Tuesday 29 January 2013

Seaham Star - Wednesday 30th January 2013

Carrying on with my experience gathering, couple of pieces I did for the back-page of the Seaham & Houghton Star, starting with a preview of Seaham Red Star's trip to Tow Law:

After two weeks of inactivity due to the bad weather Seaham Red Star return to action this weekend with promotion very much on their mind.

They currently lie 3rd in the Ebac Northern League Second Division, two points ahead of Darlington RA who have played two games more than them.

And Manager Mark Collingwood is confident that his side are up for the challenge ahead.

“I think we've got every chance. There will be plenty of twists and turns still to come and I'm sure people expect us to fall away. But we're there over halfway through the season and we're there on merit. Our aim is to still be on the shirt tails of everyone with 5 or 6 games to go and give it a real good go.”

He added “Our aims at the start of the season was to be competitive and not let ourselves down. Those aims have now changed. We definitely want to finish in the top 10 as that will give us a FA Cup spot next season and bring some much needed revenue into the club but promotion, why not. We know we're punching above our weight but we've got every chance.”

The push for promotion continues on Saturday with a trip to Tow Law Town and Collingwood admits this is a must win game.

“Tow Law are one of the best footballing teams in this league but if we're going to be genuine contenders these are the type of clubs we need to be beating, those clubs in mid table and below. Any points against the likes of Northallerton, Crook, Ryhope, Jarrow Roofing are a bonus but this is our bread and butter.”

And Collingwood thinks the extended break came probably at the right time for his men.

“We'd been on a good run but the loss to Thornaby didn't help our momentum so it's been good to have that break and recharge the batteries. We've managed to get some training sessions in so we're all looking forward to getting back.”

Seaham have been busy recruiting since that Thornaby game and will hand a debut to Sean Sweeney who has signed from South Shields. Fellow new signing Ivan Stoyanov, who impressed on loan at the club earlier this year, is unavailable however as he is currently back in his native Bulgaria on trial at top flight club Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

But Collingwood is happy with both of his new signings and believes Sweeney can be an instant aid to his side's ambitions.

“We're not like other clubs who have thousands to spend. We're down to the bare bones and some times we have have to go bargain hunting. But in Sean we've got a very good player who will score goals for this club, hopefully starting on Saturday.”

And also the preview for Seaham RUFC before their trip to North Shields:

Saturday sees Seaham RUFC back in competitive action with a trip to a resurgent North Shields.

Shields have won 4 out of the last 5 games with their only defeat against runaway league leaders Bishop Auckland.

However Seaham themselves have been in better form recently and last time out they recorded a much needed 3-0 win over fellow strugglers Barnard Castle. That win leaves Seaham 8 points and two places ahead of the relegation zone.

One of Seaham's problems this season has been an inability to put out a settled side with a lengthy injury list adding to players missing with work commitments. But the players who have come in have given their all, usually in unfamiliar positions.

The previous meeting between the two sides ended in Shields leaving with a 48-12 victory. But Seaham can be pleased by the way they ended that game, scoring two tries and threatening to steal a bonus point.

It is a never say die attitude that has been prominent throughout the current campaign and if they can put out a full strength team they are more than confident of securing a result.

Monday 28 January 2013

NUFC Press Conference - Monday 28th January 2013

As part of my major career plans and in an effort to gain some more experience I had the plesaure of going to Newcatle's Press Conference today. Here's the piece I did following that:
 
 
Alan Pardew has no doubts about throwing the majority of his new signings straight into the mix for tomorrow nights game against Aston Villa.
 
Newcastle announced the signings of no less than 5 new players last week all from the French league and he is confident that they can hit the ground running.
 
"Haidara, the left back we brought in, is really one for the future, he definitely won't be involved though I will be taking him as part of the squad but the other 4 are in contention. It's really about getting the balance right in the team. Having so many French players in the team has helped and the signs are progressive."
 
Of all of those signings it is that of Moussa Sissoko that excites him the most and he will definitely make the starting XI at Villa Park.
 
