TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| GLOBAL SOCCER: Playing Through Pain in Liverpool If Fernando Torres were horse, not man, some well-meaning soul would surely have called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals this Christmas. feeds.nytimes.com |
You are the Ref Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's official answers appear in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.Competition: win an official club shirt of your choiceFor a chance to win a club shirt from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new Observer YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt of your choice from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Louise Taylor: Football League in need of a winter break A three-week January break would allow more matches in the hazy days of August and MayThought for the weekRight now loads of Football League clubs will find themselves playing twice a week for the foreseeable future. That involves fans in plenty of lengthy, chilly, sometimes hazardous, Tuesday and Wednesday night trips – so why not shut the season down in January for three weeks and then extend it at both ends?This season, for instance, the Championship campaign concludes on Sunday, 2 May – eight days before the Premier League finale – and Leagues One and Two on Saturday, 8 May. Granted, it's World Cup year but, percentage wise, very few Football League players will be going to South Africa so there is no reason why they could not keep going through May when the nights are longer and the English weather infinitely more agreeable for watching and playing football.Crowds would surely be significantly bigger – with those gates almost inevitably boosted by supporters of Premier League teams obtaining their football fix through attendance at crunch League games. Talk about a win-win situation.And think about the amount of money clubs could save in terms of heat and lighting – no small matter in these days of soaring energy bills. Meanwhile, free of the injuries associated with playing in freezing weather on hard pitches, club medical departments would, happily, be appreciably less busy. And, of course, with no need for the undersoil heating largely lacking at lower division clubs there would be none of the postponements which inevitably occur in certain areas during even the mildest of winters.But what about fitting the play-offs in? Well there is far too big a gap between semi-finals and finals at present, so they could take place over a more concentrated period in early June – another ideal time, weather-wise, for playing and watching English football.There would also still be sufficient summer holiday room left to begin the new League campaign right at the start of August, thereby guaranteeing the next season's January break.Now the flaw in this argument is that we don't know when – and if – the bad winter weather is going to come. But the last three weeks of January – after fans have enjoyed their Christmas and New Year football and the FA Cup's third round, leaving clubs to count healthy festive turnstile receipts – seems as good a time as any.It would certainly help avert the misery at places such as Cheltenham Town where the chairman, Paul Baker, is rueing the £40,000 in gate receipts lost when Saturday's home derby with Hereford United was called off. If there were more games in May, especially, and August, clubs like Cheltenham may not be so worried about weather-induced interruptions to the cash-flow possibly prompting the delayed payment of wages to staff and players.A winter break would also spare League One Carlisle United from impending marathon midwinter treks to Brentford, Exeter City and Colchester United. As Greg Abbott, Carlisle's manager, put it: "We're looking at seven match months in January and February."That's certainly not much fun – whereas football in May is invariably fabulous.Goals of the weekendSammy Clingan's spectacular – if slightly deflected – scissor kick for Coventry City in the weekend's 3-1 home win over Barnsley. Some of Clingan's team-mates told the midfielder his goal had reminded them of a similarly executed one from Paolo Di Canio for West Ham United against Wimbledon almost a decade ago.Grant Holt's two for Norwich City in the 3-1 home win over Exeter. Holt also created his side's other goal and has now scored 22 times this season.Garry Thompson's two for Scunthorpe United. The winger played a big part in his side's 4-1 dismantling of Nigel Clough's Derby County at Pride Park.Ones to watch Paul Lambert Only Leeds United now stand between the former Scotland international's side and the League One summit. Small wonder Burnley are so interested in spiriting Lambert away from Norwich to Turf Moor as the replacement for Owen Coyle. Lambert has repeatedly reiterated that he intends staying put at Carrow Road but, for all these protestations, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that he could end up in east Lancashire. That, though, would be something of a shame – it would be good to see Norwich thriving, along with Leeds in the Championship next season. In Lambert and Simon Grayson, those two clubs boast two of the brightest young British managers around – but they need time to learn their trade properly. Throwing one or both into the Premier League deep end too early could destroy promising careers which have barely begun.Lee Clark The Huddersfield Town manager has also been linked – strongly – with Burnley. The former Newcastle midfielder is displaying