Tag: BLOG

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I hear what you’re saying. It is the middle of the season. Your fantasy football team is on the right track to win your championship. You have studied the Yahoo cheat sheets religiously. Or, you have looked at the ESPN Fantasy Football Rankings until you can’t see straight. Or, on the other hand, maybe your team is headed right for the cellar. Despite your best efforts, you haven’t been able to make your fantasy football team work. You actually showed up for the draft. You bought the Athlon fantasy football guide. You had the best fantasy football draft software. You had every fantasy football cheat sheet and fantasy football rankings sheet. Yet, you couldn’t make it work. Don’t despair. There is still time.

Before you get to the cellar, I ask that you take a minute to read this article, read a few mid-season fantasy football tips, and perhaps, you can get your fantasy football team on the right track to success. However, if you are the guy who is operating the fantasy football team that is on the right track, you just might benefit from a few tips also that will make the rest of your season a success. Trust me; these tips are better than digesting more fantasy football rankings.

Here are my five mid-season fantasy football tips to getting your fantasy football team ready for the fantasy football playoffs:

1. Check your fantasy football team. Now, I know this sounds common sense and completely ridiculous. You have been checking your fantasy football team the entire season, right? Well, if you have been checking your fantasy football team and making changes, hopefully, you’re on the right track. But, if you are not, realize that at this point in the season many fantasy football owners have thrown in the towel. They are tired of adjusting their line-ups and reading fantasy football rankings. This will enable you to be able to capitalize on their late-season laziness. Simply checking your fantasy football team and making the appropriate changes (e.g., benching players who are injured, etc.) will enable you to possibly pick up one or two wins that you otherwise might not get late in the season.

2. Look ahead at the NFL schedule and get play-off bound players out of your fantasy football team line-up. Every single year, I see a great team in one of my leagues get destroyed due to a lack of planning. And, for a serious fantasy football player, a lack of preparation is tragic and inexcusable. Many fantasy football owners think that they can simply operate with Yahoo fantasy football rankings, ESPN fantasy football rankings, CBS SportsLine fantasy football rankings, Athlon fantasy football rankings, or the fantasy football rankings from another publication. But, at this point in the season, you have to start looking at the schedule. This season, it is fairly clear that the Colts will win the AFC South, for example. You need to be looking at your fantasy football schedule-at week’s 14, 15, 16, and 17. You need to look at your fantasy football playoff schedule and compare it to the NFL schedule. Examine who you have at running back. Examine who you have at wide receiver. Are these players on teams that are absolute shoe-ins for the playoffs? I will give you an example to illustrate my point. A few years ago, when the Philadelphia Eagles locked up their home field advantage early on and Donovan McNabb was having such an outstanding fantasy football season, a friend of mine in a league that I’m in had his fantasy football team implode because the Eagles benched McNabb. You do not want this to happen to you. Look at the NFL standings, see who will be benched, and plan ahead to get them out of your fantasy football team’s lineup.

3. This goes along live Tip Number Two. Look ahead at the NFL schedule and find backups to place in your lineup. When you see that certain teams are locking up home-field advantage or getting to the playoffs (and they don’t have a hope for home-field advantage), capitalize! If you know the starting running back will be on the bench late in the season, grab his backup. If you know the starting wide receiver who has been your go-to guy all season will be benched because his team is going to the playoffs, grab his backup if you are in need of depth at that position. Even if you are not in need of depth at the particular position, it may be advantageous for you to grab that player anyway to prevent your fantasy football competition from doing so.

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Football season is upon us. If you consider yourself a fan, hopefully you have all of your necessities at the ready: an HDTV the size of a refrigerator; an oversized foam hand emblazoned with your favorite team’s mascot; snacks, sweet and savory alike; and plenty of heated opinions for the next water-cooler discussion or, failing that, for yelling at the radio. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, then consider yourself lucky, as you’ll have even more ways to enjoy the season. Here are the top five ways to bring the excitement of Football Season to your iDevice.

