They are worthy champions!
As for Manchester United, they seemed to be in the match for a mere ten minutes, with Ronaldo making some good attempts before Samuel Eto’o goal and Cristiano’s Catalan nemesis Lionel Messi scored in each half, which put the game out of Man U’s reach.
I realised it was going to be a tough match, after seeing how Barcelona scored a last-minute goal against Chelsea a few weeks ago.
Unusual for Manchester United, they were simply outplayed and outclassed.
My brother Jeffrey Greaves was happy with the result as it was his birthday yesterday and he’s a Liverpool fan.
Seeing his bitter rivals get soundly beaten was his icing on the cake!
Credit is due to Barcelona who, as they did at Stamford Bridge against The Blues, played with a mixture of skill, passion and ability – this shined through again at Rome yesterday.
They were outstanding and deserved to be winners of the Champions League.
Being a British citizen, I couldn’t help but feel nauseated when the final whistle blew and I didn’t stay at the McQuian’s pub in Kenton to watch Barcelona lift the Cup – that would have been too much for me (thank goodness I wasn’t on reporting duty).
So after finishing the rest of my drink, I slipped out the pub, just like most of the MUFC supporters, including my (female) mate Jasjot, who’s on the international side of the broadcast journalism course, which also leads to a Masters of the Arts (MA).
The other half, who clearly supported Barcelona, stayed on to enjoy their success. I’m glad there was no violence in the pub at all, with both sets of fans appreciating each other’s side - I'm glad to say that the fans of both teams were sitting side by side.
£££££££
I was a football steward at the West Ham home match against Middlesborough on Saturday 23 May.
As you could expect, tensions were high as it was known that the visiting team were facing regulation to the First Division – better known as the original Division Two to many.
Before the Premier league was formed, it was well known that some teams, like Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace, would bounce between the two divisions.
But now, the standards needed to be and remain in the Premier league is so high, it’s going to be hard for any team to stay if they don’t have players, marketing and a strategy to boot.
It didn’t help that when West Ham won the match 2-0 their fans taunted the opposing team and their fan base by singing “Cheerio” to them!
Nevertheless I was surprised that Newcastle are now going down with Middlesborough, as I thought they'd survive after Man U beat Hull earlier that day. So Sunderland live to fight another day!
As for West Bromwich Albion (WBA), I think that by Christmas 2008, their form and success rate was so poor; nobody realistically expected them to remain in the Premier League at the end of this season.
All the best for Wolverhampton Wanderers – better known as Wolves - and Birmingham City.
A big hello to Burnley, who haven’t been in the top flight since the 1970s.
These are the new teams joining the big league but unless they start spending that hard earned extra cash on new – meaning Premier league standard - signings, then like WBA, they will go straight back down to Division One next year.
As constant Premier league wannabe team Queens Park Rangers found to their cost, who were exiled after selling Les Ferdinand to, ironically Newcastle in 1995, once you’re out – they were relegated the following year - it’s hard to get back!
£££££££
Former professional footballer Mario Celaire has confessed to murdering his ex-girlfriend seven years after originally being cleared of her murder and manslaughter at the Old Bailey.
Mario Celaire, now 31, also faces life after admitting to attempting to murder his ex-lover Kara Hoyte, 19.
The same court heard how the ex-Maidstone United defender hit Cassandra, 19, continiously over the head at her mum’s home in Norbury, South London, in 2001.
She choked on her own vomit while unconscious, which is how she died.
He would have got away with it, as he was originally acquitted of her murder in 2002, if it weren’t for the change of the double jeopardy ruling which provided the opportunity of former girlfriend Kara to give evidence against Celaire this month, after her beat her with a hammer in 2007 after she, like Cassandra, left him.
It was thanks to Mario cockily admitting to killing Cassandra to Ms Hoyte that Celaire eventually confessed to both crimes.
He will be sentenced on July 3.
Many complain that you don’t see ethnic WAGs but looking at the tragedy of what Celaire did to these two beautiful black women, well this just shows the importance of simply finding a good person to settle down with, regardless of race.
£££££££
Speaking of which, I read Harry Redknapp’s recent attack on the WAG culture.
He talks about how much it’s changed for players to find a good partner and stay out of trouble.
But to look on the flip side, nobody has forced a premier league footballer to date, say serial WAG, Danielle Lloyd.
And looking at the state Tottenham Hotspur captain and defender Ledley King was in when he was arrested outside a London nightclub for alleged racially aggravated assault earlier this month, as well as the problems Harry's nephew Frank Lampard is having regarding his private life, perhaps it’s not surprising that he wanted to get a few things off his chest.
I for one was touched by the refreshing honesty displayed by Mr Redknapp in the interview, which also marked a turning point; gone are the days where football managers just dealt with getting the right players, the right results and arguing with the club chairman over spending.
Read it for yourself, in the Telegraph newspaper edition: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5322684/Harry-Redknapp-criticises-footballs-WAG-culture.html
£££££££
I’m glad to see that women’s football is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves in the newspaper back pages.
So congratulations to the Arsenal Ladies Football Team for winning the FA’s Women’s Premier League on Sunday 10 May.
I’ve yet to see the men’s team - even when they had legendary striker Ian Wright around - wining 11 trophies in four years, which is exactly what the lady’s team has done!
£££££££
So now the season’s over, it’s time to look at who’s staying and who’s going, either from the Premiership league or moving to another club, within the premiership.
But considering I’ve got more stuff to hand in – i.e. university deadlines, I’ll have to say bye for now, as that will be for another blog entry.
Don’t forget to visit my other internet site: http://www.andriagreaves.com/
But if you want to leave a comment for me, it will have to be on this site!
Until next time
Light and Peace
Andria
X
Thursday 28 May 2009
Tuesday 12 May 2009
Akon’s Coming Home!
I’ve genuinely been so busy with deadlines at the University of Westminster, I’ve side-lined quite a few things in my life of late.
I truly apologise.
The past week in football has been crazy!
I for one am not surprised by the behaviour of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba against the referee during the Champions League semi-final.
I saw how the Ivory Coast captain and other Chelsea players chased after Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, particularly after the final whistle.
I also saw, or rather laughed, at Drogba’s behaviour – with eyes bulging - towards a TV camera, which not surprisingly was beamed to millions of homes across the globe.
I also read with bemusement at how Stan The Man, a former professional footballer who was a part of the Spice Boys - sorry Liverpool FC team in the 1990s – say that Drogba should be punished for his behaviour after Chelsea’s dramatic exit.
Looking at Mr Collymore’s own chequered football career, in which he has proven himself to be a nearly man and was left alone to celebrate scoring a goal by his Nottingham Forest team-mates, I can’t help but feel he’s someone who, despite receiving lots of money, inevitably remains an underachiever.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones!
Nevertheless, considering that Barcelona were down to ten men, I feel it’s only fair to say congratulations to this Catalan-based team for getting into the final.
Unfortunately, the game was soiled by the way it was run. There should have been at least three penalties for Chelsea.
The sending off, that left Barcelona with ten men on the pitch, should not have been allowed.
Barcelona got their last minute goal through sheer determination and passion. They did deserve it, particularly as it was in the dying minutes of extra time.
But I feel this match shows the way football is refereed needs to be updated.
Football, or soccer as it’s called in the United States, is run on rules and regulations that are as old as the game itself.
Footballers now are much faster, professional and dedicated to this magnificent sport, yet the way its run is still based on regulations made centuries ago.
The rules regarding the way such matches are refereed must change with it.
Having a camera to check every angle will be costly, especially for the smaller clubs, so why not let the guardsmen have more of a say when it comes to all football games?
Especially since they get to see the match from an angle the main referee doesn’t and in some cases can’t.
The reason why I don’t attack Drogba, instead I applaud him, is simply because football is a reactionary sport.
It was only when Eric Cantona delivered a kung-fu style attack on a ‘supporter’ for yelling racist abuse at him, that football made a real effort to clear up this cancer that was ignored for a long time.
