Easy Group? England? Never!

Yes, England find themselves facing arguably one of the easier World Cup Groups when they venture to South Africa in 2010. After spending a whole day contemplating over whom I would like to see England play, whilst concocting “groups of death” for some so-called better teams, I can admit that I am rather relieved with our future opponents; USA, Algeria and Slovenia.

Although USA were to be considered as one of the harder teams in the group 2 pot, they should really pose few problems to a hopefully on-song English side. Our cousins from across the pond should however not be taken too lightly, as they did beat current European Champions Spain in the Confederations Cup semi-final earlier this year. Yet, if England is to win the competition there are definitely more competitive nations out there to be beaten.

As for Algeria and Slovenia, both sides confirmed their place in the World Cup through play-off games. Algeria beat Egypt, after losing to their fellow North Africans only 4 days previously, and is probably one of the weaker sides in the competition. Slovenia faced tougher opposition in their play-off, coming through a hard fought 2-leg affair with Russia on away goals.

If, as they should do, England gets through the group stages of the competition, they do however face a tough task in the last 16. Group D will provide England with their opponents, a group which involves Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana. You would think it doesn’t get any worse than that, but Group G eclipses it with North Korea feeling the full force prospect of facing Portugal, Ivory Coast and Brazil. Wooft!

As for the hosts, South Africa actually appears to have an opportunity to qualify. The opening game of the tournament sees them play Mexico, hopefully this will be more exciting than it sounds. Uruguay just about scraped it into the finals, so for South Africa to draw them in their group, is the best possible outcome there also. However, much to Irish announce no doubt, the un-seeded French must have picked up a “get out of jail free card” when the draw saw them placed in with the hosts, the only group not to be occupied with a top-seeded team. Let’s just hope they forget the Red and Blue on their flag like they did in 2002.

Elsewhere, no other fixtures really catch the eye. Netherlands v Cameroon may be an interesting tie, but the likelihood is that both sides will have already seen off Denmark and Japan to qualify to the next stage, making that a non-entity. Below par Argentina have 3 solid opponents in Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. On paper Maradona’s men should progress, yet maybe there will be a real shock here.

European Champions Spain will be having a Latino party with Chile and Honduras, which will hopefully spark some life into a boring Swiss side. And finally, current World up holders Italy, should have no problems getting to the last 16 after dispatching New Zealand, Slovakia and Paraguay.

So, could this be England’s year? Scotland hopes not.

World Cup Wonders

So, the final 32 nations have finally confirmed their place in the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa. The months of anticipation are drawing closer to the beginning of the end. Yet, player’s feel the opportunity to impress any invited, watching, national manager is now upon them, as good form now may provide them with that coveted ticket abroad. Fans too are booking their flights and hotels, or are possibly starting a long walk to the southern hemisphere burdened only by a tent and a 24 pack of Tennants.

However, not all fans have as much style and as little dignity as the English, not to mention decorum. Among the other countries finding their way to the depths of Africa are Slovenia, Honduras, New Zealand and, much to Egypt’s dislike, Algeria, exemplifying why this truly is a global phenomenon. France are also packing their white flags after a little handiwork from their talisman. As opposed to Argentina, who are clearly feeling the weight of their supposed iconic managerial figure, after just scraping through to the finals.

Yet, not everyone is venturing south for the summer, not all nations have qualified for the seemingly exclusive event. Scotland, Ireland and Wales are to name but a few of the unfortunate countries who have yet again missed out on the world’s largest party. Their presence shall be missed.

Russia and Sweden also found their paths blocked, yet somehow Switzerland have managed to bag a spot. But, at least that means England have competition when it comes to the “most boring team to watch in the tournament” award.

However, despite the rush of obvious over-inflated excitement that the English media are going to create, generally over what hair cut David Beckham is going to don at the tournament, one has to consider, who will actually make the team? After Jermain Defoe’s 5 sumptuous strikes against Wigan, does he warrant a place in the starting XI? Aaron Lennon also surely can order some shades off Amazon after a truly electrifying start of the season that would give any potential opponent left-backs nightmares before the game, let alone after. Yet, will he get the nod over an aging Beckham?

What about James Milner? Could he be the potential player to make the enigma of left midfield his own, or will Joe Cole recover from injury in such a way that will see his inclusion in the starting team a necessity, even if it is out on the left? Barry, Carrick or Hargreaves could pose the same problem for Capello, yet, their inclusion would certainly be in the centre, moving Gerrard out wide. Unless of course, you decide that England should go for a 3-5-2 formation, or maybe do a Liverpool and play Gerrard as the second striker. Inventive, maybe. Un-English, maybe. World Cup Winning Solution, potentially.

Yet, all that is mere speculation. And speculation it shall remain until the squad is finally announced. Until then, fans all over the World are preparing for the 4th of December, the day Scotland decides which three teams they shall be supporting at South Africa 2010.

Seaforth Snatch Fourth Point

Seaforth Highlanders successfully came away from Peffermill yesterday with another point, having retained all three from the University side on the opening day of the season. The visitors were dominated throughout the entire game, yet snatched a later equaliser leaving the home side demoralised on the final whistle.

However, it was the Highlanders that had the opportunity to take the lead early on, after their attacking winger cut inside of Senior, only to be brought down by a backtracking Kenny inside the Burgh box. A penalty was awarded and all that stood between the striker and a goal was Tom “the bear” Agnew. The keeper had already saved one out of the two penalties taken against him this season so all hope was not lost. The striker fired the ball far towards the left corner of the goal, yet once more Agnew proved his worth, diving right across his goal, producing a save of the highest order to prevent a well taken penalty putting Seaforth 1-0 up.

This not only lifted Burgh’s spirits but made Kenny produce a huge sigh of relief. Edinburgh started to settle down, producing some neat football, whilst Tom Archer headed away anything that came in Agnew’s direction. Maxwell and Meehan were also beginning to dictate the play, in what was a crowded midfield due to Seaforth’s 4-5-1 formation.

Edinburgh eventually won a corner, thanks to a surmountable amount of pressure. The ball got poorly cleared and played back into the box, finding its way to the far post where it got met by a thunderbolt of a strike by the left foot of Kenny, sending it back across goal into the far corner of the net. Kenny had more than atoned for his previous error.

Despite Burgh domination the scoreline still bared the same result come half-time. The match was still there to be taken for Uni, yet the Highlander’s were by no means out of it, especially with such quick counter-attacking capabilities. Yet, the men in green were a solid unit, with Archer’s head still repelling any likelihood of a comeback.

At the other end of the field Edinburgh continued to carve open their opposition, who were definitely tiring, but still they hung on with some fantastic saves being produced by their number 1. Scott Macfarlane, who had come on for Maxwell, looked to have shaped a shot that was destined for the bottom corner, only for Seaforth’s keeper to turn out a fine save.

So the score remained 1-0 to Burgh with only a few minutes left on the clock, until Seaforth gathered the ball on the left wing and drilled a cross into the penalty area. Leslie tried to get boot to ball but unfortunately could only flick it on to the striker who guided it past the helpless Agnew from 5 yards out. The cross was undefendable, providing Seaforth with their one clear chance from open play in the whole game.

However, that is the beauty of football, unless of course you are an Edinburgh University fan. Then it is just sickening to see two, supposedly, already won points leave your grasp. Yet, the Highlander’s will be delighted. Few sides will face Burgh this season and take 4 points out of 6 and hopefully, that’s not just because the Uni boys fail to draw games…

Is Sport Above The Law?

