Career change- Where do I start?

Career change- Where do I start?

 

Do you dread Monday mornings? Do you question your career path and choices on a regular basis? Well you are not alone according to a study from Gallup researchers. Figures from a study taken from over 148 countries show that only 13% of people asked felt engaged within their job.  A whacking 63% claimed not being engaged and the remaining 24% admitting to being actively disengaged. This alarming high percentage of workers not being engaged within their jobs is certainly a cause for concern.

If you find yourself in the “not engaged” or the “actively disengaged” percentage you should probably consider action.

Joel Garfinkle, who is an American life coach has identified 10 barriers that are potentially limiting you from your dream job. He states “whenever you find yourself resisting anything during the dream job process, know that it is fear that is talking”.

 

Joel’s 10 Barriers; ·         Time ·         Fear of failure ·         Fear of change and success ·         Isolation and lack of support ·         Should’s from family and friends ·         Comparing and despairing ·         Self doubt ·         Not knowing what you love to do ·         Fear of making wrong decision ·         Financial obligations and fear of poverty   More details on Joel’s tips can be found on his website dreamjobcoaching.com

 Joel has made a success out of career coaching and finds himself in the top 50 coaches in North America with his in depth studies of these barriers and helping people find their calling in life.

If you are not really in the market for a full time life coach, which let’s be honest not many of us are, we have put together some pointers that can help you progress in your career. As Richard Branson quoted “Every risk is worth taking as long as it’s for a good cause and contributes to a good life” and he seems to have done ok for himself to say the least. Now how does one go about taking a step towards a career change? Here are some pointers that will assist.

Seek help

Career shifters is an organisation which is run by people that themselves have made various career changes. They believe that “if you are going to spend 75% of your waking life doing something, it had better be something you love” and “more and more people are proving that your career doesn’t have to hold you hostage”.

They offer workshops in London that gives you the chance to understand which environment works for you and how to get past mental blocks. With a number of success stories, notably one gentleman went from finance worker to his dream job as a yacht skipper as well as high earning barrister turned garden designer. You may get new ideas on what you want to do and how to go about achieving this. You would also meet people who are in a similar situation to you.

 

 

Why not look within your current company?

It may be in fact that your true calling is closer to home than you think. Depending on the size of the company you work for, why not look at other departments? Derek Murphy, CEO of the booth company (TBC) encourages companies to look at their current talent pool and provide current employees with development opportunities. Former director of Thomas travel plc Jim Riley states:  internal recruitment is cheaper and quicker for companies to fill the roles and current employees who are familiar with the business and how it operates.  So why not speak to your boss and let them know you think you are due a change? The chances are they will respect you more for being honest and may even actively assist in looking at other areas.

Take a break?

It may be easier said than done but this could be an option within your company. For example Ebay offer 1 month paid sabbatical for employees that have worked for the company for 5 years. Taking a sabbatical may give you time to work out what you really want long term. It may give you the chance to do that volunteering project in Europe you always wanted to do or do that cookery course that you’re interested in. Yoursabbatical.com offer sabbatical services to companies to assist with programmes on offer. They believe it is a great tool for companies to retain valued employees, attract top talent and most importantly revitalise their workforce. To have any chance of being successful with getting a sabbatical you would have had to be with a company for at least two years. It may sound like an unrealistic option but why not explore the idea.

 

Study and work

You may think that your current qualifications are holding you back and stopping you from doing your dream job.  In these current times, there are many options to study and get qualifications as well as continue to do your full time job.  The Open University offer courses on up to 9 different areas such as: business and law, languages, computing, social sciences and social care. They currently have 190,000 students. They also offer flexible start dates as well as home study at your own pace so it can all work around your commitments. By taking a course it can give you a new lease of life by working towards something you really want to do in life.

Sean Russell who has been a director of careers departments for 2 universities highlights the importance of having an “action plan with dates and realistic goals”. This may include things such as: “spend time on my CV, attend an employer’s fair or make a list of things you enjoy at work and some you may not”.

Now is the time to stop thinking about the change and do something about it. Take those steps towards what could be a great new career and life for you.

