ult to leave a legacy in three or four years.Changing | Forum
love520
Feb 23 '18
LONDON -- For English football, it has long seemed unthinkable: a league season starting without the finger-jabbing, combative colossus of management on the touchlines. J.J. Wilcox Jersey . Alex Ferguson will be a bystander for the first time since 1986, watching from afar as Manchester United starts its pursuit of a record-extending 21st English title. David Moyes now carries that responsibility. Widely admired during 11 years at Everton despite failing to collect a major honour, Moyes was hand-picked by Ferguson in the biggest decision -- gamble, perhaps -- taken by the owning Glazer family. "People are asking whether we can win the trophy again. Can we still be champions?" captain Nemanja Vidic acknowledged. Although he openly flirted with United in the months before Fergusons retirement was publicly disclosed, Jose Mourinho -- one of the most talented but temperamental managers of his generation -- wasnt approached for the job. The charismatic Portuguese is back in the Premier League, though, after six years collecting trophies with Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Claiming to have mellowed since leaving Chelsea after a fall-out, Mourinho is widely expected to return to his combustible self once the season begins and produce the touchline tantrums Ferguson can no longer provide. Just a week into the season, the 50-year-old managers will get a chance to size each other up in a match that could set the tone for the opening weeks, with United hosting Chelsea. "That game will not decide who is going to be champions," Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic said. "But it will decide a lot of things about the confidence." By then, the Blues may have gained an edge by having played an extra game. United will only have played once -- its title defence begins Saturday at Swansea, following last weekends 2-0 win over Wigan in the Community Shield. Ill-feeling between the sides has been inflamed by Chelseas hostile pursuit of United striker Wayne Rooney. Mourinho insists hes not engaging in "mind games" with Moyes, but has still offered a few pointed words of advice. "One of the most difficult things in the club is to create a victory culture, where you walk through the door and you smell the success, you smell confidence, you smell self-esteem," said Mourinho, who has won league titles in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal. "David is in a big club and that is a big help -- everybody knows how to win. Of course, it is up to him now." And he knows just how daunting the task is. "There has to be an element of fear that comes with managing a club like Manchester United," Moyes said. With the spotlight on Mourinho and Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini has been able to make a quiet start to his first job in English management. The 59-year-old Chilean left Malaga for Manchester City after Roberto Mancini was fired for failing to follow up the 2011-12 Premier League title with a single trophy last season, finishing 11 points behind United in second. Talk of dressing room disharmony has melted away as Pellegrini started to re-shape the squad, spending more than $130 million on strikers Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo, midfielder Fernandinho and winger Jesus Navas. Such a lavish outlay was easily affordable for the oil-rich Abu Dhabi ownership, but the spending could pose a challenge in complying with UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations, a requirement of playing in the Champions League. By contrast, United failed in its pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, and even more ambitious thoughts of bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford from Madrid. Chelsea might have missed out on Rooney, but around $40 million has still been spent on signing striker Andre Schuerrle and midfielder Marco van Ginkel. As for Arsenal, which finished behind Chelsea in fourth, not a penny has been spent. Thats despite chief executive Ivan Gazidis raising the hopes of fans in June by pledging to "escalate" spending. Moves to entice Luis Suarez from Liverpool for more than $60 million have been rebuffed by Liverpool, which is insisting that the Uruguay striker honour his contract after the club backed him through racism and biting controversies. The Gunners have seen north London rival Tottenham invest $65 million in the squad, although manager Andre Villa-Boas could still be faced with losing arguably the leagues most potent player in Gareth Bale before the transfer window closes Sept. 2. Real Madrids pursuit of the Wales forward threatens to destabilize Tottenham in the opening weeks of the season unless quickly resolved. Bale would be leaving a Premier League that will feature two Welsh teams for the first time after Cardiff gained promotion to join Swansea, which will find it hard to repeat last seasons 11th-place finish and League Cup success. The Cardiff-Swansea derby is shaping up to be one of the fieriest fixtures of the season. The manager to watch out for, though, will be Paolo Di Canio, the confrontational and divisive Italian who succeeded in keeping Sunderland in the top flight after being hired in the closing stages of the season. Sunderland is one of the six Premier League clubs under American ownership. Alongside Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa, Fulham is the latest, with Shad Khan buying out Mohamed Al Fayed last month. The attraction of teams to foreign businessmen is underscored by the new riches being injected into the Premier League, notably from the United States, where NBC has captured the TV rights and covered New York subway trains with its advertising. New rights TV deals will generate around $8.5 billion over the next three years, with a record share of $90 million per season guaranteed for even the bottom team -- and it is newcomers Crystal Palace, Cardiff and Hull who are tipped to go straight back down. Another landmark, highlighting the global allure, will be when Southamptons Victor Wanyama becomes the first player in the Premier League from Kenya, making the African nation the 100th country from outside Britain to be represented in a game. Yet for all the new arrivals and the dramas that unfold in the 20 grounds in the coming months, the absence of one man is still likely to be felt most. Moyes job is to ensure United fans dont hanker after the 71-year-old Ferguson and plead for his return. "It has to be a new era," Moyes said. "My job now is to make my history ... make sure now that my history and my time is something which the fans and people in the future talk about." Dermontti Dawson Jersey .