yup...very much...just got tied down with the world cup and then work...but i am there...and am gonna make a honest effort to keep this blog alive
so in the words of Ali G - BOO YAH
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Everton FC: Innovative Toffees look to crack lucrative Indian market
Everton FC have struck a lucrative mobile phone deal in India as the club looks to meet the needs of an emerging fan base across Asia.
Sports marketing specialists Total Sports Asia helped the English Premier League side to secure a mobile content deal with Indiatimes, as the Toffees look to crack the potentially lucrative Indian market.
The new contract with Indiatimes has been agreed via TSA, Everton's licensed mobile content provider in Asia. Indian Blues will now be able to download, via web and WAP sites, Everton ringtones, wallpapers and videos of their favourite players straight to their mobile devices.
Everton is the first Premier League football club to partner with Indiatimes, which is the most popular internet and mobile service in India. However, the Toffees are not the first English club to eye the Indian market - Manchester United last year opened a restaurant in the country, while Tottenham Hotspur sponsored the Indian team at the Homeless World Cup in Milan.
Meanwhile, Everton's popularity across Asia continues to grow thanks to the Toffees' strong links with main partner Chang, who are based in Thailand. "The Everton fanbase is going from strength to strength across Asia and it is vital we reach as many fans as possible using a range of media platforms," said Mark Rowan, head of media and communications at Everton. "Mobile media is just one extension of the services we provide to communicate with our supporters across the world."
Julian Jackson, senior vice president of media at Total Sports Asia, added: "We are very pleased to conclude this deal in India and for Everton, as it gives them the chance to reach out to the millions of English Premier League Fans, that many other clubs have not had yet. Everton's professionalism has once again impressed us and is what made the deal possible."
TSA is licensed to distribute official Everton mobile content throughout Asia with the exception of China.
Source: http://www.leadersinfootball.com/business/707/
Sports marketing specialists Total Sports Asia helped the English Premier League side to secure a mobile content deal with Indiatimes, as the Toffees look to crack the potentially lucrative Indian market.
The new contract with Indiatimes has been agreed via TSA, Everton's licensed mobile content provider in Asia. Indian Blues will now be able to download, via web and WAP sites, Everton ringtones, wallpapers and videos of their favourite players straight to their mobile devices.
Everton is the first Premier League football club to partner with Indiatimes, which is the most popular internet and mobile service in India. However, the Toffees are not the first English club to eye the Indian market - Manchester United last year opened a restaurant in the country, while Tottenham Hotspur sponsored the Indian team at the Homeless World Cup in Milan.
Meanwhile, Everton's popularity across Asia continues to grow thanks to the Toffees' strong links with main partner Chang, who are based in Thailand. "The Everton fanbase is going from strength to strength across Asia and it is vital we reach as many fans as possible using a range of media platforms," said Mark Rowan, head of media and communications at Everton. "Mobile media is just one extension of the services we provide to communicate with our supporters across the world."
Julian Jackson, senior vice president of media at Total Sports Asia, added: "We are very pleased to conclude this deal in India and for Everton, as it gives them the chance to reach out to the millions of English Premier League Fans, that many other clubs have not had yet. Everton's professionalism has once again impressed us and is what made the deal possible."
TSA is licensed to distribute official Everton mobile content throughout Asia with the exception of China.
Source: http://www.leadersinfootball.com/business/707/
Lionel Messi , Wayne Rooney : If they can so can you
Stayed awake to watch both legs of the Arsenal-Barca tie.It was heart breaking to see Wenger's young guns booted out of the the Champs league but on the other hand it was heartening to see Messi's performance.It gave me hope that there can be billions of IPL matches and Lalit Modi may reckon that IPL will be bigger than the EPL and football soon but, as long as the likes of Messi,Rooney,Ronaldo etc. have something to say about it football will always hold sway.You know that a performance is special when even the opposing team fans applaud and praise you.Right from Wenger , to the players to fans like me there is a general feeling in the Arsenal world that there was no shame in those losses and we lost to an exceptional team with an exceptional player.
On the other hand this Wednesday Rooney delighted the neutral with his mad dog perfromance against Bayern in the CL QF.it was obvious that he was playing in pain but the drive and hunger for being on the field was there for all to say.Rooney is an absolute delight to watch and i find him to be a very selfless player.
The structure of both these players makes for interesting reading that seems to tell kids around the world that "if we can so can you"
Rogan Taylor on Leaders in Football makes a very intersting point.
Genius in football very rarely occurs in players with the 'ideal body' for the modern game. If you're looking for tall strapping athletes in that supreme class of men who jostle for the 'greatest ever' mantle, you won't find any. What you will find is quite a few little fat guys, and skinny ones too; from Puskas to Pele, Cruyf to Maradona and, well, maybe Messi too.
This is an Argentinean boy with a growth hormone deficiency who arrived at Barca, aged 13yrs, where they picked up the bill for his treatment. Then there's Wayne Rooney, for whom the opposite was true: no problem with growth (or any other) hormones as a youngster. In fact, he looked a man before he was a teenager, but he looked (as many of the family of 'battling Rooneys' do) like a boxer, not a football player. He looks like the opposite; a muscled, squat, middleweight, almost square in shape. They say Liverpool FC turned him down as a kid on the basis of his body.
But Rooney is on the verge of greatness too; certainly the only English player in the running; a complete 'natural'. I was there at Goodison Park at his debut, and before he had sprinted five yards onto the pitch from the tunnel, he appeared more of a pro than many around him with years of top football under their belts. These days, his touch, pace, vision, shooting and passing are almost invariably superb. Almost impossibly, it seems, even aerial power is at his command, despite looking like a machine that could never fly.
It is this physical democracy that gives football its great charm - everyone has a chance, not just to play but to dream of being eventually in that special chamber where the greatest of all are gathered. Almost any kid in the world can look in the mirror at an unprepossessing body and think: I can make it - Messi and Rooney did.
It may be that the complete unlikelihood of ever being able to properly control a ball with the distant lumps on the end of your legs is the very aspect of the game which allows the most unlikely looking physical types to succeed at the very highest level. The fact so many millions of the rest of us around the world play the game willingly every week is a testament to human optimism.
In the end, football is like Peter Crouch - the miracle is that we can play it at all.
On the other hand this Wednesday Rooney delighted the neutral with his mad dog perfromance against Bayern in the CL QF.it was obvious that he was playing in pain but the drive and hunger for being on the field was there for all to say.Rooney is an absolute delight to watch and i find him to be a very selfless player.
The structure of both these players makes for interesting reading that seems to tell kids around the world that "if we can so can you"
Rogan Taylor on Leaders in Football makes a very intersting point.
Genius in football very rarely occurs in players with the 'ideal body' for the modern game. If you're looking for tall strapping athletes in that supreme class of men who jostle for the 'greatest ever' mantle, you won't find any. What you will find is quite a few little fat guys, and skinny ones too; from Puskas to Pele, Cruyf to Maradona and, well, maybe Messi too.
This is an Argentinean boy with a growth hormone deficiency who arrived at Barca, aged 13yrs, where they picked up the bill for his treatment. Then there's Wayne Rooney, for whom the opposite was true: no problem with growth (or any other) hormones as a youngster. In fact, he looked a man before he was a teenager, but he looked (as many of the family of 'battling Rooneys' do) like a boxer, not a football player. He looks like the opposite; a muscled, squat, middleweight, almost square in shape. They say Liverpool FC turned him down as a kid on the basis of his body.
But Rooney is on the verge of greatness too; certainly the only English player in the running; a complete 'natural'. I was there at Goodison Park at his debut, and before he had sprinted five yards onto the pitch from the tunnel, he appeared more of a pro than many around him with years of top football under their belts. These days, his touch, pace, vision, shooting and passing are almost invariably superb. Almost impossibly, it seems, even aerial power is at his command, despite looking like a machine that could never fly.
It is this physical democracy that gives football its great charm - everyone has a chance, not just to play but to dream of being eventually in that special chamber where the greatest of all are gathered. Almost any kid in the world can look in the mirror at an unprepossessing body and think: I can make it - Messi and Rooney did.
It may be that the complete unlikelihood of ever being able to properly control a ball with the distant lumps on the end of your legs is the very aspect of the game which allows the most unlikely looking physical types to succeed at the very highest level. The fact so many millions of the rest of us around the world play the game willingly every week is a testament to human optimism.
In the end, football is like Peter Crouch - the miracle is that we can play it at all.
Friday, April 2, 2010
la liga players could go on strike just before el classico
Just came across this article...Top teams from la liga could go on strike to help lower division teams to get their money.
****************************************
Panic stations. The eagerly-awaited return clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday April 10 is at risk because of a possible strike of Spanish league footballers. This is not the first time the Asociacin de Futbolistas Espaoles has raised such a threat in support of player grievances and, given the games perpetual financial turmoil, it will not be the last.
Clearly, by picking the weekend of April 10/11 the union has found a target date which, it hopes, will concentrate minds. Spanish and Italian league players are among the most militant in Europe. This may surprise outsiders, considering these are the two leagues whose pay rates compete with the Premier League at the highest level.
Appearances, however, are deceptive.
When players in Italy and Spain threaten to take, or even take concerted industrial action the cause is not one which sees the likes of Del Piero and Francesco Totti or Iker Casillas and Leo Messi claiming higher wages themselves. Quite the opposite. The superstars line up in support of fellow footballers, usually in the lower divisions, who have gone weeks, maybe months, without being paid themselves.
The AFE claims that only 15 per cent of clubs in the lower divisions in Spain are up-to-date with wages payments. Remember the problems with Portsmouth in the Premier League earlier this season? The players were not being paid on time. But did any of their colleagues in other clubs seek to force the issue through industrial action? They did not.
Certainly the Professional Footballers Association worked hard to try to resolve matters which were, perhaps, a more rational way of moving forward in the derided English context. But perhaps the Premier League model is not as reckless as critics, particularly within UEFA, claim. The problem in Spain and Italy is that clubs football/financial models do not fall under similar corporate rigor as clubs in England.
In the case of Portsmouth, a formal path was evident by which the clubs inability to sustain its outgoings could be regulated and controlled all the way down into administration. The foresight of the PFA also means that player's contracts are virtually ring-fenced.
