2010 Asian Games From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the XVI Asiad, are scheduled to take place in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou is the second city in China to host the Games after Beijing in 1990. A total of 476 events in 42 sports will be contested by athletes, making it the largest event in history of the Games. It will also be the last one to have presented such big events, as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) have enforced new hosting rules for future games, beginning with the 2014 Games.

Guangzhou was awarded the right on July 1, 2004, as the sole bidding city. This came after the withdrawal of several cities, from Amman, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul. The games will also be co-hosted by Dongguan, Foshan and Shanwei, the three neighbouring cities.

Organisation
[edit] Bid

In Doha, Qatar on July 1, 2004, Guangzhou was awarded the right to host the Games.[1] This decision came after several other cities withdrew, with their own reasons. Seoul withdrew after considering the short span of time between 2002 and 2010, because South Korea hosted the Games, eight years before, back in 2002 in Busan.[2] Kuala Lumpur were forced to withdrew their bid, after it was boycotted by the cabinet, due to the high cost of hosting the Games, leaving Guangzhou as the sole bidder.[3][4]
[edit] Marketing

The 2010 Asian Games' official emblem was unveiled at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on November 26, 2006. It is a stylized goat, which, in Chinese tradition, is a blessing and brings people luck. It is also a representative symbol of the host city Guangzhou, which is called the "City of Goats" or "City of the Five Rams".[5]

Five sporty goats, dubbed "Le Yangyang," will serve as the mascots of the Games, it was unveiled on April 28, 2008 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention and Exhibition Center.[6][7] The five goats: A Xiang (祥), A He (和), A Ru (如), A Yi (意) and Le Yangyang (樂洋洋), are a play on Guangzhou's nickname, "City of Goats". Moreover, the Chinese character "yang" or "goat" is also an auspicious symbol because, when read together, the Chinese names of the five goats are a message of blessing, literally meaning "harmony, blessings, success and happiness" (祥和如意樂洋洋).[8] The mascot design is based on a legend about five immortals who took five goats to Guangzhou, each holding an ear of corn in its mouth. There, the immortals prayed for an end to famine, then flew into the sky as the five goats turned into fossils.
[edit] Costs

On March 11, 2005, Lin Shusen of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said the Games "will not cost more than ￥2 billion",[9] in stark contrast to an earlier report, which had claimed that the cost could exceed ￥200 billion.[10] However, the actual costs have not yet been revealed. In March 2009, the director of the marketing department of the Games, Fang Da’er, claimed that the Games were short of funds, due to lack of sponsorship and the global financial crisis.[11] The latest report claimed that the Games was estimated to cost US$420 million and provide revenue of US$450 million.[12]
[edit] Venues
Guangdong Olympic Stadium

There are 53 competition venues and 17 training venues available for the Games. These include the Asian Games Town which consists of the Athletes' Village, Technical Officials' Village, Media Village, Main Media Center and International Broadcast Center.[13] Organisers revealed that the total investment is over ￥15 billion.[14]

The new venues include: Asian Games Town Gymnasium, Guangzhou Velodrome, Guangdong Olympic Aquatics Centre, Nansha Gymnasium, Guangdong Olympic Tennis Centre, Guangti Gymnasium, Guangzhou Shotgun Centre and Huangpu Sports Centre Gymnasium.

The renovated venues include: Guangzhou Gymnasium, Guangdong Olympic Stadium, Tianhe Stadium, Fangcun Tennis Center, University Town, Guangdong International Rowing Centre, Huang Pu Sports Centre Gymnasium, Yan Zi Gang Stadium, Guangdong Peoples' Stadium, Guangdong Olympic Tennis Centre and Yuexiushan Stadium.

On April 19, 2009, organisers chose Haixinsha Island in Pearl River as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.[15]
[edit] Torch relay
Torch relay route.

The Tide was chosen by the organisers as the torch of the Games, defeating Exploit which was short-listed in September 2009.[16] The Tide weighs 98g and is 70 cm long, and is tall and straight in shape, while dynamic in terms of image.

The torch relay route was unveiled on March 4, 2010. For financial reasons,[17] the torch relay duration around Guangdong is 30 days. The flame of the torch will be lit at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on October 9, 2010, with some 2,010 torchbearers expected to carry it throughout the cities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shanwei, Shantou, Jieyang, Chaozhou, Meizhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Zhaoqing, Yunfu, Maoming, Zhanjiang, Yangjiang, Jiangmen, Foshan and Guangzhou from October 12 to November 11, 2010.[18][19]

Secondary official mark of torch relay was unveiled on July 15, 2010, feature a silhouette of a running goat holding a torch.[20]
[edit] The Games
[edit] Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony will be held on November 12, 2010 on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River. It will be directed by Chen Weiya, who was also the assistant director of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Chen revealed in a special interview that the ceremony "will surprise the world".[21] Opening ceremony will begin at 20:04 (UTC+8), with some 7,000 peoples contributed to the ceremony, team parade will be held at 21:00 (UTC+8), while "mysterious" lightning ceremony will be held at 21:42 (UTC+8). The ceremony will be held separately: at the sea and land.[22]
[edit] Sports

Compared to the 28 events in the Olympic Games, the 2010 Asian Games will feature 42 events throughout the 16 days of the competition, with added disciplines in some events. Football will be held before the opening ceremony, 28 and 5 gold medalist emerge during the opening day and final day respectively, while a total of 48 gold medalist emerge on November 25, 2010, the most in single day.[23] Twenty20 cricket is among the debutant sports,[24] with dancesport, dragon boat, weiqi and roller sport added as unique to the Games.[25] Bodybuilding was dropped due to judging controversy in the 2006 Games.[26]

* Aquatics
o Diving (10)
o Swimming (38)
o Synchronized swimming (3)
o Water polo (2)
* Archery (4)
* Athletics (47)
* Badminton (7)
* Baseball (1)
* Basketball (2)
* Board games
o Chess (4)
o Weiqi (3)
o Xiangqi (2)
* Bowling (12)
* Boxing (14)
* Canoeing
o Slalom (4)
o Sprint (12)



* Cricket (2)
* Cue sports (10)
* Cycling
o BMX (2)
o Mountain bike (2)
o Road (4)
o Track (10)
* Dancesport (10)
* Dragon boat (6)
* Equestrian (6)
o Dressage
o Eventing
o Jumping
* Fencing (12)
* Football (2)
* Golf (4)



* Gymnastics
o Artistic (14)
o Rhythmic (2)
o Trampoline (2)
* Handball (2)
* Hockey (2)
* Judo (16)
* Kabaddi (2)
* Karate (13)
* Modern pentathlon (4)
* Roller sports
o Artistic (3)
o Speed (6)
* Rowing (14)
* Rugby union (2)
* Sailing (14)



* Sepaktakraw (6)
* Shooting (44)
* Soft tennis (7)
* Softball (1)
* Squash (4)
* Table tennis (7)
* Taekwondo (16)
* Tennis (7)
* Triathlon (2)
* Volleyball
o Beach (2)
o Indoor (2)
* Weightlifting (15)
* Wrestling (18)
* Wushu (15)

[edit] Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony will be held on November 27, 2010, with the performances will begin at 20:06 (UTC+8), performing operatic to shown the culture across the Asia. A flag handover to 2014 Games will be included in this ceremony.[22]
[edit] Participation

It is expected that 45 members of Olympic Council of Asia participating in the Games. Organisers set July 31, 2010 as deadline for National Olympic Committees to submit their entry. As of July 22, 2010, 32 NOCs already submitted their entry, with total of 7,987 athletes and almost 4,500 officials will be committed to the Games, leaving only 13 NOCs yet to do so.[27]
[edit] Concerns and controversies
[edit] Air quality

Like Beijing 2008, Guangzhou is also committed to raising the air quality. The authority had pledged ￥600 million to fight the problem, and had ordered around 32 chemical plants to stop production by the end of 2009.[28] The report shown on July 13, 2010 indicates that the air quality was rated at 95.07% in 2009, an increase of 12.01% since 2004,[29] this issue eventually cost authority ￥24 billion.[30]
[edit] Mandarin or Cantonese
Main article: 2010 controversy over proposed increase of adoption of Standard Mandarin by Guangzhou Television

The citizens of Guangzhou opposed the proposal suggested by the city committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to use Mandarin more in television news programmes, rather than Guangzhou's main language Cantonese. This caused anger in the community.[31] Cantonese is basically attacked on two fronts. One is "internal migration" - people moving to Guangdong from other regions. Guangdong boasts 14 million residents; half of the new settlers do not speak any Cantonese. The other front is the government policy to create a "unified harmonious society". Beijing's 1982 constitution article 19 set Putonghua as the official language. A survey in June 2010 showed 80% of 30,000 respondents opposed the switch from Cantonese to Mandarin.[32]
[edit] Absence of Indian cricket

Cricket is among the five debutant sports in the Games. However, despite being a potential medal winner based on its historical record (with nine World Cup appearances and one win), India failed to send a team to the Games; according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) it is due to "international commitments".[33] However, reports have claimed that money and doping issues are the real reasons for this decision.[34] Rumours are also afoot about the Sri Lankan cricket team, but any final decision is yet to be made.[35]
[edit] References

