World Cup Draw!

Hot off the press: Constantine’s 2010 World Cup draw has taken place!
Thirty-two countries, represented by their national flags on tiny pieces of paper, were one by one selected from the official ‘hat’. Isabel Escudero agreed to officially draw the teams, and the process was chaired by Chris Webbe and Tom Rayner.
Those who cared were probably hoping for one of three teams: Spain, Brazil and England. However, if you selected a smaller footballing nation, all hope was not lost. Two prizes out of the pot favoured these nations, with a prize for the least amount of goals scored in the tournament by a single team, and a prize for the most goals conceded by a single team in a single match.
As the draw approached the tension was palpable. To avoid rioting, it was decided that the draw should take place in a corner of the office under the watchful eyes of a few select officials. Only a couple of teams had been pulled from the ‘hat’ when a big name surfaced….BRAZIL….and the name put next to the five-time world champions was Robert Thompson.
The draw continued apace, with a few selections raising eyebrows. Francesco Donadio snaffled up ITALY, and then Eloise Quere was handed FRANCE! Questions were raised at the legitimacy of the draw, later to be quashed by an independent enquiry.
It wasn’t long until ENGLAND came out, and Adrian Cole was the lucky man. Agonisingly SPAIN, the tournament favourites, had still to be picked. With two teams left, only Lucy Walker and Sarah Jury remained without a team by their names. The two teams available: SPAIN and NEW ZEALAND. And the team for Lucy Walker is…..NEW ZEALAND. Sarah Jury gets SPAIN, and looks odds on to triumph again, having selected Italy in the last World Cup draw four years ago.

A full list of the teams selected can be seen below. Good luck to everyone!


GROUP A
Mexico – Emily Hall
South Africa – Phillipa Hayward
Uruguay – Cafer Huseyin
France – Eloise Quere

GROUP B
Argentina – Raffaele Calise
Nigeria – Des O’Loughlin
South Korea – Colin Prince
Greece – Caroline Davoren



GROUP C
England – Adrian Cole
USA – David Brown
Algeria – Jacqueline Patterson
Slovenia – Steve Richards

GROUP D
Germany – Dawie Venter
Australia – Peter Grove-White
Serbia & Montenegro – Ben Sparkes
Ghana – Tim Sutton

GROUP E
Netherlands – Nicola Magdalinis
Denmark – Mike Love
Japan – Sian Williams
Cameroon – Paul Williamson

GROUP F
Italy – Francesco Donadio
Paraguay – Mark Hunt
New Zealand – Lucy Walker
Slovakia – Tom Rayner

GROUP G
Brazil – Robert Thompson
North Korea – Duncan Capp
Ivory Coast – Gemma Busby
Portugal – Chris Webbe

GROUP H
Spain – Sarah Jury
Switzerland – Valentina Candian
Honduras – Lucy Findley
Chile – Ben Adams

Staffordshire Hoard - 23rd March 2010

Please see attached ... as handled by our wonderful airport representatives, Duncan Capp and Steve Richards, last week!


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8583162.stm

Constantine125's Second Match of the Season

Oh what a difference a week makes! Having lost the opening fixture, Constantine 125 bounced back in style; literally, as the team donned its new blue & white kit and beat Peninsula 2-1 in a cagey affair.
John Vernon sparkled up front, as he slotted two goals to put us into a comfortable lead, but defensive lapses allowed the opposition back into the game, and the win can be credited to Colin “The Cat” Prince, who made a string of classy saves. The game became somewhat stretched in the second half as legs tired, and both John and Abel Pais could have bagged a couple more goals each if it wasn’t for the athleticism of the opposition keeper.
Most of the team hadn’t played the week before, so it was a case of acclimatising to the conditions. Overall it wasn’t the best team performance I’ve seen. Our passing needs to be tighter, our shots a bit more savvy, and our positional sense needs some fine-tuning. However, the rust is beginning to flake away; we’re back in the dockyard working hard at re-modelling the behemoth that will be Constantine 125.
Some might say that the journey should have begun on the training pitch rather than the kit shop, but we believe looking stylish is the first step towards getting the panache back into our play. Once we’ve had the front and backs of the shirts printed a team shot will be uploaded to the blog, and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Personally I’m hoping for a Tottenham scout to spot me, but if the team gets a shot at the catwalk, I’m sure most of us, and without a doubt Colin Prince, will seize the opportunity with both hands!

