The SentinelAmsterdamIntegrity, heart, humour

vol. 4 #14 – 16 August 2011

AmsterdAm when the sun shines!

FEATURE

PERSPECTIVES

LOCKED UPABROADLIFESTyLESOPInIOnTRAVELTEChnOLOgyCARTOOnTREndSSPORTCLASSIFIEdS

COnTEnTS 02

03COnTEnTS

in this issueFEATURE P. 03

COLOPhOn

The Sentinel Amsterdam

e-mail: sentinelpost@gmail.comwebsite: www.thesentinel.eu

The Sentinel Amsterdam does not intentionally include unaccredited photos/illustrations that are subject to copyright. If you consider your copyright to have been infringed, please contact us at sentinelpost@gmail.com.

Editors – Gary Rudland & Denson PierreDesign, realisation and form – Andrei Barburas & No-Office.nlWebmaster – www.sio-bytes.tumblr.comWebhost – Amsterjammin.com

Contributors: Alina Croitoru, Sharmin de Vries, Simon Owusu, David King, Colin Bentley & Dirkje Bakker

Amsterdam when the sun shines!

PERSPECTIVES P. 14

Locked up abroad

REVIEW P. 22

Hanging by history

TREndS P. 33 SPORT P. 36 mORE:

Albert Klok or Hans Heijn?

The Gold Room TEChnOLOgy P. 28Cyber jungle king

FILm REVIEW P. 32Room 2CCARTOOn P. 32

CLASSIFIEDS

‘People who live in Amsterdam West appear to be the least likely to move away’

‘The price of certain edible green leaves has become ridiculously expensive without people notic-ing’

‘It’s impossible not to notice the sadness in their eyes, the bore-dom and the hopelessness’

‘Shot from behind at the theatre while sitting in an enclosed auditorium’

04FEATURE

By Denson Pierre

FEATURE 05

Amsterdam when the sun shines!In tandem with a substantial proportion of the longer-term international settlers in the submarine city, Denson Pierre takes a good look at his current district of residence.

Amsterdam West

‘Everything in this district seems to have been used as a template for national discussions’

Of all the districts in Amsterdam, West (recently administratively enlarged) is the trickiest to sum up, even in an article for The Sentinel. Everything in this district seems to have been used as a template for national dis-cussions on socio-political issues, and it is an area of occupied real estate that has been able to swiftly and dramatically change character.

Back in the spring/summer of 1999 – when most of the urban western world, and certainly Amsterdam, did not yet understand what terror and ideological impasse, mani-festing through violence, could mean outside of a state of declared war – Amsterdam West was the ‘frontline’ in the most unholy and methodologically over-hyped clashes of groups on groups and the police. A stigma remains about these highly socially dysfunctional ‘allochtone’ (second- or third-generation non-ethnic Dutch), young, male, attention-seeking groups of this area.

The Sentinel is not a political publication by choice but it is important to say that the drama back then received highly unbalanced reporting, because the groups involved in the conflicts did not have an equal voice in the Dutch- or English-language press at the time. Amsterdam West is not as comfortably mixed and integrated in the way that Amsterdam Oost is, for example. Here, a high concentra-tion of Turkish and Moroccan citizens forms easily 60% of the minority, non-European/Caucasian population. All the East-West clash and burn rhetoric finds ready, visible and audible air. The form this discourse takes can be read else-where but it is fair to say that most ideas held by persons not living in, or properly familiar with, this district tend to be informed by outdated prejudices that bear very little relation to our day-to-day lives in this district.

‘Amsterdam West is not as comfortably mixed and integrated in the way that Amsterdam Oost is, for example’

Urban regeneration projects do work. We should be grateful that, some years ago, Amsterdam’s administrators and the national government realised that many problem

situations regularly emerging were linked to matters not just of social origin, but also to those consistent with a negatively self-fulfilling, depressed and not properly commercially exploited properties and spaces clouding an area. Exceptional investment has taken place and subsidies have been made available to progressive individual entrepreneurs, companies, artists, creative studios and community improvement groups over the past decade. With the deep bite of austerity, some of these have recently lost funding but most of the well-managed examples have grown from strength to strength while benefiting from targeted ‘preferential budgeting’.

House owners and renters in this area have seen the overall feel and tone of most areas spruced-up and the infrastructure improved. It is now old news that some of the more brave and bold from the hospitality industry and other small creative projects are springing up all over the district and doing well, especially now that residents here seem to have developed greater pride and cohesiveness in public life related to entertainment and pastimes.