1. ^ "Guangzhou wins Asiad bid". News Guangdong. 2004-07-02. http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200407020009.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
2. ^ "Korea withdrew from 2010 Asian Games bidding". News Guangdong. 2004-03-25. http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200403260046.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
3. ^ "Kuala Lumpur quits, GZ becomes only bidding city". News Guangdong. 2004-04-15. http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200404150008.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
4. ^ "Kuala Lumpur drops Asian Games bid". News Guangdong. 2004-04-16. http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200404160053.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
5. ^ Liang, Yan (2006-11-27). "2010 Guangzhou Asian Games' emblem unveiled". Xinhua. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-11/27/content_5395966.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
6. ^ "Mascots for Guangzhou Asian Games unveiled". GAGOC. 2008-04-30. http://www.gz2010.cn/08/0430/17/4APUS0KJ0078005K.html. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
7. ^ "The story behind Le Yangyang and his Friends, the Official Mascots of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games". GAGOC. 2008-04-30. http://www.gz2010.cn/08/0430/15/4APMJ90M0078005K.html. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
8. ^ "Mascot for 16th Asian Games to be held in 2010 unveiled". Beijing2008.cn. 2008-04-29. http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/others/n214329488.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
9. ^ "Asian Games to cost ￥2b". China daily. 2005-03-11. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-03/11/content_423994.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
10. ^ "GZ to spend 200 billion yuan on Asiad construction". News Guangdong. 2004-07-01. http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200407010056.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
11. ^ "Lacking Sponsors, Guangzhou Asks Beijing for Help on the 2010 Asian Games". China Sports Review. 2009-03-13. http://www.chinasportsreview.com/2009/03/13/guangzhou-asks-beijing-for-help-on-the-2010-asian-games/. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
12. ^ "Govt. seeks Asian Games bid details". The Hindu. 2010-07-14. http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article514221.ece. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
13. ^ "Guangzhou Asian Games' new venues constructed". People's Daily Online. 2010-05-13. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6984440.html. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
14. ^ "RMB15 billion poured into major Asian Games projects". english.gz.gov.cn. 2010-07-03. http://www.gz2010.cn/10/0703/14/6AM56SCM0078002U.html. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
15. ^ "Asian Games OC/CC venue set for August completion". Olympic Council of Asia. 2010-06-28. http://ocasia.org/News/IndexNewsRM.aspx?redirect=1158. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
16. ^ "Two Torch Designs Shortlisted for Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games". Sports Biz Asia. 2009-09-22. http://www.sportsbizasia.com/news/sports-marketing/two-torch-designs-shortlisted-for-guangzhou-2010-asian-games/. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
17. ^ "Guangzhou Asian Games torch relay to stay inside China". Reuters. 2009-03-05. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-38351520090305. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
18. ^ "Guangzhou unveils Asian Games torch relay route". People's Daily Online. 2010-03-04. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6908186.html. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
19. ^ "Capital date for Asian Games flame". COC. 2010-06-04. http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2010-06-04/2027385.html. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
20. ^ "Asian Games unveils Official Mark of Torch Relay". COC. 2010-07-16. http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2010-07-16/2045648.html. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
21. ^ Yijiao, Qiu (2010-03-20). "Asiad opening ceremony will 'surprise'". China Daily. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2010-03/20/content_9617175.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
22. ^ a b 张勇 (2010-07-22). "亚运开幕式细节揭秘：珠江大巡游 开幕序曲确定". SZNews. http://sports.sznews.com/content/2010-07/22/content_4770065_2.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
23. ^ 张海燕 (2010-07-22). "广州亚运会赛程最终确定 最多一天将产48金". People.com.cn. http://gd.people.com.cn/GB/123937/123963/12221826.html. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
24. ^ "Asiad: OCA green lights cricket for 2010 Asian Games". Inquirer.net. 2007-04-17. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/sports/view/20070417-60980/Asiad%3A_OCA_green_lights_cricket_for_2010_Asian_Games. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
25. ^ "New sports to be introduced at Asian Games 2010". Chinaview.cn. 2007-09-19. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/19/content_6752501.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
26. ^ Letchumanan, Jaiarajo (2007-04-23). "Bodybuilding Dropped From 2010 Asian Games". Bernama. http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=258240. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
27. ^ 周超 (2010-07-22). "广州亚运已接受近8千运动员报名 中国将派出1100人". Sina Sports. http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2010-07-22/12045116066.shtml. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
28. ^ Qianlin, Qiu (2009-07-13). "Guangzhou to ensure better air quality for Asian Games". China Daily. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/13/content_8418627.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
29. ^ "亚运会环保工作受肯定 空气质量优良率达95.07%" (in Chinese). 信息时报. 2010-07-14. http://2010.163.com/10/0714/08/6BHP0TU900863AUC.html. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
30. ^ 杨明 (2010-07-22). "穗投24亿改善空气迎亚运 环保部官员赞空气清洁" (in Chinese). 2010.163.com. http://2010.163.com/10/0722/07/6C6AH7LQ00863AUC.html. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
31. ^ Shasha, Deng (2010-07-09). "Proposal for news in Mandarin angers Guangzhou citizens". Xinhuanet. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-07/09/c_13392543.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
32. ^ "Cantonese faces fresh threat in its birthplace". SCMP. 2010-07-07. http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=25c31f29c28a9210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=China&s=News. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
33. ^ Mohapatra, Bikash (2010-06-01). "Indian cricket team to skip Asian Games". Rediff Sports. http://cricket.rediff.com/report/2010/jun/01/indian-cricket-team-to-skip-asian-games.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
34. ^ Ezekiel, Gulu (2010-06-23). "WADA, control and TV revenue - BCCI's Asian Games dilemma". dreamcricket.com. http://www.dreamcricket.com/dreamcricket/news.hspl?nid=14541&ntid=4. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
35. ^ T.B. Rahaman (2010-07-10). "Sri Lanka cricket team unlikely to participate at Asian G

FIFA World Cup 2014 - Expectations Flying High By Vikash Singal Platinum Quality Author

The recently concluded 2010 FIFA world cup held in the African country South Africa has just arrived and gone, and everyone's has already got their eyes fixated on the host of the next world cup to be held in Brazil. All of the satellites are now redirected towards the South American continent where the action is going to be taking place. Every football loving person hopes and expects the Samba Brazilians to put up a better performance than the South Africans.
Owing to the very fact that, the Brazil is the home of football, the expectations are on a continuous rise. Having being the winner of the football world cup more than any of the other countries and being the one single nation to have the pride to have participated in all of the editions, the whole world does certainly expects to notice something out of the box coming in the year 2014. In addition, they have also won the Under-17 cup; they have grabbed the U-20 and they are also the winner of the CONCACAF nations' cup for a good number of times.
To your general knowledge, the ever so popular Maracana stadium is certainly going to be a football fan's dream place to watch the biggest event on earth. South Africa has already surprised the entire world by a supreme organization of the hitch-free tournament; they offered true world class amenities that includes the 8 quality stadiums, standard roads, top quality telecommunication services, pleasure of staying at the 5 star hotels, great tourist spots, sufficient security, etc hence setting up the pace which would be really a tough call for the immediate host to match.
They offered something which was totally unique in nature and maintained the African flavor all the way through and of all the beauties the Jabulani ball was at the same time problematic and reason to have fun. Now, the question arises what are we supposed to expect in Brazil? Are they going to offer us something which would turn make the Samba dance into a thing to commemorate al the way through? What sort of football are we looking forward to see there? It's pretty certain that FIFA clearly knows that the notion of the Jabulani ball did not function as expected - not a lot of goals were being scored; in spite, it led to majority of our favorite stars failing to perform at the world stage and thence not scoring goals. It has made the likes of stars like Lionel Messi, English star Wayne Rooney, Spanish great Fernando Torres, the likes of etc. not able to even score one single goal, owing to it's of its slippery nature and the property of not having directions.
It's certainly hoped that the FIFA World Cup 2014 host would be able to offer us with sufficient security to the players, the officials and last but certainly not the least the fans. They assured at South Africa that Brazilians have already started preparing for 2014 big phenomenon. Let's thence hope that we will have better stadiums, quality roads, good communication and quality accommodation. Then again, Brazil can't afford to perform the way they did it on the ground, and it's a no secret that the world expects a great deal out of her.

