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Sabado, Disyembre 31, 2011
Premier League winners and losers
Ger McCarthy
WINNERS
Manchester City
WHEN the chips were down City’s multi-million pound squad responded with a courageous display to see off in-form Arsenal and record an eighth consecutive home Premier League victory. Bitter rivals Manchester United had earlier grabbed top spot following a routine win but a City side still smarting from an early Champions League exit produced a thrilling display to quickly regain the number one position.
Roberto Mancini put off-field headlines of Christmas party shenanigans and a training ground bust-up involving (surprise, surprise) Mario Balotelli to one side and orchestrated the Citizens most impressive 90 minutes of the current campaign. When City’s nerve was questioned Mancini’s players responded in the best possible fashion and the blue half of Manchester remain favourites to claim the title heading into the New Year.
Luis Suarez
THE Uruguayan international spent most of the week locked in a private disciplinary hearing with Liverpool and FA officials explaining the origin of alleged racist remarks made to Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. That difficult backdrop to Sunday’s 2-0 away win at Aston Villa made Suarez’s individual performance all the more impressive. The Liverpool striker did not score in the one-sided victory but twice rattled the upright and produced an all-action display reminiscent of a previous owner of the famous number seven jersey, Peter Beardsley, during his Anfield hey-days.
No other Premier League player has hit the post or crossbar more than Suarez this term (five times) and Liverpool have now hit the woodwork a total of 16 times in 2011-’12*. So important is Suarez to the way Liverpool play that any potential ban emanating from the current inquiry would have a devastating effect on Liverpool’s chances of finishing in the top four.
Wayne Rooney
BARELY 53 seconds had elapsed at Loftus Road when Wayne Rooney connected with a diving header to divert Antonio Valencia’s cross into the net for Manchester United striker’s 11th league goal of the season. Rooney’s third strike in two games has formed the genesis of Alex Ferguson’s side’s mini-revival since bowing out of the Champions League at the hands of FC Basel 1893.
It isn’t just Rooney’s goal scoring form that has returned rather his infectious attitude, work rate and ability to knit midfield with attack which has coincided with an upturn in the Old Trafford club’s form. As with Van Persie at Arsenal and Silva at Man City, Wayne Rooney is the creative attacking catalyst and his health/form will be pivotal to United’s chances of retaining their Premier League crown.
Dutch goalkeepers
IT should have come as little surprise that the Premier League clash between Newcastle and Swansea ended scoreless on Saturday afternoon with Michel Vorm and Tim Krul in goal at either end of the pitch. The two Dutch goalkeepers have each been in tremendous form this season with Vorm in particular catching the eye having produced eight clean sheets in sixteen league outings. Both Alan Pardew and Brendan Rodgers will have their hands full preventing some of the continent’s top clubs from prising away their prized goalkeeping assets in the January and summer transfer periods.
Stoke
TONY Pulis deserves huge credit for guiding Stoke City to a fourth successive Premier League victory for the first time since 1981. The imminent arrival of Primera Liga side Valencia to the Britannia Stadium for a Europa League tie in the New Year underlines why it is good time to be a Stoke City supporter. Pulis’ sensible transfer dealings has seen the Potters rise to eighth in the standings and on current form there is little reason to doubt Stoke’s ability to secure another top ten finish.
Wigan
JORDI Gomez’s equaliser two minutes from time earned relegation threatened Wigan Athletic a merited draw at home to Chelsea at the weekend. Roberto Martinez’s side moved within a point of squeezing out of the relegation zone and the Spanish manager will take great heart from the battling display which ended high-flying Chelsea’s recent run of form. James McCarthy’s deep-lying role in midfield nullified many of Chelsea’s attacks while the tireless running of Victor Moses and Jordi Gomez offered a constant outlet in the final third of the pitch. If Wigan can reproduce similar displays over the Christmas period then the most unlikely escapes from relegation could materialise for a second consecutive season at the DW Stadium.
