Mr. Football Club

Name changes and football don’t usually mix well -see “MK Dons”, “Assistant Referee” and “Andrew Cole” - but a 20-year-old student from North Lanarkshire has slain the dragon named Common Sense, choosing to change his name by Deed Poll to Motherwell Football Club.

Mr Football Club, formerly known as Frazer Boyle, paid just £33 to legally change his name and has already applied for a new driving licence and passport. Of his decision, Motherwell says:

“I am the only Motherwell fan in the house so I don’t think anyone understands why I did it.

“My girlfriend isn’t too bothered but I’m not sure if she’d be happy maybe being known as Mrs Motherwell Football Club eventually.”

Unsurprisingly, a spokesperson from the UK Deed Poll service said they thought the change was a “good idea”, and that Football Club is one of 50,000 Brits who have changed their name this year.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from The Spoiler Island.

Wenger Won Quote of the Week

Do you still remember the incident of Emmanuel Adebayor's stamping on Robin van Persie's face during Manchester City's 4-2 win over Arsenal earlier this season? Yeah, you must have remembered it. However, despite Manchester City's win, Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger also won another award, that is quote of the week.

Soon after the match, he watched the replay of this incident (shown in the video below), and then he officially crossed Manchester City manager, Mark Hughes, off from Christmas card list, for trying to defend Adebayor, who was punished by FA for that stamping on van Persie.

This is what Wenger said, the quote of the week:

"You ask 100 people, 99 will say it's very bad and the hundredth will be Mark Hughes."

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Goal.com Island.

EPL Conclusion 3-4 October 2009

1. Manchester United really don’t help Sir Alex Ferguson’s case with these injury time goals. Another get of of jail card in time added on, this time to grab a draw against Sunderland.

2. Rafa Benitez hasn’t got the injury time touch yet. He moaned about the lack of stoppage time to the fourth official only for his team to concede again.

3. Arsene Wenger has finally got a true replacement for Thierry Henry, and he plays centre-half!

4. Portsmouth should not pay their players more often. It seemed to work wonders.

5. Early morning walks along popular suicide spots also appear to focus the mind. Well done, master tactician Phil Brown.

6. It is a day of celebration for anyone who has Cesc Fabregas in a fantasy football team. One goal, four assists, one badge-kiss (don’t think there’s points for that though).

7. The best and worst of Didier Drogba were on display yesterday. Diving and theatrics which even his team-mates found embarrassing, but quality centre-forward play and vital assists.

8. Peter Walton obviously decided that the Arsenal-Blackburn was going to have enough goals and enforced a penalty embargo.

9. Kagisho Dikgacoi learnt the hard way on his Fulham debut that slapping is largely prohibited in the Premier League

10. Congratulations to Vedran Corluka for grabbing Spurs’ equaliser without any practice. The Croatian revealed he doesn’t like heading the ball, but conquered his fear to grab a point.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Off The Post Island.

The Game is Never Over

This is an amazing advertising video by Nike, who featured Patrice Evra of Manchester United. A very funny one, just take a look, and you can laugh as big as you want:

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Off the Post Island and YouTube Island.

Cassano-Totti Telepathy

A great footage about Cassano and Totti doing one-twos all the way up the field but can’t find the finish. Absolutely incredible.



This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from The Offside and YouTube Island.

The Future of Football

Ever wondered what football will be like in 2020? Well, thanks to Orange, curious fans can now glimpse into the mysterious future of the beautiful game.

Technology is slowly infiltrating the beautiful game, and future advances in technology will mean massive changes in the way we watch the game.

Based on extensive research, and with the help of leading experts, the report will be an insight into what life will be like for fans, players and clubs in the year 2020.

Ahead of this report, we are offering you a sneak preview of some of the ideas raised.

New developments for fans include:

Holographic viewing

3D TV and computer-generated characters will be used to enrich the viewing experience.

Stadium living

Being able to live in and around football grounds - the ultimate display of team loyalty. Meanwhile, the ultimate stadium environment could have its own micro climate system, using cloud seeding to set off any heavy rain fall well before the game.

