Football

Tommy T asked:


I mean, there was a game last week of the Texans/Packers in 6degree weather. How far will the NFL go to play the game. Is there a certain degree when they will postpone a game to protect their players and fans? I know its tradition, but what if it hits 10degress below?

Thanks.

Zach

Factor13 asked:


I have been coaching soccer for 25 years and my son is now 18 and would like to become a youth soccer trainer, we would like to start a new club, but do not know how to start. (Orange County CA)

Jocelyn

running man asked:


I have a standard NFL authentic jersey which is the ~70 dollar screen printed replica version of the jerseys. The part which is most annoying is the white screen printing which is used liberally on the jersey is fading with a yellowish tint. I have owned other jerseys similarly, and none of them have shown this tendency. I was wondering if there was a cleaning compound that could be used to fix this, or any other option that I can’t seem to figure out?

Gabriel

D. W asked:


U kno the NFL Logo on the front of the Jersey.

Derek

CrashFu™ asked:


What would it take for the average NFL fan to watch and appreciate a World Cup or Premier League football/soccer match?

Is it even possible?

Maria

Patrick Omari asked:


Ask anyone what the hardest job in football is and you’ll get a myriad of different answers. Maybe it’s being a goalkeeper or a manager, perhaps the chairman is the hardest job? Well without doubt the hardest job is that of the referee. It has been said that the best referees will go unnoticed as the game is played, and there is certainly a grain of truth in that statement.

Do your job well and people will be talking about the match rather than about your performance. However if you make even one mistake then expect abuse, bad press and even punishments. It is a fine balancing act and without the advantage of slow motion replay and time to ponder a decision the referee must make the right call in the heat of the moment. While pundits have the opportunity to look over an incident in slow motion from a multitude of angles, the referee does not have this chance, making his job all that more difficult.

Given the fine line between making the right decision and making a bad one in football it comes as no surprise that sometimes the referee gets things hideously wrong. While there may be an excuse for a bad decision sometimes the one given by the referee just can’t be explained. This article looks at some of the worst decisions ever made by football referees and should give some backing for calls of video replays being used during games to aid the officials.

Diego Maradona’s second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup is often hailed as one of the greatest goals of all time. His first goal has become known as one of the most bizarre. As the ball was played high into the penalty area the diminutive Maradona managed to out-jump England keeper Peter Shilton and put the ball into the net.

Television replays clearly showed Maradona using his hand to beat the goalkeeper to the ball. The goal should never have stood and England were beaten 2-1 and knocked out of the World Cup with Argentina going on to win the tournament, showing just how much a bad refereeing decision can impact a team and a competition.

Generally regarded as a good referee, if a little prone to errors, Graham Poll committed one of the strangest refereeing mistakes in recent memory at the 2006 World Cup. During the match between Australia and Croatia Poll booked Josip Simunic twice without sending him off, eventually giving him his marching orders for a third yellow card at the end of the game. The mistake would see Poll sent home from the World Cup and his eventual retirement from tournament football, stating that this incident was his reason for stopping.

Standing out among all others as the strangest decision a football referee has made is the goal that Reading scored against Watford in 2008. The ball was hooked wide of the goal, but cleared away from the area. The linesman and the referee somehow gave a goal, despite the ball being a foot wide and never even touching the net.

The referee, Stuart Attwell, later claimed that it was an optical illusion that made it look like the ball was inside the goal. Illusion or not, it is one of the most bizarre goals ever awarded and will surely be remembered for many years.

Another goal mouth incident is next up and it’s almost a direct opposite of the Reading incident. In 2005 while playing for Tottenham Pedro Mendes hooked the ball from the half-way line into the Manchester United goal. Goalkeeper Roy Carrol fumbled the ball before clawing it out from behind the line. The ball was over by about a foot but the officials said that it was not a goal.

Television replays confirmed that the goal should have been allowed and Spurs should have won 1-0 and taken three points from the game. The disallowed goal sparked a debate over whether replays should be used to aid decision-making and based on this game it certainly has a strong case.

These are some of the worst and the strangest decisions that I can remember, and they present a strong case for the addition of television replays to help officiating top-level matches. It must be remembered, however, that for the most part referees do an excellent job and games pass by with barely a mention of the man in the middle.

It is just an unfortunate situation that any error can so drastically change the course of a game, and even a season. Using replays to help the referee seems like a reasonable idea and in most cases wouldn’t slow the game down much at all. Surely it’s much better to get the right decision than save thirty seconds?



