The Competitive Edge.

The Wembley way- Swansea City's greatest win?

2013-02-25T05:37:00.001-08:00

There will be quite a few sore heads in Swansea this morning. I imagine, last night's celebration went deep into the night and rightly so.

It has been a fantastic league cup campaign for the Swans. They not only reached their first major cup final but took their opponents to the cleaners and walked away the silverware. Bradford City were no match for Michael Laundrup's men and were never in the tie.

Goals from DeGuzman (2), Dyer (2) and Michu were enough to send the travelling Jack army into a state of jubilation. But was this Swansea City's greatest achievement?

Many people will be inclined to say yes, as this was their first major tournament win. Just look at some of the past recent winners, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

But how has this happened? How has Swansea City become a club capable of winning a major tournament?

I don't need to remind anyone of when Swansea City nearly slipped out of the football league but that survival day was the first turning point in this success story.

Another key date was the 30th May 2012 and for me, this was a bigger win for the Swans than this weekends cup win.

I am of course talking about the play off final win against Reading.

Under the management of Brendan Rodgers, Swansea gained promotion to the premier league. They made the play offs and beat Nottingham Forest in the semi-final before taking on Reading at Wembley. Scott Sinclair scored a hat-trick which elevated the South Wales team to the premier division for the first time.

That win, changed everything for Swansea. The number of fans increased significantly, the money available for signings also grew and tourism to Swansea received a huge boost.

The premier league status has provided so much for the football club and for the city. Just look at the signings since that promotion- Chico Flores, Pablo Hernandez and of course, Migeul Michu, who already has 19 goals this season.

Could Swansea have won the league cup, playing in the Championship and without the likes of Michu? I'm not sure.

Also without premier league status, would Michel Laundrup still be sitting in the Swansea dugout week in, week out?

The Welsh club has gone above and beyond of what is expected of them and credit must be given to all involved to get them there.

Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers and Laundrup have all made significant contributions to the style of football that gets played at the club.

The likes of Gary Monk, Alan Tate and Leon Britton have all been loyal team players and managed to raise their standards as the team moved up divisions.

And of course, Huw Jenkins is the model chairman. He doesn't overspend and is always thinking about what is best for the club.

In just two years, they have already established themselves as a respected solid premier league team. They have never flirted with the possibility of relegation and now with Europe in the plans, who knows where they could end up.

This cup final win is not a one off success, it's the latest achievement in a period of glory days for Swansea City football club.

The 2012/ 2013 Premier League Season Opening Two Weeks Review

2012-08-27T13:10:00.002-07:00

You certainly cannot predict any outcomes for a premier league season after the first two weeks of games. However, you can certainly pinpoint certain aspects that will significantly influence the direction that this league will go in. They may be an obvious brand of football played by a certain team, a new eye- catching signing, a worryingly leaky defence, a very 'shy in front of goal' offence, a serious injury or a much- improved all round unit.

We have certainly seen all of these aspects and a lot more already this year. Let us start with one of the biggest clubs in English League history, Liverpool, and their start under the new of management Brendan Rodgers.

Now Rodgers grabbed the attention of the footballing world after he took Swansea City to the Premier League and then maintained their position there in an impressive two year spell at the Welsh club. He became well-known for his unique brand of passing and attractive football making him a firm target for the Merseyside club. He could not have made a worse start to his new career when he watched his team go down 3-0 to a West Brom team after a Zoltan Gera screamer and some dubious referee decisions.

In that game, there were definite signs that Rodgers intends to bring his passing style of play to Liverpool. Former Swans players Joe Allen and Fabio Borini made the team, whilst Andy Carroll was resigned to the bench. This certainly shows Rodgers determination to do things his way at his new club, casting even more doubts on the future of the England centre forward.

However, it was Liverpool's second game against champions, Man City, where we saw the best of Rodgers trademark attractive football and if it wasn't for two disastrous mistakes by the Liverpool defence, it would have been enough to take all three points against Mancini's men.

It may not be enough to challenge for the Premier League title this campaign but I certainly believe it is a new beginning for Liverpool football club. Rodgers can achieve great things at the club, his plans are certainly long term and the likes of Borini, Allen and 17 year old Raheem Sterling, who was incredibly impressive against City, will play a huge part in taking Liverpool back to the top. I’m predicting a 4^th/5^th place finish for Liverpool this year. I’m also predicting the kop to fall in love with Brendan Rodgers. His style of play is so attractive; you really do feel like you are getting your money’s worth when you attend the games, Swans fans will tell you that.

