Monthly Archives: January 2009

Manchester City FC enjoys Tenerife hospitality and weather

January 20, 2009 – 9:58 pm

Mt Teide TenerifeTenerife, has long been a favourite destination for UK tourists on beach holidays, is also one of the favourite hangouts of sports stars looking to train in a stress-free environment (many of whom own nice apartments on the island), as the presence of one of the UK’s top football clubs demonstrates.

While the island may be associated with lounging on the beach and nightclubbing for many UK tourists, the footballers of Manchester City have been working hard during their time on Tenerife.

The players, who include the Brazilian superstar Robinho - signed for £32 million from Real Madrid in the summer - have been working in a winter training camp.

Tenerife has attracted sporting superstars to its training facilities in the past. Last year, cyclist Lance Armstrong, the seven times winner of the Tour de France, was spotted training on the island. Apparently Armstrong,  training for a comeback with his new team Astana, was stopped while cycling by local police who were after his autograph.

By Angela | Posted in General, Golf, Holiday, Premier League football, Sports Desk, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Football review

January 19, 2009 – 4:59 pm

Premier League

Manchester United reached the top of the English premier league for the first time this season with a 90th minute winner against Bolton scored by Berbatov. It was a day of late goals with Chelsea defeating Stoke City by 2-1 with two goals in the final minutes of play, the winner coming from Frank Lampard in the 94th minute.

Samuel Eto'o scores twice for Barcelona

Manchester City beat 10 men Wigan by 1-0 whilst Aston Villa continued their run of form coming from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1.

Arsenal gained revenge over Hull beating them 3-1. West Brom enjoyed a rare victory over Middlesborough and West Ham continued a good run with a 3-1 victory over Fulham.

The visit of Portsmouth to Tottenham was a case of several players turning out against a former club. It ended all square with Defoe scoring for Tottenham against his former club and David Nugent finally breaking his premier league duck scoring for Pompey.

Primera Liga

Halfway through the campaign in Spain and Barcelona are threatening to run away with the title.

They have already accumulated 50 points for the season and proved far too strong for Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday as Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry inspired the Catalan giants to a 5-0 win.

Reigning champions Real Madrid lead the chasing pack, but sit 12 points off the pace despite securing an impressive come-from-behind 3-1 victory over rock-bottom Osasuna at the weekend.

Sevilla are also in the hunt and kept their hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Numancia.

Valencia’s dreams are fading fast and were not helped by a 3-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, while Villarreal still have eyes on a top four finish after Joan Capdevila and Giuseppe Rossi helped them to a 2-0 success over Real Mallorca.
Serie A

Inter Milan’s lead at the top of Serie A has been cut to just three points after a disappointing weekend for Jose Mourinho’s men.

The Nerazzurri were humbled 3-1 away at Atalanta on Sunday, with the hosts three goals to the good by half-time.

Juventus missed the opportunity to move within a point of the summit after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lazio.

David Beckham was once again in action for AC Milan and played a starring role in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro.

Genoa’s fine form shows no sign of abating, and they saw off Lecce 2-0, while Julio Baptista’s last minute strike at Torino helped Roma secure back-to-back victories.
Ligue 1

It proved to be a productive weekend for those sides at the top in France, with seven of the top eight taking three points apiece from the latest round of fixtures.

Lyon remain in pole position for now, with their one point lead remaining intact courtesy of 2-0 win away at Grenoble.

Bordeaux are providing stiff competition for top spot, though, and proved too strong for Nantes on Saturday - prevailing 2-1 on the road.

Marseille eased to a 2-0 victory over struggling Le Havre at Stade Velodrome and Toulouse put three past Nancy without reply.

Paris St Germain had Peguy Luyindula to thank for securing them a 2-1 win at home to Sochaux, while Lille edged a tight contest with high-flying Rennes 1-0.
Eredivisie
AZ Alkmaar’s advantage in Holland remains at three points after the top three all won over the weekend.

Alkmaar made light work of rock-bottom Volendam on Sunday, with a 2-0 success secured with the minimum of fuss.

Ajax remain hot on their tail, though, and claimed a fifth consecutive victory as they saw off NEC Nijmegen 4-2.

Steve McClaren’s FC Twente are also still in with a chance of title glory and took another crucial three points from a 2-1 win against lowly Vitesse Arnhem.
SPL
Celtic lost for only the third time this season as the Scottish title race was blown wide open on Sunday.

