Kawhi this season may be the most exciting, unpredictable NBA season ever

Many people may have envisioned Kawhi Leonard leaving the Toronto Raptors this summer after leading the franchise to their first NBA title. Many expected him to go to the Lakers or the Clippers but what happened next came out of the blue and Kawhi Leonard ended up with the Clippers, but to everyone’s surprise, he did not come alone after convincing Paul George to request a trade through a series of secret meetings. The Clippers were able to execute a sign and trade deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which teamed up Leonard and George on the Clippers and sent the Thunder a lavish package of draft picks, (5 first round picks) 2^nd year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari.

Although they gave up a lot to secure this deal, Gilgeous-Alexander is an extremely promising prospect who the Clippers would have expected to take another leap in his production. This would be coming off a year, which ended in him averaging 10.8 points and 3.2 assists on 36% shooting from 3-point range, in the regular season, which ended in an all-rookie second team selection. His performance in the play-off series against the Golden State Warriors also highlighted his potential in which he upped his production to 13.7 points on 50% from 3-point range also setting a career high points total with 25 in a game 4 loss.

Danilo Gallinari is the second piece of the trade and although the less desirable part of the trade he lends to be a very important asset for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the short term and long term future of the franchise. Firstly, for cap flexibility, Gallinari is on an expiring contract, he is owed just north of $22 million this year and then he will become a free agent next year. This is beneficial to the Thunder if they want to reboot, it either allows them to let Gallinari walk for nothing if he is not part of their longer-term plans or is not worth the value for a new deal. He’s expiring contract also makes him very desirable for contending teams and maybe makes him a buyout candidate. Gallinari is coming of a career year in terms of points and field goal percentage, shooting 46% from the field and scoring nearly 20 points a game.

The Clippers have been the Lakers smaller brother from years but with these acquisitions, they turn from a fringe play-off contender into a legitimate title threat. The wheels were put in motion mid-season when they traded off key star Tobias Harris to the Sixers, along with Boban Marjanović and Mike Scott for Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet and a number of future draft picks. This was key as they were able to get Chandler off the books this summer, traded Muscala on for Ivica Zubac, who had shown glimpses of promise in a limited role on the Lakers particularly on offence and they got a talented shooter in Landry Shamet. This allowed the Clippers to open up two max slots and they filled them up with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, they also resigned Pat Beverley and extended Ivica Zubac, whilst adding Moe Harkless in a trade. Young draft picks Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann add athleticism and energy to the bench unit. They have also resigned JaMychal Green, who is coming off a career year percentage wise from three-point range and that will help them with the bench unit and with scoring.

Overall, the Clippers have assembled quite the squad and they have done it without the usage of the leagues more veteran players, which is a contrast to how the Lakers have built their roster. One main issue for me is the lack of a true distributor and ball-handling playmaker for the team, Lou Williams led the team in assists at 5.4 per game but besides Patrick Beverley, no one on the team (who is still on the roster from last year) averaged more than three assists a game. It is going to be interesting to see who gets the ball in crunch situations, Paul George and Kawhi have shown at times that they are capable of creating their own shots as well as for other team mates something that they struggled with earlier in their careers.

I would say across town but across that shady corridor that Chris Paul managed to pop his head out of, The Los Angeles Lakers are back, fresh of a 37-45 record last season. The Lakers missed the play-offs in LeBron’s first season with the franchise. The season never really got going, despite a 20-14 start, a spate of injuries for the team, LeBron, Rajon Rondo, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram amongst the main ones derailed the team’s chances of play-off glory. There was also loads of speculation during the season of the Lakers pursuit of all-star Anthony Davis and in the off-season, the long drawn out saga ended. This happened when the Lakers shipped out a lavish package of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, the draft rights to De'Andre Hunter, two first round picks, a first-round pick swap right and cash for Davis. Anthony Davis gives the Lakers another star to pair alongside James, who will be running the point this year. Davis gives the Lakers a legit two-way super-star, a six time All-Star who has led the league three times in blocks and has been All-NBA first team three times and has averages of 23, 10 and 2.1 blocks.

What has been extremely pleasing for me is the progression that Davis has made to make his game more rounded to a point where he has recorded season career highs over the last 2 seasons in the following categories; points per game, rebounds per game, steals per game, assists per game, minutes per game, games played and 3pt and FT percentages. The Lakers were able to compensate for the loss of two key players in Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball by adding valuable depth to the squad in the form of Quinn Cook and Danny Green who were all involved in this season’s NBA Finals and bring different skills to the bench. They have added more experience in Jared Dudley and Avery Bradley as well as adding sharpshooter Troy Daniels who is a career 40% three-point shooter, they’ve also added Dwight Howard to provide cover for DeMarcus Cousins who was signed this season but has been ruled out indefinitely with a Torn ACL injury. 

It is not just the Lakers and Clippers who have been making a splash this off-season, we will take a look at what has happened around the other contenders for the NBA Championship. 

The Houston Rockets traded for former MVP Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul in exchange for two protected first round picks, and other draft considerations. The big question that stems from this trade is whether the former team mates can make it work on this team, with both being high usage players it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff use them in different situations throughout the season.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the favourites in the Eastern Conference; they only boast the current MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The re-signing of All-Star Khris Middleton is a big boost for the ball club and the addition of Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver bring great experience, toughness and skill to the bench unit, they did lose Malcolm Brogdon to free agency but they have also re-signed George Hill to a 3-year $29 million deal.

The Golden State Warriors have had a busy summer after their defeat in the NBA Finals, first they lost All-Star forward Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets via a sign and trade deal, which brought All-Star, guard D’Angelo Russell to the team. The Warriors also lost experienced players including DeMarcus Cousins (Lakers) Andre Iguodala (Grizzlies) and Shaun Livingston (Retirement) . They did however manage to retain key pieces Klay Thompson, who is currently out with a torn ACL for 5 years and $190 million, Draymond Green for 4 years and $100 million and Kevon Looney who is an important glue guy for the team for 3 years and $15 million. They also secured a coup when they signed Centre Willie Cauley-Stein for 2 years and $4.4 million.

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the other big contenders in the Eastern Conference and they have seen a fair few transactions over the summer, the big one concerning a sign and trade deal for Jimmy Butler which sent him to the Miami Heat in exchange for Josh Richardson as a part of a wider 4 team deal. The main addition was that of Al Horford who joins from the Boston Celtics on a 4-year $109 million deal and should form a potent frontcourt pairing with Joel Embiid. The loss of JJ Reddick to the New Orleans Pelicans is a key loss but the fact that Tobias Harris and Mike Scott as well as the additions of Matisse Thybulle and more playing time for a healthy Zhaire Smith should offset some of the loss.

