SportsDirect.com invites you to discuss your ultimate football team

All football fans have what they think is the ultimate dream team, their selection of 11 of the greatest players who they feel, should they combine, will be capable of winning every cup and title available to club football. For those fans who live, breathe and talk football, you can now talk to like-minded fans in the Facebook page created by SportsDirect.com, the top UK retailer of football boots

The team from SportsDirect.com have opened up a discussion forum for anyone who wants to create their ultimate dream team. Unlike other dream team competitions, this time can include any footballer who has ever lived, so you can have George Best playing with Wayne Rooney if you want to. Once you have chosen your star team, you can tell the world about them with World XI.

The editor of 4 4 2 magazine, David Hall, recently logged on and told SportsDirect.com which 11 players he would have on his team, and why. His team was packed with legends of the game such as Booby Moore who, according to Hall, could read a game so well he could play entire matches in the rain without getting his kit dirty. Other inclusions are Sir Bobby Charlton, Zinedine Zidane and Deigo Maradona.

This is certainly a dream team to be reckoned with, and that’s just the start. If you reckon you can put together an even better line up, then get yourself onto www.facebook.com/SportsDirectUK . Discuss your team with others and have your own World XI featured on this official Facebook page.

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While at times it is worth a change here and there after opening weeks if it appears your players just do not have it or are out of favour but do use them all up too early since an injury can strike at any time and usually at the most unexpected of times.

Also transfers are good if a team has a good run and they have some favourable fixtures or two in one week. You can make unlimited changes until the ball is kicked away on August 13.

In fantasy football captain changing can happen all you like and it is worth following the form of all the players plus their opponents as your skipper receives double points and that pick could change a good week to great.

You can make the formations the way you want them and either go on the attack and go for broke or park the bus and let it come to you. No matter what you decide as the formation the only thing to remember is not more than two players are allowed from the same club.

First and most important you want players that always play since there are no points if they are sitting. Just being in the first eleven gives you an instant two points with a substitution giving you one.

Each goal earns five points and three points for an assist plus an additional five if you have the man of the match. Yellow cards also come into effect since they start accumulating them and each yellow costs one point and a red will cost three. A penalty missed will cost you an additional three. There are also live point updates on match days allowing you to keep track of your team scores.

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There are still four rounds left before the FA Cup Final comes around which means that there are still plenty of twists to come before the final two teams are chosen to compete in May.  Whichever two clubs make it to the will have used more than their fare share of energy by the time they make it to Wembley however if new research released today is to be trusted.

According to the study commissioned by sponsor and well known energy company E.ON titled aptly the ‘Player Power’ study over the course of the season both lucky Finalist teams will have consumed more than four million kilojoules which is the same amount it takes to power the Wembley stadium.

The figures are based off of last season’s match of Chelsea versus Everton when the clubs played in 100 games combined with each team spending about 37,000 kilojoules per match which is the same amount of energy that it takes to light up the stadium light bulbs for ninety minutes.

The study, which forms part of E.ON’s Energy Fit campaign*, investigated the average energy consumption of a professional footballer and analysed data captured from this season’s FA Cup competition to identify how the modern player applies himself on the pitch during a match.

Typically, in a game players make more than 1,000 changes in activity – altering their speed of movement every four to six seconds, and covering around nine miles. On average, this intense period of activity consumes over 4,000 kilojoules of energy, which equates to 680 watts. That’s an equivalent amount of energy to light a three-bedroom house for 90 minutes, run a television for 4 hours or boil enough water for an entire team to enjoy a half-time cuppa.

In analysing the player performance data from key games in The FA Cup this season, the report also found that Premiership rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City are the powerhouses of the domestic game in more ways than one.

Against Southampton in the Third Round in January, United players Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs covered a combined distance of over 12 miles, using 6806 kilojoules of energy in the process, which is enough power to keep Sir Alex Ferguson’s hairdryer – the real one – going for over two hours.

England and Man City midfield duo, James Milner and Adam Johnson, both covered over 15 miles in their victory over Leicester City in The FA Cup, consuming 8435 kilojoules of energy – equivalent to watching 16 games of football on a 42” plasma TV.

