seestyle's Blog

Ireland Euro 2012 Lets Not Just Turn Up


Famous words from Roy Keane that have rang in the ears of every keen Irish supporter during this tournament. Lets not just turn up for the sing song. As ever the controversial ex captain of the green nation has split opinions on whether he is right or out of line. In these situations its always important to look at both side of the angry opinionated coin!From the supporters https://www.hibrewersfan.com/milwaukee-brewers-jersey/burch-smith-jersey point of view, what they did on Thursday was truly a sight to behold. It did wonders for football fans reputations. They sang their hearts out constantly for 90 mins and probably hours more after the final whistle. There were reports of Irish fans singing with Polish and Spanish fans all night and that is exactly what these tournaments are about. This https://www.hibrewersfan.com/milwaukee-brewers-jersey/matt-garza-jersey is a game after all. Its important to remember that. Its a form of entertainment. Sure theres pride in your country, theres favourable players, but its not a war. Nobody dies or loses their life due to the result of a football match (unle s your Colombian of course).From Keanes point of view, you have to see the eternal competitor in him. This man was born to win and when he stepped on a football pitch https://www.hibrewersfan.com/milwaukee-brewers-jersey/paul-molitor-jersey , nothing le s was expected. He seemed to have this struggle with the FAI all his career. He constantly moaned about their unprofe sionalism and this even led to his infamous walk out in Saipan all those years ago. Keanes point was correct I think. Its not OK to work so hard to get to a tournament and then fluff your way through the opening two games. Maybe we would be saying something different if Ireland had been comprehensively beaten in both games. Dont get me wrong, Ireland were clearly the under dogs in both games. They were played off the pitch, but did anyone else get the feeling that they couldve been so much better? A team who goes unbeaten in 14 games to qualify should not be leaking goals after 3 https://www.hibrewersfan.com/milwaukee-brewers-jersey/ryan-braun-jersey mins in both games. That is not OK. The goals that were conceded were unbelievably sloppy. Even if it was Spain. I think Keane was right in what he said. The team Trapattoni picked, although on paper was probably our best 11, certainly did not perform like it. I agree with Keane, there should be wholesale changes for the Italy game this evening. Why not? What is there to lose? Give the players who have never played in a major tournament game the chance to prove themselves. Who knows maybe theyll shine, maybe even one will shine. Wouldnt that be something to take from this tournament? Maybe after 3 games Ireland will finish in a better position than the Dutch!!!! https://www.hibrewersfan.com/milwaukee-brewers-jersey/jim-gantner-jersey Though admittedly this seems highly unlikely.

Whats next For Chelseas Yossi Benayoun


Chelsea confirmed that they will release 6 players this summer, Benayoun & Malouda are two of them two players with large history both at Chelsea and other clubs, both of them spent a disappointing season in terms of playing time and confirmed their move away from Chelsea before the end of the season, Benayoun wants to America, Malouda preffer to go https://www.heybravesfans.com to Brazil or back to France.Florent Malouda A sad story, an important figure at the Bridge two years ago, now didnt play one game. Signing from Lyon in 2007, the former France-international spent 5 years as a blue and it was a trophy packed career. His first ever silverware came with Lyon back in his home nation winning 4 titles as part as Lyons seven straight titles, between those four titles Malouda was able to get his hands on three French Super Cup, after that he moved to Chelsea where he had another silverware-packed career although needing to wait one year to https://www.heybravesfans.com/atlanta-braves-jersey/hank-aaron-jersey win his first FA Cup, followed by Carlo Ancelottis domestic double, one community shield and Roberto Di Matteos amazing double which includes FA Cup & Champions League.After those succe sful years at Lyon and Chelsea Malouda wants to search for more titles, he confirmed he wants to play either in Brazil or France and moves https://www.heybravesfans.com/atlanta-braves-jersey/adam-duval-jersey for Santos & Moncao are the favourite to happen, but everything can happen with Florent Malouda.Yo si Benayoun Not like Malouda, Benayoun played a part of the games at Chelsea and at West Ham, Benayoun won just two major trophies in his long career, Israeli Premier League & UEFA Europa League. The Israeli veteran played in 8 teams (comparing to Maloudas 3) starting his career at his home land of Israel then after 5 years he moved to Spanish club Racing Santander where he played a crucial role throughout his three years at the club then moving to https://www.heybravesfans.com/atlanta-braves-jersey/fred-mcgriff-jersey West Ham where he played with Carlos Tevez and participated in 63 games in two years before moving to Liverpool where he made history by becoming the first ever Israeli https://www.heybravesfans.com/atlanta-braves-jersey/tom-glavine-jersey player to score a hat-trick in a European competition in an 8-0 win over Turkish side Besiktas, but altough being an impre sive player he moved to Chelsea after fighting with former Chelsea & Liverpool bo s Rafa Benitez, at Chelsea he didnt get to much credit and was sent on loan to London rivals Arsenal & West Ham. Benayouns preferred destenation is MLS in America as he stated before or even move to his homeland too.

