Topics

1

Football / England's Heaviest Footballer

« on: May 05, 2013, 11:51:18 AM »

Watching a match wid dis fella playin upfront...he is a BEAST

Northampton's giant striker Adebayo Akinfenwa makes critics eat their words with first hat-trick
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/northampton-town/9671884/Northamptons-giant-striker-Adebayo-Akinfenwa-makes-critics-eat-their-words-with-first-hat-trick.html




 Akinfenwa, a cult figure at the Cobblers due to the size of his shorts as well as his goal tally, is no stranger to chants about his weight. But the London-born striker says the terrace jeers are a motivating factor.

"Their fans were giving me some stick a couple of minutes before my first goal so it was nice to shut them up a little bit,” he told the Northampton Chronicle.

“It’s a beautiful thing. I want them to talk when they need to talk. I know it’s pure banter and part and parcel of football. When they do that, I generally score so they need to keep doing it so I can keep scoring goals.

“If I was playing a game and they weren’t doing it I would think something was strange so they can do what they’ve got to do and I’ll do what I’ve got to do.”

Nicknamed The Beast, Akinfenwa admits: “I eat loads — but I’m not a McDonald’s or fast food guy. But I think I should have shares in Nandos because I live there so much.

“The day the fans stop singing my name I must be doing something wrong. I try to play with a smile.”

Akinfenwa's fame has already spread beyond Northampton fans. He is the CEO of HAHA! clothing range, and the star of its popular '2 big 2 play football' T-shirts, which retail for £20. He even has a slogan, something he calls 'Beast Mode'.

“Beast Mode is trying to be the best you can and hit it hard. A lawyer, a chef, going to school — anybody can be in beast mode," explains Akinfenwa, who has now scored 10 goals this season for Northampton, who are 12th in League Two.

2

Football / Incredible Goal

« on: April 29, 2013, 03:45:22 PM »

Benfica v Sporting last week...champagne football...defence didn't have a chance

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/LNOMjfskUJI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/LNOMjfskUJI</a>

3

Football / Lone Udinese football fan wins hearts in Italy

« on: December 13, 2012, 01:36:50 AM »

Lone Udinese football fan wins hearts in Italy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20700529

A football fan has stolen media attention in Italy after being the only supporter to show up to watch his club play an away game in the top league.

Udinese fan Arrigo Brovedani was the club's sole supporter in Genoa for a Serie A match against local team Sampdoria.

The 30-something wine merchant found himself alone in the visitors' section.

But Sampdoria stewards gave him coffee and home fans invited him for a drink after the match.   

Mr Brovedani told the BBC he had not expected to find many fellow supporters from Udinese, one of the smaller clubs in Serie A.

It was a cold Monday night and Udinese never attracts more than 50 or 60 away fans.
Early boos

"But I went there thinking I'd find five or six other people," the Udinese fan said.

"I went into the stadium while they [Udinese] were warming up. I shouted and said 'hi' to the team.

"When I went in the local fans booed me, I felt a bit offended.

"But in the end they clapped and invited me for coffee and a meal, and the club managers gave me a shirt. They wished me a merry Christmas."

Genoa is about four hours' drive from Friuli, where Udinese are based.

But Mr Brovedani was in Genoa on business.

"I like the stadium there, it's very similar to English stadiums," he said. "I always take my flag and scarf around - they're always in the car with me."

Luckily for Mr Brovedani, Udinese won the match 2-0 and the team dedicated their victory to their only fan. He has been invited to attend its next home match on Saturday.

4

Football / Can sport reduce crime in Trinidad?

« on: November 26, 2012, 04:47:21 PM »

Apologies if this was posted already

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19846197

In a bid to tackle Trinidad and Tobago's high crime rate, the government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on sports projects and upgrading sports facilities. Will involving more young people in sport discourage them from joining gangs?

On a basketball court in Trinidad's capital city of Port of Spain, young men shoot hoops as a way to let out their frustrations and fill their spare time. But the government is hoping that sport can be used to deliver a lot more than exercise.

Life is cheap on the streets of some of Trinidad's urban crime hotspots. One area notorious for drug gangs is Laventille.
Laventille man's gunshot wound Trinidad has become ridden with drug and gang-related violence

"I got shot in my arm twice two months ago," says a 19-year-old man who does not want to give his name.

"You will hear gunshots at night - they even fly into people's apartment windows. People know not to come out at night. That's how life is."

According to the UN, murders in Trinidad and Tobago increased five-fold in the decade up to 2008 - the porous coastline led to drugs and guns seeping into communities.

