61
Jokes / Re: I heard Some Very Disturbing News..
« on: April 22, 2013, 05:34:31 PM »
Wonder if he ever talked to his Source 
April 19, 2024, 01:54:49 PM
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
62
Football / Re: Luis Suárez deserve a thread.
« on: April 21, 2013, 01:50:40 PM »did he bite ivanovic or try to bite him?
look at Ivanovic's reaction...he bit him.
Daz d end of his season for sure, and probably missing the first few games of next season too
Please. Ivanovic's reaction after pushing his head away from his arm was to sit there on the pitch and stare at the ref for a call. He wasn't paying any attention to his arm whatsoever, at least not the way you'd expect someone who just get bite to do. Not only that... when he eventually tried to show Friend his arm it wasn't even with any conviction. If there was any mark or evidence you'd think he'd put up more of a protest so that the ref take note.
Be serious. We are not debating whether Suarez bit him hard enough to leave a mark. That is irrelevant.
Ivanovic was looking at the ball, not Suarez, until Suarez chomped on him. At which point he spun around and pushed Suarez's head away. It was a clear bite, I eh have time for dis convo, you could argue wid yuhself on dis one.
63
Football / Re: Luis Suárez deserve a thread.
« on: April 21, 2013, 12:55:23 PM »did he bite ivanovic or try to bite him?
look at Ivanovic's reaction...he bit him.
Daz d end of his season for sure, and probably missing the first few games of next season too
64
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: April 18, 2013, 03:41:25 PM »
New kit:
65
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: April 18, 2013, 12:20:55 AM »DAVID LUIZ.....GOOOOOOLLLLAAASSSSOOOOO
Beautiful goal....de cynical part ah meh liking the irony of your appreciation for that goal....kinda touch on the little "discussion" we was having the other day about men taking (long to medium range) shots when they have it to take.
I think we differ on whether a sample of one is representative. Anyway, here is the goal:
66
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: April 17, 2013, 01:33:38 PM »
DAVID LUIZ.....GOOOOOOLLLLAAASSSSOOOOO
67
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: April 12, 2013, 12:38:34 AM »torres score ah beauty..............when last alyuh hear somebody say dat
moses an all do someting good he fall of some since ACON
atleast dey progress but is either dey tryin to prove dey could win Europa with a half-assed effort or dey jus doh care ...still see disinterest and lack of intensity in dat game
Torres pace seems to have improved in recent weeks, but I eh getting carried away yet.
Lack of intensity might just be tiredness or holding something in reserve on a plastic pitch. Having said that, I dont think anyone cares about this tournament but we might as well win it now that we here...plus I done book flights to the final so from my perspective we hadda reach lol.
69
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: March 23, 2013, 06:33:36 PM »
Diego Simeone has refused to rule out a bid for Fernando Torres
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/8592305/Diego-Simeone-has-refused-to-rule-out-a-bid-for-Fernando-Torres
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has seemingly opened the door for a possible return of Fernando Torres.
Torres has endured a torrid stay at Stamford Bridge since joining from Liverpool in January 2011 for £50million.
In 74 league games he has scored just 14 times, which is a shadow of his Liverpool form where he hit 65 goals in 102 Premier League appearances.
The 29-year-old began his career with Atletico Madrid and is still revered by their fans, and now Simeone has refused to rule out a possible return.
"Fernando Torres is currently playing for another team. We have to wait for the season to finish and decide which of the available players could come here and do a good job," Simeone told Onda Cero.
"Fernando knows about the club's history, what it means to play here and I don't need to speak about his ability.
"We were team-mates. I know how important he can be."
Simeone admits he does not know if a deal could be struck, adding: "It's complicated. I wouldn't like to say yes or no. He's a player who always performs and we have to respect his choice."
With Chelsea being strongly linked with Atletico's Radamel Falcao - a player-swap plus cash deal has long been mooted.
Simeone was also quizzed about the future of the Colombian, and said: "I'm not Falcao and I'm not his agent. I'm the manager and have the utmost respect for him, because he gave me so much at River Plate and has done the same here.
"He always gives his all and I really respect players who do that. But everyone makes their own decisions in life. Every person is different, and we have to respect each other. Those who stay are always going to be the best."
70
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: March 19, 2013, 01:31:04 AM »The Commentator did say BABA suffering from Torres jumbie. The highpoint in this game was Eden Hazzard and the touch and go with Mata
71
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: March 16, 2013, 01:15:08 PM »
Captain, leader, legged it
John Terry ditches £175,000 motor in traffic jam
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4844521/john-terry-bentley-traffic-jam.html#ixzz2NjQeaoX3
FED-UP John Terry dumped his Bentley in a traffic jam — and phoned a mate to sit in the £175,000 supercar until the dual carriageway cleared.
The Chelsea skipper — famously lauded by fans as “Captain, Leader, Legend” — lost patience after being stuck three miles from his Surrey mansion.
He leapt out, hopped over the central reservation and started walking home while the pal raced to babysit the motor abandoned on the A3.
Another chum phoned by the soccer idol, 32, eventually spared him from having to trek the entire way — by picking him up in his car.
A witness caught in the same tailback near Esher said yesterday: “We’d all sat there for hours. People had been getting out of cars and chatting. Then out jumped John Terry in his Chelsea training gear.
“He leapt over the barrier and b******d off — leaving his car. We were speechless.” Hundreds were left in gridlock after a man killed himself jumping off a bridge — and a motorcyclist then died smashing into a parked ambulance.
