Post by Scott on Jul 30, 2006 23:17:40 GMT
Welcome to the 3rd edition of Republik of Mancunia: The Paper. Again, another busy month in terms of activity and new members joining. We reached the 500 members mark, just 74 days after the forum opened, and had a new forum record of 97 members online in 24 hours. Since then, another 100 members haven signed up, so it really has been a cracking month. We just keep growing, so thanks, as ever, to all the regulars and new signees
I also have updated the look of the site a little, with new buttons, and added more avatars. Adam has created a RoM Fantasy League, found here, and a Predictions League will be up and running by the start of the season.Our exciting bit of news this month is that due to the increase of size, 7even and I decided there was too much to be done for just two mods. So, as you all know, MissUnited is our latest member of Staff. She is just the first of several Staff Members we hope to bring to the forum over the next few months. No choice has been made yet, but it will be based upon a member’s activity, maturity and of course willingness to be a mod.
Also, with the season about to kick off, The Paper might have a greater demand for contributors or different sections. So, I ask whoever wants to be involved in writing reviews for matches, players, games, websites etc. as well as articles, to get in touch with me. When a member has contributed four times to The Paper (including the ones who already have done) they will be classed as an Official Contributor, with their own member group and button in the sig to prove it ;D So get in touch.
Now let us begin:
Member of the Month
Again, with so many great candidates it was hard to pick the 3nd Member of the Month. There are several great, informative posters on this forum, and we’re lucky to have them. It was a toss up between a few people, but in the end we can only pick one.
This month’s winner is OneNedKelly. The 2nd most active member on the board, posts sensibly, and is eager to take part in the discussions without getting too personal. Oh, and I suppose he’s rather entertaining too
So congratulations ONK. Interview
Time for the member interview. Want to know a little bit more about Red Yank? Well don’t stop reading.
Real name: Jorge Boada
Where are you from: New York City, USA
Who is your biggest inspiration: My daughter and my girlfriend; they just inspire me to enjoy life in a brand new way.
What would you like to be better at: Football. My dad tried teaching me when I was young but I was total rubbish, and I haven't gotten much better with age. Despite my lack of talent I will still introduce my daughter to the sport...then get her a real coach! I'd like to be a better ninja too...
If you could ask anyone, living or dead, a question, who and what would it be? I'd ask my dad (passed away in 95) what he thought about Ecuador's performance in this year's World Cup (if you haven't guessed my dad was Ecuadorian).
What is your all time favourite film? The Lord of the Rings trilogy, by far the best trilogy to date. Ok I'm a big geek...
If you won the lottery, how would you spend it? I'd buy season tickets at OT, buy a home in the area then spend the rest of it on my family...not to mention lots of travelling!
One job in the world, what would it be? To be a paid traveller on one of those travel TV shows. Don't care for being on TV but it would be worth it just to travel the world and provide a perspective on different places.
;D
What’s your biggest ambition in life? To be a great father to my daughter and to make an honest woman out of my girlfriend! Though this "living in sin" business is kind of fun just to get a rise out of her grandparents.
What’s your greatest ever achievement? Letting go of everything that prevented me from enjoying life.
What’s your biggest regret? Not going to the Ireland v Italy match in the 1994 World Cup. A friend of mine got his hands on two tickets and I passed it up to go on a road trip with a former girlfriend who I argued with most of that trip.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? I'd love to be in San Francisco, an owner of a bike shop, and enjoying the beautiful California weather with my family.
Who do you hate most: City/Liverpool/Leeds/Arsenal/OtherWell hate's a strong word..lol...but if there's one team that gets under my skin it's got to be the Gooners! I mean, do they really think they're better than United? #furious#
Anything else you want to tell us? I like Lucozade, so if anyone wants to send me a case let me know.
Article
This month’s article is written by Rewdie. At just 18 years old he’s offered up his two pence worth, so good on him for doing that.
The Beautiful Game
From the beginning of “The Football League” right up to the present day, football has not just been a sport, but for some people it has become a way of life. For a sport to captivate people, in the way football has for such an amount of time, it must evolve, and there is no sport that has gone through such an extreme change as football. Through time there has been a change in the way it’s played, who it is played by, and reason for playing. For example, once upon time, England played a 1-1-8 or a 1-2-7 formation.
