Gäste Forum » No. 1 ranking, whether in singles or doubles

Stillness and Speed is the title of the Dutch maestro Dennis Bergamps autobiography. It is also an apt way to describe the contrasting yet highly effective attributes brought to the Western Bulldogs by two key members of their Grand Final side: Matthew Boyd and Jason Johannisen.Boyd is the stillness, the calmness at the heart of the Bulldogs back half. Moved from midfield to defence in one of Luke Beveridges first decisions as senior coach last year, he has experienced a resurgence in fortunes illustrated by All Australian selection.Johannisen, 11 years Boyds junior, is the speed that breaks from that same defensive line to shape many a Bulldogs attack, and offers a tremendous avenue to capitalise on the teams inside skills. This was never better illustrated than during the preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney, when Johannisen broke away time and again, either to relieve pressure or impose it.These two contrasting players have equally contrasting backgrounds. Boyd was raised in Melbournes southwest, playing his early football for Narre Warren, Dandenong Stingrays and Frankston in the VFL. Johannisen lived in Johannesburg until he was eight years old, when his parents chose to move to Western Australia, having enjoyed a holiday there. A background featuring as much athletics, rugby and soccer as AFL helped give Johannisen his speed and evasive ability.As a kid I was just blessed to have that speed and at school carnivals I was winning every race and stuff like that, Johannisen says. I did a bit of junior athletics growing up so that definitely helped technique-wise and things like that, but I think mostly its just good genetics. I dont have much memory of Johannesburg, just of riding my bike to the shop, playing soccer on the street with neighbourhood kids and all that kind of stuff. I was very grateful my parents decided to move to Perth to give me and my sister a better opportunity at life.My dad played soccer so I was a big soccer fan, and rugby too obviously being born in South Africa. When I first got to Perth I started playing rugby, and my cousin at the time was playing footy and his team needed some extra numbers and I decided to have a try and just loved everything about the sport, so exciting and entertaining to play.That enthusiasm was something Boyd had always shown through more than a decade trucking through the Bulldogs midfield. But it was the arrival of Beveridge as coach for 2015 that had Boyd looking beyond his habitual centreline commission for another role. The game had evolved almost to be unrecognisable from the more individually contested brand Boyd began with, but those years of watching it change made him an astute choice have an overview from half-back.It was just a pretty informal discussion with Bevo when he first came to the footy club about seeing me being able to play a different position and add a string to my bow, Boyd says. It was always really a plan B to be a beckman and to come out of the midfield and go down there.He thought having someone with experience and game sense there, being able to see the game in front of you might help us with setting up the ground and with our ball use coming out of defence. I really wanted to work hard on it over the pre-season, make sure I was ready to go in that first pre-season under Bevo to roll into the season and play that sort of role.It was a pretty quick progression from plan B to plan A, but its worked out pretty well. Ive been happy that late in my career Ive been able to adapt and play a different role for the side.By his own admission, the games changes have tested Boyd as a player not noted for explosive speed. But at the same time his experience and calm have helped other young players to find the right mix of the intense and cerebral in a Bulldogs side that leans as heavily on skill as it does on the fighting spirit conjure up by thoughts of the working class western suburbs.I spent the early part of my career playing real lockdown defensive roles in back pockets, Boyd says. Footy was a lot different when I first started 15 years ago, playing that sort of role was a lot different to being a beckman now, where they really are part of an extended midfield group. Weve seen in a lot of sides theyre a really important part of moving the ball.The speed of the game has certainly increased a lot. It used to sort me a lot more being a one-pace player, being able to truck around and get from contest to contest. But its certainly more explosive now and the demands for high end speed are a lot higher on players. Its become a very tactical, structural game, youve got to have your wits about you and see the different tactical battles going on. Being an experienced player down back youre able to see how the game unfolds.Were all interdependent, we depend on each other to play certain roles and set the ground up. When you talk about defence it really is team defence, 18-man defence. Everyone plays a critical role and when you talk about offence its 18-man offence a well. We think its really important that everyones able to be flexible and play different roles.For Johannisen, that flexibility extended to finding himself far enough forward to kick the winning goal in the Bulldogs thrilling victory over the Swans at the SCG earlier in the year. Anticipation and trust are critical elements of a game plan that allows him to flourish, and it is the likes of Boyd who are the backstops for every calculated gamble by Johannisens quick feet.We have a lot of players that are elite on