Everton’s ambition of moving to a new stadium in Kirkby appears to be over after the government rejects a planned 400m development…. From BBC News. Full story

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A public groundbreaking ceremony was held last weekend on November 21^st to celebrate the beginning of UNT’s new energy efficient football stadium complex being built.  The stadium is going to be a multi-purpose facility with a capacity of 30,000.  It will also be the nation’s very first college venue to be Gold LEED-certified, one of the highest levels of sustainable achievement.  The stadium will be open for the 2011 football season.

Oklahoma Sooners Stadium Seat Review

Feature

• Made of double layer nylon material
• Logos featured on front and back
• Back angle is adjustable using side straps
• Strap on bottom fastens stadium seat to the bleachers

Overview
Whether sitting in the front row or in the nosebleed section, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice comfort! This adjustable stadium seat is sure to make your seat the best one in the house! Team logo silk screened on both the front and back of the seat Strap under the seat to fasten to bleachers

Nov 25, 2009 11:03:08

Greenbay fans would probably say their NFL rival has already changed color with the acquisition of former Packer quarterback, Brett Favre. But the green I’m thinking of is much more “sustainable” than the color of a jersey, and it would mean sacrificing some of that “purple pride”.

Before I go any further, let me qualify this is not coming from some girl who hates sports. I followed Cedar Falls High school’s basketball team to state my senior year by paying my own bus fare. I made a poster (as only a radical fan would) for Morningside College’s basketball team when they went to the Final IV (Div II) and made the trip to Springfield, MO. I won a national contest to see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play his final game in the NBA by answering eighty “trivia” questions about him. And when I moved back to the midwest from Atlanta, Minneapolis was considered worthy in part, because they had three professional sport franchises (it was before the Wild).

I was caught up in the Twins pennant race at the end of the summer. I think it’s ironic (and cool) a former Laker is now coaching the Timberwolves. And like the rest of the city, I’m thrilled the Vikings national attention this year is for their plays on the field (not off).

But the field is what I really want to talk about. The Gophers recently debuted their new TCF Stadium. Spring can’t come quick enough for the Twins who are just itching to throw that first pitch outdoors at Target Field. Then there’s the Vikings. Poor Vikings. Playing at the shameful Metro Dome. Between the team and owner Zygi Wilf you’d think the place should already be sporting those bright orange condemned stickers.

Don’t get me wrong. I get they’d like to keep up with the other local teams, the other NFL teams and professional sports in general, by building a brand new, state of the art stadium. Kind of reminds me when I lived in my old neighborhood. Even though we had beautiful new custom-built homes, we often found them lacking when someone else built something bigger, fancier or with better features. That neighborhood is nearly two decades old, and while the homeowners can now justify the need to remodel and upgrade here and there, it would be ludicrous to think they all needed to move out because those homes are no longer livable.

I’ve always tried not to be too indulgent with my girls. As a single mom, financially I’m unable to give them what I once could. But for the most part, they (should) basically want for nothing, because they really do have so very much.

I think the Vikings (and everyone else) could take a lesson from my (16 year-old) daughter. Last year when I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, the file she attached to an email was three pages long and had everything on it from magazine subscriptions to a Mini Cooper and was entitled, “My Greedy Little Wish List”.

Trust me, had all the desired loot found its way under the tree, she would’ve been in heaven and I doubt it would enter her mind to wonder who paid for it all (she is a teenager, after all). But the fact she knew these things were a “greedy little wish list” tells me I’ve done at least one thing right as a parent.

So what does all this have to do with the Vikings wanting a new stadium? I know it’s the American way to want, want, want and then want more. Keep up with the Joneses (Gophers, Twins and Los Angeles). Bigger, better, newer, flashier. In fact the Vikings are just one of six NFL teams planning on a new stadium.

I’ve only been to one Twins game in the last couple years. Never seen the Vikings play live. Maybe catch the Timberwolves once a season. As much as I enjoy watching, seeing the local teams play live is a luxury not many can afford to do on a regular basis. I’m a fan of sports in general and can be found yelling at the television many times all year long during the various sport seasons.

Unless the Metro Dome (and all the other stadiums around the country) is a safety hazard, I think it’s high time we quit looking at these multi-million dollar sports complexes as “throw-away” just because it’s not “new” enough. Never mind the economy has been in the tank for over a year, and people are going without healthcare (and food, and shelter and…). Not only are we a wasteful society, we also have a tendency to live beyond our means.

With all the corporate layoffs, what company can justify the expenditure of an even pricier box at a new stadium? The so-called run down and inferior locker rooms would be something many former pro athletes can only wish would’ve been available to their generation. Taxpayers can’t afford single tickets to the games played in the current stadiums, let alone an increase in taxes to pay for a new one. Whether it’s foreclosed mortgages or the on-going deficit of the government, we seem to want it all and we want it right now, even though we don’t know how it’s going to be paid for.

Back to the Vikings going green (I know, it’s about time, huh?)! I cannot believe there are no architects and experts that could take the Metro Dome and “sustainably” rehabilitate it. Shame on anyone (especially Zygi, with his degree in economics) who thinks in this economy we should be spending millions on something this frivolous when there are so many who go without so much.

