Posts Tagged ‘soccer’

Soccer Superstars – A Look At The Best Players In Spain

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

There are plenty of soccer superstars playing in Spain’s top division, and it is with good reason that it is regarded as the number one domestic league in the world. Listed below are the players who are currently regarded as the best of the best…

Messi : Spearheading Barcelona’s treble winning team of 2008-09, Argentinean Lionel Andrs Messi dazzled fans and opposing players alike with his creativity and flair. Still only 22, he is the current “World Player of the Year” and, if he remains injury free, he is likely to chalk up awards, goals and assists for many years to come.

Cristiano Ronaldo : Blistering pace and explosive power are what led to Ronaldo initially being signed by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.Now playing for the mighty Real Madrid, Ronaldo is quickly justifying his reputation as the being the world’s most expensive player.

David Villa : Playing for Valencia, who are not one of the most glamorous teams in the league, David Villa Sanchez (to give him his full name) boasts an absolutely outstanding goals to games ratio. He was the winner of the “Golden Boot” for Spain at Euro 2008 and is expected in the near future to become Spain’s all time highest goal scorer. Villa has attracted a host of top clubs, who are all eager to sign-up the prolific striker.

Kaka : Brazilian midfielder Kaka, is a playmaker of the highest calibre. Able to make pinpoint passes across the entire length of the field, or dribble past players to create a chance or score a goal, Kaka was the jewel of the AC Milan team and helped drive them to “Champions League” success in 2007. Now one Real Madrids so called “Galaticos”, he aims to repeat the success he enjoyed with the Rossoneri in Italy and fire his new team to title glory.

This article is brought to you by http://www.carhiremalaga.org.uk, a spanish car hire site with Malaga airport and tourist information.

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The Whole Thing about Soccer Field Measurements

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

When it comes to soccer field measurements, it is worth noting that the dimensions are uniform, regardless of the level of play. According to FIFA, for professional events involving 11 players for each one team, the soccer field must have a span of 100 to 130 yards and a width between 50 to 100 yards. Soccer fields in England are believed to be smaller than that resulting to more physical games. In contrast, in South America, the fields are much bigger giving more space and time on the ball.

For recreational soccer, playing on a smaller soccer field is recommended. By doing this, players will indisputably make the game enjoyable and learning is more achievable. The dimension of the playing field should be proportional to the size of the player. In a big field, recreational players would waste their time running and turn out to be tired by half time. Consequently, the kicks will be much longer.

Another disadvantage of playing recreational soccer in a large field is that teaching strategies and team play is unlikely. Smaller soccer fields are most excellent for average players who are slower and be short of stamina, which is usually common in 50% to 75% of recreational players.

The Penalty Area

This is the area where the goalkeeper usually uses their hands and fouls are punished. It includes the penalty spot, which is 12 yards away from the goal and the six-yard box 6 yards further from the goal. The top portion of this box includes a small arc commonly referred to as “the D.” It has a radius of 10 yards and has no purpose in the rules of soccer but simply serves as a guide for the players.

The Goal

In spite of of the level of play, the goal has a uniform measurement of 8 feet tall and 24 feet wide.

Center Circle

It divides the soccer field into two zones and is where the kickoff takes place. No player is allowed to cross their area until kickoff commences. It has a 10-yard circle in it and only the two players kicking off is allowed to stand within the inner circle.

Although soccer field measurements stay unchanged regardless of the players competing, the rules of the game allows the dimensions to be smaller for female players, persons with disabilities, or those who are below 16 years old and more than 35 years of age.

rinked article:
Dart Board Dimensions
World Cup Trophy Dimensions

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Chelsea’s Best Players

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

While Chelsea’s team is packed with skill all across the field there are a few key players that make the team perform at the level they do. Without these players Chelsea just wouldn’t be on the same level.

1. JOHN TERRY (England, Central defender)

Terry sets the benchmark with which the other players adhere to, captaining both club and country. A skilful and brave defender, showing technically sound style and a great amount of skill. Always a danger at set pieces and never afraid to lead by example, he is a fine example of a strong team leader and an outstanding choice as captain of the club and his country.

2. ASHLEY COLE  (England, Left back)

He may be booed roundly by Arsenal fans every time he lines up against the Gunners, but despite their bile, Ashley Cole is still, arguably, the best left back in world soccer. His form and confidence has not been consistently great, but at his best his marauding runs down the left and quality balls into the box are only matched by his ability to shut down some of the world’s best players. He is known for keeping players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi quiet in games. That’s no fluke, only a world class left back can pull it off.

3. MIKAEL ESSIEN (Ghana, Central midfielder)

Essien’s injury last season showed how sorely he could be missed,even in a team filled with a world class midfield. Essien helps balance the midfield. His energy, work rate and defensive skills are first class, but he is also a technically gifted soccer player of great intelligence. He gets forward at the right time along with a powerful and accurate kicking game from a distance. At today’s prices the 24.4 million pounds that it cost to buy him looks like a bargin.

4. FRANK LAMPARD (England, Central Midfielder)

Who wouldn’t want a player like Lampard in the midifled scoring handfuls of goals. He has started scoring goals again this season due to Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to give him a slightly deeper role in the team. Frank Lampard is a vital source of attacking strength due to his accurate shooting and ability to link play with his strikers.

