LONDON Jake Butt Limited Jersey , May 23 (Xinhua) -- Do the skills of a playing squad determine the league table fortunes of clubs in the famous English Premiership? Research published Monday shows the best indicator of where a team finishes in the table is its wage bill.
Sports experts at the University of Salford carried out an end-of-season analysis showing the critical part of a so called twelfth man: the wages bill.
With the Premiership's final round of games now completed and Chelsea crowned as League Champions, academics at the university's Center for Sports Business have crunched the numbers for the 2016-17 season.
Experts found that Eddie Howe's Bournemouth performed the highest above expectations, while David Moyes' and Sunderland were the worst performers.
Chris Brady, the center's director, noted the unique strucutre of the EPL in explaining the result. "While tiny margins can affect the final league positions of EPL teams, the reality is the EPL is effectively three mini-leagues, by wage bill, the top six, the middle seven and the bottom seven," he pointed out.
"Only two clubs, Sunderland and Bournemouth, for entirely different reasons, managed to finish outside of their mini-league. Sunderland finished 10 places below that of their expected position by wage bill and Bournemouth finished eight places above there predicted position," he continued.
The team at Salford found that, when ranking managershead coaches by their ability to finish above their wage position, Eddie Howe (+8), Claude Puel (+5), Mauricio Pochettino (+4); Sean Dyche (+3) were the top four performers.
Others worthy of mention include mid-season appointees Craig Shakespeare and Sam Allardyce. When Claudio Ranieri was sacked in week 25 of the season, Leicester were in a -7 position and Shakespeare managed to pull them up six positions to only the -1 level, finishing 12th on the 11th highest wages. Palace were -4 when Allardyce took over and finished +1, a movement of 5 places.
The worst performer was David Moyes' Sunderland with a -10 finish. Other poor showings were the Watford manager, Walter Mazzarri, who took Watford from a +6 position in week 25 to a (-1) position at the finish, Mark Hughes with a -4 finish. Even the "Special One" Jose Mourinho cannot avoid reprimand with a -4 finish for Manchester United.
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For many golfers across the world golf is life itself. No doubt, golf is a very popular sport but there is a lot to it than that what meets the eye.
Though golf may look like a non-athletic sport but don't be quick to judge a book by its cover. Golf requires the same level of athleticism as many other sports. A good fitness program is a must if you plan to play golf on a regular basis. Any professional golfer will tell you the importance of strength, power, flexibility, and stability when playing golf.
Most golf fitness programs will initially identify your weak points and then a plan to overcome these problems will be made to improve the quality of your game.
The following exercises will help you improve your game:
1. Cardio exercises - these exercises boost your endurance and stamina. Stamina will come to your rescue if you are without a golf cart. Also you will be less tired so you will be able to concentrate on your swing. Try jogging in the morning, even swimming is a good form of exercise.
2. Stretching exercises - this will help increase your flexibility and will reduce lower back pain which usually arises after a long day on the golf course.
3. Strength exercises - strength is a major factor in golf. Your swing has to be strong to cover long distances. When you are considering a fitness program then strength training should be on the top of your priority list. It lays the foundation for all the other necessities like balance, coordination etc. Strong tendons and muscles will reduce the risk of injuries while playing.
Proper nutrition:
Proper nutrition is very important for each and every golfer. It puts a lot of strain on the body when you are out under the sun and doing a lot of walking from one hole to the next.
If you are playing from mid-morning to mid-afternoon then a breakfast of oatmeal will give you adequate energy, also a sprinkling of sugar in your coffee helps.
For immediate energy try having some fruit juice. Even raw fruits can help boost your energy levels. A banana is a great example of a fruit packed with energy giving nutrients.
Carry an energy bar with you on the greens along with a bottle of glucose drink for a rapid increase in energy levels.
Keep yourself hydrated at all times to allow your body to operate efficiently.
Eat proper food and make sure you take all the nutrients that your body requires on a daily basis.
These were some ideas to help you improve your game. They will boost your energy and help you get nearer to achieving that perfect swing. To excel in a technical sport like golf, you need mental strength and mental strength is helped by physical fitness. Put your body, mind, and soul into this beautiful game and find success as you go along.