The Olympics? But I could be watching Stoke City…

I had always thought the height of sporting ecstasy was watching my beloved Stoke City score a goal.

Now I’m at the Olympics in Beijing, well, I think I still do… but I must admit this life-long credo is coming under severe strain.

Take events in the Water Cube. Until now, my best memories of ‘swimming’ had been Stoke players splashing through the mud on Boxing Day 1984 to record a memorable 2-1 win over Manchester United.

But this week I’ve seen Michael Phelps in the flesh! The American phenomenon has had us all on our feet — seasoned hacks like me, Chinese spectators, and even Phelps’s own rivals — smashing records as fast as Ronaldo will probably put goals past Stoke this year.

And did you see the 4×100 freestyle relay final? The fingertip finish was one of the most exciting moments of the Beijing Games, and surely in swimming history.

Then there was the opening basketball match: hosts China v an NBA star-studded USA. The place was rocking. Dare I say it, the atmosphere rivalled even the Britannia Stadium when we won promotion to the Premier League in May.

On my way to the press centre the other day, I grabbed a coffee and popped in to see the women’s team gymnastics final. The girls’ agility and jumps, the gasps at an occasional stumble and the thrill of China’s gold medal over arch-rivals the United States, left my heart pounding as fast as the thousands of fans I was sitting with.

In this over-excited state, I tried to explain to a Chinese fan that I had not seen such artistry since Liam Lawrence and Ricardo Fuller combined to destroy Coventry away in April. But the allusion was, err, a tad cryptic.

Coming up is the biggest one of all — the men’s 100 metres final in the Bird’s Nest stadium. But oh no, what’s this? The race happens slap-bang in the middle of the opening Premier League game on Saturday. So what’s it to be — go to the Bird’s Nest for the biggest race on earth, or find a quiet corner to listen to Bolton v Stoke on the Internet?

Such a dilemma…

PHOTO: Usain Bolt of Jamaica competes in the men’s 100m heat at the National Stadium during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 15, 2008. REUTERS/Aly Song

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Setanta Sports Adds Video Forum To North American Websites

Setanta Sports North America has added a new feature to its U.S. and Canadian websites. The new feature allows you, the viewer, to voice your opinion by uploading a video recorded on your webcam or computer.

The first topic is: Which team do you think will break the Big Four in the Premier League this season?

I’ve gone ahead and uploaded the first video with my thoughts on the topic, and I encourage you to add your expert opinion. Just visit the Setanta Sports website, look under the ‘Quick Links’ section in the middle column for the video forum link, and then after you’ve viewed the videos, record your response on your webcam and submit your comment via video.

Who do you think will break the Big Four? Tottenham, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Everton, another team or no one? I look forward to viewing your response.

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

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ANNUAL AUGUST TURKISH SOCCER TOURNAMENT IN NEW JERSEY

The only Turkish soccer Tournament in the United States , will take place in New Jersey on August 31Th 2008.

For more information you could visit the link below.

http://www.istanbulspor.net/index.html

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Brazil Dropping the 5 Stars in the Jersey

Due to a rule of the IOC, national squads are not allowed to display the badges of any confederations of a specific sport. Only the national olympic committee or the national flag is allowed. Given that the Brazilian national committee has a different sponsor than the Brazilian Confederation of Football and that Nike (even knowing that rule before the tournament) could not come with a creative solution, this is how we will play from now on. I know, it looks like anybody else without the 5 stars. But with the kind of game that the Dunga era has been shwoing so far, it’s not a bad idea to hide a badge with so much history. I miss the badge (despite the fact that people in charge of CBF are nasty), but I find ironic how with Dunga how even the yellow jersey does not remain the same.

ps: In the first match, the badge was there and CBF was fined.

ps2: Nike, thank you for being creative and supportive. Now, take a look at the Adidas kits in the same tournament. Americans. They should not be allowed to be even close to football management.

ps3: First time “watching” the Olympics in the US. Horrible. Can’t the US join the rest of the world for once? Yes, go and play World Series and Superbowls. Thank you online broadcasting.

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Dunga far from happy despite Brazil win

If there was an Olympic gold medal for whingeing then Dunga, coach of the Brazilian soccer team, would be among the early contenders.

The 1994 World Cup winning captain, who as a player was an example of resilience and dedication to the cause, is not a happy camper.

First, he was complaining about the food — “When you try to talk to the chef to change the menu, he has to talk to his boss, who has to talk to his boss, who has to talk to his boss and by that time the Olympics are over” — and lack of training time in Shenyang, where Brazil have started their campaign to win a first gold in Olympic soccer.

After his team struggled to beat nine-man Belgium in their opening match on Thursday, he blamed  the pitch and his opponents for making life difficult (isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?).

“The ball bounces around all over the place and you need two or three touches to bring it under control,” he snarled. “The opposition just kept putting all their players behind the ball and used the high ball into the area. They’ve been together for four months and we got together 15 days ago.”

But the unhappy truth is that Brazil should have swept their opponent aside and might have done so if Dunga had been just a little more adventurous. A team boasting players such as Werder Bremen midfielder Diego, Premier League players Lucas and Anderson in midfield, AC Milan prodigy Alexandre Pato in attack, plus Ronaldinho, should not play in fits and starts as Brazil did on Thursday.

Unfortunately, Dunga did what he has done in recent matches with the senior side, which he also coaches, and went for the cautious approach.

He stuck three midfielders in front of his defence and left Pato to fight two or three Belgian defenders on his own. Ronaldinho was stuck out on the left flank with nobody to exchange passes with except left back Marcelo on his occasional forays upfield.

Despite winning the Copa America in his two years at the helm, Dunga does not look comfortable as Brazil’s national team coach. Will he still be around for the 2010 World Cup?

PHOTO: Ronaldinho takes a free kick during Brazil’s Group C soccer match against Belgium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Shenyang August 7, 2008. REUTERS/Alvin Chan

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