Topics

1

Football / Evolving tactical formations in International Football

« on: February 02, 2017, 10:52:13 AM »

Not sure if highlighted in a previous thread so mods can merge if necessary.

I am looking at how (primarily) clubs are starting to re-organize themselves tactically.

There is an increase in the use of 3 centre backs as part of either a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation. If you look at the likes of Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool as use it as part of a standard formation these days.

I must admit its a formation i like as it provides a solid defensive formation and frees up the wing backs offensively without creating a cover issue if they are caught up the field. especially if you deploy 2 defensive midfielders with that back 3 you will always have 5 defenders available to form a strong defensive spine.

Is this something that should be deployed locally? We have real defensive frailties especially using a flat back 4 with our wing backs having technical issues and switching off. We at least have a good pool of Centre backs that we can chose 3 in every game scenario well for me Bateau plus 2.

What would our strongest eleven be in a 3-4-2-1 formation?

GK - Williams
CB - Bateau, Mitchell, Bakr/Marshall
MD - Cato, Hyland, Boucaud/George, Garcia
FW - Molino, J. Jones
ST - K. Jones

I find that our traditional 2 centre halves have been exposed too much too often over the last 18 months.  It is something that could throw competitors who have scouted T&T off a bit if we change it up tactically. The formation does not limit us offensively either. Thoughts?

2

Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Golden Globe Awards 2015

« on: January 11, 2015, 06:52:20 PM »

Anybody has a link for an internet stream?

3

Football / Survey reveals Premier League players top wages table at £2.3m a year

« on: November 15, 2014, 01:05:03 PM »

Premier League wages dwarf those around Europe with top-flight players in England earning an average of £2.3million a year... almost 60 per cent more than in Germany


- Sportsmail's exclusive study reveals player wages around the world
- Premier League stars earn the most at an average of £43,717 a week
- Players in the Bundesliga are the second best paid at £28,011 a week
- Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 salaries are all well below England's top-flight
- Teams in Nigeria's Professional Football League pay just £6,776 a year

Premier League footballers earn £2.3million a year each on average, or £43,717 a week, giving them wages almost 60 per cent bigger in 2014 than their closest earnings rivals in Germany's Bundesliga, an exclusive Sportsmail study of football leagues around the world has revealed.
Players in Germany's top division earn £1.46m a year on average, or £28,011 a week, with players in Italy's Serie A next best remunerated on £1.3m a year (£25,263 a week), followed by those in Spain's La Liga on £1.2m a year (£23,327 a week).
France's Ligue 1 follows La Liga, with players averaging £988,000 a year, then the Russian Premier League is next on £902,000 before a drop to the only other league where players earn more than £500,000 a year - Brazil's top division, where average yearly pay is £583,000.

Players in England's Championship are next, earning £486,000 on average, a staggering sum for a second tier - and higher than most top divisions around the world. The Sportsmail study has considered 34 leagues from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Players in Major League Soccer, where Frank Lampard will star next year for Sheikh Mansour's New York City FC, are earning an average of £135,945 in 2014 - or £2,614 a week.
That puts them in 22nd place of the 34 leagues, where the bottom three slots are occupied by Croatia's Prva League and the top divisions in South Africa and Nigeria.
The average annual player wage in Croatia of £45,500 is roughly the same as the average weekly wage in the Premier League.
In South Africa the average annual pay is £33,659 a year and in Nigeria, where domestic football has been in crisis, it is just £6,776 a year, or £130 a week.




These extraordinary numbers are detailed for the first time today as part of a wide-ranging study by Sportsmail of leagues around the globe and how they compare - for players and fans.
Money is one thing considered, as are crowd levels, ticket prices, goals, the quality of the managers in each league, the leagues' relative success in club competitions at continental level, the 'stardust' factor in each league, talent production levels, competitive balance, each league's contribution to their national team, and governance.
Wage levels across all leagues generally mirror income levels of income, with higher-earning leagues spending more on salaries. The massive wages paid to Premier League players are made possible because of huge revenues, largely driven by enormous TV contracts, domestic and international.

The Premier League is by far the richest league in the world, with the 20 clubs now earning an average of around £155 million per season. This is underpinned by a domestic TV deal with Sky and BT worth £1bn each year, overseas TV deals in 212 countries bringing in £733 million a year and assorted other highlights, near-live and clip deals bringing in hundreds of millions more.
To put the incredible money-making in perspective, the Premier League now earns a similar amount from selling goal clip rights to the UK mobile market alone as Scottish domestic football does combined from all its live television rights - about £15million a year.
Scotland's Premiership comes in at No 18 in the pay table, with players earning an average of around £183,000 a year, although this has fallen with the absence of Glasgow giants Rangers from the top flight and will continue to drop while the Edinburgh pair of Hearts and Hibernian remain below elite level, as they are this season.
It is worth stressing that the average figure for each league is just that - total spending on all player wages divided by the total number of players. 

