Can a game as fluid and – many would argue – nuanced, and even elegant, as the game of soccer is, be explained by statistics? After all, there are hundreds of variables which all come into play during each and every soccer match – and, in some cases, pure luck seems to be a deciding factor in winning the game. A player’s performance in that particular match surely cannot be explained by the numbers alone, so those unknowns cannot be discounted neither.

Can any win or lose in the game of soccer be attributed to something as unpoetical as numbers, skeptics wonder. Soccer fans have never demanded more than to know the score, and time elapsed. Unlike those dedicated to baseball, soccer websites typically display only a handful of categories that could be useful for statistics: goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, game-winning goals and game-winning assists. Looking at those, one could conclude that soccer is just not a numbers game.

Still, in this age of big data, even a game as free-flowing, variable and seemingly unpredictable as the soccer undoubtedly is, has started to take data analysis more seriously. It was only in 1994 that FIFA has started counting assists, but now it looks like the game of soccer may be on a brink of statistical revolution. The biggest clubs, like Arsenal, Real Madrid, Chelsea or Manchester United, have already spent hundreds of thousands on statistical data analysis.

However, it looks like top clubs intend to keep the data for themselves! They have staff members dedicated to interpreting the data that has been generated on their matches. It seems like they are not too keen on making the methods they use to do so publicly debatable. They prefer to use them internally, to their team’s advantage.

Data analysis companies they employ will watch a live feed of the game, chart any distinct action, enter all this data into a database, and crunch the numbers. Statistics such as individual player touches, number of passes, number of balls lost and won, and others, are then revealed. While it seems that the resulting numbers still can’t accurately predict who will win the game, they can tell you a lot about the quality of the game. For example, a team’s number of touches is found to correlate with his FIFA rankings.

Still, unlike baseball and other similarly structured sports, analyzing soccer data is hard. Yet, there is no going back to hunches-only approach any time soon.

Having won 10 Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups, two Champions League titles and five FA Community Shields, Paul Scholes’s passion for Manchester United is unequivocal. He made a winning return to the side last season but will his decision to put his boots back on prove to be the right one? Let’s look at other athletes that have made comebacks with contrasting fortunes…

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan retired from basketball in 1993. Whilst he cited lack of desire and ambition after leading the Chicago Bulls to three championship titles, it was suggested that the decision was based on the recent murder of his father. Jordan returned to basketball in 1995 and led the Chicago Bulls to three more championship titles. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2009 with its website declaring him “… the greatest basketball player of all time.”

Lance Armstrong

Cycling legend, Lance Armstrong, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996 aged only 25, with a chance of survival at less than 40%. However, two years later he returned to the sport and went on to claim seven Tour de France titles, creating a rivalry with Jan Ullrich that is viewed as one of the greatest conflicts in sporting history.

Kim Clijsters

At 24 Kim Clijsters retired from professional tennis in 2007 having won three Grand Slams and been runner up in four more. She stated that her health and private family life were more important to her as she was constantly beset by injuries. After becoming a mother in 2008 she returned to the sport the very next year winning The US Open in 2009 and 2010 and the Australian Open title in 2011. She now boasts a total tournament tally of 41 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles and is the only mother to have won a major title since Yvonne Goolagong in 1980.

Michael Schumacher

Few people have dominated their sport in the way Michael Schumacher did. Not only did Schumacher win the World Championship an unprecedented seven times, he continues to hold many driver records including most race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season (13). He became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. Having retired in 2007, two years later he made a comeback with Team Sauber Mercedes but his former success has eluded him. Last season he failed to register a podium place and finished 316 points behind eventual winner, Sebastian Vettel.

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson burst into boxing by becoming the youngest boxer to conquer the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. His sporting career halted in 1992 when, following a very high profile trial, he served three years in prison for rape. Tyson made a series of comebacks but lost his heavyweight crowns to Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. Despite earning over £300 million dollars during his boxing career he was declared bankrupt in 2003.

So was Paul Scholes’s decision the right one? As a Football PR agency we would love to hear your thoughts – tweet us @ENSLtdsportPR

A few facts first about Futbol Club Barcelona – this otherwise known as FC Barcelona (or, more affectionately, Barca), is one of the most popular sports clubs not only in Spain, but also in Europe and even the rest of the world as well. While known for football, it is also home to competing teams in the sport of roller hockey, handball, and basketball.

This club was established in 1899 for the very basic purpose of starting a sports club. The organization has clearly grown to impressive prominence in the last century and firmly entrenched itself as an important entity in worldwide sports. Its fans can be found in all corners of the world where football is regarded as a beloved and beautiful game. People travel to Europe from all over to see the team in action. There are people from the opposite end of the globe who are obsessively keeping up with the game. They’re willing to spend a small fortune on plane tickets and accommodations just to be part of all the craze. If you are rooting for this football team and are a confessed Cule (what Barcelona fans are called), you should definitely know where to buy the game’s tickets both online and offline. For most people, buying the tickets online is much more convenient.

The excitement in the air as you approach the stadium on match days is absolutely palpable. Seeing legions of fans of all ages and genders congregate at the famous Nou Camp is sure to give you goose bumps. It’s amazing to behold and realise what a uniting force a football team can be, and when the match finally kicks off, the thrill just can’t be contained. The electricity in the atmosphere cannot be denied. You’re sure to find yourself overwhelmed by the passion and excitement around you.

What do people get from such avid fanaticism? If nothing else, supporting such a successful and legendary team feels nothing short of fantastic. The players can always be counted on to deliver an impressive performance. The impressive trinity of Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta is usually enough to guarantee an epic game. Messi, in particular, can get completely sublime at times.

If you’re not a fan and are just looking to experience attending a game, prepare yourself to become a convert. The games can be a quasi-religious experience. You might just find yourself a brand new Cule afterward, so go get your ticket and find out.

Every team is like a useless pack of cards if there are no good strikers because you can't win a match without scoring goals and you can't score goals without having potent strikers. The question then is who is a striker? And what are the qualities of a good striker?

A striker is a football player whose responsibility is to score goals. This simply means that if a striker cannot score goals then he should not be in the team in the first place.

Now, let's look at the qualities of a good striker or forward. A good striker should have a clear vision just like a good goalkeeper. A good striker should be able to convert any chance to a goal. But he cannot just take his chances if he cannot see very well.

A good striker should have speed. This is where counter attack comes into play. If the strikers in a team lack speed then counter attacks become useless. If you take a look at Spanish, Argentine and Brazilian national teams you will appreciate the value of speed to any striker. Spanish, Argentine and Brazilian teams are so good at counter attacks simply because they have strikers that can move with the ball so fast.

A good striker should have what I call "goal sense". This simply means that he or she should know when to use the head or leg. He or she should know when to tap in the ball. He or she should know when to pass the ball to another player that is better positioned to score the goal. He or she should also know when to be selfish with the ball.

A good striker should have inner strength, vigor, stamina, or energy. He or she should be able to surmount any kind of opposition once he or she is with the ball. Great strikers of our time such as Samuel Eto'o Fils of Cameroon and FC Barcelona of Spain, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Chelsea FC of England and Wayne Rooney of England and Manchester United of England are some graphic examples of strikers that have the much needed strength.

Last night I was sitting in my chair watching Northern Ireland golf star Rory McIlroy hit a golf ball as well as I've ever seen one hit. It was the first round of the 2011 US Open and McIlroy was making what is an incredibly difficult test of golf look remarkably easy. It seemed that McIlroy was doing exactly what all the sports psychologists tell you to do, focusing on the target, staying in the moment, not getting ahead of himself and all those cliches that are trotted out. Put simply McIlroy was playing to his game plan exactly as he had devised it and not letting anyone else affect him, but more than that he was playing the game that suits his personality … attacking.

The commentators were commending him on how he had answered his critics and exorcised the demons of his Masters final round where he shot 80 when going into the Sunday with a four shot lead. I'm not so sure that the demons have been exorcised and this was alluded to in Rory's post round press conference when he said he thinks he was too defensive in his final round of the Masters and he needed to learn from that if was to win this tournament. Most people would agree that what he did on Thursday was incredible. To lead three of the last four Majors after the first round is a show of his talent but it's how he reacts on Sunday, if he is leading, that will be the true test to see if he has turned the 'mental corner' and can become a Major winner.

McIlroy could do worse than learning a little from his favorite football team Manchester United. It's a cliche but the old saying 'the best form of defense is to attack' is so well executed by United. They get ahead in a game and they 'put the foot on the throat' of the opposition by continuing to attack and putting even more pressure on their opponent.

So often in sport you see a team or person attacking brilliantly and leading a match when all of a sudden they 'see the finish line' and start getting defensive like Rory did at Augusta National. The opponent senses it and starts to believe they now have a chance and the whole momentum shifts.

Let's hope that if McIlroy does take a lead into the final round of the US Open he realises he's got to that position by playing his own game. If he does that he could do what Tiger has so often done in Major tournaments and 'put his foot on the throat' of his opponents and run away with the tournament. Wouldn't it be great to see McIlroy exorcise the demons of Augusta by not just winning the US Open but winning it in style.

With the next World Cup due to begin in June of this year the debate as to whether the UEFA Champions League is better than the World Cup has livened up.

The Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho recently said that the Champions League is now better than the World Cup because the teams in it are at a higher level than the national teams who can't buy the best players. The former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson agrees with him.

There is some bias in this statement and it is self-serving since Europeans have for a long time tried to convince the world that Europe plays the best soccer.

I disagree with Mourinho because a comparison between the two competitions and a look at the figures refute his argument.

First- Standard of Play – European clubs have the best players, but so too does the World Cup. But soccer is a game and the team with the best players is not necessarily the best team.

The best evidence we have is the Club World Cup when the winner of the Champions League competes against the champions from other confederations and here the Europeans have only won 5 out of 9 tournaments.

The World Cup and the Champions League both have strong teams and teams with weak squads. But the former has a higher standard of soccer because it has all of the best players who play for their respective nations with each country having its own style of playing. The teams play with a deep commitment to the flag knowing that the best accomplishment is to win the trophy and be crowned the best in the world.

On the other hand in the Champions League teams are a mixture of players from different countries with different styles of playing and the players have no connection to the club that they represent except for a contract and you can always just move on to a new club in the next season.

For example, with Brasil Neymar plays a free flowing style with freedom to roam all over the field. But when he plays for Barcelona he is stuck on the wing and relegated to assisting Messi and so is less effective.

Second, Universal v City Based – the World Cup encompasses the entire world including over 200 countries across Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Oceana. It showcases the different styles of soccer as it is played around the world which adds to its competitiveness and color.

In furtherance of this, FIFA is now planning to expand the tournament to guarantee underrepresented areas such as the Caribbean Football Union's region and Oceana, a full berth in the tournament.

In contrast, the Champions League is limited to just 32 cities in Europe and where fan support is largely confined to the city where the club is based.

Third, Popularity – Because of its universality the World Cup is much more popular. So the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was watched in every nation and territory in the world, including Antarctica and the Arctic Circle and was seen by 3.2 billion people or 46.4% of the world's population. The final game was seen by 909.6 million viewers (or over a billion if those watching outside their homes in bars and pubs were included).

The Champions League does not even come close to those figures. A mere 150 million watched last season's final game (or 360 million if those outside their homes are included) (Bleacher Report – Why The World Cup Will Always Be Bigger Than the Champions League, by Sam Pilger, Februsry 26, 2014).

Fourth, More Than a Game -:

(a) World Cup.

Unlike the Champions League the World Cup is more than a game. It is more than about just winning and losing.

It unites countries and cultures (white and black in South Africa, Serbs and Croats in Bosnia) and it is for many countries the only opportunity to give their nation any recognition in the eyes of the world.

The event creates heroes and villains so for example players who won the World Cup in 1966 are still heroes in England and you don't get that status by winning the Champions League.

It leaves lasting memories such as watching the skills and artistry of the great Pele in 1970, Socrates in 1982 and Maradona in 1986.

The group stages of the World Cup are better than the Champions League because they have more drama as a team must win at least one game and can only lose one in order to qualify for the next round.

World Cup fever for the coming tournament has started to build up. Already a day-to-day countdown has started. Players dread injury that could rule them out and feel great pride to put on the national team shirt as illustrated by the enthusiasm with which some of them sing their national anthem before a game. This cannot be matched by the Champions League anthem.

In 1 month every 4 years all people and cultures from around the entire world converge on one host country where the games are played in a carnival type atmosphere and the 90 minutes of soccer is just a part of the spectacle.

The World Cup can also bestow far reaching political benefits.

In the case of the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia, a country caught between the old world of the cold war and the new, the event is expected to welcome Russia and to open it up to the new world.

Qatar, which is to host the 2022 tournament is hoping to use it to streamline its economy to face a post oil and gas world and show that the Middle East is not just a region of instability.

(b) Champions League.

It is all about money. A long drawn out tournament which extends for 10 months of the year in order to make money; most of the games are easily forgettable as there are so many weak teams such as FC Basel or CSKA Moskva.

Every year the same top 10 clubs reach the quarter finals as the gulf between them and the rest is vast and so it is reduced to a contest between one rich club against a richer one. In the 2011 final mega-billionaire Roman Abramovich's Chelsea was amusingly referred to as the underdogs against the mighty Bayern Munich.

CONCLUSION

The World Cup is better than the Champions League because the standard of play is higher, it is more popular and it is more than just a game with more to offer.

