Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Sabtu 31 Agustus 2013

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Sabtu 31 Agustus 2013 | Jangan lupa ya? untuk menyaksikan pertandingan-pertandingan seru di bawah ini, di antaranya : INDONESIA SUPER LEAGUE ‎(IDN)

  LIGA PRIMER INGGRIS ‎(ENG)  SERIE A ITALIA ‎(ITA)

Berikut adalah jadwalnya

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Sabtu 31 Agustus 2013

By: Unknown On 21.09

Continue Reading

Girls With Balls: A Secret History Of Women's Football - Review

Prior to Euro 2013 I wrote an article concerning the growth of women's football in England during the last 20 years. Whilst highlighting the obvious talents of Kelly Smith, Rachel Yankey and Steph Houghton, it was briefly mentioned of the talent of one former player which had in particular given reason to delve into the history of the women's game deeper than before. The player was Lily Parr, albeit from a lot further back than 1993! The recent release of "Girls With Balls: The Secret History Of Women's Football" by author Tim Tate has provided an accurate insight in to the former height of the sport, perhaps even greater than the days of the United States' Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly.

The period Tate is referring to sets its scene in interwar Britain, a time which saw, as well as the then rapid growth of the men's game, the rising popularity of their female counterpart's footballing traditions. Until recently any female football prior to 1980 has been given little publicity. Why? The reason stems from the Football Association's decision to shut the women's game down in 1921 and the cruel sanction of not allowing a female team to play on a FA-affiliated ground.

When reading the opening pages of the book I, at first, was sceptical. The admittance of Tate to a limited footballing knowledge and preference to Rugby Union made me unsure as to what I should expect. However, once deeper into "The Secret History Of Women's Football" it became clear that the author was undoubtedly in touch with the Women's game, both past and present. The unravelling of the vast secrecy concerning female football in Interwar Britain left me, as I'm sure it will others, intrigued and inspired.

The main vocal point of the book is the Dick, Kerr Ladies football team - a contemporary Barcelona of the Women's footballing world. The team got its unsual name from the Dick, Kerr and Co. Ltd Munitions factory in Preston and were in short made up from full-time workers. The notion of a "works" team itself however should not be viewed as unusual. In the men's game, sides like PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United both owe their foundations to work-related establishments. The Dick, Kerr Ladies were also recorded by many as the "Unofficial England Women's National Team".

Dick, Kerr Ladies

As Tate chronologically research's through newspaper articles and other pre-World War I literature, we eventually find ourselves with the Dick, Kerr Ladies. Through the use of contemporary evidence it becomes clear of the FA plans to end the practice of women's football in England. Starting in 1917 during the First World War, the Dick, Kerr Ladies were originally seen as "no more than public entertainment aimed solely at supporting Britain's fighting men". The men's Football League had been suspended in 1915 due to military conscription which left room for the women's game to flourish in its new found freedom.

The Dick, Kerr Ladies were, as Tate describes the major "catalyst" for the change in tolerance of the football authorities towards the women's game following an at first patronising approach. The team was pioneered by Grace Sibbert, a factory worker, whose colleagues had previously only had kickabouts in the factory yard. In December 1917 however came Sibbert's first game as "leader" came against another female factory XI on Christmas Day. In total 10,000 people arrived to watch the match at Preston North End's Deepdale ground. The aforementioned suspension of the men's game had "left a gap in the market" of which ladies teams began to fill, albeit at first seen only as a novelty.

Dick, Kerr Ladies with manager Alfred Frankland

Sibbert was a pioneer, but perhaps the greatest was to be found in Lily Parr, a forward for the Dick, Kerr Ladies. Parr is described by Tate, when she was fourteen, as a woman who "smoked, swore and spat as fluently as any man" would become England's greatest ever goalscorer, mentioned by the author as a "natural and powerful player...her shot was - even by male standards - remarkably mighty." Originally playing for St Helens Ladies, it wasn't until 1919 she was asked to play for the Dick, Kerr Ladies following an encounter in which her shot broke a male goalkeeper's arm. Lily was in the media spotlight from an early age but initial development was hampered by the FA's decision to close down the women's game on FA-affiliated grounds. However, following the controversial act, Parr would go on to score over 900 goals for the "Unofficial England Ladies."

The previously mentioned controversial act of closing down the women's game to the vast attendances it attracted, opens a whole new chapter in Tate's book. Despite just two years after women gained the vote in Britain, the use of newspapers begins to highlight a relapse of previous misogynistic stances towards women's sport and a general support for the FA. Tate calls the FA ruling as part of an "anachronistic vendetta" in reference to Modern Historian's pro-women's football stance. However, the ban finally sees questions of financial discrepancies concerning the Dick, Kerr Ladies begin to appear.

