Hello and good afternoon, here in this video we go through three players that we feel are under rated. Take a look the video below;
The three underrated players of the Premier League
Newcastle takeover; the other side
It’s been barely 24 hours since what many think and still think is the unthinkable, the takeover of Newcastle United by PFI. Much has been made about the human rights side of the takeover, we have offered our thoughts on the takeover too.
You’re most welcome to have a read here;
Under the microscope; Newcastle takeover discussed
Sports fans, we want to look the at the other side of the coin. Now we’re not Amnesty International, we are not going to state the perils of the takeover on human rights grounds, our issues are potential sporting ones.
As we are a sports site that is dedicated to show both sides of the argument, in this article we want to try doing that here. The writer/s of this site are football fans, but the need to tell the story the way it needs to be told will always come above club loyalty or animosity.
Our potential issues with this takeover are based on the new owners’ project. That means what do they have in mind for the club and how will they get The Magpies back amongst England’s elite?
Of course the money side of it, won’t be a problem. The Crown Prince is said to be worth £320 billion, but we have issues football related. Now Inter Milan do have billionaire owners and are having to sell players before they buy and have been looking to making profits on player sales .
With the case of The Nerazzurri, the owners company is in serious debt and they have used Inter as their get out of jail card. Cross-city rivals Milan, they too have wealthy owners and have had to restructure their dealing in the transfer market due to their debts.
With the example of these two power houses, we argue this wasn’t a case of lack of money, but lack of proper business and football people in the top positions. Other examples for Newcastle to avoid is that of Chelsea, yes you read that right.
In 2003 when Russian Billionaire Roman Abrahamovic came to England and took control of Chelsea, there was a lot of fan fare like there is now with Newcastle. Our issue is with the running of the club.
What we mean is that despite Chelsea winning youth FA Cup after youth FA Cup, it must be stated that not many of the youth team have made it through to the first team. Similar to Manchester City too. Sancho, Diaz and Lopez all were sold despite being tipped for the first team .
Their replacements, we could imagine were in the 10’s of millions if not £100 million plus.
For Chelsea, yes Mason Mount, Reece James, Fikoyo Timori and Tammy Abraham have been promoted in to the first team, but it was in part due to need rather than want. The transfer embargo on Chelsea, forced The Blues to look at their academy to freshen up the squad.
When the embargo was lifted however, Billy Gilmore has been loaned out and Abraham and Timori are plying their trade in Serie A. So, I hear you ask? The issue is, is that football sells a dream as well as entertains.
Football sells a dream that you don’t have to be educated to make it, but you need dedication, hard work and to be humble. That boy from the estate, who won’t be looked at in society, is looked at, at a football training ground as he possesses a deadly right foot for instance.
Although it’s flowers and roses for Chelsea, upon closer inspection isn’t it demoralising for the academy players in their set up? What’s the point of trying, Chelsea will loan me out anyway?
In the case of Matic, Lukaku and Luiz, they have found their way back to Stamford Bridge, and usually for twice the amount they sold them for. So our concern is, that they don’t neglect the youngsters in the academy, every boy has a dream, Newcastle owners work on making more come true, that’s if you want to connect with the fans.
It’s a cliche, yes but football without fans is nothing! The last example we will use is that of AS Monaco. The Principality based French side of course are based in one of the most glamorous based places not just in Europe, but the world too.
When Monaco were taken over by Russian owners, players like Falcao were signed and other super stars. It was all smiles and excitement for the French side, dreaming of replicating success of old, but then change.
It was change as the AS Monaco owners changed tact and players were bought for minimal fees and sold on at big profits. Great for the accountants, but not the best for the fans who only knew one thing, they wanted their team to be successful.
We didn’t want to be over dramatic here with the example of AS Monaco, I mean they’re still competitive, but Newcastle fans you deserve to be shown the other side. Do you agree with us?
Let us know in the comments.
Under the microscope; Newcastle takeover discussed
When a football fan thinks of Newcastle United, as far as recent memory goes, one will think of Kevin Keegan’s swash-buckling side of the mid to late 90’s and the side of the great and late Sir Bobby Robson in the early 2000’s.
Both of those sides were competing at the top end of the Premier League and in the case of Sir Bobby’s side, The Magpies got into the 1999 FA Cup final. Full of passion and spirit the Newcastle side managed by former England manager Robson was a team, the fans were proud to call their own.
Fast forward the period after the departure of one of the North East’s most iconic figures and there has been next to little or nothing to shout about. Relegations, promotions and relegations with another promotion followed for this very proud club.
A far cry from those dizzy heights of years gone by. Rafael Benitez and Alan Pardew (initially) did enjoy relative success with Newcastle United. St James’ Park arguably seen as one of the best stadiums in the country, were not enjoying the success on the pitch that their passionate fans cried out for.