Film the process (HGTV meets Extreme Makeover) and charge the advertisers Super Bowl rates. Okay, I digress, but I’m just trying to point out there are viable solutions that are more responsible, all the way around. Done right, the team could take pride on the field, off the field and because of the field. Hmmm…

• 600 Oakland Drive
• Kalamazoo, MI 49008
• (269) 387-8092
• Website

As wierd as it may seem, before tonight, I had only been to one college football game as a spectator.  I’ve been to dozens of games, but in the past, I’ve always been working.  My first game as a spectator was earlier this year when J bought me tickets to see a game at Michigan Stadium.  I’ve seen games in seven of the eleven Big Ten football stadiums, but Michigan Stadium is the one that always seems to elude me.  Instead of waiting and hoping for a phone call to work, J bought a couple tickets to a game while it was still warm out.

Game number two came as a complete surprise.  The Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce was giving away four tickets to Senior Night through a Twitter contest.  I was the first one to reply with the right answer and the next day, I picked up the tickets. 

Waldo Stadium is on Stadium Drive at Michigan Avenue on the campus of Western Michigan University.  One of the first things I noticed about the stadium was parking.  It seemed almost non-existent.  I love that it’s a campus stadium and most students could probably walk to it, but for those of us that have to drive to the game, it really sucks.  The athletic department’s official website encourages you to park at Lawson Ice Arena and take a shuttle back to the stadium.  I’d prefer to be able to walk to and from my car, but whatever.  We really couldn’t even find a lot and there were no signs pointing us towards parking.  I ended up in a neighborhood about a block away.  I must have gotten lucky because I found street parking.  It was a quick ten minute walk back to the stadium, but it saved us the five or ten dollars it would have cost us to park in a university lot. 

The stadium itself was built in 1939 and was most recently renovated in 2003.  That renovation enclosed the east end of the stadium with the Donald J. Seelye Athletic Center.   On the other side of the field, a video board was installed.  The first game in Waldo Stadium was a 6-0 win over Miami University.  The name comes from Dwight B. Waldo who was elected the first president of Western Michigan University in 1904.

We entered on the southwest side of the stadium.  From Stadium Drive, you enter at field level then walk up.  The concession stands and bathrooms are under the bleachers on this side of the stadium.  On the other side, the concession stands and bathrooms are at the top.  The bleachers on the east side of the stadium are built into a hill, so there’s no cutout underneath.   There are also stands in both end zones.  The northeast end zone has stands at field level then suites which are built into the Seelye Athletic Building.  The southwest end zone has portable bleachers that go up pretty high.

Our seats were on the southeast side of the stadium, but first, we wanted to get something to eat.  We decided just to eat at the stadium which is something we almost never do.  We went looking for the concession stand right away and found the one underneath the northwest stands.  They didn’t have a lot of options.  Slices of pepperoni pizza were the cheapest food stuff on the menu at $4.  They also had hot dogs and some kind of BBQ sandwich.  We found out later the other side had grilled hamburgers, but they weren’t available at the concession stand we were at. 

We both got a slice of pizza then got a bucket of popcorn to split.  To wash it all down, we got a Coke and a Diet Coke.  The grand total was $18.  J didn’t bring a purse because we’ve had trouble at football games in the past with bringing bags in…including small purses.  I only had $20 cash on me and it didn’t look like the concession stand took credit.  They were working out of a cash drawer underneath the counter.  There were no POS machines or anything that looked like they would take a credit card. 

After getting our food, we headed to our seats on the other side of the field.  Everything seemed a little backwards to me.  The press box was on the southeast side of the field.  At most stadiums, the home team is on the same side as the press box.  Not at Waldo Stadium.  That was the visitors side.  The other interesting thing to me is that the band was on the home team side of the stands.  Again, it’s somewhat common to put the band either on the visitors side or in the end zone closer to the visitors side.  The idea is that the music makes it harder for the team to communicate.  At Waldo, the band is on the fifty yard line behind the Broncos right above the rowdy student section.

Our seats were about 25 rows on the visitors side of the field right on the goal line.  We were both surprised at how close we felt to the action.  At some bigger stadiums, you feel a mile away.  That was not the case.  The game almost had the feel of a high school football game to me.  Don’t take that as a slam….I love high school football.  The atmosphere seemed more family friendly and it was more comfortable than at the bigger stadiums.  The game wasn’t a sell out and we didn’t have anyone really sitting around us, so of course that helped, but there were other things too. 

Right above us on the concourse was another concession stand.  Right outside they were grilling hamburgers.  You could see and smell the smoke from our seats.  There was also a hill right next to the stands where it seems like every pre-teen boy (and a few girls) was playing football….uphill.  It really reminded me of my own childhood at high school football games on Friday night.  My brother, our friends, and I never watched the game but we had to go to every home game.  It was a night we could play football with our friends from the other two towns in our school district.

