Spindlers list April 27th

Okay So I am definitely going to make this a sure fire thing, making sure It is a weekly supplement sort of deal. 

Goalkeeper -  Ben Foster

Ben gets the go ahead for me between the sticks, I feel this season has been a roller-coaster for West Brom fans, and really probably believed that they should have built on the success they had last season. I disagreed with the decision to sack Steve Clarke and don't really like Pepe Mel, because for every Pochettino there is a Mel. However, Foster was a stand out performer this weekend for West Brom. West Ham had more possession and Foster kept the 3 points for his side, he dominated his box and kept the back line in place with his great goalkeeping ability. It could have gone to Schwarzer for his performance against Liverpool, but I feel that some of Liverpool's efforts were way to easy for the keeper, especially multiple of Gerrard's efforts. 

Right Back -  Caesar Azpilicueta
Easy choice for me this weekend, last time I did this feature I found it easy to give Seamus Coleman the nod two times in a row, but his performance against Southampton was, let's say, less than convincing for me to even consider really giving him the hat trick of appearances in my team of the week. I nearly thought about giving it to his Southampton counter part Nathaniel Clyne, and I was adamant it was going to be him... Until I sat down watched those casual 90 minutes at Anfield this weekend. Azpilicueta, or Dave as he is affectionately by Chelsea fans, had a star performance in the full back position. José moved Ivanovic into the Centre Back role against Liverpool and put the young Spaniard out onto his more comfortable natural position of right back, and boy did it pay off helping Chelsea to a 2-0 win and blowing this title race sky high.

Centre Back -  Branislav "The wall" Ivanovic  
This guy was an absolute monster against Liverpool, he stopped anything or anyone that came towards him, Mourinho was supposedly forced to play a weaker side against Liverpool and moved Branislav back into his natural position in the centre of the defence and no one got a look in for Liverpool, they may have had the complete control of the possession game, but they were not on control of the game, Chelsea did the controlling and stop Liverpool, and Ivanovic had Suarez and Sterling in his pocket for the game. Whilst watching the game my brother, a Liverpool supporter, called Ivanovic the Wall, so that's where that came from.

Centre Back -  Younes Kaboul
Well then, if Kaboul had performed like this more often this season, then they may have been much higher up in the table. A good defence is just as important as a good attack and Tottenham didn't really have either for a team that is in that part of the table, but if Kaboul had put in more shifts like that they most likely will have been able to grind out a few more wins. Against Stoke he handled anything that they were able to throw at him, and probably to me looked like one of the best defenders in the Premier league with a performance like that. Kabouls season has been marred by injuries and fitness struggles so it is kind of understandable why he hasn't been able to get to his top gear this season but if he can finish this season on form like this, whoever is Spurs' manager next season will definitely have to look at Kaboul with some serious intent.

Left Back -  Luke Shaw
This was actually such a hard decision for me, I was going to go with Ashley Cole originally but then read an article about Luke Shaw after the Chelsea game and it threw my decision right out the window. It took me so long to decide who I was going to put here, I personally love Cole and feel that he is still England's first choice left back but Luke Shaw is definitely the man to replace him when that time comes for Cole to leave the England scene, and maybe the Chelsea side too. It took me picking down every single statistic that both players added to the game and it went down to the wire. Eventually I picked Shaw, his defensive statistics were not as high as Ashley's but he was able to help Southampton get forward to and whilst I realise Chelsea played a counter attacking game at Anfield, Cole still didn't really help the team move forward, Shaw was up there and was crossing balls in like he was a winger himself.

Right Mid -  Steven Davis
Another Southampton Lad but this time on the right side. Steven Davis against Everton was immense, he played fantastically well. He was up and down the pitch and was a true midfielder, he was putting in the shift of his Career and I bet Pochettino couldn't of been happier with him to put that performance in against a team fighting for fourth. Whilst he did miss a glorious chance to kill off the game, he was still awesome when getting forward, showing that not only can he cross the ball but he is just as capable when he cuts in and has to use his weak foot, if he can put in consistent performances like that every other week, I am sure he might move up a level in the Premier league elite sooner or later.

Centre Mid -  Yaya Toure
Case closed.
Yaya Toure is easily the best African player playing Football at this moment and he is hitting some serious form right at the best time for Man City. His game against Crystal Palace was amazing, he dominated the Palace midfielders and his goal was something I could only dream of my team doing, ever. The ball to Dzeko was just as good as his goal too, the ball was perfectly timed to the Bosnian striker who got his head on it. Yaya could be in contention to be my captain in this side and if he puts up another performance like this against Everton next week, then I am sure the title is theirs.

Centre Mid -  Nemanja Matic
Yaya Toure is my attacking talent in the centre of the field and I was planning to have a less powerful attacking midfielder in there with him in the form of fellow Welshman Aaron Ramsey, but maybe it is best in terms of tactics to have a defensive outlet in my midfield and this is where Serbian Matic comes in. The defence for Chelsea was a key factor in their win against the Kop, but amazingly enough on multiple occasion the ball didn't even reach the back four because of one man. Nemanja Matic was not only able to stop the opposing team attacking the Chelsea goal, he was a black hole too, sucking in any loose balls and sending his team onto the counter. He easily walks into my side.

Left Mid -  Ashkan Dejagah 
The midfielder came off the bench and helped Fulham to what was supposedly going to be another 3 points in their relegation battle, but Hull really pulled their fingers out and managed to get a share of the points. This was in no fault Dejagah's, this lad has been on fine form and he looked really menacing to Hull as soon as he got onto the pitch, and maybe if Fulhams heads hadn't dropped after Hull's first had gone in they may have pushed on to get another to close the game out, but Dejagah was awesome for the Cottagers and has managed to carry on his rich goal scoring form under former boss Felix Magath.