the inside and their strength is getting the ball out to the runners on the outside and thats where I come into play, he says. Its a bit about anticipation and reading the play, but you back your teammates to get it done and make a call on that.You just have to back your instinct really, its a key part of our game, and if you make the wrong decision your teammate will go in behind you and cover you. That trust is really important.Asked about Johannisen, Boyds face lights up in acknowledgement of their differences, but also how they are mutually beneficial. Were very similar like that me and JJ! he laughs. Hes playing great footy now and he was playing outstanding footy before he went down with that hamstring injury.He was probably the best running half-back in the game at the time. Clearly hes taken his game to a new level and hes really enjoyed the game style Bevos brought in and the confidence the coaches have given him.Stillness and speed. Shoes Wholesale China Free Shipping . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Discount Shoes Online Free Shipping .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. http://www.shoeswholesale.us/ . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Shoes Discount Sale Online . PETERSBURG, Fla. 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LOUIS -- St. GLASGOW -- No one -- not even the surging, soaring, free-swinging Juan Martin del Potro -- beats Andy Murray twice in Scotland within 24 hours.Del Potro has accomplished much during his comeback year, but establishing absolute primacy in the city of Murrays birth was beyond him.Just a day after his gargantuan singles victory over Murray at this Davis Cup semifinal -- which the Argentine had taken in five sets and five hours, in the longest match each of them had ever played -- they came together again for the doubles rubber.Del Potros victory Friday had been spoken of as his revenge after last months Olympic singles final, which had gone the other way, and this time, with his brother Jamie alongside him, it was Murrays turn to be the avenger with a victory that kept Britain, who had trailed 0-2 overnight, in the tie.By comparison with their singles match, this was quite brief, with the Murrays defeating Del Potro and Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 inside three hours to maintain their record of never having lost a Davis Cup rubber together. Were back in the tie, said Jamie, with this doubles match coming just a day after the funeral of their paternal grandfather, Gordon Murray.Only twice before have Britain come from 0-2 to win a tie -- against Germany in 1930 and against Russia in 2013. But this is a team that has already accomplished the supposedly impossible by winning the entire competition last season, the nations first triumph since 1936.Murray will be expected to win the first of Sundays reverse singles rubbers, when he is scheduled to face Guido Pella, so this tie will probably be decided in the fifth rubber when either Dan Evans or Kyle Edmund will encounter Del Potro.Hadnt Del Potro spoken Friday evening of having cramps everywhere? So there was much astonishment when -- an hour before the doubles rubbers began -- Argentina disclosed they had tinkered with the original nominations they had put forward at Thursdays draw ceremony, with Del Potro to feature instead of Federico Delbonis.At first glance, this appeared to be a very big call by the Argentine captain, Daniel Orsanic -- bold bordering on eccentric -- but in all probability it wouldnt have bbeen his decision, but Del Potros.dddddddddddd Once Del Potro had decided he wanted to play doubles, who on earth was going to block him from taking to this indoor hard court?But wouldnt it have made more sense for Del Potro to have rested on Saturday in readiness for Sunday? True, Andy Murray was also fatigued after Fridays exertions -- and there had been some doubt about whether he would participate -- but there was a logic to the Wimbledon and Olympic champion playing doubles. Quite simply, it was a rubber that Britain had to win to stay in the tie.Watching the Murray brothers together on the doubles court, theres some doubt as to which of them should be considered the senior player. While Andy is undeniably the more talented, and certainly the more celebrated after his accomplishments in singles, this is the form of the game which Jamie specialises in.There are few better than Jamie at playing doubles -- earlier this year he became the first British man to hold the world No. 1 ranking, whether in singles or doubles, though he has since lost that status and is currently fourth.Jamies new elite status has come through his partnership with Brazilian Bruno Soares, which was new this year -- they had immediate success at the Australian Open, where Jamie won his first mens doubles Grand Slam title. Just over a week ago, Jamie and Soares scored another major at the US Open. Perhaps neither of the Murrays is the senior player, with the doubles court the only place where they are truly equals.After Andy and Del Potros long-running singles match, the opening set of this doubles match was remarkably brief, lasting a mere 26 minutes. But anyone with any previous exposure to Britains Davis Cup ties must have realised this couldnt possibly continue in such a one-sided, straightforward manner, and the South Americans took the second set and were well-placed to snaffle the third, too, after breaking for a 4-3 lead.But the Murray brothers raised their level, breaking once for parity and then once more for the set. The fourth set was theirs, too. ' ' '