The Brooklyn Nets have gone through years of The Boston Celtics holding their cards in regards to draft assets and they’ve came through the period still alive. Coming off a year in which they made the play-offs and took the Philadelphia 76ers on in a physical encounter and although they came out on the losing end, they showed a lot of character. Instead of retaining most of their guys from the play-off run, they shook it up and nine of that roster departed to make way for Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan to make them a contender in the East for the next few years. The retaining of Caris LeVert as well as other talented young pieces such as Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs should have the Nets firmly entrenched at the top half of the conference.

The Denver Nuggets have been one of the quietest teams in terms of transactions this year, re-signing Jamal Murray was one of the keys of the summer for the team. Drafting Bol Bol, a prospect with a huge upside who slid to 44^th in the draft due to injury concerns can become a huge asset for the team as can 2018 first round pick Michael Porter Jr who missed the whole of last season due to injury.

The Toronto Raptors will go into this season as defending champions and without last year’s finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, expectations will not be as high as last year but with Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry and an increased leadership role for Pascal Siakam, the Raptors should be play-off bound once more. In all honesty for the ball club, they went all-in last season and achieved their aims, a modest play-off run will appease the fan base this year.

The Utah Jazz made a few interesting moves to add to their team to complement their two stars in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. They added Mike Conley in a trade to run the point whilst making astute signings in Ed Davis and Jeff Green. They also made the move to bring in Bojan Bogdanović, who is fresh off a career year with the Indiana Pacers.

Predictions for this year:

Western Conference Champions: Los Angeles Clippers over Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference Champions: Milwaukee Bucks over Philadelphia 76ers

Dark Horses: Utah Jazz (Western Conference) Brooklyn Nets (Eastern Conference)

Most exciting:  New Orleans Pelicans (Western Conference) Atlanta Hawks (Eastern Conference)

Rookie of the year: Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)

Defensive Player of the year: Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)

Most improved player: Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks)

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)

Photo Credits: (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Darrell Ann-LakersNation.com

The Salt Lake Tribune

 BasketballInsiders.com                                

Rev Pro Summer Sizzler 2018: Mock Card

Summer Sizzler 2018 Card Prediction

On Friday 17^th August 2018 from the York Hall in Bethnal Green Revolution Pro Wrestling presents Summer Sizzler 2018, the Revolution Pro wrestling cards usually include 7 or 8 matches and usually last for 3 hours. The company has ties with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) and with Ring of Honor touring the country and even though they are doing a show in Edinburgh that Friday night, a few ROH wrestlers may make an appearance, with Rev Pro stars possibly performing in the other ROH events.

Match 1: Dan Magee vs SANADA

If you have not seen Dan Magee and look at him coming down to the ring in his black trunks and Rev Pro hoodie, you might not expect much from him, but he is an extremely talented in ring performer. Over the past few months, he has improved immensely and this is down to his work rate, always working ringside at the big York Hall shows and learning from more experienced wrestlers. Dan’s ongoing feud with Josh Bodom has been straight fire recently, from epic sequences to Tombstones on the hardest part of the ring and the reward for Dan’s progression is a spotlight in the York Hall against a very underrated performer in IGWP Tag Team champion SANADA, SANADA is an extremely versatile and very talented performer, he won the World Tag League and had also performed admirably in singles action against Okada and I feel like it would be a very intriguing singles contest.

Dan arguably has the greatest fan group in Rev Pro at the moment in the Mageezers.

Match 2: David Starr vs KUSHIDA

 The two New Japan names definitely confirmed for Summer Sizzler are Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii and KUSHIDA. The match would be for David Starr’s Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship, if he agrees to put the title on the line. Starr’s mic work in Rev Pro is nothing but a joy to listen too, he is one of the most dynamic performers in the world and not just because he recognises my signs or tifos, but also because when he speaks, he speaks with conviction, passion and humour. His rivalry with Rev Pro booker Andy Quildan has elevated the Cruiserweight Title to a great height, where it had stalled when the title changed 4 times in a relatively short time between Global Wars and Uprising. This match with one of the best Junior Heavyweights in the world in KUSHIDA would be a more technical showing then a high flying contest, but these two are extremely talented and popular with the fans and this was be a very intriguing contest.

Match 3: Jamie Hayter vs Millie McKenzie vs Bobbi Tyler

Jinny lost the title, that happened. Yass queen took the L and unfortunately, for us as Rev Pro fans that may be the last time we see her in a Rev Pro ring, which is a shame. I will probably see her at Progress but she has worked damn hard for this opportunity and I hope she grasps it at the Royal Albert Hall. I have not seen much of Jamie Hayter, being more Southampton based, but as the new champion, I expect her to be at more of the Cockpit shows and to be showcased at York Hall for the first time at Summer Sizzler. Her match with Jinny was hard hitting and I think that’s her style of wrestling, I had included Killer Kelly in this match but then realised that she’s also in the WWE UK event. so I’ve gone with the more logical choices which are Millie McKenzie fresh off a match with Jamie in Portsmouth and Bobbi Tyler, who has picked up some big wins in recent times over Killer Kelly and in a tag match against Jinny. In which signs pointed to her being the next challenger to Jinny before she dropped the title, having the insanely talented Millie McKenzie brings a lot to this match, even though the other two are great wrestlers, they would be known to the more ardent wrestling fans some of the more casual Rev Pro fans might not know much about them, cc: Fred Yehi.

Match 4: Chris Brookes VS Josh Bodom

I am honestly going to call this what it should be, a de-facto Number one contenders match where the winner gets an opportunity at the British Heavyweight title. These two men have been in relative slumps lately in Rev Pro, even though they’ve been putting on insane matches, ( see Chris Brookes vs Fred Yehi, Walter), as well as the Bad Bro’s work with Dan Magee. These two guys are two of Rev Pro’s better workers and they deserve the billing up the card towards that British Heavyweight Title seen, Chris Brookes momentum has rather stalled since Lykos went down with an injury and even looking further back to the absolute shambles of a 6-man tag match against the Bullet Club. Whilst the #Voddy #Calisthenics Bad Bro, Josh Bodom has had the worst of it in his feud with the leader of the Mageezers. The Good Brother’s Amer and Spencer made a very valid point on Josh Bodom, calling him “The spine of the heels in Rev Pro”, which is a very valid point and I expect these two to legitimately be knocking the door down for Title opportunities in the future.

