Note from the Editor Firstly I would like to thank you for reading More Than a Game magazine. We are passionate sports fans and love to share articles, interviews and photos with you all. We feel we have something for everyone and always looking to improve, so all feedback would be much appreciated. We have been very busy this month with the issue, we went to Coventry to attend a Blaze game and spoke with players and coaches there. We also spoke to the legend that is Tony Hand about retirement and the challenges of coaching GB for all those Ice Hockey fans. For the Football fans out there we have a great article on the curse of the former player as well as a must read book review on ‘The Nowhere Men’ by Michael Calvin. For those Basketball fanatics we spoke with MVP favourite and Cheshire Phoenix star Demond Watt about the upcoming playoffs and the pressures being touted to be the MVP.
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And finally we have a great article with popular NFL blogger Pete Hennessy who plays the number game with the NFL which is well worth a read for beginners to the game as well as those seasoned American Football fans.
Check out the brand new website too www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk If you would like to get involved we would love to hear from you. Please fill out the enquiry form on the website and we will be in touch. We are always updating the website with new articles so be sure to keep an eye out for new material. We have also started a forum so we would love to hear from you about all topics! We are also very excited that we are working with the biggest charity Basketball event every in the UK Hoopaid 2015 which this year is at the o2 arena. We have 2 tickets which we are giving away 2 FREE tickets to the game on May 10th.
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In this issue The curse of the ‘former player’ The classic case of the old player returning to a club a breaking the hearts of their old fans. We go back to some classic times where the curse had happened!
Interview with the legend Tony Hand – The very day Tony announced his retirement we spoke with him about his decision plus the challenges of coaching GB
Demond Watt – We speak with the 11 time BBL team of the week entrant about life at the Phoenix and what we can expect in the playoffs from him!
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Coventry Blaze – We attend the last home league game for one of the most successful teams in British Ice Hockey History Coventry Blaze about their season so far and their playoff aspirations.
The NFL in numbers – Popular UK NFL blogger plays the number game with the NFL.
Book review – We look at Michael Calvin’s ‘The Nowhere Men’ about life of a Football scout.
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The curse of the ‘former player’ Every Football fan has witnessed it, the player that played well 3 times over an entire season returns with their new club and looks like an entirely different player. There are several reasons why it may not work out for a player at a certain club, here are just 2 for you; Didn’t fit into the management system. Sometimes even the most talented of players just doesn’t fit in with the managers system and ethos. More times than not, the player is normally sold off to make room for more ‘suitable players’. A fine example of this is Juan Mata at Chelsea. After winning the player of the year for 2 seasons prior to Jose Mourinhos return, Mata found himself on the bench week after week then eventually being sold to Manchester United for a record fee of £38 million. Simply doesn’t play. It may sound silly but for a player to really make an impact they have to be on the pitch. Throwing a player on for 10 minutes here and there rarely works ( unless you are Kevin Phillips)
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Seeing a player scoring against a former club seems a be a regular occurrence now. The modern ‘not celebrating out of respect for your former club’ act is a common trait, although deep down you can tell the players are bursting to pull out the knee slide into the corner flag. We look at classic times where the curse of the former player has come back to haunt teams over the years:
David Luiz – Returning to Chelsea for PSG In the last 16 of the Champions League. Luiz had a funny time at Stamford Bridge to say the least. At times he would shock everyone by producing a stunning 30 year wonder goal, then the next moment he would defend similar to that of an 8 year old in the school playground. Mourinho couldn’t say no to PSG when they offered a huge £50 million fee for the Brazilian defender before the World Cup. It seemed fitting that Luiz suffered a horrid time at the World Cup that saw the hosts humiliated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Germany in front of a sea of crying Brazilian fans. Mourinho was seen as a football genius once again for this piece of business. 8 months later Chelsea drew PSG in the final 16 of the Champions League, and when the second leg went to extra time, PSG needed a vital away goal. Luiz leapt highest above all Chelsea players and broke the Stamford Bridge faithful’s hearts. Being the type of player that Luiz is, he didn’t hold back with his celebration. That must be a bitter taste Jose.
