LOW LIFE JUDGEMENT
4th July 2012
With the big recent debates about Pornography there was a case which disgusted me for two reasons. Watching the Wright Stuff this morning there was a story about a 14 year old boy who orally raped a five year old girl he was supposed to be babysitting. Given the disgusting nature of this you would think that it couldn't get any worse?. Then the Judge lets the boy off and defending the boy for he blames "The world and society". Well for me that is disgusting and given the light in which Politicians and Bankers are held in maybe people should direct their ire to Judges who flout the law with every rapist or murderer let off.
The boy admitted to viewing hardcore pornography on his laptop and so the Judge sees this as the real problem and the reason for this "nice boy" and his actions. Well to me and most right thinking people that is truly disgusting. What about the poor girl?. Most teens have probably viewed Pornography and would never dream of doing anything to anyone like that in fact most people who view porn would say that, one thing which I thought of when hearing about the story was that you have to have a seriously warped mind to watch consensual sex in Porn and think about orally raping a little girl who you knew and was your next door neighbour. Most judges are setting down the law correctly yet there are an ever increasing number of people like Judge Gareth Hawkesworth who seem to treat the law like a "will listen to offers" without any payments taking place, that's how it seems. I wonder what he would say when in a few years time this boy rapes someone else? and just remember this is not the first case where someone has got off a serious crime like Rape.
BECKHAM'S GB OLYMPIC SNUB & OTHER THINGS TO DO WITH THE SQUAD
2nd July 2012
After months and months of speculation Stuart Pearce has finally released his 18 man squad for the Great Britain team for the Olympics and the main headlines are that after many months implying that David Beckham would be included in the Squad, Stuart Pearce has decided to snub the former England Captain as he left him out of the final preliminary Squad before announcing the 18 players that will be in the Final Squad for the Tournament. As someone who highly respects David Beckham for the player he became and all he has done for Manchester United & England over his career I expected he would at least have a place in the Final Squad yet with Stuart Pearce in charge this process has been an absolute farce. First we had 191 players!!!!. then there were 80 players!!! who were told they were in contention. Now to me that is just scraping the barrel really and is giving solid professionals false hope. It was then whittled down to 35 with Beckham still included and then today we had the announcement of the players that would be in the Final Squad.
THE SQUAD IS AS FOLLOWS.
J Allen (Swansea), C Bellamy (Liverpool), R Bertrand (Chelsea), J Butland (Birmingham), S Caulker (Tottenham), T Cleverley (Manchester United), J Cork (Southampton), C Dawson (West Brom), R Giggs (Manchester United), A Ramsey (Arsenal), M Richards (Manchester City), D Rose (Tottenham), S Sinclair (Swansea), M Sordell (Bolton), J Steele (Middlesbrough), D Sturridge (Chelsea), N Taylor (Swansea), J Tomkins (West Ham)
So looking at that Squad you can see the big names quite easily, Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey, Micah Richards, Danny Rose, Scott Sinclair, Daniel Sturridge and Craig Bellamy. The rest are a largely players who will play no big part in their Country's Internationals at all. It must be said that you could only have 3 over 23 year olds in the squad which I find odd when surely it's making the Tournament a lesser affair by it's nature. So of those names over 23 who should not be there? well Micah Richards was somehow not in the England Squad for the Euros despite being one of the best right backs in the world. Craig Bellamy has not played much this past season with maybe Kenny Dalglish not seeing what a talent he is and well Ryan Giggs has been a United legend but he's not the same player he was and is probably only in the squad as Gareth Bale is injured. Now we come to the big omission of David Beckham who is still playing some superb Football for the LA Galaxy. It may be the MLS but I heard a quote from someone I don't remember who it was but they said that if the game over there is so poor then why are all the big European sides going over there for Preseason, It can't all be about the Money can it?. The omission of David Beckham says lots about Stuart Pearce as a man and nothing about David Beckham the Footballer. With this squad I fear GB will be outclassed by Countries who actually get the Tournament. Let's remember that Argentina have won the last two Gold Medals with very strong squads including the likes of Tevez and Messi. The way Stuart Pearce has played it is as though it's just a first team of a top Premier League side against the Youth team of a mid table side.
