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orbemnews · 4 years

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A Storied Italian Soccer Club Is Threatened by Shifting Prospects in China HONG KONG — The new, high-rolling Chinese owner was supposed to return Inter Milan to its glory days. It spent heavily on prolific scorers like Romelu Lukaku and Christian Eriksen. After five years of investment, the storied Milan soccer club is within striking distance of its first Italian league title in a decade. Now the bill has come due — and Inter Milan’s future is suddenly in doubt. Suning, an electronics retailer that is the club’s majority owner, is strapped for cash and trying to sell its stake. The club is bleeding money. Some of its players have agreed to defer payment, according to one person close to the club who requested anonymity because the information isn’t public. Inter Milan has held talks with at least one potential investor, but the parties couldn’t agree on a price, according to others with knowledge of the negotiations. Suning’s soccer aspirations are crumbling at home, too. The company abruptly shut down its domestic team four months after the club won China’s national championship. Some stars, many of whom chose to play there instead of in Chelsea or Liverpool, have said they have gone unpaid. China has failed in its dream of becoming a global player in the world’s most popular sport. Spurred in part by the ambitions of Xi Jinping, China’s top leader and an ardent soccer fan, a new breed of Chinese tycoons plowed billions of dollars into marquee clubs and star players, transforming the economics of the game. Chinese investors spent $1.8 billion acquiring stakes in more than a dozen European teams between 2015 and 2017, and China’s cash-soaked domestic league paid the largest salaries ever bestowed on overseas recruits. But the splurge exposed international soccer to the peculiarities of the Chinese business world. Deep involvement by the Communist Party make companies vulnerable to sharp shifts in the political winds. The free-spending tycoons often lacked international experience or sophistication. Now, talks of defaults, fire sales and hasty exits dominate discussions around boardroom tables. A mining magnate lost control of A.C. Milan amid questions about his business empire. The owner of a soap maker and food additive company gave up his stake in Aston Villa. An energy conglomerate shed its stake in Slavia Prague after its founder disappeared. Suning’s plight reflects “the whole rise and fall of this era of Chinese football,” said Zhe Ji, the director of Red Lantern, a sports marketing company that works in China for top European soccer teams. “When people were talking about Chinese football and all the attention it got in 2016, it came very fast, but it’s gone very fast, too.” Suning paid $306 million in 2016 for a major stake in Inter Milan. Suning is a household name in China, with stores stocked with computers, iPads and rice cookers for the country’s growing middle class. While it has been hurt by China’s e-commerce revolution, it counts Alibaba, the online shopping titan, as a major investor. On a brightly lit stage to announce the Inter Milan deal, Zhang Jindong, Suning’s billionaire founder and chairman, raised a champagne glass and talked about how the famous Italian team — which has won 18 championships since 1910 but none since 2010 — would help his brand internationally and contribute to China’s sports industry. Boasting about Suning’s “abundant resources,” Mr. Zhang promised the club would “return to its glory days and become a stronger property able to attract top stars from across the globe.” Under the leadership of Mr. Zhang’s son, Steven Zhang, now 29, the club spent more than $300 million on stars like Lukaku, Eriksen and Lautaro Martínez, an Argentine forward nicknamed The Bull for his relentless pursuit of goals. Suning also agreed to pay $700 million to England’s Premier League for the rights to broadcast games in China beginning in 2019, stunning the industry. Suning lavished money on a domestic club that it bought in 2015. It spent $32 million to acquire Ramires, a Brazilian midfielder, from Chelsea, and 50 million euros for Alex Teixeira, a young Brazilian attacker, who chose the Chinese team over Liverpool, one of soccer’s most popular franchises. The recruits were put to work selling air-conditioners and washing machines. In one advertisement, Mr. Teixeira urged viewers to buy a Chinese brand of appliances. “I am Teixeira,” he says in Mandarin, adding, “come to Suning to buy Haier.” The money, said Mubarak Wakaso, a Ghanaian midfielder, helped make China attractive. “The money that I’m going to make in China is far better than La Liga,” he said in a mix of Twi and English in an interview last year, citing the league in Spain where he once played. “I’m not telling lies.” Suning’s soccer bets were badly timed. The Chinese government began to worry that big conglomerates were borrowing too heavily, threatening the country’s financial system. One year after the Inter Milan deal, Chinese state media criticized Suning for its “irrational” acquisition. Then the pandemic hit. Even as Inter Milan won on the field, it lost gate receipts from its San Siro stadium, one of the largest in Europe. Some sponsors walked away because their own financial pressures. The club lost about $120 million last year, one of the biggest losses reported by a European soccer club. Back in China, Suning was slammed by e-commerce as well as the coronavirus. Its troubles accelerated in the autumn when it chose not to demand repayment of a $3 billion investment in Evergrande, a property developer and China’s most indebted company. Suning’s burden is set to get heavier. This year, it must make $1.2 billion in bond payments. The company declined to comment. Suning began to take drastic steps. Last year it abandoned its broadcasting deal with the Premier League. Then, in February, it shut down its domestic team, Jiangsu Suning, nearly four months after the team won China’s Super League title against an Evergrande-controlled team. At least one of the team’s foreign recruits has hired lawyers to help recoup unpaid salary, according to a person involved in the matter. One former Suning player, Eder, a Brazilian-born star forward, set the soccer world buzzing after media reports quoted him saying Suning had not paid him. On Twitter, Eder said the comments had been taken from a private, online chat without his permission. His agent did not respond to requests for comment. To save itself, Suning took a step that could complicate Inter Milan’s fortunes. On March 1, it sold $2.3 billion worth of its shares to affiliates of the government of the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The deal gave Chinese authorities a say in Inter Milan’s fate. Greater financial pressure looms for Inter Milan. It must pay out a $360 million bond next year. A minority investor in Hong Kong, Lion Rock Capital, which acquired a 31 percent stake in Inter in 2019, could exercise an option that would require Suning to buy its stake for as much as $215 million, according to one of the people close to the club. Inter Milan officials are looking for financing, a new partner or a sale of the team at a valuation of about $1.1 billion, the person said. The club until recently was in exclusive talks with BC Partners, the British private equity firm, but they were unable to agree on price, said people with knowledge of the talks. Without fresh capital, Inter Milan could lose players. If it can’t pay salaries or transfer fees for departing players, European soccer rules say it could be banished from top competitions. “We are concerned but we are not frightened yet about this situation — we are just waiting for the news,” said Manuel Corti, a member of an Inter Milan supporters club based in London. “Being Inter fans,” he said, “we are never sure of anything until the last minute.” Alexandra Stevenson reported from Hong Kong, and Tariq Panja from London. Cao Li contributed reporting from Hong Kong. Source link Orbem News #China #Club #Italian #prospects #shifting #soccer #Storied #threatened

