If you are looking for footballers to follow on Twitter then you will enjoy this compilation of some of the most active Tweeters from Jordan, the man behind the Footballers on Twitter website. You can find out more about the site by clicking on the image below and you can also connect on Twitter @findafootballer.

Please click on the images to connect on Twitter!

1. Rio Ferdinand

One of the original footballers on Twitter, regularly converses with fans, celebrities and other footballers.

2. Jack Wilshere

Although he only made his breakthrough into the Arsenal team last season, Jack Wilshere has already accumulated a large number of followers.

3. Darren Bent

Bent was one of the first footballers to use Twitter to try and engineer a transfer, when he left Tottenham Hotspur for Sunderland in 2009.

4. Michael Owen

Although his tweets aren’t the most exciting, Owen is very active and has had some very interesting arguments with Piers Morgan.

5. Wayne Rooney

Rooney famously used Twitter to post images of his hair transplant earlier this year. He is one of the most active footballers on twitter.

6. Joey Barton

A controversial figure on and off the pitch, Joey Barton uses Twitter to voice his opinions on a range of topics.

7. Rafael van der Vaart

Van der Vaart regularly tweets pictures from his social life and training, making him one of the most interesting footballers to follow.

8. Cesc Fabregas

Cesc tweets in Spanish and English, and promises to be an interesting footballer to follow as his transfer to Barcelona rumbles on.

9. Dirk Kuyt

Kuyt uses Twitter to keep fans updated on his progress throughout the season, meaning he’s a must-follow for Liverpool fans.

10. Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder uses Twitter to hold competitions and chat to other footballers.

Many thanks to Jordan for sharing his compilation with us. Please do let us have your comments and any other suggestions of footballers who you feel might have been included.

Thank you for visiting The Top 10 Blog. If you like what you see I hope you will share and +1, if you would like to see more then you can Subscribe, Follow, Like and add me to your Circles at the top of the sidebar.

*Image credit

Golden Football – kanate / FreeDigitalPhotos.net (in Excerpt)

It’s a pleasure to welcome a new guest today with a helpful Top 10 for all you who have sporting offspring.  Janis Meredith was brought up in a sports family, married a man who has coached for 27 years, and has had three kids play sports from age 5 to college. She sees issues a bit differently, with a perspective of life from both sides of the bench–as a coach’s wife and as an athlete’s parent.

To find out more about Janis and for some excellent ‘sports parenting’ articles and links be sure to visit her jbmthinks blog.  You can also follow Janis on Twitter @jbmthinks.

In 27 years of being a coach’s wife and 17 years of being a sports mom, I’ve seen it all when it comes to sports parents.  And honestly, I’ve seen it all when it comes to the mistakes they make.

Not that I’ve been perfect, mind you. I’ve made my share of blunders too. And that’s why I’m hoping that making you aware of these mistakes will help you avoid some of the misery I’ve experienced and seen in other sports families.

1. Focus on your child’s playing time.

Parents who obsess about how many minutes their children play advocate selfishness. There is no “I” in the word team, my husband tells his players.  If you worry about playing time, your kid will feel pressured and forget the importance of being a team player. Better to focus on them giving their best each time they get a chance to play.

2. Coach your kid from the bleachers.

When you shout orders to your child from the bleachers or sidelines, you may confuse him—especially if your instructions don’t agree with the coach’s—and  distract him from what’s happening in the game. Besides that, it’s really annoying to other spectators.

3. Badmouth the coach or team mates.

Whenever I see a kid with a bad attitude, I always look at the parents, and guess what? Most of the time, I see that same bad attitude mirrored in mom or dad.  Bad attitudes are contagious. If you trash talk coaches and team mates, you can bet your kid will too.

4. Pressure your kid to play a sport.

Please don’t try to live out your life through your kid. Please don’t  push them to be someone they don’t want to be. You will only build a wall between you and your child that may take years to tear down.

5. NOT bite your tongue when you want to say something really stupid.

The ability to bite your tongue is probably the single most important sports parenting skill you can master.  Bite it when you want to nag your kid. Bite it when you want to give the coach a piece of your mind. Bite it when you want to be negative about your child’s performance, even though you are merely “critiquing”. Bite it. Bite it. Bite. You will be glad you did later.

6. Criticize players or coaches from the bleachers.

Every kid and coach is doing his best out there.  It’s so easy for parents to throw barbs from afar, attacking a kid’s performance or a coach’s decision; but honestly, does it really change anything?  No, it only offends parents whose kids you may be criticizing and advertises that you are a know-it-all.

7. Minimize your child’s feelings.

“Oh, it’s only a game, dear,” a well-meaning parent may say as they console their child after a disappointing performance.  Of course it’s only a game, but at that moment in time, it’s a very big deal to your child. Agonize with him. And the same with a big win or great performance.  Don’t brush it off; join the celebration!