ESPN Fantasy Football 2010: This is the essential fantasy football app. With ESPN Fantasy Football 2010, you can carry the entire fantasy football experience in the palm of your hand, with high-end graphics and an intuitive interface that beats the desktop web browser version, hands down. This app not only lets the user manage multiple teams and leagues, but also access news feeds with valuable stats, news, and more. The only drawback is that ESPN Fantasy Football 2010 will make fantasy football more addictive than ever.

CBS Sports Pro Football: Tired of having to page through all the unimportant news of the day, just to get to those few precious football updates and videos? Then, first of all, you may want to examine your priorities. Second, does CBS have the app for you! CBS Sports Pro Football takes the day’s breaking football news, play-by-play analysis, videos, and standings, and weaves them into a free and fun to use app for the iPhone. Staying up to speed has never been easier.

SlingPlayer Mobile: Major League Baseball has its own live-streaming app for the iPhone, but unfortunately football fans are left wanting. Enter SlingPlayer mobile. Sure, at $29.99 the app is on the expensive side, and, yes, the app requires a Slingbox which might itself cost about $100, but in the end it will turn your iPhone into the ultimate entertainment device: live television, DVR, and remote control, all rolled into one. SlingPlayer will stream whatever content you get from your cable or satellite provider over 3G and WiFi, football included. Put another way, it is very, very cool.

Backbreaker Football: Backbreaker isn’t just the best football simulation on the iPhone– it’s one of the best games in the app store, period. Unlike other football games, Backbreaker Football puts the player down on the field, at eye-level with the players, right in the center of the action. The graphics in this game are incredible, and the hits are so hard you can almost feel them. Add to this a great list of features like multiplayer gaming modes, custom teams, and online score sharing. This game lives up to its hype.

History of American Football: If watching football, playing fantasy football, and getting into some simulated football isn’t enough for you, why not learn about the rich and storied history of American football? This is the sole purpose of the History of American Football app for the iPhone. This app is an offline encyclopedia of football, with a clean user interface and some nice hi-res photos to class it up a little. Articles include History of Professional Football, Origins of College Football, Players, Rules, and more. Who said learning couldn’t be fun?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5294190

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An examination of the state of American football and a comprehensive solution to ensure its continued life

Football is dying because our brains just can’t take it. More specifically, the brains of football players. One key thing you probably note in the title of this article is the absence of the word “professional”, and that is because I am referring to the brains of all football players and not just professionals. Current media coverage might lead you to believe that the principle injury concern in football today – the effect of repeated concussions or more specifically, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.) – is one specifically concentrated in the professional ranks. This is not the case. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this issue is that it is a long term issue and not one born in the NFL or CFL. The grave nature of this problem is receiving a cascade of study and the evidence supporting football’s contribution to this illness is steadily building, but I will leave the researchers to the task of further building the scientific and medical case. Instead, I will concentrate this article on the impact of these study results on the game Americans obviously love and how that game may be changed in a way that might help it survive – along with the brains of its many participants.

A Dead Sport Walking

Why am I giving American football this fatal moniker? Because as it is structured today… it is. Concussions are a common occurrence in football, as any player at any level can tell you. In addition, neurologists have already stated once a person suffers a concussion, there is a high probability that he will sustain another. They have added that it takes less of a blow, after several concussions, to cause the same level of injury and it requires more time to recover. This we already know as fact. Consequently, the simple math says football is fundamentally a game that causes concussions.

Further, research is solidifying the link between concussion head trauma and long-term degenerative brain disease. Thus enters C.T.E. into the picture. Adding up a little more math leads to an answer that says football, a sport that includes concussions as a basic part of the game, is a breeding ground for long term brain illness. At this point it is pretty clear that we all love a sport that is very bad for its participants’ brain over a long period. When you consider that a young man just playing from the age of 8 until his senior year in high school has 10 years of sudden brain shifts caused from contact, it becomes obvious that a professional player at the age of 28 or 30 is clearly in danger of having long term problems from brain injuries.

Now ordinarily it would seem like common sense to stop doing things that hurt, but this is football. On an emotional level it is a national pastime and perhaps the most popular game in the land. On a financial level it is an engine that generates billions in revenue and supports millions of people, businesses and institutions. Given this view of the game how can I still say it is going to die? The simple answer is… mothers.