Terry was heading home to Oxshott when he ditched his silver Bentley Continental GT. The witness said: “For all he knew the road could have opened five minutes later. His car would have been blocking everyone.”
The footballer’s agent said: “John needed to get home so he called a friend to come and sit in his car.
“Another friend kindly picked him up further down the road.”
John Terry ditches £175,000 motor in traffic jam
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4844521/john-terry-bentley-traffic-jam.html#ixzz2NjQeaoX3
FED-UP John Terry dumped his Bentley in a traffic jam — and phoned a mate to sit in the £175,000 supercar until the dual carriageway cleared.
The Chelsea skipper — famously lauded by fans as “Captain, Leader, Legend” — lost patience after being stuck three miles from his Surrey mansion.
He leapt out, hopped over the central reservation and started walking home while the pal raced to babysit the motor abandoned on the A3.
Another chum phoned by the soccer idol, 32, eventually spared him from having to trek the entire way — by picking him up in his car.
A witness caught in the same tailback near Esher said yesterday: “We’d all sat there for hours. People had been getting out of cars and chatting. Then out jumped John Terry in his Chelsea training gear.
“He leapt over the barrier and b******d off — leaving his car. We were speechless.” Hundreds were left in gridlock after a man killed himself jumping off a bridge — and a motorcyclist then died smashing into a parked ambulance.
Terry was heading home to Oxshott when he ditched his silver Bentley Continental GT. The witness said: “For all he knew the road could have opened five minutes later. His car would have been blocking everyone.”
The footballer’s agent said: “John needed to get home so he called a friend to come and sit in his car.
“Another friend kindly picked him up further down the road.”
73
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: March 01, 2013, 01:38:16 AM »Change the owner. That's the cause of everything.He is absolutely the cause of everything. He's why we've won more trophies than any other team in England since he took over
Right so take dat. If is dah wha yuh did want..is dat wha yuh did want.
To be honest, I enjoy both the trophies and the soap opera...never a dull moment.
I'm already relishing d heckling fatso is gonna get on Saturday....and if the announcer only makes the mistake of mentioning his name for any reason....my word....
And I am still wondering why you haven't yet heckled the owner since he put the "fatso" in charge? What yuh fraid he buss it? Ryan you come off as a damn waggonist, neva se come se. Yuh supported Terry and Lampard, when dey was back stabbing managers left and right but yuh booing players and managers who have tuh deal with the domino effects dey help tuh create.
Steups, Trinis does get too carried away wid dis waggonist talk....yuh calling me a waggonist but unless you're from Manchester then you are, by definition, a waggonist. Football is about enjoyment, try not to take it too seriously
74
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: February 28, 2013, 04:46:18 PM »Change the owner. That's the cause of everything.He is absolutely the cause of everything. He's why we've won more trophies than any other team in England since he took over
Right so take dat. If is dah wha yuh did want..is dat wha yuh did want.
To be honest, I enjoy both the trophies and the soap opera...never a dull moment.
I'm already relishing d heckling fatso is gonna get on Saturday....and if the announcer only makes the mistake of mentioning his name for any reason....my word....
75
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: February 28, 2013, 03:54:14 PM »Change the owner. That's the cause of everything.He is absolutely the cause of everything. He's why we've won more trophies than any other team in England since he took over
76
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: February 27, 2013, 05:07:32 PM »Rafa Benitez confirms he will leave Chelsea at end of the season
https://twitter.com/danroan/status/306894143152590849
Three cheers for the end of the season
77
Football / Re: Forza Serie A 2012/13 !!!!
« on: February 03, 2013, 03:39:19 PM »Watchin Milan vs Udinese at the moment....this kid Niang is a rel boss! Where de hell he come out from?
And of course Balotelli scores the winning penalty with the last kick of the game lol
78
Football / Re: Forza Serie A 2012/13 !!!!
« on: February 03, 2013, 03:25:23 PM »
Watchin Milan vs Udinese at the moment....this kid Niang is a rel boss! Where de hell he come out from?
79
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Re: Meet SuperBlue
« on: February 02, 2013, 03:54:50 PM »
Anyone else find he sound like Jack Warner wid dis song? 
80
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: January 10, 2013, 01:38:57 AM »
The only positive to take from last night was that, for the first time in his useless Chelsea career, Torres was booed off. Perhaps he'll take the hint, there's still 20+ days left in this transfer window.
And as for Benitez.....if he thought the fans would eventually accept him, he must have realised by now that it isn't going to happen any time soon. Deafening chants for Di Matteo last night. We dominated the game but there was absolutely no excuse for not bringing on Ba earlier, the decision to leave Torres on had the crowd livid.
And as for Benitez.....if he thought the fans would eventually accept him, he must have realised by now that it isn't going to happen any time soon. Deafening chants for Di Matteo last night. We dominated the game but there was absolutely no excuse for not bringing on Ba earlier, the decision to leave Torres on had the crowd livid.
81
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: January 05, 2013, 04:50:20 PM »it seems we finally get back somebody dat know bout positionin and can get physical when needed ....good......leah we see if 1) Ba will keep it up, and 2) if torres will rise to d occasion.....or be discarded as a failed experiment...........
Ba is quality... been that way from the first time I saw him at West Ham about two years ago. I think his inconsistency this year has been a function of the rise of Cisse, and him being unsettled.
To me he was never inconsistent...he just wasnt being played at centre forward for the first half of 2012 when Cisse arrived. He has always scored goals as a centre forward. I've always been impressed by him too, since his West Ham days (ironically the first time I saw him live was the day Torres finally scored his first goal for Chelsea). Thank god we have a proper striker now, if Ba stays fit and Benitez is brave enough to bench Torres, this team will rip up.
