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Topics - Football supporter

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61
Football / Jorsling scores to sink Defence Force
« on: December 16, 2011, 11:18:16 PM »
Results from 16th December


St Anns Rangers 0  1  W.Connection

(Modeste O.G. 61')

Defence Force 2  3   Caledonia AIA

(Roy 53', 88')           (Guerra 5', Moore 25', Jorsling 67')

Standings

                 P    W   D   L    PTS
1  T&TEC    5     4    1   0     13

2  W.Conn  7      4   0    3     12

3  JAB        6     2    3    1     9

4  Cale       7     3    0    4     9

5  NES       6     2    1    3     7

6  St A      7      1    2    4    5

7  POL       1     0     1    0    1

8  DF        1      0     0    1    0


Playing Saturday 17th:

T&TEC vs NES      6pm Mannie Ramjohn
Jabloteh vs Police  6pm Larry Gomes Stadium


Tuesday 20th:

Caledonia vs NES      6pm Ato Boldon
Jabloteh vs  St Anns  8pm Ato Boldon

D.Force  vs  W.Conn  6pm Larry Gomes

T&TEC    vs Police     6pm  Mannie Ramjohn     

62
By Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com

JACK WARNER'S continued presence in the country's Cabinet amid allegations of bribery is believed to be an integral element in the perception of corruption in Trinidad and Tobago being at its all-time worst.

This statement was made by Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) chairman, Richard Joseph, at a press conference to announce the results of the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) yesterday.

Trinidad and Tobago has been ranked 91 out of 183 with a score of 3.2 out of ten, the results of this years CPI has stated.

It is the lowest ranking this country has ever attained since being included in the CPI for the first time in 2001.

In 2001 Trinidad and Tobago was ranked 31 out of 91 countries and scored 5.3 out of ten.

Last year this country was ranked 73 out of 178 countries with a score of 3.6.

Joseph described the change in ranking from 73 to 91 as a "precipitous drop".

The CPI ranks countries based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be and is a combination of surveys drawing on corruption-related data collected by a variety of reputable institutions . It reflects the views of observers from around the world, including experts living and working in the countries evaluated, Joseph said.

The CPI uses a simple form of indexing to arrive at a score ranging between zero, perceived to be the most corrupt, and ten, perceived to be the least corrupt.

Joseph said despite promises made on the campaign trail by the Kamla Persad-Bissessar led People's Partnership administration, not much has been done to tackle the issue of corruption.

"The 2011 CPI results suggest that there is a widely held perception that the issue of corruption in Trinidad and Tobago has not as yet been comprehensively addressed by the authorities," Joseph said.

"Two major campaign promises from the 2010 General Election that could have reversed this perception are still to be addressed - those are the implementation of the recommendations of the (John) Uff Enquiry into the Construction Sector and the enacting of new public sector procurement legislation," Joseph said.

Joseph said several incidents in the past year have also raised questions about the government's "avowed commitment to transparency and accountability".

"These include Minister Jack Warner's continued presence in the administration and many allegations about improper procurement and poor governance practices at some State agencies," Joseph said.

Warner is the Minister of Works and Infrastructure.

At a CFU special meeting on May 10 and 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, former FIFA presidential hopeful Mohamed bin Hamman allegedly offered bribes of US$40,000 each to 26 football officials from the region in exchange for votes.

Warner, who facilitated the meeting in May, subsequently resigned all his football positions after 28 years in FIFA's high command after an investigation was launched into the bribery allegations.

"While the Administration has insisted on selectively observing the rules of natural justice in these matters it is possible that, by allowing some incumbents to remain in office while lengthy and still unresolved investigations take place, its reputation has been harmed by association," Joseph said.

"There are other and more appropriate ways of dealing with these matters under current circumstances while adhering to the principles of natural justice," he said.

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has been mandated to investigate a video on the website of British newspaper The Telegraph allegedly showing Warner participating in the delivery of "gifts" from bin Hamman.

Joseph advised Warner to step down until investigations are completed.

"It is difficult to have a Minister in charge of a Ministry with an enormous budget against whom there are corruption allegations. I am not saying he is guilty or innocent or anything and I agree natural justice should take place but we have a country to run and we also have to run it in a certain way and with certain standards," Joseph said.

"I think a standard that is accepted internationally is if somebody is accused of something, they step down, clear their name and then they could come back," he said.

Joseph said a copy of the results of the CPI and the recommendations made by the TTTI have been forwarded to the government.

Senator Nicole Dyer-Griffith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said yesterday that the Government would release a comment on the CPI results today.



For literally years, I have been pointing out here that Mr Warners continued and increasing controversies are effecting this countrys reputation. Mostly, my comments were dismissed as over reaction or just an anti Warner crusade. Well, heres your proof. Trinidad football has suffered this year because of Warner, and I can tell you that people overseas could not believe such a man could remain in government, particulary after the "bribery scandal"  As you will see from the post below, just a perception of wrongdoing should result in a politician stepping down to avoid embarrassing his party and governments image. We all know that Kamla can't sack her boss, but legislation needs to be introduced that states that any M.P. or senator involved in criminal matters should takeb a leave of absence until the matter is resolved. This may not be natural justice, but even if you are innocent, the fact that youre close enough to a scandal to be mentioned is damaging to reputations.

Here is T&T again listed as corrupt. A couple of weeks ago, T&T was announced one of 11 countries red flagged as a tax haven ripe for money laundering operations.

Citizens really have to wake up and the media are doing an awful job of protecting the interests of the country, instead choosing to protect the interests of certain individuals. I hope this sends a message to Judge Rampersad and Mr Warner eventually goes to prison. At least that will give the country some plus points. Cleaning up T&T won't be done by CEPEP on the sidewalks, it must be done by government. Kamla vowed transparency and anti corruption and has then sat back and let Warner do whatever he wants. What a joke. 

http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=55110.0

63
I have left this subject alone for the last week, hoping that somebody (maybe a journalist, or the sharp eyed amogst us on the forum) would question the so called financial statement issued by TTFF/Allsport.

I may be completely wrong, but there are certain inconsistancies with the balance sheet.

http://ttffonline.com/home/latest-news/mens-senior-team/275-financial-statement.html

I'm seeing a long list of expenses.....but aside from $978,097.20 in gate receipts, I see no income. At the recent national team games I saw around 40 perimeter advertising boards. Were these provided free of charge by All Sport? I saw T shirts on sale in HC stadium. Did they sell none? I understand the stadium was provided free of charge, so maybe the concessions fees went to the stadium, fair enough, but we still should have been told.

