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heartvalue2-blog · 5 years

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Courtside Sixers Seats Are Philly’s Hottest Status Symbol

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These days, if you’re not on the floor for the Joel and Ben show, you’re nobody.

Just look at who you could be sitting next to with courtside Sixers tickets. Illustration by Britt Spencer

It was just minutes before tip-off, and the vibe was electric. For a good hour prior to the start time of this nationally televised Sunday-afternoon game, fans, throngs of media, and seemingly every employee of both teams and the arena had gravitated courtside for a chance to see, yes, LeBron James, one of the biggest names in this or any sport. But there was more buzz for the opposing team’s collection of charismatic young stars, including the power forward acquired days earlier in a trade-deadline shocker that triggered a seismic shift in the NBA’s balance of power.

Now, with warm-ups over, the capacity crowd was about to learn which high-profile fan had been chosen to walk onto the court and, as has become custom here, pronounce the start of the proceedings. Scattered around the courtside seats were a couple of supermodels and their entourages, a franchise quarterback and one of his favorite targets, a pair of NBA icons, a retired hip-hopper swirling in comeback rumors, a nationally controversial pundit, the owner of a storied sports team, the local soccer franchise’s just-inked Mexican star, the consensus best player in Major League Baseball, and a big-deal trial lawyer with his trademark suit and slicked-back hair.

None of them got the nod, though. The celeb deemed worthy of this most high-profile moment was a polarizing Hollywood figure, among the team’s most recognizable boosters, one known to give refs an earful when they blow a call.

If you’re thinking Spike Lee at the Garden or Nicholson at the Staples Center, well, sorry. The super-fan chosen to “Ring the Bell” at South Philly’s Wells Fargo Center for this showdown between the flailing, LeBron-led Lakers and the ascendant 76ers was Mr. I-See-Dead-People himself, M. Night Shyamalan. And to the delight of Kendall Jenner, Anne De Paula, Carson Wentz, Alshon Jeffery, Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson, Lil Uzi Vert, Marc Lamont Hill, Robert Kraft (pre-prostitution charges), Marco Fabian, Mike Trout and Thomas Kline, Esq., along with the rest of the capacity crowd, Night rang the bell and rang it good. Game on.

Those on hand were treated to one of the most exciting Sixers games in a 16-month span full of them — the second contest featuring new stretch four Tobias Harris alongside J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. When the final horn blew on the Sixers’ 143-120 shellacking of LeBron’s reeling squad, it seemed to signal not just this team’s elevation to beast mode, but a changing of the guard.

It was the sort of statement game — just months after spurning the city as a free agent, LeBron comes to town and gets spanked — that will go down in the annals of Philly sport. It’s a game that a few years from now, everyone you meet will claim to have been at. Think the Birds’ 38-7 romp over the Vikings in the 2017 Conference Championship. Or Phillies closer Brad Lidge firing a slider past Eric Hinske at Citizens Bank Park in 2008. Or Bobby Clarke’s Broad Street Bullies bloodying the Russian Red Army team at the Spectrum in 1976.

But for a handful of the city’s cultural and power elite, the proof will be in the replays. Their faces are in the background of every timeout, every fast break, every dunk. This visibility is why sitting courtside at the Sixers has become the ultimate status symbol, and why the VIP scene there has become the city’s most elite networking spot.

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If you got hit by a SEPTA bus sometime between Allen Iverson’s farewell in 2006 and Joel Embiid’s debut in 2016 and are just now waking up from your coma, the above scenario sounds like pure fantasy. During the later years of the Iverson era, with the team already in decline, Sixers attendance was buoyed solely by, as aforementioned author, pundit and Temple prof Marc Lamont Hill puts it, the “cult of personality around Allen Iverson.” After A.I.? “It was a ghost town in there,” recalls Hill, who’s had season tickets on the south floor near the Sixers basket for going on a decade. “There was hardly anybody of note on the floor. The only time celebrities came to the game would be if the opposing team was really good.”

After floundering for several seasons, the Sixers in 2013 — backed by a new ownership group led by Josh Harris and David Blitzer and including minority partners such as e-commerce billionaire Michael Rubin and the Smiths, Will and Jada — embarked on then-GM Sam Hinkie’s controversial tanking strategy now lovingly referred to as “The Process.” After three seasons of rote, agonizing ineptitude, The Process ultimately yielded the core of the Sixers’ current squad — Embiid and Simmons — bolstered since by an ever-improving supporting cast. The result: a team that is certifiably good, and certifiably hot. “Now, we could be playing the worst team in the NBA and it doesn’t matter,” boasts Hill, “because we’re the draw.”

Elevated play has caused a surge in demand to get close to the action. And that lure is further perpetuated by the who’s-who list of Philly movers and shakers already entrenched courtside. Among the local luminaries you may spy sitting on the floor: high-powered, silver-haired alpha attorney Kline (20 seasons) and fellow litigator Leonard Hill; Shyamalan and his wife, Bhavna Vaswani (three years); and venture capitalist Richard Vague (like Hill, he’s had seats for a decade). That clutch of power is camped between the scorer’s table and the opponent’s bench with co-owner Blitzer.

On the other side of the scorer’s table, by the Sixers’ bench, you’ll usually find supermodel Kendall Jenner, a.k.a. Ben Simmons’s gal pal; Harris; and real estate magnates David Adelman and Alan Horwitz (who, thanks to his “Sixth Man” jersey, wild white hair, and demonstrative pleading is known to Sixers Twitter as “Old Man Knees”). Across the court, you can find Iverson, Rubin, and the latter’s various guests, ranging from hip-hoppers (Meek Mill, Lil Uzi Vert) to business magnates (Kraft) to celebs and athletes (Kevin Hart, Wentz, Malcolm Jenkins).

