The trend continues!
Does any club want to win this season? This weekend followed what has overall been a season of upsets and unusual results. As I've wrote previously no-one knows where the shocks are coming from next, whether it's on or off the field. First and foremost it was Birmingham City who claimed the first silverware of the season with a shock 2-1 over Arsenal. The way Arsenal react in their next few games will define their season which before Sunday had so much promise still. Four possible trophies that were available on Sunday could become nought within 10 days. Two extremes of the football world await within the two Cup competitions with Barcelona and Leyton Orient awaiting. With a possible tie against Manchester United if they beat Orient.
The positive of Jack Wilshere emerging is clear for everyone to see but what isn't good is seeing his attitude that sometimes gets the better of him. Reminds me of another Central midfielder that currently plies his trade at the Emirates, but possibly not for long as Spain awaits. Let's hope for Arsenal's and England's sake that this is just inexperience that he will soon grow out of.
This hasn't always been the norm as fellow England players have proved this weekend, after one was voted England player of the year and the other possibly scoring the goal of the season so far. Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney showed their immature side by keeping up their continual falling reputations. Ashley decided to use a loaded gun and shoot a work experience student at Chelsea's training ground whereas Rooney tried to cause physical harm another way but on the pitch using his elbow to an innocent James McCarthy's head. Another two cases that embarrasses football players, the fans and the sport itself instead of the true praise that should go out for Birmingham City's players and other heroes of the weekend.
I mention other heroes as once again I must once again give a brief mention to my hero of the season, Scott Parker, once again shone and inspired a brilliant West Ham performance to beat Liverpool. Where this season will go from here is anyones guess until the end of May when everything has been settled.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
One big hurdle cleared
I woke up Monday morning with a number of aches and pains in both my legs, but with a good feeling inside that these pains weren't injuries and that I had completed the Brighton Half Marathon in a solid time of 1 hour 36 minutes and 44 seconds.
I expected to finish around 1 hour 40/45 minutes so I was delighted with my time as my training had been stunted by injuries which has therefore led to less training. My target is still to complete the full marathon in April with a time around 4 hours, but preparation is the key. This time last year I had just got back from Australia with very few miles under my belt, this showed during the marathon last year as i got to 15 miles my body just crumbled. Those last 11 miles were so hard and I don't want to be suffering for as long this year! (I can hope can't I?)
Good and bad preparation has been part of England's build up for the cricket world cup too, the retaining of the Ashes followed by the 6-1 one day thrashing by their Aussie rivals. Once again as always with English one day cricket, the right team and their batting line up changes up and into major tournaments. This continued today in England's first match with the ever consistent Mike Yardy dropped for Ravi Bopara, England scrapped a win against the Netherlands but it does make you wonder do England know their best line-up yet? Again!
English cricket is still on the up and they did scrape through their first few group games on the way to winning the T20 world cup last year. But the chances of lightning striking twice are slim with the slightly longer form of the one day game not allowing for as many rash decisions. If my marathon training from the past two years is to go by they should stick with their tried and tested method and stick with the nucleus of the team that sealed glory in the West Indies whilst preparing earlier and more efficiently. It's not like the world cup was a secret that has just came out of nowhere, they knew it was happening since the last one finished. We will know by April (Yes April!) when the world cup finishes whether the chopping and changing of a team is the best method to bring home glory.
 |
| Looking good after 8 miles- hmm maybe not? |
Good and bad preparation has been part of England's build up for the cricket world cup too, the retaining of the Ashes followed by the 6-1 one day thrashing by their Aussie rivals. Once again as always with English one day cricket, the right team and their batting line up changes up and into major tournaments. This continued today in England's first match with the ever consistent Mike Yardy dropped for Ravi Bopara, England scrapped a win against the Netherlands but it does make you wonder do England know their best line-up yet? Again!
English cricket is still on the up and they did scrape through their first few group games on the way to winning the T20 world cup last year. But the chances of lightning striking twice are slim with the slightly longer form of the one day game not allowing for as many rash decisions. If my marathon training from the past two years is to go by they should stick with their tried and tested method and stick with the nucleus of the team that sealed glory in the West Indies whilst preparing earlier and more efficiently. It's not like the world cup was a secret that has just came out of nowhere, they knew it was happening since the last one finished. We will know by April (Yes April!) when the world cup finishes whether the chopping and changing of a team is the best method to bring home glory.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Defining Moments
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2348597/the-student-sportsman-amp-fan?claim=dkpdxrp4hgm">Follow my blog with bloglovin</a>
By the end of this week i hope to have just completed one of the major landmarks in my Marathon training, The Brighton Half Marathon. The past few weeks have put, what has otherwise been a very smooth training period, a bit more doubt in my mind about completing the full 26.2 mile distance on April 10th. Aches, pains and rest have been the key words in the past month as I've increased my training schedule. But once this race has been completed i can once again start thinking about not only just completing the Marathon in April but beating my time from last year and trying to break the four hour barrier.