The game itself was pretty good, but unfortunately, J and I are fair weather fans…and by fair weather fans, I mean we only stayed while the weather was fair.  We could tell it was getting ready to rain pretty hard, so we bailed about midway through the third quarter.  By the time we got home and turned on ESPN2, WMU was making a comeback.  I must be a bad luck charm or something because I keep hearing so much about Tim Hiller but both games I’ve seen this year, he hasn’t looked very good.  WMU had five turnovers tonight.  Four were interceptions, the other was a Hiller fumble. 

All in all, we had a great time.  J was actually kind of sad when I said we should go to avoid the rain.  I only expected to stay until about halftime because she has to be at work pretty early and needed to get to bed, but at halftime, she said she wanted to stay.  It was a really nice night before the rain and the football was pretty exciting.  Other than the parking situation,  Waldo Stadium is a really great football facility from a fans point of view.  There’s not really a bad seat in the house, so you won’t have much to complain about. 

View from the Southwest Corner

Concession Stand under the Northwest Grandstand

Slice of Pepperoni Pizza

Bucket of Popcorn

View from our seats in the Souteast corner of the Stadium

Das erste Foto wurde am 21.11.2009 aufgenommen und das zweite 3 Tage später am 24.11.2009. Man sieht schon einen deutlichen Wachstumsfortschritt.

Vuoi 3000 coins ogni volta che scommetti a prescindere dalla vincita? Segui i passi:

1) Apri Cheat Engine 5.5    
2) Apri Pet Society (link)
3) Vai in Stadium
4) Scommessa e seleziona l’ultimo giocatore
5) Trova il browser che stai usando (consiglio Mozilla Firefox)
6) Inserisci questo codice : 00002843C7E85D8B dopo aver spuntato HEX
7) Selezionate 8 bytes in value type
8 ) Selezionate Also Scan Read-Only Memory
9) Cliccate su First Scan -> Troverai un solo indirizzo
10) Cliccaci su con il tasto destro del mouse e seleziona Dissamble this region
11) Doppio click sul primo indirizzo selezionato della nuova schermata
12) Copiate l’indirizzo e incollatelo nello modulo di Patiniox chiamato ‘PS Carreracoin Hack’
13) Nel menu a discesa cliccate 3000 coins ( nel sito di Patiniox)
14) Ora cliccate su Enviar -> Selezionate tutto il codice prodotto -> Copiatelo
15) Riandate in Cheat Engine e cliccate su Tools -> Autoassemble
16) Copiate il codice prodotto da Patiniox in questo spazio e cliccate Excute
17) Andate in Patiniox e cliccate Pronti prima di iniziare la gara
18) A fine gara avrete i vostri 2000/3000 coins a seconda della vostra scelta

Ringraziamento a Patiniox per la creazione del trucco più che funzionante!

A soccer stadium, my first ever and Im pretty happy with it. Proportions might fail a bit but I think we can live with that. It’s not a gigantic arena made for the biggest teams out there. Still I think it would fit a decent amount of people Will soon start to make a new arena, when i feel I’ve have too much time over since it probably will take some time… Good thing I really love doing this!

Building and images are ©Thomas Stenberg 2009.

After several nervous glances at his face she began to realise that, up close, he was not what she had been hoping for.

Dagenham & Redbridge FC, Victoria Road, Barking and Dagenham, RM10

In fact he was not even half of what she had been day-dreaming about.

Sport Structure

When upcoming archaeologists revision the vestiges of the 21st century, our stadiums maybe of the most, some of the most visited historical sites. Like the Colosseum of Rome, these structures aren’t just spaces of being struggled for the entertainment of the lots; they’re also workings of art. Currently, London’s Wembley Stadium is the most classy arena in the world.

Completing in March 2007, the most dear arena was built on the location of the earliest Wembley pitch, which was also known as the “Home of Football.” Construction on the stadium began in 2003.

Multiplex built it from designs by HOK Sport and Foster and Partners. It seats 90,000 people, making it the makeup with the third highest function in London.
Of course, the most remarkable piece of the new Wembley Stadium is the Wembley Arch, which spans 1040 feet. That arched, in truth, is the best lone span roof formation in the world.

Funding by several organizations—Sport England, Wembley National Stadium Limited, The Football Association, The Department for Culture Media and Sport and The London Development Agency—the world’s most costly stadium charge over $1.5 billion to develop. Afterwards, it was handed over to The Football Association and has hosted not only football but also musicians like George Michael, Madonna, Metallica, Muse and the Foo Fighters. This wonder structure is the most expensive stadium in the world.

November 22, 2009

Today I woke up to a terrible rushing sound outside of my window. It sounded like a plane flying low and I thought that was pretty strange. I looked out the window and the sound got louder and louder. It sounded like a hurricane but there was no wind. The leaves on the trees didn’t move, my house didn’t shake yet the sound kept getting louder. Then I saw four planes disappearing into the horizon. The sound continued long after they were out of sight. Then it was quiet. They appeared again about ten minutes later. I realized they were fighter jets as they passed overhead. They came from the NorthWest and headed NorthEast I wondered if something was going on in the city. This happened about five or six times and then it stopped. There was nothing on the news so maybe it was just a test flight? I don’t know but it was pretty weird.

