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Belated Euro 2012 Predictions

2012-06-11T11:02:47Z

I should've done this post ages ago, but between being busy with real work and forgetting to update my blog, it's been delayed until now, four days after it started. I think this Euro is a lot more open that most people think, and we could be in for a surprise come the final. The favourites, the Netherlands and Germany have been less than impressive, especially the former, while Spain struggled to draw against Italy. I actually fancy the latter, as they always seem to perform amidst match fixing scandals, so they could very well make the final.

The other team that looks good is Russia. Unless a team from group D do better, they have been the most impressive team so far lead by young striker Alan Dzagoev and a reborn Andrei Arshavin (why can't he ever play that way for Arsenal??). I reckon they are real outsiders. They definitely go through, and then if they come up against Holland like in last Euro anything could happen.

The other issue I want to talk about is England. Today they face France, which for the media in the UK will go one of two ways. A win and we will become instant favourites to win and the best team in the tournament, a loss and Hodgson should never have been hired and we will be knocked out in the group stages. In no other country is the media like that, and you can guarantee and erratic response whatever the result.

I would not have taken Rooney, instead I would have taken Kevin Davies, Grant Holt or Gary Hooper, as I feel that while they do not have the international experience, they get you goals, and most importantly will be able to play the two first games. Carroll should start against France, as if we're adopting a defensive approach we may as well go the whole way. Defoe would have been my first choice but I think with the events of the past week he won't be in the right state of mind, so it's best for the first game he sits out before returning later.

Can the Spurs Win The NBA?

2012-05-28T13:53:36Z

They were written off last year, they were written off this year, but the San Antonio Spurs now have a realistic chance of winning the title again. It's pretty incredible, considering that their team's stars are all of over thirty, but it's just a testament to what an amazing job Gregg Popovich has done as coach. Year in year out he has got them not only making the playoffs but also performing really well and mostly getting to the finals (last year being the exception).

Tony Parker is better than he's ever been this season, and at least this year, he's shown that he is one of the best point guards in the NBA. Duncan's the consistent performer he's always been, while Ginobili, like Parker, has taken on a new dimension and is better than ever. It's very interesting to see the veterans of the game rediscover their peak form. It's rather like if Ronaldinho were to recommend the best player in the world. It's incredibly rare to see, and it shows that some oldies are truly golden.

It seems that experienced teams do really well on the NBA: the Mavs won last year, with Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki, the Celtics seem to keep doing well despite the big three being over 30, so it's really a weird sport in that regard. In football, older players are dismissed in favour of young starlets, but in basketball, old players you could argue sometimes perform much better than younger players. That's partly the reason of San Antonio's success - in football they wouldn't have a chance.

Why Asia Is Now So Important To The Football Industry

2012-05-19T18:25:51Z

Generally speaking, Asia is taking over. Whether its China for industry and economy or Japan or South Korea for their heigh tech infrastructure and appeal, Asia is an ever growing and extremely valuable market, and nowhere else than football is that more apparent. Premier League matches featuring Asian players attract more viewers than the biggest of derbies. From Park Ji-Sung to Lie Tie, and more recently Ryo Miyaichi and Ju-Young Park, both Gunners players, the Asian presence has been getting bigger and bigger.

It is now commonplace for friendlies, but also important competitive games like the Club World Cup to take place in the far east, and how you could you forget the first Asian World Cup back in 2002? However where games are played isn't everything, and when you look at the players Asia is producing, they actually aren't at all bad.

More and more talents are emerging: the first superstar to really come out of Asia was Hidetoshi Nakata, but now Park Ji-Sung, Keisuke Honda, Park Ju-Young and Ki Sung Yueng are the biggest names. It is also clear that talent for the future is there, with Ryo Miyaichi no doubt the biggest superstar in the making.

I reckon it won't be at all long before we see an Asian player ranked as one of the best in the world, especially when China get their act together. We haven't seen a lot of talent come out of China, Sun Jihai probably the biggest name, but get a few football academies in there and I'm sure they'll start takeover as well.

The Fall of Liverpool

2012-05-12T10:54:27Z

The fall of Liverpool sounds more like a fantasy scenario in WW2 than a situation taking place in football, but it is happening. You can't deny their season has been a total failure, culminating with the loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Fair enough, they have won the Carling Cup, but all that shows is that there no longer competing for the big trophies. Indeed, they are just another mid table side, and I would take teams like Fulham and Everton over them any day of the week.