Summer transfers- who is in the driving seat?

This Summers transfer window has seen some big names coming and going all over Europe. Real Madrid have not been shy with their cheque book as per usual. Some huge signings from them including World Cup Golden ball winner  James Rodriguez for a huge £63 million. According to reports they have already made £20 million of that back in shirt sales. For me Tony Kroos is the bigger signing out of the 2 though. For £20 million Real have brought in a proven midfielder at what seems a snip in current times. Madrid will certainly be a force to be reckoned with next season, however Barcelona have brought in quite the player themselves. For me the thought of Messi, Neymar and Suarez is enough to terrify any defender in the world. It just so happens that Suarez's ban ends just 1 days before, you guessed it El Classico. I fear for Atletico Madrid however as they have been victim of their own success with losing some key players.

Closer to home English teams have been busy themselves getting in players. Chelsea will be very strong with Diego Costa and Fabregas the big two for me. I am slightly disappointed however with the Drogba signing. Now Drogba was a great player but I am not sure it is wise when Lukuka is a ready made replacement in my eyes. He has scored bags of goals at both West Brom and Everton but Jose still doesn't quite fancy him.

Arsenal may have the best coup however in Sanchez. Massively impressed with him not just at the World Cup but also throughout the season. He will feel he has a point to prove after beings binned by Barcelona in favour of Suarez. Arsenal relied far too heavily on Giroud's goals last season so with more goals set to come from Sanchez sky is the limit. I would have liked to seen Keidera in the Premier league but doesn't look like it will happen. Largely overshadowed by Alonso in the Real Madrid midfield but still does a great job. I think Ramsey will be like a new signing for Arsenal as well as long as he can stay fit.

World Cup 2014 - a few stats so far

Most Goals - 

Holland have scored 12 goals so far so that equals a goal every 30 minutes

Columbia have been impressive so far and their stats match this. They have scored every 33 minutes 

Brazil have scored 9 goals in total as well as having played extra time against Chile. Taking this into account they have a goal every 43 minutes


Goals against - 

Cameroon have had problems off the pitch and looking at these stats they extended onto the pitch. They have conceded 9 goals in the 3 games they played so that's a goal every 40 minutes

Austraila have put in some brave performances but this doesn't hide the fact that they also conceded 9 goals in their 3 games so picking the ball out of the net every 40 minutes  

Honduras struggled to get into second gear all World cup conceding 8 goals in their 3 games so a goal every 45 minutes

Most represented countries in the scoring and assist charts ( top 8) 

Columbia have 1 player in the goal scoring chart and 2 in the assists chart ( 3 in total )

Holland have 2 players in the goal scoring charts and 0 in the assists charts ( 2 in total )

Germany have 1 player in the goal charts and 1 in the assists charts ( 2 in total )

Shots to goals ratios 

James Rodriguez leads the goal scoring ranks with 5 goals from 9 attempts with a  impressive success rate of 71%

Thomas Muller has hit the back of the net 4 times from 7 goal attempts so his success rate is 57%

Lionel Messi has scored the same amount as Muller with 4 goals in 7 attempts so a success rate of 57%

Neymar has scored 4 times from 9 attempts giving him a success rate of 44%

Arjen Robben has had 9 attempts on goal scoring 3 times with a success rate of 33% 


Players that have struggled to convert their chances;

Ronaldo will certainly want to forget this Summer along with the rest of his Portuguese team mates scoring 1 goal from  9 attempts giving him a ratio of just 11%

Di Maria has shown a lot of energy this World Cup but hasn't had a great lot of luck with his conversion rate scoring 1 goal from 9 attempts giving him a ratio of 11%. To be fair his goal has put Argentina in the last 8 so certainly a important goal.

Schweingsteiger  has had 6 goal attempts and yet to hit the back of the net so a ratio of 0%

Yellow cards 

Mexico, Costa Rica, Greece, Brazil have all had 8 yellow cards so far this tournament. All countries have played 390 minutes so they have received a card every 49 minutes.

Honduras and Ivory Coast have been the most guilty with receiving yellow cards receiving a caution every 39 minutes.

