Two highlight videos from the PFA Young Player of the Year, Jack Wilshere and PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Gareth Bale Wins PFA Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers’ Association has announced the player of the year and the Premier League first team of the year.
Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur was announced as the player of the year for the 2010-2011 English Premier League Season.
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| Gareth Bale and the Spurs look to continue their run into the premier league's top four and qualify for another champions league campaign |
"I am more than delighted, really," he said. "It is a massive award and it is a great honour to receive, especially from other fellow professionals. It is an honour, really, when you look at the names that have won it before and it just makes you go 'wow'. – Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur Midfielder
Tottenham Hotspur Manager, Harry Redknapp, was extremely proud of Bale. He is only the fourth player from Tottenham to win the award in the clubs history. He is the fourth to win behind players like Pat Jennings, Clive Allen, and David Ginola. Bale is well on the path to becoming a Spurs legend and this is a great start down that path. Redknapp has vowed he will not be selling big name stars when the transfer window opens up over the summer.
"It is great for him, he deserves it,'' Redknapp said. "It is a great award for him to win and I could not be more pleased.”
The PFA footballer of the year is won by accumulating votes from all the other professionals in the league. The people Bale plays against week in and week out are the ones who voted him, and Bale believes that these are the guys who know you and your playing best.
The 21-year-old beat out Charlie Adam, Samir Nasri, Scott Parker, Carlos Tevez, Rafael van der Vaart, and Nemanja Vidic. Player of the year was not the only award Bale was up for; he was also nominated as the PFA Young Player of the Year.
However, he was beat out by Arsenal FC’s Jack Wilshere. Wilshere is a 19-year-old midfielder who has also recently won a few caps for the senior English National team.
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| Jack Wilshere and the Gunners have a lot of work ahead if they wish make a challenge for the premier league regular season title |
"It is my first full season and it is a massive award, especially from my fellow players," he said. "It is amazing. I am very proud to be the fifth recipient from Arsenal; it is good to keep this history going. Arsenal is a good club for bringing youngsters through and they keep proving it so I would like to thank the manager as well. I am delighted just to be in the team." – Jack Wilshere Arsenal FC Midfielder
Apart from these two special awards, the Premier League Team of the Year was also announced last night. The team of the year included players from five teams in the English Premier League.
Premier League Team of the Year as follows: Edwin Van der Sar (Man Utd), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Kompany (Man City), Nani (Man Utd), Samir Nasri (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Gareth Bale (Tottenham), Carlos Tevez (Man City), Dimitar Berbatov (Man Utd).
Friday, April 8, 2011
Amazing Penalty Kick
Check out this wild penalty kick that takes place in Baar, Switzerland. You may need to watch it twice!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Protecting Referees; The Final Straw!
English Premier League to crackdown on referee abuse.
The English Premier League has announced its plans to cut down on player and manager abuse of league referees.
The campaign is set to begin with next year’s premier league season. The clubs of the English Premier League have unanimously voted to support next year’s Respect campaign.
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| EPL CEO Richard Scudamore announces the plan for the respect campaign set to begin next season. EPL is aiming to end referee abuse |
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore announced plans for the campaign last Thursday March 31st.
“I think we do need to concentrate on the player and manager relationship with the referee this time, as everyone of us knows that there have been elements of unacceptable behavior.” – Richard Scudamore
Scudamore and the rest of the clubs agreed something must be done in regards to high number of attacks on referees. Most recently Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, was handed a five game sideline ban for his comments about a referee. He was not allowed to be on the sideline for the next five games Manchester United played in the Premier League.
“You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that. I must say, when I saw who the referee was I feared it. I feared the worst.” – Sir Alex Ferguson said about the referee following Man U’s 2-1 loss to rival Chelsea FC
Referees have faced much scrutiny this season. Some have had their integrity and honesty questioned publicly. The respect campaign is a great step forward in defending and protecting professional referees.
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| West Ham United boss Avram Grant has been suspended two matches for his comments regarding the refereeing following West Ham's March 13th FA Cup loss to Stoke City |
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal FC manager, was suspended earlier this season for his “abuse” of match referees. Wenger, Ferguson, and Avram Grant manager of West Ham United have all been hit with some kind of suspension and/or fine this season in regards to referee abuse. Avram Grant is the most recent and is suspended for two games and fined £6,000 for his comments about the referee following West Ham United’s FA Cup loss to Stoke City.
"I think maybe this is the reason the referee started the second half very strange. Until they scored [the second] goal he gave fouls, a penalty, everything for them.”
"It was a penalty for us at the end which he didn't give. What happened with Tomkins was more bushido [the Japanese code of conduct for samurai warriors]. Maybe he felt a little bit guilty. I think it was the effect of the first goal for us." - Avram Grant
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| Wayne Rooney has been the center of attention quite often this season. Rooney will be serving a two match ban due to another mishap |
The FA is not only coming down hard on coaches for their dissent, but also on players. Wayne Rooney was just handed a two game ban for saying the f-word on camera following a goal he scored against West Ham United. Rooney tallied a hat trick in the Red Devil’s 4-2 win over The Hammers.
Scudamore has reassured everyone in the Premier League he is very serious about the new respect campaign and others could be seeing harsher punishments for ref abuse.
"As to what we think is unacceptable; it's vitriolic abuse towards match officials and that has on occasions gone unpunished; the surrounding of referees is unacceptable; the goading of referees into trying to get opponents sanctioned we think is unacceptable; and also the undue criticism, where it spills over into questioning the referee's integrity or his honesty is also unacceptable." – Scudamore added
La Liga Strike!
Spanish La Liga and a possible a strike
Is there a possible strike looming ahead for La Liga?
For now a court in Madrid says no, but there could be in the future.
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| David Beckham has law named after him in Spain. The law was introduced in 2005 to attract foreigners to live and work in Spain. |
Several Spanish clubs that were looking to maximize benefits from TV revenues proposed the strike. There is also a huge advantage for La Liga clubs in comparison to their rivals in other European countries. Foreigners who live and work in Spain are only forced to pay a twenty four percent income tax while natives are stuck with a hefty forty three percent income tax.
This law was introduced in Spain as the David Beckham Law and was designed to help attract foreign executives to better run some of the countries top business firms.
With the tax law as is, Spanish clubs can save up to £2 per year when compared to their English counterparts. Chelsea FC heavily considered signing Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero, but they were turned away when they learned the true cost of what his wages would be in England. Aguero’s weekly wages in England would have been £200,000, but due to the taxing laws in Spain he only costs Atletico Madrid £160,000 per week.
The English tax for high earners is also set to have a possible increase, sometime this April, to fifty percent.
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| Chelsea had plans to spend big money on Sergio Aguero but how much is to much for the football giants? |
The possible reformation of the tax law has many big club presidents worried. The reformation of the tax laws could cost nearly €100 million for the league as whole. Real Madrid would undertake a £2 Million per year fee for taxes on Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract.
Many are also worried there will be other complications that stem from the clubs having to accept these massive tax fees.
'This could bring very negative consequences. It would prevent La Liga from being the best of the world and would have negative impact on other aspects, such as the amount of people in stadiums and it would make our product less attractive to television. We have calculated that this reform would add 100m euros to the bill for Spanish football.' – LFP President Jose Luis Astiazaran
There are many others who support Astiazaran, claiming that the tax break for foreigners is what gives La Liga its competitive advantage over all football leagues in Europe.
"The strike would have been a stab in the heart of football, Football only sells hope and, if we kill people's illusions, we will kill football. There are no winners or losers. The big winner is football.” – Villarreal General Manager, Jose Manuel Llaneza
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| Cristiano and co. have some work to do if they plan on catching current La Liga leaders Barcelona |
Atletico Madrid president, Enrique Cerezo added - "I sensed that the games were going to be played. Imagine what would have happened. Luckily, everything has been solved.
"The court decides the official calendar for the first and second divisions should remain unaltered for the next round of matches." – Madrid Court Document
For now the courts have decided the league schedule will be played as arranged and nothing will change. The hope is that La Liga will solve their problems without any disruptions and their clubs will continue competing at the highest levels of world football.
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