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Rooney

2010-07-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Watched all England games twice in full plus watched reviews from Bobby McMahon (Fox Soccer Channel), The Footy Show (The Score), along with reviews from Sky Sports News, The Guardian and Football 365. Many of them, except Bobby McMahon, whom I consider to be my personal teacher on footy, got on Rooney's performance. They called him out for not scoring nor performing up to his standard.

I have some numbers for them:

26: number of times Rooney was WIDE open in the box. This is amazing considering the fact that he was helping the mid-field and even defence. A friend of mind, let's call him Patrick, said: "find me a game where you heard the phrase, 'great defensive header from David Villa'". You see, strikers are not supposed to be all over the pitch. It just goes to show you what kind of confidence either the manager or Wayne had in the rest of his team. Remember Heskey tripping over his own two feet and the ball attempting to cross the ball to Wayne?

7: great passes/through balls from Rooney. At least 3 of them should have been goals, especially in the USA game and that one Gerard missed in the last group stage game. Of that 7, only two were even on target. And you wonder why Rooney was angry. No one gave Rooney the same kind of pass. The only one Rooney even got was a high/long header pass from Lampard.

Coming soon, my demolishing of the England squad.

Time to clean up and take out the trash Fabio.

Derek

Ethics and Morals - Part One

2010-07-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hello,

After the experiences of the last year, particulary between October of 2009 and February of 2010, I have been caught up with the idea of ethics and morals. Specifically, does one need to let go of your ethics and morals to have a specific type of job? I thought we would start by defining these words and then, in part two, talk about them. Stay tuned.

eth·ics /ˈɛθɪks/ Show Spelled[eth-iks] –plural noun

1. ( used with a singular or plural verb ) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.

2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics;

3. moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.

4. ( usually used with a singular verb ) that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.

What about morals?

mor·al /ˈmɔrəl, ˈmɒr-/ Show Spelled[mawr-uhl, mor-] –adjective

1. of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes.

2. expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct, as a speaker or a literary work; moralizing: a moral novel.

3. founded on the fundamental principles of right conduct rather than on legalities, enactment, or custom: moral obligations.

4. capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct: a moral being.

5. conforming to the rules of right conduct ( opposed to immoral): a moral man.

6. virtuous in sexual matters; chaste.

7. of, pertaining to, or acting on the mind, feelings, will, or character: moral support.

8. resting upon convincing grounds of probability; virtual: a moral certainty.

–noun

9. the moral teaching or practical lesson contained in a fable, tale, experience, etc.

10. the embodiment or type of something.

11. morals, principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct.

World Cup Picks

2010-06-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello,

GROUP A
Uruguay, France, Mexico, South Africa

GROUP B
Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

GROUP C
England, USA, Slovenia, Algeria

GROUP D
Germany, Serbia, Ghana, Australia

GROUP E
Netherlands, Cameroon, Denmark, Japan

GROUP F
Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand

GROUP G
Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast, North Korea

GROUP H
Spain, Chile, Honduras, Switzerland

2nd Round
Nigeria def. Uruguay
England def. Serbia
Germany def. USA
Argentina def. France
Netherlands def. Paraguay
Brazil def. Chile
Italy def. Cameroon
Spain def. Portugal

Quarter Finals
Brazil def. Netherlands
England def. Nigeria
Germany def. Argentina
Spain def. Italy

Semi-Finals
Brazil def. Germany
England def. Spain

Finals
Brazil def. England

Long Time, No Blog

2010-05-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,

With the wedding, a new house, website contracts, two new jobs, the loss of one job and trying to get that big job, I have had no energy for this blog. I want to change that with my newly designed website. Inject some energy.

United did not win the PL but my picks were pretty good. I will be posting my score pretty soon.

I am pretty pumped about my brother's website. After doing four websites for the same client, who wants the same/similar navigation items, headers, banners and stuff, I began to feel tapped in terms of creativity. Then, Christopher asked me to whip up a design element and I feel it is more me in terms of creativity. So hopefully we will get that online once Christopher has had a chance to take more pictures for the website.