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crosby-interesting · 2 years

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Crosby was in Cannes in the summer of 2011 with Talbo, Jordan Staal and Martin. He went to Cannes again with Nate, TysonBarrie and Roman Josi in 2015 after the world championship in Prague. There was never any mention of Italy so maybe this was a super private trip with the wags.

this is very abstract

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stbluessports-blog · 6 years

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St. Louis Blues Tage Thompson Joins Team USA For World Championships

Blues’ Schenn an alternate captain for Canada

Center Brayden Schenn of the Blues has been named an alternate captain on Team Canada for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship tournament, which begins Friday in Denmark.

Connor McDavid of Edmonton was named captain, with Buffalo’s Ryan O’Reilly as the other alternate. Team Canada will open against Team USA.

“We have a mix of youth and veterans on our team, and the three players chosen to wear a letter know what it takes to be successful in international competition and that will help us be successful in our ultimate goal,” Team Canada and Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters said in a statement released Monday. Blues coach Mike Yeo is an associate coach for Team Canada.

Schenn, 26, led the Blues with 70 points this season on 28 goals and 42 assists. He has past Team Canada experience, playing on both the 2015 and 2017 squads at the world championships.

Ville Husso, the top goalie prospect in the Blues’ organization, was named to Finland’s final roster Monday. So was another Blues prospect, defenseman Niko Mikkola.

That brings to at least seven the number of Blues or Blues prospects who will be playing in the tournament: Schenn, Jaden Schwartz, Joel Edmundson, Colton Parayko for Canada; Tage Thompson for the United States; and Husso and Mikkola for Finland.

In addition, Nikita Soshnikov (Russia), Dmitrij Jaskin (Czech Republic) and Adam Musil (Czech Republic) have been listed on initial rosters for their respective countries, but there has been no confirmation that they have made the final roster. (Jim Thomas)

Trump supports North American World Cup in 2026 • President Donald Trump called on African countries to get behind the joint North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

Trump made the appeal during a Rose Garden news conference with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria. The U.S. is joining with Canada and Mexico in the bid for the quadrennial soccer tournament.