an impressive aptitude for management after cutting his teeth as Glenn Roeder's assistant at Norwich. Young, energetic and an attack-minded purist – Clark didn't play for Kevin Keegan for so long without something rubbing off. He perfectly fits Burnley's profile as they search for "the new Owen Coyle". His departure would, however, represent an enormous loss to Huddersfield – currently looking good for the League One play-offs. Whatever the immediate future holds, Clark could yet end up thoroughly eclipsing his good pal Alan Shearer in the management game.Mido The word from Egypt is that, after only one goal and countless injury problems for Zamalek, Mido could have his intended season-long loan from Middlesbrough curtailed and be shortly dispatched to Cairo airport on a flight bound for Teesside. The problem here is that Boro do not want him and he does not want to be at Boro. The solution is apparently to sort out another loan somewhere else. The shame is that, if only the striker would get his act together, Mido would arguably be the most dangerous centre-forward in the Championship and could easily propel Gordon Strachan's side back into play-off contention.Derby County and Nigel Clough An impressive 28,106 turned out at Pride Park to watch Derby thrashed 4-1 at home by Scunthorpe After 12 months negotiating a tricky posting Clough is struggling to turn the tide at Derby and finds himself in a relegation fight. As Brian Clough's son he will be given more time than most to put things right – but the cash-strapped board's patience is not going to be infinite. Indeed the clock may already be ticking for Nigel.Games to look forward toNottingham Forest v Reading Forest have climbed to second in the Championship, stealing above West Bromwich Albion and are beginning to breath down Newcastle United's neck. Three into two won't go so the automatic promotion race is about to become engrossing.Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion Suddenly there is a third team in what had, for some weeks, been regarded as a straightforward procession to automatic promotion. Now the race for the Championship title no longer seems a duel between Newcastle and West Brom. Nottingham Forest will, of course, not actually be playing at St James' Park on Monday night but both sides present will be acutely aware that points dropped here will increase the danger posed by the men from the City Ground. And the very last thing Chris Hughton or Roberto Di Matteo needs is the play-offs.ChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoLouise Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Bolton Wanderers 2 Sheffield United 0: match report Second half goals from Gretar Steinsson and Johan Elmander secured Owen Coyle's first win in charge of Bolton. telegraph.co.uk |
Where is football's pie capital? Plus: Has a league's top scorer ever been relegated?; Which club is the greenest? (2); The shortest time between home and away fixtures; and the highest league ground in England. Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk"On Wikipedia it says: 'The supporters of Rotherham United still maintain the record for the most pies consumed at a football match, with a consumption of pies 40% above the Football League average,'" writes Mark Ireland. "Is this true? There doesn't seem to be a reference for this amazing fact."Never one to shirk a challenge, the Knowledge got on the phone to Pukka Pies to find out if Rotherham United really can claim to be the pie capital of English football. And the answer is – well, sort of.Though the Millers (average attendance 4,214) clearly don't shift pastry in the same numbers as the Premier League giants, in terms of the pie-eating percentage of those coming through the gates at Don Valley they are top of the league."Among the 35-40 clubs we supply, you usually get 15%-20% of supporters at the ground buying a pie," says Peter Mayes of Pukka Pies. "At Rotherham that jumps to 40%-50%. So, relatively, they're our best-performing football customer. They do like their pies."But, of course, no pie-based coronation could be complete without reference to Wigan, whose Pooles Pies often come up trumps in fan surveys and, slightly weirdly, are now available in the region's health clubs. Tom Dickinson, in his book 92 Pies, also gave a thumbs up to the pie-credentials of Morecambe. But while Rotherham may not have the definitive crown, they certainly have a legitimate claim to the throne.PROLIFIC PLAYERS GOING DOWN"How many times has a league's top scorer been in a relegated team?" wonders Ben Schneider. "And even better, has his team ever finished in last place?"Indeed they have. In Ireland: "Dave Mooney now of Reading (on loan at Charlton) finished top scorer in the League of Ireland in 2007 with 19 goals for Longford Town who managed to finish bottom of the league," writes Dean Murray. "Albeit with a six-point deduction."In Portugal: "In 2005-06 Cameroon striker Albert Meyong topped the Portuguese I Divisao charts with 17 goals," writes Dave Clark, "which was still not enough to save Belenenses." But Belenenses, despite finishing in the bottom four, were given a reprieve after Gil Vicente were relegated as punishment for fielding an ileligible player.In England: "In 1973-74, Southampton's Mick Channon scored 21, but his club finished 20th out of 22, and were relegated to the Second Division," writes Vincent Lacey. "As a kicker, it was the first time the third team from bottom was relegated from the top flight, so had the old rules remained in