Manchester United
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Many cities around the world have produced more than one football club. Madrid, for instance, has given birth to both Athletico Madrid and, of course, the hugely successful Real Madrid. Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, has some rather famous teams too and one of the most vicious rivalries in football – between Boca Juniors and River Plate. Another of these two-club cities is Manchester, where Manchester United and Manchester City are derived. Manchester United is the more famous of the two, having won more domestic Premier League titles than any team in England – a total of 19. Throughout their 134 year history, they have also had a good deal of success abroad, including three UEFA Champions League titles. They have won a variety of other titles worldwide, including what is referred to as a Treble – they won the Premier League, an FA Cup and European Cup (in 1998-1999). Presently, Manchester United has one of the most effective and star-studded squads in the entire world. Their line-up consists of players such as Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Javier Hernandez, Nemanja Vidic and Phil Jones. Although in recent years their dominance has been diluted by the cash-rich likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, they still continue to dominate the English game. United have a fantastic squad, but this hasn’t stopped them having several bumpy years. This can be illustrated by Wayne Rooney. Although Rooney is a very talented player, he has gone through a number of rather inconsistent spells. With several red cards on his record – due to his rather enthusiastic and volatile temper – and an injury or two, at times, he has not been as constant as many would have hoped. This is true both on and off the football field. But, when on form, Rooney is easily one of the best talents in the world.
Tags: United, City, Rooney, Madrid, Chelsea
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Wayne Rooney
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There are an abundance of young, up-and-coming, and experienced footballers that are being touted as the best player in the world - players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi usually come to mind. Though these are perhaps the archetypal examples talented footballers, one mustn't forget that there are others in this group besides the two luminaries – Wayne Rooney, for example.
Rooney was born on 24 October 1985, in the city of Liverpool. His parents, Thomas Wayne and Jeanette Rooney were Irish, and brought up Rooney and his two younger brothers as Catholic. He played for several youth squads in his home city, and eventually signed to Everton by talent scout Robert Pendleton. After his breakout game for the full Everton team in 2002, he was quickly recognised to be one of the brightest talents in England. In 2004, he was transferred to Manchester United for £25.6 million. He was 18 years old.
His Manchester years have turned out to be quite impressive. His transfer alone was groundbreaking, as it was the most expensive for any player under 20 years old. His first game for Manchester United – on 28 September 2004 in a 6–2 home win over Fenerbahçe in the UEFA Champions league – was an unqualified success for Rooney, as he was scored a hat trick and assisted another goal.
Since his early days, however, Rooney's career has been a somewhat bumpy one. With a string of red cards for wild behaviour, a number of injuries and reported fallings out with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney has not had one of the most serene football careers of all time. Fans of the English national team will be somewhat frustrated with Rooney, for his lack of consistent play. However, he is without doubt one of the best players on the planet and, with age still on his side, could grow even further.
Tags: Rooney, United, Everton, Champions, UEFA
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Understanding Offside
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Football, like all sports, is governed by a set of rules. These rules are, in general, not as rigid as some other sports. They do, however, have certain restrictions that can be unclear to someone who is not fully versed in their complexities. The foremost example of this is the offside rule. The majority of casual football fans don’t tend to understand it. Therefore, in the following article, we will go some way to discuss the rule. As a generalisation, it is correct to say that the offside rule serves as a corrective function against overzealous counterattacks. Now, what exactly does that mouthful of a sentence mean? When a team gets the ball unexpectedly, they will often charge down the field with the intention of scoring an easy goal. However, the offside rule says that, when an attacking player passes the ball to another attacking player, if that second player (the receiver of the ball) is between the last defender and the defending goalkeeper, that player is considered to be offside. To illustrate the rule, let’s call the two attacking players numbers 9 and 10 and the defensive player number 4. If number 10 has the ball, and number 9 steps behind player number 4 (closer to the goal that he is attacking), before or whilst number 10 passes the ball to number 9, then number 9 is considered offside. If you’ve seen a football game, then you may have noticed that there are two extra referees with flags on the sides of the field. They are known as linesmen or assistant referees. One of their jobs is to keep track of whether players are offside. That’s also why they carry flags: to signal infringements to the referee. Although you can certainly enjoy football without fully understanding the offside rule, to comprehend the ins and outs of defensive tactics and the offside trap, it is worth getting your head around it.
Tags: Football, Sports, Rules, Offsides, Referees
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The 2010 World Cup
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The World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world, being even more popular than the Olympics. The location of each World Cup is determined several years in advance by FIFA. South Africa was chosen to host the 2010 World Cup. This was a first for Africa as a continent, marking it as a special occasion. The opportunity was not wasted, and many organisations took advantage of this to promote their causes, including human rights and poverty charities.
