THE FOOTBALL GUIDE

You need the right ingredients to prepare a delicious meal just like you need the right players to form a dominant football team. When I say right players, I don’t just refer to talented players. There’s more than just that to a dominant football team.

There’s no doubt that talent is something any team needs to become successful. It seems perfectly logical that being more talented than the opposing team is going to play into your hands.

Nevertheless, if that were true then the secret formula for any club is to get 11 enormously talented players and see how the titles flow into the club. Certain clubs such as Chelsea and Real Madrid have adopted this approach in recent years.

Surprisingly, these clubs have been disappointing as shown by their struggles in their national leagues as well as in European competitions such as the Champions League.

Why did they struggle despite their talent? Did they have the ingredients to make a great football team? Obviously they did not. Which begs the questions, what else is needed apart from talent? My answer to that question is that you need an ego balance.

Put simply, the more talent a team has, the more egos it has as well. And such egos are very difficult to control, even by the best managers in the business, and this is reflected in the team’s performances on the pitch.

There have been occasions where such teams have gone on to win some trophies but overall they are not considered successful. A large number of egos in a team means that bench players are not too pleased and this creates tension within player ranks.

Egos are not a wanted ingredient in a football team if it wants to be successful. The most successful teams in history were all based around a very small number of enormously talented players who led the team with purpose and conviction.

A fine example is the World Cup winning Argentinean team of 1986 which was completely led and dominated by Diego Maradona. More recently, Barcelona’s domestic and continental dominance was built around by 2 superstars, Deco and Ronaldinho.

Nevertheless, most recently, Barcelona have acquired more superstars such as Henry and it’s not surprise that they’ve been struggling on the pitch and off the pitch. Tension has also ensued and as a result Deco has already left the club with Ronaldinho looking to go to AC Milan.

The main lesson to be learned is that a great football team is not just about talent but about the amount of egos in a team. ‘Galactico’ teams have never worked, even if it’s tempting for cashed up teams. The idea that a team of champions does not make a champion team cannot be truer.

The Cristiano Ronaldo saga has been going on for who knows how long. In fact, it has become a real football soap opera, and a lot of people are divided in their opinion over who is the victim and who is the culprit in this sad but intriguing saga. The fact that it concerns probably the best footballer on the planet has led to people everywhere voicing their opinion and taking sides from heavyweights such as Sepp Blatter to the fans in local suburban parks. However, in all this analysis, a lot of facts are either missing or twisted to suit different purposes and agendas. I’ve decided to set the issue straight in this article.

FACT 1. On the 13th of April 2007, Ronaldo signed a 5 year contract, valued at 120,000 pounds a week, making him Manchester United’s highest ever paid player. This means that Ronaldo committed to playing for United for 5 years and accepted a handsome salary for the privilege. Any desire to break this contract is completely unfair to United, not just because of the money they’re paying him, but because of his commitment to stay and help them win trophies. Any breaking of the contract throws United’s plans into chaos. Culprit: Ronaldo Victim: United

FACT 2. United owns the rights to Ronaldo since they purchased him from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 as a teenager. This means that any transfer takes place between clubs not between the concerned player and clubs. However, if the player is not keen on playing for the club, he does not have to, and he can simply not turn up to training any more. The club would then be forced to sell the player.

Nevertheless, just because a player no longer wants for a club does not give him the right to break his contract. Signing a contract implies a commitment, a strong commitment, and this must be honoured. Unless the club has done something to harm the player, then yes, the player does have an argument to leave the club. But what harm has United done to Ronaldo? None. In fact, they’ve given him the world. Culprit: Ronaldo Victim: United

A final thing to mention is that Ronaldo doesn’t have a valid reason for wanting to leave the club that has given him so much over the years. In particular, he seems to have adapted well to life in England and Manchester, otherwise would he had been able to play as well as he has? Apart from getting boos from the crowds after the 2006 World Cup for his diving ability (or lack thereof), the fans have grown to love him and with it, he has revived United’s glory years. One then wonders, what is his reasoning for wanting to leave England?

