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. In this issue we have an interview with Basketball player BJ Homes who talks Sheffield Sharks, the playoffs and life in England. We went to the GB vs Germany Nations Cup match at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and spoke with head coach Bobby Crutchley, Henry Weir and Alastair Brogdon. We spoke about GBs lead up to Olympic qualifiers as well as Wimbledon Hockey Clubs fantastic Playoff win the weekend before. We also have a great article on which nation really dominates the Champions league and our book recommendation this issue is “I am the secret footballer�. If you would like to get involved with More Than a Game Magazine then please get in touch. We love to hear from all types of sports teams about interesting stories they may have!
In this issue GB Hockey – Mission Rio 2016. We attended GB’s home tie with Germany in the Nations Cup. We speak with coach Bobby Crutchley about GBs preparation for huge games coming up. Page 4
Wimbledon Hockey Club – Making history in the Playoffs. We speak with Wimbledon players Henry Weir and Alastair Brogdon after their Playoff win. Page 7
Which nation really dominates the Champions League. We look at what nation has been represented the most times in the latter stages of the biggest club tournament in world. Page 9
Interview with BJ Holmes. We catch up with Sheffield Sharks point guard BJ Holmes and talk playoffs, point guards and living in Sheffield. Page 14
More Than a Game Book Recommendation of the Issue – I am the secret Footballer – page 16
GB Hockey – Mission Rio 2016 The dust had barely settled at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis centre after an epic club playoff weekend, before GB lined up against reigning European champions Germany on a sunny April evening. It was the first of two games before the all -important Rio 2016 Olympic as well as the Euro League in August. The second game being against world champions Australia on the 13th June which is 1 week before the qualifiers. It has been a long season for the GB players with plenty of surprises along the way. Their game with Germany was a battle for the Nations Cup. GB do not boast the best record against their German counter parts, only winning 5 times in 55 attempts. The home side did look that better side and went 1 nil up after a clever goal from Wimbledon’s star Alastair Brogdon. It was heartbreak for the GB fans in the 2nd half as Germany converted a penalty in the 52nd minute then an individual piece of brilliance by Christopher Westley 1 minute later gave Germany the lead.
It was a tense last few minutes for the away side as GB had several good attacking moves but couldn’t find that equalising goal. The game ended with a Germany win with GB left to look back on a disappointing loss. Head Coach Bobby Crutchley was left frustrated by the lapses for the 2 German goals but overall wasn’t too concerned by the result. “I just think we were very clumsy in defence so I was a bit frustrated with that. We started pretty slowly although we did defend well, the rest of the game I thought was pretty even. I did make some pretty sloppy errors for their goals which again was frustrating” It had been a long weekend for the majority of GB Players particularly for the players who competed in the final;
4
Wimbledon and East Grinstead. However Bob Crutchley wasn’t too concerned about the condition of the players in this game. “Yes maybe, some of the players were a bit leggy after obviously a busy weekend; but then again the Germans were playing club games over there plus they had to fly here. These guys are physically in good condition and they have got to know they have to perform even when they are tired. This is what happens in big tournaments too” Bobby Crutchley wasn’t too concerned by the score line and is using the 2 warm up games as a learning tool. “What these games are here for are, as well as a game we want to win but we want to learn and keep progressing and keep getting better. Ultimately we want to perform in June and in the Euro League later in the year. I am not too concerned about the result here tonight but naturally I don’t like to lose”
“The game was won and loss tonight after some individual errors I think, which is a tough pill to swallow. We were as good as them and competing with them, at 1 nil up we felt strong but after a couple of mistakes we missed out. A few of the mistakes were individuals ones, a couple by myself lead to the loss” Henry sees the GB team as one of the best in the world and believes is key to compete against the best teams to keep improving. “We want to play the best teams in the world, because we see ourselves as one of the best teams in the world which is how you get better. It wouldn’t be worth bringing a lower ranked team over to play them in this type of setting, we want to be the best so we have to beat the best. We are capable of competing with the best on our day”
Henry Weir, who only 2 days prior to this game was lifting the playoff trophy on this very pitch made his 6th cap for GB in the loss. Weir has left disappointed after the loss after a few individual errors.