It also revealed that The FA Cup has the ability to inspire and raise the performance levels of players outside the top flight, but it’s often the touch of international class and ruthless efficiency in front of goal that brings the top clubs through. As a team, Leeds United, York City and Huddersfield Town all notched up over 70 miles (almost three marathons) during their recent FA Cup matches – a tenth more than their Premiership opposition – but despite this they couldn’t quite match the star qualities of individual players such as Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who were both instrumental in keeping Arsenal in the competition, despite not playing a full game.

Dr David James, senior lecturer in Sports Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University said:

“This study looked into how a modern player applies themselves on the pitch during FA Cup matches. It was interesting to see that The FA Cup really does seem to inspire teams to raise their game but as they go toe-to-toe physically, it is quite clear that how you use your energy is a critical factor. The energy consumed by each footballer was determined by looking at the time they spent in seven different ‘intensity zones’ during a specific match. Using this knowledge and video tracking data of specific players it was possible to create a mathematical model to calculate the energy consumed by different footballers. The total value of energy consumed during the match can then be converted into an average ‘power’ rating by looking at the rate of energy consumption, which can be then applied to electrical products around the home.”

Simon Breakell, Sponsorship PR Manager, added:

“Energy efficiency is about using your energy wisely and when it really matters; at home it can save you money and on the pitch it can win you games. Our research statistically backs up what we already know and love about The FA Cup – giant killings are a combination of hard work, endeavour and a bit of luck along the way. It’s just a shame we can’t connect these players to the national grid, otherwise we’d perhaps have some unlikely heroes in tackling climate change”.

To understand how E.ON’s Energy Fit campaign can make help you save money on your energy bill, visit: www.eonenergyfit.com. The website features an online calculator that will determine the ‘energy fitness’ of a property and provide specific recommendations to help improve its rating.

As part of their campaign, E.ON’s Energy Fit Experience will be touring the country starting this weekend in Sheffield. The Experience is an interactive exhibition which aims to raise awareness of energy efficiency by harnessing the excitement and magic of the world’s oldest Cup competition, and demonstrate ways in which you can save money by reducing your energy bills. The experience kicks off at Meadowhall shopping centre on Friday 18 February to Sunday 20 February and offers football fans and their families a fun day out and the opportunity to win exclusive FA Cup prizes. E.ON’s Energy Fit Experience will also visit Manchester (Arndale Centre, 25-27 February), Birmingham (Bullring, 04-06 March), London (O2, 18-20 March) and Nottingham (Victoria Centre, 08-10 April).

*E.ON’s Energy Fit campaign is a campaign designed to help you use your energy more wisely and in turn, save you money. Whether it’s your business or even your football club, E.ON can give you the tools to create your own personal energy saving plan. By putting you in control, you can set your own goals, tailored specifically to your needs. Visit eonenergyfit.com to start your own journey.

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The Polish referees who had agreed to participate in the Morton v Falkirk match backed out and now it is quite apparent that the whole Polish FA has backed out on their promise to help the Scottish Football Association by sending 12 match officials.

This has resulted in the cancellation of the 26 November Morton v Falkirk match and will result in further cancellations throughout the Scottish FA.

It looked like a situation where matches would be cancelled had been avoided when the Polish FA agreed to send officials, but the association reversed itself at the seeming last minute.  As of yet, no explanation for the reversal is clear, but the Scottish FA has had trouble enticing the aid of other countries since the problems with its own match officials began.

The threat of a similar strike action on the part of Welsh match officials was beaten down when the FAW sent emails that they said were letters of resignation and the referees were given the choice to agree to work matches or resign.  The threatened expulsion destroyed the unity of the protest and all hopes of strikes fell apart at that point.

Whatever the reason, it is clearly apparent that other countries want no part of the Scottish crisis, cancelled matches or no.

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FIFA has been asked to investigate.

Bahrain officials said that nothing appeared unseemly in the arrangement of the match, as it was all done through the usual channels and with the services of an agent they have known for a long time.

It wasn’t until play actually began that the Bahrain team noticed peculiarities.  The alleged Togo imposters seemed unfit to play the entire ninety minutes and the poor quality of their performance was surprising.  The Bahrain team won easily and found the game to be boring.

Bahrain Football Association spokesmen report that all procedures and processes where handled entirely up to proper guidelines, with the Togolese players even providing their passports.

