Tag: football

Eredivisie

therightliberal4 Comments

Dutch football does not receive enough credit. After the trade rumors about Ryan Babel and Luis Suarez I decided that this blog needed to discuss the Dutch Eredivisie (the professional football league in the Netherlands).

The Eredivisie has never been competitive with leagues like the EPL or La Liga in the actual competition between teams. However, Eredivisie is by far the best league for the development of football players.

The Dutch style of training and development is true genius. Youth players do not play 11v11 until they are at least 15 years old. This means that youth get many more touches than if they were playing larger sided games like they do in most countries. The youth learn how to control a game, passing and moving and then are able to better translate that to a game with more players.

Dutch development also focuses on the football psychology of players more than any other country. They work to develop a strong understanding of all the variables in football, an understanding of the cause and effect relationships on the field. This allows for the players to be best suited for intelligent play and use their skills most effectively.

There is a reason that talented Brazilians, Portuguese, Spaniards and players from all around the world go to the Netherlands to develop their football skills. It is the Mecca of football development. Dutch football should get more credit for the great teaching they bring to football.

Let the Battle Begin

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12/6/10 Monday Night Football. Two 9-2 teams faced each other. The New England Patriots and New York Jets were touted as two very talented and equally matched teams and the “game of the year” as referred to by the fans, was going to finally be underway. The game was billed to be a classic. Then, the football was snapped. The Patriots unleashed an almost spite driven and relentless destruction with a 45-3 shalacking in New England’s Foxboro Stadium.

Now it is the new year and on 1/16/11, the two teams will meet again in the post season. This time, the hype has been doubled. The rivalry between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Jets coach Rex Ryan has intensified and with some fuel to the fire. With tape finding its way to the media revealing Rex Ryan’s private matters, Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker made as many comments referring to feet as he could in a pre game interview. Here are some more fun pre game offenses: Tom Brady, a sports villain/QB legend has annoyed the Jet’s bench by allegedly pointing to their bench after every score in an almost taunting manner. When asked about Tom Brady, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie said “he’s an @$$hole, f#$k him. In response to Welker’s interview, Jet’s linebacker Bart Scott told the press that “Wes Welker will be lucky to make it through the whole game.”


For more, please visit http://bleacherreport.com/articles/573928-jets-vs-patriots-10-players-to-watch-in-sundays-afc-clash/page/1

The intensity has been felt by the entire country and football fans of all ages and allegiances. With the NY Jet’s “Superbowl or bust” mantra at stake as they enter the game as underdogs, the ratings for Sunday Football on FOX will be through the roof as we prepare ourselves for the ultimate football battle (short of the Superbowl) of the year. Countless debates have surfaced as to whether the Jets or Pats will win but until then, I’m going to start the countdown to Sunday fun. I personally am a New York Giant fan, so I have a sadistic joy of watching two teams I hate fight to the death. I can’t wait.

Why I Love United

therightliberal2 Comments

Over the holidays Manchester United showed exactly why I love them. If one was to watch a Man U game without any knowledge of their current league position, they would easily think they were a mid-table team. But Manchester United, full of potential talent, always does just enough to get by.

Nani celeb Manchester United v Stoke

Now many people might wonder why I would appreciate this in a soccer team, for it sounds quite outlandish. Here is why: Manchester United keeps soccer interesting. They are that team in the Premier League that at any point can do something amazing. But at the same time they are right on the brink of total failure. There are games where their midfield has no control, their defence is full of holes and their strikers don’t even look interested in scoring. And then out of nowhere that all changes, they become a team that cannot be stopped.

To many fans this would come off as being inconsistent and lacking true talent. I will not deny that their play is inconsistent but the fact that fans never know what to expect is what makes it fun.

I love to watch Barcelona play because they almost always are making spectacular passes and moving the ball around in unfathomable ways. But the reason I love Man U is that I never know what to expect when I turn on my TV, every game is a new experience, there is no “been there, done that” type of soccer.

Michael Carrick gets treatment as Steven Gerrard prepares to see red

As inconsistent as the play may have been, Man U sits atop the Premier League. At this point it is theirs to lose. but whats great about that is they very well may lose it
(I cringe to imagine it) , and that is what keeps us watching.

To read about all of the latest Manchester United news go to: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team/_/id/360/manchester-united?cc=5901

College Cup

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I rarely talk about American football (soccer) but tomorrow is a big day and not may people know about it. In the States, college sports are a big deal. But college soccer (just so there is no misunderstanding) does not get the press it deserves. There is a lot of talent in the collegiate level in soccer.

The NCAA has had a very good competition going for the last 20 years. My father played  college soccer at UCSB and we often go to games together. The atmosphere is great, with fans throwing tortillas on the field to support their Gauchos. The level of play is very high, in both the men’s and women’s levels.

This Sunday the NCAA National Soccer Championship takes place at UCSB. I am fortunate enough to have a ticket and I look forward to seeing a great game between Akron and Louisville.

I hope that many people get a chance to watch the game which will be shown on ESPN. There will be much talent on the field. It will be a hard-fought game by two great teams. Hopefully college soccer will start to get more fans because it is a truly great competition.

Keys to a Soccer Team

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Although there are some great Champions League games on today, I want to talk about something else. Football (or soccer to some of you) is a great sport. It is fun and enjoyable for me and may others to play. It teaches teamwork, perseverance and many other skills. But to have a good soccer team there are somethings that a team needs.

1. Coach-Although there are good teams with bad coaches, a coach/manager can make a team great. They control who plays and who doesn’t. they control how the team is run and how the team trains. In most teams they are the head and they control everything under them. A bad coach can ruin a team. They can ruin moral, ruin chemistry and not play the right people at the right time. they may not even run practices correctly which can also damage a team. The first step to building a great team is having a great coach.

