Tag: football

Unsporting Conduct

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In the Champions League clash (in more than one respect) between AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspurs, Gennaro Gattuso lost his head…again.

Gennaro Gattuso has a reputation as a hard man, but so did Joe Jordan during his playing days

After the final whistle, Gattuso went over to the Tottenham bench and got in a verbal argument with assistant coach Joe Jordan. That argument quickly got physical and ended with Gattuso headbutting Jordan.

I have always been a Gattuso fan and that will not change. He is a passionate player who sometimes lets his emotions get in the way of the skill he has. Part of the reason I like him so much is that I have a very similar style. I too lose my head and I play very physical.

Many players have jumped on the “Gattuso is a nasty person” bandwagon. But there is always two sides. Gattuso would not have headbutted Joe Jordan without provocation.

I am not trying to defend Gattuso’s actions because they are not appropriate. However, people should try to understand the circumstances. It is a huge game and AC Milan had just lost. It had been a physical and quite nasty game. supposedly Joe Jordan also said some very nasty insults to Gattuso as well.

UEFA should suspend Gattuso and I am sure they will. Gattuso has already said that he understands that he has messed up and is willing to take any punishment handed out to him.

Gennaro Gattuso and Joe Jordan and Harry Redknapp

In my mind people should accept Gattuso’s apology and move on. Don’t hate a player because he messed up. This is the same as Zinedine Zidane: we can be upset by what happened but we should not let the incident diminish the accomplishments of Gattuso.

The Ventura County Fusion

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For the last 3 years, I have been working part-time with a professional football team in the city of Ventura. The team, The Ventura County Fusion, is going into its fifth season in the PDL.

The PDL is the fourth tier of professional football in the United States. That does not sound like it would make a team prestigious but the Fusion are an exception.

The Fusion have played teams from the highest level including Burnley and Everton. They have also played team such as Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew and most recently the Portland Timbers (the Fusion were the first team to play Portland’s new MLS team).

In 2009 the Fusion won the PDL Championship, an incredible feat for a team in only its third season. The PDL is made up of 64 teams and the Fusion topped them all. In their last season they finished first place In the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.

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Painting Manchester Red

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Being a loyal Manchester United fan, I awoke at the lovely time of 4:30am to watch the Man U vs. Man City game. The derby always brings out the raw emotions in players and fans, two teams fighting over bragging rights.

This derby did not disappoint. There were moments that I was on the verge of screaming at the television (the only thing holding me back was the fear of waking my mother).

United got a goal near the end of the first half thanks to some great skill by Nani, a player who has stepped up to fill a spot that needed filling. At this point I was confident that this was United’s game to win.

And then that feeling changed. David Silva (who had a marvelous game) scored in the 65th minute. I became very worried. City was able to attack to easily and United looked to have nothing going forward.

But then Wayne Rooney came to the rescue. The goal Rooney got was quite possibly the greatest goal I have ever seen. The skill needed to perform such a shot is out of this world, added to that is the fact that it was in one of the biggest games of the season against United’s hated rival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiVVNax8LVU

When Rooney scored his miraculous goal I could not help but jump off the couch and start pumping my fists (still to scared to yell).

Manchester United was able to hold on and win, despite some great football by City. This game almost certainly knocked City out of the title race. It also keeps United 4 points clear of Arsenal.

Emotions

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Football brings fire to my veins. I am an emotional player by nature. I commit hard tackles, scream my head off and have a tendency to tell the refs my honest opinion of their most recent call.

But one thing in particular that I love about football (and other team sports as well) is the sense of a brotherhood. I love playing for a team where I know that every one of the guys wearing the same jersey as me has my back. I love the confidence it gives me. I love the passion that it brings onto the pitch.

Many people call it a family but I do not see it that way. It is more primordial, raw emotions. There are many times that those emotions overpower my common sense to the point that my actions are run totally off of testosterone. But that is the greatest high in the world.

Football is a team sport. Nothing gets done unless players work together. That mentality leads to a relationship among players that cannot be understood by anyone who has not experienced it.

I love football because I know I can leave everything I have on the pitch and my teammates will be there right by me. I love football because no matter what the circumstance we play to win and stop at nothing.

First of the Fergu(sons) to Retire

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Gary Neville has retired. This was a surprise for me, I did not see him going another season but I did not think that he would retire at this point, midway through the year.

This is the first of a batch of players to retire that were basically raised by Sir Alex Ferguson. This group of players includes Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, and Gary Neville’s brother Phil.

Sir Alex Ferguson has coached Gary Neville for 20 years, he made him into one of (if not the best) right backs in English Football. Gary Neville and the rest of that group have been like Ferguson’s sons over the years. There have been ups and downs but they have had a fantastic relationship on and off th pitch.

Gary Neville played 602 games for Manchester United, 85 for England. Those 602 games for one team is unbelievable. Ferguson mentioned that he does not think (and he is usually right) that 602 games will ever be matched by a EPL player, especially playing for just one team.

In all honesty I have never been a huge Neville supporter. It was not that I thought he was a bad footballer, his style just never interested me. However, I have immense respect for Gary Neville. He laid it all out on the field. He gave everything he had for Manchester United.

I can not say what Gary Neville’s legacy will be, all I can say is that I have immense respect for what he gave for United; all those times he trashed Liverpool, all the times he got in players faces, all the times when he challenged Ferguson.

Neville always reminded me of a pirate, not just how he looked but his hardened attitude and his tenacity, and for that I say thank you.

Shock Move

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It has just come out that Fernando Torres has signed with Chelsea. This is a shocking move, one that was once considered a silly rumor.

What is being said right now is that Torres has been sold to Chelsea for about £45 million or about $72 million.