Unusually for Amsterdam (and maybe because it is rather nice), people who live in Amsterdam West appear to be

the least likely to move away for anything less than major life change reasons. There is a very set community of ‘real Amsterdammers’ and a very good count of international residents who have done their time and, after more than 15 years, have come to realise that it is hard to beat Am-sterdam West as a place to live an average life, if you work out the true cost of living in this world city.

‘The majority of houses and apartment blocks are generally unremarkable but still rather more than adequate to nice’

It can still be affordable to live here and there are a lot of once working class sub-neighbourhoods to choose from. The majority of houses and apartment blocks are generally unremarkable but still rather more than adequate to nice. Noise and street clutter is not common as the share of real estate available for commercial use is of low to very low volume in parts. For leisure we have more. Swimming pool complexes on Marnixstraat and Jan van Galenstraat handle the water lovers and for greenery and sun lazing we have the small and tidy Erasmus Park, Westerpark

FEATURE 06

‘Exceptional investment has taken place and subsidies have been made available to progressive individual entrepreneurs, companies, artists, creative studios and community improvement groups’

and the secretly best large park in which to spend time on a hot summer’s day, when all others are crowded: Rembrandtpark.

‘A taste of any corner of the flavour-filled world is always but a short cycle ride away’

Hitting the bars and eateries here is aided by a comprehensive offering. A taste of any corner of the flavour-filled world is always but a short cycle ride away. The current ‘hot spot’ remains café/restaurant Club Edel. This has what must be one of the city’s top three finest sun-capturing, large, waterside terraces, housed in a monumental building that may only be known to many Sentinel readers as the address where they took their first Dutch language lessons years ago. Older favourites like Café Alverna have kept their charm and both are within easy reach of the specialist Belgian beer palace that is Gollem III. Over on the Westergasfabriek terrain, young adults can enjoy an entire micro-society revolving around

music, fun and boozy meet-ups.

Shoppers in West are served well by the few shopping streets, squares and numerous boutique-type shops seemingly popping up all over, and anything forgotten can usually by grabbed at the Ten Kate Market six days a week. On the downside, perhaps a few too many suspiciously late opening ‘oriental massage parlours’ have sprung up of late.

Although I started off this piece saying it was tricky to sum up Amsterdam West, I hope that it has become clear from my calm tone that, paradoxically, it is extremely easy and pleasurable to actually live here. My own first long stint of two years began in 1995. The gap years since then were interspersed with a couple of shorter (quarter to half year) stays, leading up to my recent return in 2010. I now, once again, fully appreciate living in what I call the centre of the city for people who wish to avoid the double bind of trying to live in a lovely area of Amsterdam, without hav-ing to endure tourist congestion or glamour tag prices.

FEATURE 07

‘Exceptional investment has taken place and subsidies have been made available to progressive individual entrepreneurs, companies, artists, creative studios and community improvement groups’

FEATURE 08

FEATURE 09

FEATURE 10

FEATURE 11

SPORTCLASSIFIEdS 12

CLASSIFIEdSCLASSIFIEdS 13

14PERSPECTIVES

LOCkEd UPABROAD

‘Entering the gardens, we first bumped into a multitude of apes, monkeys and camels’

PERSPECTIVES 15

Many of my local friends speak very highly of Artis Royal Zoo: a must-see in Amsterdam, an oasis of wilderness in the centre of the city, another classic gem of Amsterdam’s architec-tural prowess, and so on. Pressured by recent visitors from Romania, with their seven-year-old son, I decided to give Artis a try for myself. I started out with a suspicious mind, given that I usually hate zoos and have always wondered how someone could spend a Sunday at a zoo and still call it a great weekend.

We left home when it was still morning and quickly arrived, the zoological gardens being situated within easy walking distance of the very heart of Amsterdam. Waiting at the entrance was an already quite intimidating queue of people, but everything is so surprisingly well organised that in less than 10 minutes we were holding our tickets (which cost euro 20 each and there’s no student discount in the summertime). Entering the gardens, we first bumped into a multitude of apes, monkeys and camels. Surpris-ingly, these are only separated from the visiting public by a narrow, water-filled moat, providing the immediate impression that the zoo might actually be an interesting place to spend some quality time.

We then proceeded to the birds’ quarters, where the little one was genuinely thrilled to see a baby chick hatch from its egg. The aquarium is particularly impressive with hundreds of species of fish; from the exotic to those that populate the murky Amsterdam canals. Equally enjoyable are the terrariums that provide generous room for tens of species of reptile to roam around in (from iguanas and pythons to giant crocodiles).

