England Vs Italy [engineeering]

England's journey in the euro's has once again come to an abrupt end. Well we atleast can get back to our lives and not get caught up with false hopes.
As a pre-match analysis we decided to pit the English against the Italians in an engineering competition [with a civil/structural bias].

Here's what we come up with:

The England Squad [4-4-2]
1. Charles Babbage [Goal Keeper]
2. James Brindley [Right Back]
3. Sir James Dyson [Central Defender]
4. Sir Thomas Bouch [Central Defender]
5. Chris Wise [Left Back]
6. Robert Stephenson [Right Midfield]
7. Sir Henry Royce [Central Midfield]
8. Isambard Kingdon Brunel [Central Midfield] Captain
9. Paul Westbury [Left Midfielder]
10. Sir Sydney Camm [Striker]
11. Sir Benjamin Baker [Striker]
Manager - Sir Isaac Newton

The Italian Squad [4-3-1-2]
1. Luigi Bezzara [Goal Keeper]
2. Giovanni Battista Caproni [Right Back]
3. Juanelo Turriano [Central Defender]
4. Antonio Meucci [Central Defender]
5. Enrico Forlanini [Left Back]
6. Piero Puricelli [Right Midfield]
7. Guilio Ceretti [Central Midfield]
8. Leonardo da Vinci [Attacking Midfielder] Captain
9. Secondo Campini [Left Midfielder]
10. Giovanni da Fontana [Striker]
11. Aldo Costa [Striker]
Player Manager - Leonardo da Vinci


Match Predictions
Both teams have a great strength and depth to them. The English team includes the highly talented mechanical engineer Babbage in goal. Babbage was considered one of the fathers of modern day computer. His unwavering concentration and steadfast principles are what make him the perfect choice to be England's final defender.

England's back 4 are made up from the civil and canal engineering power house Brindley [responsible for designing and building the Bridgewater Canal], and Bouch [a civil engineer who's reputation brought to him a great many innovative bridging contracts - who also unfortunately was made infamous for being the engineer who designed the Tay Bridge which collapsed in 1879. Every English team needs an unpredictable defender ;)]. The final central defender Dyson has been selected to hoover up all the loose balls [sorry for the pun] and a natural leader for the back 4. Finally the left back position is a new addition to the squad - Wise, a co-founder of Expedition Engineering. Wise was selected for his experience combined with a spirited attacking tenacity. He also partners very well with our first midfielder - and gold medal winning new boy on the block, Westbury. Westbury is another recent addition and worked his way through the youth squad to be here in this vital game. The left side could be left open and exposed by a heavy Italian attack. Together though, both Westbury and Wise are a potent and youthful attacking force.

In central midfield we find 2 giants of engineering. Royce the 'midfield engine' needs no further introduction, and combined with our tenacious and formidable captain, Brunel - they pair up as one of the most feared and hard working midfield's in the Euro2012 Tournament.

On the wide right and responsible for maintaining an active supply to the strikers we have Stephenson. His ability to 'rocket' up and down the line distributing the ball is powerful.

Finally the sharp shooting duo of Camm and Baker. Camm an aeronautical engineer has a history of delivering just when England needs it. During the Second World War, Camm designed and built the RAF's Hawker Typhoon  [goal!] , Hawker Tempest [goal!] and the Hawker Hurricane [GOOOOAAAAL!]. The well respected Baker also has goals in him. He was responsible for the creative bridge engineering solution - the Forth Bridge. Probably one of the most important civil engineering goals in history.

Managing the team is the 'Father of Modern Physics' - Newton. He is not a proper engineer [he is a scientist and mathematician - which makes him a brilliant tactician], but without Newtons inspired contributions to the worldwide discipline of engineering, then our lives could have been a lot more complicated. So we have him on our side.

All in all the English have a solid squad of engineers which are all capable of being creative, working as an effective team and have incredibly important skill sets in engineering.

The Italian squad are a different proposition all together. Many of them are mechanical engineers who have track records in building war machines and transporters. Creativity is rife within this squad, and they probably represent one of the most innovative and lateral thinking groups of engineers in the Euros.

In their midst the Italians have the 'Father of Modern Motorways' and designer of the German Autobahn - Puricelli, the inventor of the helicopter - Forlanini, and one of the pioneers of the worlds first jet engine - Campini.

