U Must be thinkin what a weird title :) Go On and after u complete readin ud agree with my title :)
It was 7.30 AM and a fine mornin..... I was havin a nice cofee and watchin NDTV...... There comes the news...... The remainin two clubs in the Indian premier league were auctioned...... And my mouth fell open when i heard the sum one of the clubs went for.... A staggering 370 Million US dollars..... What in the name of God ?
I have been supporting Manchester United for just over a decade now..... Well they own a 75000 seater state of the art stadium and training ground and the players of the club are valued at around 350 million US dollars....Inspite of having a flurry of assests and generating profits to the tome of 49 million pounds a year United is valued at around 1 Billion Dollars !....... The brand image is such that the shirt sponsorhip deal they landed recetly with AON was worth 80 million pounds ! IPL franchisees can never even think of that kind of money........Man Us valuation is a reality only because of its 130 years of history and 330 million fan base with people going mad all over the world with its brand of football.......
So obviously i was thinkin how can a brand new cricket club in pune which is going to be a part of IPL which is still in its nascent stages be sold for 370 Million Dollars ? And what surprised me is this valuation is with out a stadium, No existing Brand Value, No Players.... Nothing at all....In addition to buying the club the owners have to invest huge sums if they want to build a stadium and training facilities... players, commercials etc and the interest burden on the loan which they would take to buy the will be atleast 30 Million US dollars a year..... Well well have they even thought about braking even ? at this rate they would break even in some 70 years !
The Bottom line is Mr. Lalit modi is succesfully makin fools out of every one and sellin these undervalued franchisees to corporates showcasin them as golden pigs......... But the truth is they would never get a return on this huge investment made :)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
England & The Injury Curse !
Its 2 Months before 2006 World Cup.....England Golden Boy Wayne Rooney was dubbed the next phenom and bookies chose him as their man to carry Englands World Cup Dreams ! All this was ended by one horrific tacke from Chelsea's Paulo Ferrera..... Man United lost that match 3-0 but all of england was cursing their bad luck.... They lost Wayne Rooney after all........ Inspite of the Injury to Rooney he was in the world cup sqaud and the Incredibly stupid Sven Quarterfinal Ericson chose 3 other strikers and among them were a fading Michel Owen and 16 year old Walcot !
Sven's say was that walcott would gain experince....Well His stupid selection cost england the world cup...... While we build up for 2010 World Cup in south africa Half of englands defence is already on the treatment table....... Ashley coles ankle is a worry while Wayne Bridge took himself out of contention after going through much pain in his personal life...He cant play along side JT after all that happened......
The usually Influential John terry seems lost.....well lets hope he gets over thins n gets back to his brilliant best before the world cup........ Of course only god knows what will happen to Rio ferdinands back every now and then...... As he stated lets hope hes got over his injury..... West Ham's Mathew Upson is the only man who has a clean medical record in the recent past.....Gary Cahill's season ended in a way no england fan would prefer..He looked solid for bolton this season and would surely have been called up by Fabio Capello...
And while Capello almost had his 30 men in mind Wes Brown lost his footing too...... The versatile United Defender would have made a difference being cover to both Right Back and Central defence....... Ah fergie says hes only out for 4-6 weeks...We'l have to wait and see what happens.....
Though Glen Johnson whos has been capello's choice at right back is fit now i have never been convised by the defensive side of his game..... Old horse Gary Neville is far better than him defensively.... This is only choice of Mr.Capello i disagree of...... After all we cant go to world cup with some one inconsistent.... Hmm The right back slot for me is a real problem where we dont have any one to fill in... Comparitively teams like brasil and Germany are very strong in this position...
Any manager in the world would be glad to have a man like Bayern Munich's Philip Lahm on his right side of defense while the brazilian pair of Maicon and Dani Alves have terrorized opposition defences with their marauding runs while being solid in defense...Joleon lescott seems to have lost his form which earned him an insanely costly 23 million pound move to mega rich manchester city.......