5
Alastair Brogdon’s goal put GB in the lead against the Germans, as well as scoring in the playoff final for his club Wimbledon in the final 2 days prior. Brogdon was left frustrated by the 2nd half performance particularly.
“Yes we were left frustrated; I think we played some good Hockey tonight. I think the first half was tight. In the second half we let our levels slip and they took advantage and scored 2 goals, then we couldn’t quite get it back” Like Henry Weir, Alastair agrees that playing the best teams is the best preparation for the team’s development.
“It is definitely important we play these teams. We know we are going to have to beat these teams in the tournaments coming up so the preparation is good. These are teams that we want to be beating”
Why not check out our other Hockey features at www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk. Includes features with Wimbledon Hockey Club, an interview with GB international Ashley Jackson and also an interview with GB international Sam Ward.
GB take on Australia on the 13th June at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre followed by the Olympic qualifiers on June 20th. Tickets available at the England Hockey website www.englandhockey.com
6
Wimbledon – Making History in the Playoffs To top off a fantastic few years for Wimbledon Hockey club, they saw off a much fancied East Grinstead side in the final to win the Playoffs at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre. In only their second season in the top tier of English Hockey, to be crowned Playoff champions is a great feat. After beating Surbiton in the semi- finals it was East Grinstead who stood in the way for the trophy. East Grinstead had beaten last season’s winners Beeston in empathetic fashion the day before, so it was set up to be a greatly contested final. The game was full of goals much to the delight of the fans. East Grinstead’s Ashley Jackson netted a hat-trick as well as goals from Tony Wilson and Mark Phearn. Wimbledon’s Australian Blake Govers stole the show with a fantastic 5 goals as well as goals from Jack Waller, Alastair Brogdon and Phil Ball. Henry Weir has been at the club for 2 seasons now and is ecstatic how well the club has done. “I am absolutely over the moon how well the club has done and where we have come from. For the club it has been an incredible 7 years and for me a 2 year journey. It was an incredible setting to win the cup; it was a fantastic day for everyone involved”
Wimbledon went into the Playoffs 4th in the league and still came out on top. Weir very much believes it was the importance of that winning attitude. “Half of winning the league is believing you can win the league. When we look around our squad we know we have the players who can win the league, we have always known that throughout the season. We have had bumps along the road but when we matched ourselves against the top teams in the league, we know we can put in performances so we were confident coming into the playoffs” Alastair Brogdon is another GB player who tasted playoff victory the weekend before with Wimbledon and even scored in the final. Brogdon looks back on the season with great pride on how they performed.
7
“Yes it was a great season as well as only being our second year in the top division. We had a solid league campaign and after beating the other 3 teams going into it, we were confident going into the playoffs. After we beat Surbiton 2 nil and going into the final, everybody was extremely confident in what we could do. The way we played in the final was a credit to us and a credit to our team and how we played this year. It is fantastic for the club and has been brilliant for me personally too”.
Upcoming fixtures for the GB women’s GB Women travel to Valencia in June for the Euro League where they take on hosts Spain (10th) Argentina (13th) Canada (14th) and China (14th). Further rounds are played until the 21st June.
GB coach Bobby Crutchley gave special mention the Wimbledon and their accomplishment. “It is a great story and a great progress for them. Ben Marsden (Wimbledon’s director of Hockey) has done a great job down there with their programme and have done over a few years now. It is great to have another club performing at that kind of level too” Upcoming fixtures – GB Men’s take on reigning world champions Australia on the 13th June at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
Did your club have a special season? Let us know YOUR clubs story by visiting www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk and sending us a message! We will feature you in our next issue!
