Wigan will travel to Anfield in search of more goals as they take on in-form Liverpool in the English Premier League on Saturday.
The Latics found the back of the net four times in their win over Blackburn last weekend, in a round that saw a record 43 goals scored across 10 matches.
Wigan also boast an excellent record against Liverpool. Roberto Martinez’s side are undefeated in their last two matches against the Reds and have scored at least one goal in their last six matches against Liverpool.
And their manager said they would be aiming to continue that goal-scoring record when the two sides meet on Saturday.
“Last weekend was a great advert for the Premier League and it was typical of the nature of this season,” said Martinez.
“From our point of view to score four goals at home is an achievement that has been coming this season from the amount of chances we’ve been creating.”
“And also the quality of the goals were of the highest order, and we’ll plan to continue on the same lines.”
Wigan have a number of players returning from international duty during the week, including James McArthur, who scored for Scotland in their 3-0 win over Northern Ireland.
Pleasingly for Martinez, he has almost a full list to choose from, with no major injuries to speak of.
For Liverpool the match will be a chance to continue their resurgence in the second half of the season, with the Reds up to sixth in the Premier League on the back of a five game unbeaten run.
Liverpool put an end to the Fernando Torres transfer saga by beating the Spaniard and his new side Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last week.
Torres’ replacement Andy Carroll is still not ready to play because of a thigh injury, but fellow signing Luis Suarez is in line to play, as are skipper Steven Gerrard and Martin Kelly, who both came through their midweek internationals unscathed.
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Liverpool are still in contention for a Champions League spot next season, but first-team coach Steve Clarke said it was important they did not underestimate teams like Wigan.
“I think you only have to look at recent results in the Barclays Premier League to know that everybody is dangerous,” Clarke said.
“We have to be on our guard but we also have to be confident and sure of ourselves and think we are looking like a good side again.”
“We want to continue that and pick up another three points and keep looking at the teams above us.”
The new season is almost upon us and that means watching seamless amounts of games, reading scores of match reports and generally breathing and living football. And don’t we just love it? However, the game has changed somewhat in recent years, with different tactics, different formations and different positions all put to use by managers these days. For example, who would have thought Vicente Del Bosque would go through Euro 2012 without playing a striker. After all, David Moyes has tried that one for years…
Still, there’s a number of phrases and terms that still make the mind boggle in the beautiful game and although we don’t have the ridiculous number of names or complicated terms like American Football or in fact cricket for that matter, there’s still a few things that could do with some explanation. To help you out, we’ve put together an A-Z of football terminology that will help you through the season:
A – is for Anchorman – Modern midfields always need someone to stay back to steady the ship, basically weighing anchor to ensure the midfield isn’t easily broken through. To play in the anchorman role, having a ball-winning ability is key, while starting the play with short passes to other players is also particularly crucial. Cheik Tiote does this effectively for Newcaslte.
B – is for Box to box midfielder – The modern day footballer has to have a decent engine on him and none more so than those who play in the centre of the park. Players like Jack Wilshere or Yaya Toure are expected to involve themselves with play between both penalties areas, busting a gut to get forward in attack, but also help out in defence.
C – is for Christmas tree formation – You would think it’s a rather bizarre name to give to a football formation, but it in fact it makes perfect sense when it’s written down on paper. Four at the back, three in midfield, two men just behind the striker and one lone target man, exactly in the shape of a Christmas tree.
D – is for Dead ball specialist – The team’s main man in terms of set pieces, expect him to take charge of corners and free kicks. David Beckham is the ultimate dead ball specialist, wrapping his right boot around every ball that lies still on the football pitch.
E – is for Early Bath – Refers to a red card as the player is sent off, ensuring he’ll be the first one in the bath before everyone else. Well, these days they tend to have singular ice baths to aid player recovery, so it’s not strictly relevant anymore. It’s still one of our favourite clichés though.
F – is for Fox in the Box – This refers to a striker that’s pretty handy around the penalty spot as he tends to finish everything that comes his way in the opposition area. It tends to involve either scoring headers, tap-ins or seizing on opportunities that are presented without much time to react. Gary Lineker is probably the greatest fox in the box the English game has ever seen, while Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Robbie Fowler weren’t bad either. However, Francis Jeffers was once called a fox in the box as well…
G – is for Giant killing – Often to be used in the FA Cup, where little minnows meet the Premier League big boys. In the modern days of oil rich owners and global superstars, it’s much harder for the small clubs to upset their rivals higher up the football league, but every year we hope for a giant killing at least once a round.
H – is for Hairdryer treatment – Although modern day footballers are much more appearance conscious than they used to be (indeed you’d expect old Goldenballs to make his barnet immaculate during half time), the hairdryer treatment is what you might call a good old fashioned bollocking rather than a fashion faux-pas in the dressing room. Sir Alex Ferguson is the king of unleashing half time fury, indeed if United are losing at the interval, the Old Trafford dressing room wouldn’t be a particularly pleasant place to visit.
I – is for In the Hole – It’s rare to play with two men up top these days, indeed one man usually drops just off the main striker, in the hole as you might say. Rafael van der Vaart perfects this for Tottenham, while Wayne Rooney does it more and more for Manchester United these days. It gives key players more time on the ball, allowing them to cause maximum damage to the opposition.
J – is for Journeyman – In football, a journeyman is someone who swaps from club to club and seems unable to settle anywhere. Or they’ve not good enough for whoever they’ve signed for. Steve Claridge is probably football’s ultimate journeyman, he’s had more clubs than Tiger Woods, 23 in total.
K – is for sweeper Keeper – Brought to light essentially by Football Manager, the sweeper keeper is expected to patrol his penalty area and clean up anything that comes within 20-30 yards of the box. Obviously not if there’s a striker within the vicinity though, we don’t want any blunders now!
L – is for cultured Left foot – No one quite knows why a talented left footed football’s boot is often described as cultured, indeed I doubt they can play the piano or recite every chapter from War and Peace, but it refers to a player than can often deliver a quality ball or possesses fantastic skills. Right feet never tend to be cultured for some reason though.
M – is for the Makelele Role – Perfectly by the French midfielder Claude Makelele who starred for Real Madrid and Chelsea, the Makelele role basically involves sitting in front of the defence and protecting the back four. Anything that moves behind the midfield needs destroying and Scott Parker is a good example of a modern day Makelele. Expect a yellow card here and there.
N – is for No man’s land – Made famous in World War I as the position between the German and British trenches that consisted of just barren wasteland. Funnily enough, this isn’t quite the same in football, indeed no man’s land is the position a goalkeeper gets himself into if he comes for a corner or a free kick and gets nowhere near. David De Gea spent the whole of last season there.
O – is for Offside trap – Often a high risk strategy, back fours play higher up the pitch as a line, trying to catch the opposition strikers offside by stepping up when the ball comes over the top. Play it at your peril though, those good at springing the offside side trap can make defenders look like right mugs.
P – is for Playmaker – Often the key man in the team, the playmaker is the one who everyone looks to get the ball to as soon as possible. Always the most skilful player or most likely to thread a pass through the heart of the opposition, Zinedine Zidane is probably the greatest of the modern era. Cesc Fabregas wasn’t half bad for Arsenal either.
Q – is for Quarterback – A phrase borrowed from our cousins across the pond thanks to their position in American Football that involves the key player sitting back and spraying passes across the field. The position is similar in football, as a midfielder picks up the ball and has the vision to spot available teammates all over the pitch. Charlie Adam perfected the quarterback role for Blackpool, while Paul Scholes is the master for Manchester United.
R – is for Rough-arm tactics – Step forward Stoke City, here is your moment. Tony Pulis deploys rough-arm tactics to try and unsettle the opposition, be it through strong tactics or pushing and shoving at every opportunity. Don’t take it too far, otherwise you’ll end up down to ten men, oh and remember…Arsene Wenger doesn’t like it.
S – is for Studs up – Tackling is not what it used to be, indeed the days of Norman ‘Bites yer legs’ Hunter or Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris have long gone. Nowadays, any sort of poor challenge can lead to a red card and going in with your studs up often results in a sending off. Keep it nice chaps.
T – is for Tiki-taka – It’s no longer total football, it’s now tiki-taka that dominates the beautiful game. Barcelona have revolutionised modern football using this style that demands short passing and movement, maintaining possession and working the ball through various channels. You’ll hear plenty of it in the Premier League as Brendan Rodgers tries to introduce it into his Liverpool team. Good luck…
U – is for Unintentional hand ball – Handball is often a confusing concept, but it revolves round whether the player intentionally handled the ball or not. If he makes a movement with his arm and touches the ball, he gets penalised, but if the ball accidently makes contact with the arm, play on.
