It's In The Title!

“Every little piece of your life, will add up to one. Every little piece of your life, will mean something, to someone”. I doubt anybody cares about the origins of my blog name, but there it is anyway! Track number three, ‘The Weight of The World’ on the album ‘An End Has A Start’ by the Birmingham-based band ‘Editors’. Now, I confess, well known to many of my friends, I’m obsessed with song lyrics. I love a clever rhyme, a meaningful verse, an amusing line. The lyric above is an example of one of those. Why? Because I like to think it’s extremely true! I like to think there is somebody who cares about the choices you make, the things you do. I like to think that whilst I ramble on about seemingly pointless things on here – somebody, somewhere, will take notice.

Have you ever thought that “In one single moment your whole life can turn ‘round”? Well, Mike Skinner of the Streets clearly has, and whilst this was related to the sad ending to what I’m sure was quite the relationship with a very special woman, doesn’t this just refer to a lot of events? A shooting (in America, unfortunately, where else?); that response from a job interview; learning you are to become a parent, an uncle or aunt, a grandmother or father!?

Here’s a popular one, used by just about everybody when they hit twenty years of age – “You’re not nineteen forever, pull yourself together”. Evidently true, and obvious, but the message here isn’t just ‘oh, look, you’re twenty, happy birthday!’ – It’s realisation that in many cases, as your parents and grandparents will tell you, youth is wasted on the young. You won’t ever get that time back, a time to do what you want with your life, a time when you can cope with staying in a tent at a festival, a time when you can hit a bar or club without anybody raising eyebrows because you’re ‘too old’, and most importantly, a time before many of us have any dependencies to consider (by this, I specifically mean kids). For those of you living in isolation for the last six years, that’s a reference to the Courteeners.

In very different ways, Eminem and Frank Turner are two of my favourite lyricists of the 21^st century. Only Eminem could make ‘he hopes and he wished it’ rhyme without fail with ‘he pretends that’. For whatever your opinion of Eminem, and an excessive use of swearing in his lyrics – the likes of ‘Cleaning out my Closet’ and ‘Sing for the Moment’ remain, in my opinion, some of the cleverest rap songs lyrically in my time.
With Frank Turner, is there a mood he doesn’t cover? Every single song contains lines and lines of life lessons. Politically, socially and mentally – Frank offers his vision on it all in a way anybody can relate to. Don’t agree? Well, “Sometimes that’s just life”.

Maybe world leaders could benefit from listening to the politically-motivated King Blues, because, after all, “Going to war, to prevent war, is the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard”.

Elsewhere in the world of music, lyrical genius Usher has let us know how somebody makes him go ‘Oh, Oh, Oh Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh Oh’ (repetitively); The disappearing act once known as ‘Scouting for Girls’ explained how a certain female was not only ‘so love-er-lee’, she was also ‘so love-er-lay’!; ‘El Chombo’, or ‘Chacarron’ (nobody is too sure), took it one step further by announcing to the world “Ualuealuealeuale ualuealuealeuale”… whatever that means. I guess The Enemy were right – “All of this, our hearts, our nation; a total lack of civilization”.

How Much!? The Battle Against Extortionate Ticket Pricing

“They’ve paid sixty-two quid over there, go and see them”. A sentence uttered only by a linesman officiating at the Emirates towards Joleon Lescott, but a sentiment widely agreed on throughout the football community. This weekend, fans of Macclesfield Town up to 18 years of age can take a seat at Moss Road to see the mighty Silkmen take on Kidderminster Harriers for the same price as a Cheeseburger at the Emirates (that is, £4). At the other end of the football pyramid, adult Hammers fans can travel to bottom-of-the-league Queens Park Rangers, and only have to pay an extortionate £39. Fans of Norwich City, alternatively, can take a 9-hour long round-trip across the country to see their team pitted against the likes of Stewart Downing and Jonjo Shelvey for only £5 more than those bargain-hunting West Ham fans.

All this is without consideration of the added cost of travel, food and drink (the West Ham fans are alright, though, they’ve already saved themselves a fiver! That’s a match day programme and a bold punt on the score at the bookies!). £44, however, is still £18 cheaper than the price those who follow Manchester City had to fork out last weekend – that price difference itself is more than Macclesfield Town fans over the age of 18 will be paying this weekend. It has become clear, now, that those making the decisions regarding prices of football tickets have lost all consideration of those that are the backbone to the success of our national sport – the supporters. Fans across the country are getting priced out of the game, and it’s time action was taken.