8. Worry about every little thing.

Over the past 17 years as a sports mom, I’ve probably spent hundreds of hours worrying.  About a big game, about playing time, about my child getting hurt.  And you know what? It never changed a doggone thing.

9. Fight your kid’s battles.

I’m all for being your child’s advocate, but there comes a point when you have to let your kid fight his own battles.  Especially as he grows and matures.  How else can you prepare him to stand on his own when he leaves home?

10. Show performance-based love.

Yes, I’ve seen it. Parents who stomp off angrily ahead of their kid after a game because they are upset with what happened in the game.  Your job as a parent is to tell them, before or after each game, that you love them and are proud of them.  Surely you can find something positive to say, even if it’s just “I’m proud of you for trying so hard.”

It’s really okay if you’ve already blown it and made some of these mistakes.  We all will. We can’t help ourselves, because we love our kids so much and want the best for them.  But the fewer mistakes we make, the more fun our families can have as we enjoy sports together. Because watching your kids play sports really can be a ton of fun.

Do you have sporting kids? Please let us know if you have any other tips for parents.

* Image Credits

Chronometer – Suat Eman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pressure – Flickr Sean MacEntee

Failure – Flickr Sean MacEntee

High Five  Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A sporting Top 10 for today with many thanks to Jordan.

Lets take a look at the top ten pound for pound fighters in the UFC. Will the heavyweights rule the roost or can some of the smaller guys spring a surprise on the competition?
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10. Jake Shields

MMA Record – 25 Wins and 4 Losses

A recent signing to the UFC, Shields has yet to face an opponent but will fight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in October. Formerly fighting for Strikeforce, Shields arrives at the UFC with a massive reputation. Many thought he would enter the middleweight division and take a run at Anderson Silva but he has dropped down to middleweight, for his opening fight at least.

9. Lyoto Machida

MMA Record – 16 Wins and 1 Loss

Machida is former UFC Light Heavyweught Champion, losing his title to Mauricio Rua at UFC 113. Machida is well known for his karate style, telling Joe Rogan that ‘Karate was back’ after knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98.

Machida is set to face Quinton Jackson at UFC 123 in November as he looks to get a foot hold in the division once again.

8. Rashad Evans

MMA Record – 15 Wins, 1 Loss and 1 No Contest

After winning season 2 of the ultimate fighter, a surprise in itself, Evans has gone from strength to strength in the UFC. After beating Forrest Griffin in a light-heavyweight championship match, Evans held onto the title for just one match, losing to Lyoto Machida. Since then, he’s gone on to record victories against Thiago Silva and Rampage Jackson, setting up a title fight with Shogun Rua who looks to facing a considerable injury lay-off.

7. Jon Fitch

MMA Record – 23 Wins, 3 Losses and 1 No Contest

Fitch is the unsung hero of the UFC. Ask any casual followers of the sport and not many would list Fitch as a star or main draw but his record speaks for itself. Fitch is currently on a 5 match win streak, winning a unanimous decision against Thiago Alves at UFC 117. Fitch will fight the winner of the St-Pierre / Koscheck rematch.

6. Cain Velasquez

MMA Record – 8 Wins and 0 Losses

Cain Velasquez made his UFC debut at UFC 83, stopping Brad Morris in the first round. He has since gone on to beat Chiek Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira among others. He is set to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in October for the Heavyweight Championship.

5. Mauricio Rua

MMA Record – 19 Wins and 4 Losses

After initially establishing himself in Pride, Mauricio Rua has finally realised his potential in the UFC with wins over Chuck Lidell and Lyoto Machida. Rua currently holds the light-heavyweight title after knocking out Machida at UFC 113 in a rematch of their controversial first bout at UFC 104 which Machida won on decision.

Ruas next fight is thought to be against Rashad Evans but Rua has recently received knee surgery which will keep him out until early 2011

4. Frankie Edgar

MMA Record – 13 Wins and 1 Loss

After notable wins against Tyson Grriffin, Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk in his UFC career, Frankie Edgar earned a title shot against UFC icon BJ Penn at UFC 112. Penn was heavy favourite for the fight, especially after a strong showing in his previous fight against Diego Sanchez. However, Edgar gave the performance of his career and managed to win the match, and title, in a unanimous decision. Edgar faced Penn for a rematch at UFC 118 and won a unanimous judges decision once again, leaving Penn facing a non-title fight for the first time in over three years.

3. Brock Lesnar

MMA Record – 5 Wins and 1 Loss

One of the UFCs most controversial characters, Brock Lesnar is former WWE wrestler and entered the UFC in late-2007. In only 6 fights in the UFC, Lesnar has managed to beat some established names such as Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Shane Carwin. He currently holds the UFC heavyweight title and is expected to face Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in October.

2. Anderson Silva

MMA Record – 27 Wins and 4 Losses

Largely considered the best p4p fighter in MMA, Anderson Silva has been destroying his opponents in frightening style since his UFC debut in 2006.