5. DIDIER DROGBA (Ivory Coast, Attacker)

There are many who believe that Didier Drogba is the finest attacker in world at the moment, and on current form, it is hard to dispute that. Didier Drogba wearing the Chelsea home soccer jersey makes all goalkeepers fear the upcoming game. The big striker may have his critics, who lambaste his theatrics when he falls over when tackled, or who bristle at his continual insistence to argue with officials and opposition players, but on his day the Ivorian striker is unstoppable. His goal scorring ability and excellent presence are vital for Chelsea, and at times he has carried the team on his back. He alone may end Manchester United’s dominance of the Premier League.

Five world class stars to make up just under half of a world class team.

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Alex Ferguson To Sign Serie A Star

Monday, December 28th, 2009

It appears that Marek Hamsik has lined up a £25m transfer bid to move to Manchester United come January.

The form of veteran former England midfielder Paul Scholes, plus the fact that Ryan Giggs is not getting any younger has convinced Sir Alex Ferguson of the need to bring in a top notch quality replacement to bolster what is perceived by some critics to be United’s biggest weakness, midfield.

Manchester is not alone in regards to Hamsik, both Chelsea and rivals Liverpool have shown interest in the star midfielder. The Slovakian international started his career with Slovan Bratislava but quickly showed his quality to persuade Brescia to snap him up. Managing to score 10 goals at Brescia from the midfield before being lifted from the team for 5.5 m Euros to move to Napoli.

Since joining Napoli in 2007, Hamsik has established himself as one of the finest box to box, goalscoring midfielders in Serie A. His impressive record of 25 goals in just 81 games bears comparison with some of the finest midfielders in Serie A and there are many strikers who would be proud to boast a similar strike rate. The Slovakian midfielder has quickly been named the best midfielder in Serie A by experts throughout Italy after his two goals against Juventus.

Hamsik’s performances have been equally impressive for his national side, Slovakia. His efforts were a major part in Slovakia’s entry into the World Cup in 2010. He may well re-write world cup history.

Riccardo Bigon however has stated over the last few weeks that they have no intention of selling the player.

“Manchester United are after Hamsik? If we rejected the rumours regarding a friend like [Carlo] Ancelotti and his Chelsea, it is obvious we also reject these rumours.”

These comments have since been substantiated by Napoli chairman Aurielo De Laurentiis who confirmed:

“Many clubs have requested Hamsik, it’s true, but he will stay with us for the long-term”

Whether this stance will soften in the summer, when United hope to make their move, remains to be seen. Whether Napoli really plans to keep Hamsik into the future only time will tell, with not a lot of cash in the club it can be hard to see them not be at least tempted to sell the player if the offer is right.

Chelsea’s desperation to buy players may push any deals between the two clubs away. Roman Abramovich has purportedly given manager Carlo Ancelotti the green light to make a £25m move for the player so they might beat Manchester United to the punch

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How to Safely Buy Manchester United Football Tickets Online

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Purchasing Manchester United football tickets online is actually a pretty safe way to get them, but there are scammers out there and it is important to be aware of how they operate. The first thing that you can do to protect yourself if you plan to buy Manchester United football tickets is to only do business with an online ticket vendor with a good reputation. One of the best ways to ascertain whether or not you should make a purchase from somewhere is to go through customer reviews. In addition to worries about getting ripped off by some dishonest site, you also want to avoid vendors that don’t deliver their goods on time. When reading a customer review on a ticket vendor, it is important to make sure it is a legitimate review and not just clever advertising. The best way to discern if a review is genuine or advertising is to look for a hyperlink towards the end of the review.

When you read a review of a product, if it has a link to the product, then you are probably reading a review which has been paid for. With today’s email spam blockers becoming more powerful, advertisers rethink their ways of getting their product out there and they have turned to reviews which are favorable to get their product in the public eye. Reviews which do not contain links are more likely to be genuine. Some people prefer to buy tickets on eBay because you can often find cheaper prices, but it is definitely a better idea to do business with a website specializing in tickets. Sometimes ticket sellers on eBay ship the ticket too late, and sometimes not even at all. Most people you do business with on eBay are honest but if you decide to purchase this way make sure you read their feedback to get a better idea of how professional they are.

You can also protect yourself by never putting down any information about yourself in a page that is not encrypted. This is a feature not many people look for when checking out, but the importance of it can not be understated. What are the signs that will tell you if a web page is encrypted? You will see HTTP at the start of a website address HTTP will change to “HTTPS”, if a web page is encrypted. Encryption is at all times the best way to go, and while lack of it doesn’t necessarily imply that you’re dealing with a criminal company, it also doesn’t say much about how  they regard the privacy of your information. If you are interested in a ticket vendor, they have good reviews, and their check out page is encrypted, then you can be pretty certain that the vendor is safe to purchase from.

It is probably a good idea to follow these suggestions to avoid being scammed.  It is also a good idea to follow your instincts. If something about a vendor does not seem quite right, do not purchase anything from them. If something seems off then there is a good chance something is. A little scrutiny goes a long way when it comes to avoiding a scam artist. Finally, you need to find the one which costs the least. You will be able to make your next purchase with confidence after reading all the information on this article.

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