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Geregistreerd op: 10 Jul 2019
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 Geplaatst: 15-07-2019 02:02:36 Onderwerp: CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- |
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| Twenty stadiums stand still. So quiet you can hear the winds of summer echoing all around them. Homes to some of the most recognizable football clubs on this earth lie empty, waiting for their time to shine. For 31 days, their stadium cousins in Brazil captured the eyes of the world while they slept. Fans still visit to buy the new strip inside the club shop and as July nears an end, more and more people arrive home from their holidays and come to pay a visit. Some buy a ticket for a match, others buy one for 19. Inside, groundskeepers are the summer conductors of the orchestra, bellowing out the sounds while thousands of empty seats sit still and wait. Those who pay good money to sit on them read the newspapers every day, hoping each one might be the day their team signs a player that will excite them. It is a fresh dawn, one that may yet prove to be a false one but the beauty of summer in England for a football fan is that as they read about their teams, while watching cricket, their minds allow for positive thoughts. It is not a normal emotion for a fan. Gone are the scars of recent heartache suffered at the most recent match. It seems like forever since their team played a competitive game. May feels like it was in 2013 and as the sun shines, along with it comes a ray of hope that somehow this season will be better than last. August arrives. Twenty stadiums stand ready to burst. The grass has never looked more pristine and the excitement starts to build and build as pre-season games are completed. Dress rehearsals are fun but nothing prepares you for the real thing. Needed improvements are completed, fresh advertising signs are up and more and more employees enter as the season gets closer and closer. Twenty stadiums stand ready. For the next 10 months, they will be the theatres grand stages, seen around the globe by close to five billion people in approximately 650 million homes. Games will be played out in the sun, hail, rain, and thats sometimes all in one day. Theyll play at night under floodlights and points will be won and lost, as a 10-month gruelling marathon will take place. Only one stadium will crown a true champion, three others will see more tears than most and wont be back for the party next year. For now, though, they stand together, ready to open up to over 13 million fans to watch 380 matches between now and May 24, 2015. International Visitors Many fresh new faces on the field will also enter their gates for the first time. Seen as one of Englands greatest exports, the Barclays Premier League has once again opened its doors to some wonderful overseas talent. As George Orwell so poetically put it over seven decades ago, England is a country fascinated by all things foreign and the Premier League clubs who have spent considerable funds on non-English talent this summer have certainly brought smiles to the faces of their anxious fans. Less than a year after stunning the football world with Mesut Ozil, Arsenal continued shopping at a level they require with the purchase of the wonderfully gifted Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean gives Arsene Wenger something he didnt have, a player who can make their attack more flexible, a legitimate difference maker who brings pace and guile whether he plays out wide or on the back of the defenders shoulders in a central spot. The 2014 FA Cup winners retained Wenger, called a specialist in failure by Jose Mourinho, who will know he must win the league this season to avoid such a description being turned back on him. The additions of Spaniards Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa represent a fantastic summer for the Blues as they continue to build a spine necessary for them to get back to winning ways. Chelsea lacked the power that winners Man City had in key areas on the field last season and they have gone a long way to rectify that with Fabregas joining an outstanding, revamped central midfield alongside the impressive Nemanja Matic and Marco Van Ginkel. Ander Herrera, Felipe Luis, Lazar Markovic, Eliaquim Mangala, Fernando, Remy Cabella, Jefferson Montero, Enner Valencia, Dusan Tadic and Didier Drogba (again) have all arrived for a collective 150 million pounds and many others have joined them but the biggest name of all to arrive on English shores is in Manchester where a wounded former giant badly needs a new leader. Louis Van Gaal arrives at Manchester United where it was no longer just belonging to Sir Alex. The failure of David Moyes means the bridge between the old boss and the new boss is considerably longer than it was in April. That is the first thing he has going for him. It is not the last. Van Gaal has arrived at Old Trafford