by Giorgio Pirelli
Once again Liverpool are hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons with further speculation that star players Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are set to leave the club along with manager, Rafa Benitez. On the back of Liverpool's consecutive 1-0 defeats to Wigan and Lille, and Real Madrid's elimination from the Europe, speculation is mounting that Benitez will finally succumb to Madrid's advances. Benitez has apparently already turned down three approaches to swap the soccer uniforms of Liverpool for Real Madrid over the past few seasons but with both clubs faltering badly it looks as if all parties concerned would welcome such a move. Media reports in Spain also suggest that Real Madrid are lining up a big money move for Liverpool captain who has cut a dejected figure of late as Liverpool slump once again. If this weren't bad news enough for the Anfield faithful, Fernando Torres has come out with a thinly veiled threat to quit the club if there isn't a cash injection soon that will finance a squad overhaul. "The really important thing is that the club make a big effort and bring in important players, who will improve the quality of the squad," said Torres. 'We need four or five top-class players to compete, who will make us grit our teeth and do everything we can to try to keep our places. Without reinforcements next year we will once again be fighting to be fourth. I want to fight next year to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League or the Europa League, but for this there have to be signings.' When questioned about his future, Torres said: 'I have three more years on my contract. I owe Liverpool many things and I'm very happy here. The fans have treated me like one of their own, but I'm going to think about my future. The club deserve to get back to winning [trophies] but right now that is far off. The fans are worried about players leaving.' These quotes were released before a recent report that The Rhone Group, a global private equity firm with bases in London, Paris and New York have been in talks with the Reds for a number of weeks and have now put together a $165 million offer that would see them take a 40% stake in the club. A number of investors have been circling the club for some time and now that a firm bid is on the table other investors are likely to come forward and compete. According to club legend, Alan Hansen, new investment is crucial at this time if Liverpool is to avoid crisis "Whatever the outcome of the proposed investment in Liverpool, somebody has to come in and save them because it is clearly crunch time in terms of the club's history," said Hansen. "The mere fact that Fernando Torres chose to speak about the need for "four or five top-class" players to be signed by the club will be a worry for Liverpool supporters because, in a perfect world, he would have said nothing and simply got on with the job." "On the pitch, things are not looking great because it looks as though they are going to miss out on Champions League qualification." "To qualify, they are going to have to win 95 per cent of their remaining games this season and they don't look capable of doing that." "If they fail, that's when the problems could really start. I don't know about the intentions of Torres or Steven Gerrard, but if you are in the top 100 players in the world, you want to play in the Champions League because it is the only place to be." "If Liverpool are not in the Champions League, will they accept missing out as a one-off or fear it happening season after season? Should either of them decide to leave, it would leave an enormous hole that would be impossible to fill." "So this is the problem facing whoever comes in with new investment. It is a big ask of anybody to expect them to find the money for a new ground and a new team." "It has been 20 years since Liverpool won the league. If it goes another five years and the club slip into mediocrity, then you are not only asking for trouble, you are likely to get it." "That is why the next few months are so crucial. If the new investment arrives, then the club will have to either back manager Rafael BenÃtez to the hilt in the summer or he will have to go. At the moment, you would have to say that the outcome of that one is 50-50." The wearers of the most successful of all soccer uniforms in English soccer history have a chance to generate better headlines when they take on Portsmouth at Anfield later today.
About the Author
Browse through Soccer Uniformsextensive collection of soccer kits.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Why UEFA Decided Some Euro 2012 Qualifying Fixtures
by Rob Atherton
When the draw was made for the Euro 2012 championships, there was great excitement amongst the fans. Their thoughts turned to the new destinations they would visit following their team in their quest to make the finals which will be hosted jointly by Poland and Ukraine.
However, travel plans can't be made until the dates of the qualifying matches were decided. In the first instance, it was left to the teams in the 9 groups to hold a meeting to try to agree fixtures. The countries are free to chose the fixture dates from a list of international dates between September 2010 and October 2011.
Within weeks of the Euro 2012 Qualifying draw being made, meetings were being held all round Europe and in five of the nine groups, fixtures were agreed which meant supporters could start making their travel plans. For the countries of the four remaining groups, the fixtures were decided by UEFA. Among the teams who didn't agree fixtures were both England and Republic of Ireland who enjoy huge travelling support. This meant the loyal supporters had to wait a little longer to make their travel plans.
The countries from the four unresolved groups headed to Tel Aviv to await their fate at the hands of UEFA. The procedure was pretty straight forward. UEFA have a standard fixture list with fixtures such as A v B on a specific dates. All that was left to do was to draw the teams from each group into a letter thus giving the set of fixtures for the remaining four Euro 2012 Qualifying groups. Supporters could start planning their trips at last.