As the scientific evidence mounts, mothers will be faced with indisputable evidence that they are subjecting their babies to danger – and that is not something mothers are hardwired to do. So, even though most of the attention is being paid to the impact of this issue on the professional level, the game will actually be killed, literally, in its youth. Mothers will simply not allow their sons to play. The feeder system will be shut down. It has already started but as study results become more public even the most ardent football moms will succumb to the pressure from others who will question their motivation behind exposing their sons to clear danger.

And finally, there is a financial threat looming. Several lawsuits already exist regarding this issue. Based on the outcome of these suits, and to some extent regardless of their outcome, insurers will find it increasing difficult to provide the same level of coverage for professional teams, college teams, equipment providers and even coaches. The level of coverage required and the premium cost demanded by insurers alone can and will threaten many programs – if not the entire game.

So the dilemma becomes how to save a dangerous sport, but one that is enjoyed by everyone.

Bringing It Back From the Dead

The major problem in formulating a viable solution is that the issue is being discussed largely in a compartmentalized way. As I have stated, it is not an NFL problem… it’s a football problem. The long term effects may be more apparent at the professional level, but it is increasing evident that its genesis is at a much lower level – perhaps even in youth recreational leagues. However, this approach has largely prevented a broader discussion – and a comprehensive solution – around the issue.

Given the long term nature of the problem, and that the end of the game will probably come at its lowest level – because of lack of participation from youths – the obvious answer needs to include changes at every stage from youth recreational football to the professional ranks. The solution I am offering is such a comprehensive solution.

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Football Boots: Earliest Recorded – King Henry VIII in 1526

King Henry VIII’s football boots were listed within the Great Wardrobe of 1526, a shopping list of the day. They were made by his personal shoemaker Cornelius Johnson in 1525, at a cost of 4 shillings, the equivalent of £100 in today’s money. Little is known about them, as there is no surviving example, but the royal football boots are known to have been made of strong leather, ankle high and heavier than the normal shoe of the day.

Football Boots – The 1800’s

Moving forward 300 years saw football developing and gaining popularity throughout Britain, but still remaining as an unstructured and informal pastime, with teams representing local factories and villages in a burgeoning industrial nation. Players would wear their hard, leather work boots, which were long laced and steel toe-capped as the first football boots. These football boots would also have metal studs or tacks hammered into them to increase ground grip and stability.

As laws become integrated into the game in the late 1800’s, so saw the first shift in football boots to a slipper (or soccus) style shoe, with players of the same team starting to wear the same boots for the first time. Laws also allowed for studs, which had to be rounded. These leather studs, also known as cleats, were hammered into the early football boots, which for the first time moved away from the earlier favoured work boots. These football boots weighed 500g and were made of thick, hard leather going up the ankle for increased protection. The football boots would double in weight when wet and had six studs in the sole. The football boot had arrived…

Football Boots – The 1900’s to 1940’s

Football boot styles remained relatively constant throughout the 1900’s up to the end of the second world war. The most significant events in the football boot world in the first part of the twentieth century were the formation of several football boot producers who are still making football boots today, including Gola (1905), Valsport (1920) and Danish football boot maker Hummel (1923).

Over in Germany, Dassler brothers Adolf and Rudolf formed the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) in Herzogenaurach in 1924 and began producing football boots in 1925 which had 6 or 7 replaceable, nailed studs, which could be changed according to the weather conditions of play.

Football Boots – The 1940’s to 1960’s

Football boot styles shifted significantly after the end of the second world war, as air travel became cheaper and more international fixtures were played. This saw the lighter, more flexible football boot being worn by the South Americans being thrust onto the world stage, and their ball skills and technical ability amazed all those that watched them. Football boot production shifted to producing a lighter football boot with the focus on kicking and controlling the ball rather than simply producing a piece of protective footwear.

1948 saw the formation of the Adidas company by Adolf (Adi) Dassler after a falling out with his brother that was to form the cornerstone of football boot maker rivalry for the preceding years up to today. Brother Rudolf founded the beginnings of the Puma company in 1948, quickly producing the Puma Atom football boot. This led to interchangeable screw in studs made of plastic or rubber for the first time, reputedly by Puma in the early 1950’s but the honour is also claimed by Adidas (Read the Story on Footy-Boots). Football boots of the time were still over the ankle, but were now being made of a mixture of synthetic materials and leather, producing and even lighter shoe for the players of the day to display their skills with.