My optimism levels soon drastically collapsed, however, upon seeing metal cages, as tall as two men, narrowly spaced and crammed with very sad looking animals: solitary parrots, depressed, their beaks hidden in their raggedy plumage; panthers and lynxes laying out in the sun, their heads resting on their front paws, completely ignoring the hordes of loud visitors; a very slow elephant (the advertised newborn calf couldn’t be seen that day), that was swinging its trunk and throwing sand onto its back, visibly bothered by the swarms of flies and the lack of water; a gorilla that just became a mother, in whose eyes you could easily see sadness; birds with huge wings, so perfectly designed for flight yet kept in isolated cages; and other animals looking like they were unjustly serving time in prison. What depressed me the most, personally, were the bears, the sea lions, the vultures and a species of wildcat. I’d never seen animals looking so bored out of their minds and sad at the same time.

By Alina Croitoru

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sadder oxymoron than a caged vulture’

‘What depressed me the most, personally, were the bears, the sea lions, the vultures and a species of wildcat’

16PERSPECTIVES

PERSPECTIVES 17

Omer. – Winner (gold) – World Beer Cup 2010

‘Even though I’d seen nice things you can’t fully enjoy such a place if you love animals’

A brown bear, on which you could only look down from above, was repeatedly pacing back and forth in his four-square-metre enclosure, gazing with lost eyes at the pass-ing mobs, giggling and taking pictures. One of the wildcats was doing the same thing: it seemed stuck on a single command for more than five minutes, walking two steps forward and two steps back on a wooden plank in its cage. And the vultures... they looked more like caricatures. Al-though they were well fed and healthy looking, the metal grates on the cages and the powerful sun, from which they had no place to escape, robbed them of all their majesty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sadder oxymoron than a caged vulture. And last but not least, the sea lions managed to make me even sadder. Out in the blinding sun, from which they could only retreat into the cold water, they seemed to be the absolute stars of the zoo. Sociable, exposed from all vantage points (there are even windows that allow you to see them underwater), they didn’t seem to really mind the crowds gathered to take pictures of them. But you couldn’t ignore the fact that there was barely enough room for the five of them in the enclosure, or the heat in which these animals, designed to live in extreme cold, were being kept.

The penguins, far greater in number (I counted about 40), were in the same situation, standing by a small body of stale water and assaulted by very loud hordes of visitors.For the most part, the experience was an unpleasant one. Even though I’d seen nice things (everything is clean, the vegetation is lush and well looked after, the animals are loved and treated with care, the cafés are really nice and the prices are quite low), you can’t fully enjoy such a place if you love animals. Despite how fit and healthy they are, it’s impossible not to notice the sadness in their eyes, the boredom and the hopelessness. I left the zoo feeling tired and extremely sad. When I stepped out of the gate I felt partly relieved, partly guilty: guilty that, even if for a sum of money, I exploited these animals that can’t express their need for freedom other than with their exhausted gazes; relieved that I don’t have to face their sad expressions any more, that my day there was over.

On the way home I considered, with slight embarrassment, how good it is to be able to walk wherever you want and have the freedom to decide what to do with your life. For me, the day ended with a life lesson and a promise never to set foot in a zoo again. For the animals, just another day comes to an end; one out of the thousands in which they won’t get to do anything except get bored in their cages, powerless and exposed to curious eyes. Each time different eyes but with no other purpose than to take a picture or study them. There are so many nice things you can see in Amsterdam for euro 20. Why spend it on one of its very few sad parts?

‘The day ended with a life lesson and a promise never to set foot in a zoo again’

18PERSPECTIVES

PERSPECTIVES 19

CLASSIFIEdS 20

CLASSIFIEdS 21

22REVIEW

Hanging by History

REVIEW 23

By Sharmin de Vries

Looking for an escape from the ever-present rain and gloom of this summer in Amster-dam? Already made peace with the fact that late nights on a lush park lawn with a bottle of rosé will remain a distant memory? Then take yourself back to 1912, when a tiny cinema opened its doors on Amsterdam’s Haarlemmerdijk and, on the verge of its hun-dredth birthday, is still going strong.