where there is finally a feeling of a badly needed fresh start. Gone are Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra and if the 63-year-old is to complete a successful overhaul, players such as Anderson, Nani, Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley, Rafael and Javier Hernandez will likely follow over time. Van Gaal has already stamped an identity on United in his short time, something badly missing under Moyes. The team looks set to play a 3-4-1-2 system against many opponents, one backed by senior members of the club who have been more than happy so far in pre-season. All indications show that an improvement is coming but for a team that finished last season seventh on 64 points after eight successive years in the top two, just how much they need to improve could well be the biggest burning question in the entire league. Van Gaal, unlike Moyes, is not inheriting a champion. Moyes inherited a flawed team but, when they under performed, the fingers pointed at the Scotsman. This season, the players have no such excuse and little expectations. However, a squad featuring names such as Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Juan Mata, Luke Shaw, Adnan Januzaj, David De Gea, Michael Carrick and Herrera is clearly a team that is better than what they showed last season. It is also the perfect team to illustrate how difficult it is to judge (or predict for that matter) any team at this time in the transfer window. Van Gaal knows he needs two central defenders, a wingback, and a midfielder before the start of September and he will likely get most of them. Until we know the names of such players, it is difficult to know what United will accomplish this season but what we do know is how they need to be better. It would be inaccurate for history to tell us a tale of Uniteds demise the moment Sir Alex walked away from the job. Yes, they won the Premier League in his final season but the warning signs were there to see while he was still in charge, particularly in the true big matches (against Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and matches in Europe). In the three seasons of 08/09, 09/10 and 10/11, United played 80 of these games, won 45, drew 18 and lost 17; a 58 per cent win percentage in big games. In the three seasons following (two under Ferguson and one under Moyes), United played 70 of these games, won 28, drew 16 and lost 26; a 40 per cent win percentage. In Fergusons final season domestically, he gained 69pts from the 26 matches outside of the top seven (22W, 3D, 1L). He got 20pts (6W, 2D, 4L) from the 12 matches against the other six. Last season under Moyes (including the four remaining games under caretaker boss Ryan Giggs), United got 58pts from the 26 matches outside of the top seven (18W, 4D, 4L), an 11-point drop over 26 games which is 0.42 points less per game for Moyes than Ferguson. If they would have secured 0.42 points less per game in the big games, United should still have come up with 15pts from the 12 matches against the top six, which would have put them at 73 at the end of the year; good enough for Champions League football in every other season other than last. Instead, they got just six points in 12 big games (1W, 3D, 8L) all under Moyes. Clearly, Moyes wasnt good enough against the lower 13 teams (0.42 PPG less than Ferguson) but against the big teams, he was incredibly poor, 1.16 PPG worse than the year previous. This is Van Gaals challenge. Whoever he signs, it is still likely he will be better than Moyes, but not quite as good as Fergusons settled side, against the 13 other teams, giving him around 20 wins, three draws and three losses for an approximate total of 63. How he does in the other 12 matches will show us whether United can challenge for the title, the Champions League spots or face another season out of the sports elite competition. Uniteds rebuild will take time and we will have to wait for answers. Van Gaals side are the only team to not play any side in the top half from last season during the first two months of the season. Expect United to start very well, watch the expectations soar but get ready to see how good they really are when the strong tests come along. Albert Pujols Jersey . "Im very pleased to be able to add a quarterback with Adrians experience and skill set," Calgary head coach and general manager John Hufnagel said in a statement. Nolan Ryan Angels Jersey . -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. http://www.baseballangelslockroom.com/mike-trout-angels-jersey/ .Y. - Islanders forward Anders Lee has been fined $2,286 by the NHL for elbowing St. Cam Bedrosian Angels Jersey . Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season. He then had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 24 because of a bacterial infection in his hip. CJ Wilson Jersey . Left back Armero opened the scoring in the fifth minute when his deflected shot rolled past Greece goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis. Striker Teofilo Gutierrez poked in Colombias second goal from a deflected corner in the 58th and James Rodriguez capped it off with a low shot in stoppage time after a slick backheel flick from Juan Cuadrado.