Togo’s sports minister, Christophe Tchao, said that no one in his country new anything about the match and vowed to determine exactly what had happened.

Meanwhile, Bahrain Head Coach, Josef Hickersberger, expressed dismay and irritation over the situation.  He had wanted to get good practice in for his team as they prepare to participate in the West Asian Championship.  He felt the match with the fake Togo team was nothing more than wasted effort and opportunity.

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To win the Sports Pass prize, play Yahoo! Penalty Shootout, an online game that allows you to face off against friends, other fans and rivals in a virtual penalty kick competition. Fans in more than 16 countries will be able to play the game at http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/world-cup/penalty-shootout/ for a chance to win the Yahoo! Sports Pass.

The Penalty Shootout contestants with the two highest scores in the world at the end of the online competition will be flown to Brazil to compete in a real live penalty shootout featuring famous England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman. The winner with the highest number of kicks against Seaman will be awarded the Yahoo! Sports Pass.

“The penalty shootout is always the most intense, highly charged aspect of any football competition,” said Andrew Cocker, Yahoo!’s UK Head of Marketing. “For the winners of the Yahoo! Penalty Shootout promotion, the stakes could not be higher – a prize that any sports fan would love – tickets to 16 of the biggest sporting events in the world. The final challenge is to beat David Seaman: a big test for the ultimate sports prize.”

In addition to trying to win the ultimate sports prize, fans that play Yahoo! Penalty Shootout for (RED) on the first day of the World Cup will help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa.  For every goal scored on June 11, Yahoo! will contribute USD $1, up to USD $100,000, to the Global Fund, the recipient of (RED) monies. Since 2006 (RED) has been engaging business and consumers to help eliminate AIDS in Africa and to date (RED) partners and events have generated $150 million for the Global Fund. For more info about (RED) visit www.joinred.com

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According to the results of the poll, more than a quarter of the stadiums accessed do not have emergency plans or the necessary defibrillators.   The survey was carried out by club doctors who stressed that more should be done since it is not always possible to quickly get fans to an ER.

Currently, it is only considered to be advisable to have defibrillators at sporting events but the researchers are pushing for mandatory requirements to be put in place.

In the last few years however authorities across the UK have been attempting to do more to place the life saving pieces of equipment in public areas.

Official medic for GAIS the Swedish club and a member of the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Mats Borjesson, stated that every sporting ground should have a supply of defibrillators due to the fact that those that are emotionally engaged in a sporting event are more likely to suffer a heart attack.

Borjesson also noted that given that Europe is where football is the most popular it is quite likely that the situation is even more alarming in other areas.  He also added that planning and procedures also need to be in place so that they could be properly used.

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Bates was replaced by his referee assistant, Amy Fearn, who is has now become the first woman to ever referee in a Football League game.  The 31 year old from Loughborough who’s day job is as a Rolls Royce financial analyst is a part of feminist history that will have males re-evaluating their role in the sporting world.

This is not the first time than a woman has landed on a line, however as Postmistress Wendy Toms from Dorset was on the Premier League in the nineties and Fearn herself has also worked the line using her maiden name, Rayner, as an assistant for the last four years.

Fearn is certainly not a stranger to the game since she has been refereeing since age 14; however, it was still a leap for women in the sporting world.  She stated that it was a great experience to get the chance to referee at a Football League and laughingly said that she could get used to being in charge every week.

She also added that she did not notice at the time that the crowd had reacted to the change, but was glad that nothing controversial occurred while she was in charge of the match for twenty minutes.

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The teacher, Danny Brooks, utilizes his own special ‘flip’ style to toss the football a total of 163.32 feet, which is a world record.  The technique is considered legal because he keeps both of his feet grounded while reaching behind his head with his hands to launch the ball.

Brooks is from Halifax, West Yorkshire videotaped the launch, after which he sent photos and the video to Guinness World Records who declared him the new record holder

A former gymnast, he commented that he came to the conclusion that he could perform a flip to get a better toss of the ball.  He continued to say he was sure that if he could get the angles just right like a discus or shot putter he would be able to beat the current record.

Brooks was inspired to try for the record by Stroke City player Rory Delap who is known for his long throws.

The previous record holder for long distance pitching was Michael Lochner from America who completed the distance of 158.04 ft.

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