Sport has always been a factor of life that has seemed to escape the grasp of the law. This has been shown throughout the ages, with even Roman law establishing the difference between those that kill with a javelin when practicing the sport, and those that kill with a javelin outwith a designated throwing field. Yet, as times go by, sport and the law are finding themselves increasingly intertwined.

Obviously, the excuse that you were practicing the javelin when it unfortunately got thrown into the person on the other side of the field was never going to last in the modern world, despite what the lex Aquilia may say. The ability to have “a square go” is still not allowed either according to the case Smart v HMA, yet, if you step into the ring, the law is somewhat left aside for everyone’s entertainment. I mean, watching Ricky Hatton fight would be no fun if he was not legally allowed to punch his opponent, even if it may provide him with a better opportunity of at least drawing the bout.

Football has also found the law to be a menace, with European Community intervention becoming necessary to bring the sport into accordance with EC Treaty Article 39, concerning the free movement of workers. Beforehand, all clubs had quotas on how many foreign nationals could play for the club at any one time, a rule which gave Leeds United a lifeline in the European Cup after their opponents Stuttgart won the match but the result became invalid after it was shown the German side had played too many foreigners. European intervention eventually led to the “Bosman” ruling and for quotas being lifted across Europe.

This in itself meant that clubs could now buy all the best players from around Europe, bringing with it the rise in popularity of the new Premiership. This influx of excitement, at the prospect of some of the worlds best players playing on home turf, led to investment into the sport, making it more commercially viable.

Suddenly, some clubs found themselves with more money than they know what to do with, others are finding that the money they thought they had is simply not there, meaning financial instability and uncertainty on, and off, the pitch. The law has once again had to become involved, regulating the rules by which clubs go through administration and then the inevitable liquidation. Leeds United have felt the effect, but have just about survived, Gretna appear to be not so lucky. How Rangers will fair is an increasing topic of conversation…

However, the latest chapter in the law/sport saga has now materialised with the result of the Keegan and Curbishley cases. Alan Curbishley has won his case last Tuesday against West Ham United for constructive dismissal, after West Ham United were believed to have committed a fundamental breach of Curbishley’s employment contract.

West Ham’s chairman reportedly sold two key players, Anton Ferdinand and George McCarthney, to Premier League outfit Sunderland, without the consent of Curbishley, who was the West Ham manager at the time. Despite the fact that Curbishley has a clause in his contract stating that he would be the one who had the final say of who was brought into, and sold out of, the football club. Keegan also faced similar problems with Newcastle and received £2million in damages from the northern side.

So, the law is increasingly part of sport nowadays. It has provided us with the opportunity to watch the best players in the world, whilst also allowing us to watch the demise of some of the biggest clubs in Britain. Whether its intrusive nature is healthy some may claim is debatable, but however you look at it, it still has put Marlon King behind bars…

Below Par Burgh Still Boss RGU

Edinburgh University Football men’s second team found themselves facing their second consecutive away trip to Aberdeen last Wednesday. The side had beaten RGU 1s 2-0 up on the 3G pitch the previous week, so the game against RGU 2s in the BUCS Cup should have been an easier prospect.

Yet, the side was much changed, Dan Paterson returned from injury to partner Darren Leslie at the heart of the Burgh defence and Jamie Sime was moved to right-back to cover for the absent Roberts and Ghamgosar. Benji Antoni and Steve Kenny also came in on either wing to spark some energy into the attack.

However, the team were slow to start, allowing RGU to get far too much time on the ball, especially in central areas of the park. Yet, the home side failed to use the possession they had, and threatened little more than long range efforts that were either comfortably saved by keeper Tom Agnew or thrashed aimlessly wide.

Gradually Edinburgh tried to play their way into the game, showing at times the silky passing movement that has made opponents crumble into non-entities. Yet, this was a rarity and despite a Dave Meehan shot that hit the bar and a Kenny freekick that went inches wide, Burgh looked no more likely to score than Michael Owen.

However, like the wayward frontman, if you give him enough chances he will eventually put one away. Edward Senior picked up a poor clearance on the edge of the RGU penalty area and drove across the face of the box before releasing the ball to Alex Maxwell, who chipped a delicate ball into the feet of Alex Petrie. Petrie swiped at the ball, which merely spun on the floor at his feet, however the striker recovered by blasting it straight through the keeper’s legs to put the away side 1-0 up.

The game remained 1-0 to half time, thanks to some excellent smothering by Agnew. Antoni had picked up a continuing groin injury so was replaced by forward Kyle O’Neill, with Petrie moving out to the right side of midfield for the start of the second half.

Whatever the managers Erskine and Leslie said at half time they had certainly got Edinburgh fired up. Senior fired an early shot on target, testing the RGU keeper who fumbled the ball, setting out Burgh’s intention. Minutes later, Agnew fired a huge goalkick down the pitch, which Erskine ran onto and after muscling a defender off the player, he fired it past the helpless keeper.

This seemed to take all the pressure off Edinburgh and all the frustration that had come with their rather mediocre performance evaporated, allowing them to play more stylish football once more. Senior and Paterson exchanged a couple of one-twos, making the RGU forward run doggies before Senior whipped in a superb cross but Maxwell failed to connect with his header, which drifted wide.

Stevie Galloway was brought on for the hobbling Petrie and soon made an impact, tormenting the RGU defence. Galloway found himself on the left wing and picked out O’Neill on the edge of the area, who looked up and curled a wonderful strike into the top right-hand corner of the goal, beating the outstretched hand of the diving keeper.

The 3-0 score line was a decent result for a Burgh side that never really reached full potential. RGU did at times miss guilt edge chances, yet Edinburgh’s defence was marshalled well by Leslie and Paterson. This leaves the side top of their group with one game remaining, and with a goal difference of plus 9, after a 6-0 thrashing of Abertay 1s, the team are sure to progress to the next stage in the defence of their BUCS Cup title.

Halloween Horror For Liberton

Edinburgh University 2s set about rectifying their “Liverpool” start to the season by actually winning a game of football in the league on Saturday. None of their big names were rested for Wednesday when the side travels to RGU in a bid to keep the chance of winning the BUCS Cup alive, although, this may be because the team lacks big names…Scott Macfarlane however did pick up an injury in the warm-up, meaning that Benji Antoni started his first match of the season on the left of midfield. This change helped Burgh to a comfortable 5-0 thrashing over Liberton, with the pacey winger helping himself too 2 goals.
Burgh started the game with very good possession, yet once more they lacked the final cutting edge when opportunities arose in the final third of the pitch. Liberton, on the other hand, opted for a route one approach, letting the low sun hamper the defenders clearances and hoping to pick up the pieces. Yet, the away side soon got frustrated when the defence stood firm to any attack mounted. Ed Senior however, picked up a knock and had to be replaced by Steve Kenny.
Not long after this Burgh earned their first corner of the game. Calum Erskine swung it in and the ball came out to Jamie ‘the machine’ Sime, who should maybe consider adding ‘goal’ into his nickname somewhere, at the far corner of the box. The right winger didn’t hesitate to smash the ball through the crowd into the left hand side of the goal, giving him his 4th goal of the season and setting Edinburgh on their way.
Edinburgh put themselves into a domineering position 5 minutes later, when Sime rode a challenge on the right, then delivered an inch perfect cross to the far post where Antoni powerfully headed the ball into the top corner, putting Burgh 2-0 up. The goal had come after some wonderful passing football from Edinburgh, enough to torment any side in the LAEFA League.
2-0 it remained until half-time, yet the second half saw the home side come out slowly. Liberton fought hard to try and get back into the game, but the defence easily coped and Dave Meehan, who had an exceptional game, was constantly tenacious in midfield breaking up any mounting attacks.
Stuart Robertson saw fit to make changes to his side and the switches had immediate impacts. Thomas Heemskerk, who replaced Maxwell on the right of midfield, leaving Sime to move into the centre, played a lovely one-two with Nick Ghamgosar on the wing and with his third touch of the ball delivered a driven cross to the front post area, where Antoni grabbed his second and Burgh’s third putting the game out of reach for Liberton.
Edinburgh’s 4th came from Mario Velez. The striker who had replaced Erskine showed unbelievable footwork, driving across the edge of the box, keeping the ball constantly out of reach of each defender he by-passed, before firing the ball low into the left corner of the goal.
Kyle O’Neill later completed the scoring, heading home to put some extra gloss on the score sheet. The striker now has four for the season, joint second in the goal scoring tally behind strike-partner Erskine, who has 5. However, Burgh now has another 3 points on the board and will look to add to their total in order to stake a serious claim for the title.