The interactive stadium

New technology will allow miniature monitors at every seat, the introduction of in-seat delivery services of food, drink or merchandise, and vibrating seats designed to get the crowd on its feet. And stand by for the scented stadium.

The mobile stadium

Those unable to make the game will be able to watch special versions on their mobile phones, then upload them to their PC or games console - and even join in the virtual action.

Fan ownership

Fans will demand more say in how their clubs are run, with evidence already of clubs being taken over by schemes such as MyFootballClub, linking up with Blue Square Premier club Ebbsfleet United and the setting up of FC United when Manchester United was taken over by the Galazer family.

Meanwhile, the business of football is fast evolving too:

Microchip managers

Managers of the future will have a host of technological and artificial intelligence aids at their fingertips, including intelligent cameras that can make decisions over which players need to be substituted - and who's likely to be sent off.

The 22nd-century pitch

Robot linesmen and referees, light-emitting pitches, spotlight systems that can pinpoint the exact spot for a free kick and intelligent pitches that can recognise home and away teams will all enhance the game for players and spectators alike.

Nanoshirts

Nanotechnology will be incorporated into football apparel to help heal minor scrapes, destroy airborne germs and pollutants and improve shirt visibility.

Stem cell banking

We will see gene therapy being used to treat injuries in the future, speeding up recovery times.

Bespoke kits

Rapid protoyping technology will be used to create boots to fit a specific player's foot; goalkeepers will benefit from protective suits that prevent injury; new protective kit will be lightweight, effective and won't restrict movement.

Female takeover

The success of Arsenal Ladies last season when they became the first English club to win the UEFA Women's Cup has led to increased attention and attendances for women's football. With England reaching the quarter-finals of the women's World Cup interest has become more widespread.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from The Orange Island.

Miracle in Portugal

It's not an everyday-situation/scene when we hear that a girl fell from the ninth floor of a flat or apartment. Moreover, it's not even a one-in-a-million situation/scene when we hear a news which suggests that a 6 year-old girl fell over from ninth-floor of a flat and somehow managed to survive only with a broken arm. It must be a God's MIRACLE.

This unlucky girl is not very famous. But it is his father, who makes her now becomes famous and can put her name in this blog. Yes, this girl is the daughter of Valencia CF full-back, Miguel, a.k.a. The Big Bones, a.k.a. Miguel "Marlboro" Brito.

Here is the full story about that miracle:

Six-year-old Rafaela, the daughter of Miguel, a soccer player of Cape Verdean origin currently playing for Valencia (Spain), fell from a ninth-story window in the Parque das Nações district of Lisbon, Portugal. The child, who suffered fractures in one of her arms and in her vertebra, had the impact of her fall broken by the plants surrounding the building she fell from, according to the soccer player’s mother-in-law, Antonieta.

The child apparently climbed onto a chair to reach one of the windows in the apartment. “She leaned out and fell to the third floor,” explained Antonieta. As soon as he learned what had happened to his daughter, Miguel ran out of a practice and took a flight to Portugal.

The athlete arrived at the hospital at approximately 8:00 pm accompanied by an official from his team. In addition to various relatives who classified the fact that the girl only broke her arm as a “miracle,” Miguel was also accompanied in the hospital by his former Valencia teammate Caneira.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Asemana Island.

Goal of Both Centuries

These two goals are the ones people like to compare because they're scored by a player who resembled the other very much. And both of them scored with an almost similar fashion, take a look at these two goals: Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi respectively. And let you compare yourself and decide which one is better.





These videos are one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from YouTube Island.

A Football Team is or A Football Team Are?

I wanted to bring up a question that constantly confuses me: A football team is, or a football team are?

Chelsea is top of the Premier League, or Chelsea are top of the Premier League?

As I understand it (or at least as Yahoo! Answers explains it) this is a debate about singular and plural. Basically “is” implies a single entity (like a football club) and “are” implies a collection of entities (like a team of football players).

By that logic, we could refer to Chelsea Football Club (the entity) using “is”. For example: “Chelsea is no longer Peter Kenyon’s employer”.

And we could refer to Chelsea the collection of football players using “are”. For example: “Chelsea are on the attack.”

