Just a small post on the big story in football at the moment, on Wednesday night a pretty standard league cup tie between Chelsea and Swansea dived into controversy as Chelsea's Eden Hazard seemed to kick a ball boy and was subsequently red carded. There has been much debate over the incident and a lot of terrible articles in papers such as the daily mail (one of my most hated papers, I advise anyone not to read it's awfully biased and unintelligently proposed 'news' stories), in my view both parties are at fault. First; Hazard is a professional and a role model to young footballers, so his reaction and the kick was wrong on his part, however, the ball boy Charlie Morgan is also no angel, he actively wasted time by lying on the ball something which is neither his job or advisable in any situation and any player with an ounce of passion would want to get the ball back as quickly as possible in the circumstances. Hazard and the boy should face punishment, but the fact that hours earlier Morgan tweeted that he was going to waste time just adds fuel to the fire, in my opinion he should be banned from being the ball boy and probably more, however, as the son of one of the directors at Swansea football club (yes, the plot thickens) he probably will get away unscathed except for the ridiculous amount of mentions on his twitter and the internet hate he will most likely receive from a number of twitter users for his pathetic attempt to make the injury look a lot worse than it really was..
It was however, very refreshing to see many a professional footballer come out publicly in defence of Hazard. It's nice to see a bit of empathy once in a while and the likes of Michael Owen and Luke Shaw, the current left back at Southampton, understand that Hazard simply just wanted the ball as one particular camera angle clearly shows.
This event may not seem to be too significant on the world of football, but it could see the end of ball boys all together which would be a great shame. I think it would be a wise decision to cap the age of ball boys to around 14, to stop this kind of incident and in the hope that those less privileged than Morgan get the opportunity be in his position. Finally, both player and ball boy have apologised to each other and shaken hands, and football may swiftly move on.
"It's only a game"; a comment that plagues those who do not enjoy or revel in sport, a comment which I believe is unfair and made with little understanding. Think of the things you love the most, it could be music or films, maybe theme parks or any activity that gives you a buzz - the spine tingling, almost chilling, adrenaline pumping buzz. For me, this comes from sport.
Not everyones cup of tea, I get that, but to say that it has little meaning is far from the truth in my eyes. Not once have I been to a football, rugby, or cricket game that lacked passion and pride. Of course this has both positive and negative connotations - no one likes to see hooligans fighting, i'm not condoning that sought of ridiculous violence but surely people have got to see what it really means, especially in this, one of the greatest years of sport I have ever witnessed.
One example is the olympics, an international event which made me proud to be British. We hosted the greatest games of our time - a monumental achievement, and one that made me truly realise what sport is capable of. As I stood in my front room cheering the likes of Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins, I looked around to see three generations of family on their feet screaming at the Tv - not something likely to happen during an episode on Eastenders, even if Phil Mitchell did just throw another ludicrous punch across the pub.
Sport is something that can bring a whole nation to tears, be it in triumph or despair, it causes arguments and rivalries but creates joy and wonderful memories. There are moments awe, silence and wonder. Moments of brilliant primal elation and these are the moments that I savour the most - they don't come around often, so when they do make sure you take a second to think about that line "It's only a game". In those moments, sport is not merely a game, it's an incomparable power, an unstoppable force, forgive the cliche but it's a genuine emotional roller coaster.
I have a good relationship with my older sibling, but a hug between us is a rare sight (understandable since I am 18 and he 20, usually arguing or annoying each other), so when we do 'embrace' it is a clear indication for me that sport is more that a game, the most recent time this has happened was 19th of May 2012, hint - we are both big Chelsea fans.
These are a couple of the moments I had the pleasure to see in my fairly short life time so far, and I can guarantee that as long as you're not a stone hearted, life loathing individual, then you will find some sort of joy in at least one of them:
Robin Van Persie (Manchester United) - Even more so than last season, Van Persie has shown he is one of the worlds on form strikers with goals from anywhere he can produce moments of glorious football as well as having the ability to be simply in the right place at the right time. His finish is second to none in the Premiership at the moment.
Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - A player that is both loved and hated, but for me the little Uruguayan is a top class player. He can leave defenders behind with skill and pace as well as being able to finish. He works hard and uses that south American flair to shift and glide towards goal, Liverpool's most important player at the moment and with a bit more quality around him he could get better.
Demba Ba (Chelsea) - I tipped him to move to Arsenal, instead Chelsea got their first, and what a player they have bought. Strong in the air with some brilliant hold up play to boot, the first half of the season with Newcastle saw him score a host of goals and it looks like it could continue at Chelsea.
That's my team of the Premier league so far, obviously there are many more contenders but these are the players that really stand out to me at the moment!
Juan Mata (Chelsea) - Mata is once again proving his world class with majestic touches, awesome set pieces and an ability to pass that seams to flow through many a Spanish midfielder. He can change a match at any moment, and a player that can run the middle of the park and push the attack to the next level.
Michu (Swansea) - Goal scoring for fun, he is probably the transfer of the season after being brought in for just £2 million and having put 13 away in the league so far his performances make him a very easy choice for this team.
Santi Corzola (Arsenal) - Just like his Spanish compatriot Mata this little magician can conjure mesmerising things with his feet. He runs with the ball with pace and skill while having the vision to play wonderful through balls that most others would be blind to, he is vital to Arsenal's campaign this year and we expect plenty more to come.
Well, it's 2013 and the football season is as busy as ever. With transfer rumours flying all over the shop and the FA cup well under way I thought I might do a post on a little trend that went around on twitter: A premier league team made of the best players this season...
Formation 4-3-3
(Defence)
GK -Asmir Begovic (Stoke) - Stoke's number 1 is a very common choice in many peoples opinions, and rightly so, he has been very consistent with some outstanding performances to boot. Very reliable and has now attracted attention from the likes of Manchester United with a massive 9 clean sheets under his belt already this season.
LB - Ashley Cole (Chelsea) - In my opinion, one of the best, if not the best, left back in the world and he has been for some time. This choice is a bit more controversial as many claim Baines has overtaken Cole as the best in the Premier league but both players make strong arguments to that. Cole is strong, full of pace and a tremendous all round full back, his ability to recover after the ball has gone behind him is world class and shown through the great number of clearances on the line that he makes.
CB - Ryan Shawcross (Stoke) - Shawcross stands tall as the Stoke captain and proves his ability with Stoke having a stellar defencive record, he has a great aerial presence along with wonderful organisation of his team mates. He's brave and still a young player, with a very bright future in the Premier league.
CB - Jan Vertonghen (Spurs) - Another very common choice amongst these 'in form' teams, the Belgian defender has adapted very well to life in the Premiership and has not only shown his ability to play in the centre of defence but also at left back with some fine attacking play and scoring a couple of vital goals for Tottenham
RB - Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City) - This was one of the more difficult choices to make, with the likes of Ivanovic, and Glen Johnson putting in some top quality performances. However, Zabaleta has been the most consistent in both attack and defence, providing some world class cover along with a very high work rate to support the wingers and overlap.