Match 5: El-Phantasmo Vs Marty Scurll

One of the matches that may not happen would be El-P facing off against the Villain as the show clashes with ROH in Edinburgh and dependant on if Marty is the ROH Champ it would be very hard to see him wrestle on this card. Make no mistake about it El-Phantasmo has been on a tear recently, I mean his entrances have been on point, even in full lighting, he debuted for Progress and he has been having high calibre matches with Zack Sabre Jr, Cody, David Starr and Will Ospreay and he was in that 8 man tag match with Legion of Lords. Honestly though the guy has come on leaps and bounds over the past 6 months and what a way to continue the momentum of having big matches then to have him face up to the (Andy Quildan voice) “Only man in Revolution Pro Wrestling, to hold the triple crown, THE VILLAIN, MARTY SCURLL). Marty would get a fantastic reception as he has not been in a Rev Pro ring in over 6 months and the crowd would be really hot for this and I think these two would put on a show and I feel it would further showcase the talent that EL-P has. I am not going to say that he is better than Angelico because Amer and Nick will hang me off the side of the York Hall Balcony but further down the line they can meet up and have a banger.

Match 6: Will Ospreay VS Adam Brookes

Adam Brookes has tried to get this feud over so well, Will Ospreay just sends Instagram stories of them two hanging out, can someone please check on Kayfabe please. The night “Loose Ledge” debuted in Rev Pro, he not only had a good match with Ryan “Give us a” Smile ( Seriously mate please come back) but he also made a statement by attacking the Human Elastic Band, Mark Andrews and Bea Priestley’s 3^rd Favourite Wrestler behind SHO and YOH, Will Ospreay. Loose has done some great stuff in Australia and in PWG, but I really think the best is yet to come from Brookesy, he has picked up several wins set up by a low blow kick to the groin, I like to call Ball Tampering. He attacked Ospreay and stole the Australian flag of his trunks, he attacked Jody Fleisch for inspiring Ospreay, he has faced Ospreay’s friends in Ryan Smile and Shane Strickland and now he wants Ospreay one on one and I am expecting a banger before Ospreay’s eventual confrontation with Kota Ibushi possibly at Global Wars, please Andy Q.

Match 7: Aussie Open VS Suzuki-Gun

Aussie Open are “sneaky huge” (Amer and Spencer,2018) they have a very polarising relationship with the Rev Pro fans, there are large pockets of very loyal Aussie Open fans ( Shout out to Alex, Rayner, Beth, Maxine and Nicole) and then there are some fans who don’t dislike Aussie Open but are don’t get the uniqueness of the pairing. Kyle and Mark are two top guys, I mean one day they nearly broke my hand, but that asides they are extremely talented, sneakily agile and have a lot of time for their fan base (The Aussie Openers). Kyle and Mark have both impressed in single competition recently and I think they are ready to step up and take their spot at the top of the tag division as I cannot see Suzuki and Sabre holding them for much longer, considering their incredibly busy schedule in Japan. a win here would rocket Aussie Open to new heights, but even a competitive showing would really put them in the spotlight against two extremely tough, technical and frankly high level wrestlers and to be honest it’s an honour to see Suzuki and Sabre in a ring.

Match 8: Tomohiro Ishii VS WALTER

If Ishii is champion, he will be defending the title, was the tag line for this event. That leads me to believe that he will be putting the title on the line against Zack Sabre Jr at SSE which would make sense as Sabre has not had his one on one rematch, WALTER returned to Rev Pro picking up the win in a classic against Chris Brookes. After the match Andy Q said he would love to see Ishii vs WALTER for the title, oh do you mate. Well give your old chestnut Chris Roberts a call and say matey boy can you book Ishii vs WALTER please for York Hall. This would be a banger, big, Hench mans wrestling at its finest, the chops (Alex Chop video needed), the hard hits, the pure technical and brute action would be unreal and to see how Ishii would go about trying to brainbuster WALTER would be intriguing. WALTER is pure class, he just conducts himself like a pro, an absolute gent but put him in the ring with anyone and he will lay the worst beating you have seen in your life on you.

Wrestling - A Thank you

Usually I would write a strong piece about wrestling or football and there would be a set topic or issues that I would talk on and really go into depth on. This piece is a more personal piece on how independent wrestling in particular has had an impact in my life in many different aspects.

 I have had a very eventful last few years of my life, in my fourth year of University I struggled with depression. This is a year when I was supposed to be doing a dissertation, which was going to affect my entire grade. I remember getting a particularly bad grade and being so upset with it that I could not even leave the house. I remember some nights just crying in my room feeling isolated, alone and as if no one cared, this was not true as my family were there to support me. The difficult thing with this is that everyone in life has problems and they cannot devote all their time to helping you. I feel like this helped me cope with this and eventually I got stronger and managed to complete my University degree, which is one of the proudest achievements of my life and I am forever indebted to the staff at the University of Hertfordshire for giving me every opportunity to succeed. 

Earlier in my life I struggled with speech and coupled with being on Autism spectrum, I found it hard to build relationships, this is why I value my friendships so much because they are built on stronger foundations then most things, these friends are not friends, they are more than that, they are brothers. This is where wrestling comes into it; about 15 months ago, my friends and next-door neighbours Robert and Ian asked me to attend an independent wrestling event at York Hall in Bethnal Green. I went and even though I did not really interact with the wrestlers, which you are able to do at these events. I met one wrestler, he has become my favourite wrestler just because he was the first wrestler to give me time and always done since, and that is Marty Scurll. 

Since then I have to been to many more of Revolution Pro Wrestling’s events mostly at York Hall but also in Walthamstow. Since then I have been able to be more confident around the wrestlers and being able to ask for autographs, simply because I feel like I am taking up their time and I know that these some of these guys are not on massive contracts, they rely on merchandising to finance their job, their dream, something they dedicate their lives too. From these experiences at the wrestling coupled with other positive events. It has allowed me to find full-time employment and has allowed me to integrate in with a great crew of people, who I respect a lot, they have made me feel comfortable and valued.