Fixing an Offline HP Printer Problem Easily By Lazaro J Hester

An online printer will be very annoying, especially for workers. This is a great obstacle for them to finish their job properly and efficiently. If you are a user of HP printer and often face this problem, you will be happy to read this article. It gives you some simple tricks to trouble shoots this problem easily. Therefore, you will get your printer online back and continue your work.
First, you need to check the cables and make cure that all connections are secure. Check whether any cable is disconnected since this is the most common cause of offline printer cable.
Second, you can try to turn your device off. Wait for about one or two minutes and turn it back on. Sometimes, this problem happens just because a certain glitch in your network. Therefore, the printer should wait until the problem in this network is fixed.
Third, you have to check the toner or the ink cartridge. Mostly, both color and black toner or ink cartridges are designed to have certain capacity. When one of them is installed incorrectly or has too low level of ink, the printer device will go offline.
Fourth, try to find any residue that might jam the printer. Check for any sticky label residue, paper clips, or torn paper that might be left on your printer. Those residues will surely sop your printer from working properly.
Fifth, you have to set your device as the default printer of the computer. Check whether doing this step makes your printer go online. To do this step, you need to go to the Control Panel from the Start menu of your computer. Find the option of Printers and Other Hardware, select this option and find out View Installed Printers or Fax Printers under the option of Pick a Task. There will be selection of the questionable printer that is in offline condition. Choose the Printer option from and click on Set Printer as Default.
Just by doing those simple steps, you can easily fix offline printer problem easily. So, you can continue your job especially in printing documents conveniently.

Providing printer cartridge HP replacement is a very great thing to do in order to keep your printer in great performance. Find more information about some superior products in http://cheapprintercartridge.net and get the most compatible one for your needs.

Need a Cheap New Laptop? Here's How to Get the Very Best Deal! By Felicity Fairport

A cheap new laptop is a prize. A good cheap new laptop, though, might be considered the holy grail of personal electronics shopping. The reward of the careful comparison shopper and patient laptop researcher.
Of course, you're a smart shopper--and you can figure out how to find a stellar deal and grab the best laptop prices. But why not get a little assistance and benefit from a laptop review blogger's research? Maybe you'll find a tip or two here that will save you time and money.
Let the "Early Adapters" Chase After the Latest Technology
It's easy to convince yourself that you ought to have whatever is cutting-edge and new when you buy a laptop. After all, computers become obsolete so rapidly that there are some good arguments for getting as much as possible of the "latest and greatest" when you go looking for a cheap new laptop. Remember, though, that some bells and whistles are more for entertainment or convenience than for performance. Don't skimp on performance, but don't think you have to have the very best DVD and gaming capabilities, either. You'll pay a high price for these--and insisting on having that stuff may lead you to overlook some excellent laptop values. Here are the minimum performance-related criteria you should be looking for if you are a student or professional:
Processor speed - 2 GHz and up
Memory - At least 1GB of RAM installed
Hard drive - 40 GB to 60 GB
Screen size - Around 15" for the best blend of portability and viewing experience
Weight - 5 lbs and under
Battery Life - At least 4 hours. (The low-voltage models now offer up to 12, by the way.) Also consider buying an additional battery when you make your purchase.
Buy a refurbished laptop
I've heard it said, when seeking computer buying advice, "Once a lemon, always a lemon." In other words (or so my uber-geek friends have told me), if a computer didn't work right for the person who first purchased it, it'll never work quite right for anyone else. I'm sorry--but I just don't buy this. There are a million reasons why someone might return a computer (including just being too computer-illiterate to know how to use it properly). I have personally had very experiences with buying a cheap new laptop from refurbished computer outlets.
Buy from a total geek
I'm being a little tongue in cheek here, but what I'm really saying here is, if you're willing to have your cheap new laptop actually be a (slightly) used new laptop, chase after the early adapters. We all know that person whose idea of obsolescence is a year-old computer that can't run World of Warcraft with quite the smoothness in high-def mode that it once did. Or whose identity is so defined by the computer subculture that it is an embarrassment to have an "older model" laptop. Try looking on Craigslist. The sellers who have exhaustive features lists and ads you can barely understand are your targets. Oh, and if you happen to find a geek who is also a conspiracy theorist, so much the better. You'll end up with a computer with great virus protection and spyware.
You also may want to check out gaming forums for their trading sections. (Most have a place where gamers can sell their computers so as to enable their next planned upgrade.)
Look on the manufacturer's websites
I've often found better cheap new laptop deals on the Toshiba website, for example, than from the major online shopping sites. Many of these are refurbished computers, but you'll also find models that are about to be replaced by a newer version.
Bookmark websites that give you quick recommendations and current sale alerts.

And, of course, it's also good to have a few sites bookmarked that offer good, current cheap new laptop recommendations and sale alerts. If you want some of those specifics on models and best laptop prices--in a format that won't totally overwhelm you with small-print comparison grids and ads, then come on over to My Cheap New Laptop and browse my recommendations and shopping suggestions.
On that site, I try to focus on the kind of full-featured laptops under $700 that would be appropriate for a student or professional. I also try to keep a current list of cheap gaming laptops for under $1000. So, go find your own holy grail of very cheap laptops at http://cheapnewlaptop.org

Barcelona
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This article is about the capital of Catalonia. For other uses, see Barcelona (disambiguation).
Barcelona
Clockwise from top: The Barcelona Skyline, La Barceloneta, Camp Nou, Diagonal Mar, Sagrada Familia, and Castell dels tres Dragons

Flag
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts),
Barna,
BCN
Barcelona is located in Catalonia
Barcelona
Location of Barcelona within Catalonia
Barcelona is located in Spain
Barcelona
Location of Barcelona within Spain
Coordinates: 41°23′N 2°11′E / 41.383°N 2.183°E / 41.383; 2.183Coordinates: 41°23′N 2°11′E / 41.383°N 2.183°E / 41.383; 2.183
Country Spain
Autonomous Community Catalonia
Province Barcelona
Comarca Barcelonès
Districts Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Gràcia, Horta-Guinardó, Les Corts, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu, Sants–Montjuïc, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Sant Martí
Government
- Type Mayor-council
- Body Ajuntament de Barcelona
- Mayor Jordi Hereu i Boher (PSC)
Area
- City 101.4 km2 (39.2 sq mi)
- Urban 803 km2 (310 sq mi)
Elevation(AMSL) 12 m (39 ft)
Population (2009)
- City 1,621,537
3,186,461 (Greater Barcelona)
- Rank 2nd in Spain
- Density 15,991/km2 (41,416.5/sq mi)
- Urban 4,200,000
- Metro 5,000,000
Demonym Barcelonan
barceloní, barcelonina
barcelonés, barcelonesa
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 08001–08080
Area code +34 (Spain) 93 (City)
Website www.bcn.cat

Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation: [bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish: [baɾθeˈlona]) is the capital and the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of 101.4 km2 (39 sq mi). The urban area of Barcelona extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of over 4,200,000[1][2] on a area of 803 km2 (310 sq mi),[1] it is the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Ruhr area, Madrid and Milan. About 5 million[3][4][5] people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is also Europe's largest metropolis on the Mediterranean coast. The main part of a union of adjacent cities and municipalities named Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) with a population of 3,186,461 in an area of 636 km² (density 5.010 hab/km²). It is located on the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs and is bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (512 m/1,680 ft).

Barcelona is recognised as a Global City due to its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education and tourism.[6][7] Indeed, it is a major economic centre and a growing financial center (Diagonal Mar area); one of Europe's principal Mediterranean ports can be found here as well as Barcelona international airport, which handles about 30 million passengers per year. It also boasts an extensive motorway network and is a hub of high-speed rail, particularly that which will link France with Spain and later Portugal. Barcelona was the 12th-most-visited city in the world and 4th most visited in Europe after London, Paris and Rome. It is in addition the most popular tourist destination in Spain (receiving above 5 million tourists every year).[8] Barcelona is the 15th most livable city in the World according to lifestyle magazine Monocle.[9] Similarly, according to Innovation Analysts 2thinknow, Barcelona occupies 13th place in the world on Innovation Cities globally.[10] It is the 4th richest city by GDP in the European Union and 35th in the world with an output amounting to €177 billion, a figure nonetheless smaller than alternative estimates. [11] Consequently, its GDP per capita output stands at €35,975 - some 44% higher than the European Union average. Similarly, the city of Barcelona stands in 29th place in a list of net personal earnings headed by Zurich.[12] The city is Europe's 3rd and one of the world's most successful as a city brand, both in terms of reputation and assets.[13]

Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, it became one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is well known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona.

As the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunya; of particular note are the executive branch, the parliament, and the Supreme Court of Catalonia. The city is also the capital of the Province of Barcelona and the Barcelonès comarca (shire).

Barcelona enjoys a Mediterranean climate. The summer's season lasts about 6 months, from May to October, although also in November and April sometimes there are temperatures above 20 °C (68.0 °F). Winters are mild, with average temperatures over 14.5 °C (58.1 °F) during the day and 5.5 °C (41.9 °F) at night in the period December to March.