Clint

Patrick Omari asked:


The state of English football is an interesting one. One the one hand you have a blossoming club scene, with English teams among the most powerful in Europe and making millions of pounds worth of revenue every year. Few could argue that the English Premier League is the most financially successful league in the world as well as being one of the most exciting to watch with a very high standard of play. The last four consecutive Champions League finals have featured English teams, including this years final in Moscow which was the first to have two teams from England go head to head for the greatest prize in European football.

However on the other hand you have a struggling international team packed full of stars that are failing to perform on the highest stage. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 has hurt the image of the national game significantly and has left many questioning how it has gone so wrong. The question remains that if these same players can illuminate the club scene and help inspire their teams to European glory then why can’t they do the same with England?

Like many when I saw the qualifying group draw for Euro 2008 I was certain England would qualify with ease. While good teams, Russia and Croatia do not have players of the calibre of Barcelona, Inter Milan or Real Madrid, sides that English teams have overcome in Europe. I saw England qualifying in a comfortable first position and taking their place among the seeds for the draw for the tournament, but it just didn’t happen.

We all saw how badly the English team played through the qualifiers, losses at home to Croatia and away to Russia being particularly painful to watch. While a good deal of the blame can be placed at the feet of Steve McClaren it is certainly not entirely his fault. The players just didn’t play well enough to deserve it.

The answer to why this is has puzzled the football community for a long time, because it certainly isn’t the first time the English team have failed to live up to their potential. Since the turn of the century England have consistently underperformed, crashing out in the first round of Euro 2000, losing on penalties at Euro 2004, and going out in the quarter finals of the World Cup in 2002 and 2006.

For a nation that often believes the team enters tournaments as potential winners it isn’t a very good record, and I believe the weakness of the team lies in the technical ability of the players in England, their tactical awareness and the lack of good coaching at grass roots level.

I do not believe there are enough great English players coming through that can compete at the very highest levels. While good they’re not great. Wayne Rooney was completely overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo all season at Manchester United and outplayed by Lionel Messi in the Champions League. Rooney is not alone, look across the England team and every player with the possible exception of Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard will have been outperformed in his position by a foreign player in the Premier League.

I believe the problem comes from the grass roots level where children just picking up the game are taught all the traditional English values of football. Work hard, be strong, tackle hard, never give in, etc etc. While certainly of merit these values are no longer sufficient in the modern game.

The qualities that used to be hallmarks of the English game are now copied by everyone and the English are left behind in the technical areas. Ball retention and passing by English teams is far behind some of our continental rivals, and this will not improve unless changes are made to the national outlook on the game. Children need to be taught to keep the ball and pass well, rather than just get stuck in and told to be big and tough.

The culture of football in England needs to move away from being tough and macho to applauding and encouraging moments of skill.

The great French team of the late 90s and early 2000s is a good model to try and emulate. They combined power and aggression with skill and finesse. They won a World Cup and a European Championship and were the most successful French team ever. England need to start producing players like Zidane and Henry if they are ever going to win a major tournament.

The changes to get there need to start at the very bottom. If we can teach our children to play one and two touch football and teach them the value of their first touch and ball possession then the game should start to look much more healthy. As it stands winning is all that matters, even at school football level and so kids who maybe have the skills but aren’t big enough yet aren’t given the chance to shine as they are physically overpowered.

Once English football thinks skill first, and physical prowess second then the game should be in better shape and we may even start to think about winning our first World Cup since 1966.



Meagan

David Walker asked:


Outright Odds: 1500/1 Group B Winners: 50/1

Trinidad & Tobago will be looking to cause a few upsets after qualifying for the World Cup finals for the very first time at the eleventh attempt. The ‘Soca Warriors’ beat Bahrain 2-1 across a two-legged play-off to reach Germany but also beat Mexico, ranked seventh in the world, along the way.

Dennis Lawrence headed in the decisive goal in Bahrain but it was the final North, Central American and Caribbean Zone group match against the 40/1 (Bet365) Mexicans that will be best remembered.

Trinidad & Tobago needed a win in order to beat Guatemala to the precious play-off spot but fell a goal behind and even missed a penalty before a Stern John double turned the match around to ensure a fourth-placed finish in the group.

Bustling striker John will play in attack with veteran striker Dwight Yorke. The former Manchester United and Aston Villa striker is nearing the end of his career and will be 35 in Germany. He came out of international retirement in 2005 to give it one last go, and although he is no longer the same player who helped United to complete their magnificent treble in the 1998/99 season, qualification is the final reward for a long and frustrating career for his country.

Yorke was part of the team that almost qualified for the 1990 finals and needed just a point against the USA to book a place in Italy. However, the United States scored a last-gasp winner to qualify themselves at Trinidad & Tobago’s expense.

Manager Leo Beenhakker, formerly of Holland, Real Madrid and Ajax has worked wonders for this tiny country with a population of just 1.3 million - the smallest competing nation in the finals. He has managed to get the best out of a limited pool of players, many of which play at a low standard for the clubs.