Football Boots – The 1960’s

The technological developments of the sixties bought a momentous step-change in design which saw the lower cut design introduced for the first time in football history. This change allowed players to move faster and saw the likes of Pele wearing Puma football boots in the 1962 World Cup Finals. Adidas, though, quickly emerged as the market leader, a position it claims until the present day. In the World Cup Finals of 1966, an astonishing 75% of players wore the Adidas football boot.

The 1960’s also saw several other football boot makers joining the market with their own brands and styling including Mitre (1960), Joma (1965) and Asics (1964).

Football Boots – The 1970’s

The seventies began with the iconic 1970 World Cup Finals which saw a sublime Brazilian team lift the trophy with Pele again at the helm, this time wearing the Puma King football boot. The decade itself will be remembered for the way in which football boot sponsorship took off, where players were being paid to wear only one brand. In terms of design and style, technological advancements produced lighter boots, and a variety of colours, including for the first time, the all-white football boot.

In 1979, Adidas produced the world’s best selling football boot the Copa Mundial, built of kangaroo leather and built for speed and versatility. Although Adidas remained dominant, several other football boot makers joined the fray including Italian football boot maker Diadora (1977).

Football Boots – The 1980’s

The greatest development of recent times in the design and technology of football boots was developed in the eighties by former player Craig Johnston, who created the Predator football boot, which was eventually released by Adidas in the 1990’s. Johnston designed the Predator to provide greater traction between football boot and the ball, and football boot and the ground. The design allowed for greater surface areas to come into contact with the ball when being hit by the football boot, with a series of power and swerve zones within the striking area allowing the player to create greater power and swerve when hitting the “sweet spots”. The eighties also saw football boots for the first time being made by English company Umbro (1985), Italy’s Lotto and Spain’s Kelme (1982).

Football Boots – 1990’s

1994 saw Adidas release the Craig Johnston designed Predator with its revolutionary design, styling and technology making it an instant and lasting success. The Predator by now featured polymer extrusion technologies and materials allowing for a more flexible sole as well as the conventional studs being replaced by a bladed design covering the sole, giving a more stable base for the player. In 1995 Adidas released their bladed outsole traxion technology which are tapered shaped blades. Puma hit back in 1996 with a foam-free midsole football boot, known as Puma Cell Technology, to which Adidas responded again, this time with wedge shaped studs in the same year. The nineties saw new football boot producers Mizuno release their Mizuno Wave in 1997. Other new football boots came from Reebok (1992) and Uhlsport (1993) with other companies also joining the ever increasing, lucrative and competitive market place. Most significantly the nineties saw the entry of Nike, the world’s biggest sportswear producer, immediately making an impact with its Nike Mercurial soccer boot (1998), weighing in at just 200g.

Football Boots – 2000+

As technology advanced still further, the application of the new research and developments were seen in the years into the new millennium right up to the present day and this has led to a reinforcement of the market positions of the big three football boot makers and sellers, Puma, Nike and Adidas (incorporating Reebok since 2006). Fortunately, there still remains room in the market place for the smaller producer that does not have the big money endorsement contracts at its disposal, such as Mizuno, Diadora, Lotto, Hummel and Nomis.

Recent developments since 2000 have seen the Nomis Wet control technology producing a sticky boot (2002), the Craig Johnston Pig Boot (2003), shark technology by Kelme (2006) and the exceptional design of the Lotto Zhero Gravity laceless football boots (2006) all of which underpin the successes that these smaller makers can achieve by producing specialised and technologically advanced football boots that provide a distinct differentiation from the mass produced products of the big three. Laser technology has also helped to produce the world’s first fully customised football by Prior 2 Lever, which is perhaps the most exciting and innovative of the recent developments.