2 Goals In 2 Minutes Spare Burgh Blushes

At the start of the season every member of the Edinburgh University Hockey Club looks at the fixture list to find the day when all their respective teams play at the home of hockey, Peffermill. Halloween was that day.
The 2’s were the first to commence battle in what felt more like a party atmosphere than a competitive hockey game at times. The Burgh keeper, Sam Trett, setting the tone when during the pre-match warm up he shouted over to the bench for them to “Get the music on”. However, once the game got going it was obvious that Edinburgh were not just plotting what outfit to don at Potterow later, but that they were set on beating their opponents, Watsonians in this Central League 1 match.
Neil McNiven started the good work early on, hassling a defender into keeping the ball in play in the far corner of the pitch. McNiven then won the ball and provided the perfect cross for an unmarked James Styles, however, the forward blazed over the bar from little more than 3 yards.
Styles did not let this get to him though, as he used his speed and upper body strength to dominate the Watsonian back line. And it was Styles who then turned provider, crossing the ball into the D only for Ally Wood to provide the perfect air-shot, much to the amusement of the on looking crowd.
Edinburgh looked comfortable yet failed to finish off the chances they created for themselves, yet 20 minutes in Edinburgh were 1-0 up. Styles hit the post, and James Toogood was there to slot the ball home into the bottom corner.
Watsonians rallied themselves slightly, and both sides created more chances before half-time arrived, yet due mainly to some fine goalkeeping from both keepers the game remained at 1-0.
Edinburgh were very slow out of the blocks and the away side capitalise on their sloppy and lackadaisical play, leaving Burgh rueing the missed opportunities to extend their lead earlier in the match. Watsonians received a penalty corner and duly dispatched the ball into the goal, making the score 1-1.
Yet, Edinburgh did not let this worry them. On their first attack of the second half, they were awarded a penalty corner also. It certainly was not as pretty as the Watsonian’s, yet the result was the same, as Styles eventually bundled home the ball after a lengthy goalmouth scramble.
Calamity then struck as Watsonians played a long ball forward out from their defence. Sam Trett came wildly out of his goal but failed to clear the ball effectively, leaving the Watsonian forward to run past the stranded keeper and pass the ball into the open net to draw the teams level once more.
The game looked lightly to remain at this score yet with 4 minutes left on the clock Edinburgh received another penalty corner for a raised stick from an opponent. Michael Henderson-Sowerby shot at goal and the ball rebounded at the feet of McNiven, who stroked the ball home to the delight of the crowd.
Burgh then clinched victory 2 minutes later when Watsonians found themselves susceptible to a quick counter attack. The ball reached Wood, who flicked the ball into the path of McNiven, who fired on target. The keeper pulled off a fine save, however Toogood was on hand once again to tap the ball home and secure all three points for the 2s.
It was a deserving result for a team that looked in control more often than not. However failure to finish chances and a slow start to the second half had made things difficult, but those two goals in the last 4 minutes meant that Edinburgh by-passed the opportunity of drawing and instead saved their blushed allowing them to go out celebrating a 4-2 victory.

Burgh 2 Good For RGU

Edinburgh University 2s football team showed once again why they are indisputably the best university second team throughout the whole of Scotland. A three hour trip awaited the men before they could get off the coach to face their opponents, the RGU 1st team, on their 3G pitch up in Aberdeen. However, the travelling did not affect the visitor’s legs as they cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over their northeast hosts.
Burgh kicked off on an unusually warm day in their customary green, whereas RGU donned a rather horrible purple outfit, with the only thing more disgusting on the pitch being the RGU keeper. Yet, Burgh were not put off by either eye-sore as they settled down into their competent passing game, aided by the excellent match surface. The away side dominated their more cumbersome opposition and it felt like only a matter of time before they converted a chance into a goal.
A matter of time later and Jordan Roberts found himself with the ball at his feet just over the halfway line on the right. Calum Erskine, who had felt the abuse of the keeper’s incomprehensible rants the most, pulled a couple of yards off the back of the centre-back whom was attempting to mark him. Roberts provided an exquisite cross that looped over the head of the stranded defender to find the chest of Erskine, who brought the ball down and placed the ball, on the bounce, into the top right-hand corner of the net. The close control and finish was simply beautiful.
15 minutes later and the well-tempered game turned nasty. Burgh knocked the ball forward to an offside Scott Macfarlane, who left the ball, continuing his walk back towards his own goal. The RGU defence stopped waiting for the whistle which never came, and a quick thinking, onside Mario Velez capitalised on their combined loss of concentration to latch onto the ball, beating the out-rushing keeper. Velez controlled the ball but found himself with his back to goal, with the RGU keeper marshalling him away. However, the keeper then saw it necessary to trip the striker up, before proceeding to stamp, deliberately, two-footed onto the fallen striker’s back, in an incident with as much brutality as Michael Ball when he stamped on Ronaldo. Velez then got up, and in an image that mirrored Floyd Mayweather v Ricky Hatton, hooked the keeper in the face. The American did later regret his actions and it was a scene that should never appear on a football pitch, however the RGU keeper’s action was equally ugly and totally unprovoked. Despite all this the referee saw fit only to give yellow cards, both being lucky to remain on the pitch.
Edinburgh came out fighting in the second half and Alex Maxwell went on a Paulo Wanchope like run, with his long legs galloping away from the RGU midfield, passing the ball to himself around the defence before rounding the keeper, only to be tackled by a back-tracking RGU player with the goal at his mercy.
Yet, it was not long before Maxwell turned provider as his running capabilities allowed him to torment the defence, providing gaps which he duly exploited with a cutting pass to Macfarlane. The winger showed great composure to once again round the keeper, but this time no defender could prevent the inevitable as he calmly placed the ball into the net to put the away side 2-0 up.
Kyle O’Neill and Benji Antoni came on, but neither could finish the game off completely and Jamie Sime replaced Dave Meehan to sure things up in midfield. However, with Tom Archer and Darren Leslie both on top form RGU never stood a chance. The pair had formed an excellent defensive partnership and was more than equal to whatever the home side could throw at them. Archer produced some fine last-second challenges to keep RGU at bay, whilst both players attacked anything in the air with both great accuracy and venom.
So, Edinburgh left the field with a comprehensive 2-0 victory which leaves them top of the table once again. With the players leaving Aberdeen with the knowledge that they had gained a valuable 3 points, were all in fancy dress, full to the brim with McDonalds, ready for an epic club social that evening and that next Wednesday’s fixture list showed that they were to play RGU 2’s in Aberdeen next week…

