Only Football & Gaming Stuff

Why?? Thought we were past this

2010-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ugly scenes of crowd violence ruined crucial end of season football matches for the second day running on Monday as York City players were pinned in a stand and pelted with missiles by Luton Town fans.

The disturbing scenes at Luton's Kenilworth Road in the Blue Square Premier play-off semi-final second leg came just 24 hours after serious crowd trouble marred Sheffield Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Hillsborough on Sunday.

Palace player Clint Hill was chased into the tunnel by Wednesday fans after the draw on the final day of the Championship, which condemned the Yorkshire club to relegation.

Danger: York's players are forced to flee into the stands

The FA did not comment on Monday on the events at Hillsborough but will be forced to act immediately on Tuesday after the unsightly end to Luton's season.

Chris Carruthers had sealed York's trip to Wembley, where they will meet Oxford United later this month, and Luton had Adam Newton sent off as they were condemned to another season in non-league football.

But a swarm of Luton fans ran on to the pitch after their side's 2-0 aggregate defeat and charged at the away end where York players were celebrating with their fans. The York players were forced back into the Oak Road stand and then into the police box as officers tried to keep back Luton fans by forming a protective cordon.

The visitors were pelted with missiles and had to cower in the stand for 20 minutes until it was safe for them to return to the dressing room.

York manager Martin Foyle said: 'There didn't seem to be enough stewarding or policing, but it was a very scary moment. Within seconds, it was all closed off and my players were in the corner, which I've never seen in years of football.

'But credit to the police and stewards after that, they took the players into the away end and took them through into the police box. It was a scary time but my players have come through safely.'

Luton chairman Nick Owen told Sky Sports News: 'It's shattering on two counts. We are out and not going on to Wembley and the play-off final but, more importantly, it's devastating to see what happened on the pitch after the game.

Threat: York's celebrations were quickly halted by Luton's supporters

'It all happened so quickly. The fans swarmed towards the York end, where the York players were celebrating with their fans. It obviously wound up a certain number of our fans, and it led to fairly bitter verbal confrontations.

'It just looked an absolute mess down there, with police trying to hold fans back and leave the playing area clear at the York end, so the players could get off. Things were obviously being thrown, which is absolutely dreadful.'

The disturbances at Luton came after eight people were arrested for assault and public order offences outside Hillsborough on Sunday.

South Yorkshire Police will now review CCTV footage in the hope of making further arrests.

Sheffield Wednesday last night promised to co-operate fully with police and issue lifetime bans to any fans who are proved to have acted inappropriately.

Battle: Sheffield Wednesday's match against Crystal Palace was marred by crowd trouble

But Owen stopped short of saying any fans found guilty of causing crowd disturbances would be banned from watching Luton Town.

He said: 'I'd never condemn our fans en bloc because our fans are absolutely magnificent, but one or two of them have let the club down and we're very upset about and pretty angry, really.

'There will be an investigation by us and, no doubt, by the authorities. We'll just have to see where it goes from there.

'It doesn't look good for Luton Town. I'm just hoping it gets cleared up and there aren't any serious repercussions, but it's a very sad day.

'We do have our own ways of treating things. We've had problems in the past and dealt with them so, I can assure you, we won't hold back.'

The Luton chairman also criticised the number of police and stewards on duty at Kenilworth Road, where 9,781 attended the Bank Holiday match.

Owen said: 'I don't deal with the detail of stewarding and police numbers, but they certainly seemed to struggle with the swarming number of Luton fan heading towards the opposition end at the end of the game.

'I'm surprised, really, that they weren't able to deal with it and for a while it looked very ugly indeed, but it did calm down.'

Football League breakaway threat

2010-05-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Private talks have taken place among Championship clubs about a breakaway from the Football League following the decision of the lower divisions to reject the Premier League package of parachute and solidarity payments worth £400million over three years.

Feelings are running so high that there is talk of taking up the offer, worth £48m in phased payments to relegated clubs and £4.6m a year to the rest of the division, and splitting from the Football League in what would bring about a Premier League Two in all but name."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1270208/Charles-Sale-Football-League-breakaway-threat-parachute-row.html#ixzz0mzH9WcMv

More money for the championship, how can this be a bad thing? It means more money for attracking new players, more money to invest in your youth. Surely this can only improve the quality of our English football

Rooney nets writers' player award

2010-04-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Wayne Rooney has picked up his second individual award of the season after being voted Football Writers' Association footballer of the year.

The Manchester United striker polled 80% of the vote, with Didier Drogba a distant second and Carlos Tevez third.

"I am delighted to win an award with so much history and tradition," he said.

The 24-year-old, who has scored 34 goals this season, was named player of the year by the Professional Footballers' Association on Sunday.

The Football Writers award makes it a hat-trick of awards for the England international this season after he was also named the Premier League's fans' player of the season this week.