A 2006 poem's preview of a World Cup tournament describes its impact as follows:

It Closes The Shops,
Closes The Schools,
Closes A City,
Stops A War
Fuels A Nation
Breaks The Boarders
Builds A Hero
Crushes A Dream
Answers A Prayer
And Changes The World
(Soccer Lens – Why the World Cup is better than the Champions League, by Abe Asher, October 24, 2013).

The difference between the two competitions is best described by Roy Hodgson, the current England manager when he said "I think that most players at the end of their careers would say going to the World Cup was their best moment. Not many will be saying it was playing in the group stages of the Champions League against Standard Liege on a Wednesday night "(Bleacher Report, Why The World Cup Will Always Be Bigger Than the Champions League etc.).

That is why the World Cup is more than a game and is the ultimate soccer event.

Victor A. Dixon
March 21, 2014

Celebrity movie star Kate Hudson and her fiance British rocker Matt Bellamy recently gave birth to their baby boy. The tabloids were ripe with speculation regarding the baby name the couple would choose for the newly arrived family member. After much deliberation, the couple chose the name "Bingham" or "Bing" for short much like the search engine. Meanwhile, on an entirely different plain, celebrity football star David Beckham, who plays for Manchester United, and wife Victoria were busy naming their newly arrived baby daughter Harper Seven which sounds more like a password to a secret Gmail account than a baby name. What is it with the movers and shakers of our planet? Don't they realize that the first thing their child is going to ask Dad and Mom when the "time cometh" is "what does my name mean?"

A Rich and Holy Tradition of Celebrity Baby Names

The practice of giving off-beat and unusual names to celebrity babies isn't a recent trend by any stretch of the human imagination, More than three decades ago, singer composer Frank Zappa shocked everyone by naming his daughter Moon Unit Zappa. Moon later grew up to be a mover and shaker in her own right with hits like Valley Girl and others. More recent examples include Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson's elder brother, who named his baby Jermajesty, and actor, skateboarder and photographer, Jason Lee who named his baby Pilot Inspektor.

Probing questions like "what does my name mean" or "what does my last name mean" are obviously not restricted to celebrity children. Even you have the right to know. Although whether or not your name has a meaning may have more to do with your ethnic heritage and cultural background, it really doesn't hurt to either ask or research the issue because many baby name meanings are not obvious at first glance. In the Hindu naming tradition for example, chances are about 99.5% that your name means something and may be derived from Sanskrit, India's ancient language. On the other hand, its meaning may be known only to those who are familiar with the language because, like Latin, Sanskrit isn't used anywhere in India for conversational purposes.

Many Norman and Anglo-Saxon names have no meaning and even if they do, the meaning may be more legendary than derived through etymology. In China, baby names take on clearly defined meanings and often tend to reflect virtues and traits that are worthy of emulation. As is the case with baby names in these cultures, the names of babies can have religious connotations in many parts of the world thus assuming added significance.

Direct Response to the Million Dollar Baby Name Meaning Question

Let us spring ahead for a moment instead of falling behind and assume that you are now a parent and have a child who wakes up one fine morning and pops the question, "what does my name mean?" Your response should be as natural as can be. it is very likely that you researched baby name meanings when you researched baby names for your son or daughter. In that case the answer will be forthcoming instantly. If that is not the case and given the remote possibility that you do not know the meaning of your child's name, simply buy time. Say that you need a day to come up with your baby name's meaning and share it as soon as Almighty Google has shared it with you.

Either way, any questions regarding your baby's name (after all a baby is always a baby no matter how old he or she is) such as "what does my name mean" or "what does my last name mean" should be addressed by you and your significant other accurately and in a timely fashion. If there is an anecdote behind your baby's name, share it. If there is a family connection with a grand dad or grand mom, reveal it. Discussions about baby names once the children are old enough to understand is always productive and instills in them not only a sense of confidence but also goes a long way to help the family come closer and bond together.

They are not only the most successful club in the world but also the richest in the world according to the latest survey done by the money league which publish their research results annually. Yes, its true that Real Madrid are the richest club by income for the season 2006-2007 probably for the season 2007-2008 too but the results are not completed yet.

So what makes Real Madrid not only the richest club in the world but more significantly, the most successful as well.Well the statistics don't lie and more often then not speak for themselves. For any club to be successful, only two titles could and should be given credit, The league and the Champions League, the rest are mere formalities as you all know (it does not take much to beat Sao Paulo in a cup final) so I am going to ignore the minor trophies here, lets have a look at most of the major football clubs track records against the Madrid Galacticos.

Manchester United have won only two Champions league trophy, one was way back when it was known as the European cup and the other in 1999, they have 16 league titles.