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Louis Lipps Jersey . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). http:///...-mike-webster-jersey . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. LONDON -- He may have just been officially crowned world No. 1 for the first time in his career but it was business as usual for Andy Murray.I dont feel any different this week than I did the week before when I get up in the morning and stuff, he said at a news conference ahead of the World Tour Finals.Maybe when you step on court, you have a little more confidence, feel a little better about yourself when youre hitting balls and getting ready for the tournament.He spoke to his coach, Ivan Lendl, on the phone Saturday night in Paris, after Milos Raonics withdrawal from their semifinal confirmed he would finally overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings.[Lendl] congratulated me on getting to No. 1, said Murray.We started talking about the final the next day, what we were gonna do to prepare for this event. We didnt chat too long about the last few months. He had watched quite a few of my matches but when we got here it was back to work.There are things to improve and get better at. I like that. Its good. I dont need to be discussing the last few months -- I need to keep getting better. Thats what Ive always done when weve been working together.That determination to keep striving for the top is what drove Murray on to wipe out a deficit of more than 8,000 points and overhaul Djokovic at th etop of the rankings.It was another golden moment in a career which has seen him win the US Open, two Wimbledon titles, two Olympic gold medals and the Davis Cup.But the Scots achievements over the past five years have posed an uncomfortable question to British tennis -- where is the next Andy Murray coming from?When Im done playing, and my brother [Jamie] is finished playing, I hope that its good and its positive and that British tennis is in a better place than when we started, he said, before warning: I dont know if thats the case just now.Murray has previously hailed Kyle Edmund as the future of the mens game in Britain, and the 21-year-old reached a career-high ranking of 40 in October.Daniel Evans, 26, has also improved this year, reaching a career-high No. 53, and held match point against eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in the US Open third round.In the womens game, Johanna Konta has continued her steady progress and narrowly missed out on a place at the season-ending WTA finals in Singapore.But it is the apparent absence of a next generation -- and a seeming lack of knowledge of how to create one -- that is worrying for British tennis.I dont think you can create world No. 1s, said Murray. Its a really hard thing to achieve. Even with the best plans and structure in place, you dont guarantee youll get someone to win a Grand Slam or get to No. 1.Murrayy would certainly know, given the personal sacrifices he made to get to the top of the game. Lynn Swann Jersey. He left his family behind in Britain to train in Spain at the age of 15, where he says he went from practising four hours a week to more than that amount every day.He has kept that work ethic his whole career, and it finally drove him to top spot in the rankings at the age of 29 -- he is the oldest first-time No. 1 since John Newcombe (30) in 1974.Its not just about me. A lot of people involved in British tennis are responsible, said Murray, when asked about the legacy he will leave behind.Having consistent leadership and a consistent, clear plan for longer than three or four years at a time would certainly help. Since Ive been old enough to understand, thats whats happened -- there have always been new people coming after a few years, and change from whats been happening.Michael Downey joined the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) as chief executive in January 2014, succeeding Roger Draper in the role, who in turn had replaced John Crowther in 2006.There has been upheaval in other positions too, during Murrays professional career, with David Felgate sacked from his post as performance director in 2006, and his successor Jeremy Bates leaving the role less than a year later.Most recently, Bob Brett was appointed to the position in early 2014 but resigned in July 2015.You never find out whether somethings working or not, Murray continued Friday. It takes longer than a few years to change a system. Hopefully we can get some continuity. That would help.Change happens all the time, every few years. Whoever is leading, they leave, someone else comes in and does something completely different. Its difficult to leave a legacy in three or four years.Changing so often is not good. Its counterproductive. I just hope that whatever structures are in place just now are positive, that they work.Downey was on the receiving end of criticism from Murray and the Scots Davis Cup teammates last December after they ended Britains 79-year wait for the title; Murray had said he didnt want to waste my time talking to the LTA about the state of British tennis.The LTA have also previously been criticised for failing to capitalise on Murrays first Wimbledon triumph in 2013, with participation falling in the months following.Downey had also come under fire for closing down the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Roehampton, London, as an elite training base, with the best British players below the ATP and WTA Tour level now based at leading local centres. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
Share:
