Footballers on holiday

by

With the Barclays Premier League 2013/14 season just around the corner, Ashley Cole could be forgiven for making sure he basked in the bright sunlight of the Spanish climate right till the end before he started pre-season training this week. The footballer, currently plying his trade for Chelsea FC is on a holiday with his mates in Marbella. The fashion conscious among you would have spotted his weird combination of underwear beneath his Gingham swimming shorts.

As is custom among the young, rich and single footballers of the modern game, none of them can escape the glares of the media, as well female attention wherever they go, and this holiday was no exception. No one can blame the 32 year old Ashley for taking full advantage of his current relationship status and chatting to as many bikini-clad ladies as he possibly can.

“Ibiza here we come!” Chelsee Healey whisks her good friend Tulisa away on holiday as they bid to put the X Factor star’s recent troubles with the law behind her. Supermodel Heidi Klum brightens her Twitter followers’ day by tweeting a cheeky picture of her in a strapless bikini whilst on a beach during her holiday

No doubt it was a celebratory occasion for Ashley Cole and his friends as evidenced by them taking a couple of large alcohol bottles with them into the Ocean Club. For his sake, we hope the girls he was speaking to had not mistaken him for Daley, a contestant on the current edition of Big Brother, but rather the fact he is a footballer.

Last week the star tweeted his frustration at being constantly mistaken for the Big Brother contestant: “Apart from his thick eyebrows, Daley looks nothing like me”. He was one of the most played members among his colleagues after making 51 appearances in all competitions for his club last season. His return this week will coincide with the return of the Special One as he aims to the highs of their premiership prowess.

 

.

 

 

Scores.co.uk announce they are to sponsor Carlisle Utd

by

The online sports portal for all the latest scores, scores.co.uk, are delighted to announce that they have agreed a new deal to sponsor the League One team Carlisle united. Scores.co,uk is based in Carlisle, and their branding will now appear on the club’s home and away strips for the forthcoming season which will see Carlisle take part in the League One, Football league Trophy, FA Cup and League Cup campaigns.

This new agreement means that the logo of scores.co.uk will be prominently displayed all around the Brunton Park ground, further helping to establish them as one of the leading providers online of both scores and results.

Speaking about the new sponsorship deal, Scores.co.uk founder Andy Bell said: “It is a real honour to support Carlisle United for the forthcoming League One season.

“Carlisle United is a community club with a strong and passionate supporter base and I’m delighted that Scores.co.uk can be a part of what we all hope is a very successful season for Greg Abbott and the boys.”

Carlisle United’s commercial director Dick Young said: “We have a fantastic relationship with Andy and Scores.co.uk and we are delighted that they will be with us again this season.

“It is extremely important for us to build and foster partnerships like this as it is key to the way we want to drive the club forward.

“Scores.co.uk are fantastic supporters of the club and we welcome them on board for the 2013/14 campaign.”

 

Coventry and Northampton to share a ground for the new next couple of seasons

by

It’s official; after much deliberation by the Football League, Coventry Football Club have been given permission to share grounds with Northampton Football Club up until at least the 2015/16 season, much to the disappointment of their Supporters Direct fan group

The football club, currently playing in League One had to relocate after falling out with the owners of their 32,600 capacity home ground, Ricoh Arena.

Football League board of directors are said to have ‘reluctantly approved’ the request made earlier this week by the Sky Blues’ administrator, Otium Entertainment Group to have the home games played almost 35 miles from their current home ground.

A statement by The Football League said the board had ‘deep regrets’ about the fact that Coventry Football Club’s administrators could not come to a mutual and amicable resolution with the owners of the Ricoh Arena. They also stressed however that the club are not in the clear yet as they still need to meet a number of pre-set requirements before they can be granted full approval.

The statement continued, “The Board wanted to ascertain where Coventry fans will be calling their home ground for the 2013/14 season which starts less than a month away. Despite this the Board wants to stress the fact that their go ahead was merely on a conditional basis. If the club ultimately wants the approval to be permanent then they need to exit administration in line with the conditions set forth in the League’s regulations, and successfully transfer its League share.”

The statement goes on, “The administrators, Otium will need to prove to the Football League, the intentions of the club to move back to Coventry in the near future. This proof is needed in the form of a £1m Performance Bond.”

 

 

Joe Kinnear makes shock return to The Magpies

by

In an extraordinary development the Newcastle United manager for the 2008-2009 season, 66 year old Joe Kinnear has been appointed the Magpies’ new director of football for recruiting players. Joe is much admired by owner Mike Ashley and MD Derek Llambias for his turbulent spell in Newcastle which was aborted due to ill-health. Whether manager Alan Pardew is involved in this restructuring or feels undermined by Joe’s influence in assembling the squad, remains a matter of intrigue.

Newcastle was seen struggling last season and it is expected out of Pardew to see them get a top 10 finish. Pardew’s reaction is awaited. Kinnear confirms with Sky Sports News that the deal is sealed with owner Mike Ashley and he intends to meet Pardew during the course of the week. Newcastle, who finished fifth from bottom last campaign, are yet to announce Kinnear’s appointment.

The former Wimbledon manager said his intention was to improve the team, tactfully adding that he would not interfere with selection or tactics. He considers himself a good judge of players and a better tactician. Having been involved with anything and everything to do with football, he intends to make Newcastle way better than the present state of affairs they are in.

Kinnear continues that when he sees a good player, he knows a good player. Should the present crop of players in the club not be good enough in his judgement, he would skilfully allow them to move on. On a positive note, he feels that there would be no nagging issues between him and manager Pardew. Kinnear’s intention is not to pick the team. The sole purpose of his appointment is to make sure Newcastle gets the best possible team on the field.

FA introduces insurance scheme

by

The Football Association has been forced to set up an insurance scheme owing to the culture of players being sued over bad tackles. From next season all 11-a-side teams will have to pay up to £82 a year in cover as part of the National Game Insurance Scheme.

There have been cases where players have tried to sue opponents over broken bones owing to rash challenges on the field. From the next season, 15 player squads of Saturday and Sunday league teams will have to pay £26 for the basic package and £82 for the most comprehensive one.

Mike Dowling, secretary of the Birmingham Amateur Football Association feels, it is not so much about the money but more about the cumbersome processes. Personal accident cover which is mandatory may not be as expensive as your kit but is in no way hassle-free.

Most basic insurance which costs a player £2 a season also needs doctor’s certificates and letter. Yet the benefits may be a paltry £100 a week if you break a log and are off work. In case you have children and pay a mortgage to pay off, this amount is pretty negligible for all the hassle undertaken.

He admitted there was a compensation culture problem. In the six seasons that he had been secretary of the Birmingham AFA, there had been three cases of players trying to take litigation action against opposing players or the opposing team. Even a referee can be cited. Usually players try to get most out of a no win, no fee solicitors situation.

NGIS is being provided by the FA’s appointed broker Bluefin Sport. Mike Brown, secretary of the Amateur Football Alliance, says that FA have formed a deal for clubs which is cost effective and fits football. Former Chelsea and England star Graeme Le Saux appears in a two-minute video promoting the plan.