History manchester united

History
Early years (1878–1945)
Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1878–1945)
refer to caption
A chart showing the progress of Manchester United F.C. through the English football league system from joining as Newton Heath in 1892–93 to 2007–08

Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath.[12] The team initially played games against other departments and rail companies, but by 1888 the club had become a founding member of The Combination, a regional football league. However, following the league's dissolution after just one season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance, which ran for three seasons before being merged with the Football League. This resulted in the club starting the 1892–93 season in the First Division, by which time it had become independent of the rail company and dropped the "LYR" from its name.[12] After just two seasons, the club was relegated to the Second Division.[12]
A black-and-white photograph of a football team lining up before a match. Four players, wearing dark shirts, light shorts and dark socks, are seated. Four more players are standing immediately behind them, and three more are standing on a higher level on the back row. Two men in suits are standing on either side of the players.
The Manchester United team at the start of the 1905–06 season, in which they were runners-up in the Second Division

In January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £210,000 as of 2010[13] – the club was served with a winding-up order.[14] Captain Harry Stafford found four local businessmen, including John Henry Davies (who became club president), each willing to invest £500 in return for a direct interest in running the club and who subsequently changed the name;[15] on 24 April 1902, Manchester United was officially born.[16][17] Under Ernest Mangnall, who assumed managerial duties in 1903, the team finished as Second Division runners-up in 1906 and secured promotion to the First Division, which they won in 1908 – the club's first league title. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield[18] and ended with the club's first FA Cup title. Manchester United won the First Division for the second time in 1911, but at the end of the following season, Mangnall left the club to join Manchester City.[19]

In 1922, three years after the resumption of football following the First World War, the club was relegated to the Second Division, where it remained until regaining promotion in 1925. Relegated again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934. Following the death of the club's principal benefactor, J. H. Davies, in October 1927, the club's finances deteriorated to the extent that Manchester United would likely have gone bankrupt had it not been for James W. Gibson, who, in December 1931, invested £2,000 and assumed control of the club.[20] In the 1938–39 season, the last year of football before the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division.[20]
Busby years (1945–1969)
Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1945–1969)
A black-and-white photograph of several people in suits and overcoats on the steps of an aircraft.
The Busby Babes in Denmark in 1955

In October 1945, the impending resumption of football led to the managerial appointment of Matt Busby, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers and training sessions.[21] Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947, 1948 and 1949, and to FA Cup victory in 1948. In 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41 years.[22] With an average age of 22, the media labelled the back-to-back title winning side of 1956 "the Busby Babes", a testament to Busby's faith in his youth players.[23] In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season.[24] En route to the semi-final, which they lost to Real Madrid, the team recorded a 10–0 victory over Belgian champions Anderlecht, which remains the club's biggest victory on record.[25]
A stone tablet, inscribed with the image of a football pitch and several names. It is surrounded by a stone border in the shape of a football stadium. Above the tablet is a wooden carving of two men holding a large wreath.
A plaque at Old Trafford in honour of the players who died in the Munich air disaster

The following season, on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory against Red Star Belgrade, the aircraft carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalists crashed while attempting to take off after refuelling in Munich, Germany. The Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958 claimed 23 lives, including those of eight players – Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan – and injured several more.[26][27]

Reserve team manager Jimmy Murphy took over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuries and the club's makeshift side reached the FA Cup final, which they lost to Bolton Wanderers. In recognition of the team's tragedy, UEFA invited the club to compete in the 1958–59 European Cup alongside eventual League champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite approval from the FA, the Football League determined that the club should not enter the competition, since it had not qualified.[28][29] Busby rebuilt the team through the 1960s by signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand, who combined with the next generation of youth players – including George Best – to win the FA Cup in 1963. The following season, they finished second in the league, then won the title in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 in the final[30] with a team that contained three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.[31] Matt Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve team coach, former Manchester United player Wilf McGuinness.[32]
1969–1986
Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1969–1986)
A smiling man with dark hair wearing a white, green and blue tracksuit top over a blue shirt. He is holding a washbag under his right arm.
Bryan Robson was the captain of Manchester United for 12 years, longer than any other player.[33]

Following an eighth-place finish in the 1969–70 season and a poor start to the 1970–71 season, Busby was persuaded to temporarily resume managerial duties, and McGuinness returned to his position as reserve team coach. In June 1971, Frank O'Farrell was appointed as manager, but lasted less than 18 months before being replaced by Tommy Docherty in December 1972.[34] Docherty saved Manchester United from relegation that season, only to see them relegated in 1974; by that time the trio of Best, Law, and Charlton had left the club.[30] The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. Docherty was dismissed shortly afterwards, following the revelation of his affair with the club physiotherapist's wife.[35][32]

Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977. Despite major signings, including Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Gary Bailey, and Ray Wilkins, the team failed to achieve any significant results; they finished in the top two in 1979–80 and lost to Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final. Sexton was dismissed in 1981, even though the team won the last seven games under his direction.[36] He was replaced by Ron Atkinson, who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from West Bromwich Albion. Under Atkinson, Manchester United won the FA Cup twice in three years – in 1983 and 1985. In 1985–86, after 13 wins and two draws in its first 15 matches, the club was favourite to win the league, but finished in fourth place. The following season, with the club in danger of relegation by November, Atkinson was dismissed.[37]
Ferguson years (1986–present)
Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1986–present)
The torso and head of a grey-haired white man. He is wearing spectacles and a black coat.
Alex Ferguson has been manager of Manchester United since November 1986.

Alex Ferguson and his assistant Archie Knox arrived from Aberdeen on the day of Atkinson's dismissal,[38] and guided the club to an 11th-place finish in the league.[39] Despite a second-place finish in 1987–88, the club was back in 11th place the following season.[40] Reportedly on the verge of being dismissed, victory over Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup Final replay (after a 3–3 draw) saved Ferguson's career.[41][42] The following season, Manchester United claimed its first Cup Winners' Cup title and competed in the 1991 UEFA Super Cup, beating European Cup holders Red Star Belgrade 1–0 in the final at Old Trafford. A second consecutive League Cup final appearance followed in 1992, in which the team beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at Wembley.[37] In 1993, the club won its first league title since 1967, and a year later, for the first time since 1957, it won a second consecutive title – alongside the FA Cup – to complete the first "Double" in the club's history.[37]
A white football player with short, dark, greying hair. He is wearing a red shirt, white shorts, white socks and white football boots. He is running and has puffed-out cheeks.
Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history.[43]

Manchester United's 1998–99 season was the most successful in English club football history as they became the first team to win the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League – "The Treble" – in the same season.[44] Losing 1–0 going into injury time in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored late goals to claim a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich, in what is considered one of the greatest comebacks of all time.[45] The club also won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo.[46] Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.[47]

In 2000, Manchester United competed in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil,[48] and won the league again in the 1999–2000 and 2000–01 seasons. The team finished as runners-up in 2001–02, before regaining the title in 2002–03. They won the 2003–04 FA Cup, beating Millwall 3–0 in the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.[49] In the 2005–06 season Manchester United failed to qualify for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade, but recovered to secure a second-place league finish and victory over Wigan Athletic in the 2006 Football League Cup Final. The club regained the Premier League in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, and completed the European double by beating Chelsea 6–5 on penalties in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Ryan Giggs made a record 759th appearance for the club in this game, overtaking previous record holder Bobby Charlton.[50] In December 2008, the club won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup and followed this with the 2008–09 Football League Cup, and its third successive Premier League title.[51][52] That summer, Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million.[53] In 2010, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2–1 at Wembley to retain the League Cup, its first successful defence of a knockout cup competition.[54]
Crest and colours
A football crest. In the centre is a shield with a ship in full sail above a red field with three diagonal black lines. Either side of the shield are two stylised roses, separating two scrolls. The upper scroll is red and reads "Manchester United" in black type, while the lower scroll is white with "Football Club" also written in black.
Manchester United badge in the 1960s

The club crest is derived from the Manchester City Council coat of arms, although all that remains of it on the current crest is the ship in full sail.[55] The devil stems from the club's nickname "The Red Devils"; it was included on club programmes and scarves in the 1960s, and incorporated into the club crest in 1970, although the crest was not included on the chest of the shirt until 1973 (unless the team was playing in a Cup Final).[55]

The earliest known photograph of the Newton Heath team, taken in 1892, shows the players wearing a red-and-white quartered jerseys and blue shorts.[56] Between 1894–96, the players wore distinctive green and gold jerseys with laced collars,[56] which were replaced in 1896 by white shirts, which were worn with blue shorts.[56] After its name change in 1902, the club colours were changed to red shirts, white shorts, and black socks, which has become the standard Manchester United home kit.[56] Very few changes were made to the shirt until 1922 when players wore a white shirt bearing a deep red "V" around the neck until 1927, similar to the shirt worn in the 1909 FA Cup Final.[56] In 1934, players wore maroon shirts with white hoops, but the following season the red shirt was recalled after the club's lowest ever league placing of 20th in the Second Division.[56] The current home kit is a red shirt with a white collar, worn with white shorts and black socks.[57]