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V – is for peripheral Vision – The all-seeing central midfielder often possesses what some call peripheral vision so they can see everything around them, not just what’s in front of them. Xavi is the master, but Paul Scholes ain’t half bad either. Gareth Barry’s could do with some improvement…
W – is for WAG – Surely everyone in football knows this one by now. John Terry and Ryan Giggs’s antics have made the Wives and Girlfriends almost as famous as the actual footballers themselves. Look out for them during major tournaments, there’s quite a selection.
X – is for X-Rated tackle – A mark reserved for particularly explicit films, while the same applies to football tackles. A horror slide challenge, or a two footed leap will often be called an X-rated challenge, nobody likes to see that.
Y – is for Yoyo team – Used to describe a club that’s always being relegated and promoted between two divisions. West Brom are the best example, they’ve been flittering in and out of the top flight ever since they first got there.
Z – is for Zonal Marking – They say a zone can’t score a goal, but more and more managers use zonal marking to defend set pieces these days. Pick an area and let no man make contact with the ball if it gets into that zone.
The fortunes of Newcastle and Sunderland have certainly been mixed throughout the Premier League years.
While the Magpies have enjoyed title challenges, Champions League football; they have also had the indignity of dropping out of the Premier League back in 2009 much to the amusement of their local rivals. The Mackems themselves are no strangers to relegation and have been something of a yoyo club throughout the Premier League years; however you do sense that times are changing at the Stadium of Light and Steve Bruce is building a strong squad that is more than capable of holding its own among the upper echelons of the league.
This lunchtime sees the first Tyne & Wear derby of the season, and while the pundits and media will be focusing on whether Sunderland can overcome Newcastle on their own doorstep, we will focus on the major battle set to take place in the player’s lounge at the Stadium of Light.
In the first part of our new series of ‘Wag War’ we look ahead to the likely battle at the Stadium of Light today and ask you the viewer to decide which team wins this epic battle.
Let the battle commence: click on the badge below to see the line-up and cast your vote at the end:
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Following Tottenham’s’ self capitulation in the FA Cup, the deficiencies were there for all to see at both ends of the pitch. Redknapp now has one day to address the striker and goalkeeper issues that have hindered Spurs’ progress this season.
Spurs are at least two signings away from competing at the top end of the Premier League. Harry desperately needs a striker that can play that lone role up top, or else he has to change his preferred 4-4-1-1 system. At the moment Spurs are lined up purely to accommodate VDV in that free role behind the striker. It has become clear though that none of Spurs’ strikers fit the mould of playing that lone role whilst still maintain a goal threat of their own. If Harry intends to persist with this system he has to find a player capable of playing that role and that man for me is Fernando Llorente. He is fantastic in the air, comfortable with the ball on the ground, aggressive and mobile.
At the other end injuries and suspensions have done little to aid the frailties of Tottenham’s leaky defence but I feel Redknapp has had quite enough time and money to solve this problem and shouldn’t be given any more money to throw at poor players. During his tenure he has brought in Kaboul, Bassong, Gallas, Khulamo, Naughton and Walker. Individually they are all capable players but they also have to have confidence in the man standing between the sticks behind them to perform consistently as a unit.
It is clear that Gomes, for all of his personality and occasional moments of brilliance, just does not cut the mustard on a regular enough basis at Spurs. Moreover, he can consistently be a liability for his team. For this reason Harry has to address this issue by identifying and moving for a capable replacement. Shay Given would fit that mould perfectly and while City would surely be reluctant sellers Spurs should at least test the resolve of both the player and the club by putting in a bid.
These two positions have become obvious areas of weakness that Spurs will need to improve upon if they are to fulfil their ambition of achieving a top four finish again this year.
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Fulham are interested in signing Tottenham forgotten man Tom Huddlestone this summer and will touch base with their London rivals to gauge the player’s availability, according to The Daily Mail.
The Cottagers are eager to find a new central midfielder after allowing Danny Murphy to leave the club to join Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer.
Craven Cottage boss Martin Jol worked with Huddlestone during his time in the White Hart Lane hotseat and is eager to give the deep-lying playmaker the opportunity of a new start at Fulham.