Black football players before Mr Cantona had to put up with monkey chants every time they got the ball and even had bananas thrown at them on the pitch.
Yet it’s only when Eric gave a public reaction towards racism that the rest of the football world finally woke up to the fact that prejudice must not be tolerated, either in or outside the pitch.
The same goes for crowd safety. It was only when Hillsborough happened that people finally realised the importance of spectator guidelines for modern-day football.
So let us not be critical of Drogba, instead, lets accept this situation to highlight what is wrong with football, to make a change for a better future.
£££££££
I also, like the rest of the football world, saw the behaviour of Cristiano Ronaldo when he was substituted for Wayne Rooney during the Manchester derby on Sunday.
It seems that the hairdryer treatment of boss Sir Alex Ferguson is on the cards for him, as although he did have a good match, surely even Cristiano could realise that his Gaffer simply wanted to rest him for future matches.
Especially since Ronaldo’s ability to score from nowhere will be needed in Rome, against the football giants Barcelona, which is only a handful of days away.
As they showed against Chelsea FC, this is a team you under-estimate at your own peril!
£££££££
Sticking to Manchester United, the situation with Carlos Tevez is something he has good reason to sulk about, which he demonstrated after scoring a goal on Sunday, then cupped his hands to his ears to make a point.
As he’s been on loan for two years, Manchester United cannot renew his contract for another loan spell.
Either they have to sign Tevez or let him go.
He’s been playing so well, but ManU already have Berbatov, Rooney and – with exception to the Real Madrid rumours – Ronaldo.
Then there’s the current economic climate. The people behind Tevez are said to be asking for £26million.
Manchester United, despite their success, is known to be careful with the cash.
They will always go for a cheaper price, so it seems that Carlos may well be off to Liverpool or derby rivals Manchester City instead.
Either way, Tevez is a good professional; he respects the shirt of United as he’s relatively kept his nose clean both on and off the pitch, so I genuinely hope he gets a good outcome, wherever he plays next season.
£££££££
This brings me back to why I mentioned rapper Akon in my opening headline.
The star is co-ordinating the football World Cup anthem and opening celebrations for South Africa.
The singer has made it clear he won’t be asking his friend David Beckham for advice, saying: “I know David, he’s my man. But I’m not asking for his advice. Footballers should stick to football.”
Considering some of the dog howlers that became UK football anthems, I couldn’t agree more!
The only one worth remembering was Eat My Goal by Collapsed Lung.
Even then, that tune wasn’t officially adopted by the England team during its Euro 96 campaign. US company Coca-cola picked up on it instead.
Funny that, as Three Lions, by Baddiel and Skinner with the Lightening Seeds, was accepted by the England football team and it was adopted by the winners Germany.
They also sang it when they paraded the prized silverware to the Deutschland people.
My German mate Ijeoma (Nigerian parents) says this tune is still played on German radio stations.
Football came home alright, just not to England!
Please don’t hesitate to view my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com
Peace
Andria
X
I truly apologise.
The past week in football has been crazy!
I for one am not surprised by the behaviour of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba against the referee during the Champions League semi-final.
I saw how the Ivory Coast captain and other Chelsea players chased after Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, particularly after the final whistle.
I also saw, or rather laughed, at Drogba’s behaviour – with eyes bulging - towards a TV camera, which not surprisingly was beamed to millions of homes across the globe.
I also read with bemusement at how Stan The Man, a former professional footballer who was a part of the Spice Boys - sorry Liverpool FC team in the 1990s – say that Drogba should be punished for his behaviour after Chelsea’s dramatic exit.
Looking at Mr Collymore’s own chequered football career, in which he has proven himself to be a nearly man and was left alone to celebrate scoring a goal by his Nottingham Forest team-mates, I can’t help but feel he’s someone who, despite receiving lots of money, inevitably remains an underachiever.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones!
Nevertheless, considering that Barcelona were down to ten men, I feel it’s only fair to say congratulations to this Catalan-based team for getting into the final.