A true gem of the cinema scene in Amsterdam and one that provides a sensuous whiff of old-school community life with a hint of glamour, The Movies is Amsterdam’s oldest cinema. It was originally called Cinema Tavenu but changed its name to Cinema Hollandia just two years later. Up to the Second World War, the cinema served as a com-munity theatre, only showing films that had already been shown in the city centre’s larger establishments. While other community cinemas have faltered, The Movies has stood the test of time and, after a period of mainly show-ing action films, the move to quality films was made.

Hit by the infectious art-deco carpet, old brown furniture and red velvet ropes upon entering, this immediately con-jured up images of ladies dressing up to the nines to go to the ‘pictures’, while raucous laughter fills the air from men drinking large glasses of beer at the nearby bar. In contrast to most cinemas (with the exception of Tuschinski), which are pretty homogenous and have been completely taken over by various international chains, The Movies

offers that special magic that used to be associated with a cinema visit. Moreover, its cove-like restaurant offers a fine selection of dishes that I would consider almost gourmet quality. I went to The Movies on an ordinary Monday night and found the restaurant packed to the gills. I opted for the crispy sea bass, which was perfectly succulent and well-cooked, in a beetroot sauce with lots of chopped spring onions, glasswort and small potato chunks.

The film I saw was The Conspirator, which tells the semi-true story of the alleged involvement of a female co-conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It seemed quite eerie to watch the infamous scene of Lincoln being shot from behind at the theatre while sitting in an enclosed auditorium myself. The intensity of watching a woman, who seemed innocent, face death by hanging certainly heightened the experience of being in historic surroundings.

If you want be transported back to a time when visiting the cinema was considered a big deal and a special occa-sion, you will love The Movies. It goes completely against the era in which we live, of film as instant gratification. Although, as a self-professed film buff, I must admit I also like my quick-fix cinema outings. The Movies is the perfect setting for an enchanting evening, provided you don’t opt to see a big blockbuster (which they also show on occasion) but instead watch a quality indie film that will give you food for thought and may inspire a discussion afterwards in the red plush foyer.

‘A true gem of the cinema scene in Amsterdam’

‘Ladies dressing up to the nines to go to the ‘pictures’, while raucous laughter fills the air from men drink-ing large glasses of beer at the nearby bar’

24REVIEW

‘The movies offers that special magic that used to be associated with a cinema visit’

REVIEW 25

26CLASSIFIEdS

27CLASSIFIEdS

TEChnOLOgy

hangouts

lion

app store

versions

28

‘As absurd as it sounds, what if you did not have to think about saving your documents?’

‘Think of the countless times you have been on a computer and wanted to perform a task but the right program was not installed’

TEChnOLOgy 29

Martin Luther King Jr is not the only one who had great dreams. A few weeks ago I dreamt of a futuristic operating system (OS) and, if it existed, what it would do and what features it would have. Here are two of the features that came to me whilst dreaming.

Everyone has heard the mantra, “Always back-up”. Yet, I have seen grown men cry and heard anguished screams from students after losing critical work they have slaved over for days, weeks, months or even years. Also, the experience of accidentally over-writing a document with a more recent one, containing changes that you wanted to discard, is another bitter pill to swallow. As absurd as it sounds, what if you did not have to think about saving your documents? No need to worry about some mishap causing you to lose your work unexpectedly. That is what I dreamt, an OS that did the saving for you periodically or when you stopped for a few moments. Furthermore, would it not be great if this OS kept copies of your documents, so you could go back in case you were unsure of saved amendments?

I also dreamt that the OS knew what programs you used and made them ready for you, regardless of what computer you were on. With cloud computing, these days, we can ac-cess our documents from any internet-enabled computer, so why not our programs? Think of the countless times you have been on a computer and wanted to perform a task but the right program was not installed on that particular device. Imagine logging onto any computer and accessing any or all of your programs. Any computer could be your computer at login. For a computer user on the move, not having your own computer would no longer be a deterrent to getting your work done. That is certainly futuristic.

Some dreams do come true and on 20 July this year, the latest version of the Apple Operating System was launched. MAC OSX Lion has the two features I dreamt about. Lion automatically saves your documents and also keeps copies of your changes to those documents. When you exit a

program, all the documents you have created, opened or modified are saved automatically. If your computer crashes, you don’t have to worry, since all your docu-ments would be saved. But this auto-saving feature not only relates to documents; it also saves the state of your programs exactly how you left them. When you restart the computer, Lion starts where you left off with the docu-ments you had open, their position on the screen, the open palettes and even where you left the cursor in a document before the restart. If you had multiple browser windows open, each would open to the exact page you were viewing when you exited the browser. The Lion feature that saves copies of your documents is called Versions. This automatically saves a copy of your document while you work without any interruptions or user involvement. To access older versions of your documents, you just click on the document name in the title bar and select ‘Browse All Versions’. This launches an interface in which your current document is presented on the left hand side and the saved versions on the right, in chronological order. You can the scroll through the versions on the right and select the document you want to restore. You don’t have to restore the full version of the document, either; you can move parts of a document from one version into your current document.