Lets hope we get Ashley cole back before the biggest tournament on the planet kicksoff... With Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch firing all cylinders in attack lets hope we get our defense right !
Sven's say was that walcott would gain experince....Well His stupid selection cost england the world cup...... While we build up for 2010 World Cup in south africa Half of englands defence is already on the treatment table....... Ashley coles ankle is a worry while Wayne Bridge took himself out of contention after going through much pain in his personal life...He cant play along side JT after all that happened......
The usually Influential John terry seems lost.....well lets hope he gets over thins n gets back to his brilliant best before the world cup........ Of course only god knows what will happen to Rio ferdinands back every now and then...... As he stated lets hope hes got over his injury..... West Ham's Mathew Upson is the only man who has a clean medical record in the recent past.....Gary Cahill's season ended in a way no england fan would prefer..He looked solid for bolton this season and would surely have been called up by Fabio Capello...
And while Capello almost had his 30 men in mind Wes Brown lost his footing too...... The versatile United Defender would have made a difference being cover to both Right Back and Central defence....... Ah fergie says hes only out for 4-6 weeks...We'l have to wait and see what happens.....
Though Glen Johnson whos has been capello's choice at right back is fit now i have never been convised by the defensive side of his game..... Old horse Gary Neville is far better than him defensively.... This is only choice of Mr.Capello i disagree of...... After all we cant go to world cup with some one inconsistent.... Hmm The right back slot for me is a real problem where we dont have any one to fill in... Comparitively teams like brasil and Germany are very strong in this position...
Any manager in the world would be glad to have a man like Bayern Munich's Philip Lahm on his right side of defense while the brazilian pair of Maicon and Dani Alves have terrorized opposition defences with their marauding runs while being solid in defense...Joleon lescott seems to have lost his form which earned him an insanely costly 23 million pound move to mega rich manchester city.......
Lets hope we get Ashley cole back before the biggest tournament on the planet kicksoff... With Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch firing all cylinders in attack lets hope we get our defense right !
Thursday, February 25, 2010
All Hail "The Wise men" !
Its 24th Feb 2010 and the Man Called "Little Master" by many (Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar) has crossed 200 runs in an ODI ! My Mind couldnt stop drawing comparisions with a Certain welsh wing wizard....... yeah u guessed it right.......Its Ryan Joseph Giggs...... Both these men are 36 years old........ They are nearing the end of their careers and yet their performances make the audience stare in awe and say "How can he do that" and prove people like me wrong ! After all i have to accept......they proved me wrong :)
Both of them were exciting youngsters when they burst on to the scene........ Giggs a product of the famed Class of 92 from the manchester united academy has made Uniteds left wing his own........ He is the most decorated footballer in the history of premier league...11 Premier league titles and 2 champions leagues...Wow Man Thats some collection of trophies..... The missing peace in the jigsaw is The World cup winners medal which would have placed him right beside the likes of Pele, Bobby Charlton and Doego Maradona ! But Giggsy as the united faithfull call him has had his bad patch too...... He seemed to have lost his pace and venom after 2003.....Even with his lack lustre performances in europe and EPL marring his contribution to the cause fergie never lost his faith in him leavin many like me cursing "Why in the name of god do u still have Ryan Giggs on ur left flank" ....... But The Wise man has come back with fantastic performances in the last 2 seasons......At 36 he is still at the top of his game.......9 assists and the string of awards he recieved this season beating the likes of cesc fabregas proved he is still a top DOG....
Sachin is widely regarded as crickets greatest alongside Bradman has won many trophies with India....... Yet the World cup eluded him too....While no one doubts his talent and dedication he had his critics..... Sachin was often criticized for not performing when India needed him most...his big match temperment was questioned and left many scrathing their heads... But the wise man proved every one wrong......93 centuries in all forms of the game....5 centuries in the last 2 months and a double hundred yesterday says it all & the ease with which he dispatched enigmatic Dale steyns deliveries for boundaries was unbelievable.........Can anyone ever break his record of 93 centuries(Hes not finished mind u) ? Well only time will tell us that but it just looks impossible at the moment.........