There is no doubt that Ronaldo would not be the player he is today if it wasn’t for the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and his decision to purchase as a youngster 5 years ago. Ronaldo should then be mindful of what the club has given him and should repay their faith in him all those years ago, but this doesn’t seem to be happening.

There are a couple of words that shine through when analysing this neverending saga. They are loyalty and respect, or more so the lack of them. Ronaldo seems to think that just because he’s won every major trophy at United that he can decide what he wants to do now. He obviously thought that when he signed the 5 year contract that he could also leave at any time.

The impact of Generation Y footballers is being felt throughout football. It is a very confident generation, often over-confident and hence accused of being arrogant. This kind of description fits Ronaldo pretty well. Hugely motivated by money and feeling that they can do whatever they want, is what has led to a lack of respect and loyalty towards clubs. It’s not just limited to Ronaldo, but he is main figure due to his position in the game.

Young players nowadays have little or any loyalty and respect towards their employers. Perhaps it’s because of the huge amount of money in circulation today. Whatever the reason, the only losers in this situation are the clubs and the fans. There are 2 types of loyalty in a club: fan loyalty and player loyalty. Player loyalty seems to be on the way out and this can only be detrimental to club football. Something must be done to educate young players and rectify this ever increasing problem today. Otherwise, the only loser will be football itself.

A new disease is rearing its ugly head in the world of football … Dream Team Addiction. Here’s a quick 5 point checklist for you to find out if you need to seek medication, or god forbid you are past the point of no return!

5. You know how much every little statistic is worth in Dream Team and your head is invaded by these numbers every time one of your players does the right thing and notches up a stat.

Even worse though, is when you know all your opponents team members and the number pops up every time they score as well If you’re finding the relevant Dream Team number pops up every time any player gets a stat - in your Dream Team or not - then there is no hope for you - you are no longer a football fan. You’re now simply a bunch of Dream Team 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, and -3’s. You’re a Dream Team Geek.

If you’re a Super Coach player, then thank your lucky stars. Those numbers are guarded closer than Hutchy with his ’scoops’ on The Footy Show. You won’t be seeing them ever, let alone in your sleep.

4. Can’t access the Internet? No worries - SMS updates are for you because you can’t go one hour without knowing the scores!

(The half time updates are the key symptom of Dream Team Addiction … we all succumb to the full time updates now and then).

3. Joy is when you players in your team get engaged in a bit of backline kick to kick - and it’s not because it reminds you of days in the park sharing the Sherrin with your old man.

While everyone else is cursing ‘clock management’, you cheer just a little too loudly and reminding everyone how ‘tempo footy’ is going to keep you in Eliminator for another round.

2. Who said it’s only a game? You’ve punched walls, thrown remotes, smashed glasses or all of the above because:

- your DT player hand balls when they could kick - your DT player drops a total sitter - your DT player gets pinged for a soft free kick - your gun back pocket gets manned up (what? he’s a back pocket!) - your DT player gets a free, but advantage is given to another player (in front of goal this may warrant wall punching) - your low scoring back men is not getting involved in the short pass after a point - your player is not getting involved in clock management or “tempo” footy

But the major one is…

1. You would prefer to see your team lose if it meant your Dream Team players could rack up a huge score.

I am sorry; this is where I draw the line. Crossing it is not only first degree sports bigamy, but it really is the point of no return. Hand in your Aussie citizenship and book some time on the couch, and no I do not mean with Gerard Healy (although you might find him in the waiting room).

The National Football League in the United States is currently expanding overseas, just as the World of International Soccer is growing in the US. Soon there will be a European Team in the NFL and there are secret talks right now in Dubai to produce a team there as well. The Islamic Football Team in Dubai, will soon show all the world and especially the greatest nation ever created in the History of Mankind, that the Muslim World is not weak.

The Dubai Consortium being put together now, has plenty of money to recruit the greatest athletes around the world and throughout the Middle East to put together one very hard to beat team. Is the United States of America ready to lose it’s strangle hold on Football? Can the US Football Fan handle being beaten by Dubai or a team in Europe? Football is not a hard sport to learn and the human talent needed to win is common amongst all people of the World.