Centre Forward - Wayne Rooney
Rooney was pivotal in them beating Norwich, this game meant a lot to both sides. Norwich needed something to stay up, and Manchester United needed it to finish on a high and maybe if they can carry on like this Manchester United fans will be full of hope for the season to come. Rooney played amazingly in creating goals for the side and was unplayable, especially with his goal, it was a wonderful strike. In this role he is awesome and not only scores but creates the goals for whatever side he plays in, and for this weekend he definitely fits into my side. 

Striker - Connor Wickham
Well where did this come from? I felt that Poyet bringing him back from loan was a desperate move to find a goal or two, instead he has been given five goals and they look like they just might carry on coming. It pains me to say, and trust me this really hurts, that his performance against Cardiff was unstoppable, his goal was great and he was a menace to the Welsh Sides defence. I don't believe he now merits a place on the plane to Brazil like some Idiots are saying, but he definitely merits a place in this side and might even be cementing himself a starting spot next season for the black cats, Premier League or not.

Finally I have decided I am going to add a Captain and a manager to the side for each feature from now on, my Captain for this week is going to be Branislav Ivanovic. Like I said I would have given it to Yaya but I feel Ivanovic was just as good as Yaya this week and if he had been given the freedom too might even have been able to get a goal knowing his ability.

My Manager is the Special one himself, some bitter Liverpool fans are saying that what he did wasn't tactics, but the fact he has the ability to force his team to close down the opposition and make his defence tighter than a... well you know what I mean, shows he not only can play pure Counter attacking football but can also play that disgusting ugly tight defence football which he showed against Liverpool.

World cup, who can win it?

So there is about 53 days until the world cup kicks off with hosts Brazil taking on Croatia in Sao Paulo, and whilst the hosts are big favourites in the competition, who else has a shout at taking home the most illustrious prize in International football, now I am only going to put in the teams who I think will progress through their groups, otherwise I would have to analyse teams who I believe have no chance. I'm going through the groups so Group A to Group H.

Brazil
The Hosts are not only historically one of the best in the world but the side is one of the strongest Brazil have had for quite some years, their performance in the Confederation cup was magnificent, not only did they absolutely toyed with their group in the cup, only conceding two goals and scoring 9. Whilst they then had a hard fought game against current CONMEBOL champions Uruguay, they fought on to the final and not only won against Spain, the team who were arguably the best side in the world at the time, but destroyed them. The way the Brazilians play is everything Spain did, but faster and better and because of this it wouldn't surprise me if they walked the World Cup, however saying that, it would be just as unsurprising if they didn't. The team is very much a team of stars and not a team of players, and whilst if they all perform they are unstoppable, if one of them isn't performing, the whole side then wants to do it without that player and will waste their possession. Whilst they can afford this against sides like Cameroon, if they mess about against Croatia, a side which is not to be messed with, they could be in for a shock. However I believe that Brazil are still the strong favourites and will most likely get to the final at least anything less will have to go down as a failure for the Selecao.

Spain

La Roja, the best team in the world... on paper. With a squad like theirs they are always big favourites for anything they are involved in. To say because they didn't win the Confed cup, which no offence is a friendly tournament, would be a stupid reason to say they can't win the world cup again. However they need to freshen up their game, everyone knows what they play now and teams are starting to know how to play against it. Teams like Italy are managing to frustrate them and forcing them into mistakes, but Del bosque is a man who can pull that trick out of his sleeve, and whilst he isn't one for having to grind out a win, if it he has to he will. Spain can still go to Brazil learning from the mistakes they made last year and say 'Well, we spent some time on working on how to play and how to beat those other big sides, so lets show everyone we are still the best' a team like Spain will not be devastated after losing 3-0 to the hosts, they are to professional and efficient and instead of licking their wounds will have worked Psychotically on their game. I still think that they will be in the tournament until the final or thereabouts, a side as successful and tricky as Espana will have some fun.

Netherlands

What has happened to the Dutch these past few years? Going from World cup finalists to flopping in the Euro 2012 group stage, improvement has been made but for a team who took Spain to the death and full of the names they have like RVP, Sneijder, Robben and Huntelaar. You look to those stars who are all either consistent enough to play well for their domestic club or are just world class stars like RVP and Robben, but yet it never connects when they play since the last World cup. Is it their year though? well in short, no. I don't want to rule them out completely because a team of stars like the Netherlands that also has some young stars coming through will always have a chance of clicking at just the right time, however look at it, Injuries are plaguing the squad. Strootman will be a definite miss for the World cup, the Roma midfielder is not an easy player to replace, his tenacious play and powerful tackles are something that the Dutch needed in their playmaking midfield, however not only is he injured but his supposed replacement Leroy Fer is struggling with fitness in being in and out of the Norwich squad with Hamstring problems, and then Marco Van Ginkel whom is another bright Dutch star is definitely out, weakening the Dutch Midfield significantly. Vorm is similar to fer and has been in and out of the Swansea squad, not so bad as Krul deserves the start with his performances in the league. Their big stars aren't exactly young either, RVP seems to always be carrying some niggle or injured, De jong is 29 as well as Sneijder, Robben being 30, they are missing a few of their young stars as well as potentially some of their older ones, I can't see Netherlands winning it, or making it to the final, but they will be out to prove that the Euro slip up, was simply a blip and nothing more.

Uruguay

So does Uruguay have what it takes to make it to the final, well they definitely have a better team than us in terms of playing with each other and knowing how to play off each other, that is more than what England can say. It is one thing being a good team though, if you can't match the teamwork with the ability all around the park you have no serious chance against teams like Spain, because they will find your weakness and utilize it. Uruguay play with a similar squad for most matches, with the one or two exceptions but you can see how they will line up quite easily, and they lack serious quality all over the park, a mix of world class and average players, a squad like Brazil has a mix of world class and great players. Of course you have to look at form. Suarez is arguably the most in form striker in the world at the moment taking his game to new heights and could easily play for a squad like Bayern or Real, but internationally you can't just look at one player and say 'Do what you do for Liverpool and run the game' because that doesn't work, as a Wales fan I know. Cavani is playing well, not as well as I think he should be but he is doing enough and in Europe he has 4 goals in five games, which is fantastic, but compared to Suarez he is playing fairly well. Ramirez is playing poorly, 14 games in the league, one goal and one assist, pretty poor in my opinion and if he is replacing Forlan in the Attacking midfielder role he needs to much better. They'll do well but won't go as far as some would believe, their 2011 CONMEBOL copa America is a great achievement, but not enough to win a world cup with.