"I think of all the signings Sissoko was the most important for myself because I think he's a player who is adapted to the Premier League. I think his strength and ability will automatically gain the assurance he needs to play at this level and we needed a player like that. I thought we were missing power and pace in our side and make no bones about it, he will definitely be playing against Villa."
 
"He's very keen to put the situation right on his own. That's the sort of player he is, the sort of player we want to bring into this football club and dressing room."
 
He was however quick to distance his new man from comparissons with former Premier League players such as Patrick Viera.

"I think it's unfair to put names next to players. He's Sissoko, Moussa to us, and we hope he has a successful time here."

Despite the big influx of new faces he doesn't see this causing a problem with the current members of the squad. In fact he has noticed a more determined air around the training ground
 
"Certainly I have and quite rightly too. You're going to react. In any walk of life if someone comes in to take your job, your place in your company or your position, you're going to react. So we've had a nice reaction, a positive one and that's how it should be
 
He now feels happy with his squad and sees no more incomings.
 
"We needed to strengthen there's no doubt about that. We accelerated some transfers that perhaps we may have left til the summer, Sissoko being the main one of that group in terms of accelerated. Derek Lambias has done a terrific job as Mike did in getting us over the line."
 
And he also feels the squad is in a much stronger position and far more able to deal with the battles ahead.
 
"It leaves us a lot stronger, gives us depth, gives us cover where we haven't had and the injury crisis we suffered earlier in the season, we're now coming out of that, the group is much, much stronger"
 
One of those players coming back into fitness is Steven Taylor and Pardew sees the Cramlington born defender as a big help to the squad's mindset for the remainder of the season.
 
Taylor was in the team who was relegated at Villa Park in 2010 and is confident that experience will spur both himself and the team on.
 
"He's a local boy, he understands the club, he was there two years ago when this club got relegated at Aston Villa so he'll know in that dressing room how important this is to us and he'll relay that to the other players."
 
"It's brilliant to have him back."

Friday 18 January 2013

Lance Armstrong - Interview Part 1 - Comment

After years of denial Lance Armstrong finally confessed to Oprah Winfrey to having used performance enhancing drugs in winning the Tour de France 7 times.


That in itself was a little surprising as there had been thoughts that he wouldn’t admit to the whole truth and that the interview, which was pre-recorded, would be stage managed with pre-approved questions and topics.


There was also concerns that Oprah was chosen as she was friendly with Lance and therefore wouldn’t give him the grilling most cycling fans wanted.


Well having watched the first part I get the impression that these concerns may have been warranted.


Oprah did start fairly positively, hounding Armstrong and asking the big questions up front but the longer the interview went on it seemed, to me anyway, that she allowed him to wriggle off the hook too many times.


For example when she asked about the bullying I felt that was a big part of the interview, a big part into what made him dope and what made the rest of his team follow suit. In other words the ‘why’ questions.


I wanted to hear about the Simeoni incident in more detail and from this penitent version of Armstrong. But unless it comes in part 2 I think the opportunity has been missed.


Penitent. There’s another question. Is Lance actually sorry for what he has done? I don’t think he is. His answers never gave that impression, either in their content or their delivery. One part of the interview think is particularly interesting in this respect concerns his 2009 comeback.


OW – Do you regret coming back?

LA – I do. We wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t come back. 


That is clear regret. But is it remorse? Certainly he doesn’t say the word ‘sorry’ here and when the word does gets mentioned it’s never convincing. For example Lance says this:


“....I have to apologise to .....”
“....one of the steps of the process is to say sorry....” 


All this points towards a forced expectation that he is sorry rather than an actual heartfelt apology.


There were other aspects that I didn’t believe. For example Lance was very firm in denying doping during the 2009 and 2010 Tours. I just don’t see how a 38 year old who hadn’t raced in 2 years could have come back and finished 3rd without doping, especially now he’s admitted that previous race wins were chemically aided.


There’s also still question marks over his donation to the UCI. There are reports that this donation was to hush up a positive test but nothing has been confirmed. Armstrong was quick to make public his dislike for the governing body but reluctant to give details of why if he hated them, he went ahead with the donation. Hopefully this will come in part 2.


Overall it was riveting viewing. But in terms of context and learning something new there was very little substance. Part 2 airs on Saturday night. Hopefully the second instalment can change that.