Champions League winner Benitez worked minor miracles, but was no way near backed like he should have been by Billionaire owner Mike Ashley. The well respected Rafael Benitez left, but his place as a cult hero didn’t leave the Newcastle fans’ hearts.
A replacement was needed for such a popular figure, a man who made Newcastle punch above their weight. For fan power and size of club, Newcastle should be competing for Europa League minimum, but the standard of squad was a Championship one at best.
Current manager Steve Bruce, who we think will leave, is quite clearly in a near impossible job. It’s clear this Newcastle team is not good enough..
Newcastle United players, this is not a slant on you, it’s a slant on your owner Mike Ashley, who did help bankroll a French revolution under Alan Pardew as talented players Moussa Sissoko and Yohan Cabaye enjoyed a successful time in the North East, but when they left they weren’t replaced.
Investment has been scarce since then. To highlight the problem, Michael Owen until last season was the record signing at £17 for over six years. Only until Miguel Almiron was signed for £20 million was the transfer record broken.
Joelinton was signed for £40 million, but the less we say about the Brazilian Emile Heskey the better. The Geordie fans, over these 14 years have grown sick and tired of the running of the club and have protested on many occasion during and after matches.
The message was clear, Mike Ashley out, gone! Eventually listening to the fans the House of Fraser owner said he would sell the club, but false dawns, well dawned. The very unpopular Ashley took the club off the market and weren’t for sale and then were for sale again.
Was there going to be an end game, was there going to be light at the end of the tunnel Newcastle United fans? Yes, yes there is. Today 7th October, football fans got the news that they were dreading and Newcastle United fans the news they have been craving for, for probably near to a decade.
PIF (Public Investment Fund), which has the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as its chairman, have bought Newcastle United for £305 million, with Reuben Brothers being one of the other investors.
It was announced today on 7th October a deal had been agreed for Newcastle to be sold. The deal which has been some 18 months in the making, initially broke down due to the Premier League not clearing the take over.
On top of the Premier League’s refusal to give the deal the green light, Newcastle’s new owners were embroiled in a legal dispute with Qatari broadcaster Bein Sports over alleged piracy.
With that stand off resolved, and the Premier League clearing the deal, The team here at The Sports Buff, wants to weigh on our opinion of the takeover. The takeover, which is a Saudi-Arabian backed one, is not linked to the government themselves.
The thought of Newcastle being owned by the Saudi Government, has lead to many protests stating the Arab countries record on human rights being the main issue of contention.
We respect this opinion, but one must realise this isn’t state linked, the Premier League are satisfied of there being no links to the state. Reuben Brothers (a Billion pound company) and PCP Capital are also involved in the takeover consortium, so PIF have done some due diligence.
We say this because, well they alongside Amanda Staveley have waited and didn’t back out of the deal with Newcastle United, despite the takeover talks looking like they went cold.
PIF have got someone in Staveley, who is very well versed in takeover deals. The 48-year old Staveley was involved in the process of when Manchester City was sold to their current owners.
Some unpopular opinions too, but PSG for example their human rights isn’t great.
The Qatari government backed PSG, the Qatari government who have been criticised for allowing construction workers for Qatar 2022, being put in tough working conditions. Some of those workers have passed away and many not paid for months, the fit and proper persons test for them too no?
Of course, PSG are a French club, but the issue of human rights is something they too have to answer for.
No, it’s only for one and not the other. Upon closer inspection Mr Abramovich is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Mr no human rights), but he to has never been challenged on human rights.
We the team here at The Sports Buff are all for human rights, but don’t make it selective. There will be many jealous people in the world of football, envious of Newcastle’s new found wealth, but until Mohammed Bin Salman is seen doing keep uppies with Jon Jo Shelvey, worry not friends.
For issues with Saudi human rights issues, Borris needs to step in, but he won’t.
Newcastle fans it’s time to rejoice anyway, good times are not too far away.
Ozil to help British Asian’s shine in new initiative
Former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil, a German footballer of Turkish decent, has confirmed he will be linking up with the Football Association and Bradford City for the launch of Football for Peace Mesut Ozil Centre.
The groundbreaking announcement will see Ozil work alongside Kash Siddiqui, a former Oxford United and Pakistan football player. Ozil is a long-term supporter of Football for Peace, a global organisation backed by the United Nations and co-founded internationally by British Asian and former Pakistan international footballer Siddiqi.
The Mesut Ozil development centre aims to provide pathways into football and education and will be hosted at the University of Bradford, with elite sessions taking place at Bradford City’s training ground.
In the UK, the population of British Asian’s is some 7% of the population, but barely 1% (0.25%) of the Asian community plays the sport professionally. Hamza Chaudhry of Leicester City and Manchester United’s Zidane Iqbal are some of the very few high profiled British Asian’s in the game today.
With this ground breaking initiative backed by World Cup winner Ozil, just maybe we can Asian sports fans can dream of the new Haaland being Asian. We can but dream right?
The types of sports fans
Hello and good morning sports fans, how are we all? I hope you’re keeping well! Ladies and Gents, here’s to hoping you’re safe and well and looking after yourselves in these times of Covid19.
The Sports Buff is available on many platforms, from YouTube, Rumble, Bitchute, Brandnewtube and more, as well as having it’s own podcast. Do check that out please, moving on though however, I want to talk about the kinds of sports fans and to be more precise the ones in football matches.
Let me tell you a story … once upon a time, there was a boy, nay a man! Yeah, the story was about me, two mini stories about me, both were at Manchester United games it might have been the same game, I digress.back to the story
So, the story goes that I went to see Manchester United host Fulham (the game where Ronaldo smacked one in the top corner). Now this game, wasn’t too much to write home about bar that brilliant strike from CR7.
During the game though, I was taken back how football fans morph into a different creature. There was a respectable man, with his child and they asked politely, if he can move to one side to allow to get to their seat, that’s fine he asked nicely.
The thing is, when he got to his seat, I am sure he didn’t have Tourette’s and wasn’t getting set off by ticks, but the F bombs … too many to count. Changed was this polite ‘excuse me please sorry to bother you sir’, and Ronaldo the ******* man!
His son, a young man was there, but he wasn’t phased he turned into the Incredible Hulk with his rage, when the match finished he left early and then calmed down and morphed into Mr Polite.
The excuse me, sorry to bother you person returned and the warm kind hearted nature also made a come back.
Only can a football fan morph into this kind of being during a match. If that’s bad what about the football fan who knows nothing about football? Yes they do exist. So this story within story comes from the Manchester United tuck shop I call it.
Looking the part of a football fan, I had my Man United top on, with the print of Ayyaz 6 on the back. That number and it’s origins came from me being a centre back then a deep lying midfielder, but that was like seven a side football.
Let’s be honest, I think I am being polite on myself and not calling it, for what it was .. I wasn’t athletic enough to be a number eight box to box midfielder. So with me having number six on my back, I sensed from my peripheral vision that someone was staring at me.
I froze and waited for my cousin to get his Toblerone and his drink and in the time waiting, I managed to hear the guy behind me say, ‘when did we sign him’? There was a pause, what felt like a long pause, I then heard in a stern voice, ‘that his name, you idiot’!
So to clarify, this football fan thought Ayyaz was United’s new number six, o how I laughed and still laugh to this day, some 10/15 years on. My penultimate example of a fan his one whose life revolves around their team.
Days off in work? Well that depends when United are playing. Holidays? Err do Man U go there in their group games? Shift swaps and absences, all revolving around their team too. Sorry John ( I know a John like this and told him this too), but Pogba wouldn’t cover your shift if he had a chance.
He would be too busy at dance practice or going to the barbers.
The last example of football fan, well that’s got to surely be the fanalyst. There are many Youtubers who have made fame from doing this, but I am talking about ‘the average Joe in the street’. This person will know tactics better than the manager does and is a scout all wrapped in.
Yes, a bit Jay from The Inbetweeners sounding, I know. Well there you have my list of sports fans and to be more precise football fans, so what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? You know what to do.
Tuesday Champions League round up
Remember the date ladies and gents, remember today’s date 28th September 2021. This is the date that arguably the greatest player in the world Lionel Messi scored his first goal for PSG.
Much was made of the fact that the former Barca man in three games hadn’t scored for his new employers, but he showed the world and some fella who’s writing this, that we are all a little silly to doubt him.
Avid fans of the little Argentine Messi, would remember that lob, that shaggy hair and that youthful baby face gleefully celebrating his first Barca goal.
All though just as passionate, the celebration today seemed more of a relief. For Lionel Messi’s team on the collective front, it meant that they move top of the group and three points clear of Man City in Group A.
It’s not the result that they wanted, but it’s not the end of the world for the Cityzens. How Pep, wished he dialled Laporte instead of Levy, easy mistake both have L last name.
A bad day at the office for Pep’s men, but they should be fine to progress to the round of 16.
Elsewhere Liverpool did what they did best and that’s put five past Porto. Two wins from two for The Reds and it’s up to Atletico, AC and Portuguese giants Porto to scrap for second.
The other headlines in today’s games was that someone is missing their shooting boots, because Seb Haller has taken them. Forgotten and sold by West Ham, Haller scored his fifth goal in two Champions League games.
Ajax admin staff member, this will only remind the Dutch clubs hierarchy, you messed up big time!