82
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: December 13, 2012, 02:24:40 PM »Q? - Has Benitez started the Torres revival.
No. All his recent goals have come against dreadful teams.
Torres problem isn't just that he doesn't score, it is that he doesn't even get in goalscoring positions, let alone shoot. When he begins to do that against big teams then we could talk about revival.
Good job by Benitez forcing him to take the penalty against Sunderland though (despite him saying it was the players' choice...bull$h!t)...it's time Torres started manning up.
83
Football / Lone Udinese football fan wins hearts in Italy
« on: December 13, 2012, 01:36:50 AM »
Lone Udinese football fan wins hearts in Italy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20700529
A football fan has stolen media attention in Italy after being the only supporter to show up to watch his club play an away game in the top league.
Udinese fan Arrigo Brovedani was the club's sole supporter in Genoa for a Serie A match against local team Sampdoria.
The 30-something wine merchant found himself alone in the visitors' section.
But Sampdoria stewards gave him coffee and home fans invited him for a drink after the match.
Mr Brovedani told the BBC he had not expected to find many fellow supporters from Udinese, one of the smaller clubs in Serie A.
It was a cold Monday night and Udinese never attracts more than 50 or 60 away fans.
Early boos
"But I went there thinking I'd find five or six other people," the Udinese fan said.
"I went into the stadium while they [Udinese] were warming up. I shouted and said 'hi' to the team.
"When I went in the local fans booed me, I felt a bit offended.
"But in the end they clapped and invited me for coffee and a meal, and the club managers gave me a shirt. They wished me a merry Christmas."
Genoa is about four hours' drive from Friuli, where Udinese are based.
But Mr Brovedani was in Genoa on business.
"I like the stadium there, it's very similar to English stadiums," he said. "I always take my flag and scarf around - they're always in the car with me."
Luckily for Mr Brovedani, Udinese won the match 2-0 and the team dedicated their victory to their only fan. He has been invited to attend its next home match on Saturday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20700529
A football fan has stolen media attention in Italy after being the only supporter to show up to watch his club play an away game in the top league.
Udinese fan Arrigo Brovedani was the club's sole supporter in Genoa for a Serie A match against local team Sampdoria.
The 30-something wine merchant found himself alone in the visitors' section.
But Sampdoria stewards gave him coffee and home fans invited him for a drink after the match.
Mr Brovedani told the BBC he had not expected to find many fellow supporters from Udinese, one of the smaller clubs in Serie A.
It was a cold Monday night and Udinese never attracts more than 50 or 60 away fans.
Early boos
"But I went there thinking I'd find five or six other people," the Udinese fan said.
"I went into the stadium while they [Udinese] were warming up. I shouted and said 'hi' to the team.
"When I went in the local fans booed me, I felt a bit offended.
"But in the end they clapped and invited me for coffee and a meal, and the club managers gave me a shirt. They wished me a merry Christmas."
Genoa is about four hours' drive from Friuli, where Udinese are based.
But Mr Brovedani was in Genoa on business.
"I like the stadium there, it's very similar to English stadiums," he said. "I always take my flag and scarf around - they're always in the car with me."
Luckily for Mr Brovedani, Udinese won the match 2-0 and the team dedicated their victory to their only fan. He has been invited to attend its next home match on Saturday.
84
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: December 08, 2012, 03:17:01 AM »
Legend
Didier Drogba's £800,000 gift to former Chelsea team-mates
Ivory Coast striker gives out commemorative rings at dinner for players he won Champions League with
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/didier-drogbas-800000-gift-to-former-chelsea-teammates-8390608.html
Didier Drogba tonight went to the extraordinary length of presenting his Chelsea team-mates from last season’s Champions League final victory with individual rings to commemorate the triumph – at what is thought to be a cost of around £800,000 to the player.
Drogba hosted a dinner for the players as well as staff who won the trophy – although the recently sacked manager Roberto Di Matteo was unable to attend – and presented them with the rings as a surprise. The timing of the dinner came just 24 hours after the last games in this year's Champions League group stage, beyond which Chelsea failed to progress in the competition for the first time.
Fernando Torres was one of a group of players who played last season not present at the event at Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour, a hotel in London, including Petr Cech and Juan Mata. The team have another game tomorrow against Sunderland, and travel today.
"I wanted to give something to the team so we can all look back and remember that achievement," said Drogba, before singling out John Terry, in attendance, for special praise. "You're my hero and everyone at Chelsea loves you," he added.
Drogba has returned to London after the end of the Chinese Super League and is expected to train with Chelsea over the winter to keep in shape for the African Nations Cup in next month, when he will captain Ivory Coast.
Didier Drogba's £800,000 gift to former Chelsea team-mates
Ivory Coast striker gives out commemorative rings at dinner for players he won Champions League with
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/didier-drogbas-800000-gift-to-former-chelsea-teammates-8390608.html
Didier Drogba tonight went to the extraordinary length of presenting his Chelsea team-mates from last season’s Champions League final victory with individual rings to commemorate the triumph – at what is thought to be a cost of around £800,000 to the player.
Drogba hosted a dinner for the players as well as staff who won the trophy – although the recently sacked manager Roberto Di Matteo was unable to attend – and presented them with the rings as a surprise. The timing of the dinner came just 24 hours after the last games in this year's Champions League group stage, beyond which Chelsea failed to progress in the competition for the first time.
Fernando Torres was one of a group of players who played last season not present at the event at Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour, a hotel in London, including Petr Cech and Juan Mata. The team have another game tomorrow against Sunderland, and travel today.
"I wanted to give something to the team so we can all look back and remember that achievement," said Drogba, before singling out John Terry, in attendance, for special praise. "You're my hero and everyone at Chelsea loves you," he added.
Drogba has returned to London after the end of the Chinese Super League and is expected to train with Chelsea over the winter to keep in shape for the African Nations Cup in next month, when he will captain Ivory Coast.
85
Football / Can sport reduce crime in Trinidad?
« on: November 26, 2012, 04:47:21 PM »
Apologies if this was posted already
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19846197
In a bid to tackle Trinidad and Tobago's high crime rate, the government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on sports projects and upgrading sports facilities. Will involving more young people in sport discourage them from joining gangs?
On a basketball court in Trinidad's capital city of Port of Spain, young men shoot hoops as a way to let out their frustrations and fill their spare time. But the government is hoping that sport can be used to deliver a lot more than exercise.
Life is cheap on the streets of some of Trinidad's urban crime hotspots. One area notorious for drug gangs is Laventille.
Laventille man's gunshot wound Trinidad has become ridden with drug and gang-related violence
"I got shot in my arm twice two months ago," says a 19-year-old man who does not want to give his name.
"You will hear gunshots at night - they even fly into people's apartment windows. People know not to come out at night. That's how life is."
According to the UN, murders in Trinidad and Tobago increased five-fold in the decade up to 2008 - the porous coastline led to drugs and guns seeping into communities.
In August 2011, the government declared a state of emergency in six areas in Trinidad as a response to a spate of killings and spike in gang activity.
'Healthy lifestyle'
The new man in charge of leading the fight against crime in Trinidad and Tobago is Jack Warner, who was the former vice-president of the international footballing body, Fifa.
National Security Minister Jack Warner Jack Warner is confident he can reduce Trinidad's murder rate
He resigned from that post last year amid allegations of bribery and corruption.
Mr Warner now holds one of the most powerful cabinet posts in the Trinidad and Tobago government, as the country's National Security Minister.
And he believes investing in sport is key to tackling the country's high crime rate.
"Besides giving people a healthy lifestyle... [sport] gives young people a chance on the field of sport and not in some drug den," he says.
Continue reading the main story
Reporting crime
In October, Jack Warner ordered police in Trinidad and Tobago to stop releasing murder statistics, saying reports of violence encouraged people to commit more crime. The order was meant as a temporary measure to tackle crime, Mr Warner said. "The intent of this measure is to seek to ensure that crime statistics are not sensationalised, thereby acting as a domino effect in certain hot spot areas," he said in a statement.
Read more
That is why the government is spending 1.8bn Trinidad and Tobago dollars ($300m) over the next two years to build recreation centres around the country, he says.
"The whole object[ive] is getting young people involved because we believe quite sincerely that there is this positive relationship between sport and crime."
Mr Warner brushes off any allegations surrounding him from his time at Fifa and says is confident that he is the man who can reduce Trinidad's murder rate.
"These [Fifa] allegations have been following me around for the last 20 years and I still ask them to prove what they have said.
"I sleep very soundly at night because my hands are clean and my conscience is very clear."
Glamour
But not everyone is convinced that Mr Warner's new emphasis on sport in the fight against crime will be money well spent.
Sherma Wilson is a spokeswoman for the Beetham Gardens community, a poor neighbourhood in the capital where Mr Warner recently launched a new multi-million dollar sports project.
Sherma Wilson Ms Wilson is sceptical about the government's plans
The street basketball league, Hoop of Life, was launched with more than a touch of glamour - it included a surprise visit by American NBA basketball star Shaquille O'Neal.
"I blinked my eyes, I blinked again and I rubbed them a bit and I said my gosh - Shaq!" says Ms Wilson.
But her surprise turned to dismay when she found out how $1.5m had been spent bringing him to Trinidad.
Mr Warner insists the fee was paid for by "private enterprise", but Ms Wilson says she is worried that money is not being spent wisely.
"He was here for a day and now he's gone... was it really worth it? We could have used that money to fund a basketball clinic.
"Sport is such a wonderful thing, a wonderful experience. We really shouldn't be using it conveniently for our own political interests."
Others in Trinidad also believe that sport is being used as a smokescreen to grab headlines rather than tackling the deep-rooted causes of crime.
Prize money
Wayne Chance works to rehabilitate ex-prisoners by providing accommodation, help with jobs and counselling.
"In this country, whatever fiddle the government plays, you will find that a lot of people jump and follow suit. If the truth be told, criminals are exposed to sports, they have the opportunity to play. But they don't want to."
Continue reading the main story
Find out more
Men playing football
Nina Robinson's Assignment Sport and Crime in Trinidad and Tobago will be broadcast on 22 November on BBC World Service at 09:05 GMT
Listen to Assignment the World Service website
Download the programme
Listen to the BBC World Service
Mr Chance believes that much more than investment in sport needs to be done to reduce crime.
"Those individuals who end up in gangs come from certain backgrounds which lack family bonds and this is what attracts them. In sport there is a team spirit but there are limitations [to it]. A different kind of energy drives the gangs," he says.
It's too early to see whether sports projects like Hoop of Life will take young people out of gangs and into teams. But another sports league which has been running for over a year across the country works along similar lines - the anti-crime football league.
It's a league which covers all the 41 constituencies of Trinidad and Tobago with a total of between five and 12 teams within each community.