Footballers elsewhere do not benefit from such good fortune. The smaller Spanish clubs are notorious for delayed wage payments and only when the superstars become involved do the governing bodies start to sit up and seek solutions, albeit short-term ones. Such solidarity of purpose is, at the least, impressive.
Real Madrid's club captain Raul Gonzalez has long been on record as explaining the reasoning. As he said the last time a strike threat was raised: 'We all started in junior football, we all depend on football for our livelihood. Some of us have been very fortunate but that does not mean we forget our roots. Football is not only about the Real Madrid's and Barcelona's.'
Source: http://www.leadersinfootball.com/column/141/
****************************************
Panic stations. The eagerly-awaited return clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday April 10 is at risk because of a possible strike of Spanish league footballers. This is not the first time the Asociacin de Futbolistas Espaoles has raised such a threat in support of player grievances and, given the games perpetual financial turmoil, it will not be the last.
Clearly, by picking the weekend of April 10/11 the union has found a target date which, it hopes, will concentrate minds. Spanish and Italian league players are among the most militant in Europe. This may surprise outsiders, considering these are the two leagues whose pay rates compete with the Premier League at the highest level.
Appearances, however, are deceptive.
When players in Italy and Spain threaten to take, or even take concerted industrial action the cause is not one which sees the likes of Del Piero and Francesco Totti or Iker Casillas and Leo Messi claiming higher wages themselves. Quite the opposite. The superstars line up in support of fellow footballers, usually in the lower divisions, who have gone weeks, maybe months, without being paid themselves.
The AFE claims that only 15 per cent of clubs in the lower divisions in Spain are up-to-date with wages payments. Remember the problems with Portsmouth in the Premier League earlier this season? The players were not being paid on time. But did any of their colleagues in other clubs seek to force the issue through industrial action? They did not.
Certainly the Professional Footballers Association worked hard to try to resolve matters which were, perhaps, a more rational way of moving forward in the derided English context. But perhaps the Premier League model is not as reckless as critics, particularly within UEFA, claim. The problem in Spain and Italy is that clubs football/financial models do not fall under similar corporate rigor as clubs in England.
In the case of Portsmouth, a formal path was evident by which the clubs inability to sustain its outgoings could be regulated and controlled all the way down into administration. The foresight of the PFA also means that player's contracts are virtually ring-fenced.
Footballers elsewhere do not benefit from such good fortune. The smaller Spanish clubs are notorious for delayed wage payments and only when the superstars become involved do the governing bodies start to sit up and seek solutions, albeit short-term ones. Such solidarity of purpose is, at the least, impressive.
Real Madrid's club captain Raul Gonzalez has long been on record as explaining the reasoning. As he said the last time a strike threat was raised: 'We all started in junior football, we all depend on football for our livelihood. Some of us have been very fortunate but that does not mean we forget our roots. Football is not only about the Real Madrid's and Barcelona's.'
Source: http://www.leadersinfootball.com/column/141/
Mohammed Salim - the first indian footballer to play overseas
The Daily Telegraph had a great write up, and the Green Brigade Forum posted about Mohammed Salim, the first Indian to play in European Football. Of course, Salim played for Celtic. Here is his story:
Celtic were not only the first British club to win the European Cup, they were also the first European club to play an Indian and, what is more, he performed in bare feet.
The extraordinary story of how Mohammed Salim, an Indian from Calcutta,came to play for Celtic in the 1936-37 season has been unearthed by a Rhodes scholar.
Boria Majumdar, deputy editor of the International Journal of the History of Sport says: “It shows how in the days of the Empire Celtic broke barriers, living up to the ideal of the civilising mission and how this Indian in bare feet enchanted one half of Glasgow.”
Salim was born in colonial Calcutta in 1904. Majumdar says: “At that time, with Indian nationalists fighting for independence from British colonial rule, many Indians took to football to answer British jibes that Indians were not manly enough to rule themselves. The Indians played in bare feet and despite this they defeated English men in boots which was seen as evidence that Indians were not inferior to the British.”
By the mid-1930s Salim, a winger, was an essential member of Calcutta’s Mohammedan Sporting Club side, and helped them to claim five successive Calcutta League titles.
After the title win of 1936, Salim was invited to play two friendlies against the Chinese Olympic side. A cousin called Hasheem who lived in England, and was then visiting Calcutta, witnessed the first match. Having seen Salim’s exceptional display, Hasheem urged Salim to try his hand at European football.
Hasheem was so persuasive that instead of playing in the second Chinese friendly, Salim sailed with him on the City of Cairo for England. After a few days in London, Hasheem took him to Glasgow and Celtic Park.
Salim was surprised to note that all the Celtic players were professionals.
However, when asked whether he would be able to compete with them he nodded in approval. Salim’s confidence encouraged Hasheem to speak to Willie Maley, the Celtic manager.
Hasheem told him: “A great player from India has come by ship. Will you please take a trial of his? But there is a slight problem. Salim plays in bare feet.”
Maley laughed, the idea of a bare-footed amateur from India competing against Scottish professionals was difficult to believe. But Hasheem was persistent and the Celtic manager agreed to give him a trial. Salim was asked to demonstrate his skill before 1,000 club members and three registered coaches.
Salim’s ability, even in bare feet, astonished them. They decided to play him in a match against Hamilton.
Salim, in bare feet, proved exceptional helping Celtic win 5-1. In his second match against Galston, Celtic won 7-1 and his performance led the Scottish Daily Express of Aug 29, 1936, to carry the headline: “Indian Juggler – New Style.”
The paper wrote: “Ten twinkling toes of Salim, Celtic FC’s player from India, hypnotised the crowd at Parkhead last night. He balances the ball on his big toe, lets it run down the scale to his little toe, twirls it, hops on one foot around the defender.”
However, after a few months in Scotland, Salim began to feel homesick and was determined to return to India.
Majumdar was told by Salim’s son Rashid, who lives in Calcutta: “Celtic tried to persuade my father to stay by offering to organise a charity match in his honour, giving him five per cent of the gate proceeds. My father did not realise what five per cent would amount to and said he would give his share to orphans who were to be special invitees for the match. Five per cent came to £1,800 [colossal money then] but although my father was astonished, he kept to his word.”
Many years later Rashid wrote to Celtic stating that his father was in distress and he needed money for his father’s treatment.
Rashid said: “I had no intention of asking for money. It was just a ploy to find out if Mohammed Salim was still alive in their memory. To my amazement, I received a letter from the club. Inside was a bank draft for £100. I was delighted, not because I received the money but because my father still holds a pride of place in Celtic. I have not even cashed the draft and will preserve it till I die.”
Majumdar says Rashid has kept the cheque and a Celtic green and white jersey as a memory of his father’s days at Parkhead.
Celtic were not only the first British club to win the European Cup, they were also the first European club to play an Indian and, what is more, he performed in bare feet.
The extraordinary story of how Mohammed Salim, an Indian from Calcutta,came to play for Celtic in the 1936-37 season has been unearthed by a Rhodes scholar.
Boria Majumdar, deputy editor of the International Journal of the History of Sport says: “It shows how in the days of the Empire Celtic broke barriers, living up to the ideal of the civilising mission and how this Indian in bare feet enchanted one half of Glasgow.”
Salim was born in colonial Calcutta in 1904. Majumdar says: “At that time, with Indian nationalists fighting for independence from British colonial rule, many Indians took to football to answer British jibes that Indians were not manly enough to rule themselves. The Indians played in bare feet and despite this they defeated English men in boots which was seen as evidence that Indians were not inferior to the British.”
By the mid-1930s Salim, a winger, was an essential member of Calcutta’s Mohammedan Sporting Club side, and helped them to claim five successive Calcutta League titles.
After the title win of 1936, Salim was invited to play two friendlies against the Chinese Olympic side. A cousin called Hasheem who lived in England, and was then visiting Calcutta, witnessed the first match. Having seen Salim’s exceptional display, Hasheem urged Salim to try his hand at European football.
Hasheem was so persuasive that instead of playing in the second Chinese friendly, Salim sailed with him on the City of Cairo for England. After a few days in London, Hasheem took him to Glasgow and Celtic Park.
Salim was surprised to note that all the Celtic players were professionals.
However, when asked whether he would be able to compete with them he nodded in approval. Salim’s confidence encouraged Hasheem to speak to Willie Maley, the Celtic manager.
Hasheem told him: “A great player from India has come by ship. Will you please take a trial of his? But there is a slight problem. Salim plays in bare feet.”
Maley laughed, the idea of a bare-footed amateur from India competing against Scottish professionals was difficult to believe. But Hasheem was persistent and the Celtic manager agreed to give him a trial. Salim was asked to demonstrate his skill before 1,000 club members and three registered coaches.
Salim’s ability, even in bare feet, astonished them. They decided to play him in a match against Hamilton.
Salim, in bare feet, proved exceptional helping Celtic win 5-1. In his second match against Galston, Celtic won 7-1 and his performance led the Scottish Daily Express of Aug 29, 1936, to carry the headline: “Indian Juggler – New Style.”
The paper wrote: “Ten twinkling toes of Salim, Celtic FC’s player from India, hypnotised the crowd at Parkhead last night. He balances the ball on his big toe, lets it run down the scale to his little toe, twirls it, hops on one foot around the defender.”
However, after a few months in Scotland, Salim began to feel homesick and was determined to return to India.
Majumdar was told by Salim’s son Rashid, who lives in Calcutta: “Celtic tried to persuade my father to stay by offering to organise a charity match in his honour, giving him five per cent of the gate proceeds. My father did not realise what five per cent would amount to and said he would give his share to orphans who were to be special invitees for the match. Five per cent came to £1,800 [colossal money then] but although my father was astonished, he kept to his word.”
Many years later Rashid wrote to Celtic stating that his father was in distress and he needed money for his father’s treatment.
Rashid said: “I had no intention of asking for money. It was just a ploy to find out if Mohammed Salim was still alive in their memory. To my amazement, I received a letter from the club. Inside was a bank draft for £100. I was delighted, not because I received the money but because my father still holds a pride of place in Celtic. I have not even cashed the draft and will preserve it till I die.”
Majumdar says Rashid has kept the cheque and a Celtic green and white jersey as a memory of his father’s days at Parkhead.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Indian Football : Not a crib but just some thoughts
Last week I spoke with a friend who has deep rooted connections with a very stellar club of India,Mohun Bagan.
I did not know that Mohun Bagan has a similar business model to Bayern Munich i.e. it is majorly a public owned club and depends on contributions from these members for its functioning , expenditures and in return, the shareholders have voting rights and plus they have that special feeling of ‘owning ‘ a part of the club.
My mate’s family has been involved with the club for the past 30 years now. So obviously within a matter of minutes the discussion became very India centric.
Sunil Chetri’s signing with the MLS club , Kansas City Wizards was obviously the first thing we discussed. I think after Baichung Bhutia’s brief spell at FC Bury in England this is probably the biggest overseas signing for an Indian.With such a big population it is a bit strange that we can only boast of 2 players who have tried their luck abroad.
It’s always been a question in my mind as to why there are no talent scouts who visit India .Arsene Wenger for example has an army of talent scouts (allocated on a continent business) who travel the length and breadth of the world looking for talented young players, ranging from 12 year olds to experienced players who they then try to recruit into the Arsenal training academy in London.Wenger has scouts in places like Brazil, Ivory Coast, Russia,Japan, The European Continent…so why not in India ?
My friend was of the opinion that this is mainly because there are no agents to represent players here. Big European clubs usually never like dealing with players directly. They prefer an in-between who is well versed in business, negotiation skills and of course a deep rooted knowledge of the game. Unfortunately, here in India these sort of agent representation is almost nonexistent. Players usually try to put in their own money to contact clubs and agents from abroad and invariably end up losing all of it. We only get talent scouts from places like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who come to take a look at the players. Apparently, there are a few certifications from FIFA that can be cleared in order to become an official agent but the handful of agents here are most probably not qualified.
I believe this is an important point. In a nation which even Sepp Blatter has termed the “Sleeping Giant Of Football” surely there would be quite a few youngsters out there with the talent to qualify for academies abroad. Secondly, I am sure 2 is not a true representation of the number of players who can be tried in foreign leagues. We do not need to look only at Europe and the US.I think the Japanese and Chinese leagues will also prove as invaluable experience for some of our players. I am sure if the price is right and they are kept comfortable and goal driven they would have no problems to play in these leagues.
For Indian football to improve we need to get a few of our players in foreign leagues. It’s only through this sort of experience that players can become conversant with new training techniques, technologies and strategies and then , most importantly bring this knowledge home.
So one thing we narrowed upon were : Lack of Agents who can represent players and hence lack of opportunities abroad
We then got talking about the academies in India and neither of us could name more than 4.
Tata Football Academy ( who are in a tie up with Arsenal FC), JCT Football Academy, Mohunbagan - SAIL football academy and a few local academies set up by some of the big Indian clubs.
But how much press coverage do you get about these academies. I consider me and a few mates pretty ardent followers of the game ( local and international) and even we could not think of many.
To make matters worse my mate narrated an incident which gave me a good feel of how bad things are.
When my mate was studying for his engineering he was next door to a training academy of a reputed Indian club. Purely out of interest he went about understanding how things are run there and found one major flaw. This academy was trying to attract children from the city to join the academy. Now we all know cricket rules the roost in cities. So forget children, a parent would think twice before sending his/her kid to a football training academy when all the moolah is in cricket. My mate felt that the target audience itself was wrong. Since Cricket is the sport of choice in the cities we should try to look at villages and the game should be introduced at grassroot levels here. The replies he got was
"bahut mahnat karna padega yaar" ( will be too hard)
"paisa tu dega?" ( will you fund this)
"dekh lena mene jo jo ladka choose kia he ye saal sab star hoga...kahin jane ki jarurat nehi he" ( all the lads I have chosen will be stars no need to go anywhere)
"tu kar sakta he to kar" ( if you can implement this go ahead)
So another conclusion : A lack of good academies and even those around lack a defined market and purpose. Plus I think the staff themselves lack belief in what they are doing. Grassroot level football is encouraged by all big clubs in the UK.
I did some more thinking on the same and came up with a few points.
More on this in the next post
I did not know that Mohun Bagan has a similar business model to Bayern Munich i.e. it is majorly a public owned club and depends on contributions from these members for its functioning , expenditures and in return, the shareholders have voting rights and plus they have that special feeling of ‘owning ‘ a part of the club.
My mate’s family has been involved with the club for the past 30 years now. So obviously within a matter of minutes the discussion became very India centric.
Sunil Chetri’s signing with the MLS club , Kansas City Wizards was obviously the first thing we discussed. I think after Baichung Bhutia’s brief spell at FC Bury in England this is probably the biggest overseas signing for an Indian.With such a big population it is a bit strange that we can only boast of 2 players who have tried their luck abroad.
It’s always been a question in my mind as to why there are no talent scouts who visit India .Arsene Wenger for example has an army of talent scouts (allocated on a continent business) who travel the length and breadth of the world looking for talented young players, ranging from 12 year olds to experienced players who they then try to recruit into the Arsenal training academy in London.Wenger has scouts in places like Brazil, Ivory Coast, Russia,Japan, The European Continent…so why not in India ?
My friend was of the opinion that this is mainly because there are no agents to represent players here. Big European clubs usually never like dealing with players directly. They prefer an in-between who is well versed in business, negotiation skills and of course a deep rooted knowledge of the game. Unfortunately, here in India these sort of agent representation is almost nonexistent. Players usually try to put in their own money to contact clubs and agents from abroad and invariably end up losing all of it. We only get talent scouts from places like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who come to take a look at the players. Apparently, there are a few certifications from FIFA that can be cleared in order to become an official agent but the handful of agents here are most probably not qualified.
I believe this is an important point. In a nation which even Sepp Blatter has termed the “Sleeping Giant Of Football” surely there would be quite a few youngsters out there with the talent to qualify for academies abroad. Secondly, I am sure 2 is not a true representation of the number of players who can be tried in foreign leagues. We do not need to look only at Europe and the US.I think the Japanese and Chinese leagues will also prove as invaluable experience for some of our players. I am sure if the price is right and they are kept comfortable and goal driven they would have no problems to play in these leagues.
For Indian football to improve we need to get a few of our players in foreign leagues. It’s only through this sort of experience that players can become conversant with new training techniques, technologies and strategies and then , most importantly bring this knowledge home.
So one thing we narrowed upon were : Lack of Agents who can represent players and hence lack of opportunities abroad
We then got talking about the academies in India and neither of us could name more than 4.
Tata Football Academy ( who are in a tie up with Arsenal FC), JCT Football Academy, Mohunbagan - SAIL football academy and a few local academies set up by some of the big Indian clubs.
But how much press coverage do you get about these academies. I consider me and a few mates pretty ardent followers of the game ( local and international) and even we could not think of many.
To make matters worse my mate narrated an incident which gave me a good feel of how bad things are.
When my mate was studying for his engineering he was next door to a training academy of a reputed Indian club. Purely out of interest he went about understanding how things are run there and found one major flaw. This academy was trying to attract children from the city to join the academy. Now we all know cricket rules the roost in cities. So forget children, a parent would think twice before sending his/her kid to a football training academy when all the moolah is in cricket. My mate felt that the target audience itself was wrong. Since Cricket is the sport of choice in the cities we should try to look at villages and the game should be introduced at grassroot levels here. The replies he got was
"bahut mahnat karna padega yaar" ( will be too hard)
"paisa tu dega?" ( will you fund this)
"dekh lena mene jo jo ladka choose kia he ye saal sab star hoga...kahin jane ki jarurat nehi he" ( all the lads I have chosen will be stars no need to go anywhere)
"tu kar sakta he to kar" ( if you can implement this go ahead)
So another conclusion : A lack of good academies and even those around lack a defined market and purpose. Plus I think the staff themselves lack belief in what they are doing. Grassroot level football is encouraged by all big clubs in the UK.
I did some more thinking on the same and came up with a few points.
More on this in the next post
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Official Biography Of Arsenal Footbal Club - Steve Stammers
Some wonderful facts about Arsenal Football Club
- Arsenal FC was formed in a pub and the guy who thought of starting a football club was a Scot
- they were originally a south london club and then shifted north as it was thought to be commercially viable
- the first team to get an underground station named after a football team
- Sir henry Norris the chairman of the club was originally the chairman of Fulham and there was a time he was the chairman of both teams till the FA asked him to choose one
- Through the 30s Arsenal had a Chelsea type image..they were setting record transfers almost every year..they played a team in the FA once which was worth 2000 pounds and just the Arsenal players shoes was worth 1800 pounds at that point !!!
- Closely associated with both world wars since most team players were working in the ammunitions factory, a lot of players went to serve in the wars.During this team as a goodwill gesture stars from other teams stepped in to play for Arsenal ..including one Bill Shankly ( the great Liverpool legend)
- The legendary cricket player Dennis Compton and his younger brother Leslie both played for Arsenal.During the second world war Dennis Compton served in India
Just some of the wonderful facts contained in the beautifully written “The Official Biography Of Arsenal” by Steve Stammers
Stammers is a respected football journalist in London who has been writing for leading dailies for nearly 35 years now.He has a wealth of knowledge and wonderful way of writing.I finished this 300 + page book in just 2 sittings.
The best part of this book is that it is not just a celebration of a football club but a tribute to the working class's beautiful game.It talks about how football has been interlinked with the British culture from the early 1900s ,through the two world wars, the swinging sixties, through the seventies and eighties till what it has become today.
In fact the story of football in the UK is quite similar to that of hockey in india except that unfortunately in our case hockey got lost in layers of bureaucracy and the general public was ignored.Of course everyone wanted to make a buck out of football in the UK too but public interest was never forgotten ( similar to the Bundesliga in Germany)
The best part about this book is apart from the brilliant way in which the history of the club unfolds before your eyes you also get a glimpse into how football in Britain was affected through the ages because of
- the two world wars
- unemployement
- hooliganism through the 80s
- the Munich Air Disaster
- The Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies
- professionalism
- entry of foreign players into the league
Wonderfully written,almost like a fairy tale, the outstanding classic photographs of the club,London,Highbury, supporters and of course players greatly enhance the reading experience.
I think this is one of the best football books i have read.If you are an Arsenal supporter you should read this and if you are not i still encourage you to read it. You will fall in love with the beautiful game all over again.
