After what ultimately turned out to be a disappointing display on the Soccer FIFA World Cup 2010 scene, Brazil had other matters to tend to. They had to find a replacement for Dunga and the battles were made for tabloid tales. The post of Brazilian manager became vacant and the search was on for a replacement. This was easier said than done because of the expectations that the fans had and the lessons that had been learnt in South Africa. They were not going to let themselves go once more. There were some early favorites including Scolari and Leonardo. Ultimately all these expectations were disappointed. We then got to the short list of Mano Menezes and the fabulously named Muricy Ramalho. Mano Menezes had been coaching the Corinthians while Muricy Ramalho was heading Fluminense.
It was quite clear that this was going to be a Brazilian affair. One might wonder why they do not try the English route of looking for coaches outside the run of the mill. Perhaps the dismal English record has persuaded them that this is not the way forward. It seemed that Menezes would take it and we were just waiting for an announcement. The shock then came when Ramalho was confirmed as the new manager. That was not the end of the twists in this tale. The Fluminense side was not prepared to release him from the contract that had two more years to go. That brought Menezes back into the frame. It is thought that he will accept the post shortly.
That has been one messy affair and hopefully they will not repeat it in the Soccer FIFA World Cup 2014. They have enough problems getting the team to deliver without such a farcical route to getting a new manager. The press is also partly to blame for the constant stream of speculation. That is what creates the disappointment when the predictions are found to be false. Perhaps if the press waited for the real news then we would not have this problem going through the soccer world over time.
Tony Allen is to join the Grizzlies in one of the great scoops of the NBA Basketball finals. This is a player that can bring plenty of excitement on the table if he chooses and I am sure that there are people that are absolutely delighted with this choice. He believes that the defensive skills that he brings to the game will be very useful in this context. I am not inclined to disbelieve him given the impressive record that he has had in the game so far. This is a player that is going places and we should expect that he can only get better as the play continues. It is a great opportunity for some brilliant moves and the NBA Basketball will greatly benefit from his inclusion in the team. The contract is on a multiple year arrangement which should give the team some flexibility in the way that the process is used.
He has also been involved in the 2008 and this will have given him the experience of playing at the highest level of the NBA Basketball circuit. There is absolutely no doubt that he is committed to the cause and discipline enough to see it through. It remains to be seen the extent to which he can continue to build the momentum on the team. He is certainly giving the game a good run for its money. We have to also consider the effects of the NBA Basketball team on the general outlook of the market for players. For example we have a player that has averaged seven point two points per game and has one point zero four steals per game in his entire career. That is the kind of person that you need in the NBA Basketball finals where the stars will be out to show their stuff.
There is no doubt that he works well within a team and will bring some new vigor to the entire operation. One only hopes that his enthusiasm for the game will not be squashed in the politics of NBA Basketball or the managers.
There is glee among those of us that believe that gold is not the exclusive domain of the favored big names. We like to see a bit of variety on the winning roster and we welcome the surprise packages that manage to capture the imagination of the tournament. It seems that the US Open is determined to bring surprises of its won. The bookmakers must quake in their boots at what they have seen so far in the mix for the play. For example most of the great names that ought to be shining are struggling under the weight of pressure and the prestige of the event.
There were problems for Tiger Woods that had nothing to do with his rather colorful persona life. Mickelson was also struggling to make the greens and regulation plays were being squandered by a nervous looking team of favorites. At this rate they will need to improve their game considerably or they might find themselves on the plane back home in short times. Some people have said that it is the greatness of the US Open that is causing problems but I personally do not buy into this sort of thing. Tiger Woods has played and won enough US Open titles to know what to do in a situation where the pressure keeps rising. In fact the people that are struggling are the very same characters that should know better.
There is no way that they can blame the weather because it has been simply glorious in the past few days. As the weather got better the play got worse. This is a perverse situation that we find ourselves in at the US Open and something will have to be done fast or else we face the ultimate humiliation of having to admit defeat in the face of a formidable opponent that is the great golf course. If the favorites fail at the early hurdles then it will be a big blow for the event and the organizers because the public has so much emotional attachment to the game and event.
There was bound to be a fly in the ointment to spoil what was an otherwise fabulous night when the players gave their all and delivered a memorable day in which records were made. This fly in the ointment was serious enough to get the attention of the journalists that were covering the National Basketball Association NBA Championships. It seems that the supports of the LA Lakers got caught up in the excitement of the game and started to throw different items as well as performing acts of vandalism. All this was reported by the Daily Mail to the shame of the team and the disrepute of the sport in general. It seemed more like a scene from a bad neighborhood rather than one of the premier events in the NBA Basketball Finals.
There were teams of police flocking the place and trying to bring order to what appeared to be a situation out of control. The same drama happened last year and there have to be legitimate questioned asked about the types of contingency plans that were put in place to ensure that this sort of thing never happened again. It is such a shame that it had to come down to this when the play was going so well. There will have to be a drastic improvement in the way that they manage the games or else violence will become a fixture and families will fear to attend the NBA Basketball Finals. This is a position that is unacceptable to the many people that love the sport. Twenty initial arrests were made but that figure is likely to increase significantly as the investigations continue into what was an unprecedented show of indiscipline on the part of the supporters.
The ultimate challenge will be to manage the different elements of the play without compromising the security of the spectators. The game was enjoyable but the drama was less than acceptable. People ought to be able to enjoy a game at the NBA Basketball Finals without having the old Bill knocking at their door.