Uphill Struggle For Burgh

Edinburgh hosted top of the table outfit Uphill Station on Saturday afternoon. The game promised much with both sides eyeing potential glory at the end of the season, however it was the away side that came away with all three points after Burgh failed to live up to expectations.
It was evident from early on that the Uni boys were not at the races, as the fast, flowing football that had appeared the previous match failed too materialise. Instead, it was Uphill were got themselves ahead, after a much debated “pass back” decision. The referee, who did not have his best game, decided that centre-back Darren Leslie’s sliced clearance was a clear attempt at a pass to keeper Tom Agnew, so when he received the ball inside his own box, an indirect free-kick was awarded. Edinburgh’s defence all stood amazed at the referee’s decision, with nobody thinking quick enough too get back into a defensive position, allowing Uphill too grab the ball and take an extremely quick-free kick, scoring into the open goal.
Edinburgh were both bemused and devastated that they had gone behind in such a fashion and in truth never quite got over their own frustration at both themselves and the match official. Uphill dominated the game for the next twenty minutes, with Burgh’s players chasing shadows. The pressure eventually paid when a long ball was played forward into the home side’s box. Leslie headed the ball out towards the left, but Senior failed too get out to the ball quick enough, allowing Uphill to retrieve it. Uphill laid the ball back and their right-winger, unchallenged, swung in an excellent cross deep towards the far post, whereupon Uphill’s left-winger attacked the ball and headed the ball passed Agnew.
At going 2-0 down, Edinburgh rallied a little. A lack of communication however let them down at times. The Uni boy’s were in fact abnormally quiet all afternoon. Yet, they did produce one piece of good football towards the end of the first half, which eventually led to the ball being further up the field towards Uphill’s goal. The away team’s defence dwelled on the ball and Angus Ramsay won the ball for Burgh. Ramsay then cut the ball back across goal to Kyle O’Neill who slotted the ball first time into the bottom right hand corner. It was a classy and composed finish in a game which lacked either aspect.
O’Neill then had a chance to pull Edinburgh level. Dave Meehan nipped in and dinked a little pass around a sliding challenge to Senior, who broke down the middle of the pitch. Senior placed the ball in front of O’Neill, who brought the ball across his body onto his right boot, wrong footing the lanky centre back. However, his effort at finding the bottom corner was denied by a good save, the Uphill keeper getting down well to push the ball around the post for a corner. Yet, the corner came to nothing and so the sides went in at half-time with Uphill leading 2-1.
The second half turned into a sloppy affair, with very little football or chances from either side being created. Manager Stuart Robertson found it necessary to bring on changes, however, Macfarlane, Velez and Thomas Heemskerk could not provide the creative spark required too affect the outcome. Disappointment was etched on the home side’s players when the final whistle blew, however, they need to get over this result, pick themselves back up and go back to the roots of what has made the team successful in the past, because there is still a long season ahead.

Abertay, It's A Real Education

Their own slogan forewarned them of what was to come, yet Abertay still was torn apart in an exhibition half of football by Edinburgh at the fortress that is Peffermill. Forget Turf Moor, Peffermill has become an amphitheatre, a place where challengers are forced to come only too be put to the sword, the only difference being that Burgh’s opponents get to walk away with the only injuries being a lack of pride and a sore head from an irate manager, Wednesday was no different.
Edinburgh opened the scoring early on, with a flowing piece of football which saw the hosts switch the play from the left wing, across the back four and onto Sime on the right, unopposed. Sime laid the ball back to Dave Meehan who swung in a superb cross, which flicked off the head of Erskine and onto the foot of O’Neill who calmly volleyed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. A simply switch of the play was all that was needed for the home side to open up a clearly suspect defence and O’Neill’s shot was one from the top bag, a finished which matched his superb hold-up play throughout the match.
The second goal was not long in the following. Ramsay, who I believe had a man of the match performance, took a long throw in from the left hand side of the pitch. Maxwell headed the ball on to Senior, who let the ball drift across his body, leaving the left back to connect with the ball on a right footed half volley, sending the ball flying into the net off the underside of the crossbar. Jubilation, and maybe a tad of amazement, flooded the pitch as Senior rattled in his second of the season.
Next to find himself in on the action was Jamie Sime, a man who has found himself on the scoresheet more often than not this campaign. Sime has made the transition to right midfield well but will find few better opportunities to score than Abertay gave him. Ramsay hit an inswinging corner from the right, which went straight through the crowded penalty area to Sime at the far post. “The Machine” chested the ball down and had a cup of tea, before any opponent opposed him, but by then it was too late as the winger had already smashed the ball into the vacant net, putting Burgh 3-0 up.
Yet, the home side were eager for more, sensing the opportunity to score heavily against a team verging on the edge of imploding from within, which they duly obliged. From the centre, Abertay played the ball back too their left back, who decided to dwell on the ball, allowing Ramsay to charge down his poor attempt at a clearance. Ramsay ran onto his own block before placing a precise cross onto the head of Erskine, giving him the simplest of tasks to get himself on the scoresheet, scoring Edinburgh’s second goal in 30 seconds of play.
If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, more was to come. Abertay was at this point clearly disheartened so it fell upon their captain to inspire some confidence back into his side and the centre-half responded to his duty with emphatic enthusiasm. The only problem was that he scored in the wrong net… A quick cross into the box had whizzed off the crisp surface, straight onto the foot of the centre-back, guiding the ball helplessly passed his keeper to take the score to 5-0.
Erskine then obliged once more, adding insult to injury, scoring his 4th goal of the season and Edinburgh’s 6th before half-time. The game ended 6-0, but it was truly done and dusted by halftime. The only thing left to do in the second half had been too defend a clean sheet. Velez, Petrie and new signing Scott MacFarlane came on for cameo appearances and keeper Tom Agnew spent the day counting how many insects were in a metre square of football pitch. Now that’s a real Edinburgh education.