Italy
Forza Italia, or not. I love the Italians and I especially love their national team, I have always enjoyed watching them play and I have no actual clue why. I mean their football does not impress me and it does not wow me. I like them though, they are a side who perform at tournaments even if everyone thinks they will falter, take Euro 2012 for example. They were the exact opposite of the Dutch, they went out with no one actually expecting much from them and then got to the final. However that was two years ago and a lot can happen in two years, especially in football. They are seriously lacking in a striking partnership, Balotelli is assured to be on their plan to Brazil, but who will line up alongside him? Rossi? Cerci? I mean none of them are exactly consistent international goalscorers, do you revert back to the aged Gilardino? Other than that it is an aged squad, and it is a choice for Italy, do you drop you old squad and look to replace key positions with youngsters who may be poor, or do you stick with the comfortable known squad and settle for what could be nowhere near second best. I reckon Italy will make it past the group stage, but won't get further than the quarters, never deny the Azzuri though.

England

Let's get this straight here, I have no belief that England will even get out of the group stage, however I have had a lot of people saying you have to give them a shout... Why? I guess because I live here and it will be a fight between them and Uruguay for second in my opinion. So might as well use this as a chance to point a hole in all of their squad. They give no chances to the players who don't play for the big sides, except from some of the Southampton lads, it is crazy how some of the great players who don't play for top six teams won't even be given a shout for the World cup side. Why don't players like Curtis Davies, Mark Noble (5th best penalty taker in Europe) and Fabian Delph get a shot in the England side? Because the side they play for is not good enough in the league! It's insanity, the FA acts as if they have little resources to sort it out and that we don't have enough depth in the national pool. Lies, all of it. They have the biggest funding out of the rest of the English sports associations from the government and their national pool is massive, but they only look at the lads who are playing for the top sides, I don't see Italy doing that... I don't see Brazil doing that, if the player is in form is that not enough. Obviously not.

France

I have to be honest, I have no clue what to think about France and I am not going to lie and pretend that I have watched them any chance I can, I have very little interest in their squad, so all of my beliefs are based on summaries of matches and recent results. On paper France have a nice mix of experienced International players and youngsters with either a single cap or a small handful, however France haven't performed against big sides in recent fixtures with losses against Brazil, Uruguay, Spain and Germany, all potential opponents in Brazil if they, and most likely will, make it past the group stage. Also drawing against a very strong Belgium side has not filled the squad with confidence and definitely shows they aren't the most of clinical sides, looking into some of their games they don't exactly have a killer instinct you would expect from a team which has players like Benzema, Remy, Ribery and Valbuena playing in their attack. Will they win it? Most likely not, Deschamps has improved the side clearly but hasn't built a world class one, but just like Italy, les Bleus are not a team to be taken lightly.

Argentina

So Argentina, do not cry for me Argentina. I think a squad like theirs should have won more in all honesty. I believe they have a squad which is given so much praise and pressure and yet looking at it, it's not full of World stars like Brazil. Their strike force is second to none, however a team is not made out of Strikers, you need to be able to back up your goals with a good defence too and that is one thing Argentina are struggling to have. To be fair the defensive side of Argentina is improving but by the time the World cup starts it still won't be as strong as the other favourites and the defensive players that they rely on are either old and injury prone or Young and full of potential but not so much ability. Their Strikers get on with a decent midfield but if they come up against a team like Spain in the round of 16, Argentina could be gone straight after the group stage.

Germany

Die Adler, Deutschland Uber Alles, Arguably the best national side in the world and oddly enough, they don't have silverware to show for it. However Brazil could be a sign of what Die Mannschaft is intending for upcoming competitions. I don't see any outstanding issues with the Germany squad, the first eleven play with each other if not in the Bayern squad but in the Dortmund side, the second eleven might not play with each other, but they still aren't strangers to each other like the England side appear to be. The national team lost only one game in 2013, which was against the US national team, with a side which is arguably somewhere between there third and fourth team. The rest were all convincing performances against sides like France, Sweden and England. They started out 2014 strong with 1-0 win over Chile and friendlies upcoming against Poland and Cameroon will help to see how far they may go in Brazil. I feel looking at the squad and how strong they are in depth and with their key players appearing to be in form at the right time of the year, I could see Germany going far but of course like the rest of the European teams they have to be careful of the atmosphere over in Brazil, but if they play like we all know they can play then I could see them reaching the semi finals with ease, going all the way is a different matter, still believing that the Hosts are favourites. 

Portugal

The urge to simply call this team Ronaldo was hard to resist but I am a firm believer that teams are never one man teams. Portugal is a funny team though, they have some great players in there other than the man himself Christiano Ronaldo. Fabio Coentrao, Raul Meireles, Pepe and Rui Patrico are just a few of these world class players that should be winning more, but something stops them from actually getting there. They remind me of Everton in the way that they are up there and have some great players but never actually seem to really be in contention for some sort of Silverware. I mean they go to international tournaments are slight favourites to maybe get themselves something from the event but don't actually seem to take it further than the Quarters or the Semi's and whilst that's no mean feat to consistently do well at tournaments, it not like winning it. I see them getting far enough in Brazil to appease Portuguese fans, something like the Quarter finals but are still going to miss out on that illusive silverware.

Belgium

Belgium are my personal darkhorses of the World cup, when their key players (Who are hard to decide because they have so many stars) are on form they could probably hold their own alongside the likes of Germany and Brazil, but that word is key, form. Some of their best players are definitely not on form at the moment, Fellaini hasn't been great this season, De Bruyne is known to give much more and Chadli has disappointed most. As well as this some of the even better players are not even able to go this summer. Benteke has ruptured his Achilles which is a sure fire ticket for missing the World Cup, Kompany hasn't been fit in recent weeks, carrying a injury to his knee, Dembele is struggling to regain fitness after an ankle injury. However with stars like Hazard hitting top gear and the rest of the back line still looking strong, Alderweireld, Pocognoli and Lombaerts all getting into some form means they should be sturdy at the back, as well as if Courtois and Mignolet carry on with their current form they shouldn't worry about who to stick in goal. I still see Belgium doing a Croatia on us and going far, I believe the Quarter finals but don't expect anything to miraculous, winning a World cup is still out of their reach.

That is a list of who I believe can win the World cup, maybe some of them are a bit far fetched, and I added where I believe they will come, but everyone of these teams can reach the World Cup final but some of them will need to be on the form of their lives, that's why I added a personal view on where they probably will end up. I think I would also have added Russia and the USA into this piece if I was only going for teams I felt could get out of their group stage, but I only added England because if they manage to go into it on form they may get some sort of Miracle, but I do believe that the USA have a chance, just not a chance of winning the World Cup, same with Russia.

A bit about my love for sport

My sporting interests

So once again I feel like I have gotten a bit behind on my blogging and the whole weekly spindlers list is actually looking more like a monthly thing, however I promise I had my reasons to not being able to upload an article in some time. Being still in education means I have to spend a serious amount of time working on my exams and revision and I have recently been involved in some theatrical activities with the school production, and that left little time and energy for me to take the time out of my resting to type up some of my views, however now that my schedule has cleared and simply only revision is there to stop me from blogging I feel it is time for you lot to know a little bit more about me in regards to my love for sport, simply explaining who I support, why and when my most passionate moments have been for those sides.

Football

I am a huge huge huge football fan, ironically enough it was the last sport I actually got into. When I was 13 my dad got me a game called Football Manager and I was quite the whiz at the game, knowing some of the stand out names of course, but it actually gave me a huge knowledge of players, and it led to me actually becoming interested in football. I knew the rules, by saying I became interested, I mean I actually began to watch the sport as a whole and did research into not just my team but every team. As my family originates from Wales I always had a fascination for Cardiff City, because my grandfather lived there, learning the team inside and out I began to grow a bond with the bluebirds and my supporting of the team began at a time where they were in huge debt and yet still managed to have some great players in Ross Mccormack, Chopra, Bothroyd and more, I fell in love with the side and became a fan, however I was still at an age where if you didn't support a team in the premier league you were a weirdo. For a recently turned 14 year old you don't want to be a weirdo and therefore I decided to have a bit of gloryhunting and whilst still supporting Cardiff, I let people believe I was a Chelsea fan, however, when Cardiff was bought out by Vincent Tan (Yikes) and I had grown up along with the rest of my friends, I gave all my support to the bluebirds, and with luck we ended up being promoted to the big time a year later. In all the time being a Cardiff fan it is hard to pick a moment in which I specifically believe is the moment passionate I feel for them, however it is between beating Swansea in the first ever Welsh derby in the top flight, getting promotion or managing to hold our own against Liverpool in the 2012 Carling Cup final. I would have to sway towards promotion because I was so excited and proud to be not only the best in the Championship but also to be a Cardiff fan.

Everyone knows though I am partial to watching the MLS and love DC united, but other overseas teams I am fond of include VillaReal, Shalke, Lille, Roma, Vitesse, Aberdeen and Dinamo Moskva (Moscow). 

Rugby

Rugby is the sport I have a love hate relationship with. I love the way the game is, the no moaning, take no crap way the whole sport works, but then I hate how it is always compared to football and never is shown to the same extent as football. I think because of this it is a lot harder for me, especially as a fan of a side who plays in the Rabodirect, to follow the sport as consistently as I do for football. Like in football, I am a Cardiff boy. Cardiff blues are a team I am proud to support, whilst we might not be successful in terms of actual silverware in the league and cups, but I think the fact we have created some of the best welsh players in the national team and how many went into the British and Irish Lions side was something that not only the Cardiff area can be proud of, but the whole of Wales. I love how in Rugby though that the rivalry between the Welsh region clubs is fierce but kept in line, and that when it comes down to it, if a Welsh side, or the Welsh national team, come up against foreign opponents we all stick together under our Welsh banner, and I think that in the end if Cardiff and Swansea were more like that in football then we could create a much better national team and be a much wise footballing nation. As a Cardiff fan I haven't had many proud moments but I think as a rugby fan, I have to say there was nothing better than beating England in the previous Six nations to win the double, and fingers crossed the hat trick is still a possibility for us. 

Basketball

American sports, I love it! Maybe it's the cheesy names, or the excitement you hear in the commentators for some of the simplest piece of play, or even the sheer fact I have never heard of any wide scale violence between fans because at the end of the day sport is not the be all and end all of life and if your team loses, you moan a bit, slag off your side or theirs and then shake the opponents hand and have a beer with them, and for a nation which might not understand the beauty of sport as well as the rest of the world, if anything I think they know how to support a team better than us Europeans. Basketball isn't actually the first American sport I fell in love with, it is probably second or third (the last is baseball in case you are wondering, and that is not on this list because I don't love it enough) but I actually think I watch it more than my most loved because of the two facts it is now becoming much bigger over here in a bid to increase support for Team GB's basketball side and is televised more often. I am a big Wizards fan, the history of the franchise is not one of major success but when I decided on the American franchises to support I picked any city in America and Washington was the one I chose, maybe not the best decision, however I feel each club I have become attached to, the Wizards are a team I can really connect to and feel for. Having to rebuild themselves around John Wall and Bradley Beal, and at the time I grew interest they both were rookies and NBA first timers, meant that they had to suffer some embarrassing defeats, but knew that this trial by fire for the two guards meant they would come out of it much stronger and luckily this season, that wait has paid dividends in wins over teams like the Miami heat, but I love that plucky side to them in which every player works their socks off to make sure a win is assured. I think the whole improvement of this season for the Wizards is my proudest moment because I can see that in a few more seasons, playoff places can be assured especially if Beal and Wall keep growing as they are.

Cricket

I love Cricket, all of it. T20, ODI and test, but I think I owe it to T20 and ODI for getting me into cricket. As a youngster I didn't want to sit and watch a test match because it was too long for me to sit there and watch and I grew bored, maybe because I was always full of energy, but when I learnt about T20, I was intrigued. "A fast cricket? with flashy kits and big stars? Where can I watch this?!" I love the pace and the hard work put into T20 and it makes the sport much more interesting for a young kid like I was, I personally believe the England Cricket Board needs to spend more on T20 to bring in some more kids to cricket, not that they need it that much, but it worked for me. Then I learnt about ODI and I had grown up a lot since I had gotten into Cricket and was able to sit and watch this length of a game, even going to watch some of the ICC champions cup last year, I think it is my favourite type of cricket. I still struggle to watch test unless it's the ashes, but I don't have a favourite cricket team simply because I care more about the game and not the teams, I prefer watching the quality and not the teams as a whole.

ICE HOCKEY!

I could speak for hours about Ice Hockey, it is the sport I am most in love with, the sport I know the most about and the sport I feel is the best in the world. Anyone who knows me knows about my past with Ice hockey, which is a successful and disappointing one however it is such a long story it isn't worth bringing up. Getting back on track though I first learnt about Ice Hockey during the 2006 Winter Olympics (which I will be writing up about the Sochi ones soon) where after wandering through the channels one day I came across the sport known as Ice Hockey and the fast paced powerful play drew me in and kept me interested for the next 8 years, I couldn't really put my finger on why I fell for it instantly like I did but the actual sport on a whole, the way the leagues are set up, the way the teams organise themselves and the way it is just played all were what I needed at the age of 9. Like basketball I am a Washington fan, but the capitals are the side who represent the capital of USA and not the wizards, and I think If I hadn't of gotten into Ice Hockey like I did, I would never have dipped my toes into sport as much as I have and now here I am floating in the deep end surrounded by sports ranging from Football and ending up in Curling. I think though that is the most passionate I feel about the sport, the fact it gave me a window into wanting to learn about other sports, I want a career in Sports Journalism and because of Ice Hockey that is where my passion for the whole sporting world has come from.   

Spindler's list 14/01/14

Here we go again, another edition of my team of the week, I blogged in a while as I was occupied with Christmas holidays as well as work regarding mock exams, which have been a pain in my ass especially since it stopped me from watching the football last week, so I guess better late than never.

Goalkeeper - Artur Boruc
I think this was a hard choice this weekend unlike last time where it looked easy to pick Joe Hart for his performance which was outstanding, none of the keepers had massive performances as the ones who were on the winning side generally had very little to do or the losing side keepers didn't really pull off many great saves. I think I picked Boruc from my view of being a Goalkeeper myself I know how hard it is to have a quiet game then get sporadic chances come at you and well you aren't really ready but Boruc managed to do the opposite of that and in a game where he was rarely tested, whenever he was, he pulled off a great save, especially Long's attempt at the end of the game. In a weekend which was poor for Goalkeepers Boruc stands out.

Left Back - Luke Shaw
This was between Baines and Shaw for me, but I don't know what it is about Baines but as a defender he worries me and this is also why I still prefer Cole as England number one to him, that's a different story though. Against Norwich Baines was fantastic and got forward fantastically, his crossing ability is immense and I love seeing a Left back get forward and showing his midfielders how it is done, but against Norwich he was never under real pressure for a side who only had 2 shots on target, however West Brom only had 2 shots on target but the way they played is classic West Brom. They won more duels, had way more interceptions and, whilst had a small amount of possession compared to S'ton, were not being dominated in terms of plays. Shaw was great in making sure that West Brom weren't going to win it on the counter and not only was great in getting forward to support his team mates he was even better when back supporting the Centre backs. 

Right Back - Seamus Coleman
I am sorry but yes I couldn't help it, again this man has been on fire, he was my right back last time and again he is in the same position. I don't know what Martinez has been feeding this lad during the off season but it is obviously working and if I was in Roberto's position I would be giving him buckets full. In a position I thought Everton were needing a replacement in during the pre season he has come in and made it his own, and whilst some believed he was too attacking as a full back he fits in with Baines on the left as a great attacking counterpart where the left and right mids in the Everton side generally cut in now, Baines and Coleman will overlap and look for the cross or Coleman however likes to take it one more and will even go for the goal, he is immense and until a different right back steps up, he might be here next week too.

Centre Back - Per Mertesacker
Big Per as he is known, was great against Villa, and whilst they conceded, sometimes that doesn't affect my view of a centre backs performance because well just look at the Southampton - WBA game, the centre backs in the game all played well and weren't poor yet a side lost in the end. Mertesacker is one the players making Arsenal big contenders for the title this season and after a rocky debut season in the BPL has become one of the best in the league in my opinion and with his performance in the the Villa match deserves all the respect he gets for his style of play, he is the rock in my defence for this 11.

Centre Back - Nemanja Vidic
It's funny how the last time I did this list Vidic was pipped by Mertesacker to get into my squad, however now this time they are alongside together and whilst if I was actually buying my squad this would never happen, I am going by their performances this weekend and Vidic was outstanding against Swansea. Living around Liverpool supporters means you hear them slag off Vidic a lot, especially for his erm not so shiny disciplinary record against Liverpool but against the Swans he was outstanding and this is why I like him, if the rumours are try he is ready to leave Old Trafford that performance will definitely have proven that he is worth a solid bid from any club, supposedly a certain German club sitting in 7th in the Bundesliga.

Right Mid - Adam Johnson
Wow.
Can I leave it at that? Against Fulham he was incredible, this is what he should be doing each weekend or a performance that good on most weekends! He proved he was that good when he was at Middlesbrough and earned himself a transfer to Manchester City but we are all seeing that for any young English player, that is a poor move *Cough* Scott Sinclair *Cough* and that lack of real consistent game time damaged him, just like Gareth Barry, people soon laughed off the idea of him playing for England and playing well all together, but a £10 Million move to Sunderland, where he was rather average for his first season, he is playing a lot better and starting to really get back into some good form, but if he can keep up consistency then he might be here again next week.

Left Mid- Matt Jarvis
I nearly picked Hazard again and I think he would have probably deserved it with the scintillating form he is on which whenever got the ball on Saturday had me smirking and sitting on the edge of my seat ready to laugh in how amazing he can be. However Matt Jarvis showed off some of his best form against Cardiff having a whale of a time making my dear beloved team look hopeless at home not for the first time this season, he gave Theophile - Catherine a hard time on the wings, it was hard for me to admit that he was class against us and in a game we deserved to maybe get a draw from he created the difference when West Ham was on top. No more on Cardiffs loss now please.

Central Mid - Gareth Barry
Well last season we had a Gareth being the catalyst of a team fighting for the top four and now we have another, one being the young Welsh Gareth Bale, and well this one is a bit less of a star. Gareth Barry has come to Everton and many believed he would do very little, even me, but with consistent football it is a wonder what playing can do to a player I once said he was picked last in PE constantly and yet somehow still went Pro, but now I have eaten my words and the way he played against Norwich was just the round up of what he can do now he is on form, not only does the lad have a ridiculous range of passing, successful passing may I add but also he can score you a great distance shot, with power, lots of power. I think if Gareth keeps working this hard and playing this well, Roy might have to look into taking him on the plane to Rio over someone like Cleverley...

Central Mid - Adnan Januzaj
I personally am very sceptical of this lad, it seems every time Manchester United fans declare a youngster the next Christiano Ronaldo, they have a career which leads to very little success and ends up playing for some mid table side in Russia, Italy or a big side in Asia. However that is why I am sceptical, in terms of playing, I think he has a lot to give to any side, being able to play generally anywhere but Central Defensive Mid he is a utility midfielder and does the job best out wide, and showed that off against Swansea. He played well and was a part of most attacks and whilst he was starting out in the CAM position he constantly drifted out wide and allowed Kagawa to move further forward into the centre. 

Central Attacking Mid - Charlie Adam
Other than Suarez he was the best player out there during that match and deserved the goal he scored and I think that the game would have gone differently if the Referee hadn't of given a penalty for Sterling's fall, which was soft! However that isn't what I am arguing, Adam plays well in smaller clubs and he showed up as Stokes best player on the day and scored a cracking strike, but he is also a strong player and really showed that when fighting for possession, he was a catalyst in quite a few of Stokes plays and did a great job, but unfortunately was on the losing team to what was a stronger Liverpool side, I nearly gave this position to Gerrard but felt whilst he was great too he lost the ball a lot and in the holding midfield Deep lying playmaker role he was playing, he lost it too much.

Striker - Luis Suarez
Nice to know I can actually put one of the strongest strikers here instead of like last time where none of them played strong enough. Suarez in my opinion is the best striker in the world at the moment, I am a bit keen on Ibra but that is more a personal love for the Swede, this man is Intense, I can't wait to see him in the world cup, hopefully he will be better than at the Confed cup, but more on the reason he is here, he was too good for a cracked Stoke defence, and both his goals were taken so well, I love the guy, and even more now that he has that bad attitude out of his game, unlike Barton, his wasn't loveable but more just crazy. This man deserves all the plaudits he gets when he is on the form he is on now and I would pay silly money for him, which maybe from what I hear might be coming along this summer.

Again thanks for reading, I hope you agree with my choices and if not leave a comment on who you would replace and why, thanks for the time!

Spindlers List

So I've decided to start making my own team of the week here, players who I believe have played well on the weekend fixtures. I plan to only do a starting 11 though otherwise I could go on for pages, so lets start with my Winter Spindlers list.

Goalkeeper - Joe Hart
I think Hart has come back into form at just the right time for Man City, and whilst some may have questioned whether he was back in form or not I really feel that the Palace game proved he was back at his best. Man city were sloppy in the game really and should have destroyed Palace, if they hadn't decided to play their weaker team against a rejuvenated Crystal Palace, and really the eagles could have actually gotten something from this game if they hadn't had Hart between the sticks, he put his body on the line (Evidently with his wound) and really held the back line together as well as pulling off some great saves too. 

Left back - Maynor Figueroa
I have always liked Figueroa and really enjoy watching him when he is on form and right now, he is on some great form. I nearly gave this to Ben Davies who was fantastic for Swansea especially getting forward against Villa but on occasion he looked wobbly defending and that may have pushed me into picking Maynor. Getting forward he shows he can cross the ball to a well enough level, just as good as Davies but when he has to get back he always manages to hold his own and even against the bigger teams has been good, maybe Hull is better for him than Wigan ever were.

Right back - Seamus Coleman
Without a doubt is Coleman my right back, the lad has been a revelation this season. For the past few seasons he has been pushed forward into being the right mid and whilst he has that attacking flair he has never been quite good enough when playing in the midfield but right now at right back he has been fantastic and has in my opinion has had a better all around game compared to Baines but both of them are making Everton a serious force. Not only has his defending been great but his goalscoring is much better then Phil Neville's ever was, pretty sure he never got 5 in one season, maybe not even that in his whole Everton Career.

Centre back - Vincent Kompany
On  a bad week I still would have trouble pointing out this man's bad moments, he is probably one of the best centre backs out there and against Palace he didn't put a foot wrong. He was intercepting so much and not only that was a threat to the Palace goal whenever City had a set piece, for a centre back he really has it all. I don't think I have to say much more. For a defender who many were worried couldn't get back to his best after a string of injuries, he definitely will be earning himself a spot in the Belgium squad for the summer.

Centre back - Per Mertesacker
I nearly picked Nemanja Vidic for the shear fact he came back from Injury and put in that sort of solid performance for a United defence which has looked a shadow of it's former self but after arguing with my own thoughts I remembered big Per's performance against Newcastle and really believe he was quite a key factor in Arsenals win. The Gunners were not themselves at St James' park and struggled to out possess the Geordies, however Mertesacker really helped to get them through that and get Remy, Gouffran and Sissoko all quiet. 

Left Mid - Willian
I reckon quite a few may disagree with me here but it will make sense when people see my right mid too. He was absolutely amazing against Liverpool, the word that kept on popping up for me was relentless, he would always be causing problems for the Liverpool defence and if it wasn't their defence it was their midfield, he was back and forth all night and wouldn't stop, but it wasn't like that of a headless chicken, he was effective creating space for other players and having a hand in Chelsea's equaliser, this was one of his best performances in a Chelsea shirt.

Right Mid - Eden Hazard
In my opinion this choice doesn't need much explanation, he was just immense against Liverpool and not only came in with a goal of his own but played a part in the second one, but throughout the night he had two players brought onto him or was playing about with the ball and causing Liverpool players nothing but a headache, his passing with Willian and Oscar was amazing and so quick it was saddening when it all ended as the final whistle went but his goal was so well taken and his all around play was amazing.

Central Mid -  Tom Huddlestone
Finally he can get that bloody hair cut he has been waiting for, but all jokes aside Huddlestone has been a completely different player in a Hull shirt compared to when he was in a Spurs one. He has been the catalyst in the Hull Midfield and whenever they play it is rare to not hear about how well he played, even against Man United he was their best player by a long mile. Against Fulham it looked like Pirlo had been thrown into a Semi-Professional match, his passing was amazing and in a game which led to a game similar to that of QPR vs Fulham two seasons ago, he finally managed to score his first goal in 32 months. Very taken may I add.

Central Mid - Jonathan De Guzman
This has been a really hard choice to make, so many great performances from central Midfielders this weekend. I nearly picked McCarthy after his strong display against Southampton or Moussa Dembele for his great game against Stoke, Silva deserves a shoutout too who has returned to that form that helped City win the title. However painful it is for a Cardiff fan to say though, De Guzman was the best out of the lot, he was an absolute monster in Swansea's midfield, every play, every attack, anything good for Swansea was made by the Villa real man, this is the form that I had been told about at the beginning of last season, and whilst I struggled to see it before, that performance left me gob smacked, if he does this for the next few weeks well... He might not be a Villa Real player any longer.

Left Striker - Frazier Campbell
OKAY OKAY, yes I know straight away what you are saying 'Oh he only picked Campbell cos he is a Cardiff player' well no and yes, I love the lad and maybe psychologically it pushed me into choosing him as my first striker but his performance against his old club was amazing, tireless is really what it was. He never stopped during the 82 minutes he was on and his performance deserved the goal he got, maybe if he was in a bigger team he would get so much more praise but really I think his performance was class and has really pushed himself as the first name on Cardiff's team sheet.

Right Striker - Robert Koren
I am personally surprised a name like Suarez or Negredo isn't filling this space but really this weekend they haven't been great, Suarez was kept quiet by Chelsea and Negredo just wasn't his powerful self. Koren however has been a name sneaking under the radar lately but against Fulham he had one of the best performances of this year. He really gave the Fulham defence a bad day and was always causing trouble for them, I nearly placed Berahino here for his movement, but looking back at both games I felt Koren did much more for his team on a whole than Berahino did.

So that's that for my list, this is all my personal opinion for my best 11, some may agree and some may not, give me some feedback or agreement, thanks for reading.

Did the Galactico era really end?

So one of the largest transfers this summer was undoubtedly the world record deal to take Gareth Bale from Tottenham to Madrid, who could have imagined that a few years back this young lad from Wales who was nearly sold to Birmingham for 3 million pounds would end up playing for one of the best teams in the world. Bale has definitely not been a flop for the Spanish Giants, playing 15 games in Europe and domestic football and scoring 9 goals is a great record for the young Welshman. However this begs the question is the Galactico policy, which had supposedly ended according to Madrid President Florentino Perez, still in full effect and if so is Bale the next Galactico?

The Galactico policy began really when Florentino Perez was elected to Presidency in the Real Madrid boardroom. His election campaign was built on his promises to take an aggressive approach in the transfer market and lucrative deals. On the surface that seems like it can't go wrong but it doesn't take long to realise that there is a big flaw in the Galactico policy. What happens when you throw together some of the worlds best players (and largest ego's) you create one of the biggest let downs in Europe. Every player was thrown into the side with deals reaching up to 46 million, and expected to perform each game and create a side everyone would fear. Whilst some players were named Galacticos and weren't purchased for large sums, like Raul and Roberto Carlos, they still are known as Galacticos due to their hand they had during the era. 

It was doomed from the beginning the policy, whilst it seems great to buy the worlds best footballers, not all of them are modest, it leads to splits in the team, and in some cases players were bought more for their marketing potential than their ability on the pitch. Vincente Del Bosque revealed after being sacked that Perez took charge in the transfer market and when Perez would reveal to Del Bosque who he was investing in, most of them were out of form, for instance when David Beckham was bought by Perez he was poorly out of form and hadn't played consistent football since the boot incident with Fergie. Regardless of this he still signed the Englishmen. The best way to describe the problem with the policy though was best described by Steve McManaman, his autobiography describes "The Disneyfication of the Galactico policy was it's downfall, there is no way that you can buy a team full of stars in each position and expect them all to work well with each other, a team needs those smaller players who can do their job well enough that they aren't bad but still don't steal the limelight, otherwise you throw world class players together and it leads to them all being greedy and trying to steal the ball from each other to become the best of the best" 

So has there been any success from the Galactico policy, It's hard to tell. The official Galactico era began under Perez's first presidency and was the declared era of the policy running between 2000 to 2006 that is when the players of Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Beckham all joined Madrid under Perez's so called Revolution. Was it successful is what we are first answering though, and looking on paper it could be seen that it was quite successful, winning 2 la liga titles and a Champions league title but that is the same as Barcelona won within the same period. Barcelona spent 2,423,500,000 Euros over 6 years which is a massive sum of money to win about the same as Real Madrid, who originally I believed would have spent bucket loads more than their Catalan rivals, however upon research into their season spending sprees but Los Blancos actually spent significantly less than FC Barca reaching the total 1,293,500,000 Euros over the same six year period meant that Financially compared to Blaugrana it was a success by spending less they still one as much as the Barcelona team. However whilst they spent less than Barcelona (and yes I understand Atletico are decent now, at this time the La Liga was only Barcelona and Real so that is why I haven't brought them up) it necessarily meant nothing on the pitch. Whilst they spent less, they still won just as much, they can be seen as a victory but also to some extent as a defeat by looking at what the money was spent on, Barcelona had spent their money not just on current elite players but big potential, so while they may spend 30 million on Javier Saviola, they then would spend on young players like Messi, who is arguably now the best in the world. Real Madrid did not do that, the majority of their Galacticos were in their prime but there was no potential in the squad, when the whole squad would eventually pass their peak, then they wouldn't have the same ability and class of players to come in to replace them. So whilst financially it was a success in comparison to Barcelona, it never came across significantly on the pitch enough.

Before we move on to the main question, we have to look at the official end of the Galacticos or what everyone else declares as the end, 2006, the resignation of Florentino perez and the final Announced Galactico leaving for pastures new, David Beckham joining the LA Galaxy. After Real lost to Mallorca on 27th February 2006 Florentino Perez stepped down from his position as President of the Real Madrid board declaring that "The club needed a new direction and whilst I have no regrets on my policies at the moment, Real Madrid needs a new way forward, but I shall stay involved" which he did, and actually ended up becoming president again, which we will come back to, however Perez's resignation did not mean that the Galacticos era would come to an end. Ramon Calderon, the man who became president after Perez, would sign Ruud Van Nistelrooy after he had felt the full wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson's hair-dryer treatment and also brought in Fabio Cannavaro, the man who captained Italy to the 2006 world cup, from Juventus after being relegated for the match fixing scandal. However they did not receive as much attention as players like Ronaldo and Figo, as well as this, they cannot be regarded as true Galacticos due to the rest of the players leaving for new oppurtunities in some way or another. Players like Higuain, Fernando Gago, Robben and Sneijder were brought in however these players would either struggle to cement a place in the side or worse would have a place in the side but more due to reputation or previous exploits, even leading to Sneijder taking control of his younger brothers supposed move to Real, explaining how they ruined his careers potential. This was the apparent end of the Galacticos glorious tale, and no longer would Real buy elite players for massive money... 

Wait, wait, wait! They still do that don't they? I mean Florentino Perez is once again President of Real Madrid, the man who began the Galacticos era, and he has brought in elite players for record fees, so doesn't that mean the Galacticos era is still carrying on. Within Perez's first year back as president of the Real side he brought in Kaka for 60 million Euros, Xabi Alonso for 36 million, Benzema for 30 million and the most important Christiano Ronaldo for the previous world record fee of 96 million euros, more than any of the other Galacticos, these players generally cost more than any of the Galacticos. In 2010 Perez then carries on with his promise of atleast one Galactico each year but Ozil, Di Maria and Khedira for a combined fee of 51 million Euros, 2011 was a slow year for Perez only bringing in Coentrao for 30 million euros (it is rather hard to call 30 million a slow year with a straight face) same with 2012 ONLY spending 33 million on Tottenham Hotspurs croatian playmaker Luka Modric, and of course we now reach full circle Isco and Illarramendi were acquired by Los Blancos for a fee of 59.2 Million for both, but more importantly Welsh Wizard Gareth Bale became the worlds most expensive player but this all together is what I am really trying to make everyone understand, if you ask everyone about the Galactico period they will say the years 2000 to 2006 were the real periods however what I am saying is that it never really ended whilst Perez left, the years without Perez big players were still being acquired along the lines of the Galacticos era, like Robben and Huntelaar, and now with Perez back it has gone into overdrive once more and it is identical to the previous era with how they are aiming specifically towards attacking players and less towards defensive players. 

So in conclusion what I am saying is that the Galactico era, or more so policy, never ended when Perez left and instead has now become the basis in how Real Madrid constructs their team and goes about their business ever since 2000. Bale is just another one to be added onto the list of the many expensive elite players. So my whole aim was to hopefully change your opinion on the Galacticos era and realise that it never ended in 2006 and yet instead has become a foundation of the club just like any over part of Real Madrid, will it finally work for them, only the future will tell, we can already see potential new Galacticos with Luis Suarez currently being tipped into signing at the end of the season especially in his current form. 

Thanks for reading. 

Introduction

Hey there

My name is Harry Spindler and this is my sports based blog, I love all sports and really enjoy discussing my views about each and everyone of them, I really have set up this blog to get my points across but also hope that you guys and girls can give me some constructive criticism on what I can improve and also what you like thanks so much for reading and hope you like the page, feel free to discuss too!