People disappoint me sometimes. In the social service field, it is important to have self-awareness and take responsibility for your actions. To those people who disappointed me, I hope you take a moment to realize your actions. To some others, please look up ethics and morals in the dictiontary and then get some.

Doing some video work for the club so that should be fun. Found an old tape of Al Yzereef performing for his website. I was able to capture it but, in my first attempt, I outputted the wrong audio track. Good times.

Till next time.

DN

Other Picks

2009-08-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here are some more:

EPL
1 - The first coach to be sacked will be Alex McLeish (Birmingham City); Phil Brown (2nd pick)

2 - The club with the most goals will be Liverpool.

3 - The club with the least goals will be Birmingham.

4 - The player with the most goals will be Torres.

5 - The surprise team this season will be Arsenal (will stay in top 4).

6 - The surprise bad team this season will be Portsmouth (will drop most points compared to last year).

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

1 - The team that will win the Champions League will be Inter Milan.

2009-2010, EPL Picks - From The Champ

2009-08-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

Hello,

01 - Manchester United: scoring might be issue however one forgets the 2-month long, 1-0 wins last year when they gained momentum in January/February. Also, the #1 or #2 defense in the league is still there and have proven they can survive injuries. As a whole, injuries will not hurt this team as much as others (ie: Liverpool). Fergie has proven time and time again, he can adapt after losing a big player. My only concern is formation, specifically with Rooney.

02 - Liverpool (did not improve team; any injuries = big problems)

03 - Chelsea (manager problems will cost them again)

04 - Arsenal (will surprise and hold off new comers)

05 - Everton (solid team and will prove that manager + heart can hold off money)

06 - Manchester City (too hard in one season to improve to top 4; strikers must prove worth)

07 - Tottenham Hotspur (I hate this team)

08 - Aston Villa (gotten worse and no squad depth nor manager who can handle depth)

09 - Fulham (solid team)

10 - West Ham Utd (I like this team but they need 1-2 more quality players)

11 - Blackburn Rovers (manager will keep them in the middle of the table)

12 - Sunderland (The new pride of the north)

13 - Stoke City (blah)

14 - Wigan (blah)

15 - Bolton Wanderers (tough season ahead)

16 - Wolverhampton Wanderers (can they survive?)

17 - Portsmouth (not sure about this one; 17 or 18th?)

18 - Burnley (see #17)

19 - Hull City (solid start saved them last year; along with Newcastle sucking)

20 - Birmingham City

Winning Pools, Ronaldo and More

2009-08-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Quick blog: I won the ELP pool again. I won a nice 2009-2010 Manchester United home jersey, complete with ROONEY on the back and champions badges (my first due to ordering mess-ups). My brother also donated their new, black away jersey (thanks.) Thanks to all the players in the pool for their donation.

My brother also bought me a ticket to see Toronto FC play Real Madrid w/ Cristiano Ronaldo. We were 5th row behind the net and, in the first half, we saw Ronaldo come within a couple feet of us. To say the team and Ronaldo were impressive would be an understatement. There was no effort needed from Ronaldo to get the cross in. His goal was very nice and he celebrated right in front of us. I also learned a lot about formations and how to move when you do not have the ball. When you watch a lot of soccer, the camera follows the ball so you do not get the benefit of seeing what other players are doing. Thanks to Christopher and Poots. Great time.

Many people ask me what I think about losing Ronaldo as a United fan. My response seems to confuse many. My first thought is: yeah, it sucks as we are losing the best player in the world and a big goal scorer and a big threat that causes double teaming which allows other players to get open. My other thought is: it is Ronaldo's dream to go to Real Madrid. Who are we to be upset with that? We all have dreams. How would we like it if someone or some power stopped us from living our dreams? As for as this United fans concerned: thanks Ronaldo, be happy and we will see you in the Champions League final...if your team can get there. Oh yeah, your international team is not doing well either :)

Wedding blogs coming soon.