It should come as no surprise that a team with the foresight to execute The Process — a gambit reliant on securing on-court celebrity athletes — was also intentional in fostering a culture of stars and influencers in the stands. “We like to joke that it’s been a six-year overnight success,” team president Chris Heck says before tip-off. He’s in the Patriot Partner Lounge, the luxe, invite-only VIP hang the team carved out of the bowels of the Wells Fargo Center. Heck credits celebs like Shyamalan and Meek Mill (and then-companion Nicki Minaj) with raising the courtside profile.

“We call it ‘Circle of Stars,’” Katie O’Reilly, the Sixers’ chief marketing officer, says of the team’s influencers program. “Our managing partners understand the importance of bringing these guys in and having them as part of our family.”

That means inviting Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman and Bryan Cranston to the Center when they’re in town. It also means making regulars of our other teams’ stars. “I see Alshon more than I see my family,” laughs Heck. “Half the Eagles are season-ticket holders.” And it means catering to power-broker super-fans — bold names more likely to show up in the Wall Street Journal than on a marquee. “Josh Harris and David Blitzer and that crowd, they’ve done a superb job of making sure that the service is excellent” for VIPs, says Vague, the venture capitalist who’s recently made news as a possible dark-horse presidential candidate. “That’s been true through The Process years. If anything, perhaps even more so early on.”

More than any other pro sport, basketball offers proximity to the action. It’s this access that draws the rich, powerful and aspiring. At breaks during the Lakers game, for instance, fellow court-siders sauntered up to Wentz for a handshake and perhaps to offer a bit of unsolicited career advice.

Peter Markowitz, owner of South Jersey’s Posh Automotive Group and a first-year season-ticket holder with seats in the fourth row on the floor behind the basket, recalls one game where “we were randomly asked if we wanted to meet Allen Iverson. They took us upstairs, and we sat and talked to Allen Iverson for 10 minutes.”

Diehards may be chagrined to learn that Markowitz is no Philly sports lifer. “It was a social decision,” the 37-year-old entrepreneur says of his season-ticket plunge. “I’m getting older, and everybody’s getting busier with work and families. I go to all of the games with one of my best friends. We’re not even that into sports, but we have a new appreciation from being there and learning. And we’ve made really good connections for work and pleasure.”

Just off the court, the Corona Extra Beach House has become a networking hot spot. “At halftime, all those people who are sitting around the court, they all go into that room,” says Markowitz. “It’s a nice break, and rather than seeing people you know and passing them by, you get to spend a couple of minutes talking to them.”

For Ric Harris, president of NBC 10/ Telemundo 62, the seats the station gets as a Sixers media partner have proven a superb way to entertain clients.

The networking aspect can grate on basketball junkies like Marc Lamont Hill, but he understands the significance. “You see a lot of empty seats after halftime,” Hill says of the exodus to the VIP bars. “You’ll see people in fancy suits with really nice watches talking about development plans and client services. As a businessperson, I get it — it’s a part of the energy there now. It’s about being at the game and showing people that you can be at the game. That is a super status symbol. Having dope seats to the Sixers is another sign of social and cultural capital. And that’s pretty neat.”

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Sixers seats have been hot before. But unlike in Iverson’s heyday, when 100 percent of the draw was the otherworldly talent of a sullen, tattooed anti-hero, something about this model feels different. Certainly, part of it is that 18 years on from the Sixers’ last championship run, Philly is a very different city.

The idea of a “New Philadelphia” — one of eds, meds and tech, one that’s solving brain drain and in the midst of a renaissance — comes up often when Heck and O’Reilly discuss marketing strategy. But this is also a very different Sixers franchise, one more in touch with the broader cultural significance of the NBA.

One of the less ballyhooed benefits of The Process is that it essentially allowed the organization to reboot. With expectations nonexistent and a fan base comprising only the most hard-core adherents of the team’s rebuild, the Sixers were free to essentially operate as a start-up. The clean slate, thus, was an opportunity to reimagine.

“So much of our strategy was, ‘Let’s bring back the history of this brand,’” chief marketing officer O’Reilly says of how the team’s planners picked and chose elements of the franchise’s past. “Let’s create traditions and bring back that legacy.” The Sixers’ iconography throughout The Process has played on nostalgia, harking back to the glory days of Wilt and Dr. J. But other touches, from the “Together We Build” slogan to the Franklinian Join-or-Die messaging to the ceremonial ringing of a miniature Liberty Bell, were, in retrospect, ingenious, positioning the team as a public trust and recalling the city’s Revolution-era glory.

This idea of common purpose is espoused by one of the team’s most high-profile courtside fans, Tom Kline (of Kline & Specter and Drexel’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law). “Caring about a professional franchise has at its core caring about the city and caring about what happens to us collectively as a community,” says Kline. “Communities have leaders, and you expect leaders to be visible — so now we’re seeing the kind of people you’d expect to be drawn to the flame.”

Kline has been a season-ticket holder for 20 seasons, occupying what he calls “the best seat in basketball” — next to the visitors’ bench (where he can see opposing coaches draw up plays) — since these seats were first made available in 2006. “Of course, we’re on camera more than the rest of the floor seats because the cameras chase toward the benches,” Kline says almost matter-of-factly. “That’s not why I’m there, but I have represented people as a result.”

Vague, Shyamalan and Kline all profess that they’re in it for the love of the game, though as folks who were driven to the acme of their respective fields, they must be at least a little tickled by the TV exposure (and this season, the Sixers will appear on national television some 39 times). Still, something about all of this seems more substantial, more real, than the glitzy Lakers Showtime scene of the 1980s.

