Champions League Final Review

Alright guys hear is my review of the Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Enjoy!

Pre Match

It was all about the fabled 'La Decima' for Real Madrid, as if 9 European Cups was not enough?! On the other side was Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, the recently crowned La Liga champions. For Atletico just getting to the final was a huge achievement considering where they were when Simeone took charge, some pundits said if they were to lift the trophy it would be one of the great managerial achievements in history. 

Overview

Everyone knew how the game would play out, Real Madrid playing the expansive, skilful, attacking minded game. With Atletico playing the part of the defender, who would try and hold back the attacking Real and pounce when the opportunity presented itself. For 90 minutes this was exactly what happened. Atletico scored what was a scrappy, set piece goal, and from then on held on. Well 'held on' doesn't describe how they went about the game, they held onto the ball brilliantly and for the majority of the game held onto their lead with apparent ease. 

For all the attacking options Real boasted, they rarely threatened Atletico's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois goal. The only exception being the odd chance which fell to the Welshman Gareth Bale, one of the chances he should have scored, the rest granted were difficult chances. As the clock ran down you could feel the tension on the field as Real expected to win this game. Then finally the break through came, and it was a goal deserving of a Champions League final. That Sergio Ramos header turned the game on its head, and there was only one winner from there. That sent the game into extra time which entailed Real attacking, Atletico clearing, then Real launching another onslaught. Atletico were clearly exhausted and praying for penalties. It was going that way as well until a spectacular run by Di Maria produced a world class save by Courtois, but cruelly it fell to Gareth Bale who nodded into an empty goal. 

From then on Real scored their third through the impressive Marcelo, and then Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot to finish the extra time demolition job off. It was a cruel finish for Atletico who did not deserve that scoreline. 

An Ugly Ending

In his playing career, Diego Simeone was always regarded as a competitive, heart on sleeve character. His managing career up until this point had only drawn positive comments, but when he ran onto the pitch to confront the Real defender Varane after an exchange of words, things did turn ugly. His own team had to drag him away from a fight he clearly wanted to happen. Some managers are sore losers, but will show it in a moody press conference, but not that way. It cannot be under estimated how much that will affect the view people have of him, and whether it may be all downhill from here we will see.

Costa's Short Lived Game

The Brazilian, turned Spaniard was barely on the pitch before he was dragged off as it was made clear his hamstring injury had not fully healed. All the pundits agreed that nobody recovers from a hamstring injury that quickly, but if the player said he was fit, who could blame Simeone for starting his star striker. As Graeme Souness argued, even if it was for 10-20 minutes, in that time Costa could have nicked a goal that could have earned his side the trophy. 

The Last Word

I enjoyed watching Real Madrid win, I felt especially pleased for Bale and Ronaldo who had both worked tirelessly all the way through the competition. You could see how much it meant to the both of them when they scored their goals. Overall it was an enthralling, gripping final. It also cannot be forgotten how much an achievement it was for Atletico to reach the final. Hopefully their squad remains the same at the start of next season, and they remain competitive and not just become a selling club to the likes of Real, Barcelona etc. 

Thanks for reading guys!! Post comments/thoughts below.

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Heineken Cup Final Review

I know it's a few days late but here is my review of the final, which was played in the Millenium Stadium last Saturday between Saracens and Toulon.

Pre Match

The final was Saracens vs Toulon, but the way it was marketed was more Farrell vs Wilkinson. The current England fly half against arguable the greatest English fly half ever. Pre match the favourites were Toulon, they were after all the defending champions, and had world class internationals in near every position. However Saracens were fancied by some as well, with their self proclaimed 'wolf pack' mentality to defence one of many reasons they were fancied. It promised to be a match worthy of test match status with the players on show.

Overview

The match finished 23-6 to Toulon. Some may say the scoreline did not reflect Saracens input in to the match, but from watching the match it was the Toulon defence that won the day and made the scoreline so complimentary. Saracens did have a fair share of position, and did have opportunities to add to their low total, but the Toulon defence was outstanding, especially in the second half. 

Where the Match was Won

The Toulon defence arguably won the day, suffocating the Saracens attack and pouncing on any hint of isolation to gain the turnover. The world class 4-8 of Toulon featured some of the best locks and flankers of the past decade in Lobbe, Smith, Botha and Rossouw. But it was the English number 8 Stefan Armitage who stole the show. To say he totally outclassed his opposite number and current England 8 Billy Vunipola is an understatement. He was immense at the breakdown, superb on the ball, and with that performance regardless of not playing his rugby in England should be in the starting XI. 