I have the upmost respect for the time that has been given up by these wrestlers, by the owner of the company Andy Quildan, who was man enough, not to shy away from a complaint but to actually give me the time of day to discuss these over a phone call. People who are not fans of wrestling will always say it is fake, it is childish and all these things but for me as Ricochet would say Wrestling is an art, a passion and something that can bring a range of emotions just from a single move. I would also like to shout-out and say thanks to the following wrestlers for giving up some of their time to a fan who will always appreciate It. Marty Scurll, Zack Sabre Jr, Will Ospreay, Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Katsuyori Shibata (すぐに良くなる) King Ricochet and The Elite (Too Sweet) 

Building a fantasy wrestling card:

Building a fantasy wrestling card:

Rules: Any wrestler who has been actively wrestling within the last five years is eligible to be selected for the card; wrestlers can only picked once, even those which wrestler under numerous aliases, the name on the card is the alias they will wrestle under.

Night One:

Six Man Tag Match:

Katsuyori Shibata, Tomohiro Ishii and Chris Hero vs British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate)

A strong 6-man tag team match to start the card, which sees traditional rivals, Shibata and Ishii team up alongside another veteran and strong style type wrestler in Chris Hero. They will face off against the collective known as British Strong Style made up of “The Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne and Moustache Mountain, Trent Seven and WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate, who see themselves as bearers of strong style wrestling in Britain. Although Tyler Bate and Trent Seven work as faces in nearly all promotions, they will work as heels as they do in Progress alongside the Progress champion, The Bruiserweight.

Submission Match:

Becky Lynch vs Natalya

The next match sees Natalya battling Becky Lynch in a submission match. I chose the wrestlers and the stipulation based on the technical prowess of the two women in the match as well as both wrestlers using submissions as their finishing maneuvers. I feel like this match would benefit from some innovative and interesting submission holds and would highlight their talents effectively.

Ladder match:

Will Ospreay vs Ricochet vs John Morrison vs Daniel Bryan vs Rey Mysterio vs KUSHIDA

It’s time, it’s time, it’s Vader time  for you to turn off your Television Vader as it’s ladder match time and two of your favourites, Will Ospreay and Ricochet are present. Will Ospreay and Ricochet are two of my favourite wrestlers and I feel like a ladder match would be beneficial in displaying their creativity and athleticism superbly. Adding to the mix, KUSHIDA and Daniel Bryan (yes he is retired, he was not 5 years ago G’s) use of striking and submissions and technical aspects whilst still pulling out high flying moves. John Morrison’s use of parkour and innovative offence, would add the amount of memorable spots and GIF worthy highlights and finally Rey Mysterio, simply because he is one of the greatest cruiserweights of this generation and I feel like he would add prestige and a veteran presence to this match.

Singles Match:

Jay Lethal vs Christopher Daniels

A nice mid-card match here between two of the better independent wrestlers of this generation, two wrestlers that have been the mainstays of independent scene over the past decade. Christopher Daniels is known as ‘the King of the Indies’ for his work in TNA,ROH,FWA,PWG and others. Jay Lethal has also had a distinguished career in TNA and ROH. An interesting stat considering they have been in the same promotions they have only faced each other once in one on one competition on major pay per views back at TNA’s Bound for Glory 2007, a match between the two veterans would be entertaining and gripping to watch.

Hardcore Tag Match:

The Briscoe Brothers Vs The Broken Hardys

There were many teams touted to face the Hardys in this match, firstly I was going to put Mick Foley and Terry Funk for their iconic hardcore career, but Mick Foley just missed out as his last match was just over 5 years ago. The same scenario existed with Edge and Christian and I could have went with the Dudley Boyz, but I felt the Briscoe’s would gel and are enigmatic and unpredictable like their opponents. 

The Hardys have done great work in reinventing their characters and have shown their creativity with The Final Deletion, Total Nonstop deletion and The Great war. This serves for the two teams to be able to create some creative and memorable spots, Matt Hardy has already called out the Briscoe’s at Final Battle in New York City on December 2^nd, so expect these two teams to cross paths in the near future.

6-Man Tag Team Match

The Shield vs Kevin Steen, El Generico and Claudio Castagnoli

The Moans from the collective people reading this piece as Roman Reigns, aka Not a bad guy, Not a good guy, the guy aka Samoa Ro enters the fray. However, have no fear it is the Roman Reigns you knew and loved, when he was part of the hounds of justice, A.K.A The Shield. The team that will be remembered for their dominant period of a year and a half.  Their opponents are a team of once best friends turned bitter enemies in Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, they will team with another former ROH star turned WWE superstar in Cesaro.

 In this match, Owens and Zayn will work as Kevin Steen and El Generico as they did during their tenure as ROH World Tag Team Champions. Cesaro will also work under his real name and ROH name Claudio Castagnoli to complete the nostalgic trio, who will work this 6-man tag as faces.

Triple threat Match:

Roderick Strong vs Austin Aries vs Samoa Joe

Traditional ROH Independent Veteran 3 way dance between three superstars who have been cutting their teeth down in NXT. Roderick Strong and Austin Aries have been tag team partners in the stable Generation Next, as well as tagging in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They have had rivalries, including one between the two wrestler’s respective stables. Former NXT, TNA and ROH Champion Samoa Joe will join them in the match, in fact, all 3 of these wrestlers have held the top title in the honourable ring.

3-Way Tag Team Match:

The Young Bucks vs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs Finn Balor and AJ Styles

Dentists do not recommend the following Super Kick Party as it is too sweet. A Bullet-Club reunion, 3 way tag team match between The Young Bucks, Gallows and Anderson and The team of former Bullet Club leaders, AJ Styles and Finn Balor. The match will be contested in tornado style, as to increase the pace and action of the match, the Young Bucks ( as one of the best tags in the world, if not the best) can work with everyone, as can AJ Styles and Finn Balor ( Looking at AJ Styles working very impressive matches against both Samoa Ro and John Cena). Gallows and Anderson bring their aggressive style and as the Raw tag team Champions, they currently hold the biggest tag prize in wrestling (sorry I nearly typed Sports Entertainment).

The team of Styles and Balor will work as Faces, Balor in full paint as he does during big events because as Jim Johnston said well it’s the Big Show. The Young Bucks would bridge the gap as tweeners. This is simply because they are so popular, they have a look and their reputation and following are so big that they could turn full face and not lose much heat. Gallows and Anderson will work as Heels as I feel they are too good as heels and are not suited as faces. The last time Luke Gallows worked as a face for a long period, let me just say Biscuits and Gravy were involved.