South Korea have received 6 cautions in their 3 games the group stage so they received a card every 45 minutes.

Brazil 2014- who is currently in the driving seat?

So nearly done with the groups stages and the no hopers are dwindling down by the day. With already a few surprise packages booking their place in the next round, who is really looking like the favourite?

For me the Dutch have been the most consistent so far. Robben seems to get better and even quicker with age and with the manner they dismantled Spain, the same team that broke their hearts 4 years ago they must be in the driving seat. Brazil and Argentina have also looked good, but not spectacular. Both have relied on magic from their main men Messi and Ronaldo, with Brazil having Lady Luck on their side in the opening game. Germany who looked awesome against Portugal but shaky against Ghana will no doubt improve through the tournament like most years.

It just shows how competitive this World Cup is with the majority of teams showing no fear against this big countries. Although you will always want the star players in your team, countries like Chile, Columbia and dare I say Costa Rica have shown the world it is not essential. Like most I wrote off Costa Rica's chances before they even boarded the plane but look what they have done. Being organised and playing with such a high tempo has worked for them. They took Uruguay apart with sheer pace on the counter attack as well as took the game to Italy and never let them settle like England did.

My bet is still on the Dutch winning this years World Cup. I think they look the complete package with solid defence as well as pace and a Goalscorer in Van Persie. The Germans will improve game to game as well as Argentina. I am not fully convinced by the hosts this year after seeing their defence last night. Neymar is a cracking player but up against the big boys I am not sure he will be quite so effective.

England V Italy - the bright side

So finally after months of waiting, the 14th June arrived and England kicked off their world cup campaign against Italy.The Italians were fielding out a very similar team that knocked out England at the Euro 2012 quarter final stage. Although England were beaten on penalties, it was very apparent they were a long way from being at Italy's level. One stat that for me the most alarming was that Joe Hart and Peter Crouch combined the most passes between them out of the whole team in that particular match.

Last night ended in a bitterly disappointing lose for the England team. It was a different feeling of disappointment however this time round. After seeing England struggle to pass the ball and have many real attempts on goal 2 years ago, last night was a huge improvement in my eyes. It was clear from the outset that both teams were playing very different styles as predicted. Andrea Pirlo yet again shone and showed his world class touch as well as awareness of where everyone else in this team were. Looking at both goals from the Italians, England really could have done better. Conceding from a set piece is always tough to take, with Pirlo dumbing the ball with his normal sublime manner, give Marchisio chance to smash it in from outside the box. We started well so to go one goal down was really hard and it took a lot of character to get back at the Italians. A great link between Rooney and Sterling saw Rooney clear of the defence and putting the ball across the six yard box. Daniel Sturridge darted across and smashed the ball into the Italian net and levelled the game up. Rooney done excellent to find this room, and looking at some articles this morning a lot of journalists must have not been watching at this moment. To be fair Rooney did look out of sorts last night in the unusual role on the left hand side. I struggled to really see his role within the team and how he fitted in. I am a Rooney fan and love the way he reads the game and brings others into play. He has struggled at major tournaments but he is not alone.

After 5 minutes into the second half the Italians, with a little bit to much ease got back into the lead by the animated Mario Ballotelli. Not for the first time the left hand side of the pitch was left exposed. Leighton Baines was caught chasing and the cross went in which was met by Mario's head. It is a tough time to concede in a match and meant England really had to take the game to Italy. I think we had a lot of the ball and run at the them and tested their back 4. If there is one thing Italy know and that is how to keep a lead. A bit of inexperience crept into England's game and Sterling should have done better with 2 or 3 breaks. Taking nothing away from the young Liverpool player, who had times at Italy in his wake. It was brave from Roy to start him but certainly a successful decision. Danny Welbeck who done his bit for the team even with a bit of pressure from the critics. Ross Barkley had a cameo and done his case no harm at all. Fearless comes to mind when you see Barkley play and after a few minutes on the pitch he had already test the goalkeeper.