Thursday 17 January 2013

Guardiola - Answers or More Questions?

Pep Guardiola ended months of speculation yesterday by agreeing to join Bayern Munich from next season.


In doing so he delivered a huge blow to the aspirations of many teams, including some of the biggest clubs in England who had harboured dreams of having him as their manager.


So another epic footballing saga comes to a conclusion. Or does it?


Bayern Munich has been seen by some observers to be an ‘easy’ option and they could have a point. Munich are one of the major forces in European Football. They are well run from top to bottom, can boast a passionate and loyal board and an excellent youth setup. They are expected to challenge and win the Bundesliga every year as well as appear in the latter stages of the Champions League.


They can call upon the services of some quality players with the likes of Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez, Philipp Lahm and Xherdan Shaqiri and have the financial backing and pulling power to attract further world class players.


They are expected to appear in the latter stages of the Champions League as well as challenge and win the Bundesliga every year. And they only really have Borussia Dortmund as a genuine national challenger.


So Guardiola goes there with a level of expectation that is on paper a lot less than England for example.


It will also suit him from a personal point of view. Despite the cynics who say anyone could have succeeded the fact is he did a stellar job at Barcelona. But after that and a year away from the game he knew he would be under a lot of pressure to replicate his success, wherever he went. Bayern offers the perfect atmosphere to keep his reputation intact.


It has been seen as a snub to England and the Premier League but this is a bit harsh. Guardiola is still young. He celebrates his 42nd birthday tomorrow and even with a 3 year contract behind him would only be 45 when that comes to an end. Had he taken a job in England he would be the 4th youngest of current premier league bosses.


So there’s plenty of time for him to try his hand in England if he so desires. If Bayern is classed as a ‘soft’ and ‘easy’ option then so be it but it also seems to be the most sensible available to him at this time.


But another question this all raises is where does it leave those teams in England?


Chelsea and Arsenal were both said to be interested in his signature as were the two Manchester clubs. Now that this avenue has been closed to them who do they turn to now, if indeed they want to make a change.


Chelsea seemed to be in the pole position of the English teams. Roberto Di Matteo’s sacking and the seemingly universal disapproval of Chelsea fans to Rafa Benitez meant that a summer move for Guardiola made sense. But perhaps the ruthlessness of Roman Abramovich was too much pressure.


He is now left with an option of keeping Benitez and run the risk of further alienating Chelsea fans or looking elsewhere for what would be the 7th manager in just 5 years.


Arsenal were apparently mulling over ending Arsene Wenger’s 16 year tenure at the club. A stuttering league campaign and rumblings of discontent over the current playing staff and recent transfer policy may have caused Arsenal shareholders to cast glances elsewhere. But perhaps therein lies the problem. Again boardroom arguments and power struggles may not have made the Emirates a palatable option for Pep.


Arsenal therefore will probably hold onto Wenger, unless the fans really turn against him.


In both cases though a lot depends on each club’s finishing position in both the League and the Champions League. Failure to secure a berth for next season’s premier European competition could see either manager depart.


Manchester City are in a similar boat. Roberto Mancini probably earned himself a stay of execution by winning the Championship. But his failure to lead his team to the knockout stages of this years competition could count against him. The loyalty of the clubs Arabian owners have yet to be tested fully.


Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be showing no sign of retiring but there will be moves behind the scenes to plan for his eventual departure. Had Guardiola been a potential option then I’m sure it would have been looked at thoroughly and the Scot's retirement rushed forwards.


So decisions will need to be made over the next few months in the boardrooms of these clubs by the very people who possibly were the reason for Guardiola choosing Munich. The potential managerial merry-go-round that was predicted by many to be scheduled for the summer has not been cancelled but it has been postponed for a little while.


It could still well happen. Jose Mourinhio at the present time looks to be leaving Real Madrid and has made no secret of his desire to return to England. And with Carlo Ancelotti’s position at Paris St.Germain not exactly safe there may still be movement among Europe’s big clubs.


As for Pep Guardiola he will move to Munich, safe in the knowledge that he has probably made the right decision, and safe from the turmoil and questions that still exist elsewhere.