Modern Face of English Football:
Kelly Smith

"The Secret History of Women's Football" does not just centre all of its attention of Parr and the Dick, Kerr Ladies. It also provides an accurate insight into of the origins of women's football in Britain. The foundations of the sport are found as early as 1881 from contemporary newspaper articles from the Glasgow Herald, Nottinghamshire Guardian and the Leeds Mercury to name a few of the many media pieces Tate has used to his undoubted advantage. The papers mentioned offer a great deal of detail concerning early internationals between England and Scotland, which occur just nine years after the first male international match between the same nations, surprising, given the social misogyny at the time.


Internationals aside, the book highlights another of the game's early pioneers, Nettie Honeyball, albeit the name being possibly a pseudonym due to her absence in the 1891 census. Tim Tate writes that Honeyball was the "originator and driving force behind women's football" but the mystery of just who she was is the most interesting. Tate supplies numerous outcomes as to who the British Ladies Football Club founder was and delivers his own thorough assessment into the enigma of Nettie Honeyball. His final judgement? Read the book to find out!

Finally, in reviewing "Girls With Balls: The Secret History Of Women's Football", I have managed to discover a whole footballing world unknown to me just two weeks ago. Tate in his 273-page record of the early pioneers, scandals and globetrotting contemporary megastars has been enlightening and intriguing to read. His use of numerous primary sources of evidence and biographies of the Dick, Kerr Ladies and Lily Parr has provided the most accurate insight into the infancy of women's football to date.

From the elusive Nettie Honeyball's founding of the British Ladies Team to Grace Sibbert's Dick, Kerr Ladies and the resulting controversy involving the male-dominated Football Association, Tate leaves no stone unturned. I would highly recommend purchasing the book and like me, discovering the secret history of women's football.

Rating: *****

Written by Ben Jones (@Benny_J)

To purchase Tim Tate's "Girls With Balls: A Secret History Of Women's Football - visit
http://www.johnblakepublishing.co.uk/e-store/Girls-with-Balls-nid-289.html - £17.99

By: Unknown On 10.11

Continue Reading

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Minggu 25 Agustus 2013

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Minggu 25 Agustus 2013 | Jangan lupa untuk para pencinta bola untuk menyaksikan pertandingan-pertandingan di LIGA LIGA di bawah ini

diantaranya : LIGA PRIMER INGGRIS   SERIE A ITALIA ‎(ITA)  PRIMERA LIGA SPANYOL ‎(ESP)

Berikut Jadwalnya

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Minggu 25 Agustus 2013

By: Unknown On 19.04

Continue Reading

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Sabtu 24 Agustus 2013

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Sabtu 24 Agustus 2013 | Hey Guys? Jangan Lupa yah? Saksikan Pertandingan-pertandingan seru disini diantaranya di INDONESIA SUPER LEAGUE
LIGA PRIMER INGGRIS SERIE A ITALIA BUNDES LIGA JERMAN 

Berikut JadwalNYA

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Sabtu 24 Agustus 2013

By: Unknown On 19.25

Continue Reading

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Kamis 22 Agustus 2013

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Kamis 22 Agustus 2013 | Jangan lupa, ada pertandingan seru antara Atletico madrid dan Barcelona, dan jangan lewatkan juga pertandingan LIGA PRIMER INGGRIS ANTARA Chelsea dan Aston Villa.. 
dan jangan lupa juga saksikan pertandingan lainnya juga di LIGA CHAMPIONS
Jangan lupa nonton!!

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Kamis 22 Agustus 2013

By: Unknown On 19.04

Continue Reading

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Rabu 21 Agustus 2013

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Rabu 21 Agustus 2013 | Jangan lupa ada pertandingan Big Match antara Ac Milan dan PSV Eindhoven, jangan lupa nonton yah?

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola Rabu 21 Agustus 2013

By: Unknown On 18.48

Continue Reading

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola 20 Agustus 2013

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola 20 Agustus 2013 | Ada pertandingan menarik pada hari rabu tgl 20Agustus 2013, jangan lupa nonton yah?

Iihat Jadwal Pertandingan di bawah ini.!

Jadwal Pertandingan Bola 20 Agustus 2013

By: Unknown On 18.37

Continue Reading

The Yugoslav National Team: A Brief History

Yugoslavia would be World Cup winning material if the nation still existed today. When the Yugoslavia split in 1992, five new national teams were created:

• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Slovenia
• Macedonia
• Serbia & Montenegro, which later split and became 2 new national teams, Serbia and Montenegro.

The Yugoslavian National Team could select players from a vast area of the Baltic states, an area in modern times which consists of 7 countries. Only the USSR National Team had a greater catchment area of where it could recruit players. If the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was still in existence then players such as Vidic, Modric, Srna, Jovetic, Vucinic, Eduardo, Matavz etc. could be playing together in the same national team.

