Archive for the ‘soccer trophies’ Category

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Clichy After Trophies at Man City

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

The ex-Arsenal defender Gael Clichy turned down the chance to join Liverpool (after long negotiations) when moneybags Man City came in with an offer, but he is absolutely adamant that he didn’t leave for the money, he left simply because he believes that he has more chance of winning trophies at the Eastlands. In fact, he says the wages are not much different to what he would have got at Liverpool or Arsenal.

Clichy also maintained  that City “have more weapons” to challenge for the big trophies, especially after the frustration of Arsenal’s end-of-season collapse.  He stated:

“With Liverpool contacts have been very serious, I had phone calls with Damien Comolli, I knew him for a while. Indeed, there was AS Roma too, with a nice project and an exciting proposition. But I wanted to stay in the Premier League. I like the football here and the state of mind. Moreover, City offered me the opportunity to play again in the Champions League. I don’t know if it will be the case during the next two seasons, but next term I will play in it.”

“Money? I would have earned almost the same at Liverpool. The defenders’ wages don’t evolve a lot. I can understand people believe money has been a key factor. It is not the case. Manchester City is a big club, with a big team, an ambitious club which wants to shine in any competition. Was I fed up to not win any trophy at Arsenal? No. I don’t know if City will win anything, and maybe Arsenal will win the title next term. But I believe City has better weapons.”

“At Arsenal, the end was frustrating. We were in all competitions until March and after we lost the League Cup final, everything collapsed. The Manchester City offer came late, but I didn’t think a lot.”

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Rating Euro Managers

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

The best managers of all time. What a list. Some of the most talented football theorists and motivators alike. Those managers could develop systems that revolutionized football and got the best out of players who before were considered average.

Trophy haul is most certainly an accurate method to measure success. The only possible argument against the measure of success by trophies, is when managers inherit a good squad. Take the example of Avram Grant at Chelsea. He reached two finals ( the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League) with the squad that Jose Mourinho left. He made no significant additions to the squad. He is not considered as good a manager as may who have done the same.

Also, the value of certain trophies is less when there is not much competition. Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish League is a two-horse race. This allows for managers of either club to rack up titles rapidly without needing to be a quality manager. Same goes for Barcelona and Real Madrid (Domestic Trophies).

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Mansfield Sunday League Winners Celebrate

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Double winners Kirkby Town Falcons celebrated as they picked up their trophies at the Chad Mansfield Sunday League annual presentation night at Kirkby’s Festival Hall on Saturday. Falcons claimed the Premier Division title and added the league’s prestigious Stamper Cup to sit alongside it in the trophy cabinet.

Pinxton Sun Inn also chalked up a double as they won Division Two as well as the Intermediate Cup. The Ravo also went home with two trophies in a ‘nearly’ season which saw them runners-up in both the Junior and Division Five competitions. Referee of the Year went to Andy Bills and Secretary of the Year was Lawrence Smith of Shirebrook RBL A.A special award was also given to Trev March for his contribution towards Kirkby Town.

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Arsenal Midfielder Laments Team’s Lack of Authority

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has insisted that his side must become nastier if they are to end their six-year wait for a trophy. The Gunners have not picked up any trophies since the 2005 FA Cup final and despite reaching the League Cup final as well as chasing the Premier League crown, Arsene Wenger’s men came up short once again. Wilshere, whose performances have been one of the highlights of Arsenal’s season, believes that he and his team-mates must develop a more authoritative streak if they are to pick up honors next season, something that he sees as imperative.

Speaking to reporters ahead of England’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday, the 19-year old said: “It will be a disaster, 100 per cent, if we don’t win a trophy next season. We know that. The fans feel it. We feel it. We just need to win a trophy.

“We have to be more of a team, be more aggressive, show more authority and take control a bit more. You see other teams pressuring officials and sometimes I think, ‘We need to do it as well’. Manchester United are the best at it. They get round the referee all the time. “I think sometimes we are a bit soft and naive, and some of our players would be the first to admit that. We’ve been too nice in defending. I’ve heard Bacary Sagna say this year that we’ve been too nice. “We have to be a bit nastier, especially on set-pieces, because we’ve conceded too many goals from set-pieces.”

Wilshere also insisted that the club need to win a trophy to ensure their biggest stars, namely captain Cesc Fabregas, stay at the club and help to build a dynasty at the Emirates. He said: “Arsenal’s a big club and we need to be winning trophies to help us keep our big players – sooner rather than later, too. “We know we need to keep up with the top four in terms of our spending this summer. We need to stay in the top four and push on for a trophy. We were so close this year.“I hope we can keep Cesc Fabregas, for a start. He’s been a real example to me on and off the pitch. “He’s our best player. In some of our games he has been our best player by a mile, and we need to keep our best players if we want to win things.”