Speed, agility, strength, pre-cognition and will are possessed by humans around the globe. Soon, there will be an announcement that there will be a new Islamic Football Team in Dubai, as the NFL is about to Expand. Dubai will soon have the tallest building in the world, the finest resorts and perhaps the greatest football team that has ever stepped foot on the field, playing in a World Class Stadium, and the likes of which have not been seen since the Roman Coliseum. So tell me, football fans, are you ready for that?

Certain activities define the character of a nation. Likewise, the National Football League (NFL) defines the American character probably more than anything else. Conceived as the American Professional Football Association in 1920, it soon adopted the name National Football League in 1922. Undoubtedly the largest of all professional football leagues in America, NFL is made up of 32 teams coming from numerous American regions and cities.

With seeds in the American college football genre, NFL football is a direct descendant of rugby football. Rugby football, in its turn, was imported to the US from Canada in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. In its infancy, it became synonymous with American college football with Montreal’s McGill University inviting Harvard University to Quebec to play the Canadian version of rugby football.

Meanwhile, professional American football was gaining momentum despite the renowned elite football college games. This was happening mainly on the East coast, while professional football was stealing the show in the Midwest. The American Professional Football Association was founded in Ohio with legendary athlete Jim Thorpe as President. It began with eleven teams and was not strictly a league. The main purpose was to end robbing other teams’ players to win a football game.

With the birth of NFL, rules became more stringent and laws began to be enforced. However, teams continued to trickle in and leave at the same pace. It was in the 1970’s and 1980’s that NFL football finally secured its position in the heart and culture of America as the most important football event of the nation. The Super Bowl, a name given to the final game in a NFL series, became an undeclared yet accepted national holiday.

What sealed the NFL football in every American’s heart was the cult it created. It was not only the game that mattered; it was the entire event, the entertainment, the TV coverage and everything that added to the glamour of the football series. To add further to the glitz, NFL introduced pre-season exhibition games. And to add a little more flavor the game, NFL opted to play them international. This came to be known as the American Bowls.

In 1991, it formed the World League of American Football with developmental purposes in mind. This body, presently known as the NFL Europa, has teams in Germany and Netherlands. In 2003, the NFL League launched its own cable-TV channel, the NFL Network.

The football game is commonly known as ‘Association Football’ around the World. This name, however, means a lot to various countries. The terminology used by Americans is ‘American Football’.

In America, the football started with the variation of the game ‘Rugby’. It is believed that the first game that was played in North America was based on ‘Soccer’ rules and it was played between ‘Princeton’ and ‘Rutgers’, however, it is widely known that this game in America was started with rugby not soccer.

After two years another modern game was reported to be played by ‘McGill University’ and ‘Harvard University’. After this, it became easy to adopt the football as rugby type game. These universities later adopted most of ‘Rugby Union’ football rules that time. That was the time American football was usually called as ‘Rugby’ there.

No matter how interesting the game is, it always has some pros and cons with it and American football has it too. When people started to play American football, a lot of serious injuries were observed that time. This resulted a Ban on this game in America for a long time. Universities tried to gradually change the rules so that game could be played with much more safety, but number of demises did not decrease and reached to 33 in number.

These incidents however were reduced in forthcoming years. Football, today is commonly known as ‘Association Football’ which describes a common term for football. The governing body for football is ‘FIFA’ which organises a ‘World Cup’ every four years.

If you’re hosting a football party, games can be a great source of half-time entertainment – and keep the laughs rolling until well after the final whistle has blown. Here are a couple of ideas to entertain the guests at your football party:

“Football Charades” Football Party Game

When it comes to football party games, you can’t get much better than football charades. With this variant of the classic miming game, a set of cards with football-related words on them must be prepared prior to the party. Suggestions include ‘cheerleader’, ‘spectator’, ‘hotdog’, ‘touchdown’, ‘quarterback’, ‘goal’ and ‘pass’. The first contestant must choose a card and act out the word shown, with the first person to correctly guess the word being the next one to choose a card.