About the Author
Rob is a traveller and football supporter.
When the draw was made for the Euro 2012 championships, there was great excitement amongst the fans. Their thoughts turned to the new destinations they would visit following their team in their quest to make the finals which will be hosted jointly by Poland and Ukraine.
However, travel plans can't be made until the dates of the qualifying matches were decided. In the first instance, it was left to the teams in the 9 groups to hold a meeting to try to agree fixtures. The countries are free to chose the fixture dates from a list of international dates between September 2010 and October 2011.
Within weeks of the Euro 2012 Qualifying draw being made, meetings were being held all round Europe and in five of the nine groups, fixtures were agreed which meant supporters could start making their travel plans. For the countries of the four remaining groups, the fixtures were decided by UEFA. Among the teams who didn't agree fixtures were both England and Republic of Ireland who enjoy huge travelling support. This meant the loyal supporters had to wait a little longer to make their travel plans.
The countries from the four unresolved groups headed to Tel Aviv to await their fate at the hands of UEFA. The procedure was pretty straight forward. UEFA have a standard fixture list with fixtures such as A v B on a specific dates. All that was left to do was to draw the teams from each group into a letter thus giving the set of fixtures for the remaining four Euro 2012 Qualifying groups. Supporters could start planning their trips at last.
About the Author
Rob is a traveller and football supporter.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Features of a good Scuba Snorkel
by Brandon Harrington
The most important aspect of a scuba snorkel is of course that you can easy breath from it. The easiness of breathing is affected by the diameter of the tube (bore), the length and the shape of the tube and mouthpiece.
Generally speaking, you look for a large bore that you don't breathe like through a soda straw. The tube should not be too long or to short. 45 cm/17inch, give and take, is about the industry-standard. To short snorkels might not stick high enough out of the water while to long ones make it hard to clear them and you re-inhale too much already used air (also called dead air).
The bends if the snorkel has to be smooth and round as sharp edges will increase the breathing residence.
Another feature of today's popular snorkel is a slightly bended tube so it stays closer to the contour of your head to minimize drag. Most new designed Snorkel have also an optional self-draining one-way valve at the bottom of the tube. That makes it very easy to clear water from the snorkel as you simply need to exhale. The top end of the tube should be marked with a bright red tape to make it easy for boats to recognize the snorkeler.
Some snorkels have also a flexible lower portion what makes the use if it more comfortable. It also makes the snorkel drop away from the mouth area when changing to the regulator on the surface.
Most snorkels are a combination of plastic for the tube and silicon for the mouthpiece and the lower portion and available in many colors to match our mask and mask strap.
About the Author
Brandon has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. His interests are outdoor activities. So come visit his latest website http://www.kidswetsuit.org/ that informs about styles and sizes to keep your kids safe and warn during wet outdoor activities.
The most important aspect of a scuba snorkel is of course that you can easy breath from it. The easiness of breathing is affected by the diameter of the tube (bore), the length and the shape of the tube and mouthpiece.
Generally speaking, you look for a large bore that you don't breathe like through a soda straw. The tube should not be too long or to short. 45 cm/17inch, give and take, is about the industry-standard. To short snorkels might not stick high enough out of the water while to long ones make it hard to clear them and you re-inhale too much already used air (also called dead air).
The bends if the snorkel has to be smooth and round as sharp edges will increase the breathing residence.
Another feature of today's popular snorkel is a slightly bended tube so it stays closer to the contour of your head to minimize drag. Most new designed Snorkel have also an optional self-draining one-way valve at the bottom of the tube. That makes it very easy to clear water from the snorkel as you simply need to exhale. The top end of the tube should be marked with a bright red tape to make it easy for boats to recognize the snorkeler.
Some snorkels have also a flexible lower portion what makes the use if it more comfortable. It also makes the snorkel drop away from the mouth area when changing to the regulator on the surface.
Most snorkels are a combination of plastic for the tube and silicon for the mouthpiece and the lower portion and available in many colors to match our mask and mask strap.
About the Author
Brandon has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. His interests are outdoor activities. So come visit his latest website http://www.kidswetsuit.org/ that informs about styles and sizes to keep your kids safe and warn during wet outdoor activities.
FIFA World Cup 2010: South Africa's and England's chances
Only one team has qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by right and that is the host South Africa. Even current holders Italy had to undergo the qualification process and although the hosts will undoubtedly put on a show, according to the experts their team is extremely unlikely to progress beyond the group stage of the tournament. Could they be wrong?