The Yugoslavia National team were a force in national football. They reached the final of the European Championships twice in the 1960s, most notably in 1968 when all that stood in Yugoslavia’s way to winning the trophy was a replay. They battled with Italy and drew 1-1 after extra-time in an era before penalty-shootouts were created, the championship was decided by the throw of a second leg between the two with Italy emerging victorious 2-0.

National Team, 1968

 In 1962 they were the 4th best national team in the World after finishing fourth at the World Cup. No mean feat for a nation from Eastern Europe, especially as the more successful teams were mostly based in South America and Western Europe at the time. They, as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia came 3rd in the first ever World Cup in 1930. This was not decided in a third place play-off but Yugoslavia were awarded the Bronze Medal that denoted the team had finished third.

The nation had an Olympic record to be proud of, winning one Gold Medal, three silver medals and one bronze medal. The Bronze medal was won in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, while the three Silvers and one Gold were won in four consecutive Olympics from 1948 - 1960. The Gold medal being won in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Their first international was against Czechoslovakia at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. They lost the game 7-0. The first eleven players to wear a Yugoslavian National team shirt in a competitive match were:

• Dragutin Vrđuka
• Vjekoslav Župančić
• Jaroslav Šifer
• Stanko Tavčar
• Slavin Cindrić
• Rudolf Rupec
• Dragutin Vragović
• Artur Dubravčić
• Emil Perška
• Ivan Granec
• Jovan Ružić

They were first known as Jugoslovenski Nogometni Savez but renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929. After their 1919 formation the team's headquarters was based in Zagreb but was now moved to Belgrade. In their first World Cup match in the Parque Central Stadium, Montevideo, Yugoslavia recorded a historic 2-1 victory against Brazil. The national team consisted of players from Serbian clubs afternd the Croatian sub association forbid Croatian players from competing in the World Cup squad in protest of the relocation of the headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade.

1952 Olympic Final against the Mighty Magyars

In the 1952 Olympics, Yugoslavia were runners-up, second only to the great Hungary side that had the great Ferenc Puskas in their side. However, there was a scare that nearly caused them to be eliminated in the first round against the USSR. With 75 minutes played, they were 5-1 up and decided to slow down and see the game out. However, this complacency allowed the USSR to pull of a miracle and score four goals meaning the game finished 5-5. Yugoslavia, however, won the replay.

Football in Yugoslavia was disrupted by World War Two, but after the war the Yugoslav Federation was reconstituted. The Federation was one of the founding members of UEFA and in 1976 Yugoslavia hosted the European Championships, with games played in Belgrade and Zagreb. Yugoslavia lost both games and finished last in the tournament.( The 1976 tournament was the last to only include 4 teams in the finals)

Once the Cold War ended the communist regime came to an abrupt end due to democratic areas wanting greater freedoms. In the friendly match Yugoslavia vs. Netherlands, Croatians in Zagreb booed the Yugoslav players and anthem as well as waving Dutch flags due to their similarity to the Croatian colours. When Yugoslavia was split into different democratic nations, the national team was banned from Euro 92, Denmark took their place and won the competition. It was announced that Yugoslavia would be banned on 31 May 1992, 10 days before the competition started. 

Predrag Mijatovic

Two years later Yugoslavia had been drawn as a team from pot 1, for Group 5 of the European zone for the 1994 World Cup Qualification stage. Yugoslavia were banned from this competition, which left the group without a top team, meaning it was more competitive and Greece and Russia qualified. The Yugoslavia name was still carried by the national team of Serbia & Montenegro until 2003, when they decided to just compete in future as Serbia & Montenegro.

The Yugoslavia player with the most appearances for the national team was Dragan Džajić, who appeared 85 times and had a goal tally of 23. His career for Yugoslavia started in 1964 and ended in 1979, a total of 15 years.

The player with the highest goal tally is Stjepan Bobek, his goal tally of 38 goals was recorded in 63 appearances during 1946-1956

As you can see the history of the Yugoslav National Team is very interesting. They would be a great team if they still existed and surely would have won a major international competition if they had not have split, albeit for the better, in 1992.

This article was kindly written for us by Adam Dunwoodie - a 17-year-old aspiring football writer:-

Follow him on Twitter here - @adunwoodie1995

By: Unknown On 08.45

Continue Reading

1977-1982: How English Clubs Dominated The European Cup

Last season’s Champions League was the first since 1995-1996 to not contain a single English team at the quarter-final stage. In the sixteen-year period between those seasons, an English side has won the Champions League on four occasions, and been runner-up on another five.

Aston Villa's greatest moment

There was a time, however, when the European Cup was dominated by English clubs, no more so than in the late 1970s/early 1980s when, barely believably, from 1977 until 1982, an English team won the European Cup every single year. Here is our final-by-final account of how this extraordinary period in English and European football unfolded.