What effect has the transfer market had on the league this year? Well for Wigan, Reading and Newcastle you could say it has been Hazardous. Yes, I am talking about Chelsea’s big signing of the summer, Eden Hazard, who in his first three games for the London club has been instrumental. With quick feet, pace to burn and great vision he has adapted to life in the Premier League with complete ease, his interplay with Fernando Torres and Juan Mata has given Chelsea a real threatening offensive line which could actually rival the two Manchester Clubs in the race for the title. Already Hazard has six assists and a goal for his new club.

I actually think that Chelsea have a very strong chance this season. Along with the signing of Hazard, there seems to be less pressure on them, compared to what has been in the past. Fernando Torres seems to be back to his best but I think Chelsea could ease his workload with a back-up for the former Athletico Madrid and Liverpool man. It is a lot to ask of the young Englishman, Daniel Sturridge, should Torres pickup an injury or suspension. However, I’m predicting a 1^st/2^nd place finish for the blues.

Before the next round of games I will look at the impressive start made by Swansea City. I will also look at the chances of last year’s runners up and the so called ‘Robin Effect’.

Murray on Tsong to reach first Wimbledon Final

2012-07-07T06:52:00.001-07:00

As Andy Murray pointed towards a cloudy afternoon sky, the expectant British tennis following witnessed some rare emotion displayed by the talented Scotsman. Murray's 3-1 victory over Jo- Wilfried Tsonga in the second Wimbledon semi final took 'Murraymania' to a new level.

Roger Federer awaits Murray in the final with the Swiss phenomenon hoping to get back to grand slam winning ways. Can Murray go that extra step and actually win this tournament?

Federer has come from the brink of being eliminated in the third round to breezing through his remaining ties, even in his semi- final against defending champion and world number one, Novak Djokavic.

Murray's road to the final has been a lot more Straight forward. His opening game against the ageing Davydenko was a breeze. His rain affected match against Cilic had the potential to cause problems but when the rain eased up, Murray did not.

Ferrer and Tsonga are two world class players getting stronger and stronger with every tournament. Whilst there were some worrying moments for Murray in both ties, the British number one was able to take the standard to another level. He out-powered Spaniard Ferrer and made a mockery out of Tsonga's second serve.

Federer and Murray have been the two best players of the tournament and more than deserve their final spot. But who will walk away with the glory?

Federer knows what it takes to win a grand slam, Murray has yet to achieve that feat. Federer has Wimbledon final experience, and a lot of it, Murray does not.

There is obvious pressure on both players, Federer to break his Wimbledon title drought and get back on track to equalling the Sampras record of seven Wimbledon titles. And Murray.....well do I need to explain?

Millions of people across Britain will be glued to their televisions in the hope that Andy Murray can win his first grand slam title. The pressure on him to get the final is now over, it caused celebrations across the country and Murray must be feeling extremely proud. What comes next is not expectation but belief and hope that one man can unite a whole nation through the means of an incredible sporting achievement. Wimbledon 2012 will always be remembered as the year Andy Murray took a step up, but how big will that step be?

‘Money, Money, Money’: A guide on how to get the best out of your Blog.

2012-04-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

A blog is not a personal diary. Yes, you can write anything you want in them and yes, the majority of blogs are created for personal pleasure, but ultimately you want people to read them.

With 100 million active blogs across the world, how on earth do you ensure that your blog gets read? What can you offer readers that other blog creators can’t? And, how do you take a blog operated for personal pleasure to a blog operated for money.

At this moment in time, ‘The Competitive Edge’ is in its infancy and I haven’t quite got the marketing of the blog up and running yet. This ‘How-to’ study will help me and my readers in gaining an understanding on how to market your blog, ensuring high readership numbers.

Ok, before you look at marketing your blog, make sure the content is excellent, the grammar and spelling must be immaculate. Get the key names and words correct. No one wants to read a sporting analysis on ‘dai beecham’ or ‘Manchester town’, because no one will take it serious

The content must be updated regularly, this is so crucial. How professional is your blog going to look if you open up the page and the last post is from 10 months ago? People will think that the blog creator has given up and the user is probably never going to access the blog again.

Next step is getting your design right. First impressions are so important, it’s a line you hear a lot in life and it applies for your blog as well. I have gone for a simple white and light blue background with black text. I believe it’s simple, easy to read and looks a lot more professional. Below is the design of my old blog. The small white text on the black background with the lack of images and navigation was a poor design. Every day I am learning.

Good navigation around the website ensures users will experience the full potential of the blog. I have gone for tabs across the top of the page, categorising my posts into different sports. I also have added a ‘Home’ tab so users can return to the home screen and a ‘Mission Statement’ tab to easily display the intention of ‘The Competitive Edge’.

So now to actively marketing your blog and where to better start than by looking at the search engines. Around 50% of all visits to websites come via Google, so how do you ensure that your blog comes up in Google searches, it’s all about key words.

