My first blog post after coming back to uni is of course about HCJ, the first lecture was about how philosophy and science are related.
As we all know, science is about finding the truth, however no one can ever know the whole truth (as proved by The Sun in 1989), however journalists can give their honest opinion.
Science before Kant
Truth is correspondence to objective reality in a 'cosmo' composed of independent things. Einstein, Bacon and Newton eventually find out everything, this is a perfect truth. Scientists have abandoned this theory, however Newtonian ideas still exist and are widely accepted in the scientific community.
Kant
He divided truth into 2 types, the first is a priori, this is is something you know is true by definition e.g. all bachelors are unmarried men. The second is a posteriori, facts rely on scientific study and gathering evidence e.g. all bachelors are messy. The problem with this would come when all the bachelors you study are actually all messy, however the chance of that happening is probably pretty low.
Kant's view of the cosmos is similar to a computer game, where the objects are created in a consciousness which then fades away e.g. a video game like GTA where if you go to a place in the game and then away from it, that place isn't there any more but if you go back to that place, then it is there again. The concept is a strange idea but if you use an analogy like the video game it becomes easier to understand. Kant said that each object has its own independent noumena, so it is a thing in itself (independent of the mind), which is also known as 'the unperceived object' as opposed to phenomena which is an object as it is perceived by the senses.
Schopenhauer said that 'the will' is the only universal noumena, of the university as a thing in itself. This theory links to the Star Wars films. From Kant and Schopenhauer we inherit the idea that nothing 'causes' existence, it is a necessary precondition of perception or consciousness. This idea was quashed in the 19th century as empiricism was rife. Humanity always strives to know more, this is similar to Nietzsche's 'will to power', the important part of this for journalists is to 'play dumb', a journalist can never know the truth so its best to just give your honest opinion.
Logic (deduction vs induction)
Deduction (basically the process of reasoning in which a conclusion follows on from the stated premise e.g All men are mortal, Socrates was a man, therefore Socrates was mortal. Deduction preserves the most characteristic idea of the Greco-Roman world. Deduction depends on a series of indisputable axioms known to a select group of philosophers and later to a hierachy of religious figures, it produces singular or particular truths from general principles, another example is this: all swans are white, this is a swan, so it must be white. It is not possible to doubt these axioms as reality would collapse. This Aristotlean system was a cause of the backwardness in the Islamic civilization, some of this is still present today.
Aristotle's system was denied by the enlightment, Francis Bacon's 'new organon' criticised Aristotle's 'organon' and reviews the axioms that Aristotle had set down as irrefutable. After Bacon, there was the idea that by using evidence, the axioms could be disproved.
Newton to Einstein
This period is know as the Copernican Revolution, over this time questions such as 'does the earth really orbit the sun?' and 'what is up and what is down?' were asked. What we percieve is entirely subjective e.g the amount of light in a room and what mood we're in. Time is a mental phenomena as we are the judges of how slowly time is going for ourselves e.g. I might think that an hour seems shorter because I am doing something that I enjoy, whereas if somebody else is doing something that they don't enjoy, the same hour may seem like 2 hours. According to Einstein's experiments, time not only elapses at different rates but also at different theoretical points e.g, black holes.
Wittgenstein
"The world consists of facts" - a quote from his work 'Tractatus'. There is no object truth, only language-games, Wittgenstein never makes it clear what these are. Early language-games are scrutinized for the insights they give on characteristics of language, 'regular' language-games include forming and testing a hypothesis, making up a story then play acting it, these bring out the openness of our possibilities in using language and describing it.
Ernst Mach and Vienna Circle
The Vienna Circle was a group created in honour of Ernst Mach, one of their ideas was the Verification Principle, which said that the truth of any proposition id the way you verify it. If it can't be verified then it is neither true or false. Betrand Russell comes up with any interesting theory converning the VP, he said that a china teapot is revolving around the sun, "no one would be able to disprove my assertion". Philosopher Karl Popper said that the Verification Principle itself can't be verified.
TB 2012
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Premier League 2012-13 preview
With the Olympics over and the Premier League season only a few days away, the transfer merry go round is almost at top speed, but unlike previous transfer windows, huge amounts of money haven't been spent.
Arsenal
The Gunners finished 3rd last season and will be looking to go one better this term, but with doubt over Robin Van Persie's future it is unclear how good their strike force will be this season especially as new signings Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud having no PL experience. Santi Cazorla has signed from Malaga. The Robin Van Persie transfer dilemma could prove a problem for Wenger and Arsenal fans shouldn't take a Champions League spot for granted as questions over the strength of the back four still remain from last season.
Predicted finish: 5th.
Aston Villa
New manager Paul Lambert will need to make sure his team get off to a good start otherwise we could see a repeat of last season. On paper it looks as if he's inherited a squad capable of finishing in the top 12, with experienced strikers Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor still at the club, as well as promising signings Karim El Ahmadi, Dutch international defender Ron Vlaar and Matt Lowton this could be a good season for the Villains, although Paul Lambert's inexperience could be a problem if things get difficult.
Predicted finish: 11th.
Chelsea
The FA Cup and Champions League winners have very wisely kept Roberto Di Matteo as manager and have made some impressive signings already, including Marko Marin and Edin Hazard. Infighting led to Andre Villas Boas' sacking in February last season, but Di Matteo seems to have created a much better atmosphere in the squad than his predecessor could and as the players seem to respect him, it could be another good season for the Blues. However, no replacement for Didier Drogba has been found yet and they can't rely on Fernando Torres to score 20+ goals. The old hands Frank Lampard Jnr, John Terry and Petr Cech will carry the team this season.
Predicted finish: 3rd.
Everton
The Toffees finished above Liverpool for the first time in 8 seasons last term, but will struggle to do the same this season. Losing Tim Cahill will hit the team hard and I doubt whether they can find a replacemnt for the influential Aussie who moved to New York Red Bulls. Steven Pienaar moves back to the club who sold him to Tottenham last season and ex Rangers midfielder Steven Naismith has also signed. The manager David Moyes has done some fantastic work at the Merseyside club and there's no doubt he'll do it again.
Predicted finish: 9th.
Fulham
Martin Jol's team somewhat over achieved last season, mainly due to the brilliance of Clint Dempsey and team unity. Last season's loan signing Pavel Pogrebnyak didn't sign permanently and Martin Jol has replaced him with ex Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega and experienced Croatian striker Mladen Petric. However, an over reliance on Clint Dempsey could prove costly if he moves on as the team will lose some of its attacking threat. Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson have moved on free transfers, whether they'll be missed remains to be seen.
Predicted finish: 10th.
Liverpool
The sacking of Kenny Dalglish drew mixed reactions from Reds fans, although winning the League Cup will be forgotten if Brendan Rodgers delivers the goods this season. New signings Fabio Borini and Joe Allen will have to make instant impacts and it is questionable whether getting rid of wingers Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy was the best idea. Andy Carroll's future is unclear and Brendan Rodgers has already cast doubt on whether the man from Newcastle will fit in to the team's new style of play and is something that the players will have to adapt to.
Predicted finish: 4th.
Manchester City
Last season's champions have only signed Jack Rodwell so far this summer, which could prove costly with less than a week to go until the start of the season. There is obviously huge attacking threat from Aguero and co, but Roberto Mancini will have to improve the team to stand a chance of competing with Manchester United. The Blues looked like a proper team last season, instead of a group of individuals like in the past two campaigns. However, they may become over arrogant this season, something that Mancini must suppress for his team to win the Premier League once again.
Predicted finish: 2nd.
Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson's men missed out on the title on goal difference last season and will certainly be looking to put that behind them. New signings Nick Powell and Shinji Kagawa will want to impress early on and the latter will give the team some much needed pace and trickery in midfield. The Red Devils are certainly capable of winning the title this season, but improvement might be needed up front if they want to keep up with their neighbours' goal scoring.
Predicted finish: 1st.
Newcastle United
The Magpies over achieved last season and manager Alan Pardew will want to keep the momentum going this time around. Summer bargain Demba Ba was superb in the first half of the season and January signing Papiss Cisse scored in all but one of his appearances, both will have to keep that up if they want to repeat last season's fifth place. With a goal difference of just 7 last season, the Toon will have to sharpen up in defence this term.
Predicted finish: 7th.
Norwich City
New manager Chris Hughton will make the Canaries hard to beat, but is in danger of having a goal drought if Grant Holt doesn't perform this season as he did in the last. A relatively unknown and inexperienced team will have to get off to a good start to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle. New centre back Michael Turner will provide experience to the team and winger Robert Snodgrass may prove to be a hit in the Premier League.
Predicted finish: 16th
Queen Park Rangers
The west Londoners avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season after Mark Hughes was brought in in January. The club have signed experienced players such as Park Ji Sung, Robert Green and Andy Johnson as well as exciting young winger Junior Hoilett. The Rs attack will be a threat, but defensive frailties might become a problem if goals aren't being scored.
Predicted finish: 14th.
Reading
Last season's Championship winners have signed 'best of the Championship' players, with Chris Gunter and Garath McCleary coming in from Nottingham Forest and Adrian Mariappa from Watford. Brian McDermott has also brought in Pavel Pogrebnyak, Danny Guthrie and experienced left back Nicky Shorey. Questions remain over the squad's ability to cope in the Premier League, although they were good defensively last season, but relied heavily on Jimmy Kebe to start attacks. Inexperience will probably be their downfall, as McDermott is new to the Premier League and most of his players are too.
Predicted finish: 20th.
Southampton
The Saints followed the example of Norwich City and completed two successive promotions, Nigel Adkins has built a relatively young squad over the past few seasons and has added youngsters Nathaniel Clyne and Jay Rodriguez to his team. Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana proved to be a winning combination last season, whether they can continue that against top defenders remains to be seen. Weakness at the back could prove to be their downfall though.
Predicted finish: 17th.
Stoke City
A team that is always strong at the back and also able to create goalscoring opportunities, Peter Crouch was one of the Potters best players last season and will be looking to do the same again. They will be too good for some teams simply because of their defensive toughness, especially at home. Tony Pulis has only signed three players so far, Michael Kightly from Wolves, Jamie Ness from Rangers and Geoff Cameron from Houston Dynamo. Always a safe bet for a mid table finish.
Predicted finish: 12th.
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill's men could have quite easily had a top 10 finish last season, but were distinctly average towards the end of the season after securing safety. The Black Cats have bags of experience in Wes Brown and John O'Shea, as well some promising youngsters like James McClean and Connor Wickham. Pacy wingers Stephane Sessegnon and Seb Larsson could prove to be a winning combination, although no prominent centre forward is in the team after Nicklas Bendter's loan expired. If they play as well as they did in the second half of last season, they will certainly threaten the top 10.
Predicted finish: 8th.
Swansea City
Swans fans should be worried after Brendan Rodgers left the club for Liverpool in July. New boss Michael Laudrup has no experience of managing a Premier League club, so it may take a while for the team to find its feet. Without top midfielders like Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson this season, a lack of depth in midfield may cause problems, but with attackers like Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer and Danny Graham, the Swans won't find it hard to score goals, although a shaky defence could cause issues.
Predicted finish: 18th.
Tottenham Hotspur
After Harry Redknapp's sacking, many Spurs fans felt that the good times would end, but with the players that new boss Andre Villas Boas has got at his disposal, it seems unlikely that the Lilywhites will finish anywhere outside of the top 6. Influential midfielder Luka Modric's future looks unclear, but with no one that keen on paying the £30m price tag, he will probably stay. A good all round team, but without a replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor still not found, most goals may have to be scored by midfielders.
Predicted finish: 6th.
West Bromwich Albion
New manager Steve Clarke's vast experience as an assistant manager at Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham will stand him and his team in good stead for the new season. WBA have brought in exciting winger Yassine El Ghanassy and Chelsea reject Romelu Lukaku on loan, Clarke with have the basis of a solid team. If Peter Odemwingie has a repeat of last season, West Brom fans shouldn't worry about Premier League relegation, although if cracks start to appear in the defence, it might be a case of relying on the strikers to perform.
Predicted finish: 13th.
West Ham United
Although promotion via the play offs was acheived last season, many Hammers fans wanted automatic promotion. Sam Allardyce has made a few good signings including defensive midfielders Momo Diame and Alou Diarra, as well as Senegal striker Modibo Maiga and centre back James Collins. The right back position looks like it could be a real weakness, with Guy Demel the best option, teams will want to exploit it. Sam Allardyce is one of the most experienced managers in the PL this season and has never led a team to relegation.
Predicted finish: 15th.
Wigan Athletic
Roberto Martinez has saved the Latics from relegation the past few seasons, but the other teams in the league may prove to be too good for Wigan this season. If Victor Moses goes to Chelsea it could bring an end to Wigan's time in the Premier League as he was their only real source of chance creation. Winger Ryo Miyaichi has been brought in on loan and Ivan Ramis has joined from Mallorca to shore up the defence, this could be a key area for Wigan as goals could be at a premium, so stopping goals going in will be a necessity. The style of play that Martinez evokes could be their saving grace.
Predicted finish: 19th.
Predicted Premier League table in full:
1 Manchester United
2 Manchester City
3 Chelsea
4 Liverpool
5 Arsenal
6 Tottenham Hotspur
7 Newcastle United
8 Sunderland
9 Everton
10 Fulham
11 Aston Villa
12 Stoke City
13 West Bromwich Albion
14 Queens Park Rangers
15 West Ham United
16 Norwich City
17 Southampton
18 Swansea City
19 Wigan Athletic
20 Reading
All info correct at time of writing.
Arsenal
The Gunners finished 3rd last season and will be looking to go one better this term, but with doubt over Robin Van Persie's future it is unclear how good their strike force will be this season especially as new signings Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud having no PL experience. Santi Cazorla has signed from Malaga. The Robin Van Persie transfer dilemma could prove a problem for Wenger and Arsenal fans shouldn't take a Champions League spot for granted as questions over the strength of the back four still remain from last season.
Predicted finish: 5th.
Aston Villa
New manager Paul Lambert will need to make sure his team get off to a good start otherwise we could see a repeat of last season. On paper it looks as if he's inherited a squad capable of finishing in the top 12, with experienced strikers Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor still at the club, as well as promising signings Karim El Ahmadi, Dutch international defender Ron Vlaar and Matt Lowton this could be a good season for the Villains, although Paul Lambert's inexperience could be a problem if things get difficult.
Predicted finish: 11th.
Chelsea
The FA Cup and Champions League winners have very wisely kept Roberto Di Matteo as manager and have made some impressive signings already, including Marko Marin and Edin Hazard. Infighting led to Andre Villas Boas' sacking in February last season, but Di Matteo seems to have created a much better atmosphere in the squad than his predecessor could and as the players seem to respect him, it could be another good season for the Blues. However, no replacement for Didier Drogba has been found yet and they can't rely on Fernando Torres to score 20+ goals. The old hands Frank Lampard Jnr, John Terry and Petr Cech will carry the team this season.
Predicted finish: 3rd.
Everton
The Toffees finished above Liverpool for the first time in 8 seasons last term, but will struggle to do the same this season. Losing Tim Cahill will hit the team hard and I doubt whether they can find a replacemnt for the influential Aussie who moved to New York Red Bulls. Steven Pienaar moves back to the club who sold him to Tottenham last season and ex Rangers midfielder Steven Naismith has also signed. The manager David Moyes has done some fantastic work at the Merseyside club and there's no doubt he'll do it again.
Predicted finish: 9th.
Fulham
Martin Jol's team somewhat over achieved last season, mainly due to the brilliance of Clint Dempsey and team unity. Last season's loan signing Pavel Pogrebnyak didn't sign permanently and Martin Jol has replaced him with ex Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega and experienced Croatian striker Mladen Petric. However, an over reliance on Clint Dempsey could prove costly if he moves on as the team will lose some of its attacking threat. Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson have moved on free transfers, whether they'll be missed remains to be seen.
Predicted finish: 10th.
Liverpool
The sacking of Kenny Dalglish drew mixed reactions from Reds fans, although winning the League Cup will be forgotten if Brendan Rodgers delivers the goods this season. New signings Fabio Borini and Joe Allen will have to make instant impacts and it is questionable whether getting rid of wingers Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy was the best idea. Andy Carroll's future is unclear and Brendan Rodgers has already cast doubt on whether the man from Newcastle will fit in to the team's new style of play and is something that the players will have to adapt to.
Predicted finish: 4th.
Manchester City
Last season's champions have only signed Jack Rodwell so far this summer, which could prove costly with less than a week to go until the start of the season. There is obviously huge attacking threat from Aguero and co, but Roberto Mancini will have to improve the team to stand a chance of competing with Manchester United. The Blues looked like a proper team last season, instead of a group of individuals like in the past two campaigns. However, they may become over arrogant this season, something that Mancini must suppress for his team to win the Premier League once again.
Predicted finish: 2nd.
Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson's men missed out on the title on goal difference last season and will certainly be looking to put that behind them. New signings Nick Powell and Shinji Kagawa will want to impress early on and the latter will give the team some much needed pace and trickery in midfield. The Red Devils are certainly capable of winning the title this season, but improvement might be needed up front if they want to keep up with their neighbours' goal scoring.
Predicted finish: 1st.
Newcastle United
The Magpies over achieved last season and manager Alan Pardew will want to keep the momentum going this time around. Summer bargain Demba Ba was superb in the first half of the season and January signing Papiss Cisse scored in all but one of his appearances, both will have to keep that up if they want to repeat last season's fifth place. With a goal difference of just 7 last season, the Toon will have to sharpen up in defence this term.
Predicted finish: 7th.
Norwich City
New manager Chris Hughton will make the Canaries hard to beat, but is in danger of having a goal drought if Grant Holt doesn't perform this season as he did in the last. A relatively unknown and inexperienced team will have to get off to a good start to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle. New centre back Michael Turner will provide experience to the team and winger Robert Snodgrass may prove to be a hit in the Premier League.
Predicted finish: 16th
Queen Park Rangers
The west Londoners avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season after Mark Hughes was brought in in January. The club have signed experienced players such as Park Ji Sung, Robert Green and Andy Johnson as well as exciting young winger Junior Hoilett. The Rs attack will be a threat, but defensive frailties might become a problem if goals aren't being scored.
Predicted finish: 14th.
Reading
Last season's Championship winners have signed 'best of the Championship' players, with Chris Gunter and Garath McCleary coming in from Nottingham Forest and Adrian Mariappa from Watford. Brian McDermott has also brought in Pavel Pogrebnyak, Danny Guthrie and experienced left back Nicky Shorey. Questions remain over the squad's ability to cope in the Premier League, although they were good defensively last season, but relied heavily on Jimmy Kebe to start attacks. Inexperience will probably be their downfall, as McDermott is new to the Premier League and most of his players are too.
Predicted finish: 20th.
