@olrodlegacy

Former media at Cardiff City and Exeter City. English graduate of Uni of Exeter 2015. Big wrestling fan and Nintendo addict. From Neath, Wales.

[mynintendonews]

Jimmy Fallon Played Mario Kart 8 With Top NASCAR Drivers

NASCAR maybe hard, but none of these drivers have had to worry about slipping on a banana skin or getting hit by a Koopa shell.

[bbcamerica]

Meet a new hero from the Doctor Who Christmas Special, played by guest star Justin Chatwin.

[olrodlegacy]

Doesn’t look very Doctor Who, to be honest...

[olrodlegacy]

My hair looks nice here... On a serious note, this was a huge day for Northampton Town! Great to be a part of it.

[olrodlegacy]

Liverpool v Exeter - opposition view

Ahead of Liverpool’s FA Cup third round replay tie at Anfield, the ECHO spoke with Exeter City fan and media manager Oliver Roderick.

Returned home from Liverpool today. Forgot all about giving this interview back in January, but enjoyed the revisit!

[football-hqs]

[olrodlegacy]

HOME SWEET HOME: WEST HAM'S LONDON MOVE

Overcoming Teething Issues: West Ham Demonstrate How To Successfully Move Home Occasion. Festival. Celebration. All of these words are apt when i...

My debut on fanalyse.net here

[olrodlegacy]

Rosalina and Pac-Man found in HMV Exeter, of all places #Nintendo #3DS #Amiibo (at Exwick)

[olrodlegacy]

How can Wales' women emulate England's stunning World Cup success?

With England enjoying their greatest ever Women's World Cup show, under Welsh coach Mark Sampson, his Wales counterpart Jayne Ludlow says she's been watching and learning from his style

[olrodlegacy]

Jazz Richards completes move to Fulham FC

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium for some time and impressed in his recent outing for Wales against Belgium

[olrodlegacy]

Cardiff City fans gear up for Adidas kit launch

The blue Adidas strip is the most eagerly awaited Cardiff City kit launch in decades. Now the club have revealed the players will be in the club shop to pose for photos with fans

[olrodlegacy]

James Beattie hints Swansea City could end their summer spending with capture of Portugal international Eder

The Swans are on the brink of signing Eder for £5m with Beattie's comments coming despite links with Hull City's Dame N'Doye

Despite rumours linking Swansea City with Dame N'Doye, first team coach James Beattie hints that Eder could conclude the Swans' transfer business this summer:

[olrodlegacy]

How do I get tickets for the Champions League final in Cardiff?

UEFA confirmed that the Millennium Stadium will host the Champions League final in two years' time, causing excitement among football fans

How do I get tickets for the UEFA Champions League Final at the Millennium Stadium, I hear you ask. Ask no more!

[olrodlegacy]

Blatter’s Departure Means Nothing Unless FIFA Reforms

by Oliver Roderick, @olrodlegacy 

Just six days after being elected for a fifth consecutive term as head of football’s governing body, in an extraordinary press conference this evening Joseph S. Blatter tendered his resignation as the head of FIFA.

Blatter had seen off Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan in the sixty-fifth FIFA Congress in Zürich last week despite widespread condemnation of the Swiss’s leadership, following a series of scandals most notably including the controversial awarding of the 2022 World Cup Finals to Qatar.

His resignation came as news stories surfaced suggesting Blatter was to be investigated by the FBI, less than a week after seven FIFA officials were arrested in Switzerland on their indiction on corruption charges by the US Department of Justice. He left citing that he was “not supported by everyone in world football,” and that was no understatement – big voices from England, Portugal, Brazil, Germany and Spain had vocally called for his removal in the run-up to the elections.

The Blatter resignation completes the full set of departures of the upper pyramid of FIFA officials responsible for overseeing the much-maligned voting processes for Russia’s World Cup 2018 and Qatar’s 2022, with such names as Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer having left the organisation in disgrace. But that alone does not signify that the true change that has long been demanded is now incoming.

This was made clear by the announcement that Blatter’s successor would be appointed according to “due FIFA process”. If that system allowed corruption before, without change there is no safety net whatsoever preventing any megalomaniacal party to rise in the same way.

There are three unignorable obvious changes which must come into immediate effect:

1.       A maximum term of presidency. Blatter assumed office in 1998, making it seventeen years in charge of FIFA as of his resignation at the age of 79. In 2015, very few organisations of such huge power would lay atop a system that allows such a monopoly to be made of keeping the same man in the job, despite such widespread calls for change within its ranks.

 2.       An amendment to the voting system. In lieu of the confirmation of what the English, German and Spanish FAs had been asserting for some time when Blatter finally saw his position as untenable, there must be greater transparency in worldwide football associations’ voting in such elections. Nations must provide their reasoning for their voting pattern, or hold their own individual votes for their candidate nominations among their member clubs. An investigation must also be made into the nations who blindly voted for Blatter even with the scandals to his name that were well-documented even before the voting process. No football association would have still voted for the Swiss without some ulterior motive, whether that be bribes or any other undisclosed, secret promises made by Blatter’s supporters.