In August 2011, the government declared a state of emergency in six areas in Trinidad as a response to a spate of killings and spike in gang activity.
'Healthy lifestyle'

The new man in charge of leading the fight against crime in Trinidad and Tobago is Jack Warner, who was the former vice-president of the international footballing body, Fifa.
National Security Minister Jack Warner Jack Warner is confident he can reduce Trinidad's murder rate

He resigned from that post last year amid allegations of bribery and corruption.

Mr Warner now holds one of the most powerful cabinet posts in the Trinidad and Tobago government, as the country's National Security Minister.

And he believes investing in sport is key to tackling the country's high crime rate.

"Besides giving people a healthy lifestyle... [sport] gives young people a chance on the field of sport and not in some drug den," he says.
Continue reading the main story   
Reporting crime

In October, Jack Warner ordered police in Trinidad and Tobago to stop releasing murder statistics, saying reports of violence encouraged people to commit more crime. The order was meant as a temporary measure to tackle crime, Mr Warner said. "The intent of this measure is to seek to ensure that crime statistics are not sensationalised, thereby acting as a domino effect in certain hot spot areas," he said in a statement.

    Read more

That is why the government is spending 1.8bn Trinidad and Tobago dollars ($300m) over the next two years to build recreation centres around the country, he says.

"The whole object[ive] is getting young people involved because we believe quite sincerely that there is this positive relationship between sport and crime."

Mr Warner brushes off any allegations surrounding him from his time at Fifa and says is confident that he is the man who can reduce Trinidad's murder rate.

"These [Fifa] allegations have been following me around for the last 20 years and I still ask them to prove what they have said.

"I sleep very soundly at night because my hands are clean and my conscience is very clear."
Glamour

But not everyone is convinced that Mr Warner's new emphasis on sport in the fight against crime will be money well spent.

Sherma Wilson is a spokeswoman for the Beetham Gardens community, a poor neighbourhood in the capital where Mr Warner recently launched a new multi-million dollar sports project.
Sherma Wilson Ms Wilson is sceptical about the government's plans

The street basketball league, Hoop of Life, was launched with more than a touch of glamour - it included a surprise visit by American NBA basketball star Shaquille O'Neal.

"I blinked my eyes, I blinked again and I rubbed them a bit and I said my gosh - Shaq!" says Ms Wilson.

But her surprise turned to dismay when she found out how $1.5m had been spent bringing him to Trinidad.

Mr Warner insists the fee was paid for by "private enterprise", but Ms Wilson says she is worried that money is not being spent wisely.

"He was here for a day and now he's gone... was it really worth it? We could have used that money to fund a basketball clinic.

"Sport is such a wonderful thing, a wonderful experience. We really shouldn't be using it conveniently for our own political interests."

Others in Trinidad also believe that sport is being used as a smokescreen to grab headlines rather than tackling the deep-rooted causes of crime.
Prize money

Wayne Chance works to rehabilitate ex-prisoners by providing accommodation, help with jobs and counselling.

"In this country, whatever fiddle the government plays, you will find that a lot of people jump and follow suit. If the truth be told, criminals are exposed to sports, they have the opportunity to play. But they don't want to."
Continue reading the main story   
Find out more
Men playing football

Nina Robinson's Assignment Sport and Crime in Trinidad and Tobago will be broadcast on 22 November on BBC World Service at 09:05 GMT

    Listen to Assignment the World Service website
    Download the programme
    Listen to the BBC World Service

Mr Chance believes that much more than investment in sport needs to be done to reduce crime.

"Those individuals who end up in gangs come from certain backgrounds which lack family bonds and this is what attracts them. In sport there is a team spirit but there are limitations [to it]. A different kind of energy drives the gangs," he says.

It's too early to see whether sports projects like Hoop of Life will take young people out of gangs and into teams. But another sports league which has been running for over a year across the country works along similar lines - the anti-crime football league.

It's a league which covers all the 41 constituencies of Trinidad and Tobago with a total of between five and 12 teams within each community.

Ian Syrus is in charge of running it and believes that during the few months that games are played, the prospect of winning the $24,500 prize money regulates the behaviour of players on the pitch.

"The money has a lot to do with it. They know it is 150,000 T&T dollars at stake so that alone will deter them from doing anything that could spoil their chances of winning that kind of money," he says.