* Barcelona have also won two champions league trophies and 18 league titles

* Liverpool have won the competition FIVE times and they have 18 league titles

* Inter Milan have 2 champions league titles and 15 league titles

* Ac milan have 7 champions league titles and 17 league titles

There are some other major clubs as well but they have just started to grow so lets just ignore them for a moment.

Finally, Real Madrid has won 9 champions league titles and 30 league titles. Now I have listed all the great clubs of Europe above, not even a single club can match or come close to the records set by the Spanish powerhouse. Thus proving what I stated earlier that real Madrid is the undisputed champion of champions.

Real Madrid is the only team that holds the Cup in property, having won the title five consecutive times.

Football Manager is a series of football management simulation PC games developed by Sports Interactive (SIGames) and published by Sega. The latest version is Football Manager 2010 (FM 2010).

I have managed various national teams in Football Manager, you can manage one club and one national team concurrently in Football Manager. This is essentially 2 teams management. When I'm playing with Manchester United, I am offered to manage Brazil & England team. When I play in Spanish league as Xerez, I was offered manager position for Italy, Spain, and French. I usually don't apply for this job. If you are winning many league cups as well as UEFA Champions League, you will be offered any of this national manager position instantly by the FA. The position usually will open after major cup such as World Cup or European Cup every 2-4 years. Most managers will get sack after poor performance in this major cup or the manager will resign by himself.

Managing national team is easy. I usually use generic tactic such as 4-4-2 most of the time or 4-1-2-1-2 variation for defense if needed. One thing to keep in mind is to keep winning when you are managing the national team.

Managing the Brazil team is a challenge, you will need to win almost all the time. Any consecutive draw will force the FA to boot you from the team. I was fired when I drew by playing with Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. If you can stay away from Brazil national team. The FA is just too unreasonable I think.

If possible, try to manage the national team which you have the league selected such as If you are managing English League team, try to manage England. Usually there is more young talent in your league that you play with the exception of Brazil.

I usually don't select the national team player, I just ask a suggestion from my assistant manager to select the team. This option usually is available from time to time. If not, select the best team by using the game filter such as rating etc.

4-4-2 tactic

I mainly used a 4-4-2 formation with both center back / defender arrow down, wingers has upward arrow, and 1 fast striker downward arrow. The center back usually have man marking and rarely close down position. One of midfielder is played as defensive midfielder with closing down. Other your back will be out of position whenever the other team counter attack your team. The passing is set to short or mix, wide formation and quick tempo. Offside and counter attack is on.

In recent times, the word TEAM has synonymously come to be associated with the word Manchester United. And, if it is true that people believe in observation rather than argument, then here surely is the perfect example. Their reacquisition of the premier league title even without a team that was not the best on paper effectively showed that the true strength and power of a fragment lies in it being a part of a whole, a TEAM.

Team Spirit, Team Player, Team Manager, Team Dynamics are all allied aspects of the TEAM Concept. But do you wonder why so much discussion around this whole concept while individual performance at its best is the most spoken about way to outshine in the evolving service sector?

Someone has rightly said that the full form of TEAM is Together Everyone Achieves More. Let’s just say that evaluation of performance of a team is a relative concept with respect to individual performance. Now I’m sure most of you already must have thought about the management concepts of Synergy and Espirit de corps in a Team. But Team Dynamics, according to me, is one of those very few fields where theoretical knowledge can easily be mapped to reality or practical situations.

Believe you me; it is true that Together Everyone Achieves More and individual performance in the absence of alignment of the same with team goals and organizational objectives is never going to suffice. The dynamic business world which is burdened with goals and objectives like never before, demands team synergy and performance at its collaborated best.

So here are some of the feeder thoughts for you to understand why team spirit is important and how to make the best out of a team experience, that is, how to be a Team Player and have your Resume reflect that too!

TOGETHER To function in any team, you have to understand the team psyche of all/most of the members. To do the same, run an analysis in your mind from time to time and keep documenting in your head each thing you observe about a particular person or about the team’s approach to solving problems and taking collective decisions. This will make you more aware of the people you are to collaborate and deliver results with.

EVERYONE should always value team results and outcomes over personal success. This is the hardest thing to do because it involves looking over your personal objectives to an extent and empathizing with the team goals and objectives. Think of a means to achieve your personal goals while working towards the organizational objectives.

ACHIEVING & attaining goals is the end to all the means in an organizational setup. All your activities, thoughts, fears, worries have to be driven by results.

MORE implies Synergy coming in and all outcomes being scale up and escalated, everyone’s uni-directional efforts will pay off and will contribute to taking the overall success to another level.

So with this mantra, you should go ahead and gather some brilliant team experiences, and share with us your idea of a TEAM, or some experiences worthy of being shared!