Thanks,

Derek

EPL Predictions - The Story So Far

2009-04-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Well, after reviewing my pics (blog can found in August 2008), it seems I am doing ok. With 5 games to go, let's have a look.

Top 4 - My Pics (* = correct)
1 - Manchester United (*)
2 - Chelsea (3rd)
3 - Liverpool (2nd)
4 - Arsenal (*)

Upper
5 - Aston Villa (*)
6 - Everton (*)
7 - Tottenham (10th)
8 - Manchester City (9th)
9 - Portsmouth (14th)
10 - West Ham (8th)

Lower
11 - Wigan (*)
12 - Middlesbrough (18th)
13 - Sunderland (15th)
14 - Newcastle (19th)
15 - Blackburn (16th)
16 - Bolton (13th)
17 - West Brom (20)

Religated
18 - Fulham (7th)
19 - Stoke (12th)
20 - Hull (17th)

So, I feel like my pics are not so bad and many can turn out to be perfect pics.

Bad Pics
18 - Fulham (7th) - had them religated but they have turn it around
19 - Stoke (12th) - probably will avoid religation
09 - Portsmouth (14th) - thought they would keep in the top half; still kinda possible
07 - Tottenham (10th) - two years in a row, I had more faith in them...not gonna happen again.
03 - Liverpool (2nd) - surprised me so far; it would take a huge turn for my 2nd/3rd to be right.

Overall
- 5 correct right now
- 6 within the ballpark and could happen with some luck
- one must pick ONE promoted team to stay up. I picked WEST BROM but it seems like STOKE will survive.
- Hull is fading fast so hopefully one of my religated picks will come true.

We will check back to see how I did at the end of the season.

Thanks,

Derek

Websites & EPL Soccer

2009-03-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Long time no BLOG.

I have begun the process of moving DEREKNEWMANDESIGNS from Arishost to Namesecure. I have been with Arishost for years but the quality has been going down to the point where I do not receive emails from my forms at times. Namesecure it very good and never seems to go down. Thanks to Arishost and I look forward to working with Namesecure. So, for a bit, my server will be moved to ALYZEREEFJR.COM until my own server space can be acquired.

So, let's talk soccer. Fun couple weeks. I managed to get onto ESPN soccer chat w/ Derek Rae. I do not spend a lot of time memorizing every single player on every team but I do understand the game, how it is played and what managers are thinking (I think). Here is the chat:

Derek (St. Thomas, Ontario): It almost appeared like Fergie played "The Special One's" game against him by the way he fielded the team. Specifically Burba up alone and kept Rooney off till late. Your thoughts on that? Thanks...PS: United out played them on the whole.

Derek Rae: (6:18 PM ET ) I agree with your assessment, Derek. United were certainly the better side over the piece and will be disappointed only in the fact that they didn't find the net.

Two weeks later, I got on a big program called FOOTBALL MATTERS on SETANTA SPORTS. With tons of emails on their table, they picked mine to read:

Great program. As a fan, I believe every team on a run like United needs a reality check. No team can go an entire season without a beating like they got on the weekend. I think United will pick themselves up and grow from this experience. Also, there is no evidence AT ALL that a team with the quality of United (not to mention the manager) will start losing games left and right. As a fan, I am actually glad this game happened with United 7 points in first (with a game at hand) rather than a Champions' League game or a FA Cup game. Cheers - Derek (St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada)

There is line in there which, after the defeat at the cottage, seems lacking: Also, there is no evidence AT ALL that a team with the quality of United (not to mention the manager) will start losing games left and right. Hmm...well, I guess there is evidence now. For me, the big mistake for Sir Alex was leaving Rooney on the bench. That guy makes things happen and sparks the team. Check on United's official site and see the stats when he starts compared to when he does not start. I know he is hot headed and needs to work on that but he makes a big difference as he terrorizes defences. Tevez played very well but the thing I notice in that game, similar to last year's FA Cup defeat was Ronaldo being body checked all game w/ no cards coming out. The referee needs to keep a closer eye on this situation. Yes, Ronaldo has a reputation but he is not the same player today as we was three years ago. The man is getting checked like it is a hockey game or something.

