Battle at the Bottom

Tomorrow’s Tyne-Wear derby can be considered one of the biggest in both clubs history.

For Newcastle it will put an end to any relegation fears and start one final battle for a push to the top half of the league on what has frankly been a disappointing season.

Down the road it is a must win for the black cats as they remain level on points with Wigan and so a win is vital to pull away from the deadly drop zone.

Newcastle have found a spot of form at the right end of the season following a difficult campaign full of injury and a congested fixture list. But recent performances against Stoke and Fulham as well as 4 impressive performances in Europe between them has given the Toon army something to cheer about. With imports of Gouffran and Sissoko putting in big shifts and becoming fan favourites as well as the old guard of Cabaye, Taylor, Cisse and the recently in form Marveaux, things are starting to look good on Tyneside.

Newcastle welcomed its millionth spectator through the turnstiles this week proving that even though they have not been able to emulate last seasons spectacular, their fans remain possibly more faithful than ever.

Over in Sunderland it has been a far from rosy season. It seems Martin O’Neil could not replicate what he has done previously at Celtic, Leicester and Aston Villa with Sunderland having been looking over their shoulder for the majority of the season.

Eventually his head rolled and the flamboyant Paolo Di Canio was brought in and suddenly the spotlight was shone on his controversial history. It is an unwelcome distraction for a club who’s stay in the premier league could be running out but there is no questioning Di Canio’s dedication to a club, having previously paid some of the players wages at Swindon out of his own pocket!

Players wise it is only a matter of time before Sunderland click into place. The Black cats have the talent within their squad but are yet to click into the next gear and for fans they hope its not too late. Players such as Adam Johnson have been particularly disappointing despite the high profile and anticipation he created for himself at Manchester City.

In short Sunderland have much more to lose in this game than Newcastle, but as ever with derby days in the fans eyes at least it is all or nothing!!

That is all

One noise that will brighten up your day

Tennis still for the rich?

Time to crack open that Barley water and dust off those giant autographed balls as the ATP tennis tour gets into top gear ready for the summer. But Britain’s hopes are once again pinned on the young shoulders of brave Scot Andy Murray. But over the years, his shoulders have gotten heavy with the hope as he remains Britain’s best player, and will be for the foreseeable future.

So what does the future hold for British tennis? Can we continue to have one player occupying the top 100 rankings of the world? Is the sport entering a dark age or is there new light on the horizon?

Gone are the days of straw hats, strawberries and pimms, people travelling from far and wide to ascend the world renowned Henman hill in the drizzle. Each disciple with the gut feeling that it will all be over by the quarters and longing for the glory days of Perry and Wade. Then, through the Scottish mist we saw this bum fluffed frizzy haired teen that could perhaps reignite our dying flame.

The formidably miserable scot has no doubt got the fire and desire which we haven’t seen for years to challenge the goliaths of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic; only delivering one piece of grand slam silver ware which was fantastic, but has got British tennis fans purring for more. Maybe the pressure of being the only male British player is proving to be too much. Out of the world’s top 100 players, he is the only one from the shores of Britain. That should be ringing alarm bells at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The Women’s game is also not in good condition, although it does paint a better picture than their male counter-parts. At the end of the 2011 season there were three players sitting in the top 100, the highest ranked at number 50. The doubles are faring better however this does not get as much media coverage and is not as popular.

Over the years a gapping chasm has appeared between the amateur and elite games with most of the blame being placed on the costs involved with tennis. Court fee’s, coach fee’s, club memberships, equipment costs and travel all adds up when money is tight. So why is the British influence in the world rankings weak, is it simply that the rest of the world is much better or something more?

Rachael Raymond, sport teacher at Bexhill College, has been pledging relentlessly for tennis courts to introduce and build the interest in tennis amongst students. Finally last year her hard work paid off. However building tennis courts is an expensive business and with education cuts, the college could not afford to employ a professional company, as a result the court began to deteriorate quickly. This she says is one of the biggest issues with British tennis. Poor facilities at grassroots and amateur level are putting people off. The way tennis is valued within Britain she feels is a major hindrance on our production of world beaters.