I did a quick Google search and found an article from April. Apparently this happened over Jersey City and people panicked and evacuated the office buildings along the Hudson. Turned out it was just a photo shoot. I don’t think that’s what this was. I asked my friend Keith who is a Marine Vet and he said he had no idea.

If anyone from the North Jersey area has any idea what was going on or has any other stories of this event please let me know.

I’m guessing they’ll be an article in the newspaper about this tomorrow.

***Update: I just found a forum discussing this event *apparently* they were doing a flyover over Giants Stadium. They were circling on standby. This makes absolute sense to me because it started around 12PM and ended around 1PM. Also they were headed towards Rutherford which is where the Meadowlands is. Is this a regular event? I’ve never heard of this happening before.

Un video esplicativo che vi illustra la nuovissima modalità Pro Race per chi ha acquistato gli abiti da corsa del Cash Shop!

by Tamoha Siddique

I welcome you to my mind.

I have tightly shut both doors leading to it, locking each door thrice. No one can find us here, so you may relax. Let me show you around…

As you can see, there is nothing much here—just a dimly lit space. No high voltage stadium lights as you might have found in Einstein’s mind—just a few flickers of light here and there. The walls used to be painted bright red, but turned grey gradually. The large bed you see over there—that’s where I spend most of my time. It’s very messy and strewn over with dreams. Sometimes the dreams take so much space I have to sleep on the floor…

You hear that voice? It’s coming from that tape recorder over there.  It never stops. The voice keeps talking, sometimes there are more than one. They drive me crazy…

This, here, is the largest bookshelf in the world, but as you can see, there are no books in it. I plan to fill it up with hard bounds from all over the world. That rack over there in the corner is full of DVDs. Some of the best horror flicks ever. I am the lead actress in all of them…

Do you see that empty photoframe? It contains the picture of the person I love…

Look at this! This is my most favourite doll from my childhood. But someone stole her clothes and painted her face black…

Hey! Watch out! You almost stepped on this caterpillar on the floor. It’s been here for as long as I can remember. I’m hoping it would turn into a butterfly and fly away, but it’s taking too long…

I don’t know if you can see it from here, but there is a tunnel at that dark corner. The tunnel seems to be very deep, but I am too scared to explore it, so I just leave it alone…

And here is the grandest mirror of all times, but it doesn’t work properly. When I stand before it, I only see the background behind me, but no me! It’s as if I am invisible, or as if I don’t exist…

Knock! Knock!

Oh! No! They found us! We have to get out of here right now! I hope you will come see me here some other time! Bye!

There’s no shortage of spots to take beautiful photos around here, but this one was unexpected.  It’s the little courtyard at the entrance to the (relatively) new stadium at Buena High School.

It’s a tough time being a Michigan Wolverines fan right now. A season filled with extreme highs to disappointing lows concluded yesterday with another loss to the hated buckeyes. From the undefeated 4-0 start with last minute wins over Notre Dame and Indiana, to pretty much losing every game for the rest of the season. I can’t believe this is the same team that started out the year. I guess it really isn’t considering we started out with a healthy team, and the team that finished, included a less than 100% freshman qb, 2 senior running backs out, and the best offensive lineman out.

Before this season began, I boldly predicted to my friends and naysayers that the Wolverines are going to be 8-4 this year and at the very worst be at 7 wins and 5 losses. With 4 great performances by a precocious and clutch freshman quarterback, all was thought to be well in Wolverine nation as it watched Tate Forcier be anointed as the one chosen to right the program back to respectability and relevance.  After 4 games I looked like a genius, but after 12,  a damn fool. I guess in hindsight, it is painfully clear that this football team is nowhere near ready to play big time college football. And while a couple of more positive plays during the MSU game and Iowa game may have changed the final record, the same can be said for the results of the Notre Dame and Indiana games. Although the offense is a big improvement with true freshmen qbs Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson at the helm this year, the offense is still very inconsistent in scoring, especially when playing against good defenses.

The defense on the other hand has been a major weakness all year and needs to correct itself as soon as possible. Much respect to Kevin Leach and Jordan Kovacs, but when your starting defense has two walk on starters, out of all of the scholarship players on the roster, you’re defense is not gonna be good and it clearly showed this year. I fear for the defense next year. With one of the two bright spots of the defense definitely heading to the NFL and the 2nd very likely following right behind. It is clear the coaches gotta spend the rest of the year recruiting their asses off. Hopefully some continuity in the defensive coordinator and a year of experience will see a noticeable improvement next year. Here is to hoping that Justin Turner is the second coming of Charles Woodson everybody has hoped for and Will Campbell becoming the beast he was projected to be coming out of HS.

