A general view of the sporting world discussing various sports such as cricket, football with the round ball, athletics, some winter sports and maybe even the odd rugby post.
Free from the PR and bullshit of taking it one game at a time, they are a great side, to be fair at the end of the day and the like.
Apologies this post was meant to be done before the Granada match on Sunday night, but decided to hold it back until after the midweek round, which in hindsight was a good idea and the tone has slightly altered for the better.
Before the match with Granada, Sporting were bottom of the table through a combination of poor performances vs. Atletico Madrid (away) and at home to Racing Santander, not taking their chances vs. Real Sociedad who only had 3 yet won 2-1. One of the major reasons Sporting finished 10th last season was because of their excellent record against the big sides.
Sporting Gijón’s record in 2010/11 vs. top teams
2-0 Sevilla CF 1-1 and 0-0 Villarreal CF 1-0 Atletico de Madrid 0-1 and 1-1 FC Barcelona Valencia 0-0 0-1 and 1-0 Real Madrid
So far this season they’ve played Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Barcelona unlike last season they haven’t picked up any points, apart from Atletico all these losses were by a single goal. Sporting played well against Barcelona, but lost to an own goal not even Gumby would have saved. Picking up points against the better sides in the return matches could be the difference between staying in the top division or relegation where they’d get half of what Levante get now from TV rights which might be enough for two beers.
Sporting are known for their fighting spirit in addition to a passionate loyal fanbase. The loss of Diego Castro to Getafe was a big blow for the club, as he was their main creative outlet last season and best attacking player. Miguel de las Cuevas needs to step up in his place to create and score more goals, the squad is limited and Preciado has to operate within a low budget. The lack of a consistent goalscorer has been problematic for a few seasons. Trejo is still adjusting to his new team, if they are to be relegated the lack of goals will prove crucial.
Sporting winning over Granada
Yes, it’s very early in the season but it was vital that Sporting won their match with newly promoted Granada. They were able to take the match 2-0, the first half was excellent some good ball movement, passing and could have had a few more. The second half wasn’t as impressive, it was like that they were trying to close down the match creating very little, but it was good enough on the day. The relief was clear on winning their first match the matches against Barcelona and Sevilla were frustrating in that Sporting played quite well, but got no points. It’s like anything, winning is a habit, as is losing but Preciado was able to lift the morale of the squad.
Sporting winning over Mallorca
After the victory at El Molinón Sporting faced the difficult away trip to Mallorca who already sacked their manager Michael Laudrup, who was undermined by people inside the club to the point where they paid a journalist to conduct a smear campaign against him. The match itself was a combination of an ordinary first half from Sporting down 0-1 at the break to a rare goal from open play, it was a good run from Pereira, but ball watching leaving Castro free to score.
Preciado must have given one of the better half time talks as Sporting came out a different side. Better ball retention, more movement from the players, they were able to create chances. Barral who was excellent against Granada was a passenger replaced at half time by Bilić who levelled within 10 minutes of coming on. Sporting’s self belief increased and putting more pressure on the home side, this time they were the beneficiary of an own goal from João Victor. There were a few tight moments at the end with Eguren giving away silly fouls. Mallorca hitting the post hitting Juan Pablo as well and not going in the goal. It’s the way of the sport' some days you play well and get nothing, other days don't play as well, yet win.
When a team has a few poor results the trigger fingers are already looking to sack the coach, thankfully Preciado’s job at Sporting is safe. He is loved by the fans and the squad, the longest serving manager in La Liga. El Presidente Vega-Arango really should give Preciado the job for as long as he wants. He has the skills to manage on a shoestring budget, nearly always losing their most talented players the next season, it takes time to integrate the new players into the squad, this and not converting their chances in the opener contributed to the poor start to the season.
In the next few weeks Sporting have a mix of winnable and difficult matches Athletic (H), Zaragoza (A), Getafe (H), Levante (A), Real Madrid (H). It's an opportunity for Sporting to build upon their excellent form in the last month, but it will count for nothing if they aren't able to convert their opportunities and positive play into points.
It's been said that you don't win the championship in October, at the same time you can set the foundations for relegation in this period . Have to stick with the prediction in the Wigan season preview that they'll survive again Wigan Athletic Fighting the Good Fight . For this to happen they have turn around a run of very poor performances.
International break came at a good time as many of the players were able to get away to a different environment, which can be beneficial to a team struggling for confidence. Their last match was a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa away, while on the scoreboard this doesn't look bad the reality was different. Out of the 4 consecutive losses in the league they have had, this was easily the worst.
* Man City 3-0 - They didn't believe they could compete and Al Habsi was brilliant on this day which prevented this from being 6 or 7. The difference in class and bank balances were about the same on this day.
* Everton 3-1 - An improved performance with a score that was flattering to Everton who weren't really doing much. Two late goals from Vellios and Drenthe when everyone had pushed up for the equaliser.
* Tottenham 2-1 - Two very different halves, the first was full of ineptitude of the highest order thanks to Al Habsi it was only 2. The second half was much better and disappointing they couldn't get a point, but the level between both halves was almost as great as Cristiano Ronaldo's ego.
Coming from the 2nd half performance against the Spuds playing Villa at Villa Park, where they've had an excellent record what followed was nothing short of garbage. The passes weren't finding their teammates and it's common knowledge Der Kaiser Gary Caldwell besides getting more cards than a croupier is one of the slowest defenders around. He was exposed badly by Agbonlahor's pace, it's not like Wigan were unaware of the this fact that McLeish teams are long ball merchants, losing the ball in key areas where they can pump it long to expose Der Kaiser's lack of pace. The football was tedious from Wigan, we know Villa are going to be tedious, playing like that against a team that isn't that good in the process making them look superstars isn't acceptable.
All the problems that plagued Wigan last season, well there has been consistentcy but losing 4 on the hop isn't the type needed. Naturally being a smaller side, the squad is going to lack depth if there are major injuries. At the moment the injuries to Alcaraz and Rodallega who are the best options of stopping and scoring goals respectively hasn't helped at all. Though this provides opportunities for the other squad players who haven't been able to cement places with any confidence.
Roberto Martinez
Diamond Dave Whelan for all this foibles won't sack Roberto Martinez nor should he, naturally there are small segment of the fanbase who wants him sacked, then again there are people who think the BNP should be in power or Justin Bieber has talent. Martinez as a young coach has many lessons to learn which will improve him as manager, but he has to evolve and adapt to the circumstances around him with the squad he possesses. There have been some question marks about the players he has purchased, naturally they take time to adjust to the system and speed of the game, though question marks could be raised about the quality of scouting.
Defensively there have been mistakes which isn't surprising, especially when Der Kaiser goes in at times when he doesn't need to, create chances for the opposition. Boyce came back too soon from injury, Figueroa should never play in the centre. Defensive discipline is very important it doesn't mean putting 11 men behind the ball, holding your line and keeping shape.
Next problem is the midfield. In this case it seems Wigan need to be a goal down before they decide to move the ball with any speed, it's not about useless running which passes off as workrate because they lack the skill required to keep the ball and use it efficiently. The style of play in theory is fine, with short passing and keeping it along the ground, that's the way to do it. The key to making this effective is move the ball quickly with one or two touches to have players in motion. This isn't happening at the moment as the passing and build up is too slow, giving the opposition time to put men behind the ball. It needs the wide men or wing backs down the flank to stretch the defence to create space elsewhere, this won't work unless players try and create space for the man in possession to pass to. Currently they're more static than statues while aesthetically pleasing makes the attack like an Aero bar "bubbles of nothing".
Franco di Santo
Martinez likes playing with the lone forward "Van Basten" Di Santo he has improved quite a bit, even then all of his goals have been deflections. He isn't getting quality service from the midfield and a distinct lack of support as well. Victor Moses while getting more opportunities, still hasn't improved his decision making knowing when to pass and when to take on players, he definitely isn't N'Zogbia lite.