“Coming from a tennis academy, I was amazed to see how few schools have tennis in PE due to costs and lack of coaches. When professional tennis players finish their career they tend to go into coaching professionals rather than teaching tennis to the masses.” She points out that the world of tennis then enters a cycle: players don’t get the opportunity to start tennis at school therefore don’t gain the knowledge and skills; they don’t turn professional therefore not transferring their skills into coaching at schools. “It is essential children get into tennis at a young age so the skills taught have time to develop.”

She highlights 4 key areas that she feels need addressing at grassroots level these include being more accessible, not just being a ‘rich’ sport, creating quality courts for the general public, more coaching programmes for communities to get people involved in the sport and for local clubs/institutions to link with schools thus opening the market wider.

But Sam Bruce lecturer at North Herts/Herts Uni and tennis coach at Gosling Sports Park in Hertfordshire has a different outlook to the future. “The standard of 6-9 year olds is the highest I have seen in 3 years! I’m confident on hitting the right area’s now.” He is strongly against the argument that cost is the biggest contributor to putting players off. Sam believes that the national body for sport the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is working on the situation, but as with anything in life, it takes time and people must be patient for results. “The LTA have been stable and had the same faces for many years now. It means they can see out their ideas rather than new people coming in and changing things.”

The LTA recently conducted a study of players across the country in attempt to gauge what the public wants, to help them play more tennis and get more players involved. One issue flagged up by the study was players complaining of a lack of playing partner’s. This is gradually being over-come by a ‘social network’ where players communicate with other players in their area for a game. However the key point arising from the study was the players’ response to the prime blame of the past, cost. Players believed there was no issue of cost within tennis. The biggest issues that came out of the study were area’s to play and parents not having the time to play due to work/ family commitments.  However, is there an argument that those who were surveyed were already in the tennis community and maybe have a bit more cash to splash and therefore do not think it is an issue? But on the issue of time, Gosling Sports Park has stepped up to the plate to help out. “We have a children’s area/programme where we look after the kids offering the parents more time to play tennis.”

For young players showing promise there is plenty of financial roots that can fund their talent from sponsorships, ACA, LTA funding and parental support.  However that’s only if you are good enough to be acknowledged for the funds, what about average Joe who just wants to get a little better at tennis? That can come at a cost between £25-£35 per hour and having a coach for the day could cost £100-£150!

So relating to the question ‘what does the future hold for British tennis?’ this still seems to be inconclusive, we’ve seen two ends of the spectrum and both provided their opposing views. The world is on the brink of another economic meltdown, families are looking to save and if they can offer their child the chances to play sport and keep active for free they will take it. All sports stars have gone through those years of going down the park after school to play. But unlike sports such as football, tennis requires facilities which if aren’t kept in good condition could put many children off. Depending on where you live may also have a massive influence on the facilities available to you, compare the arguments from our coaches, one says they have only just had a coach come in from outside the college once a week, the other says they send coaches out to schools a few times a week.

But like many modern sports, tennis is adapting in the way it teaches. The evolution of mini tennis is believed to be the way to get tennis to the masses and kick-start success once again. It will be a while until we discover the results, but I believe this is the way to generate mass interest in the sport and produce champions!

#medialecturelive 18/3/13

Media lectures are dull at the best of times, until a group of students, nay a group of heroes devised #medialecturelive to inform the masses and offer alternative commentary. Who am i kidding its just to kill an hour:

#MediaLectureLive Lecture has started….Lecturer already has the class confused

#MediaLectureLive Lecturer reveals that he will not be here next week and someone else will take the later…Panic has been averted

class struck dumb in surprise as the lecture taught by Sout

h African media specialist, is on Media in Africa. IT BEGINS #MediaLectureLive

#MediaLectureLive This is a geography lesson. Africa is being explained…no media has been spoke about so far

#MediaLectureLive The lecturer encapsulates all students into his lecture about Africa…it’s like we’re in Africa…Things are getting hot

#MediaLectureLive Lecturer refers to his own work. Shameless

#MediaLectureLive Everyone is slowly starting to die. Lecturer plays some music..The urge to headbang is immense

#MediaLectureLive Lecturer introduces us to the music of DJ Cleo…..I know their brother Renault

#MediaLectureLive Nothing in this lecture will be use

d in any assignment in my life. This feeling was expected

A new record, girl sneaks in to 1-hour lecture 41 minutes late. #MediaLectureLive

#MediaLectureLive The register has started to be passed around,10 minutes left..The design of the room may make it difficult for some people

HEROES

More to follow

We could be heroes

Keaton with Edd Shee…..Prince Harry

Think back to when you were 12 years old. What were you doing? Playing out on your bike? Looking up at all the bigger kids at high school? Playing army with sticks against your mates? But change the sticks to real guns and real danger. Think of the stories you have heard about soldiers in the field of battle. Poor food, hot dusty surroundings, sore feet and no loved ones to welcome you home with smiling faces and a hug. But imagine them returning to base to see a box full of treats with their name on it.

