Sunderland FC under Chairman Niall Quinn have no fear of change. Of this much we can be certain. Since Quinn led a cohort of investors in purchasing the Wearside club in 2006, the team has embarked on a remarkable remodeling of the then-recently relagated club, solidified this week as the club signed promising South Korea striker Ji Dong-won, highly-touted Ipswich forward Connor Wickham and
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Scoring Stats - Dependable European forwards
Posted on 1:14 PM by Unknown
A scoring stat is defined as any goal or assist and through this combination we have so far investigated how reliant certain clubs across Europe are on star individuals. So which players actually contributed the most to the success of their teams in season 2010-2011? Unsurprisingly, the most dominant forces by way of contributing to their teams forces came from Germany or Italy. In fact, there
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Book review: First Tests - by Steve Cannane
Posted on 7:52 AM by Unknown
by Balanced Sports columnist Ben Roberts. A re-post from our affiliate book-review blog "Books with Balls". If you're interested in participating by writing a book review, contact us at balancedsports (at) gmail.com.As I sat on a winters Saturday afternoon with the football call in the background I delved into a work that for a long time I had been desiring to read. First Tests by Steve
Friday, June 24, 2011
My Favourite Cricketer: Curtly Ambrose - Matthew Wood
Posted on 6:57 PM by Unknown
As we involve noted cricket writers and bloggers on our topic "My Favourite Cricketer" - the brainchild of Balanced Sports' Matthew Wood - sees the series creator delve into his happy childhood memories to pay homage to the baddest, coolest fast bowler in recent memory: Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose.
As cricket fans, we favour iconoclasts and champions. Every player in this series is likely to
As cricket fans, we favour iconoclasts and champions. Every player in this series is likely to
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Europe's top Goalkeepers - by the numbers
Posted on 7:47 AM by Unknown
Although the quality of a goalkeeper cannot solely be judged by statistics, they can provide an insight into how well they perform. They need to perform sweeping duties much more than their NHL counterparts and often are left horribly out of position by lapses in skill or concentration by the defenders they are attempting to organise. Amongst numerous possibilities, the two major statistical
Posted in Ben Foster, Christian Abbiati, GAA, Goalkeeper, goalkeeper stats, Joe Hart, Save Percentage
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Jack Warner resigns from FIFA, "hung out to dry"
Posted on 8:19 AM by Unknown
The President of the CONCACAF and Vice President of FIFA Jack Warner has stepped down from his role at FIFA three weeks after threatening to "unleash a tsunami" on football's governing body. Trinidadian Warner was implicated in allegations of facilitating bribery within the ranks of the World's most powerful sporting organisation. In response to his resignation, FIFA dropped all charges against
Posted in 2022 World Cup, Avon Barksdale, Clay Davis, CONCACAF, FIFA, Jack Warner, Sepp Blatter, Stringer Bell, The Wire, World Cup
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Monday, June 20, 2011
Goalkeeping Stats across Europe - an analysis
Posted on 10:08 AM by Unknown
101 goalkeepers made over ten starts in Europe's four major leagues during season 2010-12. Another fifty-six made at least one start in either the English Premiership, La Liga, the Bundesliga or Serie A. So after thirty eight games (thirty-four in Germany), which goalkeeper is best? Of course evaluating custodians purely by stats is a fraught and inaccurate business. Goalkeepers, by their
Posted in AC Milan, Balanced Sports, Bundesliga, EPL, Goalkeeper, goalkeeper stats, La Liga, Serie A
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Saturday, June 18, 2011
Trading Fashion Cities: Leonardo swaps Inter Milan for PSG
Posted on 8:44 AM by Unknown
In French, Brazilian coach Leonardo would be called Un chat à la mode. And a lucky one. Talk about landing on one's feet! The former AC Milan and Inter Milan coach signed on Thursday to coach French Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain. Leonardo, whose brilliant playing career made him a rossoneri icon is, at best, a hesitant coach. He was persuaded to take the AC Milan managerial reins
Posted in AC Milan, derby, Inter Milan, Leonardo, manager, Massimo Moratti, Paris Saint-Germain, PSG, Silvio Berlusconi
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Friday, June 17, 2011
Harry Kewell the answer to A-League's Marquee question?
