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streak against Eastern Conference

in Balance Discussion Wed Dec 19, 2018 3:58 am
by jinshuiqian0713 • Farseer | 1.260 Posts | 12600 Points

English football wasnt having a good week until a ball was finally kicked in anger shortly past 8pm local time at Wembley on Friday night. Air Max Scontate Online . With no club matches and a full weeks worth of newspapers to fill, the stories across the land were of the current state of the national team and whether or not a young kid called Adnan could one day play for them. It was, quite frankly, a frustrating week for the consumer. Sports fans demand quick resolutions. The great thing about sport is that it rarely goes away and it delivers strong, forthright messages straight to you, whether or not you want to receive them. Whether or not England need an FA commission, a teenager born in Belgium, or even Glenn Hoddle, to help them are questions the future will answer. On Friday what they needed the most were three points in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Montenegro in Group H. What coach Roy Hodgson needed the most was a victory that was easy on the eyes and a 4-1 win gave him just that. For now, there will be no more headlines from ex-internationals having their two cents on the problems for England, with the attention instead turning to Andros Townsend, Tottenhams winger who had a man of a match performance on his debut. Hodgsons decision to use the attack-minded Townsend and Danny Welbeck out wide, helping out Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge, appeared to be brave but, upon reflection, against a very average opponent, was a very sensible decision. The use of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the middle, starting for a 55th time together for England, wasnt a sensible decision but, for once, that wasnt the story on this day. The two wingers worked well stretching the field in the opening half, and intelligently coming narrower as the game wore on to help full backs, Kyle Walker and, more often, Leighton Baines, provide overlaps in wide areas. Baines is not as composed defensively as the injured Ashley Cole but he is unquestionably superior in the final third, which is needed, particularly, against mediocre opposition. Townsend and Welbecks desire to cut in helped Rooney and Sturridge to find more space as the Montenegro defenders looked uncomfortable against what was often a front four. Townsend will be the toast of England after an excellent debut, which included a goal, and deserves all of the headlines that will come his way. It is quite unusual for an English player to be given his first cap in such an important match but this speaks to the value of the league he plays in. The English Premier League has been criticized on many platforms for now only being one third English and not helping the national team enough but Townsends performance at Wembley on Friday counters that point. The 22-year-old has started each of Tottenhams last six league games and, although he has been inconsistent, he has been very important for Andre Villas-Boas and his staff, often shining against clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea. Townsends maturation process has been enhanced by the league, in which he plays in, being much stronger than many of the teams he will face while playing for England. On Friday he will have had butterflies at representing his country for the first time but once he settled in the game he probably realized he was playing a side that would struggle to beat the majority of the Premier League teams he faces regularly. Montenegro, of course, have some excellent footballers but missed a key quartet at Wembley, struggled at keeping the ball when they got it and tired badly in the second half. Townsend is far from the finished article, however, and this now becomes the next challenge for him and Hodgson. The English press have a reputation for building a player up and Saturdays newspapers will have a field day with the countrys newest hero. How he and the entire English camp react is very crucial, not just for him but for the culture they absolutely must set going forward. Athletes across the world are excelling at a high level younger than they ever have before. This very week in Pittsburgh I sat in the crowd watching a 22-year-old rookie pitcher get close to throwing a no-hitter in the biggest baseball game of his life with his team in a win or go home playoff game. The average age of quarterbacks in the NFL has never been younger and we now live in a world where an 18-year-old number one overall pick can go from the draft to playing in the National Hockey League in a matter of months. Experience has never been valued less by coaches but when their young phenoms excel it is up to them to temper expectations and, above all, continue to make them better. Nine years ago a 22-year-old right winger made his debut for England, scored a goal and was very impressive that night against Ukraine. Now Shaun-Wright Phillips is playing outside of the Premier League and will never play for his country again. Another example of a wasted talent, not nurtured at the club and international level properly. Many England players have gone down the same path, but in a world where youngsters are excelling more and more it is up to England to ensure Townsend, and the likes of Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere and many others, do not do the same. Expectations with the national team have never been lower in England. Should they beat Poland on Tuesday and qualify for the 2014 World Cup, no one expects them to do any damage in Brazil, so while they continue to try and make small steps towards short term, achievable goals it is imperative they make large steps to help achieve long term, ambitious goals. Air Max Saldi . Harrison Barnes had 15 points and Reggie Bullock scored 11 for the Tar Heels (17-3, 4-1 ACC), who took the court for the first time without starter Dexter Strickland. The junior guard tore his right ACL last Thursday at Virginia Tech and will miss the rest of the season. Air Max Outlet Italia . - John Elways philosophy is to address immediate needs in free agency, even though some of his own veterans may prove too pricey to keep around. http://www.outletairmax.it/ . He was with the New York Jets in 2011 when the NFL locked out their players after they failed to agree on a new contract. Willy went undrafted but was given a look by four NFL teams before heading north.Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Korver scored 22 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc to help the Atlanta Hawks to a 104-97 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Paul Millsap and Al Horford each chipped in with 14 points and DeMarre Carroll added 13 for the Hawks, who have won three straight and 12 of their last 13. Dennis Schroder tallied eight points with six rebounds and six assists in the place of Jeff Teague, who missed the game with a strained left hamstring. Houston lost back-to-back home games for the first time since November of last season and also had a 19-game home winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents halted. Dwight Howard paced the Rockets with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while James Harden supplied 18 points and a career-high 14 assists. Jason Terry and Patrick Beverley each had 14 points in the loss. The Rockets acquired Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Alexey Shved from the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, but both players were inactive. Houston dealt Troy Daniels and some cash to acquire the two wings. The Rockets waived Francisco Garcia to make room for their newest additions. Houston charged back into the game with a late surge in the third quarter and it remained a back-and-forth affair in the fourth. The first half we were just slow to everything and they were knocking down shots, said Harden. (Then) we started playing our brand of basketball. Air Max Outlet Scontate. Beverley tied the game at 90-90 on a 3-pointer with 3:08 left in the contest. Terry then committed a traveling violation before Horford found Millsap inside for a bucket and Kyle Korver nailed a triple on the following possession to make it a five-point game with 1:29 to play. Terrys floater was off the mark out of a timeout, then Schroder netted a pair of free throws at the other end to increase the cushion. They are a great team, they have great players and they have great spacing. We probably didnt adjust well enough (in the third), said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. I thought the first half was really how we want to play on both ends. Houston trailed 32-26 after the first and 52-40 at the half, then Harden opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to jump-start a 9-0 burst that closed the gap. Atlanta countered, however, with six straight points and built its lead back to 12 minutes later on a Horford basket at the midway point. The Rockets finished the final 2:38 of the frame on a 13-4 run that tied the game up at 74-74 entering the fourth. Game Notes Atlanta wraps up its three-game road trip in Dallas on Monday ... The Hawks had lost four straight in Houston ... Atlanta shot 51 percent from the floor and held the Rockets to 39 percent shooting ... Houston had a 43-37 edge on the glass. 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