Marios moment of madness hands Spain Eur


Could the https://www.heyathleticsfan.com/oakland-athletics-jersey/catfish-hunter-jersey above be Monday mornings headlines acro s the world?Alright, probably not, but with Italian striker Mario Balotelli you just never know.The Euro 2012 final sees the favourites, Spain take on the tournaments surprise package, Italy.The Spanish have played most of the time without a striker, ensuring Fernando Torres miserable past few years show no sign of coming to an end, but despite this somewhat bizarre stance, they have found a way to overcome their opponents. Meanwhile, Italy have defied expectations to reach the final. Their shock 2-1 victory over Germany in the semi-finals came totally out the blue.It sets up an intriguing encounter between two of European footballs heavyweights.The favourites will be current European and World Champions Spain, but Italy certainly have the ability to cause an upset and I think it will be an extremely close match.Here are three clashes https://www.heyathleticsfan.com/oakland-athletics-jersey/marco-estrada-jersey to watch out for:Gianluigi Buffon v Iker CasilliasTwo of the worlds best goalkeepers will be on display and it will take something special to get past them. Both have experience of winning major tournaments and both can win their sides matches. Expect top saves and few https://www.heyathleticsfan.com/oakland-athletics-jersey/dave-henderson-jersey goals.Xavi v Andrea PirloTwo midfield maestros who can spot a pa s no-one else seems to see. Pirlo especially has shone so far in the tournament, and his ability to take a penalty may come in useful too.Mario Balotelli v Sergio RamosBalotelli showed in the semi-final what he is capable of. If he is happy with how things are going https://www.heyathleticsfan.com/oakland-athletics-jersey/terry-steinbach-jersey and is presented with a chance, a goal is likely. If he is in a mood, expect a moment of madne s, such as a lashing out at an opposing defender. Ramos has experience of tolerating rival strikers in El Cla sico, so will Mario make him crack?Nerves will no doubt get the better of the two sides in the first half, but with 22, genuinely world-cla s players on show, there only needs to be one moment of magic to change the match.I tipped Italy at the very beginning of the tournament so will stick by https://www.heyathleticsfan.com/oakland-athletics-jersey/joe-morgan-jersey them.I think Italys cutting edge up front will be the decisive factor, so am going for a 2-0 victory.What do you think?Leave your comments below.

