Only Football & Gaming Stuff

Start practising for the World Cup!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:40:00 +0000

Get in the mood of the upcoming World Cup 2010 by playing 010 World Cup Prep. You stand towards the goal and attempt to score by a header, ground shot or a volley. I am expecting plenty of that in this highly anticipated tournament! We might as well start getting practising already! There are many other addictive flash games available to play there too! Give it a shot! (Pun intended)

The World Cup Draw is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:56:00 +0000

The draw for the World Cup has just finished in Cape Town and all the games, locations are set! The World Cup is just around the corner.

Hosts South Africa have a tough group and England will be more than happy. In all likelihood, Fabio Capello is possibly one of the happier managers after the draw. There is no real stand out group and overall, it is set up for a very exciting tournament but not many teams, even England, will fancy they are going to win their group. Maybe, just Brazil.

All the footie stats you wanted in one site!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Just came across this neat site (My football Facts.com - Link is on the right) which I have to say contains football statistics in a very user friendly interface. Whether it is to know the latest score of a Super Sunday Premier League Clash (Chelsea V Man Utd that just passed us), or a brief analysis of legends of the beautiful game.

The likes of the former talismatic Brazilian defender Cafu or even the "Gentle Giant" John Charles, who is Wales' greatest player all have a story to tell in their brief but influential footballing careers. I was mesmerised even by players who I have never heard of and was appealed by the information of all the unsung heroes that the world may not even be aware of.

I was also struck by the sheer amount of data of the majority of domestic footballing leagues in the world. My best friend supports Benfica and as a Brit, the only awareness I have of Benfica is when they have qualified for the Champions League. I was easily able to access where they were positioned in the Portuguese League and can keep myself updated whatever their status is.

A highly recommended site indeed!

Multiplayer football management, with a difference!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:48:00 +0000

Simsoc Web Soccer Game is a free online football management game in which you control one or more clubs in soccer tournaments based on scenarios from England, Spain, Italy, the World Cup and other great football leagues.

You do this by selecting your team - I picked Manchester United when I had a go (no booing please!). Once you have done that, you can research the opposition, trade players within the transfer window and add strength and depth to your side by customisation. Much like the popular console football games like PES and FIFA, I was able to select my formation, tweak defensive rate and position my players how I wanted them to!

My favourite aspect of the game is the ability to sign yourself in as a star player for your selected team! Imagine playing alongside living legends of the game, or even representing your favourite side for glory, no matter how big or small they are!

But the icing on the cake is to watch the match highlights in 3D in the free Soccer Game Viewer! This added a lot of excitement and rewards you with a visual of your victory (or loss)! Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this free online football management game and I certainly recommend it to football fans worldwide!

Youngest football manager takes charge of 'world's worst team'

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:48:00 +0000

Paul Watson, 25, is the coach of the tiny Pacific island of Pohnpei, which boasts a population of 34,000 - less than half the capacity of Wembley Stadium.

Their national football team has never won a game and the closest they have come to victory was losing 5-4 on penalties to rival island Yap.

However, despite a recent 16-1 thrashing at the hands of Guam, sports writer Paul and his student friend Matthew Conrad, also 25, believe they can turn things around.

The pair, who are from London, will begin training the Pohnpei team for no pay starting September 17 and friendly games are scheduled to take place in early 2010.
Paul, a freelance sports journalist who grew up in Bristol, revealed that one of his players has to walk over six miles to reach the training ground - and does not even own a pair of shoes.

He said: "By chance we heard the country didn't have a coach at the moment and were looking for someone to take over. Like idiots we said we would consider it.

"Their players have a lot of raw talent but they have never won a game, they lost on penalties once so I guess that almost counts as a win.

"Unfortunately they are the worst team in the world but I don't think they will be for much longer. With training they'll improve dramatically.

"They are really enthusiastic and one of the players who walks one hour and a half just to get to training without wearing any shoes. That's why we are so keen to help them out and why we are appealing for sponsors to donate shoes and kit."

Pohnpei is one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and among the Senyavin Islands in the Western Pacific, around 1,800 miles north of eastern Australia.

Yeovil Town, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur have kindly donated 2008/09 team strips to Pohnpei, which has the third wettest climate in the world.
However, Paul and Matthew are now appealing for sponsors to help fund boots, gloves and protective gear ahead of their coming trip.

Showdown: FIFA vs Pro Evo

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:19:00 +0000

The biggest showdown of the new footie season is nearly upon us. Not the Premier League, but FIFA v Pro Evo. Anyone who has ever pressed the "on" button on a video game console knows what I'm talking about.

You know how it goes. For years Pro Evo was the nuts, Fifa was the big money licensed game but paled in significance against its Japanese rival.

Then Konami got lazy.

Pro Evo slackened off, made some schoolboy errors and, bang, Fifa performed a nutmeg here and a stepover there and before you know it they were 2-0 up.

Getting a Pro Evo lover and a Fifa football devotee in the same room isn't dissimilar to getting a Rangers and Celtic fan together.

They disagree on how a footie game should be played. And it's not a trivial thing because football games are big business. Last year Fifa 09 sold ten million copies around the world.

To put some perspective on that, Coldplay, probably the biggest band in the world, have sold eight million copies of their last album.

Pro Evo notched up millions - it was a way behind but not bad going.

This is a big year for both . . . so SFTW took a good look at them ahead of their October releases.

FIFA

How do you improve on such a majestic experience as FIFA 09? It's a tough call.

EA has gone about as far as they can with licenses, graphics and commentary, so this year they are overhauling the controls.

Football games have always let you run in eight directions, up, down, left, right and the diagonals. Not this year.

EA have created a system where you can now run in 360 different directions. Every possible angle has been mapped so you can make any run and play any ball.

It's disconcerting to start with but the more you play the more natural it becomes.

Very talented players will thrive, duffers will be punished.

Players also accelerate to their most effective speed and position themselves properly for headers and volleys to optimise shooting.

As long as EA maintain their adequate servers, the advantage is with them.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2010

Pro Evo's biggest problem for the last four years has been their horrendous online problems.

Anyone who has tried to play a friend over the net since Thierry Henry graced the cover of Pro Evo 4 back in 2004 may as well have been using a Spectrum 48k. It has been terribly laggy.

But this year they have promised to assemble a dedicated team in Japan to look after making sure games run smoothly. And the best news is they are dumping Konami servers and handing over power to Sony & Microsoft. A wise choice.

Elsewhere, Pro Evo is looking tasty - graphics are amazing and almost photo-quality.

The pace has been slowed considerably, a good thing, to make the game more realistic.

New additions to the Master League mean a deeper, longer-lasting experience and new power gauges in game let you set out exactly your attacking and defensive stances.

Offline, it still plays a cracking game, arguably better than Fifa. But Konami's big challenge is online. It's simple, get it sorted and you can win back your crown.

The boys are back... and then some!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:55:00 +0000

Am I the only one chuffed to bits by the BBC's decision to show League One and League 2 analysis AFTER its Premier League big brother? Its about time too you know. It will impact on my sleep if I am to stay in and watch the results of my local team.

In case you wonder, I'm not going to mention who they are but they were proudly promoted up a league last season and I am rooting for them to do the same this time round too. Go figure! :-)

Could this be the worst tackle in football history?

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:56:00 +0000

If this is not the worst tackle I have ever seen, then I don't know what is. The tackle against Eduardo last season is nothing compared to this.

This is a horrific tackle from Alex Witsel, against Polish International Wasilewski. An utter disgrace to the beautiful game.

If you are easily squeamish, I do not recommend pressing the play button.

Violence in London Derby

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:19:00 +0000

A man has been stabbed in the chest during "large-scale trouble" involving hundreds of fans at West Ham's Carling Cup match against Millwall.

Inside Upton Park stadium West Ham fans invaded the pitch three times and by 2300 BST several hundred West Ham fans had congregated outside the stadium chanting and bombarding police with crates and bottles.

Eyewitnesses told of hooligans trying to rip out bollards and lighting "small fires".
Five arrests have been confirmed, including one for affray and one for breaching a banning order.