The first round of the World Cup kicked off on 11 June, 2010, with a match between the hosts and Mexico. This game, which ended as a draw, began the group stage of the tournament. After two weeks of the group stage, the tournament progressed to the knockouts. Ten days later and the contenders were whittled down to only two teams that would compete for the championship in the final: the Netherlands and Spain.
The final game of the tournament was played – rather naturally – in Johannesburg. The fixture took place on 11 July, a month after the beginning of the primary phase of the competition. The game progressed into a full-fledged battle, with each side delivering stellar performances at either end of the pitch.
The crowd had to wait until near the end of the second-half for the game's deciding point, when Andres Iniesta took advantage of a small mistake by a Dutch defender and scored a goal. The Spanish team were naturally jubilant and, though the Dutch tried relentlessly to equalise, their efforts were ultimately futile. Spain finished the match victorious, and won their first World Cup title in history.
The victory followed their Euro 2008 win, cementing Spain as the current dominant force in international football. With Euro 2012 just around the corner, can the Spanish continue their supremacy?
Tags: World Cup, South Africa, Spain, Netherlands, FIFA
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United vs City
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Manchester is arguably the footballing centre of the universe at the moment, with two of the world's biggest forces based there. First and foremost is the more famous of the two, Manchester United. They have one of the best records in Europe. The second, who up until recently have been kept in their counterpart's shadow, is Manchester City. Manchester City play at the City of Manchester stadium, whilst Manchester United stage their home games at the Old Trafford stadium.
Manchester United F. C. was founded in 1878, under the initial name of Newton Health LYR Football Club. After a few years of playing, the club accrued some rather severe debts, and consequently was served a winding up order. Through the donations of some locals, the club was able to continue though, and they eventually won First Division in 1908.
In 1945, the managerial duties of the club were transferred over to Matt Busby. With his tactical know-how, the team was able to greatly improve, and went on to win several titles. In 1958, tragedy struck in the form of an airplane accident in Munich after facing Red Star Belgrade. 23 people, eight of whom were players, lost their lives, and Busby was badly injured. Though the team was set back by the loss of these players, Busby was able to build back the squad and finish victorious in several tournaments.
In recent years they have had much success on a domestic and international level, under the helm of Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been one of the most successful managers ever in world football over his 25 year spell. But, Manchester City, who are now the richest club in the world following a takeover by Middle-Eastern billionaires, could soon knock them off their mantel. But it will take decades to re-write the history books in the way which Manchester United have done.
Tags: United, City, Busby, Ferguson, Football
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World’s Best Surfing Spots
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Surfing is an experience which encompasses freedom, excitement, whilst overcoming your fears. Surfers ride and perform miraculous feats on one of man’s most powerful and unstoppable natural forces, the ocean’s waves. It can be incredible, but you need to find the right spots. To make the most of your surfing skills, the waves must be big, whilst the water should be clear and safe. Some of the best beaches in the world are found in Australia, with the Gold Coast being held in particularly high regard. This area features 70 kilometres of beach, a huge stretch where great waves are a constant feature. The four break points are the hub of the surfing community’s attention, with hundreds of thousands of individuals making trips there every year to catch the incredible surf. Mexico is another country that has some great surfing spots, especially the beaches at the south of the country. Two of the best surfing areas are Puerto Escondido and Salinas Cruz, although there are thousands of hotspots along the coast that are virtually undiscovered goldmines for surfers. To the south of Mexico lies the country of Costa Rica, considered to be one of the most beautiful in South America, if not the world. Surfers can enjoy the incredible scenery, whilst unearthing some of the world’s best surfing destinations. All along the coast, rich and powerful waves lie where surfers can really go wild, as well as bask in the beautiful surroundings. If you are looking to make a trip out to one of the world’s greatest surf spots, then the aforementioned locations are simply a starting point. You can visit the incredible Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, make a trip to Indonesia to experience their legendary waves, or take a ride to California, considered the best state in the US for surfers. There are many places where surfers can go and have a great time, it’s just tricky deciding which truly is the best.
Tags: Surfing, Mexico, Jeffreys Bay, Australia, Califor...
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The Battle of Nuremberg
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The 2006 World Cup, held in Germany, was relatively free of any serious altercations for the majority of the tournament. There were no serious fights, nor referee cock-ups, and the Cup seemed to be going swimmingly. Then, Portugal and Holland took to the field, and the result was perhaps one of the bloodiest football matches ever to be played. Everything was, about what you would expect, between two squads as aggressive as Portugal and the Netherlands. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Maniche scored a goal from inside the area. The game seemed to be progressing fairly normally, given the extremely strong squad that Portugal had brought to bear that year. Then, for no apparent reason, both teams seemingly completely lost their minds. The first two instances of yellow cards came before the goal was actually scored. Mark von Bommel and Khalid Boulahrouz, both Dutchmen, had been booked (the former for a foul that sent star Cristiano Ronaldo off the field due to injury). Almost immediately after the goal, Portuguese midfielder Constinha tackled Cocu rather harshly and was awarded a yellow card for his trouble. He was later sent off, with a red card being awarded for a handball. Both Figo and van Bronkhorst, two of the senior players on their respective teams, subsequently received yellow cards. After that, the game progressed into what seemed to be a competition to see who could make the most egregious foul. When the dust finally settled, the foul statistics clocked in at four red cards and a whopping 16 yellows, a number previously unseen. This staggering amount of infractions was blamed on a variety of things, from the excessive passion of the players involved to the ineptitude of referee Valentin Ivanov, who was later remonstrated to by FIFA President Sepp Blatter for his poor refereeing. The match has since been caricaturised by a number of different people, and has been given the dubious nickname of “the Battle of Nuremberg”, due to its location and the almost war-like attitude that existed on the field.
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Premier League Winner
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The Barclays Premier League is in full swing already, and everyone knows what that means: the impassioned debates on who will emerge victorious are beginning with a vengeance. The fans don't usually tend to make their judgement based on anything but fervour for their team, which is perfectly understandable. But there is something to be said for careful analysis of the competing teams.
On the top of the stats right now is Manchester City. .jpg "Image By: George M. Groutas") With their crushing defeat of Aston Villa on the October 15th, Man City has catapulted themselves to first place. With strong performances from Milner and Balotelli, they were able to triumph over Villa with relative ease. However, it remains to be seen whether they will make it to hold out against a stronger line-up. In second place are the ever-popular bookies favourite team: Manchester United. Though replete with such stars as Wayne Rooney and Chicharito Hernandez, Manchester United had a spot of defensive trouble in their 15th October game against Liverpool, especially defending against Stephen Gerrard's free kick. If their defence can hold, United can certainly give any other team in the league a run for their money.
At third, we have the powerhouse that is Chelsea. The team has been one of the primary contenders for both the Barclays and the UEFA leagues in recent years, due to the efforts of stars like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres and Cole. With a strong squad and solid tactics, Chelsea will almost certainly give a good account of themselves.
So which is the favourite? Well, many people give this honour to Manchester United. And this idea has some merit. Others think Chelsea will emerge victorious. Man Utd lacked fluidity when they played against Liverpool. Their playing felt a bit uneven. They had ball possession the majority of the game with an absolutely average squad, but even though Rooney and Hernandez entered, it didn't feel like they were Manchester from the past.
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Training like a Pro
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Football training and working hard like a pro can seem unattainable without a coach and team to work with. Top teams hire pros to work with their players and teams in order to increase their level of skill, speed, agility, flexibility and other areas. Learning how to train in this manner on a personal level can greatly increase your game play and ensure that you are at the highlest level of playing. As with any sport, the best way to get good at it is by playing often and well. The famous saying practise makes perfect can also be taken as practise makes permanent. Hence how you play now directly affects how you will play in the more intense and strenuous matches you will have in the future. One thing that many who want to train in this way miss out on is the essential role that flexibility plays in playing football. While strength, power, and dexterity are all essential, flexibility and the ability to stretch just that one more inch is what may give you an edge in the game. Another area that has set Champions League coaches apart from many other regions of the world is their ability to strength train their athletes well and in a way that will directly enhance their field playing. It does not only mean working legs, but also abdominals, shoulders, and arms, all working with moves that empower you to propel your body faster and better at your game. Having a strong core, working it hard and fully is what will enable you to give your game play that extra mile kick that will make you act like a champion. This training can be done at home, in a field, as training, even for the pros, goes beyond simply what they learn in the stadium playing.
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Premier League Review
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If you’re reading this article, then it’s a good bet that you’re a fan of the Barclay’s Premier League. And that’s not especially surprising, is it? The Premier League has some of the most competitive and high-quality teams in Europe. Football clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United dominate the Barclays as well as the UEFA cups. Though the quality of these teams can be partially attributed to the superior coaches and the funding that is available to these teams, the greatest portion of credit for their success can likely be heaped upon the players. Take Chelsea for example. Up until a few years ago, a team that was not exactly at the top of their game is now one of the finest line-ups in England, and indeed, the world. They possess one of the most skilled ensembles in Premier League football. With an all-star team that includes such excellent players as Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and – most recently – Fernando Torres, Chelsea have cemented themselves as one of the best clubs on the world stage. Since the induction of football superstar Drogba – who incidentally is the highest scoring foreign player ever to play for Chelsea – in 2005, Chelsea have picked up many more star players along the way. And then there’s Manchester United. They are currently the most successful English football club of all time, having won numerous football tournaments, both domestic and foreign. They have also had some of the best players to ever grace the English football scene. Having had such superstars as Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo, they have been, and indeed remain, the most stellar combination of line-ups that the Barclays has ever produced to date. Both their wins and the awesome amount of goals they have churned out attest to that.
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