Archive for the ‘football’ tag
Michael Owen Announces Retirement From Football Tuesday 19th March 2013
Michael Owen
Michael Owen a former England striker has announced his retirement from football at the end of the season.
Debuting for Liverpool at only 17 years old, before his famous solo goal for England against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.
Owen, 33, who scored 40 goals in 89 internationals, played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United and Manchester United and is now at Stoke. Including a hattrick against Germany in England’s famous 5-1 victory over their rivals in 2001.
He said: “It is with an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my intention to retire.
“I have been very fortunate in that my career has taken me on a journey I could only have dreamed of.”
He has scored 220 goals in his club career, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup (three times) and Uefa Cup. Owen was named European Footballer of the Year in 2001 – the first Englishman to achieve the accolade since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
“Having progressed through the ranks at Liverpool to make my first-team debut at 17, before embarking upon spells at Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, not to mention representing my country on 89 occasions, I now feel it is the right time to bring the curtain down on my career,”
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Funnies on Friday: It is short and sweet but do not miss this hilarious video of ‘Karate Gangnam Style’
Don’t hit me: Gangnam
Introducing our fabulous new featute on VISIONSPORT.TV here is the first edition of Funnies on Friday, featuring a brilliant short from the world of martial arts. Karate Gangnam Style is this week’s favourite funny selected from our trawl of the internet and if you want your video or still to be featured on future updates please email your links, videos and stills to info@visionsport.co.uk so we can share the best with our growing fan base. Don’t forget to send us your feedback on twitter and Facebook.And if there is a story behind your favourite funny we would like to hear that too.
And this week’s Football Funny courtesy http://www.my-needs.com/comedy-videos/funny-football.html
Funny Football Argentine style
‘World would be a boring place without Paddy Crerand’ – don’t miss this remarkable feature-length tribute to unique football legend
There is no one in football quite like Paddy Crerand – and this weekend Manchester United fans around the world will enjoy a fascinating and revealing insight into the life of one of the club’s most colourful personalities when my long-awaited documentary ‘Paddy 50 Years’ premieres on MUTV.
Signed by Matt Busby for £56,000 on 6 February 1963, the kid from the Gorbals was the Paul Scholes of his generation and enjoyed a pivotal role in a hugely successful side that became the first English winners of the European Cup.
Now one of the club’s most fanatical supporters, Paddy has re-invented himself as an outspoken football pundit and has his own show on the club’s TV Channel. His recent radio rant that followed the Manchester derby – when contributors to BBC 5Live Breakfast blamed Rio Ferdinand for inciting the crowd and being hit by a coin – trended worldwide on twitter.
It was an insanely funny piece of radio that re-inforced his cult status with United’s current stars and skipper Patrice Evra says: “The players all love Paddy.” Not that this was the first time that he has vented his fury on radio in his uniquely passionate style to defend a Red Devil. Guess who was dominating the airwaves in support of Eric Cantona after his infamous kung-fu attack on abusive Crystal Palace fan Matthews Simmons back in 1995?
This Glasgow-born Celt of Irish descent is a fascinating character adored by his fans, friends and family alike because he is a man of the people who speaks his mind and is fervently loyal. Sent off six times, he insists he never started a fight but always finished it. And yet, behind that tough-tackling, tough-talking exterior, is a man with a heart of gold.
There are many fascinating chapters in the life of the 73-year-old who briefly dabbled in coaching and management after hanging up his boots. While his passion for politics famously saw him act as a peacemaker between the IRA and his old friend John Hume back in the seventies. Then there was his spell as a pub landlord when the likes of Bryan Robson, Paul McGrath, Alan Brazil, Norman Whiteside and Kevin Moran were his regulars.
“The world would be a boring place without Paddy Crerand,” declares Brian Kidd, who used to clean the Scottish international’s boots when he started out as an apprentice at Old Trafford. Kiddo, of course, is now Roberto Mancini’s assistant at rivals Manchester City. But he remains a close friend and is one of the stars of our feature-length documentary tribute to the United legend.