But why, and indeed how, can clubs afford to extensively over-price tickets at the direct result of lowered attendance figures? Not only will fans refuse to pay such excessive prices to attend, but the vast coverage of Premier League games on television in the present day gives them what is a comfortable, affordable and extremely accessible option from which to watch their team instead. Now, I’m a season ticket holder myself, and wouldn’t dream of placing armchair-viewing under the same categorization as the real thing – but as an alternative with a cool £62 saved in the wallet, you can’t really blame them. Add the immediately accessible, albeit unlawful, online streaming of football matches for those without subscriptions to those sport channels televising the games, and suddenly a visit to Loftus Road on a chilly Saturday afternoon becomes far less appealing.

It can’t help but be presumed that clubs are continuing to focus on income from television, whilst abandoning any sense of respectable ticket prices. Whilst income from television rises and rises, and becomes more and more vital to the finances of football clubs, income from tickets carries on losing significance. So, what is the immediate reaction when match tickets are seen to not be bringing in enough money? Raise the prices. When table-toppers Manchester United visited the DW stadium on New Years day, Wigan charged adults £30 to sit in the home end. The result – 1/5^th of the stadium filled with empty seats. You can’t help but think that even though Wigan regularly struggle to fill-out their stadium, a bit more consideration on pricing when the current best team in the league roll into town, could have gone a long way to resolving this issue.

Manchester City supporters made use of banners to display their disgust at the extortionate prices they had been charged for their Arsenal away ticket, asking “£62! Where will it stop?” – Well, a petition was recently set up in support of the idea of capping the prices clubs can charge away fans for tickets in the Premier League. With a cap of £30 demanded, fans of all clubs are beginning to unite in protest against the exploitation of supporters in the Premier League. With only 2,831 signatures at the time of writing, the petition is a long way from the recognition it both deserves, and requires. So here’s your chance to help make a difference. If you’re a football supporter, at any level, visit www.change.org/awaypricecap and join us in voicing a collective frustration at the disregard for the real fans in the modern game.

Such action is a long way from being taken; but the appearance of petitions, banners and discontent at ticket pricing in football marks the beginning of a unified stance of which could wield significant responses. What next? Boycotting games, perhaps? Whatever comes from this protest ‘movement’ – further increases in ticket pricing should not be allowed to continue. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore responded by pronouncing that a top priority must be retaining levels of away fan attendance – though it remains up to the individual clubs to get that right. There is, however, a serious flaw in this attitude. It is the individual clubs that exploit, and will continue to exploit, away fans. It is with the powers-that-be within the Premier League and the Football Association that real change must come from if we are to see an end to this ludicrous injustice. 

Keep Fit and Healthy in 2013: Guidance for All of Your Fitness Goals This Year

December 31^st. The only day of the year that promises new starts, new beginnings, a new ‘you’ – whilst retaining a distinctively repetitive feel as you drink the year away and contemplate those same goals for the following 12-months which you continue to aspire to achieve, year after year. However, the vast majority of us will find those resolutions to have lasted maybe a month if we’re lucky, and by February they will be completely dead in the water – forgotten for the remaining 11 months only to be churned out once that elusive date swings by once again.

Of course, the best example of such a resolution, and indeed the most common, is to keep fit. Whether that be to go to the gym, to eat more healthily, or to simply work-out in your own time on a regular basis – there are likely to be a number of you to have vowed to do something this year in order to positively affect your health. However, this year is different. Correct? Yes? Excellent. This year, unlike the others, you are going to defy the inevitable failure of such resolutions. (Now, I understand this is also an exact repetition of those typical January remarks on New Year resolutions, but come on, we have to at least try to embed some positivity and motivation or we might as well have all hit the couch on January 1^st, stuck in that DVD box set you warmly received on Christmas day, and indulged in an extra large tub of Ben and Jerry’s, followed by finishing off that tempting box of left-over chocolates).

You may be wondering where to start – it’s not like you’ve studied in-depth the best ways to maintain a healthy diet, for example. That’s where the experts come in – those who actually have studied such concepts and actually can give you professional guidance. Take James Layton Fitness, for example: A young, enthusiastic personal trainer offering hints and tips on all sorts of health and fitness issues via a video blog, available completely free of charge! Specialising in fat loss and training, James’ videos are extremely insightful.