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Russell Wilson decided to try it again. And it worked in a big way for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse in the fourth quarter and Seattles defence came up with a huge turnover in the final minutes of a 12-7 win Sunday over the Carolina Panthers. The Seahawks managed just two field goals before Kearse beat cornerback Josh Thomas down the right sideline for his first career touchdown catch with 10:13 left. The score came one play after Wilson attempted a nearly identical pass -- although on a different play call -- but Stephen Williams couldnt come up with the diving catch. Kearse did. The second-year receiver made a leaping grab in the end zone over Thomas for the go-ahead score. "Wed called for a shot before, and I was surprised wed missed on that one," said Wilson, who threw for 320 yards. "Maybe I threw it a little too far. I saw Kearse out there with the rest of the guys and I read the play. He was a second read, and he did a great job of attacking the football." Kearse had just three catches for 31 yards last season as a rookie, but showed promise during the preseason. The Seahawks failed on a 2-point conversion attempt, but they wouldnt need it. Their defence handled the rest. The Panthers had a chance to move back in front, but safety Earl Thomas stripped DeAngelo Williams after a 16-yard scamper and Tony McDaniel recovered at the Seattle 8 with 5:25 left. The Seahawks ran out the clock from there. Williams, who finished with 76 yards on 16 carries, took the loss hard. "It was one mistake, but it was the mistake that cost my team the game," said Williams, who also had a fumble in last years 16-12 loss to the Seahawks. Williams tried to make a spin move when he got the 10 when Thomas popped the ball loose from behind. "Their secondary has a knack for doing that and my job is to protect the football," Williams said. "I didnt do my job." Thomas certainly did his. "When a running back feels like hes getting open, hell start swinging his arms," Thomas said. "I got in a good punch. We always work on that, getting the ball to come out." Added Wilson: "That shows what our football team is all about, that relentless nature to keep going after the ball. Were getting close to the game being on the line, and thats whaat makes Earl Thomas the best in the game.dddddddddddd" It was a rough debut for new Panthers offensive co-ordinator Mike Shula. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was held to 125 yards passing and one touchdown -- a 3-yard strike to Steve Smith in the first half -- against a Seattle team playing without defensive starters Chris Clemons, Cliff Avril and Brandon Browner. The Panthers led 7-3 at the break, but didnt score in the second half. Newton was plagued by a few dropped passes, including two by his normally reliable tight end Greg Olsen. Shula wanted to limit Newtons carries this season and he did just that with the explosive quarterback carrying just five times for 38 yards. Newton led the Panthers in rushing last year with 741 yards. "Weve got to go back and look and see exactly what they did and how they took us out of what we wanted to do on offence," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. It was a struggle for Seattles offence, too. The Seahawks couldnt get much going on the ground with Carolina smothering Marshawn Lynch, holding the All-Pro running back to 43 yards on 17 carries. Wilson picked up the slack, completing 25 of 33 passes against Carolinas suspect secondary. Doug Baldwin had 91 yards on seven receptions. Rivera, who dropped to 2-13 in games decided by seven points or less, blamed the loss on "missed opportunities," including the costly fumble by Williams, some dropped passes and the inability to get off the field on third down late in the game. The 34-year-old Smith had six catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. He said despite the loss he expects to see Seattle again in January -- in the NFC playoffs. Newton agreed. "Absolutely, absolutely," Newton said. "Everybody, lets not panic now. Were going to be all right. This is the first game. We played an unbelievable team." NOTES: Panthers starting right guard Garry Williams left in the first quarter with a left knee injury and Rivera said "it doesnt look good." The Panthers rotated Chris Scott, Travelle Wharton and Jeff Byers in at their two guard spots. ... Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander was ejected in the second quarter after throwing a punch at Seahawks offensive lineman Breno Giacomini following a Carolina sack. ... Carolinas Armond Smith was flagged twice for 30 yards for running out of bounds on punt coverage. 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