But apparently it’s not that straightforward. Here are two recent examples, from reputable media sources, that don’t work with the above logic. Emphasis mine:

“Liverpool are set to announce a new shirt sponsorship deal worth £80m over four years…” – The Guardian

“It looks like Carlo Ancelotti made the break from AC Milan at the right time. A few weeks into his first season in English football, his Chelsea team is top of the Premier League…” Fox Sports (but Associate Press story)

In The Guardian example, the reference to Liverpool is clearly to Liverpool FC the club, the entity. So by the singular/plural rule, it should be “Liverpool is set to announce…”

Likewise in the Fox Sports example, the sentence refers to the Chelsea team, a collection of players, and so should read “his Chelsea team are top of the Premier League…”

So what’s going on?

One possibility is that this is an English vs American language thing. English media seems to almost always refer to teams and clubs (whether singular or plural) using “are”, while American media tends to go with “is”. Maybe this is rooted in the way sport has worked on different sides of the Atlantic, with English football clubs originally being a collection of players rather than a corporate entity (although that has obviously changed in recent years) and American sports teams identifying themselves early on as franchises, which is to say singular entities.

But all the above is speculation, and I can’t claim any authoritative knowledge or insight. All I can do is ask for your opinion and your help. Which form do you use – is or are? – and, most importantly, why?

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from The Offside Island.

This is NOT an Optical Illusion

This is not an optical illusion. FC Sheriff Tiraspol’s Benjamin Balima actually has a football for a head.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Dirty Tackle Island.

Crazy Football Commentator

F

Crazy football commentator, talking about the crazy diving of Fabio Grosso, which allowed Italy to go through to World Cup 2006 QF. Italy needed a diving to become the world champion.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from YouTube Island.

Is it a Mistake or a Marketing?

While showing highlights from Saturday’s League Two clash between Torquay and Chesterfield at 12:50 am last night, the video inexplicably cuts to a scene from the surfer girl flick Blue Crush just as Kate Bosworth sits down on a toilet (0:42 into the video above). After 38 seconds of mind-bending fetishistic randomness, they then cut back to highlights of a different game: Port Vale v Rochdale.

A spokesman for the BBC said it was a “technical hitch,” but in a world of viral marketing and whatever it takes for television ratings, you have to wonder if this was a ploy from the BBC to get the word out on their new show. After all — everyone knows blonde girls on toilets is the key to a ratings bonanza.

So mistake or marketing, how will we know? Well, the copyright on the clip above is obviously owned by the BBC. If they decide to pull it from YouTube, then it was probably an embarrassing mistake. If it was a ploy, then it will remain, allowing for word of mouth to spread.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Dirty Tackle Island.

Pele is Unbelievable

This title sentence can be accepted in both denotative and connotative meaning. In connotative meaning, surely we can accept this because no footballer in the world, especially in the modern age like now, can score more than a thousand goals in their entire professional career. So, in scoring ability, he is certainly second to none.

However in denotative meaning, when we say that Pele is unbelievable it means that Pele is not to be believed or at least what he says is not believable. Yes, that is true as well. Why so? Take a close look at this interesting post. I feature top 10 Pele wrong predictions throughout the decades. After you read this article, you will realize that, with due respect to Pele himself, there is simply no reason why we should believe in his prediction.

10) China 2002

Pele Prediction: China will qualify for the next round from their 2002 World Cup group.

Outcome: China finish bottom of Group C with no wins, no draws, no points, no goals, as well as -9 in their goal-difference column.

9) Spain 1998

Pele Prediction: Spain are favourites for the 1998 World Cup in France.

Outcome: Spain humiliatingly dumped out in the first round after losing to Nigeria, and drawing with Paraguay.

8) Colombia To Live American Dream

Pele Prediction: Colombia will win the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Outcome: Colombia exit the competition in the first round, finishing bottom of their group. Their defender Andres Escobar is also tragically shot dead by an angry fan after Colombia return home.

7) Argentina, France & World Cup 2002

Pele Prediction: Argentina & France will both reach the final.

Outcome: Both countries eliminated in the first round, France without even scoring a goal.

