Tuesday 25 June 2013

An Overview into Team GB and British Team Sport.


Delighted to welcome Paralympics GB Athlete Joe Dodson as a guest writer to the blog. Joe participated in London 2012 as a member of the Great Britain Goalball Team and he wants to share with you the psyche of being an international athlete and his views. You can follow (And I recommend that you do) him on Twitter @Joe_Dodson.

Over to you, Joe.


Part 1: An overview into GB and British team sport

What is a good athlete?  What makes a great sportsman?  How do you know what is a great team? As I sit here with an ankle injury withdrawing myself from the GB goalball team, I read everywhere about English football under 21 failings again under the same dinosaur manager. I say Dinosaur the guy was still playing in the 90’s, so is it his age that is the problem? Or is it his coaching capacity or his coaching education?  I strongly believe that it is his education of being a manager, what defines a manager and a coach at this level? For me a manager is someone who looks after the team books them into their hotels and arranges certain operations of the team. The coach is the person that explains what they should be doing, creating the formation and ensuring they go out and play a competitive and win based game. Instead we have this notion that the manager must follow a strict structure of picking a big lad to defend a big lad to knock the ball up to and a well-balanced lad with good bones and muscles in the midfield. But why it should be a big lad, size doesn’t install fear any longer into sports people. Infact in some cases you’ll find that a short sharp quick player will frighten opposition more as there has to be a far quicker reaction.


I will tell you what it is, it’s not just football I have seen evidence of this it is many sports, mainly team sports that are held back across many levels. Whether it’s a Paralympic, Olympic or a general team sport that are struggling to keep up with a fast moving environment. It’s the fear of the unknown and change, why change something that worked 20 years ago why do something that may take a step back to move 5 steps forward. Is it worry of failure, or is it ignorance to the progress of other countries. I think the issue we have here in the UK in team sports we have a basic model that people do not want to play with or change. It’s a your face fits for this and I don’t want to try something new in case it makes me as the coach/manager look stupid. We need to be a much more forward thinking nation when it comes to team sport, respect what other nations are doing and stop looking at them as they are degrading or stepping outside what a sport stands for. So often we teach generic idea’s of what you should do, whether it’s how to run, throw a ball, bowl a ball, kick a ball and many other sporting attributes. I myself on a very basic coaching level would say here’s the basics create from this something that makes it firstly easy to do your task and something that you know will make you better and stand out in the sporting world. Instead of going for a safety first approach which in the majority will never see you succeed we need to enhance our sporting abilities.

Monday 24 June 2013

No Stupid Theorys today + A Poor Update





Summer is dragging, weather is bad and the overall lack of movement in the transfer market is making this summer a particularly long one. The Rooney/Fabregas/Utd/Arsenal hootenanny in the last post provoked some debate but luckily no abuse so cheers for that. Sooooo what's happening?


Higuain

I have an unmistakable knot in my stomach about this one, I just can't shake the feeling that this one is going south. I had a chat with someone who knows their onions who told me that this deal is "very close" but Arsenal are still susceptible to ballsing it up. They personally think it will happen (I researched Higuain to Juve is 7/2 today so at least their will be profit in misery) and even went so far to say that Arsenal now have eyes on strengthening other areas of the pitch. I dunno, I'm not used to shiny new things that cost money so I'm still suspicious but I'm not going to turn into these weird folk who talk about transfers ALL THE TIME on Twitter but always end it with "I'LL ONLY BELIEVE IT WHEN IT'S ON ARSENAL.COM" - DO you only believe it's Christmas when you see Santa's arse poking out the chimney? No - go away.


Rooney

Arsenal interest very real but told a deal is very unlikely. Next.


Fabregas

Would be interested in returning to Arsenal but not this soon I'm told. 2013/14 earliest date for arrival. Could be forced forward if family issues play any sort of part in it.


Djourou

Perusing France Football today I see Oliver Kreuzer (SD of Hamburg) has been confirming interest in Johan Djourou. I have kindly put a link http://www.francefootball.fr/news/Hambourg-piste-djourou/381013 there so there can be no accusations of any kind of fabrication or to prevent hours and hours of conversation on Twitter about how accurate or informed a person is (I could go to town here but I shan't, that day will come). I always find that the people who spend all day discussing validity of people are normally the ones who bloviate the most.


That's really it I'm afraid. Until next time.


 


Monday 17 June 2013

How Manchester United Can Buy Wayne Rooney for Arsenal*





*But I don't think Arsenal fans would be very pleased.



The headline surely gives you the impression I need to be sedated. Hell I even think so and nothing within this post is anything but speculation but let me indulge a theory and break it down for you in segments.

1. Arsenal are interested in signing Wayne Rooney.

A lot of the big & reliable accounts on Twitter are saying that Arsenal are interested, I have no problems in believing that after hearing what Arsene Wenger has said, I did ask about Rooney interest a while ago when it first emerged and although I was told there was interest, there were a few complications such as....


2. Can Arsenal afford Wayne Rooney?

Ivan Gazidis says so, you would imagine a fee of £20/£25m and wages of £150k/wk and beyond. That's doable although you always have to remember that this is Arsenal. Would there be any discontent about a new player coming in on such high wages? I don't think anyone in the current squad is worth £150,000 a week so....No. So we've conquered the interest and the financial feasibility but maybe Arsenal won't have to stretch that far, this links nicely into the fact that....


3. Manchester United want Cesc Fabregas for anything in the region of £40m+

A lot of the North-West journalists are reporting that Fabregas is David Moyes' top target. There has been a lot of conflicting reports about the Spaniards availability, in the same convo as Rooney interest, was told that Cesc would give it a minimum of 12 months at Barcelona and see where he stands come the end of this season coming. But assume he is moving, Manchester United would have a problem as.....


4. Arsenal have first refusal on Cesc Fabregas - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8703312/Arsenals-sense-of-loss-from-Cesc-Fabregas-departure-softened-by-clauses-in-his-Barcelona-contract.html

Any confirmation of Fabregas' intentions to leave would alert Arsenal as the above article stated, would Arsene be able to pass up the opportunity or have the world know he's passed on Cesc Fabregas. It would depend on how much Arsenal want Rooney as maybe....

5. Arsenal waive first refusal on Cesc Fabregas to allow Manchester United's PURSUIT of Fabregas in return for selling Wayne Rooney to Arsenal.

This is starting to get far-fetched now but bear with me. Arsenal allow Manchester United to try and sign Cesc Fabregas in return to not blocking Wayne Rooney leaving for Arsenal, now comes the clever bit as the article linked shows that Arsenal will recieve 50% of the transfer fee should Cesc leave Barcelona so possibly..

6. Manchester United sign Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona for £40m+.

Manchester United have signed Cesc Fabregas for say £45m from Barcelona. £22.5m of that transfer fee is payable to Arsenal as laid out in the article above so....

7. In my crazy world, Manchester United have paid Arsenal the £20m+ to sign Wayne Rooney FOR ARSENAL while effectively signing Fabregas for £22.5m

Madness isn't it? I suspect Arsenal fans would rather have Fabregas back (I'm still undecided as a fully functioning Rooney would benefit Arsenal) but I have reservations over Rooney's fitness and lifestyle choices so I would probably just take Fabregas for the £20m.


As stated at the top, this is all the workings from my mind so I expect precisely 0% of this to happen. Otherwise it's quiet in Arsenal world (Hence this longwinded piece) but you'd hope somethings start falling into place this week.