Saturday March 26 – Millennium Stadium

Wales v England

Time has passed, but the memory of the England National squad in their most recent World Cup disaster remains relatively fresh in the mind. The criticism over Capello’s rigid tactics. Rumours of disunity amongst the players. The collapse of Wayne Rooney. The heartache. The disappointment. The tears. Good times folks. Good times.

Well – the good times are back, with the oncoming Euro 2012 qualification campaign getting into full swing. Going into Saturday’s showdown against Wales the team is already surrounded by controversy. Glen Hoddle has blasted Capello for his insistence on sticking with the 4-4-2 formation, whilst the media has delighted in the intrigue and turmoil over John Terry’s reinstatement to Captain. Has Rio Ferdinand been betrayed? Why won’t Capello mix up his formations? We have the criticism…we have the turmoil…now for the tears.

In that corner we have Wales, who will be looking to break England’s heart with what would be a stirring, historic win. Their team comes into this one with limited pedigree and poor form. Which is exactly the sort of team that has given England trouble in the past. Most of the Welsh hopes will be resting squarely on the shoulders of Gareth Bale, but it was veteran striker Craig Bellamy who showed the right sort of attitude when he stated that England have struggled because the high expectations of the fans have turned the players into complete nervous wrecks. Any time you have the opportunity to stick it to both the English players and their fans, you’ve just got to do it.

Will it be enough come game time? Probably not. England has the talent, they have the ambition, and who knows – 2012 might just be their year. Superboy Jack Wilshere to score.

Away (England), 3-0, Wilshere

The Shirtman

PS – If you do not submit your tips prior to kick off you will be credited with The Shirtman’s score.

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Manchester United v Arsenal

Saturday March 12, Old Trafford

We’ve been avoiding the Cups so far this year – but this one is too good to ignore. Increasingly the English football season looks to be the tale of two clubs; the powerhouse defending champions Manchester United, and the rising tide of Arsenal with their infectious offensive play. FA Cup advancement is the prize on offer here, but you get the feeling there is a whole lot more at play. Bragging rights. A psychological edge. The chance to “accidentally” injure one of the opposition’s key players (for further details on this please reference Jamie Carragher and his “tackle” on Nani last week).

It’s been a tough week for the Red Devils, with losses against Chelsea and Liverpool battering their title ambitions, and injuries to key players reducing their depth. With a season that once promised historical greatness now in danger of developing into a series of forgettable near misses, the pressure is well and truly on – and if the eerie silence that came from the club following their loss on the weekend is anything to go by, it might just be getting to them.

Mind you, the Gunners haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire of late themselves. A disastrous meltdown in the Carling Cup final was followed by a squandered opportunity against Sunderland last time out. Missed opportunities are the order of the day for these guys right now as well, and with a schedule that offers them a Champions League showdown against Barcelona followed by the FA Cup matchup featured here – that could spell disaster for their season.

Can Arsenal get the nod in what promises to be a titanic clash? Or will Manchester United send a warning shot to their main rivals that whilst they may be down, they are far from out? Rooney & co? Or Fabregas and the crew? Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson? The ebullience of the Gunners? Or the time honoured legacy of Red Devil Pride? Make your pick ladies and gentlemen.

I’m thinking Arsenal. Strange things are afoot at Old Trafford and I think the Gunners can get themselves together for what would be a historic victory. Van Persie to score.

Away (Arsenal), 1-0, Van Persie

The Shirtman

PS – If you do not submit your tip prior to kick off you will be credited with The Shirtman’s score.

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Match Preview – Newcastle v Sunderland

Sunday October 31, St James Park

Given their accents, few who live outside the area can understand a word these two rival fans say, but believe me when I say that this is a local rivalry to match City v United and Everton v Liverpool – if not always in quality then at least in drunken passion.

It’s been a great start to the season for the Black Cats, sitting in an almost unprecedented 7^th spot on the table and coming off an impressive 1-0 win over the well credentialed and high performing Aston Villa. Darren Bent may finally have found a home here, and with some strong support from the likes of Malbranque and Bramble (pending of course police action over numerous unsavoury allegations), Sunderland is starting to show that maybe, just maybe, there might be a spot in Europe for them next year.