Heading up the Italian squad are 3 of the fastest, deadliest and most creative attacking engineers in history. Firstly the English defence have to deal with Costa, a mechanical engineer and famously the head of the Ferrari Formula One racing team. If they can survive Costa, then what comes next is the designer and inventor of the first mechanical torpedo - built and ustilised in the 15th century. Fontana's torpedo's would skim the surface of the water and set fire to his enemies ships.

Last and by no means least, we find the Player Manager Vinci. Vinci represents probably the most prolifically talented of all the players mentioned here so far.

Strangely though, the Italian squads mightiest weapon may very well prove to be their biggest weakness too. Along the same lines that Christiano Ronaldo of the Portuguese football team is one of the top 3 players in the world right now - his efforts seem to engulf the whole pitch, spreading himself to thinnly at times. We believe that Leonardo da Vinci would also suffer from this insatiable desire to do every bodies jobs for them.

Therefore if Vinci has a poor game or takes on too much, we predict an England win with 2 goals to 1. Camm and Brunel to score for England.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the football, safe in the knowledge that you will be spared the uncertainty and no longer stress filled.


Engine[er]

Visualise, Inspire and Conquer

"Dream, Believe and Achieve", David Clarke - Captain of the England Blind Football Team. This phrased was championed by David during his speech to the St Albans and Watford Chamber of Commerce last Thursday morning. Just recently, David and his team mates training and personal exploits had been well documented on the Channel 4 series, Best of British - Episode 1, which is infact getting a re-show tomorrow evening at 5pm! Check it out - I implore you. (Sunday 5pm, Ch4).

David was invited by the chamber of commerce as a guest speaker to a breakfast meeting at the Watford football club grounds. Instantly he managed to make us laugh by demonstrating some of the self confessed 'black humour' which apparently runs rampant within the paralympic GB squad. I won't tell you his party piece in this post - but if you really want to know then drop me an email.

Before I signed up for the breakfast meeting, I was not sure what David was planning to talk to us about. It was personally well received that he chose a subject which we all could do with some brushing up on - 'how to succeed'. It is a bit of a paradox really. If we all managed to concentrate and implement the lessons brought to us by successful people such as David Clarke and his ilk, then logically this would shorten our chances of achieving success through being so well prepared. Unfortunately though, this does not stack up mathematically, as there can still be only ONE winner and ONE winning team. "We were not in this game, just to be happy with reaching the finals. Winning has always been our goal", David Clarke - 5 times runner-up in the Blind Football European Championships. As David revealed to the audience his bewildering history in the European Championships, the pain was etched across his face, but hidden behind a beaming smile. The frustration was tangible to me; he paused at he end of every sentence as if to relive each and every last minute defeat. As the words fell out, I recognised this feeling. It appeared to me that by dragging the past disappointments out for everyone to see, it solidified his need to train harder and visualise his strategy with a greater accuracy.

The 3 zone coaching system used in blind football. The goalkeeper coaches the defending third of the pitch. The team manager coaches the middle third, and the final third is coached by your very own coach who is stood behind the oppositions goal. An interesting zone management strategy.

You will be forgiven for concluding that the only person (people) standing in your way to success and creative freedom are those who are 'better' than you, or 'smarter' or 'fitter' or more 'talented'. I do not believe that this is so. These people who you value in such a high regard represent only the nominal benchmarking for success. You can view these guys and girls as targets to visualise, and eventually zero in on and blast past them. The people who you must pay the most attention to and beat - day in and day out.... are yourselves.

David was trying to convey how important this is to the ladies and gentlemen that Thursday morning in a way which he seemed to know very well - by connecting with others and showing them how much he had dreamed about winning a gold medal. He wanted everyone to see that he and his team mates believe that this is what they are going to do... but what really separates the winners from the losers is of course the very real feeling of achievement which goes with owning a gold medal.

You can go through business life quite happily accepting failures, and giving up on your dreams as this world seems to be very well set-up for a balanced existence. Trust me when I say that this is not the worst thing. The worst thing is not believing that you can make it and contaminating the dreams of others as a result. I saw David as a person who is not going to take no for an answer, and I have the greatest respect for that. If the unthinkable happens, and the England squad are equally as disappointed for the 6th time in a row at the European Championships, in Turkey later this year... then you better believe that he will using his energy and momentum to train for something else, equally challenging and as deeply important to him and his family.

How can this ever be considered anything less than inspirational?

Please will you join me in wishing David and his team mates good luck in Turkey - David Clarke (Twitter)


Engine[er]