Lack of penetration from the midfield, moving the ball too slowly leading to few goalscoring chances which aren't being taken, putting pressure on the defence and mistakes happen under pressure, especially when the goals aren't going in on the other end. Wigan look inhibited but this is understandable losing 4 consecutive matches. Losing can be a habit as well as the poor form and results continue anxiety increases making it difficult to get out of these situations.
It's easier to find problems, then to find solutions. The players who aren't performing at moment, deserve to be dropped. There needs to be pressure coming from the bench. Crucat has potential to make an impact once he recovers from injury. Time for Shaun Maloney to be given more playing time, as Wigan need more creatively from the midfield. When they do introduce Sammon into games, they don't need to hoof it long, he is capable with the ball at his feet. van Aanholdt has looked like scoring more than anyone in the midfield this season.
Thankfully this weekends match against Bolton sees a side who are in worse form than the Latics. This counts for nowt though when it comes to local derbies, this series of two matches are the ones the Latics want to win more than the others. It won't be easy two teams low on confidence, could be quite an ugly spectacle with the odds of 1.60 Caldwell getting a card, but that won't matter as long as Wigan win.
They've shown plenty of resilience during their time in the EPL and this is another time where it will be needed. The relegation battle is usually more interesting than the top of the table, the newly promoted teams of QPR, Swansea and Norwich have handled themselves quite well so far, Blackburn are poor. Hopefully Martinez can address some of the problems and the team can start posting some better results.
There is still plenty of time left in the season, but the foundations of Premier League survival need to be reinforced this week with a win at home against Bolton or the knives will be sharpening and the sounds from the peanut gallery will grow louder and louder.
World Championships are over, thankfully it didn't end on a controversial note. Here is the last review taking in a few days action.
Never in doubt a Kenyan man would win the 3k steeplechase. The race itself was very ordinary, in fact the only interest was the last 200m where Ezekiel Kemboi won another title sprinting off a very slow pace. The celebration after the race the video says it all, sound advice would be for the guys is to learn the Kemboi dance and next time you are out at the pubs or clubs try it and the ladies will fall over trying to win your heart.
Womens javelin was arguably the best competition of the championships Abakumova with 2 throws over 71m and Spotakova fighting so hard the crowd were loving the contest. Abakumova hits 71.25, then Spotakova responds with 71.58 who was delighted, though not for long when Abakumova throws 71.99. There are many rugby teams that could use the Russian in their line up.
Mitchell Watt was talked up as the massive favourite before the long jump but he didn’t deliver the good as the veteran with no form but loads of pedigree Dwight Phillips came out of nowhere with 8.45m after that Phillips didn’t land a single jump. That’s four world titles for Phillips which makes him one of the best jumpers even though he hasn’t reached the levels of Carl Lewis, Mike Powell or the flamboyant Cuban Iván Pedroso. Watt revealed he had injury problems afterwards, he has a year to overcome these for London.
Matthias de Zordo finally ended the golden run of Andreas Thorkildsen who was current World, Olympic and European champion. Thorkildsen didn’t seem to be his usual self but full credit to de Zordo who won his first throw of 86.27. In addition to his first title de Zordo is the first left hander to win a World or Olympic championship for a long time. As for Thorkildsen, he’ll be ready for London to defend his title, even the legendary Jan Železný lost championships he was there as a coach for the Czech team and presented the medals.
Thorkildsen, de Zordo and Martinez
Sally Pearson owned the 100m hurdles it was over as soon as she went over the first hurdle technically executed the plan to a tee. Pearson ran 12.28 fastest run since Gail Devers, Harper and Carruthers ran personal bests but were lucky to be in the same photo shot. Now the other hurdlers know what level Pearson has taken it to.
Finally Usain Bolt was able to establish himself on the championships in a positive way. He stayed in the blocks had the slowest reaction time, plus not in his best condition yet he toyed with the field running 19.40. Only he and Michael “Eddie Murphy” Johnson have ran quicker says much about Bolt’s abilities at this event. Excellent run from Christoph Lemaitre running a national record of 19.80, plus my countryman Jay Saidy Ndure first Norwegian sprinter in a World final since Geir Moen ran 19.95.
Christian Taylor came out of nowhere jumped a massive 17.96 only Jonathan Edwards and Kenny Harrison have jumped further. That jump killed the competition Phillips Idowu had a fine series of jumps, but it’s not won on a series of jumps. Respect to Christian Olsson who held every major title indoors and outdoors from 2004-07, injuries and advancing age have slowed him down, just hope he’s enjoying competing.
Christian Taylor
Mariya Savinova won a fast 800m which was taken out quickly by Jepkosgei in the manner of her triumph in Osaka, sadly for her she doesn’t quite have the speed to lead the whole way but a brave fight. The controversial Caster Samenya took the lead in the straight but not able to hold on, probably a good thing that she didn’t win because the debate about whether she should be allowed to run would be reopened. The IAAF has cleared her to run rightly or wrongly, whether this should happen that’s debatable.
Brilliant ending to the World Championship with Jamaica 4x100m relay breaking their own world record with 37.04. Have to enjoy the moments when a prediction comes true as it doesn’t happen too often. Before Steve Mullings aka (Druggings) was banned for his second positive dope test, my personal feeling was that he shouldn’t be in the relay squad at all. Yes, he ran good times but Jamaica has Nesta Carter who is brilliant starter, Michael Frater who runs the back straight. As it stood it was my view that Mullings would have upset the balance of the team and Frater who steps up three or four levels in the relay would miss out.
The guys celebrating
With Asafa Powell missing out due to injury it was assured that Frater got a run and he didn’t let them down at all. To say that it was unexpected they’d break the WR without Powell is an understatement, one wonders whether it’s bittersweet feeling for him. Naturally he’d be happy for his team mates for winning and breaking the WR, but disappointed that he wasn’t a part of the team.
Yohan Blake ran a brilliant bend he has so much potential, could do some damage at 200m if he took it up seriously already has a PB of 19.76 with minimal racing. Usain Bolt was his usual dominating self in the final leg, much of the focus will be on Bolt but he wouldn’t have had the chance at the WR if it wasn’t for the work of Carter, Frater and Blake. Win as a team, lose as a team.
Now it's time for the final Diamond League events and preparation for London.
Today is a day off from the championships, giving a chance to catch up with last night’s action and preview the finals tomorrow night.
Thankfully there were no controversies last nights, there have already been enough talking points about classifies as interference and the one false start rule which has taken away from performances on the track rightly or wrongly.
The 400m hurdles kicked off the evening action and we aren’t any closer to a clear favourite in either race. Demus was very impressive in her semi final, but that’s not the race where to peak and has shown that she can crack under pressure. The Jamaican duo Walker and Spencer have championship pedigree didn’t perform to well, but they made the final and strange things happen in finals. Hejnová was very comfortable in her run and is a medal chance, not sure she can win it.
Superman Felix Sanchez just keeps on going ran an excellent race to make final. Kudos to the longevity of his career and one of the best ever at this event. Picking a winner in this will be difficult Angelo Taylor double Olympic champion is always thereabouts but never won a world title. Two South Africans in the field while LJ van Zyl is the more credentialed athlete can see him making mistakes in the final. Culson has big chances to win as well, it’s always good when someone from a smaller nation wins a gold medal.
Fabiana Murer
Fabiana Murer triumphed in the women’s pole vault which in general isn’t a bad event when it comes to eye candy. The one thing that is impressive in this newer event is that technically the ladies are good, it’s going to take time for that side to develop but the ladies are very good especially to the female steeplechasers more on that event later.