LOSERS
Theo Walcott
THE England international winger has shown flashes of brilliance during the 2011-’12 campaign but if ever Arsene Wenger needed Walcott to impose his searing pace and undoubted ability it was at the Etihad Stadium against table-toppers Manchester City. Instead the Arsenal winger looked a pale shadow of the player who burst onto the international scene only a few short years ago by scoring a hat-trick for his country away to Croatia.
Walcott was up against Argentinean international full-back Pablo Zabaleta yesterday but failed to make any impression before eventually being hauled off with 21 minutes to go. It is not clear whether Walcott was upset at his own personal display or the fact he was being replaced by the equally ineffectual Andrei Arshavin when leaving the field of play.
Wolves
MICK McCarthy’s Wolves crashed to a fourth home defeat of the 2011-12 campaign and the Midlands club have managed just 3 points in their previous five Premier League outings. That’s relegation form and Wolves latest loss was met with a chorus of boos from the Molineux faithful at the conclusion of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Stoke. Wanderers face Norwich in a must-win game tomorrow night before travelling to Bolton next Saturday for an equally important fixture. McCarthy knows his side simply have to pick up some points in their next two matches otherwise his job could be on the line.
Owen Coyle and Steve Kean
IT is surely only a matter of time before both Owen Coyle and Steve Kean receive their marching orders from Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers after another dreadful set of results for the two relegation threatened clubs this past weekend. Both are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with a combined total of 19 miserly points and the simple truth is that neither side looks like getting out of the drop zone under their current management. It’s a little ironic then that Blackburn host Wanderers at Ewood Park on Tuesday night in a relegation six-pointer where the losing manager might well be looking for a new job come Wednesday morning.
* Stats courtesy of Opta
Follow Ger McCarthy on Twitter: @offcentrecircle
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/AIFWILEbBIg/post.aspx
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Hospitals told they should 'speed up' treatment for the elderly
Thinktank warns that patients who stay in hospital instead of going home are wasting NHS resources
The NHS must get frail, elderly patients out of hospital faster in order to free valuable bed spaces and beat the service's financial squeeze, health experts have warned.
According to a new analysis of NHS bed use by the influential King's Fund thinktank, hospitals need to do more to help older people who have had a stroke, pneumonia or broken hip to return home more quickly so that they are not wasting resources.
The report urges hospital bosses to cut the small but disproportionate number of old and very old patients who arrive as emergencies but end up staying for at least a fortnight, at a cost of �200 a night, often after they have recovered. The NHS in England cannot keep treating such patients for so long if it is to have any chance of meeting the government-imposed target of finding �20bn in efficiency savings by 2015, warns the King's Fund.
Given that acute hospitals have to contribute �8bn of the �20bn, "reducing unnecessary use of hospitals offers a key opportunity for significant savings", says the study. The NHS in England could save more than �1bn a year by ensuring that both elective and emergency patients leave hospital sooner, the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement estimates.
Bed use for planned procedures is under control, especially as medical advances mean that the average length of stay after surgery such as a hip replacement has fallen. While such patients form 55% of all hospital admissions, they occupy less than 30% of total bed days. "This means that reducing bed use by emergency admissions offers greater potential to deliver an overall reduction in the use of hospital beds," adds the institute.
NHS figures show that the number of patients being admitted as emergencies, the amount of bed days they occupy and the total staying for at least two days have risen since 2007. That trend was unsustainable given that the NHS was facing its toughest financial challenge in living memory, said the King's Fund chief executive, Professor Chris Ham.
Most emergency admissions are short; half of those patients stay for under 24 hours. The NHS's main bed use problem involves the 10% of patients who stay for more than two weeks, as they account for more than half of all emergency bed days, the study says.
Four out of five longer-stay patients are 65 or over and more than 30% are over 85. "Typical diagnoses among older patients with very long length of stay include stroke, hip fracture, pneumonia and urinary disorders, dementia and delirium," the report finds.
