Sports Legendaries - Holland Soccer Stars by Niv Orlian

Throughout time, the Holland national soccer team gave out some truly outstanding players, most of them surpassing the status of Holland soccer stars and becoming famous on an international level. Here is an overview of Holland's all-time soccer stars that includes players such as Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard or Marco Van Basten, players that have changed the way the game is played and marked their name in the international hall of fame. But enough blabber, let's get down to business:

Holland Soccer Stars – Johan Cruyff

Cruyff is considered THE most important Dutch soccer player of all times and he gained legendary status wherever he played, be it for Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona or even Feyenoord. Cruyff is also considered third in a list of the best all times soccer players, following Pele and Maradona closely (some even say he was over Maradona, as Maradona had feats of brilliance combined with poor games, whereas Cruyff kept a high standard for himself all throughout his career). He redefined modern soccer as we know it with his game style and vision on the pitch and many football specialists agree that Johan Cruyff was one of the smartest and most calculated players ever to feel the grass of a soccer stadium.

Holland Soccer Stars – Ruud Gullit

Gullit was one of the most important Holland soccer stars during the 80s and 90s and he was amongst the first to define the "complete midfielder". That meant that he could play almost any position in midfield his coach would place him in, from a defensive role to a supporting playmaker or an attacking midfielder. Together with Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, he succeeded in bringing Holland their first international cup ever, winning the 1988 European Championship.

Holland Soccer Stars – Frank Rijkaard

Together with Gullit and van Basten, Rijkaard formed an internationally renowned midfield triangle for both his club, AC Milan and his national side. Based on this triangle, AC Milan had a tremendously successful period, winning the European Cup (today's Champions League) twice and the Serie A championship on two editions. The same success soon came on at national level as well, as Holland won the 1988 European Championship with a team based on the three magnificent players. Although Frank Rijkaard didn't stand out as much as Ruud Gullit or van Basten, since he had a more defensive role in the squad, but playing alongside his two "side-kicks" he would form an unstoppable midfield for any team.

Holland Soccer Stars – Marco Van Basten

Although no one can reach Johan Cruyff's throne as the most important Holland soccer star of all time, van Basten came close enough and definitely closer than anyone else could. His tremendous career at Ajax and AC Milan as well as his goals for the Holland national soccer team made a lot of people see Cruyff's successor in van Basten. Unfortunately, after several successful seasons with AC Milan and winning the European Championship with his home country in 1988, van Basten suffered a career-ending injury at one of his ankles, when he was just age 30.

Holland Soccer Stars – Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp was part of a particular group of strikers: those guys that seem harmless 85 minutes of the match, only to blast the other team into oblivion for the remaining 5. Bergkamp will probably remain known in the history book of soccer by three things: his fear of flight that didn't allow him to join overseas matches, his incredible goals (fewer than many other strikers, but definitely more artful) and his loyalty for English side Arsenal London, for whom Bergkamp played for 11 seasons.

The Transfer Merry Go Round Cont'd 3

by Gazza Burnsey
West Ham's Carlos Tevez has admitted he's interested in a move to Arsenal...Sunderland boss Roy Keane has made an approach for Wigan's £6million-rated England U-21 left-back Leighton Baines...Manchester City will make a £4million bid to snatch Yossi Benayoun from under Liverpool's noses...West Brom's Zoltan Gera is back on Gareth Southgate's shopping list at Middlesbrough...Darren Bent looks set to complete a £14m move to Tottenham in the next 48 hours... Alan Smith looks set to snub Middlesborough in favour of european football-will he stay at Man Utd or go to Spurs?

Another Man Utd youngster Giuseppe Rossi has jumped on the merry go round..will he stay or go to Parma in a reported £6m deal?

Bolton are preparing a £5million raid for Reading hotshot Leroy Lita - possibly as a replacement for Nicolas Anelka who is still impossibly linked with Arsenal and Man Utd!...Sunderland target David Nugent's future remains uncertain despite holding talks with the Wearsiders...Bordeaux admitted last night that winger Julien Faubert is desperate to sign for Rangers...Chelsea are facing stiff competition from AC Milan for Brazilian wonderkid Alexandre Pato who is also interesting Real Madrid.

Heidar Helguson could make a return to Watford from Fulham...Steaua Bucharest are to offer Tommy Miller the shock chance of European football...Rennes' Nigeria forward John Utaka is in talks with Portsmouth...West Ham winger Matt Etherington is the subject of a £2m bid from Derby...Bolton's Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Teis also a Rams' target...

Birmingham are trying to sign midfielder Olivier Kapo from Juventus on a season-long loan...Luton want veteran striker Paul Furlong...Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen is being tracked by Turkish club Besiktas...Preston are moving for former Leeds captain Kevin Nicholls...and it's only the 26th June!

Soccer Nets And Fundamentals by Scott D. White

Without soccer nets a goal would just be a rectangular frame with a goalie standing inside it, and nothing else. Balls would fly through and keep on going, so you can see how important a soccer net actually is!

So where do you start when you are buying one? First you need to know where your soccer nets are going to be placed, and how it will be used. Maybe you are planning to construct a goal in your backyard for practice now and then. Or perhaps you are in charge of a field for school games. The type of usage your net will be experiencing can direct you to different options.