Murer was the best in 2010 but there were doubts as Isinbayeva had taken the year off and there weren’t major global titles for her to show her skills. The Russian ice maiden crashed at 4.75 and 4.80 to finish 6th, it’s too early to write her off as finished as the dominant pole vaulter it just makes London more interesting. Anna Rogowska wasn’t in form to defend her title, it’s good when there are more winners around. Svetlana Feofanova the very consistent Russian managed to get another medal, technically very sound but just lacks a little speed to go higher.
Yulia Zaripova
Yulia Zaripova was outstanding in her win at 3000m steeplechase. She took it out from the front which personally takes a lot of courage and better when it comes off. It’s always amazing that when there are athletes (not in this case) in the distance races they know they don’t have the finishing kick yet they won’t take it out or in the middle of the race break up the rhythm. Chewya was undefeated all season but with Zaripova taking it out at a fast pace to run the legs off the Kenyans, which worked a treat. As in all hurdling events the barriers are lower for the ladies, but the African women for their talent have absolutely rubbish hurdling techniques which would make things easier, they should learn from their brothers, even the worst one has better technique than the best African woman. Zaripova was hurdling with efficiency especially in the water jump which meant she was able to keep running at that rhythm for the race.
David Rudisha continued his dominance of the 800m and ran a brilliant tactical race. He made up for the mistake in Berlin where he failed to make the final. Usually Kaki goes out very hard, but he didn’t do it this time and Rudisha controlled the race the whole way. Went through in 51.33 had to save some energy with Borzakovskiy who has a big finishing kick and Kaki lurking. In the last 100m just had a look at them moved easily away winning 0.5 sec, Rudisha was the father owning the field who were like little children.
David Rudisha
Highlight of the night on a personal level was Kirani James winning the 400m in 44.60 as was predicted in this blog (link). There should be a public holiday in Grenada as it’s the first ever gold medal for the island. James turns 19 tomorrow he ran a brilliant tactical race, knew exactly how he wanted to run and executed the plan perfectly. Merritt was the class of the field, but he needed some more of the penis enlargement stuff as he ran 44.63. It was the lack of racing that didn’t help Merritt at all, can do all the physical preparation in the world, but match racing is what counts.
Hopefully Kirani James has partied hard celebrating his gold medal as he should, paid his respects to childhood coach and Alleyne Francique who paved the way for 400m runners in Grenada. It’s important for James to have the right people around him to keep him grounded so he can maximise the huge potential he possesses.
Controversy has reigned again at the World Athletic Champs, whereas yesterday Usain Bolt knew he was in the wrong after false starting in the final of the 100m. Today’s adventure involved another disqualification in a major final though the race was completed and the reason for the disqualification less cut and dried.
One of the great joys as a fan of the athletics well depending if the individual likes distance running is watching the Kenyan men running the 3000m steeplechase. There is an untapped resource of talent at this event, it’s like the Finns and javelin throwing, Caribbean with sprinting. It’s their most prestigious event back home and the last non Kenyan to win a major championship was Francesco Panetta in 1987. Well there was Boulami who had more EPO in his system than a blood bank and was banned for doping. Shaheen doesn’t count, as he was Stephen Cherono just changed from Kenya to Qatar for the cash.
Four Kenyans in the field, they will run as a team to get rid of any opposition, then once they have dropped most of the contenders, then they will race for themselves. Kipruto is the favourite as he is just 0.01 sec outside of the world record, also Kemboi has run under 8 minutes this year. The conditions have been tough with the swirling winds, will be interesting to see what tactics they use. As for who will win, not exactly sure but it’ll be a Kenyan and personally I’ll enjoy the final which shouldn’t be too slow.
In the evening session there were finals in the mens hammer throw and pole vault, as well as the womens shot put. Primož Kozmus was defending his world title from Berlin hasn’t been in form this season, not throwing so much but he managed to get a bronze medal which was a fine achievement considering his lack of action. Pars, the young Hungarian on his last throw had a chance to pass the leader Japanese-Romanian Koji Murofishi but fell 6cm short with 81.18 and Mirofushi threw 81.24 twice. It’s good that the top three all managed seasons bests here, this is where they want to peak.
Primož Kozmus
Poland managed its 1st gold medal of the championship in the mens pole vault with Wojciechowski who won with 5.90 on countback where he cleared the height on his 2nd vault. The true surprise and star was the silver medallist Cuban Lázaro Borges who cleared 5.90m as well on his last attempt. He improved his personal best by 15cm in these champs, just hope he won’t be busted for doping offences. Yes, it was disappointing no Stevie Hooker in the final but didn’t deserve to get through.
Lázaro Borges
Valerie Adams what a champion she is. The New Zealand athlete has dominated the shot put for some time and after these championships Graham Henry should get her in to talk to the All Blacks, she knows something about winning major titles.
400m semi finals produced no surprise “The Penis Enlargement Man” Meritt looked very good, but as was said yesterday the question whether he has enough running in the legs if Kirani James can put pressure on him. James seems to have a good temperament tomorrow night could be the break out moment, the question is whether he can develop to his maximum potential or not be like Darrel Brown very brilliant junior who didn’t get it done with the big boys.
Tomorrow night besides the 400m final, we have the mens 800m final. We have David Rudisha the current world record holder but he really needs a major title, as long as he runs a tactically smart race then the title will be his. Kaki the Sudanese front runner it will be better for Rudisha if he goes the usual way and stretch the field as Rudisha’s strength will come through plus he can go with a fast pace. Just hope it’s not a sit and shit race run in around 1.45.
Jeter finally broke her drought at major championships with a solid win in the 100m. She has run plenty of fast times just not done it when it counted. Little Shellie Anne Fraser-Pryce had a slight stumble at the start, but Jeter was too solid and deserved the win.
Ivet Lalova
Ivet Lalova made the final, yes she was the best looking one in the final, but her goal was to make the final and after the problems she has suffered it’s a fine achievement. For those who don’t know she broke her femur at Athens in 2005 and was out for two years, took some time to get her confidence back but glad made the final.
Now onto the controversial part of the evening with the disqualification of Dayron Robles in the 110m hurdles final. The final was one of the most eagerly awaited of the championship and the race didn’t disappoint but what happened afterwards was disappointing to all concerned.
Robles finished across the line first from Jason Richardson who has improved greatly this season and third was Xiang Liu. This was not how it ended up, as Robles was disqualified for causing interference to Liu. The pressure was immense Robles wasn’t his usual clean technical self and Liu was hitting hurdles as well. Liu moved to the right of the lane which of course isn’t illegal and Robles hit the 8th hurdle where he lost some balance, then there was contact. As fellow finalist David Oliver said “People who think Robles did it on purpose are crazy and haven't seen his races, late in races he's been getting wide with his arms. Why would you do something intentionally that us going to mess you up as well”.
Yes, there was contact between Robles and Liu at two hurdles, but it wasn’t deliberate. The IAAF somehow concluded that it was intentional. The 100/110m hurdles is a physical event with lots of action and contact, it’s part of what makes the event great to watch. Liu wasn’t the one who protested it was the Chinese federation as Liu knows these incidents and physical contact are part of the sport.
Both guys were in their lanes and now any race where there is physical contact should come down to protest and officiating. Surprised the conspiracy theorists among us which exist haven’t made reference to Chinese intimidation, but the IAAF aren’t known for being a transparent organisation with the sports best interest at heart. The disqualification was a stupid decision, the question is now how will the IAAF handle races where there is physical contact, they need to apply the rules properly but this is subjective at best.
Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson who won the event on a technicality or bureaucratically handled the situation gracefully. Yes, he was happy that he got a gold medal but this wasn’t the way he wanted to win. He respects and is friends with Robles, naturally he wants to win the gold on the track and also would like to thank David Oliver for his sensible comments on a difficult situation.
This will be a test of Robles mentally, he has to stop the problem with the arms getting wide which has been problematic and cost him a gold medal. Strength in adversity and Robles will have plenty of prove for the London Olympics.
Usain Bolt was making headlines in the athletics world though on this occasion it was not for his running feats more because of his disqualification in the final due to a false start. Besides this major sensation the athletics world doesn’t stop.
Usain Bolt reacts to disqualification
The morning session had the heats of the 110m hurdles and the big 3 of Liu, Oliver and Robles came through without any drama. The hurdles is such a technical event, just one mistake and boom your chances are finished, whether it’s a slow start or messing up the stride pattern. The sport needs good depth in the events as this creates natural rivalries and not needing the press or pundits to create something that isn’t there. With these three hurdlers it evolves naturally which is the best way for it grow.
Lets hope that they make the final and it’s a brilliant race with Dayron Robles coming through to take the gold and do it for “Nerrrd Power”. He said before the championships he wanted to run the perfect technical race, the final would be a perfect place to do this. When Robles gets its right he glides over the hurdles with no wasted motion.
Dayron Robles
Elsewhere in the morning session we had the heats of the 400m with the Olympic champion and the “penis enlargement” man LaShawn Merrit ran the fastest time of the year, after coming back from a drug ban to get a bigger package downstairs to impress the ladies. He hasn’t had many races this season which might count against him in the final if he makes it, but he is the class runner.
Oscar “the Blade Runner” Pistorius made the semi finals as well, he wants to run at the London Olympics since he is so far ahead of his competitors in the Paralympic field. Part of myself thinks yes, it’s good that he wants to challenge himself against the able body athletes, but another side thinks otherwise and where it will end. At the moment it’s fine as he won’t be contending for medals, though can see the people against the move being more vocal should this change.
Kirani James is a massive talent in the Usain Bolt mould but in the 400m. He is from Grenada where my mothers family is from so there will be some bias in my thought that even now he can win the gold medal this year. He is only 18 turning 19 on September 1, current World Junior Champion. He has run 44.61 this season and he doesn’t lack the self confidence either, it’ll shake up the event if he does so.
Kirani James
David Rudisha was comfortable in his 800m semi final running from the front controlling the pace and increasing the tempo when needed. Kaki who ran a poor semi final but scraped through to the final. The only way Rudisha will get beaten is if he runs a poor race tactically. Kaki has to run the Johnny Gray type of race go out hard from the front, but he doesn’t have the flair of Gray or the nous to pace yourself during the rounds. For example running 1.44 in the 1st round isn’t needed when 1.47 is good enough to get it done, have to conserve energy it’s not exactly quantum physics.
David Rudisha
Definite red card for the international broadcasters who handled the mens 10 000m, the coverage was pitiful. Of course with 25 laps they aren’t going to be seen in full nor should they be, but only showed around 5 laps which is ordinary to the extreme. Bekele hasn’t raced all year, trying to get information from Jos Hermans the don and Bekele’s agent was difficult. Once he stepped on the track and didn’t even come close to finishing the race. Jeilan the World Junior champ was so impressive in running 53 sec for the last lap giving Mo Farah 6 metres start passing him in the home straight.
As interesting as todays action was the biggest news of the championships was Usain Bolt being disqualified for false starting in the 100m final. Bolt was looking in fine form before the final and wanted to produce a big run. He is always vulnerable with his starts, even then this was a rookie mistake the rules are clear one false start and you’re out of there. To Bolt’s credit he handled his dismissal from the track quite well considering the circumstances unlike Jon Drummond who was crying like a baby who didn’t get any milk.
It will be interesting to see what the IAAF will do now, whether they will continue with the rule as it stands or amend it. It’s a tough one for the IAAF, they stick to their guns then they’re inflexible, if the rule changes then they’ll be accused of bending over to cater to Bolt who is the biggest star in athletics. The forthright and articulate Ato Boldon has been very critical of the rule as it stands, he warned that this situation with Bolt was going to happen at a major championship and was proven right. It’s not a rule that is universally loved.
Yohan Blake took the gold medal so it stayed in Jamaican hands and within the Glen Mills training camp which Bolt is a part of. The mental state of the finalists changed big time after Bolt being disqualified, then the massive opportunity was there. Kim Collins the 35 year old veteran from St Kitts and Nevis got off to a great start, but Blake stepped it up mid race and his class was apparent. The time of 9.92 into -1.4m/s was a quality time and won it easily from Dix 10.08 and Collins 10.09. Blake winning the 100m
Blake is the future of the 100m, he has been for some time. Sure his mentor and training partner Bolt wasn’t there, but it’s still a world title which can’t be denied. Blake barring injuries or being lazy will eventually pass Bolt, that’s just evolution. No matter when it’s said and done Yohan Blake is 2011 world champion.
Yohan Blake 100m champion
Bolt will be looking forward to the 200m which is his main and favourite event as long as he stays in the blocks. Murderation on the rest of the field is likely and he will be fresher than usual, when he ran the previous two world record times. Lets hope Jamaica can get the changes right in the relay even without Asafa Powell they will get the job done, only question is the order and how far they win by.
True champions manage to fight back from negative experiences and Usain Bolt will be back bigger, stronger and better
First day of the World Champs in Daegu were notable for two things. One, the failure of World and Olympic champion pole vaulter and all round good guy Steve Hooker not qualifying for the final. He did the equivalent of missing all penalties in a penalty shootout missing all heights at 5.50m.
It has been an injury plagued year for the “Ginger Ninja” has only recently been back in competition lacking competitive toughness, also he has changed the poles that he is using in order to attempt to break Serhii Bubka’s long standing world record. The new poles are less flexible and need time to adjust, this didn’t help Hooker. As befitting his reputation he handled the exit with class and didn’t whine, cry, bitch and moan making excuses ''There's no excuses for what happened today. Three run-throughs at 5.50 at world championships is just not on”.
Steve Hooker in better times
This negative experience will make him stronger and barring injuries he will be a contender for London. As captain of the Australian team, he will stick around the championships in this role.
In contrast to the poor form from Hooker. It was Kenya day especially women, taking gold, silver and bronze in the marathon with Kiplagat winning. They went even better in the 10 000m taking the first four places, over the years the Kenyan women have been beaten by the Ethiopians Defar, Dibaba and Tulu. This time Cheruiyot was able to get the title in a typical championship race which started out very cagey, then the Kenyans wound it up in the last few laps to take the kick out of Melkamu who couldn’t respond in the final lap and was done in the back straight. Kipyego hung on until the last 100m but Cheruiyot won in style.
Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot after winning the 10000m
Heats of the 100m began today. The field before has been weakened by the loss of Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell to injury, both were considered threats to Usain Bolt in the event where he is vulnerable. It’s disappointing when the best athletes can’t make it to the major champs, though with Asafa Powell he never brings his best to finals. So many times he had fastest time of the year, but wore the pink dress when it came to the finals. Not sure how much time he has to write that wrong and if he does, then there will be no problem acknowledging the achievement.
In the morning session tomorrow before the big boys of the 100m dominate the evening one of the most anticipated races of the championships are the heats of the 110m hurdles. There are three big names in this Dayron Robles (aka Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrd Power) with the glasses who transforms into the super smooth and technically outstanding hurdler, world record holder and Olympic Champ. David Olivier the massive unit with plenty of strength and power, the third member of trio is Xiang Liu who came back strongly this year. All they'll be wanting to do is not make a mistake and get through the rounds, if they all make it through to the final. Robles is taking the gold.
There were no major surprises in the rounds all the usual suspects got through without any problems which is all they need to. They will need to bring it for the semi finals tomorrow, then the final. Sure, there were no major surprises, but there was a major disappointment in that the wonderfully named Geronimo Goeloe from Aruba didn’t make the semis. It doesn’t matter with a name like that he is the true star of the championships.