They said Lord Bedntner was good, but Haller is that much better, no really he is! Barcelona, you have signed the wrong Premier League flop! Luuk De Jong in Holland has the accuracy of an archer, but outside of Holland he’s like a drunkard at a fun-fair playing shooting ducks (in other words not very good).
Sorry for being harsh on those who play shoot the ducks. If the fact that Seb Haller doing a good Adriano of Shaktar Donetsk impression shocking enough for you, then how about this, Sheriff Tiraspol (the Moldovan champions I have you know) just won at the Santiago Bernabeu, you know as you do.
The Moldovans made one of the most iconic stadiums in world football, a near playground as they lead twice to eventually win 2-1, Sebastien Thill, being the man to write himself into Sheriff Tiraspol folklore by grabbing the winner, something to tell the grandkids hey Seb?
Good night from us. See you tomorrow!
Sunrisers shine in win
Having endured one of their worst IPL seasons in their history, the Sunrisers Hyderabad made some steps to restore pride with a confident seven wicket win over Rajasthan Royals. Having been asked to field by Royals skipper Samson, Kane Williamson’s Sunrisers got an early breakthrough with the wicket of Evan Lewis (6).
Yashasvi Jaswal (36) to go with his 49, in the process continuing his encouraging form since the IPL restart and Samson (82) again showed his undoubted class as he followed up his 70, with another big score. Rajasthan would go on to make 164-5. Mahipal Lamror, who is another player who has impressed since the restart, made 29.
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone (4), has impressed in franchise cricket with BBL side Perth Scorchers, but didn’t make an impression here. IPL’s bottom side Sunrisers, who unsuccessfully chased 125 last time out by finishing five runs short, were just that bit more clinical in this one.
Surrey and England opener Jason Roy (60) would top score for Sunrisers Hyderabad and was well supported by Williamson (51 not out). When Roy would be dismissed caught behind by captain Sanju Samson and Priyam Garg would soon follow (0), it was left to all-rounder Abishek Sharma (21) to provide the support his captain needed.
So Sunrisers win this one comprehensively by seven wickets, but it doesn’t really change the overall complexion of the group standings. KKR, Punjab kings, Rajasthan and Mumbai are all tied on eight points.
Next up for Sunrisers Hyderabad is a tricky game against high-flying Chennai and for Rajasthan, well they face off against Virat Kohli’s RCB who are looking to finally get their hands on the trophy after several near misses.
The essence of time
Hello and good evening sports fans, it’s The Sports Buff here. Apologies, there haven’t been too many posts from our site of late. That will of course change, and I want to make this change by starting with a topic I could republish time after time.
To clarify, what I am talking about is the issue of managers who are needed to be given more time. I don’t have stats for this, but just from my eagle sports eye, there are a lot of managerial sackings in the Premier League and the Championship.
It’s an unpopular opinion, but I am adamant that there is more pressure to succeed in the Championship than there in in the Premier League. Prestigious clubs like Nottingham Forest for example, have gone through managers like I have razor blades.
Now, that analogy might go a miss on some as I am bald and Bearded, but I am fully bald as I shave my head and boy I go through razor blades! This topic irritates me, why? Well look at Mikel Arteta, some corners of the Arsenal faithful are saying that he is the next Arsene Wenger.
I am not belittling that statement, I am agreeing with it metaphorically, what I mean is that The Gunners have won three in a row, which is quite something when he was tipped for the sack. Just proves the power of sticking with the manager.
Another example is of Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. The Italian who is one of three managers to have won the Champions League on three separate occasions as a manager, returned to the Santiago Bernabeu to little or no fan fare, but with time where are Los Blancos? That’s right top of the league!
Arch-rivals Barcelona who have former defender Ronald Koeman in charge are said to be wanting to sack the former Valencia coach, but are not able to due to not being able to afford the compensation they will need to pay if they do.
That is a very laughable predicament to be in. It’s a strange decision, Koeman is over seeing one of the darkest periods of the Catalan giants’ history. If they do sack him, then what? Back to square one? The new manager will need time and money to fix the ever growing problems at Camp Nou.
Which is the same predicament at Manchester United, sack Ole, then what? In the case of the Norwegian we have been here before and he wins some games then it’s crisis, what crisis?
To conclude, sacking the manager is the easiest thing to do. Patience is the key, even if Chelsea and Watford have different ideas.
Emma Raducanu, tennis’ Wonder Woman
Hello and good morning, here the team at the sports buff, have a look at the new teenage tennis sensation Emma Raducanu.
Have a watch here; https://rumble.com/vm96lx-us-open-tennis.html
I talk shirt numbers
Hello and good evening, here I talk about shirt numbers; hope you enjoy!