Singles Match:

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazuchika Okada

Your Main Event of Night One: Former Chaos leader Shinsuke Nakamura, The King of Strong Style vs One of the biggest draws in Japan today, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada. Okada who had brief stints in Mexico and in TNA, Okada actually attributes his time in both arenas in defining him as a wrestler, stating he took his dropkick from Mexico, his "fighting spirit" from Japan and the "TV and the entertainment" from the United States (Barraso,J(2016).

Okada returned to New Japan in 2012, reinventing himself as the Rainmaker, which Okada describes as “one particular star who could make a company or project rich and successful”. His Persona as a Cocky, rich wrestler, who felt entitled to the top of the card. Okada eventually won over the fans with his matches and eventually made his face turn and is one of the gems of the Chaos stable. His opponent the charismatic and enigmatic King of Strong Style, Nakamura. These larger than life characters would have an undeniable in ring chemistry, they have that CHAOS connection, and an issue as Okada said he was surprised that Nakamura left New Japan to join WWE and great wrestling ability. Simply put, this match will be great. There will be some funny spots but plenty of intense, gripping action. P.S They also appeared in the Japanese video for Pharrell’s song Happy.

Night two:

40 Man Battle Royal

Trevor Lee vs Mark Andrews vs Hiromu Takahashi vs Dragon Lee vs SANADA vs Jeff Cobb vs Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan vs Tommy End vs Matt Sydal vs Mark Haskins vs Cedric Alexander vs TJ Perkins vs Tye Dillinger vs Rich Swann vs KENTA vs Neville vs Matt Riddle vs Mike Bailey vs Tomasso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano vs Low Ki vs TAKA Michinoku vs Frankie Kazarian vs Eric Young vs Tomoaki Honma vs Drew Galloway vs The Miz vs Shane Strickland vs Apollo Crews vs Moose vs Alberto El Patron vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Gallagher vs Baron Corbin vs Big Damo vs Eli Drake vs Ethan Carter III vs Eddie Edwards vs Brawn Strowman vs Tony Nese

This actually started out as a 20-man battle royal, evolved to 25, then 30, then 40 and I was considering doing a 61-man battle royal to eclipse WCW’s World War 3, but I thought that was too much at the end of the day. I picked a 40-man battle royal, as I wanted a lot of deserving wrestlers to get a slice of the cake and chance to shine. There are a great mixture of youth and veterans, big guys (not that one) and cruiserweights. I would make the match faster by making the time between entrants at 15 seconds, simply because it is the first match of the night and you do not want to kill the audience off, so a nice match, with some nice spots, some comical relief and interesting eliminations.

Junior Heavyweight Triple threat Tag match

Tiger Mask W and Jushin Thunder Liger vs ReDRagon vs Roppongi Vice

A Junior Heavyweight exclusive triple threat tag match up next on the card, featuring the teams of Kota Ibushi (as Tiger Mask W) and Jushin Thunder Liger facing the teams of ReDRagon and the Super Jr Tag Tournament winners and current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag champions, Roppongi Vice. Tiger Mask (in his various incarnations) and Jushin Liger have had a long connection in their wrestling careers winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Championship in 2012, being involved in a mask vs mask match which Liger won against the third Tiger Mask (Kōji Kanemoto). The late great Mitsuharu Misawa, who owns the record of 5-star matches at 25, also portrayed Tiger Mask previously.

Former two time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag champions, ReDRagon, join them in the match (Bobby Fish and former ROH World Champion, Kyle O’Reilly) and a team who they have had battles in the past with in Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero and Beretta). This action will be fast and while Jushin Liger still has plenty left in the tank. Although, he is not as athletic as he was in his hayday in the 90’s, the others will have to carry the load in terms of high-risk maneuvers. This though does not mean that Liger in his 50’s is not capable of putting on great matches, which he continues to do.

Singles Match:

Bobby Roode vs Marty Scurll

The next match sees two wrestlers who have had immense years. Bobby Roode left TNA and in the within a year, had joined the WWE and capped off a Glorious year by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT Takeover: San Antonio for the NXT Championship. Bobby Roode has displayed that he can work in different roles, face or heel, as a single wrestler or in a tag team, it will be interesting to see how he eventually transitions from NXT Champion to the main roster. His opponent is a man who has been one of the best independent talents of recent times, a man who reinvented his character from a party boy to a man who does not conform to the rules inside or outside the ring. Marty has made “The Villain “Character unique, with his unique fur coat, trademark umbrella and excellent storytelling skills. This combined with an excellent combination of technical and high-flying moves as well as excellent comedic pieces has elevated the Villain to deserved heights. This started by winning the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles and the ROH TV Championship during the companies UK tour.

 Despite his Villain persona, Marty is one of the nicest guys, I have met. His approachability and communication have seen him build a great bond with independent wrestling fans, he has had great matches over the past few years with AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, Chris Hero and Zack Sabre Jr and his communication skills will allow him and Bobby Roode to put on an excellent contest.

Four way Tag Team Elimination Match

The New Day (With Xavier Woods) vs Joel Redman and Charlie Sterling vs American Alpha vs The Revival

Oh Readers, don’t you dare be sour, clap for your soon to be four-way elimination tag match and feel the power. It’s a New Day, yes, it is, it really is the world famous Booty O eating, trombone playing, 2 time tag champs who are in this match. Kofi Kingston and Big E will represent the New Day as I have decided to go for the Power and pace combination and gone for Kofi’s penchant for the sublime, the Nintendo Switch might be out by then so Xavier Woods will probably be too busy to wrestle, Good Lad. They will be joined by a tag team that some of you might not know but they are a team that will start to draw a lot of praise in Joel Redman (Oliver Grey in NXT) and Charlie Sterling, they have one of the best double team finishers on the planet, a tombstone followed by a spiral tap. The next team is American Alpha, who are a high octane, technically gifted tag team. I feel like since their tag team title victory over the Wyatt family there has not been any significant action for the team, which has slightly halted the team’s momentum, but they are still by a long shot the best team on the SmackDown roster. The final team in this match is The Revival, who are a classic throwback to the classic heel teams of the 80’s and 90’s  who focussed more on the technical side of wrestling rather than using size or athleticism. They use simple but effective moves in order to dominate their opponents, a real contrast in styles will help this match to be unique.