Geronimo Goeloe the Legend
Predictions for the final before the championships it was Bolt to win from his training partner Yohan Blake for 2nd as for 3rd it’s very open and would love another Caribbean athlete to take that spot. Richard Thompson broke the Trinidad record of the legendary Ato Boldon, he will need that form to finish 2nd in Bolt’s semi final.
Blake is favourite for the 1st semi, will go with Bledman or Bailey to take the automatic. In semi 2 Thompson to finish behind Bolt with Frater getting 3rd, in the last semi Nesta Carter, the second spot is very open.
The perfect 100m final would be every athlete from the Caribbean, well as they say dreams are free
Sorry for delays with this blog. A combination of a lack of motivation and general laziness are the excuses I’m going to use. This is the first attempt at dissecting how Wigan Athletic will perform this season. How this will end not sure, though it’ll be an interesting ride.
It won’t be long until the jokes about the lack of atmosphere at DW Stadium, that there are no crowds at Wigan etc. etc. Sure it would be great if there weren’t the empty seats, but after they moved from Springfield Park. Whether it was because the DW Stadium was better for Diamond Dave Whelan the owner or that they built a smaller football purpose venue is a moot point now.
What the ignorant majority don’t understand about Wigan’s crowds are that they aren’t that bad compared to the size of the town which is just over 80 000 people.
Wigan has traditionally been a rugby league town and one of the best ones, but they and their fans haven’t been able to share the spotlight with Wigan Athletic. This in addition to the location of the town not far from Liverpool, Manchester, Bolton, Blackburn and Preston. Before the rise of Wigan Athletic these people had the choice of seven teams to follow within a small radius, they aren’t going to give up their allegiances. The article from Stuart Alker sums up Wigan’s rise to the EPL and their crowds The Meteoric Rise of Wigan
Finally Charles N’ Zogbia has left the club for Aston Villa. Not sure what to make of this move, yes Villa are a bigger club than Wigan this can’t be disputed. Financially it’s a good move for N’Zogbia at the same time it’s almost offensive that Downing cost Liverpool almost twice the amount of money. Just because he’s English doesn’t mean he is that much a better player.
Footballing reasons this move has come too late for N’Zogbia as Villa especially under McLeish will play a dour, long ball game and their fans will get on his case if he isn’t producing straight away. While thankful for his efforts in helping Wigan survive in the Premier League it’s time to move forward.
Roberto Martinez
The club have been quiet on signings so far this season but they have to August 31 to get some more players. Wigan has already made their two most important signings already holding onto Roberto Martinez as manager after Aston Villa were sniffing around. It was very unlikely that he would be leaving Wigan, so soon as he still has a lot of things he wants to achieve at the club, helping build some more infrastructures. As a young manager he is keen on developing young players and playing an aesthetic style of football with good passing which is the antithesis of the rubbish and overt physical drivel played by teams like Stoke, Blackburn, Wolves and Villa more than likely under McLeish.
Al Habsi
Al Habsi coming back permanently after a brilliant loan spell from Bolton was very important. Al Habsi is loved by the fans and was the Wigan Player of the Year last season. He was very busy as the defenders were under pressure a lot of the time, apart from the odd mistake which happens he is a much better option between the sticks than Chris Kirkland.
This season will be a big one for Victor “Holy” Moses who has a lot of potential but has been used most of the time as a sub at his time with the Latics. He has plenty of speed which is always beneficial, but his decision making needs improvement during the season. This is something that comes with time knowing when to slip the pass or when you take on the defenders, don’t think he’ll be in the N’ Zogbia class of hogging the ball but he’ll need to step up. The friendly against Villarreal showed some good signs from him, though the Yellow Submarine were clearly in preseason mode.
Victor Moses
How Martinez addresses the problems from last season will set the tone of how Wigan will perform this season. There were too many draws from winning positions last season and a lack of consistency it was only until the last two matches against West Ham and Stoke when they won two games in succession. The defensive unit of Der Kaiser Gary Caldwell, Alcatraz, Figueroa and Emerson Boyce is the best at the moment, but they were put under a lot of pressure last season due to the attacking players not converting chances from the excellent build up play which was a feature of many Wigan matches once they got used to the new passing style imposed by Martinez.
Whether this means Martinez has to play with Rodallega and Sammond up front together so they can improve the goal ratio so the defence isn’t under as much pressure. Or the midfielders have to get forward at a faster rate to support the front men. It’s the major problem that needs solving and it will be interesting to see what players Martinez looks to buy or can get on loan. There is a need for some defensive cover, another midfielder and too bad they can’t get rid of di Santo.
Their first 3 matches are against the promoted teams Norwich, Swansea and QPR. There are some thinking woo hoo there’s 9 points at the start of the season, which would be fantastic. At the same time it was only last season when Blackpool thumped Wigan 4-0 at DW in their first match, so that should keep some perspective.
Another season under Martinez the team is now used to the short passing game and making the ball do the work and with a couple more intelligent signings or loan deals, definitely not sure about Wright-Phillips as a solution. If they get that right then a position of around 13th-15th is possible, anything higher would be a bonus or having to fight on the last day would be stagnation.
Got another guess blogger and huge Villarreal fan Ravi writing this preview. Welcome him along and it's a good read.
FC Porto – Villarreal CF Europa League semifinals
1st leg – 9.05pm CDT 28/4/2011, Estadio do Dragao, Oporto, Portugal.
2nd leg – 9.05pm CDT 5/5/2011, Estadio El Madrigal, Vila-real, Spain.
Of all the 4 semifinals in Champions league & Europa league this is the most intriguing match-up if not the most glamorous. These two teams practice distinct styles of football and are shoe-ins for next year’s Champions League. Porto is aiming for a treble, already secured the Portuguese League and reached the final of the Cup (Taça de Portugal).
Both teams have thumped their rivals in the quarter-finals. Porto dispatched Spartak Moscow 10-3 on aggregate and Villarreal thumping FC Twente 8-2 on aggregate. Most fans and experts believe that the winner of this tie is the favorite to win it all in Dublin on the 18th of May.
Let us dive into the details.
FC Porto
(disclosure: I have only watched one game of Porto live, Benfica-Porto which was a bit of an anti-climax and ugly. So most of this is based on reading the match reports from various sources across the net)
Porto under Andres Villas-Boas have been sensational. Dominated the Portuguese league right from the beginning and sewed up the title very early. They replicated the same form in Europa league, waltzing through the rounds to reach the semifinal.
Porto will line-up in a 4-3-3 with the trident of Hulk – Falcao – Varela at the top and the Guarin –Fernando – Moutinho in the middle. Falcao is usually the furthest up front and Fernando is the deepest midfielder. (see schematic)
Gaurin and Moutinho drive forward in possession to support the forwards. Hulk usually plays a bit higher up the pitch just off of Falcao on the right side sort of like 2nd striker in a 4-4-2. Varela is more the wide forward poaching at the far post or dragging the central defender off his position. The playing style is a bit on the physical side with Guarín and Hulk among the top 20 in fouls committed department. Defensively Rolando & Otamendi are the regulars, both very steady in front of Helton. Sapunaru (who will take the place of the injure Fucile) and Perreira are fullbacks used most.
Based on some of the stats in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, Porto doesn’t dominate
possession, but they are quick on the counterattack and use the size of Hulk to overpower opposing fullbacks and central defenders. Hulk is the sort of player that makes oppositions alter their usual game plan to counter his unique abilities. Moutinho plays the key role of providing the service for both Falcao and Hulk. He has a good midrange shot and is capable of a few searing runs through the middle and powerful midrange drives that Diego Lopez needs to pay attention to. Fernando is the deep midfielder and he rarely ventures into the attacking third of the pitch. The forwards of Porto take a lot of shots in general, midrange as well as from the edge of the box.