The problem is simple. They have overpaid for players. To be honest, this should be the least of their problems, as with an owner like John Henry who specialises in Moneyball, he should know what he's doing. By for some reason that hasn't translated from baseball to football at all well, and in the long term, it could actually turn out that Torres for 50 million was a better deal than Carroll for 35 million and Suarez for 25 million.

Liverpool have got to get their act together and the first step towards that is, I'm afraid to say, getting rid of King Kenny. There are plenty of managers out there who would improve Liverpool's position, it's just that Henry risks the wrath of the fans if he gets sacked. I've never really rated Dalglish as a manager, and I think if Liverpool has stuck with Hodgson, long term they would have got better results.

They need to bring in some proven quality players: not people like Luis Enrique (who's been pretty average) and Andy Carroll, who's been rubbish overall. If they don't, they face a quick and sad decline and will probably follow in the footsteps of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.

Why Does Everybody Overlook Jermain?

2012-05-05T15:56:44Z

Who is the best striker in England? Before he moved to Liverpool, I said Andy Carroll, however that's clearly no longer the case. For me, the best striker in England now is Wayne Rooney, which is the general opinion. However only just. Jermaine Defoe certainly scores more than him (when he plays), and that brings me on to the point of this post. Everybody hates Jermain. Trust me, I'm an Arsenal fan, but I've always though Defoe to be one of the best goal getters in the world. He doesn't possess the creativity Rooney, has, but for goal scoring, Jermain is your man. Here are some cold hard stats to prove many Jermain haters wrong. Based on the last five Tottenham wins he has played at least 45 minutes in:

Tottenham 3-1 Stevenage: Scores twice.
Tottenham 1-0 Watford: Had several shots on target, test goalkeeper. Subbed at 80 mins
Tottenham 3-0 Cheltenham: Scores.
Tottenham 1-0 West Brom: Scores winning goal.
Tottenham 4-0 Shamrock: Scores.

I had to go all the way back to December for that last fixture, which just shows you how little he's played. Red knapp seemingly has a problem with him, as his performances have been nothing but top class. Would he be on the plane to the Euro? It's a no brainier, to quote Harry himself. Should he be the starting striker with Rooney? Definitely.

Let's also remember something here: he's the only reason England even got through the group stages at the 2010 World Cup, so the whole nation should really be thanking him for what was a bloody good finish. He's the best England got, and if I managed in the Premier League, I would've already raided Tottenham for some incredibly overlooked players they possess and never play (Gomes, Kranjcar, Corluka and of course Defoe). If Harry genuinely doesn't realise they have talent, then I'm glad he's not England manager, as we would have end up playing people like Barry and Downing over others. Mind you, Hodgson probably will as well, so not that it would make much difference. Defoe could be England's saviour, so not to take him is just pure stupidity.

City vs United: The Most Important Derby In Years (My Predictions)

2012-04-28T14:40:58Z

All derbies are important. That much is clear. Whether it be Arsenal vs Chelsea, Man Utd vs Liverpool, Inter vs AC Milan and especially Barcelona vs Real Madrid, they are all at the pinnacle of the footballing calendar. However on the 30th of April, a different type of derby will take place. One that will not only put the rivalry into play but also the fate of the entire championship. If Man City win, then try will have won it, if Man Utd win they will have won it. It's as simple as that, and it is very rare for the season to bring up such a situation.

You could call it the final of the Premier League it's that important. It's one of those games you'll be able to look back on and say that exactly where the title was won, as both teams were neck and neck coming into it. While you could argue that on form alone, Man City deserve to win (let's face it, Man Utd have played terribly at times yet they're still somehow in this position), all that really matters in football are the points on the board, and Man Utd, you can't deny it, have done what they always do and delivered in that area.

Moving on to my predictions for the game, it's and extremely tough one to call, as this derby always is. While City thrashed United first time round, this is a very different set of circumstances. As much I am hoping for City to win, my brain tells me to go with United. They have more experience at this stage of the season, and Ferguson will simply not let a slip up happen. Also if they draw, United will probably win the title, so unless city win, you can essentially consider it Man Utd's 20th league title.