Over the years the competition has been stepped up, with people not only playing for the fun of playing, but then pride, honours and money. Coaches evolved the game into a tactical war, with each country taking on its own form of football. In football of the last century people have added more and more elements to the game, such as ‘total football’ which was laid down by Jack Reynolds, manager of Ajax Amsterdam. This philosophy is still used in today’s game by teams such as Barcelona, Netherlands and West Germany adopting the style. More formations were introduced and now every club has their own tactics, style of play, even players who make up who the squad are, a far superior game tactically to that of the 1900’s. It is not only tactics that have been changed in the modern game, but rules and regulations, for example, the Bosman rule
Footballers became heroes, household names and fans would chant their favourite players name around their stadium with pride, football began to inspire people. Children would watch their heroes play in awe. If you ask anyone who grew up in the 1950’s no doubt you will hear names such as Jack Rowley, Denis Law, Tom Finney and a host of other names, all still remembered with that child hood admiration. This hasn’t changed, children still play with a ball in the street and pretend to be Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer or David Beckham.
One of the biggest changes to occur is the money. The modern game is driven by money and players don’t always play because of the passion they have for a club and the fans, but will play for whoever is willing to pay the most money. Most big teams are made up of players who don’t come from the local area, but of players who have just joined the highest bidder. The scale of money use has risen, especially in the last 10 years. In 1902 Alf Common transferred from Sheffield United to Sunderland, for a world record fee of £520, by 1928, David Jack transferred to Arsenal, from Bolton Wonderers for a then world record and first ever five figure fee of £10,890. Trevor Francis became the first ever million pound player when he left Birmingham City for Nottingham Forest in 1979. In July 2002 Rio Ferdinand became the most expensive player prior to that date, in football history as he moved to Manchester United from Leeds for £29.1m.
With so much money pushed into the game, the expectancy of fans has risen, it has become more than just watching your local team, but having a supreme desire for your team to succeed in every area. For some, their team can never fulfil their expectations, for others, they just enjoy watching more heroes make dreams come true on a Saturday afternoon. Pressure has mounted as competitions have been introduced like ‘The World Cup’ and ‘The Champions League”, with so many competitions and teams battling not only for the pride of winning but for the money and fame that comes with success. Some older fans may say that football has been ruined. Players like George Best, Bobby Charlton, Pele and Maradona are all legends and some of the greatest players to grace the game, but were paid then a fraction of the wages some players receive today. Players would play in the league on a Saturday, they would be adored and idolised, yet be a postman or a milkman, earning 8 pounds a week from playing football.
Some people may argue the passion has gone from the game, but I believe football is as beautiful as it has ever been, from Ronaldinho creating deafening roars from the crowd, with a flick of his foot, to Steven Gerrard silencing the crowd with a 30 yard volley, we watch as our heroes allow us to dream, as children and adults alike have done for longer than we remember. Football is beautiful for the shake you get when you are truly inspired, from the nerves we have in that big game, to the sheer thrill of that victory. From the beaches in Rio De Janeiro, to the streets of New York and the parks in London, children still use jumpers for goal posts, still play in alleys and roads with their friends. Whilst the game has changed and evolved and will no doubt change further, the beauty remains and always will remain in Football, “The Beautiful Game.”
Match of the Month
The World Cup’s over, the season has yet to begin… which leaves us with the pre-season games to pick our match of the month. This month’s write up is by Karlgr.
When it comes to match of the month in terms of importance and entertainment, only one sticks out, the first South Africa pre-season match against the Orlando Pirates. The match ended with a spectacular 4-0 display from the Reds as some senior players such as Ole and Scholes returned to action after lengthy injuries spoiling last season.
Scholes, Rossi, Giggs and Ole gave United the perfect start to the match. In just under 5 minutes, Scholes hit a sublime 60-yard ball to Rossi who poked it to Giggs. In turn, Giggs placed it in Solskjaer’s path, who shot a typical finish from the Norwegian in emphatic fashion. Oles last goal was in the Champions League of 2003.
After some slack defending from the Orlando Pirates, Ole battled for the ball in the Pirates penalty area and won the ball and placed it into the net to give him his second goal and prove he's still a good player. The score remained the same throughout the first half as United dominated and rarely looked threatened as United's defence stood strong.
It was then the goalkeeper of United, Ben Foster, who saved comfortably from a free-kick and rarely looked to be troubled in the whole match.
As David Jones came on just after half-time, refused to be beater as he battled away and passed to Richardson who then blasted the ball into the top corner of the net giving the keeper no chance.