- Paddy Crerand looks back on the past 50 years in an emotional documentary tribute
It is a film laced with tragedy as well as triumph and I expect a few tears will be shed when viewers share Paddy’s emotional trip down memory lane that begins with the Second World War when his father was killed by a German bomb.
When Paddy finally signed for United from his boyhood heroes Celtic, it was the start of a golden era that saw Matt Busby’s men win the FA Cup, two league Championships and the 1968 European Cup in a remarkable five year spell. “I’d only been at United three months when we beat Leicester City 3-1 in the Cup Final at Wembley,” says our hero, who lined up against Frank McLintock, a player he’d previously faced in schools football back in their Gorbals days.
It was a decade when George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton became the iconic names at Manchester United. All three were European footballers of the Year. But Paddy was the outstanding half-back who made Busby’s team tick.
Nobby Stiles, who reverted to a more defensive role when Crerand arrived, says: “For me Paddy signing was the best thing that ever happened because it meant I moved back alongside Bill Foulkes, which was my best position.”
In the documentary, Sir Alex Ferguson and his brother Martin both talk about their memories of Paddy in the early days. Martin worked with Paddy in the shipyard before he signed for Celtic, and talks about how they used to play football at lunchtime in steel toe-capped boots. Sir Alex recalls Paddy playing junior football for Duntocher Hibs and likes to remind everyone that Celtic were beaten 4-nil by Rangers in Paddy’s final game north of the border.
The biggest accolade comes from Denis Law who told me: “Paddy was one of the best midfield players Scotland ever had.” Now that is some tribute from my good friend the Lawman who many of us regard as the greatest Scottish player of them all.
To fully appreciate what I am talking about you will have to watch the documentary and I am proud to say that my script has been brought to life by the narration of Bernard Hill, the Hollywood actor who starred in Lord of the Rings and Titanic.
‘Paddy 50 Years’ premieres exclusively this weekend on MUTV.
Watch primetime at 9pm on Sunday, February 3, or catch one of the repeat showings. You can sign up for MUTV at manutd.com/joinmutv or call 08708 486888. ‘Paddy 50 Years’ is produced, directed & scripted by John Gubba.
Thanks for great reaction to my Paddy Crerand documentary which is on #MUTV again tonight at 9pm #MUFC #Celtic #Scotland via @visionsporttv
— john gubba (@johnnielegend) February 3, 2013
You are truly a legend @patcrerand . One of a kind, hilarious, incredibly biased but don’t we just love it! The 50 Years show was brilliant
— Craig Nunn (@CraigNunn10_14) February 3, 2013
Just watching a documentary celebrating @patcrerand 50 years at United. Brilliant stuff
— waz (@wazmcr13) February 3, 2013
Paddy Crerand documentary on MUTV. Absolutely brilliant. Thought Paddy could not go any higher in my estimation. I was wrong. Legend. #mufc
— JOHN LUDDEN (@JOHNLUDDS) February 3, 2013
#MUTV – Paddy Crerand – 50 years… Love paddy, #great #legend #mufc #nostalgic … Brilliant documentary
— Vijay Kara (@VijayKara1) February 2, 2013
@johnnielegend 50 years wot a legend Paddy is KRO
— paul collins (@gabbiecabbie) February 2, 2013
Also thanks to everyone at MUTV, but special thanks to John Gubba who Im sure i drove mental. Well done John excellence
— Paddy Crerand (@PatCrerand) February 2, 2013
Download To Own your favourite Town DVDs straight to your computer, smartphone or connected TV
Download to Own
When it comes to new technology Ipswich Town have made a giant leap to the top of the table by becoming the first Football Club in Britain to offer our DVD catalogue via a brand new Download To Own (DTO) online store.
While Netflix, Lovefilm and Apple are downloading the latest movies, Planet Blue have embraced the digital revolution by launching our own dedicated service that will bring you the best of the Super Blues at the click of a button.
Our top titles will remain available on physical DVDs because they are still a popular gift item, especially at Christmas. But now you can build your own digital library that you can watch on your laptop, PC, mac, smartphone or connected TV.
