing out wads of cash was indeed him. He would hardly be recognisable as a footballer, but it's not a bad way to earn £180,000 a week, eh?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Aside from the outlandish tomfoolery, Balotelli scored 30 goals in 80 games for City and was a certainty from the penalty spot. However, he received four red cards and 23 yellows; that's just three fewer cards than goals scored. He fought Micah Richards, he fought his manager. He made it extremely difficult for any sincere City fan to take to him. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an unforgettable demonstration of his huge potential Balotelli scored two pivotal goals to fire Italy to the Euro 2012 final, which led many believers to predict that he would start the 2012/13 season in the same devastating form. That never happened. Balotelli has scored one league goal all season; his attitude in training and on the pitch coupled with his antics off it led him to become the club's fourth choice senior striker, and subsequently being sold halfway through their title defence.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Milan swooped with an offer of around £20m for the talent-wasting striker, Mancini could have hardly believed his luck. It allowed him to end the nightmare of nurturing Balotelli from wild to world beater with minimal transfer fee lost. Balotelli's ability is obvious but his application is sadly lacking.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fda8LjUB1173YXKOm47kj6g4F-88QTCuhJmHFmL62e4S4Tnz9IiSRMeuywCQXb7KN-R-0QqtqtTuO7QstaInNdo-zbsXEW_pyvqlv7ub9A6HF2tSP_pVhcyK5-PG2xtFQd-Gqd32suI/s1600/Balotelli+-+Piotr+Drabik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fda8LjUB1173YXKOm47kj6g4F-88QTCuhJmHFmL62e4S4Tnz9IiSRMeuywCQXb7KN-R-0QqtqtTuO7QstaInNdo-zbsXEW_pyvqlv7ub9A6HF2tSP_pVhcyK5-PG2xtFQd-Gqd32suI/s400/Balotelli+-+Piotr+Drabik.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Piotr Drabik</span></div>
</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-88341722729549537472013-01-11T05:51:00.000-08:002013-01-14T06:33:47.669-08:00Tennis in 2013: momentum with Murray but can Rafa make a return?<b>Will Nadal recover from knee tendonitis once again, or will the big four of tennis become a big three?</b><br />
<br />
Men's tennis is experiencing a golden era. At the top of the game are four titans - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal - who perform so consistently that it's almost the norm for them to occupy all semi-final berths of a tournament. When they do not, eyebrows are raised.<br />
<br />
For a perspective on how challenging it is to break the dominance of the game's elite, consider that it took Murray five attempts to win a grand slam final. He wrestled the 2012 US Open away from the clutches of Djokovic, but only after an epic struggle. Djokovic found a champion's spirit when two sets behind and forced Murray to defy his nerves in a deciding fifth set.<br />
<br />
Of the four, Djokovic was third to climb the ladder to tennis greatness. He did so by lifting the 2008 Australian Open title which presented him as a genuine rival to the then top two, Federer and Nadal. But Djokovic only continued to snap at their heels until 2011 when he dominated the calendar year, winning his first 41 matches and three of the four majors.<br />
<br />
He has had a career-long rivalry with Andy Murray, who mirrored his progression through junior to senior ranks. However, Murray has had to endure many more painful defeats during his rise; he lost once to Djokovic and three times to Federer in grand slam finals before finally winning one of his own.<br />
<br />
It is testament to the supremacy of the top four that some tennis circles contend that any one of them would be world number one in a different era. The performances in last year's Australian Open final from Djokovic and Nadal were seen as superhuman. The top four shared all four grand slams in 2012. Them aside, only Juan Martin Del Potro has won a major since Marat Safin won the Australian Open in 2005.<br />
<br />
Things are likely to change in 2013. Age has been a recent threat to the longevity of Federer's career, but his play shows few signs of relenting. He has always found a way to adapt his game - by adding an extra few miles per hour to his serve, for example - and his simple yet slick technique continues to be devastating. Despite this, the gap between Federer's decline and the rise of Djokovic and Murray will inevitably increase.<br />
<br />
The season-starting Australian Open is missing a big four name. Rafael Nadal has not played since losing surprisingly in the second round of Wimbledon and his absence leaves a major hole in the tournament. Nadal has suffered with knee tendonitis throughout his career, but for him to face another lay off of this magnitude is very worrying.<br />
<br />
It is a chilling absence. Nadal is only 26 and has been faced with career-threatening injuries at the regularity that most players suffer mere niggles. His high-intensity style lends to heavy impacts on his joints and Nadal has paid the price of his successes. At the highest level, tennis is about building up momentum and maintaining steady form throughout a major, and there is a fine line between winner and runner-up. The spectacular 2008 Wimbledon final ended tamely when Federer hit a routine forehand into the net with both players competing at the brink of exhaustion.<br />