GB Men’s compete in the World League semi final starting from the 20th June where they take on Belgium. They also play Ireland(23rd), China (25th) Malaysia (28th). The knock out stages starts on the 1st July and the final is on the 5th July.
8
Which nation really dominates European Football? Which nation have the better domestic league is a common debate in the world of Football. La Liga can boast arguably the best 2 teams in the world in Barcelona and Real Madrid as well as certainly the 2 best players in Ronaldo and Messi. The English Premier League is certainly the bigger business as well as certainly being the most unpredictable league. Originally the European cup and was then changed to the Champions League in 1992, continues to be the biggest club prize in Football. Top players yearn to get their hands on the historic trophy from all around the world. It has even been suggested that it is tougher to win the Champions League then it is to win the World Cup in this modern era. In recent years Barcelona have proved to be the greatest force in Europe winning the cup 3 times in the last 10 years, however bitter rivals Real Madrid are the top winners with 10 triumphs overall. This year is the 60th European tournament and we look at what nation really has performed best in this fantastic competition? So we are going to look at what nation has been represented by at least 1 club in each year of the competition. We have broken it down to the semi-finals, final and winners.
9
Semi – Final Stats Nation
Semi -final appearances
In the 59 years that the competition has been around, Spain has had at least 1 team in the semi-finals for 50 of those seasons. In the 1999/00 campaign, 3 out of the 4 semi- finalists were from La Liga: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
Spain
50
England
35
Germany
28
Italy have the 2nd most semi-final appearances in the history of the cup with 37, the majority of these in the earlier years. In the 2002/03 campaign we saw 3 Italian teams feature in the semifinals for the first season ever (Milan, Inter and Juventus).
Italy
37
Holland
13
English teams have featured in 35 of the 59 set of semi-finals, however English clubs were banned for 5 years in 1985 after the Heysel stadium disaster. The best spell for English clubs has come in recent years, since 2000 where they have appeared in 11 out of the last 14 campaigns. Between the 2005 and 2008 campaigns, the Premier League had 3 teams in the semi- finals stages. German teams have had 28 appearances in the last 4, 15 of these were made by the giants Bayern Munich. They went through a dry spell between 2003 and 2008, ironically the same time the German format went through a huge overhaul after the disappointment of the national sides exit in Euro 2000.
Never has there been more than 1 Dutch team in the semi- finals in the same year. It has been a lean couple of decades for Dutch football in this tournament, with PSV being the last team to make it to the semi-finals which was back in the 2004/05 campaign.
Dutch teams have made the semi- finals 13 times overall. In the first 13 years of the competition only 1 Dutch team made it through to the semi-finals which was Fernooyd.
10
The Spanish clubs have done the business 33 times in the semi- finals to make it to the final. Real Madrid have been in the final a whopping 13 times, 8 of those being in the first 11 years of the tournament. There have been 4 different teams to make the final; Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico and Valencia. Atletico have been in the final twice which was last season and the 1974/75 campaign. Barcelona have a 66.6% win rate in semi- final ties since the start of the competition.
English teams have seen the majority of their final appearances in recent years, 8 out of the last 10 seasons saw an English side line up. Liverpool have been in 6 finals, 2 of those have been in the last 10 years too. Manchester United were the only team until 1974/75 to make the final. England do have the joint most different teams to make the final though with 6 different teams reaching the final 2; these include Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. The Italian teams have a good record in the semi-finals, 25 out of their semi final appearances leading to a final appearance. The last 10 years has seen a decline in Serie A sides making it to the final, with only 3 in the last 10 years with 2 appearances of them being AC Milan. AC Milan have been in the final 10 times overall including the first ever European cup in 1955 against Real Madrid.
