Posted on 13 August 2010
On Monday David Stern, the NBA’s commissioner, announced that London would be hosting the first regular season games played on foreign soil. This is seen as a way of getting the NBA into new markets and increasing it’s appeal, similar to that of our own Premiership, which rakes in millions of pounds from foreign television [...] Continue Reading...
Rock climbing has always been a activity that i have been putting off each year, it was getting to me so I decided to check out rock climbing walls that were fairly local, I came across The Reach in woolwich which only opened early this year. They are currently offering a special offer price of £25 for a basic skills training course over two 3 hour sessions, i picked the monday and wednesday evening which would give my body a day to recover before the next session.
Thereach climbing centre looks very impressive, spacious with loads of routes to try out, the staff are friendly and on hand to help with any queries you might have, the walls have various difficulty levels with name like black slabbath, there is also a dedicated bouldering area.
The first day of the basic skills course covered safety, equipment, knot tying and belaying, the climbing wall routes are set out with specific colours and are labelled 1-8 for difficulty. We started out on nice easy routes with lots of large holds and a slight incline, everyone seemed to catch on quite quickly. I really enjoyed the course and will be going back to climb, fully converted to climbing as a sport i will be doing on a regular basis, you go through so many emotions when climbing that at the end of the sessions i was on a big high which last lasted till the next day, and i was making plans to go and climb with a friend on the weekend.
With the start of the Football League season less than a week away Sporty Londoners is taking a look at our clubs’ acquisitions over the summer and their hopes for the season starting on August 7th. First up are our Championship teams:
Crystal Palace
After a last day draw against Sheffield Wednesday meant they survived the threat of relegation, Palace will be looking for an easier time of things this season. Under the new ownership of CPFC 2010 and out of the administration that saw them plummet down the table from January the Eagles will be looking for a comfortable time of things in mid-table under the stewardship of manager George Burley.
They’ll be boosted by their star midfielder Darren Ambrose signing a new three-year contract in the last week and they’ll hope that he can have another big season to ease their goal worries, Ambrose scored 22 last season including the goal that kept them up on the last day at Hillsborough. However, they’ll have to contend with the departures of Danny Butterfield to Southampton and Shaun Derry and Clint Hill to QPR. Burley will hope that the signings of centre back Adam Barrett and midfielder Andy Dorman will fill in the gaps created and ensure a more mundane season for the Londoners.
QPR
The Super Hoops finished last season in 13th after 2 managerial changes during the season that saw Jim Magilton leave by mutual consent in December and Paul Hart part company with the club in January. Neil Warnock came in at the start of March and after stabilising the rich club he will hope to use his first summer to bring in his own team and look towards a play-off challenge.
So far Warnock’s brought in Bradley Orr from Bristol City on a long term deal, ex-Chelsea trainee Jordan Hibbert and Shaun Derry and Clint Hill from his old club Crystal Palace. However, QPR were unable to tempt Darren Ambrose away from Crystal Palace. It remains to be seen whether the QPR directors will give Warnock enough time to work with his team and garner success, all QPR fans know from the last few seasons that their new owners are hungry for success and sooner rather than later.
Millwall
After Millwall’s promotion triumph at the back end of last season the Lions will be looking to stabilise back in the Championship under Kenny Jackett, who’s had a successful 3 year tenure at the club. After leading them to 5th in League One in 2008, 3rd in 2009 before losing at Wembley he finally managed to break the play-off losing streak with a 3rd place finish and a 1-0 win against Swindon at Wembley.
To bolster their 2010/11 campaign Jackett’s secured the services of Reading winger James Henry on a 3-year deal and Kevin Lisbie on loan from Ipswich for the season along with signing Shaun Batt on a 3-year deal after he impressed on loan from Peterborough in the second half of last season. Millwall would be happy with 21st place but would definitely prefer an easier season and will look to keep their home form up in this higher division.
League One:
Brentford
After finishing in an upper mid-table position in League One last time out the Bees will be looking to keep up this kind of form as they look towards a possible move to a new stadium. The Club together with Barratt Homes have had to ’mothball’ their partnership that looked to create the stadium while they both wait for a recovery in housing prices that would close a funding gap. The Bees will want to solidify their position in League One to ensure that their quest for a new stadium continues to get the most media coverage possible.
Charlton
After a strong season as a team firmly challenging for promotion in League One Charlton lost in the Play-Off semi-finals to a penalty shootout against Swindon. The Addicks didn’t spend any point of the season outside the top 6 and will have set their sights on automatic promotion and are one of the favourites for promotion as the season’s about to start.
Manager Phil Parkinson has a massive task on his hands though, with Randolph, Richardson, Borrowdale, Sam, Bailey, Reid, Mooney and Burton all leaving the club in the summer which has left a massive gap in the squad. In recent weeks however, Parkinson’s added striker Pawel Abbott to his side from Oldham along with defender Simon Francis from Southend and midfielder Johnnie Jackson from Notts County on a free transfer.
Leyton Orient
Orient will be hoping for an easier time of things this season and will look to improve on their 17th place finish in 2010 that saw them only secure their League One future with a game to spare. Manager Russell Slade will look to put his mark on a side he’s only been managing since mid-April and he’s had a busy summer. Left-back Charlie Daniels has signed a new contract while Stephen Dawson and Dean Cox have both come in from Bury and Brighton respectively. More good news for O’s fans is Adam Chambers signing on for another year with an option for a further season locked in. Along with this and the signing of former Fulham right-back Elliot Omozusi means that things are looking up for Orient as they strive for mid-table safety.
Dagenham and Redbridge
This will be the first season in England’s 3rd tier for Dagenham and whatever their finishing position come the end of the season will be their highest in their history. After their play-off glory in 2010 the Daggers will simply be looking to survive in League One as undoubtedly the smallest club of the 24 teams. At the start of his 7th season as Daggers boss John Still will face the biggest challenge of his career with the smallest budget in the league. So far he’s signed former Yeovil striker Gavin Tomlin, Damian Scannell from cash-strapped Southend, former Portsmouth defender Luke Wilkinson and re-signed Danny Green and Scott Doe on 3-year deals. Whatever happens to them during the season you can bet that they’ll enjoy the ride.
League Two:
Barnet
Finally the lowest London club in the Football League and with the summer appointment of Mark Stimson as manager the Bees will be looking to rebound from a poor season. 2009/10 left them scrapping to avoid relegation on the last day and seeking to change this Stimson’s rung the changes, bringing in defender Darren Dennehy whilst re-signing Daniel Leach along with Steve Kabba up front.
However the most impressive signings were made in midfielder with Rossi Jarvis and highly-rated Mark Byrne coming in from Nottingham Forest on loan. Byrne was an integral part of the Rushden side that saw them to the Conference Play-Offs and gained a number of admirers during his season at the Diamonds during which he scored 7 goals including 1 in the play-offs.
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