But Bexhill-based Keaton Peppiatt gets his buzz out of battling to keep soldiers morale up. He does this by giving soldiers the welcome home feeling when they return to their barracks. The humble high school boy has been sending treat packages to those on the front line just for the pleasure of it.

The budding military man began his journey late in 2007 when his mum (Kim Peppiatt) saw an advert for volunteers to donate gift boxes to British troops overseas. But he took it upon his young shoulders to go the extra mile and do so much more. Instead of sending just one, he has clocked up over 400 boxes and still counting. Keaton sends boxes containing treats that would not normally be distributed whilst in service; these tend to be treats such as biscuits, crisps and cakes. Boxes are then distributed to troops to raise morale by the pardray which Keaton says is the most rewarding part, knowing that he has helped someone who is struggling in the tough conditions.

His achievements went from strength to strength after he turned his hand to fund raising. Following the success of his gift boxes, Keaton’s next adventure was to get some entertainment to the troops. He hosted a garden party to raise funds for 13 iPods and speakers to send to the front line for soldiers to use when serving. An added bonus at the party was the appearance of some soldiers to make the event extra special.

Keaton then hosted a street party with live bands and cake sales to raise further funds for the charity. The major of Bexhill paid a visit to show his support for the cause.

Keaton drafted in the cavalry of his primary school, Little Common to help him with his project. They helped by donating a few gift boxes to his cause. The head teach Mr Pratt was so impressed with his efforts and accolades that he decided he wanted to join in and help out. At the school summer fete he offered Keaton the chance to set up his own stall with games and items to sell to raise more money for the charity. To date his total fundraising has come to £7000 and is still rising.

These numerous achievements have seen him nominated for several awards, both locally and nationally. In 2008 after helping out with the charity for under a year, he was nominated for the children of courage award, he won the Bexhill achievers award 3 years in a row, and he was also nominated for the children of legion at the friends of the forces awards in 2010 and was a finalist at the Britain’s Kindest Kid awards. He was nominated mostly by friends and family, but there were a few mystery voters who to this day have remained anonymous.

Despite the numerous accolades he has been given over the past 3 years, it is not the glitz and glam rewards he is after. When asked what the most rewarding aspect of doing this charity work was, he responded by saying “The satisfaction of knowing that my gifts have got to the soldiers. It’s just the best feeling knowing it has made a difference”.

“I received a letter from a soldier who had received one of my boxes. He had no family who contacted him from home and so was very low on morale. He wanted to thank me for it as it made him feel wanted and knew people were still thinking about him.”

He has also been sent numerous letters containing gifts back from the soldiers. “I got sent an army cap from one soldier but it was too small. He must have thought I was younger than I am!” He was also sent a US military cap from a British soldier who had shared his gift box with an American counter part.

As well as the warm feeling of the thought of smiling soldiers, Keaton has also picked up a few column inches during his inspirational volunteer career. Meeting the best of British celebrity talent at the children of courage awards in London, a day that took him to area’s he would not normally have been allowed too. Exploring the insides of Downing Street and meeting Alistair Darling and the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and to top that meeting Prince Harry himself.

“I showed him my ‘help for heroes’ wristband. He said it was good then rolled his sleeve up to show me his gold one and said ‘it’s good, but not as good as this one”.

Keaton was told he would speak to Harry first, but being a man from the armed service he took it upon himself to speak to Keaton last to have a proper talk and put forward his true heartfelt compliments.

Organisers fulfilled one of Keaton’s dreams at the awards meal. Turning to his right at the lunch he came face to face with TV presenter Nick Knowles.

On the event Keaton’s Mum Kim said “It was lovely to see how well the kids were treated and how much respect they were given. We did not know how big an event it was until our coach was being police escorted to each location!”