The Manchester United away strip has more often than not been a white shirt, black shorts and white socks, but there have been several exceptions. These include the navy blue shirt with silver horizontal pinstripes worn during the 1999–2000 season,[58] and the current away kit which is a black shirt with a blue chevron, with black shorts and socks, both with blue trim.[59] An all-grey away kit worn during the 1995–96 season was dropped after just two games because players claimed to have trouble finding their team-mates against the crowd.[60] In 2001, to celebrate 100 years as "Manchester United", a reversible white/gold away kit was released, although the actual match day shirts were not reversible.[61] The club's third kit is often all-blue, this was most recently the case during the 2008–09 season, to celebrate 40 years since it was worn for the club's first European Cup win in 1968.[62] Exceptions include blue-and-white striped shirts worn during the 1994–96 season, an all black kit worn during the Treble winning season, and white shirts with black-and-red horizontal pinstripes worn between 2003–05.[63] The club's 2008–09 season away kit – a white shirt with blue and red trim, worn with blue shorts and white socks – was used as the club's third kit during the 2009–10 season.[64][65]
Grounds
Main articles: North Road, Bank Street, and Old Trafford
Old Trafford Theatre of Dreams
A stand of a football stadium. The seats are red, and the words "Manchester United" are written in white seats. The roof of the stand is supported by a cantilever structure. On the lip of the roof, it reads "Old Trafford Manchester".
Location Sir Matt Busby Way,
Old Trafford,
Greater Manchester,
England
Broke ground 1909
Opened 19 February 1910
Owner Manchester United
Operator Manchester United
Construction cost £90,000 (1909)
Architect Archibald Leitch (1909)
Capacity 75,957 seated[2]
Tenants
Manchester United (1910–present)

Newton Heath initially played on a field on North Road, close to the railway yard; the original capacity was about 12,000, but club officials deemed the facilities inadequate for a club hoping to join The Football League.[66] Some expansion took place in 1887, and in 1891 Newton Heath used its minimal financial reserves to purchase two grandstands, each able to hold 1,000 spectators.[67] Although attendances were not recorded for many of the earliest matches at North Road, the highest documented attendance was approximately 15,000 for a First Division match against Sunderland on 4 March 1893.[68] A similar attendance was also recorded for a friendly match against Gorton Villa on 5 September 1889.[69]

In June 1893, after the club was evicted from North Road by its owners, Manchester Deans and Canons, who felt it was inappropriate for the club to charge an entry fee to the ground, secretary A. H. Albut procured the use of the Bank Street ground in Clayton.[70] It initially had no stands, by the start of the 1893–94 season, two had been built; one spanning the full length of the pitch on one side and the other behind the goal at the "Bradford end". At the opposite end, the "Clayton end", the ground had been "built up, thousands thus being provided for".[70] Newton Heath's first league match at Bank Street was played against Burnley on 1 September 1893, when 10,000 people saw Alf Farman score a hat-trick, Newton Heath's only goals in a 3–2 win. The remaining stands were completed for the following league game against Nottingham Forest three weeks later.[70] In October 1895, before the visit of Manchester City, the club purchased a 2,000-capacity stand from the Broughton Rangers rugby league club, and put up another stand on the "reserved side" (as distinct from the "popular side"). However, weather restricted the attendance for the Manchester City match to just 12,000.[71]

When the Bank Street ground was temporarily closed by bailiffs in 1902, club captain Harry Stafford raised enough money to pay for the club's next away game at Bristol City and found a temporary ground at Harpurhey for the next reserves game against Padiham.[72] Following financial investment, new club president J.H. Davies paid £500 for the erection of a new 1,000-seat stand at Bank Street.[73] Within four years, the stadium had cover on all four sides, as well as the ability to hold approximately 50,000 spectators, some of whom could watch from the viewing gallery atop the Main Stand.[73]

However, following Manchester United's first league title in 1908 and the FA Cup a year later, it was decided that Bank Street was too restrictive for Davies' ambition;[73] in February 1909, six weeks before the club's first FA Cup title, Old Trafford was named as the home of Manchester United, following the purchase of land for around £60,000. Architect Archibald Leitch was given a budget of £30,000 for construction; original plans called for seating capacity of 100,000, though budget constraints forced a revision to 77,000. The building was constructed by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester. The stadium's record attendance was registered on 25 March 1939, when an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town drew 76,962 spectators.[74]

Bombing in the Second World War destroyed much of the stadium; the central tunnel in the South Stand was all that remained of that quarter. After the war, the club received compensation from the War Damage Commission in the amount of £22,278. While reconstruction took place, the team played its "home" games at Manchester City's Maine Road ground; Manchester United was charged £5,000 per year, plus a nominal percentage of gate receipts.[75] Later improvements included the addition of roofs, first to the Stretford End and then to the North and East Stands. The roofs were supported by pillars that obstructed many fans' views, and they were eventually replaced with a cantilevered structure. The Stretford End was the last stand to receive a cantilevered roof, completed in time for the 1993–94 season.[32] First used on 25 March 1957 and costing £40,000, four 180-foot (55 m) pylons were erected, each housing 54 individual floodlights. These were dismantled in 1987 and replaced by a lighting system embedded in the roof of each stand, which remains in use today.[76]

The Taylor Report's requirement for an all-seater stadium lowered capacity at Old Trafford to around 44,000 by 1993. In 1995, the North Stand was redeveloped into three tiers, restoring capacity to approximately 55,000. At the end of the 1998–99 season, second tiers were added to the East and West Stands, raising capacity to around 67,000, and between July 2005 and May 2006, 8,000 more seats were added via second tiers in the north-west and north-east quadrants. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when an attendance of 69,070 became a new Premier League record.[77] The record was pushed steadily upwards before reaching its peak on 31 March 2007, when 76,098 spectators saw Manchester United beat Blackburn Rovers 4–1, with just 114 seats (0.15 percent of the total capacity of 76,212) unoccupied.[78] In 2009, reorganisation of the seating resulted in a reduction of capacity by 255 to 75,957.[2][79]
Support

Manchester United is reputed to be the most popular football club in the world, with the highest average home attendance in Europe.[80] The club's worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Manchester United Supporters Club (MUSC), in at least 24 countries.[81] The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Manchester United has 75 million fans worldwide,[7] while other estimates put this figure closer to 333 million.[8]

Supporters are represented by two independent bodies; the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA), which maintains close links to the club through the MUFC Fans Forum,[82] and the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST). After the Glazer family's takeover in 2005, a group of fans formed a splinter club, F.C. United of Manchester. The West Stand of Old Trafford – the "Stretford End" – is the home end and the traditional source of the club's most vocal support.[83]
Rivalries
Main articles: Manchester derby, Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry, and Leeds United A.F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry

Manchester United has major ongoing rivalries with three clubs: Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United.[84][85] The most hotly contested derby fixture is often versus Liverpool, described by Ryan Giggs as "probably the most famous fixture in English football",[86] as both teams have dominated certain periods of English football.[87] The rivalry is considered a manifestation of the cities' competition during industrial times, when they competed for supremacy of the north-west; Manchester was famous for its textile industry, while Liverpool was considered the world's pre-eminent port.[88] This fixture also has a history of hooliganism; at the 1996 FA Cup Final, an unidentified Liverpool fan spat at Eric Cantona and threw a punch at Alex Ferguson as a victorious Manchester United team walked up the steps at Wembley Stadium to collect the trophy from the Royal Box.[89] At an FA Cup match in 2006, an ambulance carrying Alan Smith, who had broken his leg during the match, was attacked by Liverpool fans.[90]

Informally known as the "Roses Rivalry",[91] the rivalry with Leeds United has its origins in the Wars of the Roses fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, Manchester United representing Lancashire and Leeds representing Yorkshire.[92] Independent research by the Football Fans Census showed that in English football Leeds and Manchester United are among the top three clubs which fans of other sides feel passionately against.[93]
Global brand

Manchester United has been described as a global brand; a 2009 report valued the club's trademarks and associated intellectual property at £329 million, and gave the brand a strength rating of AAA (Extremely Strong).[94] In 2010, Forbes magazine ranked Manchester United second only to the New York Yankees in its list of the ten most valuable sports team brands, valuing the Manchester United brand at $285 million (16 percent of the club's $1.835 billion value).[9] The club is currently ranked third in the Deloitte Football Money League (behind Real Madrid and Barcelona).[10]

The core strength of Manchester United's global brand is often attributed to Matt Busby's rebuilding of the team and subsequent success following the Munich air disaster, which drew worldwide acclaim.[83] The "iconic" team included Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles (members of England's World Cup winning team), Denis Law and George Best. The attacking style of play adopted by this team (in contrast to the defensive-minded "catenaccio" approach favoured by the leading Italian teams of the era) "captured the imagination of the English footballing public".[95] Busby's team also became associated with the liberalisation of Western society during the 1960s; George Best, known as the "fifth Beatle" for his iconic haircut, was the first footballer to significantly develop an off-the-field media profile.[95]

As the first English football club to float on the London Stock Exchange in 1991, the club raised significant capital, with which it further developed its commercial strategy. The club's focus on commercial and sporting success brought significant profits in an industry often characterised by chronic losses.[96] The strength of the Manchester United brand was bolstered by intense off-the-field media attention to individual players, most notably David Beckham (who quickly developed his own global brand). This attention often generates greater interest in on-the-field activities, and hence generates sponsorship opportunities – the value of which is driven by television exposure.[97] During his time with the club, Beckham's popularity across Asia was integral to the club's commercial success in that part of the world.[98]