Huddlestone spent almost the entire 2011-12 campaign on the sidelines with long-standing injuries, making only four appearances all season for Spurs.
With Sandro, Scott Parker and Luka Modric ahead of him in the pecking order, and Jake Livermore adding competition for places, Huddlestone may well be interested in hearing of transfer opportunities.
The talented midfielder has only one year left on his contract in north London, and his future is currently up in the air somewhat.
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A Ronaldinho hat-trick has steered Flamengo to a remarkable 5-4 victory over Santos in the Brazilian Serie A on Wednesday.Santos stunned the visitors to lead 3-0 after just 26 minutes at the Estadio Urbano Caldeira, with Borges netting a brace in the opening 16 minutes, before Neymar nabbed his first.
Former AC Milan star Ronaldinho led the charge back for his club, pegging back the first goal in the 28th minute, before Thiago Neves made it 2-3 four minutes later.
Deivid capped up a stunning first half by netting the equaliser on 44 minutes to set up a tantalising second stanza, which lived up to expectations.
Neymar produced a moment of individual brilliance six minutes after the break to restore the hosts’ lead, but that only set the stage for a Ronaldinho masterclass that would ultimately win the game for Flamengo.
The former FIFA World Player of the Year levelled proceedings at 4-4 in the 68th minute, before completing his treble with an 81st minute strike.
The win moved Flamengo into third spot, just four points from the league leading Corinthians, while Santos are level with relegation-placed Bahia, but have two games in hand.
Coritiba could not mirror Flamengo’s mercurial fighting efforts, but they would have lost no supporters in their 4-3 home loss to Sao Paulo.
The visitors at Estadio Major Antonio Couto Pereira led 4-0 after 54 minutes, courtesy of goals to Carlinhos Paraiba, Juan, Dagoberto and Lucas Silva.
They also had the numerical advantage, as Coritiba’s Davi had been shown a red card when his side were trailing 3-0.
But the hosts were not to be denied that easily, as a brace from Bill as well as a Rafinha goal gave Sao Paulo some nervous final moments.
But the visiting side held on, despite also finishing with 10 men after Denilson received a straight red on 90 minutes.
The win helped Sao Paulo stay one point ahead of Flamengo in second place.
Botafogo came from a goal down to beat Avai at home 2-1, a result which keeps the losers second last on the league table.
A Felipe brace helped Atletico GO beat Cruzeiro 2-0 at home, with the victors leaping one point clear of the drop zone accordingly.
Palmeiras and Atletico Mineiro racked up 1-0 wins over Figueirense and Fluminense respectively, while Gremio were kept to a 1-1 home draw by Atletico Mineiro.
You have to wonder what David Beckham’s new Tottenham team-mates will make of his very modern transfer. With Spurs on the brink of great things in both the Premier League and Europe, Harry Redknapp’s players could be forgiven for wondering why on Earth the club are bringing in this fading matinee idol. Beckham’s loan deal will be a move without any responsibility on either side. He’s a footballer, so they tell me, but he is not actually likely to play much football for Spurs.
I know he is a lovely bloke, I know he’s been good for English football and I know that he has strong family links with Tottenham – his late grandfather, apparently, used to watch me play during the 1960s. But let’s face it, Beckham is a male model, a poseur – and he plays like one. His time at Spurs will include little more than a few cameo roles, pinging a few long crossfield balls, maybe the occasional free-kick for old time’s sake, then standing back and admiring himself.
There was a time when, no matter how good a player or how big a name you were, you always had to earn the respect of your fellow pros when you moved clubs. Back in 1961, Spurs broke the British record to sign me from AC Milan for £99,999, but that didn’t mean my new team-mates were standing on their chairs and greeting me with a fanfare. The previous season, Spurs had become the first club in the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup Double, so they didn’t exactly feel as though they needed me!
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I remember walking into the dressing room to be met with stony glares and the reserve-team captain Johnny Smith greeting me with the words: “Ooh, here SHE comes!” I thought : “Oh s***, this isn’t going to be easy – they reckon I’m a right ponce and that I’m going to upset the applecart.” Luckily for me, I was able to ease myself in with a reserve match at Plymouth which involved an overnight stay and a couple of jars with senior pros like Terry Dyson and Mel Hopkins, who must have told the others I wasn’t so bad after all.