It wasn't to be for England and Italy won the game 2 - 1 after 90 minutes. The celebrations from the Italians spoke volumes about England's performance. Not really interested in all these stats about only 4 teams have got out of their group after losing the first match. After seeing the game before I think we will beat them both. Uruguay were all over the place defensively and crumbled when Costa Rica came at them. Lot of credit to Costa Rica who were probably not expected to get any points out of this group.

Thursdays game was always going to be the decider and now with current results, it will certainly be a intense affair. Suarez will no doubt start now after not coming on but there is no chance he will be fully fit. Looking at their defensive woes last night, I think Sterling and Sturridge could have a field day.

Still so much to play for all teams in the group and if Costa Rica do get something from Italy then that game with England as well will be huge.

Most represented clubs in this Summers World Cup Brazil 2014

Position	Team	Number of players
1	Bayern Munich	16
2	Real Madrid, Chelsea	15
3	Manchester United	14
4	Barcelona	13
5	Arsenal, Paris st Germain	12
6	Liverpool	11
7	Manchester City, Napoli	10
8	FC Porto, Atletico Madrid	9
9	Dynamo Moscow, AC Milan,Inter Milan and Lazio	8
10	Zenit St Petersberg, Shalke, Tottenham Hotspurs, Dortmund and Wolfsburg	7

Above is the table of the top 10 most represented teams at this Summer World Cup in Brazil. These were counted using the Metro's article last week on the final squads. Now these are the original squads picked before a few injuries hit.

It is interesting to see a few of these up there. Napoli and Spurs for me only being 3 off Manchester. City who are littered with superstars. Bayern Munich naturally lead the way with a solid core (7 in total) of German players which you would think give them a advantage over other countries. Real Madrid and Barcelona take up a lot of the Spainish team with a few Atletico Madrid players thrown in there ( Diego Costa, Juanfran and the very lively Koke). Out of the 13 Barcelona players 7 of these are in the Spainish side with the main man Messi linking up with what could be a mouthwatering combo of Manchester City's Aguero and PSG Pacey Lavezzi and Napoli's Higuain. Napoli's fine season in Seria A has seen 10 of their players make their World Cup squad. On the other side of the coin Manchester Uniteds disaster of a season hasn't affected too many players chances with 14 of their players making it on the plane to Brazil with 4 of these being in the English national team. Of a United was to have a more successful season you would expect Cleverly, Carrick and even Young to have been in the set up too.

Naturally all the best teams have international quality players and after the success of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Spain will only benefit from this. Germany have had a lot of success due to the core of Munich players playing week in and week out together.

With Liverpool having such a good season, I think Hodgson should really try to keep the Gerrard, Sterling, Henderson and Sturridge connection going if we are going to have any chance this World Cup.

World Cup 2014- is this their year?

One of the great aspects of any World Cup is seeing players excel and put £10 million on their price tag. I am thinking Michael Owens impact in France 1998 as well as Zidane dismantling Brazil in the final and not to mention Diego Maradonna's brilliance against England in 1986. I have been doing a bit of research on players I feel will step up a level this Summer for this respected countries.

Paul Pogba ( France ) - the young French man helped Juventus to the Serie A title with a impressive 33 wins chipping in with 7 goals and 7 assists. A lot of hype around his famous switch from Manchester United to the Italian giants Juventus. A very strong midfield player but does have a tendency of giving away fouls (87 last year). He is technically good with the ball and has a 30 yard screamer in his locker too.

Eden Hazard ( Belgium ) - Belgium really are in their golden generation and this World Cup has come at the perfect time. Hazard has gone up a gear this season at Chelsea with 14 goals ( 5 more than the highest scoring striker) and 7 assists. He did suffer a few niggly injuries, which makes you wonder how well Chelsea could have done had he stayed fit. With a inhuman like ability to drift between players as well as a eye for goal he  is surely going right to the top.

Adam Lallana ( England ) - Lallana has impressed this season being part of the english core down at Southampton. Last season he was the 6th highest english goal scorer and gained many admirers up and down the country ( Tottenham reported already bidding for his services). A good old fashioned play maker he really is a natural with the ball at his feet. Along with Sterling he really is one player to run at players and make things happen in the final third.

