Farewell Fergie !

The man, the myth, the legend, that is, Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of arguably the most famous club in all of football the world over, Manchester United, has announced that he will be retiring today, after 26 years at the helm.

Sir Alex is hands down the most prestigious and highly decorated football manager in the game today. All bias aside, hearing of his retirement was shocking. For being 71 years old, he has a youth that is undeniable, both on the sidelines and visibly  However, all good things must come to an end, as they say. He will forever be remembered for creating what can only be described as a dynasty.

Over his tenure with the club he racked up more trophies, cups and accolades than can be listed without creating a small novel. this includes an unprecedented 13 Premier League titles.

I wish him well in his future en devours  He has forever left a stamp on English football, and the game in general. He is much respected and Manchester United will undoubtedly be a different club next season with an unfamiliar face in the managers seat on the touchline.

Sir Alex, you are a great inspiration, a tactical and technical genius. Being a Villa fan, it is hard for me to say too many good things about Manchester United but I have and always will think that you are one of the greats. You will never be forgotten; a living legend if there ever was one.

Hiatus No More.....The Troubling Times to be a Villa Fan

As the title states, the hiatus is over. It has been far too long since I have put pen to paper as it were, or should I say fingers to keys.

A lot has happened in the world of football and I have been soaking it in and not sharing my thoughts with you all.

That time is over.

This blog was created as a outlet for me to express my thoughts on the on-goings of the beautiful game,  and so it shall be done.

It is the second week in April and the Premier League is all but settled as Manchester United are a whopping 15 points clear of the next best team, their across the city rivals in Manchester City.

A thrilling game between the two was played this week with great goals and great crunching tackles, as one would expect from the worlds most intense derby. However, although City came away the victors, the only real thing they come away with is bragging rights. For Manchester United not to win it all this year would mean the biggest collapse since the Premier League began.

In other news, you all know I am an avid Aston Villa fan, rain or shine, win or in many cases this year...lose.

After playing 32 of 38 games this season, the Claret & Blue have only managed to come away with 8 wins. Dismal to say the least, but on the bright side of such a horrible and nail biting season is the fact that after sitting in the 3rd relegation spot for much of the season, Villa have climbed out of the bottom 3 and into 16th place. These next few games are absolutely crucial, as everyone in the bottom 5 has the potential to lose the wrong game at the wrong time, and be sent down.

In my 26 years of being on this planet, and my 21 years as a Villa fan, I have often had to endure the comments, taunts, teases and mockeries that come along with supporting a major club that simply under performs year in year out. All this being said, I have never had my team not be England's top flight of football. To see them go down would break my heart to say the least.

The likes of Christian Benteke and co. are the sole reason that I have hope for these next 6 games. In top form, the Belgium phenom is scoring at will and slowly helping Villa rise from the ashes.

These next month will be fascinating to watch as Villa keep focused on results and staying afloat.

More to come, so stay tuned...

Unintended Hiatus

I'm Back !!!!

It's been quite a while since i blogged last, and for that I apologize. Lots has happened, so i I will fill you in with the condensed version so that i don't ramble on.

I am new to Twitter, so those reading can follow me @DominicJohn_7

Aston Villa have started their Premier League Campaign under Lambert as any Villa fan has come to know the team; very up and down. however, one of the "ups" being a 4-1 win over the reigning Premier League Champions, Manchester City in the League Cup, so not all bad. Villa are currently sitting in 15th and are set to play in form Tottenham this weekend, so stay tuned for a blog on that.

Lets see, what else....?

There have been so many on goings in the world of football it's hard to put everything down and fill you in.

One of the big things that has surfaced in football is the retirement of Chelsea Captain, John Terry, from international duty. As you know I reported on his ongoing court and FA issues regarding his racist rant towards Anton Ferdinand. Apparently Terry felt so hard done by, by the FA that he decided to call it quits for the three lions. Although I am not fond of Terry, he has always been a strong player for England so I am sad to see him leave the team. That being said, he does bring drama and he is 31 years old. The new young guns like the Oxlade-Chamberlain's are coming through, so move out the way, I say.

Ah. It feels so good to get back to blogging, I have had my hands in a number of other things that I just wasn't making time to write here. That is no more. I am the best juggler, if there ever was one. So stay tuned!

Farewell Freddy

Former Arsenal and MLS midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg has announced that he will hang up his boots for good. 

The 35-year-old Swede, who has been without a club since his contract with Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse ended earlier this year, admits he no longer enjoys preparing for matches.

"It's still fun to play the big games, but when you no longer have the motivation for training, then it's time to call it quits," he told Swedish broadcasters SVT. "This is a decision which has come about during a six-month absence. During my career, I've had the possibility to play with some of the best players in the world, as well as some of the best teams.