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Dennis Law- returning to Old Trafford with new side Manchester City
Not every day do you see a clubs cult hero return and score the very goal that relegates the team. Dennis Law scored 237 goals for Manchester United before leaving for City, which is only bettered by leading scorer Bobby Charlton. It was 1974 and United required a win to stay in the top tier of English Football. Law tucked away a goal which sent Old Trafford into shock and Law was immediately substituted to a roar of boos. It got worse as on the 86th minute the United fans invaded the pitch and the game was called off. The FA did allow the win for City and United were relegated. Despite his shenanigans Law has a statue outside Old Trafford. Danny Welbeck – Returning to boyhood club Manchester United with Arsenal. Danny Welbeck was deemed not good enough by new boss Louis Van Gaal and was sold to rivals Arsenal. Van Gaal brought in Falcao on loan and made comments about Welbeck “ just not scoring enough goals” which must have really hit the young England player.
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Welbeck has had a new lease of life at Arsenal scoring 7 in 20 and fitting in well in Wenger’s system. Welbeck returned to Old Trafford with his new team in March and scored the winner and United were out of the FA cup. While Welbeck was scoring the winner for Arsenal, original replacement Falcao was sitting on the United bench.
David Unsworth – Returning to Sheffield United for Wigan in 2005. Maybe not as high profile as David Luiz returning to Chelsea or Law going back to Old Trafford but David Unsworth returning to Sheffield United for Wigan had a huge impact. Unsworth was a United player at the start of the season but was sent packing in January where fellow strugglers Wigan took him on. It came down to a final game winner takes it all situation, between Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic at Bramall Lane to stay in the top tier. When Wigan got awarded a penalty, you guessed it, Unsworth stepped up and scored and Wigan won 1 nil. Funnily enough, Unsworth missed a penalty for United earlier on in the season which would have won the game and avoided the winner takes it all situation. It wasn’t quite a fairy tale for Unsworth as the next day he was released by Wigan.
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Fernando Morientes – Loaned from Real Madrid to AS Monaco in 2003/4
Imagine the very player you loaned out after signing a super star Brazilian, scoring 2 goals against you and knocking you out of the biggest club competition in the world. This is exactly what happened to Real Madrid when they shipped 6 year servant Fernando Morientes off to Monaco. Most loan agreements these days have a clause where they cannot play against their parent club, however Madrid didn’t include this. Morientes went on to score 2 goals over 2 legs and Madrid were knocked out on away goals. Monaco managed to get to the final but lost out to FC Porto who was managed by Mr Mourinho. Morientes did return to Madrid the following season for his last year there, which must have been an awkward return. Have YOU ever experienced a former player come back and haunt your team? Join our forum at www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk in the forum section.
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Interview with Ice Hockey legend Tony Hand
Some huge news this month, you have announced your retirement from playing. What made you come to this decision at this time? To be honest it is my age and the timing, with all the coaching as well as doing other bits. I spoke to the club about it and as you know I am 47 now so I think I have put my time in. I think it is time to move onto another chapter. You are a big name in British Ice Hockey and have been around a long time. How has it changed over the years you have been in it? Really back then it was a bit more fun (laughs), I enjoy the job I have got but what I am saying is just the way the game was back then, nothing to do with the teams I have been playing and coaching. These days it is a lot more professional, I have played in Belfast, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Manchester which all ran professionally it is just it is more of a full time job now to when I first started.
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You probably get asked this a lot, but what was it like sharing an ice rink with Wayne Gretsky? To be honest with you I didn’t actually played with him. I was in the same organisation as him but never played on ice together. I was at training camp with him and to be around him was great. That was a long time ago now! To even be in the same set up with him must have been great. Yea of course he is the greatest player to have played so it was great to see these guys. You have coached and played for GB over the years. What were the challenges? With GB I just don’t think there is enough preparation to give the players a chance. I just don’t think it is fair on them, we went to Olympic qualifiers and I think we only had a couple of practices. We went to championships with about 2 or 3 practices under our belt, we were playing against teams that have been practising for a whole year. As long as the preparation is like that, than it will never get to that level. I would love to see it get to that level but if you don’t prepare properly then how can you give the players a fair chance. Have you seen Pete Russell’s selection, what do you think? I haven’t really seen much about it, I would have liked to see a few more EPL guys in there to be honest. Obviously it is Pete’s selection so good luck to him.