"Wayne's enthusiasm, hunger and desire mark him out as a special player and we hope he can carry his club form on to the international stage in the World Cup this summer and help England achieve their dream"

Manchester United 'world's most valuable football club'

2010-04-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Manchester United may be out of the Champions League and face a scrap to retain the Premier League title, but they have topped the table for the world's most valuable clubs.

The Old Trafford side held on to top spot in Forbes Magazine's list of the 20 most valuable football teams, worth £1.19 billion, a two per cent fall on last year.

Football Association Consider Relaying Wembley Pitch

2010-04-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid laying pitches is always a hazardous business because you are never sure how that grass is going to bed in.The Football Association have confirmed it will make a decision over whether to relay the Wembley pitch after the weekend.

The pitch, which has been relaid ten times since the stadium opened in 2007, has come in for criticism following the FA Cup semi-finalsover the weekend.

The venue will host the rugby unionmatch between Saracens and Harlequins on Saturday and the FA will make a decision after the match.

An FA statement read: "Football is the number one priority and we understand we have to find a way to deliver and sustain a consistent quality pitch and replicate the successful formula that we developed in the second half of last year.

"We are currently reviewing all options to provide the best surface for the busy period going forward, including a probable pitch replacement. We will make this decision after the weekend."

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish and Fulham boss Roy Hodgson have both added their voices to the chorus of criticism levelled at the state of the playing surface at Wembley.

The pitch was once again the focus of attention at the weekend's FA Cup semi-finals, with firm pitch with a damp surface causing problems for players.

Senior groundsman such as Dave Saltman, former head groundsman at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, also branded it an "embarrassment" earlier on Tuesday.

McLeish feels it is a shame that the stadium's busy schedule has made it very difficult to maintain a decent playing surface.

"Wembley was renowned for its wonderful playing surface," McLeish told Sky Sports News.

"Just now it is looking a bit dodgy and it is a shame to see players slipping over on the turf in the last couple of weeks."

Hodgson echoed that viewpoint, adding: "It's sad but it does happen when you are constantly relaying pitches," he said.

"I experienced it at Inter when the pitch had to be relaid two or three times a year.

"I'm disappointed for the four teams playing in the semi-finals that they didn't get a good pitch to play on but it is one of those things I suppose and hopefully the FA will put it right."

Start practising for the World Cup!

2010-02-18T02:40:00.000-08:00

Get in the mood of the upcoming World Cup 2010 by playing 010 World Cup Prep. You stand towards the goal and attempt to score by a header, ground shot or a volley. I am expecting plenty of that in this highly anticipated tournament! We might as well start getting practising already! There are many other addictive flash games available to play there too! Give it a shot! (Pun intended)

The World Cup Draw is Here!

2009-12-04T03:56:00.000-08:00

The draw for the World Cup has just finished in Cape Town and all the games, locations are set! The World Cup is just around the corner.

Hosts South Africa have a tough group and England will be more than happy. In all likelihood, Fabio Capello is possibly one of the happier managers after the draw. There is no real stand out group and overall, it is set up for a very exciting tournament but not many teams, even England, will fancy they are going to win their group. Maybe, just Brazil.

All the footie stats you wanted in one site!

2009-11-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

Just came across this neat site (My football Facts.com - Link is on the right) which I have to say contains football statistics in a very user friendly interface. Whether it is to know the latest score of a Super Sunday Premier League Clash (Chelsea V Man Utd that just passed us), or a brief analysis of legends of the beautiful game.

The likes of the former talismatic Brazilian defender Cafu or even the "Gentle Giant" John Charles, who is Wales' greatest player all have a story to tell in their brief but influential footballing careers. I was mesmerised even by players who I have never heard of and was appealed by the information of all the unsung heroes that the world may not even be aware of.

I was also struck by the sheer amount of data of the majority of domestic footballing leagues in the world. My best friend supports Benfica and as a Brit, the only awareness I have of Benfica is when they have qualified for the Champions League. I was easily able to access where they were positioned in the Portuguese League and can keep myself updated whatever their status is.

A highly recommended site indeed!

Multiplayer football management, with a difference!

2009-09-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

Simsoc Web Soccer Game is a free online football management game in which you control one or more clubs in soccer tournaments based on scenarios from England, Spain, Italy, the World Cup and other great football leagues.

You do this by selecting your team - I picked Manchester United when I had a go (no booing please!). Once you have done that, you can research the opposition, trade players within the transfer window and add strength and depth to your side by customisation. Much like the popular console football games like PES and FIFA, I was able to select my formation, tweak defensive rate and position my players how I wanted them to!

My favourite aspect of the game is the ability to sign yourself in as a star player for your selected team! Imagine playing alongside living legends of the game, or even representing your favourite side for glory, no matter how big or small they are!

