More than a game by More than a game

Issue 2

More than a game is a new publication covering a wide range of sports including Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Basketball, Football and disability sports.

In this issue Q & A with Newcastle Eagles very own Charles Smith – pg 3

Streatham Redskins – Catch up with the pride of Streatham and chat with new signings Klima and Wood – pg 5

We chat with Sam Ward about his recent England call up and success – pg 9

Steven Gerrard – the last of the ‘boyhood’ hero? An article looking factors why the local lad turned cult hero may be a dying breed – pg 11

Book review – I only talk winning. An inspiring read about the late Boxing trainer Angelo Dundee. A MUST read for all sports fans- pg 14

Charles Smith – flying with the Eagles since 2000

Photos courtesy of Newcastle Eagles website

More than a game caught up with Newcastle Eagles legend Charles Smith. Smith has been with the Eagles since 2000 and has won no fewer than 13 trophies. Eagles currently lead the pack in the BBL. MTAG - Eagles currently have the best record in the league, you must be very happy with the season so far? Smith – We have had a pretty good start. The guys have settled well together and we are playing well on the court. MTAG – You and Fab (Eagles coach) have been playing on the same team for well over a decade now, so something clearly works. How do you think you compliment each other? Smith – I think we know each inside out and how each other work. We know what we will bring to the table every night. Just from being around and working together we have to compete and not give up. It is also a lot about the trust issue, he trusts me to do what I do and I trust and believe in his system.

MTAG – You have seen a lot of players come and go, not just in the Eagles but in the whole league. Is there any particular players that stick out in your mind over the years? Smith – I mean there have been a lot of great players in this league so it is hard to pick out one of two. I have been in this league so long the list would be so long. I would want to offend anyone by not putting them on!

MTAG – Drew Sullivan was very complimentary of you after your 27 points at the Copper Box in December comparing you to a fine wine, you get better with age. How is your relationship with Drew? Smith – I have a great relationship with Drew, we played together and played against each for years now. There is a mutual respect there, I mean he is a great competitor and he is one of the guys I really enjoyed playing with and against. MTAG – Last question for you, we were at the Copper Box and was particularly impressed with you of course (Smith had 27 points) and also Andre Jones who is new to the team this year. Do you try to sit down with the new players and offer advice? Smith – Yes of course they come to me with any questions they got. If I see stuff that I feel they aren’t going to be prepared for and what they need to do, I am not going to hesitate to tell them. With Andre, he came in a little later than everyone else so I told him to do what he does best and not do things you aren’t used to doing. We will try to work around you so don’t be laid back but play hard because that’s what we will be doing. Charles Smith helped the Eagles win the BBL Cup the day after this interview beating the Glasgow Rocks in Birmingham in front of 7,000 fans.

Streatham Redskins â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Catching up with the pride of Streatham It has been a tough few years for Redskins fans after a few disappointing seasons, however this season has seen a big improvement. Finally settled back in the shiny new Streatham ice rink after a 3 year absence, fans have been treated to 15 wins out of 25 games. The Redskins have further strengthened their squad with the likes of former Cardiff Devils player Adam Wood in the Summer, as well as seeing the return of Jakub Klima. Klima has played for both Invicta Dynamos and London Raiders but finds himself back in the red and white jersey of the Redskins. In January More than a game attended the home clash against table toppers Invicta Dynamos in front of their biggest crowd of the season. The game proved to be a great advert for British Ice Hockey but unfortunately for the Redskins they fell short and lost 6 -2. Dynamos goaltender Mark Lee was in inspired form and defended 27 shots all game frustrating the Redskins frontline.

Adam Wood has had a great

Adam Wood has had a great start to life with the Redskins with a 11 goal contribution as well as 9 assists. We chatted with Adam after the loss to Dynamos: “It was always going to be tough as we knew what they were going to bring to the game. They got a lot of fire power going forward being they are the top scorers in the league” Despite the loss, Adam is confident the team will pick themselves up. “We are going well and it shows the direction we are going as a team because expectations are so high. I am new to the team but I have been told a result like this a year or 2 ago would have been so disappointing” Streatham find themselves in the top 5 battling it out with the likes of Dynamos as well as Chelmsford Chiefs, Adam knows there is a lot to play for. “It is definitely looking positive at the moment. We have put on some pretty good shows for the fans this season. We can only improve on tonight’s performance, teams with Chelmsford and Dynamos have been strong for a couple of seasons now. We are more in a transitional period compared so things can only get better” Klima is an old face who finds himself back in Streatham and is happy to be back in south west London.