Now I see a management fee of $206,375. Is this All Sports fee?

And heres the next problem. Lets say Tallman & Flex appoint a promotion company to promote this site. The promotion company oversees a huge decline in the popularity of the site. The promotions company reports a loss of $5,611,933, and sells advertising space, but declares no income. Would Tallman & Flex seriously even consider carrying on with the relationship?

Not being funny, but TTFF were doing a great job on their own of destroying supporter confidence and devaluing the T&T football brand, and I'm sure they were equally capable of losing over $5 million.

Now, I'm not being entirely fair here because much of the expenses were legitimate and have to be incurred to host international games.

My questions concern the following:

security  $186,849  For such small crowds? Was this contract tendered?
salaries (players, coaches etc) $2,579,920.94  did this include Pfisters salary?
Printing of tickets $74,985.74  Why print tickets? The matches were never going to sell out.
Team & Staff clothing $24,574.35. We couldn't get a kit sponsor?
Advertising Promotions and Video Production $329,400.03  Money well spent? What was the point?
Legal Fees $11,500.00 What for?
Management fees $206,375.00 paid to whom, for what?
Bank charges $29,897.05  How the hell can you incur nearly $30k in charges in 3 months?

If you're a struggling business, you bring in consultants to save unneccesary expenses. You look at where you can save and where you can boost income. If KFC were struggling they would launch special offers such as reducing the price of a meal for a limited period. What did All Sport do? Sell tickets at 10 times the cost of a ProLeague match. Against India, during a period of apathy with supporters.

That game should have been a special offer. $30 uncovered, $50 covered. If they had attracted 10-15,000 the next game would have been busy also, and maybe they could charge $50 uncovered and $100 covered. Big crowds mean more shirt sales, higher advertising charges. Simple.

And, as mentioned, what happened to the income from advertising? Surely they must have achieved at least $10,000 per advertiser?

Questions need to be asked about the performance of AllSport. They have lost $millions of taxpayers money. Everything may be above board, but we have the right to ask questions so that we can accurately  determine the effectiveness of AllSports involvement.

64
Football / VFI "Kick Breast Cancer Into Touch" Ladies Football Tournament
« on: November 13, 2011, 09:10:44 PM »
Link to video of the event. Applications already received for next years tournament, including a U.S. college team!!

Watch for the Sancho dance at the end  :rotfl:




http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150465338929714

65
I find it sickening that dignity is robbed of dead people just to grab some headlines. Last week, when the lady was dismembered on the highway, graphic images were shown of police collecting body parts. The son of the victim said he received a bbm message with a picture and the status "thigh and fries". The footage was all over the social networks.

Can you imagine the horror and upset of this lady's family and friends knowing her death was a source of tittilation for the public?

Then tonight, a very excited Ian Alleyne should footage of the 3 people killed at El Soccorro last night. Alleyne is turning into the grim reaper. What was he and Lalla doing there? Maybe one of the drivers was over the limit, but this isn't relevent to CrimeWatch. There was no criminal to hunt down. It was pure vulturism. You could see the buzz Alleyne got from the blood and broken bodies, while he laughed and joked with the emergency personnel and the victims families being filmed identifying the bodies.

The police shouldn't let cameras within a hundred yards. Instead of covering the bodies with rags and plastic, a tent should be erected around the body and the morticians should remove the bodies unseen.

An accident investigation should take place, in which case only officers in sterile suits should be admitted to the scene.

I can only imagine the impression this kind of footage gives people in other countries. Its gruesome and needless, and whether a body is a hardened criminal or an innocent pedestrian, the feelings of the families should be the first consideration.

Dignity in death? Not in T&T. 

66
If TTFF didn't pay the players as ordered, it is highly possible that TTFF could be forced into bankruptcy. If this occurs, I believe FIFA would then prevent T&T from playing any FIFA international matches at any level.
So, in order to rid T&T of the spectre of Camps, Warner, Groden and the rest, are we prepared to miss out on 2014?

In the above scenario, who takes the reins in the interim period and how is a new federation formed and recognised?

Remember, there is no money, so how is a new federation formed and how do they get the mandate to proceed? I presume the zones get to approve a new board, but they are in disarray too.

And suppose they vote in a new set of progressive thinkers, will corporate T&T get behind them? Are they still afraid of Warner? And if this happens, will there be a tsunami against Jack?

Interesting times.

67
Football / Newsday Editorial calls for Warners resignation
« on: October 17, 2011, 09:14:06 AM »
Jack’s red flag

Monday, October 17 2011

In light of last week’s damaging internationally broadcast video in which Works and Infrastructure Minister Jack Warner allegedly urged Caribbean Football Union (CFU) delegates at a CFU meeting on May 11 to accept gifts, Warner must either step down or have his Cabinet appointment revoked.

On at least five occasions in the past we have in Editorials called upon Warner to do the right thing and step down. Already he has insisted following on the broadcast of the video that he will not resign. If, however, he maintains his position and does not submit his resignation to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar within 24 hours then we, publicly, put to Persad-Bissessar that she must either demand that Warner resign or advise the President to revoke his appointment.

We note, for the record that under Section 77, subsection 3 : “A Minister other than the Prime Minister shall vacate his office – where his appointment is revoked by the President acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister.” And while we accept the provision under Trinidad and Tobago law that an accused person must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, nonetheless Warner’s voice in the video in which he reportedly urged the Caribbean Football Union delegates to accept gifts from then FIFA presidential candidate, Mohammed bin Hamman, is clear and unmistakable.

Interestingly, Warner’s reaction was not one of denial of the voice being his, but rather that the video had been doctored. Warner should step aside and if he wishes to he can seek to demonstrate that the video was tampered with. But he should not remain on as a Cabinet Minister while such a damning document exists virtually unchallenged.

While Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar advised media representatives on Thursday that she had referred the matter to the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, after viewing the video and reading the associated transcripts “whether there is anything to be concerned about”, we hold that may not be enough. What does the Prime Minister mean, when after being questioned as to whether she continued to throw her full support behind Warner she replied: “I will await comments from the Attorney General”

The 1976 Republican Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago is silent on any input by the holder of the office of Attorney General with respect to a Prime Minister advising the President to revoke the appointment of a Minister. While we do not question the Prime Minister’s prerogative to seek the advice of the Attorney General in this or any matter we would have been more comfortable with a precedent being cited.