Newcastle meanwhile are enjoying a strong start themselves; hovering around the top ten for most of the year and showing old school Toon town grit with a road win over West Ham last time out. They face a tough few days though, with a Carling Cup clash against Arsenal mid-week followed by the derby encounter against Sunderland in our featured Match of the Day.

Can Newcastle get the points in front of their adoring St James’ Park faithful? Or will the Black Cats hot run continue?

Put me down for a Newcastle win. I’m expecting plenty of fight in this one, but the home crowd should make the difference. Kevin Nolan to score.

Home (Newcastle) 2-1, Nolan

The Shirtman

PS – If you do not submit your tips prior to kick off you will be credited with the Shirtman’s score.

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Goodison Park, Sunday, October 17

The timing for this one couldn’t be much worse for the Reds, who are currently in the midst of a campaign so mired in fiasco it makes the Commonwealth Games look like a festival of bureaucratic precision. Players completely shell-shocked. Fans in revolt. Ownership divided. In fact, the most competitive performances from the Liverpool Club we have seen all year have taken place in the high court. And waiting for them in the welcoming confines of Goodison Park are Everton. Their most bitter rivals.

Of course, it hasn’t exactly been the days of wine and roses over the other side of town this season either. The Toffees sit just one above the Reds on the table (that’s fourth last for those keeping count at home) and secured their first win of the season just last week. And if you thought this was merely a hiccup on the road to better things – Everton boss David Moyes disagrees with you, declaring that from here on out his club was in a
relegation battle.

The situation then could hardly be more dire. Not since John met Yoko have things looked so grim in Liverpool, and in Everton the forecasting of doom has already begun in earnest. Both clubs need the win desperately – and we can expect no holds barred sort of rules in this, the most surprising ‘avoid the relegation zone’ clash we have seen in recent memory.

Who gets the win? The way things are going for these two clubs, probably no-one.

Put me down for a draw. Cahill to score a goal (of course).

Draw, 1-1, Cahill

The Shirtman

PS – If you do not submit your tips prior to kick off you will be credited with The Shirtman’s score.

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The Red Devils will have no time to lick their wounds after their last minute collapse at Goodison Park. It’s straight back into the fight – this time with the other side of the Mersey, as Liverpool make their way to Old Trafford in what is shaping up as a cracker.

If you thought United have got off to a slow start by their illustrious standards, spare a thought for the Reds, who are mired in 13^th position with just one win from four games. Roy Hodgson may already be floundering, star recruit Joe Cole has been underwhelming since his arrival, and former Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp was probably being generous when he describe Fernando Torres’ efforts to date as “diabolical.” The one bright star for the squad has been Pepe Reina, but even that is probably due to the sheer amount of work he has had to do thanks to his team’s Swiss cheese defence.

Can they turn it around this week against their old foes from Manchester? Or will United right the ship at home?

Put me down for a Red Devils win. Wayne Rooney to shrug off the media attention, strap the boots back on and score himself the game winner.

Home (Manchester United) 2-1, Rooney

PS – If you do not submit your tips prior to kick off you will be credited with The Shirtman’s score

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Stadium of Light

Pundits tipped Sunderland to challenge for a spot in the Championship next season, and the first two games the Black Cats have played have done little to change anybody’s opinion. An unsatisfying 2-2 draw against Birmingham in the opener, and a disappointing 1-0 loss to West Bromwich next time out has given fans little to be excited about at the start of the 2010/2011 season.

It’s unlikely to change this weekend either, when they run into a Manchester City outfit that looks pretty serious about staking its title credentials early. The Citizens shook off the rust with a 0-0 draw against the Spurs in their opener and completely annihilated Liverpool 3-0 next time out. Sure, they may turn over players faster than the Labor Party turns over seats, and they are still only the second best team in Manchester – but with the likes of Barry, Tevez, Vieira, Given and Adebayor now on board, this may be the year all of that changes.

For that to happen however they need to win the road games against the struggling teams. They need to win games like this. Can the Abu Dhabi Blues keep their title run on track? Or will the Black Cats show they have some claws?