The Premier League also threw up some possible defining moments of the season so far, the most well known will be the Manchester Derby and that goal.
Not bad for a player who has been supposedly out of form for a whole year and who may well have just secured a record 19th league title for the red side of Manchester. The reaction that came with the goal did portray it was scored by god even with some replays showing it could well have come off his shin. Either way it was a brilliant goal and a crucial win over City which extinguishes their hopes of a 1st Premier League title for another year.
My weekend attention was set firmly towards the Hawthorns, hoping to see West Ham turn in another away win. As i was walking around central London for the day, it was only text updates and my dad's iphone that was keeping me up to date. When i first checked the score at half time i was debating whether to turn mine and his phone off for the rest of the afternoon. 3-0 down, don't think I've ever known West Ham to come back from a score line like that. But the joy of bringing myself to look at the full-time score and it being 3-3 was more disbelief than anything. The result was once again crucial to keep in contact with the rest of the league, which seemed to come about afterwards from a Scott Parker inspired half time team talk.
It may well be that a result or team talk like that turns a season around and given the past week the Hammers have had with (Olympic Stadium success). It could well mean it may determine what level they play at for the next 15 years, Champions League or Championship?
OK so maybe the Champions League is the over-optimistic fan coming out in me, but the fine lines in sport can mean so much to the future of players, clubs and fans alike. This season like no other could shift the way the English top flight looks for the next 10 years and its not just clubs, cities themselves rely on their clubs. So will Manchester City get in the top 4? Will Chelsea drop out? Will Blackpool stay in the Premier League? Will West Ham drop out? All of this questions could be answered no and all could be answered yes, that's just what this season has been.
Lets hope this Sunday and the next two months are less eventful for my training than the whole of this season has been. It will most likely mean that i will have a big medal round my neck at about 1 o'clock on April 10th with an even bigger smile on my face.
By the end of this week i hope to have just completed one of the major landmarks in my Marathon training, The Brighton Half Marathon. The past few weeks have put, what has otherwise been a very smooth training period, a bit more doubt in my mind about completing the full 26.2 mile distance on April 10th. Aches, pains and rest have been the key words in the past month as I've increased my training schedule. But once this race has been completed i can once again start thinking about not only just completing the Marathon in April but beating my time from last year and trying to break the four hour barrier.
The Premier League also threw up some possible defining moments of the season so far, the most well known will be the Manchester Derby and that goal.
Not bad for a player who has been supposedly out of form for a whole year and who may well have just secured a record 19th league title for the red side of Manchester. The reaction that came with the goal did portray it was scored by god even with some replays showing it could well have come off his shin. Either way it was a brilliant goal and a crucial win over City which extinguishes their hopes of a 1st Premier League title for another year.
My weekend attention was set firmly towards the Hawthorns, hoping to see West Ham turn in another away win. As i was walking around central London for the day, it was only text updates and my dad's iphone that was keeping me up to date. When i first checked the score at half time i was debating whether to turn mine and his phone off for the rest of the afternoon. 3-0 down, don't think I've ever known West Ham to come back from a score line like that. But the joy of bringing myself to look at the full-time score and it being 3-3 was more disbelief than anything. The result was once again crucial to keep in contact with the rest of the league, which seemed to come about afterwards from a Scott Parker inspired half time team talk.
It may well be that a result or team talk like that turns a season around and given the past week the Hammers have had with (Olympic Stadium success). It could well mean it may determine what level they play at for the next 15 years, Champions League or Championship?
OK so maybe the Champions League is the over-optimistic fan coming out in me, but the fine lines in sport can mean so much to the future of players, clubs and fans alike. This season like no other could shift the way the English top flight looks for the next 10 years and its not just clubs, cities themselves rely on their clubs. So will Manchester City get in the top 4? Will Chelsea drop out? Will Blackpool stay in the Premier League? Will West Ham drop out? All of this questions could be answered no and all could be answered yes, that's just what this season has been.
Lets hope this Sunday and the next two months are less eventful for my training than the whole of this season has been. It will most likely mean that i will have a big medal round my neck at about 1 o'clock on April 10th with an even bigger smile on my face.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
On the right road again
I started off this mild Wednesday evening with a bit on anxiety, a week off with an injured anterior tibialis (shins to a normal people) I thought it was time to try and get back on the road and get a couple of miles under my belt. With the Brighton half marathon just 11 days away, thankfully i made it round Teddington's streets without any sign of the injury that has stopped me training for the past seven days. Getting back just in time for the Kick-off of the England-Denmark game.
This also symbolised an anxious period for an England team in transition and still under pressure to beat a Denmark team who probably aren't given as much credit as they probably deserve, despite their poor performances in South Africa.
