This weekend Manchester had what could be called a golden weekend. Both football clubs won prestigious tournaments. United the premiership and City the FA cup. On the same weekend the city hosted the great Manchester run and the Salford City swim. This was followed by the City games which involved some of the worlds greatest sprinters, sprinting down the main street of Manchester.
Manchester is a great example of the power of sport in urban regeneration. Manchester is a former great city of the British Empire. It was known as cottonopolis due to the power of the cotton trade which passed through its exchanges. Marx and Engels wrote the communist manifesto based on the wealth and poverty of the city. The inevitable industrial decline happened and Manchester fell into disrepair and decay. The bright shining lights throughout the gloom was the football clubs, both City and United played football and produced some of the games greats Best and Sumerbee to name two.
Some where amongst the City fathers of Manchester sport was realised as redemption for a broken down city. The commonwealth games was bid for and won. The city was reborn. This led to the BBC choosing Manchester as its Northern base. Manchester United has dominated football and Manchester City is on the way up. Would the investment have arrived without a city council built stadium? The fantastically successful GB cycling team is based in Manchester this brings further investment into the city as the world visits Manchester to chase gold. Contrast Manchester with its near neighbour Liverpool, without doubt a more architecturally stunning city it has been in the doldrums for years. Both football teams play in Victorian stadiums, investment is short as Liverpool has no proof of carrying out large events like the commonwealth games. The same can be said of Birmingham or Bristol. The conclusion to this blog is that any city that ignore sport is not going to get investment.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Punch and Rugby!
Chris Ashton was punched and the media goes into an apoplectic fit regarding the ferocity of it. Rugby is a game of physical confrontation played on the edge of reason. Occasionally the red mist descends and fists are thrown.
Rugby has a some deadly sins that should be dealt with by the full force of the law. Gouging being the one I find particularly distasteful. A punch is what happens on the field occasionally. Citing is a step to far.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Thoughts on the Rugby World Cup Take 2 (intensity)
Fortune would have it that I managed to watch three rugby games. Injury prevented me from playing. After watching the super xv game last week. I was concerned about the chances of the Northern Hemisphere sides in the world cup. The two top league matches have made me think again. The other game I watched was lower league which will be the subject of a later blog.
The first game I managed to see was a premiership match between Leicester and Harlequins. The context of the game was the the Quins needed to win to secure a place in the play-off finals. Leicester preferred to win with a big European game next week. The other game I watched was Magners league game between Leinster and Munster. These were two physically tight games where no quarter was asked or taken. The contrast with the Super XV game the week before made me think.
The super xv tournament is between franchises, this is strength and weakness. Strength as it allows national selectors to control players and no risk of relegation allows players to express themselves on the pitch. Weakness because the teams are manufactured. The two games I watched were between two old rivals. In England the game between Leicester and the Quins is an old rivalry between the city slickers from London and the yeoman from the provinces. In Ireland it was between the city slickers of Dublin and the dockers and farmers of Munster. These games would have meant something no matter what the competition. This is where Super XV loses out because of the manufactured nature of the competition the intensity goes out of the game and it becomes more basketball less rugby.
How does this link to the world cup? Northern hemisphere competition is always intense this might give them the edge in the world cup. Bad weather and close games are likely down in New Zealand this might give the pretty rugby will not survive in those conditions.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The 100 Word Coaching Manual
Fabio Capello commented today that to coach the English football team he only needed 100 words. This got me thinking is this true? The English football manager job is one of the most high pressure jobs in the world. It is a job that breaks careers. It is like the president of the United States. Once you have been English football manager your career is over. In recent memory only Bobby Robson has managed to have a successful career post England.
What are the 100 words needed to coach England? Probably irrelevant, have we been making the hardest job in sport too complicated? Or has Fabio Capello lost the plot as many suspect. He is a man whose reputation has been dragged through the mud. It is not helped by the fact that he has made many U turns regarding the England football captain. He had a poor world cup beset by poor decisions.
The problem is that as much as the English public think that the England football team is fantastic. Occasionally these much vaunted players need direction. This direction has to come from a coach who understands his players and communicate simply his vision for the side. If 100 words are enough then the Euro championships in 2012 will be the test.
What are the 100 words needed to coach England? Probably irrelevant, have we been making the hardest job in sport too complicated? Or has Fabio Capello lost the plot as many suspect. He is a man whose reputation has been dragged through the mud. It is not helped by the fact that he has made many U turns regarding the England football captain. He had a poor world cup beset by poor decisions.
