So I woke up yesterday and went to this meeting where they tried to sell me and mom a place in a vacation club. Sadly, we did not have the $55,000 they wanted for the top level of the club or the $32,000 for the lower level.
We went out and walked around for a bit and came across an open air mall where we were approached by two gentlemen who also tried to sell us membership in vacation clubs with their hotels. At one point I just wanted to tell them, "thunder's loud, guys." I came across a footy shop that had a very nice selection of kits and boots and balls. I could have easily spent $1,000 in there.
After dinner last night, we went up to the bar on the roof where I had a very interesting conversation about footy with the bartender, Jose. We talked mostly about the Mexican teams and Portugal and Argentina. I had a bit to drink and began to amaze one of the gentlemen who showed up with his drunk friends. We were talking about the program and the stuff that we did for our first project at the Hurst. All in all, it was a good evening.
In other news, the US lost to England. What else is new? John Terry scored the opening goal at 36'. His header was stunning and it scooted just past Tim Howard. Steven Gerrard netted the second goal of the evening. He punched the back of the net with a ground ball past Howard to send the Lions past the US in what I am sure will not be the last time the US will loose over the next year or so leading up to the 2010 World Cup.
Showing posts with label steven gerrard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steven gerrard. Show all posts
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
6+5=0
No, my math is not off on this one. This 6+5 rule is something that FIFA's president Sepp Blatter is trying to impose on the world football community. What is the 6+5 rule you might ask? It is a rule that would halt a team from fielding more than five non-national players in a teams starting eleven. Has anyone took a look at the Premiership lately? How many of the starting elevens of the the top four teams in the league have six English players in them? The answer is probably what you expected: none.
It is not that these teams do not have English players, oh they do. And lets be honest, some of them are quite good. Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrad, and Theo Walcott are all amazing players, but it is the backbone of international players that hold these teams up. As you go down further into the Premiership, the situation evens itself out a bit more when it comes to the number of national players but I doubt the top four teams would be where they are today if it were not for their international players.
Looking around at the various other league, even in Spain, some of the better players that get noted are from Brazil and other non-national countries. This is true even in German football, although, not to the same extent. The only country out of the major world leagues that would not be greatly effected would be Seria A. The Italians, for the most part, believe in an "in house" system. I personally believe that mentality is why they field such a strong national team.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Blatter wants to do this. It would help foster younger nationals coming up through the academies. But he needs to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of who is really scoring goals in these league. If you took someone out of the Manchester United finishing school and put them up against some the Premierships best defenses, chances are that they would not have a chance, even if they had played for years on end.
Do I think it is the right move? Absolutely not, and both the EU and UEFA agree with me. Mark this date down in history because for once the whole footballing world might actually agree with me on something. The use of amazing international players has a two fold effect. First, for the internationals themselves, it gives them a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world and to get out of the squalor of their home countries (if they come from a squalorish country). Secondly, at the domestic level, it gives the nationals a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world. Me playing against the kids from college for four years will only stifle my playing, but if I can play against a new crop of talent from all over the globe every few years or so it will only increase the number of tools in my box that I can bring to me national squad.
Will Blatter get his way on this one? It is unlikely and it is honestly for the best that he does not. If some of the top flight teams in the Premiership were forced to play at least six English players every game, their teams would be worn out and the fans would loose interest. They pay to see big names, not Dave from Stoke or Paul from Blackpool. Happy footy all.
It is not that these teams do not have English players, oh they do. And lets be honest, some of them are quite good. Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrad, and Theo Walcott are all amazing players, but it is the backbone of international players that hold these teams up. As you go down further into the Premiership, the situation evens itself out a bit more when it comes to the number of national players but I doubt the top four teams would be where they are today if it were not for their international players.
Looking around at the various other league, even in Spain, some of the better players that get noted are from Brazil and other non-national countries. This is true even in German football, although, not to the same extent. The only country out of the major world leagues that would not be greatly effected would be Seria A. The Italians, for the most part, believe in an "in house" system. I personally believe that mentality is why they field such a strong national team.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Blatter wants to do this. It would help foster younger nationals coming up through the academies. But he needs to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of who is really scoring goals in these league. If you took someone out of the Manchester United finishing school and put them up against some the Premierships best defenses, chances are that they would not have a chance, even if they had played for years on end.
Do I think it is the right move? Absolutely not, and both the EU and UEFA agree with me. Mark this date down in history because for once the whole footballing world might actually agree with me on something. The use of amazing international players has a two fold effect. First, for the internationals themselves, it gives them a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world and to get out of the squalor of their home countries (if they come from a squalorish country). Secondly, at the domestic level, it gives the nationals a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world. Me playing against the kids from college for four years will only stifle my playing, but if I can play against a new crop of talent from all over the globe every few years or so it will only increase the number of tools in my box that I can bring to me national squad.
Will Blatter get his way on this one? It is unlikely and it is honestly for the best that he does not. If some of the top flight teams in the Premiership were forced to play at least six English players every game, their teams would be worn out and the fans would loose interest. They pay to see big names, not Dave from Stoke or Paul from Blackpool. Happy footy all.
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