While this iteration of the Sixers appears set up for a run of sustained success, no professional sports team is immune to peaks and valleys. But in this moment, when Philly and its teams all seem ascendant, the Sixers have packaged that energy into something transcendent. They have built a scene — of workaday fans and power brokers and A-listers — around more than a winning team. They’ve built this scene around a belief that by bottoming out and then sticking to a plan, you can reach the stars.

It’s a story that strikes a certain chord in the soul of this city for reasons obvious to anyone old enough to remember, say, the 1980s. The courtside celebrities may ebb with the team’s fortunes. But this moment, when the city’s powerful and powerless clamor for seats to see success we all feel we made possible, may represent not just a team fulfilling its unlikely destiny, but a city doing so as well. Why are courtside seats in such demand? Yeah, it’s about Ben and Joel being the best they can be. But it’s also about us.

Published as “The In Crowd” in the April 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

Source: https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/03/30/courtside-sixers-tickets-wells-fargo-center/

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writingguide003-blog · 5 years

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Premier League 2018-19 season review: our writers best and worst

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Premier League 2018-19 season review: our writers best and worst

The best players, greatest games and standout signings plus those that didnt work out, and what needs to change

Best player

Ed Aarons: Virgil van Dijk. Raheem Sterling runs him close but in terms of impact and influence, the big Dutchman has been peerless.

Nick Ames: A confession: at the time Liverpool paid 75m for Van Dijk this writer having been present to cover all of his exceptionally rare rickets at Southampton considered them barmy. Instead, he has almost single-handedly given Jrgen Klopp the ability to build from a solid base, transforming the teams prospects. No centre-back has had this profound an influence in years.

Simon Burnton: Bernardo Silva has been an absolute joy a wonderful combination of technique, tenacity and enthusiasm, and important both creatively and defensively.

Paul Doyle: Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The two are inseparable. Got that, Unai Emery?

Dominic Fifield: Van Dijk. The Dutchman has transformed Liverpools backline, with a once-porous rearguard now the stingiest in the division. The 75m they paid for his services feels like a bargain.

Ben Fisher: Sergio Agero. He seemingly gets better every year. A consistent class act: sage, strong, ruthless and reliable. Manchester Citys trusty talisman weighed in with 21 goals, becoming only the second player to score 20 Premier League goals in five consecutive seasons Thierry Henry being the other. It was fitting Agero kickstarted the final-day victory dance at Brighton.

Barry Glendenning: Bernardo Silva has been the stand-out player in a squad full of extraordinarily gifted footballers at Manchester City.

Andy Hunter: Van Dijk. Transformed Liverpool the moment he arrived at Anfield. The leader of the best defence in the Premier League, and his ever-present appearance record shows his fitness is as consistent as his form.

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David Hytner: Sterling. The Manchester City winger has brought the numbers and the silverware but he has also impressed hugely as a leader.

Jamie Jackson: Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese brings his own wow factor to Manchester City, with an ability to play wide or centrally, a schemers vision, mesmeric dribbling, and a shoot-on-sight instinct.

Stuart James: Van Dijk. Voted for him for the Football Writers award hes not just an outstanding defender but a leader, too. His influence on that Liverpool defence is there for all to see. Id put Bernardo Silva right up there, too; the guy can do a bit of everything who wouldnt want a player like that? Plus, obviously Raheem Sterling has been superb.

Bernardo Silva: The standout player in Manchester Citys exceptionally gifted squad. Photograph: Matt McNulty/Man City via Getty Images

Amy Lawrence: Sterling and Van Dijk stood out from an impressive crowd by demonstrating immense talent with an inspiring personality. Only a fool would not applaud how Sterling has grown so much in all-round influence this season.

Sachin Nakrani: Sterling. Could have easily given this award to Virgil van Dijk but Sterling gets it for not only being excellent on the pitch for Manchester City, but off it too with his important stands against racism.

Barney Ronay: Sterling. From a rough edge to Citys best player at key times. Best of all made everyone even those not used to doing it think a little.

Rob Smyth: Andy Robertson. An elemental force whose ascent from Hull to a World XI gives hope to drifters everywhere. For all his infectious and uniquely Scottish zest for sporting confrontation, he is cold and clinical in the final third.

Danny Taylor: Trent Alexander-Arnold. A tangent, perhaps, from the usual Sterling/Van Dijk debate, but what a player 20 years old, part of the best defence in the league and 13 assists, a record for a defender in the Premier League era.

Louise Taylor: Eden Hazard. Virgil van Dijk was more consistent but, on his day, Hazards creative talent enchanted like very few others. He possesses not just the vision and technique others lack, but the bravery to normalise the audacious. Andy Robertson pushed those two close though; he has been brilliant at left-back.

Best manager

EA: Jrgen Klopp. The number of late victories Liverpool have managed is astounding and its largely down to the belief instilled by their manager.

NA: We are spoiled as never before. The best is Pep Guardiola; his teams response to a brilliant Liverpool side confirms that. But Mauricio Pochettinos ability to keep Tottenham this competitive is a thing of wonder; he is a class act off the field too. For a left-field shout, Sean Dyche restoring Burnley to their indomitable old ways was a fantastic achievement.

SB: With no real insurgent minnow this year, it has to be one of the ludicrously amazing top two. Liverpools 22-point improvement on last season wins it for Klopp.

PD: Ralph Hasenhttl. The difference between Southampton before and after his arrival was astonishing and damning on his predecessors.

DF: Klopp. The title may just have eluded him, but Liverpool lost only once all season and the chasm to Manchester City closed from 25 points to just one. That in itself is a remarkable achievement, given the champions standards hardly dipped.

