Chelsea F.C - What's Happening?

Chelsea Football Club are the current Premier League champions. This was not the first time they had won the Premier League having won it before in 2005, 2006 and 2010. On top of that, the club has won 7 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and 1 Champions League title, Most of this happened in recent history so the club is one of the biggest in the Premier League.

Now that should mean the club should be sailing to the top of the Premier League, Right? Wrong. At the time of writing this blog post, Chelsea are currently 1 place above the relegation zone. Considering that Chelsea are a club of such high calibre, this is nowhere near good enough. Chelsea have some of the most recognisable players in the Premier League, some of them best in the league yet somehow, they have lost 3 out of 5 games this season. What the hell is going on? Well, I am going to go through some of the problems Chelsea have at the moment and to see how they can improve.

#01 - Transfers

For Chelsea, the summer transfer window was a complete shambles. Despite the impressive acquisition of Pedro from Barcelona, there have been many deals Chelsea have made this summer that are beyond questionable. For example, signing Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco despite scoring only four goals in twenty five league appearances on loan at Manchester United. Young players such as Kenedy and Nathan who are unlikely to get a game at the club and in terms of club departures, selling club legend Petr Cech to biggest rivals Arsenal. The point is Chelsea didn't get the players that they should have got this summer, as proven by the continued rejected bids for Everton defender John Stones. Regardless of how well (or bad) Chelsea are doing by January, they need players that they are actually going to use instead of buying players just for the sake of it.

#02 - Defence

Like I previously said, the continued rejected bids of John Stones proved costly for Chelsea, because the current state of their defence is an absolute mess. Although not technically defence, No. 1 goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is out injured for 3 months forcing them to play backup goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who has conceded 6 goals in the two games he has played for the club. In terms of actual defence, it is like I've said before, a mess. I appreciate everything captain John Terry has done for the club, but as painful as it is for me to say it, he's past it, he's slow and frankly, he's just not as good as he once was, although he shares the blame with right back Branislav Ivanovic who has gotten most of the flack for the club's recent defence problems, having made mistake after mistake since the season's start. Point being, with twelve goals conceded in five games, Chelsea need to sort their defence out, Fast.

#03 - Players who are failing to deliver

With the success of last season, I had little to no worries that the players who stood out the most last season would continue their success into the new season, Boy was I wrong, I know it's only been 5 games and I probably shouldn't judge too soon, but so far, the star players just haven't delivered. For example, Eden Hazard, who was not only Chelsea's star player last season but also the Premier League's best player, has only produced 1 assist so far and has failed to make his presence known in matches this season so far. Another example, Cesc Fabregas, who has done even worse than Hazard. So far he has had a pass rate of barely over 80% and has scored a whopping 0 goals and has produced a grand spanking 0 assists. A player of his calibre should be getting involved whenever he can yet he finds himself pushed back in defence and everything goes belly up. I hope that these players can start finding their feet this season because if our star performers can't play to the best of their ability, then that is a worry.

#04 - Underestimating smaller teams

This problem has not been happening this season, but also in previous seasons. The prime example of Chelsea under estimating a smaller team would be two weeks ago where Chelsea played at home to Crystal Palace, losing 2-1. This would most likely be because the manager thought that Crystal Palace like other clubs (Newcastle. West Brom etc) don't pose much of a threat to their title challenge unlike clubs such as Manchester City so they don't need to worry about those types of clubs. What Jose Mourinho and the rest of the Chelsea coaching staff need to understand is that all teams in the Premier League are a threat to them however big or small they are and they can have an influence on the title challenge as losing little games like that could eventually bite them back near the end of the season when they are (hopefully) competing for Top 4.

#05 - The Manager

Okay, this is going to be quite difficult to point out as I fully respect Jose Mourinho and everything he has done for Chelsea Football Club, but I can't help but feel that he has a huge responsibility in Chelsea's failings so far this season. It all began in the start of the season when he unusually criticized club doctor Eva Carneiro for running on to the pitch to treat an injury that wasn't deemed so serious by him, he then decided to ban her from coming to matches which put the club under heavy criticism. Not only that, but I feel like he refuses to accept any responsibility over what has happened recently and instead brands losses as "fake" and "unfair" when in actual reality, they reflect the performances of the team, there have been talks of him getting the sack but frankly, I think this is absurd, I still think he's a great manager and there is no-one better than him to lead the team, even if he does need to brush up on his attitude.