The Spanish international Torres has scored 65 goals in 102 EPL games, a very good record. However, Torres form in recent matches has not been like the Torres of old. I do not think he has looked very good since last season.

I was able to watch Torres play at the World Cup this last summer and I know he has talent. But he will be playing up top with Drogba, another great striker. I question whether the styles of Drogba and Torres will fit together for they are very different.

Drogba is a power players, crashing through defenses and blasting shots. Torres on the other hand has speed and agility, combined with a deadly accurate foot. If these two players can work together, Chelsea will be an incredibly deadly team. But if not, one of the strikers will leave, possibly ruining Chelsea.

Liverpool are getting a good deal here. Torres wanted out for quite a while and they are getting a very good price for a players that has not been playing up to his potential. Liverpool just added Suarez who is an attacking force, making up for the loss of Torres’ goal scoring capability.

This is a very interesting deal and the football world will be watching very closely at Fernando Torres’ performance the rest of the season. He now must put out £45 million performances every game.

Overlooked

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When I am asked who I think the footballer is, I always respond that the questioner must specify the position. For someone who has never played football it might be hard to understand, but the positions out on the soccer field are very different.

By far the most secluded player on any team is the goalkeeper. They have special rules for them , they wear a different jersey and they see a different game. When I say they see a different game I mean that they are able to see everything that goes on during a soccer game, watching from the back.

They have an incredibly hard job; telling people where to be and trying to organize a defence. They also face wickedly hard shots, diving to punch the ball away, slamming into the ground, sacrificing themselves.

As the saying goes, being a goalkeeper means long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

My mind is on this subject because today Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar announced he will be retiring at the end of this season. This is not a huge surprise given that he is 40, yet reading the headline I am filled with sadness.

Van der Sar came to United late in his career, after playing at Fulham and Juventus for many years as well as for the Netherlands. He gave United a real force at the back, giving the whole team confidence that even if there was a shot on goal, if it was a shot that could be saved, Van der Sar would save it.

He has been a leader and an inspiration to a position that is to often overlooked. It is the most stressful position on a football pitch and he controlled it gracefully. He has shown talent far above players half his age.

Despite family issues he gave everything he had for United, his most famous save coming against Nicholas Anelka in the Champions League final in 2008.

He will be remembered by United fans and I wish his the best of luck in whatever he does next.

Transfer Time

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As it is January the EPL transfer season is open. Most deals are either completed right at the begining or in teh final hours. This years has not seen many big name transfers in or out of the EPL, mostly inpart due to the economy.

Patrice Evra

Sir Alex Ferguson decided against any big transfers. The players supported him in this choice with Rio Ferdinand saying, “I look around the changing room and I’m happy with the players we’ve got”. This lack of trading comes as no surprise as Man U are top of the league and have a fairly deep roster.

A story that has not received very much attention up to this point is the intrest in 17-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He currently plays for Southhampton but is interested in training with Arsenal. This is very similar to the path that Theo Walcott took, going from Southhampton to Arsenal at a young age.

From the scouting reports, Chamberlin has quite a bit of talent and potential. Arsenal is a very good team for developing youth and Chamberlin would be well suited to go there. Arsenal has a tendency to do a great job developing young players and then selling them. They look to break that cycle, keeping players like Samir Nasri.

Back to Normal

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This week saw a return to the “normal” Premier League scores, at least so far. Man City went “top” after beating a feisty Wolves teams 4-3. I put top in parenthesis because Manchester United has three games in hand and are only one point back.

Carlos Tevez

Arsenal grabbed a 3-0 win over bottom of the table West Ham. This came as no surprise as a competent Arsenal team passed West Ham off the field, showing their superiority. In my opinion Arsenal are the prettiest team to watch in the EPL right now, they pass and move, creating beautiful chances, many of which they finish.

Robin Van Persie

Chelsea managed to get a 2-0 win over Blackburn despite their mediocre play. Drogba does not look like he has the power and ability that he did before getting malaria and I hope to see him get that back. Blackburn showed why English soccer has gotten a reputation as playing ugly soccer, lumping the ball up the field for their strikers to run on to. Although this technique can prove to be effective at times, they would have had a better chance at beating Chelsea if they utilized their midfield more.

Branislav Ivanovic

I am very excited for tomorrow as Liverpool takes on Everton and Manchester United battle Tottenham. The Liverpool game will be Reds Hero Kenney Dalglish’s first return back to Anfield, trying to stop Liverpool from losing any more precious points. United looks to remain undefeated and regain their top spot in the standings. Tottenham must do something they have not been able to do in a decade, beat Sir Alex Ferguson.

To follow tomorrow’s United vs. Tottenham game go to: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/gamecast?id=293065&cc=5901

An Ode to Ryan Giggs

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Ryan Giggs is a legend. Not only is he 37, but he is still able to play at the highest level in the EPL.

Today he signed a contract extension that will last through next season. Next year will be his 22nd season at Manchester United. Those 22 seasons have been full of awards on a personal and team level. At age 35, Giggs still managed to capture Player of the Year for the EPL.

He has been a leader for United, playing hard, physical and intelligent football. Giggs has taught players like David Beckham, the Neville brothers, Michael Carrick and many others.

I feel that Ryan Giggs is one of the most transformational players football has seen. He plays a style of soccer that involves much running, hard tackles while still playing an attacking game.

He is a Welsh hero and will be known as one of the greatest United players ever. I will not pretend that he is on the downhill slope, but he is still able to play football better than many players half his age.

Hopefully Giggs will follow Roy Keane and go into coaching, expanding his career in football that is already legendary. Ryan Giggs has inspired my football career and I am sure I am not alone. Thank you Giggsy for what you have done and what you continue to do.