“Football-tossing Competition” Football Party Game

This is a classic among football party games, especially after the beer has started flowing!! Using a hoop or a basket as a target, contestants must try and throw the football into or through the target. If players succeed at their first attempt, they must move further away from the target and try again. Once a player misses the target, they are out of the football party game. Make the game more challenging (and entertaining to watch!) by making players wear a blindfold or spin around 5 times before throwing the football. The winner of this football party game is the last player left standing.

When it comes to hosting a football party, games can be the difference between a good party and a great one. Whether their team wins or loses, almost everyone is guaranteed to have a great time.

Football historical facts are fun use at a Super Bowl or football themed party. Take notes and create fun trivia games from the following infomation.

NFL Football is one of the most popular American sports, attracting thousands of participants and millions of spectators annually. The forerunner of American football may have been a game played by the ancient Greeks, called harpaston. In this game there was no limit to the number of players. The object was to move a ball across a goal line by kicking, throwing, or running with it. Classical literature contains detailed accounts of the game, including its rougher elements, such as ferocious tackling.

Most modern versions of football, however, originated in England, where a form of the game was known in the 12th century. In subsequent centuries football became so popular that various English monarchs, including Edward II and Henry VI, forbade the game because it took interest away from the military sport of archery.

In 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed; one year later it was reorganized and in 1922 was renamed the National Football League. fifty years after the inception of the first pro football association, combined sixteen NFL teams with ten AFL teams to comprise one league with two conferences.

NFL Football party supplies like paper plates, napkins, and cups are a nice way to complete a NFL Football Party Theme. Party decorations using NFL Football Party Themes like a football piñata can act as a centerpieces and can also double as party prizes. Party favors like NFL Football stickers, whistles, foam fingers, football shaped caps, and helmets fit an NFL Football Party Theme.

Fantasy football league enthusiasts play for different reasons. Some play for pride, while others play for money. Some fantasy football league members play for mega money, though, and the money is all these fantasy football nuts care about. Witness these two amazing fantasy football leagues.

A fantasy football league in Las Vegas pits players from 12 different leagues in a World Championship Fantasy Football league. These guys compete for a grand prize of $200,000. Other huge monetary prizes are handed out as well. This quest to be a fantasy football league world champion illustrates what this game does to people.

Further witness a differend kind of fantasy football league. In The League, first-ever published work of fiction based on a fantasy football league, sixteen wealthy, powerful men from Wall Street, create a unique fantasy football league. This remarkable group plays for a winner-take-all fantasy football league championship trophy of $30 million.

The idea for The League was born from conversations between the author and other fantasy football league participants who believe that the lust for power and money can get out of hand, if people are not careful. Fantasy football makes a great vehicle for this hunger for money.

The League is a fictional work that has been called a cautionary tale about what can happen, if fantasy football league enthusiasts are not careful to keep their competition and desire for prize money in check. Anyone participating in a fantasy football league can learn a great deal about how the game can get out of control by reading about a fictional fantasy football league in the novel, The League.

Betting on football is today one of the major activities for football enthusiasts. Football betting has become an easy way to earn some money, have fun and enjoy games with a different touch. Easily, football betting could become an every game activity for most of the football fans.

Football betting is definitely not for everyone. You need to take risks, some times smalls and some times big ones in order to win a bet on football betting. Risks are always present and odds help you to know in what kind and amount of risks your bet is in. That’s the feel of football betting.

Knowing the game is an important step. To understand the rules of the game and regulations imposed on the game. Football betting also requires you to watch many football matches and take notes on the outcome of past games. Player’s injuries and special circumstances also affect the probability on the outcome of a future game.

Something very useful in football betting are picks. These are special comments and predictions that experts on football called handicappers make on a regular basis to inform bettors of probable happenings and results. Internet has promoted the distribution of this football betting picks and there are websites that would place them even for free.

Football betting still is the major sport betting activity for almost every sportsbook and takes most of the bets of all sports events. This is because football betting is really intense! Taking risks and watching a game with all your trust on a team and really feeling the highs and downs is what a real football fan is all about.