Nationals are entitled to be uncomfortable with the video’s contents and the negative international impact they can have. The situation has not been helped by Jack Warner’s tacitly dismissive statement that he was not resigning. He should and must step down.

He should be required to explain the position attributed to him in the video. It is a position, which we pointed to earlier, in which Warner was alleged to have urged Caribbean Football Union delegates to accept gifts from bin Hamman. Warner should see the importance of taking steps to have his name cleared of allegations that he urged the acceptance of these gifts.

Did these gifts not constitute millions of dollars which had been reportedly brought into this country without official authorisation, and clearly far in excess of what is allowed under Trinidad and Tobago’s Customs regulations? In the meantime, what steps have the Commissioner of Police taken to date following on the broadcast of the video? Has anyone been interviewed? The video has inferred that an action in conflict with the laws of Trinidad and Tobago, specifically as they relate to Customs regulations as well as the question of allegedly offering bribes. Has the Customs and Excise hierarchy initiated investigations into the alleged incident?

We insist that Warner must go. The red flag has been shown.

68
Yahoo Sports

A little more than a year after hosting a successful World Cup, South Africa woke up with a giant hangover after a failure to understand the rules saw them miss out on qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Coach Pitso Mosimane admitted he had changed tactics and played for a draw in Saturday's final qualifier at home to Sierra Leone, thinking it was enough to win the group and qualify for the 2012 finals.

However, South Africa actually needed a win to avoid being eliminated on head-to-head results between the three teams tied at the top of the table, but no one appeared to have studied the regulations correctly.

Despite playing out the draw, they were pipped by outsiders Niger, who qualified for the first time.

More embarrassingly, the Bafana Bafana celebrated their supposed qualification at the end of the scoreless stalemate in Nelspruit (pictured), thinking they had done enough to advance to next year's finals co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

"It's very sad for South Africa because the country deserves to be in next year's Nations Cup. I feel like I have failed," Mosimane told reporters.

The coach, who took over after the World Cup, was under the impression that goal difference was the determining factor to decide the group winners and when he was told that leaders Niger were losing in Egypt, he changed tactics and settle for a draw.

Niger had led South Africa by a point going into the final round of qualifiers on Saturday.

"Do you think I would have left (striker Lehlohonolo) Majoro on the bench and put on a midfielder if I knew that we needed a goal? It doesn't make sense," Mosimane said, before criticising the regulations.

"Africa is a jungle, my friend," Mosimane added. "The European and South American formats are so much better because everything is running smoothly, but it's very difficult to play in Africa".

However, Mosimane was not the only one to fall foul of a misreading of the rules.

The state-run African Broadcasting Corporation proclaimed qualification and the South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani even went on television to congratulate the team.

69
Following on from the CLICO debacle and now with Jack Warner being served a summons to appear in court, the media really have to raise their game. Press & TV journos are sleeping while massive stories of huge importance to the public happen around them. News reporting isn't a spectator sport. Yes, they report the news, but they should also be uncovering the stories that others try to bury. Ian Alleyne is a nightmare, but at least he's first to the scene and then goes off to solve the case! Dangerous? Yes. Idiotic? At times, Yes. But he is uncovering stories.

Wednesdays news that Warner was being summoned was reported in the Sports section of the news by James Saunders. I like James, but his tone is very whimsical. This story was reported halfway through the bulletin in almost a lighthearted way. I was disgusted that a story with potentially so much impact on the nation could be treated in such a way. I don't think it even got a mention on the 10pm news.

Lets understand this. Mr Warner is first and foremost a T&T citizen, subject to the laws of the land. He has been accused by his employer of witholding information concerning the whereabouts and distribution of up to TT$180 million, some of which includes government funds. A T&T High court judge has described his accounts as unaccountable and declared that he believed several large financial items were missing. The Court of Arbitration in London identify ed Warner as the person responsible for providing incorrect accounts to the players and, thereby, the court.

Mr Warner, as an M.P. has sworn an oath to uphold the laws of T&T and to act with honesty and integrity.

As part of the Peoples Partnership, Mr Warner backed their election pledge to rid the nation of corruption and to work with transparency and accountability and to stop the practice of comingling funds.

The media should be asking Warner, and every available Minister, M.P. and senator if he (Warner) is going to resign. They should be calling for an investigation. Remember, this is not hearsay or speculation...it is fact. The accounts submitted by Warner were incorrect, and he has done nothing to correct that in 5 years. He lied to the players and attempted to mislead the court of arbitration and the T&T High Court.

And remember, it is alleged that Warner funded the PP's election campaign. If this is so, it is entirely possible that some of the funds from 2006 WC LOC found their way to the election campaign. If this is proven, the Govt would be forced to resign. This is big news at any time, but during a State of Emergency, this could be devastating for the country.

Now look at how the English press deal with their M.P.s and notice that the amounts involved are far less and, although rules are broken, they haven't commited perjury or contempt of court. They got caught and resigned to save their party further embarrassment.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23913133-shamed-mp-eric-illsley-faces-calls-to-resign.do

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5329136/Shahid-Malik-resigns-as-Justice-Minister-over-MPs-expenses.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/7783687/David-Laws-resigns-over-expenses-claim.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5562772/Kitty-Ussher-resigns-from-Government-over-17000-tax-dodge-MPs-expenses.html

http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1102/blunkettd.html




70
Football / 6 sent off for wearing wrong underpants!
« on: September 27, 2011, 12:23:06 PM »
Yahoo Sports

A youth game descended into farce after Bath City's youth team had five players and their manager sent off following a row about underpants.

Darren Adie, refereeing the contest against Newport County, contentiously ruled that some of the Bath team's underwear contravened the official rules.

The FA's rule 4 says "if thermal undershorts are worn, they are of the same main colour as the shorts."

Several players fell foul of the ruling, wearing white pants which were visible under the club's red shorts.

That said, the match was 20 minutes old before the issue came to a head.

Defender Billy Cooper was sent off first, with manager Billy Clark following for dissent at the decision, before Ciaran Rogers, Zemell Burton, Ben Bicknell and Lewis Pierre all saw red.

Despite that, the Bath Chronicle report that Bath City believe that even after the red cards, there were still players on the pitch on both sides who were technically in breach of the rules but remained on the pitch throughout.

Unsurprisingly, Bath City went on to lose the Youth Cup tie 6-0, with the first goal scored while two of their players were off the field, changing.

Bath City chairman Manda Rigby described the parents who saw the game as "distressed and angry," and said that referee Adie had locked himself in his room after the game.

‘"It was farcical - I have never seen anything like it before," she said.

‘"I was in total disbelief."

Bath managing director Paul Williams added: "It was all very surreal. I was angry with the officials.

"Every team has to submit a report about the officials to the FA. Let's just say ours is a very long report."

A spokesman for the FA said it was looking into the incident together with the Welsh FA, who supplied the match officials.

Newport County secretary Mike Everett, meanwhile, said he would not be making a similar complaint about the standard of refereeing.

"I understand that the initial problem was regarding incorrect undergarments," he said. "The referee made his decisions. There's not a lot I can add."

71
Football / Player scores with header from own half
« on: September 27, 2011, 12:19:42 PM »
Jone Samuelsen scored in 90th minute with a header from his own half. His team, Odd Grenland were winning 2-1 vs Tromso in the Norwegian League. Tromso won a corner in the 90th minute and their keeper went up for the corner to try to grab an equaliser. Odd Grenland hoofed the ball clear and a Tromso defender headed back into the Odd Grenland half right to Samuelsen who headed for goal from 55 metres and saw the ball bounce into the net. It is believed it is the longest scoring header in football history.


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/GB1j3-Ywg5c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/GB1j3-Ywg5c</a>

72
Football / Meet English football's youngest CEO
« on: September 14, 2011, 10:44:57 PM »
You would never see this happen in Trinidad!!
 

Wed Sep 14 Yahoo sport

Mansfield Town of the Blue Square Premier have appointed 29-year-old Carolyn Still as their new CEO, making her the youngest to hold such a position in English football.

Still comes from the fashion industry and is looking to bring a wide range of new ideas from that field to non-league football.

The 29-year-old joins West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady as one of the rare female executives in the men's game.

A statement on the Mansfield Town website read: "A politics graduate from the University of Durham, Ms Still brings a wealth of experience to her new position developed through the fashion industry where she worked alongside the chief executive and chief financial officer in two of the world's largest luxury goods companies, Bulgari SpA and Gucci Group."

Still told the club's website: "It's a great privilege for me to be offered the chance to lead this football club. I intend to add vibrancy and fresh ideas to our approach off the field.

"I want to wake sleeping fans with a lot of different initiatives by liaising with them and finding what they want."

Still added: "Much work has been done to develop relationships with key businesses in and around the area, and we must continue to work hard to ensure that our off-the-field commercial activity increases in an attempt to make the club self-sustainable.

"The club must continue to forge close relationships with the local community, businesses and supporters and it will be my job to ensure that these are strengthened to maximise both our revenue and our position in the local community.

"'We have a fantastic team both on and off the field and I am pleased to accept this role during a time when there appears to be a real buzz around the place."

Heres the link so you can see Carolyn's photo.....its worth checking!!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/article/68125/

73
Football / W.Connection 2 St Anns Rangers 1
« on: September 11, 2011, 10:56:36 AM »
W. Connection just got the better of St Anns' Rangers at Ato Boldon on saturday. The match was the first of Pro Leagues Fiesta Saturdays, designed to bring families to Pro League matches.

Confusion over amended kick off times and the cancellation of the Jabloteh/Police FC match may have deterred supporters, but there was still a reasonably attendence of maybe 600- 1000 people. There was a free bouncy castle and face painting for kids and some competitions and give aways.

I missed most of the first half as I believed the kick off had been moved to 5pm. The score was 1-0 to St Anns when I arrived.

As expected, WConn fielded a young team sprinkled with some experience, while St Anns had the more mature squad. The pattern seemed to be WConn continually pressing and often finding gaps in the St Anns defence, which was fairly square and static. St Anns looked to score on the break with Errol McFarlane often the lone target man looking to win the ball and set up marauding St Anns midfielders.

WConn equalised before half time with a header similar to the North East goal the night before, which set up the second half nicely. 

The game was played at a pedestrian pace, with occasional explosive attacks by WConn strikers. Although the St Anns back 4 seemed to more fluid with a defender stepping off as a sweeper at times, there were still many opportunities for threaded diagonal balls, although usually the strikers adopted traditional wing play looking to feed late arriving midfielders.

St Anns attempts to play an offside trap were thwarted by a combination of quick thinking from WConn strikers and superb decision making by the referrees assistant. At times, I contested her decisions initially, but having the benefit of replays in the commentry box, conceded she made remarkably astute decisions based on the passive/active laws.

Two notable incidents were the WConn winner which came from (I think) Jones playing down the right wing. A WConn attacker was ahead of the play in the box and was offside if the ball was played to him. Jones looked up before crossing, assessed the situation, cut inside the defender and powerfully shot to the keepers left from the corner of the 18 yard box. The keeper got his left hand to the ball but his wrist wasn't strong enough and he deflected the ball into the net.

A short time later, another attack down the middle saw another incident where a supporting attacker was offside. With the option of passing not available, the striker whipped shot that beat the keeper. The ball rebounded off the post to the feet of the other attacker who planted the ball in the back of the net. This time the refs asst ruled offside as the passive player had become active.

St Anns had a chance to equalise when their striker dipped his head to a ball and the WConn defenders boot connected with the striker. In my opinion, it was a 50/50 situation and may have warrented an indirect free kick, but the ref gave a pen. Errol McFarlane hit a poor penalty straight at the keeper, which, I felt, was a fair result.

The game was very slow at times, and although changes were made, I think the tactical changes that were required by both teams were lacking.

WConn don't look too bad going forward, but I think will struggle against a more fluid defence. Defensively, again, a more persistant front line should break them down, though the keeper wasn't bad.

St Anns will struggle. They have a big defence, but I feel they will be run ragged by a fast passing team. Wasn't convinved about the goalie. Going forward, Mc Farlane is often isolated and a defence that can win second balls will effectively close down St Anns attacking options. I think it was Keon Daniel playing left midfield and was often missing in action until he worked across the middle onto the right, where he was more effective. I think he will be the key to providing the creativity required if he plays more central/right.

Jerrel Britto had some good moments and some of the WConn youngsters should make impressions once they get a few games under their belts.

Spoke to Dexter Skeene after the game and he confirmed that DF & Police are still part of Pro League. He said he has been assured they will be able to play by end of Sept. Next week is First Citizens Cup with the draw taking place on Wednesday.

So, after 2 Pro League matches, both winning teams overcame a 1-0 defecit. T&TEC look fairly solid and I believe they won't have problems against WConn or St Anns.  North East, too, should take maximum points from these two clubs and may well overturn T&TEC in their two remaining fixtures.