In a nutshell, they are very vertical when they have possession and defend in numbers when not in possession. (If this all sounds like Real Madrid of Mourinho in the recent clasicos, then I am with you )
Villarreal CF
(disclosure: I’m one of the biggest fans of Villarreal )
Villarreal had a tough time last year. Manuel Pellegrini was replaced by Ernesto Valverde and it didn’t work out. At one point Villarreal hit the bottom of the La Liga table. Around January 2010 Juan Carlos Garrido from Villarreal B took over from Valverde. After getting eliminated by Wolfsburg in 2010 Europa league, Villarreal concentrated on getting to the Europa League and finished 7th in Spanish Primera Liga. While they fell short, Mallorca’s expulsion from Europa league due to financial issues helped Villarreal to get into the Europa League.
After winning their group, they faced an impressive Napoli in the round of 32. After eking out a 0-0 in Naples and falling behind 0-1 at El Madrigal, they made a rousing comeback to win the game and the tie 2-1. They breezed past their next two opponents Bayer Leverkusen and FC Twente with four impressive wins.
Villarreal will line-up in their traditional 4-4-2 formation. It morphs into a narrow 4-2-2-2 in possession. Rossi & Nilmar lead the attack usually supported by Cazorla & Cani on the flanks and a double pivot of Borja Valero & Bruno. In the absence of the impressive captain Gonzalo Rodriguez due to a season ending injury, Marchena and Musacchio will pair in the central defence with Mario & Catala as the fullbacks. Villarreal game is centered on triangulation between Borja, Cani, Cazorla & the forwards. Both the flanks cut in naturally more often than not. Nilmar and Rossi switch constantly and Rossi at time drops back to get the ball.
How will the games play out?
Both teams will try to impose their style of play. They might make minor adjustments but I don’t see any major tactical changes.
Villarreal Perspective
Most of the Villarreal attacks originate from Borja and Cazorla acts as the link to Rossi & Nilmar. Both Rossi and Nilmar move a lot without the ball to open up spaces for Borja and Cazorla to push forward and typically do a screen or two to liberate one of the forwards. Wakaso, a recent signing, relies on his pace to cover a lot of area. His main role will be to keep a check on Fucile/Perreira from pushing forward and double up to help Mario to defend Varela or Hulk when he switches to the left.
Bruno is the holding pivot for Villarreal does the ‘dirty work’ defending the likes of Gaurín and Hulk when he drops deeper. 2/3rd of the attacks will come through the middle if not more. Both Nilmar & Rossi have a great first touch and are not easily dispossessed. They have very good understanding among each other and combine very well with Borja & Cazorla.
Defensively stopping Hulk will be the highest priority. This is why the younger and taller Catala gets the nod at left back over the experienced Capdevila. Marchena and Musacchio have their tasks cut and will need to have very good understanding with the fullbacks to do a tag-team job on Hulk. In the middle they will try to starve Porto midfield of the possession by short passing.
One of the reasons why Villarreal have sort of sacrificed Cani is to add some defensive muscle in the midfield. This has worked well very well in the Europa League especially against crowded midfields teams have tried to use to counter the yellow submarine. Based on what I’ve seen of the goals scored byFalcao, there were a lot of occasions where the opposition was defending Hulk with two and sometimes 3 players leaving both Varela & Falcao with a lot of space and time. This partly explains why Falcao is the highest scorer in Europa League with 11 goals. (Hulk has 4 goals).
Porto Perspective
Porto on the other hand will be more direct in its approach where Moutinho would try to feed the ball to Hulk as much as possible. If they see Villarreal doubling up to counter Hulk, they’d try to switch flanks to create mismatches and let their forwards take high percentage shots in 1-on-1 situations. Porto will definitely look at morphing into a 5-man defence which has caused a lot of grief to the yellow submarine and a lot of teams have exploited it. Bitter provincial rivals Valencia did it most. Porto might test Diego Lopez with powerful midrange drives which both Hulk & Moutinho are capable of delivering. Diego has to be careful not to be too far off the line.
One glaring advantage for Porto is the size. Villarreal is undersized in most positions as a result Gaurin-Fernando-Moutinho will be physical to muscle away Borja & Cazorla (probably the smallest player in all of Europa League) possession away. Porto might also try to push the fullbacks forward to force Cazorla and Wakaso into defending and not give them the freedom to cut-inwards where they are most dangerous. I saw a bit of this in Villarreal X Barcelona 2 weeks ago when Dani Alves did this to Cazorla.(Sapunaru/Perreira are definitely not Alves)
Porto will try to take advantage of the size in set-pieces. They will try to force fouls in the vicinity of the 18yard box to have a go at the undersized wall and the same goes with corner kicks.
Predictions
Objectively speaking>>
I think Villarreal will be happy to take home a scored draw. They will be content with a 0-0 or even a 1 goal loss too. Villarreal hasn’t lost yet at Madrigal in the Europa League.
Porto will look to score as many as possible but I don’t see them risk a whole lot. They will try to keep a clean sheet. They will be happy with 1 goal win and very happy with 2-0 or beyond.
Subjectively speaking>>
While Porto has been very impressive in the Portuguese league and in general in the Europa league, they struggled against CSKA Moscow who line-up in guess what? 4-4-2. the key for Villarreal is to keep possession as much as possible in the 1st half. If they can score a goal in Dragao, it will open up the pitch for the yellow submarine to launch a few lethal counterattacks.
I trust Rossi or Nilmar to score a goal in Dragao and finish off the Dragon at El Madrigal.
#AUPASUBMARINO
If you want to argue with me or tell me that I suck the twitter account is - @aupasubmarino
Manolo Preciado defies tragedy as Sporting Gijón move to safety
Both teams came in here with different goals besides winning the match. Espanyol have been on a poor run of late after having an excellent start to the season, where they were in contention for Europe which now looks more like a fading dream.
Sporting Gijón to continue on their excellent run of form which consisted of 4 wins (one against Real Madrid away) a draw away to Villarreal and a loss in their last 6 matches to pull away from the relegation zone and consolidate their place in La Liga.
Sadly during the week the very popular Sporting coach Manolo Preciado lost his father to car accident, for those who don't know the history. He also lost his wife to cancer, and one of his sons to a car accident. Preciado has managed to come through proper personal tragedy and will do so again.
There was a minute silence at El Molinón before the match which was observed with great respect. Espanyol started the match better than Sporting. They were playing at a reasonable tempo, though not really opening them up in the first half. Sporting lifted their game and managed to score from a free kick, but he was only 5m offsisde this would have been let go if it was Real Madrid or Barcelona player. Juan Pablo had to make a couple of saves, whereas for Sporting Eguren missed a very good chance after they opened up the defence and put the shot wide.
It was scoreless at halftime but far from a tedious match. Espanyol were looking to Osvaldo for the goals, whereas Sporting in their attacks weren't able to make the vital pass at the end to finish off the build up play. Second half started in similar vein with Espanyol attempting to force the play, but Sporting settled down well and were pushing forward with some good passing moves not able to really give Kameni something to think about.
Preciado bought on Nacho Novo up front and this proved the master stroke as he was able to poach the only goal of the match. Espanyol defender Raul Rodriguez mistimed a header which went backwards and Novo pounced with a good shot past Kameni. The whole team ran over to Preciado and celebrated the goal with him, which was a touching moment.
Espanyol pushed forward trying to get a result, but really weren't too threatening and Sporting got a very popular win, which was a perfect result after the Preciado family tragedy.
The Espanyol players went over to Preciado and congratulated him. There were great scenes with the Sporting players embracing Super Mario and the fans were in fine voice. Preciado is the longest serving manager in La Liga and should stay with Sporting as long as he wants. The rapport he has with the fans and players is clear to see, even the canalla Mourinho doesn't mind Manolo.