There are big variations in average pay between the highest and lowest paid clubs within every league in the world.
The Premier League is no exception, and pay levels range from £4m to £5m per player at the wealthiest clubs - Manchester City and United, Chelsea, with Arsenal catching up by the season - to £1m a year or so per man at the smallest and most prudent clubs, notably Burnley and Leicester this season.
But one extraordinary fact about the English top-flight now is that every club from top to bottom earns between £62m and £100m in central income each year from the Premier League and the majority are capable of paying £2.3m-a-year salaries - and do.
Given the relatively modest pay levels at the vast majority of leagues and even at most clubs even in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues, the financial advantage of Premier League clubs should mean, in theory, they can offer more attractive terms and attract better players than those leagues and clubs.
That is the theory at least. Whether the league makes the most of its richest is explored elsewhere in the study.

The Premier League remains the most attractive football division in the world for global footballing talent, with more than 100 stars of the 2014 World Cup finals making a living at the 20 top-flight clubs.
Although Spain is widely — and rightly — seen as the destination of choice for a handful of the very biggest names, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and James Rodriguez, it is not so much La Liga as a whole that is the draw than its two biggest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Spain as a whole is home to only 50 players on show at last year’s World Cup, whereas the Premier League leads the way with 112 such players, ahead of Serie A (with 81) and Germany’s Bundesliga (75).

Big names from most of the ‘smaller’ leagues providing dozens of players to the World Cup include the Russian Premier League (34), Turkey’s Super League (26), Liga MX in Mexico (26) and America’s MLS (24).
Another measure of each’s league’s ‘pulling power’ is their clubs’ ability to spend large sums on transfer fees to help lure big names.
In this respect, La Liga — or rather the big two clubs there — led the way in 2014, with Barca’s signing of Suarez for around £75m being La Liga’s biggest buy.


The Premier League’s biggest buy was Di Maria by United (£59.7m), whereas the biggest buys in Italy and Germany were both around the £20m mark.
Only four other leagues in the world had any top-price 2014 purchase at £10m or more: PSG in France bought David Luiz for £50m, Zenit of Russia bought Javi Garcia for £13m, Santos of Brazil signed Leandro Damiao for £10.2m, and Fulham of the Championship bought Leeds’ Ross McCormack for £11m.
 
Premier League attendance levels last season were the highest in England’s top division for 64 years and more people attend Premier League games than in any league in the world at almost 14 million.
Only Germany’s Bundesliga can top the Premier League in terms of fans attending per game.
The Bundesliga’s figure of 42,609 fans per game is the biggest average in world football and the second biggest average in global professional sport — after America’s NFL.

The Premier League averaged 36,695 fans per game last season to be the second best attended football league per game by some margin ahead of La Liga in third (26,955 fans per game), followed by Italy’s Serie A (23,385), with Mexico’s LigaMX (22,271) pushing France’s Ligue 1 (21,155) out of the top five.
The Dutch Eredivisie and MLS in the USA and Canada are the seventh and eighth best attended leagues with more than 19,000 fans per game each.

The study looked at 34 leagues around the world, including the top divisions from 33 nations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia — plus the Championship from England.
The Premier League has the biggest aggregate attendance (13.94m), with the Bundesliga (13m) second and La Liga (10.2m) third, followed by the Championship, where the 552 games between the 24 teams were watched by 9.2m last season.
The Scottish Premiership is 21st on the list of 34 with 10,228 fans per game but that is down considerably since Rangers were demoted. It will be down again this season, with both Hearts and Hibs playing outside the top flight.


The Premier League is often described as the most exciting division in world football, and it certainly matches Spain’s La Liga when it comes to scoring, with the rival leagues almost identical in terms of goals per game.
But both are outstripped by Germany’s Bundesliga among their ‘Big 5’ league rivals and fans of nine other major leagues around the world see more goals per game.
The Austrian Bundesliga has more goals per game than anywhere, pipping the Dutch and German leagues.
Scotland’s Premiership is a middle-ranking league in goals terms, with 2.75 scored per game last season putting it in 13th place.

The Premier League remains the most attractive football division in the world for global footballing talent, with more than 100 stars of the 2014 World Cup finals making a living at the 20 top-flight clubs.
Although Spain is widely — and rightly — seen as the destination of choice for a handful of the very biggest names, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and James Rodriguez, it is not so much La Liga as a whole that is the draw than its two biggest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Spain as a whole is home to only 50 players on show at last year’s World Cup, whereas the Premier League leads the way with 112 such players, ahead of Serie A (with 81) and Germany’s Bundesliga (75).