2. Players-Although having players with motivation and character is important, what a team really needs is players with talent. You cannot compete with a team that has 10 times the amount of talent you have, trust me I have tried. A team with no talent is not a team, it is a group of people looking to have fun. To be competitive you must have players who are invested in winning, can take advice and build with it, and strive to win. Without that a soccer team will fail.

3. Support-This can come from many places but every team needs it. At a school it would come from students and faculty with help from the athletic department. At a professional team it would come from having a large fan base with support from the people with the check book. In today’s world of soccer, you have to invest a lot of time and money if you want to be succesful. If you are not interested in that, get of the field.

Qatar and Russia Beat out US and England to Host WC

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Today, 22 FIFA members voted to put the World Cup in Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022. This comes as a bit of a surprise when there were countries like the US and Australia bidding against Qatar. Russia receiving the 2018 bid was not a huge shock after allegations surfaced that England FIFA members had possibly participated in unethical business practices (To put it nicely).

Sepp Blatter hands over the world Cup to Russian minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko

So some stats on Qatar. First for all of you who have never even heard of it, it is in the Middle East, a peninsula sticking off of Saudi Arabia. The population is just over 1.5 million with 4, 416 square miles of land, making it the smallest country in land and population to ever host a World Cup. Qatar has the second highest GDP per capita in the world, with wealth coming from its large amount of oil and gas reserves. The country is an absolute monarchy, being ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-19th century.

Qatar

Obviously Qatar has the resources to build stadiums and other necessary infrastructure for the World Cup but there are some potential problems. First Qatar is a strict Muslim country, and soccer hooligans have a tendency to make religious people upset.

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Blazing Berba

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The Red Devils are at it again, proving that they are the best team in the world. Ok so that is an overstatement but a 7-1 victory is impressive.

Dimitar Berbatov

This Saturday, Manchester United faced an admittedly less than decent Blackburn Rovers side. United proceeded to score 7 goals, allowing only a late consolation goal by Blackburn.

Even more impressive was Dimitar Berbatov’s 5 goal scoring binge. he joins only 3 other players who have managed to score 5 in a game. I admit that up until this season, I had not been at all impressed by the Bulgarian. But his effort and his performances so far during this campaign make me proud to have him.

Dimitar Berbatov

This might seem like a statement based on one performance but it is far from the contrary. I have seen a large increase in effort and he has developed more awareness to the players around him. I feel that it is another example of the potential Sir Alex is able to release in so many players. he makes good players great.

Excuse My French

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Many an Englishman will tell you that the only problem with the 100 Years’ War is that it did not last long enough. Well today the war was reborn, with England facing their rivals: the French. The battle was quite one-sided, the French looked the more dangerous and came out the victors in a 2-1 win.

England look disconsolate during the defeat to France

Although this is a cause for depression amongst the English there are multiple good things to be taken away from this. The first is that there was a very good performance by Andy Carroll, a promising young player. Peter Crouch continued his scoring, grabbing his 22nd goal for his national side.

But what really should make the English happy is that it looks like the national squad is finally realizing that the key to success comes from youth. Look at Germany in the last World cup, all but two or three of their players will easily be young enough to compete in Brazil in 2014.

This is the key for England and with players like Carrol, who knows, they might be able to make enough progress to get through the round of 16 in Brazil.

However France finally showed that they have the potential to win after their stunningly abysmal World Cup performance. They do have some up and coming youth that could give them the opportunity to build a team that can win and not have to use their hands to make it to the finals.

For a full report of the game go to: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=843399&sec=global&cc=5901

Philadelphia Eagles Fans

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eagles fans are morons
You can see them, you can even smell them. The stench of hoagies and cheesesteaks can only mean that a sea of green that screams real friggin loud is coming your way. They are so confident with themselves that they show you how good they are at spelling by doing it constantly and they boo’d the best quarterback in franchise history because he lost Superbowl 39 to the equally unlikeable Pats.

They have a guy in a green body cast at every home game. They once pelted a man dressed as Santa with snowballs during a game in the 80’s and not one person in the crowd dislikes Rocky movies, foul language, or having Michael Vick pet sit. We call this group of degenerates Eagles fans.

Sure I have the fact that I’m a New Yorker and that all of my teams have a rivalry to one extent or another with this town to support my claim but that’s not the main reason why. They’re like flies and mosquitos who drain a players life source and energy to the point where playing for Philly is a nightmare. They are self hating and at the same time self promoting.

You know someones an Eagle fan through one trait, they always spell the word “Eagles.” E-A-G-L-E-S, for goodness sake it’s like a spelling bee for what the 21st century calls “special people.”

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Blues Get Rocked and Shocked

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Chelsea suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Sunderland this past weekend. Steve Bruce’s side played a fantastic game, beating the champions 3-0. This was Chelsea’s first home defeat this season, also allowing the first goals at Stamford Bridge so far this year.

Nedum Onuoha waltzes through the Chelsea defence

For the rest of the teams in the league, this comes as quite a pleasant surprise. Sunderland was not the team many would have picked to upset Chelsea at home, especially given Chelsea’s recent form.

Chelsea did not look like they wanted to be out on the pitch. They looked sluggish and non-potent. Sunderland was quite the opposite, creating many chances and playing a more aggressive style than many would have predicted.

Bacary Sagna celebrates his goal with Sebastien Squillaci

Arsenal came away with three points against a disappointing Everton team.  Everton has been lacking style and competency lately, barely staying mid-table. This result puts Arsenal two points back of Chelsea in second. Man United drops to third, three points back of the leaders, followed by Man City.