Looks like it will be a tight league this year, as predicted.

(Sorry I didn't supply more players names in report!)

74
Football / Best Pro League match of last season?
« on: September 08, 2011, 01:52:18 PM »
I didn't see all the games last year, but I think this was the best I saw. I also think the North East equaliser at around 2.12 mins was the goal of the season (well, I would say that eh?)

http://www.ttproleague.com/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=75&video_id=127 

75
General Discussion / Making Lives Important
« on: September 08, 2011, 10:23:06 AM »
Maybe I'm just being over critical, but the Government is real jokey with their programmes. MLI was launched yesterday. Very nice PR, nice logos, Kamla & Sandy. Wonderful stuff.

http://www.news.gov.tt/index.php?news=9227

Except nobody knows what the programme is. Nice photos, but where's the content? Where's the ethos behind it, the budget, the location, the target groups, the staff, who's running it, how is the performance assessed and quantified?

Its great for the government to do this things if there is substance, but at the moment it just looks like another publicity stunt. Why is all this money wasted? Where's the Mentor scheme? Where are the result updates from that?


76
Football / Premier League - PFA to tackle black manager anomaly
« on: September 07, 2011, 07:40:12 PM »

Yahoo sport
Wed, 07 Sep 16:56:00 2011


The PFA are investigating the possibility of forcing clubs to put black candidates on shortlists for managerial vacancies.
Only two of the 92 English league teams have black managers, Chris Powell at Charlton and Birmingham's Chris Hughton (pictured), and discussions with the men who brought about the implementation of the 'Rooney Rule' in the United States, credited with getting more black coaches in the NFL.

Further talks are planned, and PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor feels it is an avenue that has to be explored, saying: "In football terms, we are the most cosmopolitan country in the world. There is no distinction between colour, creed, nationality or background."

He added: "However, the PFA spends a lot of money training players for the future and understandably, one of the most obvious areas of interest is coaching and management. For some reason the number of black people who actually get a chance in this area is very small."

The same situation used to exist in the NFL until the Rooney Rule was drafted by civil rights lawyer Cyrus Mehri. Implemented in 2003, it was forced to overcome some initial teething problems. However, once the NFL showed they were prepared to take tough action against clubs who did not follow the law, teams fell into line.

And Taylor feels a similar situation in England would be a win-win outcome given the increasing clamour for success, saying: "All we are asking for is an interview. But the more times people attend interviews, the greater the likelihood of them eventually getting a job.

"This has to be a good thing because it broadens panel of potential managers and coaches clubs are selecting from and opens up the possibility of greater experience. That should be what every club is looking for anyway."

Invited by Taylor, Mehri met members of the PFA, League Managers' Association, the Football Association, Football League and Premier League at Wembley on Wednesday, ahead of England's victory over Wales.

"We are committed to this issue and Cyrus' experiences can offer us an insight and some solutions that can begin to address a concern that will not go away on its own," said Taylor.

"Twenty years ago, Cyrille Regis and Luther Blissett did not try to carve out a career in management because they did not feel they would get a proper chance. In 2011, it is in no-one's interests for potential managers to be put off for similar reasons. We will not be taking this off our agenda."

77
Football / Yorke to play at Oval?
« on: September 03, 2011, 08:51:51 AM »
Great Balls of Fire 2 takes place today (saturday) at the Oval.

 Players carded to appear for Soca Warriors include Clayton Ince, Leonson Lewis, Darin Lewis, Autis Whitely, Cyd Gray, Errol Mc Farlane,Dale Saunders, Corneal Glen, Reynold Carrington, Nigel Pierre, Ron LaForest, Ansil Elcock, Russ Russell, Marvin Raeburn,Atiba Charles, Clint Marcelle and Brent Sancho. Dwight Yorke is currently in the country and it is understood he has received an invitation to play, but there is, as yet, no confirmation.

A crwod of 10-15 thousand is expected for the event which includes cricket between the current West Indies team and an all star team led by Chris Gayle, then the football match between West Indies 11 vs Soca Warriors. All proceeds to charity.

78
There are certain facts than cannot be disputed during this State of Emergency. There is less crime being committed. There are less deaths on the roads. People are spending more time at home together. People are probably drinking less alcohol. Its possible that productivity will incease due to condensed working hours.

In the face of these facts and a history of failed crime plans from all governments, it is realistic to assume that the government may consider a permanent curfew on a more relaxed basis.

Personal freedoms aside, would this be a bad thing for society?

Lets say the new curfew runs from Midnight until 5 am. What would be the effects? People would learn to lime earlier. Instead of meeting at 11pm, they would meet at 7pm. Bars would stop serving at 10.30 am and be emptied by 11pm. If the police are actively breathalysing drivers between 11pm and midnight, there would be less drink driving which is a proven cause of the reduction of deaths on the road. Businesses would be affected less, as people would come out earlier. Night clubs would open from 8pm until 11pm.

Crime should also stay lower with the country locked down from midnight to 5am.

But would this work without the assistance of an SOE? Maybe they would keep that in place too?

The reduction in alcohol intake must be beneficial to society, but would the curtailing of T&T's liming society be worth the price? Certainly, it appears that the breathalysers are having no effect. People like to drink and drive.

The question is, will living in a near police state be preferable to the previous scenario when nobody was safe from the bandits? The loss of certain civil rights would be heavily criticised, but do we really enjoy those freedoms in the current society. I could insist its my right to lime by a bar until 3am. But do I feel safe travelling home after? And should I be driving after drinking? Many of the fatal accidents occurring at night on the roads are not just the result of alcohol, but also tiredness. It is possible that the same driver, with the same alcohol intake would be less likely to have an accident at 9pm than 3am.   

What rights are we prepared to give up, if any, to live in a country with less crime?

79
General Discussion / State of Emergency....Good concept, poor execution?
« on: August 24, 2011, 10:42:04 PM »
So far, there have been very interesting debates on this site concerning the SOE, but I have been disapointed with the debates and interviews on TV. It seems to me that immediately someone opens their mouth, what you hear is not constructed arguments or opinions, but comments directly reflecting their political standpoint. A good example was an interview between that news guy Dominic and a senior police union guy. (Sorry, I'm a bit rusty on the names!) The police guy immediately began talking about the strain on the police and how the govt expect them to give 100% when they won't pay more than 5% increase on wages. Basically, the interview was about industrial relations.

Now, all this is important, but I feel the immediate issues should be discussed without political rhetoric, as difficult as it may be. So I have questions about the SOE, and I have no political affiliation or preference. Perhaps here, we can have a non partisan debate?