The African country Morocco is also bidding to host in 2026.

Pliskova withdraws from Prague Open • Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic withdrew from her home Prague Open because of a right thigh injury.

Pliskova won the Stuttgart Open on Sunday for her 10th career WTA title. She was due to face her sister, Krystina, in the first round. Her spot in the draw was taken by Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.

Ex-NFL player and GM Millen ailing • Former NFL player and general manager Matt Millen says he is being treated for a rare disease that has robbed his heart of most of its normal function.

The 60-year-old Millen told the Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., that he has been diagnosed with amyloidosis, a life-threatening illness that may force him to seek a heart transplant. Millen said he has been receiving chemotherapy once a week to treat the condition, which has left his heart functioning at just 30 percent.

Millen played 12 seasons as a linebacker in the NFL for the Raiders, 49ers and Redskins and won four Super Bowl rings. He later served as Detroit’s general manager and has also spent decades as a broadcaster. Millen told the Morning Call he plans to return to the booth in the fall.

“When a bump comes up in the road, you deal with it,” Millen said. “It’s ridiculous to feel sorry for yourself. I’m thankful for what I have, and I’ll take what I get.”

#st. louis blues #Brayden Schenn #Tage Thompson #world cup champions

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olympic2020tickets · 4 years

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Olympic Slalom: Former world champion Kudejova wins two gold medals at Canoe Slalom European Championships

Former world champions Kudejova of the Czech Republic and Slovenia's Benjamin Savsek claimed the final individual titles on offer at the Canoe Slalom European Championships in Prague. Kudějová, the 2015 individual world champion, triumphed in the women's K1 event in the Czech capital.

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The 30-year-old recorded a time of 112.71sec to edge out French rival Camille Prigent by 1.90sec and continue the success for the Czech team at their home European Championships. Amalie Hilgertova of the Czech Republic took bronze, 2.42 adrift of her victorious compatriots.

Kudějová secured her second gold medal of the day in the team event, partnering Veronika Vojtová to the European title in 139.64. Price was again forced to settle for silver after finishing second with teammate Lucie Buadu, 1.03 behind the Czech team.

Corinna Kuhnle and Nina Watching did enough for bronze as they completed the course 5.83 slower than the gold medalists. Savšek, the 2017 world champion, added another major title to his collection with victory in the men's C1 competition.

The Slovakian multiple European gold medalist clocked 104.90 to deny the Czech side another gold on home soil. Lukas Rohan was 3.76 adrift in second place, while bronze went to his Czech teammate Václav Chaloupka.

Slovenia won the men's team crown ahead of crews from Ireland and Poland, who took silver and bronze, respectively. The Czech Republic had been awarded the silver medal before they were handed a 50-second penalty, which saw them end the competition outside of the medals.

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mhsn033 · 4 years

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Prague Open: Simona Halep beats Elise Mertens in final

The Prague Inaugurate is Halep’s 21st victory on the WTA Tour

Simona Halep won her first title since sooner than the coronavirus lockdown on the Prague Inaugurate with a straight-voice victory over Elise Mertens.

The Romanian world amount two beat Belgium’s Mertens 6-2 7-5 for her first title on clay since the 2018 French Inaugurate.

Halep, 28, becomes only the 2d top seed to procure the Prague Inaugurate, after Karolina Pliskova did so in 2015.

In the United States, American Jennifer Brady won the High Seed Inaugurate.

Victory within the Czech capital gave Halep her 2d title of 2020 after she won February’s Dubai Tennis Championships – her final match sooner than the WTA Tour turned into suspended due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.

The procure is her 21st on the WTA Tour, inserting her fifth amongst most modern gamers within the support of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters and Petra Kvitova.

Brady’s 6-3 6-4 victory against Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann within the High Seed Inaugurate final gave the 25-one year-frail her first profession WTA title.

Brady beat compatriot Coco Gauff within the semi-finals, while Serena Williams turned into knocked out within the quarter-finals.

The laborious courtroom match in Lexington, Kentucky turned into the principle WTA occasion within the United States since the tour turned into suspended, with the US Inaugurate due to delivery up on 31 August.