Boys of 81, Official History of Ipswich Town, Match of the Seventies and Road to Europe are the four titles available as digital downloads on day one of this new service. And more great titles will be made available soon – including a brand new Great Goals of the Last Decade DVD.
The beauty of download to own (DTO) is that fans can download the complete DVD – including the extras and interactive menus – direct to their own computer or enabled device. This overcomes the streaming issues of variable broadband connection speeds because once the digital file is downloaded it gives you exactly the same experience as having the physical DVD.
Fans can choose between a full licence which enables you to play the file on up to 5 devices and even burn your own physical copy of the DVD, or a 24 hour rental (just like hiring a DVD from Blockbuster without the hassle of leaving home).
The Download To Own service is provided by the club’s DVD production partners VSI Enterprises who will be making the most popular titles in their back catalogue available online.
Check it out now by visiting itfcshop.co.uk
Get the official tribute app to the famous #ITFC team built by Sir Bobby Robson play.google.com/store/apps/det… twitter.com/ITFCgoals/stat…
— ITFC Greatest Goals (@ITFCgoals) January 23, 2013
Blackburn Rovers win at Old Trafford is the biggest shock in a season of surprises
BY JOHN GUBBA
It just goes to show you should never count your chickens . . . and that is what makes the Premier League the most watched football league in the world.
Blackburn Rovers arrived at Old Trafford rock bottom and with their fickle fans calling for the head of manager Steve Kean.
Manchester United were odds on to celebrate Sir Alex Ferguson’s 70th birthday with a win that would take them top at the turn of the year.
But Rovers’ enthralling 3-2 win leaves Manchester City in pole position on goal difference and the Blues now have the opportunity to go six points clear before United play again with games against Sunderland and Liverpool over the next 48 hours.
What makes the Premier League so exciting is its never ending ability to produce surprises – and you can bet there will be a lot more twists and turns before the title race is decided in May.
Mick McCarthy absolutely right! Fans of the beautiful game don’t want to see football turned into a non-contact sport
Mick McCarthy’s passionate defence of wronged midfielder Nenad Milijas is in the best interests of the beautiful game.
The Wolves player was sent off in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal despite winning the ball as McCarthy has clearly demonstrated.
But there is a lot more at stake here than a bad refereeing decision. We are talking about whether or not we want to kill the art of tackling.
While I am not advocating a return to the brutal days – when hardmen like Chopper Harris, Norman Hunter and Nobby Stiles ruled the roost – we must beware not to turn the game into a non contact sport.
McCarthy is absolutely right when he says: “I think the fabric of the British game is based on people tackling.”
And I agree whole-heartedly when the Wolves boss adds: “That’s why people come and watch because it’s exciting because people are tackled. It’s part of our game.”
Mick McCarthy points out the Milijas was first to the ball
Gary Speed’s final public appearance on BBC Football Focus
Gary Speed final public appearance on the BBC Football Focus Show
Gary Speed R.I.P: 8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011
To hear that Gary Speed is dead at 42 and may have committed suicide is just one of the most shocking things I have ever heard. RIP to the Wales manager.
The statement above was my immediate reaction after the news broke on BBC Radio 5Live on Sunday afternoon. In 35 years working in the media I can’t remember a piece of news that has come as more of a shock.
Twenty four hours later as genuine heart-felt tributes continue to pour in from around the world I am still numb with disbelief.
The events leading up to the tragic end to Speed’s life and the comments from the friends and colleagues who were in contact with him only highlight why this is such a shock
Poignantly Gary Speed was in high spirits and showed no signs of anything being wrong in his life when he appeared as a guest on the BBC’s Football Focus show on Saturday with host Dan Walker.
Just 24 hours later Walker tweeted: ‘Staggered by the news of Gary Speed’s death. Was with him for most of yesterday. I genuinely cannot believe it. Thoughts with his family.’
Speed – who was also appearing with Gary McAllister on the show – told Walker that there was nothing like playing football.