You can be sure, though, that many of Tottenham’s players will have been watching Beckham swanning around this week in his Great Gatsby cap, acting like Tom Cruise, and thinking ‘what the hell are the club up to?’ It’s not as if Spurs are crying out for midfield creativity. With Rafa van der Vaart, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon they are chock-full of it. I think Redknapp, and Beckham himself, are too cute to allow the media circus to disrupt Tottenham’s campaign. Many of Tottenham’s English players will have been with Beckham in the national set-up and probably know that he enjoys just being one of the lads.
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The closest thing I can remember to Beckham’s move is when George Best went to Fulham in the Second Division in the 1970s, along with Rodney Marsh – and the pair of them treated Craven Cottage to some showbusiness, without taking their football too seriously. Had Ronaldinho joined Blackburn Rovers, we could have had an even more bizarre transfer this January, yet for some reason, the former World Footballer of the Year didn’t want to swap his bandana for a Lancashire flat cap.
Beckham, of course, would have turned a flat cap, a whippet and a Woodbine into a major fashion statement had he chosen Ewood Park. As a Spurs man, I genuinely hope his little stint in north London is successful. Apparently even his wife’s family are Spurs fans. So perhaps when hubby steps off the bench at White Hart Lane, she’ll even give us a smile. Stranger things have happened. Not many, though.
Another blow for Coventry City as news emerged this week that Cyrus Christie is going to be out injured for another 6 months. With the squad getting smaller we can ill afford these sorts of injuries to any players within the squad.
We currently have nine defenders at the club who are in the first team squad which on the face of it seems no problem at all; this however is unlikely to be the case with more players set to leave the club.
Martin Cranie is the first obvious one that will leave as he is out of contract this summer and there are going to be bigger clubs willing to offer him a contract. He is a good player and a solid defender but I’m not sure he is particularly loyal and for that reason I think he will leave.
Then there is James McPake who has been on loan at Hibernian in what was supposed to be a loan to get his fitness back up to scratch. However he has been a huge hit at Easter Road and was even made captain. He is a no nonsense, fully committed defender which would be useful for us next season but its looking unlikely that he will remain at Coventry after what has clearly been a successful loan spell at Hibernian.
A third who is likely to leave is Richard Keogh who has unquestionably been our best player this season. His passion and commitment to the cause is at times unbelievable and he would be a huge asset to us next season. However after his continuous impressive performances this season it looks likely that a bigger team will come in and poach him away from the skyblues.
Reported bids have already come in from the likes of Bristol City and Cardiff City and there is rumored interest from many others clubs such as Ipswich Town. He does however seem like a great lad and a potentially loyal footballer; I can’t imagine that relegation would have hit anybody much harder than it did him and I can see him wanting to try to make things right before he leaves.
However cashing in on the likes of McPake and Keogh is probably the biggest reason why they are both likely to go. The club needs money and selling these players seems to be the only real source of income that the club has left.
This would mean that there would be three of the nine defenders gone, all of which are centre backs. We would then be left with Richard Wood who we all know has injury issues and usually spends more time on the sidelines than actually playing and the only other centre half we have is Nathan Cameron who is still young and shouldn’t be relied on as a first choice centre back. He has shown signs of potential but has also shown a lot of naivety and if he were to play would need someone experienced alongside him to help him out.
Other defenders in the squad include Jordan Clarke who is a really promising right back and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was interest from other clubs in him. He himself however has reiterated his desire to stay at Coventry and I sincerely hope that he does.
We then have Chris Hussey who after gaining some championship experience is just beginning to flourish. He has clearly been learning in his time at Coventry after being signed from non-league but I have witnessed improvements within his game and he is slowly but surely becoming a good defender.
We also have young Jordan Willis who made a couple of appearances at the end of this season and he did do ok. He is however very young and personally I don’t think he is quite ready to be in the first team squad, however, it may however be a case that necessity requires him to be and if that is the case I just hope he can learn quickly and make the step up.
Finally we have the previously mentioned Cyrus Christie who really did flourish this season and has shown a lot of promise for the future. However with him being injured and likely to miss the first half of the season we may have a bit of a defensive crisis on our hands.