1977: Having edged Queens Park Rangers to the First Division title in 1975-76 as well as winning the 1976 UEFA Cup, Liverpool swept their way through the 1976-77 European Cup, thrashing Crusaders 7-0 on aggregate in the first round, before knocking out Trabzonspor, St. Etienne and crushing FC Zürich 6-1 in the semi-finals to reach their first ever European Cup final.

Having just won the First Division championship for the second season running, Liverpool entered the final against Borussia Mönchengladbach in Rome confidently as English champions, and took a 28th minute lead through a Terry McDermott strike. Despite the German side beginning to dominate the match and equalising seven minutes into the second half, defender Tommy Smith headed Liverpool back in front on his 600th appearance for the club in the 64th minute, and a Phil Neal penalty secured a 3-1 win for Liverpool and the first English European Cup victory since 1968.

Liverpool- The first British team to win back-to-back European Cups

1978: As reigning European champions, Liverpool received a bye in the first round of the 1977-78 competition. They then defeated Dynamo Dresden, Benfica, and 1977 final opponents Mönchengladbach to reach Wembley for a second successive European Cup final, where they would face Club Brugge, the side they had beaten to win the 1975-76 UEFA Cup final.

A superb performance by Brugge’s Danish goalkeeper Birgir Jensen kept the score 0-0 at half-time, but a Kenny Dalglish goal in the 64th minute brought the European Cup back to Merseyside, as they became the first British team to win back-to-back European Cups.

1979: Liverpool’s dreams of winning a third successive European Cup were dashed in the first round of the 1978-79 competition by fellow English side Nottingham Forest, who defeated them 2-0 on aggregate. Brian Clough’s Forest then breezed past AEK Athens and Grasshopper Zurich to reach the semi-finals. In the first leg in Nottingham, Forest drew a thrilling game 3-3 with FC Köln, before a tight 0-1 away win in Germany saw them progress to their first European Cup final.

Their opponents in Munich were Swedish side Malmö FF, also playing in their first European final. In the final, Forest were buoyed by the return to action of striker Trevor Francis. Francis had been brought to Nottingham from Birmingham City in February in a deal which made him Britain’s first £1 million footballer. However, UEFA rules meant that Francis could not take part in European competition for another three months, meaning that the first game he was available for in Forest’s European campaign was the final.

And of course, as fate would have it, it was Francis who scored the winning goal, heading home a cross from Forest’s star winger John Robertson in first-half injury time and securing Brian Clough the biggest achievement of his already astonishing managerial career.

1980: Just as with Liverpool in the 1978 final, 1980 saw Nottingham Forest reach their second successive European Cup final, this one to be played at the Bernabéu against a Hamburg side including Kevin Keegan, who had been part of the victorious Liverpool side in the 1977 final.

Having narrowly overcome Ajax 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, Forest again triumphed 1-0, with wing wizard John Robertson turning from goal creator to goal scorer, scoring a fine solo effort after 20 minutes, and matching Liverpool’s achievement of back-to-back European Cups, a feat which has only been accomplished by AC Milan since, in 1989 and 1990.

1981: Liverpool returned to the European Cup in 1980-81 as First Division champions once more, and it was not until the semi-finals that they faced a tough tie, thrashing Oulun Palloseura 11-1 in the first round, before outclassing Aberdeen 5-0 and CSKA Sofia 6-1. They scraped past Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, a 1-1 draw in Munich sending them through to their third final in five years on the away goals rule.

Liverpool success again in 1981

There they met Real Madrid, indisputably the competition’s most successful side to date, at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The two teams’ tactical approaches largely cancelled each other out, but in the 81st minute, Liverpool’s left-sided midfielder Alan Kennedy, who prior to the game had been sidelined for six weeks with a broken wrist, ran through to score the only goal of the game, and win Liverpool their third European Cup. In doing so, Liverpool’s manager Bob Paisley became the first manager to win the European Cup three times.

1982: Having won the 1980-81 First Division under manager Ron Saunders in a league campaign during which they famously used only fourteen players, Aston Villa qualified for the 1981-82 European Cup.

And just days after finishing a mediocre 12th in the First Division in May 1982 under new manager Tony Barton, Villa faced Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in Rotterdam. There could surely be only one winner, particularly after Villa’s goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer had to be substituted after just ten minutes with a recurrence of a longstanding shoulder injury.

His replacement, Nigel Spink, had the game of his life and established himself as the club’s new first-choice goalkeeper, a position he would occupy for the next decade.

Peter Withe's historic winner

And the finest moment in Villa’s history came in the 67th minute, when centre-forward Peter Withe shinned a Tony Morley cut-back into the corner of the net to defeat a Bayern side featuring the likes of Dieter Hoeness, Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and to secure as astounding sixth European Cup in six years for English sides.

In fact, English clubs had even more success in the top level of European competition in the 1980s. After a year off in 1983, Liverpool returned to the European Cup final in 1984 to beat AS Roma on penalties, and then went down 1-0 to Juventus the following year at the Heysel stadium in Belgium, in a game which was overshadowed by a night which has gone down in footballing history for all the wrong reasons.

The behaviour of a small section of Liverpool fans at that final and the role they played in the 1985 Heysel disaster meant that English sides were then banned from European competition for the next five seasons.

The like of this phenomenal six-year English whitewash from 1977 to 1982 is unlikely to ever be seen again, and seems certain to remain the pinnacle of English footballing success in football’s top European competition.










Tom Nightingale - (@tdnightingale) is the editor of Waterfront Sport, the student newspaper at Swansea University and friend of TFHB.

By: Unknown On 09.08

Continue Reading

Premier League Preview: Sunderland to West Ham

SUNDERLAND

Club Nickname: The Black Cats

Founded: 1879

Ground: Stadium of Light

Manager: Paolo Di Canio

Captain: John O'Shea

Last Season: 17th

Last season was definitely one to forget for Mackem fans. The squad wallowed in the lower half of the Premier League table for the majority of the campaign, eventually crossing the line in  a below-par position of 17th. As the season began to enter its final months Martin O'Neil was sacked and replaced by Paolo Di Canio, a man that needs little introduction thanks to his enigmatic personality, his somewhat controversial political views and his incredible passion for the game and the club he's representing, whether it be in the shirt of a player or the suit of the manager. Di Canio managed to steer the Black Cats away from the drop, and managed to bag a win in the Tyne-Wear derby but it was a stuttering escape from relegation, with the derby victory being one of only two wins in the final run-in.

Di Canio celebrating his team's victory in the Tyne-Wear derby,
Sunderland's first win at St. James' Park since 2000

It didn't take long for Di Canio to make his mark on proceedings at Sunderland. After bringing in his own backroom staff the Italian disciplinarian enforced new fitness and diet regimes at the club, a move no doubt influenced by the Italian game that he had once embraced. He has also radically overhauled the look of the side in the off-season, parting with just-shy of £20 million in order to bring in some new faces. Accomplished internationals Emanuele Giaccherini and Jozy Altidore will be the poster boys of Di Canio's first full season in charge, the former expected to put the ball on a plate for the latter and ease the creative burden off of Stephane Sessegnon, easily Sunderland's best player. The Simon Mignolet-shaped hole was quickly filled with Di Canio trusting the No. 1 shirt to former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who will no doubt be delighted with the chance to be the first name on the team sheet.. Free signings such as Modibo Diakite, Cabral and Valentin Roberge add defensive steel to a side that was prone to leaking goals last season, converting wins into draws and losses.

Sunderland will look to emulate the days of Kevin Phillips, 2000

With a full pre-season under his belt and a plethora of new signings, Di Canio will be relishing the prospect of truly putting his stamp on the team and the club.

ONE TO WATCH: Emanuele Giaccherini - After an impressive showing in the 2013 Confederations Cup for Italy, it wasn't a surprise that interest from other clubs began to grow, with Sunderland lodging the bid to take him away from Juventus. The midfielder boasts a great versatility; he can play all across midfield and will look to seal a place on the plane to Rio.

Transfers (In):

Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar - £8,800,000, Emanuele Giaccherini - Juventus - £6,500,000, Vito Mannone - Arsenal - £2,000,000, David Moberg Karlsson - IFK Goteborg - £1,500,000, El Hadji Ba - Le Havre, £380,000, Duncan Whatmore - Altrincham - Undisc., Modibo Diakite - Lazio - Free, Cabral - FC Basel, Free, Valentin Roberge - CS Maritimo - Free, Ondrej Celustka - Trabzonspor - Loan

Transfers (Out):

Simon Mignolet - Liverpool - £9,000,000, Ahmed Elmohamady - Hull - £2,000,000, James McClean - Wigan - £1,500,000, Alred N'Diaye - Eskisehirspor - Loan, Matt Kilgallon - Blackburn - Free, Titus Bramble, Wade Joyce, Ryan Noble, Adam Reed, Ben Wilson - Released

VERDICT: Ollie - 14th, Ben - 17th, James - 17th, Gareth - 16th

SWANSEA CITY

Club Nickname: The Swans

Founded: 1912

Ground: Liberty Stadium

Manager: Michael Laudrup

Captain: Ashley Williams

Last Season: 9th

Swansea have been a breath of fresh air since their promotion to the Premier League. Brendan Rogers installed a positive attacking philosophy into the team that was promoted and Michael Laudrup has impressed since becoming Swansea boss culminating in a 9th place league finish and the Carling Cup. Not only have they impressed through their successes but also through their attractive style of play.
(Read about the rise of Swansea here...)

However, Swansea did fade slightly towards the end of the season, arguably after their Carling Cup win. Laudrup will need to keep his team fit and motivated right to the end of their Premier League campaign if they are to improve upon last season’s 9th place finish. I believe that Swansea are capable of bettering their final position in the table, especially considering the signings they’ve made so far this summer. On top of this they have managed to keep hold of their coveted manager, Michael Laudrup despite speculation linking him with a move away.

Returning to the glory days of Anfield, 1964

Laudrup has delved into the transfer market to reinforce his team for the coming season. He has made a couple of astute signings in the form of Jonjo Shelvey and record signing Wilfried Bony. Other defensive reinforcements include Jose Alberto Canas and Jordi Amat. With the promotion of Cardiff City into the Premier League, Swansea will be spurred on to prove themselves as the best Welsh team in the league and could even push for a European spot. 

ONE TO WATCH: Wilfried Bony. Signed for a reported record £12.5million from Dutch side Vitesse, he scored 37 goals in 36 appearances last season, including 31 in 30 league appearances and was voted Dutch footballer of the year. A powerful player, Bony will give Swansea something different upfront and should provide goals to help take the weight off Michu’s shoulders. 

Transfers (In): José Cañas - Real Betis, Free, Jordi Amat - Espanyol, £2,500,000, Alejandro Pozuelo - Real Betis, Undisclosed, Gregor Zabret - NK Domžale, Undisclosed, Alex Gogic - Olympiacos, Free, Jonjo Shelvey - Liverpool, £5,000,000, Wilfried Bony - Vitesse, £12,000,000, Jernade Meade - Arsenal, Free, Jonathan De Guzman - Villarreal, Loan

Transfers (Out): Kemy Agustien - Brighton, Free, Kyle Bartley - Birmingham, Loan, Gwion Edwards - St Johnstone, Loan, David Cornell - St Mirren, Loan, Alan Tate - Yeovil, Loan

VERDICT: Ollie - 7th, James - 12th, Ben - 8th, Gareth - 7th

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS

Club Nickname: Spurs

Founded: 1882

Ground: White Hart Lane

Manager: Andre Villas-Boas

Captain: Michael Dawson

Last Season: 5th

Gareth Bale. PFA young player of the year and PFA player of the year. ‘The Welsh Wizard’ who scored 21 league goals last season and is reported to be the subject of a world record transfer to Real Madrid, which is rumoured could be over £100million. Oh yeah, he also plays for a club called Tottenham who kick off their premier league campaign this weekend against newly promoted Crystal Palace.

Tottenham, under new manager Andre Villas-Boas, made a strong push for fourth spot all the way to the end of last season and missed out to local rivals Arsenal by a single point. They have bought well in the transfer market with marquee signings such as Roberto Soldado, a Spanish international, and Paulinho, a Brazilian international.

Looking to draw inspiration from 1961

However, they struggled during their pre season matches and they still have one big issue to sort out – Gareth Bale. It has been one of the transfer sagas of the summer and the numbers being talked about, £80-100 million, are astronomical. Tottenham’s entire season could depend on Bale, if they sell him, how they’ll replace him and if they’ll have time to bring in sufficient replacements for their star man. With the signings they’ve made and if Bale stays Tottenham will be a force this season and could well break into the top four. Villas-Boas will have his work cut out but if he can get his players to improve on last season then they’ll be one of the teams to watch.

ONE TO WATCH: If they keep Gareth Bale then obviously the Welsh winger will be the one to watch. It remains to be seen if he can improve on last season’s impressive performances. However, I’m going to go for Roberto Soldado. He scored a total of 30 goals last season for Valencia, including 24 in the league and with the World Cup just around the corner he will have a point to prove to become Spain’s main striker for the tournament. Tottenham will be hoping he will hit the ground running for them.

Transfers (In): Paulinho - Corinthians, £17,000,000, Roberto Soldado - Valencia, £26,000,000, Nacer Chadli - FC Twente, £7,000,000, Etienne Capoue - Toulouse, £10,000,000

Transfers (Out): William Gallas, Released, David Bentley Released, John Bostock - Royal Antwerp, Free, Jack Barthram - Swindon Town, Free, Jack Munns - Birmingham City, Free, Jake Nicholson - Crystal Palace, Free, Dean Parrett, Released, Nathan Byrne - Swindon Town, Free, Steven Caulker - Cardiff City £9,000,000, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders £6,000,000,  Tom Huddlestone - Hull City, £4,000,000

VERDICT: Ollie - 4th, James - 4th, Gareth - 5th, Ben - 6th

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Club Nickname: The Baggies

Founded: 1878

Ground: The Hawthorns

Manager: Steve Clarke

Captain: Chris Brunt

Last Season: 8th

 West Brom endured a very good season last season as shown by their 8th placed finish in their third successive year in the top-flight division. Steve Clarke had the team well drilled and they put in a number of impressive performances including a double over Liverpool, a 2-1 victory over Chelsea and that entertaining 5-5 draw against Manchester United on the last day of the season. 