But he admits that he doesn't know how last year's winners spent their personal prize money. In communities where a lot of money is made selling drugs, there is no monitoring of players to see what they are doing for the rest of the year when the league is not in play. Therefore there is no way of knowing for sure, if sport is continuing to have an impact on deterring crime.
Police youth clubs

A match between two teams is underway in Beetham Gardens at night, under the floodlights of a small tarmacked pitch. The sound system is blaring Jamaican dance-hall music and locals are gathered around the sides to watch.

When a police car comes around the corner briefly, one of the players runs to hide. Sherma Wilson says he is known to the police. "We wish it were different here," she says.

"The relationship between the community and police is very stand-offish. Do you know the police look upon each one of us as though we are criminals?"

Curtis Paul, the superintendent of police community relations in Trinidad, says police youth clubs are "one of the main crime prevention tools for young people".

He says the police are expanding the number of police youth clubs next year from 50 to 70 to organise more sport and cultural activities.

He believes this will create "harmony and bring the police and people closer together".

After the police drive off, the match gets under way and passes off peacefully without any gang disputes spilling out onto the pitch.

5

Football / It's Official - Fergie Time exists

« on: November 23, 2012, 05:50:07 PM »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20464371

Fergie time: Does it really exist?



It's a well-established idea among football fans that there's something called "Fergie time" - an extra helping of added time when Sir Alex Ferguson's team, Manchester United, are losing. But does it really exist?

The final minutes of a football game can be the tensest. If the match is tied, and both teams are desperate for victory, or one side is a goal down with the chance of pulling off a draw, these are desperate times.

Some (mostly non-Man Utd fans, it is fair to assume) accuse Sir Alex Ferguson's team of getting more added time to score that crucial final goal than any other team - and have dubbed this Fergie time.

If it does exist, it follows that referees aren't doing their job properly, as it's their responsibility to calculate how much time to add on at the end of the standard 90 minutes.

It is widely believed that referees add 30 seconds for each goal and substitution, and a certain amount for other stoppages such as injuries.

In fact, Fifa - world football's governing body - has no defined rules on the amount of time that should be added. Referees are supposed to work it out for themselves.

Former Premier League referee Graham Poll says that when you're refereeing, you don't believe in Fergie time.

"You dispel it as popular myth of teams that are jealous of Manchester United's success."

But when you take a step back, he says, you realise there could be something in it.

"I think it would be too easy to just say it's rubbish. When you analyse and think psychologically what happens, the pressure that's on you at Old Trafford or the Emirates or Stamford Bridge, the pressure that is implied upon you must have an effect, even if subconsciously."

(For the uninitiated, Old Trafford is Man Utd's ground, the Emirates stadium is Arsenal's and Stamford Bridge is the home of Chelsea.)

Fergie time - the chant
Man City fans

"We won the league/On Fergie time/We won the league/On Fergie time" (sung to the tune of Tom Hark).

Fergie time is now the stuff of football chants - Man City fans sang this at the end of the 2011/12 season, after a 94th minute goal in their last game, won them the Premier League title.

The phenomenon of Fergie time goes back to a game in the very first Premier League season, 1992/3, says Duncan Alexander of Opta Sports, which collates data from the football leagues.

It was Man Utd v Sheffield Wednesday and the score was 1-1 after 90 minutes. Seven minutes of added time were given, during which Steve Bruce scored for Man Utd, clearing the way for their first top-flight title in 26 years.

"Ever since then, every time United have been given quite a bit of injury time, it's been flagged up in people's heads and they've said, 'Oh United have got more Fergie time again'," says Alexander.

To work out whether there could be anything in it, he looked at the average amount of added time for the second half of every match. After all, the second half is where added time is going to matter most.

"This season United have had the most," he says.

So the suspicions about Fergie time are true - but only for this season.

Last season Man Utd had the lowest second-half average added time.

"Over the course of the 20-year Premier League there is not much consistency. United are not top every season," says Alexander.

But the crucial figure is how much added time Man Utd get when they have been drawing or losing after 90 minutes. Opta looked at the relevant data over the past three seasons - 2010-11, 2011-12, and the current season to date. They compared Man Utd with five other top teams:

    Manchester City
    Chelsea
    Arsenal
    Tottenham Hotspur
    Liverpool

When Man Utd were losing, they had an average of four minutes and 37 seconds added time, Alexander says, compared with three minutes and 18 seconds when they were winning.

"So you can see there that in games they lost, they got more time," he says.

"For the other, so-called top teams, other than Chelsea, all of them had longer games on average when they were losing. Whether that's a case of the defending team wasting time to try and hang on to what would be a fairly notable victory, or whether it's because referees are influenced by the fact Man Utd are losing, this data doesn't show."