In my opinion, the State of Emergency, though extreme, could be justified under the following conditions:

The government set clear, public targets such as 500 guns to be taken off the streets, dismantling of every major gang in the 26 designated hot spots, arrests of 10 businessmen involved in the drug trade, seizure of at least TT$5 million in suspect funds, seizure of 26 properties used in gang or drug crime, seizure of 5 boats used in drug/gun smuggling, seizure of TT$5 million street value of drugs, arrest of 20 homicide suspects.

Now these targets may not all have been achieved, but you set goals that are realistic. Before you launch your SOE, you compile lists of target criminals. You may not have solid evidence that these people have commited crimes, however, many people, including police, strongly suspect certain people. Usually you have to wait to obtain solid evidence before you can even obtain a search warrant. However, the SOE circumvents this. An example is the youth who got caught with $20 million in cocaine. The story is that this 19 year old airport worker has an expensive pimped up ride far beyond his means. Now this isn't sufficient to obtain a search warrant, but basic enquiries would confirm this as suspicious, so under the SOE you search and arrest.

If the govt can say at the end of the SOE, well we wanted to seize 500 guns, but we only got 387 but we exceeded our homicide suspect target and arrested 31, the country would deem this a success.

But without targets, how can we know?

My second problem is timing and communication. For those of us who didn't experience the coup, this SOE will be the biggest civil event in our memory. It will still be discussed in 20 years time. We are experiencing an historic moment that will be taught in schools in the future. Given the magnitude of this, why wasn't it planned and communicated better?

As mentioned, a target list should have been compiled. All police, army and essential services leave should have been cancelled (no one would have suspected an SOE, but maybe a major police operation). As Kamla announced the SOE, that should have been the trigger for a massive strike on targets to take place. She effectively gave bandits 3 hours warning. I carried on liming on Ariapita for 90 mins after the announcement! On monday morning, news of gun seizures, arrests etc should have been announced, thus gaining the support of the public. 

Cabinet should have drawn up contingency plans such as medical emergency procedures, traffic management, international travel scenarios etc. Information distribution should have been planned with a designated government spokesman giving statements on tv at 7 am. 1pm, 7pm and 10pm. When the SOE was launched, full and complete handouts should have been distributed to media. Full page ads in Mondays papers should have explained to the people the reasons for this and how it will effect people. A govt BBM and text message should have been sent out. Detention centres such as Army Barracks should have been created to ease the burden on the already overloaded prison service. Emergency courts should have been in place to begin the legal process. A squad of court appointed lawyers should have been created to advise detainees. Independent observers should have been appointed to ensure the geneva convention was observed (To be honest, I'm not sure if the Geneva Convention applies to this situation, but there must be some international safeguard of citizens under marshall law or a state of emergency)

Thirdly, it is incredible that the police commissioner was not advised or included in the planning. At the time of the SOE announcement, there was no acting commissioner. This is crazy. Gibbs should have been involved days before in planning raids and targeting criminals. This has made his position untenable. The world's highest paid policeman was not aware of the biggest law enforcement operation in this country for 20 years. Gibbs must be extremely embarrassed. Did someone say "well, wait, shouldn't we involve Gibbs in this?" only to receive a reply such as "nah, doh study Gibbs, we doh need him"

For all the good intentions (and we really aren't sure what they are) after 4 nights of curfew, we still aren't sure what we are allowed to do. Can I travel from St Joseph along the EMR to Tunapuna at 11pm? None of these are hotspots, so is it safe? We saw bars, and even KFC, open in Debe, so is it business as usual in cold spots?

Better, clearer information should be provided. TV crews and reporters should be accompanying police operations so we can see the results. Ministers should stop trying to cover up and admit mistakes have been made. Regardless of the results, the electorate will remember the lies and blunders.

The opposition should have been consulted and should be 100% supportive.

And how on earth, if there are, say, 500 arrests, will these people be processed after the SOE? are there enough lawyers? How many police will be off the streets writing paperwork and attending court? Is there sufficient room in the prisons?  There will be a legal log jam after the SOE. When the police continue their usual services, will they be quietly told not to arrest people as there is a court waiting time of 12 months?

To me, if I was leading the police union, I would be eagerly awaiting the end of the SOE so I could call more days of rest and reflection. After all, many police could legitimately claim exhaustion and stress. This would cause chaos in the courts. Imagine every arresting officer due in court on monday calling in sick. Next day he goes to work and all of the arresting officers in tuesdays cases are off sick? Meanwhile, the lawyers will be richer than the drug barons!

The SOE may have been a good concept and may well reap great rewards for the public. However, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. 

80
Football / Will T&T be allowed to play at home by FIFA?
« on: August 22, 2011, 02:07:53 PM »
Just a thought, but when there has been unrest in countries and an SOE is declared, teams are advised not to travel to these countries. If its a SOP of FIFAs not to request teams visit countries under an SOE, the match vs Bermuda could be moved elsewhere.

Certainly, if I was the Bermuda coach, I would refuse to travel for fear of my players being in danger. Now we know that won't be the case, but if I was the coach and I could remove T&T's home advantage, I'd do it!

81
Football / How will SOE effect Pro League?
« on: August 22, 2011, 07:14:54 AM »
Just watching this situation. They say that the limited SOE initially is only for 3 days, but can be extended. If thats the case, how will this effect the attendances at this weekends opening games? You may be able to watch the 6pm matches and reach home by 9pm if you live in the West, but it will be a gamble if you live out by Santa Cruz and East from there. So, what about the 8pm kick offs? I'm not feeling to pass by Sealots & Beetham on the highway at 10.30pm.

During a SOE, will the kick offs be earlier?   

82
Football / England Football Thread.
« on: August 21, 2011, 09:22:55 AM »
Some interesting comments on the pressures facing players who represent their country. Perhaps we should remember this when critiscising poor performances?


Neville: England 'a waste of time'
Yahoo Sport


Gary Neville has revealed he sometimes regarded his long England career as "a massive waste of time".

The Manchester United legend, who won 85 international caps, delivered a withering assessment of his time with the Three Lions in his autobiography, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday.

Neville said that many players live in fear of criticism from fans and the media, and also criticised several of the managers he played for.

He wrote: "There have been times when I reflected on my international career and just thought: ‘Well, that was a massive waste of time.’

"Sorry for sounding sour, but my best mate, David Beckham, got butchered after the World Cup in 1998, then my brother, Phil, after Euro 2000.

"The whole lot of us got it in the neck at other times. Sometimes we deserved it, but playing for England was one long rollercoaster: some ups and downs, but also quite a few moments when you’re not really sure if you’re enjoying the ride.

"It should be fantastic, the best moments of your life. But there is no doubt that too many players spend too much time fearing the consequences of failure when they pull on an England shirt."

Neville, who had a 12-year England career stretching from 1995-2007, said that Kevin Keegan "fell short of the level required" and even admitted there were times when he was pleased not to be playing.

"Things got so bad during Kevin’s reign that it was a relief to be left on the sidelines or injured," Neville said.

Glenn Hoddle's unconventional methods were also exposed. As well as employing faith healer Eileen Drewery, Neville claimed Hoddle would touch players just above the heart before matches, and "asked the staff to walk around the pitch anti-clockwise during the game against Argentina to create positive energy."

Neville also said Sven-Goran Eriksson picked Michael Owen as captain when David Beckham was injured because he was more famous than more deserving team-mates.

"Nothing personal against Michael, but there were other players, like Rio Ferdinand, Gerrard, Frank Lampard and me, who were more obvious contenders," Neville wrote.

"But Michael was the bigger name, and Sven could be a little weak like that."

83
Football / Soccer is a political football
« on: August 19, 2011, 07:59:14 AM »
Theres a lot going on at the moment in T&T football. Clearly, politics is playing a part in the events of the last few weeks. My question is: Who is pulling the strings?

The retirement from football of Jack Warner was always going to leave a void. But one wonders how much influence he is still having. The decision by his son, Daryll, to withdraw Joe Public from the Pro League is one example. Allegedly, this is due to the Pro League owing prize money to the club. However, all club owners and officials are aware that financial decisions are made to benefit the league, in order to provide a competition for the clubs. Apparently, funds due from the government, possibly via SPORTT, have not yet materialised, but will be coming. Therefore, the clubs voted to postpone prize money awards to allow the league to continue. So, the withdrawal of Joe Public on those grounds is surprising. It has also been made known that several players contracted to Joe Public have been told they can stay, and possibly play with the Super League outfit, so its possible the club will still have to pay maybe $300,000 in wages this year, yet generate no income. And why decide now? Why wait until fixtures have been released?

Then we see the sudden withdrawal of Keith Look Loys secondment by the Prisons Sports Club of his attempt to take control of the Eastern League. Why agree, then with less than two weeks until the vote, suddenly withdraw? Unless the election can be rearranged, Look Loy now cannot stand, as candidates must apply at least 14 days before the election.

The timing of these two events are at best, suspicious.

Another shock yesterday was the announcement that QPFC are being disbanded and Mr Fackery will now be competing as St Anns Rangers once again. On the surface, this doesn't seem political. Apparently, Terry Fenwick was supposed to pay a lump sum to Fackery as part of the agreement to merge the entities. So, Fenwick obviously failed to secure the funding. But anyone who knows Fenwick will know he doesn't commit to tasks he cannot follow through, particularly one that has attracted so much publicity. Also, you would believe that the old school ties down at the oval will be spitting feathers to see their club involved in such mismanagement. My feeling is that whoever was funding this venture either had no intention of parting with money, or, more likely, was warned away by someone more influential.

Then of course we had the embarrassment of the cancelled game against Haiti followed by the announcement that TTFF were going to have a meeting to implement a sponsorship campaign.

Lo and behold, a week later up steps ALLSPORT and Anil Roberts with a very defined package, including sponsors! Now, its entirely possible that TTFF are geniuses and contacted Tony Harford with a tempting deal. Hartford then sat down with his team, drew up a proposal and approached sponsors, who immediately said yes and signed contracts, obtained a meeting with Anil Roberts, who carefully studied the plans, maybe making some suggestions and alterations and then arranged a media launch.

Trust me, things don't work that quickly in Trinidad. So was it all stage managed? Haiti game cancelled and ALL SPORT coming to the rescue. Roberts shouting no money for football, then giving it to a 3rd party? Methinks this was all set in place way before the cancelled Haiti match.

I have no evidence that Mr Warner is influencing these matters, but, as in the Wizard of Oz, all roads seem to lead to the Emerald Palace, or in this case, the Emerald Hotel. And remember, the Wizard was just a little guy hiding behind the scenes, pulling all the strings.

I don't know what Mr Warners motives are, if indeed he is involved. Trying to weaken the Pro League so it goes bust and the Super League goes professional, blocking Look Loy from implementing change and keeping his partners in the East in place, thus protecting Camps & Co and protecting the TTFF secrets, manoevering his boy Harford into the LOC role that was Jacks domain back in 06?

All in all, as a wise man once said, if it looks like a dog and barks like a dog, it probably is a dog. And a clever dog at that.

84
Football / La Liga - Footballers vote to strike in Spain
« on: August 12, 2011, 07:11:24 AM »
La Liga - Footballers vote to strike Yahoo news

The Spanish professional footballers' association has voted to strike for the first two matches of the new La Liga season over collective bargaining rights for wage protection.

Players want a larger wage guarantee fund for when clubs become insolvent - a problem that Spain's system has seen all-too frequently, with Levante and Hercules struggling to pay staff members in recent years and Real Zaragoza applying for administration this summer, which is a common occurrence particularly in the Segunda Division.

The AFE said that the 12 million euros owed to about 100 players last year had ballooned to about 50 million owed to 200 players.

Flanked by the likes of Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso (both Real Madrid), Carles Puyol (Barca) and David Albelda (Valencia), AFE president Luis Rubiales announced that enough was enough for an issue that blights the smaller clubs in what is arguably football's top league.

"We are way behind all of Europe in this matter," Rubiales said. "AFE and the players from the first and second divisions have made the decision to call a strike for the first two matchdays of the season.

"The players have met with us and decided that 'enough is enough now'. There will be no league until a collective bargaining agreement is reached."

The LFP, Spain's football league governors, expressed their shock at the strike action.

"We adopted two historical changes to Spanish football that corresponded to the players requests," it said, referring to a financial self-regulation code for clubs and so-called "efforts" to protect a proportion of wages for players whose clubs are in administration.

"For this reason, the calling of a strike at a moment when fundamental steps forward are being taken is incomprehensible for the LFP," it added, insisting negotiations would continue.

In addition to Zaragoza, five more Liga sides are currently in administration - Racing Santander, Real Mallorca and the three promoted teams, Rayo Vallecano, Real Betis and Granada.