Southampton
The Saints followed the example of Norwich City and completed two successive promotions, Nigel Adkins has built a relatively young squad over the past few seasons and has added youngsters Nathaniel Clyne and Jay Rodriguez to his team. Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana proved to be a winning combination last season, whether they can continue that against top defenders remains to be seen. Weakness at the back could prove to be their downfall though.
Predicted finish: 17th.
Stoke City
A team that is always strong at the back and also able to create goalscoring opportunities, Peter Crouch was one of the Potters best players last season and will be looking to do the same again. They will be too good for some teams simply because of their defensive toughness, especially at home. Tony Pulis has only signed three players so far, Michael Kightly from Wolves, Jamie Ness from Rangers and Geoff Cameron from Houston Dynamo. Always a safe bet for a mid table finish.
Predicted finish: 12th.
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill's men could have quite easily had a top 10 finish last season, but were distinctly average towards the end of the season after securing safety. The Black Cats have bags of experience in Wes Brown and John O'Shea, as well some promising youngsters like James McClean and Connor Wickham. Pacy wingers Stephane Sessegnon and Seb Larsson could prove to be a winning combination, although no prominent centre forward is in the team after Nicklas Bendter's loan expired. If they play as well as they did in the second half of last season, they will certainly threaten the top 10.
Predicted finish: 8th.
Swansea City
Swans fans should be worried after Brendan Rodgers left the club for Liverpool in July. New boss Michael Laudrup has no experience of managing a Premier League club, so it may take a while for the team to find its feet. Without top midfielders like Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson this season, a lack of depth in midfield may cause problems, but with attackers like Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer and Danny Graham, the Swans won't find it hard to score goals, although a shaky defence could cause issues.
Predicted finish: 18th.
Tottenham Hotspur
After Harry Redknapp's sacking, many Spurs fans felt that the good times would end, but with the players that new boss Andre Villas Boas has got at his disposal, it seems unlikely that the Lilywhites will finish anywhere outside of the top 6. Influential midfielder Luka Modric's future looks unclear, but with no one that keen on paying the £30m price tag, he will probably stay. A good all round team, but without a replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor still not found, most goals may have to be scored by midfielders.
Predicted finish: 6th.
West Bromwich Albion
New manager Steve Clarke's vast experience as an assistant manager at Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham will stand him and his team in good stead for the new season. WBA have brought in exciting winger Yassine El Ghanassy and Chelsea reject Romelu Lukaku on loan, Clarke with have the basis of a solid team. If Peter Odemwingie has a repeat of last season, West Brom fans shouldn't worry about Premier League relegation, although if cracks start to appear in the defence, it might be a case of relying on the strikers to perform.
Predicted finish: 13th.
West Ham United
Although promotion via the play offs was acheived last season, many Hammers fans wanted automatic promotion. Sam Allardyce has made a few good signings including defensive midfielders Momo Diame and Alou Diarra, as well as Senegal striker Modibo Maiga and centre back James Collins. The right back position looks like it could be a real weakness, with Guy Demel the best option, teams will want to exploit it. Sam Allardyce is one of the most experienced managers in the PL this season and has never led a team to relegation.
Predicted finish: 15th.
Wigan Athletic
Roberto Martinez has saved the Latics from relegation the past few seasons, but the other teams in the league may prove to be too good for Wigan this season. If Victor Moses goes to Chelsea it could bring an end to Wigan's time in the Premier League as he was their only real source of chance creation. Winger Ryo Miyaichi has been brought in on loan and Ivan Ramis has joined from Mallorca to shore up the defence, this could be a key area for Wigan as goals could be at a premium, so stopping goals going in will be a necessity. The style of play that Martinez evokes could be their saving grace.
Predicted finish: 19th.
Predicted Premier League table in full:
1 Manchester United
2 Manchester City
3 Chelsea
4 Liverpool
5 Arsenal
6 Tottenham Hotspur
7 Newcastle United
8 Sunderland
9 Everton
10 Fulham
11 Aston Villa
12 Stoke City
13 West Bromwich Albion
14 Queens Park Rangers
15 West Ham United
16 Norwich City
17 Southampton
18 Swansea City
19 Wigan Athletic
20 Reading
Friday, 8 June 2012
Euro 2012 Preview
The European Championships kick off today and it also marks the start of a hellish summer for sport haters, but before I start ranting, I'll start with Group A...
The group to kick off the tournament contains Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Russia. 4 teams that will all think they have a chance of going through to the quarter finals.
Czech Republic
The Czechs are quite a young team with a few experienced cookies such as Champions League winner Petr Cech and ex Liverpool player Milan Baros, as well as Arsenal midefielder Tomas Rosicky. They finished second in their qualifying group, just ahead of Scotland and 11 points behind Spain.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Greece
A team of relatively unknown players, except for ex Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras, but only 1 or 2 of the Euro 2004 squad remains. They finished top in a pretty easy qualifying group, but did finish 2 points ahead of Croatia.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
Poland
Co-hosts who have a few well known players such as Wojciech Szczęsny, Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski, but apart from them, most of the players a relatively unknown. However, being hosts always helps in major tournaments.