Determination, Not Penetration

Some call it the “FA Cup” of LEAFA, others the “Johnstone’s Paint Trophy”, some even prefer to refer to it by it’s proper name, however whatever name you use, the Logan Cup will not be finding itself in pieces on the dance floor at Cav come the end of this season as Edinburgh University lost 1-0 against a resilient North Berwick team on Saturday. Burgh had been looking impressive in the last few games yet struggled to make any clear-cut chances after going 1-0 down early on in a very frustrating match for the visitors.
The day was looking good for Uni the sun shone down on an expansive pitch and there was very little wind to contend with, providing idle conditions for some fluent passing football. Support was also on the strong side as the injured Stevie Galloway, his girlfriend and two long-haired dachshunds arrived to cheer on the boys in green. However, the home crowd was vast in numbers, something which potentially proved influential in making up the referee’s mind on issues such as time wasting…
However, the game started brightly. North Berwick tried to play football, which at times made them vulnerable to quick counter-attacking from Edinburgh. A basic error led to Angus Ramsay being place through the middle by Dave Meeham. Ramsay showed great strength to stay on his feet as his shirt was manhandled by the North Berwick centre-half, yet the left-winger got his shot away only for the North Berwick keeper to pull off a fantastic save to keep the scores level.
North Berwick then was on the attack, gaining a free-kick just outside the area due to Edward Senior bundling over their right winger with a clumsy challenge. This time Burgh escaped unharmed, yet they did not learn from their mistakes as minutes later, Alex Maxwell brought down another North Berwick player, just outside the box with a reckless attempt to get the ball. The resulting free kick was perfectly placed to find the bottom right-hand corner, leaving Tom Agnew to simply stand and admire the shot. The underdogs from the league below found themselves 1-0 up after a mere 27 minutes.
Edinburgh still had plenty of time to get back into the match, yet, they never really got over their disappointment from going behind. Burgh did have their chances, Senior produced a driven cross which divided the North Berwick keeper and defence perfectly however Mario Velez could only blaze the ball over the bar from 7 yards.
The pressure continued to mount on North Berwick as Edinburgh pressed for an equaliser. A long throw, found the head of Maxwell, who flicked the ball into the box, however Sime could only watch as the ball agonisingly passed his out-stretched boot before being cleared up the pitch. An Edinburgh corner also found its way through the crowd to Senior but his shot was cleared off the line by the man on the post.
Frustration grew as chances came and went, Erskine letting out his annoyance on lack of quality service with a late challenge which led to handbags on the pitch and the front man earning his first yellow card of the season. But 1-0 too the home side is how it remained until half time.
Edinburgh came out fighting in the second half, within seconds of the restart Maxwell found himself down the right-wing, producing a superb cross across the goal, hanging, waiting to be placed in the back of the North Berwick net, but no Burgh player obliged. However, despite their huffing and puffing and constant pressure this was probably Burgh’s best chance of the second half. Alex Petrie and Kyle O’Neill, who had come on for the quiet Velez and Erskine, had at one point bundled the ball over the goal line, after some good wing play from Petrie, only to find the goal disallowed for already going out of play.
Nick Ghamgosar, Tom Archer, Darren Leslie and Senior coped easily with any attacking threat North Berwick had, although Senior did pick up a yellow card for a cynical, trademark shirt pull.
However, this was not meant to be. Edinburgh grew more and more frustrated, especially with all the blatant time-wasting that North Berwick did from early on. Their increased frustration led to sloppy football and any real chances dried up for the away team. So the Logan cup is once again out of reach for the students, let’s just hope this defeat sticks in the memory of some players, so that next season, they won’t lose the chance to bring home the silverware.

Leeds Annihilate Edinburgh Netball Girls

Edinburgh Netball 1st team stepped out onto court for their first game in the BUCS Netball Premier North Division against Leeds Met on Wednesday. The girls are representing the only team in Scotland to play against English opponents and with many of the girls at Leeds Met playing in the Super League they knew they were in for an uphill struggle. The last time these two teams met the score ended 61-20 to the away side.
However, it was Edinburgh who opened up the scoring, Lindsey Tien and Francesca Grieve putting the home side deservedly 2-0 up. Josie Curtis was providing the energy and movement in the middle of the court to keep the ball out of Leeds’ grasp. Yet, Leeds was just getting warmed-up and after their few early lapses, settled into their winning stride. Leeds’ goal shooter was too quick for Edinburgh’s captain, Kate Cooper, who struggled to match her extremely talented opponent. Leeds’ sharpness and ability to pass the ball with great speed enabled them to open-up the Edinburgh defence with relative ease and by the end of the first quarter the score line read 15-6 to the home side’s opponents.
The second quarter proved to be just unsuccessful. Charlotte Newell started it off from the centre pass, giving the ball straight to the opposition. It was clear that Edinburgh felt the game was getting away from them, yet in their eagerness to move forward more mistakes crept in. Leeds, on the other hand, were going from strength to strength, utilising training ground moves which enabled them to have shooting opportunities after a mere three passes from the centre pass. Tien and Grieve continued to offer some glimmer of hope with some great link-up play providing them with rare chances which they duly dispatched. However, their resistance was blighted by a lack of service and some physical defending which you would not have thought legal in a supposedly non-contact sport. Grieve was even struck in the face by her muscular opponent, one could only hope it was not intentional.
Leeds led into the third quarter 30-13, the game pretty much over so Edinburgh brought on a few changes in an attempt to mix things up. Sophie Carmichael came on to try and help Cooper out with her defensive duties, against a formidable strike-force. The extra height and Cooper’s return to form provided the home side with some strong defending, with some well taken interceptions and rebounds. However, Clare Gaskell, who had replaced Charlotte Newell at centre, was at times careless with her passing and with Leeds’ superb counter-attacking capabilities Cooper and Carmichael found themselves soon overwhelmed. Kari Taylor replaced Grieve, yet her partnership with Tien was not as fluid, with the same being said about her consistency to score. So by the end of the third quarter the lead had stretched further to 32 points, the score being 48-16.
The fourth quarter provided much of the same and the away side ran out comfortable 63-17 winners. However, the girls have much to be proud of. As already mentioned they are the only University in Scotland who are in this league and many of their opponents have the ability to entice in top quality players. This was also the team’s first game this season, so time is needed for them to form greater understanding of their team-mate’s movements, which will eventually enable them to play sharper, more effective netball. Last year, Edinburgh managed to stay in this league with a last second goal by Tien against Newcastle, if the girls are going to remain in this league it is likely the same desire and fighting spirit is going to be needed throughout the rest of the season.

Sepp Seeding Scandal

During the summer of 2008, you sit at home watching the rain fall outside your window; the TV is on in the background transmitting football matches from a distant place, where only those who have withstood the task of qualifying have managed to arrive at. Spain beat Germany in the final to be crowned European Champions, yet realistically you do not care. The only thing that keeps you going is that the draw for the World cup qualifiers is just around the corner. The opportunity to join the mighty teams from around the World in the most epic of sporting competitions is upon you.
So you sit and wait, and wait some more, and eventually the time comes for the draw to be made. Jubilation turns to devastation when you discover that England have another easy route to qualification, however hope returns when you remember that they failed to make it to Austria and Switzerland too. Hope becomes nervous tension as your country still has not been drawn and then you see it, your ball being plucked by some FIFA representative, your fate is sealed.
Scotland found themselves looking at a favourable draw; the chance to make it to South Africa 2010 was there for the taking. Netherlands would of course pip them to first spot, but a play-off spot was within reach. Wales was always going to find it hard and getting drawn with Germany and Russia in their group, qualification seemed an unlikely dream. Yet, the same could be said for Northern Ireland, a small country with little chance of progress. However, with only one game to go in the group stages, there is still a slight possibility that their road to South Africa may not have come to a dead end.
For Republic of Ireland the play-offs were definitely a target. Winning the group would be a challenge with Italy among the opponents. Yet, with a world class manager in the name of Giovanni Trapattoni anything was possible. However, although the pushed Italy all the way, they did eventually fail to overcome that rather large obstacle to claim an automatic spot in the draw for the World Cup. But unfortunately for them, other “big” teams were struggling against so called “lesser” nations. France and Portugal both have failed to hit the top spot and even Germany at times looked doomed to a one-on-one match up in November. How could we ever have a tournament though without some of its so-called main players?
Evidentially I was not the only one to jump to such a conclusion as Sepp Blatter announced that the play-off games would be drawn on a seeded basis, leaving Ireland once again, in a bit of a pickle. This new addition now means that Ireland is likely to face another uphill battle to reach South Africa simply because some of the already seeded teams, in other groups, are failing to live up to their seeded reputations. Surely the fact that these teams have all finished in second place, means they are all equal and so deserve no preferential treatment off the pitch for losing on the pitch?
Yet, Sepp feels differently. One is not denying that Irish fans are likely to be feeling similar emotions to what they felt in summer, eagerly anticipating whom they shall face in the play-offs. However, surely they should have earned the right to have just as much chance of playing Bosnia as they do of facing France? Blatter feels otherwise. But then again he is the man who wanted women to wear tighter shorts, so clearly he has a sensible mind when it comes to the games big issues…