Big names from most of the ‘smaller’ leagues providing dozens of players to the World Cup include the Russian Premier League (34), Turkey’s Super League (26), Liga MX in Mexico (26) and America’s MLS (24).
Another measure of each’s league’s ‘pulling power’ is their clubs’ ability to spend large sums on transfer fees to help lure big names.
In this respect, La Liga — or rather the big two clubs there — led the way in 2014, with Barca’s signing of Suarez for around £75m being La Liga’s biggest buy.
The Premier League’s biggest buy was Di Maria by United (£59.7m), whereas the biggest buys in Italy and Germany were both around the £20m mark.
Only four other leagues in the world had any top-price 2014 purchase at £10m or more: PSG in France bought David Luiz for £50m, Zenit of Russia bought Javi Garcia for £13m, Santos of Brazil signed Leandro Damiao for £10.2m, and Fulham of the Championship bought Leeds’ Ross McCormack for £11m.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2833020/Premier-League-wages-dwarf-Europe-flight-players-England-earning-average-2-3million-year.html

4

Football / After Losing EPL to NBC, What Will Happen to FOX Soccer?

« on: May 10, 2013, 12:47:42 PM »

Apologies if already posted

Last week, when news filtered in that FOX Soccer and ESPN’s joint bid to continue showing Premier League soccer for three more years had failed, an insider revealed to EPL Talk that the atmosphere in the FOX Soccer headquarters felt like someone had just died.

Coverage of the English Premier League has been FOX Soccer’s number one priority since the network began as Fox Sports World, which was renamed Fox Soccer Channel before becoming simply FOX Soccer. Without the Premier League in its stable of media rights after May 2013, FOX Soccer’s programming guide looks particularly stark.

FOX Soccer finds itself at a crossroads. They can either try to rebuild by picking up other TV rights to beef up their 2013-14 schedule, or they could decide to dissolve FOX Soccer next year and turn it into a FOX Sports 2 or FOX Sports 3 channel, where they would offer viewers a variety of different sports programming including a limited soccer offering (choosing from the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and England home matches, as well as smaller leagues). FOX also has US rights to the Women’s World Cup (2015) and FIFA World Cup tournaments (2018 and 2022), but those are still in the distant future.

FOX finds itself in an uncomfortable position. beIN SPORT has the rights to La Liga, the Championship and  Serie A. NBC will have the rights to EPL, as well as the current rights to MLS. ESPN has some USMNT games in addition to FIFA World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016. Other than that, there isn’t much left that’s strong enough to lead or build a channel around.

The channel could try to pick up additional rights such as the Bundesliga from GolTV, but the TV ratings would be far less than what it enjoys with the Premier League.

Additionally, without the Premier League, FOX Soccer 2Go becomes practically worthless after May 2013. And the future of FOX Soccer Plus appears bleak if there’s no FOX Soccer around.

Based on the options available to FOX Soccer, the best decision may be to pull the plug next year and then show what rights it has across it’s anticipated FOX Sports # channels.

While FOX Soccer has raised the bar on its coverage of Premier League soccer in the United States, it has made a lot of mistakes. FOX’s Americanization of FOX Soccer resulted in a far greater expenditure with mixed results:

— The launch of a Hollywood-style TV chat show entitled Soccer Talk Live was a flop.
— Canceling FOX Football Fone-In and not replacing it with a caller-driven show was a mistake.
— FOX’s focus on bringing in American talent such as Kyle Martino, Kasey Keller, Rob Stone and Brian McBride was misguided. FOX Soccer “pushed out” their crown jewel of its coverage, veteran pundit Bobby McMahon, which was the best thing the channel had going for them. (The number of ex-pats in front of the camera at FOX Soccer were reduced to Warren Barton and Keith Costigan; far fewer than in the past), and
— The money spent producing “Being: Liverpool” could have been better spent by allocating that towards a larger bid for EPL media rights.

Don’t get me wrong. FOX has made some significant steps to improve its coverage and presentation, but it ultimately lost out to heavyweight competitors NBC and beIN SPORT where it mattered the most — TV rights deals.

In a very short of time in the United States, NBC Sports has displaced FOX while beIN SPORT has displaced GolTV. As a result, the future for both FOX Soccer and GolTV looks bleak as the soccer heavyweights have shuffled the deck and have now dealt us two media companies that we’re not used to dealing with when it comes to top class international soccer. Where FOX Soccer and GolTV go from here, it’s their call. But it’s another fascinating story to watch unfold as the sport of soccer continues to grow by leaps and bounds in this country.

http://epltalk.com/2012/10/30/after-losing-epl-to-nbc-what-will-happen-to-fox-soccer/

5

Football / Premier League Around The World - Trinidad & Tobago

« on: March 16, 2013, 10:13:19 AM »

For the SportsMax viewers who watch BPL during halftime they usually have an Around The World feature done by premier league magazine. Today i saw their first feature of T&T they profiled

Dwight Yorke
JLoyd Samuel
Stern John
Shaka Hislop
Kenwyne Jones

Other countries featured have been Australia, Croatia, Finland and Russia etc.