Some of those who stay in when they are fit to be discharged are at risk of contracting hospital-acquired infections or can find their extended stay frustrating or distressing, while some become depressed or lose their independence as a result.
Patients occupying as many as 42% to 55% of bed days would be better treated at home, with or without medical support, or in a nursing home rather than in hospital. "This change of setting, if appropriate, would also save money ? acute hospital care costs about �200 per day and private nursing home fees are less than �100 per day," the study says.
Ham added: "This analysis is a wake-up call for the NHS. A high proportion of hospitals' budgets go on a small proportion of patients. It's a waste of NHS resources. We need to use our resources more effectively by targeting this small group of older patients with complex needs."
Hospitals needed to identify such patients earlier and give them better, more joined-up care from their specialists in both mental and physical health, such as physiotherapists and experts in memory loss, in order to speed their discharge. "At the moment many of these older patients don't get a good deal from the NHS. Medical care of them needs to improve. It is too often fragmented and needs to be integrated," said Ham.
Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, who last week claimed one in four hospital patients could be treated elsewhere, said hospital bosses were worried that a lack of social care could also increase the number of frail elderly patients being admitted.
Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, backed the King's Fund's call for hospitals to do more to shorten older emergency patients' length of stay. "Patients have a right to expect that they are looked after well and that the treatment they are given helps them to recover. No one should stay in hospital longer than necessary," he said.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/31/nhs-hospitals-treatment-elderly
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Premier League winners and losers
Ger McCarthy
WINNERS
Dimitar Berbatov
FORMER Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov reminded his manager of his exceptional talent with a hat-trick in the 5-0 hammering of Wigan. United's fourth choice striker has the languid appearance of a player who couldn't care less but remains a deadly finisher in front of goal and could yet prove pivotal to the Old Trafford club's hopes of retaining the title. Berbatov's goals have been a welcome Christmas present for Alex Ferguson with Wayne Rooney rested and Javier Hernandez still recovering from injury.
Fulham
MARTIN Jol was rewarded for his adventurous and attacking line-up as Fulham fought back from a goal down to earn a merited 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. The Cottagers were under severe pressure in the closing stages but held out for a share of the spoils thanks to the brilliance of goalkeeper David Stockdale and the work-rate of Clint Dempsey, Danny Murphy and Moussa Dembele. Jol's side bounced back from a humiliating 5-0 loss at home to Manchester United only five days earlier and moved five points clear of the relegation zone to put a smile on the Fulham supporters faces heading into the New Year.
Sunderland
MARTIN O'Neill's arrival at the Stadium of Light has resulted in an impressive seven points from a possible twelve for a side previously heading towards the Championship. Sunderland are a more compact unit and difficult to break down since O'Neill assumed command and all signs currently point to the Black Cats avoiding relegation this season. The former Leicester City manager has a proven track-record for getting the best out of his players and the new found spirit engendered in the Sunderland dressing room is being converted into points which has seen the Northern club move four points away from the drop zone.
Mark Bunn
STEVE Kean's decision to select Mark Bunn as Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper for the relegation threatened club's trip to Anfield proved an inspired choice. Bunn pulled off a string of marvellous saves during a wonderful individual display to earn his side a point and ease the pressure on his under-fire manager. In a week Blackburn fans protested outside the club's training facility Bunn's determination motivated his team mates to earn a deserved draw and raise hopes of potentially avoiding the drop. If Steve Kean can get his players to produce similar performances in the second half of the campaign then Blackburn supporter's torrent of abuse should turn into one giant apology for the undignified attacks on the Rovers manager.
Demba Ba
THE Senegalese born striker signed by Newcastle United to replace the departed Geordie favourite Andy Carroll continued his magnificent run of form with a fourteenth Premier League goal of the season away to Bolton. The former West Ham United and TSG Hoffenheim player has proven a revelation since his transfer to St. James' Park and Ba's goals have helped the Magpies keep pace with the top six ranked clubs raising hopes of European qualification before the end of the campaign. The Toon army are set to lose Ba to Senegal and the African Cup of Nations next month and will no doubt miss his ability in front of goal.