Senior Strike Starts Second’s Season

Edinburgh University 2s football team started their campaign in the Lothian and Edinburgh AFA Premier Division with a poor 2-0 defeat away at Seaforth Highlanders. A repeat of last week’s performance was not an option, especially for a team that are potential challenges for the league title. However, that was not going to be the case in what turned out to be a comfortable 3-1 victory away at Blackridge.
Blackridge and Burgh met on the opening day of last season, with the University boys running out 4-0 winners on an expansive pitch. Yet, Blackridge’s home ground is cramped in comparison and having drawn on their last visit, Edinburgh knew the game was not going to be easy.
Burgh’s team was slightly changed from the previous week with Sime coming in for the absent Meehan in central midfield. The Irishman had received free tickets to watch Ireland v Italy in the world cup qualifiers. Roberts was also absent, but a fully fit Darren Leslie was available again, ready to slot into his usual centre-half role. Archer also started on the right, which pushed Erskine up front, the injured Galloway the man to miss out.
Yet, the side gelled from the off, playing some great football all over the park. Blackridge at times had little response to the Uni’s quick movement, both on and off the ball. Steve Kenny, on more than one occasion, used nifty footwork to by-pass Blackridge’s stranded right-back, only for his crosses to fail to find a target.
This did not matter however as 21 minutes into the game Edinburgh scored their first LEAFA goal of the season. The ball was out on the right wing with Archer, who simply passed it sideways to Sime, who knocked the ball in front of the galloping Senior. Nobody closed him down, so the left-back shot, and with a little help from a deflection the ball slowly went over the already fallen Blackridge keeper. Senior scored Burgh’s first LEAFA goal last season, also against Blackridge, so this is hopefully a sign of things to come for the university team.
Edinburgh did not let this goal slow them down in any way, but simply continued to play attractive football. And the domination continued when Steve Kenny scored a superb free-kick. Kenny whipped the ball with his left foot over the wall and into the top-right hand corner of the goal, the Blackridge keeper watched, routed to the spot.
Burgh could have had more goals to follow before the end of the half, with both Alex Maxwell and Mario Velez showing sublime close control to ride four or five challenges before both firing on the goal. However, it was the home side who instead, offered some resistance to the onslaught. A long throw into the Edinburgh box was not cleared and Blackridge fired the ball through Agnew’s legs to claw themselves back into the game with their only real opportunity of the half.
Half-time came and went and so too did most of the football. After only 5 minutes Tom Agnew launched the ball forward from a freekick, the Blackridge centre half misread it completely, which let Calum Erskine in to kill the game off with a delicate finish into the net.
With the score at 3-1 the home side really gave up and with 30 minutes to go Edinburgh brought off Erskine and Senior to be replaced by O’Neill and Ramsay. However, most of the impetuous had been taken out of the game with Burgh’s 3rd goal and the last 3rd by-passed with little football. Yet, both sides did have one chance to score, both missing guilt edge chances. Mario Velez kneed the ball over the bar from 4 yards, although he was offside anyway. And Blackridge managed to strike the post from 3 yards, with the goal at their mercy.
Yet 3-1 it remained. The only sour note was seeing centre back Dan Paterson being carried off with a suspected ankle injury, however manager Stuart Robertson came on to steady the ship to the final whistle.

Super Mario Bros Smash Napier

Edinburgh University Men’s Football 2s team started off their BUCs campaign with a hard fought victory against newcomers to the league Napier 1s at Peffermill. Edinburgh were undefeated throughout the whole of their university matches last year, winning the league and the cup, denied promotion only by a technicality that only 1st teams can play in the top league. Yet, based on results, this is something that clearly needs to be rectified.
However, Edinburgh was fielding a much changed side from the team that started the good run last October, with only four players remaining in the starting 11. But this did not affect the result as Edinburgh, in the end, gained a comprehensive 5-1 victory over their local rivals.
The match itself was scrappy throughout, by passing Edinburgh’s two talented central midfielders, Alex Maxwell and David Meehan, in what can only be described as an exhibition of route one football. Yet, with 21 minutes on the clock the deadlock was broken when Calum Erskine hit a free kick which swung past the stranded keeper, due mainly to the huge deflection off a player in the wall, putting Edinburgh 1-0 up.
This was how the game remained until half time, with both sides cancelling out any threat with strong defensive displays. Kyle O’Neill was brought on to replace the injured forward Stevie Galloway, who had a suspected dead leg. However, the change by stand-in managers Erskine and Darren Leslie proved to be a good call when O’Neill harassed the Napier keeper into a mistake which led to an easy tap in for the striker.
This appeared to be game, set and match as Edinburgh goalie Tom Agnew had had little to do. However, Napier was given a lifeline when a ball ricocheted unkindly off the ground straight into the arm of Leslie. Despite there being no Napier player around and the handball clearly not being deliberate, a penalty was awarded to the away side. Agnew had saved a penalty in one of his previous two games this season so hope was not all lost, however, Chris MacIntyre, who was probably Napier’s best player, stepped up confidently and powered the ball into the goal, making it 2-1.
Yet, the comeback never materialised, instead Erskine and Leslie brought on Jamie Sime for Steve Kenny and with his first touch of the game, Sime put the home side two goals clear again. Jordan Roberts took a Rory Delap style throw in, Maxwell flicked it on and Sime, with his back to goal, hooked the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, things got worse for Napier, the defence once again failed in their ability to deal with Agnew’s gigantic kicking. The ball found itself straight from the goal keeper’s boot, in the opposing penalty area at the feet of Tom Archer, who calmly placed the ball past the on-coming keeper to put the victory beyond doubt.
Erskine and Leslie then made their final change, bringing Mario Velez, a commercial law post-grad from Seattle, into his first BUCs game. The striker wasted no time in getting his name onto the score sheet, when a quick break from Burgh put O’Neill away down the right wing, where he placed a good cross into the feet of Valez, who slotted the ball into the net, giving Edinburgh a comfortable 5-1 victory.
The score line probably does not do Napier justice, however, Edinburgh was clinical with their finishing and the defence was strong against a poor attack. And with managerial debuts for Erskine and Leslie, in a match where all three substitutes scored, there was much to celebrate for the 2s team. As for the undefeated status, it looks like it will remain unchanged for a while.