WHERE ENGLAND WENT WRONG
As an Englishman I had decent hopes for the Euro 2012 Tournament and felt that we had the players and a Manager who was very capable yet we fall in yet another Penalty shootout, so what went wrong? and can England win a Tournament in this Era which has seen awesome growth in the Premier League which has led it to be regarded as the best League in the World, A statement which I would wholeheartedly endorse. So what's the problem?. Is it the Players? Is it the Manager or is it just back luck?. Well In my view it's a slice of all three. At the start of the Tournament you had the unique question of whether Rio Ferdinand's omission from the Squad was really to do with "Football Reasons" or was a clear backing of John Terry in the alleged racism case against Rio's brother Anton. Liverpool Talisman Steven Gerrard was given the captaincy and looked one of England's brighter sparks with some decent performances driving the team on. I wrote after the Sweden game that I felt England needed to step on the gas and gives teams more pressure as that is where great Teams show themselves to be a force to be reckoned with. England had the players to set up with an attacking intention. Steven Gerrard and Ashley Young are two of the best passers that we've ever had. Wayne Rooney was back and Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck were showing some quality. As England went out on Penalties to Italy pretty much all the post match talk regarding England was about their almost negative performance which was largely due to the them lacking Attacking will and determination. There's something about the Euro's that leads some managers to set up with a negative system even when they have some of the World's best Players. I felt England should have attacked much more than they did with both wings being utlised instead of longing down one road. With the pace and skill of the likes of Rooney, Welbeck Young, Oxlade Chaimberlain and Walcott, England has a strong future ahead of them but only if they realise what the Team needs and that is good pace, ability to keep the ball and also to put pressure on the opposition's defence. If they can perform like they did in large parts of the qualifiers then England will have a real chance.
WHY ENGLAND NEED TO ATTACK
Watching England tonight was a roller coaster ride which contained despair and elation in almost equal measure. A fabulous header from Carroll after being supplied by an expert cross from Steven Gerrard England went ahead. Things didn't stay in a good way though as England sat back far too much with even Joe Hart looking like he was already time wasting in the first half. Sweden needed to avoid defeat to stay in the Competition so they looked very different in the second half after little joy in the first Half. Sweden have much better players than some give them credit for and two goals from Olaf Mellberg turned a 1-0 defecit into a 2-1 lead as England just didn't play the attacking game. Cue a fabulous substitution when Roy Hodgson took off James Milner and replaced him with Theo Walcott who he has maintained is in his plans for the Tournament and that man management led to a fine equaliser and an excellent pass to Danny Welbeck minutes later when the United striker flicked the ball into the net for a 3-2 lead. So why do England need to attack? well it's simple really if you analyse this game. England have excellent attacking players and when they were losing they played their best Football of the Tournament so far. You need to play to your strengths and if you have the attacking talent that England have then you should utilise it. England may meet better opposition in the latter stages and will need to show their strengths if they are to go anywhere. This is an England team that can win the Tournament but only if they do both defend well and attack well. just Defending is not enough and never will be again with the talent that the other Countries have in both areas. If England are going to buck their trend of losing in Important ying///s.
MANCHESTER UNITED AGREE DEAL FOR SHINJI KAGAWA
After much speculation and rumour, Manchester United have now come to agreement with German champions Borussia Dortmund over the signature of Japanese Attacking Midfielder Shinji Kagawa who has been instrumental in the Club's Double winning season with two straight Bundesliga Championships. The 23 year old midfielder had been courted by United and after losing out on Eden Hazard they've now tied up a deal for Kagawa which is subject to a medical and work permit which should both be sorted out by the end of the month. United will pay £12m which may rise to around £17m dependent on success and appearances. United will receive a player who has been one of the best players for the last two seasons and who combines pace with a good work ethic and a keen eye for goal too. I have liked the player for two years now and even before the Interest was confirmed by the Club I wanted them to pursue him as he's a fine player. United have their man, now they will need to continue their search for new acquisitions and I fully expect another one or two top quality signings that will help the Club win back the Premier League Title from Manchester City and curtail big spending Chelsea.