But Gabriella Lebrecht of Decision Technology - another firm that analyses sports statistics - has looked closely at the reasons why time has been added in matches over the last three complete seasons.

After the time added for events such as substitutions, yellow or red cards or goals, "you're left over with a certain amount which seems to be affected by the referee", she says.

Her calculations show that if the home team is winning, then the added time is cut by 46 seconds.

"If a strong team is losing at home, they get more time than if a strong team is losing away," she says.
Graham Poll Referee Graham Poll (seen here in 2004) admits pressure can affect decisions

Lebrecht calculates whether a team is "strong" based on their attacking and defensive performances. In the current season, Man City rate strongest, closely followed by Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.

    Most important late goals ever scored by Man Utd were in 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich
    German side were 1-0 up in 90th minute, when referee announced three minutes of added time
    Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goals in 91st and 93rd minute won game and European title for Man Utd

So Fergie time does appear to exist, especially if one of these strong teams is playing at home. This applies to Chelsea too.

"If they're playing away it doesn't seem to exist as much," says Lebrecht. "There is this idea in football statistics of a home advantage. No-one knows quite what causes it. We know it's statistically significant but we're unclear why. This could be a part of that home advantage."

One thing she has noted is that when a substitution is made in stoppage time "a lot more" time is added to the clock than would be added in normal time.

"The referee feels the [home side] fans' anger if he doesn't add on enough time," she says.

Graham Poll bears this out from his experience.

"There is a pressure that's felt, that's tangible - you can feel as a referee out on the pitch - for that team to come back."
Continue reading the main story   
The long and the short of it

    Eight of the longest nine Man Utd games over the past three seasons have been victories for Man Utd (Opta)
    21 of the shortest 22 Man Utd games over the past three seasons have been victories for Man Utd (Opta)
    In an average Premier League match the ball is out of play for 34 minutes (Design Technology)

"You're sitting there going, 'OK, there's a couple of subs, goals, that's wasted time, injury there - we've got... three minutes maybe four.' Then you find yourself saying, 'Five'.

"That's something which then, sitting down and analysing it, you go, 'Where did that extra minute come from?' That's when that subconscious can kick in. It's a very strong referee that can actually recognise that and make sure he doesn't fall for it."

There is no statistical proof that Fergie time applies specifically to Man Utd. But the statistics do show a bias towards big teams.

Perhaps we should call it "Mancini time" or "Wenger time"? Or even "Benitez time" (or insert name of whoever is managing Chelsea at time of reading)?

6

Football / Crazy Italian Commentator

« on: October 28, 2012, 06:13:05 AM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gkrp5VLFbkY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Gkrp5VLFbkY</a>

7

General Discussion / Planass from Minister's Son

« on: September 21, 2012, 01:54:55 PM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/KlSV7WoyzUY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/KlSV7WoyzUY</a>

8

General Discussion / CHOGM 2011

« on: October 28, 2011, 01:05:51 AM »

Anyone knew this was going on at the moment? Anyone know where?

9

Football / Ridiculous Goal

« on: July 14, 2011, 04:26:39 PM »

Yossi Benayoun vs Wycombe a few days ago

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/kOTZGcsZnVw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/kOTZGcsZnVw</a>

10

Football / Copa Libertadores Final

« on: June 22, 2011, 03:17:54 PM »

Anyone watching this?

Santos vs Penarol, second leg tonight (first leg was 0-0).

All the pre-match hype is about Neymar, kinda like Ronaldo before the '98 world cup final.

11

Football / Footballers' Words of Wisdom

« on: May 13, 2011, 02:06:25 PM »

'My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.'
David Beckham

'I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won
the league.'
Mark Viduka

'Alex Ferguson is the best manager I've ever had at this level.
Well, he's the only manager I've actually had at this level. But
he's the best manager I've ever had.'
David Beckham

'If you don't believe you can win, there is no point in getting
out of bed at the end of the day.'
Neville Southall

'I've had 14 bookings this season - 8 of which were my fault,
but 7 of which were disputable.'
Paul Gascoigne

'I've never wanted to leave. I'm here for the rest of my life,
and hopefully after that as well.'
Alan Shearer

'I'd like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona.'
Mark Draper

'You've got to believe that you're going to win, and I believe
we'll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we're
knocked out.'
Peter Shilton

'I faxed a transfer request to the club at the beginning of the
week, but let me state that I don't want to leave Leicester.'
Stan Collymore