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Quarter Finals.
Russia
Arguably the best team in the group, with experienced Premier League players like Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, as well as Yuri Zhirkov and Pavel Pogrebnyak. Apart from that, almost all of the other players play in Russia, so whether they can perform against top European sides remains to be seen.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Quarter Finals.
Next up is Group B, which is the'group of death' this time round, containing Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal.
Denmark
A team full of players that people in this country will recognise such as Daniel Agger, Nicklas Bendtner, Anders Lindegaard to name just 3. Liverpool fans will note that Christian Poulsen is in the squad and remember him for very little. It's just a shame the Danes aren't in an easier group, they're always good in tournaments because they're better than the sum of their parts.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
Germany
One of the favourites to win Euro 2012, with a team full of youth and experience. Miroslav Klose is still going and only a few goals off Germany legend Gerd Muller's all time international tally. A team that no one wants to play because of their organisation and attacking threat (as well as typical Germany efficiency). However, because of the large amount of young players in the team, there are questions over their ability to handle high pressure situations.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Finalists.
Netherlands
2010 World Cup finalists who need to build their reputation again after 8 yellow cards and 1 red in the final. Always good in tournaments and with a team that's got attackers like Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, (they also have Rafael van der Vaart) they'll certainly be a threat , but not strong enough in defence.
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Semi Finals.
Portugal
Constantly written off by BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson and called 'centred around Ronaldo' by others, but it's not like they don't have any other good players! Premier League players Nani and Raul Meireles are included and players João Moutinho and Silvestre Varela both won the Portuguese League this season with Porto. However, there are questions over the team's capabilities in big tournaments and finished 2nd in their qualifying group behind Denmark.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Group C is next, which features Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 winners Spain, as well as Italy, Croatia and Ireland.
Croatia
A classic exmaple of a team with 3 or 4 quality players and nothing much else, Premier League players Luka Modric and Nikica Jelavic, as well as former Arsenal striker Eduardo. They finished 2nd in their qualifying group.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
Italy
The Italian squad for this tournament has an average age of 27, which is younger than usual for an Italian squad. However, most of their best players are over 30 and with Mario Balotelli in tow (closely followed by his child-like attitude) it could be an interesting few weeks for the Italian team, especially as Mario will be walking off the pitch every game for being racially abused (I support him 100% on that by the way).
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Quarter Finals.
Republic of Ireland
Another great example of a team that's better than the sum of their parts. Players like Robbie Keane and Damien Duff were both great in their heydays and will be playing alongside some up and coming players like James McClean and Shane Long. The squad also features the Premier League's Jonathan Walters, Richard Dunne and Shay Given. Once again, it's a shame they're not in an easier group.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Spain
The best team in the group by far, they won the last European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. Some world class players in midfield and defence, but their strikers don't always step up to the mark. No David Villa this time so it's up to Fernando Torres to show what he's made of. Youngster Fernando Llorente will be aware that he could become their first choice centre forward if Torres doesn't play well. There's no question they have what it takes to get to the final, but Barcelona were been found out by Real Madrid and Chelsea this season, so Spain might fall at the final hurdle.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Finalists.
The final group is Group D, with England, France, Sweden and Ukraine.
England
Where do you want me to start? So many things that I could say about the England team but I'll try and limit it! First of all, we have a good manager in Roy Hodgson, the only reason people are on his back is because everyone wanted Harry Redknapp, if he wasn't around then Roy would have been the 1st choice for the media. However,I have to question why Hodgson picked some of the players that he did. For starters, Micah Richards and Rio Ferdinand should be in the squad, no question. Stewart Downing's inclusion was a strange decision, as was the decision to replace Frank Lampard with Jordan Henderson. Roy Hodgson has made them hard to beat, but a lack of attacking threat in the first two games could hinder their chances of finishing top of the group.
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Quarter Finals.
France
A team full of good attacking players like Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa as well as Oliver Giroud, who is being chased by Manchester United and Arsenal. However, there are questions over their defence, especially seeing as their two best defenders are both left backs. They could cause a few problems for England in their first game and will be a threat in the knockout round too.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Semi Finals.
Sweden
An experienced team that features one of the world's top strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovich and two ex Premier League players who are 34 and 35. Younger talent includes Sunderland's Seb Larsson and Blackburn's Martin Olsson. However, they will fancy their chances of going through if they beat Ukraine in their first game and England and France draw.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Ukraine
Co-hosts who many people in this country know nothing about, this is probably because only 2 of their players play outside of Ukraine; Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andriy Voronin. The latter missed a sitter in a Euro 2012 warm game and the former plays for Bayern Munich. Also in the squad is former Chelsea and Milan player Andriy Shevchenko.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
The next few weeks promise to offer good football played by some of the world's best players, but high levels of racism in Polish and Ukrainian football could spoil the tournament. After reading this I suppose you want to know who I think will win the tournament out of Spain and Germany, but to be honest I can't decide.