While watching the last few seconds tick off of today’s OSU vs Michigan game. The sixth buckeye win in a row in this storied rivalry, I could not help but feel disappointed.  However, my disappointment wasn’t directed at the team. Especially the defense’s valiant efforts led by blue chip senior Brandon Graham, I was also surprisingly not as upset at the 5 turnovers  by the offense, which basically gave away the game. What I was angry about was the fucking fairweather bandwagon riding fans that do not deserve to hold season tickets but do.  The ones that allowed what was supposed to be a home field advantage, a loud  sea of maize and blue clad irritators to be  heavily sprinkled with red. The ones that turn our senior’s last home game into a neutral field.  All for what? A few measly dollars? Thanks for turning Michigan Stadium into one of the easiest places to play in the entire country.

Here is a piece from the Wolverine Liberation Army

It’s senior day. Brandon Graham has played at maximum effort, valiantly, all day. Mark Ortmann and David Moosman have largely protected Tate Forcier well. It’s their last day, their last moment in a Michigan uniform, on the field of Michigan Stadium, and you fair-weathered, contemptable assholes have turned this into a road game for them.

This isn’t about liking Rich Rodriguez. This isn’t even about SUPPORTING Rich Rodriguez. This is about seeing this Senior Class that has worn the Michigan uniform for four or five years off  – thanking them for the hours of entertainment they’ve provided your thankless, pathetic asses for half a decade.

“But Michigan is bad”, “I don’t want to sit in the cold and watch them lose again”, “Rodriguez is an embarassment” – fuck you. Fuck you with a barbed-wire baseball bat. Give me your fucking tickets – or anyone who cheers for Michigan, not just a winner.

This will likely be one of this blog’s last posts in it’s current incarnation, and I cannot think of a better send-off.

Michigan fans: many of you are spineless, entitled, fair-weather bitches. Show some respect to the kids you profess to cheer for. On many kids’ final game in the Big House, you have embarassed Michigan more than this team ever has on the field – you turned Michigan Stadium into a pro-OSU crowd, and it makes us, as a blog, completely fucking sick.

My sentiments exactly.

A win against the buckeyes would have done wonders for us. Finally breaking Ohio State’s win streak, give us momentum heading into a bowl game, all those extra bowl game practices the team could have had, having the football recruits see what Michigan is like when we win, but instead you useless sacks of crap, I thank you for cramping up my space when the team is doing well and for leaving at the first sign of trouble. I hope you do not purchase tickets next year or ever if you aren’t willing to make the commitment win or lose.

Here’s looking to Michigan football 2010, a more experienced offense led by a healthy Tate Forcier, a more talented defense, and hopefully a lot more wins.

Go Blue.

Pearl Jam. One of the most successful alternative rock bands in the world. On Friday the 20th of November, 2009, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see them live. They did not disappoint.

Though we were seated in the stadium, and missed out on the feeling of being crushed against the barrier by hundreds of people and being within mere meters of the band (despite the notion sounding ridiculously uncomfortable and painful on paper, it really isn’t that bad, and is entirely worth it), we did have very good seats that provided us with an almost direct view of the stage and the two screens situated either side.

The first support act, Liam Finn, was very good. Though I’d only heard a few of his songs, the way in which he played his guitar parts, looped them around, and then went to play the drums and sing for a bit was very clever. He gave off so much energy while he was on stage, jumping up and down all the time, singing into the mic while practically lying down, and then leaping about with all sorts of instruments, he certainly got the crowd going and put a lot of effort in.

After about a half hour wait, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 came on for their support slot. Having heard next to none of their songs, I was pleasantly surprised. Harper’s slide guitar playing was very skillful, and his voice practically radiated around the stadium. It was amazing, he managed to put so much emotion into his songs, while moving from the softer more delicate songs to vary his style throughout the set. Edit: It was during Ben Harper’s set that Vedder came out to join them in a rendition of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.

By the end of the support acts, the stadium was close to having filled up entirely. The front mosh section was absolutely packed.

It was about 8.30 when Pearl Jam came on, and it’ll come as no surprise that the crowd went crazy. Beginning with Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, a brilliant acoustic number which contains one of the best moments for the crowd to join in on vocal duties, they continued to proceed through the majority of their most popular hits for the next 2 hours. Playing well known numbers such as Alive, Jeremy, Even Flow, and Daughter, amongst the many other songs they pulled out, it was impossible to go away from the concert being disappointed. Although I’m unfamiliar with some of their more obscure songs, as I only have a best of and a live album, I’m sure that they mixed up their set list and played some other fan favourites as well. With the number of songs they have up their sleeve, they have a stunning amount of freedom in terms of the material they play.

Initially after playing for about an hour, they left the stage and finished up. But as everyone there knew, it was merely a pretext for the next few encores that were to come. The first encore involved inviting Ben Harper out to cover Queen and David Bowie, with Under Pressure. (Edit: Sorry about that, got mixed up. Thanks for the correction) After playing another 8 odd songs I’d say, they left again, only to be called out by an enthusiastic and loving crowd for a few more. This time, Vedder invited Liam Finn out to do a duet, which was very good. It was great in the way he not only interacted with the crowd, telling stories and dedicating songs to people, but also in the way they involved the support acts in their own. They were so dedicated, that they continued playing until after the lights in the stadium were back on, normally an indication of a completed gig.