The defence laid the foundations for the Toulon victory, the killer try scored by Smith was created through a turnover. This was evidence of the importance of the Toulon defence and rightly so Stefan Armitage won the man of the match performance. But however the day was only ever going to be about one person...

If only Jonny Wilkinson was Welsh!

The highest compliment that can be paid to an English number 10. An indicator of how much he is loved in Toulon is that they are considering retiring the number 10 jersey with Wilkinson's retirement. In my opinion if available he would be a my choice as the England's number 10. He has everything Farrell lacks, composure, accuracy and intelligence. This was shown in the first try, in which Wilkonson switched the play to Gitau, which exposed the space for the kick, in which the resulting chase would result in the try. It was clear that Wilkinson did not just switch the play for no good reason, he seen that the Saracens defence shifted in the direction he received the ball, so the switch exposed this flaw. His kicking was outstanding, it kept the scoreboard ticking over whenever Saracens closed the gap. This role cannot be under estimated and it is a role that Farrell lacks authority in. 

The Last Word

Overall the final was an epic spectacle for club rugby. The quality was outstanding on both sides, and the Millennium stadium was a worthy venue. Both sides gave everything and was a pleasure to watch. It was an honour as a viewer to watch one of the greatest fly halfs of our generation play his last game in the UK. Cannot wait for the next one, one more year Jonny!

Thanks for reading guys, post comments below!

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A Brief History of My Mobile Phones

So where did it all begin?

Nokia 3310

So where else would it begin? The one of many legendary Nokia 'brick' phones as they were known. But this one at the time was different, it had polyphonic ringtones! I remember my first purchase was Blazin' Squads Flip Reverse. That made my year on the rare occasion somebody would actually call me. Also the small matter that the 3310 had the new Snake game...Snake 2 (inventive name I know). This phone did everything, never broke, and if ever anything happened to my iPhone, I would gladly pay £10 to use this again.

Rating: 10/10 (for the period it was released in)

Motorola V600

So after the traditional brick phone to start off with my parents treated me to a flip phone for Christmas. Straight away the 'Hello Moto' made the Nokia instantly forgotten. Also there was a camera...Yes a camera! The screen was made of actual colours, not just black or white! This was a huge step back then. However what it made up for in its new ability, it lacked in the basics. I remember it as being incredibly slow, and even thicker than they brick phone. The little aerial thing was annoying as well, basically just plane annoying.

Rating: 3/10

Sony Ericsson w810

Then I made the step into the big boy league. The promise of getting hundreds of songs on my phone was just too good to turn down. Obviously the 'legally' downloaded songs were put on the phone and enjoyed instantly. Well the amount of songs were limited to how much the tiny memory card could handle. If I remember rightly I could have about 250 songs which back then was legendary. It even had a camera! There was nothing this phone couldn't do! The only downside was the speed, with all the songs taking up the memory, the messaging system suffered. Also the notorious buttons had the habit of playing up and getting sticky. But overall, it was best at the music side, which back then was all you wanted.

Rating: 8/10

LG KC550

We've had brick, flip, Walkman so it seemed natural to go for the slide up phone. It was also my first pay monthly phone as well so new grounds were being broken in to. So what was good about this phone...the camera, yeah that's all. The phone was slow, was prone to breaking regularly, and even the slide broke! Was more than happy to bin this phone when my contract ended.

Rating: 2/10

HTC Desire

The first touch screen phone of the list! Also came with the android system so had my first experience of downloading applications! This side of it was brilliant, the system worked brilliantly, was easy to navigate and I couldn't find nothing wrong with it. However a problem did occur when the small memory reared its ugly head. The situation kept arising where I would have to keep deleting apps to accommodate incoming texts. Overall though until I broke my screen, it was generally faultless. 

Rating: 7/10

Finally! iPhone 4s

So we've finally reached the end of my journey, and except for owning a Blackberry, I've done the world tour of mobile phones. Touch wood I am yet to find a fault with it. The memory is sufficient to hold all the apps, the phone never freezes, or randomly freezes. The camera is brilliant, and the music system works faultlessly. I am still very proud to be an iPhone wanker, and will gladly promote it!

Rating: 10/10 (the modern day brick phone)

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Genius Invention #2

A self heating/cooling pillow?? Why have to go to the effort of turning your pillow over to get to the cold side? 

Problem solved! 

Comments/probable complaints below!

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Genius Inventions #1

Genius Invention Idea

Pants...but not just any pants, Yankee Candle one. Just walk around smelling of fluffly towels, literally living the dream.

End of Blog, short and sweet. Many more ingenious ideas to come!

Feel free to post your own ideas, and browse my other Blogs!