Have a good summer non sports fans!
TB 2012
The group to kick off the tournament contains Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Russia. 4 teams that will all think they have a chance of going through to the quarter finals.
Czech Republic
The Czechs are quite a young team with a few experienced cookies such as Champions League winner Petr Cech and ex Liverpool player Milan Baros, as well as Arsenal midefielder Tomas Rosicky. They finished second in their qualifying group, just ahead of Scotland and 11 points behind Spain.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Greece
A team of relatively unknown players, except for ex Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras, but only 1 or 2 of the Euro 2004 squad remains. They finished top in a pretty easy qualifying group, but did finish 2 points ahead of Croatia.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
Poland
Co-hosts who have a few well known players such as Wojciech Szczęsny, Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski, but apart from them, most of the players a relatively unknown. However, being hosts always helps in major tournaments.
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Quarter Finals.
Russia
Arguably the best team in the group, with experienced Premier League players like Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, as well as Yuri Zhirkov and Pavel Pogrebnyak. Apart from that, almost all of the other players play in Russia, so whether they can perform against top European sides remains to be seen.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Quarter Finals.
Next up is Group B, which is the'group of death' this time round, containing Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal.
Denmark
A team full of players that people in this country will recognise such as Daniel Agger, Nicklas Bendtner, Anders Lindegaard to name just 3. Liverpool fans will note that Christian Poulsen is in the squad and remember him for very little. It's just a shame the Danes aren't in an easier group, they're always good in tournaments because they're better than the sum of their parts.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
Germany
One of the favourites to win Euro 2012, with a team full of youth and experience. Miroslav Klose is still going and only a few goals off Germany legend Gerd Muller's all time international tally. A team that no one wants to play because of their organisation and attacking threat (as well as typical Germany efficiency). However, because of the large amount of young players in the team, there are questions over their ability to handle high pressure situations.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Finalists.
Netherlands
2010 World Cup finalists who need to build their reputation again after 8 yellow cards and 1 red in the final. Always good in tournaments and with a team that's got attackers like Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, (they also have Rafael van der Vaart) they'll certainly be a threat , but not strong enough in defence.
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Semi Finals.
Portugal
Constantly written off by BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson and called 'centred around Ronaldo' by others, but it's not like they don't have any other good players! Premier League players Nani and Raul Meireles are included and players João Moutinho and Silvestre Varela both won the Portuguese League this season with Porto. However, there are questions over the team's capabilities in big tournaments and finished 2nd in their qualifying group behind Denmark.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Group C is next, which features Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 winners Spain, as well as Italy, Croatia and Ireland.
Croatia
A classic exmaple of a team with 3 or 4 quality players and nothing much else, Premier League players Luka Modric and Nikica Jelavic, as well as former Arsenal striker Eduardo. They finished 2nd in their qualifying group.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
Italy
The Italian squad for this tournament has an average age of 27, which is younger than usual for an Italian squad. However, most of their best players are over 30 and with Mario Balotelli in tow (closely followed by his child-like attitude) it could be an interesting few weeks for the Italian team, especially as Mario will be walking off the pitch every game for being racially abused (I support him 100% on that by the way).
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Quarter Finals.
Republic of Ireland
Another great example of a team that's better than the sum of their parts. Players like Robbie Keane and Damien Duff were both great in their heydays and will be playing alongside some up and coming players like James McClean and Shane Long. The squad also features the Premier League's Jonathan Walters, Richard Dunne and Shay Given. Once again, it's a shame they're not in an easier group.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
The best team in the group by far, they won the last European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. Some world class players in midfield and defence, but their strikers don't always step up to the mark. No David Villa this time so it's up to Fernando Torres to show what he's made of. Youngster Fernando Llorente will be aware that he could become their first choice centre forward if Torres doesn't play well. There's no question they have what it takes to get to the final, but Barcelona were been found out by Real Madrid and Chelsea this season, so Spain might fall at the final hurdle.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Finalists.
The final group is Group D, with England, France, Sweden and Ukraine.
England
Where do you want me to start? So many things that I could say about the England team but I'll try and limit it! First of all, we have a good manager in Roy Hodgson, the only reason people are on his back is because everyone wanted Harry Redknapp, if he wasn't around then Roy would have been the 1st choice for the media. However,I have to question why Hodgson picked some of the players that he did. For starters, Micah Richards and Rio Ferdinand should be in the squad, no question. Stewart Downing's inclusion was a strange decision, as was the decision to replace Frank Lampard with Jordan Henderson. Roy Hodgson has made them hard to beat, but a lack of attacking threat in the first two games could hinder their chances of finishing top of the group.
Predicted finish: 2nd in group, Quarter Finals.
France
A team full of good attacking players like Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa as well as Oliver Giroud, who is being chased by Manchester United and Arsenal. However, there are questions over their defence, especially seeing as their two best defenders are both left backs. They could cause a few problems for England in their first game and will be a threat in the knockout round too.
Predicted finish: 1st in group, Semi Finals.
Sweden
An experienced team that features one of the world's top strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovich and two ex Premier League players who are 34 and 35. Younger talent includes Sunderland's Seb Larsson and Blackburn's Martin Olsson. However, they will fancy their chances of going through if they beat Ukraine in their first game and England and France draw.
Predicted finish: 3rd in group.
Ukraine
Co-hosts who many people in this country know nothing about, this is probably because only 2 of their players play outside of Ukraine; Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andriy Voronin. The latter missed a sitter in a Euro 2012 warm game and the former plays for Bayern Munich. Also in the squad is former Chelsea and Milan player Andriy Shevchenko.
Predicted finish: 4th in group.
The next few weeks promise to offer good football played by some of the world's best players, but high levels of racism in Polish and Ukrainian football could spoil the tournament. After reading this I suppose you want to know who I think will win the tournament out of Spain and Germany, but to be honest I can't decide.
Have a good summer non sports fans!
TB 2012
Friday, 11 May 2012
The 'Eco-Mentalists' may have a point...
We've all seen the developing news about the country being put in drought and of course, we've all been heavily rained on at least once since the drought orders were put in place!. When it was announced that parts of the country would be placed in drought, I just assumed they would stay in drought until Christmas, but no.
Today it was announced that parts of the UK would be taken out of drought, including Birmingham and almost all of the south-west of England. All this comes just under a month after these places were actually put in drought! What's the point of taking time to make the decision to put the country in drought and then to take the drought orders away in certain places? The first places in the UK that went into an official drought were parts of East Anglia and Lincolnshire. Not just that, but it's only been 2 months since the first major drought order was put in place and this was in places such as London and the Isle and Wight.
I'm no eco warrior but I know that you can't just have a drought in one place for less than 2 months and expect things to improve instantly, the reservoirs, rivers and lakes must be given time to fill up and the only way to do that is if the drought is kept up for a long time.
Another eco warrior based point I'd like to make is about the amount of packaging that is still on food, on an average food shop in Sainsbury's you will encounter products with excessive amounts of packaging, for example a pack of 4 apples has a polystyrene tray and a cellophane wrap. Why is all of this actually needed? Another example is from a multipack of a well known chcoolate bar beginning with T, this has the foil wrap you'd expect on a standard bar, but also a long cardboard tray. Why?
From what I've said it sounds very much like I have turned into a tree hugger, but no, I am just trying to understand why the products we buy everyday have a ridiculous amount of packaging. However, could there be another side to why all this packaging surrounds food. Since environmentalist groups have campaigned about big companies using more recyclable packaging, food still has the huge amounts of packaging it had before, but is now recyclable. So are companies just using recyclable packaging to please the eco warriors and to say that they use more recyclable packaging than before? Maybe.
What I do know is that it will take some time before food starts to have less packaging and our recycling bins stop overflowing.
TB 2012.
Today it was announced that parts of the UK would be taken out of drought, including Birmingham and almost all of the south-west of England. All this comes just under a month after these places were actually put in drought! What's the point of taking time to make the decision to put the country in drought and then to take the drought orders away in certain places? The first places in the UK that went into an official drought were parts of East Anglia and Lincolnshire. Not just that, but it's only been 2 months since the first major drought order was put in place and this was in places such as London and the Isle and Wight.
I'm no eco warrior but I know that you can't just have a drought in one place for less than 2 months and expect things to improve instantly, the reservoirs, rivers and lakes must be given time to fill up and the only way to do that is if the drought is kept up for a long time.
Another eco warrior based point I'd like to make is about the amount of packaging that is still on food, on an average food shop in Sainsbury's you will encounter products with excessive amounts of packaging, for example a pack of 4 apples has a polystyrene tray and a cellophane wrap. Why is all of this actually needed? Another example is from a multipack of a well known chcoolate bar beginning with T, this has the foil wrap you'd expect on a standard bar, but also a long cardboard tray. Why?
From what I've said it sounds very much like I have turned into a tree hugger, but no, I am just trying to understand why the products we buy everyday have a ridiculous amount of packaging. However, could there be another side to why all this packaging surrounds food. Since environmentalist groups have campaigned about big companies using more recyclable packaging, food still has the huge amounts of packaging it had before, but is now recyclable. So are companies just using recyclable packaging to please the eco warriors and to say that they use more recyclable packaging than before? Maybe.
What I do know is that it will take some time before food starts to have less packaging and our recycling bins stop overflowing.
TB 2012.
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