If you have a backyard soccer area you can find soccer nets on the cheaper side as you will not be using them with the same type of force as you would for school games. The majority of nets are made with twisted polyethylene material, which is very durable. Some are 2mm, some are 4mm. For younger kids you would use 2mm, however it is not as strong as 4mm and might be apt to break more easily with older children.

For school and league soccer you want to make sure that not only do you have a stronger 4mm soccer, you should also be sure you have back up nets. Every now and then during a fast play some bodies as well as the ball will make their way into the goal area and can cause the net to become damaged or pulled. For this reason you should be prepared with a replacement.

There is one note of precaution to be offered. When working with soccer nets be sure of your footing, you do not want to get your feet tangled up and find yourself tipping over! It has happened to me, and I am sure it happens to everyone at some point. Trust me; it can be a little embarrassing! So keep that in mind as you are hooking up and sorting out your net.

This article was meant to provide you with some basic knowledge on soccer nets. While there are some relatively cheap options there are also nets that can cost you much more. As long as you are aware of how the soccer nets you choose will be used you will be show to make the right choice. Good luck, and have fun!

So how important is your football kit to your team's success?

Well, in short a good football kit is vitally important to your team's success. In fact there was a well documented match a few seasons ago when Manchester United changed their strip at half time because they felt that the grey colour football kit that they were wearing was prohibiting them from picking out members of their own team with passes. They changed their kit at half time to a different shirt and went on to win the match.

There are many factors that make a good soccer kit. The main areas to bear in mind for soccer teamwear are looks, performance and durability. Let's look at these three areas:

Looks - how important really is a good looking football kit? Well, in psychological studies it has been proven that the players who feel that they 'look the part' are much more likely to perform at the top end of their mental and physical capabilities. Conversely, a player that feels that their soccer kits is ill fitting, or isn't flattering to their physique will be much more likely to carry these negative thoughts through onto the field of play. So to answer the initial question, a football team's kit, like boots, is an important part of football equipment and highly important to a team's success.

Performance - well gone are the days that all fabrics for soccer kits are the same. The top brands in football such as Adidas, Nike, Puma and Umbro, official manufacturers of the England team shirt, have developed fabrics that can react differently under different climatic and performance conditions. Manufacturer technology has advanced in all areas including the development of fabrics that can stretch to many times their own size and then return to normal or fabrics that can help a player cool down by helping to bring sweat to their surface for draft evaporation. Of course, comfort is an extremely important factor in the choice of kit. To run for ninety minutes is a hard enough task anyway, without having to contend with discomfort from your strip. A poorly made replica strip can have seams that rub and chafe, and also can be made from a material that is too abrasive to the skin in general.

Durability - Obviously, it is no good investing in a good looking football kit made from state of the art developed fabric if it is not going to last the season. Modern kits are made of fabric that stretches rather than tears at the seams, has enough sheen to glider over the turf in a tackle, and just as importantly doesn't come out two sizes smaller from the washing machine when it is put through the laundry. Let's face facts - through the summer months a football kit will get wet and muddy most every week - it really is a sound investment to purchase teamwear that will stand up to the rigours of weekly hot washing.

So whether you are thinking of buying a football kit for your local Sunday football team, or you are the kit manager for a semi-professional club always bear these factors in mind when aiming to choose the right supplier for football kit for your team.

By Dave Powell

Soccer Fans

Soccer is a well-known sport practiced all over the world. People from kids to adults enjoy having a nice soccer game among them. On special events, such as tournaments and leagues, we are able to see how the soccer matches affect the whole community of soccer fans. However, each fan has its own way of expressing his or her passion for the sport. Among them we can distinguish the forced fan, the regular fan, and also the extreme fan.

First of all we have a very calm fan referred as forced fan. This kind of fan usually meets with his group of friends at a bar or at someone’s house to watch an important soccer match. They enjoy watching a soccer game, but they do it mostly because their friends do so. They watch the game if they do not find anything better to do. Usually as the game goes on, they get distracted and lose track of which team is winning.

Similar to the forced fan, there is also a regular fan. However, this kind of fan enjoys every single minute of the game, whether he watches it at home or goes to the stadium if possible. It wouldn’t matter if his friends cannot go with him; he goes because he wants to. In fact, he may make new friends at the stadium who also enjoys watching the game.

Finally and the most remarkable of fans is the extreme fan. As his name says, this fan takes watching and enjoying the games to another level. At home he does everything he can in order to watch the game with all the commodities possible, including foods and drinks. At the stadium, he cheers loudly for his team and boos on the other team. In some cases a group of friends paint their faces and chests with the color of their team. Another thing this fan may do is to get the football field, meanwhile the game is still going on, just to shake hands with his favorite player and get an autograph. Also, this may or may not have his clothes on when doing this.

Soccer is growing more popular over time, as well as the fans for this sport. Forced, regular, and extreme fans are the most common of all. If you are interested in this sport you may wonder on which of these categories you fit on, but remember that you can always be a fan in your own particular way.

By David Ponce