World Cup Draw!

At the time of writing we’re just weeks away from World Cup fever! And maybe England could be lifting the cup! Just wait until J….….Rio Ferdinand gets his mitts around the gleaming Jules Rimet! England, and in particular Rio’s birthplace, will erupt! The blue plaque, which rests on the side of a house will become a site of pilgrimage. Sir Rio, a national hero. I’m keeping the faith.
I’m also hoping to make a bit of money on the side. The Constantine World Cup draw should see to that. Within the next week, the employees at Constantine will have found out who they’ll be cheering all the way to the podium, as thirty-two teams, represented by their national flag, are drawn out of a hat by my able assistant Tom Rayner. Those who enter into the fray will be encouraged to purchase fake replica shirts of the team they’ve been blessed / cursed with. The office will become an exhibition of colour to rival the street carnivals of Brazil.
If you’re reading this and you haven’t planned a similar sweep-stake, I suggest you start printing some national flags and ringing round your friends. For those who hate football it’ll make the whole event just that little bit more bearable. For those who love it, it’ll hopefully make it just slightly less disappointing if/when England get knocked out…depending upon the participation of one Wayne Rooney.
A full list of who got which team will follow after the draw.

Constantine Football Team

The Constantine 6-a-side football season limped into action on Monday, with a threadbare side up against the mysteriously named Dark One team.
Re-named Constantine 125, in celebration of the company’s 125th anniversary this year, the team is hoping for a dramatic improvement on last year’s showing. Whilst narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon, the team actually only had one official victory to its name, the rest of the points tally being made up of no-shows by the opposition! Pride was at stake though, and avoiding the embarrassment of ‘last place’ gave us the impetus to move forward and strive for even greater glory.
Once we set foot on the hallowed (astro) turf of the former David Beckham Academy, inspiration will be all around us. For the younger members of the squad, dreams of professional football, playing for one’s country, and starting up perfume ranges could yet be a reality, as the aura of David Beckham continues to ooze from a building that once housed the aspirations of so many.
Francesco Donadio, ‘The Terrier of the Turf’, has again lined up as captain (and potentially coach), and he’ll be looking for a feisty start, with plenty of hustle and quick breaking play. Movement off the ball will be key, especially with the pace attack up front. However, with a new season comes a new dawn, and with competition for places already reaching a frenzied pitch, no-one is guaranteed a starting spot.
Prediction for the season? Considering the amount the team has played together in the last six months (absolutely none), we could probably rival the Titanic when it comes to rust, so a slow start would be a fair bet. If we can keep a fairly consistent side, and we play like the cultured art agents we know we can be, then I think we’ve got a good chance at mid-table obscurity. Improvement is improvement after all. Watch this space.

Gemma's Half Marathon

Firstly, I'd like to start off by introducing myself. My name is Gemma Busby and I've worked in the Estimates Department at Constantine Ltd for just over 2 years. I wanted to write a short piece for our newly released blog to thank my colleagues, friends and family for their kind support whilst I trained for my first half marathon (I hesitate over the word first!)

I had the crazy idea of doing this back in January. Basically, I was doing the typical "new year, new healthy start", and I signed up for the Milton Keynes Half Marathon. I had completed a couple of 5K runs and thought ... well ... how hard could it be?! 2 months of hellish (but extremely rewarding!) training later and I completed the whole 13.1 miles in 1:46:48, raising over £600 for the charity CLIC (Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood). A charity that is very close to my heart.

The race day itself was fantastic, with a great atmosphere, which certainly helps when you reach the 10th mile and want to collapse into a ball! Although the race was mainly flat and on roads, the organisers did "kindly" end the run with a steep mile long incline! However, the support from the crowd near the finish line was uplifting, even encouraging me to sprint the last couple of hundred yards. I would definitely recommend anyone with a bit of self-motivation to take on a challenge like this, as it is so rewarding. Also ... if I can do it ... anyone can!

So, I'll finish where I began, by thanking everyone so much for their help and support. The money that we have raised is helping some very poorly children and their families, hopefully making their situation a little easier, as it did my family.