Makes for a great title finish.

Till next time,

DND

Weird Website Stuff

2008-11-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Three weeks ago, I noticed that something was weird with my website. On the main navigation, the JASONCOSTUME link had some noise above it. I was switching everything over to a new computer (and faster computer) so I did not have a chance till yesterday to fix it.

I opened the PS file and had a look. On the PS file, no problem. On the EXPORT TO WEB screen, no noise but once it exported, there is was. I went through the layers trying to see if there was a problem there...nothing. I am pretty careful and tidy when it comes to keeping PS layers clean and easy to read. So I decided to crop that link out and re-export separately...and it worked. Now the site is clean.

Working with computers for the last 7 years, weird things happen.

Speaking of the Jason costume, halloween was a lot of fun. I had a chance to wear it to one of my last days at the Sudbury Action Centre For Youth. The youth really like the costume and I had a chance to have some fun. It is a lot of fun seeing people drive by or stopping at the tracks. I stand there motionless and, when I spot some people pointing, turn my head VERY slowly. I think people need to smile and have fun with days like Halloween more. Although, the older I get, the more wearing it hurts.

I will be getting some digital shots from James Hodgins soon and they will be featured online.

See you next time,

Derek

Darn Foot

2008-09-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,

My whole life, I have had a problem with my right ankle/foot. It affects my drumming sometimes and I have been lucky playing soccer all summer...up until last Monday. I jumped up for a ball and landed wrong. There was a crack and the guy I challenged stopped and asked me if I was ok. At first, I was ok but then it started to swell a bit. Had trouble walking for 2 days and the pain lasted a full week. Now, a week later, I am starting to feel normal and am hopefull that BMO will still happen.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Darn foot.

Derek

LU Magazine, Burbatov and BMO

2008-09-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hello,

First off, some exciting news as I will be featuring in LU MAGAZINE. I have already been interviewed and the LU crew is coming to interview some of the youth I work with on Friday. For SUDBURY ACTION CENTER FOR YOUTH, I hope I can get the front cover. The magazine would reach people who the majority probably do not know about the centre. I hope it helps with fundraising.

So I feel better about United's chances of winning hardware this season with the signing of Burbatov. I think he will help inject some class and style to the front line, especially Rooney. I am looking forward to how this pairing will turn out. Chelsea has looked more human lately and I think it should be a good couple weeks with Liverpool (7:30am, arg) and Chelsea coming up. With my new "must work Tuesday nights from 4-8", I will miss some Champions League games including (I think) the one against Celtic at Old Trafford. Blah.

So BMO is booked...a bunch of us are heading to play a pick-up game at BMO FIELD in Toronto. When Matt suggested this, I was like "you can rent BMO?" As it turns out, he was right and, after some confusion and complaining, I was able to book it for October 4th. Should be a good time and an excuse to go to the Bier Market. Good times.

Scored two wonder goals against the youth, one header and one, left foot curling shot. The other one...let's not talk about that one ;)

See you next time,

Derek

EPL Predictions

2008-08-13T08:03:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Over the years, I have had pretty good records with pools so here goes for this year. Comment, bash me, whatever.