Posted on 10:03 AM by Unknown
The Hyundai A-League - and by extension, the Football Federation of Australia - reels from one crisis to another. If it's not declining crowd numbers, owners threatening to close stands rather than see empty seats, franchises folding, disastrous World Cup bids (corruption or not) or even stars entering fan forums, then it's clubs failing to take advantage of the league's generous marquee player
Posted in A-League, attendance, crowds, FFA, football, Harry Kewell, Marquee, Mateja Kezman, Melbourne Victory, Robbie Fowler, transfer
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
Book review: Bradman's Invincibles by Roland Perry
Posted on 8:04 AM by Unknown
A re-post from our Book Review affiliate site, Books With Balls.A number of cricket teams will live long in history, having books written about them and having their relative merits forever debated. The most recent of those, the Australians who dominated cricket for fifteen years to 2008 developed a storied reputation perhaps tarnished by a lack of quality lasting opposition. The West Indian
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Oak Hill Academy: Basketball's Production Line
Posted on 1:57 PM by Unknown
Recently I fell victim to the whims of Basketball Reference. Not that I'm new to the site - I've used it as a valuable reference tool since I discovered it several years ago. But this one was different, not necessarily information for a particular purpose, just the sheer pleasure of getting lost surfing basketball. And I happened upon a list of all the McDonalds High School All-Americans, a
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Scoring Stats - European Goalscoring Trends
Posted on 7:14 AM by Unknown
When we first examined the most important marksmen in the Big Four leagues, we looked at which players in Europe were the most crucial to their teams. This was done according to Scoring Stats, a measure of a player's combined Goals and Assists, measured as a percentage of their team's total league goals for the season. Then, Serie A stars Marco Di Vaio and Edinson Cavani topped the European
Posted in Bundesliga, Carlos Tevez, Edinson Cavani, English Premier League, Europe, La Liga, Marco Di Vaio, Scoring Stats, Serie A
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Monday, June 13, 2011
Australian Cricket: Pay selectors, Pay the Devil
Posted on 1:11 PM by Unknown
Simon Katich is right: Australian selection policy has been remarkably inconsistent during his tenure at the top of the order. He may, however, be overstepping the mark somewhat as he campaigns for paid, full-time selectors. While the sentiment behind his recent outburst is justified - everyone in the country aside from the selection panel thought him worthy of at least a further year around
Posted in Andrew Hilditch, Argus review, cricket, Cricket Australia, Greg Chappell, politics, review, selectors, Simon Katich
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Saturday, June 11, 2011
My Favourite Cricketer: Douglas Jardine by David Green
Posted on 9:22 AM by Unknown
Throughout this summer of cricket and beyond, Balanced Sports and World Cricket Watch are inviting cricket writers from around the globe to wax lyrical on who they consider their “favourite cricketer”. Today is the turn of David Green of The Reverse Sweep who picks arguably England’s greatest - and definitely most combative - captain.
Friday, June 10, 2011
My Favourite Cricketer: Coming Tomorrow!