There is no doubt that of all the seeded teams at the FIFA World Cup draw they were by far the weakest and after being drawn against France, Mexico and Uruguay face a very tough test. Because, despite qualifying by the skin of their teeth in a two-legged play-off against Ireland, France are currently ranked seventh in the FIFA world ranking; Mexico are 15th and Uruguay 19th while South Africa languish at 86th in the table.
Known as 'Bafana Bafana' the South African football team has been dismissed by many as having no chance of success in the 2010 finals, however they did equip themselves ably in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, narrowly losing out to Brazil at the semi-finals stage of the eight team tournament.
By way of contrast England's draw couldn't have been kinder. The strongest team that they have been drawn against is the USA, who is currently ranked five places below them in the FIFA World Rankings. The remaining two group teams are ranked even lower, with Algeria 28th and Slovenia 33rd in the ranking table.
Flights for South Africa in June 2010 are already heavily booked with expectant England fans, hoping that it will finally be the year that they score their second FIFA World Cup Final success. Given the strength of the competition in the group many are hoping to follow their team all the way to the final in Johannesburg on July 11, but England are always capable of underperforming in the FIFA World Cup. For example, take their 2002 quarter-final performance against Brazil when they squandered a 1-0 half-time lead against ten-man Brazil to lose 2-1.
Similarly, host teams can turn in performances that belie their lowly rankings such as Japan's splendid performance when they co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Not only did they top their group but were narrowly beaten by a Turkish side that went on to lose to eventual tournament winners Brazil in the semi-final.
When it comes to the FIFA World Cup one thing is for certain, paper rankings count for nothing and South Africa will be hoping they can turn in a similar performance to the one they recorded at the 2009 Confederations Cup, and who knows? They must just surprise us all!
About the Author
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
There is no doubt that of all the seeded teams at the FIFA World Cup draw they were by far the weakest and after being drawn against France, Mexico and Uruguay face a very tough test. Because, despite qualifying by the skin of their teeth in a two-legged play-off against Ireland, France are currently ranked seventh in the FIFA world ranking; Mexico are 15th and Uruguay 19th while South Africa languish at 86th in the table.
Known as 'Bafana Bafana' the South African football team has been dismissed by many as having no chance of success in the 2010 finals, however they did equip themselves ably in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, narrowly losing out to Brazil at the semi-finals stage of the eight team tournament.
By way of contrast England's draw couldn't have been kinder. The strongest team that they have been drawn against is the USA, who is currently ranked five places below them in the FIFA World Rankings. The remaining two group teams are ranked even lower, with Algeria 28th and Slovenia 33rd in the ranking table.
Flights for South Africa in June 2010 are already heavily booked with expectant England fans, hoping that it will finally be the year that they score their second FIFA World Cup Final success. Given the strength of the competition in the group many are hoping to follow their team all the way to the final in Johannesburg on July 11, but England are always capable of underperforming in the FIFA World Cup. For example, take their 2002 quarter-final performance against Brazil when they squandered a 1-0 half-time lead against ten-man Brazil to lose 2-1.
Similarly, host teams can turn in performances that belie their lowly rankings such as Japan's splendid performance when they co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Not only did they top their group but were narrowly beaten by a Turkish side that went on to lose to eventual tournament winners Brazil in the semi-final.
When it comes to the FIFA World Cup one thing is for certain, paper rankings count for nothing and South Africa will be hoping they can turn in a similar performance to the one they recorded at the 2009 Confederations Cup, and who knows? They must just surprise us all!
About the Author
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
United go top in England as "the Carrot Top" scores his hundredth.
by Giorgio Pirelli
Paul Scholes, one of the last three remaining "wonder babes of the nineties" of Old Trafford, has never been known as a loud or outgoing personality.