Gary Speed was a role-model who was universally liked and respected by everyone in the game and everyone he came into contact with. I have met many footballers in my life in the media and none more likeable and genuine than Gary Speed.
David Beckham deserves the Hollywood ending to the latest chapter in his unique football career
Becks celebrates in the LA Galaxy dressing room
When David Beckham agreed to leave Madrid for Major League Soccer five years ago and joined LA Galaxy most pundits wrote him off – but England’s most famous footballer revels in proving the critics wrong and the more he achieves the more popular he becomes.
It was fitting that Becks got his happy Hollywood ending with a heroic performance to secure the MLS Cup for the Galaxy in what looks like being his final game for the Americans.
Combining with Irish team-mate Robbie Keane, the 36-year-old set up Landon Donovan for the only goal in Sunday’s final against Houston Dynamo. For Beckham, playing through the pain barrier despite being clearly injured, this was his first silverware in America since his arrival in 2007.
And boy did he deserve his triumph, in front of over 31,000 fanatical MLS fans at their Home Deport stadium in Carson.
Champagne Becks toasts LA Galaxy success
Linked with a move to wealthy Paris St-Germain, Becks said: ‘Whether I stay or not, I’ve had an amazing five years.” And summing up exactly what it meant to him he added: ‘People were talking about if we didn’t win it was going to be a disappointment and an unsuccessful five years. It’s quietened a few people which is always nice.’
Paris would definitely be the perfect sequel for the the showbiz footballer who has starred in Manchester, Madrid, Milan and Los Angeles – becoming only the second Englishman after Trevor Steven to become a champion in three different countries.
Andre Villas-Boas must drop skipper John Terry if he wants to prove he is strong enough to manage Chelsea
Ridiculous as it may sound Andre Villas-Boas’s Stamford Bridge honeymoon is already over – and the rookie Chelsea manager could be out of a job before the New Year.
While Roberto Mancini has spectacularly come of age as a Premiership manager by turning Manchester City into a genuine force to challenge Europe’s best, the problem facing AVB is that his boss Roman Abramovich has no patience. The Russian billionaire will be counting the disastrous cost of failure if Chelsea fail to qualify for the Champions League and that will now be a worry after two successive home defeats to rivals Arsenal and Liverpool.
With skipper John Terry – embarrassed by Arsenal when the Gunners trounced the Blues 5-3 last month – again the fall guy as Liverpool won 2-1 at the Bridge, Villas Boas must decide whether or not to stand by his captain.And that hot potato is a dilemma that could define his future in West London.
The Portuguese manager is only 34 years old and has only been sitting in the Stamford Bridge hot seat for 18 matches. But his appointment is only ever going to work if Abramovich makes it clear he is giving him the time he needs to re-build the Blues. And there is less chance of that happening than Carlos Tevez winning a Mr Manchester popularity contest. Especially with Abromich already making it know he would love to reappoint Guus Hiddink
Rising star Nani deserves to be shortlisted for FIFA’s top award
Lionel Messi may be the favourite to win the 2011 Ballon D’Or and claim the title of the best player in the world for a third successive year – but it is testament to the progress of Portugal’s Nani that the Manchester United star is included in FIFA’s shortlist of 23.
Nani joins team-mate Wayne Rooney and Manchester City’s new hero Sergio Aguero in a list dominated by the best of Barcelona who have no fewer than eight players nominated. Former United star Cristiano Ronaldo is also included.
But it is no surprise to me that Nani has been elevated to such heights after spending the past month working on an upcoming documentary for MUTV on the kid from Cape Verde.
MUTV documentary will pay tribute to Nani-mania
Sporting freeviews onVISIONSPORT.TV
CLASSIC GOALS from Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham
http://youtu.be/eX8jspzs4zU
The list will be reduced down to three on Dec 5 with the winner being announced in Zurich on Jan 9.
Player nominees: Eric Abidal (France), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Karim Benzema (France), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Dani Alves (Brazil), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller (Germany), Nani (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Gerard Pique (Spain), Wayne Rooney (England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), David Villa (Spain), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Xavi (Spain).