BF: Pep Guardiola is still the champ. But to steer Tottenham into the top four and a Champions League final in the manner Mauricio Pochettino has done also deserves acclaim, while Maurizio Sarri has done a better job at Chelsea than has been painted.

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BG: Guardiola, for consistently taking great players and making them even better. For all his employers bottomless reserves of cash, it is a feat few managers can pull off with such monotonous regularity.

AH: Guardiola. Back-to-back league titles, the second one achieved with a 14-game winning streak, and the possibility of a historic domestic treble. It serves as a reminder that, when it comes to winners, the Manchester City manager has no peers in the Premier League.

DH: Guardiola, because he has led Manchester City to the brink of a domestic clean sweep. His genius even extends to getting away with wearing that sweater.

SJ: Guardiola. Hard not to give it to the manager who ends up winning the league, especially when its difficult to pick out anyone who massively overachieved elsewhere. Nuno Esprito Santo, who did an excellent job at Wolves in their first season back in the top flight, certainly merits a mention.

Six votes apiece for Jrgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

JJ: Pep Guardiola. His pursuit of excellence is a privilege to watch up close, and next season it will be fascinating to see just what he makes his team produce.

AL: Klopp. The continuing rise in standards he has engineered, the love and respect that comes so naturally from his players, the brilliant charisma. He and his work just shines on.

SN: Klopp. Took on the financial might of Manchester City and almost won. He couldnt have done much more, and in the process the German displayed a level of tactical maturity and charismatic inspiration that could yet take Liverpool to Champions League glory.

BR: Mauricio Pochettino. Took a small, tired squad to fourth place. Improved his players. Created Moussa Sissoko 2.0.

RS: Klopp. Pound for pound, nobody got more from their squad than he does. He deserves better than to be a serial runner-up.

DT: Nuno. Phil Neville was silly to describe Wolves as the best promoted side the Premier League had ever seen ignoring the third-placed finishes of Newcastle (1994) and Forest (1995) but seventh is still a fine performance.

LT: Mauricio Pochettino. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, money doesnt so much talk as swear, and hes had a lot less of the stuff than his principal rivals. Also, Spurs play attractive football and Pochettino is ever ready to give young British players a chance. Rafa Bentez also merits an honourable mention. Under a lesser coach, Newcastle would surely have been relegated.

Best goal

EA: Andros Townsend v Man City. It was always going to take something special to beat City on their own patch and Townsends volley from 30 yards was a strike as sweet as you will see.

NA: Many of Manchester Citys games albeit masterclasses in control and precision fail to stir the soul. But Vincent Kompanys winner against Leicester was a genuine leap-from-the-sofa moment for a neutral; a reminder that even a team drilled as forensically as this can produce a startling, season-altering bolt from the blue.

SB: Even out of context, Kompanys winner against Leicester was phenomenal, but given his status at his club and the goals timing in the title race, it cant be bettered.

PD: Since Mateusz Klichs goal for Leeds against Aston Villa in April was not in the Premier League, its got to be Fabian Schrs rocket for Newcastle against Burnley. That shot was the truth.

DF: Townsends stupendous volley from distance at the Etihad Stadium, which rocked Manchester City back on their heels in a game they thought they would win at a canter. It has been playing on a permanent loop in my house ever since.

Vincent Kompanys goal against Leicester: A genuine leap-from-the-sofa moment. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters

BF: Cardiffs Junior Hoilett v Wolves. A sumptuous first-time strike from the edge of the box, destined for the top corner from the moment it left his boot. Daniel Sturridge deserves a mention for taking things into his own hands after stepping off the bench at Stamford Bridge.

BG: Youll see few strikes sweeter than the incredible 35-yard volley Townsend sent fizzing past Ederson at the speed of light to help Crystal Palace to a most unlikely win.

AH: Kompany v Leicester. Townsends volley required better technique but could not match the City captains strike in terms of importance or general astonishment.

DH: Townsends title-race pigeon-scatterer at Manchester City. What. A. Hit. Also loved how Pep described the Palace winger as having scored from his apartment.

SJ: Townsend against Manchester City. Not even a debate about it. Yes, Kompanys goal against Leicester was a superb strike and it was hugely significant, too, but its not about any wider context. Townsend showed incredible technique to connect with that dropping ball so sweetly, his body position and timing absolutely perfect. The gasps from the home crowd said it all.

JJ: Kompany v Leicester. His net-busting strike in the penultimate league game all but killed Liverpools hopes of a City slip-up.

AL: Sorely tempted by Aaron Ramsey at Fulham as the team goal, or Townsend as the solo strike, but Vincent Kompany, for the moment of salvation and dramatic importance, edges it.

Andros Townsend scores at Manchester City: The gasps from the home crowd said it all. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

SN: Eden Hazard v West Ham. The Belgians first goal of Chelseas 2-0 win in April was a turbo-charged, dazzling dribble through the heart of bewildered opponents that showed just why Real Madrid are so keen to land him.

BR: Kompanys flukey long-ranger. For obvious reasons. And because it was so un-City Pep will probably fine him now.

RS: Hazard v West Ham. Many great goals could conceivably be fluked on Hackney Marshes. Hazards blur of skill, speed and balance could only have been scored by a handful of players in the world.

DT: Kompany. If you had to list the key moments of Citys title defence, this would be Exhibit A. The captain, 25 yards out, with various teammates shouting for him not to shoot.

LT: Has to be Kompany. Not just a wonder goal, but imbued with immense title race significance. Those who implored him to pass will surely never be allowed to forget it.

Best match

EA: Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham. The March meeting at Anfield between the two Champions League finalists had everything: high quality, emotion and comical last-minute drama as an own goal from Toby Alderweireld kept Liverpools title hopes alive.