So there are the five things Chelsea need to fix on in order to improve their chances in the Premier League, they are currently 11 points behind leaders Manchester City leaving their title challenge hanging by a thread and if things don't pick up soon, I'm afraid that Chelsea 2015/16 could turn into Manchester United 2013/14 or Liverpool 2010/11 

Thanks for reading!

Top 10 Alton Towers Rides

Alton Towers is arguably the UK's most popular theme park. Opened in 1980, the theme park has seen many changes since it's inception in terms of rides, finding new ways to create roller coasters and rides to guarantee that people who visit this park will have a day they will never forget.

Now like I said before, the theme park has changed a lot since it opened and the rides that occupy the park are faster, thrilling and adrenaline pumping than ever before. Even though the park has been in the news for all the wrong reasons due to the recent crash on The Smiler, Visitors still enjoy the many rides that the park has to offer. And so these are my 10 personal favourite rides at Alton Towers.

10) The Flume (Opened in 1981)

The Flume was one of the very first rides to open at Alton Towers, opening just 1 year after the theme park. It was renamed in 2004 to tie in with it's sponsorship with Imperial Leather which seems an appropriate sponsor for the ride. In terms of the actual ride itself, it is quite long lasting around 6 minutes and it starts by going up the first lift hill. The car then drops giving visitors their first splash of water and entering a building that drops down in the dark, getting the visitors even more wet. Although The Flume is relatively basic in comparison to other rides, it is still a fun ride to go on and is fun for the whole family.

9) Enterprise (Opened in 1984)

Much like The Flume, Enterprise is another old ride from the early days Alton Towers. The ride has the design of a Ferris Wheel but it turns out that it's much more thrilling than it looks. Once strapped in, the ride spins around in circles then it turns you on it's side and inverts you upside down. The ride lasts around 3 minutes, but if you love rides that go upside down and provide you with lots of thrills then you will absolutely adore this ride.

8) Sonic Spinball (Opened in 2004, Renamed in 2010)

Originally named Spinball Whizzer, Sonic Spinball is definitely one of those rides that kids would want to go on over and over again. The ride cart and layout is similar to what you expect from a Tea Cups ride only this one is on a roller coaster track and spins you around like crazy. What I like about this ride is how it includes songs from the Sonic the Hedgehog games on the ride and since the music is really catchy in my opinion. It definitely gives off a sense of nostalgia. Some parents may hate this ride due to how vomit-inducing it is, but Sonic Spinball is a really fun ride that kids will love and the fact that it is tied in with Sonic the Hedgehog makes it all the more better.

7) Ripsaw (Opened in 1997)

In many cases, Ripsaw is quite similar to Enterprise in terms of how many spins and how many times it goes upside down. The ride can seat 40 people per turn with 2 rows of 20 people and once strapped in, it immediately rocks you back and forth and flips you upside down backwards. There is also a fountain which sprays water although thankfully this only happens when you're high up in the air. The ride does a full 360 degree turn clockwise which means it is definitely not a ride that you want to take children on but with all this being said, Ripsaw is great fun and if you are a thrill seeker that likes the more insane rides then you'll absolutely love this one.

6) Thirteen (Th13teen) (Opened in 2010)

One of the more recent rides at Alton Towers. Th13teen boasts itself as the world's first vertical free fall drop roller coaster and there were great expectations of this ride when it first opened due to it replacing an iconic ride, the Corkscrew. Th13teen starts off by taking you up a lift hill before speeding across tracks through a forest, fitting in with the theme of a dark and creepy forest. Once done it then enters a dark room where it does a mini drop then a massive drop into a different room. Bear in mind that this all happens in the dark so people riding this ride for the first time will not know what to expect. After the drop, the ride goes backwards for a brief period of time before returning to the gate. The ride is quite basic in comparison to the other roller coasters at Alton Towers and I wish the backwards section lasted longer, but Th13teen is still a fun ride to go on and it is a very well made ride from the theme park.

