You think you have what it takes to be a coach?
The expectations we’ve set for ourselves as a society have become unrealistic. In every aspect of our lives we demand immediate results. ”Why the hell won’t this website load faster, I’ve been waiting 8 seconds”; “why haven’t I received your text message yet? It’s been 10 seconds!” Give it a second, it’s sending a signal to space you whining parasite. The same expectations have transferred into the realm of sports. We expect coaches to have immediate results, i.e. lead a team to a championship or nothing. This is not only impossible, but ineffective.
The intangibles in sports matter more than you think
I recently watched a documentary produced by HBO called 24/7 Rangers/Flyers: Road to the Winter Classic. The intent of the documentary is to follow these two NHL teams around in their day-to-day duties showing a detailed behind the scene look at their lives. It’s a truly special opportunity to understand the life of a professional organization. Now, what I took away from the documentary might not be what HBO intended for me to take away.
Everton goalie Tim Howard scores 100 yard goal
Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard scored an incredible 100 yard goal versus Bolton putting Everton up 1-0 in the 63rd minute. Not only that, but he did it with only taking a single step wind-up. With the ball already coming at him with pace and a strong wind behind his back Howard was able to launch the ball down the field and with only once bounce land it in the back of the net. Read more
Tibia fibula fracture & recovery
As mentioned in earlier articles, Goalden is an educational soccer blog where the writers write on a variety of soccer topics to promote the game. The idea was never to write about us but instead on other people and how they achieved their ambitions in soccer. In the end we are hoping to inspire others. With that being said, this summer I had friends and family document my rehabilitation after my tibia fibula fracture in an Ontario Cup soccer game. The footage was used to track my progress for myself as well as for those that assisted in my recovery. Read more
Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra race row
So much for Liverpool’s chances of doing anything this season. Star forward Luis Suarez has been Liverpool’s main man in attack and in fine form this season. Acquiring Luis Suarez was the best thing that happened to them in a long time. All of that changed though on October 15th 2011 when Suarez decided to racially abuse Manchester United defender Patrice Evra several times throughout and after their game. Read more
What have we learned from ‘El Clasico’?
A good friend of mine recently posted his thoughts on Facebook with respect to the December 10, 2011 match between Real Madrid and Barcelona (aka El Clasico). Boy are they bang on…
Random El Clasico thoughts:
1. Messi always delivers against madrid
2. How ever good messi plays against madrid, is usually how bad ronaldo plays against barca
3. I miss when kaka used to be a relevant footballer
4. Sergio ramos is a maniac
5. If madrid has no answer for iniesta, no one does, just amazing
Socrates dies at 57
Brazil legend Socrates has died after suffering an intestinal infection that developed into septic shock. He was 57.
He was taken into intensive care on Thursday after eating infected stroganoff. His wife and a friend also fell ill, but Socrates had been in a state of poor health and was unable to recover. Read more
Racism a ‘closed’ matter
In the wake of allegations that some of the top soccer players in Europe are guilty of racist remarks towards fellow players, you would think that this would have the obsessive concern of the FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. However, Blatter insists that racism is not relevant in soccer, and that players should resolve the situation with a handshake. Wait, what?
Psychological Aspects of Soccer
I recently read an interview with Anson Dorrance, famous University of North Carolina women’s soccer coach. In his interview, he talked about the importance of the psychological aspect of soccer – more specifically, core values that help create a positive psychology.
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Owen Hargreaves celebrates return with goal
As much as I am not a Manchester City fan, I couldn’t be happier for Canadian born Owen Hargreaves having made his comeback after three long years of career threatening injuries. Hargreaves’s comeback proved nothing short of a success. He played a key part in City’s win over Birmingham in the Carling Cup. Not only that but he started, played 55 minutes and scored an incredible goal. Read more
Keep your cool
Many instances in life really test our patience and our nerves. Often when we’re in the midst of a battle – a soccer game – we get caught up in a war of words or a sequence of tackles that cause us to lose our heads. Typically, this is where the situation gets the better of us and we do things we otherwise would never consider doing in a stable state of mind.
Winning “Ugly” in Soccer
There’s an age old adage that suggests winning ugly is still winning. However, many teams and athletes alike are obsessed with this idea of winning perfectly. Why is this?