NA: It did not feel like a season of classics but, looking back, the margins on which Manchester City v Liverpool were contested proved utterly crucial. At the time it felt like a wild, knife-edge kind of night, as City clawed their way back into the title race. It was a worthy, achingly tense shoot-out between the two best sides.

SB: If the best matches are those that end with at least half the participants having entirely lost control of themselves and their emotions, my vote goes to Liverpool 1-0 Everton, and Divock Origis extraordinary late winner.

PD: Wolves 4-3 Leicester.

DF: Manchester City 2-3 Crystal Palace. The only time the champions dropped points at home, and a game illuminated by that stunning volley from Townsend. Palace tend to be thrashed at the Etihad Stadium, but the look of bemused joy on an Roy Hodgsons face at the final whistle summed up their afternoon.

BF: Wolves 4-3 Leicester. A preposterous game in which both teams forgot how to defend, culminating in five second-half goals and Nuno being sent off after running on to the pitch to join a celebratory pile-on.

BG: Wolves beat Leicester by the odd goal of seven in a thrilling encounter at Molineux, which ended with Nuno burying himself in a pile of players after Diogo Jotas late, late winner. The Wolves manager was fined 8,000 for his over-exuberance, which he almost certainly considers money extremely well spent.

Wolves 4-3 win over Leicester was one of the seasons finest. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

AH: Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool. The Etihad press box offered a privileged position to appreciate the unrelenting pace and quality of Januarys encounter between the finest sides in the country. Both teams left everything on the pitch and John Stones goal-line clearance by 11mm encapsulated the fine margins between the two.

DH: City 2-1 Liverpool. For the nerve-shredding tension, the 11.7mm and the feeling that we were watching the title decider.

SJ: City 2-1 Liverpool. Incredible intensity off the scale when compared with other Premier League games. Showed why those two clubs finished so far ahead of the other members of the big six, never mind the rest of the league.

JJ: Manchester City 6-0 Chelsea. Did this really happen this season? Despite all the action that followed, this trouncing of Marizio Sarris side in February lingers for the way the visitors were shredded.

AL: Best I was at: Lucas Torreira ripping off his shirt and screaming at Arsenals comeback win over Tottenham. On TV, so many thrilling Liverpool games and crazed late wins to choose from, but the City v Liverpool title cruncher was something else a season-defining example of high-tempo intensity.

SN: Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham. Six goals, one sending-off and a touchline ruck made this a north London derby to remember. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyangs second goal was particular magnificent.

BR: Liverpool 4-3 Crystal Palace. Classic Premier League romp.

RS: Man City 2-1 Liverpool. European quality at British speed, a game of stratospheric class and importance, fine margins and controversy.

DT: Maybe this was what the season lacked: an absolute classic. I will go for Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool but the Champions League has provided the better games by some distance.

LT: Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool. Decided by Divock Origis 86th-minute header it emphasised Liverpools never-say-die mentality, but could easily have been won by Bentezs much-improved team.

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Premier League 2018-19: the highs and lows of the season video review

Best signing

EA: He may not have come cheap at 67m but Alissons performances in goal have helped transform a leaky Liverpool backline into one of the hardest defences to breach in Europe.

NA: Ral Jimnez joined Wolves on loan after a hit-and-miss spell at Benfica. Few could have expected that he had 13 Premier League goals in him, but Nuno and his backers have barely missed a beat in the last two years and the Mexico international proved another inspired choice. His permanent arrival, which will be made official on 1 July for a 30m fee, looks good value.

SB: For just 5m Joo Moutinho, Wolves little bundle of extreme awesomeness, has massively over-delivered.

PD: Yves Bissouma. Feet of a dancer, mind of an inventor, spirit of a hero.

DF: Ral Jimnez. Wolves always had the look of a side who would be at home at the higher level, but they needed to add a goalscorer to lead the line, and struck gold with Jimnez.

BF: Bournemouths recruitment has been hit-and-miss since promotion in 2015 but in David Brooks, they have unearthed another gem. The 21-year-old winger hit the ground running, thriving on the biggest stage after only a handful of starts with Sheffield United. Then there are Diogo Jota and Ral Jimnez, Wolves dynamite double act.

BG: Brooks was outstanding in an up-and-down season for Bournemouth. Weve seen enough to suggest he could be outstanding at this level, said Eddie Howe of the 20-year-old in July. Ten months on, the rest of us have seen it too.

AH: Alisson. Klopp was genuinely bouncing with excitement after a pre-season friendly at Blackburn in July as Liverpool had just sealed the signing of his only choice to replace Loris Karius. A club-record 21 clean sheets in the Premier League and several match-defining saves justified the excitement.

James Maddison has impressed after joining Leicester from Norwich last summer. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

DH: Alisson has made a massive difference for Liverpool but Ive really enjoyed watching James Maddison at Leicester. Lovely balance, and always looking to open up opposing teams.

SJ: Moutinho. Signed from Monaco for 5m last summer, the 32-year-old has been brilliant for Wolves and a joy to watch alongside Rben Neves, his protg. He famously turned up without any laces in his boots on his first day at training. I found it unbelievable, Conor Coady said. It was like he had slippers on.

JJ: Maddison. The Leicester No 10 is only 22 but plays with a maturity and intelligence that suggests he may soon be blooded for England.

AL: Alisson. Cost a fortune for a goalkeeper but proved himself to be absolutely worth it.

SN: Brooks. Proved there is real value to be had in the lower leagues. Has impressed with his skill and composure from a wide-right position and under the guidance of Howe he could develop into a genuine star.