LOSERS
Manchester City
THE Premier League leaders' failure to score for the first time this season resulted in Manchester United joining Roberto Mancini's side at the summit of the table. West Brom are a decent side on their home patch but any club harbouring serious title aspirations needs to be capable of picking up three points from their trip to the Hawthorns. It will be fascinating to see how Mancini and City handle the pressure of a title run-in especially with such an experienced Manchester United squad likely to be there every step of the way until the end of the season.
Wigan
CRAZY sending off aside, Wigan offered little if any resistance during their 5-0 hammering at Old Trafford. United began with Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia in their back four yet Wigan rarely worried the home side's makeshift defence. Roberts Martinez talks a good game in his after match interviews but the suave Spaniard's team were simply awful and similar gutless displays will result in certain relegation. Wigan have shown signs of life in recent weeks but their complete lack of ambition at Old Trafford demonstrated a team lacking confidence
Phil Dowd
REFEREE Phil Dowd's decision to send off Wigan's Connor Sammon for an innocuous coming together with Michael Carrick was absolutely ridiculous. The match official was only 35 yards away when Sammon's hand appeared to slap Carrick on the side of the midfielder's head. Dowd issued a straight red card much to the surprise of everyone in the ground even though similar collisions occur every weekend in the Premier League. Dowd's horrendous mistake capped off a poor year for officiating at the highest level and calls for a fourth TV official grow louder with each passing week.
Howard Webb
IF Phil Dowd's red card error during the Manchester United and Wigan encounter was poor then Howard Webb's decision to award Everton a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland was downright hilarious. Replays clearly showed Leon Osman kicked the ground whilst attempting to unleash a shot inside the Sunderland penalty area. Webb thought differently however and immediately pointed to the spot from which Leighton Baines earned Everton a draw. If Webb is classified as the best referee in England then God help English football.
Follow Ger on Twitter: @offcentrecircle
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/KGibLSb1k1U/post.aspx
Europe ? it?s the Italian Job again
David Shonfield
AS with films, football remakes are rarely as good as the original, but from the English point of view it’s Italian Job 3 in the Champions League. The Italians are marginally more optimistic this time than they were on previous occasions following Napoli’s success against Manchester City.
For Milan, facing Arsenal brings some bad memories, says the Gazzetta dello Sport, but also provides the chance of “dealing with the inferiority complex they have with the Premier League”.
Beaten by Spurs last season the return to London offers a chance of immediate revenge but Milan’s manager Massimo Allegri says he doesn’t see it that way. Arsenal’s problems at the start of the season are in the past.
“We know their strength,” he says “and they’ve been recovering in the league. We need to have our whole squad available in February, without injuries, unlike last year.” Arsene Wenger’s switch to a 4-1-4-1 formation and the goal threat of Robin Van Persie have made Arsenal once again a force to be reckoned with.
Chelsea’s recent recovery has also not gone unnoticed. Two 30-somethings have turned them round says the Gazzetta – Didier Drogba being one, Andre Villas-Boas the other.
“We’re at home in the first leg,” says Napoli manager Walter Mazzari, “so the game at Stamford Bridge will be decisive and if we want to qualify we’ll have to play to perfection.”
The Italian view is that Chelsea are likely to buy reinforcements in January whereas Napoli lack the necessary resources. “We’ll only buy if the players are better than those we already have, because in terms of numbers we already have too many,” says Mazzari.
For Napoli owner Aurelio di Laurentiis the tie is also attractive because it will raise Napoli’s profile further.
“There will definitely be a lot of interest in these games. The media round the world will be talking about it,and think of all those Neapolitans in London.”
In Portugal there’s the prospect of another game against old adversaries for Porto and should Sporting progress the chance of taking on the other Manchester club. As elsewhere in Europe the presence of both United and City has definitely made the Europa League competition more interesting.