Because higher league placement results in a greater share of television rights, success on the field generates greater income for the club. Since the inception of the Premier League, Manchester United has received the largest share of the revenue generated from the BSkyB broadcasting deal.[99] Manchester United has also consistently enjoyed the highest commercial income of any English club; in 2005–06, the club's commercial arm generated £51 million, compared to £42.5 million at Chelsea, £39.3 million at Liverpool, £34 million at Arsenal and £27.9 million at Newcastle United. A key sponsorship relationship is with sportswear company Nike, who manage the club's merchandising operation as part of a £303 million 13-year partnership established in 2002.[100] Through Manchester United Finance and the club's membership scheme, One United, those with an affinity for the club can purchase a range of branded goods and services. Additionally, Manchester United-branded media services – such as the club's dedicated television channel, MUTV – have allowed the club to expand its fan base to those beyond the reach of its Old Trafford stadium.[7]
Sponsorship

In an initial five-year deal worth £500,000, Sharp Electronics became the club's first shirt sponsor at the beginning of the 1982–83 season, a relationship that lasted until the end of the 1999–2000 season, when Vodafone agreed a four-year, £30 million deal.[101] Vodafone agreed to pay £36 million to extend the deal by four years, but after two seasons triggered a break clause in order to concentrate on its sponsorship of the Champions League.[101]

To commence at the start of the 2006–07 season, American insurance corporation AIG agreed a four-year £56.5 million deal which in September 2006 became the most valuable in the world.[102][103] At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, American reinsurance company Aon became the club's principal sponsor in a four-year deal reputed to be worth approximately £80 million, making it the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in football history.[104]

The club's first kit manufacturer was Umbro, until a five-year deal was agreed with Admiral Sportswear in 1975.[105] Adidas received the contract in 1980,[106] before Umbro started a second spell in 1992.[107] Umbro's sponsorship lasted for ten years, followed by Nike's record-breaking £302.9 million deal that will last until 2015; 3.8 million replica shirts were sold in the first 22 months with the company.[108][109] In addition to Nike and Aon, the club also has several lower-level "platinum" sponsors, including Audi and Budweiser.[110]
Ownership and finances
See also: Malcolm Glazer ownership of Manchester United

Originally funded by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, the club became a limited company in 1892 and sold shares to local supporters for £1 via an application form.[15] In 1902, majority ownership passed to the four local businessmen who invested £500 to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president J.H Davies.[15] After his death in 1927, the club faced bankruptcy yet again, but was saved in December 1931 by James W. Gibson, who assumed control of the club after investing £2,000.[20] Gibson promoted his son, Alan, to the board in 1948,[111] but died three years later; the Gibson family retained ownership of the club,[112] but the position of chairman passed to former player Harold Hardman.[113]

Promoted to the board a few days after the Munich air disaster, Louis Edwards, a friend of Matt Busby, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately £40,000, he accumulated a 54 percent shareholding and took control in January 1964.[114] When Lillian Gibson died in January 1971, her shares passed to Alan Gibson who sold a percentage of his shares to Louis Edwards' son, Martin in 1978; Martin Edwards went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 1980.[115] Media tycoon Robert Maxwell attempted to buy the club in 1984, but did not meet Edwards' asking price.[115] In 1989, chairman Martin Edwards attempted to sell the club to Michael Knighton for £20 million, but the sale fell through and Knighton joined the Board of Directors instead.[115]

Manchester United was floated on the stock market in June 1991 (raising £6.7 million),[116] and received yet another takeover bid in 1998, this time from Rupert Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting Corporation. This resulted in the formation of Shareholders United Against Murdoch – now the Manchester United Supporters' Trust – who encouraged supporters to buy shares in the club in an attempt to block any hostile takeover. The Manchester United board accepted a £623 million offer,[117] but the takeover was blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission at the final hurdle in April 1999.[118] A few years later, a power struggle emerged between the club's manager, Alex Ferguson, and his horse-racing partners, John Magnier and J. P. McManus, who had gradually become the majority shareholders. In a dispute that stemmed from contested ownership of the horse Rock of Gibraltar, Magnier and McManus attempted to have Ferguson removed from his position as manager, and the board responded by approaching investors to attempt to reduce the Irishmen's majority.[119]

In May 2005, Malcolm Glazer purchased the 28.7 percent stake held by McManus and Magnier, thus acquiring a controlling interest through his investment vehicle Red Football Ltd in a highly leveraged takeover valuing the club at approximately £800 million (then approx. $1.5 billion).[120][121] In July 2006, the club announced a £660 million debt refinancing package, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in annual interest payments to £62 million a year.[122][123] In January 2010, with debts of £716.5 million ($1.17 billion),[124] Manchester United further refinanced through a bond issue worth £504 million, enabling them to pay off most of the £509 million owed to international banks.[125] The annual interest payable on the bonds – which mature on 1 February 2017 – is approximately £45 million per annum.[126] Despite restructuring, the club's debt prompted protests from fans on 23 January 2010, at Old Trafford and the club's Trafford Training Centre.[127][128] Supporter groups encouraged match-going fans to wear green and gold, the colours of Newton Heath. On 30 January, reports emerged that the Manchester United Supporters' Trust had held meetings with a group of wealthy fans, dubbed the "Red Knights", with plans to buying out the Glazers' controlling interest.[129] wikipedia.com

Manchester United F.C.

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Manchester United

Nama lengkap	Manchester United
Julukan	The Red Devils (Setan Merah)
Didirikan	1878, sebagai Newton Heath L&YR F.C.
Stadion	Old Trafford, Manchester (Kapasitas: 76.000)
Pemilik	Malcolm Glazer
Ketua	Joel Glazer Avram Glazer
Manajer	Sir Alex Ferguson
Liga	Premier League
2009-10	Premiership (2)
Kostum kandang Kostum tandang Kostum ketiga

Manchester United F.C. (biasa disingkat Man Utd, Man United atau hanya MU ) adalah sebuah klub sepak bola papan atas di Inggris yang berbasis di Old Trafford, Manchester,
Dibentuk sebagai Newton Heath L&YR F.C. pada 1878 sebagai tim sepak bola depot Perusahaan Kereta Api Lancashire dan Yorkshire Railway di Newton Heath, namanya berganti menjadi Manchester United pada 1902.
Meski sejak dulu telah termasuk salah satu tim terkuat di Inggris, barulah sejak 1993 Manchester United meraih dominasi yang besar di kejuaraan domestik di bawah arahan Sir Alex Ferguson - dominasi dengan skala yang tidak terlihat sejak berakhirnya era Liverpool F.C. pada pertengahan 1970-an dan awal 1980-an. Sejak bergulirnya era Premiership di tahun 1992, Manchester United adalah tim yang paling sukses dengan sebelas kali merebut trofi juara.
Meskipun sukses di kompetisi domestik, kesuksesan tersebut masih sulit diulangi di kejuaraan Eropa; mereka hanya pernah meraih juara di Liga Champions tiga kali sepanjang sejarahnya (1968, 1999, 2008).
Sejak musim 86-87, mereka telah meraih 21 trofi besar - jumlah ini merupakan yang terbanyak di antara klub-klub Liga Utama Inggris. Mereka telah memenangi 18 trofi juara Liga Utama Inggris (termasuk saat masih disebut Divisi Satu). Pada tahun 1968, mereka menjadi tim Inggris pertama yang berhasil memenangi Liga Champions Eropa, setelah mengalahkan S.L. Benfica 4–1, dan mereka memenangi Liga Champions Eropa untuk kedua kalinya pada tahun 1999 dan sekali lagi pada tahun 2008 setelah mengalahkan Chelsea F.C. di final. Mereka juga memegang rekor memenangi Piala FA sebanyak 11 kali.^[1] Pada 2008, mereka menjadi klub Inggris pertama dan klub Eropa kedua yang berhasil menjadi Juara Dunia Antarklub FIFA.
Pada 12 Mei 2005, pengusaha Amerika Serikat Malcolm Glazer menjadi pemilik klub dengan membeli mayoritas saham yang bernilai £800 juta (US$1,47 milyar) diikuti dengan banyak protes dari para pendukung fanatik.