Dong, who also came on in the second-half, dribbled on the wing to slide in a cross which eventually ended up at Seema's feet who lashed the ball at his unlucky team-mates head, Chansa, which resulted in the back of his own net.
United dominated the game as their first pre-season game was a massive success giving youngsters a run out while getting players fit and ready for the new and up coming season. United fans should be delighted by the determination of the legend, Ole, who scored two goals and looks to be getting back to full fitness and hopefully play a part in the new season.
Teams:
United:
First XI: Foster, Bardsley, Brown, O'Shea, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs, Richardson, Solskjaer, Rossi.
Subs: Steele, Simpson, Miller, Gibson, Dong, Evans, David Jones, Eagles.
Orlando Pirates:
First XI: Chansa, Mabe, Seema, Mdledle, Malinga, Okonkwo, Chansa, Makhanya, Arendse, Mbele, Mahlangu.
Subs: Phali, Lekgwathi, Mokoena, Leremi, Chabalala, Mamamela, Siveko, Chabalala
Player of the Month
This month’s write up is by Miss United
How do you pick one player of the month from four matches at the start of the pre season? It would be easy to pick Solskjaer for those two stunners he scored against Orlando Pirates. Or Scholes for seeing him play football again, by the way he and Giggs work together, or maybe by those two goals he scored against Celtic. Fans of Rossi could probably even argue it could be him, for doing everything but scoring. It is easy to get the glory or the man of the match tag and what have you when you are a midfielder or a striker, but rarely is the same amount of credit handed out to a defender, and even rarer so to a goalkeeper.
Although as tempted as I was to pick Scholes after that second goal against Celtic, I wanted to give credit to a player who has shown major maturity and confidence in his performances for United both in South Africa and then at Parkhead. Although he was not bombarded with shots at any of the matches, Ben Foster looked immensely secure between the posts, feeling comfortable in the limelight of a first team performance. People will argue that he didn’t have to make a lot of saves, and he was nowhere near tested as much as he will be once he is playing regular football against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea. However he dealt with what was thrown at him, and that is all we can ask of him.
Since joining Manchester United from Stoke City in July of 2005, for whom he never had a first team performance, Foster went on loan to then championship side Watford. Here he played a major part in the club once again setting foot in the top league. It remains to be seen if he will return to Vicarage Road for a second spell. By playing regularly in the Premiership he would face some of the best strikers in Europe. As the firstly assumed signing of West Bromwich Albion’s Polish international Tomasz Kuszczak seems to have fallen through, Sir Alex has mentioned that he would be willing to keep Foster at Old Trafford as back up for Van der Sar. Personally I think that Foster could learn a lot from Van der Sar, however the question is would he learn more from playing regular first team football. At Watford he would be fighting for the first team spot, and facing Premiership opposition on a weekly base. At United he would play for the first team in the absence of Van der Sar or cup matches against less prestigious sides. As it stands we do not yet know where Ben will be playing the upcoming season. However whatever happens I hope it will help his development in such a way that in the future we will not only see him in the number one shirt at United, but playing with the same number on his back for England, as Sir Alex has predicted.
Website of the Month
This month’s write up is by 7even
''Why have one site, when you can have a few? Enjoy!''
www.whatson.com – A site full of radio stations to listen to, including Kiss, Magic, Kerrang, Heat, Smash hits, Q, Mojo, as well stations such as, Hallam, Key103, Metro, Aire, Rock FM, TFM and Viking. Songs played throughout the day and night.
www.ebaumsworld.com – Probably the greatest time passing site out there. With a range of entertainment such as pictures, games, videos, IM pranks, stand up comedy, flash animation, soundboards, prank calls, jokes, illusions, magic and much more, there is something for everyone.
www.amusingfacts.com – Fact o’ mania. Like your facts? Then pick a category and start reading, there are more than enough to keep you occupied.
www.apple.com/trailers/ - A brilliant website which uploads clear quality film trailers.
www.joblo.com/ - A website full of film reviews, trailers, wallpapers, scripts, film talk, release dates, upcoming films and much more. If you’re in to your film stuff, then is should be your thing.
www.download.com – This is a great little site. It does exactly what it says in the URL. Search for what you want (within reason) or choose a category, then download it, quick, easy and free.
I hope you enjoyed the third edition of The Paper. Any comments about it please leave in the comments thread on this board
Editor: Scott