Clark will be looking to replicate those sorts of performances but will have to cope without one of their star performers, Romelu Lukaku, who was on loan from Chelsea. However, they have brought in the experienced Nicolas Anelka to help replace Lukaku’s goals as well as Diego Lugano at center back. Apart from a young forward by the name of Matej Vydra, most of West Brom’s transfers have been outgoings.

FA Cup victory, 1968

Steve Clarke will find it tough to better last season’s performances and looking at their transfer dealings they could do with a couple more reinforcements to ensure a top ten finish. Steve Clark has done a very good job since taking over but will have to dig deep to increase the level of last season. 

ONE TO WATCH: Nicolas Anelka. There isn’t much more to say here. Despite possessing an ageing pair of legs he is a proven goal scorer and will bring some valuable experience to the dressing room. He may not be as exciting to West Brom fans as Lukaku was last season but expect to see a bit of French flair up top for the Baggies this campaign. 

Transfers (In): Matej Vydra – Udinese – loan Diego Lugano – PSG – free Nicolas Anelka – Juventus – free 

Transfers (Out): Shane Lewis – Walsall FC, undisclosed, Romaine Sawyers – Walsall FC, Free Scott Allen – Birmingham City, loan, Jerome Thomas – Crystal Palace, free, Marc-Antoine Fortune – Wigan Athletic, Free, Gonzalo Jara – Nottingham Forest, Free

VERDICT: Ollie - 12th, Ben - 9th, James - 14th, Gareth - 10th

WEST HAM UNITED

Club Nickname: The Hammers

Founded: 1895

Ground: Upton Park

Manager: Sam Allardyce

Captain: Kevin Nolan

Last Season: 10th

West Ham had a good season finishing right in the middle of the table. Sam Allardyce following up the Hammer’s promotion with a fine first season back in the Premiership. Notable performances include a 3-1 win over Chelsea, a 2-2 draw with Manchester United and a 0-0 draw with former champions Manchester City. West Ham were particularly strong at home and normally gave their fans something to cheer about when playing at Upton Park. 

West Ham provide a team of fighters

West Ham have seen a few players leave this summer, including Carlton Cole, but have made some important signings themselves. Andy Carroll was an important figure for them last season and has begun to rediscover some form. Question marks have been raised about the capture of Stewart Downing, one joke saying that Allardyce had undergone a medical at Upton Park after he had agreed to sign the player. But in all seriousness Downing should prove to be a good acquisition for the Hammers, he had a much better season at Liverpool last season and if he improves on that in the new campaign then Allardyce will have snapped up a bargain. 

Will West Ham return to the days of Moore, Hurst and co?

West Ham should improve on last season’s performances and I can see them breaking into the top 10 come the end of the season. They have a good squad and if they can keep their form at home then they should be able to match that 10th placed finish.

ONE TO WATCH: Stewart Downing. Yes you read correctly, Downing showed signs of much improved performances for Liverpool last season (he couldn’t be any worse) but with regular game time and continued progression I think he could prove to be an astute acquisition.

Transfers (In): Stewart Downing - Liverpool, £5,000,000, Andy Carroll - Liverpool, £15,500,500, Adrian - Real Betis, Free, Razvan Rat - Shakhtar, Free, Danny Whitehead - Stockport, Undisclosed

Transfers (Out): Gary O'Neill - QPR, Free, Carlton Cole, Eoin Wearen, Declan Hunt, Jack Powell - All Released, Robert Hall - Bolton, Compensation

VERDICT: Ollie - 10th, Ben - 11th, James - 10th, Gareth - 13th

By: Unknown On 14.41

Continue Reading

20 Pemain Paling Sering Melakukan Aksi Diving

Diving tidak hanya dideskripsikan sebagai olahraga menyelam. Di dunia sepakbola juga ada sebutan diving, meski yang satu ini bukanlah hal yang positif. Diving dalam sepakbola berarti upaya atau aksi yang dilakukan seorang pemain untuk mendapat keuntungan secara curang dengan menjatuhkan diri ke tanah lalu menunjukkan ekspresi kesakitan agar pemain atau tim lawan terkena hukuman serta kartu kuning atau kartu merah. Para pemain yang berpura-pura terjatuh atau menjatuhkan diri ini berharap agar wasit memberi hadiah pelanggaran. Kebanyakan diving dilakukan di area kotak penalti agar tim sang pemain bisa mendapatkan hadiah penalti. 