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Barcelona Enjoys Sun-Kissed Trophy Celebration

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Barcelona’s triumphant players paraded the club’s fourth European Cup through the warm streets of a festive Catalan capital today before partying with almost 100,000 fans at their Nou Camp stadium. Yesterday’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United, a second Champions League triumph in three years and a fourth continental crown following trophies in 1992 and 2006, capped a superb season in which the Spanish giants claimed a third successive Spanish league title and reached the King’s Cup final. They flew back from London today on a plane decorated in the club colors with huge pictures of the players adorning the side and touched down at the city’s El Prat airport at around 4 p.m. local time.

Boarding an open-top bus, Barcelona wound their way through the thronged streets with the European Cup and La Liga trophies displayed at the front of the vehicle. Confetti wafted through the evening air and fans sought every vantage point to catch a glimpse of their heroes, including yesterday’s goalscorers Lionel Messi, David Villa and Pedro.

Supporters clad in the club colors of claret and blue began pouring into the sun-kissed stadium from around 5.30 p.m. and when the players arrived two and a half hours later there were thousands more to welcome them in the streets outside. With fireworks going off and rock music blaring inside the arena, the players and the coaching staff were announced one by one before coach Pep Guardiola and his assistant Tito Vilanova brought the Champions League trophy on to the pitch. After short speeches by captain Carles Puyol and Guardiola, Messi stepped up to address the stadium.

“I don’t have much to say other than to thank you all for your support during this amazing year,” the Argentine World Player of the Year said. “Hopefully, there will be many more to come. Long live Barca and long live Catalunya!”

The players are due to attend a concert given by Colombian pop diva Shakira, the girlfriend of centre back Gerard Pique, across the city at the Olympic Stadium later today.

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FC Porto Wins Fourth Trophy

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

What a season for Portugal’s FC Porto – today they won the Portuguese Cup, beating Vitória de Guimarães 6-2 after winning the Europa League, the Portuguese Supercup and the Portuguese championship, in this case unbeaten. It is the 53rd title of club President Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa.

FC Porto has now climbed up alongside SL Benfica (Lisbon) on the pedestal of Portuguese football, lifting 69 trophies. FC Porto however has more international trophies – seven (2 Intercontinental Cups, 1 European Super Cup, 2 Champions League titles, 2 Europa League titles), against Benfica’s three (2 Champions League titles and one Latin Cup).

James Rodrigues was the hero of the day, scoring 3 of FC Porto’s 6 goals. André Villas-Boas’ team went ahead after 3′ (Rodrigues), Guimarães drew (own goal by Álvaro Pereira) on 20′ and within a minute, FC Porto was ahead again (Varela), only for Guimarães to once again draw equal on 23′ (Edgar). FC Porto added another three before the break -  Rolando (35′), Hulk (42′) and James (45′). FC Porto’s goalkeeper, Beto, defended a penalty on 43′.

In the second half, FC Porto controlled the game and the result, adding the sixth after 73′ (James).

The Presidency of Pinto da Costa at FC Porto (since 1982) is a case-study in sports management. He has taken a regional club and turned it into the ninth most successful football club in the history of the sport, worldwide. The scouting network is second to none, FC Porto managing to find the right players for the positions, successfully and consistently building a team spirit and providing players with windows of opportunity in the generally successful runs in international competitions, a policy which enables FC Porto to sell players at a huge profit and balance the books of what is not one of Europe’s richest clubs.

This management gives FC Porto the capacity to fight for trophies as equals alongside the giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, AC Milan and so on.

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Ajax Also Drops Their Trophy

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

I don’t know why footballers are having such a hard time handling their trophies all of the sudden, but less than a month after Sergio Ramos dropped Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey under a bus, it’s happened again.

This time, it was even a goalkeeper who dropped it — Ajax’s Maarten Stekelenburg was sitting atop the bus with a teammate and the Dutch Eredivisie shield as the club paraded through the streets of Amsterdam when it was knocked out of their hands by overhead power lines and fell off the back of the bus. It rolled into the following bus and, luckily, instead of getting crushed like the Copa del Rey, it bounced off and rolled to the side of the road, where a fan grabbed it and ran after the bus it came from, triumphantly holding the silverware over his head.

I guess it’s easier to stop blazing fast kicks than to hold on to trophies!

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Players Told to Play Like Man U

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Manchester United poacher Javier Hernandez is hoping to end his debut season with the Red Devils in the perfect way with a Premier League winner’s medal, and has revealed that the club’s senior players are leading the way.  Hernandez has been a sensation since joining the club in the summer and the Mexican international is desperate to end the season by winning trophies.

On the prospect of winning the title he told Inside United: “It would mean a lot. I want to win that medal badly, and also to lift the trophy. It would be a perfect end to my first season here.”

United have faltered somewhat of late, while rivals Chelsea have secured 25 points out of a possible 27 to put pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.  Hernandez feels that experienced players such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have enough experience to help the rest of the players to secure the title.

He added: “They [Giggs and Scholes] tell us that we need to play like Manchester United players, always remembering the club’s rich history and never giving less than 100 per cent on the field.  Being a United player is about winning – you can never think about drawing or losing games. It’s that attitude that can help us to win trophies.  We need to avoid silly errors to give ourselves the best chance of winning, and to play every game like it’s our last one.”

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Newcomer Ward Up for Trophies

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Joel Ward has already fired the opening shots in the Pompey player of the season hunt.  Now the versatile youngster is gunning for many more trophies to accompany his London Supporters’ Club accolade. That is if his bedroom can manage to accommodate them all.

The 21-year-old Emsworth ace has enjoyed an outstanding maiden first-team season at Fratton Park. His versatility, energy and enthusiasm have seen him rack up an impressive 44 appearances and three goals. That approach to his Blues career has also won Ward the London Supporters’ Club’s player of the season award. The home-grown ace was presented with his prize on the Fratton Park pitch before last weekend’s clash with Preston.

What’s more, Ward is firmly in the running to add to that tally with plenty of other supporters’ trophies up for grabs.Voting for The News/Sports Mail Player of the Season closes at midnight tonight, with the result to be revealed at the bank holiday Monday fixture with Norwich.

There are a host of other supporters’ trophies up for grabs, including Chichester, Central Branch, Northern Blues, Clan Pompey and the Isle of Wight. For Ward, it is the first time in his fledgling career he has scooped an award at any level. It means he now has some silverware for his mantelpiece. Or rather his bedroom at the Emsworth home of his parents where he still lives.

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Soccer Trophies: The Hermann Honor

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Soccer — or football (futbol) — as it is called by the rest of the world outside the United States — is potentially the most popular sport in the world. Every four years, the world championship of soccer, the World Cup, is legitimately watched by billions all over the world: beating out the United States professional football’s Superbowl by far. However, many of those people may not understand the commitment and physical conditioning it takes to be a soccer player in general; let alone a stand-out player at the college level between the goals.

These stand-out collegiate soccer players are constantly running towards one soccer trophy: the Hermann Trophy. The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United State’s top male and female college soccer player. The Hermann Trophy is an exact replica of a regulation number five soccer ball and weighs ten pounds. It is prepared every year by Tyrone Crystal of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Being apart of and playing any collegiate sport is an honor all in its own. Yet collegiate soccer players strive for something more: a chance at making “the list,” better known as the Watch List.

The Missouri Athletic Club’s (or more commonly referred to as MAC) Hermann Trophy is the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. The process of selecting a receiver moves as smoothly as a follow-through kick. It starts at the beginning of the collegiate regular season when a list, “the Watch list”, of potential nominees is compiled by a nominating committee. Towards the end of the regular season, 15 players whom the committee considers the best in Division I soccer are announced as semifinalists for the award. The top 15 men are sent to the mens’ head coaches, and the top 15 women are sent to the womens’ head coaches.

The list of semifinalists for the award are then voted on through an online voting process by men’s and women’s Division I soccer coaches, who are current National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) members. In early December the top three vote-getters for both the men’s and women’s soccer trophy are announced as finalists for the award. Those six individuals are invited to an annual banquet held at the Missouri Athletic Club of St. Louis. The two recipients are selected by NCAA Division I coaches who also are members of the NSCAA. During the banquet the winners of the two soccer trophies are finally announced.

Like many trophies this honor has the potential to stand for something much greater. Since the creation of the award Hermann Trophy winners from five different decades have gone on to represent the United States as senior internationals. Out of 39 winners since 1968, 19 have broken away and gone on to play for the US National Team. Nevertheless, the record speaks for itself. The trophy’s place in American soccer history from a National Team perspective is no doubt secure: GOOOAL!

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