6

Football / Is it time for a review process in Football?

« on: March 06, 2013, 08:08:24 AM »

Folks,

Thought on my mind, especially after watching the Man U vs Madrid game yesterday where i literally felt like switching off the tv after the referee decided to send Nani off. From a neutral perspective i felt cheated of an excellent remaining 40 odd minutes.

Personally I think in games, where so much is at steak. A a single decision by a referee could change the entire game there should be something in place especially for Red cards that the teams' technical staff can challenge red cards and possibly force a review by the 4th official to corroborate the on field decision.

I know there will be arguments about the interrputing the flow of the game and time limitations etc but I feel that a game halted for 5 minutes to ensure the on field decision is correct can be added on at the the end so it's never actually lost.

Your thoughts?

7

General Discussion / Justice Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona SC - T&T's next Commander in Chief

« on: February 05, 2013, 06:18:06 AM »

ALL CLEAR FOR CARMONA

PM nominates High Court judge for President, Rowley agrees
By Anna Ramdass anna.ramdass@trinidadexpress.com

Story Created: Feb 4, 2013 at 10:59 PM ECT

(Story Updated: Feb 5, 2013 at 5:03 AM ECT )

Justice Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona will be elected the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago on February 15.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday hailed Carmona as a "distinguished son of the soil", naming him as the Government's nominee to succeed President George Maxwell Richards.

The President is elected by the Electoral College which is comprised of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Carmona's rise to the presidency is ensured with the People's Partnership's majority in Parliament.

The Prime Minister made the announcement at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, around 6 p.m. yesterday.

Persad-Bissessar emphasised that there was great consultation and deliberation on the country's new President.

The Prime Minister earlier met with Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and his team who proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Judge Rolston Nelson for President.

The Prime Minister then met with Government members, including leaders of the People's Partnership coalition and parliamentarians, who all had the opportunity to express their view on the choice for President.

"Fellow citizens, I have the honour and immense pride to have advised his excellency Prof George Maxwell Richards to advise the honorable Chief Justice Mr Ivor Archie and to advise the honourable Leader of the Opposition Dr Keith Rowley that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago formerly proposes the name of Mr Justice Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, Senior Counsel, as the nominee for the post of President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago," said Persad-Bissessar.

A loud round of applause followed from Government members present.

Persad-Bissessar said Carmona was an internationally respected member of the Judiciary, having recently been elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court—which is internationally recognised as having been formed out of a proposal put forward by former T&T prime minister and president Arthur NR Robinson.

Carmona, she said, has a distinguished career in the criminal justice system over the past 30 years, having served under several administrations.

Persad-Bissessar noted that Carmona held the positions of deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and acting Director of Public Prosecutions and was also the United Nations prosecutor at the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

She added that Carmona has also been a senior tutor in the department of government and a lecturer in Languages and Linguistics at The University of the West Indies.

"Mr Justice Anthony Carmona, in the opinion of those giving consideration, has demonstrated the qualities of human character, experience and distinguished qualifications worthy enough to be the nominee for President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and to best serve our citizens their enshrined and sacred democratic rights and interests with compassion, humanity, fairness and love towards all," said Persad-Bissessar.

On March 17, the second term of President Richards will expire. He has served as President for the past decade.

The Prime Minister expressed deep gratitude to Richards on behalf of the people for his service.

"As an academic and former principal of the University of the West Indies, his excellency brought to this esteemed office scholastic expertise and he is best remembered as the person who redefined the role into a more people-friendly one," said Persad-Bissessar.

"His excellency President George Maxwell Richards has served us with honour and dignity, and he will hold, like all presidents past, a sacred and special place in our nation's history," she added.

Since the announcement was made last month that a new President was to be elected, the country was gripped by intense speculation as to who would be chosen.

Names such as House Speaker Wade Mark, Justice Amrika Tiwary-Reddy and Independent Senator Subhas Ramkhelawan, among others, were all in the race.

"I am proud to say that from the bosom of our citizenry there were many sound candidates recommended, each in his or her own right eminently qualified for the post," said Persad-Bissessar, adding that she took into consideration the suggestions from all.

She noted that this country's first President, the late Sir Ellis Clarke, swore on August 1, 1976 to uphold the Constitution in good faith with bias to none and showed that citizens were capable of governing ourselves in peace, harmony and progress.

Some 36 years later, Persad-Bissessar said this country has impressed the world with literary, cultural, scientific, business and technological advancements and developments.

In addition, she said, in the age of civil wars and terrorism, "we stand as a global beacon of hope and example of how one small group of people so diverse in religions, ethnicities and cultures, can unite as one people under the banner of progress, discipline, tolerance, production and most importantly, peace".

