Filed under: iPod Family
iPod helps Manchester United win the Carling Cup
While the American football season has been over since the Pro Bowl, the rest of the world is still enjoying football -- or soccer as we Yanks refer to it. A number of readers gave us a heads-up this morning on a story that is a huge PR win for Apple. Yesterday, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were scoreless after 120 minutes of regulation play in the English League Cup Final, forcing the game to be decided on penalties.
United's goalkeeping coach Eric Steele promptly pulled out his iPod to show goalkeeper Ben Foster videos of Hotspur players taking penalty shots. The result? United won the game 4 - 1 in the penalty shootout that followed.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Foster noted "We went into the shoot-out as well prepared as possible. We have had things to look at over the last couple of days and before the shoot-out, you can see me looking at an iPod with Eric Steele. It had actual video on it and showed where players put things. Eric brought it when he came to the club. I have never seen anything like it. It is a fantastic tool for us."
Congratulations go out to Manchester United, and we at TUAW hope this means more iPods and iPhones will be seen on the sidelines at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Josh said 11:40AM on 3-02-2009
It was definately a tense shoot-out and Foster seemed to have the Hotspurs numbers on where they were going with the free kick. What doesn't the ipod do these days.
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Victor said 11:53AM on 3-02-2009
Copy and paste.
Hawkman said 12:08PM on 3-02-2009
In fairness, he only actually saved one – and it was a poor penalty, within easy reach. Plenty of keepers do better than that.
David Bentley could have used an iPhone with GPS, though.
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KarlW said 12:47PM on 3-02-2009
Right now, I think David Bentley could do with one of Futurama's suicide booths.
Can you believe Inter offered us Quaresma for Bentley? Who the hell wouldn't take that deal?
Hawkman said 12:56PM on 3-02-2009
Harry Redknapp, apparently?
At the end of extra time, a friend of mine immediately said "I bet you Bentley misses." I didn't take him up on it... Also, who on earth would let someone as clearly terrified as O'Hara take the first penalty? Sheesh.
matt Carey said 12:14PM on 3-02-2009
"scoreless after 120 minutes of regulation play"
ROFL! Had to be written by an American!
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Finnschi said 12:21PM on 3-02-2009
Like anyone thinks that South Africa will be ready by 2010, lets do it in Germany Again (Best Worldcup EVER)
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Steve Rapport said 12:37PM on 3-02-2009
"Hotspur players"? "The Hotspurs"? Are you all kidding? Come on, make
an effort. They're just called 'Spurs'. Although to most of us they
are the wankers from Shite Hart Lane. But no-one in their right mind
has ever called them "The Hotspurs." Ever.
Come on you Irons!
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Karlo said 12:39PM on 3-02-2009
I don't see what's new on it.
German goalkeeper, Lehmann, was the main resposible of Germany winning the 2006 World Cup match vs. Argentina in the penalties series.
And the beauty of his method was that he did it ony with notes written in a little piece of paper!!
:-P
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Shane said 12:41PM on 3-02-2009
Americans just kinda dont get it - the whole footie vibe. not an attack, i know f-ck all about baseball, basketball or american football, we're both as ignorant as each other :)
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Alan said 12:55PM on 3-02-2009
Just FYI, it's highly likely that the video clips they were watching were generated in a sports video analysis program called Sportscode - a Mac only application that makes it easy to code and analyse games. Man United are users of the software.
As for the kindly gentleman who suggested South Africa won't be ready for 2010 - I have 2 words - Hamba Kahle.
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smiling_jack said 1:06PM on 3-02-2009
That is actually against the rules, but i would say that I was there and I am a Spurs fan ;)
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shaun said 1:42PM on 3-02-2009
Guys... most people in the UK hate Man United, just a heads up!
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sean said 4:56PM on 3-03-2009
Incorrect.
United are the most popular football team in the UK and all over the world.
Also we're the English, European and World champions!!!
Sherwin said 1:57PM on 3-02-2009
Check out this up-coming Penalty Kick game for the iPhone from True Athlete:
www.trueathlete.net
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darkshark0159 said 3:33PM on 3-02-2009
Bah. Apple should refuse to sell iPods to the manchies (not that I like tottenham either).
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Cary said 5:15PM on 3-02-2009
Oh for Pete sake! Like Windows Mobile and Google Android couldn't have performed the same task! It never ceases to amaze me at the tactics folks will sink to in an attempt to promote something! In any case - My Red's have done it again.
Cheers...
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Marc said 10:36PM on 3-02-2009
I know why would a website called "the Unofficial APPLE web log" talk about an APPLE product? Especially their best seller?
So weird!
Jamie Giles said 6:00PM on 3-02-2009
Windows mobile and google android? Where not talking about the iphone here. Its about the IPOD.
I P O D
Cheers...
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