Here is a statement from the Google site:

“Googlebot processes each of the pages it crawls in order to compile a massive index of all the words it sees and their location on each page. In addition, we process information included in key content tags and attributes, such as Title tags and ALT attributes.”

This statement shows that blog creators need to make sure that their key words are included in the titles. It may be tempting to use a short, quirky, tabloid-like headline for your posts but it will decrease the chance of your blog being found from a Google search.

A sporting example may be Swansea City beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League, costing Manchester United the Premier League title. Instead of using the heading ‘Super Swans’, a heading such as ‘Swansea City deny Manchester United Barclaycard Premier League title with a surprise win at Old Trafford’ would be a lot more suitable.

As well as the headings, Alt text and labels are important in marketing your blog. Alt text is the description that that pops up when you hover your cursor over a picture. The alt text is the only way a search engine knows what the image contains as it cannot ‘read’ an image by itself.

Labels are something I have already applied to my blog as it has helped me categorise my posts, improving the navigation of my website. The Labels I have used are ‘Football’, ‘Golf’, ‘Running’ and ‘General Sport’. As I am studying this marketing element, I have realised I need to be more specific in my labelling. For example, my piece on Rory McIlroy becoming golfs number one after winning Florida’s Honda Classic should not be just labelled ‘Golf’ but ‘Rory McIlroy’, ‘Number one’ and ‘Florida’s Honda Classic’.

Another way you can market your blog is Social Media Optimising. Get on Twitter, get on Facebook and sell, sell, sell your blog. Facebook and Twitter referrals account for around 8% of traffic to websites on average.

Blogger allows you to add gadgets to link to different social media websites such as Facebook and twitter. As you can see, I have my twitter feed on the left hand side of my blog. I find that by linking the two, I have created a media platform where I can express my sporting opinions in shorter form (Twitter) or in detailed posts (Blog). Using Twitter I can gain more readers for my blog and with my blog, I can gain more followers for my twitter account.

Social Media is developing all the time so make sure you are up to date with all the latest technology.

So now the technical work is done, what else can YOU now do to market your blog and get those readers?

Get your friends to look at it! Get your family to look at it! Get them to comment on the blog in the hope of sparking a mass debate.
Send your blog link to all your e-mail contacts, ask for their opinions, if your blog is like mine, find those sports lovers and get their views.
Get on Sporting forums, get that link in there as much as you can.
Go to sporting events (or an event in relation to your blogging topic), give out cards, and tell people about what you are writing about.
Use your blog when you are applying for jobs (providing your content is appropriate). Why not get your possible employer to read it? May help you get the job.
It’s a good idea to mention other blogs in your post, link them in the content and who knows? They may do the same for you.
Also frequently visit those blogs and comment on their posts, encourage them to return the favour.

Once you have captured those readers, it’s all about keeping them. Why not introduce a ‘subscribe by Email’ feature to the website. Blogger offers this gadget and it is a very simple feature to embed into your blog. Make sure it’s clear and obvious to the users and that you encourage them as much as you can to subscribe.

Last tip I will give, why not enter competitions for best blogs. Even if you don’t win, your URL may be published.

http://bloggerschoiceawards.com

I think after a bit of work to ‘The Competitive Edge’, I may just enter myself.

Marathon Man: Adrian Taylor on running his first ever London Marathon.

2012-03-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Adrian Taylor, 52, is just 23 days away from running the London Marathon for the first time. An experienced runner he may be, but the renowned London challenge is one he has never had the opportunity to take on.

I spoke to Adrian about his preparations for the race and what this marathon means to the Pentrebach born council worker.

“I was delighted to be able to run this year. Every year I apply and never get in which is incredibly disappointing. It’s a race I have always wanted to run”.

“Once again this year, I applied individually and didn’t quite make the ‘good for age’ grade. I was able to gain my place as my running club are given one place a year in the race. My current running form and strong intention to run the race was enough to see me win that place”.

Adrian threw himself into the deep end of long distance running without too much knowledge on the sport. He has never looked back and has become quite an accomplished runner.

“I started running in 1981, competing in my first marathon at the age of 21. There was a big running boom and I thought I would have a go at a marathon. I didn’t really train, I didn’t have proper trainers; I just turned up and ran”.

“Since then running has become a big part of my life, I’ve trained for this one more than I have trained for any other race. This is because I want this one so much more”.

Being a frequent runner anyway, Adrian didn’t feel too much strain on beginning training for this iconic event.

“I always run, so starting the training for the marathon wasn’t too much of a challenge”.

“I decided to give myself 16 weeks to train, starting at the turn of the New Year”.

You can see how serious Adrian is taking this marathon as his training schedule is meticulously planned.

“Before Christmas, I was going to the gym to do some light weights just to create a base layer for fitness. Now the weather has turned, it’s purely running”.

“I have built up from 33 to 60 miles a week, which I will do this week. This will be my highest amount before the marathon. I will gradually start decreasing the distances of my training runs to make sure I am fresh for London”.

Adrian has mixed up his training by entering a number of competitive races such as the Merthyr Tydfil 20 Mile race and a number of 5 kilometre runs, just to keep sharp.

“It focuses the mind; a long training run is not the same as a 10 mile race because you don’t concentrate as much. When you are actually running races, you prepare your concentration for the big one as well as improving your fitness”.

Adrian has had to make certain sacrifices in the build-up to this marathon, one of them being significantly cutting back on the alcohol consumption.

“Most nights of the week, I used to have four cans or a couple glasses of wine but since Christmas I very rarely drink, this has really helped my training”.

Adrian spoke about how for this marathon he has changed his diet, something he did not do for previous runs.

“I make sure I get my five fruit and veg a day and I tend to look for pasta and rice in meals, good healthy options which provide fuel for my training”.

“Whilst training for this race, I have lost a stone and 4 lbs., which is a lot considering I am not a big man. I feel a lot stronger when I’m lighter, it really improves my posture”.

At the age of 52, Adrian will be competing against a lot of younger runners.

“One problem I am experiencing with my running is my recovery, I am taking longer to fully recover than I would like to. I think this is simply because of my age”.

“If I race on the Sunday, I can’t do a quality run again until the Wednesday or even the Thursday”.

Other than that, preparations seem to be going swimmingly for the veteran runner and the results are evidence of that.

Adrian ran the Merthyr 20 mile race in 2.34. He ran the last 5 miles without being overtaken, finishing very strong.

“That was a big buzz for me because if people are overtaking you, you haven’t judged it right and it can be quite demoralising”.

Training for a marathon can be not only physically draining but mentally as well. Your mind is constantly focused on those twenty-six miles and your entire life revolves around the required training.

“The build-up to a marathon is like having a second job”

“It’s certainly helps having a great wife and kids to not only offer you support but to put up with the preparations”.

Adrian lauds the Welsh team for their achievements in the six nations this year, claiming it has helped him take his mind of the marathon during his recovery time.

“It’s been great to watch Wales doing so well in the Rugby the last few weeks, screaming at the television is a welcome break from all the training”.

Adrian’s final preparations for the run will be a relaxed, gentle couple of days. After all, the hard work has been done.

“I’ll stop running the Sunday before the race, I’ll just go for a few walks and maybe a few gentle jogs around the football pitch, just to loosen up”.

Adrian is very optimistic that his hard work will pay off and looks forward to the London Marathon with great excitement.

“I am excited for the run. I know I have put the effort in and I know the distance will not be a problem”.

“I want it to hurt, if it doesn’t I know I am not working hard enough, but at the same time I want to be able to enjoy the run and take in the whole occasion”.

For Adrian, this is just the starting point for a number of different big city marathons. Within the next few years, he has already set his sights on running in Amsterdam, Prague and Paris.

“I’ve been talking to my wife and we are hoping to bring a travelling aspect into my running, possibly look at one big city marathon every year, somewhere different across Europe. We very much hope to travel to Paris next year and try that one out”.

Adrian has set his target time for the London Marathon at 3.15, the same time needed to qualify for a ‘good for age’ entry, something he was unable to secure beforehand. This shows the determination and focus Adrian possesses, not only to show organisers of the marathon that he should have qualified individually, but to ensure his place for the 2013 race.

After four months of limited alcohol consumption and a tight training schedule, Adrian plans to celebrate crossing the finish line by simply “having a shower and going out on the lash”.

Adrian will be running the London marathon on behalf of the British Epilepsy Society.

“I always said if I was to run the London marathon, I would like run it on behalf of a charity. My daughter has epilepsy so this is a charity very close to my heart. It means a lot that I can run for them”.

You can donate and find out more about Adrian’s charity at: http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/

The iPad 3 in the Sporting World.

2012-03-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

This week, gadget lovers across the UK braced the long queues to be one of the first to get their hands on the new iPad 3. The latest in a line of apple tablet devices, the iPad 3 offers a much higher resolution screen than previous iPads. The device is fitted with a quad-core Apple A6 system-on-a-chip.

The Camera on this version has been massively upgraded and connectivity has significantly improved. The number of pixels has been multiplied by four in comparison to last year’s model, so an improved processor is essential. This has made the device slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad 2 but the numbers are so small (50g heavier and 0.6mm thicker) you would have to be seriously fussy for that to be a problem.