Posted on 3:06 PM by Unknown
Tomorrow's My Favourite Cricketer is by The Reverse Sweep's literary marvel David Green, who explains why a past great of the game is his favourite and most admired cricketer of all time. Stay Tuned!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Stanley Cup: Rome's suspension signals start of NHL concussion plans
Posted on 9:15 AM by Unknown
Part six of our season-long series: An Australian on Ice Hockey
Aaron Rome's season has passed on. It lies on a gurney next to Nathan Horton's, the man whose Stanley Cup dreams now depend totally on how well he's able to recover from Rome's blindside hit. He was yesterday suspended for four matches by the NHL's temporary Arbiter of Justice, Mike Murphy, a decision greeted with disdain on
Aaron Rome's season has passed on. It lies on a gurney next to Nathan Horton's, the man whose Stanley Cup dreams now depend totally on how well he's able to recover from Rome's blindside hit. He was yesterday suspended for four matches by the NHL's temporary Arbiter of Justice, Mike Murphy, a decision greeted with disdain on
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Scoring Stats - Europe's most important players
Posted on 4:06 PM by Unknown
A few months ago - just before his untimely suspension before the Milan derby with Inter - it became known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic had either scored or assisted on an astonishing 45+ percent of all AC Milan's Serie A goals. Which got me asking which players were the most crucial to their club's fortunes throughout the course of season 2010-2011. Such estimates had to be quantifiable, so Scoring
Posted in Balanced Sports, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Marco Di Vaio, Scoring Stats
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Complete English Premier League Table, 1993-2011
Posted on 4:43 PM by Unknown
Yes, we know, we're stat-heads and have no life. At least, that's what it feels like at times! But the pointy-heads at Balanced Sports have spent the past several hours slaving over an increasingly hot lap-top to bring you THE COMPLETE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE since 1993!Manchester United sits atop with twelve titles, but who sits behind them? Arsenal? Chelsea? Palace? The Battersea Home
Monday, June 6, 2011
Anti-Franchise: In defense of provincial cricket
Posted on 5:46 PM by Unknown
To hear recent suggestions that in the future cricket sides will be drawn down franchise, rather than national, lines is both predictable and upsetting. Cricket, a sport unique in both in the basis of its rules and its appeal, continues to evolve at a rate unthought of only a decade ago. In many ways, the game has benefited from this enforced change. In others, it has not. The Franchise model
Saturday, June 4, 2011
My Favourite Cricketer: Allan Border by Ben Roberts.
Posted on 8:39 AM by Unknown
In the second of our series "My Favourite Cricketer", co-hosted by World Cricket Watch and Balanced Sports, is by Ben Roberts and features the man who single-handedly dragged Australian cricket from the doldrums, Allan Border.
Upon request I have journeyed deep into my memory to come to the point of selecting Allan Border as my favourite cricketer of all time. At the time that his career
Upon request I have journeyed deep into my memory to come to the point of selecting Allan Border as my favourite cricketer of all time. At the time that his career
Friday, June 3, 2011
Swansea City's Scott Sinclair deserves England callup
Posted on 11:39 AM by Unknown
Anointing a youngster "future England regular" is an exercise both in optimism and presumption. There have been several recent nominees for the position future England star - from Jermaine Defoe, through Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll and even Adam Johnson. Each has had their sparkly moments in the Three Lions' shirt and as Fabio Capello begins to assemble his squad for Euro 2012, certain names
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Where to now for Blackpool?
Posted on 11:17 AM by Unknown
The third in a three-part series detailing possible next steps for the relegated Premier League teams. Blackpool's one-season jaunt in the Premiership, perhaps likely always to be record-setting, has come to a close. The Tangerines did set records, but not the ones that many predicted at the start of their top flight campaign. Blackpool boasted the smallest wage bill seen in the EPL for
Posted in Birmingham City, Blackpool, Charlie Adam, DJ Campbell, Ian Holloway, Olly, relegation, West Ham
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Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Shaquille O'Neal Retires: Olympus beckons for Big Aristotle
Posted on 4:49 PM by Unknown
Shaquille O'Neal has retired and the NBA has lost one of it's born entertainers. The league, and the sporting landscape in general, will be poorer for his departure. He entered the league with the inevitable comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain, succeeded Wilt in rings won while owning basketball in Los Angeles, won a ring with "Flash" and then turned into a role-player for hire. At times the most
Posted in basketball, Kobe, Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Magic, NBA, NBA Draft, Orlando, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, statesman, Willis Reed
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Balanced Sports on Soccerlens: Where to now for Blackpool?
Posted on 7:53 AM by Unknown
Blackpool have gone down to the Championship. In this post on Soccerlens, we examine how best to move on from there.
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