The Football Addick

Tshwane Open The European Tour stays on South African soil as the players head to Pretoria County Club for the Tshwane Open. This is the 5th time the event will be played, with the first 2 editions being held at Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate in Centurion before the switch to Pretoria Country Club in Waterkloof in 2015. With many of the worlds top players choosing to play the World Golf Championship in Mexico, the field comprises mainly of steady but not spectacular European Tour card holders as well as a number of home nation entrees. Last Year: Charl Schwartzel stormed to the title with a score of -16, 8 shots clear of his nearest challenger. Unfortunately the South African will not be defending his title as he has instead chosen to play in Mexico; meaning a different name will be etched onto the trophy this year. Last year, 9 of the leading 12 players were from South Africa, meaning this year could follow the same trend. In this article, I will examine player's form at...

I covered a Leicester game a few weeks ago and mentioned they were in free fall. Despite losing their last 5 games in the league, I would have predicted that they would get out of the rut and avoid relegation. But things have changed. Inexplicably, the owners made a rash decision and sacked the greatest manager in Leicester City history. Ranieri accomplished the impossible. He managed to break the mould and win the league with a bunch of journeymen and misfits. For his accomplishments it is fitting to describe Ranieri as a miracle worker. There was a joke going round on twitter which although extreme, I agree with the message it was delivering:  'Leicester City sacking Ranieri is like a doctor losing his job for failing to cure cancer, despite having cured aids' Not only was the Italian a club legend, he also created Premier League history. I believe his sacking will prove to be even more detrimental to the football club; no one will be able to replicate what he accompl...

This is it. Cup Final day. Despite the fact that the EFL Cup is not considered as prestigious in comparison to other cup competitions, both teams will undoubtedly be determined to come away from Wembley with the trophy. Manchester United will enter the contest as heavy favourites. Despite a poor start to the season, United have come on strong in recent months and have started to put together a run that has seen them produce a steady series of results. In fact, the Red Devil's have only tasted defeat once in the last 25 games (against Hull in the 2nd leg of their semi final). Although many of those have been draws, Mourinho is starting to find his feet at Old Trafford and his philosophy of making his team hard to beat is becoming evident. They will go into this game as heavy favourites, but will Zlatan and co produce the goods and bring the trophy back to Manchester? Southampton have gone on a remarkable run in the EFL Cup which has seen them decimate all in their path. Desp...

There is almost always an English golfer present at a PGA Tour event and there is no exception at the Honda Classic. As one of the most popular events on the PGA Tour schedule, it has attracted 6 golfers from England with no shortage of talent. Amongst them are: Tyrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Luke Donald, Danny Willett and Ian Poulter. This article intends to analyse the individual's success at the event, as well as their form in recent months, in order to come to a conclusion of who stands the best chance of conquering PGA National. Tyrell Hatton- Predicted finish: Top 30 Hatton has been in superb form recently which has seen him establish himself as one of the best golfers in England. In his last 8 starts, Hatton has finished in the top 25 in all of these. This run also includes 5 top 10 finishes, as well as securing his first win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. As a result Hatton has risen to a career high of 18th in the world rankings; 4th highest amongs...

Valencia welcome the league leaders to the Mestalla Stadium as they look to secure a win which would go along way to appeasing their fans unrest.Valencia have had a torrid time in recent years and they have continued to struggle this year. Following on from a disastrous season where they finished in 12th place, after 22 games they find themselves struggling again in 16th place, just 7 points above the relegation zone. A key factor in their demise appears to be their defensive frailties; in 22 games they have conceded 40 goals at a rate of 1.82 per game. This means they have the 4th worst defensive record in La Liga, which is unacceptable for a team of Valencia's stature. If these frailties continue it seems as if it's going to be another long and hard season for 'Los Che', but a victory here will increase morale dramatically at the troubled club. In contrast, Real Madrid are flying under Zinedine Zidane. After 21 games Real Madrid occupy top spot with 52 points, 1 poi...

The Honda Classic The PGA Tour heads to Florida this week at The Honda Classic. The event will be played at PGA National (Champion), a Par 70 course measuring a lengthy 7140 yards. It is often one of the toughest tests of the season for PGA Tour players, with only one event in the past 5 years having been won with a score of 10 under par or more. (Rory McIlroy -12 in 2012) The course is also home to one of the most famous series of holes in the sport, with holes 15, 16 and 17 comprising one of the toughest series of holes for players; a set of holes most commonly referred to as 'The Bear Trap'. Last year : Adam Scott was able to fend off the challenge of Sergio Garcia to win by a margin of 1 stroke. But will he retain it this year? In this article, I will examine player's form at this event over the past 5 years as well as their form in recent months. Using this information, I will then come up with a judgement of who I think will be the players to look out for in the up...

Premier League vs non-league. Champions League regulars against National League relegation battlers. A gap of 105 league places between the two sides. This is Sutton United vs Arsenal. They couldn't be further apart in terms of stature and league position but amazingly these two sides will contest a 5th round FA Cup tie. The prize? A place in the quarter-finals against Lincoln City. Remarkably, Sutton aren't even performing too well in their league. They find themselves in 17th place in the National League with 36 points, only 6 points above the relegation zone. But with Roarie Deacon in fine form and Nicky Bailey and Craig Eastmond forming a football league quality partnership in the centre of midfield, Sutton have been performing miracles in the FA Cup. Thus far The U's' have come through 5 rounds to get here, disposing of Forest Green, Dartford, Cheltenham, AFC Wimbledon and Leeds. Although this is an impressive list of scalps for a team of Sutton's stature; ...

Tottenham will make the short trip to West London where they will take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. The reward for the winner of this tie will be a place in the quarter finals of this prestigious tournament; only 1 round away from securing a tie at Wembley. Yesterday we saw two massive giant killings as Premier League sides crashed out of the competition at the expense of lower league opposition. Leicester, who have so far had an abysmal season which has seen them flirting with relegation, were overcome by a plucky Millwall side who scored a late winner despite only having 10 men. But even more remarkably Burnley were to fall at the hands of non league side Lincoln, who again overcame their opponents with a last minute winner. This result was extraordinary given Lincoln were 81 places lower than Burnley in the English football league ladder. With this incredible upset, Lincoln were to make history in the process as they became the first non league side to reach the quarter finals...