place, Southampton would have been spared the drop, denying Carlisle their first, and only, season in the top tier."In Germany: "Angelo Vier was the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga in 1997 when his team Rot-Weiss Essen was relegated," writes Matthias Gläfke.And in Italy: "In Serie A co-Capocannoniere Igor Protti's Bari were relegated in 1996," writes Rob Moline. "It was his one golden season, having been a journeyman beforehand, but it earned him as a transfer to Lazio (home of the other co-Capocannoniere Giuseppe Signori). Protti struggled there and eventually released after only one season."WHICH CLUB IS THE GREENEST? (2)A few weeks ago we looked at the clubs doing their bit to save the earth, and since then we've had a few more eco-warriors dropping into our inbox. Firstly we turn to Will Bouma, who with a degree in Environmental Studies and a 2003 dissertation entitled 'Greening Football, Environmental Management in Premier League Football' should know what he is talking about."I established at that time, that very few of the clubs in our elite league were interested in environmental issues," writes Will. "However, Manchester United were ahead of the game, being the only club in the top flight employing a full time environmental manager, Keith McIntosh."At Carrington, all the waste water was filtered with reed beds on site, to avoid the use of treatment chemicals, rain water was collected and used to water the pitches, and finally, all the artificial pitches used re-cycled car tyres in their construction. At Old Trafford, they had a full environmental policy regarding recycling of all their waste, and again collected rain water to use on the pitch."Indeed Carrington now has a nature reserve on site, in which, according to McIntosh, "Red admiral butterflies, meadow pipits and grey partridges have all made their home."Rea Cris points us in the direction of Janguito Malucelli in Brazil, whose 'Eco Stadium' houses seats built in to the grass bank that neighbours the pitch, cutting down on the use of concrete and such.We also received an email from Andrew Bell, the president (no less) of Charleston Battery, a team we featured last time around. And we thought it might be interesting to see what motivated the club's attempts to go green:"We believe in the dangers of climate change, Charleston is a coastal community (the immediate surrounding region is known as the Low country) and wanted to do our (small) part to spread awareness of the issue," writes Andrew. "We host a 'Go Green' night at one of the Charleston Battery matches each year and encourage businesses and non-profit organisations in the area to come out and showcase their green efforts and endeavors via a vendor village within the stadium. It's been very successful; we even had a bicycle-powered margarita machine one year!"AND A LITTLE BONUS ..."What is the shortest time between home and away league games against the same opponent in league football? Can anyone beat Arsenal's games against Bolton from this year?" asks Anton Marks.Indeed they can. As the world and his wife wrote to point out, there was a time when games were played back-to-back over Christmas, with the Christmas Day fixtures being reversed on Boxing Day, something that led to occasional wild results.KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVEWhich is the highest league ground in the English league," asked James Taylor in 2005. "I always understood it to be Oldham's Boundary park but the commentator at the recent FA Cup tie said it was only the second highest ... if so then which is the highest?"According to Simon Inglis's definitive work, Football Grounds Of Britain, the three highest league grounds above sea level belong to West Bromwich Albion, Port Vale and Oldham Athletic. The Hawthorns - built in 1900 - is the highest of the lot, standing at 551 feet above sea level. Next comes Vale Park (525 feet) and Boundary Park (509 feet).The highest football ground in England, though, is at Silverlands, home to Buxton FC, which is more than 1,000 feet above sea level - but that's nothing compared to the real altitude-busters in central and south America.The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City stands at 7,000 feet above sea level, while the daddy of them all, the National Stadium in the Bolivian capital La Paz, is a breath-sapping 8,500 feet above sea level.For thousands more questions and answers, take a trip through the Knowledge archiveCan you help?"Algeria's Africa Cup of Nations semi-final with Egypt will be the fourth match between these teams in a little over seven months," writes Ruairi Corr. "Is that, or if not, what is, the highest number of games between two international sides over one year or less?""Last weekend Cambuur's newly-bought striker Reza Ghoochannejhad scored on his debut after just nine seconds," writes Karim el Esawy. "Is this the fastest goal a debutant has scored?""In the Highland League, there is a team called Inverurie Loco Works," notes Phil Middleton. "Are there any other clubs that have modes of transport in their names? The only other team we can think of is Vauxhall Motors.""Which team has been on the wrong end of record scorelines against the most teams?" poses Peter Mickelsen. "The best I can find appears to be Newport County, beaten by record scores four times for Brighton, MK Dons, Newcastle and Notts County."Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.ukRotherhamFood & drinkJohn Ashdownguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |