And they're OFF !!

It has long been an idea of mine to put my predictions for upcoming matches down on paper, and explain my reasoning. This for the purpose of having proof after the result ends up the way I predicted it would. There is no way one can accurately predict outcomes of sporting fixtures consistently, and even more so for this years installment of the English Premier League, which will definitely be one to remember.

So I begin with the first round of fixtures. With the youth in England running riot everywhere, an stocking up on there latest brands and electronics for free, there was much speculation as to if the matches would be postponed, and luckily for most, only the Toffees vs Spurs match was in fact pushed back.

Blackburn Rovers vs Wolves (10:00am Trini Time)

Surely not the most eagerly anticipated match up for the round, this game will be a scrap fest, with Wolves running at the Rovers defence at pace, and Blackburn making good use of set pieces, with Mr. Pedersen being the main culprit of creating any goalscoring opportunity. I predict a 1-2 loss for the Rovers, who are likely to be without Samba or Nielsen, which leaves a weakened back line having already lost Phil Jones to United. Wolves looks a bit stronger in my opinion with Johnson coming in to boost the back line of the team. You can expect Hoillet to cause some problems and even get on the score sheet, whereas a good bet may be to look at Fletcher and Jarvis to put 1 in the goal column.

Fulham vs Aston Villa (10:00am Trini Time)

Two hard working teams to battle it out at the Cottage, with a return to the EPL on the cards for John Arne Riise. Fulham who in my opinion always look impressive will not have an easy game by any means, but the home field advantage, and absence of Young and Downing will definitely make things a little easier. Given in goal is always going to be a huge boost to a team, but with the lack of attack going forward he may be under more pressure than he would want for the first game of the season. I believe however that this match will be a 1-1 draw. Many fantasy leaguer's would have already picked up N'Zogbia and he can easily find himself on the score sheet, along with Bobby Zamora or Dempsey for Fulham.

Liverpool vs Sunderland (10:00am Trini Time)

This match up is between two completely new teams so to speak. With Sunderland making 10 additions to their team, and Liverpool adding an entirely new midfield, there is surely great interest from football fans, to see how these "new teams" will fare. Liverpool have gone on the offensive in the transfer market after they relinquished their throne as England's most successful club to rivals Manchester United. With Adam, Downing, Henderson and Doni coming in, few would bet against them posing a major title challenge. I however am more interested in Sunderland. I believe that this match will be a 3-2 win for Liverpool with the strength of their Attack being too much for a weak Sunderland back line to deal with. Sunderland will have the chance to cause an upset however, with their own midfield and striking revamp.

Qpr vs Bolton (10:00am Trini Time)

New boys QPR test their might against Wanderers. This is going to be a shocker, but I will put money on QPR to come away with a win from this one. DJ Campbell is a great addition to the attack, and Taarabat in the midfield pulling the strings will make it an easy time for QPR to get one in the win column. They will run out 2-0 winners on the day and set the tone for the promoted clubs.

Wigan vs Norwich City (10:00 Trini Time)

No need to get into a lenghty debate for this one. A draw is on the cards in my opinion with Norwich playing their hearts out in an attempt to stamp some sort of respect for the rest of their campaign. Only problem is that taking points from Wigan wont scare many teams just yet. 1-1 final score.

Newcastle vs Arsenal (12:30 Trini time)

Both these teams have a wealth of riches, and have made no substantial purchases that have made their fans happy. Newcastle being the busier of the two, signing 4 French boys and Ba, still look a weakened team without the likes of Carrol an Nolan, as well as impending departure of Enrique. Arsenal seem to be left wounded with the departures of Nasri and Fabregas in the works, but i however feel this can do more positive than harm. Fabregas was almost non existant last season as he continued to sulk about being unable to move to Barcelona. Nasri was in fine form and will be missed, but lets not forget Ramsey, Wilshire, Asharvin, Rosiky, Eboue, Diaby, RVP, Gervinho, Chamakh, Walcott are all in attack still and can play the Arsenal game. Arsenal will take this one 3-1.

Stoke City vs Chelsea ( 8:30 Sunday Trini Time)

Easy to decide as Chelsea will find it tough to break down the rough an tough Stoke team. A 1-1 Draw will be a shock to behold, and will steal headlines as no one would have expected Stoke to take points from the prem big boys. But this will happen, as Chelsea will be without the likes of Essien and Torres for the occasion.

West Brom vs Manchester United (11:00 am Sunday Trini Time)

The reigning champions will have an easy test on the opening day against WBA, and should have no problems dispatching them at the Hawthorns. The pace of Young, Nani, Rooney, Welbeck, Anderson will be all too much for WBA, and will be unable to prevent a 3-0 victory for the Red Devils. Cleverly will be used in the event that Carrick cannot make, and will be given an opportunity to showcase his talent.

Manchester City vs Swansea ( 2:00 pm Monday Trini Time)

City will overpower the new boys and will look good, but be powerless to cause problems for a strong City defensive line, and overpowering attack. Mario, Dzeko, Aguero and Silva will cause the most problems on the day, and Toure will pull the strings in the midfield. An easy 3-0 victory will be on the cards in my opinion. Look out for Routdledge to cause a bit of a menace, and Lita to be imposing on the defence however.

Again, my opinions are just that, and I open the floor to anyone who may have reasons why they believe the scores will be any different. I just hope my predicitons are correct, and that this season lives up to the hype as one of the most exciting yet!

Long Lost Warriors

Daydreams are a hell of a thing. While working on a project at work, I came across a reference to Bahrain, and was immediately reminded of Trinidad’s senior football team’s amazing victory in the face of adversity and fearful circumstances. I was reminded of jumping up and down with a Trinidad uniform on, as well as a flag waving high. The scenes on TV6 that night were carbon copy almost of what takes place on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, with every Trinidadian immediately brought closer together by the fact that we had finally qualified for a FIFA World Cup Finals.

With this brief and happy momentary minute of ‘Ole talk “ with the boys at the office, it quickly turned to a critical discussion on the current state of the national team, and the laundry list of reasons as to why they will not be able to replicate that team of Germany 2006. It is sickening to think that this country, which has such a passion for both Football and Cricket, has fallen so far from grace, that we are no longer considered threats to any team in each respective sport. From a 0-0 draw with Sweden and impressive displays during that time against England, Mexico, USA where points were taken where they weren’t expected, to the present day where a match against Grenada, Barbados or Antigua may look daunting.

It has even reached the point where the Gold Cup qualification seems improbable!

“Sweating”
An issue which I believe is the main reason behind the lack of progression of many of our young talents in our country. The constant need for players with potential to showcase in front of 9 or 10 of his peers remains a problem which hinders the natural big field progression of their game, and even increases the chance of injury which could all but put an end to ones career. Don’t get me wrong, as I myself am a big time “sweater” and almost never pass up an opportunity to run a 5 v 5 on any patch of flat ground. But then again, I am not in contention to be called up to a national team, and so don’t have to worry about career ending tackles, or destruction of a big field mentality by getting drawn in to the constant need to dribble as opposed to passing. Our national team hopefuls need to become more mature and realize that although “sweating” may be enjoyable, fun and a good workout, it does more harm than good.

Partying
51 degrees, the club formerly known as Zen, and a host of other bars and nightclubs are usually the last place you would expect to see a national footballer the night before a match, but many times I myself have witnessed the likes of Dwight, Stern, Carlos and Brent entering these clubs with an entourage of followers, when they are scheduled to play in less than 18 hours. I am sure a quick bit of research to any other national team will show you that this sort of behaviour would never be tolerated. It’s the same for club footballers locally, who decide to drink and party till the wee hours of the morning and run their bodies down in the face of important clashes.

Lack of – Discipline, Respect & Education

The triple threat as I like to call it, has damaged many a footballer, and has seen stunted growth of even the most talented players. It is rampant here in Trinidad more than any other place in the world I am sure, that there is a lack of respect by footballers to coaches etc, which stems in general from a lack of education, and goes hand in hand with a lack of discipline. For instance, do you remember the days of playing football with your club, and having the coach call everyone in? And it was customary that the players would run, or at least jog in to meet the coach or else be forced to run laps. Nowadays, that level of respect and discipline has gone right out the window, and now sees players walking leisurely at their own pace.

What about saying good morning, or good afternoon, to the coach and in instances of being late, offering an excuse and saying sorry? Again, this no longer exists, with many players “reaching when they reach” and ignoring the common courtesy that should be displayed to the coach.
What about playing without jwellrey or making sure that your shirt is tucked into your pants??

Footballers locally nowadays, seem to be much more interested in playing football, than attaining good grades. Where are the days where a Head Prefect was also Intercol Captain? Sad to say, but most of the gifted footballers coming through the school systems are but just that, gifted footballers, with academia not on the agenda.

Politics & Lack of Funding

Now it’s not all the players fault as to why the national team has suffered. Some blame has to be put on the big boys. There have been numerous reports of politics playing major roles in team selection for the national team. I personally have witnessed numerous friends with amazing talents ignored from selection to the team because of colour, family name, who they know or don’t know and even because of what school team they played for locally. Is it right that a talented footballer be discriminated for any of those reasons? NO! But it is rife in this country.

There is also a great lack of funds allocated to football development in this country. I know I cannot speak on the nations finances, but I can speak on what I have witnessed as a great lack of funding for a sport which we pride ourselves on. This however is for another article alltogether.

IN CLOSING, there are many other reasons one can point to that has caused such a drastic decline in our nations footballing standards, such as “Badman Syndrome”, Improper local venues and stages to showcase, Poor coaches, lack of proper role models, crime and I am sure I will be messaged privately as to many other reasons which are persons opinions, and I remind you again that this article is my own personal opinion on the topic.
It is just a dream of mine that the 11 players picked to represent our nation at the highest level of football are role models, who are dedicated, disciplined, respectful and educated and who play for our country and not themselves. There are still footballers like this out there, Justin Fojo being a perfect example of what determination and self discipline can do. Not only has he signed a professional contract with a quickly rising USL team, but has also finished school with a degree. Hopefully his determination and drive, as well as disciplined and respectful mentality will warrant a national call up sooner rather than later.

Until then, I wait patiently for the resurgence of our once strong “Soca Warriors.”