Espanyol's European ambitions have taken a dent and Sporting have achieved their goal of survival with plenty of matches to spare, the main question is how of their players they can hold onto for next season.
This win meant so much for Preciado and the Sportinguistas after the personal tragedy during the week. As much as football is in the lives of many people on earth, there are times when you see football for what it really is, a game that does bring people together in spite of a small group of idiots trying to ruin it.
Manolo Preciado will bounce back and continue his great work with Sporting.
For this entry, I have a guest blogger that is writing about the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs rugby league club who have had some up and downs. This was written just before the departure of Jamal Idris to the Gold Coast for 2012.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, The last decade: Success, Scandals and Rebuilding, On and Off the Field
Written by Andrew Hendrie
The Bulldogs have never been too far away from the headlines, whether for the right or wrong reasons or on the field or off it. This article highlights the last 10 years at the club and the recent attempts to rebuild and instil the culture that once had Canterbury labelled the "Family Club".
The Dogs ended 2000 poorly, with numerous of the clubs all time greats on their last legs including Hetherington, Stuart and Halligan, and it was time to bring in some fresh faces to mount a new challenge on the premiership in 2001. Vagana, Howland, Trindall and one of the clubs best buys the General Luke Patten were brought in to add some much needed spark and speed in the backline. Hazem "El Magic" Masri took over goal kicking responsibilities from the great Halligan and it's fair to say he did alright in the end. South Sydney junior Braith Anasta also came into the halves and played one of his best seasons in the NRL to be crowned Rookie of the Year. These changes worked wonders for the side and this was emphasised with a 2nd place finish in the competition proper. However the Dogs faltered in the finals series, losing a heartbreaker to the Dragons 23-22 and then proceeded to get destroyed by the Sharks 52-10 to bow out of the competition. The year as a whole however, was a step in the right direction and high hopes were held for the club in 2002.
In what is a normality in any sport, the club said goodbye to two legends this year with captain Darren Britt and the exciting Craig Polla-Mounter calling it quits ahead of the 2002 season. Britt was a superb forward back in his day, with a no nonsense attitude both on and off the field and "Polla" will be best remembered for his role in that amazing victory against Parramatta in 1998. Let's go off topic for a little while and Eels fans will hate me for this.
And we're back. Steve Price was appointed captain in 2002 and Mark "Shrek" O' Meley was recruited to add even more strength to an already fearsome forward pack. It was set to be one of the clubs most successful seasons. The Dogs had won 17 consecutive matches and were 3 weeks away from claiming the minor premiership. But then tragedy occurred for the club. In the wake of the now infamous salary cap scandal, the Bulldogs were stripped of all their 37 competition points and relegated to the bottom of the table and as a result, picked up the wooden spoon. The club were fined $500,000 for the breach which was by more than $1 million. CEO David Gallop said at the time ""This is a bitter day for rugby league, indeed the game has had its heart broken in an unexpected and tragic way." The fallout sparked a massive clean out of the club's board with chairman Gary Mcintyre and chief executive Bob Hagan both resigning days after the announcement and interim chief Garry Hughes followed their lead a couple of days later. Club legend Steve Mortimer was brought in and in his first act, he decided to stand down the entire board. It was clear that the club sought a new beginning in the aftermath of this terrible scandal and that the club now had to start from scratch again to rebuild it's good name and legacy it had worked so hard to obtain over their rich and successful history.
Mortimer worked hard during the off season to instil belief and fight back into the clubs players, fans and sponsors and to try and shed the "cheats" tag the club had received in the last year. In a show of commitment to the club, several players decided to take pay cuts in order for the same group of players to stick together and to try and win a premiership that was cruelly taken away from them last year. This act of "mateship" worked and the Dogs fought back with true heart and intensity and finished 3rd in the regular season behind the Panthers and fierce rivals the Roosters. Canterbury lost their opening finals match 48-22 to 2002 grand finalists the Warriors but bounced back strongly the next week against Melbourne, with a convincing 30-0 win. The preliminary final saw the Dogs go down to the Roosters 28-18 but it was an excellent season for the club and one that thankfully saw attention shift to their on field performances rather than the off field dramas.
2004 was a year that started off with the club yet again surrounded in unwanted controversy but ended with celebration and joy. Before a ball had been kicked, the club again were in trouble with the law. In a pre season trip to Coffs Harbour in February, a young woman accused six Bulldogs first grade players of sexually assaulting her. Due to insufficient evidence, no charges were lade against the players in question but these fresh allegations again took its toll on the club with its legacy tarnished once again and the club legend Mortimer resigning as chief executive. All that hard work done the previous year all for nothing. The media began to speculate who the players in question were and the culture the Canterbury club had been transformed into. The once proud "family club" had turned into a club of binge drinking and partying. This was what the media reported anyway, but tell me a NRL club that isn't.
Despite the off field drama, the Dogs had one of their best seasons on the field this year and finished the year as champions, defeating arch rivals the Sydney Roosters in the grand final. It showed the character of the club and the never say die attitude and to beat the Chooks in the final was the icing on the cake for them. The Bulldogs showed excellent fight in the 2nd half, coming from 13-6 down at half time to win 16-13 and keep the latte lovers scoreless in the 2nd half.
Bobcat Ryan made a final second tackle on a runaway Mick Crocker to end the game and deliver the Dogs their first premiership since 1995.Willie Mason put away his off field issues to win the Clive Churchill medal and the only dampener on the game was that captain Steve Price had to miss the final due to a groin injury. Shifty Sherwin was on fire that year and his contract was boosted significantly to keep him at the club. His partnership with El Magic was particularly effective that year with Shifty putting through the kick and Hazem drifting in mid field to score the try.
From 2005 to 2008, the club again saw their fair share of off field scrutiny, with several individual players bringing the club into disrepute yet again. There were mixed results on the field as well. The Dogs were unable to back up their successful campaign from the previous year, finishing 12th in the ladder. This was mainly due to a substantial amount of injuries at the club and perhaps still a bit of partying was happening from last year. 2006 and 2007 saw the typical Bulldogs fight back and they finished 3rd and 6th respectively these seasons. They were one win away from the grand final again in 2006 but got overpowered and outmuscled in the 2nd half of their preliminary final encounter against Broncos, who were no doubt inspired by the impending retirement of Shane Webcke.
After two consecutive finals campaigns, 2008 held high hopes for the Dogs once again to compete for the premiership. This was far from the case. Willie Mason, Braith Anasta and Nate Myles all had left the club to join the Chooks and lets just say most people involved with the club were happy to see 2 out of those 3 players leave. Sherwin, after not playing his best footy after the 2004 grand final left for England as well. Injuries and lack of creativity in the halves meant the Bulldogs suffered their worst season since the dreaded salary cap year of 2002 and before that, 1964. More controversy arising during this season was the sudden departure of superstar forward Sonny Bill Williams.
"Money Bill" left the club mid season without telling a single soul to take up a lucrative deal to play rugby union in France and yes bobcat Ryan and General Patten wanted to teach him a lesson. Things were getting too hard for Money Bill at the Bulldogs so he took the easy way out and joined up with Mundine and Khoder Nasser and fled the country. Danny Weidler did his best to make Money Bill look like the victim but failed horribly it must be said. This, coupled with some horrible performances on the field, made 2008 one of the clubs most disappointing seasons in its long history.
The club board was also in shambles during the 2008 season with many believing that CEO Malcom Noad, who took over form Mortimer in 2004, was leading the club in the wrong direction and not dishing out severe enough punishments for player mishaps. Noad eventually resigned and the club appointed Todd Greenberg as new chief and he remains at the head of the club to this day.