The victory on the High Seed Inaugurate turned into Jennifer Brady’s first WTA title

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hazel3017 · 7 years

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I promised you guys an essay on the dark ages that was the Mike Johnston era, and here it is. By the way, this is gonna be long and longwinded, but bear with me people. This is all connected. You have been warned.

In 2013, Sidney Crosby was on a ridiculous tear where he scored 56 points in 36 games for a truly stupid 1.56 points per game. It was a shortened season, true, but no one was even close to touching him. If he’d played the full 48 games, he’d have 75 points. Martin St. Louis won the Art Ross with 60. Anyway, what happened instead was the broken jaw, courtesy of a Brooks Orpik slap shot, and Sid didn’t play for the rest of the season (he missed 12 games) which is probably why he didn’t win the Hart (he was nominated, but it went to Ovechkin).

The broken jaw also meant that the Penguins, in their infinite wisdom, allowed Sid to be interviewed while he was CLEARLY high on painkillers.

Sid returned to the ice (wearing a protective cage) in time for the second game of the playoffs (vs NYI) and picked up right where he left off. He had nine points in five games against the Islanders, and 6 points in five games against Ottawa. It was all rainbows and sunshine until the Penguins reached the ECF against Boston and the offence just dried up. Sid didn’t have a single point in that series, and ultimately the Pens only put up a collective 2 goals and were swept in 4 games. It was brutal. Especially for Flower, who really took a lot of flack. He’d been gaining a bit of a reputation as a bad playoff goalie, and the 2013 playoffs didn’t help. It was after this that Flower started seeing a sports psychologist.

For context, since they won the Cup in 2009, the Penguins had only won 3 playoff series before reaching the Eastern Conference final in 2013. Three. Think about that. They didn’t even make it past the first round in 2011 and 2012. 2013 was supposed to be different. They were the top seed in the East, and their offence was on fire through the first two rounds. And then they just crashed and burned. It was the 4th year in a row where they were eliminated by a lower-seeded team. Things were dire. And just to emphasis how truly sucky this time was for Sid, people thought he’d already played his best hockey. They thought the concussion and neck injury that kept him out for almost two seasons meant he wouldn’t ever be able to dominate the way he had before.

(Speaking of the concussion: he missed 41 games in 2010-2011, and 60 games in 2011-2012. Dire, dire times. He’s admitted he thought he might never play again. Also, at some point during this time, Sid and Geno went to a Lady Gaga concert together. Never forget.)

The 2013-2014 season comes around, and Sid is back to being on fire. Because it’s not a Penguins team unless everyone and their mother is out with an injury, Sid had a revolving door of line mates but would still finish the season with 104 points in 80 games for 1.30 PPG. Because he is stupid like that.

One of the injuries, by the way, was Pascal Dupuis in December 2013. The Pens were playing in Ottawa when Marc Methot hip-checked Sid, and Sid went flying into Duper, who almost got Sid’s skate to his face, and also tore his ACL. Duper needed surgery to repair the ACL damage, and while he was recovering, he started developing blood clots and serious health issues related to that, which he would never really recover from. He tried to play while on blood-thinners for a while, but ultimately had to call it a night in the 2015-2016 season. I bring this up because it will play a role in the timeline later.

So, mid 2013-2014 season; Sid is the engine that keeps the Penguins going, the NHL takes a break in February for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and we get the NHL Revealed series, which is actually pretty cool (there is a scene from Geno’s house and you can see his fridge where he has decals of himself and Sid, Tanger and Flower. It is adorable. Also there is Geno whining to Sid about Sid not warning him about their flight being delayed because then he would have just waited at home). Chris Kunitz is also an Olympian, and everyone at the time was pretty much in agreement that the only reason he was there was because of how well he played with Sid, and then they didn’t play well together at all. And everyone was up in arms about how Sid wasn’t scoring enough, but Canada still won gold (both Sid and Kuni scored in the gold-medal game) and Russia did not, and so Geno was sad and grumpy for about a month. Then Sid wasn’t having it anymore and talked to Geno because he obviously needed a friend, and Geno was no longer sad and grumpy.