Although holding the middle weight title. wins against James Irvin and Forrest Griffin has seen Silva fight at light-heavyweight, and look comfortable to say the least.

In his last fight against Demian Maia, Silva caused a ton of controversy with his disrespectful and embarrassing behaviour which caused referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Silva of his conduct and UFC owner Dana White to state that the performance made him the most embarrassed he’d been in his time as UFC president.

Silva faced Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 and was heavy favourite. However, Sonnen gave the performance of his career and dominated Silva for over four rounds. Silva managed to catch Sonnen in a triangle and Sonnen tapped out with only two minutes of the fight remaining. Silva is currently nursing a rib injury and a rematch with Sonnen is thought to be scheduled for Superbowl night or New Years Eve depending on how quickly Silva recovers from his injury.

1. George St-Pierre

MMA Record – 20 Wins and 2 Losses

2009 MMA fighter of the year George St-Pierre is a UFC fans favourite, and if you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing him fight, or watch him being interviewed, it’s easy to see why. With only two losses to his name (to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra), GSP has established himself as the number one fighter in the UFC with his win list reading like a who’s who of fighters. In his last five fights, GSP has defeated Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy, establishing himself at the top of the Welterweight pile.

GSP will be a coach on the new series of the Ultimate Fighter, facing his next opponent, Josh Koscheck.
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Many thanks to Jordan, let us know what you think, do you agree with Jordan? Please let us have your thoughts!

As promised I am pleased to bring you my list of the Top 10 Soccer Tweeters who have caught my eye during the World Cup.

The World Cup Challenge turned out be a step too far with me missing my target of finding a tweeter from each competing nation but never mind, it brought me into contact with some great people.  I always thought that North Korea might have been a bit of a challenge anyway!

My Top 10 is based on Soccer Tweets and blogs, I appreciate that there will be many more out there that I haven’t seen so now is your chance to let me know who has impressed you.

Just click on the images to pay them a visit.

footballitalia

A website for English speaking fans of Italian football so a bit of a disappointing World Cup, some good links and interesting web site.

WorldCupFinals

Topical World Cup Tweets and an excellent web site with loads of Football news and history.

Hattrick Heaven

Prolific Tweets about football and a very comprehensive world football web site, delve past the Home page and you will find a wealth of news and information.

WorldCupTele

Excellent football news service from The Telegraph.

gafferssports

Sports Tweets and the entertaining ‘Gaffers Sports’ blog from Derek Gaffney.

footymix

Footy Tweets and the ‘Footymix’ Social Bookmarking web site.

footballforeasy

A World Cup blog with a bit of a difference from Shelly with some interesting images.

GKGrades

Fascinating Tweets and blog with analysis from the goalkeepers point of view.

GoalUSA

Soccer news links and ‘We Follow’ links to other Soccer people.

footyhut

Premiership based football Tweets with ‘Footy Hut’ which links you to news sources for football and your club. (Looking forward to seeing Newcastle added to the list!)

Hope you enjoy connecting with these Soccer Tweeters.

Now let me know who you think I should have included!

Who have been the best England World Cup players?  This has always been a difficult question to answer but now we may have the definitive answer from Opta.  Their experts have analysed the stats from all the World Cup tournaments since 1966 and have come up with the best players in each position together with a Second XL.

Have a look and see how they compare with my earlier assessment of the best England Footballers.

(Source of information Opta Index and Mail on Sunday Live Magazine, numbers not actual playing numbers)

1. Gordon Banks – 9 appearances at 2 World Cups in 1966 and 1970, a career cut short by a tragic accident.

2 . George Cohen – 6 appearances in 1966.

3. Ashley Cole - 10 appearances in 2002 and 2006, the only member of the 2010 squad to make the team!

4. Mark Wright – 6 appearances in 1990 and not someone I would have thought of, but the stats cannot lie!

5. Bobby Moore – 10 appearances in 1966 and 1970, England World Cup winning captain who just had to be there. (I know he wore no 6)

6.Martin Peters – 9 appearances in 1966 and 1970.  Stylish West Ham midfielder.

7 David Beckham – 13 appearances 1998, 2002, 2006, I suppose he just had to be there given his longevity, sadly not to be there this year.

8. Alan Ball – 8 appearances in 1966 and 1970, industrious midfielder and another World Cup winner.

9 Bobby Charlton – 10 appearances in 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970.  Great scorer of stylish goals and a Geordie lad to boot.

10. Gary Lineker – 12 appearances in 86 and 90, one of England’s most consistent scorers.

11 Geoff Hurst – 6 appearances in 66 and 70, another West Ham man and another World Cup winner.

The Subs bench

Peter Shilton, Kenny Samson, Jackie Charlton, Terry Butcher, Gary Stevens, Paul Scholes, Paul Gascoine, Glenn Hoddle, Bryan Robson, Michael Owen, Roger Hunt.

Interesting stuff.