Aksi 'teatrikal' dan 'sandiwara' ini tentu menjadi sisi negatif dari dunia sepakbola. Para pemain seakan menghalalkan segala cara melakukan kamuflase dengan melebih-lebihkan kontak fisik yang minim dengan lawan. Hal ini tentu dapat mencederai sportivitas dan simbol fair play yang kerap didengungkan FIFA. Aksi diving biasa diikuti oleh berpura-pura dengan berteriak kesakitan, protes kepada wasit, berguling-guling dan menutupi wajah.

Inilah daftar 20 pemain yang sering diving di dunia sepakbola selengkapnya :

1. Juergen Klismann (Jerman)

Sosok Juergen Klinsmann tak hanya dikenal sebagai pencetak gol yang ulung. Namun Klinsmann juga dikenal sebagai pemain yang sering melakukan aksi diving. Bahkan julukan sebagai raja diving sudah begitu lekat pada eks bomber Tottenham Hotspur dan Inter Milan ini. Aksi diving terkenalnya adalah saat Final Piala Dunia 1990 Jerman vs Argentina. Aksi diving Klinsmann berbuah penalti yang sukses dieksekusi oleh Brehme yang membuat Jerman menjadi juara dunia. Sejak itu, ia pun dijuluki sebagai bapak diving.

2. Sergio Busquets (Spanyol)

Sergio Busquets dikenal sebagai pemain yang kerap melakukan diving. Yang membuatnya lebih parah adalah ia menambahkan aksi teatrikal alias ‘akting’ untuk membuat wasit percaya. Aksi diving Sergio Busquets yang paling parah adalah saat Barcelona menghadapi Inter di semifinal Liga Champions 2010. Saat itu Busquets berakting kesakitan dengan menutupi seluruh wajahnya setelah ia dilanggar oleh Thiago Motta. Namun ia masih sempat melakukan aksi 'cilukba' dengan mengintip lewat sela-sela jari untuk melihat apakah aksinya berhasil atau tidak (lihat gambar di atas). Dan ternyata ia berhasil mengelabui wasit yang langsung memberi kartu merah pada Thiago Motta karena dianggap melakukan pelanggaran berat. Aksi diving Busquets sendiri sempat ‘melegenda’ pada periode 2009-2012.

3. Luis Suarez (Uruguay)

Luis Suarez adalah salah satu pencetak gol terbanyak di Eropa 2012-2013. Namun image buruk Luis Suarez sebagai pemain yang ‘menghalalkan’ segala cara di atas lapangan terus berlanjut. Mulai dari aksi gigitan, aksi rasisme hingga aksi memegang bola dengan tangan dengan sengaja. Yang paling terkenal tentu saja kebiasaan diving nya yang dianggap terlalu berlebihan. Ia sudah dikenal di Inggris sebagai pemain yang hobi diving. Aksinya di pertandingan Liverpool melawan Stoke City di musim 2012-2013 sempat menjadi bahan cemoohan para pecinta sepakbola di seluruh dunia. Ia terjatuh meski tidak ada kontak fisik dari 3 pemain Stoke yang mengepungnya (lihat gambar di atas). Hal ini membuat Suarez kerap menjadi bulan-bulanan di media Inggris.

4. Filippo Inzaghi (Italia)

Filippo Inzaghi dikenal sebagai goalgetter ulung. Ia pun juga dijuluki ‘raja offside’ karena sering terperangkap offside. Satu lagi sisi negatifnya adalah seringnya Filippo Inzaghi terjatuh di kotak penalti tanpa kontak fisik atau dalam bahasa kasarnya berarti diving. Meski tidak ‘berakting’ separah nama-nama di atas, namun Pippo Inzaghi kerap meminta penalti saat ia jatuh di kotak penalti dengan sendirinya. Tak heran jika ia masuk dalam kategori pemain yang jago diving.

5. Ashley Young (Inggris)

Aksi diving Ashley Young mulai dikenal lewat dua aksi diving berturut-turut yang mampu menghasilkan dua penalti kemenangan dalam dua pertandingan krusial Manchester United di musim 2012-2013. Selama dua pekan itu, Ashley Young pun menjadi sorotan karena dianggap menodai pertandingan. Ia pun juga beberapa kali melakukan diving di parta-partai lain. Meski tak terlalu sering melakukan diving, namun imej nya yang sering jatuh saat melakukan dribble cukup lekat pada dirinya.

Pemain lain yang sering diving antara lain :

6. Dani Alves (Brazil)

7. Didier Drogba (Pantai Gading)

8. Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

9. Jordi Alba (Spanyol)

10. Luis Nani (Portugal)

11. Fransesco Totti (Italia)

12. Arjen Robben (Belanda)

13. Neymar (Brazil)

14. Angel Di Maria (Argentina)

15. Oscar (Brazil)

16. Gareth Bale (Wales)

17. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

18. Marcelo (Brazil)

19. Alberto Gilardino (Italia)

20. Theo Walcott (Inggris)

(zakipedia)

By: Unknown On 04.00

Continue Reading