Fast forward a little bit, and we reach the playoffs. The Pens played against Columbus, and it was super weird because almost every game ended 4-3 and no one could keep a 3-1 lead. Also, Sid wasn’t scoring. Again. It was a thing. He was still putting up points, and he averaged 1 PPG against Columbus, but people would not shut about how he hadn’t scored a playoff goal in 13 games dating back to 2013. He kept insisting that he was healthy too, but he actually had a busted wrist, which was the result of a Ryan Reaves hit where he got his wrist caught awkwardly against the board in a game in late March. The injury meant he had trouble putting any power behind his shots, which meant no goals, although he was still dominating possession. Add to that the abuse he took from the likes of Dubinsky and Marc Staal (and also Lundqvist squirting water at him lol!) it was a pretty miserable playoffs for him.

All of this is made worse by his deteriorating relationship with Coach Dan Bylsma. Now, I know I have read this somewhere, and I can’t for the life of me remember where, but there was a rumour—a rumour, mind you—that Bylsma had specifically instructed the players not to stick up for Sid when the other team’s players were abusing him. Apparently, Bylsma threatened with benching people if they got into scrums after the whistles. (RUMOUR, remember. Take it with a grain of salt). But Bylsma and Sid obviously weren’t getting along that great during the Rangers series, at least, and it didn’t help that Bylsma kept playing his favourites, aka Craig Adams and the gang. Jesus. As I recall, Kuni and Geno were pretty much the only ones sticking up for Sid, especially Kuni who was playing on his line. The Rangers series did give us this gem of an interview though.

Game 7 comes along, and the Penguins lose. They’d been up 3 games to 1 at one point, and again they were the higher-seeded team. Shortly after, reports about Bylsma losing the room started popping up and it was pretty obvious that there would be a new management. Sure enough, Shero was fired first, and then Bylsma later.

(Bylsma was actually fired by Jim Rutherford. Ownership said they wanted the new GM to decide if he wanted to keep Bylsma around or not. It was pretty obvious that Bylsma would have to go too, and a lot of people were upset that they kept Bylsma so long when that could potentially keep him from getting a job elsewhere.)

And now, finally, we enter the dark ages. Or, in which GMJR did the one mistake he needed to make in order to find the one true Penguins coach: Mike Sullivan.

Mike Johnston. What is there to say about Mike Johnston? He had pretty much only one facial expression in that he looked perpetually shocked, he snuffed out the offence of a team that has always been built for scoring goals and made them play boring, sluggish, defensive hockey instead. It very nearly broke Sidney Crosby. That is not to say that it was all MJ’s fault, but he was very clearly unsuitable for the Pens and vice versa.

Consider this: In 2012-2013, Sid went from a 1.56 PPG to 1.30 in 2013-2014. A pretty steep dive, but still dominating his peers (Ryan Getzlaf was the closest to him in points that year. He had 87 points. Sid had 104.). From 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, Sid’s PPG dipped again, even more this time as it reached an all-time low of 1.09. He’d never been below 1.26 before. Not so incidentally, the Pens went from 242 goals total to 217, and their winning percentage dipped from .665 to .598, the lowest it had been since the 2005-2006 season. This all coincided with Mike Johnston becoming coach. The Penguins just barely edged their way into the playoffs that season. They made it with literally the last game of the season, against Buffalo.

(No offence to Buffalo, but they were ranked dead last that season.)

The Pens lost the first round of the playoffs against the Rangers. They only managed one win in 5 games. Sid played okay, he had 4 points on the series, but the Pens were so sloooow. They kept being outskated by guys like Zuccarello and Hagelin—no wonder, with guys like Craig Adams and Rob Scuderi slowing the Penguins down.

(Also, would you believe I used to strongly dislike Carl Hagelin?)

Sid didn’t stick around for the fallout. He called the GM of Team Canada the same night they were eliminated and jumped on a plane to Prague. I actually think the World Championship did him a ton of good. He won another gold medal in the Olympics the year before, but I really think it must have messed him up going so long without playoff success. No one expects more from Sidney Crosby than Sidney Crosby.

Anyway: Worlds.

I’m pretty sure that what happens at Worlds stays at Worlds, but Sid seemed to have a really good time with his x1000 boyfriends. Like, there was Giroux (what????), Seguin (we don’t kiss and tell), MacKinnon (of course), and even Brayden Schenn (lmao).

Also, there was Geno and the pictures that launched a thousand plot bunnies. Because you can’t have one without the other.

Sid won gold and was happy, he became the 26th member of the Triple Gold Club and was happy, and he came home from Europe and promptly entered an existential crisis, I’m pretty sure. He turned 28 that year and freaked out about it. Probably, he realised how sucky the last few years had been for him. He grew a beard. It was very disturbing for everyone involved. He also went to all the weddings, hosted his first annual hockey school, and filmed the documentary that would win him an Emmy award as the “talent”. That is an actual thing that happened, people.