It was clear a major overhaul was needed at the club before the 2009 season. It began with the induction of Greenberg who is an excellent person to have running the club and doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone. He is also a great family man and made great initiatives to instil those values back into the club's culture. Kevin "Bullfrog" Moore was also signed to coach the club this year to replace Steve Folkes. Moore is a Bulldogs man through and through and was an excellent choice to coach the club in this rebuilding era. The club also recruited some very good footballers in Brett "intercept" Kimmorley, Michael "the menace" Ennis, Greg Eastwood, Josh Morris, Ben Hannant and David Stagg. Greenberg signed these players not only because they were great players but because they were also good human beings as well, which was just as important criteria for a signing for Greenberg. Kimmorley, Ennis, Stagg and Hannant all had young families of their own and Josh is very close with his twin brother Brett. Add El Masri, Ryan and Patten in there and you have a fine bunch of footballers and people.
This was the formula for success for Greenberg and it worked a treat during this season. The Dogs played an entertaining style of attacking football not seen since the 2004 victory and came back from wooden spooners the previous year to finish the year in 2nd position and may have been minor premiers if Soward wasn't a diver and the video ref wasn't Stevie Wonder. Also the two competition points deducted for an interchange breach didn't help either. In the first week of the finals the Bulldogs convincingly beat Newcastle 26-12 to earn the week off. In a blockbuster preliminary final against rivals Parramatta, the Dogs went down 22-12. It was one of the games of the year and played in front of a full house of 74,549 people. The Bulldogs were brave but Hayne, Moi Moi and Daniel Mortimer were too good on the night. It also marked the end of the career for Hazem el Masri who will always be remembered for being one of the great club men and one of the best goal kickers of all time. Also a champion off the field, El Magic was a true Bulldogs legend. It should be noted in round 1 of this year Hazem set the record for most points of all time, going past the great Joey Johns.
After a great 2009 season, great expectations were held for the club to continue improving in 2010. However this was not the case. Many of the players looked tired and as a result the Dog's attack suffered and were unable to create the opportunities they did last year. Noddy Kimmorley tried hard as usual but it just wouldn't click for him and the forwards lacked spark and speed. Losing Eastwood to England was a massive blow as he is one of the most skillful forwards out there and very effective in breaking tackles. It wasn't like the Bulldogs were getting blown away like in 2008, it was more that they just didn't have that flair and X factor to carry them to the next level, which naturally happens when players get older. Canterbury ended up finishing 13th in the regular season, it was just one of those years.
Which brings us to the present day, 5 weeks into the competition. The club recruited a number of players again during the off season, including a brand new halves pairing of Kris Keating and Trent Hodkinson. These two grew up playing with and against each other out in Cabramatta so they know each other very well. Big Frank Pritchard has signed from Penrith and is a devastating ball runner when he is in the mood. The Dogs also capitalised on the Melbourne Storm salary cap situation and poached young prop Aiden Tolman who is already looking like a state of origin player. Ben Barba is also looking the goods at fullback this year. Ryan Tandy's situation with the alleged betting scam has brought the club unwanted headlines again and Greenburg and the board acted swiftly, axing Tandy from the club a few weeks ago. On the field, the Dogs started well with 3 wins on the trot but have since lost their last two games to Melbourne and the Dragons, the two form teams of the competition at the moment.
Things are looking good again for the Canterbury rugby league club. Under Greenberg they have reinstalled the family values and culture of the club and they have recruited a talented roster of great footballers and people who will hope to soon bring success and a premiership back to the club.
Sporting Gijón end Mourinho's unbeaten home streak
Finally got around to making an entry this multi purpose sporting blog, which there will hopefully be some guest writers about differnt subjects of which my knowledge is shit or a lack of caring for them.
This entry is a bit late, but it's for a worthy cause hehe. La Liga has been a two horse race for so long between Barcelona and Real Madrid, there are many reasons for this. There needs to be a better TV rights deal for La Liga as a whole, even with a fairer revenue stream for the other clubs Barca and RM will still be dominant forces within Spain. The football product is excellent, though the organisation should be German run.
Sporting Gijón ended the outstanding streak from Jose Mourinho going 9 years and 150 matches undefeated at home with the teams he has managed Porto, Chelsea, Inter and now RM. It was a surprising result yet a great one with a few ironies which are never a bad thing. Earlier in the season Mourinho made comments about Preciado fielding a second string side against Barca, indicating they were lying down for the champions. Needless to say Preciado was far from amused and the second string team only lost 1-0 to Barca.
When RM went to El Molinon to play, there was a lot of tension and press naturally lapped it up. Preciado calling Mourinho "canalla", there are a few translations for this but scumbag is a personal favourite, then asking Jose to sit with the ultra. Cristiano Ronaldo "aka Portuguese Peacock" scored the late winner in a very hard fought match.
RM had many of their players out due to a combination of injuries and resting for their Champs League quarter final with Tottenham. They haven't been that impressive this season but there weren't any indications that Gijón were going to pull the upset. Sporting had Diego Castro who has clearly been their best player for the season out of this match, hopefully Sporting can hold onto him next season.
Understandably Sporting were nervous initially, but after 15 minutes or so they settled down and defended intelligently. It wasn't just 10-0-0 catenaccio and hope they don't score. Sure RM had many players out but being a big side they have squad depth to cover these losses, they weren't very threatening in attack lacked width and penetration and Sporting were comfortable at half time.
Second half started out more of the same with RM hitting hopeful balls to Adebayor. Di Maria has guaranteed a spot in the 2012 Argentine Olympic diving team with the amount of diving that he was performing, thought he was like "Sammy the Seal" at Seaworld with the theatrics. Sporting were more comfortable on the ball and were able to pass it around when they had the chance and went ahead with a brilliant team goal, which had 8 quick passes and former Atletico Madrid boy Miguel de las Cuevas hitting the target with a good finish as Casillas was off balance after being exposed by his defence.
The last 10 minutes were amusing for Sporting Gijón fans, as Higuain made his return to football after surgery and RM were throwing men forward attacking like there was free paella on offer and after 78 minutes of not doing very much. Sporting cleared the goal line twice and Mourinho had a rueful smile knowing that it wasn't going to be his day. There was quite a bit of "Fergie time" known as keep playing until Man U score, but nothing was going to deny a brave performance from Sporting Gijón getting the win at the Bernabeu. Arguably they should have drawn the first match at home.
Not sure if RM were that bad to be compared to Stoke as the wonderfully objective Marca stated. In this match their attack had as much idea as a 12 yr old boy trying to take off a bra. Especially when in trouble they couldn't use the whole pass it to the Portuguese Peacock and he'll create something or score. Yes, they miss Ronaldo but you'd think they'd have other dimensions to use to cover his absence.
As a Sporting Gijón fan, I didn't think they'd hold onto the 1-1. At the same time they have had an excellent record against the top sides this season. Draw at the Camp Nou and narrow loss to Barca, a draw with Villarreal at El Madrigal. When they were struggling, I said they would stay up and while this is a great result the job isn't done yet. They have been on a good run and need to beat the teams around them to secure their status in La Liga before the last day of the season. There are worse teams than them, though they can only look after their own results and not what goes on in other matches.
There were rumours about the Gijón old boy Luis Enrique coming to coach them. This would be a mistake as Preciado is popular with his players, even opposition fans appreciate his character and with the squad he has it would be very doubtful that Enrique would do better than Preciado. Getafe aka Real Madrid B are struggling at the moment and could in the market for a new trainer.
What it means for Real Madrid is that they now can concentrate on the Champs League and the Copa del Rey. The UK papers coming out and saying he and Valdano have a strained relationship. This is not a case of the horse has bolted, it has bolted been caught and back in the stable.
Preciado before the match and said positive things about Mourinho and it was good to hear that the "Special One"went into the Sporting dressing room and congratulated Preciado and the team for their win. Somewhere behind that funky moustasche Preciado had a warm glow inside and not just from the fine Asturian cider.
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