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Demond Watt- the Cheshire Phoenix star on the playoffs, the British game and being the MVP favourite! We spoke with Demond after his Phoenix Side beat London Lions at the Copper Box
Hi Demond, great win tonight despite a slow start from the whole team really. You ended the game with 20 points how are you feeling? It feel good, we did start slow but we had a long road trip travelling for like 5 to 6 hours today so we kind of expected a slow start. I am happy with picked it up in the second half. The first time we came here we started off real slow and stayed slow the whole game, and ended up losing so just to see us pick up the energy in the second half was real good. For you personally it has been a great season. You have been in the team of the week 11 times and have made a great impression here in the BBL. How are you finding life over here? I am finding life really good, I have really good team mates some of the best I have played with. It makes it easier for me, it is hard for other teams to key in because I have got such good players around me who I have confidence in. I feel I haven’t got to force anything and I feel I can do what I do whenever the ball comes.
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Watt in action against the London Lions at the Copper Box.
The playoffs are coming up and you are in a great position. On the forums and social media a lot of people are mentioning your name for MVP. What is it like to have your name mentioned?
I try not to pay too much attention to it, even though it comes to my phone! It does feel good and if it was to happen it would be the first time I would have had that accomplishment so it would be good for me. The biggest thing I am worried about is winning and trying to get as high as we can and playing as good as we can. If I get the personal accomplishment with that then I am happy.
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Last question for you Demond, how does playing over here differ from other leagues you have played in? Playing over here compared to playing in the states is very different. Space is a big one, I am a guy who likes to drive to the hole and get my layups and trying to find those little angles. I have to make a lot of tough shots. Just the style of play too, we have shooters and a lot of versatile players . It helps grow my game and play a different style of Basketball and good to compete against all different types of players.
Who do YOU think should be the BBL MVP this season? Join in on our forum on our main website www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk. We are also very excited that to be working with the biggest charity Basketball event ever in the UK Hoopsaid 2015. This year it is being held at the fantastic o2 arena. We are giving away 2 FREE tickets to readers. To enter all you need to do it follow us on Twitter @morethanamag15 and keep an eye out for a question we will be asking in the coming week. For more information on the event on Hoopsaid follow @Hoopsaid on Twitter!
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Coventry Blazemomentum building for the Playoffs Coventry Blaze are a big name in the world of British Ice Hockey. Along with that naturally comes a lot of pressure to deliver season after season. It has been a funny old season at the Sky dome for the Blaze.
After a tough couple of months in October and November, Blaze appointed Chuck Weber in December to push the club on until the end of the season. The club have even stated it is unlikely that Chuck will stay on longer than the end of the season; however they are determined to get the most out of the experienced American. Blaze have ensured their playoff spot now and take on Nottingham Panthers on the weekend of 28th March. It will be a tough weekend of Hockey for the Blaze as Panthers bettered them by 14 points in the regular season.
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Blaze have improved a lot since Weber stepped into the head coach position, helped with the great form of goalkeeper Brian Stewart, Ryan O’Marra and Steven Goertzen. Weber has also brought in some young players into the fold and let them express themselves such as Ross Venus, Connor Ranby and James Griffin. More Than a Game attended the Blaze’s last league home game against Hull Stingrays. It was a great turn out with 2,500 attending the fixture as well as 100 + very vocal Hull fans. Blaze were in control for long periods of the game and scored early on via Sam Towner. Hull defended very well and much to the surprise of the Blaze fans scored an equaliser with 10 minutes to go. The game went to a shoot- out for the 3rd time this season between the sides and Hull won 2 -1. Hull will be delighted to win here as they will need plenty of momentum as they take on Braehead Clan in their playoff game. Ross Venus is one of the players that have really come on this season after spending last season at EPL side Telford Tigers.