"That is the significance of the Office of President to us as a people and in our ever-changing world, where the evolution of human rights have now, justly, gained precedence, we must remember that the role of President of Trinidad and Tobago has thus become, more than ever, an important one constitutionally and it is much needed to effect proper governance and the democratic tenets which bind us," said Persad-Bissessar.

The Prime Minister noted that far from being a mere ceremonial post, the office and role of the President "is in fact the measure of democracy in our nation, the guidepost of our humanity, wisdom, civility, rationality, compassion, intelligence and progress as we uphold and respect our democratic principles of equality for all".

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/ALL__CLEAR__FOR_CARMONA-189755041.html

Finally a decent appointment by this administration.

8

General Discussion / This is why Politicians will continue to operate the way they do

« on: January 15, 2012, 08:01:16 PM »

The fact that amidst the litany of issues that the country is facing, criticisms from all over the place. She comes home to this



Everything honkey dorey man, let the beatings continue

Sighs

9

General Discussion / Express site down

« on: July 22, 2011, 08:16:19 AM »

www.trinidadexpress.com

Reasons?

Didn't pay their domain regristration or hosting bill?
Security breach?
Janice Thomas?

10

Football / Soca Warriors on Twitter

« on: March 16, 2011, 11:22:16 AM »

Any of our players, past and present on twitter? If you know post their twitter accounts so we could follow.

11

Football / Trip down memory lane (football topics only)

« on: January 03, 2011, 06:02:43 AM »

Some classic threads over time on this board, just scanning through some. This one back in 2005 when we first discovered Birchall, absolute Classic.

http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=1046.0

Feel free to post your favourites. 

12

Football / Minister Roberts - National Men's Senior Team will be given First Priority.

« on: September 16, 2010, 06:16:45 AM »

Just heard on the radio news that Sports Minister Anil Roberts stated in the parliament yesterday during hte budget debate that the Senior Men's National Football will be given first priority and FULL funding for their entire preparation for the road to Brazil 2014.

Treasury open - Capello jump out nah

13

Football / Should we go back to a direct style of play?

« on: August 12, 2010, 10:05:47 AM »

Folks, having watched the last couple games with the senior team one thing is evident.

We are trying to play a particular type of way but for that way to be effective you need the right personnel.

We are trying to play a patient passing game in defense and centre of midfield and hope that things open up to either slide the ball down the wings or up to the forwards.

The problem is that to do that effectively we need a back 4 who are technically good and more importantly, composed at all times. We just dont have the quality in the back to execute them kinda tactics, men on this same forum malign the direct style of play some teams incorporate but I am not sure we will ever be successful playing that type of football, we don't have the pool of players to execute that on a consistent basis.

If last night was a showcase of our best available local back four then we will go nowhere. But we still have to compete and try to come up with a plan. So it begs the question, should we consider a more direct style of football where you utilize players like Jorsling who have decent strength and technical ability and can hold up the ball and bring the midfield into play.

Marvin Andrews was never good with the ball at his feet but he has served us for many years cause he kept it simple. Should we just try to play to the strength of limited players?

Let's discuss.

14

Football / £221,000 a week?

« on: July 14, 2010, 01:54:38 PM »

How can we justify footballers' wages?
By John Foot guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/08/justify-footballers-wages-moral-outcry

There has been a moral outcry about bankers' earnings, yet no one is up in arms about the vast sums paid to some footballers

Times are hard, we are told. Even in the supposedly inflation-free world of football. Liverpool is for sale, Manchester United has huge debts, Portsmouth hover close to bankruptcy. But none of this seems to apply to Manchester City. This is a club that has just signed Yaya Touré on a wage of, it is said, £221,000 a week. I'll just repeat that. 221,000. Pounds. A. Week. Or £11m in wages every year. Clearly this is not enough for Touré, because there is more.


Much more. He apparently gets £823,000 as a bonus if Manchester City qualify for the Champions League, and £412,000 if they win it, plus £1.65m annually for his "image rights". Oh, and City also paid Barcelona £24m.


Now, Touré is quite a good player. Not bad. He is 27-years-old and he has played 94 times for Barcelona in three seasons, scoring a grand total of four goals in that time. Last season he was not even a first-team regular. He only started 13 games for the Catalan club. Before that, he played, for a bit, for some other clubs – not great clubs, minor clubs. But he is now, officially, the highest-paid player in the Premier League.


During the global financial crisis, quite rightly, a lot of people got very angry about the amount of money earned by bankers. There was a moral outcry. People were up in arms. The government threatened to step in. But it seems that football lives in a kind of alternative world, cut off from the realities of society, cuts in public services, banking meltdown and belt-tightening.


In football, the sky is the limit. When Bryan Robson became the first £1,000-a-week footballer in 1981, there was outrage in the land. I remember fans singing "what a waste of money" at Robson during games. Now, nobody even notices.


There are two possible reactions to the news of Touré's contract. One is simply to shrug your shoulders and say: "That's how the market works." The other is disbelief. An average player on £221,000 a week! Football has clearly gone mad, and nobody is doing anything to stop this madness.


Football has no wage cap, unlike the wealthiest sports in the US. Clubs can pay what they like, buy who they like, sell who they like. In Italy they have a name for this. Financial doping. But Touré's wages also pose a moral dilemma for all of us. How can such excess ever be justified in the name of football? Should we not feel ashamed to even watch football next season, as schools and hospitals close down and students are denied university places?


Yet there is very little we can do about this madness. Even if every fan in the UK were to tear up their season tickets, or stop watching Sky, it wouldn't make any difference to Manchester City's finances, which are totally unconnected with the sport, or its supporters. Football is a global phenomenon, where the game itself counts for little or nothing. The Premier League's bloated stars have almost all been flops at the World Cup, but their wages will remain at their current, absurd levels. Football, as it once was, is dead, but the show goes on, and on.

15

2010 World Cup - South Africa / Brazil Trivia

« on: June 28, 2010, 07:18:57 PM »

Gimme the players who bore the #10 for Brazil in the present and past world cups. I will go back to 1970.
2010
2006
2002
1998
1994
1990
1986
1982
1978
1974
1970

16

General Discussion / Dudus in custody

« on: June 22, 2010, 04:01:49 PM »

FORMER Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke is now in police custody.

The fugitive was handed over to police by Reverend Al Miller and is prepared to commit himself to due process and waive his right to an extradition hearing.

Early reports suggest that he is being held at a police station in St Catherine.

More details to follow.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/Dudus-in-custody

17

Cricket Anyone / Bright Trinidad eye a golden future

« on: October 23, 2009, 07:17:11 AM »

For the entire tournament i have been reading Cricinfo previews, match reports and editorial pieces. Their mix of statistics, opinions and use of descriptive language has been a reader's dream in my opinion.

It's because we are in this tournament I have been keen on reading the writeups but that does not take away from the sheer quality of the pieces.

I think the best one is the T&T preview for the final today. Just fantastic!

Bright Trinidad eye a golden future

A Trinidad victory on Friday night has the potential to be as significant as Australia's World Cup win on Indian soil 22 years ago

Long before this tournament started, most people knew that the seedings would count for little. Trying to predict who would make it out of the two group stages and into the last four was a bit like asking Messrs Armstrong and Aldrin what they expected to find before they took those giant leaps on behalf of mankind. In every sense, this Champions League was a step into the unknown - for the organisers, the players and especially the fans.

Conventional wisdom, seldom very wise, suggested that the three IPL sides and New South Wales would progress to the business end of the tournament, where there were millions to be gained and lost. As for Trinidad and Tobago, they were expected to enjoy the experience for a week and then head home, along with other "minnows" like Wayamba, the Diamond Eagles and the Otago Volts.

Cricket, though, is a game of delicious ironies. Back when West Indies cricket was at its all-conquering peak, Trinidad and Tobago were largely onlookers. Deryck Murray was part of the picture as Clive Lloyd's men began the ascent to the summit, while Larry Gomes and Augustine Logie were vital cogs during the decade of dominance. But in a team that could boast of Richards, Lloyd, Greenidge, Haynes, Dujon and a whole flotilla of world-beating fast bowlers, they were hardly marquee names. The one who should have become one, Ian Raphael Bishop, found his career cruelly cut short by a succession of back injuries.

By the time Brian Lara started obliterating batting records, the empire was in decline. Now, it's at its lowest ebb, with a squad comprising promising talents and mediocre has-beens doing duty at the recent Champions Trophy. In that time, Trinidad's stock has risen slowly, with victories in both four-day cricket and the slap-bang-wallop version of the game. Having once looked in from the outside, the tiny islands off South America now find themselves at the forefront of what many desperately hope will be a Caribbean cricket renaissance.

Make no mistake, world cricket needs a vibrant West Indies side. The spirit that the game's leading practitioners from the region brought to the game was unrivalled, the buzz unmatched. Whether you were a young teen watching from a makeshift stand at the University Stadium in Trivandrum or a larrikin viewing the game from Bay 13, there was eager anticipation the moment those magnificent men in maroon caps walked on to the field. Nine times out of 10, they annihilated your team, but in another sense they were "our" team, the players that we dreamt of emulating in parks and playgrounds across the world. Who didn't want to bat like Richards, or bowl like Holding?

On Thursday night, when Kieron Pollard took his catch that never was, you were reminded of CLR James and the descriptions of Learie Constantine from the 1930s. As tall as Usain Bolt and built along the lines of a decathlete, Pollard seems out of place on a cricket field. And while he doesn't bowl anything like as quickly as Constantine is said to have done, there's something about the way he thwacks the ball and the ease with which he covers ground while fielding that makes it easy to establish a connection with the cavaliers of a bygone era.

Those that don't consider Twenty20 a proper sport will consider it sacrilege, but a Trinidad victory on Friday night has the potential to be as significant as another success on Indian soil 22 years ago. Back then, Allan Border's Australians were no-hopers, but victory over England at the Eden Gardens proved to be the catalyst for a period of consolidation and hegemony that lasted two decades. The main difference between that team and this Trinidadian one was in the leadership. Border was a legend of the game who preferred to let his bat express his emotions, while Daren Ganga is a middle-of-the-road player who has managed to rouse his wards to superhuman feats while charming everyone with articulate and forthright views.

Ranged against him is Simon Katich, who would be a worthy captain for the national side if Ricky Ponting ever lost his appetite for the job. Unlike Ganga, Katich has had grizzled veterans to work with, but there have been touches of genius in the way he's arranged his pieces on the board. Both on slow pitches in Delhi and the bouncier ones in Hyderabad, New South Wales have been a notch above their opposition, except for the five-over Pollard whirlwind that clinched a game last week.

It's that unpredictability that gives Trinidad and Tobago hope. Whether it's William Perkins scooping a fast bowler to fine leg or Adrian Barath lofting one nonchalantly over extra-cover for six, they have a penchant for propelling the ball into what a rueful Andrew Puttick, the Cape Cobras captain, called "strange areas". "I have a sneaking suspicion that Trinidad and Tobago will take it," he said. "They have a little bit of an X-factor about them."

That sprinkling of stardust will be tested to the limit by a New South Wales attack in which Brett Lee has been peerless. Throw in Moises Henriques' happy knack of taking crucial wickets, Stuart Clark's parsimony and Nathan Hauritz's ability to turn new ball and old, and it's easy to see why they've come this far largely untroubled.

Not that Ganga's batsmen are the only ones with a license to thrill. Even if you get past David Warner and Phillip Hughes at the top of the order, there's a terrific middle order led by Katich to negotiate. And if the ruthless demolition of the Bushrangers was any guide, the big stage won't faze them either.

New South Wales, with apologies to Mumbai, Yorkshire and Barbados, are the most formidable side in the history of domestic cricket, having won the Shield 17 times before Sir Donald Bradman had even made his debut. No matter what happens in the inaugural Champions League final, that fact won't change. For Trinidad, always in the shadow of Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica, Friday is the day to target Goliath with stones and slingshot. Having already felled him once, they know it can be done.

If they can hold their nerve for three hours, a potentially golden future lies beyond the boundary. The Blues will scoff at the idea, but perhaps Trinidad needs this more. "We give our heart and soul," said Ganga. "For the 1.3 million watching at home and the 5 million across the Caribbean whose hopes rest on our team."

It's a burden that they've worn lightly so far.

18

Football / If the Football Gods

« on: September 01, 2009, 10:32:38 AM »

Put an offer to you now for the Honduras Game

1-1 Final Score

Would you take it? And hope for the best at home the following wednesday?

Or would you say no let the chips fall where they may.

6 pts would be fantastic but personally I am ok with 4 points.

Just wanna see where folks' headspace are at.

19

Technical Support / Mobile Friendly Version for the forum

« on: June 05, 2009, 09:54:32 AM »

Question,

Does this forum CMS application have a mobile friendly version?

I can access the site from my phone with IE but it doesnt read well.

20

Football / International Testimonials for T&T players

« on: February 06, 2009, 07:00:20 PM »

What do you think about having testimonials for national players who have acheived over 100 Caps for T&T?

Of course it should take the form of the National Team vs some invitational XI (national, club or otherwise)

it shouldnt matter whether the player is retired or not as long as they hit the 100 benchmark.

for example Some players that come to mind

Stern John - T&T XI vs Columbus Crew

Angus Eve - T&T XI vs Eve Select XI (Joe Public, Defense Force, etc)

Marvin Andrews (even though he still on 99) - T&T XI vs Raith Rovers

This is something that does not have to be done by the TTFF, actually I was thinking that FPATT could attempt to organize for the players as a show of goodwill.

21

Football / 16 Is the Magic Number

« on: November 20, 2008, 01:39:11 PM »

I think that if we could get 16 pts in the final group stage, that should secure us at least 3rd position and a spot in SA.

If we could maintain our home form we can make it.

Hon 3pts
ES   3pts
Mex 3pts (we have done well at home in recent times)
CR   1pt
US   1pt

If we can snatch some results on the road
ES  3pts
Hon 1pt

That should leave us with 15 trying to get a result either in Mex, US or CR, places where we have stuggled in the past. Experience should get us though though in at least one of those games. I hoping we get to kick off the hex with ES preferably at home , sometimes that first 3pts is the biggest hurdle. Worst scenario is to start off on the road against Mex or CR.

Wah allyuh tink?

22

Football / TTFF reject minister’s request for 58 tickets

« on: November 19, 2008, 04:33:07 AM »

TTFF reject minister’s request for 58 tickets.
T&T Newsday Reports.

Officials of the Government and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation are heading for another showdown.

A letter sent to the TTFF by Permanent Secretary Margaret Farray, indicated to the federation their intent to make adjustments to the size of the Minister’s Box at the Hasely Crawford Stadium at Mucurapo claiming it would be a necessary part of any future rental arrangements for the use of the stadia.

The ministry propose to increase the size of the Minister’s Box from 28 seats to 58, which they claim was included in the unsigned rental agreement between the Hasely Crawford Stadium and TTFF for the match against the USA on November 14.

But the TTFF through secretary Richard Groden in reply indicated their “profound disappointment” over the ministry’s persistence, as “landlord”, to impose upon the TTFF the allocation of seats in excess of 24 allotted.

Groden’s letter indicated to the ministry, as far as the TTFF are concerned there is no agreement for an extension of seating arrangements form 24 to 58, “and accordingly your increase for tickets is hereby rejected.”

The TTFF told the ministry “in spite of your return of our 20 tickets issued to the minister - we have already issued Mr Hasely Crawford his four tickets - we are not prepared to accept any invitation for any seats in excess of those allocated by my federation to the ministry.”

And Groden said the TTFF “interpret your attempts to increase the allocation of seats as nothing short of an abuse of power, on the part of your ministry, a conduct which is fast becoming characteristic of the ministry.”

23

General Discussion / The Hardest Hard

« on: October 07, 2008, 07:36:27 PM »

Trini's are a talented bunch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhdExVu81lA

Enjoy!

24

Football / How do TV Rights Work?

« on: October 01, 2008, 11:27:29 AM »

I was thinking about it and I thought i would ask the question

How do tv rights work? Is it the federation of the two teams that each get individual rights or is it the regional body who gets the rights and then pays the federation

For example the upcoming WC qualifer, T&T vs USA

We know that espn broadcasts all USA games home and abroad. But is it a situation that Espn acquired its rights from the US Federation who then probably gives concacaf a percentage of the revenue or does espn pay concacaf who gives the US federation a revenue percentage?


What about tournaments like the WC and EUROs its safe to assume that the broadcasting company would pay the tournament's governing body who in turn would probably pay the teams based on the number of apperances.


Chime in with the answer if anyone knows.
 

25

Football / T&T vs Guyana friendly on Wednesday 3rd September

« on: September 01, 2008, 05:36:58 PM »

Just heard on TV6 news that the full squad minus the Joe Public players will be available for the warm up game.

26

Football / AC Milan vs Bologna

« on: August 31, 2008, 07:42:00 AM »

AC down 1-0 after 35 minutes but dinho running the show.

Inzaghi throw away bout 4 good chances.

I not sure how Kaka fitting in this team. A quality brand on show right now, tough luck they won't be in champs league this year.

27

Cricket Anyone / Where is Dinanath Ramnarine?

« on: July 01, 2008, 08:56:24 PM »

All of a sudden he invisible, in fact since Hunte give him a seat on the WICB is like a proverbial muzzle.

D man who fight to give these bunch of jokers playing WI cricket paying parity with the likes of Aus and Eng now have us languishing at the bottom of world cricket.

I want to hear him attempt to defend his players and the nonsene when Hunte kick in the pay as you play contracts.

I am truly embaressed.

28

Cricket Anyone / Amit the Juggernaut

« on: April 01, 2008, 11:24:27 AM »

Amit Jaggernauth cannot be denied for the Second Test in the QPO. Another match winning performance of 7/45 in the second innings for T&T another 10Wicket match haul. In the situation where the WI struggle to take 20 wickets in a test match we need him for the match weekend upcoming. i like Benn and i found he bowled well enough for a second go in the next test match, he has to make way for Amit based on this weekend's performance.

The selectors were present to see the performance as well. We'll see if he makes the 11 for Thursday.

29

Football / A look back at the Road to Germany (For the local based)

« on: March 08, 2008, 12:06:18 PM »

Just for info NCC 4 back home replaying every Sat the games from the last WCQ campaign noticed that for the last few weeks. Today is T&T vs Mexico in mexico during the last hex. Tune in for those who can.

30

Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Anybody have d original Maestro firey

« on: January 19, 2008, 06:23:09 PM »

Ah love d Bunji remake but a local station play d original and i nearly went mad. Sweet fuh so. If anybody have the file i could download i would be most grateful.

Thanks