<br />
Whether Nadal can continually return from an injury as serious as knee tendonitis to the pinnacle of the game is uncertain. It is a recurring problem that he will face throughout his career and while Nadal is getting his knees back to working order, Murray and Djokovic will be fine tuning, tweaking and honing their arsenal. It puts him at an obvious disadvantage.<br />
<br />
Murray has proven he is now one of the very best and barring the extraordinary 2013 will see him battle with Djokovic for the game's highest honours. Federer will be there or thereabouts, as there are no indications to say otherwise. The question mark looms over Nadal and whether he is able to recover from his latest bout of injury.Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-15415390887546659292012-12-11T17:30:00.000-08:002013-03-15T17:39:59.282-07:00Sports Personality of the Year 2012 - Andy Murray<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em;"><i>The case for the tennis player who grew to greatness in front of a nation's eyes</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em;"><i><br /></i>Winning a tennis major is an extraordinary achievement. A player must go on a solo journey through seven matches, each more testing than the last, pushing themselves to their physical limits when at the same time defying nerves that inevitably surface. Winning one with the pressure of 76 years of a nation's pent-up hopes focused entirely on you is something else.</span><br />
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These are the enormous obstacles Andy Murray had to conquer when he beat Novak Djokovic in September to win the US Open, becoming Britain's first grand slam winner since Fred Perry's 1936 triumph.</div>
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His victory is even more impressive when you consider that he's competing in arguably the toughest era of men's tennis ever. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic are all multiple grand slam champions and three of the best players to have picked up a racquet. They all possess phenomenal grand slam pedigree and invariably Murray has to overcome any two of them in a slam to win.</div>
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While the US Open victory was the greatest achievement of Murray's breakthrough year, the public basked more in his success at the Summer Olympics, where he won singles gold and mixed doubles silver.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 1.6em;">photo by Marianne Bevis</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.6em;">As home favourite, Murray was under huge pressure to deliver the title for Team GB. But he did so, and emphatically, losing only one set all tournament and crushing Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in the final.</span></div>
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Murray was also making his way to another final with 18-year-old Laura Robson. They forged a fearsome partnership and were only beaten by the No.1 seeds Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirinyi.</div>
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Another long-standing record fell to Murray at Wimbledon. He became the first British male to make it to the All England Club final since Bunny Austin in 1938. He was leading Federer too, but dropped intensity at a crucial moment in the second set and from that point momentum was firmly against him.</div>
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But Murray won the public's affection with a moving post-match interview on the court. It was a tear-jerking speech that was cruelly conducted immediately after he had lost. Murray poured his heart out to the nation after two emotionally and physically draining weeks. He has been accused before of not showing personality through his play, but in this touching moment at Wimbledon Murray revealed his hopes, motivation and bitter disappointments.</div>
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Tennis is an individual sport, where once you're on the court no one can help you. Under the guidance of Ivan Lendl, Murray has shown he can be the very best. It has been a breakthrough year for Andy Murray.</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-58647535735210617992012-12-04T09:36:00.003-08:002012-12-04T13:54:50.239-08:00Champion of league champions<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.51cm;">Tonight
German champions Borussia Dortmund host English champions Manchester
City in the final round of Champions League group matches. Regardless
of the result, Dortmund are about to be crowned a more impressive
kind of champion.</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">They
have won the ultimate 'group of death' - a group that comprises
league winners from England, Germany, Netherlands and Spain. Most
significantly, they did so with a game to spare. It gives them the
unofficial tag 'champion of league champions'.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The
seeding system could hardly have produced a tougher group. Indeed, on
paper, if any of the four teams should have feared the draw most, it
was Dortmund. They were seeded in pool four, but they made a mockery
of that, progressing to the knockout stages in first place.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Dortmund