The overall design of the device is near identical to the iPad 2. The iPad 3 has a home button on the front so you can easily wake the screen. There's the rocker switch on the right edge to either mute the sound or lock the orientation. The choice is up to you which is something Apple do not often offer. The two sockets on offer are the headphones input and obviously the 30-pin connector. There is still no sockets for USB sticks or camera's SD memory cards as of yet.
You can pick up one of these third generation iPad's at PC World for between £399 and £659, depending on the model. They are available in 16G, 32G and 64G.

Now you be wondering why the release of an Apple iPad has such focus in a sports blog. Well, the answer for that comes by looking at the apps on offer for this gadget. Firstly, Golfshot: Golf GPS.

Priced at astonishingly high £20.99, Golfshot aids golfers in distances, club selection, accuracy and so much more. Golfshot contains data from 38,000 courses and offers pre-mapped aerial images of the course. Using GPS it can tell you how far away the pin may be and taking into account the weather and more specifically the wind direction, it can recommend clubs and shot selection. The newest version of this app can offer swing tracking where your swings are analysed showing club distances and accuracy. Golfshot is the number 1 Golf GPS app worldwide.

As impressive and technologically advanced as this is, I find the whole concept frankly ridiculous. I understand it can exceedingly improve your game but If I walked out onto the tee and someone has their iPad out, judging the distance to the flag and working out the precise wind direction, I’d be putting my clubs straight back into the boot of my car and going home. Is this how the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros learnt the game?

I can picture the scene now, a golfer who has more money than sense, driving around the course in his top of the range buggy, equipped with his sparkling new clubs, closely analysing his iPad about his next shot, only to miss-hit his overpriced golf ball straight into a bush the other side of the fairway. The phrase ‘All the gear, No idea’ comes’ comes to mind.

The next app I have looked at is one that I recommend football lovers download straight away when purchasing an iPad. This is the Sky Sports Football Score Centre. Greeted with a lovely image of the dashing Jeff Stelling on launching the app, Sky Sports score centre allows you to check football scores, results and fixtures from anywhere in the world. It’s the ideal app for a Saturday afternoon on the go.

Sky Sports score centre offers a vidiprinter so you can view all the goals come in as they happen in its simplest form. By then clicking on a certain game you can see the goal scorer and the time of the goal without taking you away from the vidiprinter page.

The layout of the app is very user friendly. To launch the vidiprinter you just click on the small yellow arrow in the bottom left hand corner, the same arrow will close it. If the vidiprinter is not open and a goal has been scored the arrow will spin around to catch the user's attention.

There are clear icons which take you around the app where you can view more detailed events from different fixtures such as team line-ups, live text commentary and player profiles. You can also set different preferences. By selecting your favourite teams you can ensure results, live scores and fixtures involving those teams will be highlighted on the home screen.

What’s great about this app is that it’s all about the facts and the scores. There is no messing around with controversial opinions and debatable topics. You use it to check the scores and to check statistics. It is a very convenient app which I use often. You can be at one game and needing to know the score from another and Sky Sports Football Score Centre can provide that completely fuss free. It is always perfectly up to date.

Another absolute 'must have app' for football lovers is ESPN goals. A personal favourite, ESPN goals is all about the premier league and all about the goals. If a goal is scored in the Barclay's premier league, ESPN goals allows iPad and iPhone users to see it straight away. A simple app it may be but much like the Sky Sports centre, it does the job. If you want to watch extended highlights and in depth analysis of the weekend's games then you will need to tune into Match of the Day or Football First but if you just want a quick, easy round up of all the goals from the Premier League, then this app is perfect. ESPN goal is free to download and does not require subscription to the ESPN television channel. One criticism I do have is that you have to endure a lot of adverts before watching the content. It can get awfully frustrating.

Now whilst the apps I have discussed thus far are useful in a sports enthusiasts lives, this last app is just out and out a bit of fun. If you are going to purchase this iPad 3 or if you own a previous version of the device, you are more than likely going to get some sort of childlike game on there to play in your 'chill out' time. Keeping to the sporting theme, my suggestion is of course Stick Cricket.

Now if you haven't played Stick Cricket, where have you been? My school days were wasted playing this game. If it wasn't for stick cricket perhaps I'd be writing for the Guardian instead of writing this blog. The fact it is now available for iPad and iPhone makes me worry about the rest of my degree. The game simply involves three buttons: forward, left and right. When the bowler sends his delivery at you, the batsman, you have to make your decision. Do you hit it forward, left or right? That is it.

Doesn't sound much? Try it out here: http://www.sticksports.com/games/stick-cricket/

There's only 'One' Rory McIlroy!

2012-03-08T06:07:00.006-08:00

This week, Rory McIlroy's victory in Florida’s Honda classic was enough to elevate him to the top of Golf’s world rankings. The Northern Ireland star has gone from strength to strength in rapid time and has become one of the biggest names in sport.

Along with his number one ranking, McIlroy can already boast a major victory as well as two European and two PGA tour victories. At the age of 22, McIlroy has earned over nine million through his golfing ventures and is currently dating professional tennis star, Caroline Wozniacki. It must be pretty good to be Rory McIlroy at the moment. But where did it all start?

Rory at a young age on a chat show.

McIlroy was born and raised in Holywood, despite being a very famous name and playing a lot of his trade in the states this isn’t the holywood in California but a town in Northern Ireland. By looking at Rory’s childhood in this town, there is no surprise he is such a talented golfer. Rory’s father started teaching his son the game at the age of just 18 months. By the time Rory was two, he was hitting drives over forty yards and at the age of seven he became the youngest ever member of Holywood golf club and still retains the club as his home course.
Before turning professional in 2007, McIlroy was a part of Europe’s winning Junior Ryder cup team in 2004. He also won the European amateur championship out in Italy in August 2006. This was just a taste of things to come for young Rory as his golfing career began to look more and more promising every tournament.

His first professional tour victory came in 2009 at the Dubai Desert Classic, beating Justin Rose by one stroke. He then went onto join the PGA tour and won the Quail Hollow championship in May 2010. He finished 2010 at the Celtic Manor and at the Ryder Cup. McIlroy formed a great partnership with fellow countryman Graeme McDowell in the pairs and was also able to gain a crucial half point in the singles to guide Europe to victory.

Rory struggling through his last round at Augusta.

He moved back to the European tour for 2011 as he wanted to be closer to his girlfriend and his family. 2011 proved to be a very prominent year in the career of Rory McIlroy. It started at the Masters tournament, the first major championship of the year played at the Augusta Golf course in Georgia, USA. The first three days of the tournament belonged to McIlroy. He led by four shots going into the fourth round and looked a shoe-in to win his first major at the incredibly young age of 21. What happened on the fourth day was nothing short of a nightmare for the Northern Irishman as the pressure became too much to handle. McIlroy's inexperience saw him crumble to a round of 80, resulting in a fourth place finish with 4 under par.

Many golf lovers across the world watched that final round with great sympathy for Rory McIlroy. You could simply cry for the boy and just wanted it to be over as quick as possible. We all questioned his mental strain at such a young age and wondered whether he was simply not ready to win a major yet. We were soon proved wrong.

Next major was the US Open and many expected a broken, dispirited Rory McIlroy, what we got instead was a determined and focused Rory. The performance was incredible, his golf was beautiful, his scoring was ruthless and his quest for that first major was relentless. He won the tournament by a mammoth 8 shots. Any doubts about McIlroy's bottle and nerves were soon put to bed with a final round of 69. This certainly vanished any remains of those Masters demons. McIlroy set several records in his victory, most notably, his 72-hole aggregate score of 268 (16-under) was a new U.S. Open record.

With Tiger Woods currently attempting to rebuild his very much damaged career, there has been an opportunity for someone to step up as the face of professional golf. McIlroy has proved to be the one to do this and not only through his abilities on the course. He is an ambassador of UNICEF Ireland and now appears alongside Tiger Woods on his electronic arts computer game. He is very much a charismatic individual with an outgoing attitude. This was certainly evident when he stepped up to the tennis court during an exhibition match his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki, was playing in. McIlroy showed off his tennis talent against Wozniacki’s opponent Maria Sharapova in front of a packed Madison Gardens crowd. It showed Rory’s comfort with being in a high- profile and high-mediated relationship.

But like most high profile sport stars, Rory does not come without an element controversy. He has been in spats with the likes of commentator Jay Townsend and fellow Brit, Lee Westwood. A lot of this controversy has been caused by the use of Twitter, a social networking site of which McIlroy is a frequent user. McIlroy told Jay Townsend to ‘shut up’ and that he was a ‘failed golfer’ via twitter. McIlroy has also been criticised for taking three weeks off after his US open win and for blaming the weather for him not winning the British open over his mentor Darren Clarke.

McIlroy's controversies and criticisms are far outweighed by his golfing achievements. Rory has been elevated to the top of this globally loved sport at a very young age and people need to remember, you are going to make blunders and they are going to be made to look a million times worse by the media. I have had no doubts that Rory McIlroy will learn from these mistakes and will continue his pursuit in becoming Britain’s most loved sports stars.

There is a big spotlight on the young Northern Irishman and at 22, he has already showed that he can handle the pressure. With his trademark long curly hair, he has become a very familiar figure in the game, he has shown that he is very charismatic and is not afraid to let his feelings known. His golf achievements have been astonishing and providing he doesn’t take a serious off-road in his career (like a certain Mr Woods), he has a very bright, glorious future ahead.

Model Sportsman: How to portray the best possible reputation as a professional Sportsman.

2012-03-02T05:16:00.007-08:00

After scoring an exquisite goal against Champions Manchester United, Manchester City player Mario Ballotelli lifts up his shirt to reveal under attire with the question ‘Why always me?’ printed upon it. Let me answer that question Mario, if you are going to let fireworks off in your bathroom, fight your teammates and put thousands of pounds behind a bar for people you do not even know, all the while playing for one the richest football clubs in the world, you are going to get a lot of media attention.

Now Mario Ballotelli’s behaviour is a special case. It's bizarre, controversial and if I was Roberto Mancini I would have given up a long time ago trying to tame him. In fact Ballotelli’s short football history has become so eventful now that a lot of people have stopped taking him serious, after all everything you hear about him is not exactly bad, it’s just bordering insanity.

What about other figures in the sporting world? How do they ensure that their media reputation remains positive and professional? Let’s start with the social side and more specifically, the alcohol. Sportsmen are allowed a life as well and yes, like us, many of them enjoy a drink. But their popularity within society surely means that they need to act as role models and avoid any senseless drunken antics that the media will jump on. Take the Welsh Rugby team as an example, their behaviour in the world cup was perfect and their performances on the field were superb. Despite getting knocked out in the semi-finals, they returned from New Zealand as heroes and gave the country a real boost.

In the same tournament England got caught very drunk in nightclubs. There were pictures of the team ‘dwarf tossing’, there were stories of players being abusive to hotel staff and you had the captain getting very close to a blonde women who wasn’t his wife, his royal wife. Look what has happened since New Zealand- Martin Johnson, the head coach, has resigned. Mike Tindall, the England captain for many of those world cup games, has been dropped and in the current six nations table, Wales sit ahead of England after beating them at Twickenham on Saturday. Wales themselves have been no saints in the past, just look at Andy Powell driving down the M4 in a golf buggy and Mike Phillips getting arrested for fighting outside a McDonalds. But this change in behaviour is certainly reflecting on their results and performances.

If you want to be a professional and respected model sportsman then you should look no further than Wales captain Sam Warburton. He very much orchestrated this good behaviour policy in New Zealand as well as leading his side to fourth place. Now Sam himself is a fantastic rugby player; strong, fast and fit. Sam may have been sent off in the semi-final of the world cup for a dangerous tackle but how he handled that situation was extraordinary. He didn’t kick up a fuss, just left the pitch when instructed to and waited until the post-match press conference to give his views. The decision was to say the least dubious and the media pundits, journalists, and pretty much the entire Welsh nation slammed the decision, yet Sam Warburton did not. He came out and apologised to his supporters and agreed with the decision as he believed the tackle could be deemed dangerous in regards to the laws of rugby.

Sam Warburton has said that he is not a drinker and that because rugby means so much to him, he wouldn’t want to jeopardise his career with the substance. Now while this may seem like a very sensible and incredibly respectful view on the game, situations like this can give sport stars an un-human side if you like. It can seem that their respected sport is their life and that they offer little else in personality. It can make them, dare I say it, boring and dull. This is certainly not the case with Sam Warburton. He interviews fantastically well and comes across as a friendly and approachable figure through the Welsh media. He talks about how he enjoys walking his dogs, his choice of heavy metal music for his iPod and interestingly his love and desire for a bar of chocolate after a game. This certainly brings up a human side to the rugby icon, something his fans can relate to. His love and passion for his country is clear to see and thus far he has been the model sportsman and captain for his country. At the age of 23, that is truly remarkable.

If you want an example of how not to be a model sportsman, Heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora is perfect. Slapping your opponent in the face during the weigh in, spitting on your opponents brother minutes before a fight and then initiating a nasty brawl with a fellow country man during the post-fight press conference is what I would describe as shocking and disgusting behaviour. Dereck Chisora is not only the opposite of a model Sportsman, he is an embarrassment to the sport of Boxing.

Wembley Atmosphere Rises as Swansea Soar: Review of the Championship Play-off final.

2012-02-18T12:59:00.000-08:00

Me Celebrating the famous win.

What could be better than a football final day? How about a final which takes place at Wembley and the prize is considered the richest prize in football? Yes, the Championship play-off final may be a nerve wrecking and torturous feeling but the atmosphere and the delight you get, should your team be lucky enough to win, is unbelievable. I was fortunate enough to attend this incredible event and even more fortunate to watch my team Swansea City beat Reading FC, gaining a place in the Premier League.

People have talked about Wembley days as a memorable event but I could never understand the hype. I had watched international games there in the past and despite how impressed I was with the structure itself, I felt the atmosphere was poor, the travelling was awkward and the cost was extortionate. However this was not going to stop me purchasing a ticket to see Swansea play in this iconic match. The match was played on a bank holiday Monday and it couldn’t have gone any better. The day started quietly with an early start to avoid any potential travel problems. We found a quiet bar just a short train ride outside of Wembley, slowly but steadily the football supporters from both clubs started gathering and the atmosphere became excitable.

The weather on that day was exquisite and was a real advantage. It certainly helped shape my opinion of the overall day. Whilst the pub supplied quiet anticipation and light hearted banter between the two sets of friendly fans. The train ride into the stadium was a step up in intensity as a sea of black and white flooded the carriages. The singing was loud and enthusiastic, the train was full yet the seats were unused. The Swans fans were largely friendly but no Reading fan dared get on the carriage as the ‘banter’ would be too much, like-wise with a swans fan on the Reading fans carriage.

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere once again got turned up a notch. The music blared around as the travelling ‘Jack Army’ danced and waved their flags. Black and White balloons were being passed around like champagne at a wedding and as the teams emerged from the tunnel, the heart rate was up and the nerves were unbearable.

The game itself was not one for the faint hearted. Swansea won 4-2 in an entertaining spectacle. Two goals from Scott Sinclair and one from Stephen Dobbie gave the South Wales team a comfortable 3-0 lead at half time. The second half was a different story as Reading struck back with two quick goals, putting the game on a knife edge and silencing the Swans supporters for the first time that afternoon. In the 80th Minute, my fellow Swansea supporters and I could relax once again as Scott Sinclair slotted home his second penalty of the afternoon and in doing so, completing a memorable hat trick. Swansea had won and Reading had to make the short trip home knowing they will be playing their football in the second tier of English football for another season. The Swansea fans belted out renditions of ‘Swansea, O Swansea’ and ‘Hymns and Arias’ as the jubilant players paraded the play off final trophy around the stadium.

The whole day was simply perfect. The true football fan would always choose automatic promotion to the Premier League but should your team have to endure the play off final drama, I thoroughly recommend the trip to Wembley. I can only speak as a Swansea City fan, but for a stadium known for its poor atmosphere, the Jack Army certainly raised the Wembley roof.

5 Sport blogs with that 'Competitive Edge'.

2012-02-14T03:36:00.002-08:00

Before starting my blog, I wanted to look at some existing work in this field. I have found five blogs which particularly interest me and have highlighted their good points as well as their flaws. I will use this analysis as a guide when working through the ‘The Competitive edge’ to ensure a high standard of blogging.

I have looked at three blogs based in the UK and two based in America. Some are specific to a certain sport or topic, some are more varied.

http://escribbler.blogspot.co.uk/

This blog is written by a former professional footballer, which makes the content a lot more appealing. You want to read about someone who has been there and done it a lot more than you would an outsider looking in. There is a range of different features on the blog such as ‘quote of the day’ and ‘training programs for professionals’. There is also a number of different links to other blogs. There is a large amount of content on this blog with some interesting views and opinions present. However, the layout is poor. The first thing that jumps out at you is the adverts, you have to do a lot of scrolling before you get to any of the well written sport content. The template and the colours are also very dull.

http://fantasyepl.blogspot.com/p/epl-coverage.html

Fantasy Premier Blog has a very similar concept to mine. It’s a blog that offers opinion and humour on sport. However, it is specific to only football and especially the Premier League. I particularly enjoy this blog because the content is very entertaining. There is a lot of focus on fantasy premier league which is a game that a lot of my target audience would play. I believe it provides humour and a good, light- hearted discussion point. The blog is pleasing to the eye and the dark writing on the white background makes it easy to read.

http://britishsport.blogspot.com/

This blog offers opinion and analysis on the less publicised stories in British Sport. It does cover a lot of sport but misses the comical and entertainment element. I also find the headlines don’t draw me in like some of the other blogs I have read. The whole design of the blog could be better as well, It doesn’t scream ‘sports blog’ when you first look at it. The posts are very infrequent but when one does come, it is very detailed, well researched and extremely interesting. Creator, Gary Cook, is a very good journalist.

http://www.adamssportsblog.com/

Adams sport Blog is a well worked Sports blog. It differs to mine in that a lot of Adams posts are on American sports and very few of mine will be on that topic. However, he has managed to cover so much. There is something for every sports fan. The blog is laid out fantastically well. He was listed all the Sports and key sporting topics in a column and by clicking on those sports, you can bring up the posts. It is very easy to get around the website and there is a good mix of strong content, light humour and pictures to make this a perfect sports blog.

http://sports-law.blogspot.com/

This is a very professionally made blog. The designer has made very good decisions regarding the template and use of colours. Everything looks like it belongs together. Despite it being a ‘sports law’ blog, there is still an element of humour in this blog. One of the posts looks at the laws of beer pong. There is also a good mixture of images and videos present in this blog. Like Adams Sport Blog, this blog has a strong focus on American sport.