Advice and professional tips from a resource such as this, and using such resources as a reference point, can only be beneficial to your health and fitness plans – ensuring you’re doing the right things and giving you new ideas to try as you strive to reach your targets. Doing what you think is right is, in the vast majority of cases, is not as beneficial or motivational as doing what you know is right. This year, by following the advice of those who know what they’re talking about, you can get it spot on – a great incentive to keep you driven and motivated.

From home workout routines, to meals to avoid when attempting to reduce fat levels; and even insightful analysis of helpful topics such as drinking water and carbohydrate consumption – this particular resource can function as your own personal guide to achieving those seemingly unrealistic New Year goals. Visit www.jameslaytonfitness.co.uk for more information on all these aspects, including an abundance of further tips and insights.

So, let’s see you do all you can, and use what help is available, to really follow those aspirations you’ve set for yourself in 2013. It might just be the extra push you need to make those changes a regularity in your life – and I’m sure you’ll find you are reaping the benefits in no time! If not, well, there’s always next year... Happy New Year!

Get Involved - Powerleague Nottingham!

Enjoy keeping fit? Playing football? Want a bit of fun doing so? Are you any good, or simply have two left feet!? Powerleague Nottingham is the place for all the Lionel Messi’s or Emile Heskey’s of our University to sign up to. With a student/under-23 league system at discounted prices and consisting of many leagues to cater all levels – ability doesn’t matter. 5-a-side at Powerleague is a great opportunity to gather your friends together to participate in some competitive sport against those at the same level as yourself. Pre-season grading tournaments ensure you’re entered into a league that matches your teams’ ability. With roll-on, roll-off substitutions, squads can be large enough to deal with any lack of fitness issues, so there’s no excuse to be found there! Leagues run on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Still not convinced competitive football is for you? Pitches can be rented at student prices for a casual ‘kick-about’ with your mates. Call 0115 986 7890 or email nottingham.web@powerleague.co.uk for enquiries or further details. The pitches are located on Thane Road, next to the playing fields at Grove Farm, which cater for the University’s intra-mural, faculty and society Football and Rugby matches. Taxis’ to and from Thane Road are easy, and especially when taxi-sharing as a team, the fare is minimal. If at all interested, Powerleague is an opportunity to get involved with football, keep fit and have fun, that you really shouldn’t pass off.

Lightning Bolt Strikes Gold Again

‘Stop worrying about the start because the best part of your race is the end’ advised Bolt’s coach. He couldn’t have been more right. 30 metres in and you’d be forgiven for sensing Bolt was neck and neck with his competitors in a race that would go right down to the final metre. By the end, however, there was a clear winner. Usain had allowed his supernatural speed to prove pre-race doubters wrong as he clocked up a new Olympic record of 9.63 seconds.

With hopes of a British athlete contesting for a medal dashed in the semi-finals, albeit narrowly, the final was noticeably dominated by Jamaican and American sprinters. Three men from each of these nations were joined by Martina of the Netherlands, and Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago, who qualified ahead of Britain’s Dwain Chambers and Adam Gemili by a matter of milliseconds. Whilst most had predicted a Jamaican victory, many had suggested Yohan Blake would be the man to step up and take gold this time round – the official programme had even tipped Asafa Powell to cause an upset – though in reality, it was always Bolt’s medal for the taking. Blake secured Jamaica dominated the podium, snatching silver, with American Justin Gatlin picking up the bronze. 

Who On Earth Are 'Newco Rangers'?

Fifty-three Scottish League Championships between 1891 and 2011, thirty-three Scottish Cup triumphs, twenty-seven Scottish League Cup successes and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup to their name – Scottish football’s most domestically-successful club (apologies, Celtic fans) now ceases to exist.
The door of the once-mighty Ibrox club has slammed shut, leaving an array of legal, tax and contractual issues still to be resolved in its wake. Players moving elsewhere scot-free (excuse the pun), membership of the Scottish Football Association yet to be granted, Scottish League clubs voting on the acceptance of Rangers’ replacement club into the League System, and so on. How exactly did such an illustrious club fall so suddenly into oblivion? And who exactly are ‘Newco Rangers’?