5) Rita (Opened in 2005)

Rita (previously known as Rita: Queen of Speed) is a fast paced, adrenaline pumping roller coaster with a G-force of 4.7. What's interesting about this ride in comparison to the other big roller coasters at Alton Towers is how it doesn't follow the Secret Weapon line which is what each roller coaster is codenamed (e.g Th13teen = SW6) although this may be due to the roller coaster having a different designer than usual. In terms of the actual ride itself, it's one of those launch start rollercoasters that speeds to over 60mph in 2.5 seconds and goes over high speed corners and hills all at the same speed, doing this in under a minute. The ride is short, but it is intense and great fun.

4) Oblivion (Opened in 1998)

Back when I was little, This ride used to scare the hell out of me and when you go on this ride for the first time, it will be easy to see why. Oblivion was immensely popular at Alton Towers due to a large advertising campaign which got people excited about going on this ride. Basically, the ride starts by going up a rather steep ramp and you think this ride is going to be relaxing right? Well that's where you're wrong. It then moves you near an even steeper drop and it stops you right before you're about to go down. I especially love how it presents the "Don't Look Down" writing around the hole as you would be a nervous wreck if you did look down. The ride then drops you into a black hole and you come out rather quickly, after a few twists and turns, the ride is over. Although I didn't like this ride as a kid, now I think it is a really cool ride and to be brutally honest, I think that once you've ridden this ride you can ride anything Alton Towers has to offer. Only the brave would go on this but it's still fun nonetheless.

3) Nemesis (Opened in 1994)

Having been opened to the public over 21 years ago. Nemesis is currently the second oldest roller coaster that's currently standing (behind The Runaway Mine Train) The ride recently celebrated it's 21st birthday so to celebrate this landmark, the name of the ride was styled as "Neme21s" which I have to admit is quite clever. Onto the actual ride itself, it begins with going up a ramp before going at a rather fast speed doing many twists, turns and corkscrews along the way. You also go through what appears to be a cave/dungeon setting whilst on the ride which is pretty cool. It is easy to see why this is a fan favourite as Nemesis is a truly spectacular ride and definitely one to go on if you visit Alton Towers any time soon.

2) The Smiler (Opened in 2013)

Considering the recent crash that happened 2 months ago. The Smiler is definitely a controversial choice for the list. However, despite the crash, I still think that this is an amazing ride with a world record of 14 inversions, more than any other roller coaster in the world. Not only that but it also plays creepy music whilst you're on the ride which although may seem scary, only adds to the atmosphere to the ride. I hope that this ride does not close down as it is one of the finest roller coasters Alton Towers has to offer and considering how ambitious it is and how it's only been open for 2 years. It would be a massive shame to see this ride go.

1) Air (Opened in 2002)

The purpose of the roller coaster Air was to make the person riding feel like they're flying and I have to say it is pulled off perfectly on this ride. The speed at which you go at is unlike anything I've ever ridden before and it really is a smooth ride. The way you go on the ride is not like the other rides at Alton Towers as instead of sitting down, you are, it seems leaning forward in order to simulate the main purpose of the ride - to fly. I first went on this ride when I was 8 years old and I had such a blast riding this meaning that it truly is fun for the whole family. The most remarkable thing about this ride is how it is just over 10 years old yet it still seems like a ride that only just opened last year because of how modern it is. The fact that this ride was what contributed to Alton Towers popularity makes it all the more better and thus makes Air easily the best ride at Alton Towers in my opinion.

Thanks for reading! 

Worst to Best - Mario Kart

The Mario Kart series is one of Nintendo's most successful franchises to date. A total of 8 games have been made across 8 different consoles and each Mario Kart game brings hours upon hours of fun for gamers to enjoy as well as being commercially popular with their respective systems. For example. with 35 million copies sold, Mario Kart Wii is the second best selling Wii game behind Wii Sports of course. More recently, Mario Kart 8 which came out a year ago has sold 1.2 million copies worldwide, becoming the best selling Wii U game so far.