With still no update on when the transfer embargo is going to be removed if at all, these may be the set of defenders that we start the new season with. If Keogh, Cranie and McPake do all leave, along with the injury to Christie we will be left with five fit defenders and that is if Wood can prove his fitness.
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Being realistic it is clearly unlikely that as a squad we will be able to cope defensively. With strikers at the bare minimum and now defenders, we are going to have the problem of not only scoring goals but not conceding them as well.
The new season continues to look bleak and will continue to do so unless this transfer embargo is removed. We cannot rely on the squad we have, we need fresh faces and some new impetus but it still remains to be seen whether bringing in new players is going to be possible.
With our current owners in place I would regrettably suggest that this transfer embargo will not be lifted anytime soon and I would not be surprised if we haven’t added any players to the squad come the start of the season. Based on this it looks like another long hard season is on the cards and right now I am just hoping that I am proved wrong.
The Asian Football Confederation must undertake presidential elections after Mohamed Bin Hammam’s life ban, Japan’s football chief said.Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura said the ban issued to former AFC boss Bin Hammam meant a vote was required, despite the caretaker presidency falling the way of China’s Zhang Jilong.
Bin Hammam was banned for life for being implicated in corruption regarding the vote to decide which nation would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the event going the way of the then AFC president’s native Qatar.
“(Bin Hammam) has been banned for life so there is a need for elections to be held,” Ogura said.
Meanwhile, Bin Hammam is desperately maintaining his innocence, and is calling for the AFC to postpone any potential elections while he appeals his life ban.
Ogura said the disgraced Qatari had contacted him to inform him of his plan to retain his presidency of the AFC.
“He (Bin Hammam) said he doesn’t think he has done anything wrong and that he has no intention of quitting as either AFC President or FIFA executive,” Ogura said.
The AFC executive is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the future presidency.
Share your fan journey for the chance to win a car!
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Football fans are a hardy bunch. Come rain or shine, every Saturday footy fans across the country embark on their own individual journeys to catch a glimpse of their team and ensure that they don’t miss a kick. While we don’t all have to endure the 800 mile round trip that Newcastle and Plymouth fans had to endure for the Championship fixtures at St James’ Park and Home Park, thousands of us do travel a fair few miles up and down the motorway in our cars each and every week. Now you have the chance to document that journey and get it seen by your fellow fans, as well as be in with the chance to win football tickets of your choice and a trip to the FA Cup final!
The Journey sponsored by Hyundai allows you to enlighten your fellow fans to your pre and post-match rituals. You’re invited to send in your own videos that show you going to and from the footy. Hyundai are looking for the best, most entertaining videos that you can produce, so you can be as creative as you like. Whether you want to recreate and put your own unique twist on John Barnes’ iconic 1990 World Cup rap, or put Paul Whitehouse to shame with a video of your memorable weekly car journeys, it is left completely up to you. And it doesn’t matter whether your journey is a 200 mile slog or a 2 mile trip from pub to ground!
Talking about Barnes, the former Liverpool and England midfielder is one of a handful of football legends attempting the Boot Shoot. A part of the Hyundai Football Challenge, the Boot Shoot challenges you to kick a football straight into the boot of a Hyundai car. Sound easy? Why not have a look at Barnes’ attempt at the Hyundai Boot Shoot here, then try it yourself and send in your video of you kicking the ball into the back of your motor.
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If you haven’t got the skills, don’t worry as you can simply enter the Fan Journey competition sponsored by Hyundai. All you have to do is enter the competition right here on FootballFanCast.com by sending your video to us. Each week we’ll choose one winner, with their video being shown on the concourse TV at their team’s football ground, in addition to winning tickets to the match as well. If that wasn’t enough, at the end of the season one overall winner will be selected to win a brand new Hyundai car! Enter the competition now by clicking the link below…
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Send us your Fan Journey Video Now!
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Sponsored by
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Ever since becoming an official partner for the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, Hyundai have undertaken a journey to prominence on the world football stage by sponsoring FIFA and UEFA tournaments worldwide. Hyundai’s first involvement in the European football scene started with its sponsorship for EURO 2000, which was co-hosted by Belgium and The Netherlands. The partnership with UEFA and FIFA, demonstrates Hyundai’s long-term commitment to support the game of football. Hyundai also owns and operates its own professional football team, the Chonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club, and are committed to developing Korean football at all levels of the game.