"I'm grateful for everything football has given me and all of the fantastic people I've met during my career."

Ljungberg will forever be remembered for playing with Arsenal. He was a prolific and intricate part of their offense, and played with the likes of Bergkamp and Henry.

He also won 75 caps with Sweden, scoring 14 goals.

He will be missed. He was a great player in his own right. I wish him well. Perhaps he'll go on to an illustrious modeling career, as he was after all, known for parading around billboards in his Calvin Kleins.

Premier League Off and Running

So, Saturday marked the opening day of the Premier League. There were a number of impressive and surprising results all around the league.

Let's cut to the chase. My first love and favorite team, Aston Villa, were away to West Ham. The Villans didn't fair too well and ended up losing their first match of the 2012-2013 campaign 1-0. This being said, the one and only goal came with some controversy. As a ball was played into the box, the linesman closest to the play flagged for offside. The center referee, signaled play on and players were left stranded, watching the goal being scored. Not the greatest way to start the season.

This loss brings back a bad taste from last season as Vila looked to struggle in front of goal. Darren Bent seems to be relied heavily upon to produce. It will be interesting to see if forwards are shipped to Birmingham to help with the goal drought.

On a happier note, the team I despise the most in the entire world, for reasons that would certainly take up an entire post on a later day, Manchester United, lost their season opener for the first time since the 90's ! The Red Devils lost 1-0 to Everton. Everton looked like a team that was on a mission, David de Gea was tested on a multitude of occasions.

Defending champs, Man city got off to a great start by winning against Southampton 3-2. Fulham, who were Clint Dempsey-less, blasted to the top of the table with a 5-0 win over Norwich. West Brom are also in the drivers seat after a shocking 3-0 win over the disheveled Liverpool.

Not a bad start to the year; there were some good goals, and some not so good goals. This is football. I cannot wait to see what the season has in store for us all. Stay tuned, I'll be writing more frequently now that matches are fully under way.

Olympic Aftermath

Well, the Olympics came and went. It was quite the 2 weeks.

I haven't written a blog entry in way too long. I apologize. This being said, Football starts up on Saturday and I'm like a kid waiting for Santa to come. Saturday, August 18th marks the opening day of matches for leagues around the world.

Now, as for the Olympics. I still have a bad taste in my mouth about the whole Gareth Bale incident.

Bale was asked to be a member of the Great Britain side by Psycho himself (Stuart Peace). He declined, stating that he had back issues that needed to heal before the start of the premier league season. Fair enough.

One would think that representing ones country in the Olympic games would be looked upon as an honor. Not in the mind of Garth Bale. The likes of David Beckham himself were clamoring for a spot on the roster in such a prestigious tournament, on top of being the host nation, this was HUGE.

So Bale declined, wanting to rest up for August. Tottenham went on a U.S tour in July, playing the likes of L.A Galaxy. In the first match of the U.S tour, who should start for Spurs? None other than Bale. Scoring twice for them.

What does this say about his loyalty to his country. What does this say about how he views the Olympics and representing Great Britain as they host the games?

I feel that Bale will most likely get an array of mixed receptions this season around the parks of the Premier League. Great Britain's poor showing at the Olympics will always have people asking, "what if Bale would have played?"

An utter lack of respect, no concern for his fellow countrymen and no real love for the Olympics themselves, shows what Gareth Bale is really all about.

I say bring on the Premier League season and lets see if Bale is that much more dynamic than he was last year because he sat out the XXX Olympiad.

Doubtful.

Oh well. It's in the past now. Lets just see how many have remembered and how many will forget, just how he snubbed Great Britain, in the most disrespectful of ways.

Justice is Served

John Terry was formally charged by the FA yesterday in the racism case that was essentially thrown out of a British court just a week and a half ago.

No word has been given as to what the exact punishment will be. This being said, Luis Suarez was given an eight match ban when he was charged with racially abusing Patrice Evra last year.

I for one, will be waiting to see just how severe the punishment is. Once agin, the FA has stepped up and taken action. A rarity in itself, but nice to see.

More to come on this in the near future

Olympic Update

Keeping up with all of the action in the Olympics will be difficult as I will be watching much more than just the football. After all, the Olympics only me around every four years. Bare with me. So far, this is how the field stands:

On the mens side. Japan beat Spain who were playing with 10 men for a majority of the match. this is the first time Japan has beaten Spain in any competition. Don't forget that this Spain is extremely different form the team that won World Cup glory and were crowned Euro 2012 champs. Olympic teams are comprised of very different players. A great result for Japan, nonetheless.

U.S women handed a beat down to Colombia to earn a spot in the quaterfinals. All seems to be going according to plan after that first match scare in the opening round.


GB women also reached the quarters by beating Cameroon 3-0.