A Golden Opportunity Missed Maradona to


Love it or hate it, deadline day is enthralling because transfers matter. The stories of clubs the world over have been shaped by fateful, occasionally fantastic, deals, be they big-money additions or bargain buys.But although the pursuit of players can be satisfying, it occasionally leaves supporters lamenting what might have been. After all, there are plenty of star footballers whose careers could have taken very different turns, and no shortage of clubs bemoaning the fact they did not.Hopes dashed by wages and weightA prime example is Sheffield United, where 36 years on fans still talk about one that got away. That is hardly a surprise when the one in question is Diego Maradona, spotted as a 17-year-old by the then Blades manager Harry Haslam during a 1978 scouting mi sion to South America. So impre sed was Haslam that he immediately set about agreeing a 350,000 fee with Argentinos Juniors, only for the United board to decide that https://www.guardiansfanspride.com/cleveland-guardians-jersey/matt-belisle-jersey spending 160,000 on Alex Sabella represented better value. Hallams side went on to relegated from Englands second tier.Boca Juniors ended up being the next stop on Maradonas remarkable football journey, but he could easily have ended up at their bitter rivals. River Plate were on the verge of securing his signature when club president Rafael Aragon Cabrera refused to bow to the youngsters demands for a contract that would have exceeded those of Millonarios stars Daniel Pa sarella and Ubaldo Matildo Fillol. I had the dream of playing for River, said Maradona at the time, but Cabrera has destroyed that dream. Mi sing out on Maradona would be a source of regret for any club but, in Sheffield at least, there is plenty of remorse to go around. Ask fans of Sheffield Wednesday, for whom Eric Cantona seemed set to sign following his ban in France for throwing the ball at a referee. Manager Trevor Francis, though, asked the Frenchman to stay on for a second weeks trial before making up his mind, and Cantona refused, signing for Leeds United instead.Football is littered with such misjudgements. Zinedine Zidane should, for example, have ended up playing in England at the same time as his mercurial countryman. But while Kenny Dalglish, then manager of Blackburn Rovers, agreed a deal in principle to sign the then 23-year-old Zizou, chairman Jack Walker refused to sanction the move. Why would we want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood? was Walkers explanation, as reported by the Lancashire Telegraph.It seems that is the fate of every all-time French great to endure one such episode in their career. Michel Platini was certainly not immune, being declared unfit to play football at the highest level at 16 by a medical report at https://www.guardiansfanspride.com/cleveland-guardians-jersey/greg-allen-jersey Metz.The Metz president of the time also recalled the clubs coaches remarking that Platini had a fat a s, and a similar opinion put paid to Paul Gascoignes hopes of winning a move to Ipswich Town in 1983. Concerns about the midfielders weight led to the Tractor Boys rejecting him, a decision all the more galling in hindsight as it came just three years after they had turned down a young Dutchman lacking in discipline, they felt by the name of Ruud Gullit.Opportunities spurnedOne player misjudged by several clubs was Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukraine legend spent a week on trial at West Ham United in 1994, was offered to Cologne the following year, and two years later was again put on a plate for Werder Bremen. All turned up their noses, with then Hammers manager Harry Redknapp remarking https://www.guardiansfanspride.com/cleveland-guardians-jersey/yonder-alonso-jersey : He didnt look anything special at all.Later the same decade, Turkish club Gaziantepspor made a near-identical error, baulking at Sao Paulos 1.5 million asking price for a young Kaka. Within three years, AC Milan would be multiplying that figure by six. And if Gaziantepspor were left to rue their parsimony, imagine how Flamengo must have felt. They, after all, lost out on Ronaldo by refusing to fund the bus fair around 20p from the strikers home in Ribero.Fulham also have a hard luck story regarding a Brazilian FIFA World Cup winner. In 1978, with the club in the second tier of English football, Paulo Cesar was convinced to join, only for the deal to collapse over a dispute over the players phone-calls home to Brazil. Acro s London, Arsenal have also endured their share of costly near-mi ses in recent years. Yaya Toure spent a week on trial in 2005 but problems with his pa sport meant a deal was not pursued; their second such glaring error in a matter of years. I had Cristiano Ronaldo at the training ground, Arsene Wenger revealed some time later. I showed him around and I gave him a shirt. But in the end it was a question of the transfer fee between the two clubs.Ultimately, Arsenal refused to pay a fee of around 4 million, and by this point they were making a habit of pa sing up future greats. After all, in 2000, they had Zlatan Ibrahimovic within their grasp and, once again, allowed him to slip away. As Ibrahimovic recalled: Arsene gave me the famous red and white jersey the No 9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it. Then I waited for him to convince me that I should join Arsenal. But he didnt even try. It was more: I want to see how good you are, what kind of player you are. Have a trial. I couldnt believe it. I was like: No way. Zlatan doesnt do auditions. So https://www.guardiansfanspride.com/cleveland-guardians-jersey/jose-ramirez-jersey I said no and signed for Ajax instead.Just as a Gunners team with Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Toure would have taken some stopping, imagine an 1860 Munich side in which the talents of Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller were fused. This could have https://www.guardiansfanspride.com/cleveland-guardians-jersey/blank-jersey become reality, with Muller having been on the verge of a move before Bayern alerted to their city rivals interest moved in to snatch the striker away an hour before TSVs proposed signing talks. Beckenbauer, meanwhile, had his heart set on a move to Die Lwen only for one of their players to slap him in the face during a match for SC 1906 Munich. That act of violence set him against the club of his dreams and on a course towards Bayern, where he would go on to make history with Der Bomber.If those two deals helped define an era, so too did the transfer of Alfredo di Stefano to Real Madrid. After all, Los Merengues great rivals, Barcelona, thought they had signed La Saeta Rubia, and lengthy negotiations resulting in an agreement that the player be shared on a yearly basis with Real for a period of four seasons. Later though, an interim Barcelona board would allow Di Stefano to join Real for a compensation payment of 5.5 million pesetas small recompense for the misery he would inflict on the Catalans over the years that would follow.A similar fate befell Monaco, who agreed a pre-contract deal with Jean-Pierre Papin in 1986 only for Marseille to dazzle the striker with a subsequent offer. Compensation was paid between the south coast clubs, but f