The Mac App store in Lion is a centralised repository for your programs. All the programs you purchase through the App store are accessible with your Apple ID, regardless of what computer you are logged into. Any purchased pro-gram can be downloaded onto any computer at no extra cost and with no additional licenses. You use the programs as you would on your own computer. This repository is also great for setting up new computers. No more looking for installation CDs or fretting about license keys and serial numbers. Your Apple ID is the only ‘key’ you need to download and install your programs.

Lion includes more than 250 new features and these are just a few of them. Apple’s aim with Lion is to take the hassle out of computing and make the experience as enjoy-able as possible. It’s like a dream come true!

By Simon Owusu

techBit: sio-Bytes

Cyber jungle king

‘The Mac App store in Lion is a centralised repository for your programs’

CLASSIFIEdS 30

CLASSIFIEdS 31

www.concultancymarketmedia.com

yourobjective,ourresolution.

room 2cfilmBy David King

The mission (1986)

After Spain concedes land to the dastardly Portuguese, in 1750, there was always going to be trouble ahead. Fast-forward to South America, where Jesuit priests are converting local Indian tribes and find them-selves in the middle of a slave war. Should they stand and fight or give up on the people they care for? Beautiful scenery (including the stunning Iguazu Falls) and a truly unforgettable soundtrack by Ennio Morricone make this film a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle.

FILm REVIEW 32

CartoonBy Colin Bentley

Whoa! Who gave you those black eyes?No-one gave them to me – I had to fight like crazy for both of them.

33TREndS

Recent research claims that the vegetable on which the Dutch spend most money is lettuce. Not because it is the most popular or that we are eating more and more of it, but because the price of certain edible green leaves has become ridiculously expensive without people noticing.

Entire lettuces are being left on the shelves, while we spend money on ready-made, meal salads (a few green bits, usually some chicken, a lot of mayonnaise dressing, pasta, potatoes and other ‘healthy’ bits), or bags of pre-cut or mixed leaves that mostly contain air. Rucola is a regular winner in this display category.

On the whole, less green is being eaten while more cash is being spent on it.

It’s a nice Hans Klok-type trick that the supermarkets have played on us, while seemingly making our lives easier by preparing this and that in such a way that we are less busy with the ‘heavy’ tasks of cutting and washing lettuce (it doesn’t even need cooking – this is really brilliant!). Imagine…

A spotlight on chiselled features surrounded by long, blond hair waving in giant fan-blown air.

Sparkles, the illusionist’s arms wave, shimmering lights

By Dirkje Bakker

Albert Klok or Hans Heijn?

and smoke, he unveils…

“Fresh from the land, a whole lettuce for o 1.95.”

The glamorous assistant enters with her dazzling smile and glittery outfit. She swirls elegantly and grace-fully, takes up a kitchen knife, the blade flickers in the spotlights.

There is a flash of light, a blaze of fire, sounds of thunder, more wavy hair, the audience is mesmerised, frozen in their seats, eyes wide open, as beads of sweat slowly form on Hans’ forehead. While the audience is distracted, the assistant cuts, washes and separates the leaves into five plastic bags, puts a black velvet cloth over them and jumps into a cage from which a tiger was growling at her.

A drum roll ends with a crash as Hans reveals the five plas-tic bags of lettuce leaves. The glare of the spotlights hits his unnaturally white teeth, almost blinding an elderly lady sitting in the front row who is only there as a treat from her grandchildren on her 70th birthday. She doesn’t get out of the retirement home much and is fascinated by the exotically packaged salad on the stage.

“Salad leaves – o 1.45 per bag!”

In unison and with overwhelming applause the audience rises to its feet.

‘The assistant cuts, washes and separates the leaves into five plastic bags, puts a black velvet cloth over them and jumps into a cage from which a tiger was growling at her’

CLASSIFIEdS 34

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

What you will get from us:

Informal financial servicesWorking hours to suit you - evenings and weekends are normalIndependence from any other makelaar (real estate agent)Expert knowledge of the property marketYou will be accompanied through every stage of the processA bespoke serviceLow fees (about half of a Dutch makelaar)

W: www.AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

We will find you a home!