Oh Yeah ! i am back
was caught up with work and and a whole host of other activities including being lazy but now i am back and what a day to be back
Pune has an IPL team...yesterday Sahara Pariwar accquired rights for Pune's very own IPL franchise for a whooping 1702 crores making Pune the costliest IPL team ever.Even Lalit Modi was surprised at the amount the new Pune and Kochi teams fetched.Initially when he made the claim that in 5 years IPL could be bigger than EPL there were a few scoffs but if things continue like this anything can happen.
feels wonderful to be back....and yeah i'm bigger,badder and better as well this time round
Pune has an IPL team...yesterday Sahara Pariwar accquired rights for Pune's very own IPL franchise for a whooping 1702 crores making Pune the costliest IPL team ever.Even Lalit Modi was surprised at the amount the new Pune and Kochi teams fetched.Initially when he made the claim that in 5 years IPL could be bigger than EPL there were a few scoffs but if things continue like this anything can happen.
feels wonderful to be back....and yeah i'm bigger,badder and better as well this time round
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Why were Real Madrid not having their sponsor names yesterday ?
Just watching the Lyon vs Madrid UCL game.
I noticed that Real jerseys did not have their sponsor names...did a little bit of research and found this link which says
The logo of Real Madrid's primary sponsor, bwin.com, will not be on the team's shirt during tonight's match against Olympique Lyonnais. With sports betting soon to be deregulated in France and the framework for granting licenses already under design, bwin, a world leader in online sports betting, will be permitted to request a license during the adjudication process.
I noticed that Real jerseys did not have their sponsor names...did a little bit of research and found this link which says
The logo of Real Madrid's primary sponsor, bwin.com, will not be on the team's shirt during tonight's match against Olympique Lyonnais. With sports betting soon to be deregulated in France and the framework for granting licenses already under design, bwin, a world leader in online sports betting, will be permitted to request a license during the adjudication process.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
EPL team wants IPL franchise
A “top three” English Premier League club is considering buying a stake in one of two new teams in next year’s Twenty20 cricket Indian Premier League, according to IPL chief Lalit Modi.
“There is a football club, a very famous football club in the UK, very interested in bidding,” Modi told UK newspaper The Times yesterday.
“[They are] probably one of the most famous football clubs — that’s all I can say. Probably top three. They are interested in taking a stake.”
Source:http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171943/epl-team-wants-ipl-franchise?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=feb16
“There is a football club, a very famous football club in the UK, very interested in bidding,” Modi told UK newspaper The Times yesterday.
“[They are] probably one of the most famous football clubs — that’s all I can say. Probably top three. They are interested in taking a stake.”
Source:http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171943/epl-team-wants-ipl-franchise?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=feb16
Sunday, February 14, 2010
World Cup 2010 Team and Player Watch - France
Today, we turn our attention to France.
Group: Part of Group A along with Mexico, Uruguay and South Africa
The coach Raymond Domenech will really have selection headaches (of the good kind) considering the embarrassment of talent that this country boasts of. Brilliant French players ply their trade all across Europe from England to Spain, Italy and Germany.
The French Football team and Thierry Henry in particular received a lot of bad publicity for the manner in which they just about qualified for the 2010 spectacle. A lot of neutrals will be against them and they will not be getting a lot of support in South Africa. France won the World Cup in 1998 when they had hosted the tournament and made it to the finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany where they lost to Italy.
A quick scan of the potential players who could make the cut reveals that ‘Les Blues’ have it in them to make to the knock out stage but will struggle after that.
Goal Keepers
Fabian Barthez’s exit from the big stage and an aging Gregory Coupet has left the door wide open for a young set of goal keepers like Steve Mandanda and Hugo Lloris to make a mark in the national squad. But the lack of a seasoned goalie might prove to be the proverbial chink in the amour.
Defenders
The French Defense is a little unbalanced in my opinion. Evra and Abidal will be competing for the left back position and should have it covered.
Willy Sangol’s departure means Domenech needs to fill the right back role.Bacary Sagna and Francois Clerc seem to be the likely options but both lack experience in internationals.
It’s in the centre of defense that France could really struggle. Gallas will be nearing 33 come June and will really find the pace hard to handle in. the knock out stages.Since Thuram is retired now i don’t think that players such as Escquede,Boumsong etc. will be able to establish a good partnership with Gallas in manning the defense.
This is the back 4 that played in the 2006 World cup finals
Abidal Gallas Thuram Sangol
I don’t think France have found the replacements for the 2010 edition
Midfielders
Ribery,Flamini,Malouda,Nasri,Diaby,Ben Afra,Lass Diara.,Sissoko,Govou. There are a lot of options in the midfield and I think Ribery will have a big part to play in the French campaign. After a lay off of 3 months he has just started getting back into groove at Bayren Munich and is showing all signs of being in rich form by the time the World cup starts.
Patrick Vierra will most probably make it to the squad for the World Cup if he continues playing the way he is with Manchester City.But he again will find the going tough in big games and again I think France are yet to identify someone to replace him.
Strikers
This could be the year when Karim Benzema steps out of the shadows of Thierry Henry and Anelka and makes a name for himself at the international stage.Anelka has been outstanding with Chelsea this season but he will require support. Henry should be used as a scoring substitute and not be give 90 minutes. His performance at the international stage has not really been effective.
The biggest problem with France in my opinion is Raymond Domenech.
According to me he is over dependant on established but aging players like Anelka,Henry,Vierra,Abidal etc. and does not like to give young and upcoming players a chance.I do not think enough time has been invested by him in finding and grooming replacements to the players who have retired.
Domenech's management style has raised eyebrows amongst players and fans. A keen amateur dramatist and astrologer, Domenech has admitted to distrusting Scorpios, such as Robert Pirès. This led to the choosing of Vikash Dhorasoo who played an important part in qualifying but not in the finals. He later fell out with Dhorasoo after he made a behind the scenes film called "substitute." His decision to leave out FC Barcelona star Ludovic Giuly in favour of Franck Ribéry, and subsequent refusal to explain that decision, left many French players and fans mystified .His exclusion of Roma back-bone defender Philippe Mexès has also raised a few eyebrows. Mexès, named "Hope of the Year" in 2000 and being a starting defender for Roma since his arrival to the team, still has to participate in a competitive senior tournament under Domenech.
Strengths : Experience of a few players and quite a creative midfield
Weaknesses : Defense and judgement of the coach
Verdict: France should make it to the knock out stages and have a very decent squad on paper.But I think the retirement of a few key players and the lack of replacements will pose a problem.France will not go too far in the knock out stages.
Other teams reviewed by me
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_national_football_team
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43946/index.html
Group: Part of Group A along with Mexico, Uruguay and South Africa
The coach Raymond Domenech will really have selection headaches (of the good kind) considering the embarrassment of talent that this country boasts of. Brilliant French players ply their trade all across Europe from England to Spain, Italy and Germany.
The French Football team and Thierry Henry in particular received a lot of bad publicity for the manner in which they just about qualified for the 2010 spectacle. A lot of neutrals will be against them and they will not be getting a lot of support in South Africa. France won the World Cup in 1998 when they had hosted the tournament and made it to the finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany where they lost to Italy.
A quick scan of the potential players who could make the cut reveals that ‘Les Blues’ have it in them to make to the knock out stage but will struggle after that.
Goal Keepers
Fabian Barthez’s exit from the big stage and an aging Gregory Coupet has left the door wide open for a young set of goal keepers like Steve Mandanda and Hugo Lloris to make a mark in the national squad. But the lack of a seasoned goalie might prove to be the proverbial chink in the amour.
Defenders
The French Defense is a little unbalanced in my opinion. Evra and Abidal will be competing for the left back position and should have it covered.
Willy Sangol’s departure means Domenech needs to fill the right back role.Bacary Sagna and Francois Clerc seem to be the likely options but both lack experience in internationals.
It’s in the centre of defense that France could really struggle. Gallas will be nearing 33 come June and will really find the pace hard to handle in. the knock out stages.Since Thuram is retired now i don’t think that players such as Escquede,Boumsong etc. will be able to establish a good partnership with Gallas in manning the defense.
This is the back 4 that played in the 2006 World cup finals
Abidal Gallas Thuram Sangol
I don’t think France have found the replacements for the 2010 edition
Midfielders
Ribery,Flamini,Malouda,Nasri,Diaby,Ben Afra,Lass Diara.,Sissoko,Govou. There are a lot of options in the midfield and I think Ribery will have a big part to play in the French campaign. After a lay off of 3 months he has just started getting back into groove at Bayren Munich and is showing all signs of being in rich form by the time the World cup starts.
Patrick Vierra will most probably make it to the squad for the World Cup if he continues playing the way he is with Manchester City.But he again will find the going tough in big games and again I think France are yet to identify someone to replace him.
Strikers
This could be the year when Karim Benzema steps out of the shadows of Thierry Henry and Anelka and makes a name for himself at the international stage.Anelka has been outstanding with Chelsea this season but he will require support. Henry should be used as a scoring substitute and not be give 90 minutes. His performance at the international stage has not really been effective.
The biggest problem with France in my opinion is Raymond Domenech.
According to me he is over dependant on established but aging players like Anelka,Henry,Vierra,Abidal etc. and does not like to give young and upcoming players a chance.I do not think enough time has been invested by him in finding and grooming replacements to the players who have retired.
Domenech's management style has raised eyebrows amongst players and fans. A keen amateur dramatist and astrologer, Domenech has admitted to distrusting Scorpios, such as Robert Pirès. This led to the choosing of Vikash Dhorasoo who played an important part in qualifying but not in the finals. He later fell out with Dhorasoo after he made a behind the scenes film called "substitute." His decision to leave out FC Barcelona star Ludovic Giuly in favour of Franck Ribéry, and subsequent refusal to explain that decision, left many French players and fans mystified .His exclusion of Roma back-bone defender Philippe Mexès has also raised a few eyebrows. Mexès, named "Hope of the Year" in 2000 and being a starting defender for Roma since his arrival to the team, still has to participate in a competitive senior tournament under Domenech.
Strengths : Experience of a few players and quite a creative midfield
Weaknesses : Defense and judgement of the coach
Verdict: France should make it to the knock out stages and have a very decent squad on paper.But I think the retirement of a few key players and the lack of replacements will pose a problem.France will not go too far in the knock out stages.
Other teams reviewed by me
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_national_football_team
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43946/index.html
Gunners fans in for a treat with new initiative at Emirates Stadium
Arsenal, the English soccer club, has partnered with Sony Professional to launch Arsenal TV Matchday+.
The application, which fans can download to their Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) or PSP Go, will enable them to access enhanced content services wirelessly from their seat at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal's home ground.
This service will provide Arsenal fans with access to a range of viewing options, including live action, video and slow-motion replays from selected camera angles, team sheets, player profiles, the Premier League table, match stats and interactive options, such as voting for the man of the match.
Arsenal fans will be able to experience the first live game to be broadcast using the Arsenal TV Matchday+ application when it launches later this month. For a one-off £10 fee fans will have access to view the rest of this season's home Premier League games. Access to games being played in the 2010/2011 season will go on sale at the end of this season.
Source:http://www.leadersinfootball.com/business/671/
The application, which fans can download to their Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) or PSP Go, will enable them to access enhanced content services wirelessly from their seat at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal's home ground.
This service will provide Arsenal fans with access to a range of viewing options, including live action, video and slow-motion replays from selected camera angles, team sheets, player profiles, the Premier League table, match stats and interactive options, such as voting for the man of the match.
Arsenal fans will be able to experience the first live game to be broadcast using the Arsenal TV Matchday+ application when it launches later this month. For a one-off £10 fee fans will have access to view the rest of this season's home Premier League games. Access to games being played in the 2010/2011 season will go on sale at the end of this season.
Source:http://www.leadersinfootball.com/business/671/
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Study finds no link between alcohol sponsorship in sport and drinking
There are no significant statistical correlations between sports sponsorship awareness and attitudes to alcohol use, according to research by Cardiff Business School’s Dr Fiona Davies, published by the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship.
The study found that boys with sporting interests appear to be influenced towards drinking and drunkenness by the traditional macho sporting culture rather than the presence of alcohol sponsorship, and involvement in sport had no impact on girls’ attitudes to drinking.
Source: http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171921/study-finds-no-link-between-alcohol-sponsorship-in-sport-and-drinking?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=feb12
The study found that boys with sporting interests appear to be influenced towards drinking and drunkenness by the traditional macho sporting culture rather than the presence of alcohol sponsorship, and involvement in sport had no impact on girls’ attitudes to drinking.
Source: http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171921/study-finds-no-link-between-alcohol-sponsorship-in-sport-and-drinking?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=feb12
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
World Cup 2010 Team and Player Watch - South Africa
With the world cup just round the corner i thought it would be a good idea to introduce the teams that have made it to the spectatcle and also highlight some players to watch.I'll also be trying to highlight the strengths and weakneses of the teams involved.
We'll start today with the host country : South Africa
Group : Part of Group A along with Mexico,Uruguay and France
'Bafana Bafana' as the host nation is fondly called has indeed come a long way from being banned by FIFA in 1962 to becoming the first African nation to host a football world cup in 2010.IPL 2 and the Confiderations cup in 2009 were wonderful advertisements for South Africa's readiness and capabalities to host tournaments of such magnitude.SA is all set to cash in on this once in lifetime type oppurtunity and various local industries are relishing the prospects of thousands of tourists coming to their shores for a holiday.
But will the host nation have enough to cheer about on the football pitch ?
I believe that the star performers for SA will be the one who play in other leagues since they would have seen players from all over the world and will be conversant with their strategies and weaknesses.
Strikers
Benny Mcarthy has 83 caps for SA and has spent time with Ajax,Porto,Blackburn Rovers and now West Ham.
Considering he is 32 he will most probably play as a shadow striker and might not be playable for the enire 90 minutes. The forward with the next highest number of international caps is Katlego Mphela who has 20 appearances to show.
The attack is definitely inexperienced.
Midfielders
Steven Piennar has been a real workhorse for the Everton midfield and considering he is 27 will be keen on a good showing in the world cup. Again, the SA midfield looks quite inexperienced and young and will definitely struggle against the likes of Mexico and France.
Defenders
The pick would be the skipper Aaron Mokoena who has the maximum number of caps (99).Known for his tough tackling, which even his country teamate Piennar experienced in an Everton – Portsmouth game.
32 year old Matthew Booth might also get a look in considering his 6 feet 6 inches frame. Due to his height he is considered one of the most important players when meeting opponents with tall players
South Africa are coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira. A wily and experience coach who was in charge of the Brazil team in the 2006 world cup.
Strengths : Home advantage
Weaknesses : Young squad with very limited exposure to world football and players.
Verdict: Unfortunatley i think the host team will not make it to the next round based on paper statistics and assuming France do not commit hara kiri
Other teams reviewed by me
Additional Articles:
Piennar beleives South Africa can advance beyond the group stages
Sources:
http://www.fifa.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_football_team
We'll start today with the host country : South Africa
Group : Part of Group A along with Mexico,Uruguay and France
'Bafana Bafana' as the host nation is fondly called has indeed come a long way from being banned by FIFA in 1962 to becoming the first African nation to host a football world cup in 2010.IPL 2 and the Confiderations cup in 2009 were wonderful advertisements for South Africa's readiness and capabalities to host tournaments of such magnitude.SA is all set to cash in on this once in lifetime type oppurtunity and various local industries are relishing the prospects of thousands of tourists coming to their shores for a holiday.
But will the host nation have enough to cheer about on the football pitch ?
I believe that the star performers for SA will be the one who play in other leagues since they would have seen players from all over the world and will be conversant with their strategies and weaknesses.
Strikers
Benny Mcarthy has 83 caps for SA and has spent time with Ajax,Porto,Blackburn Rovers and now West Ham.
Considering he is 32 he will most probably play as a shadow striker and might not be playable for the enire 90 minutes. The forward with the next highest number of international caps is Katlego Mphela who has 20 appearances to show.
The attack is definitely inexperienced.
Midfielders
Steven Piennar has been a real workhorse for the Everton midfield and considering he is 27 will be keen on a good showing in the world cup. Again, the SA midfield looks quite inexperienced and young and will definitely struggle against the likes of Mexico and France.
Defenders
The pick would be the skipper Aaron Mokoena who has the maximum number of caps (99).Known for his tough tackling, which even his country teamate Piennar experienced in an Everton – Portsmouth game.
32 year old Matthew Booth might also get a look in considering his 6 feet 6 inches frame. Due to his height he is considered one of the most important players when meeting opponents with tall players
South Africa are coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira. A wily and experience coach who was in charge of the Brazil team in the 2006 world cup.
Strengths : Home advantage
Weaknesses : Young squad with very limited exposure to world football and players.
Verdict: Unfortunatley i think the host team will not make it to the next round based on paper statistics and assuming France do not commit hara kiri
Other teams reviewed by me
Additional Articles:
Piennar beleives South Africa can advance beyond the group stages
Sources:
http://www.fifa.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_football_team
Friday, February 5, 2010
ooA
Out of action that is
i have been having this flu which i have not been able to shake off since Monday
Hoping that i will be better come Monday...a win at Stamford bridge will surley make me feel better
i have been having this flu which i have not been able to shake off since Monday
Hoping that i will be better come Monday...a win at Stamford bridge will surley make me feel better
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Pompey get YET another owner
Portsmouth have their fourth owner of the season - and could have a fifth before the current campaign is over.
Balram Chainrai has assumed control from former owner Ali Al Faraj after exercising a clause in their agreement over a £17m loan made to the Saudi.
BBC Sport understands Chainrai is keen to sell once the club is stabilised.
Now Chainrai, 51, has taken charge after his company Portpin took over Al Faraj's 90% shareholding in the south-coast club.
"Chainrai has invoked a clause in a loan contract he struck with the club's third owner this year, Ali Al Faraj, giving him the right to take over 90% of the shares should they default on repayments to him," added Farquhar.
"He recently loaned the club £15m to £20m to help get them through their current financial crisis, which still isn't resolved.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8497491.stm
Balram Chainrai has assumed control from former owner Ali Al Faraj after exercising a clause in their agreement over a £17m loan made to the Saudi.
BBC Sport understands Chainrai is keen to sell once the club is stabilised.
Now Chainrai, 51, has taken charge after his company Portpin took over Al Faraj's 90% shareholding in the south-coast club.
"Chainrai has invoked a clause in a loan contract he struck with the club's third owner this year, Ali Al Faraj, giving him the right to take over 90% of the shares should they default on repayments to him," added Farquhar.
"He recently loaned the club £15m to £20m to help get them through their current financial crisis, which still isn't resolved.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8497491.stm
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Rene Higuita and Sammy Hyypia
Two very intersting articles on the Beeb.
Rene Higuita retires: Most people would recognize Rene for that "in your face" scorpion kick that would have made his manager's heart skip several beats.
I still remember him for that Italia 1990 world cup match against Cameroon when Roger Milla stole the ball from him nearly midfield and celeberated near the corner flag.
The wildman finally walks away from football.Don't think there are any charcters like him anymore.
Talking about characters Sammy Hyypia ( ex Liverpool defender) might be part of the Bayren Leverkusan team that goes onto win the Bundesliga this year feels Phil Minshull.
My money is still on Bayren Munich though...think there is too much class in that team this year.They have 7 consecutive wins now and are just two points Leverkusan.
Rene Higuita retires: Most people would recognize Rene for that "in your face" scorpion kick that would have made his manager's heart skip several beats.
I still remember him for that Italia 1990 world cup match against Cameroon when Roger Milla stole the ball from him nearly midfield and celeberated near the corner flag.
The wildman finally walks away from football.Don't think there are any charcters like him anymore.
Talking about characters Sammy Hyypia ( ex Liverpool defender) might be part of the Bayren Leverkusan team that goes onto win the Bundesliga this year feels Phil Minshull.
My money is still on Bayren Munich though...think there is too much class in that team this year.They have 7 consecutive wins now and are just two points Leverkusan.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Pick of the weekend fixtures
Games i will be keeping an eye on
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs. FSV Mainz (8 PM IST ) on NEO SPORTS Sat 30th Jan
Serie A : AC Milan vs. Livorno (8 PM IST) on NEO SPORTS Sun 31st Jan
EPL : It's the biggie . Arsenal Vs Manchester United ( 9:25 PM IST) on ESPN Sun 31st Jan
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs. FSV Mainz (8 PM IST ) on NEO SPORTS Sat 30th Jan
Serie A : AC Milan vs. Livorno (8 PM IST) on NEO SPORTS Sun 31st Jan
EPL : It's the biggie . Arsenal Vs Manchester United ( 9:25 PM IST) on ESPN Sun 31st Jan
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Arsenal VS Manchester United : in 3D !!!
Yup It's finally here.Came across this post in the Arsenal forum that i haunt.
-----
Sky has announced that it will launch Sky 3D, Europe's first dedicated 3D TV channel, this April.
As part of the final preparations for this ground-breaking launch, Sky will preview the new service with a world first this Sunday (January 31), becoming the first TV company anywhere to broadcast a live 3D TV sports event to a public audience.
The Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United will be filmed in 3D and broadcast over the Sky platform to selected pubs around the UK and Ireland, with their customers becoming the first audiences anywhere in the world to experience live Premier League in 3D.
To support this landmark broadcast, the nine pubs - located in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin - have been kitted out specially with some of the first '3D Ready' TV sets to reach the UK and Ireland.
As 3D TVs become more widely available, Sky will roll out its 3D channel to hundreds of pubs from April, allowing football fans across the country the opportunity to experience a live Premier League match in 3D each week.
To make the 3D preview a reality, Sky Sports will produce two edits of its live coverage of Sunday's game at the Emirates Stadium, one for its HD channel feed and another dedicated to 3D.
The 3D broadcast will be supported by Sky's dedicated 3D production team and purpose built 3D outside broadcast truck, which will enable live mixing between camera positions, slow motion replays and the use of innovative 3D graphics. There will also be a dedicated commentary team to support the 3D edit.
-----
Sky has announced that it will launch Sky 3D, Europe's first dedicated 3D TV channel, this April.
As part of the final preparations for this ground-breaking launch, Sky will preview the new service with a world first this Sunday (January 31), becoming the first TV company anywhere to broadcast a live 3D TV sports event to a public audience.
The Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United will be filmed in 3D and broadcast over the Sky platform to selected pubs around the UK and Ireland, with their customers becoming the first audiences anywhere in the world to experience live Premier League in 3D.
To support this landmark broadcast, the nine pubs - located in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin - have been kitted out specially with some of the first '3D Ready' TV sets to reach the UK and Ireland.
As 3D TVs become more widely available, Sky will roll out its 3D channel to hundreds of pubs from April, allowing football fans across the country the opportunity to experience a live Premier League match in 3D each week.
To make the 3D preview a reality, Sky Sports will produce two edits of its live coverage of Sunday's game at the Emirates Stadium, one for its HD channel feed and another dedicated to 3D.
The 3D broadcast will be supported by Sky's dedicated 3D production team and purpose built 3D outside broadcast truck, which will enable live mixing between camera positions, slow motion replays and the use of innovative 3D graphics. There will also be a dedicated commentary team to support the 3D edit.
Articles Worth Reading : 28 Jan 2010
:Sony replaces LG in German football Japanese electronic company Sony has replaced Korean counterpart LG Electronics as a premium sponsor of the German Football Association from 2010 to 2012.
Dubai opens $1.25 billion horseracing complex:Dubai today opens the 4.6 billion-dirham ($1.25 billion) Meydan horseracing complex that can hold 80,000 people and includes a 290-room five-star hotel.
And today's must read
Simon Jordan remains popular at Palace : Crystal Palace going into administration is not surprising. The shocking state of the club's finances has been known for a while. What is a surprise is the outpouring of sympathy from Palace fans for Simon Jordan. Ignore the angry emails to news outlets. Have a look on some of the Palace message boards instead. Fans who have been frustrated with Jordan's reign have been describing the sadness they feel for a man who may have lost everything in an ultimately vain attempt to make a success of the football club he loves.
Dubai opens $1.25 billion horseracing complex:Dubai today opens the 4.6 billion-dirham ($1.25 billion) Meydan horseracing complex that can hold 80,000 people and includes a 290-room five-star hotel.
And today's must read
Simon Jordan remains popular at Palace : Crystal Palace going into administration is not surprising. The shocking state of the club's finances has been known for a while. What is a surprise is the outpouring of sympathy from Palace fans for Simon Jordan. Ignore the angry emails to news outlets. Have a look on some of the Palace message boards instead. Fans who have been frustrated with Jordan's reign have been describing the sadness they feel for a man who may have lost everything in an ultimately vain attempt to make a success of the football club he loves.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Articles Worth Reading : 27 Jan 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Brown warns football over debts:Prime Minister Gordon Brown has issued a warning over football finances by saying some club debts are "too high".
Mr Brown, a shareholder in Scottish side Raith Rovers, urged owners and managers to consider the supporters.
Crystal Palace go into administration:Championship side Crystal Palace have gone into administration after a season beset by financial difficulties.Clubs entering administration are automatically docked 10 points, which would see Palace drop from ninth place to two spots above the drop zone.
Todays Must Read
Politics in football - Sepp Blatter and technology :After fully manifest against the deployment of technological resources in the game, Sepp Blatter said yesterday the possibility of studying the implementation of video technology (repetition of moves) in the near future.
By his own will be discussed in March at the next meeting between FIFA and the International Board (the only body in the world that can change the laws of the game). In truth and in sporting terms, we may again see the World Cup in South Africa a goal with his hand that can decide a game or even the championship, however in the last 4 years Blatter did not have time or willingness to discuss the issue with International Board. How many really believe that any action will be taken?
In recent years football has been a tremendous development at various levels, greatly weakening values and certainties of decades, bringing the audience scams and schemes that discredited the game and the fans away from stadiums. The need for measures to resolve or mitigate these problems is urgent, for the sake of all the football industry.
Mr Brown, a shareholder in Scottish side Raith Rovers, urged owners and managers to consider the supporters.
Crystal Palace go into administration:Championship side Crystal Palace have gone into administration after a season beset by financial difficulties.Clubs entering administration are automatically docked 10 points, which would see Palace drop from ninth place to two spots above the drop zone.
Todays Must Read
Politics in football - Sepp Blatter and technology :After fully manifest against the deployment of technological resources in the game, Sepp Blatter said yesterday the possibility of studying the implementation of video technology (repetition of moves) in the near future.
By his own will be discussed in March at the next meeting between FIFA and the International Board (the only body in the world that can change the laws of the game). In truth and in sporting terms, we may again see the World Cup in South Africa a goal with his hand that can decide a game or even the championship, however in the last 4 years Blatter did not have time or willingness to discuss the issue with International Board. How many really believe that any action will be taken?
In recent years football has been a tremendous development at various levels, greatly weakening values and certainties of decades, bringing the audience scams and schemes that discredited the game and the fans away from stadiums. The need for measures to resolve or mitigate these problems is urgent, for the sake of all the football industry.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Articles Worth Reading : 25 January 2010
Manchester United raise £504m in bond issue: Manchester United have successfully raised £504m through a bond issue, which will cover most of what the club owe to international banks.
But Also
Bond issue “cost Manchester United £54 million”:Manchester United's £500 million raised last week through a bond issue cost the club £54 million, according to UK newspaper reports.
Liverpool owner sells baseball stake: Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has agreed to sell his controlling interest in Major League Baseball side the Texas Rangers to a group headed by the club’s former pitcher Nolan Ryan and lawyer Chuck Greenberg.
But Also
Bond issue “cost Manchester United £54 million”:Manchester United's £500 million raised last week through a bond issue cost the club £54 million, according to UK newspaper reports.
Liverpool owner sells baseball stake: Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has agreed to sell his controlling interest in Major League Baseball side the Texas Rangers to a group headed by the club’s former pitcher Nolan Ryan and lawyer Chuck Greenberg.
OffTopic : How much football is too much football ?
Ask me......
i was at my parents this weekend while my missus was at hers...
Saturday i walked 2 hours in order to get a few football books ...was able to get 3 pretty decent ones....walked back home
watched werder bremen V Bayren Munich 2-3
then Man united V Hull 4-0
continued watching Spurs Vs Leeds in FA cup 2-2
read a little of the football books i got
watched the first half of Juve Vs Roma
Sunday
Drove back home
Went to the gym
Watched Stoke Vs Arsenal 3-1
saw a little of Scunthrope United Vs Man City
And then continued reading the books till i dropped asleep
this clearly proves that without my wife i would have been a miserbale and dull guy whose idea of fun would have been to watch hours and hours of football on TV....i am sure this is the case with lot of lads i know...they would be nothing without their better halves
i was at my parents this weekend while my missus was at hers...
Saturday i walked 2 hours in order to get a few football books ...was able to get 3 pretty decent ones....walked back home
watched werder bremen V Bayren Munich 2-3
then Man united V Hull 4-0
continued watching Spurs Vs Leeds in FA cup 2-2
read a little of the football books i got
watched the first half of Juve Vs Roma
Sunday
Drove back home
Went to the gym
Watched Stoke Vs Arsenal 3-1
saw a little of Scunthrope United Vs Man City
And then continued reading the books till i dropped asleep
this clearly proves that without my wife i would have been a miserbale and dull guy whose idea of fun would have been to watch hours and hours of football on TV....i am sure this is the case with lot of lads i know...they would be nothing without their better halves
Friday, January 22, 2010
Articles Worth Reading : 22 Jan 2010
Turkish Airlines seals Man Utd sponsorship:Turkish Airlines has agreed a three and a half year sponsorship deal with English Premier League champions Manchester United.
Udinese take Portsmouth to court:Italian football club Udinese is taking embattled English club Portsmouth to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for failing to pay for a player transferred between the clubs.(Sulley Muntari)
Today's Must Read
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sportdaq/insideline/howtoplay.shtml
What is Sportdaq?
SPORTDAQ is a sports stock exchange game. Instead of shares in companies you buy shares in sports stars. To play you have to sign up. Once you're signed up we'll give you a cool ten thousand pounds (that's Sportdaq pounds, not real cash!).
The aim of the game: to make as much profit as you can by buying and selling 'shares' in listed sports stars. The person with the highest weekly percentage gain is crowned Top Trader.