Triple Threat Cage Match:

Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Adam Cole

The next match pits three of the best wrestlers in the industry stuck in the confines of a steel cage. Tetsuya Naito, the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion who since his return from Mexico in 2015 with a new look and villainous persona, has become one of the biggest draws in Japan with his Los Ingobernables de Japon stable becoming a dominant faction in New Japan. Naito’s success showed when he was named the 2016 MVP of Japanese wrestling breaking a 5-year monopoly of Okada and Tanahashi winning the award. The latter is one of his opponents in the match, Tanahashi. Tanahashi is one of the most accomplished in ring performers in New Japan history, he has won the following accolades, match of the year twice, most charismatic wrestler (2013), most outstanding wrestling (WON, 2012,2013) and wrestler of the year (2011-2013). This does not even including 5 straight years with a 5 star match, a 3 time MVP, Two time G1-Climax winner and 7 times IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Adam Cole is the final entrant of this match, the record breaking 3 time ROH World Champion bay-bay wraps up a trio of wrestlers who had a 5 star match in 2016, as a member of The Bullet Club, Cole has won the ROH title twice in the last year. This match would go a long way in establishing the winner as top of the ladder in the wrestling, winning this match would definitely go beyond just beating these tremendous wrestlers but overcoming outside interference from their stable mates and allies.

Six Woman Scramble Match:

Charlotte vs Asuka vs Bayley vs Jade vs Sasha Banks vs Rosemary

The following women’s match will be a 6 woman, 20-minute scramble. The winner will be the last woman to make a pin-fall or submission. There are 3 woman in this match who have had storied rivalries over the last few years in NXT and WWE, 3 of the 4 horsewomen, Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha Banks, all 3 of them are former NXT Women’s champions. These three women have been involved in matches with and against each other and have built up a great in ring chemistry. Joining them in the match by one of the most dominant woman in wrestling, Asuka. The woman has been untouchable since she became the NXT Women’s Champion, holding the title for nearly a year now. I feel that Asuka would mesh will styles wise with Rosemary from TNA, they are both unpredictable and unstable characters and Jade has had a recent rivalry in TNA with Rosemary, including a monsters ball match, which has revolutionised TNA’s knockouts division.

Traditional Survivor Series Match:

Bullet Club (Tama Tonga, Tanga Roa, Bad Luck Fale and Cody Rhodes) vs. The Brothers of Destruction, Triple H and The Rock

Take a trip down Nostalgic Lane, I think it’s next to Electric Avenue. Remember the March of 2001, when WCW was finally brought to an end, four of the wrestlers in this match were major influences in winning the ratings war for WWF and putting WCW and I’m not talking about The Bullet Club, they’re not time travelling wrestling vigilantes. Alongside Kurt Angle, Mick Foley and Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane, the Undertaker, Triple H and The Rock were major factors in turning WWE’s fortunes. Kane, The Undertaker and The Rock were on the team that killed a stable in The Alliance at Survivor Series, how would one of the most dominant stables in world wrestling would deal with these four wrestling icons in their prime. The Bullet Club team is made up of the Guerrillas of Destiny (two time IWGP Tag Team Champions), Former IWGP Intercontinental Champion Bad Luck Fale and former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, Cody Rhodes. I feel like even though The Bullet Club are a major underdog, there have great been great underdogs in wrestling history and I feel they would come out aggressive and with a chip on their shoulder, but 100% expect a few double chokeslams, a couple of Rock Bottom’s and several stunners. WHAT!, I Said Several Stunners. WHAT!

Triple Threat Match:

Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho vs Zack Sabre Jr

Whilst writing this piece, this match for me would be the match, I would love to see in real life. I am not sure if this dream would come true but it would be great to see 3 of these great technical wrestlers share the ring together. Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle have shared the ring numerous times during their careers; my most memorable match is the triple threat for the European and Intercontinental Championship. Zack Sabre Jr has also faced Kurt Angle for Revolution Pro Wrestling and has held championships all over the world including the RPW and PWG Championships, beating AJ Styles, Jeff Cobb and Katsuyori Shibata during his title reign. Kurt Angle and Zack Sabre have both won Best Technical Wrestler (WON), whilst Jericho has won best on mic awards and most underrated, Chris Jericho is a record setting nine time Intercontinental Champion, 6 time World Champion and a 7 time Tag Champion. I feel these three men have a great appreciation for the technical side of wrestling and would put on a match with classic holds, innovative offence and just an overall high quality technical masterclass. THIS MATCH, YOU JUST MADE THE LIST. DAVE MELTZER’S 5 STAR MATCH LIST.

Singles Match:

John Cena vs Kenny Omega

Finally it is time, for your main event of the evening and the whole event, Kenny Omega has had an “Elite” year winning holding both the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and NEVER Openweight 6-man tag championship, as well as winning the G1 Climax tournament, becoming the first Gaijin to win it as well as winning it on his first attempt. The main highlight of the year was highlighting the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, Wrestle Kingdom 11 for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Okada, the match lasted 46 minutes and 45 seconds making it the longest in the events history and garnered a 6 star rating from Dave Meltzer, the 2^nd such rating in wrestling history. Now for a main event we needs an opponent who loves the big match, a man who has main evented massive events, a man who likes FRUITY PEBBLES AND HIS NAME IS JOHHHHHNNNN CEEEEENNNNAAAA RAPPPPPIDDOOO. Some of you might not agree with me here but you can spend a week writing a piece that’s over 3500 words long, John Cena is still the WWE’s biggest draw, am I big fan of Cena’s in ring work, no, but I understand his appeal to the fan base. John Cena, described as the most polarizing professional wrestler ever, has a loyal army of fans and haters in bunches, but I feel that John Cena has to be praised for his in ring work especially over the last few years. Over the last few years, Cena has put on some great matches and worked well with wrestlers such as Kevin Owens, Bray Wyatt and has had some memorable matches including his only 5 star match in 2011 against CM Punk, he also had a memorable match with AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble. 

John Cena known as “Big Match John” by John Bradshaw Layfield and I like how John adds some innovative new moves to his bigger matches. I feel like he would be more beneficial adding a deeper move-set but I feel like ownership is limited him in order to protect him physically, but I feel that irks the wrestling purists. John Cena is a great guy, with his work with make a wish and he has recently been willing to put over younger wrestlers and give them the push that they needed, but with Kenny Omega becoming the hottest commodity in professional wrestling over the past couple months, who really is the biggest star.

Football, Football and Football

In this blog, I will focussing on the weekend in football, the start of a feud between Arsenal Fan TV and Gary Neville, I’ll be discussing role models in football.