A Football Association spokesman said: "We absolutely condemn the disorder. We expect all culprits to be banned from football for life - they have no place in our game."

Reminds me of the film Green Street when both parties attempted to hurt each other for glory of their firms. Football should never be about that. This firm culture really does hamr the reputation of English football, considered one of the best on the world. I do hope that authorities can clamp down on violence such as this.

Ronaldo 2 Real. Hilarious game!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:33:00 +0000

Found a hilarious game for Man U haters out there. I guess it could be quite entertaining for Man U fans too.

The objective of the game is to fling Ronaldo our of hospital as he is injured and try to get him as far towards Madrid as possible.

The diving ability is quite amusing. Have fun with it!

Ronaldo_2_Real

Going once - going twice - Sold!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:48:00 +0000

Manchester United accept £80 million bid for Ronaldo

2010 World Cup to be broadcast in high definition!

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Previously viewers had to subscribe to either Sky or cable to see programmes in high definition (HD) - which gives a clearer picture because it is digitally broadcast.
From 2009, HD will be available on terrestrial television via Freeview, a digital TV service which requires a set-top box.

ITV will also broadcast the current peak-time ITV1 schedule in HD, allowing viewers to watch drama series - like Miss Marple - as well as sport, including the FA Cup and the 2010 Football World Cup.

Channel 4 is also expected to show around 150 hours of films, as well as drama, comedy, science and documentaries. The channel submitted a joint proposal to Ofcom with Welsh language broadcaster S4C.

Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, has previously said the BBC will control a third HD slot, which could include shows such as Torchwood and Strictly Come Dancing.
The HD channels on terrestrial TV will achieve nationwide coverage by 2012.

Because the service is being "rolled out", football fans in only some parts of the UK will be able to watch the World Cup in HD on Freeview in 2010. The new services are expected to start in the Granada region next year, with nationwide coverage by the end of digital switchover in 2012.

Bring it on, is all I can say! Can't wait for some HD magic for this tournament!

Look-a-like of the week: Rafa Benitez

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:49:00 +0000

Liverpool Coach Rafa Benitez certainly would not see this coming and neither will some of you I reckon. David Guest will be a jealous man indeed!

My rant about Sky

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Ok, so I caved in and got Sky+. I've had it for a while as we decided we either drop sky altogether or go with Sky+ that means we can watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it, and of course it goes without saying skip the adverts.

Yes I know I'm killing the TV's funding but hey. there's too many channels anyhow.
So as I have to pay extra for Sky+ or subscribe to premium channels I tend to subscribe to movies in the summer and sport in the winter so I can watch the football. Well just before I switched back to sports this time I recorded 3 movies to watch at a later date. That later date has now arived and when I just tried to watch them it said I needed to upgrade my subscription. Hang on a minute I recorded these while I had a subscription does that mean now I cannot watch them because I no longer have a movie subscription.

Needless to say Sky are not my favourite buddies again at the moment and it swings again towards knocking it all on the head and renting movies and watching TV programs downloaded from the internet and burnt to DivX format, I've already watched all of Lost like this thanks to my buddy. Add to this on Saturday Liverpool were on Sky, great you may think, but No it was on Prem Plus another extra that you have to pay more for.

My 12 months are up soon so I think it's time to review our viewing options and I know what won't be top of the list.

longest keep-ups while lying down

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:45:00 +0000

Skills....

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:52:00 +0000

London 2012 logo revealed...and its not pretty.

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:11:00 +0000

OK this is not a football related blog post (well it is as football will be a sport at the games) but I really can't believe this is the London 2012 logo. Its a complete mess, has not real meaning or message and is just another example of abstract art failure. Lets just hope that the games will be as memorable as Beijing was last time around :-)

Best of the rest skills

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:58:00 +0000

Commentary funnies: China

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:32:00 +0000

Insane and ridiculously funny commentary from China after the referee whistled for a penalty. This was the 2006 World Cup showdown between Italy and Australia. Worth watching indeed!

You have to see it to believe it...

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 21:37:00 +0000

Funny Football Moments

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:24:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (mupsisigmanu.org) — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 21:40:00 +0000