But the icing on the cake is to watch the match highlights in 3D in the free Soccer Game Viewer! This added a lot of excitement and rewards you with a visual of your victory (or loss)! Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this free online football management game and I certainly recommend it to football fans worldwide!

Youngest football manager takes charge of 'world's worst team'

2009-09-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Paul Watson, 25, is the coach of the tiny Pacific island of Pohnpei, which boasts a population of 34,000 - less than half the capacity of Wembley Stadium.

Their national football team has never won a game and the closest they have come to victory was losing 5-4 on penalties to rival island Yap.

However, despite a recent 16-1 thrashing at the hands of Guam, sports writer Paul and his student friend Matthew Conrad, also 25, believe they can turn things around.

The pair, who are from London, will begin training the Pohnpei team for no pay starting September 17 and friendly games are scheduled to take place in early 2010.
Paul, a freelance sports journalist who grew up in Bristol, revealed that one of his players has to walk over six miles to reach the training ground - and does not even own a pair of shoes.

He said: "By chance we heard the country didn't have a coach at the moment and were looking for someone to take over. Like idiots we said we would consider it.

"Their players have a lot of raw talent but they have never won a game, they lost on penalties once so I guess that almost counts as a win.

"Unfortunately they are the worst team in the world but I don't think they will be for much longer. With training they'll improve dramatically.

"They are really enthusiastic and one of the players who walks one hour and a half just to get to training without wearing any shoes. That's why we are so keen to help them out and why we are appealing for sponsors to donate shoes and kit."

Pohnpei is one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and among the Senyavin Islands in the Western Pacific, around 1,800 miles north of eastern Australia.

Yeovil Town, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur have kindly donated 2008/09 team strips to Pohnpei, which has the third wettest climate in the world.
However, Paul and Matthew are now appealing for sponsors to help fund boots, gloves and protective gear ahead of their coming trip.

Showdown: FIFA vs Pro Evo

2009-09-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

The biggest showdown of the new footie season is nearly upon us. Not the Premier League, but FIFA v Pro Evo. Anyone who has ever pressed the "on" button on a video game console knows what I'm talking about.

You know how it goes. For years Pro Evo was the nuts, Fifa was the big money licensed game but paled in significance against its Japanese rival.

Then Konami got lazy.

Pro Evo slackened off, made some schoolboy errors and, bang, Fifa performed a nutmeg here and a stepover there and before you know it they were 2-0 up.

Getting a Pro Evo lover and a Fifa football devotee in the same room isn't dissimilar to getting a Rangers and Celtic fan together.

They disagree on how a footie game should be played. And it's not a trivial thing because football games are big business. Last year Fifa 09 sold ten million copies around the world.

To put some perspective on that, Coldplay, probably the biggest band in the world, have sold eight million copies of their last album.

Pro Evo notched up millions - it was a way behind but not bad going.

This is a big year for both . . . so SFTW took a good look at them ahead of their October releases.

FIFA

How do you improve on such a majestic experience as FIFA 09? It's a tough call.

EA has gone about as far as they can with licenses, graphics and commentary, so this year they are overhauling the controls.

Football games have always let you run in eight directions, up, down, left, right and the diagonals. Not this year.

EA have created a system where you can now run in 360 different directions. Every possible angle has been mapped so you can make any run and play any ball.

It's disconcerting to start with but the more you play the more natural it becomes.

Very talented players will thrive, duffers will be punished.

Players also accelerate to their most effective speed and position themselves properly for headers and volleys to optimise shooting.

As long as EA maintain their adequate servers, the advantage is with them.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010

Pro Evo's biggest problem for the last four years has been their horrendous online problems.

Anyone who has tried to play a friend over the net since Thierry Henry graced the cover of Pro Evo 4 back in 2004 may as well have been using a Spectrum 48k. It has been terribly laggy.

But this year they have promised to assemble a dedicated team in Japan to look after making sure games run smoothly. And the best news is they are dumping Konami servers and handing over power to Sony & Microsoft. A wise choice.

Elsewhere, Pro Evo is looking tasty - graphics are amazing and almost photo-quality.

The pace has been slowed considerably, a good thing, to make the game more realistic.

New additions to the Master League mean a deeper, longer-lasting experience and new power gauges in game let you set out exactly your attacking and defensive stances.

Offline, it still plays a cracking game, arguably better than Fifa. But Konami's big challenge is online. It's simple, get it sorted and you can win back your crown.

The boys are back... and then some!

2009-09-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one chuffed to bits by the BBC's decision to show League One and League 2 analysis AFTER its Premier League big brother? Its about time too you know. It will impact on my sleep if I am to stay in and watch the results of my local team.

In case you wonder, I'm not going to mention who they are but they were proudly promoted up a league last season and I am rooting for them to do the same this time round too. Go figure! :-)

Could this be the worst tackle in football history?