Yet he seemed to be turning more pink than ever yesterday at the Moulineux stadium in Wolverhampton, as he danced along, celebrating his hundredth Premier League goal. Scholes, who normally shuns interviews, said after the game the his goal, and the resultant 1-0 victory against Wolves, could be the one that will make United the Premier League champs for the fourth successive campaign. Wolves put up a tremendous struggle and a draw was looking very much on the cards till Scholes got on target in the 73rd minute when he met a deflected cross from Nani to nudge the ball home. Yet Wolves could have still snatched a draw in the dying seconds of the game, had not Sam Vokes missed a tremendous chance to score than not but blasted well over the top. Very conspicuous by his absence was Wayne Rooney, while Berbatov continues to flatter to deceive. With Rooney looking doubtful for Wednesday's return match against Milan in midweek, the realisation seemed to cause Sir Alex Ferguson's face to gradually become the same colour as the united soccer uniforms. Earlier in the day, Arsenal provided their usual display of wonderful football, without the ability to take their chances , This time among the spectators were struggling Burnley, who could only look on in dismay as Arsenal squandered chance after chance to go ahead. Particularly at fault was Nicholas Bentdner who missed a barrowload of chances, before being substituted to the relieved cheers and applause of the Emirates crowd. Arsenal appeared to have the points in the bag, as Cesc Fabregas put them in the lead with a typical double passing move with Samir Nasri. That appeared to be that, as Burnley, whose away record is the worst in the Premier League, never looked like coming back. But come back they did, with a fine equalising strike from David Nugent. However the Gunners stepped up a gear after that and won the game with two late goals from Walcott and Arshavin. Wenger was left with some worries as principal playmaker Fabregas limped off with a recurrence of a hamstring injury. With Porto in midweek in the Champions League, Arsenal will sorely miss their midfield dynamo. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Bolton succeeding in pulling away slightly from the relegation zone. They did so with a deserved 2-1 victory against the under-achieving West Ham in London. South Korean midfielder Lee Chung-young and Jack Wilshere got the goals for Bolton, while Alessando Diamanti pulled a goal back for West Ham late on, and even later Junior Stanislas hit a shot off the woodwork, as the referee was looking to blow the final whistle. It was also cup day in England yesterday, and Portsmouth, who have bigger problems off the field that on it these caused a bit of a shock by beating the Birmingham 2-0 in the first of the quarter final games played. Portsmouth victory was sealed by two excellent goals, both coming in rapid succession, late in the game; they came from Frederic Piquionne, who is proving to be a shrewd loan signing by manager Avram Grant. The other tie, between Fulham and Tottenham, ended in a tight goalless draw, meaning a replay at White Hart Lane in about ten days time.
About the Author
Browse through Soccer Uniforms extensive collection of soccer kits.
Paul Scholes, one of the last three remaining "wonder babes of the nineties" of Old Trafford, has never been known as a loud or outgoing personality.
Yet he seemed to be turning more pink than ever yesterday at the Moulineux stadium in Wolverhampton, as he danced along, celebrating his hundredth Premier League goal. Scholes, who normally shuns interviews, said after the game the his goal, and the resultant 1-0 victory against Wolves, could be the one that will make United the Premier League champs for the fourth successive campaign. Wolves put up a tremendous struggle and a draw was looking very much on the cards till Scholes got on target in the 73rd minute when he met a deflected cross from Nani to nudge the ball home. Yet Wolves could have still snatched a draw in the dying seconds of the game, had not Sam Vokes missed a tremendous chance to score than not but blasted well over the top. Very conspicuous by his absence was Wayne Rooney, while Berbatov continues to flatter to deceive. With Rooney looking doubtful for Wednesday's return match against Milan in midweek, the realisation seemed to cause Sir Alex Ferguson's face to gradually become the same colour as the united soccer uniforms. Earlier in the day, Arsenal provided their usual display of wonderful football, without the ability to take their chances , This time among the spectators were struggling Burnley, who could only look on in dismay as Arsenal squandered chance after chance to go ahead. Particularly at fault was Nicholas Bentdner who missed a barrowload of chances, before being substituted to the relieved cheers and applause of the Emirates crowd. Arsenal appeared to have the points in the bag, as Cesc Fabregas put them in the lead with a typical double passing move with Samir Nasri. That appeared to be that, as Burnley, whose away record is the worst in the Premier League, never looked like coming back. But come back they did, with a fine equalising strike from David Nugent. However the Gunners stepped up a gear after that and won the game with two late goals from Walcott and Arshavin. Wenger was left with some worries as principal playmaker Fabregas limped off with a recurrence of a hamstring injury. With Porto in midweek in the Champions League, Arsenal will sorely miss their midfield dynamo. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Bolton succeeding in pulling away slightly from the relegation zone. They did so with a deserved 2-1 victory against the under-achieving West Ham in London. South Korean midfielder Lee Chung-young and Jack Wilshere got the goals for Bolton, while Alessando Diamanti pulled a goal back for West Ham late on, and even later Junior Stanislas hit a shot off the woodwork, as the referee was looking to blow the final whistle. It was also cup day in England yesterday, and Portsmouth, who have bigger problems off the field that on it these caused a bit of a shock by beating the Birmingham 2-0 in the first of the quarter final games played. Portsmouth victory was sealed by two excellent goals, both coming in rapid succession, late in the game; they came from Frederic Piquionne, who is proving to be a shrewd loan signing by manager Avram Grant. The other tie, between Fulham and Tottenham, ended in a tight goalless draw, meaning a replay at White Hart Lane in about ten days time.
About the Author
Browse through Soccer Uniforms extensive collection of soccer kits.
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