 3.       A re-vote on the FIFA World Cups in Russia and Qatar. Blatter’s resignation was all-but confirmation that dirty business was involved in the awarding of the two upcoming World Cup tournaments. FIFA has disgracefully failed to adhere to any human rights policies, proven by the shocking number of fatalities involved in constructing the stadia in Qatar (all of which was hypothetical at the time of the Gulf state’s bid, as Qatar has next to no footballing history at club or international level). That Qatar would get the World Cup months before FIFA appeared to notice that the searing heat would make a summer tournament dangerous to the players reeks of under-the-table dealings and bribery. England held by far the most comprehensive and realistic bidding package but were mysteriously overlooked. Qatar had no qualities in its favour over any of its opposing bids.

 With Prince Ali, Luis Figo and even David Ginola now preparing to throw their hats into the ring once again, there is a huge summer in store for football’s governing body. As it stands, Blatter’s departure seems to have allayed rumours of countries boycotting World Cups and forming rival organisations and tournaments, but it will soon be seen whether June 2nd 2015 truly has brought about the end of an era.

[olrodlegacy]

MATCH REPORT: FA CUP FINAL 2015

by Oliver Roderick @olrodlegacy

 30TH MAY 2015

FA CUP FINAL

WEMBLEY

ARSENAL 4-0 ASTON VILLA

Walcott 40’, Sánchez 50’, Mertesacker 62’, Giroud 90’

  Report

 Aston Villa were brushed aside as Arsenal retained the FA Cup in emphatic fashion.

 The Villans, watched in the Wembley stands by HRH Prince William, met an Arsenal side that had seen off Hull City to win the competition a year previously. The Royal Villa fan had expressed his worries about the final to the BBC earlier in the day, and those concerns looked to have been proved to be reasonable early on, with the Gunners heavily in possession right from the outset.

 Laurent Koscielny headed Alexis Sánchez’s corner over the bar in the first real chance nine minutes in, but throughout the first half Villa struggled to get any real hold on the ball at all. Tom Cleverley was booked for a cynical trip on Nacho Monreal barely fifteen minutes in, a telling signal of frustration so early on. Shay Given was called into action to save from Koscielny, before a determined Hector Bellerin got the better of Kieran Richardson before crossing for Aaron Ramsey, the Welshman hitting the side-netting in a chance so close his supporters at the opposite end of the national stadium were celebrating.

 Ramsey lifted over after a failed Ron Vlaar clearance, before Theo Walcott was denied by a block from Richardson; Villa could not make any impact on the game at all. Another Ramsey effort was deflected off Vlaar into the arms of Given, before Alan Hutton and Fabian Delph both followed Cleverley into the book.

 Villa were finally punished with five minutes to go in the first half. After Sánchez headed Nacho Monreal’s cross his way, Theo Walcott made perfect contact on the half-volley to leave Given helpless and hand Arsenal a more-than-deserved lead.

  HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 ASTON VILLA

 Five minutes after the break, Villa were shot again. This time, it was one of the all-time classic Wembley goals, FA Cup Final goals or any goals whatsoever that doubled Arsenal’s lead, as Alexis Sánchez smashed in an unstoppable, swerving drive from at least thirty yards.

 Two-down and now looking well out of it, Villa sent on Gabriel Agbonlahor for the often ineffective Charles N’Zogbia, who had turned in another anonymous performance in a claret-and-blue shirt. Villa’s longest-serving player gave his side a bit of bite in attack, chasing the spare balls and acting as the link man to Christian Benteke that was so obviously lacking in the first period.

 But it took a brilliant save from Shay Given at point-blank range from Theo Walcott (who would be ruled offside, not to the knowing of the Irish goalkeeper) to get Villa attacking. Jores Okore was also on hand with a fine tackle on Ramsey to get Villa pressing for the first time, but they were stung by Per Mertesacker’s conversion of a cross that would eventually go in off his shoulder just after the hour. Villa three-nil down and completely out of it.

 Or so you would think. Gabriel Agbonlahor was felled on the edge of the penalty area only for Jon Moss, the referee much-maligned by pundits in the build-up to the final but who had turned in an impeccable performance to that point, not giving anything at all. There was certainly contact in the challenge, and Villa were incredibly unfortunate not to receive at least a free-kick. More could be said for when Jack Grealish was clearly fouled in the penalty area with five minutes left. Nothing given again. But a Villa comeback was intensely improbable, if not totally impossible.

 Alexis Sánchez departed with a round of applause in the final minutes, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the man in his place, but Arsenal took the time for their fourth: another substitute, Olivier Giroud, converted a cross from the Ox to end the late Villa resolve.

 Arsène Wenger an FA Cup winner for a joint-record sixth time, equalling Aston Villa’s own George Ramsay. Arsenal are twelve-times FA Cup winners – the most successful side ever in the competition.

  FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 4-0 ASTON VILLA

    Line-Ups

Arsenal: Szczesny (GK), Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Özil (Wilshere 77’), Sánchez (Oxlade-Chamberlain 90’), Walcott (Giroud (77’).

Subs: Gibbs, Gabriel, Ospina (GK), Flamini.

Aston Villa: Given (GK), Hutton, Okore, Vlaar, Richardson (Bacuna 68’), Cleverley, Westwood (Sánchez 71’), Delph, N’Zogbia (Agbonlahor 53’), Benteke, Grealish.

Subs: Guzan (GK), Baker, Sinclair, Cole.

Referee: Jon Moss

 Attendance: 89,283

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