Will Hull Citys Summer Transfer Window B


The Tigers are set to start their fourth campaign in the Premier League, following the most succe sful season in the clubs history. Last campaign Steve Bruce guided the East Yorkshire club to safety with relative ease against the odds, despite a dip in form towards the end of the season; Bruce also led the club to their first ever FA Cup final in which they were narrowly beaten by a rather unimpre sive Arsenal side, but has given the club their first opportunity of European football after being entered into the Europa League.The summer transfer window is an extremely important one for the club if they are to ensure Premier League survival yet again and build on the recent succe s Steve Bruce has brought to the side and city. As a club, Hull City have struggled to secure the signings of big name players in the past due to the size and reputation of the club and the perception of the city itself not being considered desirable to live in, but are things starting to change?Following Hull Citys promotion back to the Premier League in the 2012/13 season, Bruces first season with the club, players with bags of Premier League and European experience were suddenly being linked with The Tigers, the https://www.giantsgearsfan.com/san-francisco-giants-jersey/andrew-mccutchen-jersey arrival of Tom Huddlestone from Tottenham Hotspur for 5m was the marquee signing for the club last summer, and he stated that his reason for joining the club was that he saw https://www.giantsgearsfan.com/san-francisco-giants-jersey/alex-dickerson-jersey the ambition that Steve Bruce had for the club, and that Hull City was a club on the rise, but I dont for one minute think that he expected last season to be as succe sful as it was for the club, I dont think anybody did.Should Hull City qualify for the Europa League, their squad will have to be strengthened and deepened in order to handle the rigours of the Premier League and hopefully stave off relegation again, as well as be competitive in the Europa League. To Hull City fans, the thought of European football coming to the KC Stadium was laughable, but Steve Bruce has made the dream a reality, however, as exciting as it is for the fans, it could cause serious problems for the club. Premier League teams competing in the Europa League on average, drop four league places from the season before, so Steve Bruce needs to ensure his squad are well up to the task of playing on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons or he could see his side go backwards after all the hard work put in by everyone at the club. So far this summer, Bruce has spent heavily; the 8m signing of Jake Livermore from Tottenham Hotspur, who was on loan at the club last campaign, is an expensive one but a vital one in my opinion. Livermore was an unsung https://www.giantsgearsfan.com/san-francisco-giants-jersey/tony-watson-jersey hero in the Tigers midfield last season, his work rate and energy in the middle of the park throughout the season brought the best out of his centre midfield partner Tom Huddlestone, and Bruce will be hoping for the same from the ex-Spurs pair in the upcoming season. Bruce has also added width to side, bringing in Robert Snodgra s from relegated Norwich City and Tom Ince from Blackpool; Snodgra s was a bright spark in an under-performing Canaries side last season, creating the majority of the clubs goals as well as getting a few on the board himself, the 7m transfer fee for the Scotland international may appear to be steep, but if he can retain last seasons form and carry it into a more talented Hull City side, it could be a very shrewd piece of busine s by Steve Bruce. Ince on the other hand is considered by many as an up and coming star, the England U21 international turned down moves to Inter Milan and Monaco in favour of a move to East Yorkshire, claiming that he had unfinished busine s in the https://www.giantsgearsfan.com/san-francisco-giants-jersey/melvin-adon-jersey Premier League, following a loan spell at Crystal Palace last season. The fee to be paid for the services of Ince is to be decided by a tribunal, but is expected to be in the region of 2m to 3.5m, and if the 22 year old can live up to his reputation, then Steve Bruce could have a top player on his hands. It is no secret that The Tigers bo s is keen to add strength and depth to his defence, so far the arrivals of 20 year old centre back Harry Maguire, and 20 year old left back Andrew Robertson from Sheffield United and Dundee United respectively, for a combined 5.5m have added depth to the side, but Bruce is craving an experienced centre back to partner the clubs player of the season, Curtis Davies, in the heart of the defence. Michael Dawson, also of Spurs, brother of former Hull City hero, Andy, was Bruces main target but has seen a 4m deal fall through due to the England international not wanting a wage drop clause in his contract if the side are relegated. Bruce was then said to be interested in former Fulham defender, Brede Hangeland who was available on a free transfer, but has opted to sign for Premier League rivals, Crystal Palace.Steve Bruce is keen to make sure the players he brings into his squad are the correct ones both on and off the pitch, so will not rush or be forced into panic buying. So far this transfer window he has shown a very strong preference for young, British players, whos transfer fees may well have been increased by Manchester United signing teenage wing back, Luke Shaw, from Southampton for 30m, increasing the value of British players acro s the board, but the signs seem to suggest that funds are still available for Bruce to pursue an experienced centre back, and despite his calmne s so far this summer, alarm bells may start ringing with only two weeks until the new Premier League campaign kicks off.The squad Steve Bruce has a sembled since his appointment in the summer of 2012 is arguably the best in the clubs 110 year history; a spine of experience with Mcgregor, Davies, Huddlestone and Jelavic, combined with the youthful energy of Ince, Robertson and Livermore will make The Tigers a tough team to beat. The signings of Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long last January provided the goals that kept Hull City in the Premier League, and Steve Bruce will be hoping that their strike partnership will continue to cause https://www.giantsgearsfan.com/san-francisco-giants-jersey/donovan-solano-jersey teams problems in the upcoming season.