BR: Maddison. Unusual to see a young creative player allowed to come from the Football League and succeed. Tripled in value.

RS: Alisson. Completed the transition started by Van Dijk. Between them they have turned Liverpools defence from a circus into Fort Knox.

DT: Salomn Rondn. His 15 goals, on loan from West Brom, earned him Newcastles player-of-the-season award and played a major part in keeping the team away from relegation danger.

LT: Rondn. Bentez fought all sorts of political battles to transplant the centre-forward from the Hawthorns to St James Park and Rondn has repaid the compliment by ensuring Newcastle stayed up.

Worst flop

EA: All of Fulhams summer signings. More than 100m splurged on 12 players, and they went down on 2 April. They would have been better served sticking with those who achieved promotion, as illustrated by the late revival under Scott Parker.

NA: Andr-Frank Zambo Anguissa arrived at Fulham for 30m with the reputation of an commanding deep midfielder with the potential to dominate games. Instead, he struggled terribly. In fairness, Fulhams troubles cannot be laid solely at his door. Rather, he is the embodiment of a summer in which they flagrantly disregarded the tenets that had earned them promotion. The lessons from the embarrassment that followed should resonate.

SB: Insert name of Manchester United player here.

PD: The flops by Matto Guendouzi, Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi which resulted in Arsenal having three players booked for simulation in one match at home to Huddersfield, no less.

DF: Most of Fulhams summer signings. There was so much goodwill for them on their return to the top flight, and the 100m outlay to beef up Slavisa Jokanovics squad appeared ambitious and exciting. From the toils of Fabri to Jean Michal Seri, Zambo Anguissa to Alfie Mawson, few justified their fees. The whole campaign felt like a missed opportunity.

BF: At 50m, Fred. Like a fish out of water, has played more like Fred the Red at times. Out of his depth in Uniteds midfield.

Fred concedes a penalty against Arsenal. The 50m midfielder was a big disappointment in his first season at Old Trafford. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

BG: Alexis Snchez, whose ongoing failure to deliver at United while on wages that must cause seething resentment among his teammates make him a contender for one of the worst signings in football history.

AH: Ed Woodward. Might well be the man for a smart commercial deal but possesses a reverse Midas touch when it comes to football. Mauricio Pochettino or Ole Gunnar Solskjr for manager? Only one man would opt for the latter and, unfortunately for United, its the one who runs their club.

DH: There was time admittedly, a while back at Arsenal when I thought Snchez was the best player in England; a celebration of furious desire and efficiency. It is incredible to see how he has lost his way.

SJ: Always some confusion as to whether this category is confined to players signed this season. If so, Fulhams Zambo Anguissa and Brightons Alireza Jahanbakhsh are right up there. If not, Snchez and Mustafi are in the mix too. And then of course, theres Fred.

JJ: Fred. The Brazilian midfielder was a serious disappointment for Manchester United, unable to dominate games.

AL: Denis Surez. When you lose two defenders and a striker to season-ending injuries, why not splurge the best part of 4m on a loan fee and wages for a down-in-the-dumps floaty midfielder capable of playing a total of 67 Premier League minutes?

SN: Manchester United. Sacked another manager. Hired his replacement on the back of a goal he scored 20 years ago. Played lots of terrible football. Lost lots of games. Signed Fred for 52m. Finished sixth.

BR: Zambo Anguissa. Fulhams marquee 30m signing. Defensive midfielder in (or more often out of) a team that has conceded 72 goals.

RS: Fred. Struggled to get a game in the worst United midfield for decades.

DT: Manchester United, again. Another plodding season when, barring a couple of deceptive months, they have fulfilled their new role as Manchesters second team with barely even an argument.

LT: Paul Pogba. Yes, he is gifted but he doesnt make that talent count nearly often enough, or provide sufficient on-field leadership. An underachiever who likes to blame those around him, Pogba appears, albeit from a distance, a right diva. Small wonder Roy Keane is unimpressed.

Biggest gripe

EA: More than a gripe, but it has to be the return of racism. After all the progress that had been made from the dark days of the 1970s and 80s, countless incidents this season at all levels of the game have illustrated that the battle is far from over.

NA: Cut out the pre-match light shows that have crept in over the last couple of seasons. In some hapless cases they have even been put on in harsh daylight. The exhortations from PA announcers to take your seats for the spectacle might as well be direct instructions for supporters to surrender any inclination to whip up an atmosphere of their own. Will clubs ever get bored of infantilising their fans?

SB: The willingness of referees to award free-kicks for feigned or deliberately manufactured contact, particularly in defensive positions.

PD: Strategic fouls that abort attacks. These should be punished with penalties, no matter where they occur on the pitch.

DF: Just like last year, the constant chopping and changing of kick-off times, from Friday night football to five-past-the-hour kick-offs. Maybe I am an old fogey struggling to keep up with changing times, but I find it utterly confusing.

BF: Meaningless statistics, such as a promoted teams Premier League record despite not having played in the top flight for years. And clubs excruciating exclusive interviews with their own employees.

BG: The ongoing contempt with which subscription TV channels in the UK treat match-going and armchair fans. The former are often forced to travel long distances to facilitate lunchtime or Monday night kick-offs, while the latter must shell out exorbitant monthly subscriptions to watch European football, in a year when four English teams have reached finals.

http://www.theguardian.com/us

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COSTA BLANCA STH BOWLS ROUNDUP - 24 JUNE 17 has been published at http://www.theleader.info/2017/06/24/costa-blanca-sth-bowls-roundup-24-june-17/

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COSTA BLANCA STH BOWLS ROUNDUP - 24 JUNE 17

SAN MIGUEL BOWLS CLUB

San Miguel Christians played San Luis Wellingtons at home last week taking 5 points to 9. Well done to Pat McEwan, Bob Graham, Gary Raby 21-12: Bob Nesbitt, Brenda Rees, Mike Douglas 25-15; Ken Hope, Brian Allen, Reg Cooper 17 across. Shots for San Miguel 100, against 122.

In the VCL, the Deputies were away to Emerald Isle, with only two wins. Ladies Singles, Anita Brown and in the Pairs, Pat McEwan and Ann Eagle.

This week the Christians were at home to Quesada Blenheims only managing 4 points. Well played by Peter Rees, Jim Jarvie, Noel Davis 21-17; Paul Hayward, Tom Dalgleish, Brian Allen 29-18. Other games were all very close. Shots were close 106 to San Miguel – 108 to Quesada.

The Moors were away to San Luis Wellingtons only picking up 1 point. William Holtham, Bill Knight, Fred Willshire drew 14 all. Shots 76 to San Miguel and 116 to San Luis.

No other results received.

Club mornings still on, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 0945 for 1015. WASPS on Wednesdays 1.30pm, numbers are falling due to the heat, a friendly afternoons bowling for only €5, including use of woods, shoes and free tuition if required.

For further information on San Miguel Bowls Club, please contact the President, Rosamond Stockell, telephone 965329778 or Secretary Pat McEwan, telephone 966714257

VISTABELLA BOWLS CLUB WITH LYNNE BISHOP

The Vistabella Greener’s won the Hurricane league in great style.

Congratulations to all the members of the Greener’s team for their outstanding performance this season, there final game was away to the Emerald Isle Vulcans and despite knowing last week that they had won the league they still kept the pressure on and went out to finish on a high! Sheila Cox, Sheila Whitehall & Les Barber 32-15. Ron Smith, Sue Jenkins & Dave Jenkins 23-14. Jenny Chaplin/Del Gunning, Ken Savage & Peter Whitehall 17-13. Mike Irwin, Sue Norris & Pat Rafferty 17-12. Frank Barclay, Peter Cadwell & Barry Norris 16-16. Shots, VB 120(11) – 87(3) EI.

Spitfire division Fairways still with a few games to play gained some important points from their home game against La Siesta Wasps, Tony French, Stuart Allman & Bill Pain 38-7. Lin Watkins, Mike Regan & Eric Bishop 30-11. Olwyn Ratcliffe, Geoff Paylor & Ken Cuthbert 24-8. Lynne Bishop, Jenny Bowman & Ian Kenyon 16-10. Sandra Burrows, StJohn Broadhurst & Brian Dunn 21-16. Beryl Regan, Dane Howard & Maggie Furness 16-16. Shots, VB 145(13) – 68(1) LS.

VCL. The Vikings were away to La Marina only picking up four points…quite disappointing, but well done to the Ladies Singles Lynne Bishop for a 21-10 win and the Rinks team of Pauline Rafferty, Andy Leggatt, Pat Rafferty & Eric Bishop winning 19-12. Shots, VB 88(4) – 98(10) LM.

The Saxons also had an off day, playing the Quesada Lions at home they scraped through with just one win from Mens Singles Ian Kenyon of 21-13. Shots, VB 89(2) – 120(12) Q.

Despite the heat we need to keep going so please everyone put your names down…you will soon be able to have a well earned rest. Adiós.

Sponsored by Venture fleet, Rivingtons Restaurant, One-way services & TV Choice.

SAN LUIS BOWLS CLUB REPORT 23.06.17.

Wednesday 21st June VCLeague SL Falcons were away v San Miguel Sherriffs; a close match right to the very end (which could have gone the other way), but even with Jules killing the last end so we could replay it, we couldn’t quite close the shot gap; 94-99, points 5-9. Winners: pairs; June & Keith Jones 21-10, triples; Margaret & Neil Morrison, Derrick Cooper 16-16, rinks; Shirley Verity, Sheila Cammack, Barry Edwards, Jules Pering 22-12.

Friday 23rd, Spitfire Division: SL Wellingtons were home to San Miguel Moors, and had an excellent result: shots 116-76, points 13-1. Winners: Carol Lowry, Les Bedford, Ray Pollock 17-14, Kath Reid, Ann Holland, Roy Cordell 27-7, Margaret & Neil Morrison, Derrick Cooper 18-16, Colin Jackson, Bill Webb, Mal Hughes 19-13, Bob White, Vic Slater, Keith Lowry 21-12, Judy Carroll, Jan & Brian Pocock 14-14.

SAN LUIS WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS:

Whereas some clubs may be considering reducing their entries for the coming winter season, San Luis Bowls Club is going back to 4 for the South Alicante league on a Monday and 4 for the Southern league on a Friday.

Being a competitive club does not mean that there is not room for everyone in ALL divisions to get at least one game a week. We will have 1 in Div A, 1 in Div B and 2 in Div C and it is as much the latter where we welcome players – either those who have played in the leagues and want to continue, or those who are now ready to test the water and get involved and above all enjoy the game.

Your commitment to joining San Luis BC would be needed BY 1st August with membership commencing 1st September. However by joining in July there would be no charge for August when bowling at San Luis.

For further information please contact the Club Captain – June Jones 966 188 920 or 691 903 773.

You can also check out our club website: www.sanluisbowls.byethost7.com

Sheila Cammack

LA SIESTA BOWLS CLUB BY ROD EDGERTON

The third match of the Ladies 4 wood pairs took place against Quesada and our ladies carried on the good work from last week and came away with a 5-0 win. Ann-Marie Stevenson & Pat Harman playing at home won 22-19 whilst Sue Mahomet and Sue Jordan were away and came away with a 15-13 win. With just two matches to go in this competition La Siesta are in a good position. Go Girls!!! Keep up the good work.

