Thursday, 19 December 2013

Red Card Ramos, Admirable Atletico and Recommendations of the Year Awards

The penultimate Football Circus of 2013 is upon us and it's a bit special if we do say so. Not only do we bring you your usual roundup of nonsensical news but we also feature a comprehensive rundown of both our "Football Recommendation" and "Non Football Recommendation" segments since the inception of Football Circus back in March. We'll also confirm our recommendations of the year. So get reading before the combination of anticipation and festive cheer makes you do something silly...



Tis the Season as Bayern Players Give Jingle Bells Rendition

Bayern Munich's players rarely seem to let an opportunity to celebrate pass them by. We have previously reported stories revolving around their title-winning celebrations and their Oktoberfest outing and now the squad have gathered to celebrate Christmas, recording their own rendition of Jingle Bells.

The song / video was all in aid of the team's official television channel, FCBTV. Lahm, Ribery and co. were shown wearing Santa hats and beards and lighting Bayern Munich candles for the recording. The lads all look quite happy and full of festive cheer, but why wouldn't they when they sit atop the Bundesliga with no losses recorded in the league to date.




Bendtner's Potty Mouth Caught on Cam

Nicklas Bendtner rarely makes the headlines anymore for the right reasons. He has found the net again in recent times, suggesting all is not lost for the Danish striker. That said, whether it's bad luck or poor decision making, or perhaps a combination of the two, Bendtner seems to be a magnet for trouble. His latest controversy comes with thanks to the Man City 'Tunnel Cam'.

Bendtner was caught on the Tunnel Cam announcing to teammates that the City tunnel "stinks of piss". Most likely oblivious to the Tunnel Cam, Bendtner made his comment within earshot of young mascots, something which is unlikely to enhance his reputation. Bendtner's day only got worse as City defeated his Arsenal side 6-3.

We're quite hopeful here at Football Circus that the Tunnel Cam will catch out many more unwitting victims.




Ramos Red Card Tally reaches 18

Our 30th edition of Football Circus featured the "Dirty 30", our list of the thirty dirtiest footballers of the past thirty years. Included in that list was a certain Sergio Ramos, who at that point had racked up seventeen red cards in the Real Madrid jersey. This past weekend, he's only gone and done it again.

Ramos managed to get sent off before half time in Real's encounter with Osasuna with two first half bookings. It was the defender's fourth sending off this season alone. The Spanish international holds the shameful record of the most sendings off in Real Madrid's history and is only five more red cards away from being the Primera Division's all time player with the most sendings off. Given that he is still only 27, there is every likelihood that Ramos will equal, if not exceed, the current Primera Division record of 23. Furthering his 'dirty' reputation is his yellow cards record of 142 in his career.

Nevertheless, Ramos may have been considered a little unlucky with his second yellow against Osasuna. He left the pitch with a sarcastic shake of his head after the referee brandished the red card. After the match he stated: "It’s easy to send off Sergio Ramos", implying that his reputation may proceed him as far as referees are concerned. It may now be a case of "The Boy who Cried Wolf" for the Los Blancos skipper.


Admirable Atletico Sell €1 Tickets

Atletico Madrid are usually pretty reasonable when it comes to ticket prices and a paltry €5 would normally secure you entry to one of their cup games.

However as a gesture of goodwill, perhaps accounting for the Christmas season, the club reduced their ticket prices for Wednesday's cup tie against Sant Andreu to just €1 for five thousand unemployed fans.
With almost 25% unemployment in Spain, the generous move by Atletico will allow some of their less well off fans a glimpse of their heroes in action.


What's Mad Mario Upto This Week?

Showing off his new blue contact lenses. The fashion conscious Milan star has been busy on Twitter uploading selfies featuring him sitting in his car wearing bright blue contact lenses.



Meanwhile, Balo has been criticised by teammate Sulley Muntari over his handling of racial insults which he may find himself subject to. The Ghanian told Italy's Corriere dello Sport:

"It's hard to give advice to Balotelli because, when you say something, it goes in one ear and then out the other.

"When we're on the pitch I explain to him that he must always remain calm. I tell him: 'There are only two or three people that insult you. If they're not afraid, they must have the balls to come before you and face you'.

"But they're only able to be like this from afar, so Mario needs to remain calm, even though it is not right if someone offends you for no reason other than the colour of your skin".

Whether or not Mario takes Muntari's words on board remains to be seen, but the Italian striker has had something to say about his own hopes for World Cup 2014. Talking to English newspaper The Sun, Super Mario has stated:

"It is easy to talk about being the best or wanting to be the best, but the best players always perform on the biggest stages.

"Brazil is the perfect time for me to establish myself as the number one striker in the world and the World Cup is where I want to make my mark".

There was more interaction between Balo and Muntari on Monday, but this time it was on the field. Balotelli set up Muntari for the equalising goal in Milan's Serie A fixture against Roma. The match finished 2-2 but it was Balotelli's footwear which both made the headlines and were made from headlines, if you will. Mario donned a pair of boots which were designed with newspaper headlines involving Balotelli himself. Quite what he hoped to achieve with the boots is not clear, but they served to draw further attention to man who has made so featured in so many headlines in his relatively short career.