Neymar ( Brazil ) - the young Brazilian is already a household name with various adidas adverts appearances. He got he dream move to Barcelona, even though the circumstances around the transfer have been dragged through the media in recent months.  He has seemed to have struggled to impress the Spanish city, in 19 league games he has scored 9 times and laid on 8 assists for his teammates. In a team with the likes of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi these stats are seen as average. His record for Brazil is impeccable with already a whooping 30 goals in the famous yellow shirt. Looking at the  Brazil squad it does look like it may attacking flair. This indicating Neymar will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders to come up with the goods.

Alexis Sanchez ( Chile ) - the Chilean has really been relishing playing in this high tempo Barcelona team. He has scored 19 goals in 34 games and 10 assists so certainly fits the bill. Chile find themselves in a very tough group so Sanchez may find he only has 3 games to impress this Summer. After seeing him in action against England in February it was clear he was a cut above the rest and he really is the main man in the Chilean team.

Angel Di Maria ( Argentina ) - Di Maria finds himself going into this tournament with a champions league medal which can only help boost confidence. An impressive 17 assists last season, it seems to have softened the blow for a lot of Real Madrid fans who were less than impressed with Ozil leaving. Playing. In a star studded team isn't anything new to Angel so playing wing Messi, Aguero and Higuain should be the norm for him. After losing heavily to Germany in the last World Cup, this year you sense the South Americans have something to prove.

Mario Ballotelli ( Italy ) - Last but certainly not least Mario Ballotelli has to be included here. A solid season personal for Mario with 14 goals, 6 assists in 30 games he has been a rare good point for a disaster season at AC Milan. He seems to be more popular for his reported off field antics ( not sure if any if these have any truth ) but let's not forget he is a very good young player. Aside from Pirlo, Ballotelli was arguably the best player for Italy at Euro 2012. I think the World Cup will bring the best out of him like the last tournament and I look forward to seeing what he can do this Summer.

Atletico Madrid - a hurdle too far

Last night saw for the first time 2 local teams battle it out for the biggest prize in club football. Prior to the game I was convinced Atletico were going to see it through. After winning the la liga title for the first time since 1996 and also most importantly loosening the headlock that Real Madrid and Barcelona have had on the Spanish league. No real major stars and like I imagine a lot of people I had never heard of Diego Costa until this season. Diego Simeone has created a well drilled outlet who are incredibly difficult to break down. I really didn't think they would get past Chelsea at the bridge but I was left speechless by that flawless performance. Real Madrid have a obsession with the Champions league. A lot of good managers have lost their jobs purely because they could deliver this to the ever expectant Real Madrid board.

This had all the makings for a classic. Atletico were on cloud 9 after doing what they needed to do at the Camp Nou and had the momentum. Real have had their best campaign in the champions league in a number of years. This highlighted with the manner they dismantled the "unbeatable" Bayern Munich.

Much was publicised with the inclusion of Diego Costa after pulling his hamstring just 7 days ago. Costa has been a major player this season and they rely heavily on his goals and exceptional hold up play that gets the others involved. It doesn't take a sports doctor to know that's hamstring injury is at least a 3 week lead time so 7 days is madness. Now we should probably presume that Simeone was hoping to get 30 minutes out of him and the form he has been in he probably had a goal in him. Seeing him limp off after 7 minutes really summed up the disaster.

Atletico going one nil up meant Real had to use all of their superb attacking talents and get at them. Things just weren't happening for Real in the first half and early in the second half. Ronaldo didn't look at his normal impeccable best so they had to find someone else to take the mantle. Di Maria was going up a gear and I have been impressed with him this year. He has had a lot of pressure since Ozil left as he has had to take the play making mantle. The pressure they were putting Athletico was relentless with 4 or 5 massive chances passing Real by. Gareth Bale must have been one of the most relieved men in Lisbon after Sergio Ramos rose and headed the equaliser with barely 2 minutes left. How would any manager be able to pick Athletico up after that? It was really tough up on them as they defended so well throughout the match.

Gareth Bale then put himself into the Real record books by being the first Welshman to score in a Champions league final. After missing the 2 big chances he showed great character to get into the position to score that chance. You sensed that the intense defending from Athletico had taken its toll as Real added 2 more to the score line. Very harsh on them and quite frankly not a real reflection of the game.