The problem is that as much as the English public think that the England football team is fantastic. Occasionally these much vaunted players need direction. This direction has to come from a coach who understands his players and communicate simply his vision for the side. If 100 words are enough then the Euro championships in 2012 will be the test.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Super Fifteen Skills
As I posted yesterday I am worried about how good the All Black backs will be in the next world cup. If you haven't seen the skill levels click on the video. Not sure how true it is but impressive none the less.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Super Rugby and World Cup
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon today, I was sore after rugby yesterday. It seemed appropriate to spend the day channel surfing. I happily stumbled upon the super fifteen match between the Canterbury Crusaders and the Natal Sharks being played for the first time at Twickenham. What started as a relaxing afternoon of rugby watching gave me some serious food for thought regarding the world cup later on in the year.
After the six nation's I was hopeful about the state of the northern hemisphere rugby. the English were starting to develop a pattern. Ireland were looking like a side who remembered that they were a good side. Finally the French were beginning to play. So what has dented my confidence?
Firstly the crusaders, they were a side playing with the emotion that a damaged city could give them. They looked very sharp. It is obvious that The All Blacks have potentially an unstoppable midfield. Dan Carter deserves the title of a great player. He now has Sonny Bill Williams outside him this combination of two physical, skilful footballers could be devastating. Carter has it all pace, power and a brain. Sonny Bill Williams has an incredible offload that, given the right support opens up a field.
Of course a back line is only as good as the pack of forwards in front of them. The Natal sharks had a tremendous pack full of hard running South Africans. The Sharks pack also had tremendous heart which kept them competing until the end. They were bested by a Crusaders pack that had the raw boned, aggressiveness expected from a New Zealand pack. Every forward looked comfortable on the ball and every forward looked to run.
What could this mean for the world cup? I believe that as in most rugby matches the game will be won and lost up front, particularly the back row. I think that it will be finely balanced up front. It may all depend upon the weather. The Northern Hemisphere forward's will have the advantage if the weather is bad. especially if they can impose a mauling technical game. If the Southern Hemisphere win enough ball I fear any of the six nations sides will struggle. Out wide the Southern Hemisphere sides have a definite advantage. I don't think anybody can match Carter, Williams or Giteau.
Just prove it click the video to see All Black Skills:
After the six nation's I was hopeful about the state of the northern hemisphere rugby. the English were starting to develop a pattern. Ireland were looking like a side who remembered that they were a good side. Finally the French were beginning to play. So what has dented my confidence?
Firstly the crusaders, they were a side playing with the emotion that a damaged city could give them. They looked very sharp. It is obvious that The All Blacks have potentially an unstoppable midfield. Dan Carter deserves the title of a great player. He now has Sonny Bill Williams outside him this combination of two physical, skilful footballers could be devastating. Carter has it all pace, power and a brain. Sonny Bill Williams has an incredible offload that, given the right support opens up a field.
Of course a back line is only as good as the pack of forwards in front of them. The Natal sharks had a tremendous pack full of hard running South Africans. The Sharks pack also had tremendous heart which kept them competing until the end. They were bested by a Crusaders pack that had the raw boned, aggressiveness expected from a New Zealand pack. Every forward looked comfortable on the ball and every forward looked to run.
What could this mean for the world cup? I believe that as in most rugby matches the game will be won and lost up front, particularly the back row. I think that it will be finely balanced up front. It may all depend upon the weather. The Northern Hemisphere forward's will have the advantage if the weather is bad. especially if they can impose a mauling technical game. If the Southern Hemisphere win enough ball I fear any of the six nations sides will struggle. Out wide the Southern Hemisphere sides have a definite advantage. I don't think anybody can match Carter, Williams or Giteau.
Just prove it click the video to see All Black Skills:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Scrum
The six nations was a very interesting tournament as discussed in a previous blog. Rugby union as usual has an issue with the laws of the game. The biggest problem at the moment is the scrum.
At the moment the international rugby scrum breaks up the game and the flow of the game. The issue at the moment is the referee. Currently the referee calls the the two pack together, then crouch, touch pause and engage. Inevitably the scrum collapses the ball does not go in. The referee then either calls the scrum again or a penalty. This all takes time. My solution would be simple, no crouch or pause just touch and engage. This allows the props with the best technique to dominate the scrum.
At the moment the international rugby scrum breaks up the game and the flow of the game. The issue at the moment is the referee. Currently the referee calls the the two pack together, then crouch, touch pause and engage. Inevitably the scrum collapses the ball does not go in. The referee then either calls the scrum again or a penalty. This all takes time. My solution would be simple, no crouch or pause just touch and engage. This allows the props with the best technique to dominate the scrum.
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