United 3 Newcastle 0

La búsqueda de los Rojos para recuperar el título de la Liga Premier de Barclays inició en el Old Trafford este lunes por la noche, con una dominante victoria sobre el recién ascendido Newcastle United.

manchester united
Los goles de Dimitar Berbatov y Darren Fletcher dieron una bien merecida ventaja al equipo local en el primer tiempo, antes de que Ryan Giggs, quien entró de cambio, anotara un tanto de volea para acentuar el dominio del United. Sin embargo, para entonces, era puramente teórico: nunca se dudó que el resultado fuera a terminar en contra de los Magpies, que batallaron para despegar, a pesar de unos alentadores primeros 10 minutos.
manchester united
La expectativa previa al partido en la televisión fue mayor que de costumbre, ya que la afición esperaba ver el tipo de equipo que Sir Alex alinearía para el primer partido de la temporada. Pronto fue evidente que no había lugar para los fichajes del verano del United; Chris Smalling y Javier Hernández iniciaron en la banca. Berbatov y Wayne Rooney recibieron la luz verde para dirigir el ataque, mientras Patrice Evra, a pesar de no aparecer en ninguno de los partidos de pretemporada del United, ocupó su posición regular como lateral izquierdo.http://www.espanol.manutd.com

Young Boys seek spirit of Istanbul Published: Monday 16 August 2010, 16.54CET Two teams targeting a group-stage debut come face to face as BSC Young Boys look to repeat their surprise win against Fenerbahçe SK when they host Tottenham Hotspur FC. by Michael Schifferle

BSC Young Boys have already caused one upset by defeating Fenerbahçe SK in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round; now the Swiss side will attempt to pip Tottenham Hotspur FC to a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Neither of the teams meeting in the first leg of their play-off in Berne on Tuesday have made the group stage before. Spurs are making their bow in the tournament in its modern format, though they did reach the 1961/62 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals. Young Boys were semi-finalists even further back, in 1958/59, yet Vladimir Petković's men secured a 1-0 win over Fenerbahçe in Istanbul on 4 August to prevail 3-2 on aggregate with a display of real swagger that belied their mixed start to the Swiss Super League season.
Their domestic difficulties continued on Saturday, however, with a 1-0 home loss to previously winless Neuchâtel Xamax FC, leaving Young Boys with just five points from as many fixtures. Tottenham also failed to score in their Premier League opener, held 0-0 by Manchester City FC, but Young Boys chief scout Stéphane Chapuisat – who was at White Hart Lane – knows the scoreline did not reflect Spurs' performance. "Tottenham put City under a lot of pressure and played very aggressively with attacking wingers," the former Switzerland striker said. "They created several outstanding opportunities and could have won by a clear margin."
Young Boys coach Vladimir Petković was disappointed by his side's result on Saturday but hopes they can recapture the spirit of Istanbul on Wednesday evening. "These are the matches you play football for," he said. "We want to seize our small chance. If we play like we did against Fenerbahçe, with that much passion and maybe a little bit more efficiently, then we are not without a chance."
While Tottenham, whose captain Ledley King will be left out of the game on the artificial Stade de Suiss surface, are new to the competition, not all of their players are. Heurelho Gomes – a semi-finalist with PSV Eindhoven in 2006 – cannot wait to return. "It's great to be in the Champions League again," the goalkeeper said. "I played in it for four years at PSV and I know how good it is. It's amazing to play in the Champions League with Tottenham now. It's the most important club competition in the world. Yes, we have a tough game against Young Boys. They did really well to beat Fenerbahçe. We all hope to get past them but we know it will be difficult."http://www.uefa.com

Klub Young Boys Kalahkan Tottenham, Ajax Imbang Lawan Kiev , Antara - Rabu, 18 Agustus

[Klub Young Boys Kalahkan Tottenham, Ajax Imbang Lawan Kiev] Klub Young Boys Kalahkan Tottenham, Ajax Imbang Lawan Kiev

London (ANTARA/Reuters) - Serangan Roman Pavlyuchenko pada menit akhir memberi Tottenham Hotspur harapan untuk tetap bisa melaju di laga Liga Champions saat melawan klub Swiss, Young Boys, ketika dia berhasil memperkecil kekalahan mereka menjadi 2-3 pada pertandingan pertemuan (leg) pertama babak playoff liga tersebut.

Senad Lulic, Henri Bienvenu dan Xavier Hochstrasser mencetak gol bagi Young Boys sehingga unggul dengan 3-0 setelah pertandingan berlangsung 28 menit di lapangan rumput tiruan Stade de Suisse di Berne tetapi Sebastien Bassong membalaskan satu gol bagi Hotspur sebelum babak pertama berakhir dan tembakan Pavlyuchenko, yang tidak dapat dihentikan setelah menit ke-83 menghasilkan gol kedua bagi Hotspur untuk memberi harapan kepada tim itu di pertemuan kedua Rabu pekan depan di London.

Dengan memperoleh dua gol di kandang lawan, Tottenham Hotspur masih memiliki harapan besar untuk bisa menang dalam agregat gol jika di leg kedua pekan depan mereka menang dengan angka yang meyakinkan.

"Di bagian akhir ada kekalahan yang luar biasa karena terjadi sesuatu dan jika kami tadinya kalah 3-0 maka kami sudah tersingkir," ujar pelatih Tottenham Harry Redknapp kepada Sky Sports.

"Kami tidak suka bermain di permukaan (plastik) itu, kami jadi tidak dapat memperoleh bola dan kami tampak tidak percaya diri dalam permainan kami dan kami mengalami kesulitan yang membuat putus asa untuk bisa bermain dengan "fair". Sekarang pertandingan bisa dianggap berimbang dan kami memiliki peluang besar di kandang kami."

Dalam empat pertandingan lain pada Selasa, juara Eropa empat-kali Ajax Amsterdam bermain imbang 1-1 dalam pertandingan tandang melawan Dynamo Kiev sementara klub Norwegia Rosenborg Trondheim mengalahkan FC Copenhagen 2-1 di kandang mereka.

Sparta Prague kalah 0-2 di kandang saat berhadapan dengan klub Slowakia Zilina dan Zenit St Petersburg hanya menang tipis 1-0 melawan klub Prancis Auxerre.

Sebanyak lima lagi pertandingan playoff dimulai Rabu (Kamis WIB) termasuk pertandingan antara Werder Bremen dan Sampdoria.

Inter Pantau Dos Santos

Inter Pantau Dos Santos
18/08/2010 19:32:00 Wisnu Nova Wistowo

Giovani Dos Santos (kiri).

Performa yang terus meningkat dari Giovani Dos Santos terutama di Piala Dunia 2010 mencuri perhatian Inter Milan yang sekarang terus memantaunya. Ia menjadi pilihan untuk menggantikan posisi Mario Balotelli yang hengkang ke Manchester City.

Agresifitas Dos Santos sebagai penyerang tentu menjadi pertimbangan tersendiri bagi I Nerazzurri. Seperti yang dilansir Tuttosport, juara Seria A dan Liga Champion ini sekarang sedang memonitoring situasi di White Hart Lane. Hal itu karena saat ini Inter mempunyai dana segar pasca penjualan penyerang muda, Balotelli ke City.

Musim lalu eks Barca ini gagal mendapat tempat pertama di Tottenham Hotspur. Alhasil, enam bulan belakangan ia menghabiskan musim di Galatasaray dengan status pinjaman. Namun, penampilan impresifnya bersama timnas Meksiko di Afrika Selatan Dos Santos kembali mendapat tempat di skuad Spurs. Ia terlihat kembali bermain di leg pertama laga kualifikasi Liga Champion melawan Young Boys, Selasa (17/8).

Meningkatnya penampilan penyerang berusia 21 tahun belakangan ini tentu menjadikan Spurs tidak begitu saja akan melepas talenta emasnya itu. Hal itu akan menyulitkan Inter untuk merekrut Dos Santos sebelum bursa transfer resmi ditutup. http://www.bolanews.com

Fast starts and fluffed lines

Fast starts and fluffed lines
(FIFA.com) Wednesday 18 August 2010


Headline-making hat-tricks from Didier Drogba and Paul Hartley and shock results for Benfica, Sporting and Boca Juniors feature in FIFA.com’s latest statistical review, with Sevilla’s Frederic Kanoute also in focus.
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goals in their last three home matches – an average of seven per game – is the incredible tally that Chelsea’s 6-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday helped to establish. The English champions ended last season in sparkling home form with 7-0 and 8-0 victories over Stoke City and Wigan Athletic respectively, and this latest Stamford Bridge drubbing represents the biggest-ever opening day win in Premier League history. Didier Drogba was the Baggies’ tormentor-in-chief with a hat-trick that took him on to 134 Chelsea goals, beyond the legendary Jimmy Greaves into sixth place in the club’s list of all-time leading marksmen. Frank Lampard was also on target and has now scored six Premier League goals in opening-weekend fixtures, a tally that only Alan Shearer (8) and Teddy Sheringham (7) can better.
9

opening-day matches without a win for Academica and 14 consecutive home victories for Benfica: these were the statistics that greeted the visitors at the Estadio da Luz on Day 1 of the Portuguese Liga season. Ninety minutes later, however, the Coimbra outfit were celebrating a famous triumph, secured in dramatic fashion when a glorious 35-yard curler from Laionel in the final minute of injury time secured a 2-1 win for the ten-man underdogs. Benfica’s city rivals, Sporting, fared no better, going down 1-0 to Pacos de Ferreira in their first opening-day defeat in 15 years. Porto, on the other hand, did start with a victory, and their rivals may be perturbed to know that Os Dragões have claimed the title in each of the last five seasons in which they have won their opening fixture.
4

wins from their last ten matches at the Bombonera is the disappointing return that has seen Boca Juniors claim just 46 per cent of available points in their home stadium this year. The legendary arena, renowned for its intimidating atmosphere, has often been a fortress, with Boca’s point ratio standing at 85 per cent in 2008. However, Los Xeneizes’ subsequent slide is reflected in a rate of 52 per cent in 2009 and a further drop this year. Indeed, with two games played in the current Apertura – and the fortunes of old rivals River Plate finally reviving – Boca are languishing in the bottom half of the table having taken just one point from six.
3

goals, all from the penalty spot, provided Paul Hartley with a dream Aberdeen debut. The veteran Scotland midfielder, who was immediately made captain at Pittodrie following his close-season arrival, joined the club with only one goal to his name in 2010. However, by dispatching all three spot kicks in a 4-0 opening day win over Hamilton Academical, Hartley became the only player in the history of the Scottish Premier League to score a hat-trick of penalties. The former Celtic and Hearts stalwart also became the first Aberdeen player in 104 years – since Augustus Lowe in 1904 – to mark his debut with a treble.
2

goals against Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup final left Frederic Kanoute on 107 for Sevilla and continued his climb up the club’s scoring charts. The Malian’s double in a 3-1 win over the champions left him 32 goals short of Pato Araujo, who sits second in Los Rojiblancos’ all-time standings on 139. Juan Arza, who scored 182 times for the club during 1940s and ‘50s, is their all-time leading scorer, and Kanoute – who last year surpassed Davor Suker as Sevilla’s best-ever foreign marksman - may find that tally a little tougher to match. A more pressing concern for the former African Footballer of the Year, however, will be denying Barça a record eighth Super Cup when the teams resume hostilies on Saturday.