First thing on the agenda is weekend’s football, with Arsenal losing to Chelsea, as well as Liverpool picking up another loss to resurgent Hull City, Manchester City, United and Spurs all picked up victories, two in albeit less convincing fashion than the other. This weekend’s action has showed the gap not in class, but perhaps in desire and tactics on the day. Arsenal delivered their performance of the season in knocking off Chelsea comfortably earlier this season 3-0 at the Emirates, but early into Saturday’s encounter, it was clear to see which team had a plan and which team showed more focus and more application into their game and it was Chelsea.

Chelsea who are a team, on paper, which lacks star power apart from players like Hazard and Costa, have shown that you don’t need flashy players all over the park to be successful, they have grown through having players with a winning, technical and gritty attitude one that I mirrors their manager. The Passion of their manager mixed with an application of effective tactics and a game plan, which is targeted at being as effective without the ball as it is with the ball.

Arsenal started the game very effectively, but once a very dubious first goal went in the plan went out of the window and the players seemed lost. I feel like this has become all too common an occurrence with Arsenal over the last few years, especially in the bigger games, there is a heads drop mentality at teams with this team.  Even though there is clearly talent in the Arsenal team, it felt like there was never going to be a breakthrough on Saturday, against a team who albeit with a different tactics and confidence, had been ripped apart months ago.

From one team in trouble to another, Leicester City.  The reigning champions have been as underwhelming as Roman Reigns Royal Rumble performance this year. Following a poor performance against Manchester United resulting in a 3-0 defeat, Leicester are just a point off the relegation zone. Their underwhelming start to 2017 has produced the following stats. (Via Sky Sports).  Leicester are the first Premier League to fail to score in the first five matches of the calendar year, The only club in the top four English leagues who haven’t scored a league goal in 2017 and only the second defending Premier League champions to lose successive home games by three goals.

Major factors towards Leicester’s downfall include the goal scoring struggles of Jamie Vardy and Riyadh Mahrez, the massive loss of midfielder N’Golo Kante who ushered the midfield and really was the unsung hero of their Premier League win. In addition, a key point that may have gone a miss, I feel is the increase in refereeing of penalty area situations from corners such as shirt pulling. Robert Huth and Wes Morgan used this to their advantage last season but the lack of physicality allowed in the box is making them more vulnerable. Another glaring point is confidence, Leicester went on a confidence-boosting run to stave off relegation, and then win the league. I feel like the lack of confidence, couple with a lack of motivation has affected the players, more than the fans and pundits might believe.

On to the latest rivalry brewing in the footballing world, Gary Neville vs Arsenal Fan TV, if you have not watched Arsenal Fan TV it’s a great watch for the non – Arsenal fan in your life especially after we lose, usually full of fans who have been boasting after victories, verbally attack every corner of the team. The Host of Arsenal Fan TV, Robbie does a great job of interviewing fans and providing an entertaining show, the major problem I have with it is the constant regulars on the show whether it’s the walking armoury TY, some big idiot who shouts boom or idiots who claim we are amazing one week and dire the next. I feel like Arsenal Fan TV needs to go back to its roots and start to realise that the fan base is more than 10 or 11 regulars and start to interview the normal fan.

The beef between Gary Neville and Arsenal Fan TV stemmed from a fan sign towards the end of the Arsenal- Chelsea match, which read, “Enough is Enough, Time to go”. Gary slammed the fan as an idiot and then later Arsenal Fan TV, I feel in this case Gary is wrong to criticise both the fan and Arsenal Fan TV for displaying their views on Arsene Wenger when Gary Neville has stated that Wenger was naive, arrogant & had a 10-year string of errors. Even though Gary Neville makes a very valid point about the ramifications that an exit of Wenger would have on Arsenal’s future I seriously feel like if Arsene Wenger lead teams with the likes of Djourou, Andre Santos, Yossi Bennayoun, Park Chu Young, Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson and others to top four finishes. He should surely be doing more than aiming for a top four finish, with the players of the quality of Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud, Mustafi, Koscielny and others.

Gary Neville also states Manchester United’s fortunes since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. The 2013-2014 Season saw Manchester United drop from 1^st to 7^th in the league. There were major differences between the seasons. The late goals that United scored in that season was a key contributor to the title win, United attained 13 points from losing or drawing positions in the last 10 minutes of games, this was key as United won the league by 11 points. The next season saw Robin Van Persie miss time through injury only scoring 12 league goals in comparison to 26 the year before as well as the slow decline of key Manchester United players such as Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra who all left or retired by the start of the 2014-2015 season.

Moving on to a more serious issue, one I feel that is neglected in modern football is the issue of role models in football. I feel like there is a very lenient approach with footballers in terms of how they are treated in the eyes of the justice system. The example being some players who are have not been convicted of crimes like Wayne Rooney or Jack Wilshere are seen by the media as players who kids should not look up to. Whilst players like Marcos Alonso and Patrick Kluivert who have both committed serious crimes, which resulted both in someone losing their life and neither player going to jail. Kluivert was sentenced to just 240 hours community service, (Eric Cantona was sentenced to half that for kicking a fan) whilst Alonso’s 21 month sentence was changed to just a €61,000 fine.  I just feel because you are famous and have money does not have mean you should be able to be above the law.

Kevin Durant Says Kawhi Leonard is a product of the system

League MVP Kevin Durant had some interesting comments on twitter on the NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, labelling the small forward as a product of the Spurs system and that he would pick Paul George over Leonard, a player who himself was drafted by the Pacers and traded for point guard George Hill.

Above is the transcript of Durant's tweets which were later deleted.

But does KD have a point is Leonard a product of the Spurs system, to a large extent you have to agree
with Durant's comments, Paul George is a more productive point scorer in career 15.2 career ppg to 10.9 ppg for Leonard as well as being a slightly better rebounder and assister, whilst Kawhi has slightly got better stats for blocks and steals but these are small.

On a personal awards level is where Durant's comments could be proved to be correct, George is a 2x all star, 2x All NBA third team and a second and first team NBA all-defensive selection, the past 2 years as well as a NBA all rookie second team award in 2011, Kawhi's has not had the personal success that Paul George has had with a second team All-defensive second team selection this year and an NBA all rookie first team award in 2012, but he has a Finals Mvp as well as a championship and another appearance in the Finals which Paul George has not got.