'I was watching the Blackburn game on TV on Sunday when it
flashed on the screen that George (Ndah) had scored in the first
minute at Birmingham. My first reaction was to ring him up. Then I
remembered he was out there playing.'
Ade Akinbiyi

'Without being too harsh on David Beckham, he cost us the match.'
Ian Wright

'I'm as happy as I can be - but I have been happier.'
Ugo Ehiogu

'Leeds is a great club and it's been my home for years, even
though I live in Middlesborough.'
Jonathan Woodgate

'I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.'
Stuart Pearce

'I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my
right.'
Lee Hendrie

'I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign
country.'
Ian Rush

'Germany are a very difficult team to play...they had 11
internationals
out there today.'
Steve Lomas

'I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my
right sock.'
Barry Venison

'I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don't know
into what religion yet.'
David Beckham

'The Brazilians were South America, and the Ukrainians will be
more European.'
Phil Neville

'All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed.'
Mitchell Thomas

'One accusation you can't throw at me is that I've always done
my best.'
Alan Shearer

'I'd rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd.'
Johnny Giles

'Sometimes in football you have to score goals.'
Thierry Henry.

'I was surprised, but I always say nothing surprises me in
football.'
Les Ferdinand

'It was like the ref had a brand new yellow card and wanted to
see if it worked.'
Richard Rufus

'There's no in between - you're either good or bad. We were in
between.'
Gary Lineker

'Winning doesn't really matter as long as you win.'
Vinny Jones

'If you don't concede any goals you'll win more games than you
lose.'
Wayne Bridge

'Do you remember when we played in Spain in the Anglo-Italian?'
Shaun Newton

12

Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Rastamouse

« on: February 05, 2011, 12:24:36 AM »

New childrens show on de BBC!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qqINhfhUz0k" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/qqINhfhUz0k</a>

13

Football / Dutch Eredivisie 2010 Season.

« on: October 24, 2010, 08:33:28 AM »

PSV 10 Feyenoord 0

No kidding 

14

Football / Fifa probes 'fake' Togo football team at Bahrain match

« on: September 14, 2010, 02:36:51 PM »

Fifa probes 'fake' Togo football team at Bahrain match
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11304208

Fifa, the governing body of world football, is investigating allegations that a fake Togo team played a match against Bahrain earlier this month.

Bahrain won the friendly match 3-0, but said they were surprised by the poor quality of the Togolese team.

Togo later said it had never sent its national team to play in the game, staged at the national stadium in Riffa on 7 September.

Both countries and Fifa said they were investigating the match.

It took place as Bahrain prepares to play in the West Asian Football Championships, which begin on 24 September.

The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) said it had been arranged under all the usual official procedures, and through an agent they had known for several years.

 "Everything seemed to be in order until after the game, when we began to hear that some people are wondering about these players and this Togo team. We ourselves were surprised when we heard this," a BFA spokesman told the Gulf Daily News.

He said they had received all the official documentation for the match, including the players' passports.

The spokesman rejected reports that the match was organised by a fake football agent, saying the agent in question had always been "100% alright" and was now co-operating with the investigations.

Togo's sport minister, Christophe Tchao, told the Jeune Afrique magazine nobody in Togo had "ever been informed of such a game".

"We will conduct investigations to uncover all those involved in this case," he said.

Bahrain's head coach, Josef Hickersberger, told the Gulf Daily News the match had been a wasted opportunity for the team to practice before the West African championships.

"They were not fit enough to play 90 minutes - the match was very boring," he said.

"Basically it was not good for us because we wanted to get information about the strength of our team, especially playing with many of our professionals."

15

Football / Man City's Squad

« on: July 26, 2010, 01:22:23 PM »

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15126_6280116,00.html

Incredible!

The potential first XI

Given

Kolarov

K Toure

Lescott

Richards

Johnson

De Jong

Y Toure

Silva

Tevez

Adebayor

The potential second XI

Hart

Bridge

Boateng

Kompany

Zabaleta

Robinho

Barry

Vieira

Wright-Phillips

Bellamy

Santa-Cruz

The "reserves"

Ireland
Jo
Weiss
Onuoha
Garrido

16

2010 World Cup - South Africa / Interesting observation on the results thus far

« on: June 14, 2010, 01:36:35 PM »

Disclaimer: I'm a mathematician, so I like to over-analyse things 

10 games so far, 7 have had outright winners, the other 3 being draws.

Of the 7 wins, 6 of the winners qualified for the WC before or at the same time as the loser. Perhaps not suprising, since there should be a strong correlation between strength of team and speed of qualification. But interesting that, at kickoff time in several of these games, the eventual winner was not the favourite (South Korea,Japan, Ghana, Slovenia).