are unbeaten in Group D, with three wins and two draws, but it could
easily have been five wins out of five. A 90th minute penalty rescued
City in game two, and an excellent 89th minute free-kick from </span><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mesut
Özil </span></span></em><span style="color: black;">spared
Madrid consecutive losses to the Germans.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They
have grown in confidence with each game. After a tentative yet solid
start, with a 1-0 win over Ajax and a 1-1 draw away to City, Dortmund
exploded onto the scene with two outstanding, high tempo performances
against Madrid. Then they routed Ajax 4-1 in Amsterdam to
emphatically seal the group win.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.51cm;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.51cm;">Dortmund
has been restored to its glory days by brilliant young mana<span style="font-family: inherit;">ger </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jürgen</span></span><span style="line-height: 0.51cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Klopp, who has built a robust team that plays fast-paced,
counter-attacking football, which is leaving the rest of Europe
trailing in its wake.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In
Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels they have two of the best young
talents at centre-back. They are both just 23 years old, stand an
intimidating 6'3” and 6'4” and chip in with their fair share of
goals too.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">A
strong Polish contingent is a key part of the Dortmund revolution.
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Łukasz
Piszczek</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">
and </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Jakub
Błaszczykowski</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">
</span></span><span style="color: black;">occupy
the right-wing with the energy of many entire teams, and Robert
Lewandowski is a one-man force in attack. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Not many players perform the lone forward role as effectively as Lewandowski. He hit 22 league goals last season - none of which were penalties to cheaply boost numbers - and is the current co-top scorer in this campaign.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">They
have the current German player of the year in Marco Reus, who
fearlessly opened the scoring in </span></span><span style="line-height: 0.51cm;">Amsterdam</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.51cm;">, Madrid and Manchester. He is a versatile attacking midfielder and works in combination with playmaker
</span><em style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.51cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Mario
Götze</span></span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.51cm;">,
who was described by former German Football Association technical
director Matthias Sammer as “one of the best talents we've ever
had.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=19262488604718626" name="_GoBack"></a>
<span style="color: black;">They
are a devastatingly slick side, who are setting the Champions League
alight. Results in this year's competition have shown that any team
is beatable. Barcelona were humbled by minnows Celtic.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.51cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The
tournament has been blown wide open. Dortmund, surely, must be
considered as genuine contenders to the grand title of European
champions.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-1336126233134338102012-11-20T14:57:00.002-08:002012-11-24T07:06:40.387-08:00New look Chelsea missing their old guardThis was about as poor a performance from a defending European Champion side as one could wish to see. Juventus swept aside Chelsea, who were fragile as glass in defence and played for 71 minutes without a striker.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yet it was not the same team that brought them the European Cup. Chelsea were unfortunate to be missing John Terry and Frank Lampard through injury but their failure to replace Didier Drogba is a consequence of their demanding chairman's desire to see his team play attractive football.<br />
<br />
Roman Abramovic poured huge sums of money into acquiring the hottest, most exotic attacking midfielders, and neglected the forward department. He led Chelsea into the 2012/13 season with just two strikers: an out of sorts Fernando Torres and rough around the edges Daniel Sturridge.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The lack of faith in Torres was handed a spotlight against Juventus, the £50m man who has returned 11 goals from 58 league starts, as Chelsea fielded six midfielders at his expense.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It felt forced. Light years away from emulating <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18355496" target="_blank">Spain's masterclass</a> in the Euro 2012 final. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Their opposition, Ju<span style="font-family: inherit;">ventus, also suffer from a case of non-scoring strikers. The difference, though, is Juve are willing to play theirs. While <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">Mirko </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">Vučinić</span> may not be clinical, he drops into midfield and links their play well. Importantly, they are a complete team. </span><br />