As well as meeting the cream of British talent, accessing high security buildings and royalty Keaton is currently enrolled in the Army cadets with the ambition of becoming a dog handler in the military. But until then he has vowed to continue his great work and would encourage others to do so.

Charity is getting out of hand

Charity is a fabulous, wonderful thing that brings a nation together.
The great philosopher Ricky Gervais said “who’s responsibility is charity and the fit against famine, disease and poverty? Is it the governments or do we the public have to fight the cause to level society”. Not bad for a comedian I guess.

However in there somewhere he was right, who’s job is it to help others, governments could end all the problems in a heart beat but so far they haven’t so I guess the onus falls upon us mere mortals…..and so far human kind your doing a damn good job.

Every year telathons, marathons, bean sitting, tin shaking, change giving, sweat making amazing feats of human dedication raises much needed funds for those less fortunate.

One of the latest to join the charitable acts list is the ever popular Movember. It’s a simple idea that mean are sponsored to grow a tash. Easy, anyone can do it. Ideas like this are great because over the course of a miserable month, a miserable wintery November, we all get a chance to smirk at strangers as they grow the best face fungus they can.
And it’s great, the shapes and sizes that are produced are great.

But recently a fund raising craze has begun that I’m torn over.

The aim is not to drink alcohol over the month of January. 31 days without alcohol.

Now if anything raises money then this is fantastic, it’s a great idea, anything that helps those less fortunate is a great idea. But this one has some terms and conditions that don’t quite wash with me.
The biggest T&C that tears me in two camps is the fact that if the participant does give in and have a drink, they have to pay a small fee into their fundraising pot. Great more money for the charity, fantastic, but they’ve failed in their challenge.

Another issue I have with this is people’s motive behind it.

I know of a few people who took up this ‘challenge’ and almost all of them with a few exceptions said they were doing it to ‘save themselves a few quid’. I’m not too sure that’s the right mentality.

But I guess I’m just being a miserable old goat, if sitting in a bath of beans can raise money for charity then anything can!!

I’m not a Belieber

Young Mr Bieber’s story to stardom is something to be admired.

As a young teenager simply uploading personal videos of cover songs on to t’internet he has now become the poster boy to doughy eyed girls around all because of thanks to R&B sensation Usher.

Since the little Canadian serenaded girls in a bowling ally its been a non-stop rise to the top claiming success world-wide.

But if history has taught us anything it’s that success should be drip-fed when it comes to the world of showbiz, or what makes them a household name can ultimately be the downfall.

Look at Rihanna. The Barbados superstar wasn’t anywhere near as half as successful as she is now. At the retro age of 25 she is undoubtably one of the biggest acts in the world at this moment, possibly in history. (Thanks to a little help from Jay-z’s record label). But it’s only in the last year or two that she’s having her Britney moment, constant boozing, partying and holidays has given her this wild image.

Britney Spears currently holds the meltdown crown having one of the biggest public meltdowns in showbiz. Feeling the need to get married when she wants, doing her Phil Mitchell impression and popping to the shops with no under-crackers on.

But that was over several years following her teenage stardom.

Bieber though is on course to smash this record to pieces. Having only been in the public limelight a tiny period he’s already been seen out partying, had a high profile relationship split, wearing clothes that look like a Japanese cartoon and messed up at concerts.

On the later this made headlines in the news. Western news has got to be questioned when one of the headlines reads:

Bieber 2 hours late for concert at o2

There are far more important things going on in the world: Syria, the economy, unemployment, president deaths; all these can be deemed more important, and yet it was featured in the same headline list.

Anyway rant over, the part of this story is that the venue itself felt the need to come out first and apologise to fans for the delay on a week night performance. Many of the Beliebers had school the next day!

And now a video has appeared on the Internet of the young singer squaring up to journalists outside his hotel the same day of this late concert.

The photographer in question was unhappy about the rough treatment they received by Biebers security, and in fairness to camp Bieber the language used was a little irrational. However the singer can be argued a role model to many, and so using the language back and threatening the photographer is not acceptable for someone so heavily in the public eye. see the link below

Bieber squares up

So are we seeing the predicted downfall? Possibly, we’ll know when he cracks out his Ross’s Kemp impression.