6) Escape To Victory

Pele Prediction: During the famous film starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine, Allies star Pele is brutally fouled in the first half by the Nazi opponents. The injured Brazilian claims there is no way he can continue and is carried off. The Allies are 4-0 down, and a recovery is deemed impossible.

Outcome: Pele returns in the second half and inspires his team to an improbable comeback, even scoring a stunning bicycle kick. Even in fiction, Pele’s predictions go wrong.

5) Ronaldo Is Finished

Pele Prediction: Ronaldo will never play football again, and his career is over, following a serious injury for Milan in February 2008.

Outcome: Ronaldo returns in March 2009 for Corinthians, scoring 10 goals in his first 14 games to win the Campeonato Paulista. Rumoured to be on the verge of a national team recall.

4) Nii Lamptey – ‘The New Pele’

Pele Prediction: After starring in the 1991 Under-17 World Cup, which also featured Alessandro Del Piero, Pele proclaims Ghana youngster Lamptey as his successor, ‘The New Pele’.

Outcome: What happens next goes down in football infamy. Lamptey spectacularly fails to fulfil his talent, believing himself that he was cursed by dark forces. The midfielder shifts around clubs such as PSV, Aston Villa, Coventry, Venezia and Ankaragucu, without success, and endures tragedy in his personal life, as two of his children die.

3) Nicky Barmby - Up There With Zidane, Maldini & Ronaldo

Pele Prediction: Nicky Barmby will become a world class star.

Outcome: Nicky Barmby becomes nothing more than an average player, winning 23 England caps, and never even appearing in a World Cup.

2) Africa Will Rule

Pele Prediction: An African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000.

Outcome: It is now 2009, and an African country has still yet to get past the quarter-final.

1) Brazil & World Cup 2002

Pele Prediction: Brazil won’t even get past the group stages.

Outcome: Brazil win the World Cup.

That is that. All 10 wrong predictions have been revealed. Perhaps if any of you know another fool prediction made by Pele, which you think should be included here, please post a comment.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from the Goal.com Island.

Zizou's Best Technique

The best technique in the world is when you can entertain your friends, your club president and your opponents on the pitch as well all in the same time. To sum up all of those elements, this is clearly one of Zinedine Zidane's best ever technique which he did during the Valladolid match back in 2004. Take a close look at this footage:

Clever clever pass from the original Ronaldo followed by the famous Zidane 360°, but then the great man fires high and wide.

He made sure that Florentino Perez still clap his hands after watching this. Valladolid players must have been relieved not to concede, and this is clearly a win-win solution for Zidane, because he didn't let his mates down due to his brilliant and amazing 360' technique, nor his opponents and even his president. This is a top-class technique.

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from The Offside Island.

Bojan Likes to be Certain

Bojan scored the final goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 dismantling of Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of the Spanish Supercup to polish off a 5-1 aggregate win and horde yet another trophy.

Unlike most goals you see featured on blogs, this was not from an amazing distance or sniped with superhuman accuracy — in fact, it was exactly the opposite. After intercepting an insanely careless Bilbao backpass and skipping around the keeper, Bojan walked the ball right up to the goal, even going so far as to take hold of the post for extra support.

While it may not have been pretty, you can’t fault young Bojan for ensuring he didn’t end up in this same space for sensationally blowing an easy goal. Video of his football equivalent to a slam dunk after the jump…

This is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Dirty Tackle Island.

Staring Contest

The Champions League showdown between Bayern Munich and Juventus ended in a scoreless draw, proving very little for either side. But Arjen Robben did leave after 45 minutes with an injury.

The lesson? Never get in a staring contest with Felipe Melo.

[Photo: Foto Pegaso/Tuttosport]

This photograph is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Dirty Tackle Island.

Is He Clean?

Referee Helmut Fleischer (left) checks Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann for rabies during the Borussia Dortmund v VfB Stuttgart match today.

[Photo: LENNART PREISS/AFP/Getty Images]

This photograph is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Dirty Tackle Island.

Luca Toni Checks His Junk

Just before coming on as a substitute for his first appearance this season in Bayern Munich’s 5-0 DFB Pokal second round win over RW Oberhausen on Tuesday, Luca Toni made sure everything was in place. In his pants. Because you really don’t want a ball popping out on your all-important season debut.

[Photos: Sven Simon/Bild]

This photograph is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from Dirty Tackle Island.

The "Holy" Penalties Taker

If you feel a deja vu about this title, then I'm not going to argue. You must have read my previous posts which titled "The Holy Header". That post is about the Martin Palermo's sumptuous header from 40 metres out which found its way to the back of the net during Boca's 3-2 win over Velez Sarsfield.

However, there is a slight difference between this posting and that one in term of the meaning. You can say that I wrote The "Holy" Penalty Taker, unlike the previous post about Palermo where I wrote The Holy Header. There is a meaning difference in 'holy' words. What about it? You can find out by watching this video. After that, you're going to realize that Martin Palermo has not only done the holy header, but also the "holy" PENALTIES! You will also understand why I mentioned PENALTIES not PENALTY. Take a look at this video:

This video is one of Uncle Salabam's treasure that he got from YouTube Island.

A Whole New Team

Do you know how on earth can you describe how funny it is to watch AC Milan stumble game after game this season? Well, it is a quite different question to answer, because in fact, it is more than hilarious to see in www.livescore.com that AC Milan lost 0-1 to FC Zurich in front of their own fans. Other examples: they drew 0-0 with Bari and 1-1 with Atalanta over the past few weeks. They were also torn apart by their rival Inter, by four goals to nil. I’m very ashamed to endure all of these results, although I’m not a Milan fan either.

So one day, a few hours before Milan lost 0-1 to Zurich in Champions League, I passed by the Goal.com Island, where I found a unique billboard, which mentioned problems occured in Rossoneri squad. There were some factors, such as the off-form players, the coach, Adriano Galliani and Silvio Berlusconi, global financial crysis, even the Calciopoli was also included. And as the bottom line, that billboard said that perhaps AC Milan needed a whole new team because it seemed that their problems are everywhere (goalkeepers, defences, offences, managements, morale, mental, finance, etc). That sentence reminded me of a song title, A Whole New World. That’s why then I changed the song lyric to become “A Whole New Team”. You can sing this song as though you wanted to sing A Whole New World but with different lyric. Take a close look:

A Whole New Team

I can show you the words:

Silly, slow, sulky, spoofy

Tell me Milan,

now when did you last

make your fans rejoice

I can open your backs,

beat you over and over

in the home games and away

to any Italian side

A whole new team

a new fantastic manager,

no one to tell us how,

or where to score,

or say we’re only joking

A whole new team,

Younger players we never have

But when we drew or lost

it’s crystal clear

that now we need a whole new team

with us

Unbelievable sights,

Indescribable feelings

soaring, tumbling, free-wheeling

through an endless run of games

A whole new team

Don’t you dare close your clubs

A thousand more goals to concede

Hold your breath, it gets worse

We’re like a joking star

We’ve been so suck

We can’t go back to where we used to be

A whole new team

Every match a surprise

With Inter, Juve to pursue

Every moments red letter

We’ll chase them everywhere

There’s time to buy (buy players)

Let us see this whole new team exist

A whole new team

A whole new team

That’s what we need

That’s what we’ll have

A thrilling league

A scudetto

For Milanisti

The funniest part of this lyric is the italicized paragraph. Of course, not only for me, but especially Milanisti, this season’s results so far, including the fact that they only scored 4 goals in 7 games, can be classified as unbelievable sights (Milan 0-4 Inter, Milan 0-0 Bari, Udinese 2-1 Milan, Milan 0-1 Zurich, 10 men Atalanta 1-1 Milan). That way, I understand that it is virtually impossible to describe the feeling of Milanisti. They kept soaring, tumbling, free-wheeling through an endless run of games (an exaggeration actually, but still funny).

This is not an offence to Milanisti. However I hope and I believe they can resurrect themselves, because it is not good to watch Serie A taken over by the likes of Sampdoria, instead of Milan. I believe that Milan do need a whole new team to replace the old, slow and incompetent one they have now, if they want to have any chance to compete with the best like Inter or Juventus.

This song, is a treasure of Uncle Salabam’s own possession, that he got after returning from Goal.com Island.