In the end, it was an amazing experience. They had so much energy, playing and running around for hours, and they involved the crowd as well. It’s really these kind of bands that put on a great show for their fans that are the good ones live. A brilliant concert, well worth the $100+ ticket price.

One qualifying campaign just finished, another one early picked its seeded teams the very next morning. Just a few days ago… 

History was written on wednesday evening, when Salpigidis’ goal for Greece, in Ukraine, left the hosts at home during next summer’s World Cup, which means that for the first time both home nations for an European Championship final tournament won’t have any official games to play for more than two and a half years. That’s a lot of waiting…

Inside Oporowska ground, in the city of Wroclaw, which started building its new stadium for EURO 2012, the local club Slask displays the symbolic ball of next European Championship tournament

Poland and Ukraine are co-hosting UEFA 2012 EURO yet both of them missed on representing Europe in South Africa. While Shevchenko and company were denied by Samaras’ through pass and Salpigidis cool finish, after an encouraging 0-0 in Athens, Poland experienced a shocking autumn, ended in tears and with Leo Beenhakker sent packing.

None of them have the opportunity to play in South Africa, where many other Europeans will know by then who will they face in the group stage preliminaries to get to Poland and Ukraine. The draw will take place on the 7th of February, in Warszawa, and then we can only make predictions, who will reach the 8 cities hosting the 2012 event. Where will Capello’s men play? In Ukraine’s Lvov, Kharkow, Kiew or Donetk, or across the border, in EU’s Poland?

Poland is an amazingly rich country in history and magnificent buildings, as famous Rynek square, in central Wroclaw, compared by locals with the cream of central piazzas of Europe. And truly so!

When Belgium and Holland co-hosted the European Championship in 2000, a premiere in terms of joint bids, both came after a World Cup presence in ‘98, in France, where they draw blank in the group stage. In 2008, when a second joint organising was accepted by UEFA, although Austria lined up after a free summer during the 2006 World Cup, Switzerland at least marched without defeat and goal conceded through its group in Germany.

So Poland and Ukraine can be perceived as lucky wild-card opportunists which otherwise would have find it very difficult to qualify for EURO. They can pick up the phone and ask England how it coped in the long wait for staging EURO 1996, after a US World Cup ‘94 campaign on the sidelines.

If Wroclaw was capable of hosting at roughly the same time both the volleyball and basketball EURO Championships, as depicted on this advertising board, than surely it can put a jolly good show for 2012...

The pressure of picking at the right time, in those crucial summer weeks, after more than 30 months of friendlies, just adds to the bigger expectations building up on the shoulders of the hosts nations. And with tradition against the organisers, Poland and Ukraine can’t think of a better outcome than to replenish their coffers after years of investing in infrastructure. It’s a long time since France managed to win the European Championship on home soil, in 1984, the only happy host after Spain’s and Italy’s triumphs in the 60es.

England and Holland found it harder in ‘96 and 2000, going out on penalty shootouts in the semifinal, Portugal lost to Greece not only in the group stage but also in the final, in 2004, and Switzerland finished last in its group while Austria with only one point, last time round. What more to expect then from two countries who comiserate each other for missing the chance to have at least 3 official games until 2012?

I found Poland shellshocked after a 3-0 defeat in Maribor, in early September, which indicated that its presence both at the World Cup, in 2006, and last year, in Austria, won’t be followed by one on African soil. That humiliation in Slovenia was taken very hard, the sixth biggest nation in European Union feeling that it should have fared much better against a 2 million alpine state renowned especially for its skiers.

Slask - Legia was the name of the game at a time when Poland was shocked by Beenhakker's men humiliation in Slovenia: 3-0.

Beenhakker was castigated and 90 minutes of pain in Maribor wiped out in many Polish eyes his excellent track record both in club football and international football, including the fine qualifying campaign taking the red and whites to another alpine nation, Austria. It was the very first presence for The White Eagles at EURO finals, campaign which helped the Poles climbing on its highest position in FIFA ranking, a lofty 16th. 

The defeat in Maribor came after another dissapointing result, a 1-1 home draw, in Chorzow, against Northern Ireland, at the beggining of autumn. But october was even worse, Poland losing 2-0 in Prague, with their eternal rivals, Czech Republic, and then again in Chorzow, 0-1 with Slovakia, which progressed to Africa due to that result. A second minute own goal on the shoulders of Gancarczyk. Could have been worse than that?

Another rivalry is among the south-western counties of Lesser Poland, boosting champion Wisla Krakow, and Lower Silesia, with WSK Slask Wroclaw

Scrutinizing the table, some might say that Poland scored more goals even then Slovenia, which ended at the World Cup. Prolific indeed but let’s not been fooled by the 12 punches administred to San Marino. The other only seven might tell the real story. More shockingly, the Poles ended with only 11 points from 10 games, a bitter pill after a previous campaign in which Beenhakker’s men outmuscled Ronaldo’s Portugal on top of group one, by one point: 28 in total out of 14 games.

So what went wrong in the space of just two years? Has the complacency of reaching Austria caught up with the squad? Nowadays, Poland is back on 56th position, almost as bad as its worst ever, some eleven years ago.

