NFC South Week 16 Wrap Up
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
Atlanta 31 Buffalo 3
Now that the playoffs are not possible the Falcons decided to play for wins and pride. On Sunday they manhandled the Bills from the start. On the first play from scrimmage Matt Ryan hit Roddy White from 42 yards out to make it 7-0. The Bills would never be in the game from that point on. They managed just 187 total yards with only 40 coming via the run. Ryan finished 18-35 for 250 yards and three touchdowns. White had another scoring catch to close the scoring and finished with 139 yards on eight catches. The running tandem of Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood combined for 28 carries for 120 yards and the defense is playing the way they had hoped they would all year. They held the Bills to 11 first downs and 2-10 in third down efficiency. They forced three turnovers and 10 penalties for 60 yards and two sacks. Next week they go to Tampa Bay to try and finish the year with a winning record.
Tampa Bay 20 New Orleans 17
The last fourth of this season has been really hard on the Saints. They started off so strong but have been exposed in the last month. The defense is the first thing that needs to be addressed and fast. They are finding ways to keep drives alive by allowing the big play, like the 77-yard punt return by Michael Spurlock to tie the game late in the fourth. They gave up 439 yards total yards to the Bucs. Tampa Bay was 7-12 on third downs and had the ball for 36 minutes. Not too bad for a team that started so bad. It was to the point where people were asking if head coach Raheem Morris could survive more than one year. New Orleans actually lead 17-0 and it was still 17-3 at the half. It would not be enough as Drew Brees was held under 300 yards passing and the Bucs defense came up big when they needed to. They took advantage of an injury to Saints running back Pierre Thomas and shut down the run game in the second half. Josh Freeman continued his evolution going 21-31 for 271 yards with no touchdowns and two picks. He did make a big play in the overtime that kept the winning drive alive. So Tampa continues to look like they are improving with each week and the Saints keep looking more vulnerable game after game. They and some fans thought they had won the game in regulation but Garrett Hartley missed a field goal from 37 yards out with five seconds left in the game. So Tampa moves on to finish the year next week looking to next year and the improvements they need to make. On a last note Morris may have saved his job with the team’s play in the last month or so.
Carolina 41 New York Giants 9
It was the last game at the Meadowlands and it hit home for me personally. I grew up going to that stadium and was looking to see the Gmen go out with a win. Unfortunately the Panthers had other plans. They came in with many questions in a season that had gone south. So, with not much to play for, they decided to show up and show out. Matt Moore had an effective day going 15-20 for 171 yards and three touchdowns. On top of that Jonathan Stewart ran all over the Giants defense to the tune of 206 yards on 28 carries and a score. The Panthers were 10-15 on third downs and had 416 total yards. They ran for 247 and forced four turnovers. The defense held the Giants to 60 yards rushing 27 minutes in time of possession. It was an ugly way for New York to go out as they showed no heart and little emotion. Eli Manning was 29-43 for 296 yards but he was playing from behind all day. It was 24-0 at the half and 34-3 by the end of the third. It was Carolina’s third win in their last four games and just like in Tampa that may have saved their coaches job for sure now.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Ways to fight back
When I started this blog, I wrote "There is no easy solution to getting rid of the Glazers and the debt they have heaped upon Manchester United".
Since then the "Red Knights" have announced that they are looking at the possibility of putting an offer to the Glazer family that could change the ownership of the club putting supporters back at the heart of what Manchester United is about. I would therefore urge any United supporter who has not done so to join the Manchester United Supporters Trust who are working with the Red Knights.
Here are few other ways to help:
Buy some stickers (for use around the home obviously)
In addition, if you don't know about them or you've heard bad things, take a look at FC United of Manchester. Non-league football is not for everyone, but this club is owned and run by proper reds and in my view they are as much part of the United family as me, or anyone else who still goes to OT.
Evoluzione 2 - 3 - 4 Gennaio 2010
Buonasera a tutti!!Prosegue la situazione meteorologicamente dinamica su tutta l'Europa, con prospettive nettamente più fredde per l'Italia, con qualche nevicata in vista in alcune zone.
PREVISIONI METEO sintetiche:
SABATO 2: rovesci anche nevosi a quote collinari in transito dalla Romagna verso il medio versante adriatico. Pioggia tra Campania e Calabria. Tempo abbastanza buono altrove. Generale calo delle temperature. DOMENICA 3:Inizialmente tempo buono, con nuove nubi in arrivo da ovest, con prime precipitazioni in serata al nord-ovest, nevose anche in pianura. LUNEDI 4: neve fino al piano al nord, rovesci sparsi sul resto della Penisola, nevosi al centro inizialmente fino a quote collinari in rialzo oltre i 1200m. Più asciutto e variabile sulle Isole Maggiori.
PREVISIONI SURF
Mar Ligure: Sabato 2: Onde in scaduta da ponente con vento da terra su Liguria, misura intorno ai 2 m in lento calo. In Toscana onde anche fino a 2,5 m, ma con vento forte da mare, soprattutto su bassa Versilia, tendente a girare laterale da NW. Domenica 3: Scaduta senza vento al mattino in Toscana, con misura intorno al metro in calo, poco mosso in Liguria. Nel pomeriggio venti di scirocco e mare in ulteriore calo. Lunedì 4: piccole onde da scirocco in Versilia al mattino in rapido calo; onde da sud in rotazione a a NE e a concentrarsi sull'estremo settore di ponente in Liguria.
Isole maggiori: Sabato 2: Mareggiata da W-NW in lento calo da 3 m + a 2,5 m con vento sottocosta, in lento calo a moderato su Sardegna, ancora forte su W Sicilia. Domenica 3: Scaduta da 1,5 m in calo su W Sardegna, più consistente (1,5 - 2 m ) su W Sicilia. Lunedì 4: piccole onde (1 m max) da libeccio su W Sardegna; 1,2-1,5 m da Sud su Sicilia sw e su est Sardegna.
Mar Tirreno: Sabato 2: mareggiata da 2 m in nuovo rinforzo nelle ore centrali su medio-alto tirreno, 3 m + sul basso tirreno per l'intera giornata. Venti forti da mare ovunque. Domenica 3: Scaduta da 1-1,2 m su medio-alto Tirreno, molto più consistente andando verso sud, fino a 2,5 m + sulla Calabria tirrenica, con onde di qualità e vento in calo totale al pomeriggio. Lunedì 4: al mattino onde di 1 m da sud in aumento e rotazione a libeccio su medio-alto Tirreno, fino a 1,5-2 m al pomeriggio. Onde di max 1,5 m da sw sul basso tirreno.
Mar Ionio: Sabato 2: mari calmi o poco mossi per forti venti da terra. Domenica 3: ancora mare calmo o poco mosso per venti da terra in lenta attenuazione. Lunedì 4: piccole onde in rapido aumento dalla tarda mattinata da S-SW, con 1,5 m con vento sottocosta al pomeriggio.
Mar Adriatico: Sabato 2: al mattino onde da NW di 1,2-1,5 m sul basso adriatico; impulso da Nord in ingresso assieme ad aria piuttosto fredda su Alto Adriatico dalla tarda mattinata, con onde attorno al metro con vento attivo da Nord dopo pranzo, in estensione fino all'Anconetano. Domenica 3: al mattino scaduta da Nord di circa 0,5-0,8 m su adriatico centrale (dal Nord delle Marche in giù); onde di 1,2-1,5 m da N-NW sul basso adriatico con venti moderati. Lunedì 4: rapido impulso da scirocco dal mattino presto, con formazione di onde surfabili dalla tarda mattinata-primo pomeriggio, intorno al metro sul basso Adriatico (compreso Anconetano), di 0,5 m in crescita sul far buio su alto Adriatico. Qualità comunque bassa per onde ancora "corte".
Al prossimo aggiornamento!!
Buon Week-end!!
2010 Economic Forecast
After some spectacular performances displayed by global equity markets, how is 2010 heading? In fact, 2009 is a year, in which, share market around the world performed the best in recent years. Indonesia is leading all the way with an awesome 87% gains, follow by China, India, Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan…
Meanwhile, Malaysia too joining the bandwagon by rising 45%, which was the index’s biggest annual gain since 1993. All of this was started since March 2009 when risks appetite increased and low interest rate environment surfaced.
Is this Sustainable?
However, all of this was fueled by excessive liquidity, couple with low interest rate, with oversold position of global markets only. The next engine would be earnings growth from companies, where this is the real food for the “Bull”. Because low interest environment forced people to invest, and a lot of people borrow USD to invest globally, which gave them handsome profit.
Meanwhile, Malaysia too joining the bandwagon by rising 45%, which was the index’s biggest annual gain since 1993. All of this was started since March 2009 when risks appetite increased and low interest rate environment surfaced.
Is this Sustainable?