Piquet Peaks Off The Track

So, this weekend saw F1 travel to Singapore. If the scenes from last year are to go by then everyone will have watched a very dramatic, maybe even unpredictable turn of events. Yet, it appears that last year’s race was not so unbelievable, merely a mastermind at work, concocting an unheard of race strategy in the heat of the battle. It is believed that only three men were involved in the decision by Renault to deliberately crash the car driven by Nelson Piquet Jr. presenting teammate Fernando Alonso with opportunity to win the grand prix, which he took gratefully.
Both Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds find themselves facing lengthy bans from the sport, with Briatore taking the brunt with a lifetime ban. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has questioned the verdict, suggesting that it is too severe. Yet, surely he does not believe that the sport, which has been continually updating its proceedings over the last couple of seasons in a vain attempt to attract larger audiences, really needs people who try and succeed in fixing races?
Renault, the team at the heart of the scandal, has tried to distance itself from the allegation, pinning all the blame solely on Briatore, Symonds and Piquet. However, the team has still received a two year suspension from the sport. Sponsors of the team are also cancelling contracts with immediate effect, with Mutua Madrilena and IMG both having their names removed from the vehicles for the remaining races of this season.
However, one player in this debacle seems to be getting away scot-free. Piquet was the man in control of the vehicle when he made a conscience decision to drive his F1 car into the side of the track wall, causing mass debris across the track, requiring a safety car to be deployed. Piquet has benefitted from being a socius criminis. In return for his evidence, which will condemn Briatore and Symonds into F1 obscurity, he has been granted immunity from any charge brought against him. Some may say that Piquet deserves this, as he has brought to light one of the largest scandals in F1 history. I am not one of those people.
If Piquet would have brought this act of insanity to the attention of the FIA before he had been sacked for his abysmal lack of driving ability, people may be more sympathetic to his cause. But the fact is he did not. He only had a “change of heart” after getting the boot. It is simply a matter of revenge, a matter not of remorse or bravery at standing up to his team members, a matter of cowardice.
One can only hope that Piquet, although not receiving a ban of any sort from the sport, will not be seen in years to come in the colours of another team. Not only would teams surely have to be careful about how they treat a man who simply could not be trusted, but they would also be gambling on his driving capabilities.

Oh, Sol Lonely

So, Sol Campbell has found his distinguished career to be blemished over these last few years by major disturbances both on and off the field. In a bid to rectify his former glory he did what no right-minded man would do, and moved to the mighty Notts County.
Now, with Portsmouth, his previous club, in what can only be described as financial turmoil, the only prospect being relegation from the Premiership, one could assume that Sol’s decision to vacate Fratton Park was indeed a good move. I myself, am not denying that leaving the club is the best option, it is merely who he moved too that is a matter for ridicule. Notts County, with no disrespect towards the club intended but inevitably given, are rubbish. They play their football in the lowest division of English Football League, not a club that fields too many players with 73 caps for England all too frequently.
Yet, that is the calibre of player that Sol use to be. At the height of his footballing career he played for Arsenal, scoring the only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League Final. Campbell also had two goals disallowed, controversially, for England. One in extra-time against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup; the other in Euro 2004’s quarter final match against hosts Portugal. Both goals were disallowed due to infringements by other members of the team, yet if memory serves me correct, both were negligible.
However, things for Sol started to go downhill not long after he became the first high profile ‘Bosman transfer’ from Spurs to fierce rivals Arsenal. His plight of personal problems off the pitch led at times to disastrous dips in form, weeks away from the training ground and also a potentially, high profile incident in a toilet...But, whatever made Campbell unhappy in the past should not affect the idea that at Notts County he would be making a new start once more. It may even have sparked some life into him, giving Sol a fresh enthusiasm for the sport he has at times, so wonderfully played. It provided him with the opportunity to become a folk legend, the chance to be part of the reigniting of the oldest professional football league club in the world’s status. And he would be joining not only the new, vastly rich, middle-eastern owners, but also former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
So, Campbell walked out onto the turf at Meadow Lane against the height of Morecombe. Yet despite all of his experience, after playing against some of the best strikers in the world, Campbell could not guide his side even to a point, losing in his first game for the Magpies 2-1. There is a chance that life in League 2 was not going to be so cushy after all. His teammates would not have been up to his higher standard of playing, or thinking, the training facilities would not be up to his physically toned specification either, but then again this was all made up for by his higher wage packet. Yet, not even that could contain him, leading inevitably to his departure from the club after only one game.
So, Sol is once again on the downward spiral towards loneliness. His lack of ability to fit in surely played his part in his decision to end his contract prematurely. Yet, if a fellow player joined my team and was getting paid over four times as much as me, I am not sure I would go out of my way to welcome him either.

Super Spurs and Tenacious Turf Moor

So, two weeks into the new season and the Premiership table looks fairly familiar in places. Even after only two or three games played Chelsea, Arsenal and a lackluster Manchester United find themselves all within the top 4 places. Yet, currently sitting pretty on top of the Barclay's Premiership are Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur side.
Spurs have made an impressive start to the new campaign, beating Liverpool on the opening day; following that terrific performance up with an away thrashing at Hull and an away victory against London rivals West Ham. Within those three games Spurs have managed to score 9 goals, through 6 different scorers, whilst only conceding 3 themselves. Another 5 goals were added in Tottenham's 3rd round Carling Cup game in midweek, where another five separate players found their way onto the scoresheet. Doncaster Rovers may not be considered the hardest of opponents, yet it is their variety of goalscorers which underlines their attacking capabilities.
Strikers such as Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko are good enough to make it into most squads, including international ones. As for Spur's midfield, Aaron Lennon is by far one of the best, if not the best, winger in the league. His speed and skill gives him the opportunity to take on any player, let down only by his ability to cross the ball at times, yet at the age of 22 he is still young enough to learn more of his trade. Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios, provide a bit of stability within the side, with an added bit of long range firepower. Controlling the team though is Luka Modric. Bought a few years ago for only £16.5million he is turning out to be a superb addition to the team. His creative imagination enables him to unlock any defence, providing his strikers with plenty of match winning opportunities. Also, with a defensive pair of Bassong and King, with Woodgate and Dawson still to return from injury, it looks like Spurs will have a strong defensive unit, capable of keeping out most teams. And with the one player who is likely to throw away the match now injured, Gomes, replaced by the experienced Carlo Cudicini, could this really be Tottenham's year?
At the other end of the table, the relegation places are without one of their main contenders. After losing on the first day of the season at Stoke, it looked ominous for the Clarets. Yet their home ground is turning into a Premiership fortress. Turf Moor host Premiership newcomers Burnley and it is at this ground where they have beaten both Everton and the champions Manchester United. Burnley have received plenty of luck it must be added, with both Michael Carrick and Louis Saha missing penalties for the losing side, but in a league as tough as this, you make your own luck. In Burnley's case, it is created by having an old fashioned, tightly packed, in your face stadium, full to the rim with fans who are ecstatic just to be there. In modern times one can only really compare it to Southampton's old ground The Dell. After moving to the St Mary's stadium, Southampton seemed to lose the home advantage and subsequently got relegated that season, coincidence?
Of course, Burnley do have more than just a crazy, intense atmosphere, they also harbour some very talented football players. Having seen Robbie Blake at Leeds for two seasons, it was clear that this man had talent too good for the Championship, proving this with his exquisite goal against the Red Devils. Unfortunately, having spent time in Scotland also, the same cannot be said about their star striker Steven Fletcher, who to be quite honest, has a lot to live up to with a £5million price tag. However, he did score his first, and second goal of the campaign against Hartlepool in the Cup.
Yet that is, in my opinion, Coyle's only managerial mistake so far, in his attempt to do what many, including myself, thought would be impossible, that is to start next season in the Premiership. Of course this is early days yet, but with two home wins out of two, belief has now sprung up amongst the Burnley players and fans which will surely only intensify the atmosphere. However, Turf Moor cannot conceal the fact that at times Burnley must play away from home and with the next two fixtures being away at Chelsea and Liverpool, one may suggest that in two weeks time they may have only moved in one direction in the table.

Yellow For Britain?