Google Singkirkan Aplikasi Android Adolf Hitler

Stefanus Yugo Hindarto - Okezone

CALIFORNIA - Sejarah kelam perang dunia kedua, masih membekas di hati sejumlah negara, seperti Jerman dan Amerika Serikat. Tak heran jika hal-hal berbau tokoh perang dunia kedua, Adolf Hitler mengundang perdebatan.

Baru-baru ini, Google di protes karena memasukan aplikasi Theme Adolf Hitler di Android App Marketplace. Analis dari Altimeter Group, Michael Gartenberg melaporkan adanya theme Adolf hitler untuk sistem operasi Android.

"Aku sangat terganggu bagaimana Theme tersebut muncul dalam hasil pencarian. Jelas hal ini dibuat untuk menyinggung," tulis Gartenberg di akun twitternya seperti dilansir Engadget, Minggu (15/8/2010).

Setelah mendapatkan protes, Google langsung menyingkirkan aplikasi tersebut dari Android Market. gartenberg mengaku, ia telah mendapatkan balasan dari Google yang menyatakan telah menghapus aplikasi Pro Hitler, dan mengakui bahwa aplikasi tersebut melanggar Term of Service (ToS) yang ada di Android Market.

Gartenberg, menjelaskan ketika itu ia mencoba mencari aplikasi dengan kata 'jewish' namun, tak ditemukan aplikasi apapun. Namun, ketika ia mengetikkan kata 'Hitler' maka ada beberapa aplikasi yang keluar seperti 'Hitler Theme 2', sebuah aplikasi yang dikembangkan oleh Creature Apps. Selain itu, ketika diketik kata 'Nazi' maka yang muncul adalah aplikasi-aplikasi yang sama ketika mencari dengan menggunakan kata 'Hitler'.

Google sendiri mengungkapkan bahwa aplikasi 'Hitler Theme 2' baru diunduh sekira 50 kali. Banyak yang menyesalkan tentang keberadaan aplikasi tersebut, apalagi dibuat oleh pengembang sekelas Creature Apps.

Pengembang aplikasi Creature Apps, selama ini dikenal sebagai pengembang aplikasi Pinup Girl 7 Theme, Legend of the Seeker Theme,'Team Edward Twilight Theme, dan Waldo Theme. (ugo)

"Persija Tim Besar tapi Miskin Prestasi"

Rahmad Darmawan telah terikat perjanjian prakontrak dengan manajemen Persija

VIVAnews - Selangkah lagi Rahmad Darmawan resmi menjadi pelatih Persija Jakarta. Pasalnya, meski belum menandatangani kontrak kerja, namun mantan pelatih Persipura dan Sriwijaya ini telah terikat perjanjian prakontrak dengan manajemen Persija.

Ini merupakan kali kedua, Rahmad menukangi Persija. Sebelumnya, pria kelahiran Metro, Lampung itu pernah menangani Macan Kemayoran pada musim kompetisi 2006/2007. Namun Rahmad gagal menghadirkan gelar juara bagi tim asal ibu kota tersebut.

Senin, 16 Agustus 2010, Rahmad mulai memimpin latihan Persija di Lapangan Sepakbola, Ragunan, Jakarta Selatan. Ini merupakan latihan perdana Ismed Sofyan cs jelang bergulirnya kompetisi musim 2010/2011. Latihan diikuti oleh oleh 19 pemain.

Setelah latihan, Rahmad menyempatkan diri untuk wawancara dengan sejumlah media termasuk VIVAnews. Kepada wartawan, Rahmad membeberkan alasan kepulangannya ke Persija dan target yang diusungnya pada musim ini.

Berikut petikan wawancara dengan pelatih yang juga anggota aktif TNI AL itu.

Anda sudah mulai melatih Persija Jakarta. Apakah ini berarti kontrak Anda dengan Persija sudah ditandatangani?
Sebenarnya proses penandatangan kontrak dilakukan hari ini. Namun karena manajemen ada kesibukan yang tak bisa ditinggalkan, jadwalnya akhirnya diundur.

Lantas apa yang mendasari Anda memimpin latihan Persija hari ini?
Sebelumnya, saya dan manajamen sudah terikat dengan prakontrak. Tadinya saya mau menunggu sampai penandatangan kontrak. Namun saya lihat pemain sudah kumpul semua, kenapa saya tidak latihan saja? Saya pun berubah pikiran dan memutuskan untuk datang.

Berapa lama masa kontrak Anda bersama Persija?
Awalnya manajamen menawarkan kontrak dua tahun kepada saya. Namun untuk sementara saya meminta kontrak setahun saja.

Kenapa Anda memilih Persija?
Kepindahan saya ke Persija sebenarnya sebuah kejutan. Setelah bercerai dengan Sriwijaya FC, saya sebenarnya telah melakukan pembicaraan yang intens dengan salah satu klub.

Persija kemudian menghubungi saya. Saya lalu menelepon atasan saya (di TNI AL). Oleh atasan, saya diminta untuk menemui Harianto Badjoeri (manajer Persija). Pembicaraan cuma satu hari dan saya akhirnya sepakat untuk berlabuh di Persija.

Meski demikian, faktor kedinasaan bukan alasan utama saya berlabuh di Persija. Selama ini atasan memang selalu mengarahkan saya namun saya tetap diberi kebebasan untuk memilih.

Anda pernah gagal saat menangani Persija pada musim kompetisi 2006/2007. Apa yang mendorong Anda kembali lagi?
Persija merupakan tim yang saya idam-idamkan selama ini. Kebetulan saya cukup lama bermain untuk tim ini. Persija merupakan tim besar namun masih miskin prestasi. Saya ingin tim ini meraih prestasi seperti tim-tim yang pernah saya tangani sebelumnya.

Dulu (musim kompetisi 2006/2007) saya hanya punya waktu persiapan selama dua pekan. Banyak pemain yang diincar juga gagal sehingga harus bongkar pasang pemain di tengah jalan. Saat ini waktu persiapan cukup lama dan pemain yang ada juga memadai.

Saat ini Persija memiliki kombinasi pemain lama dan baru. Mereka rata-rata punya pengalaman di Liga Super Indonesia (ISL). Persija sendiri butuh penyegaran mengingat banyak pemain yang sudah terlalu lama main di sini.

Saya juga selalu gabungin pemain senior dan pendatang baru. Bawa Tony (Sucipto) dan M Nasuha karena mereka prospek pemain muda. Di sini ada pemain senior seperti Bambang Pamungkas dan Aliyudin yang bisa memberi mereka pengalaman.

Saat di Sriwijaya FC, Anda sangat mengandalkan sosok Zah Rahan. Kenapa Anda tidak memboyongnya ke Persija?
Siapapun tahu kalau Zah Rahan pemain bagus. Saya sebenarnya ingin membawa dia ke Persija. Namun Zah Rahan sudah dewasa dan punya pilihan sendiri.

Sepakbola merupakan permainan tim. Tanpa Zah Rahan bukan berarti tim tidak bisa jalan. Mungkin saya akan membuat tim ini bisa bermain efisien tanpa adanya sosok playmaker.

Anda membawa beberapa pemain dari Sriwijaya FC. Apa pertimbangan Anda dalam memilih mereka?
Awalnya mereka menawarkan diri untuk ikut. Jumlahnya juga sebenarnya banyak. Namun Sebagai pelatih saya tentu mencari pemain yang dibutuhkan. Saya tahu kualitas dan karakter mereka, jadi wajar kalau mereka bergabung.

Apakah komposisi Persija saat ini sudah cukup atau masih akan ditambah lagi?
Selain pemain lokal, saat ini juga sudah ada empat pemain asing yang boleh dikatakan hampir pasti bergabung dengan Persija. Mereka adalah Precoius (Emeuejeraye), Julius Akosah, Greg Nwokolo, dan Bayoumi. Kami sedang mencari satu pemain asing lagi yang bisa main di posisi striker dan mieldfilder.

Untuk pemain lokal, kami kini punya Syamsul Chaerudin di lini tengah. Saya pikir untuk lokal sudah cukup. Kalaupun ada tambahan, saya akan mencari pemain untuk posisi gelandang.http://bola.vivanews.com
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