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

T: +31 (0)6 46613315

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

What you will get from us:

Informal financial servicesWorking hours to suit you - evenings and weekends are normalIndependence from any other makelaar (real estate agent)Expert knowledge of the property marketYou will be accompanied through every stage of the processA bespoke serviceLow fees (about half of a Dutch makelaar)

W: www.AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

We will find you a home!

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

T: +31 (0)6 46613315

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

What you will get from us:

Informal financial servicesWorking hours to suit you - evenings and weekends are normalIndependence from any other makelaar (real estate agent)Expert knowledge of the property marketYou will be accompanied through every stage of the processA bespoke serviceLow fees (about half of a Dutch makelaar)

W: www.AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

We will find you a home!

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

T: +31 (0)6 46613315

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

What you will get from us:

Informal financial servicesWorking hours to suit you - evenings and weekends are normalIndependence from any other makelaar (real estate agent)Expert knowledge of the property marketYou will be accompanied through every stage of the processA bespoke serviceLow fees (about half of a Dutch makelaar)

W: www.AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

Amsterdam Property Finder is a company designed to help Expats go through the process of buying their own home.

We will find you a home!

E: info@AmsterdamPropertyFinder.com

T: +31 (0)6 46613315

Get advice on housing, rental contracts and apartments in Amsterdam

www.wswonen.nl/english

AMSTERDAMthe global expat network

CLASSIFIEdSCLASSIFIEdS 35

www.yourtuliptour.com

SPORT 36SPORT

Sergio Aguero

Connor Wickham

SPORTSPORT 37

At the time of writing (10 August), anyone with an interest in football is hoping that the first weekend of the Premier League will go ahead, as planned, with a full undisrupted programme. Authorities in the UK were liaising over whether it would be safe to encourage large, impassioned gatherings at sporting confrontations, while thousands of youngsters seem intent on destroying their urban worlds in the same ways as in those all-too-realistic video games with which they are allowed to mis-educate themselves.

Here in the FFG-CL, experienced managers have once again invested in the most compact and hopefully effective starting elevens that 40 million fantasy pounds can buy. It is common knowledge that a good-to-flying start sets up a manager to cruise the opening ten weeks, while seeking advantage through planning for the cooler autumn and winter months, when substitute-depleting injuries may call for tactical adjustments. It is only after roughly this number of weeks that a manager can make any reliable assessment of the form and scoring averages of the competition’s teams.

At present, however, when nothing is yet clear, it is always useful to greet the new season by highlighting a couple of objectively brilliant players newly arrived to the Premier League, who could have an influence on its eventual outcome, as well as that of the FFG-CL.

In acquiring the midfield and front of goal services of Ser-gio Aguero, Manchester City have galvanised the impres-sion that they are inevitably becoming a force to be reck-oned with; this season, next or very soon. It is interesting

to note that many esteemed journalists, Madrileños and Argentinean hordes rate this young man extremely highly as a natural, all-round skilful and devastating player.

During the 2008-2009 Champions League, I was lucky enough to see Sergio close-up, in action for Athletico Ma-drid at PSV Eindhoven, and wondered then why the very biggest clubs had not drafted him in, whatever the price. He is a dynamo of clever movement and stocky power. He glides away into acceleration, dribbles, shifts the direction of attack in rare and sensational ways, and gets shots away while defenders are still wondering how he managed to get past, through or around them.

Not many players are regularly able to leave international defenders literally scratching their heads after he evades them again to create yet another threatening attack. He is also tough and this should help him roll the nudges and kicks to the shin dished out in the Premier League without flinching. Most importantly, he is an instinctively accurate finisher with either foot. Aguero can only do well in a Premier League in which touch and speed are highly coveted qualities. He has these qualities and everything else needed to spare.

On a slightly less exalted perch, Connor Wickham is a young, English, powerhouse of a man who can easily be an impact player at Sunderland. His coach and chairman are exemplary mentors on how to effectively and successfully apply natural, out-sized physical assets in the English top division. The exuberance of youth aligned with his physi-cal attributes and skill levels, fine-tuned in East Anglia, should see him prosper directly as a goal-scoring target man at the highest level.

For teams and current tables see: http://thesentinel.eu/ffg/Latest-FFG.htm

By Denson Pierre

the Gold room

CZECH REPUBLIC - STUNNINGLY DIFFERENT!

www.czechtourism.com

SPORTCLASSIFIEdS 38