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World Cup 2014

Well I for one cannot wait for the World cup to start in Brazil...Brasil?? Despite being a Welshman, I would like to see England do well, which to my Welsh reader I promise you will be the only time. I am a Manchester United fan so would like to see the likes of Rooney, Jones and Smalling perform well.

My Pick for the Winner?

Despite them being boring to watch sometimes, cannot see past Spain. Their squad is immense in every position, and undeniable their tactics under Del Bosque works on the international stage. If not Spain then can see the host nation themselves taking the trophy home. The home advantage will play a part, and they have shown they can take apart the World and European champions. 

Why not Germany or Argentina?

I just don't believe that they have the complete package. With Argentina they have so many world class individuals, but it's how they are integrated which leaves them lacking. One minute they will seem odds on to win the tournament, then the next they will struggle. In Germany's case, it is the striker role which they are lacking in. Someone who will score that crucial goal in a tight game, sure they have Klose, but he isn't the player he was. Apart from that they are a huge force, a wonderful mix of power and style in midfield, and huge strength in depth in every department apart from up top. Sure they could play with a fake striker, but will it get the job done, I don't think so.

Surprise Package?

Got to be either Belgium or Uruguay. Both are expected to do well, but I can really see both of them getting to the semi final stage. Both have huge quality, and both have complete teams. It is just the case whether they can perform against the big nations, in the big matches. Out of the two I would like to see Belgium do well, Vincent Kompany deserves something and would be nice to see him do well. And of course who wants to see Louis Suarez do well? 

And As for England?

Quarter final, would love to see the youngsters light up the world cup and make an impact. They should be pragmatic in the group stages, attack against the teams which they can attack against, but be clever against the bigger teams. My team I would chose would be: Hart, Baines, Cahill, Jagielka, Johnson, Gerrard, Henderson CM, Sterling, Lalana, Rooney, Sturridge. I would like to see a 4-4-2 formation played, like the system Atletico Madrid play. Which could then turn into a 4-2-3-1 when they want to go on the defensive against the big teams. 

Thanks guys for reading, post comments below!

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UKIP...discuss

Well, in the past year the rise of the United Kingdom Independance Party (UKIP...duhh) has been impossible to ignore. Their rise from a laughing stock, to a serious contender in British politics has been enthralling to watch. Also there is an element of comedy about their rise, from horrendous quotes, to genuine blunders.

The Positives 

First of all yes I believe there are positives to this party. For the first time in decades a political party is actually in touch with the majority of working class, British society. Their views on immigration, especially have earned them huge support in Britain. And can I say their immigration policies are not racist in any way shape or form so before I am labelled as that. The people who label them racist clearly haven't done their research. The research backs their policies up as well, immigration has a huge effect on schools, the public sector and the housing markets. However it is worth saying that their are plenty of immigrants who more than earn their place here. But as UKIP say, it's the immigrants that don't work, that just milk the system and NHS off that they are concerned with. That is NOT racist full stop. It is undeniable they have a real connection with voters, one which Labour, or the Tories haven't had for decades.

The Negatives

Sure their policies are what people want to hear, and what they would like to see happen in the UK. But however, for every 100 UKIP members, there is 1 who sticks their foot in it with a horrific quote. From the immigration quote that 'they' should go back to "Bongo Bongo land" to the quote about how Maternity leave and pay should be scrapped for women. Even though none of these quotes is in the parties plans, it is the underlying racism, sexism of a few members which scares most of society. For all the good work their policies do, one stupid quote undoes all of it, and until they eliminate that, you feel UKIP will never get to, or near the top.

Something which needs to stop

I've seen a trait in British society lately, that anyone who votes, or lends support to UKIP is branded 'racist' or 'sexist' by British society. This is simply untrue, 99% of voters for UKIP or maybe even 100% vote for them because they feel passionate about their country and want to see it ran properly and for the benefit of all. For people to label these people as disgraces of society is an abomination. You can't restrict a persons right to vote, no matter who it is for. 

Who would I vote for?

I have always felt that the Conservatives were the best of the worst. Especially in their economic policies in which I hugely agree with, especially after studying economics. I believe Labour put this country in huge problems and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the economy again. Even though what the conservatives has done has got bad press, it is clearly the only option as Labour messed it up that bad. The public sector needed to be cut, new businesses had to be started up to increase the private sector to cut the deficit...that was the only answer. 

Now however, like a lot of the public, UKIP is really proposing policies which appeal to me. So the next election I will either vote UKIP or Conservative. 

A lot of people probably disagree with me, in that case please post comments below as I'd love to hear other opinions as I'm open to discussion. 

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