The causes of the demise developed under the 23-year ownership of Scottish businessman Sir David Murray. An Employee Benefit Trust (EBT), set up by his company Murray International Holdings (MIH), allowed employees to be benefitted without incurring National Insurance Contributions. In this sense, individuals are able to receive cash advances subject to nominal tax exposure. The EBT allowed high earners across Rangers Football Club to be paid through an offshore trust by means of a long-term loan often with little or no income tax.
The Employee Benefit Trust scheme is perfectly legal. In fact, it is used regularly across the UK within several thousand firms. So where did Rangers go wrong? What formed the so-called ‘Big Tax Case’ at Rangers, rendering their scheme as a tax scam as opposed to a legal system of employee benefit payments, was the use of the EBT scheme to make payments on a contractual basis. Contractual payments constitute part of a salary and therefore are, or should be, subject to tax and national insurance.

The scheme was set up alongside the guidance and advice of one Paul Baxendale-Walker. The tax advisor, author of two books on EBT tax strategies and now involved in directing and indeed acting in the porn industry, claims he is not a sly, mischievous character (though, the jury is well and truly out on that) and he should in no reckoning be the subject of blame for Rangers’ extensive debt. According to the ‘virtuous’ Mr Baxendale-Waker, somebody would have advised Rangers Football Club with reference to the principles in his book. Rangers however, accordingly, “went and did something else” – much like Mr Baxendale-Walker, then, after his lengthy involvement in tax…
HMRC subsequently opened up a tax evasion case against Rangers Football Club, claiming the scheme was a tax scam as it was contractual. Evidence gathered strongly suggested this to be the case. When documents, such as a letter from ex-director of Rangers, Martin Bain, to then-Chairman John McClelland in 2003 suggested “…any pay rise I got should be paid through the trust, obviously as a discretionary bonus as it cannot be contractual”, it was difficult for Rangers to uphold their innocence. During the existence of the trust, over fifty million pounds was paid into it, some of these loans over ten years old. The trust was widespread across Rangers, also being used to benefit playing and coaching staff. It is understood that not a single one of those loans has been repaid – a quite staggering debt to incur.
Liquidation prevailed for Rangers Football Club after entering administration in February 2012, paving the way for the creation of the alternative ‘Newco Rangers’. A consortium led by Englishman Charles Green – Sevco 5088 – bought the clubs assets, including the training facilities, and the renowned Ibrox Stadium. So what now for Newco?

After the remaining SPL clubs voted against allowing Newco Rangers to take the old Rangers’ place in the Scottish Football League System, the integration of Newco Rangers into the league system was left in the balance, with their fate to be decided – of all possible dates – on Friday the 13^th July. As expected, the once-giants of Scottish football will find themselves travelling to grounds such as Borough Briggs, facing the likes of Elgin City, in the Scottish Third Division. Somewhere, some crazy, probably die-hard Celtic fan is making his way to the bookies to pick up a healthy sum of money after placing an outrageous bet on Rangers’ plummeting as low as the Third division a few years back. You never know…
The death of Rangers and the failed incorporation of Newco Rangers has been greeted with great concern with many stakeholders in Scottish football. Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish FA, warned ‘the beautiful game’ faces a “slow lingering death” in Scotland should Rangers be denied incorporation into the Scottish First Division for the forthcoming season. Neil Lennon, manager of major Glaswegian rivals Celtic FC, has also admitted Celtic will suffer financially as a direct consequence of Rangers’ collapse. With a league system already ridiculed with criticism for its standard of competition, it is reasonable to sense further decline of the sport in Scotland.

And what of the players previously contracted to Rangers FC? Although Charles Green and his company have vowed to “seek damages for breach of contract and for inducement to break contracts”, many of the clubs’ players refused to transfer their contracts to the Newco version of Rangers FC, making them free to join new clubs on a free transfer. Whilst Green is adamant he shall seek to take legal action to block these moves, it would appear he is powerless to repel the players’ exit from Ibrox. Kyle Lafferty and Steven Whittaker have left to join FC Sion and Norwich City respectively, whilst Steven Naismith has teamed up with ex-Rangers’ striker Nikica Jelavić at Everton. Whilst some select members of the Rangers playing staff, such as Lee Wallace and Lee McCulloch have agreed to directly transfer their contracts to Newco Rangers, the future of many at Newco, such as midfielder Maurice Edu, hangs in the balance with their league existence yet to be set. What is certain, however, is that difficult times are set to continue not just for the monumental and dedicated fan base of the old Rangers FC, but for all associated with Scottish Football.