Viva la revolution

The fog on the Tyne is slowly being blown away by the influx of imports from across the channel.

“As good a team as any we’ve played this year” was how Alan Pardew described his former employers as they visited his new home in the north east.

In arguably the first relegation scrap of the season a penalty, own goal and the ball hitting the net 6 times made sure the Geordie faithful got their Euro…..pounds worth.

The Saints started the brighter slotting one past stand in keeper Rob Elliot after just 3 minutes before Sissko continued his fine start to his career on Tyneside.

The back and forth nature continued with a goal 100th league goal for lambert being eclipsed by a Chelsea Esc wonder strike keeping the scores level.

A Cabaye penalty followed by an own goal saw the magpies take the points in a level and eventful match-up. But does this mean Newcastle are now on the road to recovery to gain some pride back gained from last season?

Recent form would certainly suggest so and with notable players such as Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye now finding full fitness again after spells on the side line early in the season, the signs look good. Hatem Ben Arfa is also edging closer to lighting up the league once more.

However, the team still looks to have lost the confidence and stability that made them such a surprise force last season and the manager has to find a way of getting that back.

He also has to find a way of getting Cisse back on the form that make him the over night success this time last year. What’s been missing this season is the creativity of players around him, which ultimately knocks confidence. However now with Cabaye, Sissko and Gouffran offering a service the signs are promising.

But it is still a long road to recovery, good job the fans finally have their feet on the ground.

Reload the cannons

In a world that lives on a shoestring it would be logical to commend Arsenal on their policies of finances. They remain one of the most financially viable club in the league. However fans are like magpies, they aren’t interested in balancing the books, only on the shiny things in the cupboard.

Arsene Wenger has arguably shaped the concept of modern football, particularly in the premier league. He brought with him a new way of playing, the introduction of tailored diets for players, the ability to remain unbeaten for a season and most importantly won trophies with a team that displayed such power that had not been seen before.

He also launched the club back into the international limelight with the incredible emirates stadium. But this concrete palace with its gold lighting has ultimately become his Achilles heel. The aim of the club seemed to switch, it was no longer the ambition to become the template for football on the pitch but to become it off the pitch. The accountants snuck in boardroom and the clubs entire policy changed. The managers economics degree seemed to overcome the footballing brain he created so well.

Now Arsenal have become a selling club without a doubt, perhaps with one eye on UEFA’s fair play rule, to balance the books and avoid crippling debt which has plagued football around the world.

But with rumours that the Frenchman is in line for a new 2 year contract it is perhaps time to look at the financial structure of the gunners.

It has been well documented that the club has a strict wage structure in place that they will not break regardless of the stature of the player. It is believed to be within the region of £80,000 per week. Compare that to Manchester united’s, the most successful club in Premier league history who’s maximum wage is around £180,000 per week (former Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie). However a closer inspection at Arsene Wengers contract will show he is currently on around £140,000 per week. With that figure set to rise and the club now effectively out of all competitions many fans who were previously hardcore fans of the manager are now starting to grumble.

It’s time the club reviewed itself, it’s policies and its personnel and look at what the fans want, a big bank balance or a stuffed trophy cabinet?

Timberlake and Jay-z: It should have been so beautiful

Jay-z, the undeniable king of hip hop. Justin Timberlake the king of making songs capable of stripping people naked.

It should have been a dangerously good combination to mingle two genres of music to create a beautiful ensemble.

However someone, somewhere dropped the ball. In the biggest anti-climax since Jay-z and Kanye West’s watch the throne album, the collaboration just hasn’t delivered.

In my personal opinion hip hop and pop songs just do not mix well anyway, Katy Perrys califonia girl featuring the recently named Snoop Lion was just an awkward mix of awkwardness and even more recently the cringe worthy Adam Levine trying to act all cool with his new BFF’s Eminem and 50 cent.

Anyway, rage over.

This Timberlake high pitched nut grab singing just sounds a tad creepy, like Quagmire from Family guy would have it as his ring tone. He has a good voice, its been heard a few times and should go back to that style. But it could just be a blip following his big break making movie.

As for Jay-z’s bit, well it’s just standard Jay-z, pretty good but he’s done better. Maybe he’s on night shift with the baby. But the good news for fans is he always tends to bounce back with a great song so watch this space.