These sales prove that the franchise is still popular 23 years on, and so out of all the Mario Kart games, I have made a list consisting of how I rank the Mario Kart games, from my least favourite to my favourite. So without further redo, in the words of Mario himself, Let's a go!

8) Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA, 2001)

Mario Kart: Super Circuit was the first game in the franchise to be released for handheld consoles and the idea of playing Mario Kart on the go was amazing at the time. Despite this however, there are some reasons as to why I believe this is the black sheep of the franchise. For starters, the controls on the GBA game pad are very fidgety as you are using the D-pad to control the racer. Also, the game hasn't aged particularly well when you compare it to today's Mario Kart games and it's a type of game where you have to replay it constantly to enjoy. Don't get me wrong, Mario Kart: Super Circuit is a good game with a dynamic track list, but looking back, it's just not as appealing any more.

7) Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)

Super Mario Kart was where it all began, This was the first game in the series and is viewed upon as a classic by many people. Since I was born in 1999, This wasn't the first Mario Kart game I've played and so my judgement is mainly based on how it holds up to today's games. Although the game is fun and visually stunning for SNES standards, the game feels very underwhelming when you compare it to later Mario Kart releases and much like Mario Kart: Super Circuit, the game has aged poorly, meaning it is not something I would keep revisiting in the near future.

6) Mario Kart 64 (N64, 1997)

I've got to be honest, When I first played Mario Kart 64, I absolutely hated the game because of how awful the AI was and so if I had made this list a few years ago, this game would've come dead last. However, I have recently been playing through it and I've got to say, it's really grown on me. The game has some of the most memorable tracks in Mario Kart history and the music is really catchy and fun to listen to. However, this game isn't without it's faults. Like I said before, the AI is awful and can overtake you with little effort, especially in 150cc where it just seems so unfair when you get cheated out of victory. Not only that but the game has aged the worst out of all the Mario Kart games. Despite this, Mario Kart 64 is still enjoyable when playing with friends, even if the single player mode is a tad dull at times.

5) Mario Kart Wii (Wii, 2008)

Mario Kart Wii brought a lot of new features to the franchise when it burst onto the scene in 2008. The addition of bikes, the stunt system and without a doubt the best online mode for the Nintendo Wii. Unfortunately, the game suffers the same problem as Mario Kart 64 in the sense that the AI are rubber-banding scumbags. Unlike Mario Kart 64 where the AI can over take you. In Mario Kart Wii, the AI appear to have an unlimited supply of red shells and blue shells, which is incredibly annoying when you're in first place and you suddenly bombarded with shells. This makes races in 150cc heavily reliant on luck as that is where the game really starts to become unfair. Despite this however, Mario Kart Wii is a great game and is chaos with friends, but the brutal single player mode is what prevents this game from climbing any higher on the list.

4) Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (NGC, 2003)

The most prominent feature ever to appear in the Mario Kart series was the addition of two players per kart in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! This feature means that one person is driving whilst the other person in the back of the kart is throwing items. This was a very big risk by Nintendo as the feature was met by mixed reviews from people. Despite this however, this makes races more crazier than ever and much like all Mario Kart games, is especially fun in multiplayer. Some of the tracks in the game are quite bland and annoyingly short, but others are really fun to play through, making Double Dash a joy to play, single player or multiplayer. 

3) Mario Kart 7 (3DS, 2011)

Mario Kart 7 introduced some of the most impressive factors the series has had, with the introduction of hand-gliding and underwater segments. Thanks to these new additions, the tracks in the game are some of the best the franchise has to offer as their creativity makes them very fun to play through in Time Trials. I also thought that the 3D visuals make the graphics really stand out on the 3DS and the retro tracks that were updated are better than they once were. However, I have one main issue with this game and that is the removal of the VS. Mode. Yes, the feature is available in multiplayer mode, but I wish I had the luxury of playing any course I wish with CPU opponents. With all that said, Mario Kart 7 is still a fantastic game and easily one of the series finest outings.

2) Mario Kart 8 (Wii U, 2014)

Even though Mario Kart 8 only came out last year, It is quite possibly the most addicting game in the Mario Kart franchise. Almost everything about the previous Mario Kart games are brought together here nicely. the bikes, the stunts, the hand gliding, the underwater segments and the new addition of anti gravity based courses. Not only does this provide fun filled and creative tracks but it is also one of the most enjoyable multiplayer packages the Wii U has to offer. The one thing that I dislike about this game however is the online mode glitches. Don't get me wrong, the online mode is fantastic but the communication issues can cause glitches in the gameplay which I hope Nintendo can patch up in the future. But aside from that Mario Kart 8 is another fine installment to the series and is all the more glorious now it's in HD.

1) Mario Kart DS (DS, 2005)

Mario Kart DS is without a shadow of a doubt the finest game in the Mario Kart franchise. Many people also consider it to be the best in the series as this is not without a good reason. Although the online mode is primitive compared to future installments, it is still a ton of fun to boot. The single player mode consists of lots to do for the gamer including a Missions mode which has not been introduced in any other Mario Kart game since for some reason. The controls are a massive improvement over Super Circuit as thanks to the DS D-pad. Racing could not be easier, This game was also the first to bring retro tracks into the picture, featuring 16 redesigned retro courses which would be a staple for future Mario Kart titles. In terms of difficulty, this game is by far the most balanced of the franchise and cheap losses are a rarity. Being able to play this all on the go is the icing on the cake and thus makes Mario Kart DS the best game in the franchise in my opinion.

Thanks for reading! 

Duke of Edinburgh 

By Matthew Senior - Cavell/CBA

From the 11th July 2014 to the 13th July 2014, Every single student who was taking DofE (including me) went to participate in the bronze expedition which would somewhat determine whether they would pass the course or not. Prior to this date, there was a practice expedition between the 2nd May 2014 to the 4th May 2014 so we knew what to expect on the expedition and so we would get a general idea of how far we would have to walk.

Not only is the expedition part of the Duke of Edinburgh award, but there are also other modules that are part of the course. The first being Volunteering (e.g nursing home, animal rescue centre or just about any job) Skills (e.g journalism, art, music etc) and Physical (any sport). Two of these modules require 3 months of work whereas the other module requires 6 months of work. It's challenging, but worth it. 

The place we were doing our expedition was Theberton in Suffolk and the walk would take us through all parts of Suffolk and each day of the walk would take roughly 6-7 hours, We were put into walking groups and in these groups, we would be planning how we would be going about our route, how many stops we were going to have and the directions we were going to take. This was always quite a struggle as we continued to get lost all throughout the expedition probably because we couldn't understand the directions and there were places on the map that weren't what they seem.

On Day 1 of the weekend, we didn't do too much walking as it was quite late in the evening. Instead, we just put up the tents, played a couple of games and planned our routes for the day after as well as the day after that. This was quite challenging as we needed to plan how many stops we were going to have and during a walk like this, there would obviously be many stops required. We had to do two different routes and after we had (eventually) done that, we went off to bed.

Day 2 started off quite grim, it had rained all night and some of our stuff was a little bit wet, However, we decided that it wouldn't affect us in anyway and we cooked our breakfast before heading out to begin our expedition. We had to take everything with us whether that be our tent, cooking equipment and rucksacks across a 6-7 hour hike, it was quite challenging as we had to take many stops along the way due to people in my group getting tired but fortunately, we made it back without getting too lost. After getting back, we had dinner, planned our route for the following day and went to bed.

Day 3 was the final day of the expedition, we woke up really early (early being 5am) and had our breakfast. We made sure everything was sorted and we headed off to do the second part of the expedition. During our walk, one of our group members had a bad ankle and could not continue walking, so we had to call the teachers and send her back as it was the best way but apart from that, we were the first group back and once again, we didn't get too lost. Once all the other groups came back, we packed our stuff and headed home.

Overall, although it was tiring, it was a fun weekend and even though it takes a lot of hard work, it is possible despite what other people may think and as long as you know your maps and you're a good walker, then you'll be fine.