<br />
This was a walk in the park for Juventus as, for all their newfound flair, Chelsea are missing the spine of the team that won them the Champions League.<br />
<br />
Chelsea must now win against Nordsjaelland and rely on Shakhtar Donetsk to beat Juventus if they are to avoid becoming the first European Champions to exit at the group stage. It would be an embarrassing outcome for one of the competition's most successful sides of the past decade.</div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-79802145209625549042012-11-10T17:13:00.001-08:002013-04-25T03:32:58.689-07:00Manchester United chase down leads, Arsenal throw them away<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Premier
League '12/13, week 11</i></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Arsenal
were leading Fulham 2-0. Manchester United were trailing Aston Villa,
away, 2-0. Yet the two most successful teams in Premier League
history conformed to what is typical of their character. They did what
they do best. United swam, and Arsenal sank.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These
were two fantastic games, both first-on-Match of the Day worthy. One had to play second fiddle, and Villa-United was <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors/2006/09/better_late_than_never_we_hope.html" target="_blank">considered by the programme editor</a> to be the most special. Fulham will be asking
themselves what must they do to be on first, but this was a
truly staggering game.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Villa
held a comfortable lead, owing to Andrea Weimann's first two goals
for the club. The timing of the goals meant their impact was even heavier. One moments before half-time with another tucked in just
five minutes into the second-half would have felt like hammer blows to a lesser side.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
Manchester United are not a lesser side. When you have won the European
Cup with the <a href="http://www.manutdtreble.com/the_treble.htm" target="_blank">other team's colours already decorating the trophy</a>, it
gives you the mental strength to believe any situation is rescuable.
United typify the never-say-die spirit like no other team.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Their
saviour today was Javier Hernandez, who Martin Keown described as a
'modern-day Solskjaer'. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was United's go-to
player whenever they needed a goal during the 1990s. Time and time
again he would deliver from off the bench. He is a rare type of
player whom few teams have in their squads and, despite building a
career on starting most matches on the bench, he was never
underrated. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">It
certainly appears that Solskjaer has been reborn in Hernandez. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While
Manchester United chased down a lead, Arsenal threw one away. Arsenal
are very good at keeping the ball, and enjoy the most possession of
the league's 20 teams. But they can't keep an advantage.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20134482" target="_blank">second game in a row</a>, Arsenal struck first, only to see their
lead had evaporated at the final whistle. The nature of the goals
they conceded is alarming, too. Fulham's first was a messy goal from
a corner that should have been cleared. The second should have been
saved. There appears to be a problem with the marking system at
Arsenal, and they need a reliable goalkeeper. These are simple issues
that can be addressed easily.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
positives for Arsenal lie in that they played their part in a highly
entertaining game. Also, they missed a penalty in the last minute,
which could easily have gone in on another day.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
negative, perhaps realistic, perspective is that this has been
Arsenal's worst start to a league campaign under Wenger. The gap
between them and United, City and Chelsea is widening. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That Alan
Shearer stated Everton are favourites to finish fourth speaks greatly about Arsenal's blatantly obvious flaws of character. In comparison to United, they could not be more apparent.</span></span></div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-40817399783498097432012-10-15T10:07:00.000-07:002014-02-04T09:54:24.678-08:00'How to be a football journalist' - Guardian Masterclass reviewI attended a Guardian 'Masterclass' in how to be a football journalist on October 14. The event was held at the Guardian's [stunning] offices in King's Cross. But at £225 for the day it hardly came cheap, and so I went there brain fully switched on, pen and pad at hand to record any priceless insights. David Hytner and Jacob Steinberg were our tutors.<br />
<br />
The day began with David reeling off daunting figures of the success of the Guardian's website. He told stories of and emphasised the human side of football, lamented cliches and praised the Sun for their <i>"incredibly concise and punchy"</i> writing.<br />
<br />