Swansea Citys Michu continues to shine


https://www.cubsjerseyfans.com/chicago-cubs-jersey/ron-santo-jersey Those eight or nine people who backed Michu to finish his first season with Swansea as the Premier Leagues top scorer must be feeling PRETTY smug right about now. The Spaniard has literally taken Englands top flight apart since his low-key arrival at Swansea in the summer, for a whopping 2 million or the price of Fernando Torres right ear.Swansea bo s Michael Laudrup saw up close what Michu was capable of during his time in Spain, where the Dane in charge of Malaga at the time witne sed the impact the striker had in a very average Rayo Vallecano side. https://www.cubsjerseyfans.com/chicago-cubs-jersey/jon-lester-jersey With nearly 20 goals to his name already, Michu has proved he was probably worth the punt many Swansea fans a sumed their new manager was making in the summer.Those who can be rightfully confident that when Swansea win, its usually after Michu has grabbed his customary goal. As strong in the air as he is with his left foot, the 26-year old has quickly shown he has everything needed to https://www.cubsjerseyfans.com/chicago-cubs-jersey/adbert-alzolay-jersey succeed in the Premier League.While it remains to be seen as to whether Swansea can cling onto their new https://www.cubsjerseyfans.com/chicago-cubs-jersey/andre-dawson-jersey star until February, Laudrup has made it clear only a few clubs in world football could afford to tempt the club to even contemplate the thought of cashing in. If Michu stays at Swansea, maintaining his place as his teams key man, then there is nothing stopping the striker challenging the likes of RVP, Suarez, Demba Ba and Defoe in the race https://www.cubsjerseyfans.com/chicago-cubs-jersey/justin-grimm-jersey to finish the season as the leagues top scorer. That would certainly hand a tasty reward to those brave few who backed the Spaniard at the start of the season when compiling their lists.

Premier League preview Wolverhampton Wan


Liverpool will be back in action on Monday night when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers https://www.cardinalsjerseysonestop.com/st-louis-cardinals-jersey/matt-carpenter-jersey at Molineux Stadium in the Premier League.The Reds are currently enduring a dismal form in the league and have lost six out of their seven previous matches in the top-flight. They are placed eighth in the table now, https://www.cardinalsjerseysonestop.com/st-louis-cardinals-jersey/drew-robinson-jersey having secured just 43 points from 28 games so far.Jurgen Klopps side suffered their latest defeat last weekend at Anfield at the hands of Fulham, who are currently placed 18th in the league.Mario Leminas strike before the interval proved decisive as the home side failed to respond with a goal in the second half to lose https://www.cardinalsjerseysonestop.com/st-louis-cardinals-jersey/adolis-garcia-jersey the game 1-0. However, the Merseysiders were impre sive in the 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League, and so they will be hoping to get a good result at Molineux.Meanwhile, Wolves are https://www.cardinalsjerseysonestop.com/st-louis-cardinals-jersey/mike-shannon-jersey also not in a great form at the moment. They are currently winle s in three Premier League matches, with the Wanderers drawing against Newcastle United and Aston Villa either side of a defeat at the hands of Manchester City. Team NewsRoberto Firmino was absent from the last two matches for Liverpool with a knee injury. The Brazilian will https://www.cardinalsjerseysonestop.com/st-louis-cardinals-jersey/jason-motte-jersey face a late fitne s test ahead of Mondays encounter.Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo will not have the services of Raul Jimenez due to injury.