“I am glad it is sorted now and I am in Streatham after leaving London Raiders. I enjoyed my time here before so I am happy to be back” “It is much easier playing in this team compared to where I was. Playing with Callum Best and Adam Wood is working out well and I am glad I am back scoring” Head coach Warren Rost was naturally disappointed after losing the top of the table clash.

“They played well tonight, we outshot them but their goaltender was in great form. Our finishing was really poor and some of our key guys simply didn’t bring their A game” After asking Warren if he was happy with the season so far he was quick to highlight the importance of compliancy. “Nope, never happy. As soon as you’re happy you find yourself back at the bottom of your table. We are proud of what we done and we are paying an unreasonable fortune to play out of this rink which is our biggest problem really. Looking at the Dynamos, they probably pay 4 times what we pay for wages, so to even compete I guess you can be proud of that”.

“You know what it is like, it isn’t really about coming second is it” We also discussed the signing of Klima and the impact he has had since he re- signed with the Redskins. “Last week I was delighted, but after tonight I am not too happy about signing anyone. He played some good Hockey for us, and then decided perhaps he would be better served elsewhere and things didn’t work out for him. So much about this is about timing, we needed someone and he was available. From his point of view it is nice that he can come back where he knows everyone, it is a big reason why he has hit the ground running and scored so many goals. We are really pleased to have him back” The Redskins have 7 games left to catch up with the teams above them. Whatever happens come the end of the season, you know the residents of Streatham will continue to go along to the rink to support their team.

Streatham Redskins play their home Games at the new Streatham ice rink. Tickets are available on their website www.steathamredkins.com Photos courtesy of Katie Sayer Photography

We caught up with Beeston and England star Sam Ward to chat about his fantastic start to his England career. Photo courtesy of David Kissman photography

MTAG - YOU HAVE HAD A GREAT START TO YOUR ENGLAND CAREER SCORING 3 GOALS IN 6 GAMES. DID YOU EVER DREAM IT WOULD HAVE STARTED SO WELL FOR YOU? SAM - I COULDN'T HAVE DREAMT FOR A BETTER START NO, BUT THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME WAS TO TRY AND TAKE MY CHANCE WHEN I GOT IT. NOW IT'S TIME TO GET BACK ON THE TRAINING GROUND AS THERE IS A LOT TO IMPROVE STILL. MTAG -We spoke with Ashley Jackson last month who has a big reputation in World Hockey, what player was you particularly excited about lining up next to when you got called up? Sam - The person I was most looking to line up next to was defender and club mate Ollie Willars, who I have known since a very young age and grown up playing hockey with.

Your club Beeston had a tough Christmas and new year run of results, however your luck seems to be looking up after winning at Surbiton and drawing with Reading. How important is it to win your next home game next month?

Obviously every game is huge for us and we aim to win them all. We always see the next game as a must win so nothing will change there. What is your next short term career goal? My short term goal is to make sure Beeston do well in the league and euro league. On the international front is to make sure I am selected to play in the world league in June. Sam has made a great start to his England career and we hope to see him back in the England jersey for the World League in June.

Is Steven Gerrard the last of the boyhood hero’s? There is something very satisfying for fans when watching “home grown” talents living out their dreams by playing for their boyhood club. Steven Gerrard is the pride and joy of Liverpool as fans relate to the local lad turned cult hero. With Gerrard leaving Merseyside to try his hand in LA, it begs the question will we ever see a local lad make such an impact at a club ever again? A lot has changed since 1998 when Gerrard burst onto the scene. He has lined up alongside a mixed bag of overseas imports, some successful (Alonso and Suraez) and some not so much (Biscan and Diao). The influx of foreign players into the league has been a steady process, in 2005 we saw Arsenal become the first team to field a team without a single Englishman. The Premier League may be the most exciting league in the world; however are the foreign imports stopping the academy players breaking through to the first team? Class of 1992 It wouldn’t be right to write about club boyhood hero’s without mentioning Manchester United’s class of 1992 which took Europe by storm. I think we could all agree having 6 stars in the same team from the youth set up will probably not happen again. It shows that with the right scouting network (Ferguson tripled the amount of scouts over Europe when he took over) and mixture of experienced players with top coaching it can happen. Although technically some weren’t local lads including David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, they did have the Manchester United way of life embedded into them. Inflated fees for young English players? It is no secret that clubs are forced to pay inflated fees for the young English players. You could argue these clubs have every right to ask for these prices too, being they fund for the players development to then have their finished article snapped away. It seems the kind of player to stick with their first club may no longer exist. A mixture of factors such as huge wages with signing on fees as well as the lure of Champions league acts as too

much of a temptation for a lot of players. Adam Lallana springs to mind as a recent academy turned captain; however Liverpool finally got their man last summer ending Lallana’s 14 year spell at Southampton. Hearts Football club One club that have seen financial resources dry up and have gone down a different route are Hearts Football club. On the brink of folding all together, spending money on new players wasn’t an option. Last season saw the 4 time SPL winners drop out of the league, the same season they entered administration. The second half of the season saw the club rely heavily on the young players. Currently Hearts have a fan in charge in Ann Budge; and are sitting top of the league with a double figure lead on the likes of Rangers and local rivals Hibs. Out of the 24 players squad, 13 are from the youth set up and with players as young as 18 in there. Manager life spans? – average life span of a premier league manager down to 1 year. Another possible factor why young players rarely make the step up to the first team is manager lifespans. The days of managers given enough time to bleed academy players are long gone, managers now are forced to abandon the youth policy and dip into the overseas market as soon as trouble arises. It is refreshing to see managers give their young players a run out in the first team. Seeing the likes of Raheem Sterling burst onto the scene is great for both Liverpool and England. Is it as simple as young English players just aren’t as good as others in Europe? Germany, Spain, Belgium and even Switzerland have restructured the way they do things with the national side in mind. The FA brought in new rules on the size of pitches for certain ages to try to encourage players to play with the ball rather than chase the ball.

Although managers say they like their players to be a success in the national team, its clear club success is priority for clubs. If the player is good enough he will play and if he is judged not good enough then there is a foreign import ready in the wings.

So come May it looks like Steven Gerrard, local lad turned club hero will address the kop for the last season. Brendan Rodgers who Gerrard himself was very complimentary about describes him as a true legend. “It is almost an impossible task to find the words to appropriately sum up Steven Gerrard and his importance to Liverpool. This is an era where the term “legend” is vastly overused, but in his case it actually doesn’t do him justice”

Book Review – Angelo Dundee I only talk winning written by Angelo Dundee and Mike Winters

Available from Amazon.co.uk

We know it isn’t normal practice to review a book that was written nearly 30 years ago, however the story of Boxing trainer Dundee should be read by all sports fans. If you know Boxing then you know Angelo Dundee. He is famous for training 11 champions including the great Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Dundee’s story is an inspiring one about the hard work and determination as well as sticking to personal beliefs. Dundee left his home town of South Philadelphia for New York after serving in the military. His old brother Chris was a promoter and Angelo would help out on fight nights. Dundee comes across as a very humble as well as a very determined character. It gives readers an honest insight into the boxing industry in his era. From being offered a bung by a well- known fight fixer to having his boxing license placed under review in the New York state. He also goes into detail what really happened in that famous fight between Ali and Cooper and the ripped glove saga.

Dundee talks about his relationship with Ali and how he knew he would be the greatest after Ali requested to be trained by him. Things weren’t so straight forward when he looked after Sugar Ray Leonard another champion.

Here are some snippets from the book: On Cassius Clay and renewing his training agreement (former name of Ali) “You have to understand, I liked and admired the kid, I knew, too, that Cassius was far more talented than most people realised” On Ali’s attire when fighting Champion Henry Cooper in England“Cassius’s hype was just that, but sometimes he could take it too far. He had entered the ring wearing a crown and flowing robes, like a king, but I wouldn’t let him leave the ring afterwards wearing the royal regalia, especially after decking the British champion” Dundee on his boxing career“I tell you, every fighter I ever worked with had something special, but some have more special than others” It is no secret the Boxing game isn’t what it used to be. Dundee’s story is a great time walk into an exciting era in Boxing.

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