Benfica’s match against Zenit St Petersburg gives the Portuguese a chance of instant revenge after Zenit’s defeat of Porto in the group stage. Former Porto player Bruno Alves, now at Zenit, says he was surprised to see Benfica top their group and is confident the Russians will progress. Benfica’s Director of Sport Rui Costa seems resaonably happy with the draw, however.
Progress in the two competitions could be crucial for Portugal’s standing in Europe as they are on the brink of overtaking France to secure fifth spot in the Uefa rankings. French sides have looked vulnerable in Europe this season and Marseille’s draw against Inter is a tough one despite Inter’s poor league form.
“It’s the easiest draw we could have had, we could have got Barcelona or Chelsea” said Lyon’s president Jean-Michel Aulas, celebrating an early Christmas present with the draw against APOEL. Lyon manager Remi Garde, once of Arsenal, pointed to the Cypriots’ exceptional home form, however, and warned that “You don’t qualify through the draw, you do it on the pitch.”
The same goes for the Spanish sides in the two competitions, all of whom will be confident of progressing, especially as they are all away from home in the first leg. Dealing with the cold of Moscow will be the problem for Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, according to Marca – a comment echoed by Madrid director Emilio Butragueno — whereas Valencia are unused to the aerial threat posed by Stoke City.
Barcelona will probably go into their tie against Bayer Leverkusen as champions of the world as well as Europe. It’s a tie that has the Germans excited, perhaps a prelude to a Spain-Germany final in the summer. “German teams are never to be underestimated” says Marca, but it looks as though Bayern Munich will be left to fly the flag alone in a tournament that climaxes in their own stadium.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/AVkQ3pOFQcs/post.aspx
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LA police hunt arsonist after 35 fires in Hollywood
Serial arsonist suspected of setting fire to parked cars, whose flames spread to nearby houses in densely populated area
Los Angeles police are seeking a serial arsonist or arsonists suspected of starting up to 35 fires in Hollywood in two days, damaging buildings and cars throughout the area.
Those responsible are thought to have started the fires by setting vehicles alight. The flames then spread to nearby houses, including one in Hollywood Hills once occupied by the Doors singer Jim Morrison which inspired the song Love Street. At one stage 21 fires were set in four hours.
Following the fires, police have reinforced patrols and urged the public to remain vigilant. In nearly every case, the fire started in a parked car.
Firefighters described how new outbreaks of fire were relayed to them as they were already attending incidents. All of the fires were within two square miles and most were in densely populated residential neighbourhoods.
Los Angeles officials offered at least $60,000 (�39,000) for information leading to the conviction of an arsonist or arsonists. They also warned people to be vigilant against further attacks.
"We are hoping for the best but anticipating and preparing for the worst," said Brian Cummings, the Los Angeles city fire chief. Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of LA, told a press conference: "They are working around the clock to investigate these crimes and they are pursuing every single lead to apprehend any person or persons responsible for these dangerous and criminal acts."
Power was disrupted in several neighbourhoods and police were put on alert in the Hollywood area.
"This is the most dense part of Los Angeles and west Hollywood. We have 20,000 people per square mile living in this area. One fire out of control could cost dozens of lives," said John Duran, mayor of west Hollywood, where four of the fires were set. "Turn yourself in whoever you are. Stop it, stop it. We will not tolerate this in west Hollywood, in Los Angeles or anywhere in our neighbourhoods," he said.
NBC also broadcast a message from Duran to the arsonists in which he said: "What were you thinking? This is the most dense part of Los Angeles. If you're trying to say something, this is not the way to say it."
The fires followed another series of arson attacks on Thursday in the area of Sunset Boulevard for which two people have been arrested, leading to suspicions that the Friday fires could have been the work of a copycat arsonist or that the fires are linked.
Tom LaBonge, a city council member, said the arsonist was mostly targeting underground car parks in older apartment blocks that had no security gates and putting incendiary devices under cars. "These are not trash can fires on street corners. We are just a second away from tragedy," he said.
guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/31/la-police-arsonist-fires-hollywood
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