This also symbolised an anxious period for an England team in transition and still under pressure to beat a Denmark team who probably aren't given as much credit as they probably deserve, despite their poor performances in South Africa.
 |
Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images |
Despite going a goal down, England fought back to a 2-1 win which had an almost unlikely professional performance to the usual scrappy wins that regular plague England games. One of the many positives was that it seemed that most of the squad that played a part in the game came through unscathed, pleasing their club managers no end and postponing the debate of a pointless friendly in early February leading into crucial club games for a little while longer. OK maybe that debate won't ever go away as friendlies continue to be scrutinised, but the many positives coming out tonight's games will hopefully dispel some of those doubters. Another positive was finally the inclusion of Scott Parker, not only in the squad but his second half run out that drew massive praise from all corners of the media and fans alike. Possibly my West Ham fan bias is coming through but he showed what England have been missing by recreating his brilliant form for his club. Calmness on the ball, crucial tackles and setting up attacks- it was just like being at Upton Park only with 10 better players playing around him.
Whether it's right to say that this is a 'changed England side' is a big statement to make after one win against a lesser side. But it just sets up the team up nicely for the qualifier against Wales in March in what should be a comfortable win barring any patriotic up rise from the Welsh. A win in Cardiff will achieve the main aim, qualifying for Euro 2012, let's just get there first and build a team for the future (perhaps sacrificing Euro 2012) instead of rushing into another major tournament with a substandard injured side that will most likely fail under the pressure of expectation. Perhaps we'll surprise a few people if we don't expect to win it!
Monday, 7 February 2011
Greatest show on turf? I thought it was a game?
A show is exactly what 103,219 in the stadium and billions worldwide tuned in for last night, as always with American football and American sport there's so much more to it.
When at half time you see hundreds of dancers on the pitch with flashing boxes for heads you know it can only be in America at the biggest sporting event in their calender. Perhaps what usually eludes other big showpiece finals elsewhere around the word is a good match to go with it. This wasn't the case here with Green Bay and their 100,000+ owners won their 4th Superbowl in a thrilling 31-25 game. But whereas that will always be seen in the record books and remembered by Green Bay fans forever, the armchair fans around the world will probably remember it for other reasons.
As i woke up this morning and scanned the BBC website, the biggest news was that Christina Aguilera had fluffed her lines singing the national anthem and that the Black Eyed Peas had performed at half time with Usher coming down from the stadium roof on a rope midway through their performance. This could resemble what happened in Superbowl XXXVIII (38 to a normal human) and the infamous nipplegate incident involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Does anyone outside the States remember who won that game or even played in it?
As Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay side return to Wisconsin as heroes and 'world champions' the rest of the NFL wonder whether there will even be a season next year. As players and owners discuss new terms into what could be a possibly extended season from 16 to 18 games. If both sides can't negotiate then a strike could happen not only damaging reputations around the world but especially in the UK where the 4 regular season games the past 4 years have brought forward the possibility of a Superbowl or even a British team in the NFL. If this strike was to occur, it will be a lot to come back from for the British fans to forgive as their own country's football stars demand more and more money year on year.
The damage may not be as large over the pond, but it once again puts in perspective how much does the game itself mean to TV companies and owners alike who are willing to spend millions on a 30 second advert during a time out or try to expand their 'brand' worldwide. If a deal can't be met international fans of the NFL may decide not to stay up till 3am watching the finale of the season for years to come and the NFL international revolution may not have just hit a roadblock but a brick wall that may not ever be moved again.
When at half time you see hundreds of dancers on the pitch with flashing boxes for heads you know it can only be in America at the biggest sporting event in their calender. Perhaps what usually eludes other big showpiece finals elsewhere around the word is a good match to go with it. This wasn't the case here with Green Bay and their 100,000+ owners won their 4th Superbowl in a thrilling 31-25 game. But whereas that will always be seen in the record books and remembered by Green Bay fans forever, the armchair fans around the world will probably remember it for other reasons.
As i woke up this morning and scanned the BBC website, the biggest news was that Christina Aguilera had fluffed her lines singing the national anthem and that the Black Eyed Peas had performed at half time with Usher coming down from the stadium roof on a rope midway through their performance. This could resemble what happened in Superbowl XXXVIII (38 to a normal human) and the infamous nipplegate incident involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Does anyone outside the States remember who won that game or even played in it?
 |
| The game result isn't seen to be as important news compared to the half time show |
The damage may not be as large over the pond, but it once again puts in perspective how much does the game itself mean to TV companies and owners alike who are willing to spend millions on a 30 second advert during a time out or try to expand their 'brand' worldwide. If a deal can't be met international fans of the NFL may decide not to stay up till 3am watching the finale of the season for years to come and the NFL international revolution may not have just hit a roadblock but a brick wall that may not ever be moved again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
