British Airways' losses are unbelieveable

British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier of Great Britain. I know, it sounds grand but the constant losses the company has sustained is mind-boggling.

With losses expected to be as much as £600 million to the year ended March 31st 2010, investors and media alike are sure to pummel BA's image. If last year's eye-watering £401 million pre-tax losses were anything to go by, BA's Board better be ready to face the music during this year's annual general meeting (AGM).

Reasons for losses

1. The global recession is a "no-brainer" factor that contributed to BA's losses. With passengers opting for other means of transport or cancelling flights, BA were left singing the blues.
2. Industrial disputes also played their part in a major way. See the thing about the British is that they are a bunch of lazy numbskulls. They want to be paid double the money for half the work. That is their forte. I am not saying all, of course not. I have met some brilliant British folks but generally they are just plain lazy.
   The seven days of strikes taken by the BA cabin crew in March cost BA £45 million and a new wave of strikes beginning on Tuesday is expected to cost BA £100 million.
3. The awful winter snow that blanketed Britain cost BA huge losses too. Man that snow! It just kept coming!
4. Last but not least, the Icelandic volcanic eruptions caused most European airspace to close down and this cost BA £20 million a day! Holy smokes indeed!

Having highlighted BA's woes, you do not need an economics degree to understand that the company's state of affairs makes a shipwreck look like a holiday in the Caribbean.

Silver lining
However amidst all this fuss, BA might have just saved itself a reluctant smile. Its merger with Spanish airline Iberia is expected to generate 400 million euros (£343 million) a year in cost savings. The new company will be called International Airlines Group. This new company will be one of the world's largest airline groups with 408 aircraft carrying more than 58 million passengers a year.

So there is still a ray of hope for the British national flag carrier. But if it does go under, bailing it out would be difficult because the British government has already run out of money.

Also see Top bankers quit London

David Beckham out of 2010 World Cup

David Beckham is very likely to miss the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after he tore his achilles tendon during a 1-0 win over Chievo Verona at the San Siro stadium last night.



This comes as yet another blow to England's hopes of winning the World Cup as recent reports of Ashley Cole (who?) and John Terry's affairs threw the England team into disarray.

No worries for England
Beckham is undoubtedly a great player but he no longer has the ability to control the fate of a game. In my opinion, England may not miss his absence and might still do well without him. They have enough competent players to go all the way.
Also see No one can bend it like Beckham

Can Manchester United win the Premier league this season?

Manchester United
The 08/09 Premier League season was won by Manchester United but this season is going to be nail-bitingly close. With Chelsea and Arsenal hard on their heals, its going to be a fight to the finish.



Having sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Man U had a huge void to fill. Sir Alex Ferguson reacted by signing the Ecuadorian international Antonio Valencia as a direct replacement. Ronaldo could make or break a game for United but Valencia is a totally different player. He does not have the charisma and presence like Ronaldo and neither does he have the sharp-shooting ability as Ronaldo did. He does however have the essential qualities of a winger. He crosses the ball extremely well. Consequently, this has served Wayne Rooney well. More than 50% of Rooney's goals are a direct result of Valencia's crosses.



The departure of Ronaldo has also given Rooney's morale a boost and he is scoring goals like a striker should. He is a much more mature and composed player now and it is beautiful watching him play.



The free transfer of Michael Owen has also seen United's strikeforce given a huge lift. Despite his annoying injuries, Owen has contributed 3 goals for United this season. Wait for it...He is out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury. Michael, you need to stop getting injuries.

United as a squad works really well. Every player contributes significantly to the team and the attacking football that they adopt is never short of goals.

Chelsea



When the charismatic Jose Mourinho left Chelsea, I thought Chelsea could never bounce back. But they have. Current manager Carlo Ancelotti, a 2-time UEFA Champions League winner with AC Milan has put together a force to be reckoned with. It is always exciting to watch Chelsea play. They have a strong attacking pack and the defence is rock-solid. You can count on Didier Drogba to deliver the goods and Frank Lampard to come up with shocking winners. They are sure to give United a run for their money this season.





Arsenal



To be honest, Arsenal are a very good side. Arsene Wenger is working on a tight budget and so he fields cheap young players who have pools of talent. Consequently, they do not have enough experience on the pitch to win major championships. One of their most experienced players is Cesc Fàbregas who at 22 years, is hardly a match winner. But as Arsenal demonstrated on March 9th with the 5-0 demolition of FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League cup tie, they cannot be written off until it is all over.





The rest
The rest of the teams are pretty much out of the title race and I am not even going to bother discussing about them. Manchester City have yet to gel as a team and don't get me started on Liverpool. I doze off whenever I watch them play.

Conclusion
I enjoy United's style of play and would love for them to win it again this season. But you never know...
Also see Manchester United to have new owners? and Manchester City FC owners eyeing Liverpool FC

Real Madrid's massive spending spree pointless

The Spanish football giant Real Madrid is better known for spending huge sums of money on top players rather than winning championships. For instance, they have not made it to the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League in 6 years let alone win it and this year was no different.

Despite spending over £200 million on players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso, they were still beaten by a lowly Lyon. It is a club I have never even heard of! So what is the point in spending so much money poaching..I mean buying players fom other clubs every season then? And the one who gets the blame and the sack is always...yes you guessed it. The manager.

Manuel Pellegrini, the current manager at Real is likely to get the chop after Real's embarrassing defeat by Lyon. Maybe Real should just focus on building a good team that is going to win matches and stay gelled in the long run rather than spending heaps of money pointlessly.

Real Madrid's latest signings:

Cristiano Ronaldo


Kaka


Xabi Alonso

Also see No one can bend it like Beckham

Chile hit by quakes...again

The massive 8.8 magnitude quake that hit Chile last month caused massive devastation. But it is not over. Fresh new aftershocks were felt at a magnitude of 6.9! That is nearly as strong as the one that brought carnage to Haiti in January.



Luckily there were no reported injuries but officials have warned of possible tsunamis. People near the coast! RUN!
Also see Quake moved Chilean city 3m

No one can bend it like Beckham

I watched AC Milan get pummelled last night by Manchester United in their UEFA Champions League tie. What a wash-out it was.



Despite Milan's defeat, I was enthralled by David Beckham. At 34 years, dare I say...he is still one of the best midfielders in the world. The pin-point accuracy with which he delivers passes, crosses, freekicks and corners is indeed awe-inspiring. His position in Fabio Capello's England team is definitely well-deserved. Not sure aboout his wife though.
Also see Manchester United to have new owners?

Quake moved Chilean city 3m

The Chilean city of Concepcion moved 3m (10 feet) to the west when the 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile last month (see Chile Quake shifts Earth's axis by 8cm)! Chile's capital city Santiago also moved 28cm southwest.



The quake was so powerful even the Argentine capital city of Buenos Aires which is almost 1300km away moved 2.5cm westwards. With so many earthquakes happening these days (Haiti, Chile, Turkey), there are going to be many more shifting of cities.