In the Segunda Division 12 of the 22 clubs were in administration last month.

A recent study by Barcelona University's accounting professor and football expert Jose Maria Gay showed a combined loss of 100 million euros between June 2009-10 among the 20 clubs in La Liga.

Total debt of the top-flight clubs was estimated at over double the overall revenue of 1.61 billion euros.

Spain's football system sees TV money in particular heavily skewed towards the top clubs, meaning smaller Liga clubs and those in lower divisions operate on small budgets and often struggle to stay afloat despite modest outlays on wages.

A separate row over the allocation of TV revenue saw a strike narrowly averted last season.

The new season is scheduled to start in 10 days, on Sunday August 21.

85
Football / Sancho wants home for North East Stars
« on: August 07, 2011, 09:41:56 PM »
Sancho wants home for North East Stars

By STEPHON NICHOLAS Sunday, August 7 2011

NORTH EAST STARS, CEO Brent Sancho, is pleading for a place to call home for the Pro League team with the 2011-2012 season scheduled to kick-off later this month.

The Sangre Grande-based team, founded in 2001, have been forced to play their “home” games at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima and at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva as the Sangre Grande Recreational Ground on Ojoe Road had been deemed unfit to host professional matches.

Their plight reached its lowest in 2009 when the Stars had to withdraw from the 2009 season.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Sancho painted a grim picture of the facility and the playing surface which he describes as a mud pit.

“The ground is being overused and it is not being taken care of. The field is like a mud pit right now,” he declared.

The former national defender revealed he has been in contact with the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and has presented several ideas to get the facility up to the standard required by the Pro League.

“We had presented plans and put something forward but with the government change last year (it has stalled a bit). We’re hoping to get the ground to play on this year but nothing has been done. We’ve met with the head of the Corporation and he seems like he wants to help but time is going by. Words have been spoken but now we need action,” he said.

The 34-year-old believes the community would be best served by bringing some order to the facility and proposed his club to do the job.

“It is a community field so we have other people (playing there) with rugby and fete matches. It is a first-come-first-serve right now. Who is to stop someone if we do work on the pitch Saturday for a game the next week and then someone comes to play on it and damages the ground the next day. We are willing to take up the slack and maintain the ground and bring some order. It is a big ground so we can have two pitches,” he explained.

The North East Stars CEO said the current situation can not continue for much longer as his club is missing out financially and are losing touch with their Sangre Grande fans.

“We need to play games at home to draw revenue. You’re not getting gate receipts (when you play away) or getting to sell replica shirts. It’s vital to interact with your fans. Last season we did a lot of community work so when we had the FA final against Jabloteh we had about 5-6 bus loads of supporters coming. Playing in front your fans is positive for the community but sometimes they want to come and see us play and then we have a home game in Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella so it is difficult for them,” he pointed out.

86
Football / Lasana article in T&T Mirror
« on: August 04, 2011, 10:23:27 AM »
Apparently, Lasana has, or is about to publish a scathing article in the T&T Mirror. However, I can't find an online site for the paper. Anyone know how we can access this?

87
Football / World Cup - Fury over FIFA's £18m draw
« on: August 01, 2011, 04:25:47 PM »
FIFA chiefs have come under fire after wasting £18 million of taxpayers' money in cash-strapped Brazil on the World Cup 2014 qualifying draw.
   
The 100-minute show cost Brazilians £180,000 a minute - or £3,000 a second - after FIFA chiefs insisted that Cup organisers erect a custom-built auditorium especially for the event.

FIFA insisted that it could not find a suitable existing venue in Rio De Janeiro, an enormous city that boasts nearly seven million people in the city centre alone.

Football's world governing body also demanded that nearby Santos Dumont airport was shut for the duration of the ceremony, partly for security purposes and partly to avoid interference for TV viewers.

88
Football / Oldest trick in the book.....still working lol
« on: August 01, 2011, 04:20:07 PM »

89
Football / Goalkeepers 'dive right on high pressure penalties
« on: July 14, 2011, 06:49:49 PM »
  Yahoo.co.uk

*TAKE NOTE ENGLAND* - a group of Dutch scientists have studied penalty shoot-outs and have come up with some interesting findings.

According to the boffins, goalkeepers tend to instinctively dive to the right in high pressure situations due to "animal instincts", while in more normal situations they dive right or left an equal number of times.

The bad news for England is that, despite the scientists at the University of Amsterdam using one of their penalty shoot-out defeats as a case study, they plan to pass over their full findings to the Netherlands national team.

The researchers looked at England's defeat to Portugal at the 2006 World Cup when Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up against Paul Robinson (pictured). Even though Ronaldo's body language seemed to show he was going to go to the goalie's left, Robinson still dived to his right.

"When Robinson dived to his right, he was making a common choice for our right-oriented brains," explains Marieke Roskes, who wrote the report.

Roskes then conducted a series of experiments with volunteers who were asked to think about saving a penalty when their team was behind - and the results were similar.

"The goalkeeper is the only player who can regain the chance to win the game, so he has the chance to become the big hero," she said.

"It's quite impressive. Even in this situation, people are still influenced by biological factors.

"We're very hopeful this will help the Dutch team win the next World Cup."

With even England's women's team being afflicted by penalty shoot-out woe these days, it might be worth the FA picking up a copy of the journal Psychological Science, where the study will be published.

90
A seven-year-old from Northampton saw his holiday in Spain become a football dream when he was offered a trial with European champions Barcelona.

Kai Fifield joined in with a group of local kids having a kickaround near Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium while on holiday in the Catalan city with his dad.

But unbeknown to the youngster, the match was being watched by Barcelona scouts looking to recruit new talent for the club's famous youth academy.

The scouts approached Kai's dad Delaney and asked him if his son could come along to an official trial at the 100,000-seater stadium the day after - an offer which threw up a problem, since the two were due to fly back to England the following day.

"I explained we were leaving tomorrow but they were persistent," Delaney explained. "So we cancelled the flights and I took him back!"

Kai's trial on one of Barcelona's first-team training pitches went well, with a coach describing the lad's performance as "very, very good".

The coaches will deliver their final verdict over the next weeks, however, with Kai in line to be offered a place at the academy as of September if he is deemed good enough.

"I would pack our bags and move there tomorrow if they asked," confirmed Delaney.

"Every father would say this, but he is a fantastic player. He is small but very quick, has great passing and is unselfish.

"You don't get a chance like this every day and it has come our way by complete chance."

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/article/57757/

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