Real finally got that 10th Champions league title and was a fantastic show. Carlo Anchelotti has done a fantastic job with this group of players. One of the biggest task was making a group of superstars into a team which many have struggled to do. Diego Simone will struggle to keep hold of Diego Costa and maybe a couple of others. The fact is they may have missed out last night but they are deserved champions of Spain. It has been refreshing to see a team break into the mix and they way they have done it too has been incredible. A win last night would have been a perfect finish but regardless what a show they have put on!

Arsene Wenger - the most relieved man in London

Sundays narrow FA cup final win against a well drilled Hull City side was the end of a very much publicised 9 year trophy drought for Arsenal Football Club. After Hull took a 2 nil lead in the opening 8 minutes, Wenger must have started to believe the "Emirates curse" himself.

It has been a up and down season at the Emirates with high hopes until late November when they were leading the pack. With City struggling away from home, Chelsea lacking a striker and Liverpool's early surge for the title petering out, Wenger must have thought this could be the year. Injuries are part and parcel of sport and all clubs have them but you have to wonder what goes on in that Arsenal medical room.

For me the biggest loss was Aaron Ramsey and him missing a chunk of the season. Ramsey had a belter of a start to the season, scoring as well as creating bag full of goals. He was scoring well timed tap ins and 25 yard screamers, he was turning into the player Wenger had put so much time and patience into. He was turning heads around Europe and must go done as the most improved player in the league probably with Raheem Sterling coming a close second. After he got that injury as well as Wilshere having his own injury battles, the season started to go down hill. Olivier Giroud was playing his part with goals and even with the harsh "not world class" tag continued to perform and for that deserves a lot of credit. It was no secret, similar to Chelsea Arsenals lack of strikers was stopping them going up a level.

It really makes you wonder if Higuain had signed, would he have been the final piece in the puzzle. I don't think anyone really knows what happened in the transfer talks but all pointers are at the wage factor. Napoli are a big club but for me I thought the lure of the Premier league would have been enough to bring him here.

Need less to say this Summer is set to be yet another huge one for Wenger. He will at least be happy with the cruel " 9 years without a trophy" jibes being over and looking to focus on piecing together a  title contending squad. I think that's the next one for him to focus on. Chelsea will no doubt get their man in Diego Costa and probably a eye watering figure so they will step it up next season. Many City will no doubt already have bids all over the place for top players which will increase their chances of defending the title. Arsene will need to keep faith in the current players and not change the dynamic of the team too much.

Come August we will be all waiting for the big one and who knows who will be pulling on a Arsenal shirt.

England team - Young Lions

Finally the squad is official for this Summers World Cup. After months of trips up and down the country Roy has his team. As previously blogged as predicted no major shocks in there.

Ashley Cole being left out is the biggest one. After finding his way back into the Chelsea team, I thought this would have got him in there. I think it's hard to argue that Cole at this point is a better choice than Baines. Baines seems to be getting better and better every season and after dismissing the lure of Old Trafford, it seems he is even more of the complete full back. Luke Shaw must be on cloud 9 as well as the other 2 Southampton players. Only a few days after being named in the team of the year Luke finds himself on the plane to Brazil. Scary to think this is all happening to him at just 18, wow this kid is 7 years younger than me!

I think Roy deserves credit for his selection. He has picked young and hungry players who will be relishing getting out there in June. I like a lot of people love the fact Ricky Lambert is being selected. From working his way up from lower league Football to the top of his game is pure inspiration. These days we tend to struggle to connect with modern players due to crazy wages and reported antics this has distanced the players from the supporters. You do get a feeling that Lambert is a humble guy who loves his Football.

To finish up you do get the feeling Roy has written this tournament off to a degree. By picking the likes of Barkley, Shaw and Lallana they are gaining valuable experience and hopefully building something for the next big one.

Either way I for one cannot wait to get stuck into this Summers World Cup!

Follow me @asportsfansview and get involved in the debates!

