Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond

by

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond Gary Speed had already insured a legacy as one of his generation’s finest players. As the manager of the Welsh side he had only really just begun his task and it this has ended all too soon. Speed began his career when the Premier League was just starting and he quickly became an icon in the sport and one of the best players in English football. He played for Everton, Bolton, Leeds, and Newcastle.

After playing for these sides he went on to play at Sheffield United eventually accepting a job managing the team. After this he became manager of Wales, the country which he is from. During the time the Speed was in charge of the Welsh national side saw great improvements, and this is something that all teams that were managed by Mr Speed benefited from. He has recently died aged 42 and he is survived by his wife and two sons.

Gary Speed was born in 1969 in Mancot and eventually moved to Leeds when he was given a professional football contract. He played midfield at the side and his fellow players had a big influence on his game. He was known for being a professional and had a great focus on the sport. Despite early promise and excellent playing during his career he only won cups during the start of his career which was a surprise to many people who watched him play.

As he continued to play the sports it seemed that age did not affected his game and even late in his career he was seen playing in several FA Cup finals although unfortunately these were lost to Manchester United and Arsenal. He was also on the side that reached the Champions League final in 2003. All of this occurred while he was playing for Newcastle.

He was the first football player to ever have appeared in 500 Premier league games and he achieved this in 2006. After this he accepted a position as the coach at Bolton that he decided he wanted to return to play the game in 2008 where he played for Sheffield United. After a while he took the position of managing the club.

When he took over the lead position at Wales he showed himself to be a bold and forwardthinking leader and appointed Aaron Ramsey as the captain of the side – despite only being 20 years old. The side also had very few footballing stars but he still managed to turn the side around after a disappointing start. Craig Bellamy and Gareth Dale were some of the stars that he empowered on the team and he relied on them to bring Wales’s victory.

His death was announced by the football Association of Wales on the weekend and has been met in the footballing community with great shock and sympathy. In recent matches his team had been very successful having won five out of the last seven matches. One of the most impressive victories was over Norway where the Welsh team beat them by four goals to one. Wales had been climbing up in the FIFA rankings at a great pace and it is hoped that whoever takes over as manager of the team will be able to continue the great work that Gary Speed has brought to the side.

Olympic Association want British football team on side

by

Olympic Association want British football team on side The Olympic Association which is organising the Olympic Games which are coming to London next summer has stated that they want to see a British football team compete. Football associations from the United Kingdom, excluding England, have said that they do not wish to field a team as football at the Olympic Games would greatly overshadowed other events. Dai Greene has also agreed with the statements by the football associations, stating, “The Olympic Games doesn’t have a place for football.”

Mr Greene continued, “In football the crowning achievement is not becoming an Olympic champion but is winning a cup. Therefore there seems to be no reason for football to be involved in the Olympics. Football players do not grow up with the dream of becoming an Olympic champion, they dream of the Champions League trophy and victory in the Premiership. It seems unnecessary to me for football to form part of the Olympic Games.”

Mr Greene is a Welsh athlete, who this summer is hoping to complete his collection of medals for every one of athletics major event. This would make him the fourth British person to do this and put alongside such greats as Daley Thompson and Linford Christie. He will also be the first Olympic champion from Wales in the track and field events since Lynn Davies in 1964.

He has previously played football in Swansea for their youth team and feels that his comments against football being played at the Olympics would be welcomed by other athletes who are competing. He remarked, “Unfortunately the UK is obsessed with what goes on in football and at the games it would significantly overshadow other events.”

 

Fifa’s ruling panel member leaves over kickbacks

by

Fifa’s ruling panel member leaves over kickbacks A kickbacks case has forced one of the 24 members of Fifa’s ruling panel to leave his position. Sepp Blatter, the president has said that a member of the panel had been accepting kickbacks for offering television and sponsorship deals for the World Cup during the 1990s. He has said that it is likely that some people involved will be exonerated but it seems almost certain that one person at least will be leaving the executive committee. This information has appeared in a German newspaper which was published last Sunday.

The broadcasting rights were given to a marketing agency who went bankrupt in 2001. After this investigation was launched into alleged kickbacks and BBC documentary showed that Ricardo Teixeira had received significant sums in order to help them secure contract. All of those involved in the allegations have denied them.

Mr Blatter, the current president, has had a long commitment to tackling corruption and encouraging reform in the body. A report about the kickbacks situation will be published in late December after a meeting in Tokyo. If members are found guilty of any wrongdoing and external body will offer advice to Fifa about what action they should take.

One of the members accused of taking kickbacks was Mr Hayatou, who the BBC claimed he took around $20,000 in 1995. Mr Hayatou has claimed this was a gift and Mr Blatter has defended his actions. He is also a member of the Olympic Committee and is currently being investigated by the ethics commission for any potential wrongdoing. Disciplinary action will be considered by the board at a meeting in Switzerland early next month.

 

Gordon Taylor comments on Manchester City Tevez situation

by

Gordon Taylor comments on Manchester City Tevez situation Gordon Taylor is the Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers Association that has recently commented that the situation between Manchester City and Carlos Tevez becomes more impossible with each day. The striker for the team had been on a visit to his home country in Argentina and he is now remaining there despite his club requesting that he comes home. It has been reported that there are still negotiations going on between representatives of the player and the club’s officials.

In an interview Taylor commented, “The longer he remains out of the country the worse the situation is going to become. The trip back home is unauthorised in the first place and this saga of him refusing to play has been dragging on since September.”

He initially failed to return after the clubs first request and he simply did not show up the training. This has caused a greater the speculation over the player’s intentions and his actual whereabouts. Reports in South America suggest that he is remaining there because he is medically incapable of leaving.

SportsDirect.com offer the Web’s Most Wanted in time for Christmas

by

SportsDirect.com offer the Web’s Most Wanted in time for Christmas

 

 

Once the lights have been switched on, it is safe to say that the Christmas shopping frenzy is about to begin. To help out those who are seeking gifts for football fans, the leading retailer of  football boots SportsDirect.com have rounded up all the most sought after football related items and put them all on their website, and are selling them on their website at SportsDirect.com’s famously low prices.

Starting from the bottom, one of the big must haves this Christmas are the new Adidas F50 football boots which include the ingenious miCoach. These have been described as football boots with brains, as the speedpod within the soles of the F50’s can track speed, distance, and so much.

These are the most technologically advanced football boots yo can get, and they will be available on the SportsDirect.com website for less than £200 from December 2nd.

Gloves are always a winter favourite, and goalkeeper gloves from SportsDirect.com are definitely a Christmas favourite. SportsDirect.com have got a massive collection of goalie gloves from as little as £2, so you can save money whilst they are saving goals! Team themed gloves are available online like Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as branded favourites like the adidas Response and Fingersave gloves.

If you’re football fan is more of a watcher than player, you can give them a blast from the past to support the lads with the collection of retro football shirts available from just £12. The range includes the popular Manchester United 1999 champions league final shirt, Tottenham Hotspur 1961 home shirt and the Arsenal 1988 home shirt; all available to order online today.

Whatever your football fan needs, get them what they want this Christmas by logging on to www.SportsDirect.com. Check out all the latest offers and deals on Facebook and Twitter too!