In the VCL League away against Vistabella Saxons the team only managed one win with Alan Barton beating Ian Kenyon in a nailbiting match winning by a single shot 21-20. Unfortunately this was our only win on the day but congratulation to our rinks team of Irene Laverick,Jean Hepehi,Dave Laverick and Jonnie Ball who managed 5 shots on the final end to cut the deficit in their match to 19-13.The overall result was a win for Vistabella by 106 shots to 73.

In the SABA League the Hornets were away to local rivals San Luis Hercules and the usual close contest took place. After 9 ends San Luis lead on 4 of the 6 rinks but a battling performance by the Hornets took the match down to the wire. Matches on 3 rinks being settled on the final end. For the Hornets the win by Ron Sheldon, Sid Gallup and John Ball being the most exciting and improbable as they were 5 shots behind with 3 ends remaining.

Sid Gallup played excellent running bowls and skip John Ball held firm to turn a one shot deficit on the penultimate end to a win by 19-18 at the death. Liz Comstock, John and Dawn Taylor managed a 16-11 win but they only held a 1 shot lead after 17 ends. The star on the final end was Liz who bowled three exceptional lead deliveries to take the pressure off. The Hornets did not have it all their own way on the other close match where Robin Harker for San Luis bowled a great wood to beat the Hornets Triple by a single shot.

Other good results on the day for The Hornets was the trio of Penny and John Porter with John Lincoln winning by 19 shots to 13 and Jean James, Irene Laverick and John Clarke who won 24-15. The overall match result was a 10-4 win for La siesta by 109 shots to 92.

The Wasps were at home to Vistabella Greeners the best rink for the Wasps was the trio of Sue Mahomet, Jim Hudson (thank you for standing in at the last minute) and Brian Fraser(first league bowls game for 2 years, welcome back) 22 – 10. Sheila Chorley,Vic Mahomet and Brian Harman won18-13 and our drawing rink Joy Gardiner,Irene Mangan and Sue Jordan 16-16. It was nip and tuck on 2 rinks , but overall a good performance. Shots for 110 against 106 points with the points shared 7 apiece.

LA MARINA REPORT BY BARRY LATHAM

The hat trick was on and we did it by beating another of the top three sides, this time it was at home against Vistabella Vikings. More the pleasing as we are still at the bottom of the league. The score was 10-4. The Parsons couldn’t keep up their romance and only Peter managed a win but it was 21-7. Dave Hadaway and Tom Spencer had a good win 19-9 after playing 21 ends. Barry Sadler, David Taylor, Roger Stacey and Dave O’Sullivan won a tight game by 18-16.

The most exciting ending was left for Captain Colin Armitage, Carol Smith and Lynne Armitage. Going into the last end one down, they picked up three to win by two. So it is left in our own hands to see if we can come last but one in the final game. Seats are going quickly so please book yours now !!!

Last game for the Pilots at home to Quesada Lancasters who unfortunately, from our point of view, bombed us out of sight. We lost 10-4 leaving us, I think, in third place. A good enough season though so well bowled to everyone especially our two winning rinks this week. Those of Mike Smith, Peter Bailey and Gina Hindle and Dave Hadaway, Arthur Cronk and Dave O’Sullivan who won 26-7. If you want a free pint ask Dave how his better half got on.

GREENLANDS BOWLS CLUB WITH DAVE WEBB

There was no VCL match this week as it was a bye, in the Levante Lawn Bowls Men’s pairs competition Dave Webb and Phil Lockley won a hard fought game against Derek Jiggins and John Rimmer at Country bowls. It all came down to the 18th end with Greenlands leading by 19 shots to 17, country bowls were in contention holding one with a measure for two, the measure favoured Greenlands ! just.

Final score 19 shots to Greenlands 18 shots against, so they will now proceed to the the semi-finals on the 8th September, In the South Alicante Hurricane Division, Gladiators were at home to Monte Mar Torreadors. Final scores were – Total shots for – 104. Against – 95. Points for – 8. Against – 6. Winning Rinks were — Jean Thompson, Jean Giddings, skip Dave Webb. – 33 shots to 6. Sheila Stead, Mary Lockley, skip Jim Oliver. – 26 shots to 15. Vic Young, Dave Giddings, skip Dave Thompson. – 20 shots to 10. A very pleasant game was enjoyed by all and nice to finish our last match with a well deserved win.

If you are considering leaving your present club at the end of this season then why not come to Greenlands Bowls Club. You can be assured of a warm welcome by our friendly team members, and play on one of the best surfaces around, so why not find out more by ringing Haley on 966844399.

EMERALD ISLE BOWLS CLUB

Wed seen the Dukes playing at home to San Miguel and they had a fine win to become league champions well the Dukes they won 10-4 aggregate of 103-90

Winners were C Lindgren 21-13, P Parkes R White J Mulloy 20-12, S Wickens J Westall D Close M Odell 22-15, M Whitelock K Jolliffe M Stacey S Westall 17-11

The Earls travelled to El Rancho and came away with a very respectable 6-8 defeat aggregate of 90-95, the winners were M Foulds 21-19, J Jarvis B Eldred J Mullarkey L Fisher 23-10, R Adams P Creswell G Dyer E Shepard 15-12

Friday brought Vistabella Greeners to the Isle and they went away winners bu 11-3 aggregate of 87-120, winners were E Morris B Eldred J Mullarkey 17-15, and a draw for R Adams R Fooks F King 16-16

Victors had a bye

ELWYN MORRIS

#Costa Blanca Bowls Roundup

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