The notion that being an excellent writer is the be-all and end-all to becoming a football journalist was quickly dispelled in the first session. <i>"I've worked with people who can barely spell their name,"</i> David told. They referenced the 'perspiring journalist' Duncan Jenkins as a case in point. In fact, they said the job of a journalist is roughly only 10% about writing. Being successful in the industry weighs heavily on one thing: contacts.<br />
<br />
We were told that "a huge amount" is what you know and who you know - the tutors could not help but use cliches themselves here. The person who knows who punched Alan Shearer in the face, David hypothesised, may be offered the position first.<br />
<br />
So, the class was now considering both <b>Who can be a contact?</b> and <b>How do I gather contacts?</b>. The tutors offered useful insight into these million dollar questions:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Press officers are the official channel of the club but may not respond nine out of ten times or for two days.</li>
<li>Agents are gossips, which is good, but they may have an agenda. It's important to ask yourself the following: What's in it for them? and Why they are telling me this?</li>
<li>Players are nowadays inaccessible, ring fenced by so many people and networks of agents. Contacts lower down the food chain are easier to work directly with.</li>
<li>Some of the best contacts you can have are other journalists, especially foreign journalists. They can enlighten you about a certain player in the match you are about to report on.</li>
</ul>
<br />
It is important to remember that a contact will only remain a contact if you stay in touch with that person. The tutors advised friendly texts and emails as ways of maintaining the connection. Furthermore, a contact can always be strengthened. Case in point: the Mail on Sunday put considerable groundwork in with Paul Stratford, agent of Wayne Rooney. When the story that Rooney wanted away from Manchester United broke in October 2010, the MoS were answered first with the most fruity details.<br />
<br />
The tutors gave full answers to all questions the group had. One of the more straightforward-seeming ones was <b>Are there different types of writers?</b>. Hytner explained that the Guardian's football writers are each assigned to cover a certain geographical area; for example, he rarely reports on football outside of London. He stressed caution at limiting ones field, unless you are very good at a specific type of football writing - as Arseblog, a dedicated Arsenal blogger and Zonal Marking, a website analysing tactics post-match, have successfully managed. For <strike>perspiring</strike> aspiring journalists, it's better to first hone an all-round set of skills.<br />
<br />
The class wanted to know <b>how to get started in journalism</b>. The tutors told us that you don't need a degree: <i>"Get work experience, impress, show you're willing"</i>. The local newspaper is an excellent place to start, as everything originates from a local level. The manager of Tooting, for example, might want the Wandsworth Guardian to be nice about him and the team.<br />
<br />
<b>Newsworthiness</b>. This singular word explains why Luis Suarez, a controversial and in some arenas hated character, is gold dust for papers. The way he combines being an anti-hero on one level and a genius on another means that everyone has an opinion of him. Regardless of what you think of Suarez, he sells papers. The tutors used the idea of 'A-list' footballers, saying Suarez is an A-lister along with, you guessed it, John Terry and Wayne Rooney.<br />
<br />
A discussion ensued, and the hypothesis <b>Do A-listers receive preferential treatment from the press?</b> was considered. The example given was when Robin van Persie appeared to elbow Yohan Cabaye during Manchester United's 3-0 win over Newcastle a week previous on October 7th, yet avoided a media scolding. This example was dismissed by the tutors, as the FA chose not to punish the incident, but it was an interesting consideration whether celebrity footballers may be somewhat 'untouchable' in print.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-90076978718149873832012-09-27T15:45:00.000-07:002013-09-07T11:13:39.801-07:00Inconsistencies galore as Terrygate is finally over<div>
<div>
<b>A dispassionate defence of John Terry</b><br />
<br />
A long-running saga was ended on 27 September when the FA charged Chelsea and former England captain John Terry with "using abusive language", a charge which "included a reference to colour and/ or race". Terry now faces a four match suspension and must pay £220,000, should he decline his right to appeal. Terry was acquitted of criminal charges at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 13 July in a rigorous four-day trial but the FA exercised its ability to conduct its own investigation.<br />
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Unlike a court of law, the FA doesn't need to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to record a conviction. With the torrent of hate being poured at Terry, it's highly likely that the independent panel felt a little pressured to deliver a guilty verdict. That outcome, too, felt inevitable. Football is currently on a mission to purify its game. Terry may have got away with it once but football wasn't going to let him off the hook twice.<br />
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In enforcing the charge, the FA has created a platform for Terry-abuse. However, whether it's a fair one is dubious. Terry's defence, that he was repeating what was said to him by Anton Ferdinand, held up in the Magistrates'. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Magistrates got it right and the FA, acting on behalf of the good of football, got it wrong.<br />
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John Obi Mikel was stood beside Terry when the words that landed him in this situation came out. He's one of many black Chelsea players who, not only took no offence to Terry's words, but flew to their captain's defence during the trial. These are people who work with Terry every day and did not hesitate to help him clear his name. In the eyes of these players, it was heat of the moment foul-mouthing from one player to another; nothing more and should have been treated like nothing more. </div>
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Indeed, Ferdinand didn't even hear firsthand what was said to him. He was informed of footage of their argument, and after one thing had led to another, agreed to pursue the matter in a case that rapidly began to gather momentum. As no personal harm was caused at the time of the incident, it feels contrived that such an ordeal would ensue. </div>
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John Terry is far from the only one to come off badly from this affair. The FA look ridiculous having handed Luis Suarez a suspension double the length that Terry received for a racist tirade on Patrice Evra just last year. The offender's intentions in this case were also questionable: Suarez claimed the aggravating word 'negro' is common in latin American countries, and means no harm. </div>
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Followers of football have lamented a lack of continuity as the FA failed to match the charges. Suarez's £40,000 fine is considerably less than Terry's. Because Suarez was banned for longer but Terry was fined more, it's impossible to tell which act of charged racism was deemed worse.</div>
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A consequence of the events, which loomed over football for nearly a year, saw Rio Ferdinand's effective eligibility to the England Euro 2012 squad decimated merely for being the brother of Anton. England also lost a manager. For a four match ban and around a fine of a week's wages, it begs the question was the whole thing worth it?<br />
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Racism is foul and needs to be tackled in football, as in other arenas of life. Though in the cases of Suarez and Terry the truth may be that a desire to present a tough stance on racism, combined with their high profile personalities, led to their receiving considerably steeper punishment than their actions warranted.</div>
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Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-88696451610004681012012-08-13T18:58:00.001-07:002013-08-17T03:53:08.541-07:00Triple Olympic champion - no small feat<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No athlete has ever won the
same track event at three consecutive Olympics. It appears a feat beyond the
parameters of human possibility. To be the fastest or to have the best
endurance over a specific distance for the best part of a decade is yet to be
crystallised in the form of Olympic domination.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
Of course, it is much more complicated than that. Merely being the quickest in
your discipline is no assurance of victory. Take Mo Farah in the 5,000m for
example: this year ten other runners had posted faster times and seven boasted
superior personal bests. </span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
But when it came to it, at the crucial point<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=19262488604718626" name="_GoBack"></a> - in the
final of the Olympic Games - Farah<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/19230671" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4d469c;">vanquished them all</span></a>. </span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
In the run-up to the Games, Farah stressed how he had configured his training so
that he peaked at London. Evidently, this worked wonders - while others were
busy setting world-leading times, Farah was quietly timing his preparations to
perfection. </span><br /><span style="background: white;"><br />
Hitting one's peak at the critical moment is a quality synonymous with</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> the last
of the 'Flying Finns' </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Lasse Viren</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. Viren is the only competitor to win both the
5,000m and 10,000m in consecutive Olympics, and he did so by drifting away from
the athletics scene - when he worked as
a policeman in his home country - and returning when it mattered most.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="background: white;"><br />
The sole athlete who had the chance to earn Olympic track immortality at this
Games - in Farah's first conquest, the 10,000m - was Kenenisa Bekele of
Ethiopia. This is a runner who has been so successful in his career that on the
sparse occasion when he's taken anything but a gold medal, the immediate
question to be asked is what went wrong for Bekele - not what went <i>right </i>for
the winner.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FMIAJ0P7S-loa6nBCepC6dN-kLoaZXX_ojST5gPRb3Dt4cytxM4J_LpktxOFi0iDKDTmfRAoigWWBpYfy7Jnbp8SfJ-EmcnKl29TVTgwMakW83IIB7u5soYM0wQ39CgiyVL2y_Wjo2A/s1600/Bekele+leading+Ethiopians+-+Comisi%C3%B3n+Nacional+de+Cultura+F%C3%ADsica+y+Deporte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FMIAJ0P7S-loa6nBCepC6dN-kLoaZXX_ojST5gPRb3Dt4cytxM4J_LpktxOFi0iDKDTmfRAoigWWBpYfy7Jnbp8SfJ-EmcnKl29TVTgwMakW83IIB7u5soYM0wQ39CgiyVL2y_Wjo2A/s640/Bekele+leading+Ethiopians+-+Comisi%C3%B3n+Nacional+de+Cultura+F%C3%ADsica+y+Deporte.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kenenisa Bekele leading the pack; by David Leah from Comisión Nacional de Cultura Física y Deporte</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background: white;">
However, even for someone considered to be one of the all-time greats in
long-distance running, a third Olympic title proved elusive. There were no
excuses from Bekele as he finished in fourth place and out of the medals, and
one must assume merely that the years had caught up with him. He has since
declared that he will hang up his track boots in order to tackle the marathon,
a progression many greats have made before him.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
In the sprints, Carl Lewis was 100m champion in 1984 and 1988. Come Barcelona
1992, however, his dominance had waned and Lewis focused on the long jump. To
further highlight the difficulties of staying at the top, on only one occasion
has the 400m been won by the same man at consecutive Olympics – by ‘Superman’
Michael Johnson in 1996 and 2000.</span></span><br />
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Is there something about track running that makes the treble so hard to achieve?
Rigorous training demands are one small matter as the athlete has a number of
factors to contend with cometh the moment. In sprinting, one false start now
equates to immediate disqualification and in the longer distances, tactics play
a huge part as runners influence the way the race plays out by sticking with
their fellow nationals and training partners.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the recently crowned double Olympic champions
in men's and women's 100m, will each have a chance at Rio 2016 to do what no
one has done before and become an Olympic triple track champion. Quite
a mouthful, and quite a feat. In fact, as the double winner in the 200m, Bolt
will have two opportunities. </span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br />
They will both be 29 when the opportunity arises, and age is unlikely to be their stumbling block. For 5"0' Fraser-Pryce, competing in one of the most
loaded events, has twice denied the USA and has awakened their wrath. Then,
Bolt: who knows where he will be in four years' time? In the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/9473832/Shane-Warne-leading-campaign-to-bring-Usain-Bolt-to-Melbourne-for-Australias-Twenty20-Big-Bash-League.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4d469c;">world of cricket</span></a>,
motoring on to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/908307-usain-bolt-i-can-help-manchester-united-stop-city-winning-league-again" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4d469c;">Wayne Rooney throughballs</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>or tackling the longer sprint, the
400m?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background: white;"><br />
Or maybe, just maybe, he will have stuck around long enough to achieve
something that really will make Bolt a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/10/usain-bolt-london-2012-olympic-games-gold-medal" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4d469c;">legend of athletics</span></a>.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfh-5SzhioR2rC9X5s_iRTMfGTmHw795vTCVP0K8q6DbEeuAvRgeS7EAtit0xKhs0ZTA_E6jUktT-Fv4zOwTcYLujkKcp9cIBtGMK0e87d1n0i_SNzI4FTbebjtI4jLHc0cxMvkSpE6o/s1600/Bolt+-+Mike+Hilton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfh-5SzhioR2rC9X5s_iRTMfGTmHw795vTCVP0K8q6DbEeuAvRgeS7EAtit0xKhs0ZTA_E6jUktT-Fv4zOwTcYLujkKcp9cIBtGMK0e87d1n0i_SNzI4FTbebjtI4jLHc0cxMvkSpE6o/s640/Bolt+-+Mike+Hilton.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Usain Bolt after retaining his Olympic 100m crown at London 2012; by Mike Hilton</span></div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-57080226369699157072012-08-10T08:29:00.002-07:002012-11-18T13:17:02.156-08:00Keri-Anne Payne unable to follow in fellow GB stars' golden footsteps<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>London Olympics 2012, Women's Open Water Race, 10k/ 6 laps of Hyde Park's Serpentine</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Serpentine: a dauntingly named lake that conjures images of mythical snake beasts. Indeed, its name is derived from its snaking, curving shape. Yet as open water courses go, such thoughts are misleading. The flat tide made for a very fast race in the women’s swimming marathon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great Britain’s Keri-Anne Payne was a strong favourite but could only manage fourth place. Perhaps that the winner, Eva Risztov of Hungary, has a rich background in middle-distance pool races suggests the conditions were unfavourable to Payne. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Open water racing is as it sounds: an individualised discipline where swimmers have great freedom to decide how they compete. They can lurk in a chasing pack or lead, drift sideways and take fuel breaks as and when pleased. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Payne appeared to have missed her final drop from her feeding station, which could account for her being off the leaders’ pace. It may be more appropriate, however, to make the point that the waters were too tame to draw the best out of her. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a swimmer who has encountered jellyfish the size of dinner plates, swam in a river where dead dogs and horses had been dumped and in ice-cold waters without shark nets, the recreational lake would have been like a stroll in the surrounding Hyde Park – a comfort to some but which played competitively to Payne’s disadvantage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Characteristically Payne, who likes to lead from start to finish, took immediately to the front, only to be hauled back by Hayley Anderson of USA and Risztok, who stretched the field at a ferocious pace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With one lap of six remaining, the race was already elitist as a ten metre gap separated the first five swimmers. Mercifully, Risztok cranked the intensity to make the gap 20 then 30 metres, putting a clear separation between the rest of the field.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The early race leader, Anderson, was left adrift battling with Payne to catch Germany’s Angela Moura, Italy’s Martina Grimaldi and Risztok who occupied the medal positions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happened next was extraordinary, however, as she summoned staggering reserve to surge up to second place, and came close to snatching victory. Payne, too, was swept forward as the end approached, and finished just 0.4 seconds off a podium finish. <o:p></o:p></span>Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19262488604718626.post-67725957786748166022012-06-25T03:27:00.000-07:002013-06-22T10:26:22.580-07:00Resilient, brave, occasionally brilliant - but beaten<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Euro 2012
quarter-final: </b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">England 0 - 0
Italy (Italy won 4-2 on penalties after extra-time)</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In terms of the quality of
football played over 120 minutes, England had lost. Long before the actual
penalty defeat. It was as if the players felt they were competing a
long-distance desert race, desperately attempting to drag their dead, cramping
bodies over the extra-time finish line.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Andrea Pirlo, the
puppet master, had England at his mercy and the viewing public in horrified
awe. His ability to exert a wizard-like influence on the game from such a
deep-sitting position proved to be a tactical nightmare and a spectacle
scarcely seen. There is no denying his passing was on top form, both in terms
of range and accuracy. But he has been performing at that ultimate level all year for
Juventus, where he was in many critics’ eyes player of the season. Pirlo
was just doing his thing. And we had no plan - or so it seemed - to nullify
him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The problem lay in the
position Pirlo operates in; he plays in-between the defence and midfield where
he aims to orchestrate the team's tempo and play passes in all directions. Our
orthodox 4-4-2 did not naturally lend a player to picking him up, and the
result was Pirlo had both plenty of space and time on the ball throughout the
match. Free reign to the one player we could not afford to allow free reign. He
also roamed to the sides, where his crossing was equally threatening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Going into the
quarter-final there was genuine reason for optimism. England breezed through their
group, and with two exciting performances. We showed against Sweden an ability
to raise our game, find goals when needed. Against Ukraine, we withstood a barrage
from an inspired host nation and there was a genuine feeling of togetherness
that has been a missing ingredient of past campaigns. The first half
performance was all that was missing, and against Italy we got it. But then we
lost it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the second half we
reverted to the negative mindset we displayed against France. Like someone who
had been sat in an uncomfortable chair for too long, we slumped from sitting
high with attacking posture to sagging around our box as our goal-threat
evaporated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">'Same old England'
describes the style of our exit as once again we departed on penalties. But if
that is how our tournament is remembered, it will do England an injustice.
There were numerous, if disjointed, examples of the talents and capacity needed
to form a winning side. We just never managed to display them all together at
once.</span></span></div>
Sam Petherickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06617770199536749706noreply@blogger.com0