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“I am really enjoying my time here. I have stepped up a lot, I have been getting more time on the ice so on a personal level it has been great. We have been winning more games in the second half of the season, which is important leading into the playoffs”
The Blaze does have experienced heads in Cowley, Stewart and Egener which is key for these young players developing at the club. “It has been really good for my development. It is the stuff that you may not see in training every day. Playing with these guys they teach you things, even if it isn’t one on one it is watching them on the ice and stuff like that. I am always learning from these guys which is always good” It hasn’t all been easy for the Blaze this season and the young players have had to step up quickly. “It has definitely been character building for us. In sport there is always adversity,but it is about how you react to it which is what we have done. It is great for every players career how you deal with adversity”
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Connor Ranby was put into the first team rooster for this season after playing in the B team. It has been a big development season for Ranby. “It is my first full season with the Blaze so my first playoff weekend with the Elite league team. If we can get through to the finals weekend then it would be a real achievement for the team”
Ranby’s time on the ice may have been limited so far but he has gained endless experience being in the same set up as the experienced heads in the Blaze set up.
“We have got Stuie (Goaltender Brian Stewart) who is the best keeper in the league. It is good coming to practise every day and playing against him because he is exactly the same in practice than he is in games. It is good to watch and learn from these guys. We got the likes of Ash (Tait) , Russ ( Cowley) and they bring experience and help you out whenever you need it”
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Coach Chuck Weber wasn’t too happy with the lack of goals from his team when playing Hull Stingrays. “We seem to have a thing at the moment where we only score the odd the goal and go to the shootouts against the Stingrays! ( the last 3 meetings have all gone to shootouts)” Although it was disappointing to lose their final league game, one eye is on the playoff tie with Nottingham Panthers on the 28th and 29th March. “ We really need to older guys to step up for these games. Brian Stewart has been immense all season so he will be key for us. We will need the likes of Ashley (Tait), Russ (Cowley), Ryan (O’Marra) to really step up against the Panthers as they will push us hard” Weber has only been in Coventry for 4 months but has certainly steadied the ship. This is his first experience of UK Hockey and so far has been impressed by the standard. “ The league is pretty similar to the American AHL league where I have coached before. It is definitely a budget league, the bigger budget you have the more depth you have and that is apparent. I know some of the guys from previous years so I knew what to expect from some”
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Chuck has had to rely on younger players and will continue to bleed the young players. “ Due to injuries and suspensions we have had to call upon the younger players, some were more ready than others. Venus has put in some really good minutes for one, which is great to see. It is important to keep bleeding these players in as lets not forget that the like of Ashely and Russ were young players too!�
Both the Blaze and Panthers have great followings and both sets of fans are used to having successful teams so it will be quite the battle in the quarter finals. After bouncing back after the disappointment of a bad run, what a fantastic ending it would be for Blaze if they was to win this years playoffs.
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The NFL in numbers The NFL continues to grow in the UK – which is brilliant for fans like me who can't get enough of the Yanks' inappropriately named favourite sport (which, I agree, should be called 'handegg'). Putting aside the football-soccer debate, the NFL is really becoming popular in Britain. What better way to summarise it's brilliance than in a 10-1 countdown of just a few of the things that make the game great. Enjoy.
10: College Leagues. Technically, there are eleven leagues, and I'm
cheating, but one is 'independent' and includes the US army and navy teams. The college football set-up is perhaps the most confusing, bizarre sporting structure that I have ever attempted to understand. I am not going to try to explain it (I'm not too sure that I can) but there are ten leagues that compete for a national championship and the NCAA title. College football is important, however, as its top prospects are picked by NFL teams in the seven-round draft that takes place over three days. College football is more than just an NFL recruitment factory; however, it is in fact the second most watched sport in America (teams such as Texas A&M regularly attract over 80,000 fans to their home games). So, despite it being crazily confusing, college football is important when looking at the NFL.
9: Hours of Football. Yes, on Sunday, there are 9 straight hours of
NFL goodness available. That is three games, pretty much back-toback, and they start about 6PM UK time. This therefore involves a horrific Monday morning for us UK folk, after we have stayed up until stupid o'clock watching the sport that we love. There is usually a Thursday night match and Monday night match which, if you're a Brit, means a very early morning Friday and Tuesday match. Sleep deprivation is a serious side effect of the NFL. But, for the casual fan, the 6PM until 9PM Sunday game, which can be compared to a 3 o'clock Saturday kick off, is a very watchable time of day. Other than that it gets very, very late. This time of year is a chance for American Football fans, like myself, to catch up with some sleep and not see the early hours of the morning!
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8: Divisions. The NFL is split up into two conferences, the NFC
(National Football Conference) and AFC (American Football Conference) which consist of four divisions (the North, West, South and East division) each. Confused? I don't blame you! The structure is very strange and complicated, as teams play other teams from outside their division and conference even though they aren't directly competing with them, and these divisions stay the same year on year. To put it simply: there are four teams in each division, who play each other twice every regular season in an attempt to finish at the top of their division and qualify for the play-offs at the end of the regular season. Who they play for the other ten games of the 16 game long schedule varies and, in essence, this puts particular importance on when you face a team from your division. The structure has led to multiple rivalries emerging as certain teams face each other regularly and develop a real dislike for one another. All of this takes some time to get used to but, somehow, it sort of works.
7: Points for a Touchdown. Just like rugby, each touchdown is
followed by a conversion which adds one point to the touchdown – on its own only worth six points. This conversion is the most basic of procedures, however, and is pretty much guaranteed. After a touchdown, a team can go for a two point conversion, which is comparatively highly risky, and involves the team having to make it into the end zone in one play from the two yard line. A touchdown celebration, a staple in the NFL, can lead to a penalty, if it is deemed to be 'taunting the opposition'. A thoroughly British rule, I feel, as one must remember their manners even when they have reached the end zone. Quite rightly too!
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6: Most Super Bowl wins. The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the record for
the most Super Bowl wins. They came out on top in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005 and 2008 in the biggest game on the football calendar. Their domination of the 70s is legendary, with their defence being labelled the 'Steel Curtain', and stars such as 'Mean' Joe Greene even starring in one of the most famous adverts for Coca Cola. They haven't been world champions (a phrase that always seems strange to me as the US are the only country to play the game) in seven years, and the New England Patriots are close to catching them up after their latest triumph this year. They have four victories and are tied with the New York Giants, the Green Bay Packers, the first team to ever win the super bowl under coach Vince Lombardi (whom the trophy is named after) and the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have won the super bowl five times respectively.
5: Weeks of Post-Season madness. First, there is the Wildcard Round,
in which the best performing runner-ups compete against the worst ranking division winners. After the wildcard round, it is the divisional round, where those who performed best in the regular season take part after their bye from the previous round. Then the conference championships establish the best team in the AFC and NFC respectively to compete in the super bowl. In the week prior to the big game, however, the Pro Bowl gets all of the NFL's best performers and pits them against each other in 'fantasy football for real'. What this turns in to is 'how can we play and make sure we don't get injured', which means that this is nowhere near as good as it sounds, but it is merely the warm up for the main event. These five weeks turn 12 contenders into 1 Super Bowl winning team and is the most exciting period for NFL fans. Even if your favourite team isn't involved, much like my beloved Giants, this is where classic games are made and the stakes are ludicrously high. Lose and you're out. It's great stuff.
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4: Downs. Each team have four opportunities, or 'downs', to advance
ten yards down the field. Once they have done this, they get a new set of downs or, if they fail to advance ten yards in this time, the other team get given the ball. Typically, if the offense fails to advance these ten yards in three plays, they either punt the ball to gain better field position for their defence, or attempt to kick a field goal and gain three points. This is when the game gets quite technical, as teams can either play it safe or go for it, risking the other teams getting the ball at exactly the spot that they have lost it. Trick plays and 'fakes' are also available for teams and this makes the game more of a spectacle for the fans; as a lot of planning goes in to each individual play before it is carried out.
3: Games at Wembley. The International Series, as it is now called, has only grown since the first game back in 2007. On that day, the Giants beat the Dolphins, in which wouldn’t be described as a classic. The pitch was absolutely awful, as was the weather, with the actual football not being much better: the 13-10 score line being relatively low compared to other games in the NFL. It was enough, however, to keep UK fans wanting more and the NFL commissioner to see dollar signs and an opportunity. There have been games at Wembley every year since then, with last year's Lions vs Falcons offering the most entertainment that London has ever been host to in the NFL. A disallowed last minute field goal to win the game went wide, as time had expired, and so, from five yards further out, the Lions' kicker proceeded to win the game. Three games this year will hope to replicate that drama and keep us UK football junkies wanting more.
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2: Teams within Teams. Barring special teams, which are relatively
insignificant and only deal with plays such as kick-offs and field goals, there are two 'teams within teams'. There is an offense and a defence. You'd be surprised how very separate these two operations are. Each has its own coach, with each individual position having another coach or 'co-ordinator', and both are never on the field at the same time. Even though most highlight reels show an amazing catch by a receiver or throw from a quarterback, there is a popular saying which is that 'defence win championships'. The Seahawks recent dominance does owe a lot to its defence, nicknamed the 'Legion of Boom', a trash talking, tough group that just love to gloat about their talents to the opposition. Its pantomime-esque but we all love it because it's great to watch. As is watching a massive tackle that leaves offensive players babbling on about their Aunt Celia and how they're late for a piano lesson as they lie on the ground in a post-hit haze. So, yeah, it's a lot about defence.
1: The Super Bowl. Everything else sort of fades in to insignificance
as, unlike football, cricket or rugby – there is nothing else to work towards. There isn't a cup or any kind of relegation system, each of the thirty-two teams have pretty much just got the motivation that the Super Bowl is achievable for them. And it is. American Football is famed for different teams winning the ultimate prize very frequently, and this is probably a financial lesson for sports such as football (or soccer for those over there in the US) as there are no teams with unlimited cash to splash. There are salary caps and all sorts of financial shenanigans which means that there is no Man City or Chelsea of the NFL. It is highly unpredictable. All of this means that the super bowl is a true sporting spectacle and the highlight of any NFL fans' year. Catch regular updates about the NFL by following @nflukfanblog
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Book Review – The Nowhere Men by Michael Calvin When you see the likes of Messi, Ronaldo And Bale you wonder how they got to that level. At some stage they would have been skinny 8 year olds playing for a small town set up, this is when the football scout steps in. A typical scout travels endless miles at all levels looking for that next gem that could turn into a clubs superstar. Michael Calvin’s ‘the nowhere men’ is a great insight into the life of a Football scout and the good, bad and ugly sides. In the modern era of technology where we have stats of a player’s touches and area covered, where does the football scout stand? From stories about keeping Raheem Sterling on the right path in a tough area in west London to an Arsenal scout stepping in to ref a Luton under 9s game and coming across Jack Wilshere. This book is a must read for all Football fans, with great tales about the troubles of the modern day young footballers and the old school scouts. One very well- known scout even refuses to use email preferring a phone call. 26
Here are some great snippets from the book: Mark Anderson, Liverpool’s chief scout when he first saw Raheem Sterling. “I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were some raw edges, but he was the best thing I have ever seen” The geographic of football scouting “Football isn’t immune to social change. It is interesting how talent is beginning to dry up in Northern Ireland, which is a traditional hotbed, and how many people are content to ignore areas like Sussex. Arsenal have a guy down here, but he doesn’t even have a car” Michael Calvin is a award winning author and sports writer and won book of the year with the Nowhere Men.
Some images are from www.freestockimages.co.uk
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