England squad for the World Cup predictions

Monday 12th May we finally find out who Roy Hodgson has picked to go to the World Cup.  In previous years I have found this fairly predictable obviously, not including Theo Walcott being brought along with only 2 other senior strikers in the squad.

I can't see too many surprises this time round either. Injury naturally has affected the selection with both Townsend and Walcott out as well as the lad at Southampton. I am wondering if this paves the way for Lennon to slot into the squad as a alternative wide man. One of the biggest question marks is the final striker slot. Rooney is a given with most probably Jermain Defoe, Danny Sturridge and possibly Lambert? Andy Carroll is popular with the England manager I believe, injuries however have affected him being selected. Personally I think he is going to bring Carroll over Lambert which a lot of people will see as a great injustice.

Adam Lallana has really impressed this year and will rightly be brought along. I don't think Roy has any choice but to start the lad too on current form. I went to the Germany friendly a few months back. It was interesting to see the team up close. It wasn't a vintage performance to say the least but I think we showed spells of a decent team. Gerrard and Rooney were stand out for me mainly the way they spread the ball and looking to make things happen. Cleverly looked a bit shaky as well as Smalling but I think this stems from the United issue. Going back to Lallana and how he has come on I saw first hand what he can do. Lallana is what they call in "street football" a baller. He likes the ball at his feet and can take on players and get into those holes and create and finish with 9 goals and 6 assists this season for the saints.

Come Monday hopefully Roy has thought long and hard about the group of players that will fly to Brazil. We need a few "risks" ( Lallana and Shaw) as well as stability ( Gerrard, Cole and Rooney) and you never know we may win the thing!

Starting out

Intro

I would like to introduce myself as purely the fan. Now over my 25 years on this earth it has become apparent to me that everyone is a expert in sport. Well anyway at least everyone thinks they are.

My main sport like the majority in this country is Football. I love everything about the game; the last minute goals, the dubious penalty decisions and the nail biting relegation scraps. Now I don't support one of the so called bigger clubs in London. We are currently plying our trade in the Championship. For those too busy supporting their "super clubs" in the champions league, you may not know a great deal about this roller coaster of a league. 

The Championship is a funny old league. One minute you are going to a top 2 team and nicking a win to getting completely outplayed at home by a team in the bottom 2 at your home ground. You question whether it is actually the same players at times as results can be so up and down. Anyone can beat anyone in this league (just ask Harry Redknapp at QPR) and this regularly happens. Just when you think your team are making some progress, bang you lose 3 in a week and looking over your shoulder. One of the main attractions of sport is this "uncertainty of outcome" factor which keeps us coming for more.

As it stands any of the bottom 10 can mathematically be relegated. Mathematically any of the top 14 can get promoted. This sums up how close the league is and how a mini run of loses or wins can shape your season. 

David Moyes - Where did it go wrong?

I was shocked last week to learn David Moyes had been relieved of his duties at Manchester United. Now shocked may sound strong being their poor run of form including several home losses however I always thought he would be given time.

 

I remember Gary Neville on one edition of Monday night Football saying " it won't be the manager that goes, it will be the players". Neville has been around Manchester United long enough to understand the clubs ways so I believed this too.


First step to Moyes downfall I believe is backroom staff. Like most managers Moyes wanted to keep his team with him. He clearly trusted them to help he make this job a success. Like a lot of people I believe keeping Mike Phealen was important. He knew the squad and how they work and could have given valuable information onto Moyes. Dealing with Everton players is a different animal to dealing with Manchester players and I think Moyes reliesed this early on.


Second step is transfers or lack of more importantly. United have never really been one to have a big overhaul of players like neighbours city or even Chelsea some years. I was expecting more players to be brought in and I think a lot of fans would agree. United were crying out for a top drawer midfielder once Paul Scholes finally called it a day and left a gaping hole in the heart of the Manchester United midfield. Looking how the season has panned out I think Christian Eriksen who signed for Spurs would have been a great fit. Sky sports put up last week a incredible stat about 3 players; Cleverly 0 assists and 0 through balls, Fellaini 0 assists and 0 through balls and Carrick 0 assists and 0 through balls. Sadly these stats sum it up for United this season and their shortfalls.