English Football League Kicks Off


The Football League is now back in full flow and I thought that Id take this chance to have a look at whats been going on so far.New boys get good startNewport Countys return to the Football League has been a mixed bag so far, after a brilliant start and a fantastic upset in the Capital https://www.azdiamondbacksgear.com/arizona-diamondbacks-jersey/yasmany-tomas-jersey One Cup they lost 3-1 to last seasons defeated play-off finalists Northampton. Two good wins will fill the club with confidence and help them relax into League 2. Championship first-timers Yeovil also got off to a good start with a shock win over Millwall on the opening day and a midweek cup win over Southend. They too lost their second league match, an unlucky 1- https://www.azdiamondbacksgear.com/arizona-diamondbacks-jersey/curt-schilling-jersey 0 defeat at the hands of Birmingham. Mansfield have fared le s well with just one point from two league matches and a first round exit from the cup.Favourites show whyWatford have been quick to recapture their form of last season that took them to the play-off final, with three wins from three, the latest of which a 6-1 thrashing of newly promoted Bournemouth. Wigan won their opening match 4-0, laying down their claim for automatic promotion. They have only played one match this season however, as they enter the Capital One Cup in the third round and faced Manchester United in the Charity Shield instead of playing a second league match. Peterborough and https://www.azdiamondbacksgear.com/arizona-diamondbacks-jersey/kole-calhoun-jersey Wolves have both made strong starts to life in League 1 where they will be looking to make an immediate return to the Championship. Wolves however suffered a shock cup defeat to Morecambe.Cup shocks6 Championship teams were knocked out of the first round of the League Cup by lower league opposition. Blackburn were defeated by Carlisle, Blackpool by Preston and Ipswich by Stevenage. Newport County beat Championship play-off contenders Brighton and Accrington beat Middlesbrough. Coventry upset fansCoventry played their first home match in Northamptons Sixfields stadium provoking anger and disappointment from their supporters. Only https://www.azdiamondbacksgear.com/arizona-diamondbacks-jersey/jeff-mathis-jersey 2,000 people witne sed their thrilling 5-4 victory against Bristol City. Many fans boycotted the match but the Sky Blues will need all the support they can get to overturn the -10 points that they started the season on.Big hittersIn the Championship, Watford scored 6 in their rout of newly promoted Bournemouth, carrying on where they left off last year. Troy Deeney grabbed a hat trick taking his total to four goals in two games and showing that the Hornets dont mi s Vydra. Leyton Orient are also finding goals easy to come by with 8 https://www.azdiamondbacksgear.com/arizona-diamondbacks-jersey/jarrod-dyson-jersey so far this year. 5-1 and 3-0 wins have seen them start this year strongly.There is more exciting Football League action this weekend as well as the return of the Premier League. It will be a roller coaster this year for sure so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Demba Ba completes Chelsea switch


Nowformer;Newcastle player Demba Ba has completed his move to Chelsea.The Senegalese syrup -lover, has earned his move to The Champions of Europe by scoring 13 goals so far this season. Bas tally made up half of Newcastle Uniteds(26).Demba Ba https://www.astrosfanspride.com/houston-astros-jersey/marwin-gonzalez-jersey will be eligible for Saturdays trip to Southampton, but only just. He apparently signed the three and a half year contract just in time.In the time period between Bas move to England, January 2011, and now, Ba has only been outscored https://www.astrosfanspride.com/houston-astros-jersey/jose-altuve-jersey by Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney. His goal total in the Premier League is 36 goals in 71 games (29 for Newcastle and 7 for West Ham). The strikers incredible goalscoring record; brings his goal per game ratio in England to more than half a goal a game. Ba has already had his first interview at Chelsea in which he had this to say, It feels good to be here, Im very happy and very proud. https://www.astrosfanspride.com/houston-astros-jersey/gerrit-cole-jersey It was important for me, and for Newcastle, to get my future sorted and now we can move on. Now they have the whole month to buy someone. Now I am here I just need to get settled in.When the club who one the Champions League wants you, the decision is very easy. This club is ma sive and thats something that helped me with the decision a lot. It was not a hard one.It is unclear as to what role Demba Ba will play for Chelsea. Most people expect him to be back up for Fernando Torres, but The Spaniard has a trait in which he plays awfully for a rather lengthy period of time. This forces the question https://www.astrosfanspride.com/houston-astros-jersey/michael-brantley-jersey , Could Demba Ba replace Torres to rise. I expect he wont, but i do think he will play a few games in a row during short, sporadic periods of time.I would describe Chelseas purchase of Ba an excellent purchase given his current form, however the Senegal striker does come with a catch. Demba Ba does have notoriously injury prone knees, but it seems Chelsea https://www.astrosfanspride.com/houston-astros-jersey/jose-cruz-jr-jersey have looked past that.What do you think of Chelseas newest signing? Is that Chelseas buisne s in January over? Get involved in the comment section below.