The second stand, displaying the huge tram, symbol of the city and Slask, saved the spectacle. Some fans, some lungs and a platable beer Piast!

And a glimpse of reality I encountered while watching from the stands a first division game in Polish league. At that time, three days after being poleaxed in Slovenia, Poland was still debating on to be or not to be with Dutchman Beenhakker at the helm. Oppinions were split but one thing was certain. Polish football was going in the wrong direction, exactly at a time of regeneration and build-up for a probably once in a lifetime event. The European caravan coming to town, precisely to Gdansk, the Baltic port, Warszawa, the capital city, Poznan, the multicultural location boosting the renowned local club Lech, with a record 14 national titles to its name, as Gornik Zabrze, and Wroclaw, the Lower Silesian regional capital.

Sorry to say though that the teams seemed confused by the wednesday result in WC qualifiers...

It was there, on Oporowska stadium, in the south west of Wroclaw, where hosts WKS Slask played Legia, the vicechampions from Warszawa, in the sixth round of Zdobywca Pucharu Ekstraklasy 2009-2010. Floodlights, very tight security measures, rock music blearing loud in anticipation of the saturday evening game, an empty improvised terrace stand behind a goal, due to an absolute absence of visiting fans and a whole second stand dancing to one tune. For Slask. Due to the nicely priced tickets, no more than 20 zloty for the aficionados, some 30 more for the better places. Still, as much as around 10 euros.

Functional, reliable, clean, cheap and not at all crowded, Tram 4 out of the some dozens crossing Wroclaw, takes you fast to Oporowska, while sightseeing imposing buildings on large boulevards

The atmosphere was promising, the media was in full batallion, including the 3 games per weekend broadcaster Canal Cyfra+, local dignitaries were taking there seats either in the covered first stand or in a concrete and glass building serving as dressing rooms as well, placed in one corner of the ground, and everything was gearing up to an evening of redemption. Of better football.

Hope seemed in the air. A huge electronic screen was projecting a multimedia production including a virtual tour of the to be build 40,000 arena on the outskirts of town, a bit further west, close to the airport. A sign of the times to come. Project Wroclaw 2012. The place looked sleek, the typical modern stadium with a certain design and distinguishing green chairs, the defining colour for Slask. A world away from this local stadium, a 8,300 seater with not so perfect transport links, anchored in a suburbia suffocated with block of flats but saved by a green and pleasant community local garden.

Advertising is the heartbeat of trading. For all the glitz of the huge board on the stadium's building facade, Seb Mila couldn't turn things around when coming on as a sub

Some years to build and hope, to pray and wait. Some years then to get to the next level. But what about the football? Will poleaxed Poland move forward, keeping pace with the construction of a whole infrastructure project? One answer was offered in the next 90 minutes.

It was a dreadful affair, a sedated game, without rythm, spark and fluency. Not even Sebastian Mila, coming on late into the game after an injury kept him on the sidelines, could help the state of affairs. Mila was, after all, a Polish international from the same squad lowering its standards while losing in the group stage.

Oporowska is a charming enough little ground but Wroclaw and Slask will clearly grow in stature when moving in the new EURO ground. The green will be preserved...

0-0 was at least a fair result. A perfect description of a top half of the table sour affair in the Polish league. You couldn’t ask for more from a forward player for host Slask, who decided very late in the game to roll and play dead in the penalty area, just after realised that he might get booked for clumsily bursting second in a challenge to the outcoming Legia goalie. The seconds weren’t apparently that precious for the forward. It was 0-0, in a true reflection of the game. Slask didn’t look at ease with its display, showing why has just one national title to its name, in the 70es, while Legia, managed by another former international, Jan Urban, looked a lesser team than the two times champion in this decade.

The soul of the evening party was that second stand sea of green, red and white, a big army of followers, dancing and chanting in one voice, a great chorus and coreography, displaying a huge banner with a bigger than natural size tram, Wroclaw’s symbol among many other fine ones. The tram was in the club’s and city’s colours but took Slask nowhere.

The locals are warm, lovely hosts, but just remember to pronounce its name Wroclaw and not Breslau, as German tourists identify the former Prussian and Habsburg fortress town

The banner run on top of the stand, from one end to another, in a fine procession, a ritual to cherish. Slask fans saved the evening, Slask fans promised that at least in terms of game excitement EURO 2012 is on good hands, now firmly building a fine arena which will be populated by enthusiasts like them.

It’s an absolutely new ball game, from the not so far ago dark days of bloody hooliganism and knife edged battles. Many were banned for years or even life from attending games and nobody else gets inside the grounds without ID identification and anything harmful in the pockets. That’s the new stance, that’s the policy, that’s the step forward. An Project 2012 can’t wait for its visitors. It will be a summer of football party but will Poland oblige?

Trouble is that Beenhakker was unceremoniously dispatched in october and former international Smuda was brought in, but will he revive the days when Poland was playing World Cup semifinals? The answer will be supplied with an ironic smile and with a reminder that his campaign got to a stuttering start, in Warszawa, against another sufferer finishing fifth in its group, Romania: 0-1. The friendly of the bulldozed ones. Poland 3-0 in Slovenia, Romania 5-0 in Serbia. Four days later was better, 1-0 against Canada but then, who’s Canada, will ask the pessimists.