The Paris-Roubaix Experience

2012-04-15T14:17:20Z

I was lucky enough to be at the Velodrome in Roubaix to watch the final of the legendary Paris-Roubaix classic. I can only describe it as being a magical experience, and it really is pretty amazing when you the helicopters fly overhead and the crowd scream as, in this case, Tom Boonen got nearer. I had a pretty good spot, came really got to see all the riders arrive as well as after was go round and check out the team buses.

Cycling is a unique sport in that during, before and after the race you can get completely. Close the the riders and even sometimes get pictures and accessories from the teams. It was he case when I went to watch the prologue in Monaco at the start of the 2009 Tour de France when I got to meet all the riders, including Cav (see the About Me page) and others such as Marzio Bruseghin and Tyler Farrar.

Going to any cycle race, especially the famous ones is always a great and special experience, and this year's Paris-Roubaix was no different. Compared to other sports where the security is so high and you can't get near the athletes, cycling is a huge and pleasant change.
If you like cycling and haven't already been to a race, it is one of those things you just have to do before you die.

You can't replicate it, and what's more, you'll get to meet your favourite riders.

I'll upload some photos I took at the Velodrome soon, so stay tuned!

Mario = Legend

2012-04-11T19:03:34Z

Easily one my more popular posts that I have written on my blog has been the 'Super Mario' post that I did talking about the legend in my eyes that is Mario Balotelli. While it seems that many are starting to get tired of him, I have the opposite point of view. The more he does funny and downright weird things, some of them outrageous, the more I like him. He is already my favourite football player by a mile. No one even comes close to Balotelli in that regard. But the point of this post is to remind people that it is the crazy actions he takes that make him great, very much like a certain number 7 who played for Manchester United.

Mario would not be Mario if he was just another player. In fact he would be boring and just another talented young player. Balotelli is different, from the magic tricks in the executive box to the occasionally outrageous tackles he makes to the fireworks incident. I've got to be honest, he's not really my favourite player for what he does on the pitch, even though at times he can be brilliant. It's what he does off it that entertains me and long may it remain that way.

I'm a huge Mario Balotelli fanboy. I've even got his 'Why Always Me' t-shirt that he revealed in spectacular fashion against Manchester United. It seems that the person who was once everybody's favourite player is now really starting to get on everyone's nerves. He'll never get on mine though, that I'll guarantee. He will always be my favourite player regardless of what happens. Please don't grow up Mario.

2012 Masters Preview

2012-04-04T19:04:28Z

It's at time of year again when all our attention turns to Augusta for the Masters. Last year's winner, Charl Schwartzel, was a bit of a surprise, but this year the bookies favourite to wear the green jacket is Tiger, even though Rory McIlroy and world number one Luke Donald are not far behind.

Augusta has always been a place of legend, some of the best moments including Tiger's winning shot among others. The latter has been on much better form recently, winning several competitions, and Woods will no doubt see this Masters as a chance to the put his turbulent personal troubles behind him. Over the past year or so, he's dropped from being clear number one to number seven, and winning the masters would be a huge step to regaining the number one spot.

However somebody like Luke Donald will be equally determined to prove his worth in the Majors. He's got his number one spot by winning smaller, less grandiose events, and the recognition he would get from a Masters triumph is something that no other win would give him.

I have to say I'm really interested in the potential of this year's competition. For once we have several favourites, but there is always, like last year, the chance of a complete unknown coming out and upsetting the odds. Golf is one of e few sports where this can happen every time, and that is one of the most appealing aspects of the sport.

The Problem With Referees

2012-03-30T14:35:21Z

I've come to realise that the problem with referees is not what most people think it is. People accuse the referee of not seeing the incident. In some cases, that's true, but in most they actually have a pretty good view and can see what's going on. So the real problem is, when they see it clearly and know the rules of the game, why don't they make the right decision?

It's a fascinating psychological question. Do they panic? Do they get influenced by the home crowd, something which Vieira says always happens at Man Utd? They clearly know the rules, and in most cases they can clearly see the situation, so why don't they combine both together to get the right result?

I hope somebody investigates this as there is some real pyschology going on. And of course money could be involved, but wouldn't expect that to be the case in the Premier League. In smaller leagues where powerful people have a greater influence maybe, but not in the best league in the world.