Current favourite football boots include Adidas’ F50, Tunit and Predator; Nike’s Mercurial Vapor III, Air Zoom Total 90s and Tiempo Ronaldinho, Reebok Pro Rage and Umbro X Boots.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/558103

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Semi-Professional Football is considered football that men play who get paid less than livable wages. This is not really correct. In most semi-pro leagues, such as the New England Football League, it is against league rules to reimburse players in any way. Which means no one is making any money playing semi-pro football.

The first year team for the Vermont Ice Storm in the New England Football League is made up of players who love football so much that they pay to play semi-pro football. In fact, all the players on the Vermont Ice Storm has had to purchase their own football equipment, contribute a player fee (in order to make sure they don’t have to pay extra for a team uniform) and they also have to pay for traveling expenses for getting to all practices and to all away games. Over the course of a season, the financial burden can be substantial.

Professional football was developed in the 1890s in Pennsylvania when local athletic clubs Played in intense competition. Former Yale football star William “Pudge” Heffelfinger became the first-ever pro football player when he was hired by the Allegheny Athletic Association to play in a game against their rival, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in November 1892. By 1896, the Allegheny Athletic Association was made up entirely of paid players. As football became more and more popular, local semi-pro and pro teams were organized across the country. semi-pro football was the precursor to pro football. Why did they come up with the semi-pro football name? When we look at the history of this level of football it tells us that some name was needed to differentiate this type of football from high school, college, and pro football. A few traveling players, wandering the country in search of games to play in, were paid small amounts (usually under the table) to make local, small town teams look better and win.

In the 1910s professional football proved itself a viable spectator sport with the forming of The Ohio League. Canton was the premiere team featuring the legendary decathlete and football star Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was an international star who brought football to a new level. He won a gold medal in the in the decathlon in Stockholm in 1912. Thorpe and the Canton team drew big crowds and created a market for professional football in Ohio and beyond.

At the NFL’s Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, there is reference made to the “Watertown Red and Black” football team being the “first pro football team in America. ” So Watertown was the first ever paid football team. Today Watertown Red and Black is a powerful semi-pro team with a fine history behind it. It is a member of the Empire Football League with the Vermont Ice Storm being one of its opponents.

So “semi-pro” football means “amateur football” in a real sense. It is played by adults, from the ages of 18 to “whatever,” who love the game enough after their high school and/or college careers that they feel they haven’t gotten football out of their systems.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9667716

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Serie A, La Liga and the Premiership all voice strong claims to be the finest football league in the world today. However, which of these has the most genuine claim. The recognition of being the best is an honor that dictates not just bragging rights, but also the ability to draw the finest players and sponsorship contracts to secure the mantle yet further. There are countless factors to consider; the players the leagues have now, the trophies won by their clubs, the quality of football played and the stature of their various sides. Does that tactical catenaccio of the Italians outweigh the physical pressure of the Premiership? Would the top-heavy flair of La Liga continually overcome the strength of an English midfield? How do the Mediterranean cousins compare?

In comparing these various brands of ‘the beautiful game’ we must consider the many factors that make them great individually. The history, the present and the future are all crucial in contrasting these various brands of and eventually building a perception of whether one does stand above the others.

Players

The first and often the most favored way of fans comparing championships, who has the best players? The natural assumption following this is that Spain hold the upper hand in this argument; especially given that both World (Ronaldinho) and European (Fabio Cannavaro) Players of Year play in La Liga. Also Spain can boast many other great talents; Madrid have van Nistelrooy, Raul, Robinho and Beckham, Barca can boast Ronaldinho, Deco, Messi, Eto’o and Zambrotta. Other clubs have similarly immense performers, David Villa and Joaquin Sanchez at Valencia, Riquelme at Villarreal to name but a few.

Italy can boast a similarly impressive list of galacticos, however, possibly due to the more pedestrian nature of Serie A the players have a tendency to be of a slightly more advanced age. Internazionale (or Inter) boast the most impressive roster; Crespo, Ibrahimovic, Veron, Stankovic, Figo and Samuel all ply there trade for the Nerazzurri. Their city rivals Milan also have a cornucopia of stars; despite losing their talisman Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea in the summer, they have one world beater in Riccy Kaka’. Also players as renowned as Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta and Alberto Gilardino front a cast that contains talent enough to challenge for any trophy. Also worth mentioning is that the Milan rear-guard still contains the legendary Paulo Maldini as captain. With the shadow of Calciopoli hanging over the Italian top flight, what should be mentioned is the exodus from Serie A that occurred over the summer saw many of their finest individuals leave the division.