And Frimpong?

Frimpong was seen at Arsenal's fancy dress Christmas party this week, dressed as Mr. T. Maybe Frimpong's choice of outfit was a tribute to Gunners legend Dennis Bergkamp who was not particularly fond of flying. Frimpong uploaded a photo of himself and teammate Lukas Podolski (AKA the Incredible Hulk) to his Twitter account...



Italian Football Story of the Week

- Acerbi Furious over Doping Allegations

Sassuolo defender Francesco Acerbi returned to Serie A this season having battled testicular cancer earlier this year. He subsequently failed a doping test, after a match with Cagliari a number of weeks ago.

Acerbi tested positive for hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and has been suspended as a result. It should however be noted, that hCG can actually be created by cancerous tumours. Not only is Acerbi now suspended, but he is also awaiting test results to confirm whether his cancer has now returned.
The defender told Sport Mediaset:

"I never took any banned substance, so it was horrible to be called a doped player.

"The accusations irritated me, especially for the effect it had on my loved ones. I had already done anti-doping tests before the Cagliari game, so if I was taking something they would’ve stopped me earlier.
"I am really angry. Before emitting sentences, people should look at the truth. Those who said I was doped were throwing mud at me, the club and the doctors.

"The elevated hormone level can be caused by many things. How do they know what caused it even before I performed the follow-up tests?

"I didn’t think about suing anyone, in any case. I am too busy focusing on my health. I realise the newspapers have to sell, so they can say I’m a rubbish player, but don’t touch my health because that really hurts those close to me.

"I would never wish this on anyone. I ask for respect for my health and my loved ones".


Recommendations of the Year

We wrap up this week by taking a look back at our "Football Recommendations" and "Non Football Recommendations" segments since our inception back in March. Maybe the lists will help with a last minute Christmas present, maybe you'll find an app to download, a book to read or a film to watch. Or maybe you'll just laugh at what bad taste we have in, well, everything. Regardless, here's the lists:

Football Recommendations:

March


Talksport Radio Nicklas Bendtner windup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-iQCax63Y4


April


Leagueslider.com http://www.leagueslider.com

Craig Gardner's Paolo Di Canio tribute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZFtwk1j6Hw


May






June

Poznan In My Pants http://www.poznaninmypants.com



Moments in Football. A Fantasista Animation http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qApcorfRHzo

July

Dan Leydon, illustrator http://danleydon.tumblr.com/


Premier League Fantasy Football http://fantasy.premierleague.com/


August

Barca: A People's Passion by Jimmy Burns http://jimmy-burns.com/pages/books/barca.asp

Play For Your Club http://www.playforyourclub.com/



September


Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 http://pes.konami.com/


October






November

FourFourTwo Stats Zone http://www.fourfourtwo.com/statszone

Dave Will Online Store http://davewill.bigcartel.com/



December

Sky Sports News Radio http://www.skysports.com/radio



Phew...And now onto the Non Football Recommendations:

March


Tom Byrne - Artist http://www.artisttombyrne.ie/

April

X-Mini speakers http://store.x-mini.com/index.aspx (Note - URL changed since blog in April)

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Year-Old-Man-Climbed-Window-Disappeared/dp/1843913720

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories http://randomaccessmemories.com/


May






June


The Lonely Island - Go Kindergarten https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQ6nINAeq8

The Black Keys - Tighten Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaPBCBjSVc


July


The Joy of Cha http://thejoyofcha.com/



August

Django Unchained http://unchainedmovie.com/




September

Arctic Monkeys - AM http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/


"Felina" - Last Breaking Bad episode http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felina_(Breaking_Bad)

October

Oktoberfest Dublin http://oktoberfest-dublin.de/





November


Dublinwalls.com http://dublinwalls.com/



December


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia http://itsalwayssunny.wikia.com/wiki/Season_9


And The Winners Are...

And they, ladies and gentlemen, are every single recommendation we at Football Circus have made this year.

Were we to pick one Football Recommendation, we would have to go with Second Captains Football, which is one darn fine twice-weekly podcast. What made us pick it? Well its regularity worked in its favour. Add to that the "talking football with the lads" feel which is complimented by some decent guests. It pips Football Weekly as it is, in our humble opinion, a more entertaining and varied podcast. Congrats to the lads at Second Captains, keep up the good work!



As for the Non Football Recommendation of the year, Breaking Bad swings it as it is one of the most gripping television shows ever made.



Make sure to read our final blog of the year next week as we feature: 

- The 'Golden Clown Shoe' award, where we crown the biggest clown of 2013 in world football. We will count down the fifteen biggest clowns featured on Football Circus to date.
- The introduction of our 'Artist's Impression' segment, where we will recreate some of best stories we feature.

Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter @footballcircus or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Football-Circus/418804204906352

You can also contact us at footballcircus@gmail.com
Posted by at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )