News and Magazine Production – Online Magazine Update 3

After a slow period in August, we’re starting to once again produce regular content for the site.

We are currently posting around 6 or 7 times a week however the majority of our content is review based. Over the next few weeks leading up to the final deadline We are going to produce a wider variety of posts. We’re specifically looking at publishing more news stories even if that means biting the bullet and lightly following the lines of ‘churnalism’ that is required in order to keep the sites news page fresh and current.

Either way we’re certainly planning on publishing more content that’s not necessarily related to our portfolio. As the site is our own domain and is already on a good platform in terms of how it looks, the majority of us are looking to continue working on the site beyond the deadline as we believe it can be a long-term success as long as we build an audience.

After being notified on a bit of diversity in style between articles, we need to work on an actual ‘house style’ in order to bring the site/magazine together.  By doing this the site will look more professional rather than a random collection of content that was produced by several individuals.

On a personal note, my work is coming along well with everything done for my portfolio except for my feature. I’ve got two features in the pipeline but I’ve just been struggling to get quotes from the PR people of several games companies. I’ll get there though…

Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 18th – 19th May 2013

The final day of the season is usually a sad day for me as it means no football for 3 months. However this years final day was totally different as we were treated to a feast of goals in the Premier League.

There was also some great goals to pick from so lets see which one topped them all.

In 5th position is:

Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) vs QPR – Fine strike from Coutinho.

After good work on the left hand side from debutant Jordon Ibe, Coutinho received the ball with plenty of time and space. Taking a touch, Coutinho then looked up and from 25 yards hammered a powerful low shot into the left hand corner.

Link to watch Coutinho’s goal goal starts at 1 minute 19 seconds

4th position is:

Paddy Madden (Yeovil Town) vs Brentford – A superb finish by Madden.

When a teammates shot is charged down, the ball fell into the path of Madden on the edge of the box. He reacted quickly to control the ball and followed that up with a sublime strike with the outside of his boot to curl it round the keeper and into the roof of the net.

Link to watch Madden’s goal goal starts at 6 minutes 30 seconds

3rd position is:

Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa) vs Wigan Athletic – A fantastic display of technique by Ron Vlaar.

After a free kick is lofted into the box, the ball is flicked on into the path of Vlaar. Bringing the ball down, he then showed the qualities of a striker as he swiveled and volleyed the ball all in one movement. The contact was perfect and his shot sailed into the back of the net, leaving the keeper rooted to the spot. This may well be the best finish I’ve ever seen from a centre back!

Link to watch Vlaar’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 9 seconds

2nd position is:

Jonny Howson (Norwich City) vs Manchester City – A brilliant solo run from Howson followed by a cool finish.

Dribbling with the ball on the half way line, Howson suddenly showed a burst of pace to wrong foot a City player before driving forward with purpose. Slipping past the City midfield he showed great balance to shrug of a challenge from Micah Richards to get one on one with Joe Hart. Keeping his head, Howson calmly shot across goal as he passed the ball past the sprawling Hart into the bottom right hand corner.

Link to watch Howson’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 51 seconds

And in 1st position is…

Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) vs Sunderland – Another Gareth Bale special!

In a goal very similar to the one he scored against Southampton a few weeks back, Bale initially started with the ball on the right hand side with a defender trying to stop him in his tracks. After dropping his shoulder, Bale managed to earn space for a shot. From 25 yards he then did what Gareth Bale does, firing a powerful curling effort into the top left corner of the goal.

Link to watch Bale’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 52 seconds

So there you have it, what a round off to the season!

It’s not quite the end though as I’ll be posting an article next week that highlights the top 5 goals of the season so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for that.

Let me know what you think of this weeks picks and talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 10th – 13th May 2013

A weekend where even the FA Cup was overshadowed somewhat by the managerial changes at both Man Utd and Everton. However for both Ferguson and Moyes, they marked their final home games at their respective clubs in a fitting manner. Let’s see if any of the goals from those games feature in this weeks Top 5 goals of the weekend…

In 5th position is:

Michu (Swansea City) vs Manchester United - A clinical hooked finish from Michu.

When the ball was delivered in from the right hand side, the Spaniard immediately realised there was a chance he could score. Showing predatory instincts he stole in front of United defender Phil Jones and steered the ball into the back of the net.

Link to watch Michu’s goal goal starts at 1 minute 48 seconds

4th position is:

Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur) vs Stoke City - Great instincts by Dempsey to score first time from distance.

After a mixup between the Stoke defence and goalkeeper, the ball trickled its way across into Dempsey’s path. Even though it was an open goal, the American forward did incredibly well to score with a controlled first time looped effort from 30 yards out.

Link to watch Dempsey’s goal goal starts at 1 minute 26 seconds

3rd position is:

Frank Lampard (Chelsea) vs Aston Villa - A typically emphatic strike from Frank Lampard.

Following good work on the right hand side by his teammates, Lampard is eventually fed the ball just inside the box. He does really well to earn some space, letting the ball run across his body before hammering the ball with his left foot into the left hand corner.

Link to watch Lampard’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 26 seconds

2nd position is:

Kevin Mirallas (Everton) vs West Ham United - Slick team build up play by Everton rounded of with a fine finish from Mirallas.

The move starts through who else but Leighton Baines as he turns past a defender on the left hand side before passing the ball inside to Marouane Fellaini. Fellaini quickly roled it into the path of Steven Pienaar who in turn layed off Mirallas. From just outside the box the Belgian international then fired a perfectly placed first time shot into the bottom left hand corner.

Link to watch Mirallas’ goal goal starts at 42 seconds

And in 1st position is…

Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) vs Fulham – Great finish by Sturridge but it’s all about Phillipe Coutinho’s brilliant pass before it.

Running forward on the counterattack, Coutinho jinked past a player and then spotted Sturridge in space on the left hand side. With the outside of his boot, he played a through ball that was weighted to absolute perfection to play in Sturridge. So good was the pass that it deceived the goalkeeper into thinking he could claim the ball. Instead Sturridge got to it first and from inside the box he kept a cool head to lift the ball over the advancing keeper and into the back of the net.

Link to watch Sturridge’s goal goal starts at 3 minutes 26 seconds

So while this week was not on the level of weeks prior, there were still some decent goals especially considering the lack of football matches. Plenty of team goals were featured this week and my question to you is this; what do you prefer team goals or individual goals?

Let me know what you think of this weeks picks and talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 3rd – 6th May 2013

So here we are right at the gritty end of the season where euphoria and despair are aplenty. This weekend featured an incredible end to the Championship season and I’m happy to say, some of the goals were well worthy of some of the moments. Lets take a look at 5 of them.

In 5th position is:

Chris Eagles (Bolton Wanderers) vs Blackpool - A superb first time finish by Eagles.

Initially running forward with the ball, he laid the ball off to a teammate on the left hand side and then hovered on the edge of the box. He soon received the ball back but rather than taking a touch he shot first time, placing his shot into the top right hand corner.

Link to watch Eagles’ goal goal starts at 46 minutes 45 seconds

4th position is:

Kazenga LuaLua (Brighton & Hove Albion) vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – Fantastic strike by LuaLua.

Already in an advanced position, he received the ball and immediately had two players closing him down. LuaLua showed composure though as he chopped inside to a more central position to make room for a shot and from 25 yards fired a powerful low strike into the bottom right hand corner.

Link to watch LuaLua’s goal goal starts at 35 minutes 55 seconds

3rd position is:

Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) vs Southampton – Another explosive strike from Gareth Bale.

Cutting in from the right hand side he is simply too quick for the trailing defender and from 25 yards he hammered an unstoppable strike low into the left hand corner.

Link to watch Bale’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 26 seconds

2nd position is:

Lee Tomlin (Peterborough United) vs Crystal Palace – Remarkable run by Lee Tomlin rounded of by a fine finish.

Receiving the ball on the left hand side, Tomlin quickly turned inside only to find himself surrounded by three defenders. He left them for dead as he slipped the ball through one of the defenders legs. Skipping past another defender Tomlin reached the edge of the box and capped his run with a low strike past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Link to watch Tomlin’s goal goal starts at 26 minutes 59 seconds

And in 1st position is…

Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) vs Norwich City – Brilliant individual goal from Agbonlahor.

Picking up the ball in his own half, he simply drove forward into the Norwich half. The defenders couldn’t get near Agbonlahor as he used his pace to escape from three players and reach the edge of the Norwich box. From there he shifted the ball onto his right foot and then slotted a powerful strike into the left hand corner. A finish that more than matched the dribbling before it.

Link to watch Agbonlahor’s goal goal starts at 1 minute 2 seconds

So despite there being two less divisions to choose from, this weeks top 5 was actually one of the best of the season which is both surprising and kind of interesting. Many of the goals I chose were solo efforts and I think the reason there were so many good ones is that more and more [layers were taking it upon themselves to score a goal at what is a crucial stage of the season.

Let me know what you think of this weeks picks and talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 26th – 29th April

This week saw drama like we’ve never seen before as promotions and relegations in League’s 1 and 2 were sealed on a frantic final day. Whilst people will definitely remember the epic ending of the Doncaster vs Brentford match, were there any goals that may add to the memories? Lets find out.

In 5th position is:

Yaya Toure (Manchester City) vs West Ham United - Powerful finish from Toure plum into the top left corner.

Receiving the ball on the right hand side of the box, Toure did well as he swiveled into space. Taking a quick glance at goal he, hit a shot at goal that was powerful and yet perfectly placed as it found the top left hand corner.

Link to watch Toure’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 40 seconds

4th position is:

Grant McCann (Peterborough United) vs Sheffield Wednesday - Cracking free kick from McCann.

From a difficult angle on the right and a modest 30 yards from goal, McCann went for all out power. Cutting across the ball, his shot swerved and dipped dangerously out of the reach of the scrambling goalkeeper and into the back of the net via the post.

Link to watch McCann’s goal goal starts at 35 minutes 29 seconds

3rd position is:

Jay O Shea (Chesterfield) vs Exeter City - Sweet strike from O Shea.

Picking up a loose ball on the left hand side, O Shea was then given too much space as he turned into space and cut inside. Looking up, O Shea then picked his spot, curling home a powerful effort into the top corner.

Link to watch O Shea’s goal goal starts at 1 hour 18 minutes 20 seconds

2nd position is:

Andy Monkhouse (Hartlepool United) vs Crawley Town – Smart looping finish from Monkhouse.

Running onto a flick on, Monkhouse showed great awareness as he noticed the keeper inching of his line. The ball dropped for him perfectly and he dinked the ball first time over the stranded Crawley keeper and into the back of the net. The goal sent Hartlepool’s Penguin attired fans wild, kudos to them for the costume idea!

Link to watch Monkhouse’s goal goal starts at 55 minutes 51 seconds

And in 1st position is…

Nathaniel Chalobah (Watford) vs Leicester City – Crash! An absolute bullet this from Nathaniel Chalobah.

When the ball was laid into his path about 30 yards out no one, not even the 10 other Watford players thought the Leicester City goal was under any immediate threat. Cue Chalobah who ran onto the ball and struck it first time into the roof of the net. So powerful was the shot that despite the distance, Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel didn’t even have time to dive. Blink and you’ll miss it!

Link to watch Chalobah’s goal goal starts at 3 minutes 9 seconds

So a fantastic goal there from Nathaniel Chalobah to round of this weeks top 5 and it’s almost definitely a contender a goal of the season. There’s still three more weeks of Premier League action to go though as well as the finale of the Championship at the weekend so it could all change with one shot, one goal, one moment of magic.

Let me know what you think of this weeks picks and talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 19th – 22nd April

Whilst the season is drawing to a close, there is still plenty to play for with some teams striving for glory whilst others battling in order to secure safety. As a result this week saw plenty of scrappy goals as teams did all they could to secure victory. Luckily as far as the top 5 is concerned, there were several eye catching goals so lets take a look at 5 of them.

In 5th position is:

Ashley Yeoman (Torquay United) vs Morecambe - Fine finish by Yeoman following a mazy run.

Advancing with the ball on the counter attack Yeoman twisted left and right tormenting Morecambe’s last defender. He finally earnt some space by shifting the ball to his left foot and even though it meant being pushed wide, he remained calm and composed to find the inside of the right hand post from just inside the box.

Link to watch Yeoman’s goal goal starts at 1 hour 14 minutes 5 seconds

4th position is:

Craig Conway (Cardiff City) vs Burnley - Title winning finish from Conway.

When he ran onto the ball Conway was already under pressure and showed great strength to hold off the defender. He then let fly from the edge of the box, hitting a wicked strike into the right hand corner, the goal that effectively won Cardiff the Championship.

Link to watch Conway’s goal goal starts at 17 minutes 15 seconds

3rd position is:

Joss Labadie (Notts County) vs Doncaster Rovers - Fantastic free kick from Labadie.

In a simple free kick routine Labadie was laid off by a teammate and he ran onto the ball and struck it with power. Despite the run up he was able to control his shot superbly with his 30 yard effort finding the top right hand corner. The free kick routine was so easy to predict and it’s a testament to the quality of the strike that Labadie still managed to score.

Link to watch Labadie’s goal goal starts at 43 minutes 59 seconds

2nd position is:

Lee Miller (Carlisle United) vs Bournemouth - Great technique by Miller as he scores with an overhead kick.

A cross in from the left hand side appeared too deep for Miller but a header across goal from a teammate put the ball in the middle. With his back to goal Miller then showed fantastic technique as he scored with a thunderous overhead kick.

Link to watch Miller’s goal goal starts at 45 minutes 24 seconds

And in 1st position is…

Robin Van Persie (Manchester United) vs Aston Villa - Brilliant finish by Van Persie to seal United’s 20th Premier League title.

A floated ball forward from Wayne Rooney towards Van Persie was in the air for what felt like forever. You could see the look of concentration on Van Persie’s face as he allowed the ball to come over his shoulder before volleying the ball first time towards goal. Like everything he’s touched this season,  Van Persie’s strike from the edge of the box turned to gold as the ball powered into the right hand corner.

Link to watch Van Persie’s goal goal starts 2 minutes 3 seconds

So the two strikes that sealed the Premier League and the Championship made the top 5 with Van Persie’s strike in particular, a fitting way to win any silverware. I think the top 3 goals this week were very good indeed and either could have topped the list. In the end Van Persie managed to top it, partially because of the quality of the goal but also because of its significance.

Let me know what you think of this weeks picks and talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 12th – 15th April

While none of this weeks goals match up to the stunner scored by Matthew Lowton last week for Villa, you’ll spot a recurring theme from this weeks top 5. Be sure to look out for it (it’s fairly obvious…).

In 5th position is:

Brett Pitman (Bournemouth) vs Shrewsbury Town – Nice curling strike from Pitman.

After receiving the ball mid way into the Shrewsbury half, Pitman was afforded far too much space to dribble into. He punished the defence as he shifted the ball onto his right foot and curled the ball into the top right hand corner of the net from the edge of the box.

Link to watch Pitman’s goal goal starts at 47 minutes 43 seconds

4th position is:

Stephane Sessegnon (Sunderland) vs Newcastle United - Good run followed by a clinical finish by Sessegnon.

He made the goal himself when he received the ball, turning smartly away from a defender and into space. Attacking the space, Sessegnon showed a burst of pace, taking the ball forward before firing a precise, low strike into the bottom left hand corner.

Link to watch Sessegnon’s goal goal starts at 43 seconds

3rd position is:

Adam Johnson (Sunderland) vs Newcastle United - Fine run by Johnson rounded of by a fantastic finish.

Taking advantage of the scrambling Newcastle defence, Johnson cut in from the right hand side and dribbled into the space in the middle of the pitch. As he approached the edge of the box he took a poor touch and it looked like the ball may have got away from him. With defenders approaching Johnson decided his only option was to go for goal and so he did, finishing with a sliding effort that he did remarkably well to control, especially from such a distance.

Link to watch Johnson’s goal goal starts at 2 minutes 36 seconds

2nd position is:

Sean Scannell (Huddersfield Town) vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - Impressive solo goal by Scannell.

Running onto a through ball down the left hand touch-line, Scannell showed good strength to hold of a defender and good pace to get round him. Dribbling into the box at pace he managed to slip the ball past another defender before keeping his cool under pressure and hammering the ball into the right hand corner from a tight angle.

Link to watch Scannell’s goal goal starts at 42 minutes 13 seconds

And in 1st position is…

David Vaughan (Sunderland) vs Newcastle United - Notice the theme yet?… David Vaughan scores with a cracking strike into the top right hand corner from a very difficult angle

When he was played in his first touch took him slightly wide and with defenders closing down, his chances of scoring appeared slim. His second touch more than made up for his first one though as he smashed a bullet of a strike into the top right hand corner leaving the goalkeeper motionless.

Link to watch Vaughan’s goal goal starts at 3 minutes 9 seconds

So there you have it, a very Sunderland based top 5 with all three of the goals they scored at the weekend good enough to be included. Part of that is down to good goals being scarce in other games but is also a testament to how good the three goals were that I couldn’t leave any of them out.

To any Newcastle fans reading this, I can only apologise for further compounding what was a miserable weekend for you.

Let me know what you think and also talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Top 5 Goals of the Weekend in English Football: 29th – 1st March/April

The Easter weekend was a feast of football packed with drama, thrills and spills and memorable moments. Among the memorable moments were several goals which you won’t want to miss, lets take a look at a few of them.

In 5th position is:

Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham H0tspur) vs Swansea City – Lovely finish following an adventurous run by Vertonghen.

Picking the ball up on the half way line, Vertonghen drove forward with the Swansea players, seemingly stunned at what they were seeing. He then laid the ball of to Gareth Bale before continuing his run into the box. Bale played a return ball over the top and Vertonghen took the ball down before slipping it past the keeper with a smart low finish from 5 yards.

Link to watch Vertonghen’s goal goal starts at 43 seconds

4th position is:

Kevin Mirallas (Everton) vs Stoke City - Impressive individual goal by Mirallas.

The goal stemmed from a Stoke attack with the Tim Howard punching away a cross into the path of Mirallas. With no one ahead of him Mirallas charged forward, getting slightly lucky to evade a Stoke tackler before finding himself with only one defender in his path. He cleverly knocked the ball into space and used his pace to reach the ball first. Now one on one with the goalkeeper, Mirallas kept his head coolly sliding the ball under the keeper and into the back of the net.

Link to watch Mirallas’ goal goal starts at 1 minute 25 seconds

3rd position is:

Tom Eaves (Shrewsbury Town) vs Crawley Town – Another individual goal this time from Tom Eaves but this one is rounded off with a delightful finish.

Dribbling with the ball in his own half Eaves just keeps on running. Evading challenge after challenge he entered the box before beating the advancing goalkeeper with a fantastic dinked finish from 8 yards.

Link to watch Eaves’ goal goal starts at 55 minutes 41 seconds

2nd position is:

Drew Talbot (Chesterfield) vs Burton Albion - A fantastic strike from Talbot.

Receiving the ball on the left hand side Talbot drifted inside into space. Despite having plenty of options he obviously thought it was his day as he went for goal from around 30 yards out. He stuck it perfectly and his looping, curling strike ended up in the right hand corner.

Link to watch Talbot’s goal goal starts at 1 hour 4 minutes 37 seconds

And in 1st position is…

Adam Rooney (Swindon Town) vs Oldham Athletic – A superb overhead kick by Adam Rooney and a goal that I was lucky enough to witness live.

A cross in from the right hand side deflected of one of Rooney’s teammates and slowed the balls momentum. With the ball bouncing behind him and the chance likely gone, Rooney knew there was only one way he stood a chance of scoring. He went for an overhead kick and everything about it, the connection, the height of the ball, the power behind the ball was perfect and the ball cracked into the left hand corner.

Link to watch Rooney’s goal goal starts at 44 minutes 40 seconds

Despite being in the press box during the Rooney goal, I couldn’t help but stand up and applaud. It really was a fantastic moment and I’m very glad I picked that week to do my work experience. Did seeing it live alter my opinion and overrate the goal, which goals (if any) do you think were better?

Let me know what you think and also talk to me about all things football by tweeting me @MrPierrini

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Case Study – Blog Update 6

I’ve just finished my work experience and overall, it really left me in good spirits.

Yesterday was definitely the highlight of the two weeks as I got to help report on Swindon Town vs Oldham Athletic. I was only responsible for keeping track of the games statistics however the experience of being in a packed press box, using social media to help promote our (Swindon Advertiser) coverage and witnessing a lengthy post match press conference will really help me going forward.

The idea of working to a strict deadline such as I did at the game was great and helped me put a lot of what I’d learnt from the simulation news exercises in level 1 into practice in the real world.

This week was different to last week in that the first three days were very busy. With only four of us working in the sports section, I was given a lot more work to do and even got a chance to do a bit of editing which was an added bonus.

Although busy, I was still able to compile all the research I initially planned on getting. I managed to get interviews from everyone in the sports section including the sports editor who was only in the office for the final few days of my placement. I also managed to get a quick yet very insightful interview with the paper’s web editor.

One of the editors that I worked with told me how he used to be a writer before changing his career path after being tired of reporting consistently similar stories year after year. Looking back at the past two weeks, I can understand what he means and it is certainly food for thought.

Overall then I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Swindon Advertiser and will hopefully return there for another week or two during the summer break.

Case Study – Blog Update 5

The first week of my work placement has finally ended and I’ve definitely learnt about the intricacies of working at the sports desk.

I’ve learnt that there are no such things as ‘working hours’ in sports journalism with a lot of the writers either working from home or coming in halfway through the day. This is of course because most sport occurs during the afternoon so there’s really not much for them to in the mornings.

The workload for the most part has been inconsistent and I’ve been limited in what I can do with most of my work being stats, tables etc.  However I did write-up a head to head preview for Swindon Town vs Notts County and in the process get my by-line published in the paper. I also wrote up a few short news stories though and two others that I managed to generate myself. Next week, the sports section is short-staffed so I’ll likely be given more to do.

An important lesson I’ve learnt from this week is that shorthand is more important than I first thought. Due to the pressure of deadlines, the writers told me they use teeline for the majority of their interviews simply because they don’t have time to listen back to dictaphone recordings.

I’ve certainly managed to gather a lot of observation based research this week as well as interviewing one of the sports writers. The sports editor for the Swindon Advertiser was on holiday this week and returns next week so I’ll be able to get more information on the methods and policies of the paper.

Next week I’ll also set about interviewing the rest of my co-workers as well as try to get an interview with the Web editor for the paper which will obviously be very useful for when I write-up my Case Study.

For all the things I’ve learnt so far, my attitude towards the placement hasn’t changed from what it was on my first day, I’m really enjoying and can’t wait for the second week of the placement.