Satisfaction guaranteed... The carnival atmosphere, with quality time, food and local drinks, was emphasised during the EURO Voleyball, when the games were screened live in the main square, from various Polish locations

May be Polish football needs indeed these free of official games years, to find again its feet, after a decade of terrible struggles against corruption, seeing the national football federation, PZPN, up to its throat in unsavoury cases involving many arrests. The tempest seems to have passed, the stands were cleaned of so called supporters, some simply knife carriers, and by Christmas time PZPN can only hope for better, at its 90th anniversary.  

Smuda will be challenged to find quality recruits in Ekstraklasy, by the look of Slask and Legia scratching football in a 0-0 bore, especially now, when the league is flooded with more or less cheap imports from countries as far as Brazil. Smuda might rely on the foreign legion, with ramifications in England and generally in Anglo-Saxon leagues.   

With three rounds to go before winter break, the six times winner in this decade, Wisla Krakow, current back to back title holder, is once again up there, planning may be already for a better UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, after the nightmare of losing straightaway to lowly Levadia Tallin in late summer. But this is a problem in itself, the vacuum of quality in the present, just praying for better in the future. Be it 2010 or 12.

The Polish eagle has its place on Slask's crest. A proud history.

Wisla has 31 points with a game in hand and one win worth in front of aforementioned visitors Legia and multiple champions Ruch Chorzow, after 14 rounds, the “silver” and “bronze” places being tickets in earnest for UEFA Europa League. Not that there can be expected lenghtier campaigns.

There are 16 teams in the league, playing two of the second stage of the season rounds later this december. Slask is languishing in seventh, two places behind Lech Poznan, representing another host city in 2012 and boosting in Robert Lewandowski the top goalscorer in the league, with 9 to his credit, but one place in front of Gdynia Gdansk, the port city club awaiting its regeneration in the build up to a summer tournament.   

Next in line, Bulgaria to visit Poland, on the 3rd of March. It’s a new beggining for Smuda and his men, on the road to 2012. We are talking here of a national side with a wonderful pedigree some 30 years ago, when the red and whites were finishing third at World Cup, with the bronze medals shining proud, both in Federal Germany ”74 and Spain ‘82, achievements never grabbed for example by England since its ‘66 win. It’s the side graced by formidable Lato, with his record of 100 caps, and record goalscorer Lubanski, with 48 into his acount. But is the national side of actual capitan, Michal Zewlakow, with 93 caps, which has the difficult task of emulating somehow those glory days…

Wroclaw Catholic Cathedral, another symbol of the city with 112 bridges connecting the 12 islands formed by river Odra

Finally, as a notice, here are the call-ups for the latest squad, which played in november a 0-1 against Romania and 1-0 versus Canada… Kuszczak (Man Utd), Szczesny (Brentford) – GK; Brozek (Wisla), Gancarzyk (Lech), Glik (Piast), Kokoszka (Empoli – IT), Kowalkzyk (Dinamo Moscow – RUS), Rzezniczak (Legia), Sadlok (Ruch), Zewlakow (Olimpiacos – GRE; cpt) – DF; Blaszczykowski (Dortmund - GER), Dudka (Auxerre – FR), Gancarczyk (Slask), Guerreiro (AEK – GR), Kosowski (Apoel – CPR), Majewski (Nott’m Forest), Obraniak (Lille – FR), Peszko (Lech) , Rybus (Legia) – MF; Jelen (Auxerre – FR), Lewandowski (Lech), Malecki (Wisla). Among other seasoned internationals on stand by are goalie Boruc (Celtic), defenders Glowacki and Wasilewski (Anderlecht), midfielders Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar) and Smolarek, plus forward Brozek.

Who will bring back the smiles to a rejuvenated Polish football stand?

EURO 2012 seems so unbearably far for Poland and Wroclaw. But may be it's a blessing in disguise, a chance to regroup and reemerge. The country will be 100% hospitable. What about its national squad?

This blog, which will be all about the FIFA soccer world cup which will be held in South Africa in June and July 2010, is under construction.

It will feature everything concerning FIFA’s biggest sports event, including information on the various host cities and the 2010 stadiums, the match schedule, soccer world cup news, 2010 facts, and more. So please: WATCH THIS SPACE!

Vue martienne du Sphynx et des Pyramides de Giza

Photographie Ashraf Kessaissia

Cairo / Egypt

There are no markings at all on the speaker of the 400-T.  It’s an odd choice of speaker given the size of the cabinet and I have to admit to never having seen an oval shaped one in a guitar amp before. It looks like something intended for a car stereo setup but I can’t argue with the results of the sound.

The tube setup is a bit unusual as well.  The 35W4 rectifier is coupled with the 50C5 output for what looks like a the classic old radio trio but instead of the usual preamp companion of a 12AV6, we have a 12AX7! The 12AX7 provides more bite here than is generally found in amps that feature the radio tune lineup.