Publishing this post as a tribute to the heroics of these two great athletes ...........
All Hail "The Wise Men"
Both of them were exciting youngsters when they burst on to the scene........ Giggs a product of the famed Class of 92 from the manchester united academy has made Uniteds left wing his own........ He is the most decorated footballer in the history of premier league...11 Premier league titles and 2 champions leagues...Wow Man Thats some collection of trophies..... The missing peace in the jigsaw is The World cup winners medal which would have placed him right beside the likes of Pele, Bobby Charlton and Doego Maradona ! But Giggsy as the united faithfull call him has had his bad patch too...... He seemed to have lost his pace and venom after 2003.....Even with his lack lustre performances in europe and EPL marring his contribution to the cause fergie never lost his faith in him leavin many like me cursing "Why in the name of god do u still have Ryan Giggs on ur left flank" ....... But The Wise man has come back with fantastic performances in the last 2 seasons......At 36 he is still at the top of his game.......9 assists and the string of awards he recieved this season beating the likes of cesc fabregas proved he is still a top DOG....
Sachin is widely regarded as crickets greatest alongside Bradman has won many trophies with India....... Yet the World cup eluded him too....While no one doubts his talent and dedication he had his critics..... Sachin was often criticized for not performing when India needed him most...his big match temperment was questioned and left many scrathing their heads... But the wise man proved every one wrong......93 centuries in all forms of the game....5 centuries in the last 2 months and a double hundred yesterday says it all & the ease with which he dispatched enigmatic Dale steyns deliveries for boundaries was unbelievable.........Can anyone ever break his record of 93 centuries(Hes not finished mind u) ? Well only time will tell us that but it just looks impossible at the moment.........
Publishing this post as a tribute to the heroics of these two great athletes ...........
All Hail "The Wise Men"
Monday, February 22, 2010
Have United Lost it ?
Well................ any one who saw United at goodisan park would ask this question ! After all United very terrifying in the last 2 seaons...... They look so ordinary now..... A win at San Siro is always a great thing...But we seem to have lost that "United Spark" off late...... Creativity which was a trade mark of the Red Devils once looks lost ! We miss scholesys thunderous shots from 30 yards and gigssy running rings round the opposition defences... What will set us right now ?
The Goal Guard ! has to be set right first....... Rio looks hes past his best and Vidic almost seems out of his mind ! Regarded the best defensive partnership in the world the duo have been on the sidelines for most part of the season.... And Wes Brown once hailed by fergie as a Natural center back looks out of confidence and looks certain to miss the plane to South Africa....... Johny Evans nervy performances are adding to the mess... Well Well... Fergies decision to let Gerrard Pique leave for Barcelona cost him dearly... And we cannot expect Chris Smalling to directly bear the burden on his young shoulders...And i have no clue whats happening at right back...... While i think Captain Neville should take his coaching badges and join Fergies back room staff.. Young rafael is still a Raw diamond..
All this calls for Buying 2 experienced defenders... Philip Lahm of Bayern has all the pre requisites to slot in at Right back.... And @ 20 Million Pounds he adds defensive solidarity and his crosses from the right can be an asset too ! Subotic,Simon Kjaer and David Luiz are some young sholders which can shine for us if signed...... But some how fergie doesnt look like hes interested in signing any one at the back !
The Creative side of uniteds Engine room needs a definite reinforcement....."Mest Ozil, Steven Defour, Diego" are some names which can solve the problem........ What fergie does in the summer remains to be seen........