Zambrotta and Thuram left Juventus for Barcelona, likewise Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson joined their Bianconieri coach Fabio Capello in Madrid, and former Serie A favourites like Alessandro del Piero, Gigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet have all decided to stay loyal to the old lady and ply their trade in Serie B for a season. As mentioned, Shevchenko also left the Rossoneri for Chelsea.

Whilst discussing Chelsea we must clearly outline that they are the major player in European football today. The premise that currently exists in football is that, when it comes to the transfer market, the Premiership champions are the team that all others must follow. Due to the seemingly unlimited funds stumped up by their Russian oligarch owner, Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have amassed a team of stars to match any other club in the world. With Terry and Lampard already present prior to the Russian benefactor’s input, players like Arjen Robben, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and, as discussed, Shevchenko. The Premiership can also boast some of the world’s finest players in Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal; Rooney, Rio and Ronaldo at Manchester United and Liverpool’s talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard.

The important thing to outline when comparing the undoubtedly huge talents on show in these various leagues is that although we are examining them from the perspective of now, the future is also a vital factor. As we discussed Serie A does tend to boast more seasoned galacticos whereas the Premiership can argue that, in Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas, they have some of the most promising talent. Spanish football could also argue that their spread is encompasses youth, with youngsters such as Sergio Aguero and Fernando ‘el Nino’ Torres at Atletico, Lionel Messi at Barca and one name to watch in Matias Fernandez, a Chilean playmaker due to join Villarreal in January.

Marketing

Football in the Twenty First Century is far more than the game it was in previous decades. It is now a business, and one of the world’s biggest at that. Transfer prices are now such that it appears any ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’ is worth £15 million. Player’s wages have also experienced astronomical rises. This is to the extent that £3 million per year is not considered to be a completely outrageous wage for a top international player. With the costs to clubs continually rising, somebody is required to fulfill these extravagant fiscal demands.

Sponsorship, television rights and marketing revenue are now utilized by top clubs that are now selling a ‘brand’ rather than a sport. From product association to shirts emblazoned with trade names, the marketing aspect of major clubs and leagues is paramount to the strength therein.

Annually an accountancy firm called Deloitte release details of top European club’s financial incomes over the previous season. Essentially a ‘rich-list’ of sides, comparing their viability and market strength in today’s football world. The most recent edition of this list is from the 2005 season and the zenith of the list is almost totally dominated by our ‘big three leagues’.

The 2005 rankings dictate that the world’s market leader in football terms is now Real Madrid. The previous years had been dominated by the Manchester United marketing machine; however the Castilian club took the mantle from their English rivals. Much of this change in fortunes has been put down to the ‘David Beckham factor’.

Former England skipper David Beckham is as famous for his private life as he is for his football. Married to a ‘Spice-Girl’, the midfielder looks more like a pop star than a footballer, sporting numerous tattoos, continually outrageous hair styles and a multiplicity of product endorsement contracts. Described as being the ‘most photographed sportsman ever’, Beckham is worth his weight in Euros to his club side. The fact that Manchester United, who previously topped the rich-list, were dethroned by Beckham’s new club Real Madrid is regarded as proof of the man’s value from a marketing perspective. However, it is worth mentioning that Madrid’s on-field performances have declined while their finances improved, and a more recent list may also hint at Beckham’s own on-pitch decline as a force in world football.

The top ten teams in the list are, with the exception of Bavarian giants Bayern Munich, all from Spain, Italy or England. The majority is dominated by the Premiership as we see Manchester United (2nd), Chelsea (5th), Liverpool (8th) and Arsenal (10th), this is followed by three Serie A clubs in Milan (3rd), Juventus (4th) and Inter (9th) and Spain’s La Liga only has two top ten entries, despite Real topping the list being followed by rivals Barcelona in 6th. In viewing these figures, we must firstly emphasise that they are not as up to date as we would like, also should a more recent list be compiled we would surely see the effect of Calciopoli on the Italian sides.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/446981