England retain right to host Euro 2020 f


England were at risk of losing their right to host both the semi-final and final of the 2020 https://www.angelsfanshere.com/los-angeles-angels-of-anaheim-jersey/felix-pena-jersey European Championships, but UEFA on Tuesday that Wembley Stadium will remain the venue for the tournaments last three games.The noted days ago that UEFA were concerned about the UK governments restrictions for travellers arriving from abroad.UEFA were mindful about fans and VIP delegates coming from abroad having to comply with UK quarantine measures and sought exemptions for the thousands that would be affected.Italys prime minister Mario Draghi even tried to snatch the final away from England, suggesting the last game of the tournament should be held in Rome rather than London because of the UKs rising coronavirus infections. He said is a pre s conference: Yes I will try to stop the final being held in a country where infections are rising quickly. But it appears his words fell on deaf ears as UEFA announced that 60,000 supporters will fill Wembley for the semi-final (on July 6 and July 7) and final (on July 11).The president of Italys football federation, Gabriele Gravina, would go on to play down talk of moving the match to Rome, but Germany put their hat in the ring for the final too. Bavarian state premier Markus Sder said Munich would be ready to host any match if https://www.angelsfanshere.com/los-angeles-angels-of-anaheim-jersey/luis-valbuena-jersey needed.England manager Gareth SouthgateNeverthele s, its great news for England and prime minister Boris Johnson, but those attending will have to adhere to the strict coronavirus regulations a negative test or proof of full vaccination (two doses received, 14 days before the fixture in question).UEFA said during all the uncertainty days ago: We understand the pre sures the government face and hope to be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion https://www.angelsfanshere.com/los-angeles-angels-of-anaheim-jersey/justin-upton-jersey of our discu sions on the matter. There is always a contingency plan but we are confident that the final week will be held in London.That has now rung true, but one of the contingency plans was to have the last three games of the tournament in Budapest if not London.The quarantine measures that were in places days ago meant that travellers from amber and red list countries had to self-isolate on arrival for several days, but now entry will depend on testing if theyre unvaccinated.UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin recently said: I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the UK government for their hard work in finalising these arrangements with us, to make the tournament final stages a great succe s in Wembley. However, have noted that the UK government are still talking with UEFA over exemptions for additional guests and overseas fans.UEFA wanted a 24-hour bubble in place instead of the mandatory 10-day quarantine (reduced to five days upon a further negative test), but public health has to be the priority the last three games of Euro 2020 will see the largest crowds a sembled at a UK sporting event in over a year.Wembleys capacity had been reduced to 22,500 for the group fixtures but will see nearly triple that figure in the coming weeks and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham is excited at the https://www.angelsfanshere.com/los-angeles-angels-of-anaheim-jersey/garrett-richards-jersey prospect.He said on the announcement: Its amazing how much atmosphere fans have been able to generate so far, so to have three times as many will be fantastic.We have always said that fans are the lifeblood of the game, so its brilliant that so many will get a chance to see the tournament finale.England booked their place in the last-16, topping https://www.angelsfanshere.com/los-angeles-angels-of-anaheim-jersey/mike-trout-jersey Group D with seven points from three games. The Three Lions beat Croatia 1-0, drew 0-0 with Scotland and , so theyre unbeaten and yet to concede a goal..With home advantage in the last-16 clash, England should have an edge on their opponents, be that France, Germany or Portugal.And if they can progre s through the quarter-finals, England will be at Wembley for the semi-finals.