6 Moving on Soccer transfer roundup By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer window for soccer, with plenty of big names seeing a change of scenery. The ridiculous sums of money being thrown around seem to be soccer’s attempt to say, “Economic downturn? What economic downturn?” It’s just not a true transfer window if Arsenal doesn’t offload one of its stars and Manchester United doesn’t make a massive signing. Thankfully, there was one deal that covered both of these. Ina somewhat surprise move, Robin van Persie made the switch to Old Trafford after flirting with several other clubs. Adding to the grief, Alex Song is now a member of Barcelona. The Gunners tried to ease the pain of their ever-frustrated fan base by picking up a few players, namely Lukas Podolski, but it looks set to be another long, fruitless season at the Emirates. United, on the other hand, brought Shinji Kagawa into the squad from Borussia Dortmund to add some attacking flair to the middle of the park while sending the least impressive member of their crowded strike force, Dimitar Berbatov, to Fulham Premier League moneybags Manchester City ensured they got in on the action by securing Javi Garcia’s services from Benfica. Joining Garcia as fresh faces at the club are former Toffee wonderkid, Jack Rodwell, along with Scott Sinclair, and Maicon. Meanwhile, Nigel de Jong, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Adam Johnson were shown the door, heading to AC Milan, Tottenham, and Sunderland, respectively. |: been a busy transfer Ever-loveable Chelsea finally got their hands on one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders when they managed to ink Eden Hazard to a new deal from Lille. With a little luck, Hazard will make Cheatski watchable. Last year’s Champions League Final was the kind of display that justifies the “soccer is boring” comments. They had just as much imagination in that game as a brain-dead lemming. Over at White Hart Lane, the Spuds offloaded Luka Modri¢ to Real Madrid and sent Rafael van der Vaart back to Hamburg. With the funds produced from these transfers, tight-fisted Daniel Levy went out and grabbed Joao Moutinho to fill the void in the midfield. As of this writing, it looks as if Spurs will finally have a keeper, with Hugo Lloris reportedly agreeing to a switch from Lyon. Finishing up at another club backed by some significant money, QPR made themselves worthy of a mention in my books by picking up young Canadian star, Junior Hoilett. While I hate clubs that simply buy their way into relevancy, it’s hard not to cheer for a club with a Canadian. Of course, this could all change if Hoilett pulls a Jonathan de Guzman, but that’s highly unlikely, given Jamaica is his only other eligible country. Also running into Loftus Road is Korean hero, Park Ji-Sung from Manchester United and Julio César from Inter Milan. With the ever troublesome Joey Barton supposedly on his way out, things are looking good for QPR this year, or, at least better than last year’s relegation struggle. And there it is, a Premier League-weighted slant on the transfer window. Manchester United takes the title this year. You heard it here first. Sports. Royals Roundup A new year, a new chance to kick off By Josh Martin, Sports Editor chool. The only reason GS of you are picking up this paper and reading this very article. You’re at Douglas College, and my past two years here have been some of the best times that I’ve been a part of—solely because of getting involved with the school community. Whether it was through the Theatre program that I recently graduated from, the Wales Field School program, meeting new people, or simply getting involved with The Other Press, it’s been a blast. Some of you are here because you have no idea what you want to do with your future. You’re getting in your two years and then transferring off to a university somewhere else. Or you missed your deadline for the BCIT broadcasting program and have to wait another year before entry. Any of those reasons are legitimate, but why not make the most out of it? One of the best ways to get involved with the Douglas College community is through our sports teams. Soccer, basketball, badminton, volleyball, baseball, softball, golf, and the running club. You name it, we got it. Whether you’re an avid fan that loves to watch your peers play, a student that’s new to this place and is interested in sports, or an athlete yourself, then come out and support your troops or join a squad! Our teams will be playing throughout the year here at Douglas and are always up for more support. Last year, Douglas College hosted the 2012 PACWEST Volleyball Championships. Every game was packed to the brim full of fans to cheer on the Royals. Our men’s volleyball team went on to win the PACWEST championship taking the gold right here at home in our very own school— one of the biggest moments in recent years for the Royals athletic department, especially in front of our home crowd. The team to watch this fall are the Royals men’s soccer squad who have fire in their eyes this season, coming after a nightmare of a year last season, when they were disqualified from the league due to the ineligibility of Simrin Rattanpal—who failed to accumulate the 18 credits that were required by PACWEST to compete as a player in the league. This was a huge upset for the soccer squad, who were favoured to win the national championship title in Quebec. This year, there’s no chance of them missing Nationals, as they’re hosting the Championships and will be granted entry regardless. All eyes will be on them this fall, with huge expectations to bring home the title, especially after such a disappointing year. 19