You also have to look at the players around them and their own roles on the team, first looking at Paul George ever since former all-star Danny Granger went down due to injury, Paul George stepped up and took over the role as the team's main offensive threat, looking at the rest of the roster there is not really a reliable scoring option, David West or Lance Stephenson are the two other main offensive threats on the team, but with George Hill's inconsistant play, coupled with Roy Hibbert, who struggled to score any points in several play-off games as well as players like CJ Watson, Evan Turner and Rasual Buttler who were also not the most productive consistant offensive players as well.

Flip the page over to the Spurs roster made up of a lot of different international players, a cultural diverse team led by eccentric coach Gregg Popovich and the big three of Tim Duncan ( a number one overall pick), Tony Parker ( the 28th pick in 2001) and Manu Ginobili ( the 57th pick in 1999) and the team is built around a philosophy of hard work and doing the fundamentals right, looking at the parts they have compared to the Pacers they carry a larger threat especially from 3 point range, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills are all superb 3 point shooters so they have excellent options to spread the floor, Tim Duncan is a dominant post player, Boris Diaw is a great passer for a big man, Tiago Splitter is also a great passer aswell and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can both drive into the lane aswell as shoot the 3 and from mid range.

So at the moment, Kevin Durant seems to be right in his comments regarding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but it will be interesting to see how Kawhi does when Tim Duncan retires and if/when he signs a longer term/better paid deal whether he will take over and step up his production.








                                               

FA Cup win rejuvenates Arsenal

At 5.15pm on Saturday, the mood amongst Arsenal supporters worldwide was at one of the lowest points of the season at the end of extra time the mood had changed from agony to ecstasy and this came as a result of an amazing 3-2 comeback win against Hull City in the FA Cup Final. 

It has been a season of what if's for the Gunners this season, firstly asking what if Luis Suarez who ended up the league's top scorer and PFA Player of the year had signed for Arsenal or what if Gonzalo Higuain had become an Arsenal player and what could have become if Theo Walcott and more crucially Aaron Ramsey stayed fit all season, Aaron Ramsey ended the campaign with 18 goals from Midfield including the vital winner in extra time at Wembley. 

Now on to the main event the FA Cup Final, a lot of Arsenal fans were very confident going into the final, thinking we had already won the FA Cup in the bag even before the Semi-final against Wigan, whilst other Arsenal fans (like myself) were a lot more cautious going into the game. As the game started, our worst fears came true a couple of set pieces found their way into the back of the net and Hull were 2-0 up within the first 8 minutes.

The game had two key turning points within the first half, Kieron Gibbs clearing Alex Bruce's goal bound header of the line and then Santi Cazorla finding the back of the net with the superb free-kick, the goal seemed to instil belief not only for the Arsenal fans in Wembley but for the 20,000 fans attending a screening at the clubs Emirates Stadium home. 

The second half started as the first half ended with more Arsenal pressure with the nerves of Arsenal fans growing bigger by the minute, with several penalty shouts denied by the referee, who even with a biased opinion had an awful game, the moment finally came when the Gunners got a slice of luck when Yaya Sanogo's back heel was adjudged to have touched a Hull player, from there Sagna flicked on the set-piece and Laurent Koscielny hit a smart finish underneath Allan Mcgregor who slid down Koscielny in the process, tension and troubles turned into serious relief in this moment. 

Arsene Wenger has had his share of criticism over the last 9 years, some justified others completely not neccesary but for me yesterday he got his substitutions spot on, in the first half Olivier Giroud was not able to fully dominate and control Hull's defensive trio, I thought the introduction of Yaya Sanogo and the change to a 4-4-2 formation served to help Arsenal control the front line a lot better, A lot of Arsenal fans (me included) moan about some facets of Sanogo's game but he brings a physical presence that Olivier Giroud does not have and he wore the Hull defence down well which helped Arsenal create more clear cut chances later on in the game. 

Wenger also introduced the midfield duo of Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere at the start of the second period of extra time for Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, the introduction of the two classy midfielders enhanced the quality and sharpness of Arsenal's passing and that passing finally paid off with one of those goals you will see on those FA Cup montages, the ball was fed into Olivier Giroud who flicked a lovely back heel into the path of Aaron Ramsey who flicked it into the back of the net, the Arsenal fans erupted inside the Emirates and Wembley and when the final whistle sounded 9 years of pain and agony melted away, Arsenal fans had united in passion and pride to celebrate the winning of the FA Cup.

The FA Cup should be a springboard for the club to go on to achieve and it looks as if Arsene Wenger is going to continue his reign as Arsenal manager, for me realistic aims are to challenge for the Premier League title look for progress in the Champions League and further success in domestic cup competitions, Arsene is not the only person who should be needs to use the FA Cup as a springboard, some of the fans and the club around the Emirates Stadium are important for Arsenal's rejuvenation, our away support is always amazing, the fans have energised the players with their vocal support, the Emirates on the other hand has not been such a wall of noise and this is not aimed at passionate Arsenal fans, this is aimed at the people who keep silent for the majority of the game and leave because they do not want to catch traffic, we need the support of every single person in the ground and not just a few sections of passionate fans. The club and especially stewards have to also take responsibility, they are always harassing sections of fans to sit down during games fans who have been getting behind the team should not be discouraged from supporting their club, quite the opposite a singing section should be created to encourage a better atmosphere at the stadium. 

The FA Cup run should serve to show the club that on our day, Arsenal can beat any club in England, the main talking point is the strength in squad depth, a back-up keeper is needed with Fabianski leaving and Viviano's future unclear, Bacary Sagna's contract is up this summer and a move away from the Emirates would leave a big hole at right back, I for one do not think Carl Jenkinson is developed enough to be a Premier League starting right-back, a holding midfielder is another position where I feel a new signing is needed someone who can control the game and stop the oppositions creative forces, I felt that this was missing during big losses to Liverpool and Chelsea, Mikel Arteta's contract is up next summer and one feels this may be his last year at the club as Arsene Wenger will probably look for a younger replacement. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's continued growth in the centre of the midfielder may serve as a catalyst to signing a new winger, Julian Draxler and Mario Gotze are names being discussed as potential transfer targets and what every Arsenal fan is screaming at the computer for me to mention is a world-class striker, Olivier Giroud has had a great season but he lacks that clinical edge and touch of genius that a Thierry Henry or a Dennis Bergkamp had, a world class striker to play alongside or instead of Giroud would make our attack even more formidable and potent.

Final point for football fans of League football over the summer: Don't worry there is the World Cup and for fellow Gooners savour the moment, cherish it and hopefully we will be lifting more trophies in the near future.