Udinese take Portsmouth to court:Italian football club Udinese is taking embattled English club Portsmouth to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for failing to pay for a player transferred between the clubs.(Sulley Muntari)
Today's Must Read
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sportdaq/insideline/howtoplay.shtml
What is Sportdaq?
SPORTDAQ is a sports stock exchange game. Instead of shares in companies you buy shares in sports stars. To play you have to sign up. Once you're signed up we'll give you a cool ten thousand pounds (that's Sportdaq pounds, not real cash!).
The aim of the game: to make as much profit as you can by buying and selling 'shares' in listed sports stars. The person with the highest weekly percentage gain is crowned Top Trader.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Articles Worth Reading : 21 Jan 2010
Manchester United debt hits £716m Debts at the parent company of Manchester United have increased to £716.5m ($1.17bn), according to its latest accounts.
Sportswear brands top sponsor recognition listSportswear brands adidas, Nike and Puma are the most recognisable football sponsors in the top five European markets, according to a new survey by Sport+Markt.
YouTube secures worldwide IPL broadcast dealVideo-sharing website YouTube will show live coverage of this year’s Twenty20 cricket competition the Indian Premier League (IPL) in every country except the US.
Sportswear brands top sponsor recognition listSportswear brands adidas, Nike and Puma are the most recognisable football sponsors in the top five European markets, according to a new survey by Sport+Markt.
YouTube secures worldwide IPL broadcast dealVideo-sharing website YouTube will show live coverage of this year’s Twenty20 cricket competition the Indian Premier League (IPL) in every country except the US.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Transfer Window : 11 Days more to go and nothing much going on
Beyond all the speculation and gossip that a few newspapers,websites and channels ocassionally create , the bottom line is that it has been a very slow January transfer window this year in England.
A quick look at the transfers that have happened and the only notable ones are
Sol Campbell [unattached - Arsenal] Free
Andrea Dossena [Liverpool - Napoli] Undisclosed
Patrick Vieira [Inter Milan - Man City] Undisclosed
Maxi Rodriguez [Atletico Madrid - Liverpool] Free
That's precious little movement considering the way teams in the EPL are being hit by injuries and the African player exodus that has occured due to the African cup of nations.
Now if we examine history we find
in Jan 2009
Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin (£10m initially, Zenit St. Petersburg)
Aston Villa:Emile Heskey (£3.5m, Wigan)
Blackburn Rovers:Gael Givet (loan, Marseille), El-Hadji Diouf (£2m, Sunderland)
Chelsea:Michael Mancienne (loan return, Wolves), Gokhan Tore (undisclosed, Bayer Leverkusen), Ricardo Quaresma (loan, Inter Milan)
Everton:
Manchester City: Nigel de Jong [SV Hamburg],Craig Bellamy[West Ham],Wayne Bridge [Chelsea]
2006 shows even more hectic activity
Jeremie Aliadiere [Arsenal - Wolverhampton] Loan
Theo Walcott [Southampton - Arsenal] £5m
Vasiriki Abou Diaby [Auxerre - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Emmanuel Adebayor [Monaco - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Dan Agger [Brondby - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Nemanja Vidic [Spartak Moscow - Man Utd] Undisclosed
Albert Riera [Espanyol - Manchester City] Loan
Maniche [Dynamo Moscow - Chelsea] Loan
Let's check 2005
Emmanuel Eboue [Beveren - Arsenal] £1.5m
Jiri Jarosik [CSKA Moscow - Chelsea] undisclosed
James Beattie [Southampton - Everton] £6m
Fernando Morientes [Real Madrid - Liverpool] £6.3
Thomas Gravesen [Everton - Real Madrid] £2.5m
Mido [Roma - Tottenham Hotspur] Loan
Nicolas Anelka [Manchester City - Fenerbahce] £7m
The writing is on the wall unless something drastic happens this looks to be the slowest and most drab January transfer window ever.
A sign of the times maybe ?
the top4 clubs are under 500 million pounds plus of debt and remaining clubs like Portsmouth are facing winding up orders from the tax man....
If this continues, we might not have January trnasfer window in 2011.
A quick look at the transfers that have happened and the only notable ones are
Sol Campbell [unattached - Arsenal] Free
Andrea Dossena [Liverpool - Napoli] Undisclosed
Patrick Vieira [Inter Milan - Man City] Undisclosed
Maxi Rodriguez [Atletico Madrid - Liverpool] Free
That's precious little movement considering the way teams in the EPL are being hit by injuries and the African player exodus that has occured due to the African cup of nations.
Now if we examine history we find
in Jan 2009
Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin (£10m initially, Zenit St. Petersburg)
Aston Villa:Emile Heskey (£3.5m, Wigan)
Blackburn Rovers:Gael Givet (loan, Marseille), El-Hadji Diouf (£2m, Sunderland)
Chelsea:Michael Mancienne (loan return, Wolves), Gokhan Tore (undisclosed, Bayer Leverkusen), Ricardo Quaresma (loan, Inter Milan)
Everton:
Manchester City: Nigel de Jong [SV Hamburg],Craig Bellamy[West Ham],Wayne Bridge [Chelsea]
2006 shows even more hectic activity
Jeremie Aliadiere [Arsenal - Wolverhampton] Loan
Theo Walcott [Southampton - Arsenal] £5m
Vasiriki Abou Diaby [Auxerre - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Emmanuel Adebayor [Monaco - Arsenal] Undisclosed
Dan Agger [Brondby - Liverpool] Undisclosed
Nemanja Vidic [Spartak Moscow - Man Utd] Undisclosed
Albert Riera [Espanyol - Manchester City] Loan
Maniche [Dynamo Moscow - Chelsea] Loan
Let's check 2005
Emmanuel Eboue [Beveren - Arsenal] £1.5m
Jiri Jarosik [CSKA Moscow - Chelsea] undisclosed
James Beattie [Southampton - Everton] £6m
Fernando Morientes [Real Madrid - Liverpool] £6.3
Thomas Gravesen [Everton - Real Madrid] £2.5m
Mido [Roma - Tottenham Hotspur] Loan
Nicolas Anelka [Manchester City - Fenerbahce] £7m
The writing is on the wall unless something drastic happens this looks to be the slowest and most drab January transfer window ever.
A sign of the times maybe ?
the top4 clubs are under 500 million pounds plus of debt and remaining clubs like Portsmouth are facing winding up orders from the tax man....
If this continues, we might not have January trnasfer window in 2011.
Articles Worth Reading : 20th Jan 2010
Leaders in Football returns to Chelsea : The 2010 Leaders in Football conference will take place at Chelsea FC on October 6 and 7, with an expanded programme of events over two days and three nights.
Haitian sport hit by earthquake tragedy: At least 30 members of Haiti’s football federation, and at least seven Haitian Olympic athletes were victims of the earthquake which hit the country.
and today's MUST READ
The image rights of players:The monthly income of a football player is made up of several parts, including his / her salary, the bonus game and signing of the contract and the percentage of the image rights of the player.The latter is related to the use of player image in advertising campaigns and marketing activities of the club.
Haitian sport hit by earthquake tragedy: At least 30 members of Haiti’s football federation, and at least seven Haitian Olympic athletes were victims of the earthquake which hit the country.
and today's MUST READ
The image rights of players:The monthly income of a football player is made up of several parts, including his / her salary, the bonus game and signing of the contract and the percentage of the image rights of the player.The latter is related to the use of player image in advertising campaigns and marketing activities of the club.
Off Topic: Hate days like today
...when it's just WORK WORK and MORE WORK
Today Arsenal play Bolton at home...a 2 goal margin victory will see us go to the top of the table...looks like it's gonna be a real close race this time for the EPL and i am so happy that the Red and White is very much in the reckoning...
Unfortunatley, the game will not be shown here but i think the Spurs-Liverpool game is gonna be on today...should be quite a decent game and i might watch the first half as there would be updates of the Gunners Bolton game through out
COME ON YOU GOONERS !!!!
Today Arsenal play Bolton at home...a 2 goal margin victory will see us go to the top of the table...looks like it's gonna be a real close race this time for the EPL and i am so happy that the Red and White is very much in the reckoning...
Unfortunatley, the game will not be shown here but i think the Spurs-Liverpool game is gonna be on today...should be quite a decent game and i might watch the first half as there would be updates of the Gunners Bolton game through out
COME ON YOU GOONERS !!!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The IPL Auction that took place today...
Kieron Pollard [West Indies] - Mumbai Indians (£458,000 tie-break)
Shane Bond [New Zealand] - Kolkata Knight Riders (£458,000 tie-break)
Kemar Roach [West Indies] - Deccan Chargers (£439,000)
Wayne Parnell [South Africa] - Delhi Daredevils (£372,000)
Mohammad Kaif [India] - Kings XI Punjab (£153,000)
Eoin Morgan [England] - Royal Challengers Bangalore (£134,000)
Damien Martyn [Australia] - Rajasthan Royals (£61,000)
Justin Kemp [South Africa] - Chennai Super Kings (£61,000)
Adam Voges [Australia] - Rajasthan Royals (£30,000)
Thissara Perera [Sri Lanka] - Chennai Super Kings (£30,000)
Yusuf Abdulla [South Africa] - Kings XI Punjab (£30,000)
Only 11 out of the 66 overseas players attracted successful bids, with England's Graeme Swann and all 11 Pakistan players left unsold.
Shane Bond [New Zealand] - Kolkata Knight Riders (£458,000 tie-break)
Kemar Roach [West Indies] - Deccan Chargers (£439,000)
Wayne Parnell [South Africa] - Delhi Daredevils (£372,000)
Mohammad Kaif [India] - Kings XI Punjab (£153,000)
Eoin Morgan [England] - Royal Challengers Bangalore (£134,000)
Damien Martyn [Australia] - Rajasthan Royals (£61,000)
Justin Kemp [South Africa] - Chennai Super Kings (£61,000)
Adam Voges [Australia] - Rajasthan Royals (£30,000)
Thissara Perera [Sri Lanka] - Chennai Super Kings (£30,000)
Yusuf Abdulla [South Africa] - Kings XI Punjab (£30,000)
Only 11 out of the 66 overseas players attracted successful bids, with England's Graeme Swann and all 11 Pakistan players left unsold.
Articles worth reading : 19 Jan 2010
France's Thierry Henry escapes Fifa ban over handball: Striker Thierry Henry will not be punished by Fifa for his handball in France's World Cup finals play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland.