Unfortunately, the game was soiled by the way it was run. There should have been at least three penalties for Chelsea.
The sending off, that left Barcelona with ten men on the pitch, should not have been allowed.
Barcelona got their last minute goal through sheer determination and passion. They did deserve it, particularly as it was in the dying minutes of extra time.
But I feel this match shows the way football is refereed needs to be updated.
Football, or soccer as it’s called in the United States, is run on rules and regulations that are as old as the game itself.
Footballers now are much faster, professional and dedicated to this magnificent sport, yet the way its run is still based on regulations made centuries ago.
The rules regarding the way such matches are refereed must change with it.
Having a camera to check every angle will be costly, especially for the smaller clubs, so why not let the guardsmen have more of a say when it comes to all football games?
Especially since they get to see the match from an angle the main referee doesn’t and in some cases can’t.
The reason why I don’t attack Drogba, instead I applaud him, is simply because football is a reactionary sport.
It was only when Eric Cantona delivered a kung-fu style attack on a ‘supporter’ for yelling racist abuse at him, that football made a real effort to clear up this cancer that was ignored for a long time.
Black football players before Mr Cantona had to put up with monkey chants every time they got the ball and even had bananas thrown at them on the pitch.
Yet it’s only when Eric gave a public reaction towards racism that the rest of the football world finally woke up to the fact that prejudice must not be tolerated, either in or outside the pitch.
The same goes for crowd safety. It was only when Hillsborough happened that people finally realised the importance of spectator guidelines for modern-day football.
So let us not be critical of Drogba, instead, lets accept this situation to highlight what is wrong with football, to make a change for a better future.
£££££££
I also, like the rest of the football world, saw the behaviour of Cristiano Ronaldo when he was substituted for Wayne Rooney during the Manchester derby on Sunday.
It seems that the hairdryer treatment of boss Sir Alex Ferguson is on the cards for him, as although he did have a good match, surely even Cristiano could realise that his Gaffer simply wanted to rest him for future matches.
Especially since Ronaldo’s ability to score from nowhere will be needed in Rome, against the football giants Barcelona, which is only a handful of days away.
As they showed against Chelsea FC, this is a team you under-estimate at your own peril!
£££££££
Sticking to Manchester United, the situation with Carlos Tevez is something he has good reason to sulk about, which he demonstrated after scoring a goal on Sunday, then cupped his hands to his ears to make a point.
As he’s been on loan for two years, Manchester United cannot renew his contract for another loan spell.
Either they have to sign Tevez or let him go.
He’s been playing so well, but ManU already have Berbatov, Rooney and – with exception to the Real Madrid rumours – Ronaldo.
Then there’s the current economic climate. The people behind Tevez are said to be asking for £26million.
Manchester United, despite their success, is known to be careful with the cash.
They will always go for a cheaper price, so it seems that Carlos may well be off to Liverpool or derby rivals Manchester City instead.
Either way, Tevez is a good professional; he respects the shirt of United as he’s relatively kept his nose clean both on and off the pitch, so I genuinely hope he gets a good outcome, wherever he plays next season.
£££££££
This brings me back to why I mentioned rapper Akon in my opening headline.
The star is co-ordinating the football World Cup anthem and opening celebrations for South Africa.
The singer has made it clear he won’t be asking his friend David Beckham for advice, saying: “I know David, he’s my man. But I’m not asking for his advice. Footballers should stick to football.”
Considering some of the dog howlers that became UK football anthems, I couldn’t agree more!
The only one worth remembering was Eat My Goal by Collapsed Lung.
Even then, that tune wasn’t officially adopted by the England team during its Euro 96 campaign. US company Coca-cola picked up on it instead.
Funny that, as Three Lions, by Baddiel and Skinner with the Lightening Seeds, was accepted by the England football team and it was adopted by the winners Germany.
They also sang it when they paraded the prized silverware to the Deutschland people.
My German mate Ijeoma (Nigerian parents) says this tune is still played on German radio stations.
Football came home alright, just not to England!
Please don’t hesitate to view my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com
Peace
Andria
X
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