And then the new season began. And here, my friends, we must circle back to Pascal Dupuis.

So because of the blood clots Duper developed after his ACL injury, he had to sit out the rest of the 2013-2014 season. He was cleared for the start of 2014-2015, but again was out for the rest of the season when they discovered blood clots in his lungs in November 2014 and he had to go on blood thinners. The next season, he was cleared again, but was still on blood thinners to manage the blood clots. He was being monitored by medical professionals at the time, and it was a procedure that had worked for other athletes, but Duper experienced side effects like serious chest pains. In the end, he was forced to call it quits. This was in December 2015.

Up until that point, from the start of the season, Sid had 18 points by then. He was 86 in in scoring. 86. Comparatively, he had 29 points by the same time next year. In 5 fewer games. No one knew what was going on. Sid didn’t know what was going on, but there’s probably a few things that explain his low offence. If you believed the media at the time, he was washed up. They were literally writing up the obituary of his career. Sports Illustrated posited that he would be a 4th-line centre at the World Cup. People were wondering if he would even make the team. The Team Canada GM had to publicly state that Sid would be on the roster.

So what actually did cause the notorious slump? Like I said, a combination of things.

First, MJ’s system meant that Sid had to play a 200-feet game. “But he does that now!” you say, and true, he is defensively responsible, and the NHL is gonna have to start thinking about giving him Selke consideration sooner than later, but he’s always thinking offence first, and his line’s puck possession means he’s spending more time in the offensive zone than defensive zone. They only had a 52.2% defensive exit rate under MJ during that December. Under Sully, it was at 73.1%. Consequently, MJ’s defence first mentality meant that Sid had to constantly haul ass from one end of the rink to the other; he was overexerting himself.

Second, he had bad puck luck. No, really. The puck just wouldn’t go in the net for him, and he had one goal on 30 shots at one point. That’s a 3.3 shooting percentage. Around 9% is League average, I believe.

Third, the power play was a mess. MJ had no clue how to configure it, even with the kind of fire power the Penguins’ boast. They just couldn’t make it work, which meant that Sid was missing out on the points he usually get from the power play.

And finally, there was Duper. Now, this is my personal opinion, but I honestly think Duper’s situation really messed him up. I think he spent so much time and energy worrying about Duper being okay that if affected him on the ice. When Duper was forced to retire, Sid was heartbroken. Consider this extract from Duper’s Why We Play the Game article:

One leg was twice the size of the other. It was a few hours before the game. We were in Edmonton last November. I was warming up in the hallway, doing some band work, some quick-feet stuff. At some point I looked down and saw that my right leg was really swollen.

When you are dealing with blood clots, this is the moment you always fear. Your body is betraying you. You can’t deny it. You can’t fight through it.

I took my equipment off and put on a tracksuit to go to the hospital to get checked out. As I was walking out of the locker room with the doctor, one of my teammates gave me a hug and just broke down in tears.

“Not again, Duper. Are you kidding me? Again?”

That’s the moment I realized that I needed to draw the line. People weren’t just worried about me playing hockey. They were worried about me playing with my life.

I believe that teammate was Sid, and I feel as if Duper confirmed that, but I can’t remember where I saw/heard it.

Once Duper was out for good, Sid noticeably started playing better. He had 9 points the rest of December alone. Also, on 12 December, GMJR fired Mike Johnston and hired Mike Sullivan. Hilariously, Sid was accused of being a coach killer, and the reporter outright questioned the legitimacy of hiring Sully was MJ’s replacement in the same article.

JOKE’S ON YOU BRETT CYRGALIS.

The rest, as you say, is history. The Penguins finally found a coach who can wrangle Sid and Geno and Phil, and GMJR isn’t having any of your shit anymore NHL, so he went out and got Ryan Reaves to protect his star players from being abused. Which will probably be either really awesome or really awful. Time will tell.

#tag: about sid #mj - the dark ages #an essay

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bigyack-com · 5 years

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Green Light for MotoGP in Buri Ram, Thailand

The Sports Authority of Thailand has confirmed that the MotoGP, scheduled to take place in Buri Ram from 20-22 March, will go ahead as planned. With the COVID19 outbreak affecting a number of locations and events worldwide, especially in south east Asia, the decision required official confirmation that it could proceed.

After consulting with the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Disease Control, the Sports Authority of Thailand has officially communicated, on behalf of the Royal Thai government, that there is no major risk and that strict preventive measures are in place. The FIM Grade A and FIA Grade 1 Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram in the north east of Thailand opened in 2014 and hosted the Superbike World Championship in March 2015. The state-of-the-art circuit hosted its first MotoGP in 2018, and then again in October 2019. The ThaiGP attracts teams, media and fans from around the world, bring much needed income and media attention to this beautiful part of Isaan. See latest Travel News, Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: MotoGP, Buri Ram, Roi-Et, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen. Headlines: AirAsia to Resume Manila - Saigon Flights; Launch Clark - Tagbilaran COVID19: Qantas and Jetstar Make Major Changes to Network Air Astana Changes Ticket Rules for Travellers from HK, JP, MO, SG, KR and TH Hong Kong Int. Airport Introduces New Round of Relief Measures Russian Helicopters to Commence Production of Ansat Aurus Hong Kong Win Bronze at Inaugural World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series Bangkok Airways Partners AXAThailand to Offer 'Protective Wing' ANA to Test Autonomous Mobility Assistance at Narita Airport Green Light for MotoGP in Buri Ram, Thailand Aviation: COVID19 Cuts Demand and Revenues Martin Dell Returns Home as GM of Four Seasons Hotel Prague SWISS Takes Delivery of First A320neo Sabre's Sean Menke to Participate in Keynote Interview at ITB Berlin Executive Appointments at Outrigger Hospitality CWT Appoints Linda Creighton as Vice President - Business Finance Hilton to Open Garden Inn Hotel at Adventure Parc Snowdonia, North Wales AirAsia Philippines to Launch Flights to Zamboanga from Cebu and Clark Swiss-Belhotel Opens First Hotel in Malaysia Joanne Taylor Joins FCM as Director of Account Management Asia Thai Airways Waives Fees on Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan Flights SalamAir Partners Tune Protect for Travel Insurance American Airlines to Expand Preordered Meal Service Etihad Airways to Launch TravelPass AirAsia to Launch Flights from Clark and Cebu to General Santos, Philippines MICE in North Wales - Interview with Richard Jones of venue cymru, Llandudno Air New Zealand Extends Reduction in Flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai Patrick de Castelbajac to Join Nordic Aviation Capital as CEO Thai Airways Opens New Lounge at Phuket Airport Bulgaria Air and Qatar Airways to Codeshare Tarom Takes Delivery of First of Nine ATR 72-600s Whitbread Signs Sixth Premier Inn Hotel in Ireland Mandarin Oriental Jumeira Dubai Opens Royal Penthouse COVID19: Zero Risk and Travel Advisories - Where Do We Stop? Campbell Wilson to Rejoin Scoot as CEO MIAT to Implement Sabre's Global Demand Data Solution Cathay Pacific Carried 3M Pax in Jan; Reduces Flight Capacity by 40% Roger Brantsma Joins 825-Room Hilton Tokyo as General Manger Thai Airways Increases Passenger Screening on Flights from Cambodia Mandarin Oriental Boston to Complete US$ 15 Million Renovation in April Erica Antony Joins CWT as Chief Product Officer Bjoern van den Oever Joins Alila Villas Koh Russey as Executive Chef Unicorn Hospitality Opens 47-Room Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand Hong Kong Airport Handled 5.7 Million Passengers in January Vietnam Airlines Adds Wide-Body Aircraft to Hanoi - Saigon Route Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines to Power Korean Air's New A321neos AsBAA Appoints Jeff Chiang as Chief Operating Officer Psychometrics at Naruna Retreats in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand Airbus A330-800 Receives Type Certification from EASA and FAA Hamza Sehili Joins Four Seasons Tunis as Hotel Manager British Airways and Royal Air Maroc to Codeshare Green Africa Airways Signs MOU for 50 Airbus A220-300s Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals Plummet to Below 3,000 Per Day What Does Tourism Mean to Conwy, North Wales? 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Euro 2020 is coming to England at Home

It was the anthem of 2018. You couldn’t possibly walk into a pub throughout the entire summer without plunging into a chorus of Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds’ unflinchingly optimistic ode to the England national team. Over 16 months have passed since the dream died once again, this time at the hands of Croatia in a World Cup semi-final.

Since heartbreak in Moscow, England powered their way to the Nations League finals and have emphatically secured their place at Euro 2020 by winning qualifying Group A at a canter. Football fans can book England Euro Cup Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

‘Progress’ was our shoulder to cry on. At least we showed ‘progress’.Following the Kosovo win at the weekend, Gareth Southgate gave us a report on the intangible status of ‘progress’.

“We’re definitely further ahead than we were heading into Russia,” he said.

“But we made massive strides in this period when we went into Russia. We’ve got to make sure that, to get the level of performance next summer, we’re going to have to improve in the way that we did over that spell as well.”

That’s the manager’s take, but what shape is England really in as Euro 2020 looms?

England is hoping to reach the final of the Euro 2020 which is going to be held in Wembley Stadium London next year. Football fans can book Euro Cup Final Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

Goals, Goals, Goals

While winning Group A hardly justifies a pre-emptive ‘Champions of Europe 2020’ tattoo, the manner in which it was conquered can’t be seen as anything but a massive win. The Three Lions scored more goals (37) than during any other qualifying campaign in their history.

World Cup or European Championships despite playing fewer games than most 10-game group stages. Cynics will refuse to acknowledge the difference between scraping beyond minnows and thoroughly dominating them, but England has consistently, vigorously beaten teams with style and verve they have been far from labored victories.

The Raheem Effect

Goals alone against Bulgaria et al won’t set pulses racing, but Raheem Sterling’s surge in form certainly will have. It’s easy to forget that going into Russia 2018, Sterling was a bit-part player for England. The Manchester City star infamously hadn’t scored for his country since October 2015 and failed to shine on the world stage in Russia, despite the team’s success.

Southgate deserves credit for patience with arguably his greatest asset, and since eventually breaking his drought in October last year, Sterling has found the net 10 times in 11 games, including a hat-trick against the Czech Republic and a brace against top-class opposition in Spain.

Sterling’s ‘arrival’ has significantly eased the burden on Harry Kane, taken the spotlight away from the Spurs superstar, yet Kane has responded with 13 strikes in 11 games. Regardless of who the goals are coming against, the fact that England is putting teams to the sword in a spritely manner with a potent formula is exciting.

Kane, Sterling and Marcus Rashford offer enough on their own, but the emergence of talent since 2018 has been stunning.

Strength in depth

Add in Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harry Winks from the ‘qualifying goalscorers who didn’t make it to the World Cup’ list and Southgate has an abundance of talent to work with.

James Maddison, Callum Wilson, Jack Grealish, and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all on the fringes, while 2018 starting man Jesse Lingard is unlikely to make the cut next year, barring a terrific upsurge in form. Moving further back in the team requires more scrutiny.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that England was defeated 2-1 by the Czechs in Prague, nor should the lack of club form be downplayed among the defensive ranks. There’s still plenty to be positive about in the backline, however. Football fans can book Czech Republic Euro Cup Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

Yes, even at the back

Leicester ace Ben Chilwell has been a stand-out performer in the Premier League this season. Whisper it quietly, but he may have been the best full-back in the league this season in a division led by full-back-inspired Liverpool. Double-barrelled duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will scrap with Kyle Walker for a spot on the right side.

Harry Maguire continues to be Harry Maguire, though his displays for United are largely overshadowed by the club’s simmering turmoil. John Stones is far from a lost cause, but in Tyrone Mings and Fikayo Tomori, Southgate’s prayers for center-backs have been answered.

Both are comfortable on the ball, with Mings resembling an Aldi Van Dijk while Tomori’s stock is flying as Chelsea’s best option at the back. Stones, Mings and Tomori battling for one place is a situation replicated across the pitch for England going into 2020 a number of positions boast a number of options.

There will be no more ‘square peg, round hole’ situations (Ashley Young started the first England game of the 2018 World Cup in central midfield) next year, there will be no more squad fillers (we’re looking at you, Phil Jones), there will be a squad overflowing with young talent.

England has a stronger starting XI and greater depth than in 2018, going into a tournament with fewer elite-level teams. The logic is simple. Sing it loud so the people at the back can hear It’s Coming Home…

We are offering Euro 2020 Tickets so, Football fans can get Euro Cup Tickets through our trusted online ticketing market place. EuroTickets2020.com is the most reliable source to book Euro Cup 2020 tickets.

#euro2020tickets #englandeurocuptickets #eurocupfinaltickets #eurocuphospitality

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