IPL is America-bound Indian cricket authorities will organise Twenty20 matches in the United States between Indian Premier League sides within the next 18 months.
World Cup ticket rethink amid low local interest: The organisers of this year’s football World Cup in South Africa are altering ticket sales procedures in an effort to boost weak local demand.
David Gold and David Sullivan seal West Ham takeover : Former Birmingham City owners David Gold and David Sullivan have taken control of West Ham.The duo bought a 50% holding, valuing the club at £105m, and will have the final say on all matters.
IPL is America-bound Indian cricket authorities will organise Twenty20 matches in the United States between Indian Premier League sides within the next 18 months.
World Cup ticket rethink amid low local interest: The organisers of this year’s football World Cup in South Africa are altering ticket sales procedures in an effort to boost weak local demand.
David Gold and David Sullivan seal West Ham takeover : Former Birmingham City owners David Gold and David Sullivan have taken control of West Ham.The duo bought a 50% holding, valuing the club at £105m, and will have the final say on all matters.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Articles worth reading : 18 Jan 2010
BT aims to undercut Sky on TV sport viewing packages: BT says it is ready to enter a price war with Sky over the price charged for fans to watch premium sports events, including football and cricket, on TV.
Portsmouth threaten to sue Premier League over embargo:Portsmouth have threatened to sue the Premier League in a bid to get the club's transfer embargo lifted
Portsmouth threaten to sue Premier League over embargo:Portsmouth have threatened to sue the Premier League in a bid to get the club's transfer embargo lifted
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Intel Sports Inventor: What an experience!!!.Thank you Neo Cricket and Intel
We have just finished watching the Intel Sports Inventor competition on Neo Cricket.
What a tremendous and unforgettable experience it was to be part of the show.
I will always remember Jan 6th 2010 as one of the happiest days in my life.
When Manish Agrawal (who was also one of the contestants), my dad and me set off from Pune at 6:30 AM that day I was quite apprehensive on how the show would go and if I would be able to present my ideas properly. We reached Mumbai and then managed to get lost. Somehow after a lot asking around and directions from the Neo Cricket crew we reached the Neo cricket guesthouse.
It was such a pleasure to meet the other three contestants. There was Ram Babu who has been working on his idea (in parallel with his job) for the past five years, a young and confident lad from Delhi called Ankur and a jovial and interesting inventor from Nagpur , Manish Sahu.Manish Agrawal works in Pune and in fact stays just next door to my place.
Over a few cups of tea we talked about cricket, football, TV broadcasting rights, players , commentors, the general state of the game and of course about technology and our inventions. There was also the gripping Australia-Pakistan test as well that we were keeping tab of.
After an hour or so we traveled to Bandra to the set where the shooting was to take place. The first thing that struck us was the sheer beauty and magnitude of the set. We were all expecting it to be a small scale affair in a studio but here we were at an amphitheatre that was capable of seating a sizeable audience. It looked quite daunting. But luckily there were people from the Neo crew like Aayush and Aditya(he supports Chelsea, but still a great guy) who kept our morale high.
I also met RK (who hosts programs like “Dial C for Cricket” and “Extra Cover” on Neo Cricket ) and had quite an interesting conversation with him. He turned out to be a die hard Manchester United fan so obviously there was some friendly banter which infact continued even on the program.
We then had lunch in a small cabin and the conversations on sports continued. I learnt that quite a few of the folks at Neo have been state level players themselves in tennis, badminton etc. and was also really happy to see that they followed and were very knowledgeable in a lot of sports apart from cricket.
We then proceeded to the set again where there was to be a dry run on how things were to go in the program. It was here that I realized as to what goes into making a TV program and was probably the most exciting part of the day. For someone who watches a good amount of TV it was fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes. The crew at Neo Cricket who were making the program struck me as highly creative, talented and focused.
You got the feeling that every second was valuable and the team was doing it’s best to be completely prepared. The team on the whole is very young and seemed very dynamic and vibrant. The word that best described them was ‘all business, no nonsense’.
The hosts RK and Archana looked so confident and cool it front of camera,it was as easy as breathing for them.
I’ve never seen any other TV crew before but having worked for 8 years in the service industry I think I can see sense when a team is enthusiastic and really believes in what it is doing. I think that was there for all to see.
Once we were done with the rehearsals the crew had arranged a few snacks and tea for us. While we were having our tea the person directing the show (I think his name was Rajvinder and his team) came to check if everything was okay and gave us a pep talk. There were a few glitches with the wardrobe but again Aayush was there to help us out.
It was nearly time for the shoot and the five of us could not bear the tension any more so we went back to the set and sat amongst the audience. We saw that there were people like Ayaz Memon, Marvin Attapatu , Akaash Chopra etc. in the audience and the butterflies in the tummy began to flutter a little bit more frantically.
Once the show started all the anxiety and nervousness went out of the window and the whole experience became highly enjoyable. The judges (Mr.Javagal Srinath and Mr.Prakash Bagri) were highly supportive and appreciative of our ideas.
Luckily, all 5 of us were able to explain our ideas quite well.
The show was executed really well (as I said I am a complete novice in TV production etc. but as an outsider you got the feeling that things went well).
Post the show it was really nice to see that fellow contestants as well folks from Neo (like Ayush and Aditya) were very supportive of the guys who did not win.
I think all 5 ideas were brilliant in their own right.
The evening ended with a wonderful party that Neo had organized for all the people involved with the show.Unfortunatley I couldn’t stay long as I had to be at work by 10 AM in Pune. :( .But since I had already had so much fun the whole day it really did not matter.
A special mention to Aayush who really helped bring my ideas to the fore during the shooting in Pune and for also guiding and helping us out during the shooting that day.
I do feel that the show should be continued and as I said in the post show interview “the next big invention in sports is definitely coming from India” and a program like this would help in the search for this invention.
More on the bond that Man United are set to issue
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mattslater/2010/01/fergies_bond_is_a_bind_for_eve.html
I really liked the following lines
"The truth of it is that there are very few "business models" in British football (Arsenal's springs to mind as an honourable exception). Proper businesses are not based on endless supplies of free money, whether that money comes from old-fashioned banks, clever-clever hedge funds, Arab sheikhs or Russian oligarchs. There is no such thing as free money. It always runs out or gets bored and goes home in the end.
I really liked the following lines
"The truth of it is that there are very few "business models" in British football (Arsenal's springs to mind as an honourable exception). Proper businesses are not based on endless supplies of free money, whether that money comes from old-fashioned banks, clever-clever hedge funds, Arab sheikhs or Russian oligarchs. There is no such thing as free money. It always runs out or gets bored and goes home in the end.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Why Manchester United cannot spend anymore
a really detailed analysis on how the loan noose is tightening around the red devils
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2010/01/can_man_utd_spend.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2010/01/can_man_utd_spend.html
Mediator fails to resolve Mayweather-Pacquiao dispute
What a bout this would have been :(
Manny Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum says the proposed 'super-fight' with Floyd Mayweather Jr is off after talks failed to resolve the fighters' differences.
Pacquiao pulled out of the lucrative contest, which was scheduled for 13 March, after Mayweather demanded random drugs tests ahead of the bout.
The 'super-fight' was likely to have been the richest in boxing history.
With potential purses of up to £25m per fighter acting as a strong incentive, former judge Daniel Weinstein, who had helped resolve previous spats between the pair, was brought in as a mediator.
The duo had previously agreed all points of the contract apart from the drug testing and were said to be close to a deal after the mediation, but subsequent discussions on Wednesday led Pacquiao's promoters Top Rank to declare the fight was cancelled
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8440821.stm
Manny Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum says the proposed 'super-fight' with Floyd Mayweather Jr is off after talks failed to resolve the fighters' differences.
Pacquiao pulled out of the lucrative contest, which was scheduled for 13 March, after Mayweather demanded random drugs tests ahead of the bout.
The 'super-fight' was likely to have been the richest in boxing history.
With potential purses of up to £25m per fighter acting as a strong incentive, former judge Daniel Weinstein, who had helped resolve previous spats between the pair, was brought in as a mediator.
The duo had previously agreed all points of the contract apart from the drug testing and were said to be close to a deal after the mediation, but subsequent discussions on Wednesday led Pacquiao's promoters Top Rank to declare the fight was cancelled
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8440821.stm
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Intel Sports Inventor Update
Man, i reached back in the early hours of today morning (5 AM) from Mumbai after the shoot and was in office by 10:30 AM
Absolutley drowsy and tried...am seing 2 screens...2 key boards and 4 hands ..the world is double at the moment...it's like being drunk
anywyas...i managed to make it to the top 3 and won an intel laptop plus a grand prize from intel( still not so sure what it is though)
i'll write a detailed post of my experience once i have had some sleep
clocks move so slowly when you want them to just just whizz by ...
whiz......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Absolutley drowsy and tried...am seing 2 screens...2 key boards and 4 hands ..the world is double at the moment...it's like being drunk
anywyas...i managed to make it to the top 3 and won an intel laptop plus a grand prize from intel( still not so sure what it is though)
i'll write a detailed post of my experience once i have had some sleep
clocks move so slowly when you want them to just just whizz by ...
whiz......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
City post second-biggest ever EPL loss
English Premier League football club Manchester City posted a £92.6 million loss in the year to 31 May 2009.
The figure is second only to Chelsea’s £132.8 million loss posted in 2005
http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171335/city-post-second-biggest-ever-epl-loss?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jan07
The figure is second only to Chelsea’s £132.8 million loss posted in 2005
http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171335/city-post-second-biggest-ever-epl-loss?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jan07
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Intel Sports Inventor Competition gets better...
Well, after i saw myself on TV for the first time and have managed to get an intel laptop i today got news that my entry has been shortlisted to the final of the competition.
I am quite looking forward to this because i need to present my idea to a TV audience and a judges panel that includes Javagal Srinath and the Intel India Head.
For that i need to make a presentation and stuff over this weekend...(good to be busy with such things)
It's going to be sometime next week..should be fun
I am quite looking forward to this because i need to present my idea to a TV audience and a judges panel that includes Javagal Srinath and the Intel India Head.
For that i need to make a presentation and stuff over this weekend...(good to be busy with such things)
It's going to be sometime next week..should be fun
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