African Nations Cup

Hi!

Enjoyed this year's Cup of Nations despite the off-field incidents. Final review below and my thoughts on the tournament in general to come soon.

Mark A.

Super-sub Mohamed Gedo’s late strike sealed a third consecutive African Cup of Nations for Egypt- the first time any nation has done so.
Ghana’s young side battled valiantly and although offering little in attack they matched the holders for large periods.
But Gedo, who finishes as the tournaments top scorer, came on and played a one-two with Mohamed Zidan before finishing clinically to seal the trophy for the Pharaohs.
It’s the first time any of the African sides have won three competitions in a row, and means the trophy will stay in Cairo.
Egypt were made to work for their seventh Nations Cup by Ghana, as Eric Addo almost snatched a lifeline with nearly the last kick of the game but the ball wouldn’t fall in the box for the substitute.
Asamoah Gyan was Ghana’s main outlet and he hit two long range efforts over and came close with a curling effort from the edge of the box in the second half.
A largely eventless first half saw Kwadwo Asamoah shoot straight at Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary from 25 yards.
Ahmed Hassan went closest for the holders in the first period but failed to test Richard Kingston in the Ghana goal- the ‘keeper having shown signs of several injuries and allowing his defender to take his goal kicks.
And customarily in this year’s tournament there were several cards dished out- not least to Ghana’s Aygemang Opoku, who was lucky to escape with only booking for a two-footed challenge on Ahmed El-Mohamady.
But as time ticked on Egypt held on despite waves of late Ghana pressure and the joy shown by Gedo’s goal celebrations continuing long into the future as the failure to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa is buried by yet another tournament win.

Clash of the south coast titans

Hi!

Today's piece is on the big south coast derby FA Cup game on February 13th, and my concerns over fans behaviour at the game.

Mark A.

South Coast rivals Southampton and Portsmouth have been drawn together in the pick of the FA Cup Fifth Round draw ties.
Though this may seem good news to the neutral, the football will undoubtedly be secondary news to what happens in the stands and around the ground.
The rivalry between these two clubs has so much attached to it, and it does not apply only to football.
The two cities compete for pride in everything from major shopping centres, to which is named as the south central point on the weather maps.
The rivalry is said to have started when both cities were major ports, Southampton’s trading and Portsmouth’s navy.
But this maritime theme lead to the terms ‘scum’ being branded predominantly by Portsmouth fans but occasionally mirrored by their rivals.
However it began the rivalry that fills the 17 miles between the cities is not to be underestimated- as has been shown in recent years.
Only three arrests were made when Southampton ran out 3-0 winners in 2003, this trebled the following year when a BBC cameraman and two police dogs were also injured and in the resulting days dozens more were arrested, then at Fratton Park in 2005 four hundred police offers were needed to keep the peace, making five arrests.
And this year’s meeting between the sides has seen so much change since then. The 4-1 defeat for Southampton last time the sides met contributed to the club’s relegation from the Premier League, something the club is only beginning to recover from.
Harry Redknapp has also come and gone from both clubs, neither Rupert Lowe nor Milan Mandaric own Saints or Pompey respectively anymore and it is Portsmouth who seem set to slip out of the top flight.
Blues fans already have a sense of red mist descending as they protest against their own owners and everyday there seems to be a new piece of bad news.
All of which background and context means this will be the hottest atmosphere the south coast derby has ever seen- there may well be trouble ahead.
Southampton police commander Chief Superintendant Matthew Greening said this week: “We will be delivering a top class police operation to help both clubs and both cities provide a safe and professional event in Southampton that everyone can be proud of and enjoy.”
But no matter how much of the police are detailed to St Mary’s Stadium on February 13th, there will be red on show on the south coast, and not because of Valentine’s.
Of course- I challenge both sets of fans to prove me wrong.

Football stories published!

Hi!

Two more stories published today, FinalWhistle.vg have featured the England column published on the blog previously and a match report from tonight's Carling Cup Manchester derby is now live on the Daily Herald!

Final Whistle
Global Herald

Mark A.

2010!!!

Hi!

A belated merry christmas and happy new year to all! To kick the year off here's my review of Sherlock Holmes!!

Enjoy!

Mark A.

When re-inventing a franchise there are often eyebrow-raising choices made - and the latest incarnation of Sherlock Holmes is no different.
Amongst its cast and director’s back catalogues are Iron Man, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Wedding Crashers, Alfie, Body of Lies and Hancock.
And yet this eclectic mixture of talent comes together for a thoroughly enjoyable piece of cinema - superbly casted and well written.
The story follows Holmes and his accomplice Dr. John Watson, played superbly by Robert Downey Jnr. and Jude Law respectively, as they follow several murders committed by a mysterious and brilliantly creepy Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood.
The story pits Holmes’ methodical and logical detective work against the seemingly supernatural Blackwood, who escapes capture by Holmes and even death before using his dark arts to plot against a higher power.
The detective duo’s partnership works beautifully without edging towards stereotype or cliché, Downey Jnr. has said of playing Holmes that he likes the ‘weirdo’ in him, and that is conveyed in several scenes, no less when he plays the violin to co-ordinate a gang of flies.
These quirky moments are joined with pieces of humour and subtlety not necessarily seen in Ritchie’s films before, but are joined by some more familiar action sequences though these are well thought out and allow us to see inside Holmes’ brilliant mind.
The action slows and we are given a voiceover by Holmes’ that spells out his plan of attack, each stage is carried out, time rewinds back to the point of the narration beginning, and we see his plan carried out in full flow.
The device is clever and adds to the fight sequences detail that otherwise might overwhelm, along with the sprinkle of Holmes’ catchphrases and the few touches that make England in Holmes’ time so recognisable, the setting of the film is just right.
The story itself feels very Holmes, with nearly all of the revealing towards the film’s climax, and there is no Columbo reveal for the audience at the beginning so the viewer travels with Holmes and Watson as they unravel this seemingly unearthly villain to the summit of his megalomaniac scheme.
Guy Ritchie mentioned Batman Begins whilst making this film, in relation to how a franchise reboot should be, and although Holmes may not be as deep and dramatic as the Christopher Nolan work, this movie is on parity in terms of humour, performances and enjoyment.