2009-09-03T04:56:00.000-07:00

If this is not the worst tackle I have ever seen, then I don't know what is. The tackle against Eduardo last season is nothing compared to this.

This is a horrific tackle from Alex Witsel, against Polish International Wasilewski. An utter disgrace to the beautiful game.

If you are easily squeamish, I do not recommend pressing the play button.

Violence in London Derby

2009-08-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

A man has been stabbed in the chest during "large-scale trouble" involving hundreds of fans at West Ham's Carling Cup match against Millwall.

Inside Upton Park stadium West Ham fans invaded the pitch three times and by 2300 BST several hundred West Ham fans had congregated outside the stadium chanting and bombarding police with crates and bottles.

Eyewitnesses told of hooligans trying to rip out bollards and lighting "small fires".
Five arrests have been confirmed, including one for affray and one for breaching a banning order.

A Football Association spokesman said: "We absolutely condemn the disorder. We expect all culprits to be banned from football for life - they have no place in our game."

Reminds me of the film Green Street when both parties attempted to hurt each other for glory of their firms. Football should never be about that. This firm culture really does hamr the reputation of English football, considered one of the best on the world. I do hope that authorities can clamp down on violence such as this.

Ronaldo 2 Real. Hilarious game!

2009-08-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Found a hilarious game for Man U haters out there. I guess it could be quite entertaining for Man U fans too.

The objective of the game is to fling Ronaldo our of hospital as he is injured and try to get him as far towards Madrid as possible.

The diving ability is quite amusing. Have fun with it!

Ronaldo_2_Real

Going once - going twice - Sold!

2009-06-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

Manchester United accept £80 million bid for Ronaldo

2010 World Cup to be broadcast in high definition!

2008-10-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Previously viewers had to subscribe to either Sky or cable to see programmes in high definition (HD) - which gives a clearer picture because it is digitally broadcast.
From 2009, HD will be available on terrestrial television via Freeview, a digital TV service which requires a set-top box.

ITV will also broadcast the current peak-time ITV1 schedule in HD, allowing viewers to watch drama series - like Miss Marple - as well as sport, including the FA Cup and the 2010 Football World Cup.

Channel 4 is also expected to show around 150 hours of films, as well as drama, comedy, science and documentaries. The channel submitted a joint proposal to Ofcom with Welsh language broadcaster S4C.

Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, has previously said the BBC will control a third HD slot, which could include shows such as Torchwood and Strictly Come Dancing.
The HD channels on terrestrial TV will achieve nationwide coverage by 2012.

Because the service is being "rolled out", football fans in only some parts of the UK will be able to watch the World Cup in HD on Freeview in 2010. The new services are expected to start in the Granada region next year, with nationwide coverage by the end of digital switchover in 2012.

Bring it on, is all I can say! Can't wait for some HD magic for this tournament!

Look-a-like of the week: Rafa Benitez

2008-09-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Liverpool Coach Rafa Benitez certainly would not see this coming and neither will some of you I reckon. David Guest will be a jealous man indeed!

My rant about Sky

2008-09-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I caved in and got Sky+. I've had it for a while as we decided we either drop sky altogether or go with Sky+ that means we can watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it, and of course it goes without saying skip the adverts.

Yes I know I'm killing the TV's funding but hey. there's too many channels anyhow.
So as I have to pay extra for Sky+ or subscribe to premium channels I tend to subscribe to movies in the summer and sport in the winter so I can watch the football. Well just before I switched back to sports this time I recorded 3 movies to watch at a later date. That later date has now arived and when I just tried to watch them it said I needed to upgrade my subscription. Hang on a minute I recorded these while I had a subscription does that mean now I cannot watch them because I no longer have a movie subscription.

Needless to say Sky are not my favourite buddies again at the moment and it swings again towards knocking it all on the head and renting movies and watching TV programs downloaded from the internet and burnt to DivX format, I've already watched all of Lost like this thanks to my buddy. Add to this on Saturday Liverpool were on Sky, great you may think, but No it was on Prem Plus another extra that you have to pay more for.

My 12 months are up soon so I think it's time to review our viewing options and I know what won't be top of the list.

longest keep-ups while lying down

2008-07-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Skills....

2008-02-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

London 2012 logo revealed...and its not pretty.

2007-09-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

OK this is not a football related blog post (well it is as football will be a sport at the games) but I really can't believe this is the London 2012 logo. Its a complete mess, has not real meaning or message and is just another example of abstract art failure. Lets just hope that the games will be as memorable as Beijing was last time around :-)

Best of the rest skills

2007-09-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Commentary funnies: China

2007-07-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Insane and ridiculously funny commentary from China after the referee whistled for a penalty. This was the 2006 World Cup showdown between Italy and Australia. Worth watching indeed!

You have to see it to believe it...

2007-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:00