The Hoops fell to a 4-2 defeat away at Aberdeen, with an unlikely brace from Zander Diamond helping the Dons home.

The setback ensures that Rangers are now just two points off the pace after they recovered from an early shock to overcome Falkirk 3-1 on Saturday.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle suffered a seventh straight defeat to remain rooted to the foot of the table, while Hearts got back to winning ways at Kilmarnock.
Best of the rest
Olympiakos continue to dominate in Greece and remain nine points clear of their closest challengers after claiming a 1-0 win at Panseriakos.

Benfica and Sporting Lisbon are locked together at the top in Portugal, with both emerging victorious over the weekend, while Porto slipped from the summit after being held to a goalless draw by Trofense.

Joint leaders Sivasspor and Trabzonspor both took three points from their latest fixtures in Turkey, while Galatasaray took derby honours from a six-goal thriller against Besiktas.

By Angela | Posted in Premier League football, Sports Desk | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Bargains for Brits heading for Tenerife sun?

January 19, 2009 – 4:19 pm
Bargains for Brits travelling to Tenerife

Bargains for Brits travelling to Tenerife

Hotels have slashed rates in desperate bid to boost business as Brits start to look outside the Eurozone for their holidays…

Tourists to Spain this summer are set to benefit as most hotels cut their rates by up to a third to counter the Pound’s fall against the Euro.

According to reports in the Daily Express, Spanish tourism chiefs are worried that Brits will choose resorts outside the Eurozone this summer such as Turkey and Egypt.

Mid-range hotels in Benidorm, one of Spain’s largest resorts are offering rooms with full board in July for just £45 per night.

The British market is key for Spain, but with the poor value of the Pound against the Euro and the current economic climate the tourist industry fears people may drop the Costas in favour of other locations this year if attractive deals aren’t offered.

Alicante is one region which is heavily dependent on tourism and one million Britons flock there every year, making up 50 per cent of all overseas tourists.

The Costa Blanca Tourist Board has revealed that tourist numbers were down 300,000 last year compared with 2007, and hotels registered a 20 per cent drop in guests. They now fear this year could be even worse.

Also in the Canary Islands, which are famous for their winter sun, there has been a fall in the number of visitors so far this winter by 15 per cent, while in the Costa del Sol winter tourists are down by 17 per cent.

According to figures from the foreign office around 12 million British tourists visit Spain every year - accounting for almost one in three tourists to Spain.

In order to ensure visitor numbers don’t drop further there are a lot of competitive deals in Spain at the moment as it is still the number one choice for British holidaymakers. However, for those who want to take advantage of these offers the message is to get in quick.

Owners of holiday  homes in Spain may also need to bear in mind these attractive hotel deals when setting their rates for summer 2009, and may also need to give special offers if they want their property occupied throughout the summer months.

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Holiday, Tenerife, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Britons escaping to Tenerife

January 16, 2009 – 4:58 pm
Las Americas beach

Las Americas beach

A new survey from Sainsbury’s Bank reveals that 1.41 million British people are planning to take a break from the UK to escape the dismal weather and slowing economy…

The research also discovered that 4.79 million Britons will enjoy an extended holiday from the country over the next 12 months, spending more than one month away from home.

According to the survey, visiting family and friends is the most common reason for people to travel overseas, with 38 per cent citing this as their motivation, while 30per cent said they wanted to get away from the British weather.

Older UK residents were found to be the most likely to head abroad for a long period, with 1.72 million people in the over-55 age group revealing plans to spend at least 30 days in another country.

The findings suggest that many retirees may be planning to spend some time at their overseas property, with countries such as France, Spain and Turkey still popular with the retiree market and the Canary Islands having good winter sunshine is always a good bet for holiday makers and second home owners alike.

Last month, property expert George Glen said that Spain is an attractive location for retired homeowners due to the high quality of its healthcare services.

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Holiday, Property, Tenerife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Beckham back in European football

January 12, 2009 – 6:03 pm
Beckham playing for Inter Milan

Beckham playing for Inter Milan

Rafa Benitez’s amazing press conference on Friday set the tone for the weekend, as the Spaniard fired a tirade in the direction of Ferguson. Liverpool’s players failed to deliver in Saturday’s evening kick-off at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke. In truth Liverpool were lucky to gain a point.

On Sunday, Manchester United beat a Chelsea  side who after being let off the hook by Howard Webb’s decision to rule out Cristiano Ronaldo’s header from an ingenious set-piece routine, they failed to defend the retaken corner. This time it was Nemanja Vidic left unattended at the far post as Petr Cech’s attempt to claw out the Serbian’s header proved to be in vain just before half-time. Further goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov underlined United’s superiority, watched by Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho - on a scouting mission.