1 - Manchester United: especially if we sign Burbatov
2 - Chelsea: powerful team but too many new players for one season; next year though...
3 - Liverpool: more signings than Arsenal who has a very young team
4 - Arsenal: no moves = 4th
5 - Aston Villa: good team but Everton made no moves plus ManCity bad owner
6 - Everton: I really like this team...solid
7 - Tottenham: bad year last year and will not be able to make up enough ground for CL.
8 - Manchester City: not sure about this one; owner might be in jail thus no one gets paid
9 - Portsmouth: will take time for Crouch to fit in
10 - West Ham: another solid mid table team; 1-2 more good players=5th ot 6th
11 - Wigan: solid mid table team
12 - Middlesbrough: another ok mid table team
13 - Sunderland: put in place a solid 5 year plan...will improve.
14 - Newcastle: needs focus from management and coach
15 - Blackburn: it is going to be a long season for this team
16 - Bolton: with so many bad teams, Bolton should be able to stay up
17 - West Brom: my new team to survive pick.
18 - Fulham: happy trails to Fulham
19 - Stoke: bad team
20 - Hull: this city has heart but that is about it.

So there you go.

My faith in Manchester United may be misplaced as Chelsea, under new management and tons of awesome new players (plus Terry, Drogdba) could mean the end of United but I think teams and fans underestimate United's defence, especially if Neville gets back to form quickly. If United gets Burbatov from the Spurs, it will finally allow Rooney to get open (who is constantly double or triple teamed; or alone up front) and it could be his best season to date. If United signs Burbatov, I expect 5-9 more goals from Rooney if he stays healthy. Maybe more. Add Ronaldo to that mix with Tevez and Nani (let's not forget Giggs and Scholes) and suddenly you have a team to watch.

Anyway, there you go.

In May, we will look back.

Cheers.

Derek

Contract...I Signed A Contract?

2008-07-24T05:51:00.001-07:00

Hello,
Ok, as a United fan, I will give my opinion of the Ronaldo contract/Real Madrid situation. First off, I personally think that all sports do things like this to keep their name in the papers/media on the off-season. Look at the Bret Favre situation. Ridiculous. That being said, if the situation is real, I am siding with the "you have a contract, suck it up" side. I think Ronaldo has the right to say I would love to play for Real Madrid in the future and I think he has the right to ask out of his contract. He has earned it but once the team says "no", I think the athlete should refrain from making any further comments. No one put a gun to his head and made him sign the contract and I think it is disrespectful to the owners (who pay him), the manager (who had made him better) and the team who, without them, he would not be the superstar he is.

Tomorrow is the MLS All-Star Game and if the Toronto FC fans do show up and wear black, I will be disappointed. That is not venue to take a stand and they are really ruining it for other fans, some of whom might only be there to see Beckham and not a real soccer fan. This game is important for North American soccer and the atmosphere plays a BIG part of soccer games. To TFC and soccer fans/supporters: let’s show baseball, basketball and especially hockey fans why this is the world’s game and the best game in the world. Scream, sing and chant. Save your protests till the right and appropriate time.

Only a couple weeks till EPL is underway. Ironically, I am out of town and so is another one of our the guys who watch it so my brother is all alone to watch his NEWCASTLE UNITED go down to MANCHESTER UNITED at Old Trafford. I will be in Ottawa watching the game.

Till next time.

Derek

No Soccer = Boring July

2008-07-14T16:22:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Although there is Toronto FC every now and then, no Premiere League or Internationals equals boring July. With the MLS all-star game, Canada Cup thing and the SuperLiga, Toronto FC does not even play that much...not that I watch a lot of MLS.

I just got GOALTV because my fiancee wanted the FOOD NETWORK and it was cheaper to get five specialty programs then two plus FOX SPORTSNET CANADA ($8 x 2 plus 2.50 compared to 5 for $20). This is probably not good for getting or keeping in shape because now I can watch some Spainish league games on top of the EPL.

As I type this, United, according to reports, have signed Berbatov from the Spurs. Of all the players out there, I would want Berbatov because he would work very well with Rooney. Rooney tends to get double teamed, especially when he is up there alone and having a threat like Burbatov creates new problems for defender and can allow Rooney more space. Also, having three top strikers will force everyone to work harder for their spot.

Anyway, till next time.

DN

Welcome to DND Blog

2008-07-14T16:21:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Just a friendly welcome to my blog and my new website.

I wonder what I will talk about on here...

Derek