The True Underdog Story of the European Championships

Pre-Euro 2004, knowledge of the Greek national football team was meagre. The customary high expectations of England were fuelled by the arrival of an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney. Hosts Portugal and their half superstar, half cry-baby Cristiano Ronaldo were tipped to shine and the usual suspects of Germany, Spain, Italy and France could be seen regularly on betting slips in bookies across the continent. It was Greece, however, playing in only their third ever major tournament, which surpassed all expectations to lift the trophy in a tournament that all football fans will remember well (not least for the incompetent refereeing of one Urs Meier). If you come to be asked 20-odd years down the line what the most fascinating ‘underdog’ story in football has been of your lifetime, it is likely you’ll place the Greek triumph at the top of your list (that is, of course, until Michael Johnson scores the winner in the 2016 final !). But what many don’t realise is that for those born by this date in 1992, an even greater, more fascinating, more unexpected tale was written – the Denmark story.

It’s 1992, and the European Championships are being prepared to take place in Sweden. The hosts are expected to excel, led by the highly-rated Parma forward Thomas Brolin. Germany played for the first time as a unified nation, and defending European champions Holland were given elevated expectations. Denmark, on the other hand, had failed to qualify. After losing out in qualifying to group-winners Yugoslavia by one point, the Danish players were free to jet off on their summer holidays and soak up the sun.

Two weeks prior to the tournament, however, Yugoslavia found themselves banished from the finals. A state of civil war had led to sanctions being placed by the UN Security Council, preventing them from appearing. Denmark were subsequently thrown into the tournament, with two weeks to put a squad together and prepare for a campaign they had already been eliminated from.

Following a fall-out with manager Richard Møller Nielsen during the qualifying campaign, brothers Micheal and Brian Laudrup – considered two of the greatest ever Danish football players – had quit the national team. Whilst Brian returned to the squad for the European Championships under that same manager, Michael turned down the opportunity. Considering the exceedingly low expectations of the Danish national side, he preferred instead to remain on his holidays.

This tournament was to become the last in which only 8 teams reached the finals. There were only two groups, with the top two from each advancing straight to the semi-finals. Denmark were handed the challenge of coming up against the hosts, England and France – a group nobody expected them to stand a chance in – including the players. One squad member acknowledged that the pressure was so low, if they were to lose all three games 5-0, they would not be considered failures, so minute were the expectations. They headed into the final game against France on the back of a hard fought draw with England and a 1-0 loss to Sweden courtesy of a Thomas Brolin strike. With a loss and a swift exit anticipated, the Danish played with no fear. An early goal from the eventual tournament’s joint top goal scorer Henrik Larsen, followed by the winner from Lars Elstrup, secured an unlikely 2-1 victory. The French crashed out alongside a (surprising) exit from the English, and Denmark sailed through to the semi-final by one point. The Danish were to come up against the Dutch for a place in the final, in what was to become one of the most fascinating games in the history of the European Championships.

Defending their European title with ‘The General’, Rinus Michels in charge once again, Holland were hot favourites. Peter Schmeichel was to prove to be the hero, keeping the mighty Dutch at bay with an outstanding display in the Danish net. Larsen twice put the Danes in the lead, only for a late Frank Rijkaard strike to even the scores out at 2-2. The phenomenal Schmeichel prevented a Holland winner in extra time following a hoard of chances, meaning only penalties could separate the two teams. Denmark converted all five of their penalties, whilst Marco Van Basten, who had failed to score all tournament, saw his strike saved by Schmeichel. Van Basten’s penalty eventually proved decisive as Denmark, against all the odds, booked their place in the final.

Surely then, when faced by the Germans in the final, Denmark’s luck would have run out. Germany had knocked the hosts out 3-2 in their semi-final, and despite a less-than impressive group stage where they were comfortably beaten by Holland; yet again Denmark found themselves with the odds stacked against them. Danish player Kim Vilfort later admitted Germany were the best team in the final, but football is a funny game, and when John Jensen put Denmark one up, the impossible was made possible. Denmark’s counter-attacking philosophy paid dividends, and the Germans were made to rue missed chances as Vilford secured the unlikeliest of successes, putting the game beyond reach with the second goal little more than ten minutes from the end. The Danes had won the European Championships they failed to qualify for – and somewhere in the world, their star player Michael Laudrup was watching on with regret as his brother lifted the trophy.

This fairytale, however, ultimately failed to produce a happy ending. Vilford, who had missed the France match to return home to care for his sick seven-year-old daughter, had to later come to terms with the loss of his child in her battle against Leukaemia. I used to agree with one Bill Shankly, that football isn’t a matter of life or death, that it’s much more important than that. In reality, Bill, I can assure you, it’s much less.