Steve Bruce’s Wigan recorded a sixth league win in seven games as Maynor Figueroa’s last gasp header led Harry Redknapp to conclude his Tottenham side may not have the required character to beat the drop.

West Brom were not outplayed by their Midlands neighbours Aston Villa in what was an entertaining derby, but led by the increasingly impressive Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, O’Neill’s Champions League chasers recorded a 2-1 victory that extended their unbeaten run to nine games.

Arsenal beat Bolton, though for 86 minutes it looked as though Gary Megson’s men  had done enough to earn a draw. Substitute Niklas Bendtner,  finished from Robin van Persie’s  delivery and ended Bolton’s hope of an unlikely point.

Everton’s recent return to form continued at Goodison Park as Hull City, slumped to a deserved 2-0 defeat. It was derby day in the North East as Sunderland made the short trip to Teesside to take on Middlesbrough at The Riverside. Afonso Alves’ well taken effort on the stroke of half-time owed much to wantaway Stewart Downing’s invention, while the manner of Boro’s defending for Kenwyne Jones’ equaliser eight minutes from time will disappoint Gareth Southgate.

The game of the weekend in terms of unadulterated entertainment came at St James’ Park as Newcastle and West Ham played out a 2-2 thriller.

A frozen pitch at Craven Cottage saw Fulham’s clash with Blackburn postponed, while Portsmouth’s game with Manchester City also failed to beat the frost.

Primera Liga
Barcelona continued their relentless march towards the title with a sixth successive victory. Pep Guardiola’s side came from behind to beat Osasuna 3-2, with Samuel Eto’o, Xavi and Lionel Messi on the scoresheet.

Arjen Robben, Raul and Sergio Ramos found the target as Real Madrid crushed Real Mallorca 3-0 to move second.

Valencia and Villarreal shared six goals in a thriller on Saturday and Sevilla defeated Deportivo La Coruna 3-1.

Serie A
Beckham, on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy, was a surprise starter as AC Milan drew 2-2 at Roma, with Alexandre Pato netting a brace for the Rossoneri and Mirko Vucinic scoring both of the home side’s goals.

Also on Sunday, Juventus moved to within four points of leaders Inter Milan as Alessandro Del Piero’s free-kick gave them victory over Siena.

Inter had been held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Cagliari on Saturday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s strike cancelling out Robert Acquafresca’s opener.

Scottish Cup
Hearts beat 10-man Hibs 2-0 thanks to goals from Christian Nade and Gary Glen, while Dundee United also moved into the fifth round with an emphatic 4-0 win against East Stirlingshire.

Celtic stayed on course for a domestic double as they came from behind to see off Dundee 2-1. Aberdeen, Hamilton, Inverness and Falkirk also advanced in the competition.

Ligue 1
Lyon could only play out a 1-1 draw with Lorient, while in-form Rennes claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Grenoble.

Bordeaux took advantage of Lyon’s dropped points on Sunday as they thumped Paris St Germain 4-0. Souleymane Diawara, Fernando Cavenaghi, Yoann Gourcuff and Fernando Menegazzo grabbed the goals.

Best of the rest

Porto slipped from first to third in Portugal as they were held to a goalless draw by Trofense. Benfica and Sporting Lisbon occupy the top two spots after wins over Braga and Maritimo respectively.

Europe’s other top leagues remain on winter break. The Eredivisie resumes on Friday but the Bundesliga is not back until the end of the month.

By Angela | Posted in Premier League football, Sports Desk | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Good news for Tenerife and Spain?

January 5, 2009 – 4:11 pm

The number of Britons looking to emigrate to Spain has increased by 12 per cent, according to new figures…

Data released by the Spanish Government has revealed 352,000 Britons were registered as living in the country at the start of 2008, the Guardian reports.

And the statistics showed a large proportion were younger residents, with only one third being aged over 55.

The recent drop in the value of the pound compared to the euro is also unlikely to cause a drop in the number of Britons looking to make the move, the newspaper stated.

Some people have had to head back to Britain recently but the impression is still that there are lots more just waiting for things to change so they can come over.

A recent survey by Globaledge revealed that Spain is the most popular overseas property destination among English-speaking internet users, beating second-placed France by a ratio of over two to one.

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Property, Tenerife | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)