Put me down for a Manchester City win. An easy Manchester City win. Tevez to score.

Away ( Manchester City ) 3-0, Tevez.

PS – If you do not submit your tips prior to kick off you will be credited with the Shirtman’s score

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As the great Yogi Berra once said, it was like déjà vu all over again for Liverpool, who gave away vital points against a major rival with an embarrassing last minute howler from keeper Pepe Reina. Last season was built on these kinds of performances – toying with their fans, oscillating wildly between brilliant form and bone-headed balls-ups. Taking leads and throwing them away – snatching draws out of the jaws of certain victory. It was exactly the sort of thing new manager Roy Hodgson was hoping to avoid in the opening game of the season. Welcome to Anfield.

You probably won’t see new signing Joe Cole’s debut on Liverpool’s top 100 club debut performances DVD (out soon!). He looked completely out of sorts for the opening sequences and was sent off at the half-way mark for a clumsy challenge on Koscielny. The Reds may have picked him up on a free transfer, but if this sort of stuff continues they would still be entitled to ask for their money back.

But let’s not just dwell on the negatives – there were some positive sings there for Reds fans. Their team fought back despite a numerical disadvantage in the second half, and even though they threw points away at he end, the mood remained relatively upbeat in the post match interviews. That means that either their self confidence is starting to return, or they are just becoming used to this sort of thing occurring – with a Monday night match against Manchester City waiting for them, I guess we’ll find out which pretty soon.

The Gunners, for their part will be happy enough with how this one turned out in the end. They could have had a better result from this game. Things could have been worse. The important thing is that the come out of the Anfield clash with a point on the table and heading home to take on Blackpool in front of an always packed Emirates Stadium. Perhaps even more importantly – rumours abound that Aussie icon Mark Schwarzer’s is coming to boost the Gunners somewhat depleted goal-keeping stocks. If that doesn’t fill Arsenal fans with hope I don’t know what will.

For those keeping score at home – one week in and the Shirtman remains on 0 points.

New season. Same results. Deja vu indeed.

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It seems like only days since the sound of Vuvuzelas finally stopped ringing in our ears, but already the next keenly anticipated footballing moment is upon us. For English fans (and fans of English football) the time to forget the horrors of the World Cup has arrived. No more wondering what went wrong – time to ponder new questions, and look for new answers. Can Wayne Rooney redeem himself after the embarrassment of South Africa? Will Chelsea retain the title? Can Liverpool shrug off their annus horribilus last year and return to top four form? And how the hell did Blackpool get here and when are they going away?

(In brief answer to the above; Yes, Maybe, Probably not – and they got lucky in a playoff and should be gone by this time next year).

The Premier League is back folks, and it has never been more competitive. Bookmakers have Chelsea ($2.70) and Manchester United ($3.40) as favourites once again – with Manchester City ($6.00) moving into position as third favourites to win the title. The Gunners ($7.00) are still getting backed by some of the true believers, but punters seem to have about as much faith in Liverpool ($13.00) as they do in the honour system – a bad sign for the Reds.

The surprise here has to be once lowly Manchester City, now reborn as the Abu Dhabi Blues, who in just one short year have gone from Manchester’s ugly sister to a projected member of the top four. The lesson here is clear for the kids – if you want to mix with the best in the world, all you need to do is work hard, believe in yourself, and never, ever give up.

Oh – and if you can find some Arabic Royalty to kick in a few hundred million pounds, then that’s just gravy.

Ladies and gentlemen, Premier League football. You have been missed.

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Sporting Ambition World Cup Tipping Champion

Ritesh Pattni

of  PMP Limited  in Melbourne with an outstanding 39 points

Ritesh wins the Sporting Ambition World Cup Trophy, an international soccer shirt of his choice, and two bottles of fine Spanish wine (just as well as the Dutch didn’t win the final  !!)

Runner Up

“Shergar” – David Newton – from  Haymarket Media in Hong Kong with a very credible 37 points

Well Done David – 3 bottles of Spanish wine to you.

