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It's been an enthralling World Cup, with all facets of the footballing world up for discussion, but unfortunately a dry spell for the Football Informer. However, priorities have been important for everyone posting to the blog in the past few months, and I'm sure that you can understand why it has been quiet around here.
The Football Informer will kick off again soon.
But, for now, some light entertainment. Here is a video of an infamous French prankster, by the name of Rémi Gaillard, infiltrating the pitch following a Coupe de France match, and even managing a handshake with the then president of France, Jacques Chirac. Enjoy!
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Football Quiz Answers
Answers for the football quiz from the 24th of November:
1. What ground do Ipswich Town play at?
Answer: Portman Road
Ipswich Town have been at 1884. It has a capacity of 30,311. Bloomfield Road is homr to Blackpool F.C.
2. What squad number is Darren Fletcher for Man United?
Answer: 24
Young Croation Zoran Tosic wears number 14 for The Red Devils, while number 8 is wron by brazilian midfielder Anderson.
3. Who is the manager of A.S Roma?
Answer: Claudio Ranieri
Former Chelsea and Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri manages the Rome based club, while Jose Mourinho manages fellow Italian giants Inter Milan, and Luciano Spalletti - the man who managed Roma from 2005 until his dissmisal in late 2009.
4. Who is the assistant manager of Liverpool?
Answer: Sammy Lee
Lee has been Benitez's right hand man since being re-hired in 2008. Mauricio Pellegrino is the first team coach at Anfield while John McMahon manages the Reds' reserves side.
5. What is Aberystwyth Town's biggest league away win?
Answer: 6-0.
Aberystwyth won 6-0 away at Llanidloes Town in 1993.
1. What ground do Ipswich Town play at?
Answer: Portman Road
Ipswich Town have been at 1884. It has a capacity of 30,311. Bloomfield Road is homr to Blackpool F.C.
2. What squad number is Darren Fletcher for Man United?
Answer: 24
Young Croation Zoran Tosic wears number 14 for The Red Devils, while number 8 is wron by brazilian midfielder Anderson.
3. Who is the manager of A.S Roma?
Answer: Claudio Ranieri
Former Chelsea and Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri manages the Rome based club, while Jose Mourinho manages fellow Italian giants Inter Milan, and Luciano Spalletti - the man who managed Roma from 2005 until his dissmisal in late 2009.
4. Who is the assistant manager of Liverpool?
Answer: Sammy Lee
Lee has been Benitez's right hand man since being re-hired in 2008. Mauricio Pellegrino is the first team coach at Anfield while John McMahon manages the Reds' reserves side.
5. What is Aberystwyth Town's biggest league away win?
Answer: 6-0.
Aberystwyth won 6-0 away at Llanidloes Town in 1993.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Football Informer Quiz!
Think you know football? Try this mind-scratching batch of questions for this month...
1. What ground do Ipswich Town play at?
a) Bloomfield Road
b) Portman Road
c) St. Michael's Park
2. What squad number is Darren Fletcher for Man United?
a) 14
b) 8
c) 24
3. Who is the manager of A.S Roma?
a) Jose Mourinho
b) Claudio Ranieri
c) Luciano Spalletti
4. Who is the assistant manager of Liverpool?
a) Sammy Lee
b) Mauricio Pellegrino
c) John McMahon
5. What is Aberystwyth Town's biggest league away win?
a) 6-0
b) 8-0
c) 9-1
Beckham ahoy!
a guest contributor writes...
In the flashy world of American sports one finds many distinctive cultural events. Hotdogs, popcorn, cheerleaders, huge costumed mascots, marching bands, and a very "US" feel.
This also applies to US soccer, as one would imagine. The big teams, which include LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew, the steadily rising Seattle Sounders, and the soon-to-be-admitted-to-MLS Philadelphia Union. It seems to be big business. But is soccer really all that popular?
You may be surprised to hear that football is the most played sport in US schools, and the team sport which is most participated in. While American football and baseball are the big spectator sports, soccer is the People's Game. It is hoped that grassroots fervour around this sport will build it up into an industry to rival that of Europe. And it seems that the 34 year old David Beckham wants to be a part of it.
Beckham's contract with the League and LA Galaxy states that he will be allowed to operate an MLS team. He told the BBC: "I have the right to own an M.L.S. franchise, which I will action immediately after I have stopped playing". In 2010, Philly Union will enter the league's hallowed halls, and in 2011, Portland Timbers and the Canadian Vancouver Whitecaps will step onto the big-money field. Beckham is allowed to start running a team in 2012. One of the teams looking for 2012 entry will be another Canadian club, Montreal.
The owner of Montreal Impact, Joey Saputo, along with other high-profile parties, are dropping hints in the media suggesting Beckham involvement in a deal. Saputo, confirming that potential parters had approached him, stated "I can say yes, we were approached about two months ago, but I can’t say by whom."
Will the worldwide football landscape be affected by David Beckham steering the 19th ship in the Major League Soccer fleet? Only time will tell. But I will say this, American interest in association football is soaring.
Story here.
Friday, 20 November 2009
A replacement for football?
a guest contributor writes...
With the recent scandal concerning Thierry Henry and the Ireland-France playoff, we can see how important football has become to national identities. Even the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Brian Cowen has stepped in, demanding a rematch. This seems to have blown the whole thing out of proportion; perhaps it should be accepted that it is a fundamental rule of the game that the referee's decision overrides the fundamental rules of the game.
As someone with close to no knowledge of the game of foot-the-ball, you may find it insulting that I am attempting to comment on the recent events at the playoff match between the teams of the Republics of Ireland and France. I don’t care; I’ll do it anyway.
As I understand it, the player Thierry Henry touched the ball one, nay two times in the Irish penalty area, leading to a goal. This seems to me as wrong; surely there is a rul that forbids non-goalkeeper players from handling the ball. I looked it up in the FA 1981 Book of Rules and Stuff, and apparently there is such a thing as the “hand-ball-rule”, or something. In other areas, players are being bought and sold like commodities, and managers are being mutinied against and thrown out like bottles of sour milk.
Football as a whole seems to have been blown out of proportion. It is no longer the realm of pleasant university matches, leather balls and top-hatted spectators. The commentator with the clearly enunciated Received Pronunciation is also a thing of the past. Perhaps it is time to return to that age, and to start afresh with the core elements of the game, or perhaps it is time to find a replacement.
I feel that an ideal replacement for the noble game of footy would be the ancient South Asian team sport of Kabaddi. It has some very interesting rules which would certainly stop it from becoming part of a serious world full of serious economics and highly-paid-slave-trading. In the game there are two teams in different halves of a field, and they take it in turns to throw members of their own team into the opposite half to writhe and wrestle on the floor with members of the other team, and to "tag" them. Once this strange practise is completed, the player must return to his own half. The players must hold their breaths during all of this. Genious.
A website has provided me with a list of the skills needed to play Kabaddi like a pro. I'm sure not all football players could pull these off. They include "Taunting" (well...), "Touching with the hand" (fine, OK...), "Raid" (yeah, but...), and "Penetration" (we won't go into that). All in all, a wider portfolio of fun skills, thrills and spills which will enthrall a British and worldwide audience once they are disillusioned with the crazy world of football. So, think about it. Soon football itself could be a thing of the past, replaced by the All-UK Kabaddi League. Of course, that would mean the end of this blog. Sorry.
Now, move along. Go back to watching I'm a Celebrity, or hitting each other, or whatever it is people do these days...
With the recent scandal concerning Thierry Henry and the Ireland-France playoff, we can see how important football has become to national identities. Even the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Brian Cowen has stepped in, demanding a rematch. This seems to have blown the whole thing out of proportion; perhaps it should be accepted that it is a fundamental rule of the game that the referee's decision overrides the fundamental rules of the game.
As someone with close to no knowledge of the game of foot-the-ball, you may find it insulting that I am attempting to comment on the recent events at the playoff match between the teams of the Republics of Ireland and France. I don’t care; I’ll do it anyway.
As I understand it, the player Thierry Henry touched the ball one, nay two times in the Irish penalty area, leading to a goal. This seems to me as wrong; surely there is a rul that forbids non-goalkeeper players from handling the ball. I looked it up in the FA 1981 Book of Rules and Stuff, and apparently there is such a thing as the “hand-ball-rule”, or something. In other areas, players are being bought and sold like commodities, and managers are being mutinied against and thrown out like bottles of sour milk.
Football as a whole seems to have been blown out of proportion. It is no longer the realm of pleasant university matches, leather balls and top-hatted spectators. The commentator with the clearly enunciated Received Pronunciation is also a thing of the past. Perhaps it is time to return to that age, and to start afresh with the core elements of the game, or perhaps it is time to find a replacement.
I feel that an ideal replacement for the noble game of footy would be the ancient South Asian team sport of Kabaddi. It has some very interesting rules which would certainly stop it from becoming part of a serious world full of serious economics and highly-paid-slave-trading. In the game there are two teams in different halves of a field, and they take it in turns to throw members of their own team into the opposite half to writhe and wrestle on the floor with members of the other team, and to "tag" them. Once this strange practise is completed, the player must return to his own half. The players must hold their breaths during all of this. Genious.
A website has provided me with a list of the skills needed to play Kabaddi like a pro. I'm sure not all football players could pull these off. They include "Taunting" (well...), "Touching with the hand" (fine, OK...), "Raid" (yeah, but...), and "Penetration" (we won't go into that). All in all, a wider portfolio of fun skills, thrills and spills which will enthrall a British and worldwide audience once they are disillusioned with the crazy world of football. So, think about it. Soon football itself could be a thing of the past, replaced by the All-UK Kabaddi League. Of course, that would mean the end of this blog. Sorry.
Now, move along. Go back to watching I'm a Celebrity, or hitting each other, or whatever it is people do these days...
Thursday, 19 November 2009
World Cup 2010 - Who's there?
After much hard work and effort from all teams in a brilliant World Cup Qualification term, the following teams have qualified:
UEFA (Europe):
Denmark, France, England, Greece, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland.
AFC (Asian Football Confederation):
Japan, Australia, Korea Republic, Korea DPR.
CAF (African Football Confederation):
Cameroon, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria
CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football):
Mexico, U.S.A, Honduras.
CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) :
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay.
OFC (Oceania Football Confederation):
New Zealand
Good Luck to all teams involved. And real sympathy for the Republic of Ireland following their cruel exit in the play-offs following that hand-ball. More to follow on that soon....
UEFA (Europe):
Denmark, France, England, Greece, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland.
AFC (Asian Football Confederation):
Japan, Australia, Korea Republic, Korea DPR.
CAF (African Football Confederation):
Cameroon, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria
CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football):
Mexico, U.S.A, Honduras.
CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) :
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay.
OFC (Oceania Football Confederation):
New Zealand
Good Luck to all teams involved. And real sympathy for the Republic of Ireland following their cruel exit in the play-offs following that hand-ball. More to follow on that soon....
Friday, 7 August 2009
Coca Cola Championship + League One - 2009-10
So, after a nice summer holiday for me and for football - it's back. The Coca Cola Championship, League One, League Two and lower leagues return for a brand new season. The Premier League of course starting next week. And with the transfer window still open, it's going to be a very busy August. So, I'm going to have my say on what I think the season will hold for some English teams across the leagues. Firstly, The Championship. Newly-relegated Middlesbrough host Sheffield United tonight as Gareth Southgate looks to bounce back to the Premier League and Kevin Blackwell looks to improve on last season's play off-final defeat. That game just a taster for the opening Saturday. So, who for promotion and who for relegation? I think that West Brom will look good under Di Matteo. They always seem to be up and down and the
y've managed to keep almost all their players from last season and added to the team with Swindon hit-man Simon Cox and I think they'll definatley be up there again. Ipswich are another team to watch. I think they'll do really well under Roy Keane. I was surprised when he arrived at Portman Road and I think he'll get the best out of the players at Ipswich. He knows what it takes to get promoted. Now, we come to Newcastle. I think their season will be entirely down to who's leading the club, and if Mike Ashley manages to sell. If not, and Newcastle are still going to be changing managers every month, they won't pose much of a threat but if Shearer gets the job and the squad know where they stand, they could come back up again, because despite losing key players like Owen and Martins, Newcastle have still got quality players who are commited to the club. i don't know about Middlesbrough, after Tuncay leaves - which according to Gareth Southgate he will, then they look a bit thin. Not much quality, just a lot of young inexperianced players. So they might stay in mid-table. Again, I think a lot of the clubs we saw challenging last season will be there again. Watford, Preston, Cardiff again and Reading. I also hope that Paulo Sousa can keep Swansea's progress going by doing one better than Martinez and challenging for a play-off place. And I fancy Sheffield United to do very well, especially after missing out so narrowly last season. Ched Evans is a good signing and they'll be glas to get Kyle Walker back on loan from Spurs. Now, Relegation. Very tough one to call. All of the teams have quality about them but I think the clubs that escaped it last season could be there again. Plymouth, Barnsley, Nottingham Forest? You never know, they might prove me wrong. I don't know how far Darre
n Ferguson can take Peterborough as well and Nigel Adkins' Scunthorpe. Now for League One and I have to admit they get less of my attention, I'm arfraid. I think Leeds might come up to the Championship though, they've got a good mixture of young and experinaced players. And they've also managed to keep Jermaine Beckford so far. Simon Grayson will manage them to a good season. Another two to watch are Norwich and MK Dons. Norwich have just been relegated but I think they've got enough about themselves to get up again if they work hard. MK Dons have lost Di Matteo but Ince is back and I'm sure they'll be delighted as he was such a success last time, and I think he'll continue where he left off last time. Now for the drop. I think Exeter City might find it difficult in League One. And like the Championship, a few of the teams that were hovering above the drop zone might be there again, if they haven't strengthened their weak areas. So, Good Luck to all the teams across the Leagues. And I'm sure the lower English leagues will grow in popularity yet again!
y've managed to keep almost all their players from last season and added to the team with Swindon hit-man Simon Cox and I think they'll definatley be up there again. Ipswich are another team to watch. I think they'll do really well under Roy Keane. I was surprised when he arrived at Portman Road and I think he'll get the best out of the players at Ipswich. He knows what it takes to get promoted. Now, we come to Newcastle. I think their season will be entirely down to who's leading the club, and if Mike Ashley manages to sell. If not, and Newcastle are still going to be changing managers every month, they won't pose much of a threat but if Shearer gets the job and the squad know where they stand, they could come back up again, because despite losing key players like Owen and Martins, Newcastle have still got quality players who are commited to the club. i don't know about Middlesbrough, after Tuncay leaves - which according to Gareth Southgate he will, then they look a bit thin. Not much quality, just a lot of young inexperianced players. So they might stay in mid-table. Again, I think a lot of the clubs we saw challenging last season will be there again. Watford, Preston, Cardiff again and Reading. I also hope that Paulo Sousa can keep Swansea's progress going by doing one better than Martinez and challenging for a play-off place. And I fancy Sheffield United to do very well, especially after missing out so narrowly last season. Ched Evans is a good signing and they'll be glas to get Kyle Walker back on loan from Spurs. Now, Relegation. Very tough one to call. All of the teams have quality about them but I think the clubs that escaped it last season could be there again. Plymouth, Barnsley, Nottingham Forest? You never know, they might prove me wrong. I don't know how far Darre
n Ferguson can take Peterborough as well and Nigel Adkins' Scunthorpe. Now for League One and I have to admit they get less of my attention, I'm arfraid. I think Leeds might come up to the Championship though, they've got a good mixture of young and experinaced players. And they've also managed to keep Jermaine Beckford so far. Simon Grayson will manage them to a good season. Another two to watch are Norwich and MK Dons. Norwich have just been relegated but I think they've got enough about themselves to get up again if they work hard. MK Dons have lost Di Matteo but Ince is back and I'm sure they'll be delighted as he was such a success last time, and I think he'll continue where he left off last time. Now for the drop. I think Exeter City might find it difficult in League One. And like the Championship, a few of the teams that were hovering above the drop zone might be there again, if they haven't strengthened their weak areas. So, Good Luck to all the teams across the Leagues. And I'm sure the lower English leagues will grow in popularity yet again!
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