Nation
Final appearances
Spain
33
Italy
25
England
19
Germany
17
Holland
8
Despite Bayern Munich dominating German appearances with 10 overall, we have seen 4 different sides make it to the final. Frankfurt were the first German side to make the final in the 1959/60 season (which didn’t end well!). The German sides are joint leaders with English sides to have the most different teams to feature in the final; Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Bayer Leverkuson, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach (yes really). Dutch football has suffered in recent decades in the European Cup. We haven’t seen a Dutch side in the final since the 1995/96 campaign when Ajax lost out to Juventus. There was a very successful period over the late 60s and early 70s when they had a team in the semi-finals for 5 campaigns on a spin.
11
Final stats Spain have the full sweep here with their sides winning the European cup 15 times. The big 2 are the only 2 Spanish sides to win the accolade, with Madrid winning 10 and Barcelona winning it 5 times (3 in the last 10 years). Valencia reached the final in consecutive seasons but fell short both times against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid have also made the final twice but lost out to the same 2 Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Real Madrid hold the record for not only the most wins but also they successfully defended the cup for the first 5 seasons.
English teams have a very good record in the final winning 12 times out of 19 appearances which is a 63% success rate. They do have the most different winners out of all nations with 5 teams winning the competition: Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest are the only English team to have successfully defended the Cup in the 1978/79 and 1979/80 campaigns. Liverpool hold the most wins with 5, winning their 5th in the 2005/06 season (anyone remember that one?) against AC Milan.
Nation
Final appearances
Spain
15
Italy
13
England
12
Germany
6
Holland
6
The Italian teams are 2nd in the rankings for most wins, only two behind the Spanish. The 60s saw the most successful era for Serie A clubs when the Milan clubs shared 4 titles between them over a 7 year spell. Throughout the 70s and half of the 80s we didn’t see any Italian wins until Juventus ended the dry spell with their first ever win in the 1984/85 campaign. Apart from the dry spell in the 70s/80s, they haven’t been without the Champions League back in Italy for too long. Bayern Munich dominate the German teams to be crowned champions of Europe with 5 out of the 6 triumphs. Hamburg are the only other team to win it which was back in 1983 when they defeated Juventus. The Germans and the English shared the trophy between each other between 1973 and 1984.
12
So there we have it, Spain have the most success is the European cup/Champions League since it began in 1955. The English and Germany can be proud of their efforts with the variety of different teams in the mix for the biggest club award. It will be interesting how the next 10 years pan out with Serie A struggling in recent years as well as the Premier League sides having a poor few years. For now however, it is the silky Spanish that rule the European elite roost.
Check out more of our Football articles in our other issues at www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk.
13
BJ Holmes – Running the show in Sheffield MTAG - You have been in Sheffield since 2012. What has it been like coming over from the states to the UK to play your Basketball? What have you made of the league? More Than a Game spoke with Sheffield Sharks point guard BJ Holmes. Sharks have secured their position in the BBL playoffs for another year. MTAG - You guys have been on a great run of form, right at the perfect time too with the Playoffs. How important is it for you to be in good form leading up to the playoffs? It is definitely important for us to be playing good Basketball. We just want to play well, get better every week in practice leading up to all games. What has been happening for us of late is, we have been relying on our defense to bring our offence into action and it is working well.
The league has definitely got better year on year. More talent keeps coming over and the English guys are getting better too. I do think this is one of the markets that hasn’t blew up yet as far as Basketball around the world goes. I think it is real close to becoming one of those top leagues. I am real comfortable in Sheffield, the management take care of me and the fans have been great. They have accepted my family over here too so I couldn’t ask for too much more. MTAG- You play point guard, there are a lot of very good point guards in this league like Rod Brown, Neil Watson and Rahmon Fletcher to name a few. How is it playing point guard in this league?
MTAG - You have been in Sheffield since 2012. What has it been like coming over from the states to the UK to play your Basketball? What have you made of the league?