3^rd Place:

“scottyparker4england”.  Steven Hodkin of Goldman Sachs in Sydney with 32 points

Thanks Steven – England couldn’t have done worse with eleven Scotty Parkers –three bottles to you

4^th Place

“Sterling” Sterling Irminger at  Morgan Stanley Hong Kong –two bottles coming your way Sterling for 31 points

And Equal 5^th

“Pommiegranite” Andrew White  at ASX Sydney

“Talcoed” Michael Taubman Citigroup  Sydney

“Carlitos” Carlos Rodriguez  at Leighton Sydney

Congratulations gentlemen – 29 points and 2 bottles of Spain’s finest  each

Best name of the Tournament

Also, a special prize for the best name of the tournament . The Shirtman scoured our entry list looking for any reference to calamari but in the absence of any octopus entries felt there were a few possibles-

Little Miss Messi, Pukka Pikka , Axel The Hack, F@tboyspark, Not a Clue.

However we have decided on:

“Shed Fish“ who was the closest connection the Shirtman could find to Paul the Octopus

and “Matador” who came in at a modest 23 points, but was a well fitting  name for the World Cup winning Spainish Bullfighters !

We will be in touch with two bottles of red medicine

We’ll be in touch with all you winners to arrange a time to deliver your prizes

THANKYOU EVREYONE who took part in the World Cup tipping competition .

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Spain. 1-0. Iniesta.

And with that, ladies and gentlemen – the World Cup is officially over! Normal sleeping patterns can now be resumed. All those late nights are going to have to be blamed on something else. Before we go though, a quick round up of the best, and worst from the World Cup 2010.

Thumbs Down

1. Pim Verbeek

The boys wound up covering themselves in glory this tournament, but any real hope we had of progression was gone after the first game. We may never know what made Pim decide to tinker with our formation 30 minutes before kick off in the most important game of his tenure. What we do know is that his “tactical decisions” were “unmitigated balls ups”. Thanks anyways Pim.

2. Vuvezulas

Loud. Annoying. And now that they are finally ending, I think I am going to miss them.

3. The French

Spent the entire tournament fighting amongst themselves. Went on strike and refused to train. Didn’t win a match. Got eliminated in the group stages and turned on their coach through the media viciously once the tournament had finished. Four years ago, they very nearly won the whole thing.

4. The Officiating

When the British press puts two of your tournaments blunders into a list of the 10 worst officiating decisions of all time,  then it might be time to re-think that stance on technology.

5. Wayne Rooney

Rooney came into the World Cup with a reputation as one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet, but he never really found his stride. His team barely survived the pool stages and were then summarily dismissed by a rampant German outfit. Following that he was voted the ugliest footballer on the planet. Tough fortnight.

Thumbs up

1. Germany

Exciting. Passionate. Fun to watch. Capable goal scorers and all round entertainers. Who saw this coming?

2. Paul the Psychic Octopus

Germany’s love affair with Psychic Octopus called Paul came to an end when the prognosticating cephalod tipped Spain in the semi final clash. Germany lost, but that didn’t stop him. He carried on right to the end, finishing the tournament with a perfect tipping record.

3. Larissa Riquleme

Paraguay’s super-fan Larissa Riquelme became a World Cup sensation for…a variety of reasons. Amongst them was her promise to run naked through the streets should Paraguay win the World Cup. Paraguay did not win the World Cup, but Larissa is going to run anyways. Bless her.

4. Spain

It wasn’t always pretty, and the final was a fairly torrid affair all round – but one of the best ways to judge whether or not you had a good World Cup is by determining whether or not you came home with the trophy. By that reckoning, Spain had a great World Cup.

5. Ambition’s World Cup tipping winners!

1st Place: riteshpattni, Congratulations, You have won the Ambition World Cup Trophy, a Football Jersey of your choice, and a Case of South African Wine.

2nd Place: shergar,

3rd Place: scottyparker4england

Congratulations to all our winners. The team will be in touch shortly to arrange your prizes.

That’s it from us ladies and gentlemen. We hope you had as much fun tipping as we did running the competition. Congratulations again to all our prize winners – and for those of you

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