UNITED LOOK SET TO SIGN KAGAWA
After a three pronged tussle over the sigining of Eden Hazard it looks like Manchester United have tied up a deal for their firstsigning of the season as reports suggest they are close to agreeing a deal with Borussia Dortmund for Japan Midfielder Shinji Kagawa. The 23 year old attacking midfielder has really impressed in his two seasons in the Bundesliga playing a big part in the Club's success of two league titles and the DFB-Pokal. He's a player who can score goals and is a decent passer too, his pace means he can run past defenders and he is a hard working midfielder who can get better and better. I am really looking forward to seeing him in a Manchester United shirt as I have liked him for the last two years. United will have an excellent young player and you can be assured that this will not be the only United signing of the Summer. Not one team has set the Tournament alight with favourites Spain looking imperious with their ball possion but It's no wonder that mny I hope we can have a manger who
ARE THE NCAA RIGHT?
I came across an article on the ESPN website about a young former NCAA American Footballer who had been investigated for receiving money during his college days for merchandise that he sold. Currently the Students Athletes are banned from earning any money from their College Sport and there are strict rules for Teams and coaches of their relative sport contacting them before the Draft. This case is the case of Terrelle Pryor who is now a quarterback for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL, He was clearly a gifted athlete in his College days and his promise attracted NFL Teams in the 2011 Supplemental Draft. The rules have come under fire in recent years with a number of very strict blocks for contact from across all sports so is this fair? or should the rules be relaxed or lifted so players can earn from their talents from their college days?. Well I have thought about this and will give my view later but here is the Pryor case.
Basically he was found to have received money for signed jerseys when he was at Ohio State. He made the case that he did it as his mother was behind with bill payments and wanted to help out. There was an investigation which led to Pryor leaving Ohio State On June 7, 2011, after he was banned for five years all contact with the university's athletic program and new incoming recruits. Something I felt very uncomfortable with and rather surprised about when I read about it. I will make my case for the players to be paid in some way and what that would look like in practice.
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) took an incredible $845.9 million in revenue in the 2010/11 season alone. The money is in large part thanks to the TV Coverage of the Championships over various Sports with a rights agreement with Turner/CBS Sports. $687 million is what makes up the TV Money which is an incredible amount made all the more amazing when you think of the fact that this is College Sport, not the Pros. All Student athletes must keep to a certain grade to continue to play for their team which is something I respect and was shown to great effect in Coach Carter. With all this money coming in for the NCAA shouldn't the players and athletes receive at least some of this money other than if they are seriously injured in their Sport?.
What I could see working is if the revenue of the replica jersey sales or team events or tickets could be paid to the athletes as a reward. If you look at how many great players come out of College or University every year and the number of very good players who just don't manage to receive a spot on a team surely a case can be made for them to receive some financial gain as for every Kobe Bryant (entered NBA at 17) there will be many very talented players who just don't make the grade and end up having to make a career away from Sports so wouldn't the financial support add to their great experience of a College career, At least if they had to leave without a Professional call up they'd be able to have at least some savings to be rewarded with. Whether or not they receive some kind of pay is not all the debate here. It's the fact that they are banned from receiving any kind of payment for their skills which could or could not lead to something big.
There are many reasons that people are against this rule, many students get part time jobs to earn a bit of cash and their Sporting schedule come mean they wouldn't be able to do that or at least not as many hours as they would benefit from so when they are going to all the practices and all the meets and games they may lose out on some much needed cash. It doesn't need to be much but just enough to be a regular income during their time with the team. The money is there so why not distribute it well. Hey some of the Coaches get very well paid indeed and rightly so given the importance and standing of the Tournaments. A case is cleary made for payments but there's not the case made against but somehow against wins?. I just don't think that's right.