14
Every night it is tough out there. You find yourself up against a point guard who arguably the best point guard in the league! You can look at stats of course, but I don’t think that tells how god a point guard is. There are a lot more things to just score and hand out assists, you need to know how to run a team. You become an extension of the coach out there, I like to control the game and make it easier for the other guys out there. MTAG – After the disappointment of losing in the semi-finals last season in the playoffs to eventual winners Worcester Wolves, how motivated are you guys to go that one step further? We are just motivated as we haven’t won anything this year. Playing in the playoffs is the last opportunity to win something; we are putting all our eggs in this basket now. We are glad we are hitting our stride now with the playoffs so close. We don’t care who we are matched with in the 1st round or 2nd round, we have just come to play.
MTAG -Last question for you, who has been the toughest point guard you have played against this season? I have a feeling you are going to say Neil Watson from the Leicester Riders! Yeah Neil Watson is pretty good! If we are looking at toughest point guard I would have to say Zaire (Taylor) as he is so much bigger than me. Neil is small like me, so I think I match up a bit better with Neil than I do with these guys. Neil is a great point guard, he is arguably the best point in the league, what he is doing with what he has. It isn’t just his points or his assists, he makes that team tick, if you cut off Neil Watson then Leicester aren’t the same team. You cut off the head to a snake, then the body will follow, that’s what I believe. The point guard is the head of the team in my eyes.
MTAG – of course this great run of form is different helping? Definitely, we have to give so much credit to coach Lyons with what he has been trying to do.
15
More Than a Game Recommends…. You read about them every day in every publication and website around, so you think we should know everything about the modern day footballer. I am the secret footballer tells tales that will shock you all about what really happens behind closed doors. There are many theories behind the real identity of the secret Footballer. Some say it is former England and Aston Villa player Lee Hendrie, others think it is former Reading and Stoke striker Dave Kitson and some even think it is several former players mixed into one. The book is split into sections such as media, agents, fans, managers and bad behaviour. The secret footballer shares stories such as; the famous Las Vegas trips which normally involve a game called “Champagne wars” where 2 groups try to outspend each other and a manager even using the media to force a player out of their club. The book goes into detail about the day to day life of a footballer, with a typical day being 10 – 12. It also reveals more about the “WAG” culture as well as one WAG who asked to be called Queen WAG.
It is a brutally honest insight into the both glamorous and unglamorous side of the beautiful game. You will laugh at times and also potentially cry particularly when you find out how much money is involved.
It is a must read for all Football fans who are interested in what really happens both on and off the pitch. Favourite bits from the book: After an altercation with John Terry – “I matched myself up to him from a free kick and, as it was taken I kicked him as hard as I could across the back of the legs and he crumbled to the ground” On Xabi Alonso’s view of English football – “I can’t get my head around that football development would educate tackling as a quality. Tackling is a [last] resort and you will need it, but it isn’t a quality to aspire to but a definition” The power of endorsements – “Palm resorts had approached Beckham with an offer of a free resort in exchange of an endorsement. Beckham agreed, but only with the condition that the rest of the England squad would get a villa at a cut down price. Trevor Sinclair apparently still lives in his in Dubai”
16
If you enjoyed this issue you will love our others too.. All our issues are available to read online at our website www.morethanagamemagazine.co.uk Issue 1 – Our first ever copy! This issue Includes a feature with newly reformed Haringey London Racers, Interview with GB Hockey star Ashley Jackson, Health and fitness with GB and Coventry Blaze’s star Russell Cowley and much more!!
Issue 2 – This issue we have a feature with one of the oldest Ice Hockey teams in the UK Streatham Redskins, an interview with Newcastle Eagles legend Charles Smith and a book review on the great Angelo Dundee and much more!
17
Issue 3 – This issue includes an article on the foreign invasion in English Football, a feature with Wimbledon Hockey Club, an Interview with GB international Kieron Achara as well as a interview with GB under 20s star Ben Lawson and much more!
Issue 4 – This issue includes a feature with Elite League eventual playoff winners Coventry Blaze in their run up to the playoffs, an interview with British Ice Hockey legend Tony Hand, an interview with Cheshire Phoenix’s main man Demond Watt and much more!
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter with sneak previews on our latest issues!
18