The Goal Guard ! has to be set right first....... Rio looks hes past his best and Vidic almost seems out of his mind ! Regarded the best defensive partnership in the world the duo have been on the sidelines for most part of the season.... And Wes Brown once hailed by fergie as a Natural center back looks out of confidence and looks certain to miss the plane to South Africa....... Johny Evans nervy performances are adding to the mess... Well Well... Fergies decision to let Gerrard Pique leave for Barcelona cost him dearly... And we cannot expect Chris Smalling to directly bear the burden on his young shoulders...And i have no clue whats happening at right back...... While i think Captain Neville should take his coaching badges and join Fergies back room staff.. Young rafael is still a Raw diamond..
All this calls for Buying 2 experienced defenders... Philip Lahm of Bayern has all the pre requisites to slot in at Right back.... And @ 20 Million Pounds he adds defensive solidarity and his crosses from the right can be an asset too ! Subotic,Simon Kjaer and David Luiz are some young sholders which can shine for us if signed...... But some how fergie doesnt look like hes interested in signing any one at the back !
The Creative side of uniteds Engine room needs a definite reinforcement....."Mest Ozil, Steven Defour, Diego" are some names which can solve the problem........ What fergie does in the summer remains to be seen........
Will they Break the Jinx ?
And the award for the best perennial underachievers in the world cup goes to "England" (Spain is right up there though)....With all its history and love for the game England could only manage only 1 world cup…… Boasting of Super star footballers it couldn’t get past the quarterfinals in the recent past……
But I see light at the end of the tunnel…..Finally England Could break their Jinx this time Out.....
What will propel them to success this time? In 2006 they failed miserably with Steven Gerard, Lampard and Rio in the peak of their powers... What’s different this time?
Fabio Capello!
After all he’s far better than Sven “Quarterfinal” Erikson (Why do I even bother to compare: p)! I was both surprised and frustrated to see Sven as England Manager for So Long….. Aah finally the FA has made a right decision :)
What is so right about Capello? He and Sir Alex have one trait in common… Players respect them and don’t cross the line they draw! This helps them in playing exactly how they plan …. 9 Wins out of ten in the qualifiers! Wow Man... Is this the same England which couldn’t make it to the Euros? Hell Yes !
And Unlike the Last Time England’s Golden Boy (Wayne Rooney) didn’t break his leg as of now and he’s firing all cylinders….. And at last Capello got him to play more in the box and Leave the “Chasing Opposition forwards” Job to his defensive colleagues….. That clearly made a difference this season…. And this time Rooney’s strike partners are strong too…. Defoe is giving everybody a run for their money this term; Crouch has after all "headed" Robbie Keane to Celtic! And Darren Bent looks Rejuvenated at Steve Bruce’s Sunderland! Agbonlahor is also in contention with fantastic performances against the Big 4 in the premier League… And Don’t forget the Old war Horse Heskey…..So its “All is Well” at the Moment for England in the Striking department .......Gosh Capello will break his head on whom to pick…..
England’s Engine room looks equally good…..Lampard old legs are still going strong and Barry has been performing consistently for city….Steve Gerard seems a lil out of gas though…… we can only wish n hope he gets back to full fitness by June……. Only Fergie knows if Owen has a chance of being on the plane to south Africa…. He was England’s best player in the last world cup….. On the wings Lennon did well for spurs this season and charismatic Joe Cole seems to have lost some of his charisma under ancelotti……. Adam Johnson surprisingly is stealing the lime light at city among his 200 million dollar team mates…… his crosses are a delight to watch…… Though he’s not currently in the frame if he keeps his good work going at city am sure Capello will consider him…… Carrick is doing himself some good with his recent performances….His distribution is going to be an asset for England if he plays in the 11.
The Defence looks a relative week point at this point in time for the "Three Lions"...... Captain Rio is yet to prove hes completely injury free and the usually rock solid JT looks off track after being sacked from captaincy.... Ashley coles ankle fracture is a worry. And england at the moment can only manage a fragile Johnson at right back.... Wil the usual back ups Wes Brown and lescotts shaky performances capello has some work to do to put a solid back four together....... I hope he does a wayne rooney with Rio & JT though :)
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