However, all of this was fueled by excessive liquidity, couple with low interest rate, with oversold position of global markets only. The next engine would be earnings growth from companies, where this is the real food for the “Bull”. Because low interest environment forced people to invest, and a lot of people borrow USD to invest globally, which gave them handsome profit.
So, what’s the prediction of 2010?
As long as US do not hike interest rate, the current rally would persist going forward. If not, higher US interest rate will encourage people to divest all their investments globally in order to pay back the USD loans (See diagram). Anyway, US would only hike interest rate if their economy was on a stronger footing, where unemployment rate drop, retails sales up, and manufacturing sector recovering. All of this may happened in 2nd half of 2010. So, you still could enjoy your investments for few months more.
Advise:
US must work hand-in-hand with major governments to manage the reversing of interest rate environment, in order to minimize the impact of sudden currency surge of a particular country. One of it was to hike interest rate simultaneously with major countries globally. And, I believed that Obama's administration already knows it (hopefully).
Any source
As long as US do not hike interest rate, the current rally would persist going forward. If not, higher US interest rate will encourage people to divest all their investments globally in order to pay back the USD loans (See diagram). Anyway, US would only hike interest rate if their economy was on a stronger footing, where unemployment rate drop, retails sales up, and manufacturing sector recovering. All of this may happened in 2nd half of 2010. So, you still could enjoy your investments for few months more.
Advise:
US must work hand-in-hand with major governments to manage the reversing of interest rate environment, in order to minimize the impact of sudden currency surge of a particular country. One of it was to hike interest rate simultaneously with major countries globally. And, I believed that Obama's administration already knows it (hopefully).
About the andersred blog
This blog is primarily about the financial affairs of Manchester United Football Club and the Red Football group of companies of which it the key part.
Manchester United was taken over in 2005 by the Glazer family of Tampa, Florida. The transaction was a "leveraged buyout" of Manchester United plc (which was at the time quoted on the London Stock Exchange). "Leveraged buyout" means that United was acquired largely with debt, debt secured primarily on the football club itself.
The takeover was hugely controversial at the time it happened and was opposed not only by supporters but by the management of Manchester United plc itself.
Since 2005, the worse fears of supporters and commentators who opposed the takeover have been proved correct. Ticket prices have risen very significantly, pricing many traditional supporters out, transfer budgets have been reduced to levels way below what a club of United's size and profitability should be able to afford, the new owners have failed to communicate properly with supporters and finally, in January 2010 it became clear without any doubt (following the announcement of a £500m bond issue) that the Glazer family are using the club as their personal piggy bank.
Too often, discussion and information on football finance is poor and ill informed. With a few honourable exceptions, too many sports journalists don't understand finance and too many business journalists don't care about football. This blog aims to help correct the information gap by providing information and commentary on what is going on at United.
About me
I am a Manchester United season ticket holder as well as being a fund manager in the City of London with 15 years experience of investment analysis. This means I am over reliant on Virgin Trains but also that I have been amazingly privileged to see my team achieve things in the last twenty years that most football fans can only dream of.
If you hadn't guessed I am opposed to the current ownership and financial structure it brings. I believe that the disclosure made in the 2017 Senior Notes (I'll call them "bonds" for ease) prospectus shows beyond any doubt that the claim that the Red Football Joint Venture Ltd Payment in Kind securities ("PIKs") are the Glazer family's problem and have no impact on Red Football Ltd and its football club subsidiary is totally false. You can read about what the prospectus shows here, and I'd say it was a good place to start if you are new to the subject.
The bond debt is designed to free surplus cash and capital from the club to be funnelled to Red Football Joint Venture Ltd to pay the PIKs.
A final point, I am often accused of not understanding what a leveraged buyout is and how it works. The opposite is true, I know exactly what they are and how they work (I've even invested in some - in normal commercial sectors). What I am trying to do is explain it to people who don't know. Because being legal and "normal business practice" should not be the only test of what we allow to happen to organisations in which people of all backgrounds invest such emotional energy and which are social and communal entities and not just businesses.
New Year Greetings
I had an interesting visit to Australia in February and March and met many people connected with agricultural policy. This llama on a property in Queensland did not seem too pleased to see me, probably having been told that there was about to be a CAP regime for camelids.
May I wish all readers a happy, prosperous and healthy new year. I would like to be also able to forecast that the momentum of CAP reform will be maintained, and that agricultural policy will increasingly be adapted to the needs of climate change mitigation and adaptation, but I am not optimistic on either point.Any source
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