Korea qualified before Greece
Argentina qualified on the same day as Nigeria
Slovenia qualified on the same day as Algeria
Ghana qualified before Serbia
Germany qualified after Australia
Netherlands qualified before Denmark
Japan qualified before Cameroon

So using that this as a prediction technique for the remaining opening matches, Paraguay should beat Italy...halftime score is 1-0 

17

2010 World Cup - South Africa / Robben out of World Cup

« on: June 05, 2010, 12:07:03 PM »

Hamstring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-30lOhP-50

18

Football / The Terry Family - you couldnt make it up

« on: May 20, 2010, 01:59:57 PM »

Just like his brother.. England star John Terry's brother Paul caught having affair with team mate's girlfriend
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2010/05/20/just-like-his-brother-england-star-john-terry-s-brother-paul-caught-having-affair-with-team-mate-s-girlfriend-86908-22271680/

LOVE rat John Terry's brother Paul has been caught doing the same thing as his sibling - cheating with a team-mate's girlfriend.

Paul Terry, who plays for English lower league side Rushden & Diamonds, has owned up to a fling with the fiancee of the club's goalie.

Younger brother John, 29, was caught earlier this year doing the same thing with his England team-mate Wayne Bridge's girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel.

Dad-of-two Paul kept his fling with Lindsey Cowan, 25, secret from his wife Sarah - the mother of his two children.

But Lindsey's fiance Dale Roberts grew suspicious of the way Paul acted around his girl and confronted her.

A source said: "Lindsey just came out and told Dale what had been happening. He was horrified.

"Dale rang Paul and he denied everything but he's admitted to other players he's been sleeping with her.

"The players have all sided with Dale and are calling themselves 'Team Roberts'. It's so similar to the John Terry and Wayne Bridge scenario that it's ridiculous.

"The players are p****d off with Paul for doing this to a team-mate. There's no way they will be able to play in the same team."

The scandal could hit the club's hopes in the League Two play-offs.

It is believed Terry got to know Lindsey, a secretary, after Dale let him stay overnight at their home last year when he had been injured in a game.

Dale, 24, said: "It's true, she told me she'd been seeing Paul.

"I don't know if they were sleeping together. We've split up. I'm trying to get my head around it all, it's only just happened. I'm a bit messed up.

"It is bad enough she's done it at all but the fact it is one of my team-mates makes it much harder to bear."

Paul and wife Sarah have two children, Georgia and Frankie, and live in Chafford Hundred, Essex.

Just last week he arrived at his League Two side's home game with brother John in a helicopter.

The Chelsea defender was stripped of the England captaincy after his affair.

Terry's former Chelsea team-mate Bridge was left devastated by the revelations and ended his international career.

Meanwhile, Paul and John's dad, Ted, is facing jail after last week admitting drug dealing.

The 56-year-old sold three wraps of cocaine in a wine bar for £120 - the deal was filmed by an undercover reporter.

He will be sentenced on June 1.

19

General Discussion / Promiscuous women responsible for earthquakes

« on: April 20, 2010, 07:45:56 AM »

Iranian cleric 'blames quakes on promiscuous women' 
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8631775.stm

Promiscuous women are responsible for earthquakes, a senior Iranian cleric has said.

Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi told worshippers in Tehran last Friday that they had to stick to strict codes of modesty to protect themselves.

"Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray and spread adultery in society which increases earthquakes," he said.

Tens of thousands of people have died in Iran earthquakes in the last decade.

Mr Sedighi was delivering a sermon on the need for a "general repentance" by Iranians.

"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble? There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes," he said.

'Disappoint God'

Young Iranians sometimes push the boundaries of how they can dress, showing hair under their headscarves or wearing tight fitting clothes.

Mr Sedighi also referred to violence following last year's elections, which occurred when thousands of - mostly young - Iranians protested against the result, as a "political earthquake".

"Now if a natural earthquake hits Tehran, no one will be able to confront such a calamity but God's power, only God's power. So lets not disappoint God."

More than 25,000 people died when a powerful earthquake hit the ancient town of Bam in 2003.

Seismologists have warned that the Iranian capital Tehran is situated on a large number of tectonic fault lines and could be hit by a devastating quake soon.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said many of Tehran's 12 million inhabitants should relocate.

There are plans to build a purpose built new capital near Qom.
 

20

General Discussion / Racist Cookbook

« on: April 17, 2010, 04:21:40 PM »

Cook-book misprint costs Australian publishers dear   
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8627335.stm

An Australian publisher has had to pulp and reprint a cook-book after one recipe listed "salt and freshly ground black people" instead of black pepper.

Penguin Group Australia had to reprint 7,000 copies of Pasta Bible last week, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

The reprint cost A$20,000 ($18,000; £12,000), but stock in bookshops will not be recalled as it is "extremely hard" to do so, Penguin said.

The recipe was for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto.

"We're mortified that this has become an issue of any kind, and why anyone would be offended, we don't know," head of publishing Bob Sessions is quoted as saying by the Sydney newspaper.

Penguin said almost every one of the more than 150 recipes in the book listed salt and freshly ground black pepper, but a misprint occurred on just one page.

"When it comes to the proofreader, of course they should have picked it up, but proofreading a cook-book is an extremely difficult task. I find that quite forgivable," Mr Sessions said.

If anyone complains about the "silly mistake", they will be given the new version, Penguin said.

 

21

General Discussion / WWE / TnT Politics ?

« on: April 14, 2010, 12:30:17 AM »

Watch d poster in d background at 2:10 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/X9rzgKEWOLU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/X9rzgKEWOLU</a>

22

Football / Burnley vs Man City

« on: April 03, 2010, 10:39:50 AM »

6 minutes in....wow 

3-0, fans leaving 

23

Football / Fulham - 4 Juventus - 1

« on: March 18, 2010, 01:41:20 PM »

Clint Dempsey just scored a stupendous chip to complete the blowout (well, almost, 10 minutes left).

Juve fans? 

Inter is carryin that league on its back.

24

Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Stamina Man

« on: February 05, 2010, 05:22:34 PM »

Trinidad is a weird place...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/mnw-C_JMQ08" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/mnw-C_JMQ08</a>

25

Football / Trinidad and Torbay-gone?

« on: December 09, 2009, 01:01:22 PM »

Trinidad and Torbay-gone? League calls for answers

THE Torbay Sunday League has slapped a two-week suspension on Division Two club Trinidad & Torbaygo.

It follows concerns last weekend when neither the league or their opponents, Torbay Wanderers, were able to make contact with the club ahead of a tie in the Torbay Supplementary Cup.

The immediate impact is that next Sunday's rearranged game against Torbay Wanderers has been postponed.

And the Trinidad & Torbaygo secretary has been invited to appear in front of the next management committee meeting on December 15 to discuss the future of the club.

"We need to know if there's anything we can do to help, if indeed the club has any problems," said league chairman John Hockin.

"Unfortunately, we don't know for the simple reason no-one's been able to make contact with anyone from the club.

"On Sunday, for instance, they were due to play Torbay Wanderers in the Supplementary Cup.

"It was called off because of the (waterlogged) pitch, but Torbay Wanderers, as the home team, were unable to contact anyone to explain the situation.

"Even before that, Torbay's manager Barry Goldthorpe tried contacting them to confirm the fixture, but was still unable to get through."

Hockin revealed that the league has also been concerned with lack of communication, having not heard from Trinidad & Tarbago since first contacting them on November 22 over certain issues. Thus the decision to suspend them.

"What we need to know is: Are they still in existence? Have they gone under? And do they appreciate the implications both for club and their players if they withdraw?

"The league is especially worried about the club's financial situation, bearing in mind we're led to believe there are some club and individual fines outstanding with Devon County FA.

"Debts are accruing with every week they fail to make contact with the league," added Hockin.

Trinidad & Torbaygo entered the TSL for the first time this season and lie third in the table behind The Dolphin Inn and Kingsteignton Athletic 3rds after five wins in eight starts.

A worst case scenario — the club withdrawing — would leave only nine teams in Division Two.

The Herald Express also tried contacting the club yesterday, without success.

26

2010 World Cup - South Africa / North Korea's secret weapon

« on: December 04, 2009, 06:23:36 PM »

If State media are to be believed, Kim Jong Il should consider putting himself in d starting lineup....if he is half as good at football as he is at golf, he is my pick for Golden Boot! 

Not that it matters...a few weeks ago he banned live coverage of the World Cup and said that only highlights of North Korea's victories will be aired...he must be feelin rel salty wid dat draw dis evening 

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2004/ea_nkorea_06_16.html

Move over Tiger: N. Korea's Kim shot 38 under par his 1st time out

South Korea's Pyeonghwa (Peace) Motors Corporation plans to stage an inter-Korean golf game next month in the North's capital city of Pyongyang, company officials say.

"We have agreed with North Korean authorities to hold a friendly golf competition between the two Koreas from July 30 to Aug. 5 at a golf course in Pyongyang," said an official at Pyeonghwa Motors, which has started a business venture in North Korea.

Fortunately for all entrants, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il will not be playing. If the official government media is to be believed, Kim is easily the greatest golfer, the world has ever seeen.

Pyongyang media say Kim enjoys golf, having shot multiple holes-in-one during his first try at the game. He reportedly aced five holes and finished 38 under par on the golf course. The "Dear Leader" routinely shoots three or four holes-in-one per round, the government-controlled media reported.

The event, touted as a "golf game for peaceful unification of Korea," will be attended by South Korea's top 15 female golfers, including LPGA players, 30 businesspersons and 20 singers and movie stars, the official said.

27

General Discussion / Bitters pill to take! Acute angostura shortage shakes cocktail trade

« on: November 15, 2009, 05:54:37 AM »

Bitters pill to take! Acute angostura shortage shakes cocktail trade
Dearth of popular cocktail ingredient made from secret recipe follows problems at Trinidad and Tobago manufacturer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/05/angostura-bitters-shortage

Cocktail connoisseurs should be on alert. There could be an aromatic kick missing from your next manhattan or pink gin. The world is suffering an acute shortage of angostura bitters, the herbal concoction used to give an extra twist of flavour to classic alcoholic drinks.

Bars are struggling to replenish supplies of angostura following a shutdown at the sole manufacturer, a recession-hit firm in Trinidad and Tobago.

Made from a secret recipe of herbs, barks, roots, spices and rum, bitters became popular in Britain as an additive for gin, partly to conceal quinine in tonic water.

In the UK the website of angostura's main importer, WB Distribution, says the product is completely sold out.

Trinidad's House of Angostura has blamed a shortage in ingredients and a financial restructuring. The firm is owned by CL Financial, a Caribbean conglomerate hit by a liquidity crisis, prompting an emergency bailout earlier this year by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Patrick Sepe, chief executive of the US distributor, Angostura USA, said the production line ran dry in June and was only just getting back on track. "There has been a shortage," said Sepe. "You can't just turn on and off supply of bitters. It's not like producing bottled water – it's a very delicate, intricate process."

Invented in 1824, angostura was named after a town in Venezuela where a German doctor, Johann Siegert, came up with the recipe as a stomach tonic to ease tropical ailments among soldiers.

Bereft of the classic bitter, certain bars have now turned to alternatives, including supplies from a German company, The Bitter Truth.

"A lot of bars are not happy," said Mark Ludmon, editor of Bar magazine. "Any bar that's trying to do cocktails seriously will feel it's wrong not to use the right bitters."

Once owned by the rum firm Bacardi, the House of Angostura was sold in 1997 to CL Financial, which has failed to respond to requests for comment. According to Trinidad's Newsday newspaper, CL leveraged Angostura's profits against a series of acquisitions including a deal to buy control of a Jamaican industrial company, Lascelles deMercado. It was reportedly left with a TT$600m (£57m) hole in its balance sheet.

Tony Conigliaro, an award-winning cocktail inventor and owner of 69 Colebrooke Row, a bar in Islington, north London, said he had stockpiled angostura after learning of the shortage. He described bitters as a crucial finishing agent in well-mixed drinks: "What bitters will do is stretch the rest of the flavours across the palate."

Distributors say the US is the world's biggest consumer of Aangostura bitters, drinking the equivalent of about 750,000 four-ounce bottles or equivalents annually.

Sepe said he hoped supplies would improve in time for Christmas, as shipments are just beginning to resume from the Caribbean: "There have been a lot of rumours that we're going out of business and that people will never see Aangostura bitters again. I want to be clear that is not the case."

28

Football / Dwight Yorke Exclusive

« on: September 26, 2009, 04:58:46 AM »

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/522524/Ex-Prem-star-lifts-lid-on-life-with-Jordan-and-battles-with-Fergie.html

See what d man has to say tomorrow

29

Football / Football Lookalikes

« on: September 19, 2009, 06:02:44 AM »

Was watchin "The Harder They Come" this week and was struck by this resemblance...

Jimmy Cliff




Any others?

30

Football / Best Womens' Goal Ever

« on: September 11, 2009, 12:43:31 PM »

European Cup Finals....First time I saw a goal in womens' football that could genuinely win a mens' goal of the month contest. (0:50 into the clip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mt6wROt8uA


Although this one was bess too 

http://www.visit4info.com/advert/The-Sun-Dreamteam-Celebration-The-Sun/16848