However, there is a strong “British contingent” that will make watching Trinidad & Tobago interesting for UK audiences. As well as Yorke and John, the starting XI includes Kelvin Jack (Dundee), Brent Sancho (Gilklingham), Marvin Andrews (Rangers), Dennis Lawrence (Wrexham), Chris Birchall (Port Vale), Kenwyne Jones (Southampton) and Carlos Edwards (Luton).

Being thrust onto the world stage is a big ask for some of the players but they need to look at Jamaica in the 1998 World Cup for inspiration. If they can beat either England, Sweden or Paraguay, that would go down as the country’s greatest result in history.

BetBonus.co.uk Recommendation: Trinidad & Tobago’s best chance of success could come in the final group game. If Paraguay are out of the reckoning, Trinidad & Tobago could battle their way to a draw at tempting odds.

Paraguay vs Trinidad & Tobago draw @ 13/5



Gabrielle

Gerry McDonnell asked:


The wife is easily influenced by the mainstream media. Ever since the BBC first aired ‘Heroes’, she believes she has supernatural abilities. I’ve tried to explain that ‘sensing’ I’m not in a romantic mood does not equate to a ‘power’; she’s merely deduced that I haven’t been drinking heavily.

I, however, have a genuine gift. I can make kitchen appliances spring to life just by talking to them. Just last night, I switched the oven on by staring it and growling, “Cook…Cook now…Cook now or else.” It was a pressure cooker.

Tal Ben-Haim definitely has a unique ability, he can run in slow motion in real time. The plodding defender will become a bona fide English hero if Israel snatch a result against Russia.

The Russians have been priced up at 8/15 for the match, and that’s shorter than Paul McCartney’s arms. Only Croatia have won a competitive international in Israel over the last eight years; while France, England and Spain have all fell considerably short. The Israelis are a must-bet at 9/5 to avoid defeat.

If I had the choice of a new power to acquire, it would definitely be the ability to afford copious amounts of alcohol without the need for employment. Only the rich and the Scottish can currently pull this off.

The Jocks are one win away from arguably the greatest shock in international football since Ryan Giggs played two consecutive games for Wales. I can’t see the Italians surrendering, but 10/3 about the Sweaties is verging on tempting.

Peter Reid, Terry Venables and Ron Atkinson have all been linked with the vacant managerial hotseat with the Republic of Ireland. Even after 400 years; we never tire of stitching up the Irish.

Ireland may be rudderless, but they face a Welsh team with even less direction. Wales have definitely gone backwards under John ‘one good decision’ Toshack; his penultimate game in charge may well end in a draw at 9/4.

Many people are under the false impression that it was the English who invented the beautiful game. It’s a little known fact that it was actually an Irishman whose potato was too hot. I think we all know that Denmark are too strong for Northern Ireland at 5/4.

For a modern day footballer, a healthy diet is absolutely essential - so I’m guessing that Sir Alex Ferguson is far from happy with Ronaldo. The orange winger is quoted as saying, “I dated a girl from Manchester, and she showed me that steak pies and chips are very good.” I was left flabbergasted by this revelation: Ronaldo dated a girl. Portugal are the weekend banker at 1/12 against Armenia.

The more I think about it, the most useful super-power to possess would definitely be X-ray vision. Imagine the possibilities: you could wander around the streets at night, checking for fractured metatarsals. I can see right through the 1/2 for a Czech Republic win over Slovakia.

When angry, I am blessed with super-human strength. All it would take for me to lift the wife clear up into the air is mild provocation and a forklift truck. Spain will run over Sweden at a hefty 4/5.

As much as I enjoy being able to pick up overweight women, I’d much rather be invisible; like the 1939 - 1945 chapter in a German history book. We won’t be seeing 1/6 for a Germany win over Cyprus for very long.

One often underrated power is the ability to absorb the strengths of those around you. I could meet up with Arsene Wenger and ooze intelligence, chat with Jeff Stelling and become cool, or sit down with Oliver Holt and write inane drivel. I’m definitely feeling the 5/4 for Norway against the soon to be eliminated Turks.

Time travel remains the ultimate goal for all sci-fi obsessed nerds. There’s no doubt that the world could potentially be changed for the better: we could eliminate the cause of wars, famine, decease and Frank Lampard. Nothing can stop Denmark, Portugal, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany and Norway from landing an 11/1 accer.



Cheyenne

max m asked:


My son is starting to play soccer for U12. He needs a size 4 ball. He says he needs a ball that is soft enough to not hurt his foot but he can kick it far. Any suggestions?

Aubrey