Ian Syrus is in charge of running it and believes that during the few months that games are played, the prospect of winning the $24,500 prize money regulates the behaviour of players on the pitch.
"The money has a lot to do with it. They know it is 150,000 T&T dollars at stake so that alone will deter them from doing anything that could spoil their chances of winning that kind of money," he says.
But he admits that he doesn't know how last year's winners spent their personal prize money. In communities where a lot of money is made selling drugs, there is no monitoring of players to see what they are doing for the rest of the year when the league is not in play. Therefore there is no way of knowing for sure, if sport is continuing to have an impact on deterring crime.
Police youth clubs
A match between two teams is underway in Beetham Gardens at night, under the floodlights of a small tarmacked pitch. The sound system is blaring Jamaican dance-hall music and locals are gathered around the sides to watch.
When a police car comes around the corner briefly, one of the players runs to hide. Sherma Wilson says he is known to the police. "We wish it were different here," she says.
"The relationship between the community and police is very stand-offish. Do you know the police look upon each one of us as though we are criminals?"
Curtis Paul, the superintendent of police community relations in Trinidad, says police youth clubs are "one of the main crime prevention tools for young people".
He says the police are expanding the number of police youth clubs next year from 50 to 70 to organise more sport and cultural activities.
He believes this will create "harmony and bring the police and people closer together".
After the police drive off, the match gets under way and passes off peacefully without any gang disputes spilling out onto the pitch.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19846197
In a bid to tackle Trinidad and Tobago's high crime rate, the government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on sports projects and upgrading sports facilities. Will involving more young people in sport discourage them from joining gangs?
On a basketball court in Trinidad's capital city of Port of Spain, young men shoot hoops as a way to let out their frustrations and fill their spare time. But the government is hoping that sport can be used to deliver a lot more than exercise.
Life is cheap on the streets of some of Trinidad's urban crime hotspots. One area notorious for drug gangs is Laventille.
Laventille man's gunshot wound Trinidad has become ridden with drug and gang-related violence
"I got shot in my arm twice two months ago," says a 19-year-old man who does not want to give his name.
"You will hear gunshots at night - they even fly into people's apartment windows. People know not to come out at night. That's how life is."
According to the UN, murders in Trinidad and Tobago increased five-fold in the decade up to 2008 - the porous coastline led to drugs and guns seeping into communities.
In August 2011, the government declared a state of emergency in six areas in Trinidad as a response to a spate of killings and spike in gang activity.
'Healthy lifestyle'
The new man in charge of leading the fight against crime in Trinidad and Tobago is Jack Warner, who was the former vice-president of the international footballing body, Fifa.
National Security Minister Jack Warner Jack Warner is confident he can reduce Trinidad's murder rate
He resigned from that post last year amid allegations of bribery and corruption.
Mr Warner now holds one of the most powerful cabinet posts in the Trinidad and Tobago government, as the country's National Security Minister.
And he believes investing in sport is key to tackling the country's high crime rate.
"Besides giving people a healthy lifestyle... [sport] gives young people a chance on the field of sport and not in some drug den," he says.
Continue reading the main story
Reporting crime
In October, Jack Warner ordered police in Trinidad and Tobago to stop releasing murder statistics, saying reports of violence encouraged people to commit more crime. The order was meant as a temporary measure to tackle crime, Mr Warner said. "The intent of this measure is to seek to ensure that crime statistics are not sensationalised, thereby acting as a domino effect in certain hot spot areas," he said in a statement.
Read more
That is why the government is spending 1.8bn Trinidad and Tobago dollars ($300m) over the next two years to build recreation centres around the country, he says.
"The whole object[ive] is getting young people involved because we believe quite sincerely that there is this positive relationship between sport and crime."
Mr Warner brushes off any allegations surrounding him from his time at Fifa and says is confident that he is the man who can reduce Trinidad's murder rate.
"These [Fifa] allegations have been following me around for the last 20 years and I still ask them to prove what they have said.
"I sleep very soundly at night because my hands are clean and my conscience is very clear."
Glamour
But not everyone is convinced that Mr Warner's new emphasis on sport in the fight against crime will be money well spent.
Sherma Wilson is a spokeswoman for the Beetham Gardens community, a poor neighbourhood in the capital where Mr Warner recently launched a new multi-million dollar sports project.
Sherma Wilson Ms Wilson is sceptical about the government's plans
The street basketball league, Hoop of Life, was launched with more than a touch of glamour - it included a surprise visit by American NBA basketball star Shaquille O'Neal.
"I blinked my eyes, I blinked again and I rubbed them a bit and I said my gosh - Shaq!" says Ms Wilson.
But her surprise turned to dismay when she found out how $1.5m had been spent bringing him to Trinidad.
Mr Warner insists the fee was paid for by "private enterprise", but Ms Wilson says she is worried that money is not being spent wisely.
"He was here for a day and now he's gone... was it really worth it? We could have used that money to fund a basketball clinic.
"Sport is such a wonderful thing, a wonderful experience. We really shouldn't be using it conveniently for our own political interests."
Others in Trinidad also believe that sport is being used as a smokescreen to grab headlines rather than tackling the deep-rooted causes of crime.
Prize money
Wayne Chance works to rehabilitate ex-prisoners by providing accommodation, help with jobs and counselling.
"In this country, whatever fiddle the government plays, you will find that a lot of people jump and follow suit. If the truth be told, criminals are exposed to sports, they have the opportunity to play. But they don't want to."
Continue reading the main story
Find out more
Men playing football
Nina Robinson's Assignment Sport and Crime in Trinidad and Tobago will be broadcast on 22 November on BBC World Service at 09:05 GMT
Listen to Assignment the World Service website
Download the programme
Listen to the BBC World Service
Mr Chance believes that much more than investment in sport needs to be done to reduce crime.
"Those individuals who end up in gangs come from certain backgrounds which lack family bonds and this is what attracts them. In sport there is a team spirit but there are limitations [to it]. A different kind of energy drives the gangs," he says.
It's too early to see whether sports projects like Hoop of Life will take young people out of gangs and into teams. But another sports league which has been running for over a year across the country works along similar lines - the anti-crime football league.
It's a league which covers all the 41 constituencies of Trinidad and Tobago with a total of between five and 12 teams within each community.
Ian Syrus is in charge of running it and believes that during the few months that games are played, the prospect of winning the $24,500 prize money regulates the behaviour of players on the pitch.
"The money has a lot to do with it. They know it is 150,000 T&T dollars at stake so that alone will deter them from doing anything that could spoil their chances of winning that kind of money," he says.
But he admits that he doesn't know how last year's winners spent their personal prize money. In communities where a lot of money is made selling drugs, there is no monitoring of players to see what they are doing for the rest of the year when the league is not in play. Therefore there is no way of knowing for sure, if sport is continuing to have an impact on deterring crime.
Police youth clubs
A match between two teams is underway in Beetham Gardens at night, under the floodlights of a small tarmacked pitch. The sound system is blaring Jamaican dance-hall music and locals are gathered around the sides to watch.
When a police car comes around the corner briefly, one of the players runs to hide. Sherma Wilson says he is known to the police. "We wish it were different here," she says.
"The relationship between the community and police is very stand-offish. Do you know the police look upon each one of us as though we are criminals?"
Curtis Paul, the superintendent of police community relations in Trinidad, says police youth clubs are "one of the main crime prevention tools for young people".
He says the police are expanding the number of police youth clubs next year from 50 to 70 to organise more sport and cultural activities.
He believes this will create "harmony and bring the police and people closer together".
After the police drive off, the match gets under way and passes off peacefully without any gang disputes spilling out onto the pitch.
86
Football / Re: Darryl Roberts returns to turkey
« on: November 26, 2012, 04:36:11 PM »There are players in the Turkish Leagu making over a million dollars a yr.
Hasan Sas, the ex midfielder for Galatasaray turned down offers from the Serie A to continue with Galat.
VB
Just curious...outside of the big three Istanbul clubs (Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas)...are there any other big spenders?
87
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: November 25, 2012, 12:59:01 PM »
Dunno if it came across on the cameras but the WHOLE stadium booed Benitez when they introduced him. It was deafening. Most unpopular appointment ever.
88
Football / It's Official - Fergie Time exists
« on: November 23, 2012, 05:50:07 PM »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20464371
Fergie time: Does it really exist?
It's a well-established idea among football fans that there's something called "Fergie time" - an extra helping of added time when Sir Alex Ferguson's team, Manchester United, are losing. But does it really exist?
The final minutes of a football game can be the tensest. If the match is tied, and both teams are desperate for victory, or one side is a goal down with the chance of pulling off a draw, these are desperate times.
Some (mostly non-Man Utd fans, it is fair to assume) accuse Sir Alex Ferguson's team of getting more added time to score that crucial final goal than any other team - and have dubbed this Fergie time.
If it does exist, it follows that referees aren't doing their job properly, as it's their responsibility to calculate how much time to add on at the end of the standard 90 minutes.
It is widely believed that referees add 30 seconds for each goal and substitution, and a certain amount for other stoppages such as injuries.
In fact, Fifa - world football's governing body - has no defined rules on the amount of time that should be added. Referees are supposed to work it out for themselves.
Former Premier League referee Graham Poll says that when you're refereeing, you don't believe in Fergie time.
"You dispel it as popular myth of teams that are jealous of Manchester United's success."
But when you take a step back, he says, you realise there could be something in it.
"I think it would be too easy to just say it's rubbish. When you analyse and think psychologically what happens, the pressure that's on you at Old Trafford or the Emirates or Stamford Bridge, the pressure that is implied upon you must have an effect, even if subconsciously."
(For the uninitiated, Old Trafford is Man Utd's ground, the Emirates stadium is Arsenal's and Stamford Bridge is the home of Chelsea.)
Fergie time - the chant
Man City fans
"We won the league/On Fergie time/We won the league/On Fergie time" (sung to the tune of Tom Hark).
Fergie time is now the stuff of football chants - Man City fans sang this at the end of the 2011/12 season, after a 94th minute goal in their last game, won them the Premier League title.
The phenomenon of Fergie time goes back to a game in the very first Premier League season, 1992/3, says Duncan Alexander of Opta Sports, which collates data from the football leagues.
It was Man Utd v Sheffield Wednesday and the score was 1-1 after 90 minutes. Seven minutes of added time were given, during which Steve Bruce scored for Man Utd, clearing the way for their first top-flight title in 26 years.
"Ever since then, every time United have been given quite a bit of injury time, it's been flagged up in people's heads and they've said, 'Oh United have got more Fergie time again'," says Alexander.
To work out whether there could be anything in it, he looked at the average amount of added time for the second half of every match. After all, the second half is where added time is going to matter most.
"This season United have had the most," he says.
So the suspicions about Fergie time are true - but only for this season.
Last season Man Utd had the lowest second-half average added time.
"Over the course of the 20-year Premier League there is not much consistency. United are not top every season," says Alexander.
But the crucial figure is how much added time Man Utd get when they have been drawing or losing after 90 minutes. Opta looked at the relevant data over the past three seasons - 2010-11, 2011-12, and the current season to date. They compared Man Utd with five other top teams:
Manchester City
Chelsea
Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool
When Man Utd were losing, they had an average of four minutes and 37 seconds added time, Alexander says, compared with three minutes and 18 seconds when they were winning.
"So you can see there that in games they lost, they got more time," he says.
"For the other, so-called top teams, other than Chelsea, all of them had longer games on average when they were losing. Whether that's a case of the defending team wasting time to try and hang on to what would be a fairly notable victory, or whether it's because referees are influenced by the fact Man Utd are losing, this data doesn't show."
But Gabriella Lebrecht of Decision Technology - another firm that analyses sports statistics - has looked closely at the reasons why time has been added in matches over the last three complete seasons.
After the time added for events such as substitutions, yellow or red cards or goals, "you're left over with a certain amount which seems to be affected by the referee", she says.
Her calculations show that if the home team is winning, then the added time is cut by 46 seconds.
"If a strong team is losing at home, they get more time than if a strong team is losing away," she says.
Graham Poll Referee Graham Poll (seen here in 2004) admits pressure can affect decisions
Lebrecht calculates whether a team is "strong" based on their attacking and defensive performances. In the current season, Man City rate strongest, closely followed by Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.
Most important late goals ever scored by Man Utd were in 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich
German side were 1-0 up in 90th minute, when referee announced three minutes of added time
Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goals in 91st and 93rd minute won game and European title for Man Utd
So Fergie time does appear to exist, especially if one of these strong teams is playing at home. This applies to Chelsea too.
"If they're playing away it doesn't seem to exist as much," says Lebrecht. "There is this idea in football statistics of a home advantage. No-one knows quite what causes it. We know it's statistically significant but we're unclear why. This could be a part of that home advantage."
One thing she has noted is that when a substitution is made in stoppage time "a lot more" time is added to the clock than would be added in normal time.
"The referee feels the [home side] fans' anger if he doesn't add on enough time," she says.
Graham Poll bears this out from his experience.
"There is a pressure that's felt, that's tangible - you can feel as a referee out on the pitch - for that team to come back."
Continue reading the main story
The long and the short of it
Eight of the longest nine Man Utd games over the past three seasons have been victories for Man Utd (Opta)
21 of the shortest 22 Man Utd games over the past three seasons have been victories for Man Utd (Opta)
In an average Premier League match the ball is out of play for 34 minutes (Design Technology)
"You're sitting there going, 'OK, there's a couple of subs, goals, that's wasted time, injury there - we've got... three minutes maybe four.' Then you find yourself saying, 'Five'.
"That's something which then, sitting down and analysing it, you go, 'Where did that extra minute come from?' That's when that subconscious can kick in. It's a very strong referee that can actually recognise that and make sure he doesn't fall for it."
There is no statistical proof that Fergie time applies specifically to Man Utd. But the statistics do show a bias towards big teams.
Perhaps we should call it "Mancini time" or "Wenger time"? Or even "Benitez time" (or insert name of whoever is managing Chelsea at time of reading)?
Fergie time: Does it really exist?
It's a well-established idea among football fans that there's something called "Fergie time" - an extra helping of added time when Sir Alex Ferguson's team, Manchester United, are losing. But does it really exist?
The final minutes of a football game can be the tensest. If the match is tied, and both teams are desperate for victory, or one side is a goal down with the chance of pulling off a draw, these are desperate times.
Some (mostly non-Man Utd fans, it is fair to assume) accuse Sir Alex Ferguson's team of getting more added time to score that crucial final goal than any other team - and have dubbed this Fergie time.
If it does exist, it follows that referees aren't doing their job properly, as it's their responsibility to calculate how much time to add on at the end of the standard 90 minutes.
It is widely believed that referees add 30 seconds for each goal and substitution, and a certain amount for other stoppages such as injuries.
In fact, Fifa - world football's governing body - has no defined rules on the amount of time that should be added. Referees are supposed to work it out for themselves.
Former Premier League referee Graham Poll says that when you're refereeing, you don't believe in Fergie time.
"You dispel it as popular myth of teams that are jealous of Manchester United's success."
But when you take a step back, he says, you realise there could be something in it.
"I think it would be too easy to just say it's rubbish. When you analyse and think psychologically what happens, the pressure that's on you at Old Trafford or the Emirates or Stamford Bridge, the pressure that is implied upon you must have an effect, even if subconsciously."
(For the uninitiated, Old Trafford is Man Utd's ground, the Emirates stadium is Arsenal's and Stamford Bridge is the home of Chelsea.)
Fergie time - the chant
Man City fans
"We won the league/On Fergie time/We won the league/On Fergie time" (sung to the tune of Tom Hark).
Fergie time is now the stuff of football chants - Man City fans sang this at the end of the 2011/12 season, after a 94th minute goal in their last game, won them the Premier League title.
The phenomenon of Fergie time goes back to a game in the very first Premier League season, 1992/3, says Duncan Alexander of Opta Sports, which collates data from the football leagues.
It was Man Utd v Sheffield Wednesday and the score was 1-1 after 90 minutes. Seven minutes of added time were given, during which Steve Bruce scored for Man Utd, clearing the way for their first top-flight title in 26 years.
"Ever since then, every time United have been given quite a bit of injury time, it's been flagged up in people's heads and they've said, 'Oh United have got more Fergie time again'," says Alexander.
To work out whether there could be anything in it, he looked at the average amount of added time for the second half of every match. After all, the second half is where added time is going to matter most.
"This season United have had the most," he says.
So the suspicions about Fergie time are true - but only for this season.
Last season Man Utd had the lowest second-half average added time.
"Over the course of the 20-year Premier League there is not much consistency. United are not top every season," says Alexander.
But the crucial figure is how much added time Man Utd get when they have been drawing or losing after 90 minutes. Opta looked at the relevant data over the past three seasons - 2010-11, 2011-12, and the current season to date. They compared Man Utd with five other top teams:
Manchester City
Chelsea
Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool
When Man Utd were losing, they had an average of four minutes and 37 seconds added time, Alexander says, compared with three minutes and 18 seconds when they were winning.
"So you can see there that in games they lost, they got more time," he says.
"For the other, so-called top teams, other than Chelsea, all of them had longer games on average when they were losing. Whether that's a case of the defending team wasting time to try and hang on to what would be a fairly notable victory, or whether it's because referees are influenced by the fact Man Utd are losing, this data doesn't show."
But Gabriella Lebrecht of Decision Technology - another firm that analyses sports statistics - has looked closely at the reasons why time has been added in matches over the last three complete seasons.
After the time added for events such as substitutions, yellow or red cards or goals, "you're left over with a certain amount which seems to be affected by the referee", she says.
Her calculations show that if the home team is winning, then the added time is cut by 46 seconds.
"If a strong team is losing at home, they get more time than if a strong team is losing away," she says.
Graham Poll Referee Graham Poll (seen here in 2004) admits pressure can affect decisions
Lebrecht calculates whether a team is "strong" based on their attacking and defensive performances. In the current season, Man City rate strongest, closely followed by Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.
Most important late goals ever scored by Man Utd were in 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich
German side were 1-0 up in 90th minute, when referee announced three minutes of added time
Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goals in 91st and 93rd minute won game and European title for Man Utd
So Fergie time does appear to exist, especially if one of these strong teams is playing at home. This applies to Chelsea too.
"If they're playing away it doesn't seem to exist as much," says Lebrecht. "There is this idea in football statistics of a home advantage. No-one knows quite what causes it. We know it's statistically significant but we're unclear why. This could be a part of that home advantage."
One thing she has noted is that when a substitution is made in stoppage time "a lot more" time is added to the clock than would be added in normal time.
"The referee feels the [home side] fans' anger if he doesn't add on enough time," she says.
Graham Poll bears this out from his experience.
"There is a pressure that's felt, that's tangible - you can feel as a referee out on the pitch - for that team to come back."
Continue reading the main story
The long and the short of it
Eight of the longest nine Man Utd games over the past three seasons have been victories for Man Utd (Opta)
21 of the shortest 22 Man Utd games over the past three seasons have been victories for Man Utd (Opta)
In an average Premier League match the ball is out of play for 34 minutes (Design Technology)
"You're sitting there going, 'OK, there's a couple of subs, goals, that's wasted time, injury there - we've got... three minutes maybe four.' Then you find yourself saying, 'Five'.
"That's something which then, sitting down and analysing it, you go, 'Where did that extra minute come from?' That's when that subconscious can kick in. It's a very strong referee that can actually recognise that and make sure he doesn't fall for it."
There is no statistical proof that Fergie time applies specifically to Man Utd. But the statistics do show a bias towards big teams.
Perhaps we should call it "Mancini time" or "Wenger time"? Or even "Benitez time" (or insert name of whoever is managing Chelsea at time of reading)?
89
General Discussion / Re: Living the ( Privileged) life in Trinidad Tobago..Now and Then
« on: November 22, 2012, 02:53:24 AM »Just cool is right... that no hat in bank rule is bullshit, the fact that it flies in the UK is immaterial. Simple re-positioning of cameras will allow for faces to be captured on film... as is done here in the US where cameras are set from the perspective of over the tellers' shoulders. This isn't rocket science. Besides, rastas with their knit hats don't have anything obscuring their face yet they are prevented from entering banks. What if a muslim woman show up in a burqa and hijab? She ban too? What about sunglasses and a Groucho Marx moustache?
Beyond all of this... who needs to go into a bank anymore anyways? Tale of the tape in backwards ass Trinidad.
As far as I know there is no rule against going into a bank in the UK with a hat/cap on. I've done it several times and I've seen other people doing it. And obviously burqas, hijabs etc are allowed.
And just cool, I dont understand why you think US police are better than UK police. British police are extremely well trained and well behaved. They don't carry guns and they are far less threatening than american police. You might be able to sue the state if you get brutalised in the US, but you wouldnt get brutalised in the first place in the UK.
90
Football / Re: CHELSEA FOREVER! - Home of the Champions!
« on: November 21, 2012, 04:54:04 PM »
What a f**kin shambles. 
Hopefully we continue the trend and fire that fat f**ker after we lose to City on Sunday. Watch how we will boo him this weekend...no Chelsea fan can stand him.
And as mediocre as Torres is (and always will be)...lets not forget that Chelsea have had no problems scoring goals this season. We've scored 45 goals in 19 competitive games this season. The problem is purely defensive, largely the result of our less defensive minded attacking quartet.
Hopefully we continue the trend and fire that fat f**ker after we lose to City on Sunday. Watch how we will boo him this weekend...no Chelsea fan can stand him.
And as mediocre as Torres is (and always will be)...lets not forget that Chelsea have had no problems scoring goals this season. We've scored 45 goals in 19 competitive games this season. The problem is purely defensive, largely the result of our less defensive minded attacking quartet.