So, after London won the bid to host the Olympic games in 2012 there has been an influx of cash poured into British sport. Many of the minor sports have been greatly affected by this sudden interest and after the success of the British cycling squad in the 2008 Beijing games it is no wonder that a new British cycling team has been created.
Team Sky is to be a British based cycling team that will compete from the start of the 2010 calender year, with one of their main targets to win the ultimate road race in cycling, the Tour de France. Now, this seems like a plausible target to suggest, surely every teams aim in any sport is to eventually win the top prize, whether it be the Champion's League in football, or the Heineken Cup in rugby union. Yet surely the operative word in that last sentence is eventually. As much as teams in football, like Manchester City, are seemingly willing to try where Chelsea effectively failed, it is very hard to win the top prize in any sport so quickly when building a new squad, even with enough money. However, Team Sky have set the task of winning the Tour de France to within 5 years. The Team has then made it doubly more difficult by stating that they want this winner to be British himself, so there will be no attempted recruitment of Alberto Contador...
On the other hand though, cycling should not be compared with other sports that many people in Britain associate themselves with. Despite it most certainly being a team sport there is a great reliance on individuals to produce in certain types of races. Different cyclists have different qualities allowing them to compete in various ways. Take Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins as two British examples. Mark Cavendish, who currently rides for Team Columbia - HTC, won 6 stages of the Tour de France in 2009, stream-rolling the other riders out of the way with his electrifying finishes. Bradley Wiggins on the other hand, who rides for Garmin - Slipstream, did not win a stage, yet came 4th overall, leaving Cavendish to struggle behind on the mountain stages, upon gaining valuable time over his fellow British rider who finish a respectable 131st.
So, Cycling is like having an 100 meter sprinter and a steeplechase runner in the same race. If Team Sky seriously want to challenge for the Tour de France, they needed a strong team around a man like Bradley Wiggins to stand a chance. Hence why Team Sky have tried to get Wiggins on board, however, with him producing such a good result for Team Garmin - Slipstream, why on earth would they want to let him go. Yet, if the team cannot attract top quality cyclists into the squad, or more importantly, Britain's best hope of winning the Tour, there has got to be some serious doubts over their potentially over enthusiastic targets, especially since Lance Armstrong has announced that he too shall be creating a squad to compete and there will not be many riders who turn the opportunity of riding with him down.

Our Ashes

So, after five long test matches, 25 days worth of play, the Ashes were won and lost over two critical sessions of cricket played at the Oval. After England were annihilated at Headingly, it seemed only fair that Australia would retain the tiny urn. However, sport is not that dissimilar from life.
England won the toss and elected to bat first. The Oval has generally produced draws in test match cricket, a result which would suffice for the Aussie's, yet with England needing a win to regain the Ashes a large batting total was deemed required if the hosts had any chance. But this did not materialize as many of the batsmen, after getting in, found themselves walking back to the Pavilion far too early. Trott on his debut for England was looking comfortable on 41 when some superb fielding from Katich saw him run out. Bell top scored on 72 with England only amassing 332 runs for their first innings.
The Australians got off to a comprehensive start with Watson and Katich reaching 73-0 fairly easily. However, what the crowd was then about to witness was one of the greatest sessions of English cricket ever. Stuart Broad was brought into the bowling attack and it was not long before he was causing havoc amongst the Australian top and middle order. First Watson was dispatched of, followed closely by Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke. Broad later went on to bowl Haddin to get a well deserved fifer. Swann also got in on the act with a four wicket haul, including Katich, who on his 34th birthday resisted the fierce bowling attack on an awkward pitch better than anyone, well deserving his half century and top scoring for the Aussies. Yet, it was Flintoff in his last England game before retirement from the national team that finished the innings off, taking Hilfenhaus's stumps out the ground. The Australians had lost 10 wickets for just 87 runs, finishing on a very demoralising low score of 160.
Strauss and Cook came out to bat with their tails up, knowing that a solid performance would give England a great chance of regaining the much desired Ashes. Yet, nerves were sent jangling when Cook, who has had a disappointing series, went out for just 9. Bell and Collingwood soon followed. Yet, captain Strauss and debutant Trott, not only steadied the ship, but put England in a commanding position, with Strauss scoring 75 and with Trott becoming the 21st Englishman to score a century on opening match for England. Flintoff came on and went off quickly on his last ever bat for England. However, he did give the crowd 20 minutes of fantastic action, something which the great man always managed over his career for the national side.
Australia needed a record breaking 546 runs to win the test match, or needed to bat two and a half days to draw, an even more unlikely event. However, one should never discount the Australians. They were cruising along on 217 for 2 until a moment of madness or magic was produced. Ponting went for a needless quick single, yet he had not banked on Freddie Flintoff picking up the ball and firing it over 25 meters in under a second smack bang into his stumps. It was an excellent piece of fielding. Strauss also ran out M Clarke with some equally good feilding to put the Ashes in real reach. M Hussey hung on scoring an admiral 121 only to lose his wicket with the last ball meaning that England has indeed regained the Ashes.
Australia were all out for 348, 200 hundred short of their allotted total, meaning England won the test match, taking them to 2-1 in the series. The Ashes were indeed their's once more, they had come back to their rightful owner. Flintoff turned the game, as he so often did for England, but for once it was not with his batting, or his bowling, or even his mouth, but with a superb piece of fielding that encapsulates everything about his distinguished career. His energy, his desire, his power and skill but also his ability to change a game of cricket for the benefit of his country. However, he is bowing out at the dawn of a new English all-rounder. Broad is the future of English cricket, Flintoff is the past. Hopefully Broad can help England achieve something which Flintoff never did and that is retain the Ashes when we travel to Australia.

Season Surprises

So, summer has come and gone quicker than Usain Bolt in a 100m final "race" allowing us all to once again enjoy the delights of having our belief that we will be supporting a league winning football side dashed. However, those with more realistic hopes may still feel disappointed by the start of their clubs first match of the season, unless of course you are a Notts County fan!
Liverpool are one of three clubs that were tipped by so called experts to be challenging for the title come May, yet an away loss to Spurs, with an out-of-sorts Torres, does little to boost that claim. Alonso's absence was clear for all to see and only a idiotic error by Gomes, the one player in the Tottenham team that needs to be replaced in my humble opinion, gave the Reds even a sniff of a point.
As for Chelsea, despite the fact that they won 2-1 against Hull City, it took a 90th minute fluke for them to do so. Ancelotti kept mixing up his midfield diamond, clearly trying to decide which player suits which position. Yet, in a club that rarely allows time for such luxuries he better make up his mind pretty soon, he cannot rely on Drogba getting them out of trouble all the time, even if he is returning to his best form.
Man United are aiming to become the first team ever to win the top flight of English football for the 4th consecutive year, yet in true Red Devils fashion they were sluggish on the first day of the season, yet still achieved their aim of beating newcomers Birmingham City 1-0. On the other hand though, the ever increasing injury list will not ease their worries. Ferdinand is just another member of the standard back 5 who is now out of action, this is doubly annoying as he is in my fantasy football team!
At the other end of the table, new additions to the Premiership Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley are all where they expected to be. Whilst it is also looking like an extremely long and difficult season for Portsmouth with their financial status still unresolved.
All six of the London clubs won their opening fixture, providing real hope that Zola can keep the miracle going at West Ham, that Harry really has turned it around at Spurs and that Wenger's Gunners are not dead to the fight.
Yet, all of this is just mere speculation, the first game is not the be all and end all, although it does provide confidence for the next few matches. Yet, in the previous two season's Manchester United have drawn on the opening fixture to their opponents, who have both then gone on to get relegated that season, so maybe it doesn't even provide that much confidence!