PREMIER LEAGUE SHOWDOWN
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have had their leads in the Title race this season and know we are coming to the end of what has been an incredible season for many reasons, we have one of the biggest single game showdowns in a Top League for quite some time. The Title race showdown on Monday is one of the most highly anticipated games ever and rightly so, City are the big new player in the Premier League with the wealth and will to spend it, United have similar spending Power but aren't as willing to go out and spend the money, certainly not on multiple players as City have shown to be. United have a 3 point lead and would be almost crowned Champions with a win but for them it is so important not to lose this game with City's better goal difference. As a Manchester United fan I am of course hoping for United to show their Title credentials yet again as they have so often done so over the years. Whatever the result on Monday it would surely setup another incredible season next season with the runners up retooling and the winners strengthening to defend their Title and I haven't even mentioned the likes of Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle United who will want to have a real go.
CHELSEA WILL PLAY BAYERN IN MUNICH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
After two cracking Semi Finals in two nights with two comebacks in which away goals played a key part in the outcome as Chelsea overcame Barcelona and Bayern Munich fought hard to beat Real Madrid to setup a fantastic showdown in which Bayern Munich must be the favourites with the Final being played at their own Ground . Last night Chelsea looked out of it for many when they conceded a 2-0 lead for Barcelona yet somehow managed to shock the visitors with two goals, one from Ramires and a late Torres strike which meant they went through on as 3-2 aggregate winners. Real Madrid had taken an early 2-0 lead with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo who took his tally to an astonishing 56 goals in 51 games this season. Bayern knew they needed to get a goal back and that away goals could play a major part if they were to get a goal at the Bernabeu they did just that with a Robben penalty after Gomes was brought down by Pepe. 2-1 with 27 minutes gone and the Semi Final was one of the most watchable in the first half, there weren't as many great chances in the second half and as the game went into extra time you could see the players slowing and tiring with a number of misplaced passes and missed opportunities. The game ended with a Penalty shootout which played right into the hand of the German's after going 2-0 with saves from Neuer as he saved both Ronaldo and Kaka's penalties and converted penalties from David Alaba and Mario Gomez. Bastian Schweinsteiger had the chance to put Bayern Munich in the final and he did just that with a well taken Penalty that beat Iker Casillas.
The negatives for Chelsea and Bayern Munich will both be about players who will miss the Final after picking up yellow cards having been facing a ban if they were to pick up another booking.
Bayern will be without David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luiz Gustavo but it looks like Chelsea will suffer most with their suspensions as they are missing key players in Ramires, John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles. I feel that Bayern Munich will win the Final with their Home Advantage and their strength but Chelsea will still have the players to do it, You can't discount the likes of Drogba, Lampard or even Torres. It should be an excellent Champions League Final and were Chelsea to win it would give Roman Abramovich a nice headache as to whether he would give the job to interim Coach Robert Di Matteo.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND MANCHESTER CITY TITLE SHOWDOWN
Today could have been a massive day in the Premier League Title Race. Manchester United had been playing some terrific stuff at home to David Moyes' Everton and had taken a deserved 4-2 with just over 20 minutes to go. What happened in the final few minutes could have given Manchester City the Title edge. Jelavic continued his amazing form since his move from Rangers with a goal in the 83rd and Steven Pienaar continued his great form since returning from an unfortunate spell at Spurs with the equaliser two minutes later to dent United's Title bid with City playing relegation fodder Wolverhampton Wanderers in a later Kick Off which they won 2-0 with goals from Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri to cut the lead to just three points with a crunch game at The Etihad next Monday which could go a long way to deciding the destination of the Premier League this season.
Since the Money arrived at Manchester City there have been some absolutely cracking games between the two Manchester rivals with United showing their never die spirit with several trademark late goals to dent City's hopes as they have done to others so many times in Title Run Ins before. City showed they were serious with an astonishing 6-1 win at Old Trafford earlier this season that led to them being favourites for the Title yet United didn't give in and went on a superb run which coincided in a slippery run for City which turned a City lead into a United lead. This could be one of the great Manchester Derbies and is now a fantastic marker for what the two sides are now fighting for, It's no longer just Local Pride for City as there are now Titles involved. I hope it's going to be a cracking game and would love another late United goal to dash City's title hopes and reiterate just how much United will try to curtail Manchester City's rise.
No comments:
Post a Comment